Personal Characteristics and Urinary Stones

BackgroundUrinary stone disease is a common, painful and costly condition that has affected humankind since antiquity, and there is evidence to show that its incidence has continually increased during past decades. Studies have shown that many extrinsic and intrinsic factors are related to this disease in different population groups. The aim of this study was to identify the personal characteristics that are associated with urinary stone formation.MethodsAll subjects were recruited in the same 7-month period: there were 161 patients with idiopathic renal stone disease and 254 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects. Each participant was individually interviewed with regard to their sociodemographic characteristics and family medical history.ResultsOf patients with renal stones, 66.5% were male; the male to female ratio was 1.98 to 1. The prevalence of renal stone was highest in men aged 30–50 years and in women aged 40–60 years. The main differences between stone formers and healthy subjects were that stone formers had higher body mass index (p = 0.007), lower educational (p = 0.001) and economic (p = 0.037) levels, and more positive family history of urinary stones (p < 0.0001), especially in their siblings. The percentage of unemployed subjects and housekeepers were higher in the case group. The type and duration of employment were significantly different in the two groups (p = 0.014 for type and p = 0.003 for duration). With regard to the job environment (i.e. workplace), most of the individuals in the case group worked outdoors (p = 0.025) and in warm places (p < 0.0001).ConclusionThere are many personal characteristics that might be associated with an elevated risk of renal stone formation. People with high-risk characteristics could be more prone to stone formation and should be more carefully evaluated and followed-up

CeRuPO: A rare example of a Ferromagnetic Kondo lattice

We have determined the physical ground state properties of the compounds CeRuPO and CeOsPO by means of magnetic susceptibility chi(T), specific heat C(T), electrical resistivity rho(T), and thermopower S(T) measurements. chi(T) reveals a trivalent 4f1 cerium state in both compounds. For CeRuPO a pronounced decrease of rho(T) below 50K indicates the onset of coherent Kondo scattering which is confirmed by enhanced S(T). The temperature and magnetic field dependence of chi(T) and C(T) evidence ferromagnetic (FM) order at TC=15K. Thus, CeRuPO seems to be one of the rare example of a FM Kondo lattice. In contrast, CeOsPO shows antiferromagnetic order at TN=4.4K despite only minor changes in lattice parameters and electronic configuration. Additional 31P NMR results support these scenarios. LSDA+U calculations evidence a quasi two dimensional electronic band structure, reflecting a strong covalent bonding within the CeO and RuP layers and a weak ionic like bonding between the layers.Comment: accepted in Phys. Rev. B, high quality figures: http://www.cpfs.mpg.de/~krellner

Can current supply figures support the nutritional recommendation of fish consumption in Iran?

   "Fish consumption twice per week" recommendation has been adopted in many countries, including Iran, by Nutrition experts. Data derived from food balance sheets (FBSs) and national household food consumption surveys (NHFCSs) show that fish consumption has been increased in the last 20 years in Iran. The gap between supply and recommendation figures in order to analyze the feasibility of this policy however needs to be determined. In this study, we took current figures of fish supply and consumption in Iran and calculated the amount of fish needed to support the recommendation of fish consumption. Data obtained from FAOSTAT-FBSs in 1980-82, 1990-92 and 2000-02, and NHFCS reports in 1992-95 and 2001-03. Fish supplies needed to fulfill the nutritional policy were calculated based on 120 and 180 gr/caput/wk scenarios. Sharp increase happened in the average fish supply from 1980s to 1990s, but slowed down afterwards. In early 2000, fish availability and intake were 4.73 and 4.43 kg (as raw-whole fish)/capita/year, respectively. The amount of fish required to fulfill the recommendation were however calculated as 10.97 and 16.43 kg/caput/yr based on the two scenarios, respectively. This study reveals that the gap between present fish consumption and the amounts for nutritional goal is still big. Whether bridging this gap in terms of feasibility, ecological, environmental and logistical burdens is attainable, needs more evaluation. Nutrition educators should be aware of the effects of their campaigns on the nationwide food policy as well as on issues such as consumer demand, prices, and environment.

A Study of Projections for Key Point Based Registration of Panoramic Terrestrial 3D Laser Scans

Abstract This paper surveys state of the art image features and descriptors for the task of 3D scan registration based on panoramic reflectance images. As modern terrestrial laser scanners digitize their environment in a spherical way, the sphere has to be projected to a two-dimensional image. To this end, we evaluate the equirectangular, the cylindrical, the Mercator, the rectilinear, the Pannini, the stereographic, and the z-axis projection. We show that the Mercator and the Pannini projection outperform the other projection methods

Thermal expansion and magnetostriction of pure and doped RAgSb2 (R = Y, Sm, La) single crystals

Data on temperature-dependent, anisotropic thermal expansion in pure and doped RAgSb2 (R = Y, Sm, La) single crystals are presented. Using the Ehrenfest relation and heat capacity measurements, uniaxial pressure derivatives for long range magnetic ordering and charge density wave transition temperatures are evaluated and compared with the results of the direct measurements under hydrostatic pressure. In-plane and c-axis pressure have opposite effect on the phase transitions in these materials, with in-plane effects being significantly weaker. Quantum oscillations in magnetostriction were observed for the three pure compounds, with the possible detection of new frequencies in SmAgSb2 and LaAgSb2. The uniaxial (along the c-axis) pressure derivatives of the dominant extreme orbits (beta) were evaluated for YAgSb2 and LaAgSb2

Can current supply figures support the nutritional recommendation of fish consumption in Iran? A case-study of the challenges in front of a nutrition policy

ABSTRACT &quot;Fish consumption twice per week&quot; recommendation has been adopted in many countries, including Iran, by Nutrition experts. Data derived from food balance sheets (FBSs) and national household food consumption surveys (NHFCSs) show that fish consumption has been increased in the last 20 years in Iran. The gap between supply and recommendation figures in order to analyze the feasibility of this policy however needs to be determined. In this study, we took current figures of fish supply and consumption in Iran and calculated the amount of fish needed to support the recommendation of fish consumption. Data obtained from FAOSTAT-FBSs in 1980-82, 1990-92 and 2000-02, and NHFCS reports in 1992-95 and 2001. Fish supplies needed to fulfill the nutritional policy were calculated based on 120 and 180 gr/caput/wk scenarios. Sharp increase happened in the average fish supply from 1980s to 1990s, but slowed down afterwards. In early 2000, fish availability and intake were 4.73 and 4.43 kg (as raw-whole fish)/capita/year, respectively. The amount of fish required to fulfill the recommendation were however calculated as 10.97 and 16.43 kg/caput/yr based on the two scenarios, respectively. This study reveals that the gap between present fish consumption and the amounts for nutritional goal is still big. Whether bridging this gap in terms of feasibility, ecological, environmental and logistical burdens is attainable, needs more evaluation. Nutrition educators should be aware of the effects of their campaigns on the nationwide food policy as well as on issues such as consumer demand, prices, and environment

Interactions of Colorectal Cancer, Dietary Fats, and Polymorphisms of Arachidonate Lipoxygenase and Cyclooxygenase Genes: A Literature Review

ObjectiveGenetics and dietary factors play important roles in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the underlying mechanisms of the interactions between CRC, gene polymorphisms, and dietary fat are unclear. This review study investigated the effects of polymorphisms of arachidonate lipoxygenase (ALOX) and cyclooxygenase (COX) genes in the association between CRC and dietary fat.MethodsAll the related papers published from 2000 to 2022 were collected from different databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Cochran using related keywords such as colorectal cancer, ALOX, COX, polymorphism, and dietary fat. Non-English and unrelated documents were excluded.ResultsSome single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ALOX and COX genes, such as rs2228065, rs6413416, and rs4986832 in the ALOX gene, and rs689465 in the COX gene may play significant roles in the association between the risk of CRC and dietary fats. SNPs of ALOX and COX genes may influence the effects of dietary fatty acids on the risk of CRC.ConclusionSome polymorphisms of the ALOX and COX genes may have important roles in the effects of dietary fat on the risk of CRC. If future studies confirm these results, dietary recommendations for preventing colorectal cancer may be personalized based on the genotype of the ALOX and COX genes

Impact of nonoptimal intakes of saturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fat on global burdens of coronary heart disease

Background: Saturated fat (SFA), ω‐6 (n‐6) polyunsaturated fat (PUFA), and trans fat (TFA) influence risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), but attributable CHD mortalities by country, age, sex, and time are unclear. Methods and Results: National intakes of SFA, n‐6 PUFA, and TFA were estimated using a Bayesian hierarchical model based on country‐specific dietary surveys; food availability data; and, for TFA, industry reports on fats/oils and packaged foods. Etiologic effects of dietary fats on CHD mortality were derived from meta‐analyses of prospective cohorts and CHD mortality rates from the 2010 Global Burden of Diseases study. Absolute and proportional attributable CHD mortality were computed using a comparative risk assessment framework. In 2010, nonoptimal intakes of n‐6 PUFA, SFA, and TFA were estimated to result in 711 800 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 680 700–745 000), 250 900 (95% UI 236 900–265 800), and 537 200 (95% UI 517 600–557 000) CHD deaths per year worldwide, accounting for 10.3% (95% UI 9.9%–10.6%), 3.6%, (95% UI 3.5%–3.6%) and 7.7% (95% UI 7.6%–7.9%) of global CHD mortality. Tropical oil–consuming countries were estimated to have the highest proportional n‐6 PUFA– and SFA‐attributable CHD mortality, whereas Egypt, Pakistan, and Canada were estimated to have the highest proportional TFA‐attributable CHD mortality. From 1990 to 2010 globally, the estimated proportional CHD mortality decreased by 9% for insufficient n‐6 PUFA and by 21% for higher SFA, whereas it increased by 4% for higher TFA, with the latter driven by increases in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Conclusions: Nonoptimal intakes of n‐6 PUFA, TFA, and SFA each contribute to significant estimated CHD mortality, with important heterogeneity across countries that informs nation‐specific clinical, public health, and policy priorities.peer-reviewe