880 research outputs found
In vitro and in vivo effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function in acute lung injury
Background: Intravenous salbutamol (albuterol) reduces lung water in patients with the acute respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS). Experimental data show that it also reduces pulmonary neutrophil accumulation or
activation and inflammation in ARDS.
Aim: To investigate the effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function.
Methods: The in vitro effects of salbutamol on neutrophil function were determined. Blood and
bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were collected from 35 patients with acute lung injury (ALI)/ARDS, 14
patients at risk from ARDS and 7 ventilated controls at baseline and after 4 daysâ treatment with placebo or
salbutamol (ALI/ARDS group). Alveolarâcapillary permeability was measured in vivo by thermodilution
(PiCCO). Neutrophil activation, adhesion molecule expression and inflammatory cytokines were measured.
Results: In vitro, physiological concentrations of salbutamol had no effect on neutrophil chemotaxis, viability
or apoptosis. Patients with ALI/ARDS showed increased neutrophil activation and adhesion molecule
expression compared with at risk-patients and ventilated controls. There were associations between alveolarâ
capillary permeability and BAL myeloperoxidase (r = 0.4, p = 0.038) and BAL interleukin 8 (r = 0.38,
p = 0.033). In patients with ALI/ARDS, salbutamol increased numbers of circulating neutrophils but had no
effect on alveolar neutrophils.
Conclusion: At the onset of ALI/ARDS, there is increased neutrophil recruitment and activation. Physiological
concentrations of salbutamol did not alter neutrophil chemotaxis, viability or apoptosis in vitro. In vivo,
salbutamol increased circulating neutrophils, but had no effect on alveolar neutrophils or on neutrophil
activation. These data suggest that the beneficial effects of salbutamol in reducing lung water are unrelated to
modulation of neutrophil-dependent inflammatory pathways
Different cell types in Neurospora crassa
Neurospora possesses more cell types than are commonly recognized. We have been able to identify 28 morphologically distinct types. Having the cell types clearly defined will be important for genome annotation, describing new mutant phenotypes, and determining sites of gene expression
Effects of mental health training on capacity, willingness and engagement in peer-to-peer support in rural New South Wales
ISSUE ADDRESSED: Rural Australians experience significant barriers in accessing mental health services, some of which may be overcome by increasing mental health literacy in rural communities. This paper evaluates Mental Health Support Skills (MHSS), short training courses developed by the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program (RAMHP). MHSS was designed to build the capacity of community members and gatekeepers to identify people with mental health concerns and link them to appropriate resources or services. METHODS: Program data from April 2017 to March 2020 were analysed to assess the reach and outcomes of MHSS training. Training feedback was collected through a postâtraining survey, completed directly after courses, and a followâup survey two months after training. An app used by RAMHP coordinators (the trainers) recorded the geographic and demographic reach of courses. RESULTS: MHSS was provided to 10,208 residents across rural New South Wales. Survey participation was 49% (n = 4,985) for the postâtraining survey and 6% (n = 571), for the followâup survey, two months postâtraining. The training was wellâreceived and increased the mental health understanding and willingness to assist others of most respondents (91%â95%). Followâup survey respondents applied learnings to assist others; 53% (n = 301) asked a total of 2,252 people about their mental health in the two months following training. Those in clinical roles asked a median of 6 people about their mental health, compared to 3 for those in nonclinical roles. Most followâup survey respondents (59%, n = 339) reported doing more to look after their own mental health in the two months after training. CONCLUSION: These results are encouraging as they suggest that shortâform mental health training can be an effective tool to address poorer mental health outcomes for rural residents by improving the ability of participants to help themselves and the people around them. SO WHAT? Serious consideration should be given to short mental health courses, such as MHSS, to increase literacy and connection to services, especially in rural areas
Predictive validity of the CriSTAL tool for short-term mortality in older people presenting at Emergency Departments: a prospective study
Hydrophilic and lipophilic radiopharmaceuticals as tracers in pharmaceutical development: In vitro â In vivo studies
BACKGROUND: Scintigraphic studies have been performed to assess the release, both in vitro and in vivo, of radiotracers from tablet formulations. Four different tracers with differing physicochemical characteristics have been evaluated to assess their suitability as models for drug delivery. METHODS: In-vitro disintegration and dissolution studies have been performed at pH 1, 4 and 7. In-vivo studies have been performed by scintigraphic imaging in healthy volunteers. Two hydrophilic tracers, ((99m)Tc-DTPA) and ((99m)Tc-MDP), and two lipophilic tracers, ((99m)Tc-ECD) and ((99m)Tc-MIBI), were used as drug models. RESULTS: Dissolution and disintegration profiles, differed depending on the drug model chosen. In vitro dissolution velocity constants indicated a probable retention of the radiotracer in the formulation. In vivo disintegration velocity constants showed important variability for each radiopharmaceutical. Pearson statistical test showed no correlation between in vitro drug release, and in vivo behaviour, for (99m)Tc-DTPA, (99m)Tc-ECD and (99m)Tc-MIBI. High correlation coefficients were found for (99m)Tc-MDP not only for in vitro dissolution and disintegration studies but also for in vivo scintigraphic studies. CONCLUSION: Scintigraphic studies have made a significant contribution to the development of drug delivery systems. It is essential, however, to choose the appropriate radiotracers as models of drug behaviour. This study has demonstrated significant differences in release patterns, depending on the model chosen. It is likely that each formulation would require the development of a specific model, rather than being able to use a generic drug model on the basis of its physicochemical characteristics
The No-Triangle Hypothesis for N=8 Supergravity
We study the perturbative expansion of N=8 supergravity in four dimensions
from the viewpoint of the ``no-triangle'' hypothesis, which states that
one-loop graviton amplitudes in N=8 supergravity only contain scalar box
integral functions. Our computations constitute a direct proof at six-points
and support the no-triangle conjecture for seven-point amplitudes and beyond.Comment: 43page
Nuclear medicine procedures and the evaluation of male sexual organs: a short review
Sexuality consists of three aspects that are interrelated and inseparable, biological, physiological and social. The biological aspect considers the individual's capability to give and to receive pleasure. In consequence, it covers the functionality of the sexual organs and the physiology of human sexual response cycle. Diagnostic imaging modalities, such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) have been used to evaluate clinical disorders of the male reproductive system. PET and SPECT procedures basically involve the administration of a radiopharmaceutical that has a higher uptake in a specific tumor or tissue. The aim of this brief review is to present some radiopharmaceuticals that have been used in the clinical evaluation of the male sexual organs (testes, prostate, seminal vesicles, penis) related with male sexuality. This information could be useful in better understanding the male sexual response cycle, as well as the sexual disorders, when considering the male sexual organs and the pelvic floor. Moreover, the findings obtained with PET and SPECT imaging could help to evaluate the efficacy of clinical results of therapeutic procedures. In conclusion, the knowledge from these images could aid in better understanding the physiology of the different organs related with sexuality. Furthermore, they could be important tools to evaluate the physiological integrity of the involved organs, to improve clinical strategies and to accompany the patients under treatment
Musiciansâ perceptions and experiences of using simulation training to develop performance skills
Simulation has been applied as a tool for learning and training in sports, psychology and medicine for
some time, but its current use and potential for training musicians is less well understood. The aim
of this study was to explore musiciansâ perceptions and experiences of using simulated performance
environments. Nine conservatory students performed in two simulations, each with interactive
virtual elements and vivid environmental cues: a recital with a virtual audience and an audition
with virtual judges. Qualitative data were collected through a focus group interview and written
reflective commentaries. Thematic analysis highlighted the musiciansâ experiences in terms of (1)
their anticipation of using the simulations, (2) the process of performing in the simulations, (3)
the usefulness of simulation as a tool for developing performance skills and (4) ways of improving
simulation training. The results show that while simulation was new to the musicians and individual
levels of immersion differed, the musicians saw benefits in the approach for developing, experimenting
with and enhancing their performance skills. Specifically, the musicians emphasised the importance
of framing the simulation experience with plausible procedures leading to and following on from
the performance, and they recognised the potential for combining simulation with complementary
training techniques
Integrated multi-level quality control for proteomic profiling studies using mass spectrometry
BACKGROUND: Proteomic profiling using mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the most promising methods for the analysis of complex biological samples such as urine, serum and tissue for biomarker discovery. Such experiments are often conducted using MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight) and SELDI-TOF (surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight) MS. Using such profiling methods it is possible to identify changes in protein expression that differentiate disease states and individual proteins or patterns that may be useful as potential biomarkers. However, the incorporation of quality control (QC) processes that allow the identification of low quality spectra reliably and hence allow the removal of such data before further analysis is often overlooked. In this paper we describe rigorous methods for the assessment of quality of spectral data. These procedures are presented in a user-friendly, web-based program. The data obtained post-QC is then examined using variance components analysis to quantify the amount of variance due to some of the factors in the experimental design. RESULTS: Using data from a SELDI profiling study of serum from patients with different levels of renal function, we show how the algorithms described in this paper may be used to detect systematic variability within and between sample replicates, pooled samples and SELDI chips and spots. Manual inspection of those spectral data that were identified as being of poor quality confirmed the efficacy of the algorithms. Variance components analysis demonstrated the relatively small amount of technical variance attributable to day of profile generation and experimental array. CONCLUSION: Using the techniques described in this paper it is possible to reliably detect poor quality data within proteomic profiling experiments undertaken by MS. The removal of these spectra at the initial stages of the analysis substantially improves the confidence of putative biomarker identification and allows inter-experimental comparisons to be carried out with greater confidence
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