Literature review.
Adult degenerative scoliosis (ADS) is becoming a more prevalent diagnosis with an increasing elderly population. Our objective is to provide a literature review of genetic and ...serum markers in ADS.
A literature review was conducted in the various databases from their inception to July 2020. Studies that reviewed any genetic or serum markers of ADS whether in detection or progression were selected. Studies that reviewed congenital scoliosis or adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) were excluded.
A total of 1447 titles were identified of which 14 were included in the final review. Two papers reported on serum markers pertaining to serum cartilage metabolites and pentosidine. Twelve studies reported on genetic markers including gene polymorphisms in estrogen receptors, parathyroid hormone receptors, interleukin 6, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), COL2A1, GPRIN1, TRAIL, GRIN receptor, RIMS, LBX1 as well as copy number variations.
Serum markers of osteoarthritis and sarcopenia have been found to be significantly elevated in ADS patients as well. Numerous polymorphisms have been found in a variety of genes playing key roles in bone formation and regulation. Further research is needed in validating previous studies as well as identifying other biomarkers for patients at risk for developing ADS.
Abstract Circulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels may correlate with diabetic complications. Whether they are changed in early diabetic cardiomyopathy is not known and was examined in this ...study. TIMP-1 and collagen degradation products were also measured. Results from subjects with and without diastolic dysfunction were compared with those obtained for patients with varying stages of diabetic renal disease. Patients with type 2 diabetes with or without diastolic dysfunction with varying degrees of renal disease were recruited for this study. Age-matched non-diabetic subjects served as controls. MMPs (-1, -3 and -7) and TIMP-1 were measured by ELISA, MMP-2 and -9 by zymography and collagen degradation products by radioimmunoassay. Differences in the pattern of MMPs/TIMPs and collagen degradation products were observed. The most consistent change was in totalMMP-7, which was increased in those with diastolic dysfunction and those with macroalbuminuria. MMP-7 correlated with cardiac function ( p < 0.05 vs control, in those with diastolic dysfunction), and renal filtration function ( p < 0.05 vs control). In summary, we have identified novel relationships between serum MMP-7 and diabetic complications specifically in renal disease and in diastolic dysfunction. How increased circulating MMP-7 is associated with these diabetic microvascular complications and the significance of these findings will require prospective studies.
Summary
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic pruritic skin condition affecting as much as 15% of children in industrialized countries. While the underlying pathophysiology of AD is not entirely ...understood, several studies have suggested that AD may mediated by oxidative stress. Glutathione S‐transferases (GSTs) are a class of polymorphic enzymes that function to protect against oxidative stress. To identify any possible associations between GSTs polymorphisms and AD susceptibility, the prevalence of two specific polymorphisms –GSTM1 and GSTT1 (homozygous deletion vs. undeleted) – were quantified by multiplex PCR in 145 patients with AD and 267 healthy controls. In individuals with AD, GSTM1/GSTT1 polymorphisms were compared with family history of AD, age of disease onset, disease severity per SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), serum IgE level and presence of other allergic diseases. While the GSTM1‐null genotype was found to be significantly associated with AD (P = 0.033, OR = 1.579, 95% CI = 1.037–2.403), the correlation between the GSTT1‐null genotype and AD did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.577, OR = 1.125, 95% CI = 0.744–1.702). The GSTM1‐null genotype was also found to be significantly associated with a childhood onset of AD, the absence of other allergic diseases, and a family history of AD. In combination, these results suggest that GSTM1 is associated with AD susceptibility in Korean subjects.
The enhancement of surface roughness of a textile-like porous medium fabricated by 3D printing techniques is crucial for the repeatability of permeability experiments from test to test. This paper ...aims at comparison of the surface quality of textile-like porous media fabricated by Stereolithography (SLA), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), and Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) 3D printing techniques. Hence, a 3D optical profilometer was used to evaluate the 3D areal surface texture parameters of samples according to ISO 25178. The results revealed that SLA technique produces the smoothest surface with the lowest deviation in the measured values of the surface characteristics. Also, the surface parameters such as the average roughness (Sa) and root mean square (RSM) roughness (Sq) of the top surface of MJF samples are lower than those measured for FDM sample. Furthermore, filling pattern of the FDM technique as a trajectory filament-based AM process results in rougher horizontal surfaces compared to those produced by a non-trajectory powder-based process such as MJF.
This paper presents the first comparative study of fabricating reference porous media with three different additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, namely Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), ...Stereolithography (SLA) and HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF). Various parameters in each step of these 3D printed reference media that contribute to model inaccuracy, including the intrinsic limitations of each printing technology are examined. The analysis of repeatability and dimensional accuracy of 3D printed parts shows that SLA yields the highest integrity in 3D printed reference medium with tolerances well below 2% of the nominal thickness of the mould. Hence the reference medium processed via SLA is tested for the permeability study. Statistical analysis based on 20 measurements of permeability using the same set-up shows a coefficient of variation of less than 2%, confirming the elimination of the inherent source of variability in real textile.
We describe a novel technique, organic vapor phase deposition, for the growth of thin films of optically non-linear organic salts. A volatile precursor of each component of the salt is carried as a ...vapor to a hot-wall reaction chamber by independently controlled streams of carrier gas. The components react to form a polycrystalline thin film on substrates of glass and gold. Excess reactants and reaction products are purged from the system by the carrier gas. As an example, we demonstrate the growth of polycrystalline, optically non-linear thin films of 4′-dimethylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) with > 95% purity.
Reflection spectra of volume Bragg gratings written in bulk photosensitive silicate glass for wavelength division multiplexing applications are modeled using a transmission matrix approach. This ...allows for the examination of the effects of spatial perturbations along the grating due to chirp, apodization, compositional inhomogeneities, and index contrast saturation leading to reflection spectra that are asymmetric about the Bragg peak. Effects of the nonlinear relationship between index contrast in the glass and exposure flux on the reflection spectrum is also studied. Volume Bragg gratings are fabricated in UV exposure-sensitive silicate glasses containing alkali-halide nano-crystalline domains, and their reflection spectra are compared with calculation. The magnitude and uniformity of the index changes observed in our glass gratings make them useful in a wide range of wavelength multiplexing applications.
Although inhaled glucocorticosteroids are recommended for persistent asthma, their long-term effect on recent onset, mild, persistent asthma has yet to be established.
We did a randomised, ...double-blind clinical trial in 7241 patients in 32 countries to assess the effects of budesonide in patients who had had mild persistent asthma for less than 2 years and who had not had previous regular treatment with glucocorticosteroids. Patients aged 5–66 years received either budesonide or placebo once daily for 3 years in addition to their usual asthma medications. The daily budesonide dose was 400 μg, or 200 μg for children younger than 11 years. The primary outcome was time to first severe asthma-related event, and analysis was by intention to treat.
198 of 3568 patients on placebo and 117 of 3597 on budesonide had at least one severe asthma exacerbation; hazard ratio 0·56 (95% CI 0·45–0·71, p<0·0001). Patients on budesonide had fewer courses of systemic corticosteroids and more symptom-free days than did those on placebo. Compared with placebo, budesonide increased postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV
1) from baseline by 1·48% (p<0·0001) after 1 year and by 0·88% (p=0·0005) after 3 years (expressed as percent of the predicted value). The corresponding increase in prebronchodilator FEV
1 was 2·24% after 1 year and 1·71% after 3 years (p<0·0001 at both timepoints). The effect of treatment on all outcome variables was independent of the baseline lung function (prebronchodilator or postbronchodilator) or baseline medication. In children younger than 11 years, 3-year growth was reduced in the budesonide group by 1·34 cm. The reduction was greatest in the first year of treatment (0·58 cm) than years 2 and 3 (0·43 cm and 0·33 cm, respectively)
Long-term, once-daily treatment with low-dose budesonide decreases the risk of severe exacerbations and improves asthma control in patients with mild persistent asthma of recent onset.
We demonstrate the process of low-pressure organic vapor-phase deposition (LP-OVPD) for the growth of crystalline thin films of the organic charge-transfer salt ...4′-dimethylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) on amorphous TiO
2 substrates. LP-OVPD grown films exhibit polycrystallinity with long-range structural ordering limited only by substrate size. Film surface coverage and macroscopic ordering are strongly determined by the preparation of the TiO
2 surface prior to growth. The morphology and ordering of the films are also found to depend on the deposition temperature and the composition of the precursor molecules. These results suggest that LP-OVPD films are of sufficient quality for use in optical waveguide and related photonic devices.
Rigid Body Dynamics Borisov, Alexey; Mamaev, Ivan S; Higher Education Press Ltd. Comp., Higher Education
2018, 2018-12-03, Letnik:
52
eBook
This book provides an up-to-date overview of results in rigid body dynamics, including material concerned with the analysis of nonintegrability and chaotic behavior in various related problems. The ...wealth of topics covered makes it a practical reference for researchers and graduate students in mathematics, physics and mechanics. Contents Rigid Body Equations of Motion and Their Integration The Euler - Poisson Equations and Their Generalizations The Kirchhoff Equations and Related Problems of Rigid Body Dynamics Linear Integrals and Reduction Generalizations of Integrability Cases. Explicit Integration Periodic Solutions, Nonintegrability, and Transition to Chaos Appendix A : Derivation of the Kirchhoff, Poincaré - Zhukovskii, and Four-Dimensional Top Equations Appendix B: The Lie Algebra e(4) and Its Orbits Appendix C: Quaternion Equations and L-A Pair for the Generalized Goryachev - Chaplygin Top Appendix D: The Hess Case and Quantization of the Rotation Number Appendix E: Ferromagnetic Dynamics in a Magnetic Field Appendix F: The Landau - Lifshitz Equation, Discrete Systems, and the Neumann Problem Appendix G: Dynamics of Tops and Material Points on Spheres and Ellipsoids Appendix H: On the Motion of a Heavy Rigid Body in an Ideal Fluid with Circulation Appendix I: The Hamiltonian Dynamics of Self-gravitating Fluid and Gas Ellipsoids
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