Risk factors for respiratory hospitalizations in a population of patients with a clinical diagnosis of COPD

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine differences between patients clinically diagnosed with COPD with and without obstruction by spirometry and to identify risk factors for respiratory hospitalizations. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective analysis of all patients diagnosed with COPD at a large academic Internal Medicine Clinic in 2014, who had spirometry performed during the period 2013-2014. Two groups existed: one with obstruction termed classical COPD and another without obstruction. Demographics, comorbidities, prescribed medications, spirometry, respiratory hospitalization, and eosinophilia among other variables were compared between patients with and without obstruction. Risk factors for two or more respiratory hospitalizations during the period 2014-2015 were sought for both populations by both univariate and multivariate analyses. Subsequently, we studied the population without obstruction for risk factors for one or more respiratory hospitalizations first by univariate analysis and then by multivariate analysis. Results: Among 657 patients, 210 met inclusion criteria, with 157 having obstruction on spirometry and 53 without obstruction. There was no difference between those with and without obstruction on the rate of respiratory hospitalization when using two or more respiratory hospitalizations ( Conclusion: In a clinically diagnosed COPD population who had spirometry performed, the presence of airflow obstruction was not a risk factor for respiratory hospitalizations. The most significantly associated nontreatment factor associated with respiratory hospitalization, both in the study population as a whole and in the cohort without obstruction, was MENT above the threshold of 0.5 K/µL

2-(1,3-Dioxoisoindolin-2-yl)ethyl 4-methyl­benzene­sulfonate

In the title mol­ecule, C17H15NO5S, the dihedral angle between the essentially planar atoms of the tosyl moiety (the S atom and the seven tolyl C atoms) and the phthalimide moiety is 6.089 (3)°. The mol­ecule is folded about the ethyl­ene bridge, adopting a staggered conformation such that the benzene ring of the tosyl group and the five-membered ring of the phthalimide moiety have a face-to-face orientation with a centroid-to-centroid separation of 3.7454 (12) Å. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak inter­molecular π–π inter­actions between symmetry-related five-membered rings of the phthalimide groups, with a centroid-to-centroid distance of 3.3867 (11) Å. The compound is used for the attachment of a suitable chelate functionality for radiolabeling purposes

Cellulose is degraded during phloem necrosis of Hevea brasiliensis

La nécrose du phloème d'Hévéa est une grave maladie répandue dans les plantations ouest-africaines. A l'échelle ultrastructurale, l'altération des parois cellulaires est la modification la plus fréquemment observée. Une étude cytochimique a été entreprise dans le but de mieux comprendre les mécanismes de la dégradation de la cellulose des parois. Les observations microscopiques ont également montré la présence de vésicules paramurales et de dépôts le long des parois dans les espaces périplasmiques, suggérant la participation directe, ou indirecte, de microorganismes à la nécrose du phloème d'Hévéa. (D'après résumé d'auteur

Effects of temperature on in vitro sediment reworking processes by a gallery biodiffusor, the polychaete Neanthes virens

Temperature-induced variations in bioturbation could affect sediment mixing processes in the marine benthic environment. In this study, sediment reworking by Neanthes virens (Sars), a widely distributed polychaete in muddy sand communities of northern temperate latitudes, was studied under different temperature conditions representing winter (1°C), spring and fall (6°C), summer(13°C), and tide pool (18°C) temperatures in the lower St. Lawrence Estuary, Québec, Canada. Sediment reworking was quantified using inert fluorescent particles (luminophores) deposited at the sediment surface. Based on the 1-D luminophore distributions obtained after 5 and 30 d, the use of the specific ‘gallery-biodiffusor’ model allowed us to quantify both biodiffusion (Db) and biotransport (Vb) due to the organisms. Our results showed temperature effects on sediment transport. The lowest biotransport and biodiffusion coefficients were measured at 1 and 6°C and did not change with time. The highest biodiffusion occurred at 13°C for both sampling periods. At 18°C, biodiffusion was intermediate while biotransport was maximal. Differences between the 13°C biodiffusive transport and the other temperatures increased with time. Low transport values at 1 and 6°C suggest that a quiescent stage exists for this species at these temperatures, with sediment mixing occurring mostly during burrow construction. On the other hand, sediment mixing resulted from both the burrow construction and maintenance phases at higher temperatures (13 and 18°C)