126 research outputs found
Recruitment of ethnic minority patients to a cardiac rehabilitation trial: The Birmingham Rehabilitation Uptake Maximisation (BRUM) study [ISRCTN72884263]
Background: Concerns have been raised about low participation rates of people from minority ethnic groups
in clinical trials. However, the evidence is unclear as many studies do not report the ethnicity of participants and
there is insufficient information about the reasons for ineligibility by ethnic group. Where there are data, there
remains the key question as to whether ethnic minorities more likely to be ineligible (e.g. due to language) or
decline to participate. We have addressed these questions in relation to the Birmingham Rehabilitation Uptake
Maximisation (BRUM) study, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing a home-based with a hospital-based
cardiac rehabilitation programme in a multi-ethnic population in the UK.
Methods: Analysis of the ethnicity, age and sex of presenting and recruited subjects for a trial of cardiac
rehabilitation in the West-Midlands, UK.
Participants: 1997 patients presenting post-myocardial infarction, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
or coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Data collected: exclusion rates, reasons for exclusion and reasons for declining to participate in the trial by ethnic
group.
Results: Significantly more patients of South Asian ethnicity were excluded (52% of 'South Asian' v 36% 'White
European' and 36% 'Other', p < 0.001). This difference in eligibility was primarily due to exclusion on the basis of
language (i.e. the inability to speak English or Punjabi). Of those eligible, similar proportions were recruited from
the different ethnic groups (white, South Asian and other). There was a marked difference in eligibility between
people of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin
Dynamical Properties and Plasmon Dispersion of a Weakly Degenerate Correlated One-Component Plasma
Classical Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations for a one-component plasma
(OCP) are presented. Quantum effects are included in the form of the Kelbg
potential. Results for the dynamical structure factor are compared with the
Vlasov and RPA (random phase approximation) theories. The influence of the
coupling parameter , degeneracy parameter and the form
of the pair interaction on the optical plasmon dispersion is investigated. An
improved analytical approximation for the dispersion of Langmuir waves is
presented.Comment: 23 pages, includes 7 ps/eps-figures and 2 table
Collective Modes in Strongly Coupled Elecronic Bilayer Liquids
We present the first reliable calculation of the collective mode structure of
a strongly coupled electronic bilayer. The calculation is based on a classical
model through the frequency-moment-sum-rule preserving Quasi Localized
Charge Approximation, using the recently calculated Hypernetted Chain pair
correlation functions. The spectrum shows an energy gap at and the
absence of a previously conjectured dynamical instability.Comment: 4 pages, 4 .ps figure
Ellis-Van Creveld syndrome
Ellis-van Creveld syndrome (EVC) is a chondral and ectodermal dysplasia characterized by short ribs, polydactyly, growth retardation, and ectodermal and heart defects. It is a rare disease with approximately 150 cases reported worldwide. The exact prevalence is unknown, but the syndrome seems more common among the Amish community. Prenatal abnormalities (that may be detected by ultrasound examination) include narrow thorax, shortening of long bones, hexadactyly and cardiac defects. After birth, cardinal features are short stature, short ribs, polydactyly, and dysplastic fingernails and teeth. Heart defects, especially abnormalities of atrial septation, occur in about 60% of cases. Cognitive and motor development is normal. This rare condition is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait with variable expression. Mutations of the EVC1 and EVC2 genes, located in a head to head configuration on chromosome 4p16, have been identified as causative. EVC belongs to the short rib-polydactyly group (SRP) and these SRPs, especially type III (Verma-Naumoff syndrome), are discussed in the prenatal differential diagnosis. Postnatally, the essential differential diagnoses include Jeune dystrophy, McKusick-Kaufman syndrome and Weyers syndrome. The management of EVC is multidisciplinary. Management during the neonatal period is mostly symptomatic, involving treatment of the respiratory distress due to narrow chest and heart failure. Orthopedic follow-up is required to manage the bones deformities. Professional dental care should be considered for management of the oral manifestations. Prognosis is linked to the respiratory difficulties in the first months of life due to thoracic narrowness and possible heart defects. Prognosis of the final body height is difficult to predict
Drying-mediated patterns in colloid-polymer suspensions
Drying-mediated patterning of colloidal particles is a physical phenomenon that must be understood in inkjet printing technology to obtain crack-free uniform colloidal films. Here we experimentally study the drying-mediated patterns of a model colloid-polymer suspension and specifically observe how the deposit pattern appears after droplet evaporation by varying particle size and polymer concentration. We find that at a high polymer concentration, the ring-like pattern appears in suspensions with large colloids, contrary to suppression of ring formation in suspensions with small colloids thanks to colloidpolymer interactions. We attribute this unexpected reversal behavior to hydrodynamics and size dependence of colloid-polymer interactions. This finding would be very useful in developing control of drying-mediated self-assembly to produce crack-free uniform patterns from colloidal fluids.ope
A Mycobacterium leprae Hsp65 Mutant as a Candidate for Mitigating Lupus Aggravation in Mice
Hsp60 is an abundant and highly conserved family of intracellular molecules. Increased levels of this family of proteins have been observed in the extracellular compartment in chronic inflammation. Administration of M. leprae Hsp65 [WT] in [NZBxNZW]F1 mice accelerates the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus [SLE] progression whereas the point mutated K409A Hsp65 protein delays the disease. Here, the biological effects of M. leprae Hsp65 Leader pep and K409A pep synthetic peptides, which cover residues 352–371, are presented. Peptides had immunomodulatory effects similar to that observed with their respective proteins on survival and the combined administration of K409A+Leader pep or K409A pep+WT showed that the mutant forms were able to inhibit the deleterious effect of WT on mortality, indicating the neutralizing potential of the mutant molecules in SLE progression. Molecular modeling showed that replacing Lysine by Alanine affects the electrostatic potential of the 352–371 region. The number of interactions observed for WT is much higher than for Hsp65 K409A and mouse Hsp60. The immunomodulatory effects of the point-mutated protein and peptide occurred regardless of the catalytic activity. These findings may be related to the lack of effect on survival when F1 mice were inoculated with Hsp60 or K409A pep. Our findings indicate the use of point-mutated Hsp65 molecules, such as the K409A protein and its corresponding peptide, that may minimize or delay the onset of SLE, representing a new approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases
Nephronophthisis
Nephronophthisis (NPH) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by a chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis that progress to terminal renal failure during the second decade (juvenile form) or before the age of 5 years (infantile form). In the juvenile form, a urine concentration defect starts during the first decade, and a progressive deterioration of renal function is observed in the following years. Kidney size may be normal, but loss of corticomedullary differentiation is often observed, and cysts occur usually after patients have progressed to end-stage renal failure. Histologic lesions are characterized by tubular basement membrane anomalies, tubular atrophy, and interstitial fibrosis. The infantile form is characterized by cortical microcysts and progression to end-stage renal failure before 5 years of age. Some children present with extrarenal symptoms: retinitis pigmentosa (Senior-Løken syndrome), mental retardation, cerebellar ataxia, bone anomalies, or liver fibrosis. Positional cloning and candidate gene approaches led to the identification of eight causative genes (NPHP1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) responsible for the juvenile NPH and one gene NPHP2 for the infantile form. NPH and associated disorders are considered as ciliopathies, as all NPHP gene products are expressed in the primary cilia, similarly to the polycystic kidney disease (PKD) proteins
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