Scan-rescan reproducibility of diastolic left ventricular kinetic energy, viscous energy loss and vorticity assessment using 4D flow MRI: analysis in healthy subjects

Cardiovascular Aspects of Radiolog

Prediction of parturition in Holstein dairy cattle using electronic data loggers

The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of parturition on behavioral activity [steps, standing time, lying time, lying bouts (LB), and duration of LB] 4 d before calving using electronic data loggers. Animals (n = 132) from 3 herds were housed in similar freestall barns using a prepartum pen 21 d before the expected calving date and were moved into a contiguous individual maternity pen for parturition. Electronic data loggers were placed on a hind leg of prepartum heifers (heifers, n = 33) and cows (cows, n = 99) at 7 ± 3 d before the expected calving date and removed at 14 ± 3 d in milk. Calving ease (scale 1–4), parity, calving date and time, and stillbirth (born dead or died within 24 h) were recorded. The number of steps (no./d), standing time (min/d), lying time (min/d), number of LB (no./d), and duration of LB (min/b) were recorded. Data were analyzed using MIXED procedures of SAS, adjusting for the herd effect. Only cows experiencing unassisted births (calving ease = 1) were included in the study. An activity index was developed to predict calving time. Heifers and cows with unassisted births had significantly higher number of steps and longer standing time, decreased lying time, and more LB of shorter duration 24 h before calving compared with d −4, −3, and −2. Additionally, the number of LB increased as both heifers and cows approached labor starting on d −2 and peaked at the day of calving. The time since the activity index increased over 50% to parturition did not differ between heifers and cows, and the activity index revealed the shift in activity on average 6 h 14 min (range from 2 h to 14 h 15 min) before calf birth. This study provided evidence that heifers and cows approaching parturition showed a similar, but distinct, behavioral pattern that can be observed on average 6 h before calf birth. The potential benefits of electronic data loggers as predictors of parturition along with proactive management practices should improve the overall survival and welfare of both the dam and calf

Stress increases intracardiac 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance -derived energetics and vorticity and relates to VO2max in Fontan patients

BACKGROUND: We hypothesize that dobutamine-induced stress impacts intracardiac hemodynamic parameters and that this may be linked to decreased exercise capacity in Fontan patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of pharmacologic stress on intraventricular kinetic energy (KE), viscous energy loss (EL) and vorticity from four-dimensional (4D) Flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in Fontan patients and to study the association between stress response and exercise capacity. METHODS: Ten Fontan patients underwent whole-heart 4D flow CMR before and during 7.5 μg/kg/min dobutamine infusion and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) on the same day. Average ventricular KE, EL and vorticity were computed over systole, diastole and the total cardiac cycle (vorticity_volavg cycle, KEavg cycle, ELavg cycle). The relation to maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max) from CPET was tested by Pearson's correlation or Spearman's rank correlation in case of non-normality of the data. RESULTS: Dobutamine stress caused a significant 88 ± 52% increase in KE (KEavg cycle: 1.8 ± 0.5 vs 3.3 ± 0.9 mJ, P < 0.001), a significant 108 ± 49% increase in EL (ELavg cycle: 0.9 ± 0.4 vs 1.9 ± 0.9 mW, P < 0.001) and a significant 27 ± 19% increase in vorticity (vorticity_volavg cycle: 3441 ± 899 vs 4394 ± 1322 mL/s, P = 0.002). All rest-stress differences (%) were negatively correlated to VO2 max (KEavg cycle: r = - 0.83, P = 0.003; ELavg cycle: r = - 0.80, P = 0.006; vorticity_volavg cycle: r = - 0.64, P = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: 4D flow CMR-derived intraventricular kinetic energy, viscous energy loss and vorticity in Fontan patients increase during pharmacologic stress and show a negative correlation with exercise capacity measured by VO2 max

Using behavior-analytic implicit tests to assess sexual interests among normal and sex-offender populations

The development of implicit tests for measuring biases and behavioral predispositions is a recent development within psychology. While such tests are usually researched within a social-cognitive paradigm, behavioral researchers have also begun to view these tests as potential tests of conditioning histories, including in the sexual domain. The objective of this paper is to illustrate the utility of a behavioral approach to implicit testing and means by which implicit tests can be built to the standards of behavioral psychologists. Research findings illustrating the short history of implicit testing within the experimental analysis of behavior are reviewed. Relevant parallel and overlapping research findings from the field of social cognition and on the Implicit Association Test are also outlined. New preliminary data obtained with both normal and sex offender populations are described in order to illustrate how behavior-analytically conceived implicit tests may have potential as investigative tools for assessing histories of sexual arousal conditioning and derived stimulus associations. It is concluded that popular implicit tests are likely sensitive to conditioned and derived stimulus associations in the history of the test-taker rather than 'unconscious cognitions', per se

Effect of a medical food on body mass index and activities of daily living in patients with Alzheimer's disease: secondary analyses from a randomized, controlled trial

Contains fulltext : 97852.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of a medical food (Souvenaid) on body mass index (BMI) and functional abilities in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS/INTERVENTION /MEASUREMENTS: These analyses were performed on data from a 12-week, double-blind, randomized, controlled, multicenter, proof-of-concept study with a similarly designed and exploratory 12-week extension period. Patients with mild AD (Mini-Mental State Examination score of 20-26) were randomized to receive either the active product or an iso-caloric control product. While primary outcomes included measures of cognition, the 23-item Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) scale was included as a secondary outcome. Both ADCS-ADL and BMI were assessed at baseline and Weeks 6, 12 and 24. Data were analyzed using a repeated-measures mixed model. RESULTS: Overall, data suggested an increased BMI in the active versus the control group at Week 24 (ITT: p = 0.07; PP: p = 0.03), but no treatment effect on ADCS-ADL was observed. However, baseline BMI was found to be a significant treatment effect modifier (ITT: p = 0.04; PP: p = 0.05), and an increase in ADCS-ADL was observed at Week 12 in patients with a 'low' baseline BMI (ITT: p = 0.02; PP: p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that baseline BMI significantly impacts the effect of Souvenaid on functional abilities. In addition, there was a suggestion that Souvenaid increased BMI

Detection and localization of early- and late-stage cancers using platelet RNA

Cancer patients benefit from early tumor detection since treatment outcomes are more favorable for less advanced cancers. Platelets are involved in cancer progression and are considered a promising biosource for cancer detection, as they alter their RNA content upon local and systemic cues. We show that tumor-educated platelet (TEP) RNA-based blood tests enable the detection of 18 cancer types. With 99% specificity in asymptomatic controls, thromboSeq correctly detected the presence of cancer in two-thirds of 1,096 blood samples from stage I–IV cancer patients and in half of 352 stage I–III tumors. Symptomatic controls, including inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases, and benign tumors had increased false-positive test results with an average specificity of 78%. Moreover, thromboSeq determined the tumor site of origin in five different tumor types correctly in over 80% of the cancer patients. These results highlight the potential properties of TEP-derived RNA panels to supplement current approaches for blood-based cancer screening

Radboud University at TREC 2020

Contains fulltext : 230597.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)TREC 202

Transient - Network Theories: New Developments and Applications

A generalized formulation is presented of the so-called transient network model for the rheological behaviour of polymeric liquids. This formulation is shown to be more flexible and applicable to other types of systems as well. Furthermore this formulation is shown to be closely related to the theory of Doi and Edwards

Docosahexaenoic acid reduces amyloid-Beta 1-42 secretion in human A Beta PP-transfected CHO-cells by mechanisms other than inflammation related to PGE 2.

Contains fulltext : 88848.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access