intensive nutritional counselling and support and clinical outcomes in hemodialysis patients

Protein-energy wasting is frequently found in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Anorexia and hypophagia contribute to malnutrition, increased morbidity and mortality, but the clinical impact of correcting hypophagia remains uncertain. We evaluated whether correction of hypophagia influences morbidity and mortality in anorexic HD patients. Thirty-four HD patients were enrolled in a 2-year follow-up programme including regular nutritional assessment. Patients not meeting nutritional requirements during the follow-up, received nutritional counselling, consisting of advice, individually tailored diet and, in case of failure of dietary intervention, artificial nutrition. Biochemical, anthropometric, body composition parameters, morbidity and mortality were recorded in all patients at 12 and 24 months. At baseline, 14 patients (41%) were anorexic, and 20 patients (59%) non-anorexic. Anorexic patients were hypophagic and presented with reduced fat-free mass. After 12 and 24 months, cholesterol, albumin, lymphocyte count and BMI did not differ among groups, while FFM (%) in supplemented anorexic patients significantly improved, being not different any more vs non-anorexic (65.8±4.4 vs 65.4±8.9, respectively; p=n.s.; 65.8±4.4 vs 66.7±10.78, respectively; p=n.s.). Morbidity and mortality were not different among the two groups. In conclusion, in HD patients, nutritional counselling and nutritional support positively affect nutritional status in hypophagic patients and make the risk of morbidity and mortality in anorexic patients comparable to non-anorexic

Demographic Factors Associated With Prevalence Of Antibody To Sin Nombre Virus In Deer Mice In The Western United States

We used long-term data collected for up to 10 yr (1994–2004) at 23 trapping arrays (i.e., webs and grids) in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, and New Mexico to examine demographic factors known or suspected to be associated with risk of infection with Sin Nombre virus (SNV) in its natural host, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus). Gender, age (mass), wounds or scars, season, and local relative population densities were statistically associated with the period prevalence of antibody (used as a marker of infection) to SNV in host populations. Nevertheless, antibody prevalence and some of the risk factors associated with antibody prevalence, such as relative population density, gender bias, and prevalence of wounding, varied significantly among sites and even between nearby trapping arrays at a single site. This suggests that local micrositespecific differences play an important role in determining relative risk of infection by SNV in rodents and, consequently, in humans. Deer mouse relative population density varied among sites and was positively and statistically associated with infection prevalence, an association that researchers conducting shorter-term studies failed to demonstrate. Both wounding and antibody prevalence increased with mass class in both males and females; this increase was much more pronounced in males than in females and wounding was more frequent in adult males than in adult females. Prevalence of wounding was greatest among seropositive deer mice, regardless of mass class, but many deer mice without detectable wounds or scars eventually became infected. Many of these patterns, which will be useful in the development of predictive models of disease risk to humans, were only detected through the application of data collected over a long (10-yr) period and with abundant replication

Nipah Virus Infection in Dogs, Malaysia, 1999

The 1999 outbreak of Nipah virus encephalitis in humans and pigs in Peninsular Malaysia ended with the evacuation of humans and culling of pigs in the epidemic area. Serologic screening showed that, in the absence of infected pigs, dogs were not a secondary reservoir for Nipah virus

Observation of the Ankle and Evidence for a High-Energy Break in the Cosmic Ray Spectrum

We have measured the cosmic ray spectrum at energies above $10^{17}$ eV using the two air fluorescence detectors of the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment operating in monocular mode. We describe the detector, PMT and atmospheric calibrations, and the analysis techniques for the two detectors. We fit the spectrum to models describing galactic and extragalactic sources. Our measured spectrum gives an observation of a feature known as the ``ankle'' near $3\times 10^{18}$ eV, and strong evidence for a suppression near $6\times 10^{19}$ eV.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures. To appear in Physics Letters B. Accepted versio

How Do Humans Control Physiological Strain during Strenuous Endurance Exercise?

Background: Methodology/principal Findings: Conclusions/significance: Distance running performance is a viable model of human locomotion.To evaluate the physiologic strain during competitions ranging from 5-100 km, we evaluated heart rate (HR) records of competitive runners (n = 211). We found evidence that: 1) physiologic strain (% of maximum HR (%HRmax)) increased in proportional manner relative to distance completed, and was regulated by variations in running pace; 2) the %HRmax achieved decreased with relative distance; 3) slower runners had similar %HRmax response within a racing distance compared to faster runners, and despite differences in pace, the profile of %HRmax during a race was very similar in runners of differing ability; and 4) in cases where there was a discontinuity in the running performance, there was evidence that physiologic effort was maintained for some time even after the pace had decreased.The overall results suggest that athletes are actively regulating their relative physiologic strain during competition, although there is evidence of poor regulation in the case of competitive failures.2.308 SJR (2008) Q1, 60/1774 Medicine (miscellaneous), 19/144 Biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology (miscellaneous), 15/175 Agricultural and biological sciences (miscellaneous)UE

Search for Correlations between HiRes Stereo Events and Active Galactic Nuclei

We have searched for correlations between the pointing directions of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays observed by the High Resolution Fly's Eye experiment and Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) visible from its northern hemisphere location. No correlations, other than random correlations, have been found. We report our results using search parameters prescribed by the Pierre Auger collaboration. Using these parameters, the Auger collaboration concludes that a positive correlation exists for sources visible to their southern hemisphere location. We also describe results using two methods for determining the chance probability of correlations: one in which a hypothesis is formed from scanning one half of the data and tested on the second half, and another which involves a scan over the entire data set. The most significant correlation found occurred with a chance probability of 24%.Comment: 13 pages, 1 table, 5 figure

Astroparticle Physics with a Customized Low-Background Broad Energy Germanium Detector

The MAJORANA Collaboration is building the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, a 60 kg array of high purity germanium detectors housed in an ultra-low background shield at the Sanford Underground Laboratory in Lead, SD. The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR will search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of 76Ge while demonstrating the feasibility of a tonne-scale experiment. It may also carry out a dark matter search in the 1-10 GeV/c^2 mass range. We have found that customized Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors produced by Canberra have several desirable features for a neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment, including low electronic noise, excellent pulse shape analysis capabilities, and simple fabrication. We have deployed a customized BEGe, the MAJORANA Low-Background BEGe at Kimballton (MALBEK), in a low-background cryostat and shield at the Kimballton Underground Research Facility in Virginia. This paper will focus on the detector characteristics and measurements that can be performed with such a radiation detector in a low-background environment.Comment: Submitted to NIMA Proceedings, SORMA XII. 9 pages, 4 figure

Quantum Transport in Semiconductor Nanostructures

I. Introduction (Preface, Nanostructures in Si Inversion Layers, Nanostructures in GaAs-AlGaAs Heterostructures, Basic Properties). II. Diffusive and Quasi-Ballistic Transport (Classical Size Effects, Weak Localization, Conductance Fluctuations, Aharonov-Bohm Effect, Electron-Electron Interactions, Quantum Size Effects, Periodic Potential). III. Ballistic Transport (Conduction as a Transmission Problem, Quantum Point Contacts, Coherent Electron Focusing, Collimation, Junction Scattering, Tunneling). IV. Adiabatic Transport (Edge Channels and the Quantum Hall Effect, Selective Population and Detection of Edge Channels, Fractional Quantum Hall Effect, Aharonov-Bohm Effect in Strong Magnetic Fields, Magnetically Induced Band Structure).Comment: 111 pages including 109 figures; this review from 1991 has retained much of its usefulness, but it was not yet available electronicall

Pet Rodents and Fatal Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis in Transplant Patients

A unique strain of this virus was traced back to hamsters from an Ohio rodent distribution facility