3,034 research outputs found
Sleep quality in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome
Objective
To assess the sleep quality in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) patients and evaluate its relationship with the disease,
quality of life and mood disorders.
Methods
The sleep quality of 29 pSS women and 29 matched controls was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
Seven domains are grouped according to three factors: F1 perceived sleep quality (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency,
use of sleeping medication), F2 sleep efficiency (sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency) and F3 daily disturbances (sleep
disturbances, daytime dysfunction). These domains are scored as a single factor of global sleep quality. The Short Form
Health Survey (SF-36), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) fatigue scale and Hospital Anxiety and
Depression Scale (HADS) were also administered. Disease activity and damage were evaluated with the EULAR Sjögren’s
syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI), the Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity and Damage Indexes (SSDAI, SSDDI).
Results
The mean PSQI global score had higher pathological values (8.6±4.6) compared with controls (5.6±2.2) (p=0.002).
F1 and F3 were significantly worse in cases (p=0.01, p=0.009). A negative correlation was found between SF-36
subscales and the global PSQI, F2 and F3. The anxiety HADS correlated with F2 and F3, while depression only with F3.
No correlation with FACIT and disease indexes emerged.
Conclusion
Using PSQI, an impaired sleep quality was demonstrated in pSS patients, especially with perceived quality and the daily
disturbances. It is associated with a reduced quality of life but not with disease-related variables.Objective
To assess the sleep quality in primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) patients and evaluate its relationship with the disease,
quality of life and mood disorders.
Methods
The sleep quality of 29 pSS women and 29 matched controls was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
Seven domains are grouped according to three factors: F1 perceived sleep quality (subjective sleep quality, sleep latency,
use of sleeping medication), F2 sleep efficiency (sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency) and F3 daily disturbances (sleep
disturbances, daytime dysfunction). These domains are scored as a single factor of global sleep quality. The Short Form
Health Survey (SF-36), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) fatigue scale and Hospital Anxiety and
Depression Scale (HADS) were also administered. Disease activity and damage were evaluated with the EULAR Sjögren’s
syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI), the Sjögren’s Syndrome Disease Activity and Damage Indexes (SSDAI, SSDDI).
Results
The mean PSQI global score had higher pathological values (8.6±4.6) compared with controls (5.6±2.2) (p=0.002).
F1 and F3 were significantly worse in cases (p=0.01, p=0.009). A negative correlation was found between SF-36
subscales and the global PSQI, F2 and F3. The anxiety HADS correlated with F2 and F3, while depression only with F3.
No correlation with FACIT and disease indexes emerged.
Conclusion
Using PSQI, an impaired sleep quality was demonstrated in pSS patients, especially with perceived quality and the daily
disturbances. It is associated with a reduced quality of life but not with disease-related variables
Desenvolvimento de espécies nativas sob neossolo flúvico em área de restauração de ambiente fluvial.
Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Flavanones from Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (licorice) Leaf Phytocomplexes: Identification of Licoflavanone as a Modulator of NF-kB/MAPK Pathway
Inflammation represents an adaptive response generated by injuries or harmful stimuli. Natural remedies represent an interesting alternative to traditional therapies, involving several biochemical pathways. Besides, the valorization of agrochemical wastes nowadays seems to be a feasible way to reduce the health spending and improve the accessibility at bioactive natural compounds. In this context, the chemical composition of three Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (licorice) leaf extracts, obtained through maceration or ultrasound-assisted method (fresh and dried leaves) was investigated. A guided fractionation obtained three main components: pinocembrin, glabranin and licoflavanone. All the extracts showed similar antioxidant properties, evaluated by 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) or 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) Diammonium Salt (ABTS) assay, while, among the isolated compounds, licoflavanone exhibited the best antioxidant activity. The anti-inflammatory activity of the extracts and the purified compounds was investigated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. Extract C and licoflavanone showed a good anti-inflammatory activity without affecting cell viability, as they decreased nitrite levels even when used at 12.5 μg/mL (p < 0.005) and 50 μM concentration (p < 0.001), respectively. Interestingly, licoflavanone markedly decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines and cyclooxygenase 2/inducible nitric oxide synthase (COX-2/iNOS) expression levels (p < 0.001). A modulation of nuclear factor kappa B/mitogen-activated protein kinases (NF-kB/MAPK) pathway underlay such behavior, highlighting the potential of this natural compound as a new scaffold in anti-inflammatory drug research
Effect of Ferric Sodium EDTA administration, in combination with vitamin C, folic acid, copper gluconate, zinc gluconate and selenomethionine, on cardiovascular risk evaluation: exploration of the HRV frequency domain
diseases. Using the Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis is possible to provide an evaluation of the safety and the
effectiveness of intervention.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ferric Sodium EDTA in combination with vitamin C, folic acid, copper
gluconate, zinc gluconate and selenomethionine (Ferachel forte®) 2 tabs/day for 24 days in elderly patients with secondary
anaemia, by exploring the HRV frequency domain.
Methods: In 45 elderly patients with secondary anaemia and/or low-moderate kidney failure, laboratory values after
administration of Ferric Sodium EDTA, 2 tabs a day, in combination with vitamin C, folic acid, copper gluconate, zinc
gluconate and selenomethionine (Ferachel forte®) for 24 days (N=16 patients) or ferrous gluconate 63 mg/day added to
saline solution, administered using intravenous access during the hospitalization period of 15 ± 5 days (N=29 patients)
were evaluated. Also, ECG signals and bioelectrical impedance (BIA) were measured.
Results: Oral iron supplementation with Ferric Sodium EDTA, in combination with vitamin C, folic acid, copper gluconate,
zinc gluconate and selenomethionine (Ferachel forte®) confirmed to be effective and safe about the cardiovascular risk
in old patients. This study showed the real superiority of the oral administration about the cardiovascular risk in elderly
patients in comparison with intravenous administration of ferrous gluconate.
Conclusion: This study confirms that Ferric Sodium EDTA combination (Ferachel forte®) can be a valid alternative to ferrous
gluconate intravenous therapy (gold standard) in the treatment of secondary anaemia in elderly patients. In fact, during
the treatment, efficacy results have been maintained without statistically significant variations about cardiovascular risk,
evaluated by exploring the HRV frequency domain
Noise Induced Phenomena in the Dynamics of Two Competing Species
Noise through its interaction with the nonlinearity of the living systems can
give rise to counter-intuitive phenomena. In this paper we shortly review noise
induced effects in different ecosystems, in which two populations compete for
the same resources. We also present new results on spatial patterns of two
populations, while modeling real distributions of anchovies and sardines. The
transient dynamics of these ecosystems are analyzed through generalized
Lotka-Volterra equations in the presence of multiplicative noise, which models
the interaction between the species and the environment. We find noise induced
phenomena such as quasi-deterministic oscillations, stochastic resonance, noise
delayed extinction, and noise induced pattern formation. In addition, our
theoretical results are validated with experimental findings. Specifically the
results, obtained by a coupled map lattice model, well reproduce the spatial
distributions of anchovies and sardines, observed in a marine ecosystem.
Moreover, the experimental dynamical behavior of two competing bacterial
populations in a meat product and the probability distribution at long times of
one of them are well reproduced by a stochastic microbial predictive model.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures; to be published in Math. Model. Nat. Phenom.
(2016
Geopedologia e a sua influência sobre espécies arbóreas em florestas fluviais.
A recuperação de florestas fluviais compreende uma série de ações, sendo a primeira identificar a unidade fitogeográfica em que se está trabalhando. Na seqüência, a bacia hidrográfica deve ser compartimentada geopedologicamente, buscando identificar suas características hidrodinâmicas e, sobretudo, relacionar essas com os diversos padrões de leitos de rio, os quais possuem feições geomórficas distintas, ocupadas por diferentes tipos de solos. Em seguida, há a necessidade de se reconhecer como as espécies vegetais estão inseridas nesse contexto ambiental. Isso pode ser feito valendo-se de estudos que relacionem a fitossociologia às classes de solos, identificando a distribuição das espécies vegetais aos tipos de solos. Após a obtenção dessas informações e, com uma noção mais precisa do número necessário de indivíduos a ser produzido, além das informações fenológicas das mesmas, pode ser procedida a coleta de sementes. Essas ações irão garantir uma maior racionalização da operação. O procedimento de compartimentação geopedológica aqui proposto foi usado para segmentar a bacia hidrográfica do rio Itajaí em seis segmentos, havendo a indicação de espécies de acordo com o grau de saturação hídrica dos solos identificados na planície deste rio. Três categorias distintas de espécies (mesófilas, higrófilas e hidrófilas) são apontadas neste trabalho como potenciais para a recuperação de ambientes fluviais, todas em concordância com os padrões de solos identificados ao longo da Bacia.bitstream/CNPF-2009-09/40966/1/doc135.pd
Trends of Aboveground Net Primary Productivity of Patagonian Meadows, the Omitted Ecosystem in Desertification Studies
The United Nations defines desertification as the loss of productivity in arid and semiarid environments. The extended steppes of Patagonia harbor small meadows whose compounded area is comparatively small, but their aboveground net primary production (ANPP) is up to ten times higher than their surroundings. These meadows then represent a key ecosystem for cattle grazing systems, but there are no descriptions of the trends in their ANPP and, consequently, their carrying capacity, and, as a result, their degradation syndromes. Our objectives were as follows: (1) analyze the trends of mean and spatial heterogeneity of annual ANPP in meadows and neighboring steppes and relate them with precipitation and temperature, (2) evaluate the impact on the livestock carrying capacity of meadows in the region, and (3) evaluate the degradation trends of these meadows, based on a novel description proposed to characterize the trend syndromes of these type of ecosystems. We identified
meadow areas across a subcontinental scale in Patagonia, covering a mean annual precipitation range from 129 to 936 mm. We estimated ANPP on a monthly basis from 2000 to 2019 via regional calibrated remote sensing information. In the last two decades, ANPP decreased in 74% of the studied meadow
areas, while remaining relatively stable in the nearby steppes. This decrease was relatively higher in the arid end of the analyzed precipitation gradient. Hence, the global carrying capacity for all the studied meadow areas decreased by 8%. Finally, we identified four trend syndromes based on
the combination of the ANPP trend and its spatial heterogeneity, calculated as the spatial standard deviation. The predominant trend syndrome, in 55% of the area, was associated with a negative trend of both ANPP and spatial heterogeneity. These results could help prioritize areas where specific management decisions, given the different trend syndromes, could help revert ANPP negative trends
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