The effects of intermittent open-loop vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) on the ventricular rate (VR) during atrial fibrillation (AF) remain unclear.
The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis ...that VNS damages the stellate ganglion (SG) and improves VR control during persistent AF.
We performed left cervical VNS in ambulatory dogs while recording the left SG nerve activity (SGNA) and vagal nerve activity. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining were used to assess neuronal cell death in the SG.
We induced persistent AF by atrial pacing in 6 dogs, followed by intermittent VNS with short ON-time (14 seconds) and long OFF-time (66 seconds). The integrated SGNA and VR during AF were 4.84 mV·s (95% confidence interval CI 3.08-6.60 mV·s) and 142 beats/min (95% CI 116-168 beats/min), respectively. During AF, VNS reduced the integrated SGNA and VR, respectively, to 3.74 mV·s (95% CI 2.27-5.20 mV·s; P = .021) and 115 beats/min (95% CI 96-134 beats/min; P = .016) during 66-second OFF-time and to 4.07 mV·s (95% CI 2.42-5.72 mV·s; P = .037) and 114 beats/min (95% CI 83-146 beats/min; P = .039) during 3-minute OFF-time. VNS increased the frequencies of prolonged (>3 seconds) pauses during AF. TH staining showed large confluent areas of damage in the left SG, characterized by pyknotic nuclei, reduced TH staining, increased percentage of TH-negative ganglion cells, and positive TUNEL staining. Occasional TUNEL-positive ganglion cells were also observed in the right SG.
VNS damaged the SG, leading to reduced SGNA and better rate control during persistent AF.
The current study aimed at investigating how different types of embodied learnings influence elementary school students' English as a foreign language (EFL) listening performance. Two kinds of ...embodied learnings: real and physical body versus the 3D avatar, were compared with non-embodied learning. 69 fifth graders from two elementary schools participated in this study, and were randomly assigned into three groups (Kinect, Second Life, and paper). They learned the identical English phrases of doing sports by involving different types of embodied learnings. During the 11-week experiment, an identical EFL performance test was administered six times: before (once), during (3 times), and after (twice) the learning activities. The results depict that students learned better by watching their own 3D avatars doing motions than by moving their own bodies to produce the motions or doing nothing. Further analysis showed that the improvements made by those in the Second Life group were greater than those made by the participants in the other two groups when the performances of students with low achievement were compared. It was also found that learning by watching one self's avatar benefits both students with high- and low-achievement in EFL performance. Some suggestions for pedagogical applications and future research are also provided.
Polycrystalline (Cu1-xZnx)2OSeO3 (0≤x≤0.2) samples were synthesized using solid-state reaction and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of Zn doping upon saturation magnetization (MS) ...indicates that the Zn favors to occupying Cu(II) square pyramidal crystallographic site. The AC susceptibility (χ'ac) was measured at various temperatures (χ'ac-T) and magnetic field strengths (χ'ac-H). The Zn doping concentration is found to affect greatly the M-T and χ'ac-T. The skyrmion phase has been inferred from the χ'ac-H data, and then indicated within the H-T phase diagrams for various Zn doping concentrations. The striking and unexpected observation is that the skyrmion phase region becomes split upon Zn doping concentration. Interestingly, second conical boundary accompanied by second skyrmion phase was also observed from dχ'ac/dH vs. H curves. Atomic site disorder created by the chemical doping modulates the delicate magnetic interactions via change in the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) vector of distorted Cu(II) square pyramidal, thereby splitting of skyrmion phase might occur. These findings illustrate the potential of using chemical and atomic modification for tuning the temperature and field dependence of skyrmion phase of Cu2OSeO3.
Summary
Background
Many patients with atopic diseases, including asthma, have sought complementary and alternative medicine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments. But, limited clinical ...studies have yet examined TCM effects on medical utility in asthma patients.
Aim
To assess the medical utility of TCM in patients with asthma.
Design
Population-based retrospective cohort study.
Methods
We performed a 13-year population-based retrospective cohort study. A total of 5235 asthma patients who were TCM users and 5235 propensity-score matched asthma patients who never used TCM were sampled from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2012. We compared these two groups of patients to calculate their medical utility, including numbers of emergency visits and hospitalizations until 2013. Univariate analyses were performed using Chi-square tests for dichotomous variables and t-tests for continuous variables. Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to investigate the medical utility of asthma after TCM use.
Results
Compared with non-TCM patients, TCM patients had a significantly decreased medical utility of asthma admission adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.63; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.46–0.85; P < 0.05, especially in patients who used TCM for >60 days. Asthma medical utility in asthma emergencies was significantly higher for male than for female patients (adjusted OR = 1.45; 95% CI: 1.08–1.96). The most frequently used TCMs for asthma control or cough treatment were antitussive agents.
Conclusion
This population-based retrospective cohort study showed a significantly decreased medical utility of emergency visits and admissions in TCM patients, especially using TCM for >60 days.
Cancer is one of the foremost causes of death globally and also the major stumbling block of increasing life expectancy. Although the primary treatment of surgical resection, chemotherapy, and ...radiotherapy have greatly reduced the mortality of cancer, the survival rate is still low because of the metastasis of tumor, a range of adverse drug reactions, and drug resistance. For all this, it is relevant to mention that a growing amount of research has shown the anticarcinogenic effect of phytochemicals which can modulate the molecular pathways and cellular events include apoptosis, cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. However, their pharmacological potential is hindered by their low water solubility, low stability, poor absorption, and rapid metabolism. In this scenario, the development of nanotechnology has created novel formulations to maximize the potential use of phytochemicals in anticancer treatment. Nanocarriers can enhance the solubility and stability of phytochemicals, prolong their half-life in blood and even achieve site-targeting delivery. This review summarizes the advances in utilizing nanoparticles in cancer therapy. In particular, we introduce several applications of nanoparticles combined with apigenin, resveratrol, curcumin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, 6-gingerol, and quercetin in cancer treatment.
Summary
Background
Transient hyperglycaemia in the context of illness with or without known diabetes has been termed as ‘stress hyperglycaemia’. Stress hyperglycaemia can result in poor functional ...outcomes in patients with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) who underwent mechanical thrombectomy. We investigated the association between stress hyperglycaemia and clinical outcomes in AIS patients undergoing intravenous thrombolysis (IVT).
Methods
We examined 666 consecutive patients with AIS who underwent IVT from 2006 to 2018. All patients had a glycated haemoglobin level (HbA1c) and fasting venous blood glucose measured within 24 h of admission. Stress hyperglycaemia ratio (SHR) was defined as the ratio of the fasting glucose to the HbA1c. Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to identify predictors of poor functional outcomes (modified Rankin Scale 3–6 at 3 months) after IVT.
Results
Three-hundred and sixty-one patients (54.2%) had good functional outcomes. These patients tended to be younger (60.7 ± 12.7 vs. 70 ± 14.4 years, P < 0.001), male (70.7% vs. 51.5%, P < 0.001), had lower prevalence of atrial fibrillation (13.0% vs. 20.7%, P = 0.008) and lower SHR (0.88 ± 0.20 vs. 0.99 ± 26, P < 0.001). Patients with high SHR (≥0.97) were slightly older than those with low SHR (<0.97) and were more likely to have diabetes mellitus. On multivariate analysis, higher SHR was independently associated with poor functional outcomes (adjusted odds ratio 3.85, 95% confidence interval 1.59–9.09, P = 0.003).
Conclusion
SHR appears to be an important predictor of functional outcomes in patients with AIS undergoing IVT. This may have important implications on the role of glycaemic control in the acute management of ischaemic stroke.
Frailty is associated with major health outcomes. However, the relationships between frailty and frailty symptoms haven't been well studied. This study aims to show the associations between frailty ...and frailty symptoms. The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is an ongoing longitudinal biannual survey in the United States. Three of the most used frailty diagnoses, defined by the Functional Domains Model, the Burden Model, and the Biologic Syndrome Model, were reproduced according to previous studies. The associations between frailty statuses and input symptoms were assessed using odds ratios and correlation coefficients. The sample sizes, mean ages, and frailty prevalence matched those reported in previous studies. Frailty statuses were weakly correlated with each other (coefficients = 0.19 to 0.38, p 0.05 for all). One to six symptoms defined by the other two models were not significantly correlated with each of the three frailty statuses (p > 0.05 for all). Frailty statuses were significantly correlated with their own bias variables (p < 0.05 for all). Frailty diagnoses lack significant correlations with some of their own frailty symptoms and some of the frailty symptoms defined by the other two models. This finding raises questions like whether the frailty symptoms lacking significant correlations with frailty statuses could be included to diagnose frailty and whether frailty exists and causes frailty symptoms.
A new role for bicarbonate in mucus formation Chen, Eric Y T; Yang, Ning; Quinton, Paul M ...
American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology,
10/2010, Volume:
299, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
The impact of small anions on the physical properties of gel-forming mucin has been almost overlooked relative to that of cations. Recently, based on the coincident abnormalities in HCO(3)(-) ...secretion and abnormal mucus formed in the hereditary disease cystic fibrosis (CF), HCO(3)(-) was hypothesized to be critical in the formation of normal mucus by virtue of its ability to sequester Ca(2+) from condensed mucins being discharged from cells. However, direct evidence of the impact of HCO(3)(-) on mucus properties is lacking. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that mucin diffusivity (∼1/viscosity) increases as a function of HCO(3)(-). Direct measurements of exocytosed mucin-swelling kinetics from airway cells showed that mucin diffusivity increases by ∼300% with 20 mM extracellular HCO(3)(-) concentration. Supporting data indicate that HCO(3)(-) reduces free Ca(2+) concentration and decreases the amount of Ca(2+) that remains associated with mucins. The results demonstrate that HCO(3)(-) enhances mucin swelling and hydration by reducing Ca(2+) cross-linking in mucins, thereby decreasing its viscosity and likely increasing its transportability. In addition, HCO(3)(-) can function as a Ca(2+) chelator like EGTA to disperse mucin aggregates. This study indicates that poor HCO(3)(-) availability in CF may explain why secreted mucus remains aggregated and more viscous in affected organs. These insights bear on not only the fundamental pathogenesis in CF, but also on the process of gel mucus formation and release in general.
The cross section of the e+e−→Λc+Λ¯c− process is measured with unprecedented precision using data collected with the BESIII detector at /¯s=4574.5, 4580.0, 4590.0 and 4599.5 MeV. The nonzero cross ...section near the Λc+Λ¯c− production threshold is cleared. At center-of-mass energies /¯s=4574.5 and 4599.5 MeV, the higher statistics data enable us to measure the Λc polar angle distributions. From these, the Λc electric over magnetic form-factor ratios (|GE/GM|) are measured for the first time. They are found to be 1.14±0.14±0.07 and 1.23±0.05±0.03, respectively, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second are systematic.
Full text
Available for:
CMK, CTK, FMFMET, NUK, UL
With the aid of the recent Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer (NGIMS) measurements made onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft, we construct empirical models for the ...vertical density distributions of 12 species in the dayside Martian ionosphere over the altitude range of 150–450 km, from abundant species such as O2+ ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{+}$, CO2+ ${\mathrm{C}\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{+}$, and O+ to trace species such as HO2+ ${\mathrm{H}\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{+}$ and OCOH+. Two different sets of formulism are proposed to parameterize the ion density distribution characterized either by a distinctive layer structure or by a near exponential decay above 150 km. Both the solar control and magnetic control of ion distribution are taken into account in our modelings. In general, our empirical models are in good agreement with the NGIMS measurements. The full set of parameters constrained by data‐model comparison is tabulated for reference. This allows the easy computation of any individual ion density profile for a unique combination of solar zenith angle, solar extreme ultraviolet flux, and ambient magnetic elevation, which in turn facilitates comparisons with photochemical model results. The empirical models reported in this study are an extension of previous empirical models constructed for the electron distribution in the dayside Martian ionosphere using both radar sounding and radio occultation data.
Key Points
We construct empirical models of ion density distribution in the dayside Martian ionosphere over the altitude range of 150–450 km
Two different sets of formulism are proposed to parameterize ion density distribution either with or without a distinctive layer structure
Our empirical models describe reasonably both the solar control and magnetic control of the measured ion density distributions
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