The reliability of toe systolic pressure and the toe brachial index in patients with diabetes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Ankle Brachial Index is a useful clinical test for establishing blood supply to the foot. However, there are limitations to this method when conducted on people with diabetes. As an alternative to the Ankle Brachial Index, measuring Toe Systolic Pressures and the Toe Brachial Index have been recommended to assess the arterial blood supply to the foot. This study aimed to determine the intra and inter-rater reliability of the measurement of Toe Systolic Pressure and the Toe Brachial Index in patients with diabetes using a manual measurement system.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a repeated measures, reliability study. Three raters measured Toe Systolic Pressure and the Toe Brachial Index in thirty participants with diabetes. Measurement sessions occurred on two occasions, one week apart, using a manual photoplethysmography unit (Hadeco Smartdop 45) and a standardised measurement protocol.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean intra-class correlation for intra-rater reliability for toe systolic pressures was 0.87 (95% LOA: -25.97 to 26.06 mmHg) and the mean intra-class correlation for Toe Brachial Indices was 0.75 (95% LOA: -0.22 to 0.28). The intra-class correlation for inter-rater reliability was 0.88 for toe systolic pressures (95% LOA: -22.91 to 29.17.mmHg) and 0.77 for Toe Brachial Indices (95% LOA: -0.21 to 0.22).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite the reasonable intra-class correlation results, the range of error (95% LOA) was broad. This raises questions regarding the reliability of using a manual sphygmomanometer and PPG for the Toe Systolic Pressure and Toe Brachial Indice.</p

Phenotypic and measurement influences on heritability estimates in childhood ADHD

Twin studies described a strongly heritable component of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. However, findings varied considerably between studies. In addition, ADHD presents with a high rate of comorbid disorders and associated psychopathology. Therefore, this literature review reports findings from population-based twin studies regarding the influence of subtypes, assessment instruments, rater effects, sex differences, and comorbidity rates on ADHD heritability estimates. In addition, genetic effects on the persistence of ADHD are discussed. By reviewing relevant factors influencing heritability estimates more homogeneous subtypes relevant for molecular genetic studies can be elicited. A systematic search of population-based twin studies in ADHD was performed, using the databases PubMed and PsycInfo. Results of family studies were added in case insufficient or contradictory findings were obtained in twin studies. Heritability estimates were strongly influenced by rater effects and assessment instruments. Inattentive and hyperactive–impulsive symptoms were likely influenced by common as well as specific genetic risk factors. Besides persistent ADHD, ADHD accompanied by symptoms of conduct or antisocial personality disorder might be another strongly genetically determined subtype, however, family environmental risk factors have also been established for this pattern of comorbidity

Lattice-point enumerators of ellipsoids

Minkowski's second theorem on successive minima asserts that the volume of a 0-symmetric convex body K over the covolume of a lattice \Lambda can be bounded above by a quantity involving all the successive minima of K with respect to \Lambda. We will prove here that the number of lattice points inside K can also accept an upper bound of roughly the same size, in the special case where K is an ellipsoid. Whether this is also true for all K unconditionally is an open problem, but there is reasonable hope that the inductive approach used for ellipsoids could be extended to all cases.Comment: 9 page

Properties of Thirteen Viruses and Virus Variants Obtained from Eight Isolates of the Wheat Take-All Fungus, Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici.

The properties of polyhedral double-stranded ( s)RNA virus particles obtained from eight isolates of the wheat take-all fungus, Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici, have been investigated. Thirteen viruses and virus variants were distinguished and these were classified into three groups on the basis of serological and physical properties of the virus particles; viruses in a group were related serologicaUy to other members of the same group, but unrelated serologically to members of other groups. Group I viruses had particles of diam. 35 nm sedimenting at 109 to 126S; the virus capsid contained one polypeptide species, mol. wt. 54 × l03 to 60 × 103 and virus dsRNA consisted of two to four components, mol. wt. 1.0 x 10 6 tO I-3 X 106. Group II viruses had particles of diam. 35 nm sedimenting at 133 to 140S; the virus capsid contained one polypeptide species, tool. wt. 68 × 103 to 73 x 103 and virus dsRNA consisted of two to four components with mol. wt. 1.39 × 106 to 1.60 × l06. Group III viruses had particles of diam. 40 nm sedimenting at 159 to 163S; the viru

Synthetic ease and exceptional in vivo performance of pyrazole-based cyclometallated iridium complexes

Two luminescent cyclometallated IrIII complexes of the type [Ir(C^N)2(N^N)]x (X = 0 (1), and X = +1 (2)) were prepared using methyl 2-phenylquinoline-4-carboxylate as C^N ligands and either a deprotonated or protonated 3-(2-pyridyl)pyrazole as the N^N chelate. The synthesis followed a well-established and straightforward procedure. Photophysical analysis unveiled their remarkable properties, featuring phosphorescent red and orange emissions attributed to 3MLCT and 3LLCT transitions, with high emissive quantum yields in degassed DMSO solutions. Importantly, these complexes exhibited dual functionality as potent chemotherapeutic agents and photosensitisers, with their effectiveness tailored to specific cancer cell lines. Phototherapeutic treatment was particularly effective against lung cancer A549 cells, while a chemotherapeutic approach yielded superior results against breast cancer 4T1-luc2 cells. Both complexes primarily targeted lysosomes, leading to cell death through apoptotic pathways, with IC50 values in the nanomolar range. Importantly, they demonstrated no cytotoxicity against lymphocytes, mimicking the behaviour observed in healthy cells. Encouragingly, 1 and 2 exhibited minimal in vivo toxicity. The most striking finding was the exceptional chemotherapeutic efficacy of complexes 1 and 2 against 4T1-luc2 cells in BALB/c mice. These complexes surpassed the performance of the clinically employed 5-fluorouracil, especially at early tumor stages, significantly retarding 4T1-luc2 proliferation. Further investigations at vascularised and organised tumor stages revealed that complex 1 could reduce tumor size by half compared to untreated mice, which was also confirmed through tumoral weight analysis. While these findings are preliminary, the outstanding performance of these complexes at early tumor stages against breast cancer 4T1-luc2 in vivo, their selective therapeutic feasibility (chemotherapy vs. PDT) tailored to specific cancerous cell lines, and their straightforward synthetic design make them highly attractive candidates for cancer treatment

Atividade anti-Herpes simplex dos óleos essenciais de Croton cajucara.

No presente estudo, foi realizada a avaliação química dos óleos essenciais de 02 acessos de sacaca vermelha do BAG da Embrapa Amazônia Ocidental (Manaus-AM) empregando cromatografia em fase gasosa e espectrometria de massas