[en] Fungal infection of human nails, or onychomycosis, affects 10% of the world’s adult population, but current therapies have various drawbacks. In this work, we employed a self-made low-temperature plasma (LTP) device, namely, an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) device to treat the nails infected with Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum) with the aid of persulfate solution. We found that persulfate solution had a promoting effect on plasma treatment of onychomycosis. With addition of sodium persulfate, the APPJ therapy could cure onychomycosis after several times of treatment. As such, this work has demonstrated a novel and effective approach which makes good use of LTP technique in the treatment of onychomycosis. (paper)

[en] Full text: Based on the capabilities of new instrumentation and the experience gained in the use of teeth for 'after-the-fact' dosimetry, we have undertaken a systematic electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study of irradiated fingernails. There have been only a modest number of previous studies of radiation-induced signals in fingernails. While these have given us some promising aspects, overall results have been inconsistent. The most significant problem of EPR fingernail dosimetry is the presence of two signals of non-radiation origin that overlap the radiation-induced signal (RIS), making it almost impossible to do dose measurements below 5 Gy. Historically, these two non-radiation components were named mechanically-induced signal (MIS) and background signal (BKS). In order to investigate them in detail, three different methods of MIS and BKS mutual isolation have been developed and implemented. Having applied these methods, we were able to understand that fingernail tissue, after cut, can be modeled as a deformed sponge, where the MIS and BKS are associated with the stress from elastic and plastic deformations respectively. A sponge has a unique mechanism of mechanical stress absorption, which is necessary for fingernails in order to perform its everyday function of protecting the fingertips from hits and trauma. Like a sponge, fingernails are also known to be an effective water absorber. When a sponge is saturated with water, it tends to restore to its original shape, and when it looses water, it becomes deformed again. The same happens to fingernail tissue. Our suggested interpretation of the mechanical deformation in fingernails gives also a way to distinguish between the MIS and RIS. Obtained results show that the MIS in irradiated fingernails can be almost completely eliminated without a significant change to the RIS by soaking the sample for 10 minutes in water. This is an ongoing study but even at its present state of development, it has shown that it is quite possible that it will be feasible to use fingernails as an indicator of the severity of radiation exposure in individuals. The findings in this study set the stage for understanding fingernail EPR dosimetry and doing in-vivo measurements in the future. The final goal of this work is to develop an accurate retrospective dosimetry methodology that could be used to determine if potentially exposed populations have received exposures to radiation doses that could be life threatening. (author)

[en] The diagnosis of systemic autoimmune diseases is carried out by combining clinical, paraclinical, imaging and anatomopathological data. However, in many cases is necessary to access other guiding parameters. The capillaroscopy is a technique that consists in the observation of capillary microcirculation in the proximal nail fold hands. The methods used are the videocapillaroscopy (microscopy, stereoscopic)

[en] Developed as from the seventies, the nailing of the soils is a technique, which makes it possible to carry out a retaining wall of excavation by using the soil in place and installing the passive bars called nails. The main object of this work is to study the stability of the walls in soil nailed lived overall rupture facing-soil-nail. In order to find the mechanism or the mechanical model most unstable. Give a general aspect to our studies; we also studied a title comparative the classical circular failure model. We have repeatedly determined for each case the maximum shear soil force in the nails Tm. The most unfavourable mechanism (less stable) among all the mechanisms is that for which, the shear force Tm reached a maximum. Another analysis of the stability of wall in nailed soil was made by means of the software Geo4 and compared with the kinematics method. (author)

[en] The goal of this study was to evaluate the selenium mass fraction in toenail clippings taken from random inhabitants living in various areas of the Pomeranian (Northern Poland) and Lubuskie (Western Poland) Districts. Toenail clippings were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) giving means of 0.57±0.10 and 0.60±0.16 mg x kg^-1 for the two areas, respectively, but the difference was statistically not significant. In additional, it was found that gender, age, body mass index (BMI), smoking, and selenium supplementation are factors with apparent effects to the selenium levels in toenail clippings. (author)

[en] Laser therapy for onychomycosis is emerging but its efficacy remains unestablished. To examine current evidence on efficacy of laser treatment of onychomycosis. A systematic review and one-arm meta-analysis, including all prospective clinical trials, identified on PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases. Trials with participants as unit of analysis (UOA), n = 13, were analyzed separately from trials with nails as UOA, n = 7. Summary proportions and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. Outcomes were mycological cure, clinical improvement, or complete cure. Twenty-two prospective trials (four randomized controlled trials and 18 uncontrolled trials) with a total of 755 participants were analyzed. Summary proportions with 95% CI for participants as UOA were mycological cure 70.4%, 95% CI 52.2–83.8%; clinical improvement 67.2%, 95% CI 43.2–84.7%; and complete cure 7.2%, 95% CI 1.9–23.5%. High statistical heterogeneity was detected (mycological cure I² = 88%, P < 0.01; clinical improvement I² = 69%, P < 0.01; complete cure I² = 60%, P = 0.11). The current level of evidence is limited and with high heterogeneity, making it difficult to assess the true efficacy of laser treatment for onychomycosis. Larger randomized controlled trials with well-defined methodology are warranted.

[en] To describe the applications and effects of electromagnetic navigation (EN) technology in distal locking for the treatment of long diaphyseal fracture (LDF) with interlocking intramedullary nailing (IIN). Study Design: An interventional study. Place and Duration of Study: The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, China, from March 2013 to July 2014. Methodology: Patients who underwent IIN-LDF were selected. Twenty-four (50%) of whom were operated under EN guidance (group A) and the other 24 (50%) under conventional targeting guidance (group B). The distal locking time and X-ray irradiation time of the two groups were compared. Results: Each group included 16 (33.3%) cases of femoral fracture and 8 (16.7%) cases of tibial fracture. The success rate of distal locking in group A was higher than that in group B (95.8% vs. 83.3%, p=0.045). There were statistically significant differences in the distal locking time and X-ray irradiation time of femoral intramedullary nailing between the two groups (p=0.027 and p=0.001, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in the distal locking time and X-ray irradiation time of tibial intramedullary nailing between the two groups (p=0.347 and p=0.056, respectively). Conclusion: EN-IN was advantageous as it enabled easy targeting, significantly reduced intraoperative fluoroscopy and operation time and small trauma and had other advantages when used for treating LDFs, especially femoral diaphyseal fractures. (author)

[en] I describe how to obtain a rather good experimental determination of the eccentricity of the Earth’s orbit, as well as the obliquity of the Earth’s rotation axis, by measuring, over the course of a year, the elevation of the Sun as a function of time during a day. With a very simple ‘instrument’ consisting of an elementary sundial, first-year students can carry out an appealing measurement programme, learn important concepts in experimental physics, see concrete applications of kinematics and changes of reference frames, and benefit from a hands-on introduction to astronomy. (paper)

[en] To clarify the cause of incurvated nail, the relation between the nail plate and the distal phalanx of the patient of incurvated/ingrown nail and normal subjects was compared, by measuring CT scan images. The investigation was made on 12 incurvated nails, 8 ingrown nails and 8 normal nails of the first toes which were clinically diagnosed as such. Each toe was scanned at 1 mm intervals with the same CT scanner under the same conditions. The pictures taken on the film were scanned and input into a computer. The transverse width of the distal phalanx and the width of the nail plate were measured on each slice. The minimum transverse width of the distal phalanx in both stages of slightly and intensively incurvated nail was smaller as compared to that in the stages of normal nail and ingrown nail. The ratios of the width of the nail plate to the minimum transverse width of the distal phalanx in the stages of normal nail, ingrown nail and intensively incurvated nail were nearly equal, while the ratio in the stage of slightly incurvated nail was outstandingly large. Based on the results of this investigation, it can be considered that the transverse width of the distal phalanx is reduced first, and consequently, the incurvation of the nail plate occurs, then the width of the nail plate is reduced as the incurvation becomes more intense. (author)

[en] Traditional connections in earthquake-resistant cross-laminated timber buildings are susceptible of brittle failures, even when buildings are designed and supposed to be ductile. This is mainly due to the large underestimation of the actual strength of the ductile components, with consequent increased strength demand for the brittle parts, which may fail if designed with insufficient overstrength. Recent studies demonstrate that the use of steel connections characterized by a well-defined mechanical behaviour can improve significantly ductility and dissipative capacity of cross-laminated timber structures and the reliability of the capacity design. In this paper, the conceptual model of capacity design is discussed, proposing some modifications to improve its reliability for traditional and high-ductility connections for CLT structures. Results from quasi-static cyclic-loading tests of an innovative ductile bracket are presented and the corresponding overstrength factors are computed using the proposed conceptual method and compared with values available in the literature for traditional connections. Finally, a comparative application of the capacity criteria to the design of the innovative bracket and of a traditional nailed connection is presented and discussed.