Assessment of tolerability of &#946- blockade therapy in patient with left ventricular systolic dysfunction heart failure

Back ground: Little data exist to demonstrate the tolerability of β-blocker therapy in an unselected community heart failure population already treated with the clinical trial or higher dose ACEI or ARB. Methods and results: 141 patients who had left ventricular systolic failure on standard therapy were recruited in our study. Patients were assigned to receive either Carvedilol or Bisoprolol. Conclusion: This prospective observational study showed that β-blocker therapy is well tolerated and can be safely titrated in an out-patient setting.Keywords: Carvedilol, Bisoprolol

The influence of AB genome variation on the high-temperature tolerance of wheat

Heat stress is a major constraint to wheat yield in many wheat growing regions including Australia. This study examined potential new genetic diversity for heat tolerance from emmer wheat introgressed into hexaploid bread wheat. A total of 554 genotypes (537 emmer based hexaploid lines and 17 commercial cultivars and/or parents) were evaluated at two times of sowing in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Many of the field selected emmer derived lines had stable yield across environments. The impact of high temperature was greatest at anthesis and grain yield was reduced by between 4 and 7% with every 1oC rise in maximum temperature above the optimum of 25°C under field conditions. A contrasting pair of emmer derived lines, with equivalent yield under optimal conditions and a divergent yield under high temperature was chosen for more intensive study using in-field controlled temperature chambers and the glasshouse. The heat tolerant line expressed better photosynthetic capacity and a faster rate of grain fill. All material was genotyped using a 90K SNP platform. A genome wide association analysis was then performed to identify possible marker trait associations based on the multi-year, multi-environment data. A number of marker trait associations (MTAs) were detected for yield and associated traits under heat stress. Thus the probable genetic control of heat tolerance was identified; however these MTAs must be confirmed in unrelated germplasm. The combination of phenotyping methods was effective in identifying heat tolerant germplasm. A heat tolerant wheat ideotype for north-western NSW was constructed on the basis of the observed trait responses and their association with grain yield under heat stress. The new genetic variability identified in this study, the probable genetic control of heat tolerance and the three-tiered screening methodology can be used to improve the heat tolerance of wheat

Removal of phosphate ions from aqueous solutions using bauxite obtained from Mulanje, Malawi

Studies on stream water and effluent from selected wastewater treatment plants in Blantyre, Malawi, have reported phosphate concentrations above recommended levels. High phosphate levels in the effluent and streams pose a threat to aquatic life through the stimulation of excessive growth of plants and toxic cyanobacteria. Phosphate removal by bauxite was investigated as a function of pH, contact time, dosage, competing ions and initial phosphate concentration by means of jar tests. Phosphate removal increased with decreasing pH with maximum removal (99.75%) recorded at pH 2.40 ± 0.10. Phosphate removal was attributed to ligand exchange reactions with gibbsite and goethite minerals that are chemically and electrostatically favoured at low pH. Bauxite indicated a high phosphate removal capacity with 98.42% removal recorded for a dosage of 15 g/l. This was attributed to the presence of goethite and gibbsite minerals for which phosphate has a strong affinity. Kinetics studies revealed a fast adsorption reaction with 61 and 65% phosphate removal achieved after 30 min of contact at 20 and 40°C respectively. Phosphate removal was enhanced in the individual presence of calcium and magnesium ions whereas carbonate and sulphate ions reduced it by competing for active sites.Key words: Adsorption, bauxite, phosphate, gibbsite, goethite, eutrophication

Adherence of Sudanese Coronary Artery Disease Patients to Secondary Prevention Medications at Elshaab Teaching Hospital, Sudan

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD), worldwide, is the most common type of heart disease. Adherence to the evidence-based medications for secondary prevention is associated with further improvement in the outcomes.Objectives: To identify level of adherence towards secondary prevention medications among Sudanese ischemic heart disease patients.Materials and Methods: This is a cross sectional hospital-based study, performed in the period from August 2012 through January 2013.Audit of Adherence of Sudanese Cardiac Patients to Secondary Prevention of Ischemic Heart Disease at Elshaab Teaching Hospital Khartoum, Sudan was done using a questionnaire for assessment.Results: A total of 210 patients were included in this study. Their mean (±SD) age was 60.8(±12.3) years. Of them, 190 patients have high risk factors and 167 were on regular follow up. 195(92.9%)patients were on ACEI/ARBs and Aspirin. 116(55.2%) were on clopidogrel and 203 (96.7%) on statin.Conclusion: 140(66.7%) patients were strictly adherent to medications, 21(10%) partially adherent and 49(23.3%) were totally not adherent. Lack of adherence was mainly due to poverty and high cost of medications.Key words: Adherence, coronary artery disease, secondary prevention, evidence-based medications, Sudan

The Efficacy of Fitting Cochlear Implants Based on Pitch Perception

Cochlear implants (CI) provide useful hearing for many hearing-impaired individuals. The CI’s external sound processor has to be programmed to optimise performance. However, performance varies greatly amongst CI recipients. This thesis evaluated a pure-tone electrode-differentiation (PTED) pitch-ranking task for optimising programming. The PTED was evaluated for reliability, validity and clinical-suitability. PTED scores were a significant (p<0.05) predictor of speech-perception. The angular-depth-of-insertion for the CI array was estimated for 16 recipients, there was a significant correlation with speech-perception. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) increased accuracy for estimating scalar-placement of electrodes and no association was found with speech-perception. 25 unilaterally-implanted recipients received programs with indiscriminable electrodes deactivated based on PTED. Two programs were provided, one with the same rate-of-pulses-per-channel (RPC) as the clinical program and one with increased RPC. Programs were evaluated in a cross-over study. Speech-perception was evaluated using BKB (Bamford-Kowal-Bench) sentences in quiet and noise and the Coordinate Response Measure (CRM). Statistically significant improvements were found with at least one research program on all measures. A pure-tone intermediate frequency (PTIF) task was conducted to compare pitch perception in regions of good ED with regions of poor ED. Participants gaining benefit from electrode deactivation had fewer intermediate frequencies (IF) in poor ED regions compared to good ED regions and more IF in electrode deactivation regions following deactivation. This pattern was not observed in participants not gaining benefit from electrode deactivation. Six bilaterally-implanted participants underwent pitch matching between ears and new programs were created using only discriminable electrodes. Two matching approaches were used; direct stimulation via clinical equipment and pure-tone stimulation. Significant improvements were found in localisation and BKB in noise with at least one research program. The results of these experiments suggest potential for improving performance for CI users by programming based on PTED; a clinically viable task

pH dependence of sorption of Cd2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ and Cr3+ on crude water and sodium chloride extracts of Moringa stenopetala and Moringa oleifera,/i>

The ability of crude water and sodium chloride extracts of partially defatted powder of Moringa stenopetala (MS) and Moringa oleifera (MO) to remove heavy metals (Cd2+, Zn2+, Cu2+ and Cr3+) fromsingle ion solution was investigated. At initial metal concentration of about 4 ppm, the extracts showed complete sorption for Cd2+, Zn2+ and Cr3+ ions at pH above 7.8, 4.0 and 4.0, respectively, at a dose of 1.0 ml of sorbent in 9.50 ml of metal solution. Cu2+ sorption increases slightly with pH to about 60% for MS at pH 6 and then becomes constant up to pH 8 when sorption rises to completion. Preliminarycharacterization of the actual powder by proton nuclear magnetic resonance showed clear presence of amide (-CO-N-H), benzenoid (Ar-H), saturated alkyl and unsaturated fragments in both MS and MO. The mass spectrum showed the presence of amino (R-NH2) fragments. The remarkable heavy metal sorption ability of M. stenopetala and M. oleifera could thus be attributable to, among other mechanisms,coordination or complex formation between the metal cations and pH dependent oxygen and nitrogen anionic sites of the Moringa proteins

Dietary behavior and its influencing factors among experienced shiftwork nurses: a secondary analysis

Purpose This study investigated the dietary behavior of experienced shiftwork nurses and aimed to identify factors related to dietary behavior. Methods This study was a secondary analysis based on the Shift Work Nurses’ Health and Turnover study (2018-2021) among Korean nurses. In total, 247 experienced (>12 months) shiftwork nurses were included in this study. The participants’ dietary behavior, depression, level of occupational stress, fatigue, physical activity, and general characteristics were measured. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. Results The dietary behavior score of the participants using the Mini-Dietary Assessment Index was 29.35±5.67. Thirty percent of the participants were depressed, the participants experienced moderate occupational stress, and 74.1% of the participants engaged in an inadequate amount of physical activity. The factors influencing shiftwork nurses’ dietary behavior were having child(ren) (β=.16, p=.027), depression (β=–.13, p=.032), level of occupational stress related to occupational climate (β=–.13, p=.035), and an inadequate amount of physical activity (β=–.17, p=.006). These factors explained 10.4% of the variance in experienced shiftwork nurses’ dietary behavior scores. Conclusion Experienced nurses with child(ren) tended to have healthier diets. However, a higher level of occupational stress related to occupational climate, depression, and engaging in an inadequate amount of physical activity were associated with a higher risk of having an unhealthy diet. Therefore, strategies are needed to encourage physical activity and alleviate adverse occupational climate and depression among experienced nurses

Genetic Contribution of Emmer Wheat (Triticum dicoccon Schrank) to Heat Tolerance of Bread Wheat

Rising global temperatures cause substantial yield losses in many wheat growing environments. Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccon Schrank), one of the first wheat species domesticated, carries significant variation for tolerance to abiotic stresses. This study identified new genetic variability for high-temperature tolerance in hexaploid progeny derived from crosses with emmer wheat. Eight hexaploid and 11 tetraploid parents were recombined in 43 backcross combinations using the hexaploid as the recurrent parent. A total of 537 emmer-based hexaploid lines were developed by producing approximately 10 doubled haploids on hexaploid like BC1F1 progeny and subsequent selection for hexaploid morphology. These materials and 17 commercial cultivars and hexaploid recurrent parents were evaluated under two times of sowing in the field, in 2014–2016. The materials were genotyped using a 90K SNP platform and these data were used to estimate the contribution of emmer wheat to the progeny. Significant phenotypic and genetic variation for key agronomical traits including grain yield, TKW and screenings was observed. Many of the emmer derived lines showed improved performance under heat stress (delayed sowing) compared with parents and commercial cultivars. Emmer derived lines were the highest yielding material in both sowing dates. The emmer wheat parent contributed between 1 and 44% of the genome of the derived lines. Emmer derived lines with superior kernel weight and yield generally had a greater genetic contribution from the emmer parent compared to those with lower trait values. The study showed that new genetic variation for key traits such as yield, kernel weight and screenings can be introduced to hexaploid wheat from emmer wheat. These genetic resources should be explored more systematically to stabilize grain yield and quality in a changing climate