Are dialysis devices usable as ozone gas exchangers?

A study aimed to compare the efficiency of the ozone transfer of four hydrophilic dialysis filters, and one hydrophobic gas-exchange device (GED) has been performed. Obviously, the former should be specifically used only for dialysis. Unfortunately, some clinicians incautiously use them as GEDs. It has been shown that: (i) dialysis filters present a wide range of gas-exchange yield (from 0 up to 70%), often related to variability according to the treatment time; (ii) by scanning microscopy, it has been noticed that hollow fibers are somewhat altered by ozone; and (iii) because their constitutive materials may not be ozone-resistant, they may release toxic compounds harmful for the patients. On the contrary, the appropriate GED is ozone-transfer efficient, is ozone-resistant, and is suitable for blood autotransfusion and ozonation.

Properties of sesame oil by detailed 1H and 13C NMR assignments before and after ozonation and their correlation with iodine value, peroxide value, and viscosity measurements.

Gaseous ozone chemically reacts with unsaturated triglyceride substrates leading to ozonated derivatives with a wide potential applications, ranging from the petrochemical to the pharmaceutical industry. To date, an ultimate understanding of the ozone reactivity during sesame oil ozonation process as well as detailed (1)H and (13)C NMR assignments are lacking. A practical advantage of NMR is that a single NMR sample measurement can explain many issues, while similar analysis by traditional methods may require several independent and time-consuming measurements. Moreover, significant relationships among NMR spectra and both conventional chemical analysis and viscosity measurements have been found. Eventually, NMR could play an important role for quality attributes of ozonated oil derivatives.

Physico-chemical characterization of sesame oil derivatives.

Ozone treatment of commercially available vegetable oils gives rise to the formation of chemical species that are responsible for the therapeutic properties of ozonated oil derivatives in dermatological diseases. In the last years, these products have been successfully used as a topical disinfectant in a number of serious skin affections. The medical application of empirically prepared ozonated oil has yielded striking improvements with unexpected and rapid healing, compelling us to begin a long-range study aiming first to define the main characteristics of the most common ozonated vegetable oils, about which there is usually no medical consensus because of the lack of standardization of their technological parameters. Sesame oil was selected because of its great amount of polyunsaturated acyl groups, as well as natural antioxidants. Moreover, we have determined the kinetics and optimal conditions of ozonation (e.g., ozone concentrations, time of exposure, temperature) for obtaining an ozonated oil characterized by well-established technological and physico-chemical properties, namely an accurate peroxide value determination. On the basis of the results, we have gained an understanding of the modifications of the vegetable oils during the ozonation process.

Comparison of blood viscosity using a torsional oscillation viscometer and a rheometer.

The absence of a simple and clinically practical method to determine whole blood viscosity can partly justify why the medical community has been slow in realizing the significance of whole blood viscosity. For this reason, the availability of a technique able to evaluate blood viscosity in a rapid and direct manner is welcome. To evaluate the feasibility in hemorheological laboratory of a new torsional oscillation viscometer, it was compared with a conventional cone-plate system. The viscosity comparison has been related to hematocrit value both on whole blood and suspended blood in a saline solution. The results showed a good repeatability and reproducibility of the new equipment, with a best-fitting data of the hematocrit 0-100% range characterized by coefficient of determinations, r2>0.95. Furthermore, a comparison of whole blood viscosity as measured by the two instruments was done on blood samples collected from hospitalized patients. Reasonable agreement for the viscosity values was found between the two methods with linear determination coefficients between the two measurement methods comprised between r2=0.7329 and 0.9263, depending on shear stress phase and the corresponding shear rate.