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Reduction Ratio (reduction + ratio)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	50%
Chemistry	33%
Engineering	16%

Selected Abstracts

Helicobacter pylori Eradication Therapy May Facilitate Gastric Ulcer Healing After Endoscopic Mucosal Resection: A Prospective Randomized Study

HELICOBACTER, Issue 6 2008
Jae Hee Cheon
Abstract Background and Aim:, It remains unclear whether Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy affects the healing rate of iatrogenic ulcers following endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for gastric tumors. The aim of our study was to prospectively evaluate the effect of H. pylori eradication therapy on gastric ulcer healing after EMR. Methods:, After EMR, patients were randomly assigned to either the H. pylori eradication group (Hp group) (lansoprazole 30 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, and clarithromycin 500 mg, twice a day for 7 days) or the noneradication group (proton pump inhibitor, PPI group) (lansoprazole 30 mg, twice a day for 7 days). Four weeks after EMR, the ulcer stages and size were compared between the two groups. Moreover, ulcer-related symptoms, bleeding rates, adverse effects, and drug compliance were compared. Results:, A total of 64 patients were enrolled. Of these, 17 patients were excluded from the study. The two groups were comparable in terms of baseline clinicopathologic characteristics. Four weeks after EMR, the two groups did not differ with respect to ulcer stage (p = .475) or ulcer-related symptoms (p = .399). However, the ulcer reduction ratio was significantly higher in the Hp group (0.028 ± 0.024 vs. 0.065 ± 0.055, p < .05). No differences were observed between the two groups with regard to drug compliance, adverse drug event rates, or bleeding rates. Conclusions:, Our results suggest that H. pylori eradication therapy might improve the ulcer healing rate after EMR. [source]

Seasonal changes in radiation and evaporation implied from the diurnal distribution of rainfall in the Lower Mekong

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 9 2008
Kumiko Tsujimoto
Abstract Solar radiation is an important input to many empirical equations for estimating evaporation, which in turn plays an important role in the hydrologic cycle in the Lower Mekong River Basin due to the high evaporation potential of the tropical monsoon climate. Few proper meteorological data exist for the Lower Mekong River Basin, however, and the region's meteorological conditions, including seasonal variation in radiation and evaporation, have not been clarified. In this study, ground-based hourly hydrometeorological data were collected at three observation stations located in different land-use types (urban district, paddy area, and lake) in the Lower Mekong River Basin. These data were analysed to investigate the seasonal variation in radiation and evaporation related to the diurnal distribution of rainfall. Contrary to common expectations, our results showed that rainy and dry seasons had nearly the same amount of solar radiation in the Lower Mekong River Basin because (1) rainy seasons had a relatively larger amount of extraterrestrial radiation; (2) no rain fell on nearly half of the days during rainy seasons; and (3) the amount of solar radiation on rainy days reached 88% of that on non-rainy days. The third factor was attributed to the high frequency of evening rainfall. Furthermore, this rainfall,radiation relationship meant that rainy seasons had a large amount of net radiation due to the low reduction ratio of solar radiation and an increase in long-wave incoming radiation. Accordingly, rainy seasons had a high evaporation potential. Moreover, for the rain-fed rice paddies that prevail in this region, sufficient radiation during the rainy season would be a great advantage for rice growing. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Individual Generator Modeling in Multimachine Networks and Its Stabilization with SVCs

IEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2010
Jun Zhou Member
Abstract Individual generators with damping windings and shunt static VAR compensators (SVCs) and under disturbances in multimachine power networks are modeled via what we call the model-reference (MR) swing equations. Then stabilization of individual generators is contrived with nonlinear and MR SVCs, by employing the MR swing equations. The SVCs guarantee robust stability against disturbances and uncertainties in generators and from connecting networks, and they can be implemented in a variety of ways. As a specific example, nonlinear and piecewise SVCs are suggested, which can accommodate performances on generators such as swing reduction ratio. Examples illustrate efficacy of the stabilization technique. Copyright © 2010 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source]

Paste extrusion control and its influence on pore size properties of PTFE membranes

ADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
Radium Huang
Abstract Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a remarkable membrane material. Owing to its high-melting point, PTFE fine powder cannot be processed using conventional melting processing methods. Instead, techniques such as paste extrusion, rolling, and sintering have to be employed. Each processing step has an important influence on the final pore size quality within the membrane. In this paper, a PID controller (proportional-integral-derivative controller) was used to improve the properties of PTFE paste during the extrusion process and the quality of the PTFE membrane. A range of lubricant content (18, 20, and 22 wt%) was used to monitor the pressure drop at different extrusion speeds (0.5, 1, and 2 mm/s) and reduction ratios (RR = 26.47, 47.06, 80.06). It was found that a higher lubricant content and a higher reduction ratio resulted in a lower pressure drop. It was also found that a higher stretching temperature tends to result in larger pore size and broader pore size distribution at the same stretching rate. At a monitored and controlled constant low-extrusion speed, the porosity of PTFE membrane was increased from 38% to 55% and the mean pore size was decreased from 0.22 to 0.15 ,m because of less migration and more uniform distribution of lubricant during extrusion. Properties and the associated property uniformity of the PTFE extrudate affect the subsequent membrane-forming process and the final pore size and size distribution significantly. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 26:163,172, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20099 [source]

Amphotericin B removal by plasma exchange

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 1 2009
S. Q. Lew MD FACP FASN
Summary This case report adds pharmacokinetic knowledge regarding amphotericin B. Amphotericin B is highly protein bound. Plasma exchange removes 50,75% of a substance in plasma within 1,2 h, corresponding to an elimination half-life of 30,40 min. Amphotericin B reduction ratio by plasma exchange was 40% in this patient who had both liver and renal failure. [source]

Correlating dough elastic recovery during sheeting with flour analyses and rheological properties

JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE, Issue 15 2008
DanQiu Ren
Abstract The dough rheological behaviors of three flours having different chemical and physical properties were measured, as were changes in thickness and snapback (thickness of the machined dough sheet relative to the roll gap), immediately following sheeting. Dough snapback was determined to be a function of processing parameters, reduction ratio, and dough rest time, as well as different flour properties. The predication equation for dough snapback is based on multiple flour properties and sheeting conditions. Higher protein flours normally have stronger dough properties and larger snapback, compared with low protein flours, but also depend on the protein quality. The snapback will increase either with increased protein content, reduction ratio, or reduced rest time. Dough snapback using flour made by blending two flours 50/50 had intermediate values between the two original flours. Among the variables, Mixograph work, reduction ratio, and dough rest time were the main factors affecting the elastic characteristics of the doughs. Minimum snapback occurred with the weakest flour experiencing the longest rest time and the smallest reduction ratio. A linear 7-factor equation was found to predict the snapback of several flours, by combining reduction ratio, dough rest time, Mixograph work, peak height, and mixing time, Alveograph P/L, and protein content. Only three factor combinations of Mixograph work, reduction ratio, and rest time were needed to develop a second order equation for predicting snapback. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry [source]

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels in chronic haemodialysis patients

NEPHROLOGY, Issue 1 2010
DAVIDE BOLIGNANO
ABSTRACT: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a small 25 kDa protein strongly induced in injured renal tubular cells, represents an interesting emerging biomarker in the field of clinical nephrology. The aim of the present pilot study was to analyze circulating NGAL levels in a small cohort of 30 patients on chronic haemodialysis (HD), in order to assess any relationships with different laboratory and clinical parameters. Pre- and post-HD levels were higher in patients than in healthy subjects (485.2 ± 49.7 vs 51.2 ± 4.6 ng/mL; P < 0.001; and 167.4 ± 48.0 vs 51.2 ± 4.6 ng/mL; P = 0.01). Furthermore, a single HD session decreased NGAL levels by approximately fourfold (485.2 ± 49.7 vs 167.4 ± 48.0 ng/mL; p:0.01), with a reduction ratio of 73 ± 14%. At baseline, direct and independent correlations were found between NGAL and, respectively, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (, = 0.34; P = 0.03) and spKt/V (, = 0.35; P = 0.02). The findings showed that HD patients have chronically increased levels of circulating NGAL. However, with a single HD session, a marked reduction was achieved in circulating NGAL values, probably as a result of an important dialytic removal, similar to that observed for other cytokines. Finally, the direct independent correlation found between NGAL and spKt/V raises the question of whether, in the future, NGAL may also become a useful tool in predicting the adequacy of dialysis and in guiding the management of dialysis prescriptions. [source]

Current status of dialytic therapy in Korea

NEPHROLOGY, Issue 2003
Suk Young KIM
SUMMARY: The status of dialytic therapy in Korea at the end of 2001 was reported by the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) registry committee of Korean Society of Nephrology, where data were collected through an internet on-line registry program. The number of dialysis centres was 335 and the number of haemodialysis machines was 5529. The total number of patients with dialysis was 23 057 (haemodialysis 17 568, peritoneal dialysis 5489). Prevalence and incidence of dialysis patients were 477.5 and 96.4 patients per million population. The most common primary cause of end-stage renal diseases was diabetic nephropathy (41.5%), hypertensive nephrosclerosis (15.4%), and chronic glomerulonephritis (13.6%). Eighty-six percent of haemodialysis patients were on dialysis therapy three times a week, the mean urea reduction ratio was 66.7 ± 8.68% and mean Kt/V was 1.250 ± 0.292 in male patients; 1.526 ± 0.361 in female patients. The technical survival of haemodialysis in 5 years was 30.2% and peritoneal dialysis was 13.8%. The common complication of haemodialysis patients was hypertension (43.3%), gastrointestinal disease other than peptic ulcer (8.0%), congestive heart failure (7.6%), and of peritoneal dialysis patients were also hypertension (28.8%), congestive heart failure (5.0%), and peritonitis (4.8%). The most common causes of death were cardiac diseases (26.9%), vascular diseases, including cerebrovascular accidents (22.7%), and infection (17.8%). [source]

Fatigue and associated factors in hemodialysis patients in Taiwan

RESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 1 2006
H.E. Liu
Abstract The number of patients suffering from end-stage renal disease is increasing rapidly around the world, including in Taiwan. Hemodialysis (HD) patients report fatigue as a major stressor. The purpose of this correlational study with systematic sampling was to explore fatigue and associated physiological, psychological, and situational factors in 119 Taiwanese HD patients. Results indicate that levels of fatigue were mild. Three variables (gender, employment, and depression) had a significant impact on fatigue. Some differences in physiological factors by depression, gender, and employment were found. Stepwise regressions showed that depression, age, and urea reduction ratio were significant predictors for overall fatigue and two of its dimensions. Some relationships from the theory of unpleasant symptoms were supported. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 29:40,50, 2006 [source]

Matching Efficacy of Online Hemodiafiltration in Simple Hemodialysis Mode

ARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 12 2008
Detlef H. Krieter
Abstract PUREMA H (referred to as PES) is an innovative dialysis membrane for enhanced low-molecular-weight (LMW) protein removal. The purpose of the study was to prove whether its efficacy in hemodialysis (HD) matches that of online hemodiafiltration (HDF) with conventional high-flux membranes. In a prospective, randomized, cross-over study on eight maintenance dialysis patients, treatment efficacy of HD with PES was compared with online postdilution HDF with the two synthetic high-flux membranes polysulfone (referred to as PSU) and Polyamix (referred to as POX). Apart from the infusion of replacement fluid, which was set at 20% of the blood flow rate of 300 mL/min, operating conditions in HD and HDF were kept identical. Small solute and LMW protein plasma clearances as well as the reduction ratio (RR) of cystatin C and retinol-binding protein were not different between the therapies. HDF with POX resulted in a significantly lower myoglobin RR as compared with HD with PES, and HDF with PSU. A 4% higher beta2 -microglobulin RR was determined in HDF with PSU (73 ± 5%) as compared with PES in HD (69 ± 5%). The albumin loss was below 1 g for all treatments. Despite the fact that simple HD did not fully exploit the characteristics of PES, it achieved essentially similar LMW protein removal and albumin loss as compared with online postdilution HDF with the conventional synthetic high-flux membranes PSU and POX. Therefore, HD with PES may have beneficial effects on the outcome of maintenance dialysis patients similar to high-efficiency HDF. [source]