This study aimed to test the effect of a 7-day high-salt (HS) diet on autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity in young healthy individuals and modulation of ANS on microvascular endothelial function ...impairment. 47 young healthy individuals took 7-day low-salt (LS) diet (3.5 g salt/day) followed by 7-day high-salt (HS) diet (~14.7 g salt/day). ANS activity was assessed by 24-h urine catecholamine excretion and 5-min heart rate variability (HRV). Skin post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) and acetylcholine-induced dilation (AChID) were assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). Separately, mental stress test (MST) at LS and HS condition was conducted, followed by immediate measurement of plasma metanephrines’ level, 5-min HRV and LDF microvascular reactivity. Noradrenaline, metanephrine and normetanephrine level, low-frequency (LF) HRV and PORH and AChID significantly decreased following HS compared to LS. MST at HS condition tended to increase HRV LF/HF ratio. Spectral analysis of PORH signal, and AChID measurement showed that MST did not significantly affect impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation due to HS loading. In this case, 7-day HS diet suppressed sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, and attenuated microvascular reactivity in salt-resistant normotensive individuals. Suppression of SNS during HS loading represents a physiological response, rather than direct pathophysiological mechanism by which HS diet affects microvascular endothelial function in young healthy individuals.
Batteries as a power source are the basis for all major hand tool manufacturers as vide variety of portable products became battery powered for more convenient usage. Manufacturers disable unapproved ...battery applications in their products by designing batteries specific for these products. In practice, the life of power tool batteries depends on two parameters: natural aging and the type of use. In a case study of a Battery Powered Grass Trimmer which battery broke after four years, the repair procedure for the package is shown. However, shortly after the repair, the Battery Powered Grass Trimmer suffered a bearing deformation that rendered it unusable. Due to its age and the unavailability of replacing electric engine, the Trimmer was scrapped and a detailed Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) applying SimaPro methodology is provided. Since the product under study is no longer on the market, a properly functioning, refurbished battery with significantly increased capacity is used in a new battery-powered grass trimmer from another manufacturer. The paper's final consideration underscores the need for an international standard that regulates battery compatibility and reduces waste, especially electronic waste.
The aim of this study is to assess the diagnostic utility of serum leucine-rich α-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) in pediatric patients with acute abdominal pain, admitted to the emergency surgical unit, in ...order to make a prompt and accurate diagnosis of acute appendicitis.
Pediatric patients older than 5 years of age who presented to the emergency department from 15 October 2021 to 30 June 2022 with acute abdominal pain and suspected acute appendicitis were prospectively recruited in the study. Demographic and clinical data, as well as operative and postoperative data, were recorded. A total of 92 patients were equally distributed into two groups: children with acute appendicitis who underwent laparoscopic appendectomy and non-appendicitis patients, presenting with non-specific abdominal pain. LRG1 levels were determined using a commercially available LRG1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Serum LRG1 levels, as well as other inflammatory markers (white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP) and absolute neutrophil count) were compared between groups.
The median level of LRG1 in serum was significantly higher in the group of children with pathohistologically confirmed acute appendicitis than in the control group, at 350.3 µg/mL (interquartile range (IQR) 165.2-560.3) and 25.7 µg/mL (IQR 14.7-36.8) (
< 0.001), respectively. Receiver operating characteristic area under the curve for LRG1 from serum was 1.0 (95% CI 0.96-1.00;
< 0.001) and the value of >69.1 µg/mL was found to perfectly separate acute appendicitis cases from controls. Additionally, as expected, each of the examined laboratory inflammatory markers provided a significantly higher values in the acute appendicitis group compared to the control group: WBC 14.6 × 10
/L (IQR 12.7, 18.7) vs. 7.0 × 10
/L (IQR 5.4, 9.0) (
< 0.001), CRP 16.3 mg/dL (IQR 6.9, 50.4) vs. 2.2 mg/dL (IQR 2, 2) (
< 0.001) and absolute neutrophil count 84.6% (IQR 79.5, 89.0) vs. 59.5% (IQR 51.5, 68.6) (
< 0.001).
LRG1 in the serum was found to be a promising novel biomarker, with excellent differentiation of acute appendicitis from non-appendicitis cases in children presenting with non-specific abdominal pain.
Photovoltaic industry has displayed an exponential expansion rate over the past two decades. Currently, 1185 GW of the global electricity demand is derived from photovoltaic (PV) panels with more to ...come in the next two decades. With the growing installment rate, a concern regarding managing panels that reached the end of their life-span grows. Despite the fact that the approximate life-span of a panel is 25 years, oftentimes this interval is shortened due to weather conditions, low-quality installations, and poor maintenance. Therefore, a global attention is focused on research and law-regulation of proper recycling and disposal of the PV waste. In this contribution, recyclability of one PV panel is determined upon subjecting it to the simplest recycling process, which is manual mechanical separation using common hand-tools. In addition, an ecological-economic analysis of the panel, which yields an absolute profit of the panel is presented.
Humor styles across 28 countries Schermer, Julie Aitken; Rogoza, Radosław; Kwiatkowska, Maria Magdalena ...
Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.),
07/2023, Letnik:
42, Številka:
19
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Responses to a measure of the four humor styles of affiliative, aggressive, self-enhancing, and self-defeating from the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin et al.
Journal of Research in ...Personality, 37
(1), 48–75,
2003
) were collected from individuals (
N
= 8361) in 28 countries encompassing 21 different languages. The purpose of this global collaboration was to examine both differences and similarities of humor styles across nations at the descriptive level. Across the countries, typically the highest scores were for the affiliative humor style. When each humor style was examined, some country samples demonstrated differences in mean scores. For example, the samples from Hungary, Indonesia, South Africa, and Serbia had high self-enhancing scores and Japan scored the lowest. In contrast to mean differences, almost all of the countries demonstrated positive inter-scale correlations, similar sex differences, and similar correlations with age, suggesting more similarities than differences. As discussed, some of the samples had low internal consistency values and poorly fitting factor structures for the humor style scales, suggesting that those results should be interpreted with caution.
Background: The main goal of the present randomized clinical trial was to investigate the effects of subcutaneous administration of two different local anesthetics at trocar incision sites at the ...abdominal wall in combination with intraoperative intraperitoneal instillation of local anesthetics, on the character of postoperative pain, in adolescents who underwent laparoscopic varicocelectomy. Methods: A total of 60 patients with a median age of 16 years, who received laparoscopic varicocele repair, were included in this randomized clinical trial. The patients were randomly assigned to three study groups receiving 2% lidocaine, 0.5% levobupivacaine, or the control group. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used by a blinded nurse at four different time points (2, 6, 12 and 24 h after the surgery) to measure pain intensity. Results: The significant effect of time on the pain intensity (p = 0.001) was found. Additionally, the interaction between time and different local analgesics (p < 0.001) was observed. In patients in whom 0.5% levobupivacaine has been used, significantly lower VAS pain scores were recorded at each time point assessed, in comparison with the patients who received 2% lidocaine or the patients from the control group in whom no local anesthetic was applied (p < 0.001). Furthermore, in patients in whom 2% lidocaine was administrated, significantly lower pain levels according to VAS were reported than in those from the control group, except for the time point at 24 h after surgery when pain levels were comparable. Concerning the postoperative pain control, the number of patients who requested oral analgesics postoperatively was significantly lower in the group of patients in whom local anesthetic was administrated intraoperatively (2% lidocaine—n = 4, 20%; 0.5% levobupivacaine—n = 1, 5%) compared to the patients who did not receive any local anesthetic during the surgery (n = 13; 65%) (p < 0.001). Conclusion: A significant reduction in postoperative pain intensity and analgesics consumption in patients undergoing laparoscopic varicocelectomy who received intraoperative local anesthetic was observed. The best effect on postoperative pain intensity, according to the VAS score, was achieved by 0.5% levobupivacaine.
Malnutrition, inflammation, and anemia are common in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. In this study, correlations between Malnutrition Inflammation Score (MIS), laboratory and anthropometric ...parameters, and anemia indices in Croatian PD patients were analyzed. One hundred and one PD patients (males/females 54/47, age 58.71 ± 14.68 years, mean PD duration 21.82 ± 21.71 months) were included. Clinical, laboratory, and anthropometric parameters were measured. Statistically significant correlations between MIS and erythropoietin weekly dose per kg of body weight (ESA weekly dose), hemoglobin (Hb), and erythrocytes were found (r = 0.439, p < 0.001; r = -0.032, p < 0.001; r = -0.435, p < 0.001), respectively. Also, statistically significant correlations were found between MIS and mean corpuscular volume (r = 0.344, p < 0.001), iron (r = -0.229, p = 0.021), and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) (r = -0.362, p < 0.001), respectively. Furthermore, statistically significant correlations between ESA weekly dose and serum albumin level and body mass index (BMI) were found (r = -0.272, p = 0.006; r = -0.269, p = 0.006), respectively. When we divided PD patients into 2 groups according Hb level (Hb ≥ 11 0 N = 60, 59.41 %) and Hb < 110 N = 41, 40.59%), statistically significant differences were found in MIS score (3.02 ± 2.54 vs 4.54 ± 3.54, p = 0.014), C-reactive protein (CRP) (3.52 ± 6.36 vs 7.85 ± 7.96, p = 0.005), and serum albumin level (44.22 ± 8.54 vs 39.94 ± 8.56, p = 0.003), respectively. Our findings suggest that anemia is correlated with malnutrition and inflammation in Croatian PD patients. Further studies are needed to assess whether modulating inflammatory or nutritional processes can improve anemia management in PD patients.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of sprint training on muscle function and dynamic athletic performance and to compare them with the training effects induced by standard ...plyometric training. Male physical education students were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 groupssprint group (SG; n = 30), plyometric group (PG; n = 30), or control group (CG; n = 33). Maximal isometric squat strength, squat-and counter-movement jump (SJ and CMJ) height and power, drop jump performance from 30-cm height, and 3 athletic performance tests (standing long jump, 20-m sprint, and 20-yard shuttle run) were measured prior to and after 10 weeks of training. Both experimental groups trained 3 days a week; SG performed maximal sprints over distances of 10–50 m, whereas PG performed bounce-type hurdle jumps and drop jumps. Participants in the CG group maintained their daily physical activities for the duration of the study. Both SG and PG significantly improved drop jump performance (15.6 and 14.2%), SJ and CMJ height (∼10 and 6%), and standing long jump distance (3.2 and 2.8%), whereas the respective effect sizes (ES) were moderate to high and ranged between 0.4 and 1.1. In addition, SG also improved isometric squat strength (10%; ES = 0.4) and SJ and CMJ power (4%; ES = 0.4, and 7%; ES = 0.4), as well as sprint (3.1%; ES = 0.9) and agility (4.3%; ES = 1.1) performance. We conclude that short-term sprint training produces similar or even greater training effects in muscle function and athletic performance than does conventional plyometric training. This study provides support for the use of sprint training as an applicable training method of improving explosive performance of athletes in general.
Rotavirusi su jedni od najvažnijih uzročnika akutnog gastroenteritisa kod ljudi i životinja, a između devet prepoznatih vrsta rotavirusA se posebno ističe zbog velike proširenosti i patogenosti. I ...danas, uz visoki pobol i hospitalizaciju oboljele djece u zemljama s visokimhigijenskim standardom, u zemljama u razvoju uzrokuju značajnu smrtnost. Takav je učinak posebno vidljiv kada dostupna cjepivanisu dio nacionalnog imunizacijskog programa. Zbog prirode svoga genoma rotavirusi izrazito brzo evoluiraju, prvenstveno zahvaljujućiučestaloj pojavi točkastih mutacija i genomskog preslagivanja. Stoga nije iznenađujuća visoka genetska heterogenost, patako danas poznajemo ukupno 36 genotipova G i 51 genotip P rotavirusa A. Kada izravno prijeđu vrsnu barijeru, rotavirusi uglavnomnisu sposobni učinkovito inficirati ili se širiti u novom domaćinu. No baš pojava genomskog preslagivanja omogućuje nastanaknovih, potencijalno emergentnih humano-animalnih reasortanata. Stoga je potreban stalni nadzor životinjskih sojeva rotavirusakako bi se dobila točna slika o životinjskim rezervoarima koji u budućnosti mogu biti odgovorni za unos novih rotavirusa uljudsku populaciju ili rotavirusnih gena u genetsku osnovu humanih sojeva. Sustavno praćenje molekularnih značajki rotavirusa kojicirkuliraju u određenom području od posebne je važnosti prije uvođenja nacionalnog imunizacijskog programa, ali i dok je aktivnaimunizacija u tijeku. Opsežnije istraživanje rotavirusa A u ekosustavu Republike Hrvatske je u tijeku, a omogućit će otkrivanje životinjskihrezervoara te pridonijeti boljem razumijevanju zoonotskog potencijala ovih virusa.
Sporis, G, Jukic, I, Milanovic, L, and Vucetic, V. Reliability and factorial validity of agility tests for soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 24(3)679-686, 2010-The purpose of this study was to ...evaluate the reliability and factorial validity of agility tests used in soccer. One hundred fifty (n = 150), elite, male, junior soccer players, members of the First Junior League Team, volunteered to participate in the study. The slalom test (ST) sprint 4 × 5 m (S4 × 5) and sprint 9-3-6-3-6-9 m with 180° turns (S180°) tests had a greater reliability coefficient (α = 0.992, 0.979, and 0.976), whereas the within-subject variation ranged between 2.9 and 5.6%. The mentioned 6 agility tests resulted in the extraction of 2 significant components. The S4×5 test had the lowest correlation coefficient with the first component (r = 0.38), whereas the correlation coefficients of the other 5 agility tests were higher than 0.63. The T-test (TT) showed statistically significant differences between the defenders and midfielders (p < 0.05) and between the defenders and attackers (p < 0.05). Statistical significant differences were determined between the attackers and defenders in the sprint 9-3-6-3-9 m with backward and forward running (SBF) and p < 0.05. It can be concluded that of the 6 agility tests used in this study, the SBF, TT, and S180° are the most reliable and valid tests for estimating the agility of soccer players. According to the results of the study, the TT proved to be the most appropriate for estimating the agility of defenders, the SBF, and S180° for estimating the agility of midfielders, whereas the S4 × 5 test can be used for estimating the agility of attackers.
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