Influence of the technique of re-educating thoracic and abdominal muscles on respiratory muscle strength in patients with cystic fibrosis

OBJETIVO: Avaliar o efeito do método Reequilíbrio Toracoabdominal na força dos músculos respiratórios de pacientes com fibrose cística, acompanhados no Ambulatório de Fibrose Cística da Universidade Católica de Brasília. MÉTODOS: A amostra, constituída de 29 fibrocísticos, foi caracterizada com base em dados antropométricos, genéticos e de colonização bacteriana. Espirometria, manovacuometria e antropometria foram realizadas antes e depois do tratamento fisioterapêutico, no qual se utilizou o método Reequilíbrio Toracoabdominal, duas vezes por semana, durante quatro meses. RESULTADOS: Houve aumento da pressão inspiratória máxima e da pressão expiratória máxima após o tratamento fisioterapêutico em todos os pacientes, naqueles sem distúrbio ventilatório obstrutivo e naqueles com distúrbio ventilatório obstrutivo leve (p < 0,05). Foi encontrada correlação positiva entre a idade e a pressão expiratória máxima para a maioria dos grupos. A pressão inspiratória máxima só apresentou correlação positiva com a idade no grupo com distúrbio ventilatório obstrutivo leve (p = 0,012; r = 0,817). Para o sexo feminino e para o grupo sem distúrbio ventilatório obstrutivo houve correlação negativa entre a pressão expiratória máxima e a colonização por Pseudomonas aeruginosa (p = 0,036; r = -0,585). CONCLUSÃO: Para os fibrocísticos avaliados, o método Reequilíbrio Toracoabdominal aumentou a força dos músculos respiratórios, o que reafirma a importância do tratamento fisioterapêutico para estes pacientes.OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect that re-education of the thoracic and abdominal muscles has on the respiratory muscle strength of patients with cystic fibrosis evaluated over time at the Cystic Fibrosis Outpatient Clinic of the Universidade Católica de Brasília (Catholic University of Brasília). METHODS: The sample consisted of 29 cystic fibrosis patients, characterized based on anthropometric, genetic and bacterial colonization data. The patients were submitted to physical therapy sessions, involving re-education of the respiratory muscles, twice a week for four months. Spirometry, pressure manometry and anthropometry were performed before and after each session. RESULTS: Comparing baselines values to those obtained after physical therapy, increases in maximum inspiratory pressure and maximum expiratory pressure were observed in all patients, those without any obstructive respiratory disease and those with mild obstructive respiratory disease (p < 0.05). A positive correlation between age and maximum expiratory pressure was observed for most of the patients. Maximum inspiratory pressure correlated positively with age only in the group with mild obstructive respiratory disease (p = 0.012; r = 0.817). In female patients and in the group of patients without obstructive respiratory disease, a negative correlation was observed between maximum expiratory pressure and colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (p = 0.036; r = -0.585). CONCLUSION: Use of the thoracic and abdominal muscle re-education technique increased respiratory muscle strength in the cystic fibrosis patients studied, a finding that underscores the importance of including physical therapy in the treatment of these patients

Fundamental Symmetries, Neutrons, and Neutrinos (FSNN): Whitepaper for the 2023 NSAC Long Range Plan

This whitepaper presents the research priorities decided on by attendees of the 2022 Town Meeting for Fundamental Symmetries, Neutrons and Neutrinos, which took place December 13-15, 2022 in Chapel Hill, NC, as part of the Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC) 2023 Long Range Planning process. A total of 275 scientists registered for the meeting. The whitepaper makes a number of explicit recommendations and justifies them in detail

Endophytes vs tree pathogens and pests: can they be used as biological control agents to improve tree health?

Like all other plants, trees are vulnerable to attack by a multitude of pests and pathogens. Current control measures for many of these diseases are limited and relatively ineffective. Several methods, including the use of conventional synthetic agro-chemicals, are employed to reduce the impact of pests and diseases. However, because of mounting concerns about adverse effects on the environment and a variety of economic reasons, this limited management of tree diseases by chemical methods is losing ground. The use of biological control, as a more environmentally friendly alternative, is becoming increasingly popular in plant protection. This can include the deployment of soil inoculants and foliar sprays, but the increased knowledge of microbial ecology in the phytosphere, in particular phylloplane microbes and endophytes, has stimulated new thinking for biocontrol approaches. Endophytes are microbes that live within plant tissues. As such, they hold potential as biocontrol agents against plant diseases because they are able to colonize the same ecological niche favoured by many invading pathogens. However, the development and exploitation of endophytes as biocontrol agents will have to overcome numerous challenges. The optimization and improvement of strategies employed in endophyte research can contribute towards discovering effective and competent biocontrol agents. The impact of environment and plant genotype on selecting potentially beneficial and exploitable endophytes for biocontrol is poorly understood. How endophytes synergise or antagonise one another is also an important factor. This review focusses on recent research addressing the biocontrol of plant diseases and pests using endophytic fungi and bacteria, alongside the challenges and limitations encountered and how these can be overcome. We frame this review in the context of tree pests and diseases, since trees are arguably the most difficult plant species to study, work on and manage, yet they represent one of the most important organisms on Earth

Endophytes vs tree pathogens and pests: can they be used as biological control agents to improve tree health?

Like all other plants, trees are vulnerable to attack by a multitude of pests and pathogens. Current control measures for many of these diseases are limited and relatively ineffective. Several methods, including the use of conventional synthetic agro-chemicals, are employed to reduce the impact of pests and diseases. However, because of mounting concerns about adverse effects on the environment and a variety of economic reasons, this limited management of tree diseases by chemical methods is losing ground. The use of biological control, as a more environmentally friendly alternative, is becoming increasingly popular in plant protection. This can include the deployment of soil inoculants and foliar sprays, but the increased knowledge of microbial ecology in the phytosphere, in particular phylloplane microbes and endophytes, has stimulated new thinking for biocontrol approaches. Endophytes are microbes that live within plant tissues. As such, they hold potential as biocontrol agents against plant diseases because they are able to colonize the same ecological niche favoured by many invading pathogens. However, the development and exploitation of endophytes as biocontrol agents will have to overcome numerous challenges. The optimization and improvement of strategies employed in endophyte research can contribute towards discovering effective and competent biocontrol agents. The impact of environment and plant genotype on selecting potentially beneficial and exploitable endophytes for biocontrol is poorly understood. How endophytes synergise or antagonise one another is also an important factor. This review focusses on recent research addressing the biocontrol of plant diseases and pests using endophytic fungi and bacteria, alongside the challenges and limitations encountered and how these can be overcome. We frame this review in the context of tree pests and diseases, since trees are arguably the most difficult plant species to study, work on and manage, yet they represent one of the most important organisms on Earth

Scaled momentum distributions for K-S(0) and Λ /̄ Λ in DIS at HERA

Scaled momentum distributions for the strange hadrons K0S and Λ/Λ¯ were measured in deep inelastic ep scattering with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 330 pb−1. The evolution of these distributions with the photon virtuality, Q 2, was studied in the kinematic region 10 < Q 2  < 40000 GeV2 and 0.001 < x < 0.75, where x is the Bjorken scaling variable. Clear scaling violations are observed. Predictions based on different approaches to fragmentation were compared to the measurements. Leading-logarithm parton-shower Monte Carlo calculations interfaced to the Lund string fragmentation model describe the data reasonably well in the whole range measured. Next-to-leading-order QCD calculations based on fragmentation functions, FFs, extracted from e + e − data alone, fail to describe the measurements. The calculations based on FFs extracted from a global analysis including e + e −, ep and pp data give an improved description. The measurements presented in this paper have the potential to further constrain the FFs of quarks, anti-quarks and gluons yielding K0S and Λ/Λ¯ strange hadrons

The measurement of the upper airways impedance

Z punktu widzenia fizjologii układu oddechowego powietrze doprowadzane jest od dolnych dróg oddechowych przez tzw. pozatorakalne drogi oddechowe (górne drogi oddechowe). Podczas pomiaru impedancji układu oddechowego techniką oscylacji wymuszonych (FOT) z wykorzystaniem urządzenia PULMOSFOR, mierzona przez to urządzenie impedancja obarczona jest wpływem impedancji pozatorakalnych dróg oddechowych. Interesującym z punktu widzenia fizjologii i patologii układu oddechowego jest odseparowanie wpływu impedancji pozatorakalnych dróg oddechowych na impedancję układu oddechowego. Wyznaczenie wartości impedancji pozatorakalnych dróg oddechowych, pozwala na dokonanie korekcji mierzonych wartości impedancji wejścia układu oddechowego wyznaczonymi wartościami Zuaw. Impedancję pozatorakalnych dróg oddechowych można również modelować. Celem pracy jest przedstawienie i porównanie sposobów wyznaczenia impedancji pozatorakalnych dróg oddechowych w grupie zdrowych dorosłych osób, oraz próba zamodelowania. Pomiarem objęto 29 osób (w tym 9 kobiet), u których przy pomocy opracowanej wcześniej metodyki [1] zmierzono Zuaw. Analiza została przeprowadzona w zakresie 4-32 Hz.From the physiological point of view inhaled air is conducted from the lower airways through, so called, extrathoracic airways (upper airways). The impedance of the respiratory system measured using forced oscillations technique (FOT) by PULMOSFOR is biased by the impedance of the extrathoracic airways. A very interesting approach is to separate the extrathoracic airways impedance from the impedance of the respiratory system. Correction of the measured input values of the respiratory system impedance by the calculated Zuaw values is possible when values of the extrathoracal airways are known. The extrathoracic impedance can be modeled as well. The aim of the study is to present and compare the procedures of extrathoracic airways impedance assessing in the group of healthy adults and to try to build extrathoracic airways model. The measurements of the Zuaw were performed in 29 individuals (9 women among them) using our own original method. The analysis was made within range of 4-32 Hz

Multiscale entropy analysis of the influence of selected factors on heart rate time series in sleep laboratory based cohort

Celem pracy jest wstępna analiza wpływu czynników: fizjologicznego - wieku oraz chorobowych - zaburzeń oddychania, na entropię wieloskalową (Multiscale Entropy) rytmu pracy serca. W pracy dokonano analizy wpływu wieku na dwóch szerokich grupach badanych: osobach zdrowych (wiek od 1,5 do 63 lat) oraz grupie w wąskim przedziale wiekowym (40-50 lat) o różnym zakresie występowania zaburzeń oddychania w czasie snu (wskaźnik liczby zaburzeń oddychania RDI - Respiratory Disturbance Index 0,5 - 111 1/h). Wykazano wpływ wieku na wartość entropii (zmniejszanie), szczególnie w grupie osób dorosłych, oraz wpływ zaburzeń oddychania i zjawisk im towarzyszących (wybudzenia).High costs and complication of standard polysomnography (PSG) lead to attempts to develop cheaper and less complicated methods. The analysis of heart rate complexity using non-linear dynamics methods seems to be promising, however the dynamics of heart rate is biased by several physiological factors. The aim of that study was to check the influence of a physiological factor - age and of respiratory disorders during sleep on heart rate variability analysed by multiscale entropy (MSE). The two groups were selected from archived measurements from the Sleep Laboratory of Institute for TBC and Lung Diseases Rabka Branch: a healthy group and a group of semi-constant age but without limitations to those disorders (Table 1). In both groups the full night diagnostics PSG according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) rules was performed. The R-R intervals were detected in the recorded ECG signal (250Hz), and the multiscale entropy (Goldberg's MSE) was calculated. We found high correlation between the entropy and age (Figs. 1, 2, 3) in adults, however in the children group (age<15) there was no such relation. Similar results were found in analysis of the influence of respiratory disorders on the RR time series entropy (Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7). The results lead to a conclusion that heart rate complexity described with use of the MSE analysis is strongly biased by age. MSE could also detect changes in RR time series associated with respiratory disorders during sleep. The further investigations should be performed t