Effect of insulin glargine on cardiovascular risk analysed by mean HRV

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an insidious disease that is increasingly present in geriatric population [1]. The greatest difficulty is represented by glycaemic control in geriatric patients often not very compliant with diet therapy and drug therapy. A new insulin glargine 300 units/ml formulation seems im- prove patient compliance due to the lower volume of insulin to be injected and improved glycaemic control over 24 hours. The HRV signal, derived from digital electrocardiographic recording, is the simplest and most imme- diate analysis that consists in calculating some temporal parameters [2]. HRV is a simple statistics derived from beat-beat intervals of sinus origin expressed as units of time in milliseconds. Data in the literature indicate that a decrease in HRV, measured with time domain analysis, denotes a worse prognosis and/or an increased risk of mortality in patients with heart disease, especially in the elderly ones

Are eyes special? Gaze, but not pointing gestures, elicits a reversed congruency effect in a spatial Stroop task

Gaze stimuli can shape attention in a peculiar way as compared to non-social stimuli. For instance, in a spatial Stroop task, gaze stimuli elicit a reversed congruency effect (i.e., faster responses on incongruent than on congruent trials) as compared to arrows, for which a standard congruency effect emerges. Here, we tested whether the reversed congruency effect observed for gaze can emerge for other social signals such as pointing gestures. Participants discriminated the direction (left or right) indicated by gaze and pointing finger stimuli that appeared leftwards or rightwards with respect to a central fixation spot. Arrows were also employed as control non-social stimuli. A reversed congruency effect emerged for the gaze, whereas a standard congruency effect emerged for both the pointing finger and the arrows. This suggests that the reversed congruency effect is specific to gaze stimuli and does not embrace all social signals conveying spatial information

Gazing left, gazing right: exploring a spatial bias in social attention

Faces oriented rightwards are sometimes perceived as more dominant than faces oriented leftwards. In this study, we explored whether faces oriented rightwards can also elicit increased attentional orienting. Participants completed a discrimination task in which they were asked to discriminate, by means of a keypress, a peripheral target. At the same time, a task-irrelevant face oriented leftwards or rightwards appeared at the centre of the screen. The results showed that, while for faces oriented rightwards targets appearing on the right were responded to faster as compared to targets appearing on the left, for faces oriented leftwards no differences emerged between left and right targets. Furthermore, we also found a negative correlation between the magnitude of the orienting response elicited by the faces oriented leftwards and the level of conservatism of the participants. Overall, these findings provide evidence for the existence of a spatial bias reflected in social orienting

Low dose of Rotigotine in post-stroke patients with vascular parkinsonism and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, effects on quality of life and rehabilitation therapy

Stroke is a frequent cause of disability in U.S.A. (200.000/ year). Aim: The aim of this study is to underline the effect of low dose of Rotigotine patches 2 mg/24 h, a complete dopamine agonist with continuous dopaminergic stimulation through the transdermal administration, in elderly with recent stroke and vascular Parkinsonism about quality of life and adherence to rehabilitation therapy. Methods: We have enrolled 6 elderly patients (3 males and 3 females, range age 60 – 95 years) with recent ischemic and vascular Parkinsonism. We have evaluated quality of life and cognitive function with UPDRS part III, MMSE, ADL, IADL and Morinsky Scale. At the same time we have evaluated the adherence to therapy and timing of rehabilitation therapy before and post-administration of Rotigotine 2 mg/24 hours. Conclusion: In conclusion, Rotigotine could be a new useful approach in the treatment of elderly patients with recent ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke correlated with vascular Parkinsonism which can lead to an akinesia with the need to start rehabilitation therapy. Our preliminary data gives comfortable results but, at this time, we have enrolled only few patients to give conclusive results

Contribución al conocimiento ficológico y calidad de agua de la laguna La Arocena (pcia. de La Pampa, Argentina)

This work is part of an overall project that includes the study of the dynamics of algae in aquatic ecosystems in the province of La Pampa (Argentina). The aim of this contribution is to cite the species recorded for the Arocena and determine the saprobic and water quality of the lake. From October 2006 to August 2007 these were seasonal sampled in the Arocena shallow lake (Maracó Department), La Pampa. The samples were collected at six prefixed sites with phytoplankton net opening of 25 microns mesh. The physico-chemical variables (T °C, pH, conductivity, nitrites, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, among others) were obtained using portable sensors and subsequent laboratory techniques. These parameters provided an autecological characterization of the species studied and some of them extended the range of tolerance to the literature. Of all the species listed (251), 40% were Chlorophyceae, 32% Bacillariophyceae, 22% Cyanophyceae, Euglenophyceae 3.5% and 2.5% remaining Chrysophyceae, Xanthophyceae, Cryptophyceae and Dinophyceae. The determined state was β mesosaprobic and the water quality was α mesosaprobic.Instituto de Limnología "Raúl A. Ringuelet

Contribución al conocimiento ficológico y calidad de agua de la laguna La Arocena (pcia. de La Pampa, Argentina)

This work is part of an overall project that includes the study of the dynamics of algae in aquatic ecosystems in the province of La Pampa (Argentina). The aim of this contribution is to cite the species recorded for the Arocena and determine the saprobic and water quality of the lake. From October 2006 to August 2007 these were seasonal sampled in the Arocena shallow lake (Maracó Department), La Pampa. The samples were collected at six prefixed sites with phytoplankton net opening of 25 microns mesh. The physico-chemical variables (T °C, pH, conductivity, nitrites, nitrates, dissolved oxygen, among others) were obtained using portable sensors and subsequent laboratory techniques. These parameters provided an autecological characterization of the species studied and some of them extended the range of tolerance to the literature. Of all the species listed (251), 40% were Chlorophyceae, 32% Bacillariophyceae, 22% Cyanophyceae, Euglenophyceae 3.5% and 2.5% remaining Chrysophyceae, Xanthophyceae, Cryptophyceae and Dinophyceae. The determined state was β mesosaprobic and the water quality was α mesosaprobic.Instituto de Limnología "Raúl A. Ringuelet

Racial Group Membership Is Associated to Gaze-Mediated Orienting in Italy

Viewing a face with averted gaze results in a spatial shift of attention in the corresponding direction, a phenomenon defined as gaze-mediated orienting. In the present paper, we investigated whether this effect is influenced by social factors. Across three experiments, White and Black participants were presented with faces of White and Black individuals. A modified spatial cueing paradigm was used in which a peripheral target stimulus requiring a discrimination response was preceded by a noninformative gaze cue. Results showed that Black participants shifted attention to the averted gaze of both ingroup and outgroup faces, whereas White participants selectively shifted attention only in response to individuals of their same group. Interestingly, the modulatory effect of social factors was context-dependent and emerged only when group membership was situationally salient to participants. It was hypothesized that differences in the relative social status of the two groups might account for the observed asymmetry between White and Black participants. A final experiment ruled out an alternative explanation based on differences in perceptual familiarity with the face stimuli. Overall, these findings strengthen the idea that gaze-mediated orienting is a socially-connoted phenomenon