Electrocardiographic early repolarization characteristics and clinical presentations in the young: a benign finding or worrisome marker for arrhythmias

BackgroundThe early ECG repolarization QRS pattern (ERp), with J‐point elevation of 0.1 mV in two contiguous inferior and/or lateral leads, can be associated with ventricular arrhythmias among adults. The significance of an ERp in the young is unknown.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of ERp among young patients (pts), describe and correlate the characteristics with clinical presentations and any arrhythmias.MethodsThis was a 1 y retrospective review of ECGs obtained from patients referred specifically for documented arrhythmias, possible arrhythmia‐related symptoms or sports clearance. ECGs were analyzed for ERp (J‐point, ascending/horizontal patterns, location) and correlated with presenting complaints.ResultsOf 301 patient ECGs, an ERp was found in 177 (59%), (pts age 11.7 ± 4.3 y); 54% male; 23% Caucasian. Of these, 6 pts had a family history of sudden cardiac death. Arrhythmias (72% atrial) occurred in 22 pts. Only 3 pts had ventricular arrhythmias (1 successfully ablated). The ascending ST segment and elevated J‐point occurred in 77% and 51% of pts with and without arrhythmias respectively. In 73% of all pts, the ERp location was in inferior/lateral leads. Neither gender, ethnicity, large J‐point, lead location, nor the combination of a horizontal ST segment with large J‐point correlated with any arrhythmias.ConclusionsERp, especially the diffuse ascending pattern, is common among the young, in those of European ethnicity, found equally in both genders, and with no apparent correlation with atrial nor ventricular arrhythmias.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136329/1/chd12410.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136329/2/chd12410_am.pd

The THREAT-ARREST Cyber-Security Training Platform

Cyber security is always a main concern for critical infrastructures and nation-wide safety and sustainability. Thus, advanced cyber ranges and security training is becoming imperative for the involved organizations. This paper presets a cyber security training platform, called THREAT-ARREST. The various platform modules can analyze an organization’s system, identify the most critical threats, and tailor a training program to its personnel needs. Then, different training programmes are created based on the trainee types (i.e. administrator, simple operator, etc.), providing several teaching procedures and accomplishing diverse learning goals. One of the main novelties of THREAT-ARREST is the modelling of these programmes along with the runtime monitoring, management, and evaluation operations. The platform is generic. Nevertheless, its applicability in a smart energy case study is detailed

4-(4-Chloro-2-methylphenoxy)-N-hydroxybutanamide (CMH) targets mRNA of the c-FLIP variants and induces apoptosis in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

Cellular FLICE (FADD-like IL-1β-converting enzyme)-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) is a major resistance factor for the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand TRAIL and in drug resistance in human malignancies. c-FLIP is an antagonist of caspases-8 and -10, which inhibits apoptosis and is expressed as long (c-FLIPL) and short (c-FLIPS) splice forms. c-FLIP is often overexpressed in various human cancers, including breast cancer. Several studies have shown that silencing c-FLIP by specific siRNAs sensitizes cancer cells to TRAIL and anticancer agents. However, systemic use of siRNA as a therapeutic agent is not practical at present. In order to reduce or inhibit c-FLIP expression, small molecules are needed to allow targeting c-FLIP without inhibiting caspases-8 and -10. We used a small molecule inhibitor of c-FLIP, 4-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)-N-hydroxybutanamide (CMH), and show that CMH, but not its inactive analog, downregulated c-FLIPL and c-FLIPS mRNA and protein levels, caused poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) degradation, reduced cell survival, and induced apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. These results revealed that c-FLIP is a critical apoptosis regulator that can serve as a target for small molecule inhibitors that downregulate its expression and serve as effective targeted therapeutics against breast cancer cells

Formulation and Evaluation of Topically Retained Hydrogels Loaded with Timolol Maleate Microspheres for Extended Release in Treating Glaucoma

Conventional aqueous eye drop formulations have a shorter retention period and wash out of the precorneal region more easily. In this study, biodegradable microsphere-loaded hydrogels were developed to extend the time of residence and improve the drug bioavailability. The prepared microspheres were fabricated using PLGA as the biodegradable polymer and PVA as the surfactant. Hydrogels were prepared using Carbopol 940 and Gellan gum as gelling agents. Methods: The microspheres were created through a technique known as double emulsion solvent evaporation method. Evaluation included for its percentage yield, entrapment efficiency, particle size and surface morphology of the prepared microspheres. Timolol Maleate microsphere loaded hydrogel underwent assessments for pH, spreadability, rheological behaviour, sterility, antimicrobial efficacy, in vitro release studies, drug release kinetics and ocular irritation. Results: FTIR analysis confirmed compatibility between the drug and polymer. SEM observations indicated spherical microspheres with sizes ranging from 1 to 12 µm, suitable for ocular application. All formulations exhibited pH values between 4.2 and 5.0, with gelation occurring at 35°C to 38°C. Formulation F3 demonstrated optimal viscosity (1486 – 1850 cps) and good spreadability. Sterility tests were successful, and F3 displayed a drug release of 82.6% after 24 hours. Antimicrobial studies exhibited inhibition zones, and ocular tests on rabbits revealed no irritation. Stability analysis indicated no significant changes in pH or clarity. Conclusion: Based on physiological, rheological, and in vitro evaluations F3 was identified as the most suitable formulation for extended Timolol Maleate release via hydrogel, holding promise for effective glaucoma treatment

Flexible and Robust Privacy-Preserving Implicit Authentication

Implicit authentication consists of a server authenticating a user based on the user's usage profile, instead of/in addition to relying on something the user explicitly knows (passwords, private keys, etc.). While implicit authentication makes identity theft by third parties more difficult, it requires the server to learn and store the user's usage profile. Recently, the first privacy-preserving implicit authentication system was presented, in which the server does not learn the user's profile. It uses an ad hoc two-party computation protocol to compare the user's fresh sampled features against an encrypted stored user's profile. The protocol requires storing the usage profile and comparing against it using two different cryptosystems, one of them order-preserving; furthermore, features must be numerical. We present here a simpler protocol based on set intersection that has the advantages of: i) requiring only one cryptosystem; ii) not leaking the relative order of fresh feature samples; iii) being able to deal with any type of features (numerical or non-numerical). Keywords: Privacy-preserving implicit authentication, privacy-preserving set intersection, implicit authentication, active authentication, transparent authentication, risk mitigation, data brokers.Comment: IFIP SEC 2015-Intl. Information Security and Privacy Conference, May 26-28, 2015, IFIP AICT, Springer, to appea

Developing a Tool for Evaluating Ageism in Nursing Care of Older People in Kashan/Iran

Ageism implies negative views and attitudes towards older people. These unconscious behaviors could make the elderly feel as if they were no longer useful for the family and community. Ageism is common in healthcare services. The objective of this study was to develop a tool to assess ageism in nursing care in Kashan/Iran 2015. This psychometric study was carried out in four stages: literature review for item generation; content validity testing; exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for evaluation of construct validity; and reliability assessment. The data analyzed with SPSS version 16. The final questionnaire had 24 items. The total CVI and CVR were 0.88 and 0.57. Explanatory factor analysis identified 3 factors of respecting older adult in nursing care (14 items); age discrimination and negative views towards older adults (5 items); attention to older adult and their basic caring needs (5 items). The three factors could explain 49.54 of variance. The test-re-test correlation stood at 0.9. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was Cronbach�s alpha =0.85. A valid and reliable instrument for the evaluation of ageism in nursing care was developed in this study. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

Elevation of cyclic AMP causes an imbalance between NF-κB and p53 in NALM-6 cells treated by doxorubicin

We previously showed that cAMP can inhibit DNA damage-induced wild type p53 accumulation in human pre-B NALM-6 cells, leading to a profound reduction of their apoptotic response. Here, we provide evidence for the potentiation of DNA damage-induced NF-κB activation by cAMP. We found that inhibition of NF-κB activation prevents the inhibitory effect of cAMP on doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. Moreover, cAMP exerts its inhibitory effect on doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in a PKA-independent manner. The present study also shows that elevation of cAMP prolongs the phosphorylation of IκB and subsequent activation of NF-κB in doxorubicin treated NALM-6 cells in a proteasome-dependent manner. Taken together, our results demonstrate that cAMP abrogates the balance between apoptotic and antiapoptotic transcription factors that are hallmarks of DNA damage signaling. © 2010 Federation of European Biochemical Societies

Socio-Economic Factors Affecting the Income of Small-scale Agroforestry Farms in Hill Country Areas in Yemen: A comparison of OLS and WLS Determinants

Yemen is a less-developed country in the Arabian Peninsula, with only 3% arable land. An agroforestry land-use system has been practiced traditionally by small-scale farmers, but is associated with low productivity and income. A study has been undertaken to determine the socio-economic attributes of farmers that influence the financial performance of agroforestry and nonagroforestry farms in the Bura’a Mountain region. A survey was conducted of 150 farmers involved in both agroforestry and non-agroforestry. Both OLS and WLS regression were applied, and coefficients compared in terms of consistency and goodness of fit. Incomes of farmers were found to be influenced by education, area of land, livestock holding, family size, and whether coffee is grown, but not farmer’s age. The WLS method produced efficient and consistent results, whereas OLS regression was affected by the heteroscedasticity. The findings of the study indicate that the farmers of the study area are in need of financial and technical support from government to increase their income. Infrastructural development and public intervention in developing farmers’ technical know-how could enhance production and ensure the optimum use of land as well as soil and water conservation