378 research outputs found
Smartphone Distraction: Italian Validation of the Smartphone Distraction Scale (SDS)
This work aimed to validate the use of the Smartphone Distraction Scale (SDS) in Italy. The SDS was devised to assess distraction related to smartphone use in adult populations. A cross-sectional study was conducted among n = 609 adults (females = 76.4%; mean age = 30.26; SD age = 9.90). An assessment of the factorial structure of the Italian version was carried out using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The four factors identified by Throuvala and colleagues were confirmed (i.e., attention impulsiveness, online vigilance, multitasking and emotion regulation). Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.703-0.889). The scale's scores showed significant linear correlations with validated instruments, including the Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUS)and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). A multivariate analysis of variance showed significant differences in the means among participants belonging to different age groups (born before 1995 vs. born after 1996). In summary, the good psychometric properties observed led us to assume that this instrument can be applied and used in Italian studies to assess the cognitive dimension of distraction related to the use of smartphones
Pulmonary function and CT scan imaging at low-level occupational exposureto asbestos
Background: In spite of the reduced exposure level, and its ban in numerous countries, compensation claims for asbestos-related diseases are far from decreasing. Methods: We used retrospective exposure assessment techniques to explore respiratory function and a computerized tomography (CT) scan in relation to past asbestos exposure in 115 male workers retired from an acrylic and polyester fiber plant. Based, on detailed information on exposure circumstances, we reconstructed a cumulative exposure estimate for each patient. Results: Time-weighted average exposure in our study population was 0.24 fibers/ml (95% confidence inteval (CI) 0.19–0.29), and the average cumulative exposure was 4.51 fibers/mL-years (95% CI 3.95–5.07). Exposure was elevated among maintenance workers, compared to other jobs (p = 0.00001). Respiratory function parameters did not vary in relation to the exposure estimates, nor to CT scan results. Risk of interstitial fibrosis showed a significant upward trend (Wald test for trend = 2.62, p = 0.009) with cumulative exposure to asbestos; risk associated with 5.26 fibers/mL-years or more, was 8-fold (95% CI 1.18–54.5). Conclusions: Our results suggest that a CT scan can detect pleuro-parenchymal lung alterations at asbestos exposure levels lower than previously thought, in absence of respiratory impairment. Further studies are required to validate our techniques of retrospective assessment of asbestos exposure
New insight on the nature of cosmic reionizers from the CEERS survey
The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) began when galaxies grew in abundance and
luminosity, so their escaping Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation started ionizing
the surrounding neutral intergalactic medium (IGM). Despite significant recent
progress, the nature and role of cosmic reionizers are still unclear: in order
to define them, it would be necessary to directly measure their LyC escape
fraction (). However, this is impossible during the EoR due to the
opacity of the IGM. Consequently, many efforts at low and intermediate redshift
have been made to determine measurable indirect indicators in high-redshift
galaxies so that their can be predicted. This work presents the
analysis of the indirect indicators of 62 spectroscopically confirmed
star-forming galaxies at from the Cosmic Evolution Early
Release Science (CEERS) survey, combined with 12 sources with public data from
other JWST-ERS campaigns. From the NIRCam and NIRSpec observations, we measured
their physical and spectroscopic properties. We discovered that on average
star-forming galaxies are compact in the rest-frame UV ( 0.4
kpc), are blue sources (UV- slope -2.17), and have a predicted
of about 0.13.
A comparison of our results to models and predictions as well as an
estimation of the ionizing budget suggests that low-mass galaxies with UV
magnitudes fainter than that we currently do not characterize
with JWST observations probably played a key role in the process of
reionization.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, submitted to A&
The brain monitoring with information technology (BrainIT) collaborative network: EC feasibility study results
The BrainIT group works collaboratively on developing standards for collection and analyses of data from brain injured patients towards providing a more efficient infrastructure for assessing new health technology. Materials and methods Over a 2 year period, core dataset data (grouped by nine categories) were collected from 200 head-injured patients by local nursing staff. Data were uploaded by the BrainIT web and random samples of received data were selected automatically by computer for validation by data validation (DV) research nurse staff against gold standard sources held in the local centre. Validated data was compared with original data sent and percentage error rates calculated by data category. Findings Comparisons, 19,461, were made in proportion to the size of the data received with the largest number checked in laboratory data (5,667) and the least in the surgery data (567). Error rates were generally less than or equal to 6%, the exception being the surgery data class where an unacceptably high error rate of 34% was found.
Conclusions The BrainIT core dataset (with the exception of the surgery classification) is feasible and accurate to collect. The surgery classification needs to be revised
Closing in on the sources of cosmic reionization: first results from the GLASS-JWST program
The escape fraction of Lyman-continuum (LyC) photons () is a key
parameter for determining the sources of cosmic reionization at . At
these redshifts, owing to the opacity of the intergalactic medium, the LyC
emission cannot be measured directly. However, LyC leakers during the epoch of
reionization could be identified using indirect indicators that have been
extensively tested at low and intermediate redshifts. These include a high
[OIII]/[OII] flux ratio, high star-formation surface density, and compact
sizes. In this work, we present observations of 29
gravitationally lensed galaxies in the Abell 2744 cluster field. From a
combined analysis of JWST-NIRSpec and NIRCam data, we accurately derived their
physical and spectroscopic properties: our galaxies have low masses
, blue UV spectral slopes (), compact
sizes ( kpc), and high [OIII]/[OII] flux ratios. We confirm
that these properties are similar to those characterizing low-redshift LyC
leakers. Indirectly inferring the fraction of escaping ionizing photons, we
find that more than 80% of our galaxies have predicted values larger
than 0.05, indicating that they would be considered leakers. The average
predicted value of our sample is 0.12, suggesting that similar
galaxies at have provided a substantial contribution to cosmic
reionization.Comment: Accepted for publication in the 4. Extragalactic astronomy section of
A&A, 12 pages, 8 figure
Synergistic effect of static compliance and d-dimers to predict outcome of patients with covid-19-ards: A prospective multicenter study
The synergic combination of D-dimer (as proxy of thrombotic/vascular injury) and static compliance (as proxy of parenchymal injury) in predicting mortality in COVID-19-ARDS has not been systematically evaluated. The objective is to determine whether the combination of elevated D-dimer and low static compliance can predict mortality in patients with COVID-19-ARDS. A “training sample” (March–June 2020) and a “testing sample” (September 2020–January 2021) of adult patients invasively ventilated for COVID-19-ARDS were collected in nine hospitals. D-dimer and compliance in the first 24 h were recorded. Study outcome was all-cause mortality at 28-days. Cutoffs for D-dimer and compliance were identified by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Mutually exclusive groups were selected using classification tree analysis with chi-square automatic interaction detection. Time to death in the resulting groups was estimated with Cox regression adjusted for SOFA, sex, age, PaO2/FiO2 ratio, and sample (training/testing). “Training” and “testing” samples amounted to 347 and 296 patients, respectively. Three groups were identified: D-dimer ≤ 1880 ng/mL (LD); D-dimer > 1880 ng/mL and compliance > 41 mL/cmH2O (LD-HC); D-dimer > 1880 ng/mL and compliance ≤ 41 mL/cmH2O (HD-LC). 28-days mortality progressively increased in the three groups (from 24% to 35% and 57% (training) and from 27% to 39% and 60% (testing), respectively; p < 0.01). Adjusted mortality was significantly higher in HD-LC group compared with LD (HR = 0.479, p < 0.001) and HD-HC (HR = 0.542, p < 0.01); no difference was found between LD and HD-HC. In conclusion, combination of high D-dimer and low static compliance identifies a clinical phenotype with high mortality in COVID-19-ARDS
Early results from GLASS-JWST. X: Rest-frame UV-optical properties of galaxies at 7 < z < 9
We present the first James Webb Space Telescope/NIRCam-led determination of
galaxy properties based on broadband imaging from 0.8 to 5 microns as
part of the GLASS-JWST Early Release Science program. This is the deepest
dataset acquired at these wavelengths to date, with an angular resolution
arcsec. We robustly identify 14 galaxies with S/N>8 in F444W
from 8 arcmin of data at from a combination of dropout and
photometric redshift selection. From simulated data modeling, we estimate the
dropout sample purity to be . We find that the number density of
these sources is broadly consistent with expectations from the UV luminosity
function determined from Hubble Space Telescope data. We characterize galaxy
physical properties using a Bayesian Spectral Energy Distribution fitting
method, finding median stellar mass and age 130 Myr,
indicating they started ionizing their surroundings at redshift . Their
star formation main sequence is consistent with predictions from simulations.
Lastly, we introduce an analytical framework to constrain main-sequence
evolution at based on galaxy ages and basic assumptions, through which we
find results consistent with expectations from cosmological simulations. While
this work only gives a glimpse of the properties of typical galaxies that are
thought to drive the reionization of the universe, it clearly shows the
potential of JWST to unveil unprecedented details on galaxy formation in the
first billion years.Comment: Submitted to ApJL. 12 pages, 3 Figure
An inter-laboratory validation of methods of lipidperoxidation measurement in UVA-treated human plasma samples
Molecular Sites for the Positive Allosteric Modulation of Glycine Receptors by Endocannabinoids
Glycine receptors (GlyRs) are transmitter-gated anion channels of the Cys-loop superfamily which mediate synaptic inhibition at spinal and selected supraspinal sites. Although they serve pivotal functions in motor control and sensory processing, they have yet to be exploited as drug targets partly because of hitherto limited possibilities for allosteric control. Endocannabinoids (ECs) have recently been characterized as direct allosteric GlyR modulators, but the underlying molecular sites have remained unknown. Here, we show that chemically neutral ECs (e.g. anandamide, AEA) are positive modulators of α1, α2 and α3 GlyRs, whereas acidic ECs (e.g. N-arachidonoyl-glycine; NA-Gly) potentiate α1 GlyRs but inhibit α2 and α3. This subunit-specificity allowed us to identify the underlying molecular sites through analysis of chimeric and mutant receptors. We found that alanine 52 in extracellular loop 2, glycine 254 in transmembrane (TM) region 2 and intracellular lysine 385 determine the positive modulation of α1 GlyRs by NA-Gly. Successive substitution of non-conserved extracellular and TM residues in α2 converted NA-Gly-mediated inhibition into potentiation. Conversely, mutation of the conserved lysine within the intracellular loop between TM3 and TM4 attenuated NA-Gly-mediated potentiation of α1 GlyRs, without affecting inhibition of α2 and α3. Notably, this mutation reduced modulation by AEA of all three GlyRs. These results define molecular sites for allosteric control of GlyRs by ECs and reveal an unrecognized function for the TM3-4 intracellular loop in the allosteric modulation of Cys-loop ion channels. The identification of these sites may help to understand the physiological role of this modulation and facilitate the development of novel therapeutic approaches to diseases such as spasticity, startle disease and possibly chronic pain
Acute effects of intracranial hypertension and ARDS on pulmonary and neuronal damage: a randomized experimental study in pigs
Abstract
PURPOSE:
To determine reciprocal and synergistic effects of acute intracranial hypertension and ARDS on neuronal and pulmonary damage and to define possible mechanisms.
METHODS:
Twenty-eight mechanically ventilated pigs were randomized to four groups of seven each: control; acute intracranial hypertension (AICH); acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); acute respiratory distress syndrome in combination with acute intracranial hypertension (ARDS + AICH). AICH was induced with an intracranial balloon catheter and the inflation volume was adjusted to keep intracranial pressure (ICP) at 30-40 cmH2O. ARDS was induced by oleic acid infusion. Respiratory function, hemodynamics, extravascular lung water index (ELWI), lung and brain computed tomography (CT) scans, as well as inflammatory mediators, S100B, and neuronal serum enolase (NSE) were measured over a 4-h period. Lung and brain tissue were collected and examined at the end of the experiment.
RESULTS:
In both healthy and injured lungs, AICH caused increases in NSE and TNF-alpha plasma concentrations, extravascular lung water, and lung density in CT, the extent of poorly aerated (dystelectatic) and atelectatic lung regions, and an increase in the brain tissue water content. ARDS and AICH in combination induced damage in the hippocampus and decreased density in brain CT.
CONCLUSIONS:
AICH induces lung injury and also exacerbates pre-existing damage. Increased extravascular lung water is an early marker. ARDS has a detrimental effect on the brain and acts synergistically with intracranial hypertension to cause histological hippocampal damage
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