Atherosclerosis, cholesterol, nutrition, and statins – a critical review

Atherosclerosis, which causes approximately half of all deaths of adults over age 60 in industrialized nations, is a pandemic among inappropriately nourished and/or physically hypoactive children, adolescents, and adults world wide. Although nowadays statins are widely prescribed to middle age and elderly adults with high blood lipid levels as pharmacological prevention for the late complications of atherosclerosis, from a critical point of view statins seem not to solve the problem, especially when compared with certain natural ingredients of our nutrition like micronutrients as alternative strategy. Statin ingestion is associated with lowering of serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein concentrations; some prospective studies have shown statistical associations with subsequent modest reduction of mortality from cardiovascular disease. However, specific biochemical pathways and pharmacological roles of statins in prevention of atherosclerosis, if any, are unknown. Moreover, there have been no systematic cost-benefit analyses of life-style prophylaxis versus statin prophylaxis versus combined life-style plus statin prophylaxis versus neither life-style nor statin prophylaxis for clinically significant complications of cardiovascular diseases in the elderly. Further, in the trials of effectiveness statins were not compared with management of nutrition, which is the most appropriate alternative intervention. Such studies seem to be important, as the ever increasing world population, especially in developing countries, now demand expensive statins, which may be unaffordable for mitigating the pandemic. Studies of this kind are necessary to identify more precisely those patients for whom cardiovascular benefits will outweigh the risks and costs of the statin treatment in comparison with nutritional interventions

Potenziale der teilflächenspezifischen Kalkversorgung von Grünland

Gegenstand war der Erhalt einer optimalen Boden-Acidität im Grünland. Ziele des Vorhabens waren: (i) Entwicklung, Tests und Bewertungen von pH-Sensorsystemen, (ii) Entwicklung von Auswertungsmethoden für die sensorgestützte Bodenkartierung sowie von sen-sorgestützen Entscheidungsunterstützungsalgorithmen zur adaptiven Kalkung, (iii) Ermittlungen der Bodenvariabilität durch Bodensensoren und ihr Zusammenhang mit wesentlichen Eigenschaften des Grünlands. Im Projektverlauf gab es Schwierigkeiten: Budgetkürzungen, Fachkräftemangel, technische Probleme und Schäden, Trockenphasen sowie ein Arbeitsunfall beeinflussten Projektziele und Zeitplanung. Eine Verlängerung und Aufstockung des Projektes kam nicht zustande. Die Ergebnisse wurden nicht voll-ständig erreicht. Erster Untersuchungsgegenstand war die Verletzung der Grasnarbe infolge des mechanischen Bodenkontaktes der Sensoren. Sensoranordnungen sowie Lösungen zum Schließen der Furchen wurden untersucht: Radwalzen, ein modifiziertes Pflugschar sowie im Zuge der Entwicklung alternativer Lösungen zur automatisierten Probeentnahme eine durch den Boden gezogene Kettensäge, ein Kern-bohrgerät und ein schmalerer Messschuh. Im Ergebnis wurde entschieden, ein alternatives absätziges Messverfahren mit Kernbohrgerät zu favorisieren. Weiterer Untersuchungsschwerpunkt war die Zuverlässigkeit des Veris MSP Systems. Nach Störungen in der Software, bei der Datenaufzeichnung, einem Kabelbrand sowie Neubau der Stromversorgung wird der Einsatz im Grünland nicht empfohlen. Es wurde notwendig alternative Messverfahren mit handgehaltenen Sensorsystemen entwickelt. Dies ist durch die absehbare Verfügbarkeit autonomer Mobile gerechtfertigt, mit denen eine absätzige Kartierung möglich wird. Ergebnis ist ein pH-Modul auf Basis von Antimon-pH-Elektroden. Mit der Entwicklung eines Spektrometer-Moduls wurde begonnen. Untersuchungen zur Variabilität und zum Kalkbedarf belegen die kleinräumige Variation von Grünlandvegetation und Boden-pH, engmaschige Beprobungen sind notwendig. Der Boden-pH wirkt neben anderen Faktoren ertragslimitierend und beeinflusst die Artenzusammensetzung. Primär besteht daher großer Entwicklungsbedarf für robuste Sensorlösungen zur engräumigen Bodenuntersuchung auf Grünland

Application of Terahertz radiation to soil measurements: Initial results

Developing soil sensors with the possibility of continuous online measurement is a major challenge in soil science. Terahertz (THz) electromagnetic radiation may provide the opportunity for the measurement of organic material density, water content and other soil parameters at different soil depths. Penetration depth and information content is important for a functional soil sensor. Therefore, we present initial research on the analysis of absorption coefficients of four different soil samples by means of THz transmission measurements. An optimized soil sample holder to determine absorption coefficients was used. This setup improves data acquisition because interface reflections can be neglected. Frequencies of 340 GHz to 360 GHz and 1.627 THz to 2.523 THz provided information about an existing frequency dependency. The results demonstrate the potential of this THz approach for both soil analysis and imaging of buried objects. Therefore, the THz approach allows different soil samples to be distinguished according to their different absorption properties so that relations among soil parameters may be established in future

Enlargement of salivary glands in bulimia

We report an unusual case of bulimia nervosa with bilateral swelling of parotid and submandibular glands as the only symptom of the underlying behavioural disorder. Histologically, sialadenosis was diagnosed in a parotid biopsy. The parotomegaly in bulimia may be a diagnostic primer as these patients often deny their eating disorder. B-scan ultrasonography is an important diagnostic tool to assess the nature of the parotid enlargement. Hyperamylasaemia occurs commonly in bulimic patients and may help to confirm the diagnosis. All patients with suspected bulimia should have a thorough medical history and physical examination to rule out other aetiologies of asymptomatic parotid swelling. As the enlargement is usually transient surgical intervention is only rarely require

Evaluation of different sensing approaches concerning to nondestructive estimation of leaf area index (LAI) for winter wheat

Different approaches of non-destructive estimation of the LAI in winter wheat were compared. Plant height had weak relation with the LAI, while estimated biomass showed high logarithmic relationship (R2=0.839). NDRE and REIP were logarithmically well related to the LAI (R2=0.726 and 0.779 respectively). Saturation effect of NDRE and REIP was less than NDVI. Some RGB-based indices also showed good potential to estimate the LAI. Among the indices, Gm, GMB, RMB, and NRMB were better related to the LAI. The results indicated that digital cameras can be used as an affordable and simple approach for assessment of the LAI of crops

Soil pH mapping with an on-the-go sensor

Soil pH is a key parameter for crop productivity, therefore, its spatial variation should be adequately addressed to improve precision management decisions. Recently, the Veris pH ManagerTM, a sensor for high-resolution mapping of soil pH at the field scale, has been made commercially available in the US. While driving over the field, soil pH is measured on-the-go directly within the soil by ion selective antimony electrodes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Veris pH ManagerTM under farming conditions in Germany. Sensor readings were compared with data obtained by standard protocols of soil pH assessment. Experiments took place under different scenarios: (a) controlled tests in the lab, (b) semicontrolled test on transects in a stop-and-go mode, and (c) tests under practical conditions in the field with the sensor working in its typical on-the-go mode. Accuracy issues, problems, options, and potential benefits of the Veris pH ManagerTM were addressed. The tests demonstrated a high degree of linearity between standard laboratory values and sensor readings. Under practical conditions in the field (scenario c), the measure of fit (r2) for the regression between the on-the-go measurements and the reference data was 0.71, 0.63, and 0.84, respectively. Field-specific calibration was necessary to reduce systematic errors. Accuracy of the on-the-go maps was considerably higher compared with the pH maps obtained by following the standard protocols, and the error in calculating lime requirements was reduced by about one half. However, the system showed some weaknesses due to blockage by residual straw and weed roots. If these problems were solved, the on-the-go sensor investigated here could be an efficient alternative to standard sampling protocols as a basis for liming in Germany

Evaluating Soil-Borne Causes of Biomass Variability in Grassland by Remote and Proximal Sensing

On a grassland field with sandy soils in Northeast Germany (Brandenburg), vegetation indices from multi-spectral UAV-based remote sensing were used to predict grassland biomass productivity. These data were combined with soil pH value and apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) from on-the-go proximal sensing serving as indicators for soil-borne causes of grassland biomass variation. The field internal magnitude of spatial variability and hidden correlations between the variables of investigation were analyzed by means of geostatistics and boundary-line analysis to elucidate the influence of soil pH and ECa on the spatial distribution of biomass. Biomass and pH showed high spatial variability, which necessitates high resolution data acquisition of soil and plant properties. Moreover, boundary-line analysis showed grassland biomass maxima at pH values between 5.3 and 7.2 and ECa values between 3.5 and 17.5 mS m−1. After calibrating ECa to soil moisture, the ECa optimum was translated to a range of optimum soil moisture from 7% to 13%. This matches well with to the plant-available water content of the predominantly sandy soil as derived from its water retention curve. These results can be used in site-specific management decisions to improve grassland biomass productivity in low-yield regions of the field due to soil acidity or texture-related water scarcity

Hyperspectral Imaging Tera Hertz System for Soil Analysis : Initial Results

Analyzing soils using conventional methods is often time consuming and costly due to their complexity. These methods require soil sampling (e.g., by augering), pretreatment of samples (e.g., sieving, extraction), and wet chemical analysis in the laboratory. Researchers are seeking alternative sensor-based methods that can provide immediate results with little or no excavation and pretreatment of samples. Currently, visible and infrared spectroscopy, electrical resistivity, gamma ray spectroscopy, and X-ray spectroscopy have been investigated extensively for their potential utility in soil sensing. Little research has been conducted on the application of THz (Tera Hertz) spectroscopy in soil science. The Tera Hertz band covers the frequency range between 100 GHz and 10 THz of the electromagnetic spectrum. One important feature of THz radiation is its correspondence with the particle size of the fine fraction of soil minerals (clay < 2 µm to sand < 2 mm). The particle size distribution is a fundamental soil property that governs soil water and nutrient content, among other characteristics. The interaction of THz radiation with soil particles creates detectable Mie scattering, which is the elastic scattering of electromagnetic waves by particles whose diameter corresponds approximately to the wavelength of the radiation. However, single-spot Mie scattering spectra are difficult to analyze and the understanding of interaction between THz radiation and soil material requires basic research. To improve the interpretation of THz spectra, a hyperspectral imaging system was developed. The addition of the spatial dimension to THz spectra helps to detect relevant features. Additionally, multiple samples can be scanned in parallel and measured under identical conditions, and the high number of data points within an image can improve the statistical accuracy. Technical details of the newly designed hyperspectral imaging THz system working from 250 to 370 GHz are provided. Results from measurements of different soil samples and buried objects in soil demonstrated its performance. The system achieved an optical resolution of about 2 mm. The sensitivity of signal damping to the changes in particle size of 100 µm is about 10 dB. Therefore, particle size variations in the µm range should be detectable. In conclusion, automated hyperspectral imaging reduced experimental effort and time consumption, and provided reliable results because of the measurement of hundreds of sample positions in one run. At this stage, the proposed setup cannot replace the current standard laboratory methods, but the present study represents the initial step to develop a new automated method for soil analysis and imaging