Approach to Aquatic Skin Infections.

Aquatic-based infections can present a treatment challenge for primary care physicians because of the likely polymicrobial nature of the infection and the possibility of uncommon pathogenic organisms. Although Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species that colonize the skin are the most common etiologic agents associated with saltwater and freshwater skin and soft tissue infections, other significant pathogens can include Vibrio, Aeromonas, Edwardsiella, Erysipelothrix, and Mycobacterium. Early detection and appropriate management of aquatic infections can significantly decrease morbidity and mortality. This article reviews the pathophysiology, presentation, and management for the most common water-borne pathogens causing skin and soft tissue infections.

Quality of life of Brazilian women with urinary incontinence and the impact on their sexual function.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Sexual function may be affected in women with urinary incontinence (UI), but data regarding this association are controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of sociodemographic characteristics in the sexual function of Brazilian women with UI. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with 251 women with UI in the period from April to June 2014. Firstly, sociodemographic and pelvic floor dysfunctions (PFD) characteristics were compared between groups of women with and without sexual activity. Secondly, we compared the variables above with the total score of Pelvic Organ Prolapse and/or Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12). For continuous variables, we used the Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis test; for categorical variables we used the chi-square statistic considering the difference of p<0.05. RESULTS: Women with sexual activity tend to be younger, to be premenopausal, have a steady partner and not be hypertensive. The mean total score of PISQ-12 was 27.30. Women who attended elementary school, with coital UI, with moderate constipation and symptomatic prolapse have worse sexual function. Premenopausal women with mixed urinary incontinence have worse sexual function than those with stress urinary incontinence. CONCLUSION: The association between sexual dysfunction and UI deserves special attention from health professionals. The care of the maintenance or restoration of sexual well-being should be offered to all women, regardless of age, since UI may affect sexual life and QoL of these women.

Simulations of smog-chamber experiments using the two-dimensional volatility basis set: linear oxygenated precursors.

We use a two-dimensional volatility basis set (2D-VBS) box model to simulate secondary organic aerosol (SOA) mass yields of linear oxygenated molecules: n-tridecanal, 2- and 7-tridecanone, 2- and 7-tridecanol, and n-pentadecane. A hybrid model with explicit, a priori treatment of the first-generation products for each precursor molecule, followed by a generic 2D-VBS mechanism for later-generation chemistry, results in excellent model-measurement agreement. This strongly confirms that the 2D-VBS mechanism is a predictive tool for SOA modeling but also suggests that certain important first-generation products for major primary SOA precursors should be treated explicitly for optimal SOA predictions.

Functionalization vs. fragmentation: n-aldehyde oxidation mechanisms and secondary organic aerosol formation.

Because of their relatively well-understood chemistry and atmospheric relevance, aldehydes represent a good model system for carbon-carbon fragmentation reactions in organic-aerosol aging mechanisms. Small aldehydes such as ethanal and propanal react with OH radicals under high NO(x) conditions to form formaldehyde and ethanal, respectively, with nearly unit yield. CO(2) is formed as a coproduct. This path implies the formation of the C(n-1) aldehyde, or an aldehyde with one fewer methylene group than the parent. However, as the carbon number of the n-aldehyde increases, reaction with the carbon backbone becomes more likely and the C(n-1) formation path becomes less important. In this work we oxidized n-pentanal, n-octanal, n-undecanal and n-tridecanal with OH radicals at high NO(x). The C(n-1) aldehyde molar yields after the peroxyl radical + NO reaction were 69 ± 15, 36 ± 10, 16 ± 5 and 4 ± 1%, respectively. Complementary structure-activity relationship calculations of important rate constants enable estimates of branching ratios between several intermediates of the C(n)n-aldehyde reaction with OH: C(n) peroxyacyl nitrate versus C(n) alkoxyacyl radical formation, C(n-1) alkyl nitrate versus C(n-1) alkoxy radical, and C(n-1) aldehyde formation versus isomerization products. We also measured SOA mass yields, which we compare with analogous n-alkanes to understand the effect of fragmentation on organic-aerosol formation.

Optimisation algorithms for ECG data compression.

The use of exact optimisation algorithms for compressing digital electrocardiograms (ECGs) is demonstrated. As opposed to traditional time-domain methods, which use heuristics to select a small subset of representative signal samples, the problem of selecting the subset is formulated in rigorous mathematical terms. This approach makes it possible to derive algorithms guaranteeing the smallest possible reconstruction error when a bounded selection of signal samples is interpolated. The proposed model resembles well-known network models and is solved by a cubic dynamic programming algorithm. When applied to standard test problems, the algorithm produces a compressed representation for which the distortion is about one-half of that obtained by traditional time-domain compression techniques at reasonable compression ratios. This illustrates that, in terms of the accuracy of decoded signals, existing time-domain heuristics for ECG compression may be far from what is theoretically achievable. The paper is an attempt to bridge this gap.

[Investigation on the detection of circulating antibodies in yoshida-sarcoma bearing rats by the serologic-nephelometric method of Hoigné (author's transl)]. / Untersuchungen zum Nachweis zirkulierender Antikörper bei Yoshida-Sarkom-tragenden Ratten mit der serologisch-nephelometrischen methode nach Hoigné.

Circulating antibodies against tumour antigens were detected by means of the serologic-nephelometric method of Hoigné et al. (1955). Under employment of homogenates of tumour tissue as antigen solutions in 95 per cent of the cases the sera of Yoshida-sarcoma bearing rats reacted positively, while only in 4 per cent of the normal animals a positive reaction was found. 11 per cent of tumour-bearing animals showed in addition positive reactions against the normal muscle tissue, normal rats reacted positively in 2 per cent of the cases. In 93 per cent the sera of tumour-bearing animals reacted with spleen homogenates of sarcoma-bearing rats positively, whereas serum of normal rats showed 20 per cent positive reactions with the same antigen. The results confirm the aptitude of the serologicnephelometric method of Hoigné et al. (1955) and of the employed animal model for investigations of tumour-immunological problems, and they underline the antigenicity of the Yoshida-sarcoma.