2,375 research outputs found
Reach- and catchment-scale determinants of the distribution of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) in south-eastern Michigan, U.S.A.
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73643/1/j.1365-2426.2003.01165.x.pd
Time spent on health related activity by older Australians with diabetes
AIMS There is little information available about what people do to look after their health, or how long people spend on health activities. This study identifies key health related activities and time taken as part of self management by people with diabetes. Management planning often lacks information that this study provides that would help clinicians and patients to create manageable and do-able plans that patients can follow. METHODS Data were collected in 2010 using a national survey of people aged 50Â years the National Diabetes Services Scheme. Respondents provided recall data on time used for personal health care, non-clinical health activity; and health service interactions. Data were analysed using Stata 12 and SPSS 19. RESULTS While most people with diabetes spend on average less than 30Â minutes a day on health-related activities (excluding exercise), the highest decile of respondents averaged over 100Â minutes. Time spent increased with the number of co-existent conditions. Taking medication and sitting in waiting rooms were the most frequently reported activities. The greatest amount of time was spent on daily personal health care activities. CONCLUSION The time demands of diabetes for older people can be substantial. Better patient engagement in self management might result from a better match in care planning between the illness demands and the patient time availability, with potential to reduce admissions for hospital care
Yields and Sward Characteristics of Timothy Cultivars under Grazing
Seven timothy (Phleum pratense L.) cultivars were evaluated over three pasture seasons under rotational grazing to 7 or 11 cm post-grazing heights and regrowth periods of four to seven weeks. There was a trend for the pasture type timothy cultivars to outyield Champ timothy (check). Dry matter yields were lower for the 7 cm than 11 cm post-grazing height. Although the overall cultivar x post-grazing height interaction was not significant (P \u3e 0.05), there was variability in grazing tolerance among timothy cultivars. Yield of Kahu was maintained and vegetative tiller density of Kahu increased over the experimental period under 7 cm grazing. Proportion of vegetative tillers among the cultivars ranged from 0.20 to 0.61 in the primary growth but this proportion increased to 0.95 in the fourth grazing
Dimeric FcÎłR ectodomains detect pathogenic anti-platelet factor 4-heparin antibodies in heparin-induced thromobocytopenia
Background
Heparinâinduced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a major and potentially fatal consequence of antibodies produced against platelet factor 4 (PF4)âheparin complexes following heparin exposure. Not all antiâPF4âheparin antibodies are pathogenic, so overdiagnosis can occur, with resulting inappropriate use of alternative anticoagulation therapies that have associated risks of bleeding. However, definitive platelet functional assays are not widely available for routine analysis.
Objectives
To assess the utility of dimeric recombinant soluble FcÎłRIIa (rsFcÎłRIIa) ectodomains for detecting HIT antibodies.
Patients/Methods
Plasma from 27 suspected HIT patients were tested for pathogenic antiâPF4âheparin antibodies by binding of a novel dimeric FcÎłRIIa ectodomain probe. Plasmas were also tested by the use of PF4âheparin IgG ELISA, the HemosIL AcuStar HIT IgGâspecific assay, and a serotonin release assay (SRA).
Results
The dimeric rsFcÎłRIIa test produced no false positives and excluded four samples that were positive by IgG ELISA. In this small patient cohort, the novel assay correctly assigned 93% of the suspected HIT patients, with two of the HIT patients being scored as false negatives. The improved discrimination of the novel assay over the IgG ELISA, which scored four false positives, supports the mechanistic interpretation that binding of dimeric rsFcÎłRIIa detects pairs of closely spaced IgG antibodies in PF4âheparin immune complexes.
Conclusions
This study found the cellâfree, functionâbased dimeric rsFcÎłRIIa assay to be convenient, simple, and potentially predictive of HIT. The assay had improved specificity over the IgG ELISA, and correlated strongly with the AcuStar HIT IgGâspecific assay, warranting further evaluation of its potential to identify HIT in larger patient cohorts
Did a physician-targeted intervention that reduced potentially inappropriate prescribing to elderly patients also reduce related hospitalizations?
Objectives:
To determine whether a general practitioner focused intervention aimed at decreasing PIM prescribing in the elderly can decrease the risk of PIM-related hospitalizations.
Poster presented at 2016 ISPOR conference in Washington DC.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/jcphposters/1005/thumbnail.jp
Genetic analyses reveal cryptic introgression in secretive marsh bird populations
Hybridization is common in bird populations but can be challenging for management, especially if one of the two parent species is of greater conservation concern than the other. King rails (Rallus elegans) and clapper rails (R. crepitans) are two marsh bird species with similar morphologies, behaviors, and overlapping distributions. The two species are found along a salinity gradient with the king rail in freshwater marshes and the clapper in estuarine marshes. However, this separation is not absolute; they are occasionally sympatric, and there are reports of interbreeding. In Virginia, USA, both king and clapper rails are identified by the state as Species of Greater Conservation Need, although clappers are thought to be more abundant and king rails have a higher priority ranking. We used a mitochondrial DNA marker and 13 diagnostic nuclear single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify species, classify the degree of introgression, and explore the evolutionary history of introgression in two putative clapper rail focal populations along a salinity gradient in coastal Virginia. Genetic analyses revealed cryptic introgression with siteâspecific rates of admixture. We identified a pattern of introgression where clapper rail alleles predominate in brackish marshes. These results suggest clapper rails may be displacing king rails in Virginia coastal waterways, most likely as a result of ecological selection. As introgression can result in various outcomes from outbreeding depression to local adaptation, continued monitoring of these populations would allow further exploration of hybrid fitness and inform conservation management
Determination of the surface-potential barrier of Cu(001) from low-energy-electron-diffraction fine structure
Bias-voltage dependence of the magneto-resistance in ballistic vacuum tunneling: Theory and application to planar Co(0001) junctions
Motivated by first-principles results for jellium and by surface-barrier
shapes that are typically used in electron spectroscopies, the bias voltage in
ballistic vacuum tunneling is treated in a heuristic manner. The presented
approach leads in particular to a parameterization of the tunnel-barrier shape,
while retaining a first-principles description of the electrodes. The proposed
tunnel barriers are applied to Co(0001) planar tunnel junctions. Besides
discussing main aspects of the present scheme, we focus in particular on the
absence of the zero-bias anomaly in vacuum tunneling.Comment: 19 pages with 8 figure
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