Lack of tolerance to the protective effect of montelukast in exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in children

n/

Immigrant entrepreneurs, diasporas, and exports

This paper demonstrates the positive effect of immigrant entrepreneurs on manufacturing exports over and above that of diasporas. Using small\u2010scale regional administrative data, our instrumental variable estimates of export gravity models imply that ceteris paribus, that is, holding constant the total number of immigrants, the expected protrade effect of a migrant becoming an entrepreneur amounts to an average increase of US$5,946 in the export flows toward her country of origin. Besides these dyadic effects, immigrant entrepreneurs unlike nonentrepreneurial immigrants raise a region's overall competitiveness and export flows toward other destinations as well

Exhaled nitric oxide measurements in the first 2 years of life: methodological issues, clinical and epidemiological applications

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a useful tool to diagnose and monitor eosinophilic bronchial inflammation in asthmatic children and adults. In children younger than 2 years of age FeNO has been successfully measured both with the tidal breathing and with the single breath techniques. However, there are a number of methodological issues that need to be addressed in order to increase the reproducibility of the FeNO measurements within and between infants. Indeed, a standardized method to measure FeNO in the first 2 years of life would be extremely useful in order to meaningfully interpret FeNO values in this age group. Several factors related to the measurement conditions have been found to influence FeNO, such as expiratory flow, ambient NO and nasal contamination. Furthermore, the exposure to pre- and postnatal risk factors for respiratory morbidity has been shown to influence FeNO values. Therefore, these factors should always be assessed and their association with FeNO values in the specific study population should be evaluated and, eventually, controlled for

Toward the automation of threat modeling and risk assessment in IoT systems

The Internet of Things (IoT) has recently become one of the most relevant emerging technologies in the IT landscape. IoT systems are characterized by the high heterogeneity of involved architectural components (e.g., device platforms, services, networks, architectures) and involve a multiplicity of application domains. In the IoT scenario, the identification of specific security requirements and the security design are very complex and expensive tasks, since they heavily depend on the configuration deployment actually in place and require security experts. In order to overcome these issues, we propose an approach aimed at supporting the security analysis of an IoT system by means of an almost completely automated process for threat modeling and risk assessment, which also helps identify the security controls to implement in order to mitigate existing security risks. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach by discussing its application to a home automation system, built on top of commercial IoT products

Pharmacokinetics and antinociceptive effects of tramadol and its metabolite O-desmethyltramadol following intravenous administration in sheep

Although sheep are widely used as an experimental model for various surgical procedures there is a paucity of data on the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of analgesic drugs in this species. The aims of this study were to investigate the pharmacokinetics of intravenously (IV) administered tramadol and its active metabolite O-desmethyltramadol (M1) and to assess the mechanical antinociceptive effects in sheep. In a prospective, randomized, blinded study, six healthy adult sheep were given 4 and 6\u2009mg/kg tramadol and saline IV in a cross-over design with a 2-week wash-out period. At predetermined time points blood samples were collected and physiological parameters and mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) values were recorded. The analytical determination of tramadol and M1 was performed using high performance liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic parameters fitted a two- and a non-compartmental model for tramadol and M1, respectively. Normally distributed data were analysed by a repeated mixed linear model. Plasma concentration vs. time profiles of tramadol and M1 were similar after the two doses. Tramadol and M1 plasma levels decreased rapidly in the systemic circulation, with both undetectable after 6\u2009h following drug administration. Physiological parameters did not differ between groups; MNT values were not statistically significant between groups at any time point. It was concluded that although tramadol and M1 concentrations in plasma were above the human minimum analgesic concentration after both treatments, no mechanical antinociceptive effects of tramadol were reported. Further studies are warranted to assess the analgesic efficacy of tramadol in sheep

Effects of fungal root infection on the vigor of grapevines infested by root-feeding grape phylloxera

The role of fungal pathogens in damage of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.; cv. Chardonnay) associated with grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae FITCH) was investigated. Seven different genera of secondary fungi were isolated from surface-disinfected feeding sites of phylloxera but none from surface-disinfected root tissues undamaged by phylloxera. Damage in vines infested with phylloxera and infected with Fusarium solani (MART.) or with F. solani and Pythium ultimum TROW. was significantly greater than damage in vines infested with phylloxera only. In a greenhouse experiment, total biomass was reduced by 16% in vines infested with phylloxera and 24 to 29% in vines infested with phylloxera and infected with fungus in comparison with control vines. Chlorophyll content, average internode length, shoot biomass, and root biomass in the uninfested, uninfected vines were significantly greater than vines infested with phylloxera or vines infested with phylloxera and infected with F. solani or P. ultimum, or both. Preventative treatment with metalaxyl, benomyl or copper quinolinolate fungicides significantly decreased damage in phylloxera-infested vines in comparison with untreated vines. The implications of this research with respect to management of grape phylloxera are discussed

Analgesia and/or anaesthesia during piglet castration–part I: efficacy of farm protocols in pain management

Pain alleviation associated with surgical castration of piglets is a debated welfare issue. The present study compares the effect of different protocols involving analgesia and/or anaesthesia or sedation suitable under field conditions, with the aim to alleviate pain due to castration in piglets. A randomised within-litter design, with 50 replicates, compared 7 treatments applied 10 min before castration: HAND: positive control, handling only; CTRL: negative control, physiological saline, i.m.; MEL: meloxicam, i.m.; AZA: azaperone, i.m.; PROC: local anaesthesia with procaine and adrenaline, subcutaneously; AZA-MEL: joint administration of azaperone and meloxicam; PROC-MEL: procaine and meloxicam. Efficacy of pain relief was assessed during a 180 min period after castration by serum cortisol and glycaemia, algometry and behaviour. CTRL, AZA, PROC and AZA-MEL piglets showed an increase in cortisol concentration 60 min after castration compared to HAND. Both groups with azaperone (AZA and AZA-MEL) developed concentrations even higher than CTRL (p .05). CRTL and PROC piglets reacted to the algometer at an average lower pressure than HAND (p =.03), differently to the other treatments that showed similar skin sensitivity to HAND (p >.05). No differences in glycaemia and behaviour were observed among treatments. The results suggest that using meloxicam alone might offer a promising option in reducing the expression of pain-related parameters in piglets after surgical castration, however, it appears more efficient when used alone than in association with the anaesthetic agents tested. Procaine administered alone and azaperone seems unsuited to the purpose considered.HIGHLIGHTS Meloxicam used alone is suggested for reducing the expression of pain-related parameters in piglets after surgical castration; When a protocol using procaine is used on the farm during piglets castration, the association with meloxicam reduces some pain-related indicators; Procaine administered alone and azaperone seems unsuited to manage pain after surgical castration of piglets

The Effect of Cromolyn Sodium and Nedocromil Sodium Administered by A pressurized Aerosol with A spacer Device on Exercise-Induced Asthma in Children

To compare the effectiveness of cromolyn sodium (CS) (10 mg) and nedocromil sodium (NS) (4 mg) administered by a metered dose inhaler (MDI) with a spacer device in preventing exercise-induced asthma (EIA), eight asthmatic children with EIA were studied in a randomized double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled study, CS and NS provided significant, comparable protection from EIA and both were better than placebo. We conclude that CS and NS administered by a pressurized aerosol with a spacer device provide equal protection against EIA in children