Isothermal heat flux sensing unit Final report, Jun. 21, 1967 - Jan. 2, 1968

Thermal analysis, theory of operation, and operating instructions for isothermal heat flux sensing uni

Stroke after tadalafil use

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EFFECTS OF SHIFT WORK ON CARDIOVASCULAR ACTIVITY, SERUM CORTISOL AND WHITE BLOOD CELLS COUNT IN A GROUP OF ITALIAN FISHERMEN

We analyzed the effects of working activity and working shifts on the circadian rhythmicity and circadian phase relations of serum cortisol level, white blood cells count, resting heart rate and systolic/diastolic blood pressure in a group of italian fishermen. We observed a shift-induced displacement of cortisol secretion and a modification in leukocyte count. Moreover, systolic/diastolic blood pressure and resting heart rate were markedly influenced by the night shift, whereas no appreciable changes were observed after the morning and afternoon shifts, compared to pre-working values. These data suggest that the human circadian system is greatly influenced by shift work, and serum cortisol level, leukocyte count, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and resting heart rate are sensitive indicators of the biological responses to a stress workload in shift workers, especially after a night shif

Night-time shift work and related stress responses: A study on security guards

Work-related stress can induce a break in homeostasis by placing demands on the body that are met by the activation of two different systems, the hypothalamic\u2013pituitary\u2013adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system. Night-shift work alters the body\u2019s exposure to the natural light\u2013 dark schedule and disrupts circadian (daily) rhythms. The greatest effect of night-shift work is the disruption of circadian rhythms. The impact that these disruptions may have on the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer, is unknown. This study aims to discover the relationship among three different job activities of security guards and their stress-related responses by evaluating salivary cortisol levels and blood pressure. Methods: Ninety security guards, including night-time workers and night-time and daily-shift workers, were recruited for this study. Each security guard provided two saliva samples before and after three scheduled time points: (i) at 22:00, (ii) at 06:30, and (iii) at 14:00. Results: The results of the study showed a significant alteration in cortisol levels. Night-time shift cortisol levels significantly increased before and after the work shifts. A physiological prevalence of the vagal tone on the cardiocirculatory activity was found during night-shift work. Conclusions: This study indicates that cortisol levels and blood pressure are sensitive markers of biological responses to severe work stress. Shift-change consequences may occur at the end of the night shift when there is a significant increase in the cortisol level and a significant variation in cardiovascular parameters

Detection of exercise adaptations by different specimens analysis

This literature review is a compilation of the most used methods to monitoring athletes in training and competition. Blood is certainly the best known and proven methodology and a wide range of markers can be analyzed through it, but it can be difficult to obtain, especially among athletes or people who are afraid of needles. The use of saliva is an interesting alternative especially for the easy and less invasive method of collecting. The saliva infact contains a few of compounds diffused in the plasma, like water, electrolytes, proteins, metabolites and hormones. However, new methods yet poorly understood are slowly catching on; sweat for example, may carry far more information, may provide useful biomarkers that can give indications about the physical state of the body (electrolytes, lactate, creatinine, glucose, proteins, amino acids) and may be easier to stimulate, gather, and analyze than previously thought

A 12-year-old girl with absent radial pulse: arterial thoracic outlet syndrome with subclavian artery aneurysm and thrombosis of the brachial artery

Brachial arterial occlusion is rare in children and adolescents. Once a traumatic cause is excluded, the differential diagnosis consists of a variety of rare conditions. We report the case of a 12-year-old girl whose presenting symptoms—an absent radial pulse and Raynaud's phenomenon of the right hand—could be easily mistaken for a vasculitis. She was found to have arterial thoracic outlet syndrome with right subclavian artery compression and aneurysm formation caused by an anomalous first rib and consecutive thromboembolic occlusion of the brachial artery. The diagnosis and differential diagnosis of this condition are reviewe

Environmental Enrichment During Adolescence Mitigates Cognitive Deficits and Alcohol Vulnerability due to Continuous and Intermittent Perinatal Alcohol Exposure in Adult Rats

Perinatal alcohol exposure affects ontogenic neurodevelopment, causing physical and functional long-term abnormalities with limited treatment options. This study investigated long-term consequences of continuous and intermittent maternal alcohol drinking on behavioral readouts of cognitive function and alcohol vulnerability in the offspring. The effects of environmental enrichment (EE) during adolescence were also evaluated. Female rats underwent continuous alcohol drinking (CAD)—or intermittent alcohol drinking paradigm (IAD), along pregestation, gestation, and lactation periods—equivalent to the whole gestational period in humans. Male offspring were reared in standard conditions or EE until adulthood and were then assessed for declarative memory in the novel object recognition test; spatial learning, cognitive flexibility, and reference memory in the Morris water maze (MWM); alcohol consumption and relapse by a two-bottle choice paradigm. Our data show that perinatal CAD decreased locomotor activity, exploratory behavior, and declarative memory with respect to controls, whereas perinatal IAD displayed impaired declarative memory and spatial learning and memory. Moreover, both perinatal alcohol-exposed offspring showed higher vulnerability to alcohol consummatory behavior than controls, albeit perinatal IAD rats showed a greater alcohol consumption and relapse behavior with respect to perinatal-CAD progeny. EE ameliorated declarative memory in perinatal CAD, while it mitigated spatial learning and reference memory impairment in perinatal-IAD progeny. In addition, EE decreased vulnerability to alcohol in both control and perinatal alcohol-exposed rats. Maternal alcohol consumption produces drinking pattern-related long-term consequences on cognition and vulnerability to alcohol in the offspring. However, increased positive environmental stimuli during adolescence may curtail the detrimental effects of developmental alcohol exposure

Promoting Awareness about Psychological Consequences of Living in a Community Oppressed by the Mafia: A Group-Analytic Intervention

The effects of the Mafia have been extensively studied from sociological, economic, and historical points of view. However, little research has investigated the influence of the Mafia on individuals and communities in terms of its psychological and social impact. In order to contribute to the advancement of our understanding of the psychological effects of the Mafia on individuals and communities and to promote a participative process of social change, a group analytic intervention was conducted within a Community Based Participatory Research carried out in Corleone, a small Sicilian town with a historically recognized role in the evolution of the Mafia, as well as in the fight against its control. Qualitative findings from the group intervention revealed the development of an awareness process that allowed participants to become aware of their social unconscious anxieties and defenses and to recognize and manage the strong emotional impact related to the Mafia\u2019s presence in their lives. Highlighting how psychological processes can have negative impacts on individual and collective capacity to pursuit transformation and resilience, this article provides important insight on how clinical psychology may operate in socio-cultural contexts to promote the reconstruction of the traumatic social dimensions in the community

Drinking pattern matters: effects on maternal care and offspring vulnerability to alcohol in rats

Alcohol drinking during pregnancy and post-partum period is a major concern because of the persistent neurobehavioral deficits in the offspring, which include increased vulnerability to substance abuse (1). The intermittent pattern of alcohol consumption induces higher drinking levels and deeper neurobiological changes in addiction-related brain regions, with respect to traditional free-access paradigms in male rats (2, 3). Nevertheless, no studies investigated on the effects of the drinking pattern on female subjects during pregnancy and perinatal time. To this aim, this study explored the consequences of continuous vs. intermittent drinking pattern on maternal behaviour and on offspring vulnerability to alcohol, during adulthood. Dams were given two-bottle choice to water and 20% alcohol with either continuous- or intermittent access (CA vs IA), along a 12-week period. They suspended alcohol drinking during breeding and resumed alcohol self-administration from late gestation throughout lactation, when they were assessed for home-cage undisturbed maternal behaviour. In the adulthood, alcohol-exposed offspring were assessed for alcohol drinking behaviour in a free-choice paradigm and tested for the deprivation effect. Our results show that alcohol consumption and preference significantly decreased in IA group during pregnancy, returning to baseline during lactation. Alcohol drinking was able to disrupt spontaneous maternal behaviour, especially in IA exposed dams. On the other hand, perinatal CA exposure did not increase alcohol-drinking behaviour in the offspring with respect to controls, while rats perinatally exposed to IA displayed a high vulnerability to alcohol, in terms of drinking behaviour and deprivation effect. In conclusion, this study indicates for the first time that the pattern of alcohol consumption can be responsible for different extents of maternal behaviour disruption and detrimental consequences in the offspring. Therefore gender- but also pattern-related differences should be taken into account for contrasting alcohol abuse and dependence, especially during perinatal time.   1. McMurray MS, Williams SK, Jarrett TM, Cox ET, Fay EE, Overstreet DH, Walker CH, Johns JM. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2008;30(6):475-86. 2. Stuber GD, Hopf FW, Hahn J, Cho SL, Guillory A, Bonci A. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2008 Oct;32(10):1714-20 3. George O, Sanders C, Freiling J, Grigoryan E, Vu S, Allen CD, Crawford E, Mandyam CD, Koob GF. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109(44):18156-6