BACKGROUND Macrophages may concentrate ultrasound contrast agents and exhibit selective adhesion to activated endothelium. The present study investigates in mice the potential of perfluorohexane (PFH) loaded macrophages to act as ultrasound contrast agent with high reflectivity and specifically targeted at (atherosclerotic) vascular lesions. METHODS Lung passage was evaluated with a mouse ech...

BACKGROUND The exposure of healthcare workers to anticancer drugs such as cyclophosphamide (CPA) is a serious health concern. Anticancer drug pollution may spread outside biological safety cabinets even when a closed system is used. The inhalation of vaporized anticancer drugs is thought to be the primary route of exposure. Therefore, it is important that healthcare workers wear masks to preven...

DR. AGNES C. VIETOR.Mr. President, I have been very much interested in the discussion on typhoid and paratyphoid fever, particularly because I have, in common with other practitioners, had cases of typhoid fever, clinical typhoid, that did not give the laboratory reaction. In reading a number of articles on this subject, within recent times, I was impressed with the resemblance of the problem t...

Smokers, and even non-smokers, may utilize vaporized nicotine delivered by electronic cigarette (EC) due to the perception that EC are "healthier" than traditional tobacco cigarettes. The effects of vaporized nicotine delivered by EC on resting blood pressure (BP) and resting metabolic rate (RMR), or BP and aerobic power during exercise have not been studied. This investigation tested the effec...

Dust from Antarctica reveals a new type of meteoritic event that vaporized the surface ice sheet ~430 ka ago.

Cannabinoids and opioids share several pharmacologic properties and may act synergistically. The potential pharmacokinetics and the safety of the combination in humans are unknown. We therefore undertook a study to answer these questions. Twenty-one individuals with chronic pain, on a regimen of twice-daily doses of sustained-release morphine or oxycodone were enrolled in the study and admitted...

UNLABELLED We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study evaluating the analgesic efficacy of vaporized cannabis in subjects, the majority of whom were experiencing neuropathic pain despite traditional treatment. Thirty-nine patients with central and peripheral neuropathic pain underwent a standardized procedure for inhaling medium-dose (3.53%), low-dose (1.29%), or placebo c...

A three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) model is applied to predict the temperature evolution in the laser welding of galvanized high-strength steels in a zero-gap lap joint configuration. A rotary Gaussian volumetric heat source model is introduced to simulate the laser energy input. The temperature data measured by thermocouples are used to verify the boundary conditions of the thermal m...