574 research outputs found
Progressive damage on high resolution computed tomography despite stable lung function in cystic fibrosis
For effective clinical management of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease it
is important to closely monitor the start and progression of lung damage.
The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of high-resolution
computed tomography (HRCT) scoring systems and pulmonary function tests
(PFT) to detect changes in lung disease. CF children (n=48) had two H
PRO135 Project Hercules: A systematic review of the content and structural validity of pros used to assess quality of life in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
Social determinants of smoking in women from low-income rural backgrounds: Findings from a photovoice study
Smoking is well recognized as one of the most preventable causes of death and disease in the United States (U.S.), accounting for approximately 480,000 deaths each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). In addition, the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP, 2018) estimates that approximately 20–30% of individuals experimenting with cigarettes will meet criteria for tobacco use disorder within their lifetime while 60–80% of current cigarette smokers manifest classic drug dependence criteria. Associated annual healthcare cost of smoking are approximately133 billion dollars, with the additional cost in lost productivity estimated at 156 billion dollars annually (CDC, 2014; United States Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2014). Although recent national rates of cigarette smoking in adults have declined from 20.9% in 2005 to 13.7% in 2018, there remains significant disparity in smoking rates among rural populations (Creamer et al., 2019)
Emergence of Anti-Cancer Drug Resistance: Exploring the Importance of the Microenvironmental Niche via a Spatial Model
Practically, all chemotherapeutic agents lead to drug resistance. Clinically,
it is a challenge to determine whether resistance arises prior to, or as a
result of, cancer therapy. Further, a number of different intracellular and
microenvironmental factors have been correlated with the emergence of drug
resistance. With the goal of better understanding drug resistance and its
connection with the tumor microenvironment, we have developed a hybrid
discrete-continuous mathematical model. In this model, cancer cells described
through a particle-spring approach respond to dynamically changing oxygen and
DNA damaging drug concentrations described through partial differential
equations. We thoroughly explored the behavior of our self-calibrated model
under the following common conditions: a fixed layout of the vasculature, an
identical initial configuration of cancer cells, the same mechanism of drug
action, and one mechanism of cellular response to the drug. We considered one
set of simulations in which drug resistance existed prior to the start of
treatment, and another set in which drug resistance is acquired in response to
treatment. This allows us to compare how both kinds of resistance influence the
spatial and temporal dynamics of the developing tumor, and its clonal
diversity. We show that both pre-existing and acquired resistance can give rise
to three biologically distinct parameter regimes: successful tumor eradication,
reduced effectiveness of drug during the course of treatment (resistance), and
complete treatment failure
Magnetic Reconnection in Extreme Astrophysical Environments
Magnetic reconnection is a basic plasma process of dramatic rearrangement of
magnetic topology, often leading to a violent release of magnetic energy. It is
important in magnetic fusion and in space and solar physics --- areas that have
so far provided the context for most of reconnection research. Importantly,
these environments consist just of electrons and ions and the dissipated energy
always stays with the plasma. In contrast, in this paper I introduce a new
direction of research, motivated by several important problems in high-energy
astrophysics --- reconnection in high energy density (HED) radiative plasmas,
where radiation pressure and radiative cooling become dominant factors in the
pressure and energy balance. I identify the key processes distinguishing HED
reconnection: special-relativistic effects; radiative effects (radiative
cooling, radiation pressure, and Compton resistivity); and, at the most extreme
end, QED effects, including pair creation. I then discuss the main
astrophysical applications --- situations with magnetar-strength fields
(exceeding the quantum critical field of about 4 x 10^13 G): giant SGR flares
and magnetically-powered central engines and jets of GRBs. Here, magnetic
energy density is so high that its dissipation heats the plasma to MeV
temperatures. Electron-positron pairs are then copiously produced, making the
reconnection layer highly collisional and dressing it in a thick pair coat that
traps radiation. The pressure is dominated by radiation and pairs. Yet,
radiation diffusion across the layer may be faster than the global Alfv\'en
transit time; then, radiative cooling governs the thermodynamics and
reconnection becomes a radiative transfer problem, greatly affected by the
ultra-strong magnetic field. This overall picture is very different from our
traditional picture of reconnection and thus represents a new frontier in
reconnection research.Comment: Accepted to Space Science Reviews (special issue on magnetic
reconnection). Article is based on an invited review talk at the
Yosemite-2010 Workshop on Magnetic Reconnection (Yosemite NP, CA, USA;
February 8-12, 2010). 30 pages, no figure
Neutral H density at the termination shock: a consolidation of recent results
We discuss a consolidation of determinations of the density of neutral
interstellar H at the nose of the termination shock carried out with the use of
various data sets, techniques, and modeling approaches. In particular, we focus
on the determination of this density based on observations of H pickup ions on
Ulysses during its aphelion passage through the ecliptic plane. We discuss in
greater detail a novel method of determination of the density from these
measurements and review the results from its application to actual data. The H
density at TS derived from this analysis is equal to 0.087 \pm 0.022 cm-3, and
when all relevant determinations are taken into account, the consolidated
density is obtained at 0.09 \pm 0.022 cm-3. The density of H in CHISM based on
literature values of filtration factor is then calculated at 0.16 \pm 0.04
cm-3.Comment: Submitted to Space Science Review
Structural and dynamical properties of superfluid helium: a density functional approach
We present a novel density functional for liquid 4He, properly accounting for
the static response function and the phonon-roton dispersion in the uniform
liquid. The functional is used to study both structural and dynamical
properties of superfluid helium in various geometries. The equilibrium
properties of the free surface, droplets and films at zero temperature are
calculated. Our predictions agree closely to the results of ab initio Monte
Carlo calculations, when available. The introduction of a phenomenological
velocity dependent interaction, which accounts for backflow effects, is
discussed. The spectrum of the elementary excitations of the free surface and
films is studied.Comment: 37 pages, REVTeX 3.0, figures on request at [email protected]
Ergonomics and sustainability: Towards and embrace of complexity and emergence
Technology offers a promising route to a sustainable future, and ergonomics can serve a vital role. The argument of this article is that the lasting success of sustainability initiatives in ergonomics hinges on an examination of ergonomics' own epistemology and ethics. The epistemology of ergonomics is fundamentally empiricist and positivist. This places practical constraints on its ability to address important issues such as sustainability, emergence and complexity. The implicit ethical position of ergonomics is one of neutrality, and its positivist epistemology generally puts value-laden questions outside the parameters of what it sees as scientific practice. We argue, by contrast, that a discipline that deals with both technology and human beings cannot avoid engaging with questions of complexity and emergence and seeking innovative ways of addressing these issues.No Full Tex
Does high-dose metformin cause lactic acidosis in type 2 diabetic patients after CABG surgery? A double blind randomized clinical trial
Metformin is a dimethyl biguanide oral anti-hyperglycemic agent. Lactic acidosis due to metformin is a fatal metabolic condition that limits its use in patients in poor clinical condition, consequently reducing the number of patients who benefit from this medication. In a double blind randomized clinical trial, we investigated 200 type 2 diabetic patients after coronary artery bypass surgery in the open heart ICU of the Mazandaran Heart Center, and randomly assigned them to equal intervention and control groups. The intervention group received regular insulin infusion along with 2 metformin 500 mg tablets every twelve hours, while the control group received only intravenous insulin with 2 placebo tablets every twelve hours. Lactate level, pH, base excess, blood glucose and serum creatinine were measured over five 12 h periods, with data averaged for each period. The primary outcome in this study was high lactate levels. Comparison between the 2 groups was made by independent Student’s t-test. To compare changes in multiple measures in each group and analysis of group interaction, a repeated measurement ANOVA test was used
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