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An electromagnetic flowmeter probe was chronically implanted around the ascending aorta in a group of dogs. Subsequently, ten dogs were lightly anesthetized with halothane (0.75%), and a second (ethanol) extract of ginseng (40 mg/kg) was administered intravenously. Five dogs were anesthesized without the administration of ginseng. Eleven cardiovascular variables including cardiac output, stroke volume, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, pulse pressure, central venous pressure, total peripheral resistance, pH, PaCo2, Pa2, and base deficit were compared for two hours. Then heart rate and mean arterial pressure were significantly decreased following ginseng. There were no other meaningful changes in either group.

Floating acrylic resin microspheres with an internal hollow structure were prepared by a solvent diffusion and evaporation method. The yield of microspheres depended on the diffusion rate of ethanol and/or isopropanol in the organic phase. They were successfully produced when a mixture of ethanol and isopropanol was used instead of ethanol alone. The mixing ratio of components in the organic phase affected the size and the yield of microspheres and the best results were obtained at the volume ratio of ethanol:isopropanol:dichloromethane (8:2:5). Direct introduction of the organic phase into the aqueous phase through a glass tube also significantly improved the yield by avoiding the contact of organic phase with the surface of water. The optimum rotation speed and temperature were 250 rpm and 25 degrees C, respectively. Several different drugs with various physico-chemical properties were used as model drugs for encapsulation and release tests. When a drug had low solubility in dichloromethane and high solubility in both water and a mixture of ethanol/isopropanol, the loading efficiency was the lowest. The release profiles were significantly different depending on the solubility of a drug in the release medium and the physico-chemical properties of an encapsulated drug.

This work studied an electrolytic decarbonation by using an electrolytic system consisting of a cation exchange membrane-equipped cell and a gas absorber for simultaneous recoveries of carbonate salt and uranium from a uranium-bearing carbonate solution generated from a uranium leaching process using carbonate and hydrogen peroxide. The system was effective for the recoveries of carbonate salt and uranium as a precipitate of uranium peroxide hydrate from the solution and for a treatment of the residual hydrogen peroxide in the solution. The existence of uranium and hydrogen peroxide in a carbonate solution did not affect the electrolytic recovery characteristics of the carbonate salt from the solution. The behavior of the voltage or current during the electrolysis in the system could be explained by the characteristics of change of the species generated depending on the pH in the anodic and cathodic chambers. In the system, the constant current operation was better than the constant voltage operation from the energy consumption point of view. The electrolytic method used in this work for the recovery of carbonate salt from a carbonate-leaching solution containing uranium was evaluated to be environmentally friendly because it could minimize the generation of secondary wastes.

The current COVID-19 cruise tourism crisis has evolved to epic proportions and placed some of the cruise lines on the verge of bankruptcy. This research aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the crisis. Using an inductive qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with eight frequent cruisers who were at home and eight cruise ship employees who were employed by various cruise companies and who were working on cruise ships during the COVID-19 cruise tourism crisis. The findings revealed a systematic failure within the cruise industry management to understand the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of this study highlight the importance of health-related perceived risks on the nature and impact of the COVID-19 cruise tourism crisis. This study supports the overall theory of cruise tourism and crisis management by extending the chaos theory and its principals on the COVID-19 cruise tourism crisis. The managerial implications for cruise lines are outlined.

Rebamipide, a novel antipeptic ulcer drug, 2-(4-chlorobenzoylamino)-3-[2(1H)-quinolinone-4-yl]-propionic acid, was studied for its inhibitory effect on gastric xanthine oxidase activity and type conversion of the enzyme that has a profound role in free radical generation. Intraperitoneal administration of rebamipide at 60 mg/kg body weight reduced gastric mucosal hemorrhagic lesions and lipid peroxidation, which was proportional to the inhibitory effect of rebamipide on alcohol-induced xanthine oxidase-type conversion and enzyme activity. It was also observed that the activity of xanthine oxidase was significantly inhibited by administration of rebamipide at 60 mg/kg body weight, leading to a significant reduction of lipid peroxide content in alcohol-treated rats. The results suggest that alcohol-induced gastric mucosal lesions might be, in part, due to the increased activity of xanthine oxidase and type conversion rate of the enzyme and the protective effect of rebamipide on gastric mucosal lesions would result from its ability to protect against oxidative stress on gastric mucosal lesions of alcohol-treated rats.

Abstract Background Cleansing of the vulva and perineum is recommended during preparation for vaginal delivery, and special attention is paid to cleansing before episiotomy because episiotomy is known to increase the risk of perineal wound infection and/or dehiscence. However, the optimal method of perineal cleansing has not been established, including the choice of antiseptic agent. To address this issue, we designed a randomized controlled trial to examine whether skin preparation with chlorhexidine-alcohol is superior to povidone-iodine for the prevention of perineal wound infection after vaginal delivery. Methods In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, term pregnant women who plan to deliver vaginally after episiotomy will be enrolled. The participants will be randomly assigned to use antiseptic agents for perineal cleansing (povidone-iodine or chlorhexidine-alcohol). The primary outcome is superficial or deep perineal wound infection within 30 days after vaginal delivery. The secondary outcomes are the length of hospital stay, physician office visits, or hospital readmission for infection-related complications, endometritis, skin irritations, and allergic reactions. Discussion This study will be the first randomized controlled trial aiming to determine the optimal antiseptic agent for the prevention of perineal wound infections after vaginal delivery. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05122169. First submitted date on 8 November 2021. First posted date on 16 November 2021

Retaining optimum acid-contents in membranes and electrodes is critical to maintaining the performance and durability of acid-doped high-temperature (HT) polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Since the distribution of acids is influenced by the operating and compression conditions of the stack, there is great demand for understanding the behavior of individual membrane-electrode-assemblies (MEAs) while operating the cells in a stack. In this study, an in-situ diagnosis method using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is implemented during the durability test of an HT-PEMFC stack. Adopting a lumped equivalent-circuit model, the specific parameters are obtained from EIS results, and the changes of the values are compared with the performance loss of individual MEA. From this analysis it can be concluded that the main cause of performance degradation of the stack is due to the loss of electrolytes in the cathode, which leads to an increase in the proton transport resistance of cathode catalyst layers. In addition to the proton transport loss in the cathode, the charge transfer resistance of the oxygen reduction reaction has contributed to the performance decay of the stack. The causes of the increase in the cathode charge transfer resistance for each cell of the stack are discussed.

Ethanol causes neurotoxicity through formation of reactive oxygen species and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. MAPK phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) is one of the phosphatases responsible for dephosphorylation/deactivation of MAPKs. In this report, we examined the potential involvement of MKP-1 in cytoprotective effects of the well-known antioxidant curcumin. In HT22 hippocampal cells, ethanol caused cell death and activation of p38 MAPK and other two kinases. Blockage of p38 MAPK by its inhibitor protected HT22 cells against ethanol-induced toxicity. Curcumin attenuated ethanol-induced cell death, inhibited activation of p38 MAPK, and activated MKP-1. In HT22 cells transiently transfected with small interfering RNA against MKP-1, curcumin failed to inhibit ethanol-induced activation of p38 MAPK and to protect HT22 cells from ethanol-induced toxicity. Our results suggest that curcumin can attenuate ethanol-induced neurotoxicity by activating MKP-1 which acts as the negative regulator of p38 MAPK. This novel pathway may contribute to and explain at least one of the cytoprotective actions of curcumin.