Relationship between QT interval and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy young subjects

n/

Precautionary advice about mobile phones: Public understandings and intended responses

The official published version can be obtained from the link below - Copyright @ Taylor & FrancisThere is a widespread academic and policy debate about public responses to precaution in public health campaigns. This paper explores these issues in relation to the precautionary stance adopted in the UK around the regulation of mobile telecommunications. The aim of the paper is to examine the nature of attitudes to precaution, and the way in which these, along with other relevant variables, relate to the intention to adopt relevant behaviours. The results from an experimental study (n = 173) indicate that people distinguish between two dimensions of precaution: firstly in relation to its value or necessity per se and secondly as anchored to notions of governance. The two variables differentially relate to other variables including trust and uncertainty, and are predictive of intended behaviour change indirectly, through worry about mobile phone risks. Precautionary advice was generally interpreted as causing concern rather than providing reassurance. The results suggest that precaution may be considered a valuable stance but this does not mean that it is seen as good governance or that it will reduce concern. Whilst the discourse of precaution is aimed at reducing concern, it appears that the uptake of relevant behaviours is largely triggered by worry

Orthostatic hypotension in a cohort of hypertensive patients referring to a hypertension clinic

n/

Infrared optical properties of the spin-1/2 quantum magnet TiOClTiOCl

We report results on the electrodynamic response of $TiOCl$, a low-dimensional spin-1/2 quantum magnet that shows a spin gap formation for T$<T_{c1}$= 67 $K$. The Fano-like shape of a few selected infrared active phonons suggests an interaction between lattice vibrations and a continuum of low frequency (spin) excitations. The temperature dependence of the phonon mode parameters extends over a broad temperature range well above $T_{c1}$, indicating the presence of an extended fluctuation regime. In the temperature interval between 200 $K$ and $T_{c1}$ there is a progressive dimensionality crossover (from two to one), as well as a spectral weight shift from low towards high frequencies. This allows us to identify a characteristic energy scale of about 430 $K$, ascribed to a pseudo spin-gap

Machine learning applied to ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: a new tool to diagnose autonomic failure?

BACKGROUND: Autonomic failure (AF) complicates Parkinson’s disease (PD) in one-third of cases, resulting in complex blood pressure (BP) abnormalities. While autonomic testing represents the diagnostic gold standard for AF, accessibility to this examination remains limited to a few tertiary referral centers. OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to investigate the accuracy of a machine learning algorithm applied to 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) as a tool to facilitate the diagnosis of AF in patients with PD. METHODS: Consecutive PD patients naïve to vasoactive medications underwent 24 h-ABPM and autonomic testing. The diagnostic accuracy of a Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) model exploiting ABPM parameters was compared to autonomic testing (as per a modified version of the Composite Autonomic Symptom Score not including the sudomotor score) in the diagnosis of AF. RESULTS: The study population consisted of n = 80 PD patients (33% female) with a mean age of 64 ± 10 years old and disease duration of 6.2 ± 4 years. The prevalence of AF at the autonomic testing was 36%. The LDA model showed 91.3% accuracy (98.0% specificity, 79.3% sensitivity) in predicting AF, significantly higher than any of the ABPM variables considered individually (hypotensive episodes = 82%; reverse dipping = 79%; awakening hypotension = 74%). CONCLUSION: LDA model based on 24-h ABPM parameters can effectively predict AF, allowing greater accessibility to an accurate and easy to administer test for AF. Potential applications range from systematic AF screening to monitoring and treating blood pressure dysregulation caused by PD and other neurodegenerative disorders