Bone mineral density, pulmonary function, chronological age, and age at diagnosis in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis

AbstractObjectiveTo assess bone mineral density in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), and to correlate it with possible intervening variables.MethodsChildren and adolescents diagnosed with CF, aged 6 to 18 years, followed at the outpatient clinic were included in the study. First, demographic data were collected and, subsequently, patients underwent a spirometric test. All patients answered the Cystic Fibrosis Quality of Life Questionnaire (CFQ) and underwent the six-minute walk test (6MWT) and bone densitometry (DXA).ResultsA total of 25 CF patients were included, of which 56% were males. The mean age was 12.3±3.4 years; mean height was 149.2±14.4 cm; and mean weight was 44.4±13.9 kg. Most results on pulmonary function and bone mineral density (BMD) were within normal limits. The mean forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV) was 92.5±23.6 (% of predicted), mean forced vital capacity (FVC) was 104.4±21.3 (% of predicted), and1 mean BMD z-score was 0.1±1.0. BMD was moderately correlated with FEV (r = 0.43, p = 0.03) and FVC (r = 0.57, p = 0.003). Regarding chronological age and age at diagnosis, a moderate and inverse correlation was also found (r = −0.55, p = 0.004; r = −0.57, p = 0.003, respectively). However, no significant correlations were found with the data from CFQ, 6MWT, and body mass index.ConclusionMost patients had BMD within normal limits and presented a positive correlation with pulmonary function, as well as a negative correlation with chronological age and age at diagnosis

Configurazione di prodotto: nuove soluzioni per la gestione della variet\ue0 nel ciclo dell'ordine

Conciliare flessibilit\ue0 ed efficienza in contesti caratterizzati da elevata variet\ue0 di prodotto richiede l'impiego di varie tecniche: standardizzazione, modularizzazione, riduzione dei tempi di attrezzaggio, ecc. Tuttavia, avere una produzione flessibile non basta per offrire variet\ue0 al cliente senza compromettere la redditivit\ue0 dell'impresa. Altri processi, quali ad esempio il ciclo dell'ordine, devono essere opportunamente rivisti per effettuare un adeguato collegamento tra cliente, commerciale e produzione. Questo lavoro riporta alcuni dei risultati di una ricerca biennale su una classe di sistemi informativi che supporta il ciclo dell'ordine in contesti caratterizzati da un'elevata variet\ue0 di prodotto. Lo studio mostra che tali sistemi consentono una ristrutturazione di alcune attivit\ue0 del ciclo dell'ordine, aumentando l'efficienza e l'efficacia con cui un'azienda pu\uf2 tradurre i requisiti del cliente nella documentazione di prodotto che viene utilizzata per la produzione della variante desiderata

SISTEMI SOFTWARE PER LA CONFIGURAZIONE DI PRODOTTO

IL testo fornisce una descirizone generale del problema della configurazione di prodotto partendo da un caso esemplificativo. Presenta la configurazione di prodotto supportata da SW. Porta evidenza circa gli impatti sulle prestaazioni derivanti dall'introduzione di un sistema SW di configurazione di prodotto

Expression and localization of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes in rat efferent ductules and epididymis

The expression of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) subtypes (M-1-M-5) was studied in the rat efferent ductules and epididymis at the mRNA and protein levels. the relative abundance of each mAChR transcript subtype differed depending on the tissue and the epididymal region analyzed. the M-1 mAChR mRNA level was more abundant in the efferent ductules than in the caput and cauda of the epididymis. the M-2 mAChR mRNA level was similar between the efferent ductules and caput of the epididymis and higher in the cauda region. the M-3 mAChR mRNA level was low in the efferent ductules and caput of the epididymis, but high levels were detected in the cauda region. mRNAs for M-4 and M-5 mAChRs were not detected in these tissues. Our studies indicated a variable degree of immunostaining for each mAChR subtype in a cell-type and tissue-specific pattern. M-3 mAChR was detected over the efferent ductule epithelium. M-2 and M-3 mAChRs were observed in the apical region of the ciliated cells. Apical and narrow cells of the initial segment showed distinct staining by M-1 antibody, whereas a supranuclear reaction was noted in the principal cells of the caput of the epididymis. in addition, staining for M-1 and M-2 mAChRs was visible in the apical membrane of some epithelial cells of the cauda region. M-3 mAChR was detected in the peritubular smooth muscle of the efferent ductules and epididymis. Functional studies suggested the involvement of this subtype in epididymal tubule contraction. Thus, the cell-specific expression of the various mAChR subtypes in the efferent ductules and epididymis suggests that these receptors play a role in the modulation of luminal fluid composition and smooth muscle contraction.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Pharmacol, Sect Expt Endocrinol, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Pharmacol, Sect Expt Endocrinol, BR-04044020 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc