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QT analysis of intrauterine growth retarded and normal children at 10 years old
The main objective of the work described in this paper is to develop an algorithm to detect QT, other ECG intervals and to find any correlation between QT, ST, QRS, Heart rate (HR) of normal and IUGR children at 10 yrs. The cohort under study is described in chapter 2 as 41 IUGR and 34 as normal. The ECGs of 24 hour for each child were used to find any differences between the two groups. Normal children have QRS intervals during awake (73.96 ±13.65 ms) and asleep (78.75±14.76 ms), and IUGR has (73.94 ±12.85 ms day, 75.98±14.80 ms night), and IUGR children have a slightly higher corrected QTc (418.25±28.92ms Day, 437.22±20.17 ms night), compared to normal (411.37 ±36.13 ms day, 431.79±20.12 ms night). At 10 years of age the measured ECG intervals of all normal and IUGR children was unable to show any deviation from the normal paediatric limits. IUGR children are relatively more prone to longer QTc intervals
1-(8-Bromo-2-methyl-4-thioxo-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2H-2,6-methano-1,3-benzoxazocin-11-yl)ethanone
In the title compound, C14H14BrNO2S, there are two similar non-equivalent molecules in the asymmetric unit, displaying three chiral centres each. In the crystal structure, they are linked by intermolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to form infinite chains, which are in turn connected by weak Br⋯H and S⋯H interactions
Framework for assessing sustainability levels in Belgium agricultural systems - SAFE
Sustainability is now regarded as a crucial property of agricultural systems and its evaluation has become a main challenge for scientists, policy makers and farmers. In the last decade, different sets of indicators have been designed both at national and international levels. Meanwhile, more practical environmental impact assessment (EIA) tools have been developed at the farm level . However, none of these indicator sets can be used at both levels. Further, most of these initiatives focus only on environmental aspects of sustainability and do not take socio-economic aspects into consideration. Indicator selection does not always fit in a consistent and comprehensive framework, although there is a strong need to integrate sustainability indicators in order to facilitate comparison and assessment. Finally, few of these works relate to Belgian agriculture, which up til now lacked a tool for assessing the sustainability of its farms. This project aims at providing a framework for assessing sustainability levels in Belgian agricultural systems (SAFE) that overcomes the deficiencies mentioned above. This is achieved by: 1. Considering the concept of agricultural sustainability in a holistic manner – SAFE accounts for all three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic & social). 2. Developing (a) a consistent approach for defining sustainability principles and criteria and (b) a core list of sustainability indicators identified through a standardized selection procedure. The ‘SAFE selection procedure’ is a flexible scientific process that builts on knowledge and experience of numerous experts. 3. Ensuring that the tool remains as easy as possible to interpret and thus to use, thanks to the integration procedure of sustainability indicators and the graphic expression of the results. 4. Building on a generic methodology. Though the set of selected indicators presented in this report is specific to the Belgian agricultural context, the method developed for the construction of the SAFE tool can be transferred for assessing sustainability levels in other geographical (Europe, world, …) and sectorial contexts. In particular, principles and criteria defined in SAFE have a universal value. 5. Taking action at three spatial levels, depending on the scale of application: (1) parcel (2) farm or (3) watershed for surface water-related issues, landscape/ecosystem for some soil and biodiversity related issues, and administrative units (region, state) for some environmental as well as for some socio-economic issues
Framework for assessing sustainability levels in Belgium agricultural systems - SAFE
Sustainability is now regarded as a crucial property of agricultural systems and its evaluation has become a main challenge for scientists, policy makers and farmers. In the last decade, different sets of indicators have been designed both at national and international levels. Meanwhile, more practical environmental impact assessment (EIA) tools have been developed at the farm level . However, none of these indicator sets can be used at both levels. Further, most of these initiatives focus only on environmental aspects of sustainability and do not take socio-economic aspects into consideration. Indicator selection does not always fit in a consistent and comprehensive framework, although there is a strong need to integrate sustainability indicators in order to facilitate comparison and assessment. Finally, few of these works relate to Belgian agriculture, which up til now lacked a tool for assessing the sustainability of its farms. This project aims at providing a framework for assessing sustainability levels in Belgian agricultural systems (SAFE) that overcomes the deficiencies mentioned above. This is achieved by: 1. Considering the concept of agricultural sustainability in a holistic manner – SAFE accounts for all three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic & social). 2. Developing (a) a consistent approach for defining sustainability principles and criteria and (b) a core list of sustainability indicators identified through a standardized selection procedure. The ‘SAFE selection procedure’ is a flexible scientific process that builts on knowledge and experience of numerous experts. 3. Ensuring that the tool remains as easy as possible to interpret and thus to use, thanks to the integration procedure of sustainability indicators and the graphic expression of the results. 4. Building on a generic methodology. Though the set of selected indicators presented in this report is specific to the Belgian agricultural context, the method developed for the construction of the SAFE tool can be transferred for assessing sustainability levels in other geographical (Europe, world, …) and sectorial contexts. In particular, principles and criteria defined in SAFE have a universal value. 5. Taking action at three spatial levels, depending on the scale of application: (1) parcel (2) farm or (3) watershed for surface water-related issues, landscape/ecosystem for some soil and biodiversity related issues, and administrative units (region, state) for some environmental as well as for some socio-economic issues
Worldwide Effects of Coronavirus Disease Pandemic on Tuberculosis Services, January-April 2020
Coronavirus disease has disrupted tuberculosis services globally. Data from 33 centers in 16 countries on 5 continents showed that attendance at tuberculosis centers was lower during the first 4 months of the pandemic in 2020 than for the same period in 2019. Resources are needed to ensure tuberculosis care continuity during the pandemic
In Vivo and Ex Vivo Evaluation of L-Type Calcium Channel Blockers on Acid β-Glucosidase in Gaucher Disease Mouse Models
Gaucher disease is a lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in acid β-glucosidase (GCase) leading to defective hydrolysis and accumulation of its substrates. Two L-type calcium channel (LTCC) blockers—verapamil and diltiazem—have been reported to modulate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) folding, trafficking, and activity of GCase in human Gaucher disease fibroblasts. Similarly, these LTCC blockers were tested with cultured skin fibroblasts from homozygous point-mutated GCase mice (V394L, D409H, D409V, and N370S) with the effect of enhancing of GCase activity. Correspondingly, diltiazem increased GCase protein and facilitated GCase trafficking to the lysosomes of these cells. The in vivo effects of diltiazem on GCase were evaluated in mice homozygous wild-type (WT), V394L and D409H. In D409H homozygotes diltiazem (10 mg/kg/d via drinking water or 50–200 mg/kg/d intraperitoneally) had minor effects on increasing GCase activity in brain and liver (1.2-fold). Diltiazem treatment (10 mg/kg/d) had essentially no effect on WT and V394L GCase protein or activity levels (<1.2-fold) in liver. These results show that LTCC blockers had the ex vivo effects of increasing GCase activity and protein in the mouse fibroblasts, but these effects did not translate into similar changes in vivo even at very high drug doses
Effects of alcohol preload on attentional bias towards cocaine-related cues
Background
Drug and alcohol users have an ‘attentional bias’ for substance-related cues, which is likely to reflect the incentive-motivational properties of those cues. Furthermore, administration of an alcohol preload increases attentional bias for alcohol and tobacco-related cues in heavy drinkers and tobacco smokers, respectively. The present study investigated attentional bias for cocaine cues in cocaine users and non-users following administration of either alcohol or placebo.
Method
Thirty-two regular cocaine users and 40 non-users took part. Participants were administered alcohol or placebo, and administration was double blind. After drink administration, a Visual Probe task and Modified Stroop task were used to assess attentional bias. Subjective craving and alcohol outcome expectancies were also measured.
Results
There was a significant interaction between group and drink type on the visual probe task indicating that cocaine users who had received alcohol had increased attentional bias for cocaine pictures compared to non-users and cocaine users who received placebo. The cocaine Stroop revealed no differences between cocaine users and non-users, and no effects of alcohol in either group.
Conclusions
Alcohol preload in regular cocaine users increases attentional bias for cocaine cues. However, cocaine users who received placebo did not show attentional bias for cocaine stimuli. Future research should investigate the effects of alcohol preload on attentional bias in cocaine-dependent individuals
The novel object recognition memory: neurobiology, test procedure, and its modifications
Animal models of memory have been considered as the subject of many scientific publications at least since the beginning of the twentieth century. In humans, memory is often accessed through spoken or written language, while in animals, cognitive functions must be accessed through different kind of behaviors in many specific, experimental models of memory and learning. Among them, the novel object recognition test can be evaluated by the differences in the exploration time of novel and familiar objects. Its application is not limited to a field of research and enables that various issues can be studied, such as the memory and learning, the preference for novelty, the influence of different brain regions in the process of recognition, and even the study of different drugs and their effects. This paper describes the novel object recognition paradigms in animals, as a valuable measure of cognition. The purpose of this work was to review the neurobiology and methodological modifications of the test commonly used in behavioral pharmacology
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