Beta-2 microglobulin as a predictor of peripheral arterial disease in diabetes: The effect of estimated glomerular filtration

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is common in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Its definitive diagnosis requires ultrasound or angiography. Beta-2 microglobulin (â2 microglobulin) has been proposed as a diagnostic marker for PAD. The objective of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of â2 microglobulin for PAD in patients with diabetes and varying renal function.Design: This was a cross-sectional study.Setting: An academic centre (University of Pretoria and Steve Biko  Academic Hospital Diabetes Clinic).Subjects: One hundred and eight convenience-sampled patients.Outcome measures: Patients completed a questionnaire and had toe and arm blood pressure (toe-arm index), as well as serum â2 microglobulin and creatinine, measured.Results: Beta-2 microglobulin did not differ (p-value = 0.34) between those subjects with PAD (n = 43) and those without PAD (n = 65). In a linear regression model, the interaction term between estimated  glomerular filtration rate categories and the inverse of â2 microglobulin was highly significant (p-value = 0.001).Conclusion: Although the sample size was small, â2 microglobulin did not distinguish between subjects with and without PAD. Renal function and its effects on the association between â2 microglobulin and PAD need furtherstudy

Prevalences of primary headache symptoms at school-entry: a population-based epidemiological survey of preschool children in Germany

Primary headache and functional abdominal pain prevalences in an unselected populationbased sample of German preschool children and their parents (n=885) were collected in relation to health-related quality of life and sociodemographic variables. The pain symptoms were assessed according to IHS classification (2004) and Rome-II criteria (1999) during the 2004 data census. The participation rate was 62.7%, with an equal gender distribution. The focus of this paper lies on the symptom-oriented point prevalences for primary headaches of preschool children: 3.6% headache, 33.2% abdominal pain, 48.8% headache+abdominal pain and 14.4% without pain. High comorbidities for pain-affected children have been found. Pain intensities differ significantly only for abdominal pain (one-way ANOVA F=3,339, df=4/445, p=0.010*), not for headaches. However, recurrent headaches show a striking ratio in favour of boys (10:1). Children at preschool age have high quality-of-life measures, already influenced negatively by paediatric pain experiences (one-way ANOVA: F=9,193, df=4/546, p=0.000**). Headache and abdominal pain are relevant for children’s everyday life; hence, simultaneous and prospective assessment is an essential issue in public health research

Infrared spectroscopy of phytochrome and model pigments

Fourier-transform infrared difference spectra between the red-absorbing and far-red-absorbing forms of oat phytochrome have been measured in H2O and 2H2O. The difference spectra are compared with infrared spectra of model compounds, i.e. the (5Z,10Z,15Z)- and (5Z,10Z,15E)-isomers of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-bilindion (Et8-bilindion), 2,3-dihydro-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-bilindion (H2Et8-bilindion), and protonated H2Et8-bilindion in various solvents. The spectra of the model compounds show that only for the protonated forms can clear differences between the two isomers be detected. Since considerable differences are present between the spectra of Et8-bilindion and H2Et8-bilindion, it is concluded that only the latter compound can serve as a model system of phytochrome. The 2H2O effect on the difference spectrum of phytochrome supports the view that the chromophore in red-absorbing phytochrome is protonated and suggests, in addition, that it is also protonated in far-red-absorbing phytochrome. The spectra show that protonated carboxyl groups are influenced. The small amplitudes in the difference spectra exclude major changes of protein secondary structure

Monodisperse measurement of the biotin-streptavidin interaction strength in a well-defined pulling geometry

The widely used interaction of the homotetramer streptavidin with the small molecule biotin has been intensively studied by force spectroscopy and has become a model system for receptor ligand interaction. However, streptavidin's tetravalency results in diverse force propagation pathways through the different binding interfaces. This multiplicity gives rise to polydisperse force spectroscopy data. Here, we present an engineered monovalent streptavidin tetramer with a single cysteine in its functional subunit that allows for site-specific immobilization of the molecule, orthogonal to biotin binding. Functionality of streptavidin and its binding properties for biotin remain unaffected. We thus created a stable and reliable molecular anchor with a unique high-affinity binding site for biotinylated molecules or nanoparticles, which we expect to be useful for many single-molecule applications. To characterize the mechanical properties of the bond between biotin and our monovalent streptavidin, we performed force spectroscopy experiments using an atomic force microscope. We were able to conduct measurements at the single-molecule level with 1: 1-stoichiometry and a well-defined geometry, in which force exclusively propagates through a single subunit of the streptavidin tetramer. For different force loading rates, we obtained narrow force distributions of the bond rupture forces ranging from 200 pN at 1,500 pN/s to 230 pN at 110,000 pN/s. The data are in very good agreement with the standard Bell-Evans model with a single potential barrier at Delta x(0) = 0.38 nm and a zero-force off-rate k(off,0) in the 10(-6) s(-1) range

Critical Illness Insurance in Life Cycle Portfolio Problems

I analyze a critical illness insurance in a consumption-investment model over the life cycle. I solve a model with stochastic mortality risk and health shock risk numerically. These shocks are interpreted as critical illness and can negatively affect the expected remaining lifetime, the health expenses, and the income. In order to hedge the health expense effect of a shock, the agent has the possibility to contract a critical illness insurance. My results highlight that the critical illness insurance is strongly desired by the agents. With an insurance profit of 20%, nearly all agents contract the insurance in the working stage of the life cycle and more than 50% of the agents contract the insurance during retirement. With an insurance profit of 200%, still nearly all working agents contract the insurance, whereas there is little demand in the retirement stage

Thirty Years After Michael E. Porter: What Do We Know About Business Exit?

Although a business exit is an important corporate change initiative, the buyer’s side seems to be more appealing to management researchers than the seller’s because acquisitions imply growth, i.e., success. Yet from an optimistic viewpoint, business exit can effectively create value for the selling company. In this paper we attempt to bring the relevance of the seller’s side back into our consciousness by asking: What do we know about business exit? We start our exploration with Porter (1976), focusing on literature that investigates the antecedents of, barriers to, and outcomes of business exit. We also include studies from related fields such as finance and economics.1 Through this research we determine three clusters of findings: factors promoting business exit, exit barriers, and exit outcomes. Overall, it is the intention of this paper to highlight the importance of business exit for research and practice. Knowing what we know about business exits and their high financial value we should bear in mind that exit need not mean failure but a new beginning for a corporation

High Magnetic Shear Gain in a Liquid Sodium Stable Couette Flow Experiment; A Prelude to an alpha-Omega Dynamo

The $\Omega$-phase of the liquid sodium $\alpha$-$\Omega$ dynamo experiment at NMIMT in cooperation with LANL has successfully demonstrated the production of a high toroidal field, $B_{\phi} \simeq 8\times B_r$ from the radial component of an applied poloidal magnetic field, $B_r$. This enhanced toroidal field is produced by rotational shear in stable Couette flow within liquid sodium at $Rm \simeq 120$. The small turbulence in stable Taylor-Couette flow is caused by Ekman flow where $(\delta v/v)^2 \sim 10^{-3}$. This high $\Omega$-gain in low turbulence flow contrasts with a smaller $\Omega$-gain in higher turbulence, Helmholtz-unstable shear flows. This result supports the ansatz that large scale astrophysical magnetic fields are created within semi-coherent large scale motions in which turbulence plays only a smaller diffusive role that enables magnetic flux linkage.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, submitted PRL revised version: add one author, minor typo'