Peripheral Artery Disease Patients May Benefit More from Aggressive Secondary Prevention than Aneurysm Patients to Improve Survival

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Although it has become clear that aneurysmal and occlusive arterial disease represent two distinct etiologic entities, it is still unknown whether the two vascular pathologies are prognostically different. We aim to assess the long-term vital prognosis of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysmal disease (AAA) or peripheral artery disease (PAD), focusing on possible differences in survival, prognostic risk profiles and causes of death. METHODS: Patients undergoing elective surgery for isolated AAA or PAD between 2003 and 2011 were retrospectively included. Differences in postoperative survival were determined using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. Prognostic risk profiles were also established with Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: 429 and 338 patients were included in the AAA and PAD groups, respectively. AAA patients were older (71.7 vs. 63.3 years, p < 0.001), yet overall survival following surgery did not differ (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.87-1.54). Neither was type of vascular disease associated with postoperative cardiovascular nor cancer-related death. However, in comparison with age- and gender-matched general populations, cardiovascular mortality was higher in PAD than AAA patients (48.3% vs. 17.3%). Survival of AAA and PAD patients was negatively affected by age, history of cancer and renal insufficiency. Additional determinants in the PAD group were diabetes and ischemic heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term survival after surgery for PAD and AAA is similar. However, overall life expectancy is significantly worse among PAD patients. The contribution of cardiovascular disease towards mortality in PAD patients warrants more aggressive secondary prevention to reduce cardiovascular mortality and improve longevity

Thickness dependence of spin wave excitations in an artificial square spin ice-like geometry

We present a comparative study of the spin wave properties in two magnetic films patterned into an artificial square spin ice-like geometry. The array elements are rectangular islands with the same lateral dimensions but with different thicknesses: 10 nm and 30 nm. Using Brillouin light scattering, the frequencies of spin wave excitations were measured as a function of the magnetic field going from positive to negative saturation. We find substantial changes with thickness to spin wave mode frequencies and the number of detected modes. Frequencies of spin waves localized at element edges are observed to evolve non-monotonically with magnetic fields and soften at critical fields. These critical fields enable us to extract information of the magnetization reversal of individual islands within the array. Finally, we discuss the effects of separation between islands and examine the possibilities for dynamic coupling through the overlap of collective edge modes

Definition of a collaborative working model to the logistics area using design for Six Sigma

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to create an online enterprise community for all logistics employees of Bosch Car Multimedia division in the Bosch Group, for an internal collaboration of the entire Bosch Group based on an IBM Connections platform: Bosch Connect. An additional concern, collected throughout the project, was to bring employees to join the platform, making it a tool of your daily work. The final objective is to implement and promote a tool to foster internal and external integration of the Bosch logistics community.Design/methodology/approach - A case study is presented to illustrate the use of a Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methodology to support all the process creation of a collaborative community. There are several variants of the methodology DFSS. For the context of this project, will be used the define, measure, analyze, design and verify (DMADV) methodology, that is appropriated to design services processes and it addresses specifically to the remodeling processes.Findings - The use of DMADV methodology allows establish, systematically, a model which was in accordance with the target population needs.Research limitations/implications - Since this is a case study, it is not possible to generalize the results. Furthermore, this project was developed in a limit time (about four months). Thus, was not possible to obtain a large community.Practical implications - The case study brings some evidence of how a systematic approach to the design of a online enterprise community can support designers to meet user's needs.Social implications - A new approach is proposed to meet an online enterprise community user's needs.Originality/value - To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no evidence the use of this methodology to support a construction of an online enterprise community.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Validação de marcadores moleculares ligados a genes de resistência da ferrugem marrom para a ferrugem laranja da cana-de-açúcar.

RESUMO: Atualmente, a ferrugem alaranjada é a mais nova doença na cultura de cana-de-açúcar, causada pelo basidiomiceto Puccinia kuehnii. Nas regiões onde ocorre esse tipo de ferrugem, o controle é feito basicamente com o plantio de cultivares resistentes, porque o uso de fungicidas não é considerado prático e nem econômico. Além da ferrugem alaranjada, a ferrugem marrom causada pela Puccinia melanocephala é também encontrada no Brasil. A literatura já relatou vários marcadores relacionado ao gene principal de resistência a ferrugem marrom denominado Bru1 e o relato da ação de resistência deste gene a diversos isolados de fungo. Tendo-se em vista que a etiologia e sintomas da ferrugem marrom e ferrugem alaranjada são semelhantes, o objetivo deste trabalho foi validar alguns marcadores ligados ao gene de resistência a ferrugem marrom Bru1, para resistência a ferrugem alaranjada, através de triagem de variedades resistentes e susceptíveis por análises de PCR. Os resultados de análises de PCR, em 30 variedades de cana-de-açúcar, com dezoito pares de iniciadores relacionados ao gene de resistência à ferrugem marrom e 70 interações entre iniciadores localizados quase no mesmo sítio genômico, mostraram que apesar de algumas variações observadas entre variedades susceptíveis e resistentes, em algumas interações, o resultado não foi consistente para todas as variedades consideradas resistentes ou suscetíveis

Frequency of LCT -13910C>T single nucleotide polymorphism associated with adult-type hypolactasia/lactase persistence among Brazilians of different ethnic groups

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adult-type hypolactasia, the physiological decline of lactase some time after weaning, was previously associated with the LCT -13910C>T polymorphism worldwide except in Africa. Lactase non-persistence is the most common phenotype in humans, except in northwestern Europe with its long history of pastoralism and milking. We had previously shown association of LCT -13910C>T polymorphism with adult-type hypolactasia in Brazilians; thus, we assessed its frequency among different Brazilian ethnic groups.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the ethnicity-related frequency of this polymorphism in 567 Brazilians [mean age, 42.1 ± 16.8 years; 157 (27.7%) men]; 399 (70.4%) White, 50 (8.8%) Black, 65 (11.5%) Brown, and 53 (9.3%) Japanese-Brazilian. DNA was extracted from leukocytes; LCT -13910C>T polymorphism was analyzed by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Prevalence of the CC genotype associated with hypolactasia was similar (57%) among White and Brown groups; however, prevalence was higher among Blacks (80%) and those of Japanese descent (100%). Only 2 (4%) Blacks had TT genotype, and 8 (16%) had the CT genotype. Assuming an association between CC genotype and hypolactasia, and CT and TT genotypes with lactase persistence, 356 (62.8%) individuals had hypolactasia and 211 (37.2%) had lactase persistence. The White and Brown groups had the same hypolactasia prevalence (~57%); nevertheless, was 80% among Black individuals and 100% among Japanese-Brazilians (<it>P </it>< 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The lactase persistence allele, LCT -13910T, was found in about 43% of both White and Brown and 20% of the Black Brazilians, but was absent among all Japanese Brazilians studied.</p