The cardioprotective effect of a short-term aerobic exercise program and the mitochondrial permeability transition pore of the Rat

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Skeletal muscle disuse atrophy : implications on intracellular signaling pathways and mitochondrial permeability transition pore function

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

(Table T1) Density, porosity, void ratio, diffusivity and permeability of ODP Site 185-1149 sediments

The subduction of oceanic plates regulates crustal growth, influences arc volcanism, and refertilizes the mantle. Continental growth occurs by subduction of crustal material (seawater components, marine sediments, and basaltic crust). The geochemical and physical evolution of the Earth's crust depends, in large part, on the fate of subducted material at convergent margins (Armstrong, 1968, doi:10.1029/RG006i002p00175; Karig and Kay, 1981, 10.1098/rsta.1981.0108). The crustal material on the downgoing plate is recycled to various levels in the subduction zone. The recycling process that takes place in the "Subduction Factory" is difficult to observe directly but is clearly illuminated using chemical tracers. Von Huene and Scholl (1991, doi:10.1029/91RG00969) and Plank and Langmuir (1993, doi:10.1038/362739a0) preliminarily calculated a large flux of subducted materials. By mass balancing the chemical tracers and measuring the fractionations that occur between them, the Subduction Factory work and the effect on the Earth's evolution can be estimated. In order to elucidate this mass balance, Ocean Drilling Program Leg 185 drilled two deepwater shales into the oceanic crust situated in the Mariana-Izu Trenches and recovered core samples of incoming oceanic crust. The calculations of mass circulation in the subduction zone, however, did not take into account the mass transfer properties within subducted oceanic crust, although the dewatering fluid and diffused ions may play an important role in various activities such as seismogeneity, serpentine diapiring, and arc volcanism. Thus, this paper focuses on the quantitative measurements of the physical and mass transfer properties of subducted oceanic crust.

Establishment of a preconditioning regime for air permeability and sorptivity of alkali-activated slag concrete

This study reports an experimental investigation designed to assess the influence of near-surface moisture contents on permeation properties of alkali-activated slag concrete (AASC). Five different drying periods (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 days) and three AASC and normal concretes with compressive strength grades ranging from C30 to C60 were considered. Assessment of moisture distribution was
achieved using 100 mm diameter cores with drilled cavities. Results indicate that air permeability of AASC is very sensitive to the moisture content and its spatial distribution, especially at relative humidity above 65%. To control the influence of moisture on permeation testing, the recommendation of this paper is that AASC specimens should be dried in controlled conditions at 40 C for 10 days prior to testing. It was also concluded from this study that AASC tends to perform less well, in terms of air permeability and sorptivity, than normal concrete for a given strength grade. This conclusion reinforces the need to further examine AASC properties prior to its widespread practical use.

On the statistics of transverse permeability of randomly distributed fibers

An RVE–based stochastic numerical model is used to calculate the permeability of randomly generated porous media at different values of the fiber volume fraction for the case of transverse flow in a unidirectional ply. Analysis of the numerical results shows that the permeability is not normally distributed. With the aim of proposing a new understanding on this particular topic, permeability data are fitted using both a mixture model and a unimodal distribution. Our findings suggest that permeability can be fitted well using a mixture model based on the lognormal and power law distributions. In case of a unimodal distribution, it is found, using the maximum-likelihood estimation method (MLE), that the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution represents the best fit. Finally, an expression of the permeability as a function of the fiber volume fraction based on the GEV distribution is discussed in light of the previous results.

Oxygen and Chloride Permeability of Alkali-Activated Natural Pozzolan Concrete

One of the important factors in the use of portland cement concrete is its durability, and most of the situations where durability is lacking have been identifi ed and strategies to manage durability have been implemented. Geopolymer concrete, made from an alkali-activated natural pozzolan (AANP), provides an important opportunity for the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with the manufacture of concrete but has a limited history of durability studies. Until its different properties are well understood there is no desire to adopt this new technology of unknown provenance by the concrete industry. This paper presents an experimental study of oxygen and chloride permeability of AANP concrete prepared by activating Taftan andesite and Shahindej dacite (Iranian natural pozzolans), with and without calcining, and the correlations between these properties and compressive strength. The results show that compared to ordinary portland cement (OPC) concrete, AANP concrete has lower oxygen permeability at later ages; but it shows moderate to high chloride ion penetrability.

Evaluation of mechanical properties and water vapor permeability in Chitosan biofilms using Sorbitol and Glycerol

Chitosan biofilms were prepared with and without plasticizer (glycerol and sorbitol). The physical and mechanical properties of chitosan biofilms with and without plasticizer were evaluated. Chitosan was obtained from shrimp wastes and characterized. The film forming solution (FFS) was obtained through chitosan dissolution and drying. The solution had its pH adjusted to 6.0 and oven dried (40 8C, 24 h) with forced air circulation. Chitosan biofilms without plasticizer showed a tensile strength about 36% higher than biofilms produced with plasticizer. On the other hand, biofilms with plasticizer presented superior values of elongation. The permeability of the water vapor and color presented significant difference (p<0.05) between all biofilms. Chitosan/plasticizer biofilms showed higher values of water vapor permeability in relation to chitosan biofilms without plasticizer.

A case of extraovarian primary peritoneal carcinoma in an oophorectomized-hysterectomized patient: a diagnostic dilemma

Extra Ovarian Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma (EOPPC) is a rare type of adenocarcinoma of the pelvic and abdominal peritoneum. The objective examination and the histological aspect of the neoplasia virtually overlaps with that of ovarian carcinoma. The reported case is that of a 72 year-old patient who had undergone a total hysterectomy with bilateral annessiectomy surgery 20 years earlier subsequently to a diagnosis for uterine leiomyomatosis. The patient came to our attention presenting recurring abdominal pain, constipation, weight loss, severe asthenia and fever. Her blood test results showed hypochromic microcytic anemia and a remarkable increase CA125 marker levels. Instrumental diagnostics with Ultrasound (US) and CT scans indicated the presence of a single peritoneal mass (10-12 cm diameter) close to the great epiploon. The patient was operated through a midline abdominal incision and the mass was removed with the great omentum. No primary tumor was found anywhere else in the abdomen and in the pelvis. The operation lasted approximately 50 minutes. The post-operative course was normal and the patient was discharged four days later. The histological exam of the neoplasia, supported by immunohistochemical analysis, showed a significant positivity for CA 125, vimentin and cytocheratin, presence of psammoma bodies, and cytoarchitectural pattern resembling that of a serous ovarian carcinoma even in absence of primitiveness, leading to a final diagnosis of EOPPC. The patient later underwent six cycles of chemotherapy with paclitaxel (135 mg/m2/24 hr) in association with cisplatin (75mg/m2). At the fourth year follow-up no sign of relapse was observed. .

Lavado peritoneal como método diagnóstico de lesión intraabdominal. Estudio en pacientes politraumatizados con sospecha de trauma abdominal cerrado y con herida penetrante abdominal por arma blanca, en el Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso, octubre de 1998 a julio de 1999. Cuenca-Ecuador

Analizamos en base a nuestra experiencia apoyados por bibliografía reciente, la importancia, validez, precisión y actualidad del Lavado Peritoneal como método diagnóstico de lesión intraabdominal en pacientes con trauma contuso y penetrante por arma blanca hemodinámicamente estables que cumplían los criterios de inclusión predeterminados para el caso. Durante un período de 10 meses desde Octubre de 1998 a Julio de 1999, tomando como Universo a los pacientes politraumatizados de la sala de emergencia del Hospital Vicente Corral Moscoso de Cuenca - Ecuador, se obtuvo una muestra de 50 casos con sospecha de lesión intraabdominal por trauma abdominal contuso o herida penetrante por objeto corto punzante, en quienes se efectuó un estudio cuasi experimental descriptivo al ser sometido a lavado peritoneal diangóstico para determinar casos positivos, negativos, falsos positivos y falsos negativos. Se utilizó la técnica abierta de Fisher por considerarla la más segura y con menos complicaciones. Se decidió laparotomía de urgencia en los casos positivos registrándose los hallazgos transoperatorios. Se obtuvieron 27 lavados positivos, 20 negativos, un falso positivo que al ser laparotomizado se comprobó que la sangre en cavidad provenía de la pared del abdomen y dos falsos negativos que se desestabilizaron hemodinámicamente, presentaron reacción peritoneal y también fueron intervenidos quirúrgicamente. Por lo tanto, se realizaron 30 laparotomías, justificándose 27, dos resultaron ser los casos falsos negativos y una sola laparotomía fue innecesaria. Las complicaciones por el procedimiento estuvieron ausentes. En este estudio, el Lavado Peritoneal Diagnosticó demostró una sensibilidad del 93.1 por ciento especificidad del 95.2 por ciento, un valor predictivo positivo del 96.4 por ciento, un valor predictivo negativo del 90.9 por ciento; datos que se equiparan con otros estudios. De acuerdo a la experiencia realizada concluimos que el Lavado Peritoneal Diagnóstico constituye una prueba efectiva, precisa, rápida, económica para la manejor evaluación clínica en centros de baja complejidad o faltos de otros métodos complementarios diagnósticos como ultrasonido o T.A.C. y que ante su existencia, el Lavado Peritoneal Diagnóstico es coadyuvante, por tanto, debe formar parte de los protocolos de valoración de traumatismo abdominal en nuestros hospitales

Gastric and Peritoneal Involvement of Human Herpes Virus 8 Related Kaposi Sarcoma in a Patient with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is one of the most frequent neoplastic diseases in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The authors report the case of a 40-year-old male with ascites, peripheral edema and peritoneal carcinomatosis secondary to a gastric KS related to human herpes virus type 8 (HHV-8). The patient had severe immunodeficiency, with a TCD4+ count of 86 cells/µl and newly diagnosed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. His clinical condition rapidly deteriorated, with multiorgan failure, and he died without the possibility of initiating antiretroviral therapy or chemotherapy. To the authors’ knowledge, carcinomatosis is a rare feature in KS.

Gallbladder Perforation with Postoperative Preservation of Peritoneal Dialysis Catheter

A patient undergoing peritoneal dialysis was admitted with acute peritoneal dialysis-related peritonitis. On the 10th day of intraperitoneal antibacterial therapy, the patient’s dialysate developed a green color. Gallbladder perforation was revealed. The patient underwent a conventional cholecystectomy with a preserved peritoneal catheter. There are few cases in the medical literature about green dialysate. In all of them, peritoneal dialysis catheters were removed after cholecystectomy. The present case report shows a patient with an intact peritoneal catheter and with no further complications.

Principales agentes causales de peritonitis asociada a diálisis peritoneal de catéter blando y rígido y su sensibilidad antimicrobiana, en pacientes de nefrología del Hospital Nacional Rosales, de Mayo a Octubre de 2013

La falla renal crónica definitiva ocasiona la acumulación de productos metabólicos de desecho, alteraciones en el volúmen y en la concentración de electrólitos, así como diversos trastornos endocrinos. La diálisis peritoneal es una forma efectiva de terapia sustitutiva de la función renal. El Hospital Nacional Rosales, es la institución que más demanda tiene de servicios, y como en todo centro de salud es necesario conocer los patrones de susceptibilidad y las posibles terapias empíricas para las diferentes infeccines nosocomiales asociadas a la diálisis peritoneal. El objetivo del presente estudio es el de determinar cuáles son los microorganismos más comunes y su sensibilidad antimicrobiana en pacientes con peritonitis asociada a diálisis peritoneal en el programa de nefrología, de mayo a octubre de 2013. Materiales y método: observacional descriptivo y transversal. Periodo de investigación: mayo a octubre de 2013. Universo: cultivos de líquido peritoneal de pacientes de nefrología con diálisis peritoneal con catéter rígido o blando en el periodo mayo a octubre de 2013. Muestra: cultivos de líquido peritoneal positivos, de pacientes de nefrología con diálisis peritoneal con catéter rígido o blando en el periodo mayo a octubre de 2013. Tipo de muestreo: muestreo por cuotas. Resultados: el estudio mostró al igual que lo descrito en la literatura, que los microorganismos Gram positivos son los más frecuentemente identificados en las infecciones relacionadas a diálisis peritoneal, en catéter blando, y aunque a nivel internacional no está descrito el uso también en catéter rígido. Y que cada hospital, dependiendo de sus estudios de susceptibilidad, debe implementar su terapia empírica. Nosotros recomendamos iniciar el tratamiento con Vancomicina y Cefalosporina de cuarta generación o Amikacina, mientras se obtiene el reporte del cultivo del Líquido Ascítico.

Analyses of permeability and porosity of sedimentary rocks in terms of unconventional geothermal resource explorations in Poland

Petrophysical investigations are fundamental to natural resource exploration. In order to recognise the geothermal potential of sedimentary rocks in central Poland, 259 samples were collected from prospective deep-lying geothermal reservoirs. Parameters measured include bulk density, skeletal density, effective porosity, permeability, average pore diameter and specific surface. Results indicate that at great depths (mostly > 3,000 m below surface) sedimentary rocks show low values of porosity (mainly less than 5%) and permeability (only sporadically in excess of 1 md). These values call for a petrothermal use of reservoirs, for which an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) was developed. Reser- voirs suited for the EGS are Carboniferous and Lower Triassic sandstones in the central part of Poland (Mogilno-Łódź Trough region and a small part of the Kujawy Swell and Fore-Sudetic regions). In addition, Carboniferous limestones in this area are potentially prospective.