Thyroid Hormones within the Normal Range and Cardiac Function in the General Population: The EPIPorto Study

Background: Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are associated with marked changes in cardiac structure and function. However, the association of thyroid function within the normal range with cardiac structure and function in the general population remains uncertain. Methods: Eight hundred thirty-five subjects aged ≥45 years from the EPIPorto cohort (evaluation between 2006 and 2008) were cross-sectionally analyzed. We excluded participants with TSH, free T4 (FT4), or free T3 (FT3) outside of the reference range or with self-reported cardiovascular or thyroid disease. Cardiac structure and function were evaluated by echocardiography. We used linear regression models unadjusted and adjusted for sex and age (model 1), and sex, age, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking (model 2). Nonlinear associations were assessed using restricted cubic splines. Results: The mean age was 61.5 years (SD 10.5); 61.1% of the patients were women. In the adjusted model 2, heart rate was positively associated with FT3; diastolic blood pressure was positively associated with TSH; LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes were inversely associated with TSH, and ejection fraction was nonlinearly associated with FT3, with higher ejection fractions near the limits of the reference range. Left ventricle (LV) posterior wall thickness was nonlinearly associated with FT4 in the adjusted model 1, with a greater thickness near the limits of the reference range. Regarding diastolic function, no significant associations were observed in adjusted models. Conclusions: Thyroid function within the reference range was associated with heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac structure, and function. Increasing thyroid function (lower TSH, higher FT4, or higher FT3) was associated with a higher heart rate, a lower diastolic blood pressure, and larger LV volumes. LV wall thickness and ejection fraction had a U-shaped association with thyroid hormones.This work was supported by the DOCnet project (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000003), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and the NETDIAMOND project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016385), supported by European Structural and Investment Funds, Lisbon’s Regional Operational Program 2020, and national funds from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology – both projects through the Cardiovascular Research Center (UnIC, FCT 51/94) – and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (grant POCI/SAU-ESP/61492/2004) and the Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia – Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (EPIUnit) (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006862, ref. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UID/DTP/04750/2013/PT)

Association of thyroid function, within the euthyroid range, with cardiovascular risk: The EPIPorto study

Background: Thyroid hormones are important modulators of cardiovascular function. Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are known to contribute to an increased cardiovascular risk. It remains uncertain whether thyroid hormones level within the euthyroid range are associated with cardiometabolic risk. We aimed to evaluate the association between thyroid function levels within the euthyroid range and cardiovascular risk in a population-based cohort. Methods: Eight hundred thirty-five subjects aged ≥45 years from the EPIPorto population-based cohort were included. We excluded participants with TSH, free T4 (FT4), or free T3 (FT3) outside of the reference range, or with previous cardiovascular or thyroid disease. The associations between thyroid function, cardiovascular risk factors and the 10-year estimated risk of cardiovascular events (using SCORE2 and SCORE2-OP) were evaluated in linear and logistic regression models, crudely and adjusting for age, sex, BMI, diabetes, and smoking. Results: The mean age of the participants was 61.5 (SD 10.5) years and 38.9% were men. Eleven percent of the participants had diabetes, 47.8% had dyslipidemia, and 54.8% had hypertension. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 27.4 (SD 4.6) kg/m2, and the median (percentile25-75) 10-year risk of cardiovascular events was 5.46% (2.92, 10.11). Participants with higher BMI, larger waist circumference and higher hs-CRP had higher levels of FT3 and FT3/FT4 ratio. Lower FT3/FT4 ratio and higher FT4 levels were associated with higher prevalence of diabetes and more adverse lipid profile. Higher TSH, lower FT3 and lower FT3/FT4 ratio were associated with lower eGFR. Lower FT3, lower FT3/FT4 ratio and higher FT4 were associated with an increased 10-year risk of cardiovascular events. Conclusions: In a population-based study, variations of thyroid function within the euthyroid range were associated with cardiovascular risk factors. On one hand, individuals with higher BMI, larger waist circumference and higher hs-CRP had higher levels of FT3 and FT3/FT4 ratio. On the other hand, a decreased conversion of T4 to T3 (lower FT3, lower FT3/FT4 ratio and/or higher FT4) was associated with a higher prevalence of diabetes, a more adverse lipid profile, a lower eGFR and an increased 10-year risk of cardiovascular events. Copyright © 2022 Neves, Fontes-Carvalho, Borges-Canha, Leite, von Hafe, Vale, Martins, Guimarães, Carvalho, Leite-Moreira and Azevedo.This work was supported by the DOCnet project (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000003), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Program (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and the NETDIAMOND project (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016385), supported by European Structural and Investment Funds, Lisbon’s Regional Operational Program 2020, and national funds from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology – both projects through the Cardiovascular Research Center (UnIC, FCT 51/94) – and by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (grant POCI/SAU-ESP/61492/2004) and the Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia – Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (EPIUnit) (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006862, ref. UID/DTP/04750/2013). This work is financed by national funds through the FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., within the scope of projects UIDB/04750/2020 and LA/P/0064/2020

Optical parametric oscillation with distributed feedback in cold atoms

There is currently a strong interest in mirrorless lasing systems, in which the electromagnetic feedback is provided either by disorder (multiple scattering in the gain medium) or by order (multiple Bragg reflection). These mechanisms correspond, respectively, to random lasers and photonic crystal lasers. The crossover regime between order and disorder, or correlated disorder, has also been investigated with some success. Here, we report one-dimensional photonic-crystal lasing (that is, distributed feedback lasing) with a cold atom cloud that simultaneously provides both gain and feedback. The atoms are trapped in a one-dimensional lattice, producing a density modulation that creates a strong Bragg reflection with a small angle of incidence. Pumping the atoms with auxiliary beams induces four-wave mixing, which provides parametric gain. The combination of both ingredients generates a mirrorless parametric oscillation with a conical output emission, the apex angle of which is tunable with the lattice periodicity

Assessing regional differences in contraceptive discontinuation, failure and switching in Brazil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Contraceptive prevalence is relatively high in Brazil (55% among women of reproductive age). However, reversible methods account for less than half of the method mix and widespread differences persist across regions and social groups. This draws attention to the need for monitoring family planning service-related outcomes that might be linked with quality of care. The present study examines the factors associated with method discontinuation, failure and switching among current contraceptive users, with a focus on sub-national assessment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data for the analysis are drawn from the Brazil Demographic and Health Survey, notably the calendar module of reproductive events. Multilevel discrete-time competing risks hazard models are used to estimate the random- and fixed-effects on the probability of a woman making a specific transition after a given duration of contraceptive use.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Contraceptive continuation was found to be highest for the contraceptive pill, the most popular reversible method. Probabilities of abandonment while in need of family planning and of switching to another method were highest for injections. Failure, abandonment and switching were each higher among users in the Northeast region compared to the more prosperous Southeast and South.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Findings point to seemingly important disparities in the availability and quality of family planning and reproductive health care services across regions of the country. Expanding access to a range of contraceptive methods, improving knowledge among health agents of contraceptive technologies and increasing medical supervision of contraceptive practice may be considered key to expanding quality reproductive health care services for all.</p

The emotional movie database (EMDB): a self-report and psychophysiological study

Film clips are an important tool for evoking emotional responses in the laboratory. When compared with other emotionally potent visual stimuli (e.g., pictures), film clips seem to be more effective in eliciting emotions for longer periods of time at both the subjective and physiological levels. The main objective of the present study was to develop a new database of affective film clips without auditory content, based on a dimensional approach to emotional stimuli (valence, arousal and dominance). The study had three different phases: (1) the pre-selection and editing of 52 film clips (2) the self-report rating of these film clips by a sample of 113 participants and (3) psychophysiological assessment [skin conductance level (SCL) and the heart rate (HR)] on 32 volunteers. Film clips from different categories were selected to elicit emotional states from different quadrants of affective space. The results also showed that sustained exposure to the affective film clips resulted in a pattern of a SCL increase and HR deceleration in high arousal conditions (i.e., horror and erotic conditions). The resulting emotional movie database can reliably be used in research requiring the presentation of non-auditory film clips with different ratings of valence, arousal and dominance.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology with individual grants (SFRH/BD/41484/2007 and SFRH/BD/64355/2009

Volatile constituents and behavioral change induced by Cymbopogon winterianus leaf essential oil in rodents

Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt (‘Java citronella’) is an important essential oil yielding aromatic grass cultivated in India and Brazil and its volatile essential oils extracted from its leaves are used in perfumery, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and flavoring industries. However, there is no report on any psychopharmacological study of C. winterianus leaf essential oil (LEO) available to date. In this study, the pharmacological effects of the LEO were investigated in animal models and its phytochemical analyses. GC-MS analysis showed a mixture of monoterpenes, as citronellal (36.19%), geraniol (32.82%) and citronellol (11.37%). LEO exhibited an inhibitory effect on the locomotor activity of mice, an antinociceptive effect by increasing the reaction time in the writhing and capsaicin tests. All doses induced a significant increase in the sleeping time of animals not having modified however, the latency. The LEO did not alter the remaining time of the animals on the rota-rod apparatus. These results suggest a possible central effect.Key words: Cymbopogon winterianus, essential oil, CNS, behavioral effects, analgesic

Rationale, design and methodology for Intraventricular Pressure Gradients Study: a novel approach for ventricular filling assessment in normal and falling hearts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Intraventricular pressure gradients have been described between the base and the apex of the left ventricle during early diastolic ventricular filling, as well as, their increase after systolic and diastolic function improvement. Although, systolic gradients have also been observed, data are lacking on their magnitude and modulation during cardiac dysfunction. Furthermore, we know that segmental dysfunction interferes with the normal sequence of regional contraction and might be expected to alter the physiological intraventricular pressure gradients. The study hypothesis is that systolic and diastolic gradients, a marker of normal left ventricular function, may be related to physiological asynchrony between basal and apical myocardial segments and they can be attenuated, lost entirely, or even reversed when ventricular filling/emptying is impaired by regional acute ischemia or severe aortic stenosis.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p><it>Animal Studies: </it>Six rabbits will be completely instrumented to measuring apex to outflow-tract pressure gradient and apical and basal myocardial segments lengthening changes at basal, afterloaded and ischemic conditions. Afterload increase will be performed by abruptly narrowing or occluding the ascending aorta during the diastole and myocardial ischemia will be induced by left coronary artery ligation, after the first diagonal branch.</p> <p><it>Patient Studies: </it>Patients between 65-80 years old (n = 12), both genders, with severe aortic stenosis referred for aortic valve replacement will be selected as eligible subjects. A high-fidelity pressure-volume catheter will be positioned through the ascending aorta across the aortic valve to measure apical and outflow-tract pressure before and after aortic valve replacement with a bioprosthesis. Peak and average intraventricular pressure gradients will be recorded as apical minus outflow-tract pressure and calculated during all diastolic and systolic phases of cardiac cycle.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>We expect to validate the application of our method to obtain intraventricular pressure gradients in animals and patients and to promote a methodology to better understand the ventricular relaxation and filling and their correlation with systolic function.</p

Application of Chinese Jun-Cao technique for the production of Brazilian Ganoderma lucidum strains

Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom traditionally used in China against a wide range of diseases such as cancer and also for its prevention. In this work, commercial Chinese strains G. lucidum were compared to wild Brazilian strains aiming to determine the cultivation potential through the use of Jun-Cao. Six formulations were tested and the strains presented good response to the applied method. In general, the mixture between the grass and wood was well suited for the basidiomycetes, contributing to the preparation of substrates that generated better results in Jun Cao

Monitoring Inequalities in the Health Workforce: The Case Study of Brazil 1991–2005

Introduction: Both the quantity and the distribution of health workers in a country are fundamental for assuring equitable access to health services. Using the case of Brazil, we measure changes in inequalities in the distribution of the health workforce and account for the sources of inequalities at sub-national level to identify whether policies have been effectiv

Jet energy measurement with the ATLAS detector in proton-proton collisions at root s=7 TeV

The jet energy scale and its systematic uncertainty are determined for jets measured with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 7TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 38 pb-1. Jets are reconstructed with the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameters R=0. 4 or R=0. 6. Jet energy and angle corrections are determined from Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate jets with transverse momenta pT≥20 GeV and pseudorapidities {pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy systematic uncertainty is estimated using the single isolated hadron response measured in situ and in test-beams, exploiting the transverse momentum balance between central and forward jets in events with dijet topologies and studying systematic variations in Monte Carlo simulations. The jet energy uncertainty is less than 2. 5 % in the central calorimeter region ({pipe}η{pipe}<0. 8) for jets with 60≤pT<800 GeV, and is maximally 14 % for pT<30 GeV in the most forward region 3. 2≤{pipe}η{pipe}<4. 5. The jet energy is validated for jet transverse momenta up to 1 TeV to the level of a few percent using several in situ techniques by comparing a well-known reference such as the recoiling photon pT, the sum of the transverse momenta of tracks associated to the jet, or a system of low-pT jets recoiling against a high-pT jet. More sophisticated jet calibration schemes are presented based on calorimeter cell energy density weighting or hadronic properties of jets, aiming for an improved jet energy resolution and a reduced flavour dependence of the jet response. The systematic uncertainty of the jet energy determined from a combination of in situ techniques is consistent with the one derived from single hadron response measurements over a wide kinematic range. The nominal corrections and uncertainties are derived for isolated jets in an inclusive sample of high-pT jets. Special cases such as event topologies with close-by jets, or selections of samples with an enhanced content of jets originating from light quarks, heavy quarks or gluons are also discussed and the corresponding uncertainties are determined. © 2013 CERN for the benefit of the ATLAS collaboration