Cardiovascular risk assessment scores for people with diabetes: a systematic review

People with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Multivariate cardiovascular risk scores have been used in many countries to identify individuals who are at high risk of CVD. These risk scores include those originally developed in individuals with diabetes and those developed in a general population. This article reviews the published evidence for the performance of CVD risk scores in diabetic patients by: (1) examining the overall rationale for using risk scores; (2) systematically reviewing the literature on available scores; and (3) exploring methodological issues surrounding the development, validation and comparison of risk scores. The predictive performance of cardiovascular risk scores varies substantially between different populations. There is little evidence to suggest that risk scores developed in individuals with diabetes estimate cardiovascular risk more accurately than those developed in the general population. The inconsistency in the methods used in evaluation studies makes it difficult to compare and summarise the predictive ability of risk scores. Overall, CVD risk scores rank individuals reasonably accurately and are therefore useful in the management of diabetes with regard to targeting therapy to patients at highest risk. However, due to the uncertainty in estimation of true risk, care is needed when using scores to communicate absolute CVD risk to individuals

Extracellular Administration of BCL2 Protein Reduces Apoptosis and Improves Survival in a Murine Model of Sepsis

Severe sepsis and septic shock are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In experimental sepsis there is prominent apoptosis of various cell types, and genetic manipulation of death and survival pathways has been shown to modulate organ injury and survival.We investigated the effect of extracellular administration of two anti-apoptotic members of the BCL2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) family of intracellular regulators of cell death in a murine model of sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). We show that intraperitoneal injection of picomole range doses of recombinant human (rh) BCL2 or rhBCL2A1 protein markedly improved survival as assessed by surrogate markers of death. Treatment with rhBCL2 or rhBCL2A1 protein significantly reduced the number of apoptotic cells in the intestine and heart following CLP, and this was accompanied by increased expression of endogenous mouse BCL2 protein. Further, mice treated with rhBCL2A1 protein showed an increase in the total number of neutrophils in the peritoneum following CLP with reduced neutrophil apoptosis. Finally, although neither BCL2 nor BCL2A1 are a direct TLR2 ligand, TLR2-null mice were not protected by rhBCL2A1 protein, indicating that TLR2 signaling was required for the protective activity of extracellularly adminsitered BCL2A1 protein in vivo.Treatment with rhBCL2A1 or rhBCL2 protein protects mice from sepsis by reducing apoptosis in multiple target tissues, demonstrating an unexpected, potent activity of extracellularly administered BCL2 BH4-domain proteins

The HELINOISE Aeroacoustic Rotor Test in the DNW

In a major cooperative research program between 8 European partners, a geometrically and dynamically scaled and highly instrumented model of the ECD (formerly MBB) BO-105 helicopter main rotor was tested in the open-jet anechoic test section of the German-Dutch Wind Tunnel, DNW, in the Netherlands. A comprehensive set of simultaneous aerodynamic and acoustic pressure data as well as dynamic and performance data were measured for the standard rotor (NACA 23012 mod) with rectangular blade tips. The primary objective of this experimental study was to generate an extensive airload and acoustic data base for code validation, to examine the relation between the blade pressure characteristics and the acoustic radiation, and as a further objective to obtain initial detailed information on blade-tip vortex trajectories and blade positions during blade-vortex interactions. This report describes the instrumented model rotor, the Modular Wind-tunnel Model (MWM) test stand, the aerodynamic and acoustic data acquisition systems, and the scope of the test matrix and of test conduction. Moreover, the measurement techniques used to visualize the interacting vortex flow and to determine blade deflection and incidence at the blade tip are briefly outlined. Selected test results are presented in this report which is accompanied by a number of appendices and enclosures wherein the experimental results are documented in full. The data is expected to improve the understanding of rotor aeroacoustics and to further the validation of various aerodynamic and acoustic codes developed or improved by the partners of this joint European venture

ICSS - Integriertes Client-Server-System fuer das virtuelle Bauteam

SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: F04B222 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung, Berlin (Germany)DEGerman

ICSS - Integriertes Client-Server-System fuer das virtuelle Bauteam

SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: F04B222 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung, Berlin (Germany)DEGerman