An assessment of environmental conditions in bedrooms of contemporary low energy houses in Scotland

This paper describes the monitored environmental conditions in the bedrooms of 26 low energy houses in Scotland, include both naturally ventilation and houses with MVHR systems. The context of the paper is the performance gap that is emerging between design predictions and actual performance of housing, and this paper focuses on the environmental performance of bedrooms. Bedrooms are of particular interest as they are the spaces in which occupants have the greatest exposure to the indoor environment, and in which conditions are relatively constant. The study indicates that ventilation is generally poor in these spaces and that both temperature and humidity frequently exceed accepted parameters for comfort and health. Increased window opening is a mitigating factor, but effects are limited by overall ventilation strategies

Contribuição ao estudo da interrelação flúor-manganês em ratos

Devido a numerosas discrepâncias nos resultados de estudos experimentais relativos à interação flúor-manganês, propusemo-nos a verificar se a adição de manganês 5 água fluoretada (1 ppm), em diferentes proporções fluor-manganês, levaria a uma diferente fixaçao do halogênio. Para tanto, 24 ratos Wistar, recém-desmamados, foram mantidos em dieta padrão de caseína a 27%, recebendo na sua água de consumo: 1) H2O destilada (controle); 2) 1,0 ppm de flúor: 3) 1,0 ppm de flúor + 0,5 ppm de manganês (F:Mn = 2,0); 4) 1,0 ppm de flúor +1,0 ppm de manganês (F: Mn = 1,0). Foram anotados o peso ganho e o consumo de alimento e água, durante os 60 dias de experimento, após o qual as patas traseiras, dos animais sacrificados, foram autoclavadas e desossadas, e os femures retirados. Posteriormente, foram estes submetidos à secagem, extração da gordura, pulverização e analise do flúor fixado. Também foram efetuadas analises da composição centesimal da ração e de flúor e manganês nesta e nas diferentes águas de consumo. Os resultados de percentagem do flúor ingerido fixado nos femures, foram analisados estatisticamente pelo teste não-paramétrico de Kruskal-Wallis (níveis de 1% e 5%) mostrando que, para as proporções consideradas, o flúor na taxa de 1 ppm, o manganês, quando administrado após o desmame, parece não afetar a fixaçao do flúor. Contudo, faz-se necessário dar continuidade aos estudos com novas proporções e taxas mais elevadas de flúor e manganês.An experiment to determine the effects of varying the manganese concentration of the diet on the fluorine retention in the femur of rats was made. Four groups of weaning rats were fed ad libitum a 27% casein synthetic diet and were provided with water as follows: 1) distilled (control); 2) containing 1 ppm of fluorine (F); 3) 1,0 ppm F + 0,5 ppm Mn; 4) 1 ppm F + 1 ppm Mn. The weight gain and food and water consumption were measured during 60 days. The results indicated that manganese does not seem to affect the proportional fixation of fluorine in the femur. The authors think that more data should be available before a definite conclusion on the influence of the ratio F:Mn on the fluorine retention could be drawn

Global variation in diabetes diagnosis and prevalence based on fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c

Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are both used to diagnose diabetes, but these measurements can identify different people as having diabetes. We used data from 117 population-based studies and quantified, in different world regions, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, and whether those who were previously undiagnosed and detected as having diabetes in survey screening, had elevated FPG, HbA1c or both. We developed prediction equations for estimating the probability that a person without previously diagnosed diabetes, and at a specific level of FPG, had elevated HbA1c, and vice versa. The age-standardized proportion of diabetes that was previously undiagnosed and detected in survey screening ranged from 30% in the high-income western region to 66% in south Asia. Among those with screen-detected diabetes with either test, the age-standardized proportion who had elevated levels of both FPG and HbA1c was 29–39% across regions; the remainder had discordant elevation of FPG or HbA1c. In most low- and middle-income regions, isolated elevated HbA1c was more common than isolated elevated FPG. In these regions, the use of FPG alone may delay diabetes diagnosis and underestimate diabetes prevalence. Our prediction equations help allocate finite resources for measuring HbA1c to reduce the global shortfall in diabetes diagnosis and surveillance

The Role of Calcium-Activated Protease Calpain in Experimental Retinal Pathology

The purpose of this review is to present the recent evidence linking the family of ubiquitous proteases called calpains (EC 3.4.22.17) to neuropathologies of the retina. The hypothesis being tested in such studies is that over-activation of calpains by elevated intracellular calcium contributes to retinal cell death produced by conditions such as elevated intraocular pressure and hypoxia. Recent x-ray diffraction studies have provided insight into the molecular events causing calpain activation. Further, x-ray diffraction data has provided details on how side chains on calpain inhibitors affect docking into the active site of calpain 1. This opens the possibility of testing calpain-specific inhibitors, such as SJA6017 and SNJ1945, for human safety and as a site-directed form of treatment for retinal pathologies

Selenium Uptake into Teeth Determined by Fluorimetry

Selenium concentrations in successive layers of bovine incisor enamel showed no concentration gradient and no increase with age. Selenium was taken up into the continuously-growing rat incisor in proportion to the amount of selenium in the diet. A sensitive (~ 1 ng Se) and relatively simple fluorimetric method for determining selenium in small amounts of hard tissues is presented. </jats:p