Neurology

Contains reports on six research projects.Public Health Service (B-3055, B-3090)United States Air Force (AF33(616)-7282, AF49(638)-1130)United States Navy, Office of Naval Research (Nonr-609(39))United States Army Chemical Corps (DA-18-108-405-Cml-942)National Science Foundation (Grant G-16526

Породы песчаники – редкие материалы высокой крепости – уникальные фрикционные материалы

Розглядаються питання при підготовці до відпрацювання пологих вугільних пластів на великих глибинах в умовах шахти «Довжанська Капітальна» ТОВ "ДТЕК Свердловантрацит". Проведено дослідження вміщуючих підготовчу виробку порід. Запропоновано можливості проектування комплексного видобутку супутніх корисних компонентів при підготовці Антрацитівського пластів до видобутку.The questions in preparation for mining of shallow coal seams at great depths in the mine "Dolzhanskaya Capital" LLC "DTEK Sverdlovantratsit." Investigations of host rocks of underground working. Suggested the possibility of designing an integrated co-production of useful components in preparation Antratsitovskogo of flat seam to production

Medication screening using Beers and STOPP/START criteria for elderly patients: Association between potentially inappropriate medication and medication-related hospital admissions

OBJECTIVE To assess the risk of medication-related hospital admissions associated with inappropriate medication use applying the Beers and the STOPP/START criteria. There are multiple screening methods to detect and reduce potentially inappropriate medication [PIM] and prescribing omissions (PPOs). Whether this will result in less medication-related hospitalisations is unknown. DESIGN A nested case-control study was conducted with a subset of patients of the Hospital Admissions Related to Medication (HARM) study. METHODS Cases were defined as patients ≥65 years with a potentially preventable medication-related hospital admission. For each case one control was selected, matched on age and sex. The primary determinant was defined as the presence of one or more PlMs and/or PPOs according to the Beers 2012 and the STOPP/START criteria. The strength of the association between a PIM/PPO and a medication-related hospital admission was evaluated with multivariate logistic regression and expressed as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (Cl95). RESULTS PlMs and PPOs detected with the STOPP/START criteria are associated with medication-related hospital admissions [OR 3.47; CI95 1.70-7.09], while for the presence of PIMs according to the Beers 2012 criteria a non-significant trend was visible (ORadj 1.49; CI95 0.90-2.47). CONCLUSION Both the STOPP/START criteria and the Beers 2012 criteria can be used to identify older people at risk for medication-related problems. The choice which set of criteria should be used is more dependent on other factors (e.g. national guidelines, practical considerations) than on the association of each set with ADR-related hospital admission

Non-invasive cardiac assessment in high risk patients (The GROUND study): rationale, objectives and design of a multi-center randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common disease associated with a considerably increased risk of future cardiovascular events and most of these patients will die from coronary artery disease (CAD). Screening for silent CAD has become an option with recent non-invasive developments in CT (computed tomography)-angiography and MR (magnetic resonance) stress testing. Screening in combination with more aggressive treatment may improve prognosis. Therefore we propose to study whether a cardiac imaging algorithm, using non-invasive imaging techniques followed by treatment will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in PAD patients free from cardiac symptoms. Design: The GROUND study is designed as a prospective, multi-center, randomized clinical trial. Patients with peripheral arterial disease, but without symptomatic cardiac disease will be asked to participate. All patients receive a proper risk factor management before randomization. Half of the recruited patients will enter the 'control group' and only undergo CT calcium scoring. The other half of the recruited patients (index group) will undergo the non invasive cardiac imaging algorithm followed by evidence-based treatment. First, patients are submitted to CT calcium scoring and CT angiography. Patients with a left main (or equivalent) coronary artery stenosis of > 50% on CT will be referred to a cardiologist without further imaging. All other patients in this group will undergo dobutamine stress magnetic resonance (DSMR) testing. Patients with a DSMR positive for ischemia will also be referred to a cardiologist. These patients are candidates for conventional coronary angiography and cardiac interventions (coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or percutaneous cardiac interventions (PCI)), if indicated. All participants of the trial will enter a 5 year follow up period for the occurrence of cardiovascular events. Sequential interim analysis will take place. Based on sample size calculations about 1200 patients are needed to detect a 24% reduction in primary outcome. Implications: The GROUND study will provide insight into the question whether non-invasive cardiac imaging reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with peripheral arterial disease, but without symptoms of coronary artery disease. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT0018911

Degradation of haloaromatic compounds

An ever increasing number of halogenated organic compounds has been produced by industry in the last few decades. These compounds are employed as biocides, for synthetic polymers, as solvents, and as synthetic intermediates. Production figures are often incomplete, and total production has frequently to be extrapolated from estimates for individual countries. Compounds of this type as a rule are highly persistent against biodegradation and belong, as "recalcitrant" chemicals, to the class of so-called xenobiotics. This term is used to characterise chemical substances which have no or limited structural analogy to natural compounds for which degradation pathways have evolved over billions of years. Xenobiotics frequently have some common features. e.g. high octanol/water partitioning coefficients and low water solubility which makes for a high accumulation ratio in the biosphere (bioaccumulation potential). Recalcitrant compounds therefore are found accumulated in mammals, especially in fat tissue, animal milk supplies and also in human milk. Highly sophisticated analytical techniques have been developed for the detection of organochlorines at the trace and ultratrace level