Neurogenic mechanisms in bladder and bowel ageing

The prevalence of both urinary and faecal incontinence, and also chronic constipation, increases with ageing and these conditions have a major impact on the quality of life of the elderly. Management of bladder and bowel dysfunction in the elderly is currently far from ideal and also carries a significant financial burden. Understanding how these changes occur is thus a major priority in biogerontology. The functions of the bladder and terminal bowel are regulated by complex neuronal networks. In particular neurons of the spinal cord and peripheral ganglia play a key role in regulating micturition and defaecation reflexes as well as promoting continence. In this review we discuss the evidence for ageing-induced neuronal dysfunction that might predispose to neurogenic forms of incontinence in the elderly

Review of vortex methods for rotor aerodynamics and wake dynamics

Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with multiple lifting rotors or prop- rotors have received significant attention in recent years due to their great potential for next-generation urban air mobility (UAM). Numerical models have been developed and validated as predictive tools to analyze rotor aerodynamics and wake dynamics. Among various numerical approaches, the vortex method is one of the most suit- able because it can provide accurate solutions with an affordable computational cost and can represent vorticity fields downstream without numerical dissipation error. This paper presents a brief review of the progress of vortex methods, along with their principles, advantages, and shortcomings. Applications of the vortex methods for modeling the rotor aerodynamics and wake dynamics are also described. However, the vortex methods suffer from the problem that it cannot deal with the nonlinear aerody- namic characteristics associated with the viscous effects and the flow behaviors in the post-stall regime. To overcome the intrinsic drawbacks of the vortex methods, recent progress in a numerical method proposed by the authors is introduced, and model validation against experimental data is discussed in detail. The validation works show that nonlinear vortex lattice method (NVLM) coupled with vortex particle method (VPM) can predict the unsteady aerodynamic forces and complex evolution of the rotor wake

Association of physical activity and IL-10 levels 20 years after sulfur mustard exposure: Sardasht-Iran cohort study

IL-10 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that is important in the regulation of inflammatory processes in different conditions. Sulfur mustard (SM) intoxicated patients are suffering from different inflammatory diseases in their lung, skin and eyes. Physical activity (PA) is reported to control inflammation by reducing pro-inflammatory and inducing anti-inflammatory cytokines. Our previous study revealed lower PA and more sedentary lifestyle among SM exposed population. This study aimed to determine the relationship of PA with IL-10 production in SM exposed subjects. Baseline, mitogen-induced and the serum levels of IL-10 were evaluated. In a historical cohort study, Sardasht-Iran Cohort Study (SICS), 372 SM exposed participants were studied 20 years after exposure and were compared with 128 unexposed control participants. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ developed by WHO) was used to obtain a self-reported measure of physical activity. Whole blood culture supernatants and serum samples were used for IL-10 measurement by ELISA technique. In both the control and exposed groups mitogen-induced IL-10 production was significantly elevated with severity of PA intensity (p < 0.05). In the control subjects with moderate PA intensity, the mitogen-induced IL-10 production was higher than the corresponding in the exposed group (p<0.05). In the exposed group, mitogen-induced IL-10 production had significant positive correlation with total PA, total transport PA, total recreational PA and total moderate intensity work (p<0.05). The positive relationship between high PA and the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 indicates a need to encourage a more active lifestyle among the SM exposed subjects who have various inflammatory complications. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Physical activity of the civilian chemical victims of Sardasht 20 years after sulfur mustard exposure

Sulfur mustard was employed as a chemical warfare agent by the Iraqi forces in the borderline regions of Iran during the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988). The short-and long-term biological effects of sulfur mustard agent have been studied in both basic and clinical aspects. One organ that was primarily affected was the respiratory system. Among the adults, regular physical activity positively affects the respiratory system as well as the individual's ability to perform important daily tasks. We investigated the self reported physical activity in chemical victims 20 years after sulfur mustard exposure, compared the data with those of the matched counterparts, and explored any potential association with BMI. The exposed group was 357 and the control group was 125 individuals. Physical activity was measured using the global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ) that evaluates work, recreational, transport and sitting activities. A significant difference was found between the control and exposed groups in terms of total physical activity MET (metabolic equivalent), total physical activity min/week and total transport-related physical activity min/week in BMI > 30 kg/m(2). In addition, total work-related physical activity showed a significant difference between the control and exposed groups with BMI <25 kg/m(2). The results show that a significant correlation was present between the increase of body weight and the reduction of total physical activity and MET in exposed group 20 years after sulfur mustard exposure

Long-term health status 20 years after sulfur mustard exposure

To describe the long-term health status of Sardasht civilians 20 years after sulfur mustard exposure, a historical cohort study was carried out in Sardasht (Iran) that included 372 exposed and 128 unexposed civilians. Their symptoms, diagnoses, drug use, and general health were compared. The most common complaints were about the respiratory system (93.5), eyes (52), skin (94.7), and anxiety and depression (69.2). Respiratory (42.5), skin (75.5), ophthalmic (19.6), and mental (62.7) diseases were diagnosed by specialists and they were more common in the exposed group than the control group (P<0.001). Most of the exposed group had used drugs (70.6), which was more than control group (42.8). It seems that exposure to sulfur mustard caused a lot of health problems in Sardasht. Identifying the pathophysiology of these problems can help them more, but more investigation is needed

Long-term pulmonary complications in sulfur mustard victims of Sardasht, Iran

Sulfur mustard (SM) has widely been used against the military and civilians during the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988). It mostly affects the respiratory system. A large historical cohort study was designed to evaluate the pulmonary status of non-military victims in Sardasht, Iran, in comparison with a matched control group 20 years after a single massive exposure. The exposed group was divided into two subgroups of hospitalized and non-hospitalized based on the severity of the injuries indicated by hospitalization a few days following exposure. All participants' respiratory symptoms and signs were evaluated by internists. Dyspnea (n = 261; P = 93.2) was the most common symptom. Chronic cough, cough severity, sputum, hemoptysis, dyspnea, pattern of dyspnea, severity of dyspnea (P < 0.001 for all), and chest pain (P = 0.003) were statistically significantly different between the two groups. Wheezing was the most common pulmonary finding (11.4). There was also a statistically significant difference in the auscultation of wheezing (P = 0.045) and rhonchi (P = 0.018) between the hospitalized and control groups. Considering objective findings, pulmonary involvement was observed in 24.3 (n = 68, P = 0.007)