Związek wskaźnika anizocytozy płytek (PDW) oraz wskaźnika PCT ze stanem przedrzucawkowym

Objective: While the relationship between platelet crit (PCT), platelet distribution width (PDW) and hypertension has been well-documented, data on the association between PCT, PDW and preeclampsia are scant at best. In our study, we aimed to investigate the possible correlation of PCT and PDW with preeclampsia and disease severity. Material and methods: A total of 110 preeclamptic and 100 healthy pregnant women were included in the study. Baseline PCT and PDW were measured using an automatic blood counterin the entire study population. Results: While there were no significant differences between the preeclampsia group and the control group in terms of hemoglobin and platelet counts, the PDW, mean platelet volume (MPV), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, proteinuria, WBC and Hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in the preeclampsia group. In addition, PCT level was significantly lower in the preeclampsia group as compared to controls. Moreover, subgroup analysis revealed that PDW and MPV levels were significantly increased in severely preeclamptic patients when compared to mildly preeclamptic patients. Conclusions: Our study results revealed that PCT and PDW levels were associated with both, the presence and severity of preeclampsia.Cel pracy: Związek pomiędzy wskaźnikiem PCT, wskaźnikiem anizocytozy płytek krwi (PDW) a nadciśnieniem tętniczym jest dobrze udokumentowany, podczas gdy dane na temat zależności pomiędzy PCT i PDW a stanem przedrzucawkowym są skąpe. W naszym badaniu celem było zbadanie możliwych korelacji pomiędzy PCT i PDW a stanem przedrzucawkowym oraz ciężkością choroby. Materiał i metoda: Do badania włączono 110 kobiet ze stanem przedrzucawkowym i 100 zdrowych ciężarnych. Wyjściowe wartości PCT i PDW zmierzono przy pomocy automatycznego pomiaru krwi w całej badanej populacji. Wyniki: Nie znaleziono istotnych różnic pomiędzy grupą pacjentek ze stanem przedrzucawkowym a grupą kontrolną w odniesieniu do hemoglobiny i liczby płytek krwi, podczas gdy PDW, średnia objętość płytek (MPV), ciśnienie skurczowe i rozkurczowe, obecność białka w moczu, WBC i poziom Hs-CRP były istotnie wyższe w grupie ze stanem przedrzucawkowym. Dodatkowo, poziom PCT był istotnie niższy w grupie ze stanem przedrzucawkowym w porównaniu do grupy kontrolnej. Co więcej, analiza podgrup wykazała, że poziom PDW i PCT wzrastał istotnie wraz z ciężkością stanu przedrzucawkowego. Wnioski: Nasze badania wykazały, że poziom PCT i PDW jest związany zarówno z obecnością jak i ciężkością stanu przedrzucawkowego

Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors and H2 Receptor Antagonists on the Ileum Motility

Objectives. To investigate the effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and H2 receptor antagonists on ileum motility in rats with peritonitis and compare changes with control group rats. Methods. Peritonitis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture in 8 rats. Another of 8 rats underwent a sham operation and were accepted as controls. Twenty-four hours later after the operation, the rats were killed, and their ileum smooth muscle was excised and placed in circular muscle direction in a 10 mL organ bath. Changes in amplitude and frequency of contractions were analyzed before and after PPIs and H2 receptor blockers. Results. PPI agents decreased the motility in a dose-dependent manner in ileum in both control and intraabdominal sepsis groups. While famotidine had no significant effect on ileum motility, ranitidine and nizatidine enhanced motility in ileum in both control and intraabdominal sepsis groups. This excitatory effect of H2 receptor antagonists and inhibitor effects of PPIs were significantly high in control group when compared to the peritonitis group. The inhibitor effect of pantoprazole on ileum motility was significantly higher than the other two PPI agents. Conclusions. It was concluded that H2 receptor antagonists may be more effective than PPIs for recovering the bowel motility in the intraabdominal sepsis situation

Measurement of cognitive dynamics during video watching through event-related potentials (ERPs) and oscillations (EROs)

Event-related potentials (ERPs) and oscillations (EROs) are reliable measures of cognition, but they require time-locked electroencephalographic (EEG) data to repetitive triggers that are not available in continuous sensory input streams. However, such real-life-like stimulation by videos or virtual-reality environments may serve as powerful means of creating specific cognitive or affective states and help to investigate dysfunctions in psychiatric and neurological disorders more efficiently. This study aims to develop a method to generate ERPs and EROs during watching videos. Repeated luminance changes were introduced on short video segments, while EEGs of 10 subjects were recorded. The ERP/EROs time-locked to these distortions were analyzed in time and time-frequency domains and tested for their cognitive significance through a long term memory test that included frames from the watched videos. For each subject, ERPs and EROs corresponding to video segments of recalled images with 25% shortest and 25% longest reaction times were compared. ERPs produced by transient luminance changes displayed statistically significant fluctuations both in time and time-frequency domains. Statistical analyses showed that a positivity around 450 ms, a negativity around 500 ms and delta and theta EROs correlated with memory performance. Few studies mixed video streams with simultaneous ERP/ERO experiments with discrete task-relevant or passively presented auditory or somatosensory stimuli, while the present study, by obtaining ERPs and EROs to task-irrelevant events in the same sensory modality as that of the continuous sensory input, produces minimal interference with the main focus of attention on the video stream

Relation of inflammatory markers with both presence and severity of hyperemesis gravidarum

Objectives: The aim of our study is to determine the newly introduced systemic inflammation marker, neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) patients and to investigate the association between severity of the disease and NLR. Method: The study population consisted of 55 pregnant patients with HG and 50 pregnant women without complaints matched for gestational age as a control group. The HG patients were grouped as mild (n=16), moderate (n=19) and severe (n=20) according to Modified Pregnancy- Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea Scoring Index Questionnaire. Furthermore, hsCRP, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and NLR were evaluated with complete blood count. Results: The HG group had significantly higher NLR values compared to the control group (2.69±1.81 vs 1.97±1.34, p=0.004). HsCRP levels were significantly higher among HG patients compared to the control group (1.95±2.2 vs 0.56±0.30,

Designing safe, green and sustainable vessels for Indonesian coastal transport and fishing operations

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago state with 17,508 islands, of which 6,000 are inhabited. This makes sea transportation a major part of people's everyday lives. Furthermore, fishing is extremely important for Indonesia with around 6.4 million people engaging in fishing activities. However, a significant amount of the current fishing fleet is outdated and could be improved to become more efficient and safer to operate. Currently, 28% of fishing boats in use are non-powered boats and 39% are propelled by an out-board engine. Through a detailed understanding of the unique needs of Indonesia and the requirement for the development of sustainable, safe and efficient designs, the capacity of sea trade can be increased, to enhance the current economy and living conditions. This paper outlines the framework and early results of a joint research project (SUVESIN) funded by the British Council’s Newton Fund scheme. The SUVESIN project brings together two reputable research institutions, the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow and Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember, Surabaya to achieve the design of safer and more efficient vessels with renewable and locally available raw materials in Indonesia. Within the project, the gap analysis, identification of needs, requirements and opportunities on a renewable and sustainable raw material for Indonesia’s ship industry have been carried out. The background of the project and the early results, including gap analysis, a modern construction process for Indonesia’s ship industry and preliminary results of optimisation of the traditional Indonesian ship are presented in this paper

An investigation into fishing boat optimisation using a hybrid algorithm

The optimisation of high-speed fishing boats is different from the optimisation of other displacement type vessels as, for high-speed fishing boats, the wave-making resistance decreases while the splashed resistance increases sharply. To reduce fuel consumption and operating costs in the current economic climate, this paper presents a fishing boat optimisation approach using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique. The RANS-VoF solver was utilised to calculate total resistance, sinkage and trim for a fishing boat in calm water. The Arbitrary Shape Deformation (ASD) technique was used to smoothly alter the geometry. A hybrid algorithm was presented to solve the complicated nonlinear optimisation problem. Herein, a Design of Experiments (DoE) method was applied to find an optimal global region and a mathematical programme was employed to determine an optimal global solution. Under the same displacement with the original hull, two optimisation loops were built with different design variables. After completion of the optimisation, two optimal hull forms were obtained. The optimisation results show that the optimisation loop presented in this study can be used to design a suitable fishing boat in the reduction of the total resistance in calm water

Acute mountain sickness.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a clinical syndrome occurring in otherwise healthy normal individuals who ascend rapidly to high altitude. Symptoms develop over a period ofa few hours or days. The usual symptoms include headache, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, unsteadiness of gait, undue dyspnoea on moderate exertion and interrupted sleep. AMS is unrelated to physical fitness, sex or age except that young children over two years of age are unduly susceptible. One of the striking features ofAMS is the wide variation in individual susceptibility which is to some extent consistent. Some subjects never experience symptoms at any altitude while others have repeated attacks on ascending to quite modest altitudes. Rapid ascent to altitudes of 2500 to 3000m will produce symptoms in some subjects while after ascent over 23 days to 5000m most subjects will be affected, some to a marked degree. In general, the more rapid the ascent, the higher the altitude reached and the greater the physical exertion involved, the more severe AMS will be. Ifthe subjects stay at the altitude reached there is a tendency for acclimatization to occur and symptoms to remit over 1-7 days