Baxter (France)

This paper will explain the reinforced structure and key characteristics that make bituminous geomembranes (BGM) an interesting option for waterproofing hydraulic works in hot climate areas. For illustrating this, the paper will review some case studies where BGM was chosen due to its characteristics. In dam application, a project for a waterproofing of a dike in Saday (Djibouti) and a rock fill dam (42-m high) in France will be explained. For irrigation in reservoir and canal lining, a work in Goudel and a canal on laterite soil in Niamey (both in Niger) will described proving use of BGM in dry tropical climates. This paper will also review the construction of raw water storage ponds in Pirque (Chile) for the city of Santiago’s potable water system. A last project will be described on a large irrigation canal in Nagpur (India) where the Pench canal, located in the center of India, convey water from the Pench River to the surrounding agricultural areas. The old canal, originally made of concrete, collapsed due to the water seepage and the swelling clay underneath.

BackgroundInvasive mechanical ventilation is lifesaving in the setting of severe acute respiratory failure but can cause ventilation-induced lung injury. Advances in extracorporeal CO2 removal (ECCO2R) technologies may facilitate more protective lung ventilation in acute respiratory distress syndrome, and enable earlier weaning and/or avoid invasive mechanical ventilation entirely in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations. We evaluated the in vitro CO2 removal capacity of the novel PrismaLung+ ECCO2R device compared with two existing gas exchangers.MethodsThe in vitro CO2 removal capacity of the PrismaLung+ (surface area 0.8 m2, Baxter) was compared with the PrismaLung (surface area 0.35 m2, Baxter) and A.L.ONE (surface area 1.35 m2, Eurosets) devices, using a closed-loop bovine blood–perfused extracorporeal circuit. The efficacy of each device was measured at varying pCO2 inlet (pinCO2) levels (45, 60, and 80 mmHg) and blood flow rates (QB) of 200–450 mL/min; the PrismaLung+ and A.L.ONE devices were also tested at a QB of 600 mL/min. The amount of CO2 removed by each device was assessed by measurement of the CO2 infused to maintain circuit equilibrium (CO2 infusion method) and compared with measured CO2 concentrations in the inlet and outlet of the CO2 removal device (blood gas analysis method).ResultsThe PrismaLung+ device performed similarly to the A.L.ONE device, with both devices demonstrating CO2 removal rates ~ 50% greater than the PrismaLung device. CO2 removal rates were 73 ± 4.0, 44 ± 2.5, and 72 ± 1.9 mL/min, for PrismaLung+, PrismaLung, and A.L.ONE, respectively, at QB 300 mL/min and pinCO2 45 mmHg. A Bland–Altman plot demonstrated that the CO2 infusion method was comparable to the blood gas analysis method for calculating CO2 removal. The resistance to blood flow across the test device, as measured by pressure drop, varied as a function of blood flow rate, and was greatest for PrismaLung and lowest for the A.L.ONE device.ConclusionsThe newly developed PrismaLung+ performed more effectively than PrismaLung, with performance of CO2 removal comparable to A.L.ONE at the flow rates tested, despite the smaller membrane surface area of PrismaLung+ versus A.L.ONE. Clinical testing of PrismaLung+ is warranted to further characterize its performance.

Este projeto de pesquisa trata do desenvolvimento de um conceito de brinquedo, para criança com espectro autista, e busca em suas formas, cores e simbologia, auxiliar na comunicação do público alvo. Tendo em vista que nos últimos anos, o mercado de brinquedos tem tido um considerável crescimento, porém, ao mesmo tempo, notou-se uma escassez na oferta de produtos destinados a esse público, bem como profissionais para desenvolvê-los, desse forma, o design tem os requisitos necessários para suprir essa necessidade. Para o desenvolvimento de tal projeto utilizou-se as metodologias de Baxter (2000), Brown (2010), a fim de projetar um produto inovador e que atenda aos requisitos dos usuários. Por fim, os resultados alcançados demonstra a interação entre os métodos projetuais e o design inclusivo, buscando atender as necessidades e fornecer um produto diferenciado que auxilie nas atividades da criança com espectro autista.

Our team previously designed and validated a new bioartificial liver (BAL) called Suppliver based on a Prismaflex™ device, including fluidized bed bioreactors hosting alginate-encapsulated hepatocytes. To ensure correct fluidization within the bioreactor, the beads need to become heavier with the addition of inert glass microspheres. In this study, we assessed the impact of this additional component on the bead production process, bed fluidization, mass transfer and the mechanical properties of the beads, as well as cell viability and basic metabolic function. A concentration of 20 mg (1% v/v) of microspheres for 15-20 million cells per milliliter of alginate solution appears to be the best configuration. The filling ratio for the beads in the bioreactors can reach 60%. Four 250-mL bioreactors represent approximately 15% of the hepatocytes in a liver, which is a reasonable target for extracorporeal liver supply. Increasing bead density clearly maintained the performances of the fluidized bed with plasma of different compositions, without any risk of release out of the bioreactor. A 1% (v/v)-concentration of microspheres in alginate solution did not result in any alteration of the mechanical or biological behavior. This concentration can thus be applied to the production of large-scale encapsulated biomass for further use of the Suppliver setup in human scale preclinical studies.

Este artigo é parte do projeto de iniciação científica em andamento e tem como objetivo descrever a parceria realizada entre o Laboratório de Design Solidário com a Associação Cornélia Vlieg, uma organização sem fins lucrativos que atua na reabilitação psicossocial de pessoas que sofrem de transtornos mentais através da oferta de oficinas que funcionam como espaços de trabalho contribuintes na inclusão social desses indivíduos. A associação oferece 14 oficinas diferentes e entrou em contato com o Labsol a fim de aprimorar o trabalho que já realizam. Tendo como base teórica os conceitos de Sustentabilidade, Ecodesign e Economia Solidária e os autores Singer, Vezzoli, Manzini e Baxter é possível discutir e entender a necessidade da proposta feita pelo laboratório de um redesign dos artefatos da Oficina de Vidro, compreendendo sua importância enquanto patrimônio cultural, agregando valor a sua linha de produção e prezando sua inserção no mercado.

Although a serious impediment in haemophilia patients, difficulty accessing peripheral veins has received little attention in clinical studies. New peripheral vein visualization devices could potentially ameliorate difficult venous access (DVA), but their utility remains unproved. The study aim was to survey the frequency, causes and clinical manifestations of DVA and evaluate the clinical utility of a near-infrared (NIR) vein visualizer. In this multicentre prospective study, methods, difficulties and outcomes of venous access were assessed for a single venipuncture in consecutive patients. The impact of an NIR vein visualizer on vein localization, the number of venipuncture attempts and patient stress and pain was determined. Among 450 total patients enrolled, venous access was judged to be difficult in 165 (36.7%), most often because of poor vein condition, young patient age, overweight and difficulty in finding veins. Of the patients with DVA, difficulty in locating veins was encountered in 82.4%, and more than one venipuncture attempt was required in 24.8%. Veins were difficult to locate in significantly fewer DVA patients (P = 0.002) when the NIR vein visualizer was used (76.0%) than not used (92.3%). Pain during venipuncture in DVA patients was also significantly less common (P = 0.019) with use of the NIR vein visualizer (34.0% vs. 55.4%). No effect was observed on venipuncture attempts. DVA affects more than one-third of patients at haemophilia treatment centres. An NIR vein visualizer showed significant promise for facilitating vein location and mitigating patient pain in those patients.

PurposeThe Tisseel/Tissucol for mesh fixation in Lichtenstein hernia repair (TIMELI) study showed that mesh fixation with human fibrin sealant during inguinal hernia repair significantly reduced moderate–severe complications of pain 12 months post-operatively compared with sutures. Further analyses may assist surgeons by investigating predictors of post-surgical complications and identifying patients that may benefit from Tisseel/Tissucol intervention.MethodsUnivariate and multivariate analyses identified risk factors for combined pain, numbness and groin discomfort (PND) visual analogue scale (VAS) score 12 months post-operatively. Variables tested were: fixation method, age, employment status, physical activity, nerve handling, PND VAS score at pre-operative visit and 1 week post-operatively. The effect of fixation technique on separate PND outcomes 12 months post-surgery was also assessed. Analyses included the intention-to-treat (ITT) population and a subpopulation with pre-operative PND VAS > 30 mm.Results316 patients were included in the ITT, with 130 patients in the subpopulation with pre-operative PND VAS > 30. Multivariate analysis identified mesh fixation with sutures, worsening pre-operative PND and worsening PND 1 week post-surgery as significant predictors of 12-month PND in the ITT population; mesh fixation with sutures was a significant predictor of 12-month PND in the pre-operative PND VAS > 30 subpopulation (p < 0.05). Mesh fixation with Tisseel/Tissucol resulted in significantly less numbness and a lower intensity of groin discomfort compared with sutures at 12 months; there was no difference in pain between the treatment groups.ConclusionsPre-operative discomfort may be an important predictor of post-operative pain, numbness and discomfort. Tisseel/Tissucol may improve long-term morbidity over conventional sutures in these patients.