Magnitude and Duration of Elevated Gastric pH in Patients Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus After Administration of Chewable, Dispersible, Buffered Didanosine Tablets

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90191/1/phco.24.16.1539.50959.pd

Applications of aerospace technology in the public sector

Current activities of the program to accelerate specific applications of space related technology in major public sector problem areas are summarized for the period 1 June 1971 through 30 November 1971. An overview of NASA technology, technology applications, and supporting activities are presented. Specific technology applications in biomedicine are reported including cancer detection, treatment and research; cardiovascular diseases, diagnosis, and treatment; medical instrumentation; kidney function disorders, treatment, and research; and rehabilitation medicine

Possibilities to improve sheep industry: Adaptation of a human diagnostic tool and Improving the quality of lamb meat with feed supplementation

Vizsgálatunkban a Debreceni Egyetem gyakorlati telepén tartott dorper bárányok (n=52) hidrogénkilégzését mértük Gastro+ „Gastrolyzer” hidrogén monitorral. A kiinduló hidrogénmennyiséget 12-14 órás táplálékmegvonás után mértük, majd az anyaállatokat odaengedtük a bárányokhoz és 30 perces inervallumokkal további 3 mérést végeztünk. Megállapítottuk a normál éhomi értéket (1,00 ppm; min.: 0,00 ppm, max.: 2,00 ppm) és az anyatejes etetés után megfigyeltük az ürített hidrogén megemelkedésének mértékét és idejét. Az mérések utáni két hetes állatorvosi megfigyelés alatt hat báránynál hasmenés alakult ki. Ezen egyedek adatait elkülönítettük, így megállapíthattuk, hogy azoknak az egyedeknek, melyeknél később hasmenés alakult ki, az éhomi és az etetés utáni hidrogénürítése is szignifikánsan nagyobb, mint a két hetes követéses vizsgálat alatt is egészséges állatoké. Vizsgálatunk második felében a Debreceni Egyetem Mezőgazdaság-, Élelmiszertudományi, és Környezetgazdálkodási Karához tartozó Kutatási és Innovációs Tangazdaság Karcagi Kutató Intézetében nevelt bárányok húsának minőségét, elfogadottságát és esetleges humán szervezetre gyakorolt hatásait mértük fel, magnézium- és szelén-szupplementáció alkalmazása után. 51 magyar merinó bárányt vontunk be a vizsgálatba születésüktől fogva. Három csoportot hoztunk létre, az 1. csoport kiegészítés nélküli ivóvízzel, a 2. csoport 0,6 g/l Mg-ot tartalmazó, a 3. csoport 20 µg/l Se mennyiséget tartalmazó ivóvízzel volt ellátva. A vágósúly elérése után (86 ± 3 nap) vágóhídra kerültek, majd mintát vettünk a húsokból és feltérképeztük azok zsírsavarányát. Ez után a húsokból ételek készültek. Az elkészült ételekből húsmintát vettünk és megmértük azok szelén- illetve magnéziumszintjét, ellenőrizve a szupplementáció megjelenését. Ez után egészséges önkéntesek (n = 39) részvételével vizsgáltuk a fejlesztett élelmiszer egészségre gyakorolt hatásait, illetve elfogadottságát. Eredményeink szerint a magnéziumkiegészítés hatására nem emelkedett meg a hús magnéziumszintje, ennek ellenére a faggyúzottság mértéke nagyobb volt az S/EUROP minősítés szerint, és a zsiradék mennyisége a húsban is emelkedett volt, a zsírsavak arányának változása nélkül a kontrollcsoporttal összevetve. A szelénkiegészítés szignifikánsan nagyobb szelénszintet eredményezett a húsban, emellett a zsírsavarányban is változást találtunk. A fogyasztók vérparaméterei nem mutattak változást a vizsgálat előtt és után, ami arra utal, hogy a vizsgálati élelmiszer fogyasztása biztonságos, hiszen a normál tartományban lévő értékeket nem tolta el. A vizsgálati élelmiszer minősége és a jövőbeni tervezés felmérése során kiderült, hogy bár a takarmánykiegészítésben részesült bárányok húsából készült élelmiszercsoportok alacsonyabb pontokat kaptak a minősítés során, mégis pozitívan alakult az önkéntesek hozzáállása a bárányhúshoz, saját elmondásuk szerint a hús kedveltsége nőtt a vizsgálat időtartama alatt. In the present study, we investigated suckling lambs, in which the function of digestive system is comparable to the ones in monogastric animals or humans. We measured the breath hydrogen of 52 lambs in the study farm of University of Debrecen. The basic value of breath hydrogen was around 1.00 ppm. Based on our results, breath hydrogen levels increase significantly 60 minutes after the start of feeding in healthy lambs, due to the metabolic activity of gastrointestinal microbiome. During the two week long follow-up period, clinical signs of diarrhea developed in six lambs. The statistical evaluation revealed significantly higher baseline breath hydrogen levels in these lambs, compared to those which remained healthy in the investigated period. Of note, that significant difference between breath hydrogen levels of two groups remained stable at each time point after feeding. Breath hydrogen levels increase significantly 90 minutes after the start of feeding in lambs with diarrhoea. The high breath hydrogen level may indicate an intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Detection of microbial imbalances in gut is important issue, because this condition potentially leads to loss of appetite, diarrhea, and even delayed growth in the affected lambs, moreover, lambs suffering from diarrhea cannot be transported and sold. Consequently, diarrhea is a significant welfare and economic problem for sheep enterprises worldwide. In our study, we investigated the consequences of magnesium and selenium supplementation for lambs and assessed the potential beneficial effects of the consumption of meat derived from the study animals on human health. According to our results, supplementation with magnesium in water at a concentration of 0.6 g L-1 MgO, cannot lead to increased Mg concentration in lamb meat during 86 ± 3 days. However, it affects lamb meat quality and fat content. Selenium supplementation (20 µg L-1) seems to have more pronounced beneficial effects by increasing MUFA ratios in lamb meat, thus it may contribute to the improvement of cardiovascular state of the consumers. Moreover, Se supplementation leads to an increased Se level in the meat making it an ideal Se source. Study foods did not lead to any adverse reaction in the consumers, and all of the investigated laboratory parameters remained in normal range during the study period. The results of gastrointestinal health questionnaire indicated that the regularly consumed lamb meat as a warm dish can reduce constipation. Food quality questionnaire showed that consumers may realize the differences between the quality of supplemented meats and control lamb meat; however its consequence is not meaningful. The attitude of consumers toward lamb meat improved significantly during the study period, which highlights that it will be important to disseminate more information on healthy foods in the future.N

Diagnosing Crohn\u27s Disease: An economic analysis comparing wireless capsule endoscopy with traditional diagnostic procedures

The purpose of this study was to review economic considerations related to establishing a diagnosis of Crohn\u27s disease, and to compare the costs of a diagnostic algorithm incorporating wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) with the current algorithm for diagnosing Crohn\u27s disease suspected in the small bowel. Published literature, clinical trial data on WCE in comparison to other diagnostic tools, and input from clinical experts were used as data sources for (1) identifying contributors to the costs of diagnosing Crohn\u27s disease; (2) exploring where WCE should be placed within the diagnostic algorithm for Crohn\u27s; and (3) constructing decision tree models with sensitivity analyses to explore costs (from a payor perspective) of diagnosing Crohn\u27s disease using WCE compared to other diagnostic methods. Literature review confirms that Crohn\u27s disease is a significant and growing public health concern from clinical, humanistic and economic perspectives, and results in a long-term burden for patients, their families, providers, insurers, and employers. Common diagnostic procedures include radiologic studies such as small bowel follow through (SBFT), enteroclysis, CT scans, ultrasounds, and MRIs, as well as serologic testing, and various forms of endoscopy. Diagnostic costs for Crohn\u27s disease can be considerable, especially given the cycle of repeat testing due to the low diagnostic yield of certain procedures and the inability of current diagnostic procedures to image the entire small bowel. WCE has a higher average diagnostic yield than comparative procedures due to imaging clarity and the ability to visualize the entire small bowel. Literature review found the average diagnostic yield of SBFT and colonoscopy for work-up of Crohn\u27s disease to be 53.87%, whereas WCE had a diagnostic yield of 69.59%. A simple decision tree model comparing two arms--colonoscopy and SBFT, or WCE--estimates that WCE produces a cost savings of 291dollars for each case presenting for diagnostic work-up for Crohn\u27s. Sensitivity analysis varying diagnostic yields of colonoscopy and SBFT vs. WCE demonstrates that WCE is still less costly than SBFT and colonoscopy even at their highest reported yields, as long as the diagnostic yield of WCE is 64.10% or better. Employing WCE as a first-line diagnostic procedure appears to be less costly, from a payor perspective, than current common procedures for diagnosing suspected Crohn\u27s disease in the small bowel. Although not addressed in this model, earlier diagnosis with WCE (due to higher diagnostic yield) also could lead to earlier management, improved quality of life and workplace productivity for people with Crohn\u27s disease

A Smart Health Monitoring Technology

With the implementation of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), comes the opportunity to gain valuable insights into an individual’s daily habits, patterns and routines. A vital part of the AMI is the smart meter. It enables the monitoring of a consumer’s electricity usage with a high degree of accuracy. Each device reports and records a consumer’s energy usage readings at regular intervals. This facilitates the identification of emerging abnormal behaviours and trends, which can provide operative monitoring for people living alone with various health conditions. Through profiling, the detection of sudden changes in behaviour is made possible, based on the daily activities a patient is expected to undertake during a 24-hour period. As such, this paper presents the development of a system which detects accurately the granular differences in energy usage which are the result of a change in an individual’s health state. Such a process provides accurate monitoring for people living with self-limiting conditions and enables an early intervention practice (EIP) when a patient’s condition is deteriorating. The results in this paper focus on one particular behavioural trend, the detection of sleep disturbances; which is related to various illnesses, such as depression and Alzheimer’s. The results demonstrate that it is possible to detect sleep pattern changes to an accuracy of 95.96% with 0.943 for sensitivity, 0.975 for specificity and an overall error of 0.040 when using the VPC Neural Network classifier. This type of behavioral detection can be used to provide a partial assessment of a patient’s wellbeing