Ondas gravitatorias detectadas en ausencia de fuentes impulsivas de energía

Se estudia la posible existencia de modos gravitatorios en ausencia de fuentes impulsivas de energía, a través de sus efectos sobre la densidad de la especie atómica 0+. La región de experimentación comprende la zona sudamericana para latitudes medias y alturas entre 250 km y 350 km, donde es válida la hipótesis de ionosfera horizontalmente estratificada. Debido a la baja densidad de muestreo a lo largo de la ventana de interés, hubo de recurrirse a un método que garantizara mejor resolución espectral (a igual estabilidad) que la que pudiera obtenerse a través de métodos clásicos como la FFT. Se hizo uso entonces de un filtro de predicción MEM, con el cual pudo observarse que en condiciones calmas los espectros analizados muestran alternativa o simultáneamente dos líneas espectrales centradas en valores medios de 640 km y 430 km para la longitud de onda horizontal. También se pudo comprobar un corrimiento de las líneas espectrales (en longitudes de onda horizontal) a lo largo de la trayectoria del satélite de muestreo, efecto interpretable en términos de una trayectoria iconal curva de las ondas gravitatorias. Se sugiere la posibilidad de que las ondas gravitatorias puedan generarse también a partir de fenómenos dinámicos atmosféricos de gran escala.It is studied the posible existence of gravity wave modes in the absence of impulsive energie sources, through its effects upon density of atomic 0+ ion. The experimental region is limited to southamerican region, for mid latitude and altitudes between 250 km and 350 km, where the hipótesis of horizontally stratified ionosphere is valid. Due to the poor sample density through the window of interest, it have been necesary to search for a method that guaranteed better spectral resolution (with, iqual stability) than could be obtained through classical methods, like FFT. The MEM prediction filter have been used with this purpose. It have been observed then, that in quiet conditions the analized spectra show alternativly or simultaneously two spectral lines centered in mean values of 640 km and 430 km for horizontal wavelength. It is also observed a spectral line shift through the sample satellite trajectory, that could be interpreted as an effect of a curved iconal trajectory of gravity waves. It is suggested then, the posible generation of gravity waves through large scale atmospheric dinamic phenomena.Asociación Argentina de Geofísicos y Geodesta

Influence of a physical education plan on psychomotor development profiles of preschool children

This study aimed to investigate the influence of structured physical education on the psychomotor development of 3 to 5 year-old preschool children. The sample consisted of 324 students of both sexes (3 to 5 year-old) from 9 public kindergarten classes in Porto, Portugal. A battery of psychomotor tests (pre-test) was used to assess the students’ psychomotor development profiles. The sample was divided in 2 groups: an experimental group (162 students) and a control group (162 students). Physical Education (PE) teachers used a structured 24-week PE plan in the experimental group. After the plan completion, the same battery of tests (post-test) was run on both groups. The outcome was that both groups grew their psychomotor profiles; however this growth was always statistically higher in the experimental group (at all ages and in all variables analysed p 0.05). Structured physical education is important for preschool children’s psychomotor development. Physical activity impact on children’s interaction with the outside world was proved, through their overall development motivated by the structured physical education lessons

Effect of β-blockers on the risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with acute myocardial infarction

INTRODUCTION: Oral &#946;-blockers improve the prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction, while atrial fibrillation worsens the prognosis of this population. The reduction of atrial fibrillation incidence in patients treated with &#946;-blockers could at least in part explain the benefits of this drug. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of &#946;-blockers on the incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: We analyzed 1401 patients with acute myocardial infarction and evaluated the occurrence or absence of atrial fibrillation, the use of oral &#946;-blockers and mortality during the first 24 hours. RESULTS: a) The use of &#946;-blockers was inversely correlated with the presence of atrial fibrillation (&#961; = 0.004; OR = 0.54). b) Correlations with mortality were as follows: 31.5% in patients with atrial fibrillation, 9.2% in those without atrial fibrillation (&#961; < 0.001; Odds Ratio = 4.52), and 17.5% in patients not treated with &#946;-blockers and 6.7% in those who received the drug (&#961; < 0.001; OR = 0.34). c) Adjusted Models: The presence of atrial fibrillation was independently correlated with mortality (OR = 2.48, &#961; = 0.002). The use of &#946;-blockers was inversely and independently correlated with mortality (OR = 0.53; &#961; = 0.002). The patients who used &#946;-blockers showed a lower risk of atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.59; &#961; = 0.029) in the adjusted model. CONCLUSION: The presence of atrial fibrillation and the absence of oral &#946;-blockers increased in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Oral &#946;-blockers reduced the incidence of atrial fibrillation, which might be at least partially responsible for the drug's benefit

Effect of β-Blockers on the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

INTRODUCTION: Oral &#946;-blockers improve the prognosis of patients with acute myocardial infarction, while atrial fibrillation worsens the prognosis of this population. The reduction of atrial fibrillation incidence in patients treated with &#946;-blockers could at least in part explain the benefits of this drug. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of &#946;-blockers on the incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients with acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: We analyzed 1401 patients with acute myocardial infarction and evaluated the occurrence or absence of atrial fibrillation, the use of oral &#946;-blockers and mortality during the first 24 hours. RESULTS: a) The use of &#946;-blockers was inversely correlated with the presence of atrial fibrillation (&#961; = 0.004; OR = 0.54). b) Correlations with mortality were as follows: 31.5% in patients with atrial fibrillation, 9.2% in those without atrial fibrillation (&#961; < 0.001; Odds Ratio = 4.52), and 17.5% in patients not treated with &#946;-blockers and 6.7% in those who received the drug (&#961; < 0.001; OR = 0.34). c) Adjusted Models: The presence of atrial fibrillation was independently correlated with mortality (OR = 2.48, &#961; = 0.002). The use of &#946;-blockers was inversely and independently correlated with mortality (OR = 0.53; &#961; = 0.002). The patients who used &#946;-blockers showed a lower risk of atrial fibrillation (OR = 0.59; &#961; = 0.029) in the adjusted model. CONCLUSION: The presence of atrial fibrillation and the absence of oral &#946;-blockers increased in-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Oral &#946;-blockers reduced the incidence of atrial fibrillation, which might be at least partially responsible for the drug's benefit

Do Diabetic Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes Have a Higher Threshold for Ischemic Pain?

Background: Data from over 4 decades have reported a higher incidence of silent infarction among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), but recent publications have shown conflicting results regarding the correlation between DM and presence of pain in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Objective: Our primary objective was to analyze the association between DM and precordial pain at hospital arrival. Secondary analyses evaluated the association between hyperglycemia and precordial pain at presentation, and the subgroup of patients presenting within 6 hours of symptom onset. Methods: We analyzed a prospectively designed registry of 3,544 patients with ACS admitted to a Coronary Care Unit of a tertiary hospital. We developed multivariable models to adjust for potential confounders. Results: Patients with precordial pain were less likely to have DM (30.3%) than those without pain (34.0%; unadjusted p = 0.029), but this difference was not significant after multivariable adjustment, for the global population (p = 0.84), and for subset of patients that presented within 6 hours from symptom onset (p = 0.51). In contrast, precordial pain was more likely among patients with hyperglycemia (41.2% vs 37.0% without hyperglycemia, p = 0.035) in the overall population and also among those who presented within 6 hours (41.6% vs. 32.3%, p = 0.001). Adjusted models showed an independent association between hyperglycemia and pain at presentation, especially among patients who presented within 6 hours (OR = 1.41, p = 0.008). Conclusion: In this non-selected ACS population, there was no correlation between DM and hospital presentation without precordial pain. Moreover, hyperglycemia correlated significantly with pain at presentation, especially in the population that arrived within 6 hours from symptom onset

The Role of Invasive Therapies in Elderly Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

INTRODUCTION: In elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction, very little is known about the role of surgical myocardial revascularization and percutaneous coronary intervention (invasive therapies - IT), especially in the context of long-term outcomes after hospital discharge. METHODS: We analyzed 1588 patients with MI who had been included prospectively in a databank and followed for up to 7.5 years. In this population, 548 patients were >70 years old (elderly group - EG), and 1040 were <70 years of age (younger group - YG); 1088 underwent IT during hospitalization, and the remaining 500 were treated medically (conservative therapy - CT). Patients were monitored either by visit or by phone at least once a year. A standard questionnaire was administered to all patients. The impact of IT was analyzed with both non-adjusted and adjusted models. RESULTS: By the end of the follow-up period, the survival rates for the IT and CT groups were, respectively, 71.9% versus 47.2% in the global population (hazard ratio=0.55, P<0.001), 81.5% versus 66.6% in the YG (hazard ratio=0.68, P=0.018) and 48.8% versus 20.3% in the EG (hazard ratio=0.58, P<0.001). In the adjusted models, the hazard ratios were 0.62 (P<0.001) in the global population, 0.74 in the YG (P=0.073) and 0.64 (P=0.001) in the EG. CONCLUSION: Long-term follow-up of patients with myocardial infarction revealed that IT during the in-hospital phase was at least as effective in elderly patients as in younger patients

In Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction, the Impact of Hyperglycemia as a Risk Factor for Mortality Is Not Homogeneous Across Age-Groups

OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of hyperglycemia in different age-groups of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AM I). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 2,027 patients with AMI were categorized into one of five age-groups: &lt;50 years (n = 301), &gt;= 50 and &lt;60 (n = 477),&gt;= 60 and &lt;70 (n = 545), &gt;= 70 and &lt;80 (n = 495), and years (n = 209). Hyperglycemia was defined as initial glucose &gt;= 115 mg/dL. RESULTS The adjusted odds ratios for hyperglycemia predicting hospital mortality in groups 1-5 were, respectively, 7.57 (P = 0.004), 3.21 (P 0.046), 3.50 (P = 0.003), 3.20 (P &lt; 0.001.), and 2.16 (P = 0.021). The adjusted P values for correlation between glucose level (as a continuous variable) and mortality were 0.007, &lt;0.001, 0.043, &lt;0.001, and 0.064. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) were 0.785, 0.709, 0.657, 0.648, and 0.613. The AUC in group 1 was significantly higher than those in groups 3-5. CONCLUSIONS The impact of hyperglycemia as a risk factor for hospital mortality in AMI is more pronounced in younger patients

Sex-based electroclinical differences and prognostic factors in epilepsy with eyelid myoclonia

Although a striking female preponderance has been consistently reported in epilepsy with eyelid myoclonia (EEM), no study has specifically explored the variability of clinical presentation according to sex in this syndrome. Here, we aimed to investigate sex-specific electroclinical differences and prognostic determinants in EEM. Data from 267 EEM patients were retrospectively analyzed by the EEM Study Group, and a dedicated multivariable logistic regression analysis was developed separately for each sex. We found that females with EEM showed a significantly higher rate of persistence of photosensitivity and eye closure sensitivity at the last visit, along with a higher prevalence of migraine with/without aura, whereas males with EEM presented a higher rate of borderline intellectual functioning/intellectual disability. In female patients, multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed age at epilepsy onset, eyelid myoclonia status epilepticus, psychiatric comorbidities, and catamenial seizures as significant predictors of drug resistance. In male patients, a history of febrile seizures was the only predictor of drug resistance. Hence, our study reveals sex-specific differences in terms of both electroclinical features and prognostic factors. Our findings support the importance of a sex-based personalized approach in epilepsy care and research, especially in genetic generalized epilepsies