BACKGROUND Postoperative analgesic effects of ropivacaine have been demonstrated in various surgical procedures; however, its beneficial effect on postoperative pain relief and ability to breathe out air in urological surgeries, particularly in local interventions such as percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), has remained uncertain. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy o...

The effect of nonthermal pulsed electric field (PEF) and thermal treatment (900C for 60s) was studied on quality parameters of Emblica officinalis juice for the period of 6 weeks at 40C using monopolar rectangular pulse of 1μs width. The PEF treatment was given using static chamber at 24kV/cm for 500μs. The quality of Emblica officinalis juice was investigated in terms of non enzymatic browning...

Smoothie-type beverages are usually preserved by mild pasteurisation (MP) but combining moderate heat (H) and pulsed electric fields (PEF) could represent an alternative technique achieving similar, or better, microbiological safety and shelf life, and possibly lowering the thermal impact on physical and sensory product properties. Following H (55 C after 60 s) and PEF (34 kV/cm, 60 ms) the mic...

We investigated the effects of a pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on microbial inactivation and the physical properties of low-fat milk. Milk inoculated with Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or Lactobacillus brevis was supplied to a pilot-scale PEF treatment system at a flow rate of 30 L/h. Pulses with an electric field strength of 10 kV/cm and a pulse width of 30 μs were applie...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on anthocyanin extraction from red cabbage using water as a solvent. Mashed cabbage was placed in a batch treatment chamber and subjected to PEF (2.5 kV/cm electric field strength; 15 micros pulse width and 50 pulses, specific energy 15.63 J/g). Extracted anthocyanin concentrations (16 to 889 microg/mL) wer...

Changes of structure and thermal stability of soy protein isolate after pulsed electric field treatment were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). When the applied pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment intensity was over 35 kV/cm, the amino acid side chain, anti-parallel b-sheets, b-turn as well as b-sheets in soy protein isolate (SPI) ...

Background: Obesity is a major nutritional problem in the world and is a source of multiple co-morbid conditions in metabolic and cardiopulmonary disorders. It is recognized that obesity is associated with impaired lung function and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This study examines the relation between obesity and lung function using body mass index (BMI) as a measure of...

Almost all patients with chronic asthma will derive benefit from self-measurement of PEF. Unquestionably, this is of value for educating patients about their disease and treatment, leading in turn to improved compliance. It will be several years before it becomes clear what proportion of patients are willing to manage their asthma themselves and are sufficiently competent in the interpretation ...

Stanford University, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford, CA, USA (RG); Global Health Corps, New York, NY, USA (BPB, EM); The Aspen Institute, Impact Careers Initiative, Aspen, CO, USA (JD); Partners In Health, Cambridge, MA, USA (CvdhH, PEF); Harvard Medical School, Global Health Delivery Partnership, Boston, MA, USA (CvdhH); ...