83 research outputs found
Assessment of occupational health problems and physiological stress among the brick field workers of West Bengal, India
Full text linkObjectives: The brick field industry is one of the oldest industries in India, which employs a large number of workers of poor socioeconomic status. The main aim of the present investigation is i) to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among brick field workers, ii) to determine the prevalence of respiratory disorders and physiological stress among brick field workers compared to control workers. Material and Methods: For this study, a total of 220 brick field workers and 130 control subjects were selected randomly. The control subjects were mainly involved in hand-intensive jobs. The Modified Nordic Questionnaire was applied to assess the discomfort felt among both groups of workers. Thermal stress was also assessed by measuring the WBGT index. The pulmonary functions were checked using the spirometry. Physiological assessment of the workload was carried out by recording the heart rate and blood pressure of the workers prior to work and just after work in the field. Results: Brick field workers suffered from pain especially in the lower back (98%), hands (93%), knees (86%), wrists (85%), shoulders (76%) and neck (65%). Among the brick-making activities, brick field workers felt discomfort during spading for mud collection (98%), carrying bricks (95%) and molding (87%). The results showed a significantly lower p value < 0.001 in FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC ratio and PEFR in brick field workers compared to the control group. The post-activity heart rate of the brick field workers was 148.6 beats/min, whereas the systolic and diastolic blood pressure results were 152.8 and 78.5 mm/Hg, respectively. Conclusions: This study concludes that health of the brick field workers was highly affected due to working in unhealthy working conditions for a long period of time
Rho Kinase Inhibition by Fasudil Ameliorates Diabetes-Induced Microvascular Damage
Get PDFOBJECTIVE—Leukocyte adhesion in retinal microvasuculature substantially contributes to diabetic retinopathy. Involvement of the Rho/Rho kinase (ROCK) pathway in diabetic microvasculopathy and therapeutic potential of fasudil, a selective ROCK inhibitor, are investigated
Reference materials for MS-based untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics: a review by the metabolomics quality assurance and quality control consortium (mQACC)
Get PDFIntroduction The metabolomics quality assurance and quality control consortium (mQACC) is enabling the identification, development, prioritization, and promotion of suitable reference materials (RMs) to be used in quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) for untargeted metabolomics research. Objectives This review aims to highlight current RMs, and methodologies used within untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics communities to ensure standardization of results obtained from data analysis, interpretation and cross-study, and cross-laboratory comparisons. The essence of the aims is also applicable to other ‘omics areas that generate high dimensional data. Results The potential for game-changing biochemical discoveries through mass spectrometry-based (MS) untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics are predicated on the evolution of more confident qualitative (and eventually quantitative) results from research laboratories. RMs are thus critical QC tools to be able to assure standardization, comparability, repeatability and reproducibility for untargeted data analysis, interpretation, to compare data within and across studies and across multiple laboratories. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) that promote, describe and exemplify the use of RMs will also improve QC for the metabolomics and lipidomics communities. Conclusions The application of RMs described in this review may significantly improve data quality to support metabolomics and lipidomics research. The continued development and deployment of new RMs, together with interlaboratory studies and educational outreach and training, will further promote sound QA practices in the community
Electron-topological, energetic and π-electron delocalization analysis of ketoenamine-enolimine tautomeric equilibrium
Get PDFThe ketoenamine-enolimine tautometic equilibrium has been studied by the analysis of aromaticity and electron-topological parameters. The influence of substituents on the energy of the transition state and of the tautomeric forms has been investigated for different positions of chelate chain. The quantum theory of atoms in molecules method (QTAIM) has been applied to study changes in the electron-topological parameters of the molecule with respect to the tautomeric equilibrium in intramolecular hydrogen bond. Dependencies of the HOMA aromaticity index and electron density at the critical points defining aromaticity and electronic state of the chelate chain on the transition state (TS), OH and HN tautomeric forms have been obtained
EGFR interacts with the fusion protein of respiratory syncytial virus strain 2-20 and mediates infection and mucin expression.
Get PDFRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of viral lower respiratory tract illness in children. In contrast to the RSV prototypic strain A2, clinical isolate RSV 2-20 induces airway mucin expression in mice, a clinically relevant phenotype dependent on the fusion (F) protein of the RSV strain. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays a role in airway mucin expression in other systems; therefore, we hypothesized that the RSV 2-20 F protein stimulates EGFR signaling. Infection of cells with chimeric strains RSV A2-2-20F and A2-2-20GF or over-expression of 2-20 F protein resulted in greater phosphorylation of EGFR than infection with RSV A2 or over-expression of A2 F, respectively. Chemical inhibition of EGFR signaling or knockdown of EGFR resulted in diminished infectivity of RSV A2-2-20F but not RSV A2. Over-expression of EGFR enhanced the fusion activity of 2-20 F protein in trans. EGFR co-immunoprecipitated most efficiently with RSV F proteins derived from "mucogenic" strains. RSV 2-20 F and EGFR co-localized in H292 cells, and A2-2-20GF-induced MUC5AC expression was ablated by EGFR inhibitors in these cells. Treatment of BALB/c mice with the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib significantly reduced the amount of RSV A2-2-20F-induced airway mucin expression. Our results demonstrate that RSV F interacts with EGFR in a strain-specific manner, EGFR is a co-factor for infection, and EGFR plays a role in RSV-induced mucin expression, suggesting EGFR is a potential target for RSV disease
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Women’s experiences of decision-making and informed choice about pregnancy and birth care: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative research
Get PDFBackground
The purpose of this systematic review (PROSPERO Ref: CRD42017053264) was to describe and interpret the qualitative research on parent’s decision-making and informed choice about their pregnancy and birth care. Given the growing evidence on the benefits of different models of maternity care and the prominence of informed choice in health policy, the review aimed to shed light on the research to date and what the findings indicate.
Methods
a systematic search and screening of qualitative research concerning parents’ decision-making and informed choice experiences about pregnancy and birth care was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. A meta-synthesis approach was taken for the extraction and analysis of data and generation of the findings. Studies from 1990s onwards were included to reflect an era of policies promoting choice in maternity care in high-income countries.
Results
Thirty-seven original studies were included in the review. A multi-dimensional conceptual framework was developed, consisting of three analytical themes (‘Uncertainty’, ‘Bodily autonomy and integrity’ and ‘Performing good motherhood’) and three inter-linking actions (‘Information gathering,’ ‘Aligning with a birth philosophy,’ and ‘Balancing aspects of a choice’).
Conclusions
Despite the increasing research on decision-making, informed choice is not often a primary research aim, and its development in literature published since the 1990s was difficult to ascertain. The meta-synthesis suggests that decision-making is a dynamic and temporal process, in that it is made within a defined period and invokes both the past, whether this is personal, familial, social or historical, and the future. Our findings also highlighted the importance of embodiment in maternal health experiences, particularly when it comes to decision-making about care. Policymakers and practitioners alike should examine critically current choice frameworks to ascertain whether they truly allow for flexibility in decision-making. Health systems should embrace more fluid, personalised models of care to augment service users’ decision-making agency
EVALUATION OF RESPONSE MODIFICATION FACTOR AND DEFLECTION AMPLIFICATION FACTOR OF STEEL INTERMEDIATE MOMENT-RESISTING FRAMES
No full textResponse modification and deflection amplification factors are used in the current seismic design codes to account for the inelastic behaviour of structural systems without the need for complicated nonlinear analyses. A deflection amplification factor, cd, is used to compute the expected maximum inelastic displacement from the elastic displacement induced by the design seismic forces. The response modification factor, R, expressed as either a force reduction factor or a behavior factor, is used to reduce the linear
elastic design response spectra. It is generally expressed as the product of three factors: overstrength factor, ductility factor, and redundancy factor.This paper tries to evaluate these factors for steel intermediate moment-resisting frames. For this purpose, two-dimensional steel building models with different number of stories have been designed and analyzed. After obtaining pushover curves of the models, two different approaches have been adopted to calculate the effective parameters of the response modification and deflection amplification factors from pushover curves; the first approach that is suggested by seismic code provisions, like ATC-19, FEMA-356 and Iranian Standard No. 2800, uses the idealized pushover curve to specify the effective parameters, and the other approach that is recommended by FEMA-P695 gets the parameters directly from pushover curves. The obtained results from these two approaches for the above-mentioned factors have then been compared with each other and with the recommended values of these factors in the Iranian Standard No. 2800. In this evaluation, ductility factor of the response modification factor has been calculated based on the relations proposed by Newmark and Hall, Lai and Biggs, and Nassar and Krawinkler.According to the obtained numerical results, the average response modification factor resulted from the FEMA-P695 approach is 5.26, while this factor was obtained 3.98 based on the Iranian Standard No. 2800 approach. Considering the recommended R factor of the Iranian Standard No. 2800 for the ultimate limit state design of steel intermediate moment-resisting systems equaling 5, it is obvious that the results from the FEMA-P695 approach are more compatible with the code recommendation. In addition, the average overstrength factors, according to the FEMA-P695 and Iranian Standard No. 2800 approaches, are 2.37 and 1.80, respectively, when the recommended value of this factor in the Iranian Standard No. 2800 is 3. The average deflection amplification factor obtained from both approaches is 3.67 that is slightly less than the recommended value of 4 for this factor in the Iranian Standard No. 2800
Anthropometric Evaluation of Proposed Improved Designs of the Classroom Desk for Benghazi Primary Schools
No full textIsomerism and Hydrogen Bonding in the Cis-enol Forms of 1-(n-pyridyl)butane-1,3- diones: A Theoretical Study
No full textMolecular structure, isomerism, conformational stability and intramolecular hydrogen bonding (IHB) of cis-enol forms of 1-(npyridyl)butane-1,3-diones (nPBD) (n = 2, 3, or 4) have been investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Energy differences for all possible nPBD cis-enol forms of isomers with respect to the most stable form of the corresponding isomer have been estimated in the gas phase and solution. AIM results (performed at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level) suggest 75.19-84.77 kJ mol -1 for the strength of intramolecular hydrogen bond in these systems, as a medium hydrogen bond strength. Theoretical structure, NBO and intramolecular hydrogen bond strength for the stable cis-enol forms of nPBD have been compared with each other and also with those of acetylacetone (AA), benzoylacetone (BA), and triflouroacetylacetone (TFAA) molecules. The hydrogen bond strength and molecular stability are investigated by applying the NBO, topological analysis, geometry calculations, and spectroscopic results. The correlation between IHB and some parameters related to hydrogen bonding have been also investigated
Theoretical study of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the halo derivatives of 1-amino-3-imino-prop-1-ene
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