Relationship between esomeprazole dose and timing to heartburn resolution in selected patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease

Roy C Orlando1, Sherry Liu2, Marta Illueca31Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA, 2Department of Statistics and Informatics, 3Department of Clinical Development, AstraZeneca LP, Wilmington, DE, USAObjective: To increase response rates to therapy by increasing the dosage of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) whose symptoms are predominantly associated with acid reflux.Methods: In this double-blind, randomized, proof-of-concept study, 369 patients with GERD and moderate heartburn lasting ≥three days/week, a history of response to antacids/acid suppression therapy, and a positive esophageal acid perfusion test result were randomized to esomeprazole 20 or 40 mg once daily, or to 40 mg twice daily for four weeks. Heartburn symptom relief/resolution was subsequently evaluated.Results: In this study population, no relationship was apparent between esomeprazole dosage and efficacy variables for sustained heartburn resolution (seven days without symptoms) at week 4 (48.0%, 44.0%, and 41.4% for esomeprazole 20 mg once daily, 40 mg once daily, and 40 mg twice daily, respectively). Nocturnal heartburn resolution with esomeprazole 40 mg twice daily showed a numeric improvement trend versus esomeprazole 20 and 40 mg once daily, but this was not statistically significant.Conclusions: Heartburn resolution rates at four weeks were similar for all esomeprazole dosages and comparable with rates reported previously, suggesting a plateau effect in terms of clinical response to acid suppression with PPI therapy in this population of selected GERD patients.Keywords: acid suppressive therapy, GERD, proton pump inhibito

Brain SPECT imaging in Sydenham's chorea

The objective of the present study was to determine whether brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is capable of detecting perfusional abnormalities. Ten Sydenham's chorea (SC) patients, eight females and two males, 8 to 25 years of age (mean 13.4), with a clinical diagnosis of SC were submitted to brain SPECT imaging. We used HMPAO labeled with technetium-99m at a dose of 740 MBq. Six examinations revealed hyperperfusion of the basal ganglia, while the remaining four were normal. The six patients with abnormal results were females and their data were not correlated with severity of symptoms. Patients with abnormal brain SPECT had a more recent onset of symptoms (mean of 49 days) compared to those with normal SPECT (mean of 85 days) but this difference did not reach statistical significance. Brain SPECT can be a helpful method to determine abnormalities of the basal ganglia in SC patients but further studies on a larger number of patients are needed in order to detect the phase of the disease during which the examination is more sensitive.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Neurologia Setor de Distúrbios do MovimentoUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de Diagnóstico por Imagem Setor de Medicina NuclearUNIFESP, Depto. de Neurologia Setor de Distúrbios do MovimentoUNIFESP, Depto. de Diagnóstico por Imagem Setor de Medicina NuclearSciEL

Los derechos de reserva o secretividad de los fondos financieros y el acceso a la información pública o transparencia fiscal en la financiación de los partidos políticos

El estudio de la temática Los Derechos de Reserva o Secretividad de los Fondos Financieros y el Acceso a la Información Pública o Transparencia Fiscal en la Financiación de los Partidos Políticos; se realizará con el fin de conocer los derechos de reserva o secretividad de los fondos financieros y el acceso a la información pública o transparencia fiscal en la financiación de los partidos políticos. El objetivo de la investigación es analizar si el actual ordenamiento jurídico vigente garantiza la efectividad del Derecho al Acceso a la Información Pública o transparencia fiscal con respecto a la reserva o secretividad de los fondos financieros de los partidos políticos. La metodología a utilizar primeramente se enfoca en el estudio es analítico, comparativo, sintético, y bibliográfico donde se utilizará los siguientes instrumentos: la entrevista y encuesta. El análisis estadístico de los datos se realizará en base a las Hipótesis planteadas como general y fundamental tenemos el ordenamiento jurídico salvadoreño que está vigente referente a los partidos Políticos es insuficiente; ya que no los obliga a que estos rindan información en la obtención de fondos, por lo que claramente existe un irrespeto al Estado Constitucional de Derecho. Los resultados esperados son realizar un estudio científico-académico para dar respuesta a la problemática actual que presenta el tema del financiamiento de los partidos políticos en El Salvador como referente para garantizar el Derecho al Acceso a la Información Pública o transparencia Fiscal

Dysregulated homeostasis of acetylcholine levels in immune cells of RR-multiple sclerosis patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Acetylcholine (ACh) contributes to the modulation of central and peripheral inflammation. We studied the homeostasis of the cholinergic system in relation to cytokine levels in immune cells and sera of relapsing remitting-MS (RR-MS) patients. We demonstrated that lower ACh levels in serum of RR-MS patients were inversely correlated with the increased activity of the hydrolyzing enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). Interestingly, the expression of the ACh biosynthetic enzyme and the protein carriers involved in non-vesicular ACh release were found overexpressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of MS patients. The inflammatory state of the MS patients was confirmed by increased levels of TNF alpha, IL-12/IL-23p40, IL-18. The lower circulating ACh levels in sera of MS patients are dependent on the higher activity of cholinergic hydrolyzing enzymes. The smaller ratio of ACh to TNF alpha, IL-12/IL-23p40 and IL-18 in MS patients, with respect to healthy donors (HD), is indicative of an inflammatory environment probably related to the alteration of cholinergic system homeostasis

Correlating Fluorescence and High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HRSEM) for the study of GABAA receptor clustering induced by inhibitory synaptic plasticity

Both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic contacts display activity dependent dynamic changes in their efficacy that are globally termed synaptic plasticity. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying glutamatergic synaptic plasticity have been extensively investigated and described, those responsible for inhibitory synaptic plasticity are only beginning to be unveiled. In this framework, the ultrastructural changes of the inhibitory synapses during plasticity have been poorly investigated. Here we combined confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM) with high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) to characterize the fine structural rearrangements of post- synaptic GABAA Receptors (GABAARs) at the nanometric scale during the induction of inhibitory long-term potentiation (iLTP). Additional electron tomography (ET) experiments on immunolabelled hippocampal neurons allowed the visualization of synaptic contacts and confirmed the reorganization of post- synaptic GABAAR clusters in response to chemical iLTP inducing protocol. Altogether, these approaches revealed that, following the induction of inhibitory synaptic potentiation, GABAAR clusters increase in size and number at the post-synaptic membrane with no other major structural changes of the pre- and post-synaptic elements

Gait recognition using FMCW radar and temporal convolutional deep neural netowrks

The capability of human identification in specific scenarios and in a quickly and accurately manner, is a critical aspect in various surveillance applications. In particular, in this context, classical surveillance systems are based on video cameras, requiring high computational/storing resources, which are very sensitive to light and weather conditions. In this paper, an efficient classifier based on deep learning is used for the purpose of identifying individuals features by resorting to the micro-Doppler data extracted from low-power frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar measurements. Results obtained through the application of a deep temporal convolutional neural networks confirms the applicability of deep learning to the problem at hand. Best obtained identification accuracy is 0.949 with an F-measure of 0.88 using a temporal window of four second

Trunk muscle activation during golf swing: Baseline and threshold

There is a lack of studies regarding EMG temporal analysis during dynamic and complex motor tasks, such as golf swing. The aim of this study is to analyze the EMG onset during the golf swing, by comparing two different threshold methods. Method A threshold was determined using the baseline activity recorded between two maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Method B threshold was calculated using the mean EMG activity for 1000ms before the 500ms prior to the start of the Backswing. Two different clubs were also studied. Three-way repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare methods, muscles and clubs. Two-way mixed Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) with absolute agreement was used to determine the methods reliability. Club type usage showed no influence in onset detection. Rectus abdominis (RA) showed the higher agreement between methods. Erector spinae (ES), on the other hand, showed a very low agreement, that might be related to postural activity before the swing. External oblique (EO) is the first being activated, at 1295ms prior impact. There is a similar activation time between right and left muscles sides, although the right EO showed better agreement between methods than left side. Therefore, the algorithms usage is task- and muscle-dependent

Configurations and articulations of social organizations of migrant african and afro-descendants of Argentina: an approach through social media

En este trabajo profundizamos en el conocimiento de las configuraciones, actividades y discursos de organizaciones de migrantes africanos subsaharianos y de afrodescendientes de la Provincia de Buenos Aires y de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Argentina). Para eso hacemos una descripción detallada y un análisis interpretativo con base en un corpus de publicaciones de sus medios sociales (blogs), junto a documentos institucionales y a registros etnográficos de observaciones de campo del período 2011-2014. Como parte de los resultados identificamos convergencias discursivas en torno de la lucha contra la histórica invisibilización y el racismo que afecta a africanos y afrodescendientes en Argentina.The purpose of this ethnographic-discursive approach is to deepen the knowledge of institutional settings, activities and discourse of organizations of sub-Saharan African migrants and African descendants in the Province of Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires (Argentina). The work draws on a detailed description and an interpretive analysis based on a corpus of publications of their social media (blogs), with institutional documents and records ethnographic field observations of 2011-2014. As part of the results are identified: institutional configurations defined and modified situational mode; and profuse activity based on multiple actions and joints and supported by a militant protest discourse. This reflection leads to the conclusion that there are discursive convergences around the fight against racism and historical invisibility affecting Africans and African descendants in Argentina.Facultad de Periodismo y Comunicación SocialFacultad de Ciencias Naturales y MuseoConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnica