Treatment Response and Long Term Follow-up Results of Nonspecific Interstitial Pneumonia

The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term clinical course of non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) and to determine which factors are associated with a response to steroid therapy and relapse. Thirty-five patients with pathologically proven NSIP were included. Clinical, radiological, and laboratory data were reviewed retrospectively. The male-to-female ratio was 7:28 (median age, 52 yr). Thirty (86%) patients responded to steroid therapy, and the median follow-up was 55.2 months (range, 15.9-102.0 months). Five patients (14%) showed sustained disease progression and three died despite treatment. In the five with sustained disease progression, NSIP was associated with various systemic conditions, and the seropositivity of fluorescent antinuclear antibody was significantly associated with a poor response to steroids (P = 0.028). The rate of relapse was 25%, but all relapsed patients improved after re-treatment. The initial dose of steroids was significantly low in the relapse group (P = 0.020). In conclusion, progression is associated with various systemic conditions in patients who show progression. A low dose of initial steroids is significantly associated with relapse

Longitudinal analysis of Socioecological obesogenic factors in a National Sample of U.S. children

Background Childhood obesity is a serious public health threat. Although many researchers conducted research on socioecological determinants of childhood obesity, their longitudinal effects remain inconclusive especially among young children. This study examined socioecological factors and associated transitions of childrens body mass index (BMI) status throughout childrens kindergarten to elementary school years, using data from a national longitudinal sample. Methods The baseline sample of this study included 1264 children (weighted N = 379,297) extracted from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (baseline mean age: 5.24 years). The socioecological framework guided selection of socioecological obesogenic variables (e.g., family activity and parental involvement). Longitudinal ordered logistic regressions were performed to determine the associations between socioecological obesogenic variables and unhealthy/healthy changes in BMI status that captured transitions between healthy and unhealthy weight status (i.e., overweight, obesity, and severe obesity). Results Children with Hispanic ethnicity and nonwhite, less socioeconomic and environmental support, and living in households with fewer family members were more likely than their counterparts to have unhealthy BMI status changes over time (all ps < 0.05). Over the study period, girls were less likely than boys to experience transitions to unhealthy BMI status (all ps < 0.05). Conclusion As hypothesized a priori, the findings of the current affirmed multiple dimensions of how sociological obesogenic factors may influence childrens BMI status changes in a longitudinal setting. In order to maintain childrens long-term healthy weight, more attention should be paid to socioeconomic obesogenic factors surrounding children as well as individual determinants of obesity (e.g., being physically active and having well-balanced nutrition)

Effects of Filler Functionalization on Filler-Embedded Natural Rubber/Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer Composites

Natural rubber (NR) presents a number of advantages over other types of rubber but has poor resistance to chemicals and aging. The incorporation of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) into the NR matrix may be able to address this issue. Mineral fillers, such as carbon black (CB) and silica are routinely incorporated into various elastomers owing to their low cost, enhanced processability, good functionality, and high resistance to chemicals and aging. Other fillers have been examined as potential alternatives to CB and silica. In this study, phlogopite was surface-modified using 10 phr of compatibilizers, such as aminopropyltriethoxysilane (A1S), aminoethylaminopropyltrimethoxysilane (A2S), or 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (ES), and mixed with NR/EPDM blends. The effects of untreated and surface-treated phlogopite on the mechanical properties of the rubber blend were then compared with those of common fillers (CB and silica) for rubbers. The incorporation of surface-modified phlogopite into NR/EPDM considerably enhanced various properties. The functionalization of the phlogopite surface using silane-based matters (amino- and epoxide-functionalized) led to excellent compatibility between the rubber matrix and phlogopite, thereby improving diverse properties of the elastomeric composites, with effects analogous to those of CB. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the phlogopite-embedded NR/EPDM composite were lower than those of the CB-incorporated NR/EPDM composite by 30% and 10%, respectively. Among the prepared samples, the ES-functionalized phlogopite showed the best compatibility with the rubber matrix, exhibiting a tensile strength and modulus of composites that were 35% and 18% higher, respectively, compared with those of the untreated phlogopite-incorporated NR/EPDM composite. The ES-functionalized phlogopite/NR/EPDM showed similar strength and higher modulus (by 18%) to the CB/NR/EPDM rubber composite, despite slightly lower elongation at break and toughness. The results of rebound resilience and compression set tests indicated that the elasticity of the surface-modified phlogopite/NR/EPDM rubber composite was higher than that of the silica- and CB-reinforced composites. These improvements could be attributed to enhancements in the physical and chemical interactions among the rubber matrix, stearic acid, and functionalized (compatibilized) phlogopite. Therefore, the functionalized phlogopite can be utilized in a wide range of applications for rubber compounding

Water Saving by Shallow Intermittent Irrigation and Growth of Rice

To reduce water requirement and improve water productivity (the grain yield per unit volume of water irrigated) by water-saving irrigation techniques, we examined the effects of very shallow intermittent irrigation (VSII, 2cm), shallow intermittent irrigation (SII, 4cm) and traditional deep water irrigation (DWI, 10cm) on rice growth and yield in the field for two years. The amount of water irrigation during the rice-growing period (average of two years) was 318, 391 and 469 mm in VSII, SII and DWI, respectively. Rice growth and grain yield were not significantly influenced by the treatments. As the irrigation water input decreased, the water productivity increased. The water productivity increased by 46 % in VSII and 20 % in SII on the average as compared with DWI. The shallower the irrigation depth, the lower the breaking weight and the higher the lodging resistance, and the deeper the roots in the paddy soil. In DWI, the percentage of head rice was lower and the protein content was higher, suggesting deterioration in the palatability of cooked rice due to the increase of chalky rice. The water-saving rate was 32.9 % in VSII and 17.2 % in SII as compared with typical deep water irrigation in Korea

Differences in the Expression Profiles of Excision Repair Crosscomplementation Group 1, X-Ray Repair Crosscomplementation Group 1, and beta III-Tubulin Between Primary Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and Metastatic Lymph Nodes and the Significance in Mid-Term Survival

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the expression profiles of excision repair crosscomplementation group 1 (ERCC1), x-ray repair crosscomplementation group 1 (XRCC1), and beta III-tubulin between patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and those with metastatic lymph nodes and to identify the prognostic significance of each chemotherapy resistance protein. Materials: Those who met the inclusion criteria were patients (1) with NSCLC, (2) with metastatic lymph nodes (N1 or N2), and (3) who underwent surgical resection followed by platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy. A total of 82 patients were included in the study. The expression profile of each protein was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and compared according to tumor location. Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.5 +/- 8.4 years. There were 30 N1 and 52 N2 patients. ERCC I expression was upregulated in 55% and downregulated in 8% of metastatic lymph nodes, when compared with primary tumors (p < 0.05). XRCC1 was also upregulated in 56% and downregulated in 6% (p < 0.05). However, beta III-tubulin was upregulated in 12% and downregulated in 45% of patients (p < 0.05). beta III-tubulin expression in metastatic lymph nodes was greater in patients with adenocarcinoma than other cell types. Upregulation of ERCC1 in metastatic lymph nodes was a poor prognostic factor in N1 patients but not in N2 patients. Conclusions: Significant changes in the expression profile of each protein were observed in metastatic lymph nodes. The resistance protein-guided treatment Should be performed after integrative interpretation of expression profiles of each protein in both primary and metastatic sites.