...Abstract The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a characterization tool used to image sample surfaces. The AFM operates under many modes and can be manipulated to be used under many different circumstances. Previously, the main applications of the AFM included analyzing surfaces of materials and surfaces forces. More recently, applications of AFM have come to include analyzing living cells as well. By changing the type of tip used to polymer ones, living cells can be scanned without damaging them. Also, because AFM can be done in a liquid environment and dehydrating or coating the sample is not necessary, it aids in creating more accurate image analysis. Some modifications of the AFM that can be made besides changing the material of the tip include using the cantilever without the tip, using different cantilevers, and analyzing samples in different environments. These changes allow the AFM to be used to monitor many different living organisms as will be further described in depth later. The AFM has advantages over both TEM and SEM in that living organism samples are not destroyed during preparations. One limitation of AFM includes the fact that scanning one sample can take several minutes while analysis of an SEM sample occurs in near real-time. Applications of AFM will continue to expand and improvements to the technique will continue to be made. Introduction to AFM Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an imaging technique that can be used in a number of different scientific...
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...Hindawi Publishing Corporation Dermatology Research and Practice Volume 2010, Article ID 893080, 13 pages doi:10.1155/2010/893080 Review Article Acne Scars: Pathogenesis, Classification and Treatment Gabriella Fabbrocini, M. C. Annunziata, V. D’Arco, V. De Vita, G. Lodi, M. C. Mauriello, F. Pastore, and G. Monfrecola Division of Clinical Dermatology, Department of Systematic Pathology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80133 Napoli, Italy Correspondence should be addressed to Gabriella Fabbrocini, gafabbro@unina.it Received 17 March 2010; Revised 7 September 2010; Accepted 28 September 2010 Academic Editor: Daniel Berg Copyright © 2010 Gabriella Fabbrocini et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Acne has a prevalence of over 90% among adolescents and persists into adulthood in approximately 12%–14% of cases with psychological and social implications. Possible outcomes of the inflammatory acne lesions are acne scars which, although they can be treated in a number of ways, may have a negative psychological impact on social life and relationships. The main types of acne scars are atrophic and hypertrophic scars. The pathogenesis of acne scarring is still not fully understood, but several hypotheses have been proposed. There are numerous treatments: chemical peels, dermabrasion/microdermabrasion...
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...are derived from plants that have been used by traditional medical practitioners (Cragg and Newman, 2005). It is a fact that traditional systems of medicine have become a topic of global importance. African countries are at a stage where traditional medicine is considered more for its capacity to generate other medicine than for its own sake. In many cases research undertakings and the commercial use stemming from that research have always relied on information provided by the local communities and, in many instances, have hardly benefited from the research results (Rukangira, 2004) . In Africa, traditional healers and remedies made from plants play an important role in the health of millions of people. (Rukangira, 2004). Typically, studies on the medicinal plants such as Alstonia boonei have focused on the bioactivity of its chemical constituents, ethnobotany, pharmacology, and taxonomy. However, a comprehensive or systematic review on the plant is lacking. Furthermore, in much of the older literature concerning West Africa, the name Alstonia congensis has been erroneously used for Alstonia boonei. Consequently, this paper examined the effect of aqueous bark extracts of Alstonia boonei on the haematological parameters of male wistar abino rats. 1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW 1.2.1 Classification Alstonia comprises about 40 species and has a pantropical distribution. There are about twelve species of the genus Alstonia. Alstonia boonei De Wild belongs to the family Apocynaceae. The...
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...opportunistic infections. As a nursing student, I am responsible for making sure that I do not cause cross contamination. My question is “What are evidence based methods to prevent opportunistic infections in patients with a compromised immune system?” Since one of my sources addresses neutropenia, it is necessary to explain the disorder and how it relates to my question. Information about neutropenia was obtained from an article named Neutropenia: A Diagnostic Approach from the Western Journal of Medicine. The two authors are doctors and this article is based on evidence-based case review. Neutropenia is a somewhat common condition in which the level of neutrophils in the blood is abnormally low (Montgomery and Munshi, 2000, para. 1). An immune system becomes compromised when it does not have an adequate number of neutrophils and my question concerns patients who have a compromised immune system. Some causes of neutropenia include chemotherapy, viral or bacterial infections, adverse drug reactions and autoimmune disorders, such as AIDS (Montgomery and Munshi, 2000). Another source is a peer reviewed article named Neutropenia: State of the Knowledge Part II. The main author of this article is Nirenberg, but she had input from five other authors. This article is from the Oncology Nursing Forum which is property of the Oncology Nursing Society. The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) is a professional oncology association composed of registered nurses and other health...
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...decrease inflammation and time needed to heal a wound. There is new research on sharks and how they evolved to have an immunity against cancer causing genes. Moreover, this research could be used to better the human race and...
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...which the infection develops (CDC, 2014). HCAP develops during or following a stay in a healthcare facility. In contrast, patients who are diagnosed with CAP have had no contact within a health care setting prior to presenting with the infection (Driver, 2012). Pneumonia may be present as a mild illness but has the potential to be life-threatening. Despite advances in research, pneumonia remains a common illness contributing to the death of young children in developing countries and the elderly population of developed countries throughout the world (Ruuskanen, et al., 2011). In 2010, approximately 50,000 people in the U.S. died after developing the infection (CDC, 2014). From a global perspective, 450 million cases of pneumonia are recorded annually and roughly 4 million of those diagnosed will die from this illness (Ruuskanen, et al., 2011). CAP is the eighth-leading cause of death within the U.S. and is the leading cause of death from infection in the developed world (Brown, et al., 2012). While anyone is susceptible to contracting it, certain risk factors increase the chances of developing the infection. Research confirms that pneumonia is more serious in younger and older populations; people with chronic health problems; and people who have weak immune systems (CDC, 2014). In the U.S., the population older than age 65 account for nearly two thirds of hospitalizations and 90 percent of deaths associated with...
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...Research Review on the Biological Effect of Cell Phone Radiation on Human 1, 2 Ashraf A. Aly1, Safaai Bin Deris2, Nazar Zaki3 Faculty of Computer Science and Information Systems, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia 3 College of Information Technology, UAE University, UAE Ashraf.ahmed@uaeu.ac.ae, safaai@utm.my, nzaki@uaeu.ac.ae increased incidence rate of traffic accidents due to the use of mobile phone while driving. The risk of exposure to electromagnetic field was first highlighted and publicized in the late 1970s by Colorado study [2] that linked magnetic field exposure from power lines to the possible development of child leukemia. The amount of RF generated by cell phone is usually depends on the number of base stations around the area, the cell phone network traffic, and on how far the cell phone from base stations. The amount of the power which sent from a base station could vary from cell phone to another one even within the same area, depends on the interfering from obstacles such as buildings and trees [3]. Although, cell phones are designed to operate at power levels below a threshold for known thermal effects, radio frequency radiation could produce other kinds of effects, called biological effects. In Figure 1, we show a calculation of specific absorbed radiation (SAR) distribution in an anatomical model of human head positioned next to a 125 mW dipole antenna. The resulted Peak SAR is 9.5 W/kg over 1 mg which is a clear indication of the effect. Abstract The growth...
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...Introduction: This research paper is about an emergent disease facing the world. Ebola has affected many countries in the world including United States of America. It has brought about many sociological factors that influenced the world to come together and work together and work together to fight the pandemic disease. United States and Britain come together raised money and funded my research institutions in America and in Africa to fight the disease. Therefore, I will take you into a journey and explain what Ebola is and how it is affected the world according to my research based on this disease. I hope you will learn how it affected the social factors in the society, for example, fatality rates and how the world society was affected in terms of health, financial constraints. This research paper is dedicated to the restless efforts of scientists, and government in the United States and Britain for their great contribution to fight Ebola. To the courageous doctors who flew to Africa and risked their lives in order to help the people in West Africa. Ebola virus disease (EVD) was also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, it is severe, often fatal illness in humans. It is transmitted from wild animals and spreads to human population via direct human transmission. For example, it can also be transmitted through body fluids, objects and fruits from primates Also, Ebola firstly appeared in Sudan, Nzara and in the Republic of Congo in a village near Ebola River...
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...ARTICLE IN PRESS Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology 59 (2007) 105–114 www.elsevier.de/etp Comparative ultrastructural analyses of platelets and fibrin networks using the murine model of asthma E. PretoriusÃ, O.E. Ekpo, E. Smit Department of Anatomy, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, BMW Building, P.O. Box 2034, Pretoria 0001, South Africa Received 10 October 2006; accepted 13 February 2007 Abstract The murine Balb/c asthma model has been used successfully for a number of in vivo immunological applications and for testing novel therapeutics, and it is a reliable, clinically relevant facsimile of the human disease. Here we investigate whether this model can be used to study other components of the human body, e.g. ultrastrucure. In particular, we investigate the effect of the phytomedicine Euphorbia hirta (used to treat asthma), on the ultrastructure of fibrin as well as platelets, cellular structures that both play an important role in the coagulation process. Hydrocortisone is used as positive control. Ultrastructure of the fibrin networks and platelets of control mice were compared to mice that were asthmatic, treated with two concentrations of hydrocortisone and one concentration of the plant material. Results indicate control mice possess major, thick fibers and minor thin fibers as well as tight round platelet aggregates with typical pseudopodia formation. Minor fibers of asthmatic mice have a netlike appearance covering...
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...Thesis Statement Writing Tuesday, Jun. 8th 2010 Before you familiarize yourself with thesis statement writing, you need to know what the statement is in the first place. This sentence basically sums up your main objective for writing the term paper, creates a simple guide for the reader and provides the basis for your argument. All in all thesis statement writing is quite simple, as long as you keep some tips and techniques in mind. The first thing you need to do is put together one question which is only possible if you compress the entire thesis. A great way to do this is examine the main topic and create a question out of it. It will give you a basic idea of what the statement should look like and how you should answer that question. The first sentence should introduce the topic and the objective and the next few should spell out how you plan to support your argument. Thesis statement writing, therefore, is about asking yourself the fundamental question that forms the essence of your paper. When you are done writing the statement, step back and examine in from another point of view to determine whether it is strong or weak. A strong statement is one which sparkles with confidence and focuses on one and only one aspect of the issue. This means that you can’t be vague or off-hand about the topic. If you have selected a theme, you should be ready to stand up for it- now is not the time to be diplomatic or meek. In addition to that, it should also spell out the basis for...
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...via this Th2 pathway. However, in an atopic asthmatic patient, the homeostatic equilibrium between this inflammatory Th2 mediated response and the T regulatory (Treg) cell response that dampen and suppress both effector cell activity and the priming of new immature cells is skewed (Robinson 2010; Baru et al. 2012). Thus chronic airway inflammation, bronchoconstriction and remodeling of the epithelium follow in response to an overactive Th2 inflammatory response. A reduction in number of Treg cells was seen in asthma patients and up-regulation of this cell type to restore homeostatic balance between the inflammatory and dampening response should be furthered in treatment research. Recent research has shown that Th17 is also involved in contributing to the pro-inflammatory response, but for the purpose of this paper, these will not be discussed as Th2 is still considered the driving mechanism (Kudo et al. 2012; Robinson 2010). Respiratory epithelium comprises the first line of defence against aeroallergens, microorganisms, and harmful gasses. When an individual is born no dendrite cells inhabit the airway and only when this epithelial barrier is damaged or is activated do these dendrite cells migrate and maturate from the bone marrow (Kudo, Ishigatsubo & Aoki 2013; Rodriguez et al. 2011). The immune system is initiated by the binding of a pathogen on epithelial pattern associated recognition receptors. This then activates a release of pro inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and antimicrobial...
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...Grand Canyon University: NRS-427V 11/23/13 “In 1895 varicella infection (chickenpox) was not reliably distinguished from smallpox until the end of the 19th century. The first vaccine to reduce the risk of herpes zoster was licensed in May 2006.” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013) Chickenpox is a highly infectious childhood disease. Varicella zoster virus causes chickenpox, and also shingles. When infected with chickenpox the most well-known symptom are the skin lesions present that appear on the torso then spreading to the rest of the body in rapidly, can take a couple of hours. The skin lesions that are present occur in the stages of macule, vesicle, and granular scabs, the size varies from one to four mm. It only takes a few hours for the first step, macule lesions to spread from the torso which is where the most of the fluid filled vesicles are seen, then to the rest of the body such as the mucous membranes, arms, legs, mouth, head, upper respiratory tract, vaginal/penis areas, and even the conjunctivae/ cornea. The vesicle stage of chickenpox happens when the lesions which resemble blisters can appear raised or depressed in appearance, and the third stage occurs when the blisters open, then dry and become scabs. Approximately by the third day of having chickenpox it is common to see all three of the different stages of vesicles at the same time. The skin lesions commonly two hundred to five hundred are referred to as one crop, with chicken pox...
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...plasma cells, “myeloma” refers to a tumor of the bone marrow, and “multiple” refers to more than one area of the bone marrow being affected (Mangan, 2006, p. 64hn1). Because the disease is incurable, and because only 30 percent of patients survive longer than five years after diagnosis, living with multiple myeloma can be difficult for patients and their families (Mangan, 2006, p. 64hn1). As health care providers on the front lines of patient care, nurses must be aware of the multi-system manifestations of multiple myeloma, be able to make the assessments needed to identify and prevent complications related to the disease and its treatment regimen, and be ready to provide patients and their families with knowledge and support. In this paper, the author will first provide a full description of multiple myeloma, including etiology and risk factors, pathophysiology, diagnostic tests, and treatment. This accomplished, the author will apply the stages of the nursing process to nursing care...
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...Gene Marker Identification Targeting Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4), Breast Cancer 1 (BRCA1), and Adenosine Triphosphatase 1 Alpha 1 (ATP1A1) Genes: Assessing Their Association With Subclinical Mastitis Cases in Dairy Water Buffaloes, Bubalus bubalis Thesis Proposal Cyndi Candelaria Biendima Patricia Malapit Cabatit Submitted to the Department of Biology College of Arts and Sciences University of the Philippines Manila Padre Faura, Ermita, Manila In partial fulfilment of the requirements for Undergraduate Thesis (BIO 200) TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page1 Table of Contents2 Introduction3 Review of Related Literature6 Proposed Methodology14 Presentation of Results20 Literature Cited22 Line Item Budget26 Project Timeline27 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background of the Study Cases of intramammary infections such as mastitis in water buffaloes contribute to large annual losses in milk production and net profit for smallholder farmers in the Philippines. Social and economic factors might prevent households from diagnosing, treating, and eliminating from circulation those animals or animal products, such as milk, that are afflicted with mastitis or which came from individuals afflicted with mastitis; this is especially true in the case of the asymptomatic subclinical mastitis, which tends to become chronic and difficult to eradicate by conventional antimicrobial therapies (Brouillette & Malouin, 2005; Ng et al., 2010). With the advent of technology...
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...Low Energy Laser as a Treatment for Refractory Diabetic Leg Ulcers By Wendy Price Wake Forest University Department of Physician Assistant Studies 4/10/2009 I would like to thank everyone at Coy C. Carpenter library help and reference desks. To Ekatrina Zachry who translated the Russian research papers, thank you is the very least I can say for such an excellent job. I would like to tell my girls how proud I am of them and thank them for their patience, pictures, and prayers. You make it all worth the while. I would also like to thank my mother for her support, coming to help with the girls while I have been in school, and her motherly faith in me that never waivers. Most of all I want to thank my husband Clay Price for being an amazing pillar of strength, encouragement, patience, understanding, and love. I know I COULD NOT have done it without you. UA&F Low Energy Laser as a Treatment for Refractory Diabetic Leg and Foot Ulcers ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Diabetic leg and foot ulcers often lead to immobility, infection, and amputation, cost $7,000 to $40,000 per ulcer, and erode mental health and QOL. Lasers have been effectively utilized in medicine since the 60’s, from various surgical uses to the treatment of diseases. Although low-energy (also called low-power, low-level, and cold) laser therapy for “biostimulation” (or biomodulation) of ulcer healing has been studied extensively, quality data on diabetic wound healing is rare. This review seeks...
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