Electromagnetic response of LaO_0.94F_0.06FeAs: AC susceptibility and microwave surface resistance

We discuss on the electromagnetic response of a polycrystalline sample of LaO_0.94F_0.06FeAs exposed to DC magnetic fields up to 10 kOe. The low- and high-frequency responses have been investigated by measuring the AC susceptibility at 100 kHz and the microwave surface resistance at 9.6 GHz. At low as well as high DC magnetic fields, the susceptibility strongly depends on the amplitude of the AC driving field, highlighting enhanced nonlinear effects. The field dependence of the AC susceptibility exhibits a magnetic hysteresis that can be justified considering the intragrain-field-penetration effects on the intergrain critical current density. The microwave surface resistance exhibits a clockwise magnetic hysteresis, which cannot be justified in the framework of the critical-state models of the Abrikosov-fluxon lattice; it may have the same origin as that detected in the susceptibility.Comment: 8 pages, 4 embedded eps figures; Proceedings of the 9th EUCAS Conference (Dresden, Germany, September 13-17, 2009

Gender and the systemic hypertension-snoring association: a questionnaire-based case-control study.

Since the role of gender in the association between hypertension and snoring is unknown, we studied it while accounting for age and body mass index (BMI) as confounding variables. A questionnaire on snoring was administered to 90 hypertensive (HT) subjects (45 men and 45 women) and to 90 normotensive (NT) subjects matched for gender, age and BMI. As expected, snoring was more commonly reported by men than by women, but no significant difference was found between HT and NT men, irrespective of age. Conversely, heavy snoring was more frequently reported by HT than NT women; habitual snoring was more common among young (age50 years) HT than NT women; and heavy snoring was more common among older (age50 years) HT than NT women. These data suggest an effect of gender on the hypertension-snoring association: in men, snoring may be accounted for by age and BMI whether or not hypertension is present, whereas in women the natural history of snoring appears different and more severe in HT than in NT. Although the mechanism(s) responsible for the differences between men and women are obscure at present, gender may be an important variable in the systemic hypertension-snoring association

Endurance training damages small airway epithelium in mice.

RATIONALE: In athletes, airway inflammatory cells were found to be increased in induced sputum or bronchial biopsies. Most data were obtained after exposure to cold and dry air at rest or during exercise. Whether training affects epithelial and inflammatory cells in small airways is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To test whether endurance training under standard environmental conditions causes epithelial damage and inflammation in the small airways of mice. METHODS AND MEASUREMENTS: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung sections were obtained in sedentary (n = 14) and endurance-trained (n = 16) Swiss mice at baseline and after 15, 30, and 45 days of training. The following variables were assessed (morphometry and immunohistochemistry) in small airways (basement membrane length < 1 mm): (1) integrity, proliferation, and apoptosis of bronchiolar epithelium; and (2) infiltration, activation, and apoptosis of inflammatory cells. MAIN RESULTS: Compared with sedentary mice, bronchiolar epithelium of trained mice showed progressive loss of ciliated cells, slightly increased thickness, unchanged goblet cell number and appearance, and increased apoptosis and proliferation (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) (p < 0.001 for all variables). Leukocytes (CD45(+) cells) infiltrated airway walls (p < 0.0001) and accumulated within the lumen (p < 0.001); however, apoptosis of CD45(+) cells did not differ between trained and sedentary mice. Nuclear factor-kappaB translocation and inhibitor-alpha of NF-kappaB (IkappaBalpha) phosphorylation were not increased in trained compared with sedentary mice. CONCLUSIONS: Bronchiolar epithelium showed damage and repair associated with endurance training. Training increased inflammatory cells in small airways, but inflammatory activation was not increased. These changes may represent an adaptive response to increased ventilation during exercise

Riverfront Cities Report: A Strategy for Helping Protect the Mississippi's Environment.

A report to the McKnight Foundation from the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota. April 1992

European Union directive 2014/85/EU on driver licensing in obstructive sleep apnoea:early experiences with its application in the UK

OSA patients’ risk of RTA should be assessed using detailed driving history with specific focus on “red flags” http://ow.ly/mxPi305isn

Triclorosilane-mediated stereoselective synthesis of beta-amino esters and their conversion to highly enantiomerically enriched beta-lactams

A highly stereoselective trichlorosilane-mediated reduction of N-benzyl enamines was developed; the combination of a low cost, easy to make metal-free catalyst and an inexpensive chiral auxiliary allowed to perform the reaction on substrates with different structural features often with total control of the stereoselectivity. By easy deprotection through hydrogenolysis followed by conversion of \u3b2-aminoester to 2-azetidinones, the synthesis of enantiomerically pure \u3b2-lactams (>98% e.e.) was successfully accomplished

Sex differences in obstructive sleep apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) have long been considered predominantly male-related conditions. The clinical presentation of sleep disordered breathing in females differs from males and can vary with age and physiological status, e.g. menopause and pregnancy. Overall, females appear to be more symptomatic, with lower apnoea–hypopnoea index scores compared to males. Furthermore, they appear to have more prolonged partial upper airway obstruction, and may report insomnia as a symptom of OSAHS more frequently. As a consequence of these differences in clinical presentation, females with sleep disordered breathing are often underdiagnosed and undertreated compared to males. This review is aimed at discussing the epidemiology, clinical presentation, pathophysiology and hormonal and metabolic differences in females who present with OSA/OSAHS in comparison to males

Distance follow-up by a remote medical care centre improves adherence to CPAP in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea over the short and long term

Background: Adherence to continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has remained invariably low over the last decades. Remote monitoring of the nocturnal CPAP treatment, within telemedicine (TM)-based follow-up programs, in these patients has been suggested as a potential tool to improve adherence and release the workload of sleep units. The aim of this study was therefore to assess whether a follow-up program carried out by a Remote Medical Care Centre (RMCC), outside the sleep unit, improves adherence to CPAP in the short and long term in patients with OSA. Methods: In this pilot protocol, we enrolled 37 patients starting CPAP in our Sleep Centre (SC). After three months of standard care in our SC, patients initiated a six-month remote follow-up carried out by the RMCC, functioning as an intermediary between patients and SC. Monthly reports and indication for face-to-face visits were sent to the SC for six months. After this period patients returned to usual care for one year. Results were compared with those obtained in 38 patients (controls) followed with usual care over the same time range. Results: Mean nightly use of CPAP increased from 3.2 ± 2.4 h pre-RMCC to 5.2 ± 1.9 h post-RMCC (p &lt; 0.0001). Nights/month of CPAP use improved from 19.8 ± 9.2 to 25.2 ± 2.5 (p &lt; 0.05) and nights/month with CPAP use &gt;4 h from 12.5 ± 10 to 21.03 ± 8.9 (p &lt; 0.05). This improvement remained stable after 12 months from the return of patients to usual care. No significant changes in CPAP use were observed in controls over the time. Conclusion: A six-month follow-up through a remote facility can significantly improve adherence to CPAP in the short and long term. This pilot study provides a solid base for the design of multicentre randomized trials focusing on new models which are able to increase the long-term efficacy of TM programs