P104 White coat hypertension is associated with increased small vessel disease in the brain

Objective: Small vessel disease, measured by brain white matter hyperintensity (WMH), is associated with increased stroke risk and cognitive impairment. This study aimed to explore the relationship between WMH on computerised tomography (CT) and white coat hypertension (WCH) in patients with recent transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or lacunar stroke (LS). Methods: Ninety-six patients recruited for the ASIST trial (Arterial Stiffness in Lacunar Stroke and TIA) underwent measurement of clinic blood pressure (BP) and ambulatory BP monitoring (APBM) within two weeks of TIA or LS. Patients were grouped by BP phenotypes. Twenty-three patients had normotension (clinic BP 140/90 mmHg and day-time ABPM <135/85 mmHg). CT brain images were scored for WMH using the four-point Fazekas visual rating scale. Patients were grouped into no-mild WMH (scores 0–1) or moderate-severe (scores 2–3) groups. The relationship between BP and WMH was explored with chi-square and logistic regression accounting for known cardiovascular risk factors (age, gender, smoking, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia). Results: 44% of WCH patients had moderate-severe WMH compared to 17% of normotensives (p = 0.047). Logistical regression incorporating WCH as the independent factor and cardiovascular risk factors as independent variables showed WCH to be the only independent significant factor contributing to WMH (p = 0.024). Conclusion: Patients with WCH were more likely to have moderate-severe WMH on CT brain than normotensives. WCH was associated with increased WMH, independent of other cardiovascular risk factors. This study suggests that WCH is associated with increased small vessel disease in the brain and may benefit from treatment

Economic Analysis of Manure Harvesting Equipment in Feedyards for Dust Control

This study concentrated on one method of dust control which is harvesting manure with equipment. An economic analysis including hourly fixed and operational costs were performed on the following: tractor-pulled box scraper, front-end loader, dump truck, spreader truck, elevating scraper and tractor-pulled end dump. The purpose of this study was to generate cost data for feedyard owners/operators to reference when making manure management and equipment purchasing decisions.manure harvesting equipment, tractor-pulled box scraper, front-end loader, dump truck, spreader truck, tractor-pulled end dump, Agribusiness, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Economic Analysis of a Traveling Gun for Feedyard Dust Suppression

Dust created in feedyards can adversely affect cattle performance. Dust suppression can be accomplished by moistening pen surfaces with traveling gun(s) sprinklers, solid-set sprinklers, and water trucks. This study specifically addresses the fixed and operational costs associated with a traveling gun sprinkler system for various sized feedyards.traveling gun, dust suppression, fixed costs, operational costs, Livestock Production/Industries,

What's the most practical way to rule out adrenal insufficiency?

A morning serum cortisol level >13 mcg/dL reliably rules out adrenal insufficiency, and the test is easy and safe to perform. Because of low specificity, patients with a level of ≤13 mcg/dL need further evaluation with the cosyntropin stimulation test (CST) (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, meta- analysis of diagnostic cohort studies)

Economic Analysis of a Water Truck for Feedyard Dust Suppression

Dust created in feedyards can adversely affect cattle performance. Dust suppression can be accomplished by moistening pen surfaces with traveling gun(s) sprinklers, solid-set sprinklers, and water trucks. This study specifically addresses the fixed and operational costs associated with a water truck for various sized feedyards.water truck, dust suppression, fixed costs, operational costs, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries,

Should you test or treat pregnant women with a history of pregnancy-related VTE?

No high-quality evidence supports testing for thrombophilia in pregnant patients who have experienced venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a previous pregnancy. Antepartum and postpartum anticoagulation with LMWH produces lower rates of VTE in patients with a prior history of VTE in pregnancy. Pregnant women with a prior history of VTE who are not treated with anticoagulation have about a 5% risk of antepartum or postpartum VTE. Expert opinion recommends graduated compression stockings

On the holomorphic factorization for superconformal fields

For a generic value of the central charge, we prove the holomorphic factorization of partition functions for free superconformal fields which are defined on a compact Riemann surface without boundary. The partition functions are viewed as functionals of the Beltrami coefficients and their fermionic partners which variables parametrize superconformal classes of metrics.Comment: 5 pages, LATEX, MPI-Ph/92-7

Near-infrared spectroscopic indices for unresolved stellar populations: I. Template galaxy spectra

Context. A new generation of spectral synthesis models has been developed in recent years, but there is no matching set of template galaxy spectra, in terms of quality and resolution, for testing and refining the new models. Aims: Our main goal is to find and calibrate new near-infrared spectral indices along the Hubble sequence of galaxies which will be used to obtain additional constraints to the population analysis based on medium-resolution integrated spectra of galaxies. Methods: Spectra of previously studied and well-understood galaxies with relatively simple stellar populations (e.g., ellipticals or bulge dominated galaxies) are needed to provide a baseline data set for spectral synthesis models. Results: X-shooter spectra spanning the optical and infrared wavelengths (350-2400 nm) of bright nearby elliptical galaxies with a resolving power of R \u2dc 4000-5400 were obtained. Heliocentric systemic velocity, velocity dispersion, and Mg, Fe, and H\u3b2 line-strength indices are presented. Conclusions: We present a library of very-high-quality spectra of galaxies covering a large range of age, metallicity, and morphological type. Such a dataset of spectra will be crucial to addressing important questions of the modern investigation concerning galaxy formation and evolution

Sunscreen Use for Skin Cancer Prevention

Daily sunscreen use reduces the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma but not the incidence of basal cell carcinoma. (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: B, based on a single randomized controlled trial with less than 13 years of follow-up). It is unclear whether there are longer-term effects. There is no consistent, conclusive evidence that sunscreen use prevents melanoma. (SOR: C, meta-analysis of case-control studies)