The Impact of Organochlorine Pesticides and Lipid Biomarkers on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is classified as a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia that results from defects in insulin action and/or secretion, and currently affects 8.3% of the US population according to the CDC’s 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet. Several contributing factors have been identified to development of this disease. Published evidence indicates type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients display lower overall paraoxonase activity and that this may be partially due to genetic variations in the paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) gene. Some bioaccumulative organochlorine (OC) pesticides have been shown to contribute to increased T2DM prevalence. In addition, these OC compound levels have been associated with alterations in adipocyte cytokine levels as well as increased inflammatory markers. Three hundred blood samples with clinical and demographic information were obtained from two US Air Force hospitals. A total of 151 non-diabetics and 149 T2DM subjects were evaluated for PON-1 activity, PON-1 Q192R and L55M genetic polymorphisms, OC compound concentrations, inflammatory marker levels and adipokine concentrations. PON-1 activity, using diazoxon as the substrate, was decreased in the T2DM subjects. Some of the PON-1 genetic polymorphisms tested were also associated with decreased PON-1 activity. OC compound levels were increased in the T2DM subjects. The non-diabetic subjects possessing elevated DDE and trans-nonachlor were associated with increased inflammation, a common hallmark of early T2DM development. Additionally, elevated OC levels were seen in association with altered adipokine concentrations. Overall, a decrease in the antioxidant properties of PON-1 as well as factors contributing to chronic low level inflammation such as elevated OC plasma concentration appear to be significant contributors to T2DM prevalence in the population studied

The Impact of Organochlorine Pesticides and Lipid Biomarkers on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is classified as a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia that results from defects in insulin action and/or secretion, and currently affects 8.3% of the US population according to the CDC’s 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet. Several contributing factors have been identified to development of this disease. Published evidence indicates type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients display lower overall paraoxonase activity and that this may be partially due to genetic variations in the paraoxonase-1 (PON-1) gene. Some bioaccumulative organochlorine (OC) pesticides have been shown to contribute to increased T2DM prevalence. In addition, these OC compound levels have been associated with alterations in adipocyte cytokine levels as well as increased inflammatory markers. Three hundred blood samples with clinical and demographic information were obtained from two US Air Force hospitals. A total of 151 non-diabetics and 149 T2DM subjects were evaluated for PON-1 activity, PON-1 Q192R and L55M genetic polymorphisms, OC compound concentrations, inflammatory marker levels and adipokine concentrations. PON-1 activity, using diazoxon as the substrate, was decreased in the T2DM subjects. Some of the PON-1 genetic polymorphisms tested were also associated with decreased PON-1 activity. OC compound levels were increased in the T2DM subjects. The non-diabetic subjects possessing elevated DDE and trans-nonachlor were associated with increased inflammation, a common hallmark of early T2DM development. Additionally, elevated OC levels were seen in association with altered adipokine concentrations. Overall, a decrease in the antioxidant properties of PON-1 as well as factors contributing to chronic low level inflammation such as elevated OC plasma concentration appear to be significant contributors to T2DM prevalence in the population studied

Distributed generation in electricity networks : benchmarking models and revenue caps

The main focus of this thesis is the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate’s regulation model for the grid companies in Norway. We have taken a special interest in distributed generation and how the model compensates the companies for including this kind of production. We analyze in depth how one distributed generation project affects the revenue cap of a few companies, as well as the effect of future potential changes to the industry and model. We found that the project is very lucrative, but that the underlying assumptions are sensitive to changes in the industry. We also looked at a possible future regulation model, in which the project is even more lucrative, and where the data are less sensitive to changes in the industry. We also analyze the effect of changing some of the model parameters (e.g. rho) and illustrate the effects of charging investment contributio

Efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation in anxiety disorders: Subgroup analysis of the randomized, active- and placebo-controlled EAGLES trial.

BackgroundSmoking rates are high in adults with anxiety disorders (ADs), yet little is known about the safety and efficacy of smoking-cessation pharmacotherapies in this group.MethodsPost hoc analyses in 712 smokers with AD (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], n = 192; generalized anxiety disorder [GAD], n = 243; panic disorder [PD], n = 277) and in a nonpsychiatric cohort (NPC; n = 4,028). Participants were randomly assigned to varenicline, bupropion, nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT), or placebo plus weekly smoking-cessation counseling for 12 weeks, with 12 weeks follow-up. General linear models were used to test the effects of treatment group, cohort, and their interaction on neuropsychiatric adverse events (NPSAEs), and continuous abstinence weeks 9-12 (treatment) and 9-24 (follow-up).ResultsNPSAE incidence for PTSD (6.9%), GAD (5.4%), and PD (6.2%) was higher versus NPC (2.1%), regardless of treatment. Across all treatments, smokers with PTSD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.58), GAD (OR = 0.72), and PD (OR = 0.53) had lower continuous abstinence rates weeks 9-12 (CAR9-12) versus NPC. Varenicline demonstrated superior efficacy to placebo in smokers with GAD and PD, respectively (OR = 4.53; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20-17.10; and OR = 8.49; 95% CI = 1.57-45.78); NRT was superior to placebo in smokers with PD (OR = 7.42; 95% CI = 1.37-40.35). While there was no statistically significant effect of any treatment on CAR9-12 for smokers with PTSD, varenicline improved 7-day point prevalence abstinence at end of treatment in this subcohort.ConclusionIndividuals with ADs were more likely than those without psychiatric illness to experience moderate to severe NPSAEs during smoking-cessation attempts, regardless of treatment. While the study was not powered to evaluate abstinence outcomes with these subgroups of smokers with ADs, varenicline provided significant benefit for cessation in those with GAD and PD, while NRT provided significant benefit for those with PD

A Glossary of Words Used in South-West Lincolnshire (Wapentake of Grafoe)

Glosario. -- Lincolnshire. -- Wapentake of Grafoe. -- Pertenece a la colección Varia 1800-1950 de The Salamanca Corpus. -- Robert Eden George Cole, 1831-1921. -- A Glossary of Words Used in South-West Lincolnshire (Wapentake of Grafoe). -- 1886.[ES] Glosario de Lincolnshire. [EN] Glossary of Lincolnshire

Cognitive Information Processing

Contains reports on three research projects.Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-74-C-0630)National Science Foundation (Grant GK-33736X2

Factors Associated with Institutionalization for Treatment of Active Tuberculosis: A Synopsis from In-depth Patient Interviews

To increase the effectiveness of therapeutic regimens for tuberculosis (TB) and to reduce the societal risks for both infected and uninfected individuals, it is beneficial to be able to predict factors associated with non-adherence to treatment. The purpose of this study was to acquire detailed case histories of TB patients admitted to a hospital setting and to gain a better understanding of how patients explain the life events leading up to their admission for treatment. Twenty-one patients with active TB were interviewed concerning their knowledge of TB, diagnosis and treatment history, recent history prior to hospitalization, reactions to and life changes associated with having TB, and future life intentions following treatment. Three situations were identified that contributed to institutionalization: inability to carry out self-care; need for specialized care to address conditions beyond the patient’s control; and failure to follow the therapeutic regimen. Results confirmed known risk factors for acquisition of TB, situations that delay diagnosis and treatment, and variables that influence adherence and defaulting. Coordinated case management of multiple problems co-occurring with TB treatment may contribute to improved adherence. Consideration of psychosocial and economic needs is important to patient care. Improved communication between health care personnel and patients may enhance the likelihood of successful directly observed therapy (DOT) outside of an institutionalized setting. Some circumstances may preclude non- institutionalized care. These findings bring a dimensional richness to understanding of the patient’s view of the disease and institutionalized care

Revealing the Root Causes of Digital Health Data Quality Issues: A Qualitative Investigation of the Odigos Framework

Digital health data quality is a critical concern in the healthcare industry, jeopardizing the secondary use of data for revolutionizing population health, and hindering patient care and organizational outcomes. Limited published evidence exists for explaining why these data quality issues emerge. The Odigos framework is a notable exception asserting that data quality issues emerge from three worlds: material world (e.g., technology artifact), personal world (e.g., technology users/use), and social world (e.g., organizations/ institutions) but has yet to systematically unpack the elements within these worlds. Through deductive and inductive analysis of interview data from a case study of the Emergency Department of Australia’s first large digital hospital, we apply and extend the Odigos framework by identifying elements emanating from the three worlds and their interrelationships as root causes of data quality issues. These elements can then be used by hospitals to develop strategies to proactively improve their digital health data quality

Assessing the relative importance of isolated Ficus trees to insectivorous birds in an Indian human-modified tropical landscape

The destruction of forest for agricultural expansion has created a vast estate of human-modified land in tropical regions. One group of organisms that are particularly vulnerable to the loss of forest habitat are insectivorous birds. Despite this, few conservation strategies have been identified for this group in human-modified landscapes. We survey the use of 104 isolated trees by insectivorous birds in rural Assam, India. We used an information theoretic model comparison approach to determine the important variables driving insectivorous bird diversity within these isolated trees. Our work demonstrates that the conservation of large trees in human-modified landscapes may play an important role in maintaining bird diversity and ecological function beyond the forest edge. More specifically, we found that isolated Ficus trees hold assemblages with particularly high insectivore abundance, richness and functional diversity when compared to other isolated fruit and large trees. We argue that, where present, Ficus trees should be actively conserved in human-modified landscapes to maintain the composition of insectivore communities in a “Ficus first” strategy