Spin rotation and oscillations for high energy particles in a crystal and possibility to measure the quadrupole moments and tensor polarizabilities of elementary particles and nuclei

It is shown that particle motion in a bent (straight) crystal is accompanied by particle spin rotation and oscillations that allows to measure the tensor electric and magnetic polarizabilities of nuclei and elementary particles. It is shown that channelling of particles in either straight or bent crystal with the polarized nuclei could be used both to analyze polarization of high energy particles and polarize them.Comment: reported at RC2005; prepared in the framework of INTAS Project#03-52-615

Safety and efficacy of an intra-oral electrostimulator for the relief of dry mouth in patients with chronic graft versus host disease: case Series

Objectives: Patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) often suffer from dry mouth and oral mu - cosal lesions. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the safety of an intra-oral electrostimulator (GenNarino) in symptomatic cGVHD patients. The secondary objective was to study the impact on the salivary gland involvement of cGVHD patients. Study Design: This paper presents a case series. The study included patients treated for 4 weeks, randomly as - signed to the active device and then crossed-over to a sham-device or vice versa. The patients and clinicians were blind to the treatment delivered. Data regarding oral mucosal and salivary gland involvement were collected. Results: Six patients were included in this series. Most of the intraoral areas with manifestations of cGVHD were not in contact with the GenNarino device. Two patients developed mild mucosal lesions in areas in contact with the GenNarino during the study. However, only one of them had a change in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) score for oral cGVHD. The unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rate increased in 4 out of the 5 pa - tients included in this analysis. Symptoms of dry mouth and general oral comfort improved. Conclusion: This study suggests that GenNarino is safe in cGVHD patients with respect to oral tissues. Furthermore the use of GenNarino resulted in subjective and objective improvements in dry mouth symptoms. A large scale study is needed to confirm the impact and safety of GenNarino on systemic cGVHD

Separation of Flip and Non-Flip parst of Charge Exchange np->pn at energies Tn = 0.5 - 2.0 GeV

The new Delta-Sigma experimental data on the ratio $R_{dp}$ allowed separating the Flip and Non-Flip parts of the differential cross section of $np\to pn$ charge exchange process at the zero angle by the Dean formula. The PSA solutions for the $np\to np$ elastic scattering are transformed to the $np\to pn$ charge exchange representation using unitary transition, and good agreement is obtain.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

“The Secret of that Herb”: Mystical Smoking from Italian Sabbateanism to Hasidism

Abstract This article is dedicated to the notion of “mystical smoking” in Kabbalah and Hasidism. In spite of the fact that many researchers have dealt with the smoking habits of the Hasidim, the sources and meanings of this behavior have not yet been fully clarified. This paper will reexamine “mystical smoking” by reading some of the writings of R. Moshe David Valle, an eighteenth-century Italian kabbalist. According to Valle, the act of smoking plays a crucial role in the enduring struggle of the righteous person (tsaddik) against the powers of the Evil Side (sitra achra) and the impure husks (qelipot). From several paragraphs of Valle’s writings, it becomes clear that smoking is equated with sacrificing to the sitra achra, and is as necessary and important as the biblical scapegoat in the struggle against the sitra achra. Moreover, the calming, relaxing, or clouding effect that comes naturally with smoking causes the sitra achra within the tsaddik’s soul to be satisfied and to restrain itself from fighting against the Holy Side. In light of “the secret of the pipe,” which Valle discusses at length, Hasidic stories and sermons in which smoking plays an essential role will be reevaluated. Until now, these sources have been subject to ultra-positivist, psychological, or literary explanations, which are unsatisfying and insufficient. In this paper, a new explanation, based on specific kabbalistic ideas, will be suggested, and conjectures regarding the transmission of knowledge from Italy to Eastern Europe will be proposed.</jats:p

Platelet-rich plasma for bone graft enhancement in sinus floor augmentation with simultaneous implant placement: patient series study

The use of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a source for growth factors in bone grafting is a relatively new and promising technique. Early controlled studies indicate that combining PRP with autologous bone grafts significantly enhances the rate of bone formation and maturation. The study consisted of 105 patients who required sinus augmentation with crestal bone height of less than 5 mm in the posterior maxilla. All patients received a composite bone graft that consisted of 30% to 40% autogenous bone harvested from the lateral wall of the maxilla zygomatic-maxillary buttress and the tuberosity and 60% to 70% xenograft. A total of 50 mL of blood was obtained from each patient before the surgical treatment for preparation of 10 mL of PRP. The graft-PRP mixture was activated by human thrombin. All sinus augmentations were carried out simultaneously with dental implants. At 6 months postoperatively, implants were exposed showing no clinical evidence of crestal bone loss around the implants both clinically and radiographically. All implants were clinically osseointegrated and loaded with fixed porcelain fused to metal prosthesis. The use of PRP in augmenting the severely atrophic posterior maxilla has obvious clinical benefits in terms of reducing the healing period of bone maturation, better graft handling, and accelerated soft tissue healing

Evaluation of Stability of a Sucrose-Formulated, Full-Length rFVIII for Use in Continuous Infusion Therapy.

Abstract Introduction: Stability of a FVIII preparation in mini-pumps is an important consideration for its use in a continuous infusion manner. Our goal was to evaluate the stability of a specific recombinant FVIII (Kogenate®FS; KOGENATE®Bayer) in two commonly used infusion mini-pumps, with and without anticoagulant additives that may be used in clinical practice to prevent local thrombophlebitis. Methods: Kogenate® FS (250 IU/vial and 1000 IU/vial) was reconstituted using aseptic technique according to the manufacturer’s instructions with normal water for injection (100 IU/ml and 400 IU/ml, respectively); an additional dilution of 100 IU/ml was made from the 1000 IU/vial size. Reconstituted material was spiked with unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH; Enoxaparin/Clexane) to a final concentration ~5 U/ml, or left untreated and then transferred to reservoirs of 2 mini-pumps (Walkmed, Medfusion Inc., Duluth, GA and CADD, Deltec, Inc., St. Paul, MN). All bags were stored in a light-protected environment at room temperature (22°C) for 7 days. Samples were drawn at baseline (immediately post reconstitution), 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h, and days 2–7, frozen at −30°C, and assayed for FVIII activity by one-stage assay. On Day 7, the residual volume of the mini-pump containers was cultured for bacteria. Results: All samples except one* had FVIII activity &gt;90% of baseline. Conclusions: Kogenate® FS appears to retain excellent stability at room temperature during 7 days in both CADD and Walkmed infusion pumps with and without addition of UFH or LMWFH. No bacterial growth was observed. These results indicate that Kogenate® FS may be useful in continuous infusion therapy. Figure Figure</jats:p

Post-hip fracture rehabilitation outcomes of diabetic and non-diabetic elderly patients

Background Although patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at higher risk of hip fracture, data regarding the effect of DM on rehabilitation outcomes are limited.Methods A retrospective single-centre study was conducted comparing elderly diabetic and non-diabetic patients with recent hip fracture, admitted to geriatric rehabilitation, 2014–2019. The functional independence measure (FIM) was used to assess physical and cognitive function. Delta-FIM was calculated by subtracting admission FIM from discharge FIM. One-year mortality, hospitalizations and fractures were assessed.Results Six-hundred-thirty elderly patients, post-hip fracture were included, mean age 83 ± 7 years, 70.5% (444) women. Among them, 193 (30.6%) had type 2 DM, HbA1c 6.6 ± 1.25%. They were younger (81.4 vs. 84.3 years, p < .01) and had more co-morbidities including hypertension, chronic kidney disease, ischaemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Baseline cognitive and motor scores were similar between groups. Delta motor-FIM was similar between diabetics and non-diabetics (15.56 ± 8.95 and 14.78 ± 8.79, respectively, p = .35). Multivariate regression analysis showed motor-FIM improvement was associated with higher BMI, male sex, and younger age, but not with DM. Cognitive FIM did not change significantly during rehabilitation in either group. Similar rates of patients were discharged to nursing care facilities. There was no difference in 1-year hospitalization or fracture rates. One-year, all-cause mortality was higher among diabetic patients (10.9 vs. 6.6%, respectively, p = .07). After adjusting for covariates, DM was associated with higher mortality risk (odds ratio = 2.78, 95% CI [1.28, 6.04], p = .01).Conclusions Patients with well-controlled DM have similar post-hip fracture rehabilitation potential compared with non-diabetics, despite more co-morbidities. These results support resource allocation for post-hip fracture rehabilitation among patients with DM. The higher 1-year all-cause mortality in patients with DM reinforces the need for close follow-up and control of co-morbidities in this population

Pharmacokinetic Studies with FVIII/von Willebrand Factor Concentrate Can Be a Diagnostic Tool to Distinguish between Subgroups of Patients with Acquired von Willebrand Syndrome

SummaryAcquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS) has been associated mainly with monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS), clonal lymphoproliferative or myeloproliferative disorders and autoimmunity. In the present work we studied 6 patients with AVWS: four with MGUS IgG (λ or κ), one with small lymphocytic lymphoma and one with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia (AMM). All the patients underwent a pharmacokinetic analysis at presentation in order to study potential differences in recovery, clearance (CL) or terminal half-life (THL) following administration of von Willebrand factor (VWF) concentrate. In all the patients with AVWS an increase in clearance and a decrease in THL was observed as compared to these parameters in patients with hereditary type 3 von Willebrand disease (VWD). No difference in recovery was observed among the groups. The increase in clearance and the decrease in THL were significantly more pronounced in the group of MGUS patients (57.93 ± 25.6 ml/h/kg, and 1.39 ± 0.5 h, respectively) as compared to these parameters in the AMM (8.06 ml/h/kg, and 6.96 h, respectively) or the lymphoma (4.76 ml/h/kg, and 6.76 h, respectively) patients (p = 0.03 for clearance and 0.001 for THL). These data indicate that the pharmacokinetic analysis can be a useful tool to distinguish between MGUS-related and other causes of AVWS, and to plan an appropriate treatment accordingly.</jats:p