Plasma

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to quantify the incidence, patient profile, and outcomes associated with massive transfusion in paediatric trauma patients prior to establishing a massive transfusion protocol. Methods: We performed a retrospective review of paediatric trauma patients treated at London Heath Sciences Centre between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2011. Inclusion criteria were Injury Severity Score (ISS) greater than 12 and age less than 18 years. Results: 435 patients met the inclusion criteria. Three hundred and fifty-six (82%) did not receive packed red blood cells in the first 24 h, 66 (15%) received a non-massive transfusion (<40 mL/kg), and 13 (3%) received a massive transfusion (>40 mL/kg). Coagulopathy of any kind was more common in massive transfusion (11/13; 85%) than non-massive (32/66; 49%) (p = 0.037). Hyperkalemia (18% versus 23%; p = 0.98) and hypocalcemia (41% versus 46%; p = 1.00) were similar in both groups. Of the 13 massively transfused patients, 9 had multisystem injuries due to a motor vehicle collision, 3 had non-accidental head injuries requiring surgical evacuation, and 1 had multiple stab wounds. In the absence of a massive transfusion protocol, only 8 of the 13 patients received both fresh frozen plasma and platelets in the first 24 h. Massive transfusion occurred in patients from across the age spectrum and was associated with severe injuries (mean ISS = 33), a higher incidence of severe head injuries (92%), longer hospital stay (mean = 36 days), and increased mortality (38%). Conclusions: This study is the first to describe the incidence, complications, and outcomes associated with massive transfusion in paediatric trauma patients prior to a massive transfusion protocol. Massive transfusion occurred in 3% of patients and was associated with coagulopathy and poor outcomes. Protocols are needed to ensure that resuscitation occurs in a coordinated fashion and that patients are given appropriate amounts of fresh frozen plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate. ß

We present the performance of a Silicon Carbide (SiC) detector in the acquisition of the radiation emitted by laser generated plasmas. The detector has been employed in time of flight (TOF) configuration within an experiment performed at the Prague Asterix Laser System (PALS). The detector is a 5 mm 2 area 100 nm thick circular Ni SiC Schottky junction on a high purity 4H SiC epitaxial layer 115 m thick. Current signals from the detector with amplitudes up to 1.6 A have been measured, achieving voltage signals over 80 V on a 50 load resistance with excellent signal to noise ratios. Resolution of few nanoseconds has been experimentally demonstrated in TOF measurements. The detector has operated at 250 V DC bias under extreme operating conditions with no observable performance degradation.

Spark-plasma-sintering (SPS) experiments of cylindrical ruthenium powder samples have been performed at different sintering temperatures between 1200°C and 1600°C applying a comparatively short sintering time of 1 min. The compacted samples have been characterized in respect of crystallite size, phase composition, and microstructure by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Furthermore, the stress components r 11 and r 33 directed parallel and vertical to the compaction axis have been determined by means of the sin 2 w method. The SPS process resulted in a significant reduction of the residual stress in the material in comparison with samples compacted by conventional hot pressing methods (HP) which were compacted at 1200°C and 1400°C for 60 min. This effect is also associated with an enhanced crystallite growth.

In biological fluids, proteins associate with nanoparticles, leading to a protein "corona" defining the biological identity of the particle. However, a comprehensive knowledge of particle-guided protein fingerprints and their dependence on nanomaterial properties is incomplete. We studied the longlived ("hard") blood plasma derived corona on monodispersed amorphous silica nanoparticles differing in size (20, 30, and 100 nm). Employing label-free liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, one-and twodimensional gel electrophoresis, and immunoblotting the composition of the protein corona was analyzed not only qualitatively but also quantitatively. Detected proteins were bioinformatically classified according to their physicochemical and biological properties. Binding of the 125 identified proteins did not simply reflect their relative abundance in the plasma but revealed an enrichment of specific lipoproteins as well as proteins involved in coagulation and the complement pathway. In contrast, immunoglobulins and acute phase response proteins displayed a lower affinity for the particles. Protein decoration of the negatively charged particles did not correlate with protein size or charge, demonstrating that electrostatic effects alone are not the major driving force regulating the nanoparticleÀprotein interaction. Remarkably, even differences in particle size of only 10 nm significantly determined the nanoparticle corona, although no clear correlation with particle surface volume, protein size, or charge was evident. Particle size quantitatively influenced the particle's decoration with 37% of all identified proteins, including (patho)biologically relevant candidates. We demonstrate the complexity of the plasma corona and its still unresolved physicochemical regulation, which need to be considered in nanobioscience in the future.

Fluoxetine and norfluoxetine analysis by direct injection of human plasma in a column switching liquid chromatographic system A column switching LC method is presented for the analysis of fluoxetine (FLU) and norfluoxetine (NFLU) by direct injection of human plasma using a lab-made restricted access media (RAM) column. A RAM-BSA-octadecyl silica (C-18) column (40 mm64.6 mm, 10 lm) is evaluated in both backflush and foreflush elution modes and coupled with a C-18 lab-made (50 mm64.6 mm, 3 lm) analytical column in order to perform online sample preparation. Direct injection of 100 lL of plasma samples is possible with the developed approach. In addition, reduction of sample handling is obtained when compared with traditional liquid -liquid extraction (LLE) and SPE. The total analysis time is around 20 min. A LOQ of 15 ng/mL is achieved in a concentration range of 15 -500 ng/mL, allowing the therapeutic drug monitoring of clinical samples. The precision values achieved are lower than 15% for all the evaluated points with adequate recovery and accuracy. Furthermore, no matrix interferences are found in the analysis and the proposed method shows to be an adequate alternative for analysis of FLU in plasma.