349 research outputs found
The Effect of Spironolactone on the Pathogenesis of Ligatureinduced Alveolar Bone Loss in Wistar Rats
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that has a straight relationship with tissue destruction in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Inhibitory effects of TNF production have been attributed to spironolactone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of spironolactone on the pathogenesis of ligature-induced alveolar bone loss in rats. Experimental periodontitis was induced in 38 Wistar rats by ligature placement in the left second maxillary molar. The contra-lateral maxillary molar served as intragroup control. Animals were randomly divided into 4 groups and treated with spironolactone (50, 100, 200 mg·kg-1) or saline. Morphometrical registration of maxillary alveolar bone was performed after 28 days of experimental periodontitis. Intra-group comparisons showed significantly higher alveolar bone loss mean values in maxillary sides with ligature (paired sample t test, p<0.05). Mean alveolar bone loss was not significantly different between groups, independently of the dosage (range: 0.63 – 0.66 mm, one-way ANOVA, p>0.05). Although spironolactone has recognized TNF-inhibitory properties, the possibility of its use on modulation of host immune-inflammatory response in periodontal disease was not confirmed.
Conceptual design of the power supply system for the in-vessel saddle coils for MHD control in ASDEX Upgrade
Towards automated tracking of initiation and propagation of cracks in aluminium alloy coupons using thermoelastic stress analysis
Raw Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) data to accompany submitted paper. Data collected during constant amplitude tensile-tensile cyclic loading.
Manuscript submitted to Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation (Springer). Submission Date June 2018
Recommended from our members
Relationships Between Chemoreflex Responses, Sleep Quality, and Hematocrit in Andean Men and Women.
Andean highlanders are challenged by chronic hypoxia and many exhibit elevated hematocrit (Hct) and blunted ventilation compared to other high-altitude populations. While many Andeans develop Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS) and excessive erythrocytosis, Hct varies markedly within Andean men and women and may be driven by individual differences in ventilatory control and/or sleep events which exacerbate hypoxemia. To test this hypothesis, we quantified relationships between resting ventilation and ventilatory chemoreflexes, sleep desaturation, breathing disturbance, and Hct in Andean men and women. Ventilatory measures were made in 109 individuals (n = 63 men; n = 46 women), and sleep measures in 45 of these participants (n = 22 men; n = 23 women). In both men and women, high Hct was associated with low daytime SpO2 (p < 0.001 and p < 0.002, respectively) and decreased sleep SpO2 (mean, nadir, and time <80%; all p < 0.02). In men, high Hct was also associated with increased end-tidal PCO2 (p < 0.009). While ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia did not predict Hct, decreased hypoxic ventilatory responses were associated with lower daytime SpO2 in men (p < 0.01) and women (p < 0.009) and with lower nadir sleep SpO2 in women (p < 0.02). Decreased ventilatory responses to CO2 were associated with more time below 80% SpO2 during sleep in men (p < 0.05). The obstructive apnea index and apnea-hypopnea index also predicted Hct and CMS scores in men after accounting for age, BMI, and SpO2 during sleep. Finally, heart rate response to hypoxia was lower in men with higher Hct (p < 0.0001). These data support the idea that hypoventilation and decreased ventilatory sensitivity to hypoxia are associated with decreased day time and nighttime SpO2 levels that may exacerbate the stimulus for erythropoiesis in Andean men and women. However, interventional and longitudinal studies are required to establish the causal relationships between these associations
Tuberculosis among the homeless: should we change the strategy?
BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major concern among high-risk populations such as the homeless.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate TB incidence and treatment outcomes among homeless patients in Portugal and to identify predictors of unsuccessful TB treatment outcomes among the homeless.
DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study of all TB patients notified in Portugal from 2008 to 2014. Characteristics of homeless TB patients were assessed and predictors of unsuccessful TB treatment were determined using logistic regression.
RESULTS: TB incidence among the homeless was 122/100 000 homeless persons and was positively correlated with TB incidence among non-homeless persons. Homeless TB patients had a higher prevalence of alcohol and/or drug use, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection, cavitary TB and smear positivity. The rate of unsuccessful treatment outcomes among the homeless was 28.6%, and was significantly associated with increased age, injection drug use (IDU) and HIV co-infection.
CONCLUSION: TB incidence among homeless persons was five times that among the non-homeless, and higher in regions with greater TB incidence among non homeless persons. The successful treatment outcome rate was lower. Predictors of unsuccessful treatment were age, IDU and HIV co-infection. Integrated TB programmes targeting homeless and non-homeless patients, with measures targeting specific characteristics, may contribute to TB elimination in Portugal.CONTEXTE :
La tuberculose (TB) est un souci majeur
dans les populations à haut risque comme les personnes
sans domicile fixe.
OBJECTIFS :
Evaluer le taux d’incidence de la TB et les resultats du traitement parmi des patients sans domicile fixe au Portugal et identifier les facteurs de préediction
d’ échec du traitement de la TB parmi ces patients.
SCHÉMA :
Etude rétrospective de cohorte incluant tous
les patients TB notifies au Portugal entre 2008 et 2014.
Les caractéristiques des patients sans domicile fixe ont été ́évaluées et les facteurs de prédiction d’ échec du traitement de la TB ont été déterminés par ŕegression logistique.
RESULTATS :
Le taux d’incidence de la TB parmi les
personnes sans domicile fixe a été de 122/100 000, et il a
été positivement corrélé avec l’incidence de la TB parmi
le reste de la population. Les patients tuberculeux sans
domicile fixe avaient une prévalence plus élevée de
consommation d’alcool et/ou de drogues, de co-
infection au virus de l’immunodéficience humaine
(VIH), de forme caverneuse et de frottis positif. Le
taux d’ ́echec du traitement a ́et ́e de 28,6% ; l’ ́echec a ́
et ́esignificativement associé à un âge plus avancé, à la
consommation de drogues injectables et à la co-infection par le VIH.
CONCLUSION :
L’incidence dela TB parmi les
personnes sans domicile fixe a été cinq fois plus élevée que celle du reste de la population et plus haute dans les
régions ou l’incidence dans le reste de la population est
egalement plus élevée. Leur taux d’ échec du traitement à
été plus faible. Les facteurs de prédiction d’ échec du traitement ont été l´âge, la consommation de drogues
injectables et la co-infection `a VIH. Des programmes de
TB intégrés ciblant les patients sans domicile fixe et les
autres, avec des mesures spécifiques adaptées à leurs
caractéristiques particulières, pourrait contribuer à
l’ élimination de la TB au Portugal.MARCO DE REFERENCIA:
La tuberculosis (TB)
constituye una gran preocupación en las poblaciones
muy vulnerables como las personas sin hogar.
OBJETIVOS:
Evaluar la tasa de incidencia de TB y los
desenlaces terapéuticos en las personas sin domicilio en
Portugal y definir los factores pronósticos de fracaso
terapéutico en este grupo de la población.
MÉTODO:
Fue este un estudio retrospectivo de cohortes
de todos los pacientes con diagnóstico de TB notificados
del 2008 al 2014 en Portugal. Mediante un análisis de
regresión logística se analizaron las características de los
pacientes tuberculosos sin hogar y los factores
pronósticos de fracaso terapéutico.
RESULTADOS:
La tasa de incidencia de TB en la
población sin hogar fue 122 por 100 000 personas y
exhibió una correlación positiva con la incidencia de TB
en las personas con domicilio. Los pacientes con
diagnóstico de TB y sin hogar presentaron una
prevalencia más alta de consumo de alcohol y/o de
drogas, de coinfección por el virus
de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH), de lesiones
cavernosas y de resultados positivos de la baciloscopia.
La tasa de fracaso terapéutico en esta población fue
28,6% y se asoción de manera significativa con una
mayor edad, el consumo de drogas intravenosas y la
coinfección por el VIH.
CONCLUSIÓN:
La incidencia de TB en las personas sin
hogar fue cinco veces mayor que en las personas con
domicilio y fue más alta en las regiones con una mayor
incidencia de TB en las personas con domicilio. La tasa
de éxito terapéutico en las personas sin hogar fue más
baja. Los factores pronósticos de fracaso terapéutico
fueron la edad, el consumo de drogas intravenosas y la
coinfecció non por el VIH. La ejecución de programas
integrados de atención de la TB dirigidos a las personas
sin hogar y con domicilio, que comporten medidas
específicas que aborden sus características particulares,
podrıa contribuir a la eliminación de la TB en PortugalStudy Group for Infectious Diseases of Instituto de Saúde Púublica da Universidade
do Porto who collaborated on this project: B Miranda, C Carvalho,
C Matos, C Carvalho, G Rodrigues, J Goncalves, L Maio and T Rito.
This work was supported by contributions from Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway through the European Economic Area
Grants under the Public Health Initiatives Programme (PT 06,
grant number 138DT1). RG was also partially supported by Centro
de Matemática da Universidade do Porto (UID/MAT/00144/2013),
which is funded by Fundação do Ministério de Ciência e Tecnologia(Portugal) with national (MEC) and European structural funds
(Fonds europeen de d ́eveloppement economique et regional) under the PT2020 Partnership Agreementinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
BEAM ORBIT STABILITY AT ELETTRA
Abstract The top-up operation established since 2010 at the Elettra third-generation synchrotron light source has solved the problems related to thermal drifts and beam current dependence, and a series of feedback loops acting on the machine optics and radio-frequency systems made easier to setup and operate the ring. Those systems together with the fast orbit feedback in operation since 2007, contributed to very high electron beam orbit stability. A description of the active systems and their performance, future perspectives as well as some still open issues will be presented and discussed
Associations between a posteriori defined dietary patterns and bone mineral density in adolescents
Purpose: Dietary pattern analysis may uncover the joint effects of multiple dietary components on bone health, but such research is scarce and targets mostly adults.
Methods: We quantified prospective associations between dietary patterns and bone mineral density (BMD) in 1,007 adolescents of a cohort born in 1990 and recruited at schools in Porto during the 2003/2004 school year. Forearm BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Participants’ dietary patterns were classified “Healthier”, “Dairy products”, “Fast food and sweets” and “Lower intake” according to previously identified patterns obtained in a larger sample of 1,489 participants using the K-means method. Using dietary patterns at 13 years old as the main exposure, associations were estimated cross-sectionally (with BMD at the age of 13) and prospectively (with annual BMD variation between 13 and 17 years), using linear regression coefficients adjusted for height, weight, energy intake and, in girls, for menarche age.
Results: No significant associations between the a posteriori dietary patterns identified and mean BMD at 13 were found. However, among girls, adherence to a pattern characterized by low intake of energy and all food groups was negatively associated with annual BMD variation between 13 and 17 years [adjusted coefficient (95 % CI) −0.451 (−0.827; −0.074) mg·cm−2·year−1].
Conclusions: Although results showed that, in girls, adherence to a “Lower intake” dietary pattern is associated with lower annual BMD variation throughout adolescence, overall, there were no consistent associations between dietary patterns and forearm BMD in adolescents
Twisting gauged non-linear sigma-models
We consider gauged sigma-models from a Riemann surface into a Kaehler and
hamiltonian G-manifold X. The supersymmetric N=2 theory can always be twisted
to produce a gauged A-model. This model localizes to the moduli space of
solutions of the vortex equations and computes the Hamiltonian Gromov-Witten
invariants. When the target is equivariantly Calabi-Yau, i.e. when its first
G-equivariant Chern class vanishes, the supersymmetric theory can also be
twisted into a gauged B-model. This model localizes to the Kaehler quotient
X//G.Comment: 33 pages; v2: small additions, published versio
- …