Informed citizen and empowered citizen in health: results from an European survey

Background: The knowledge about the relationship between health-related activities on the Internet (i.e. informed citizens) and individuals? control over their own experiences of health or illness (i.e. empowered citizens) is valuable but scarce. In this paper, we investigate the correlation between four ways of using the Internet for information on health or illness and citizens attitudes and behaviours toward health professionals and health systems and establish the profile of empowered eHealth citizens in Europe. Methods: Data was collected during April and May 2007 (N = 7022), through computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI). Respondents from Denmark, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Norway, Poland and Portugal participated in the survey. The profiles were generated using logistic regressions and are based on: a) socio-demographic and health information, b) the level of use of health-related online services, c) the level of use of the Internet to get health information to decide whether to consult a health professional, prepare for a medical appointment and assess its outcome, and d) the impact of online health information on citizens? attitudes and behavior towards health professionals and health systems. Results: Citizens using the Internet to decide whether to consult a health professional or to get a second opinion are likely to be frequent visitors of health sites, active participants of online health forums and recurrent buyers of medicines and other health related products online, while only infrequent epatients, visiting doctors they have never met face-to-face. Participation in online health communities seems to be related with more inquisitive and autonomous patients. Conclusions: The profiles of empowered eHealth citizens in Europe are situational and country dependent. The number of Europeans using the Internet to get health information to help them deal with a consultation is raising and having access to online health information seems to be associated with growing number of inquisitive and self-reliant patients. Doctors are increasingly likely to experience consultations with knowledgeable and empowered patients, who will challenge them in various ways

Diffuse LEED intensities of disordered crystal surfaces : III. LEED investigation of the disordered (110) surface of gold

The LEED pattern of clean (101) surfaces of Au show a characteristic (1 × 2) superstructure. The diffuseness of reflections in the reciprocal [010] direction is caused by one-dimensional disorder of chains, strictly ordered into spatial [10 ] direction. There is a transition from this disordered superstructure to the normal (1 × 1) structure at 420 + 15°C. The angular profiles of the and (01) beam are measured at various temperatures and with constant energy and angles of incidence of the primary beam. The beam profiles are deconvoluted approximately with the instrument response function

Wheat-barley hybridization – the last forty years

Abstract Several useful alien gene transfers have been reported from related species into wheat (Triticum aestivum), but very few publications have dealt with the development of wheat/barley (Hordeum vulgare) introgression lines. An overview is given here of wheat 9 barley hybridization over the last forty years, including the development of wheat 9 barley hybrids, and of addition and translocation lines with various barley cultivars. A short summary is also given of the wheat 9 barley hybrids produced with other Hordeum species. The meiotic pairing behaviour of wheat 9 barley hybrids is presented, with special regard to the detection of wheat– barley homoeologous pairing using the molecular cytogenetic technique GISH. The effect of in vitro multiplication on the genome composition of intergeneric hybrids is discussed, and the production and characterization of the latest wheat/barley translocation lines are presented. An overview of the agronomical traits (b-glucan content, earliness, salt tolerance, sprouting resistance, etc.) of the newly developed introgression lines is given. The exploitation and possible use of wheat/barley introgression lines for the most up-to-date molecular genetic studies (transcriptome analysis, sequencing of flow-sorted chromosomes) are also discussed

Ефективність застосування пробіотиків при консервуванні вологого зерна кукурудзи

The process of processing and storage of high moisture grain is one of the important problems of forage production, especially in the Carpathian region due to its excessive moisture, therefore, due to the intensification of the livestock industry, the conservation of feed is becoming increasingly important. The purpose of the research was to determine the effect of different doses of bacterial preparation KT-L 18/1 (produced by Chernihiv ISMAV NAAS) on the preservation of nutrients and microbiological parameters of maize grain of high humidity in dynamics. The investigation of influence different doses of bacterial preparation KT-L 18/1 on the nutrients and microbiological parameters protection in maize grain with high humidity were realized in the laboratory of animal feed and feed technology (containers with maize grain, treated with different doses of microbial preparation KT-L 18/1, were laid, their chemical composition and microbiological parameters were determined). The control was grain without drying and with the addition of a chemical preservative CAS. During  storage of treated maize grain  were determined their chemical composition, content of main fermentation acids, and microbiological parameters. It was found that dry matter reduce, an integral feed nutrition indicator, in maize grain samples, treated with KT-L-18/1 and chemical preservative were 1.0 and 1.1% respectively. The lowest number of harmful micromycetes was noted by using the KT-L-18/1 at dose 8 ml/kg. It was found that using of chemical preservative CAS suppresses all investigated microorganisms, including lactic acid bacteria. Probiotic preparation KT-L-18/1 at dose 8 ml/kg wet maize grain provides to nutrients preservation same level like chemical preservative through active development of lactic acid microorganisms. It is advisable for final conclusions to carry out the testing of this preparation during the harvesting of wet ivy corn grain under production conditions and in experiments on animals.Дослідження щодо визначення впливу різних доз бактеріального препарату KT-L 18/1 на збереженість поживних речовин та мікробіологічні показники  зерна кукурудзи  підвищеної вологості в динаміці проведено у лабораторії годівлі тварин і технології кормів (закладка в ємкостях зерна кукурудзи, обробленого різними дозами мікробного препарату KT-L 18/1, визначення його хімічного складу та мікробіологічних показників). Контролем слугували варіанти без сушіння та з внесенням хімічного консерванту (ВАС). У процесі зберігання у консервованих зразках плющеної кукурудзи визначали хімічний склад, вміст основних кислот бродіння та заплановані мікробіологічні показники. Встановлено, що втрати сухої речовини як інтегрального показника поживності корму у зразках плющеного зерна кукурудзи, обробленого препаратами KT-L-18/1 та ВАС у граничних дозах, становили відповідно 1,0 та 1,1 відн. %. Найнижчу чисельність найбільш шкодочинних мікроміцетів відзначено у варіанті з використанням препарату KT-L-18/1 у дозі 8 мл/кг. Досліджено, що використання ВАС забезпечує пригнічення практично всіх досліджуваних мікроорганізмів, у т. ч. і найбільш корисних молочнокислих бактерій. Пробіотичний препарат KT-L-18/1 в дозі 8 мл/кг вологого зерна кукурудзи забезпечує збереженість його поживних речовин практично на рівні з хімічним консервантом завдяки активному розвитку молочнокислих мікроорганізмів

Cell transplantation preserves matrix homeostasis: A novel paracrine mechanism

ObjectivesCell transplantation prevents chamber dilatation, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain undefined. Structural cardiac remodeling involves matrix degradation from an imbalance of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) relative to endogenous tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP). We aimed to determine the capacity of cell transplantation to alter extracellular matrix in the failing heart and, in so doing, identify novel paracrine molecular mediators underlying the beneficial effects of cell transplantation on chamber dilatation.MethodsSmooth muscle cells were transplanted to the dilating left ventricle of cardiomyopathic hamsters (CTX, n = 15) compared with age-matched media-injected cardiomyopathic (CON, n = 15) and normal hamsters (n = 7). After 5 weeks, left ventricular volume was measured by computerized planimetry. Fibrillar collagen was examined by confocal microscopy. Matrix homeostasis was quantified by measuring MMP/TIMP expression/activity relative to myocardial collagen synthesis (14C-proline uptake).ResultsLeft ventricular dilatation was attenuated in CTX hearts (P = .02). CTX restored perimysial collagen fiber content and architecture to normal levels. TIMP-2 and TIMP-3 expression were enhanced in CTX (TIMP-2, 195% ± 42% of CON, P = .02; TIMP-3, 118% ± 3% of CON, P = .002), and correspondingly, gelatinase MMP-2 activity was reduced (P < .05). The TIMP:MMP ratio was increased in CTX hearts (TIMP-2 to MMP-2, 410% ± 134% of CON, P = .04, and TIMP-3 to MMP-9, 205% ± 47% of CON, P = .03), reflecting a reduced capacity for matrix degradation. Collagen synthesis was equivalent (CTX vs CON), suggesting that restored matrix architecture was a function of attenuated matrix degradation.ConclusionsThese data provide the first evidence that cell transplantation limits ventricular dilatation in the failing heart through a paracrine-mediated mechanism that preserves extracellular matrix homeostasis

Quantifying proximity, confinement, and interventions in disease outbreaks: a decision support framework for air-transported pathogens

Includes bibliographical references (pages H-I).The inability to communicate how infectious diseases are transmitted in human environments has triggered avoidance of interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We define a metric, Effective ReBreathed Volume (ERBV), that encapsulates how infectious pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, transport in air. ERBV separates environmental transport from other factors in the chain of infection, allowing quantitative comparisons among situations. Particle size affects transport, removal onto surfaces, and elimination by mitigation measures, so ERBV is presented for a range of exhaled particle diameters: 1, 10, and 100 μm. Pathogen transport depends on both proximity and confinement. If interpersonal distancing of 2 m is maintained, then confinement, not proximity, dominates rebreathing after 10–15 min in enclosed spaces for all but 100 μm particles. We analyze strategies to reduce this confinement effect. Ventilation and filtration reduce person-to-person transport of 1 μm particles (ERBV1) by 13–85% in residential and office situations. Deposition to surfaces competes with intentional removal for 10 and 100 μm particles, so the same interventions reduce ERBV10 by only 3–50%, and ERBV100 is unaffected. Prior knowledge of size-dependent ERBV would help identify transmission modes and effective interventions. This framework supports mitigation decisions in emerging situations, even before other infectious parameters are known