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Abstract Recently, the oxygen potential dependence of the signal of a potentiometric CO 2 sensor, based on a cation conductor with carbonate as gas sensitive layer, has been interpreted as caused by electronic transference through the electrolyte. Though this interpretation is quite correct, the relationships on the basis of which the effect of electronic conductivity has been discussed are wrong and so are the conclusions on the electronic conduction parameter of the electrolyte material under consideration, i.e. of the lithium ion conductor Li 3 PO 4 + SiO 2 (5 mol%). In what follows, the questionable points will be corrected and the role of the electronic conductivity for the understanding of the behaviour of a CO 2 sensor will be re-examined.

AbstractThirty‐four alcoholics were treated with acupuncture to the ear and the body in a randomized single‐blind placebo‐controlled design over 14 days. Orthodox points and placebo needles to orthodox points were used daily for a total of 10 treatments starting on the first day of admission as add‐on therapy to standard medication with carbamazepine. The primary outcome was the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA‐Ar‐scale) assessed on days 1‐6, 9 and 14. No initial differences were found regarding sociodemographic data, drinking history and alcohol‐related data, indicating successful randomization. Longitudinal analysis of the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA‐Ar‐scale) data showed that patients assigned to acupuncture had a general tendency towards better outcome results and significantly fewer withdrawal symptoms on day 14 (Wilcoxon‐W=177.500, Z=‐2.009, p = 0.045). No significant differences were found in the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI X1 and X2) and Eigenschaftswoerterliste (EWL S60). We conclude that acupuncture as an adjunctive treatment to carbamazepine medication shows promise for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Further investigation of this treatment modality appears to be warranted.

Serum ethanol concentrations may become higher when alcohol is consumed during treatment with histamine receptor antagonists, especially if ethanol is ingested postprandially. Only a few studies have investigated fasting subjects, and women have only been investigated sporadically.The present study compared serum ethanol concentrations after a 4-h fast followed by a low (0.15 g/kg) and a high (0.45 g/kg) dose of ethanol, on two separate occasions in six women and six men. The study was carried out before and after treatment with 400 mg cimetidine twice daily.Cimetidine administration did not change the area under the concentration-time curve or the maximal serum ethanol concentration in either women or men, irrespective of ethanol dose. Ethanol elimination rate was unchanged by cimetidine.Cimetidine does not influence the ethanol concentration-time curve when ethanol is ingested on an empty stomach.

In the current era, the importance of proper hand hygiene to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases has become difficult to debate. Yet, compliance rates remain low and are affected by many factors, amongst which is user acceptability of hand hygiene products.The present study aimed at investigating drivers of preference towards different hand hygiene formulations.Three different formulations (liquid, foam and gel) of the same brand were randomly and blindly evaluated by 54 participants based on the WHO Protocol for Evaluation of Tolerability and Acceptability of Alcohol-based Handrubs.The majority (76%) of respondents indicated that the product formulation impacted their level of compliance with hand hygiene protocols. The preferred formulation was liquid, with 50% of participants ranking it as first choice. General product satisfaction, the product texture, the drying speed and the ease of application, were the statistically significant drivers for participants to rank a formulation as their first choice vs not ranking it as their first choice.When designing alcohol formulations and implementing hand hygiene protocols, understanding drivers of preference for formulations may enhance product user acceptability and therefore compliance with hand hygiene.

Climate change is a global problem, which affects the various geographical regions at different levels. It is also associated with a wide range of human health problems, which pose a burden to health systems, especially in regions such as Africa. Indeed, across the African continent public health systems are under severe pressure, partly due to their fragile socioeconomic conditions. This paper reports on a cross-sectional study in six African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Namibia, Ethiopia, and Kenya) aimed at assessing their vulnerabilities to climate change, focusing on its impacts on human health. The study evaluated the levels of information, knowledge, and perceptions of public health professionals. It also examined the health systems’ preparedness to cope with these health hazards, the available resources, and those needed to build resilience to the country’s vulnerable population, as perceived by health professionals. The results revealed that 63.1% of the total respondents reported that climate change had been extensively experienced in the past years, while 32% claimed that the sampled countries had experienced them to some extent. Nigerian respondents recorded the highest levels (67.7%), followed by Kenya with 66.6%. South Africa had the lowest level of impact as perceived by the respondents (50.0%) when compared with the other sampled countries. All respondents from Ghana and Namibia reported that health problems caused by climate change are common in the two countries. As perceived by the health professionals, the inadequate resources reiterate the need for infrastructural resources, medical equipment, emergency response resources, and technical support. The study’s recommendations include the need to improve current policies at all levels (i.e., national, regional, and local) on climate change and public health and to strengthen health professionals’ skills. Improving the basic knowledge of health institutions to better respond to a changing climate is also recommended. The study provides valuable insights which may be helpful to other nations in Sub-Saharan Africa.

SummaryOBJECTIVE We evaluated the long‐term results in two different groups of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism treated with ultrasonically guided percutaneous ethanol (96%) injection into parathyroid tumours.DESIGN A prospective long‐term follow‐up (more than 6 months). Ethanol (96%) was injected under ultrasonic guidance into biopsy verified solitary parathyroid tumours. Basic treatment included a maximum of three treatments with an interval of about 1 month (group 1) or 1 week (group 2). Dose of ethanol was half the volume of the parathyroid tumour.PATIENTS Two different groups of patients with only one ultrasonically detected and biopsy verified parathyroid tumour were treated. Group 1 (n= 18) were treated regardless of the severity of the hyperparathyroid disease. Group 2 (n= 14) were selected for treatment either due to severe hypercalcaemic symptoms (n= 3), a high surgical risk (n= 5), or refusal of surgery (n= 6).MEASUREMENTS The volume of the parathyroid tumours was measured as half the product of maximum length, width, and depth. Blood tests included measurements of ionized calcium, total calcium and PTH.RESULTS In group 1, 12 of 18 patients (66%) could be followed more than 6 months. Follow‐up ranged from 12 to 58 months (median 45 months). A significant decrease (P < 0 001) in serum concentrations of ionized calcium and total calcium was observed. Eight patients (44%) later underwent surgical parathyroidectomy. Injection therapy was regarded as successful in 10 of 18 patients (56%). In group 2,11 of 14 patients (79%) were followed more than 6 months. Follow‐up ranged from 18 to 50 months (median 39 months). A significant decrease (P <0 001) in serum concentrations of ionized calcium, total calcium and intact PTH (1–84) was observed. Treatment was successful in 11 of 14 patients (79%). Two patients required parathyroid surgery. Re‐examination with ultrasound showed a significant reduction in the volume of the treated parathyroid tumours. Fibrosis surrounding the parathyroid tumours was detected in eight of 10 patients who subsequently had operations. One patient from each group had a complication of a unilateral permanent vocal cord paralysis following injection therapy.CONCLUSION Partial or complete long‐term remission of primary hyperparathyroidism can be achieved using ultrasound‐guided chemical parathyroidectomy. However, the intervals between treatments should be short and the treatment should be reserved only for patients not fit for surgery.

The invention relates to novel substituted benzthiazolylalkylamino-1,3,5-triazines of general formula (I), wherein n, R, R, R, R and R have the meanings given in the description, to methods and intermediate products for producing them, including the method for producing said intermediate products and to the use of the inventive benzthiazolylalkylamino-1,3,5-triazines as herbicides.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 lockdown significant improvements in urban air quality were detected due to the absence of motorized vehicles. It is crucial to perpetuate such improvements to maintain and improve public health simultaneously. Therefore, this exploratory study approached bicycle infrastructure in the case of Munich (Germany) to find out which specific bicycle lanes meet the demands of its users, how such infrastructure looks like, and which characteristics are potentially important. Methods: To identify patterns of bicycle infrastructure in Munich exploratory data is collected over the timespan of three consecutive weeks in August by a bicycle rider at different times of the day. We measure position, time, velocity, pulse, level of sound, temperature and humidity. In the next step, we qualitatively identified different segments and applied a cluster analysis to quantitatively describe those segments regarding the measured factors. The data allows us to identify which bicycle lanes have a particular set of measurements, indicating a favorable construction for bike riders. Results: In the exploratory dataset, five relevant segment clusters are identified: viscous, slow, inconsistent, accelerating, and best-performance. The segments that are identified as best-performance enable bicycle riders to travel efficiently and safely at amenable distances in urban areas. They are characterized by their width, little to no interaction with motorized traffic as well as pedestrians, and effective traffic light control. Discussion: We propose two levels of discussion: (1) revolves around what kind of bicycles lanes from the case study can help to increase bicycle usage in urban areas, while simultaneously improving public health and mitigating climate change challenges and (2) discussing the possibilities, limitations and necessary improvements of this kind of exploratory methodology.