Effects of exercise on cardiovascular disease risk markers in South Asian versus White European men

Globally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause for morbidity and mortality. Exaggerated postprandial lipaemia has been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis, and by lowering postprandial triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations, atherogenic progression may be delayed. Many studies have revealed that exercise, in particular acute exercise, can attenuate postprandial TAG concentration. Most of this evidence relates to studies conducted in Western participants. South Asians are a population predisposed to CVD, and their adverse lipid profiles and physical inactivity may be among the underlying reasons. Hence, the studies described in this thesis examined the potential of acute bouts of exercise to favourably modify postprandial lipaemia and other CVD risk markers in young, healthy, South Asian men. The first experimental study described in this thesis compared the effect of 60 minutes of brisk walking on postprandial TAG concentration in 15 South Asian and 14 White European men. Trials were conducted over two days with exercise (or rest) taking place on day 1 and postprandial testing on day 2. A key finding from this study was that postprandial TAG, glucose and interleuklin-6 (IL-6) concentrations were elevated in South Asian compared with White European participants after consumption of high fat meals. This study also revealed a non-significant trend for brisk walking to reduce postprandial TAG concentrations in response to high fat meals in both groups. The second experimental study reported here examined the effect of 60 minutes of treadmill running at 70% of max on postprandial lipaemia and other CVD risk makers on the next day in 10 South Asian and 10 White European men. A significant main effect of trial was shown for postprandial TAG, IL-6 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), showing that TAG and IL-6 concentrations were lower on the exercise trial while sICAM-1 concentrations were higher on the exercise trial. In addition, ethnic group differences were observed for postprandial TAG, glucose and insulin concentrations indicating higher values in South Asians than White Europeans. A significant trial by group interaction effect was also observed for TAG, indicating a greater decrease after exercise in the South Asian men than the European men. In the third experimental study in this thesis the effect of 30 minutes of treadmill running on one day was compared with running for 30 minutes on three consecutive days in 11 South Asian men with regards to postprandial lipaemia. Neither a single bout of running nor three consecutive days of running influenced postprandial TAG in response to high fat meals when compared with the response on a control trial. It is not clear why exercise was ineffective in reducing postprandial lipaemia in this study but possibly the energy expenditure of exercise was insufficient to elicit change. The final experimental chapter described in this thesis combined the data from the first three studies. The objective of this chapter was to enhance the sample size in an effort to clarify the effects of acute exercise and to clarify the effects of ethnic group with respect to several fasting and postprandial CVD risk markers. The key findings were: 1) fasting and postprandial TAG and postprandial glucose concentrations were significantly reduced by exercise; 2) There were significant main effects of ethnic group for fasting high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol/ HDL-C, IL-6 and systolic blood pressure (SBP), indicating lower values of HDL-C and SBP and higher values of total cholesterol/HDL-C and IL-6 in South Asian participants. Additionally, there were significant main effects of ethnic group for postprandial TAG and IL-6 indicating higher values in South Asian participants. Taken together, these data indicate that South Asians have an adverse CVD risk factor profile in comparison with White Europeans and this may explain, at least in part, their elevated risk of CVD. Importantly, the data produced within this thesis show for the first time that acute bouts of exercise can be effective for lowering postprandial plasma TAG concentrations in South Asians, at least transiently. Thus, exercise has the potential to serve as a non-pharmacological medicine in South Asians

Distinguishing different stages of Parkinson's disease using composite index of speed and pen-pressure of sketching a spiral

The speed and pen-pressure while sketching a spiral are lower among Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with higher severity of the disease. However, the correlation between these features and the severity level (SL) of PD has been reported to be 0.4. There is a need for identifying parameters with a stronger correlation for considering this for accurate diagnosis of the disease. This study has proposed the use of the Composite Index of Speed and Pen-pressure (CISP) of sketching as a feature for analyzing the severity of PD. A total of 28 control group (CG) and 27 PD patients (total 55 participants) were recruited and assessed for Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). They drew guided Archimedean spiral on an A3 sheet. Speed, pen-pressure, and CISP were computed and analyzed to obtain their correlation with severity of the disease. The correlation of speed, pen-pressure, and CISP with the severity of PD was -0.415, -0.584, and -0.641, respectively. Mann-Whitney U test confirmed that CISP was suitable to distinguish between PD and CG, while non-parametric k-sample Kruskal-Wallis test confirmed that it was significantly different for PD SL-1 and PD SL-3. This shows that CISP during spiral sketching may be used to differentiate between CG and PD and between PD SL-1 and PD SL-3 but not SL-2

Development of health parameter model for risk prediction of CVD using SVM

Current methods of cardiovascular risk assessment are performed using health factors which are often based on the Framingham study. However, these methods have significant limitations due to their poor sensitivity and specificity. We have compared the parameters from the Framingham equation with linear regression analysis to establish the effect of training of the model for the local database. Support vector machine was used to determine the effectiveness of machine learning approach with the Framingham health parameters for risk assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The result shows that while linear model trained using local database was an improvement on Framingham model, SVM based risk assessment model had high sensitivity and specificity of prediction of CVD. This indicates that using the health parameters identified using Framingham study, machine learning approach overcomes the low sensitivity and specificity of Framingham model

A Review of Materials used for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

Abstract: To have the benefits of clean electric power with out engines, solar panels and wind farms which are familiar sources of alternative energy were a dream of the engineers and environmentalists. Even though they are effective sources of electric energy, there are problems with the stability of their energy sources at all times. Extracting electricity from a device called as "solid electrolyte fuel cell" were demonstrated by the scientists and since then there has been an intense research and development effort on alternative energy technology known as fuel cells. Now, as energy issues are at the forefront of current events, fuel cell technology is ripening and on the verge of being ready for large scale commercial implementation. This paper briefly reviews materials currently used in the solid oxide fuel cells ,merits and demerits of the various materials used in SOFC such as Electrolytes, Anode, Cathode and Interconnects are discussed and in addition various fabrication processes and structural supports are reviewed. Materials are to be developed for all components of SOFC, in order to reduce operating temperature and overall cost

The impact of Bt cotton on poor households in rural India

The impact of genetically modified (GM) crops on the poor in developing countries is still the subject of controversy. While previous studies have examined direct productivity effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton and other GM crops, little is known about wider socioeconomic outcomes. We use a microeconomic modelling approach and comprehensive survey data from India to analyse welfare and distribution effects in a typical village economy. Bt cotton adoption increases returns to labour, especially for hired female workers. Likewise, aggregate household incomes rise, including for poor and vulnerable farmers. Hence, Bt cotton contributes to poverty reduction and rural development

Recognition of Facial Movements and Hand Gestures Using Surface Electromyogram(sEMG) for HCI Based Applications

This research reports the recognition of facial move-ments during unvoiced speech and the identification of hand gestures using surface Electromyogram (sEMG). The paper proposes two different methods for identifying facial move-ments and hand gestures, which can be useful for provid-ing simple commands and control to computer, an important application of HCI. Experimental results demonstrate that the features of sEMG recordings are suitable for character-ising the muscle activation during unvoiced speech and sub-tle gestures. The scatter plots from the two methods demon-strate the separation of data for each corresponding vowel and each hand gesture. The results indicate that there is small inter-experimental variation but there are large inter-subject variations. This inter-subject variation may be at-tributable to anatomical differences and different speed and style of speaking for the different subjects. The proposed system provides better results when is trained and tested by individual user. The possible applications of this research include giving simple commands to computer for disabled, developing prosthetic hands, use of classifying sEMG for HCI based systems. 1

Exercise and coronary heart disease risk markers in South Asian and European men

PURPOSE: South Asians have a higher than average risk of coronary heart disease. The reasons for this are unclear but physical inactivity and/or poor responsiveness to exercise may play a role. This study compared the effect of prior exercise on postprandial triacylglycerol (TAG), glucose, insulin, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) concentrations in South Asian and European men. METHODS: Ten healthy South Asian men (i.e. nine Indian men and one Pakistani man) and 10 healthy European men aged 20 to 28 years completed two, 2-day trials (exercise and control) in a randomised-crossover design. On the afternoon of day 1 of the exercise trial, participants ran on a treadmill for 60 minutes at approximately 70% of maximal oxygen uptake. Participants rested on day 1 of the control trial. On day 2 of both trials participants rested and consumed high fat (57% of energy content) test meals for breakfast (0 h) and lunch (4 h). Fourteen venous blood samples were collected from a cannula between 0 h and 9 h for metabolic measurements. RESULTS: Three-way ANOVA identified higher (P < 0.05) postprandial TAG and insulin concentrations in South Asian versus European men. Exercise lowered postprandial TAG and IL-6 and elevated sICAM-1 concentrations. An interaction effect indicated a greater decrease (22 versus 10%) in TAG area under the concentration versus time curve after exercise in South Asian than European men. CONCLUSIONS: Postprandial TAG and insulin responses to high fat meals were elevated in these South Asian men but acute exercise was equally if not more effective for reducing postprandial lipemia in South Asian than in European men

GM crops and gender issues

Correspondence in the December issue by Jonathan Gressel not only states that gender issues in rural settings have not been adequately addressed with respect to weed control biotech but also asserts that such technology can increase the quality of life of rural women in developing countries. Improved weed control is a labor-saving technology that can result in less employment in a labor surplus rural economy. Often in rural areas, wage income is the main source of income and an important determinant of the quality of life, particularly where employment opportunities are generally limited. Apart from soil preparation, planting and weeding, harvesting is also 'femanual' work that can generate more employment if yields are higher. Biotech can enhance the quality of life of women but only if the technology is associated with overall generation of rural employment

N-(4-Chloro­phenyl­sulfon­yl)-2-methyl­propanamide

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C10H12ClNO3S, the N—C bond in the C—SO2—NH—C segment has a gauche torsion with respect to the S=O bonds. The mol­ecule is twisted at the S atom with a C—S—N—C torsion angle of −62.3 (3)°. The benzene ring and the SO2—NH—CO—C segment form a dihedral angle of 89.3 (1)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into inversion dimers

N-(2,6-Dimethyl­phen­yl)-2,4-dimethyl­benzene­sulfonamide

Mol­ecules of the title compound, C16H19NO2S, are bent at the S atom with a C—SO2—NH—C torsion angle of −60.0 (2)°. The dihedral angle between the phenyl­sulfonyl and aniline rings is 41.7 (1)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are packed into centrosymmetric dimers through pairs of N—H⋯O(S) hydrogen bonds