Three Cases of Lead Toxicity Associated with Consumption of Ayurvedic Medicines

Ayurveda is a traditional form of medicine used by majority of the Indians. Here we report three cases of lead toxicity, following intake of Ayurvedic medicines. Three patients presented with blood lead levels (BLLs) of 122.4, 115 and 42.8 μg/dl respectively at the time of hospitalization. The first case was chelated with D- penicillamine, the second with calcium disodium ethylene diamino tetra acetate (EDTA) and the third with environmental intervention and education. Associated Ayurvedic products were collected from patients and analyzed for metallic concentration. Cessation of Ayurvedic medication along with chelation, nutritional intervention and education, reduced the BLL to 27.4 μg/dl in the first case after 1 year, 21.1 μg/dl after 9 months in the second and 18.2 μg/dl after 6 months in the third case.     

企业吸纳领先用户参与新产品开发研究

在新产品开发过程中,用户作为价值创造者的作用已经受到学者和企业家的重视,领先用户区别于普通用户是更具有创新性的个人或者组织,对于企业的新产品开发具有更大的价值.分析了领先用户的内涵及形成条件、识别路径和吸纳领先用户参与新产品开发的方式,为企业有效利用领先用户资源提供了参考.     

Common Assessment Framework (CAF) – early views and issues

This study explores the profile of Common Assessment Framework (CAF) assessments and the perceptions of assessors during the early phase of its implementation. Whilst there was diversity in who completed CAFs, schools undertook the most. Headteachers and other school staff completing the assessment felt that the questions tended to be intrusive and they feared this might damage their relationship with parents. Assessments proved time consuming and completers tended to go on to become the Lead Professional. Comments suggested some people were avoiding the completion of CAFs because of fears about the increased workload. There were, however, positive views about the rigour of the process and it had tended to serve to prompt positive dialogue between agencies. There were genuine attempts to involve children in the process.     

Toxic effects of Litsea elliptica Blume essential oil on red blood cells of Sprague-Dawley rats

Litsea elliptica Blume leaves have been traditionally used as medicinal herbs because of its antimutagenicity, che-mopreventative and insecticidal properties. In this study, the toxic effects of L. elliptica essential oil against Sprague-Dawley rat's red blood cells (RBCs) were evaluated. L. elliptica essential oil was given by oral gavage 5 times per week for 3 treated groups in the doses of 125, 250, and 500 mg/(kg body weight), respectively, and the control group received distilled water. Full blood count, RBC osmotic fragility, RBC morphological changes, and RBC membrane lipid were analyzed 28 d after the treatment. Although L. elliptica essential oil administration had significantly different effects on hemoglobin (Hb), mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean cell volume (MCV), and mean cell hemoglobin (MCH) in the experimental groups as compared to the control group (P<0.05), the values were still within the normal range. L. elliptica induced morphological changes of RBC into the form of echinoeyte. The percentage of echinocyte increased significantly among the treated groups in a dose-response manner (P<0.001). The concentrations of RBC membrane phospholipids and cholesterol of all treated groups were significantly lower than those of control group (P<0.001). However, the RBC membrane osmotic fragility and total proteins of RBC membrane findings did not differ significantly between control and treated groups (P>0.05). It is concluded that structural changes in the RBC membrane due to L. elliptica essential oil administration did not cause severe membrane damage.     

创设问题情境 引导学生自主学习

我国中学数学改革的实施，旨在提高教学质量。提高学生素质。本文从创设适应的问题情境这一角度谈在新课程改革中怎样引导学生自主学习，真正实现了学生的主体地位。使学生在课堂教学中动起来。     

Chemical and isotope characterization of lead finds at the Santa Barbara nuraghe (Bauladu, Sardinia)

Twenty lead finds, unearthed in Late Bronze–Early Iron Age levels at the Santa Barbara nuraghe situated at Bauladu in Sardinia (Italy), have been examined. Their chemical composition has been determined using the ICP-MS plasma-mass technique (Cu, Fe, As, Ag, Sn, Sb, Bi, Zn, Cs, Tl, Mo, Cd, In, Te, W, Th, U, Li, Se). Lead isotope ratios (208/206, 207/206, 206/204) have also been determined. The results are discussed in relation to the mineral source and some aspects of the metal extraction processes. The finds are composed of high purity lead obtained using a smelting at low temperature. Based on the isotope ratios it has been possible to establish that the metal originated from Sardinian ore deposits type.     

仪表导压管敷设的注意事项

简要说明了仪表导压管敷设的注意事项,具有一定的实用性和参考价值。     

Lead toxicity as a result of herbal medication

Awareness about the toxic effects of non-essential metals is still lacking in developing countries. Lead is one among them, which ranks second in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’ s top 20 lists of toxic metals. Some of the herbal medicines prepared from certain roots and leaves are known to contain this toxic metal at alarming levels. We have a case of a person who suffered from the toxic effects of lead such as vomiting and colicky abdominal pain after consuming a herbal remedy for Jaundice treatment. This went unrecognized initially because of the presence of multiple problems like Malaria and Renal calculi. Lead poisoning as causative factor for anemia, vomiting and colic were confirmed only when blood lead concentration was estimated. A combination of chelation therapy and nutritional supplementation was found to be useful in reducing the body lead burden.     

Lead soaps in paintings: Friends or foes?

The origin(s) and role(s) of metal soaps in paints are a worldwide concern today. These hybrid compounds, containing both fatty acid chains and metals associated with a carboxylate function, are increasingly identified in paints. As reviewed in the first part of this work, the presence of metal soaps in paints is differently interpreted in scientific publications: metal soaps are sometimes considered to play a positive role as anchor points, during paint drying processes; they can also be considered as responsible for many degradation processes (protrusions, efflorescences, darkening, etc.). Their origins are also interpreted in various ways. In some paintings (in particular from the twentieth century), they have sometimes introduced on purpose, as additives, to modify the physical properties of the painting materials. In older paintings, metal soaps are usually thought to result from an uncontrolled reaction of oil with lead-based pigments, in particular lead white, red lead, and lead tin yellow. In the second part of this work, the review of historical recipes of lead-based paint shows an important number of recipes based on controlled mixing of oil with lead driers. In the third part, the experimental reproduction of such traditional recipes using walnut oil and litharge (PbO) shows that lead soaps can be formed, both in about one hour at ～100°C, or in about one month at room temperature. It shows as well that after a few years, litharge is no longer detected in the paint medium, while different lead carbonates are. Finally, the micro-infrared spectroscopy and micro-X-ray diffraction re-analysis of protrusions from a nine-year model painting shows together with lead soaps, the presence of Pb₅(CO₃)₃(OH)₂O (‘synthetic plumbonacrite’), an unusual phase recently observed in a protrusion from a painting by Vincent Van Gogh. This work highlights (i) the multiple origins and roles of metal soaps in paints and (ii) the importance of combining the analysis of fragments from historical paintings with the analysis and reproduction of historical recipes. In particular, we show that the components detected today in historical paintings may severely differ from those originally used or prepared by the painter, complicating the assessment of the painter's intentions. More than the presence of metal soaps, the key questions to be tackled should be about their origins and (re)mobilization.     

基于神经网络的透气性状态预测

针对烧结过程的时变、强非线性等特点,基于神经网络和粒子群优化算法,提出一种预测透气性状态的集成方法.采用神经网络分别建立透气性预测模型,采用粒子群优化算法对神经网络进行训练,提高预测模型的实时性;进而借助模糊分类器将预测子模型实现有机融合.最后实际运行结果表明,提出的集成模型具有较高的预测精度和较强的自学习能力,并且在工况波动严重的情况下,仍然具有好的预测效果.