26 research outputs found
Iron Behaving Badly: Inappropriate Iron Chelation as a Major Contributor to the Aetiology of Vascular and Other Progressive Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases
The production of peroxide and superoxide is an inevitable consequence of
aerobic metabolism, and while these particular "reactive oxygen species" (ROSs)
can exhibit a number of biological effects, they are not of themselves
excessively reactive and thus they are not especially damaging at physiological
concentrations. However, their reactions with poorly liganded iron species can
lead to the catalytic production of the very reactive and dangerous hydroxyl
radical, which is exceptionally damaging, and a major cause of chronic
inflammation. We review the considerable and wide-ranging evidence for the
involvement of this combination of (su)peroxide and poorly liganded iron in a
large number of physiological and indeed pathological processes and
inflammatory disorders, especially those involving the progressive degradation
of cellular and organismal performance. These diseases share a great many
similarities and thus might be considered to have a common cause (i.e.
iron-catalysed free radical and especially hydroxyl radical generation). The
studies reviewed include those focused on a series of cardiovascular, metabolic
and neurological diseases, where iron can be found at the sites of plaques and
lesions, as well as studies showing the significance of iron to aging and
longevity. The effective chelation of iron by natural or synthetic ligands is
thus of major physiological (and potentially therapeutic) importance. As
systems properties, we need to recognise that physiological observables have
multiple molecular causes, and studying them in isolation leads to inconsistent
patterns of apparent causality when it is the simultaneous combination of
multiple factors that is responsible. This explains, for instance, the
decidedly mixed effects of antioxidants that have been observed, etc...Comment: 159 pages, including 9 Figs and 2184 reference
F-18-fluoride-PET for dynamic in vivo monitoring of bone formation in multiple myeloma
Background: Bone disease in multiple myeloma is characterized by reduced bone formation. The gold standard of bone formation is the mineral apposition rate (MAR), an invasive technique reflecting bone formation at a single site. We compared F-18-fluoride-PET with the MAR in myeloma patients. Methods: Bone formation was measured before and after bortezomib treatment by determination of the MAR in iliac bone marrow biopsies and the measurement of F-18-uptake. Results: The inter-and intra-individual variations in F-18-uptake (SUVA50%) were pronounced as 33.50 (range 4.42 to 37.92) and 27.18 (range 4.00 to 31.18), respectively. A significant correlation between the MAR and F-18-uptake was found (r = 0.80, p = 0.017). There was a heterogeneous response after treatment varying from -2.20 to 4.53. Conclusions: Iliac F-18-uptake was associated with the local MAR in myeloma patients. Furthermore, F-18-fluoride-PET demonstrated the heterogeneity of in vivo bone formation, enabling monitoring during treatment
Interventions and decision-making at the end of life: the effect of establishing the terminal illness situation
Background: Mobile learning (m-learning) has becoming very popular in education due to the rapidly advancing
technology in our society. The potentials of the mobile applications should be used to enhance the education
process. Few mobile applications have been designed to complement the study of physical therapy skills for
physiotherapy students. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a mobile application, as a supplement
to traditional learning, is useful for physiotherapy students in the acquisition of palpation and ultrasound skills in
the shoulder area.
Methods: Forty-nine students participated in this single-blinded, randomized controlled study. They were randomly
distributed into two groups: experimental, with free access to the mobile application; and control, with access to
traditional learning materials on the topic. Objective structured clinical evaluation (OSCE) and multiple-choice
questionnaire (MCQ) were used to assess the educational intervention. Then, we also assessed the time taken
to get a reliable ultrasound image and to localize a specific shoulder structure by palpation.
Results: There was no significant intergroup difference in the acquisition of theoretical knowledge (p = .089).
Scores were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group for the majority items
in the ultrasound assessment; positioning of patient (p < .001), positioning of ultrasound probe (p = 0.007), handling of
ultrasound probe (p = .013) and global OSCE (p < .001) and skills in palpation of the shoulder; position of patient
(p = .009), direction of palpation contact (p = .021) and global OSCE (p = .034). There were no significant differences in
the time required to perform the examination between groups in ultrasound (p = .944) and palpation (p = .393).
The results from the post-program survey assessing the global satisfaction with the mobile application were high
(8.200 ± .767), on an 11 numeric point rating scale.
Conclusion: These results suggest the effectiveness of an m-learning program as a complement to traditional
education for developing skills in ultrasound and palpation of the shoulder region in undergraduate physiotherapy
students.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the
research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was
funded by a grant from the Educational Innovation Unit of the University
of Granada, Spain (PID 13–86)