Women with atrial fibrillation are at a higher risk of stroke, despite treatment with warfarin. It is unclear if women treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have better clinical outcomes, ...especially when considering the quality of anticoagulation control of warfarin.
This study compared the effectiveness and safety outcomes of DOACs versus warfarin in men and women with stratifications for anticoagulation control.
Patients newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and prescribed oral anticoagulants during 2010 to 2015 were identified using the Hong Kong clinical database. Propensity score matching was performed in men and women separately. Further analysis was conducted to stratify warfarin users according to their anticoagulation control. Cox regression was used to compare the risk of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), gastrointestinal bleeding, and all-cause mortality in the specific sex.
There were 4,972 men and 4,834 women successfully matched in our cohort. Compared with warfarin, DOAC use was associated with a lower risk of ICH (hazard ratio HR: 0.16; 95% confidence interval CI: 0.06 to 0.40) and all-cause mortality (HR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.77) in women but not in men. The treatment by sex interaction was significant for ICH only, and a significantly lower risk of ICH remained in the DOAC group when compared with warfarin users with good anticoagulation control (HR: 0.13; 95% CI: 0.02 to 1.00) among women only. The risks of ischemic stroke or systemic embolism and gastrointestinal bleeding with DOACs versus warfarin were comparable in both sexes.
DOACs were associated with a lower risk of ICH and all-cause mortality in women only, where the association of lower ICH risk remained when compared with warfarin users with good anticoagulation control.
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The development of effective antifungal agents remains a big challenge in view of the close evolutionary relationship between mammalian cells and fungi. Moreover, rapid mutations of fungal receptors ...at the molecular level result in the emergence of drug resistance. Here, with low tendency to develop drug-resistance, the subcellular organelle mitochondrion is exploited as an alternative target for efficient fungal killing by photodynamic therapy (PDT) of mitochondrial-targeting luminogens with aggregation-induced emission characteristics (AIEgens). With cationic isoquinolinium (IQ) moiety and proper hydrophobicity, three AIEgens, namely, IQ-TPE-2O, IQ-Cm, and IQ-TPA, can preferentially accumulate at the mitochondria of fungi over the mammalian cells. Upon white light irradiation, these AIEgens efficiently generate reactive 1O2, which causes irreversible damage to fungal mitochondria and further triggers the fungal death. Among them, IQ-TPA shows the highest PDT efficiency against fungi and negligible toxicity to mammalian cells, achieving the selective and highly efficient killing of fungi. Furthermore, we tested the clinical utility of this PDT strategy by treating fungal keratitis on a fungus-infected rabbit model. It was demonstrated that IQ-TPA presents obviously better therapeutic effects as compared with the clinically used rose bengal, suggesting the success of this PDT strategy and its great potential for clinical treatment of fungal infections.
In this Letter, 21 cm intensity maps acquired at the Green Bank Telescope are cross-correlated with large-scale structure traced by galaxies in the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey. The data span the ...redshift range 0.6 < z < 1 over two fields totaling ~41 deg. sq. and 190 hr of radio integration time. The cross-correlation constrains Omega sub(H I)b sub(H I)r = 0.43 + or - 0.07(stat.) + or - 0.04(sys.) x 10 super(?3), where Omega sub(H I) is the neutral hydrogen (H I) fraction, r is the galaxy-hydrogen correlation coefficient, and b sub(H I) is the H I bias parameter. This is the most precise constraint on neutral hydrogen density fluctuations in a challenging redshift range. Our measurement improves the previous 21 cm cross-correlation at z ~ 0.8 both in its precision and in the range of scales probed.
Purpose
To optimize and apply deep neural network based CEST (deepCEST) and apparent exchange dependent‐relaxation (deepAREX) for imaging the mouse brain with Alzheimer's disease (AD) at 3T MRI.
...Methods
CEST and T1 data of central and anterior brain slices of 10 AD mice and 10 age‐matched wild type (WT) mice were acquired at a 3T animal MRI scanner. The networks of deepCEST/deepAREX were optimized and trained on the WT data. The CEST/AREX contrasts of AD and WT mice predicted by the networks were analyzed and further validated by immunohistochemistry.
Results
After optimization and training on CEST data of WT mice, deepCEST/deepAREX could rapidly (~1 s) generate precise CEST and AREX results for unseen CEST data of AD mice, indicating the accuracy and generalization of the networks. Significant lower amide weighted (3.5 ppm) signal related to amyloid β‐peptide (Aβ) plaque depositions, which was validated by immunohistochemistry results, was detected in both central and anterior brain slices of AD mice compared to WT mice. Decreased magnetization transfer (MT) signal was also found in AD mice especially in the anterior slice.
Conclusion
DeepCEST/deepAREX could rapidly generate accurate CEST/AREX contrasts in animal study. The well‐optimized deepCEST/deepAREX have potential for AD differentiation at 3T MRI.
Use of telomere length (TL) as a biomarker for various environmental exposures and diseases has increased in recent years. Various methods have been developed to measure telomere length. Polymerase ...chain reaction (PCR)-based methods remain wide-spread for population-based studies due to the high-throughput capability. While several studies have evaluated the repeatability and reproducibility of different TL measurement methods, the results have been variable. We conducted a literature review of TL measurement cross-method comparison studies that included a PCR-based method published between January 1, 2002 and May 25, 2020. A total of 25 articles were found that matched the inclusion criteria. Papers were reviewed for quality of methodologic reporting of sample and DNA quality, PCR assay characteristics, sample blinding, and analytic approaches to determine final TL. Overall, methodologic reporting was low as assessed by two different reporting guidelines for qPCR-based TL measurement. There was a wide range in the reported correlation between methods (as assessed by Pearson's r) and few studies utilized the recommended intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for assessment of assay repeatability and methodologic comparisons. The sample size for nearly all studies was less than 100, raising concerns about statistical power. Overall, this review found that the current literature on the relation between TL measurement methods is lacking in validity and scientific rigor. In light of these findings, we present reporting guidelines for PCR-based TL measurement methods and results of analyses of the effect of assay repeatability (ICC) on statistical power of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Additional cross-laboratory studies with rigorous methodologic and statistical reporting, adequate sample size, and blinding are essential to accurately determine assay repeatability and replicability as well as the relation between TL measurement methods.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Studies have highlighted the increasing fraction of unidentified organofluorine (UOF) compounds in human blood, whose health effects are not known. In this study, 130 whole blood samples from the ...Swedish general population were analyzed for extractable organofluorine (EOF) and selected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Organofluorine mass balance analysis revealed that 60% (0–99%) of the EOF in female samples could not be explained by the 63 monitored PFAS; in males, 41% (0–93%) of the EOF was of unidentified origin. Significant differences between both age groups and gender were seen, with the highest fraction of UOF in young females (70% UOF, aged 18–44), which is contrary to what has been reported in the literature for commonly monitored compounds (e.g., perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, PFOS). Increasing the number of monitored PFAS did not lead to a large decrease of the UOF fraction; the seven highest PFAS (C8–C11 PFCAs, C6–C8 PFSAs) accounted for 98% of sum 63 PFAS. The high fraction of UOF in human samples is of concern, as the chemical species of these organofluorine compounds remain unknown and thus their potential health risks cannot be assessed.
Solidarity means strength: In new silole luminogens, the solid aggregates are stronger emitters than isolated molecules. The solid‐state emission is tunable by varying molecular structures of the ...luminogens. Increasing bulkiness of the substituents weakens intermolecular interactions and restricts intramolecular rotations, leading to a blue shift in emission color and a great increase in emission efficiency (see examples in picture).
Domain Specificity in Visual Cortex Downing, P. E.; Chan, A. W.-Y.; Peelen, M. V. ...
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. 1991),
10/2006, Letnik:
16, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We investigated the prevalence and specificity of category-selective regions in human visual cortex. In the broadest survey to date of category selectivity in visual cortex, 12 participants were ...scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging while viewing scenes and 19 different object categories in a blocked-design experiment. As expected, we found selectivity for faces in the fusiform face area (FFA), for scenes in the parahippocampal place area (PPA), and for bodies in the extrastriate body area (EBA). In addition, we describe 3 main new findings. First, evidence for the selectivity of the FFA, PPA, and EBA was strengthened by the finding that each area responded significantly more strongly to its preferred category than to the next most effective of the remaining 19 stimulus categories tested. Second, a region in the middle temporal gyrus that has been reported to respond significantly more strongly to tools than to animals did not respond significantly more strongly to tools than to other nontool categories (such as fruits and vegetables), casting doubt on the characterization of this region as tool selective. Finally, we did not find any new regions in the occipitotemporal pathway that were strongly selective for other categories. Taken together, these results demonstrate both the strong selectivity of a small number of regions and the scarcity of such regions in visual cortex.
Background:
Despite the increasingly crucial role of the healthcare workforce and volunteers working in hospice and palliative care (HPC), very little is known about factors that promote or limit the ...positive outcomes associated with practicing compassion.
Aim:
The purpose of this study was to: 1) understand the complex relationships among Compassion Satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue and Burnout within the hospice and palliative care workforce and 2) explore how key practice characteristics – practice status, professional affiliation, and principal institution – interact with the measured constructs of Compassion Satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue and Burnout.
Design:
Self-reported measures of Compassion Satisfaction, Compassion Fatigue and Burnout, using validated scales, as well as questions to describe socio-demographic profiles and key practice characteristics were obtained.
Setting/participants:
A national survey of HPC workers, comprising clinical, administrative, allied health workers and volunteers, was completed. Respondents from hospital, community-based and care homes informed the results of our study (n = 630).
Results:
Our results indicate a significant negative correlation between Compassion Satisfaction and Burnout (r = −0.531, p < 0.001) and between Compassion Satisfaction and Compassion Fatigue (r = −0.208, p < 0.001), and a significant positive correlation between Burnout and Compassion Fatigue (r = 0.532, p < 0.001). Variations in self-reported levels of the above constructs were noted by key practice characteristics. Levels of all three constructs are significantly, but differentially, affected by type of service provided, principal institution, practice status and professional affiliation. Results indicate that health care systems could increase the prevalence of Compassion Satisfaction through both policy and institutional level programs to support HPC professionals in their jurisdictions.
Physical Literacy (PL) is a synthesis construct that ties together movement competencies with affective, motivational, and knowledge-based elements. It is considered foundational to the development ...of physical activity-related outcomes. Many diverse organizations and programs have embraced the concept and are implementing programs targeting each of those core elements. However, research has lagged behind its interest and adoption. Among the more prominent gaps is the design and evaluation of programs that aim to increase PL within special populations such as new immigrants or refugee youth.
The Immigrant-focused Physical Literacy for Youth (IPLAY) program is a co-developed evidence-informed 8-week PL program designed for new immigrant and refugee youths who have recently settled in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This study aims to use a convergent parallel mixed-methods approach to collect, analyse, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data in the evaluation and iteration of the IPLAY program.
PL programs can be used as a tool to build confidence and physical competencies among newcomer youth. Furthermore, academic-community collaborations in the design and delivery of PL programs can help improve the access and interest for PL programs among newcomer youth. These partnerships are critical and timely considering the recent and upcoming waves of immigration to "arrival cities" across Canada.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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