Objectives
The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and prognosis of sarcopenic dysphagia in patients who require dysphagia rehabilitation.
Design
Prospective cohort study.
Setting
...Tertiary-care acute general hospital.
Participants
One hundred and eight patients referred to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine for dysphagia rehabilitation.
Measurements
The Food Intake Level Scale (FILS), a 5-step diagnostic algorithm for sarcopenic dysphagia.
Results
The study included 72 males and 36 females (mean age, 76±7 years). Comorbid diseases included brain and nervous system disease (36%), cardiovascular disease (25%), respiratory disease (14%), and cancer (11%). Median energy intake was 1159 kcal (interquartile range: 648, 1502). Median FILS at admission and discharge was 4 (interquartile range: 2, 7) and 8 (interquartile range: 5, 8), respectively. Sarcopenic dysphagia was observed in 35 patients (32%). Sarcopenic dysphagia was associated with lower FILS at referral and discharge, lower calf circumference, lower handgrip strength, lower body mass index, lower serum albumin, and higher C-reactive protein at referral. Tongue pressure, energy intake, and Barthel index did not differ significantly between patients with or without sarcopenic dysphagia. Ordered logistic regression analysis of the FILS at discharge adjusted for presence of sarcopenic dysphagia, age, sex, and the FILS at admission revealed that presence of sarcopenic dysphagia (β=-1.603, 95% confidence intervals= -2.609, -0.597, p=0.002), sex, and the FILS at admission were independently associated with the FILS at discharge.
Conclusions
The prevalence of sarcopenic dysphagia in patients who require dysphagia rehabilitation was quite high. Sarcopenic dysphagia was independently associated with poor swallowing function at discharge.
Excess amounts of dissolution agents, CdCl2 and ZrCl4, are required to dissolve transuranium (TRU: Pu and minor actinides) nitrides into LiCl-KCl melts at the chemical dissolution step, which is the ...first step in the reprocessing of used nitride fuels. We propose an electrochemical process where the remaining Zr and Cd are recovered from the melts to be recycled as dissolution agents for the chemical dissolution step, leaving TRU in the melts. Since the initial concentration ratio of CdCl2/ZrCl4 remaining in the melts would depend on the condition of the chemical dissolution step and would vary during the proposed electrochemical recovery process, electrochemical behaviors of Zr and Cd were investigated in LiCl-KCl melts with various concentration ratios of CdCl2/ZrCl4 at 723 K to confirm the basic feasibility of the proposed process. Potentiostatic electrolysis was performed using a liquid Cd cathode at -1.05 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which was a more positive potential than the redox potentials of TRU on the liquid Cd electrode. The obtained results showed that the current efficiency for recovering Zr and Cd from the melts was as high as 100% regardless of the CdCl2/ZrCl4 concentration ratio in the melts.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hoof trimming on overall limb movements by comparing the changes in 8 limb joint angles before and after one week of hoof trimming. Seventeen ...Holstein-Friesian dairy cows that were able to move freely and had no history of hoof diseases were included in the study. The cows were walked on a rubber mat with a high friction coefficient (HFM) and a low friction coefficient by the spraying of sodium polyacrylate (LFM). A high-speed camera was set to 200 fps on the image analysis software, and the images of the cows that were given 15 reflective markers on their right side were captured while walking on the test mat. The tests were conducted before and after one week of hoof trimming, and the cows were trimmed by the functional hoof trimming method. With image analysis software, video clips of walking cows were confirmed visually and tracked during one gait cycle by each reflective marker attached to the hoof of the forelimb and hindlimb, after which the stance phase and swing phase were identified. The durations of the stance phase and swing phase of the forelimb and hindlimb, respectively, and the maximum, minimum, and range of motion (ROM) values of the 8 joint angles, shoulder joint, elbow joint, carpus joint, forelimb fetlock joint, hip joint, stifle joint, hock joint and hindlimb fetlock joint during one gait cycle were included in the analysis. The maximum and minimum angles of the hip and stifle joints were narrower after hoof trimming than before, although the ROM did not change and was clearer for HFM than for LFM. It was thought that the flexion of the proximal hindlimb would progress smoothly during walking after trimming.
This paper describes an adaptive control to realize the desired steering characteristics on a vehicle. As is well known, the steering characteristics indicate handling performance on a vehicle and ...are important for safe driving. In this paper, a strategy to adjust it to a driver's preference easily using a steer-by-wire system is proposed. The control system including the proposed method intervenes only when the front tire cornering stiffness undergoes many changes. Then, the estimated self-aligning torque is fed back to the steering wheel so that a driver can feel reaction torque from the road. This is one of the remarkable features in the proposed steer-by-wire system. Numerical simulation and experiment are carried out to show the validity of the proposed method.
Snake venoms are cocktails of enzymes and non‐enzymatic proteins used for both the immobilization and digestion of prey. The most common snake venom enzymes include acetylcholinesterases, l‐amino ...acid oxidases, serine proteinases, metalloproteinases and phospholipases A2. Higher catalytic efficiency, thermal stability and resistance to proteolysis make these enzymes attractive models for biochemists, enzymologists and structural biologists. Here, we review the structures of these enzymes and describe their structure‐based mechanisms of catalysis and inhibition. Some of the enzymes exist as protein complexes in the venom. Thus we also discuss the functional role of non‐enzymatic subunits and the pharmacological effects of such protein complexes. The structures of inhibitor–enzyme complexes provide ideal platforms for the design of potent inhibitors which are useful in the development of prototypes and lead compounds with potential therapeutic applications.
Snake venoms are cocktails of enzymes and non‐enzymatic proteins. Here, we describe the structures of the common snake venom enzymes, namely, acetylcholinesterase, L‐amino acid oxidase, phospholipase A2, serine proteinase, and metalloproteinase, and their complexes. We discuss the contribution of these structures in understanding the mechanisms of catalysis and inhibition as well as in the structure‐based design of new, potent inhibitors
We estimate a gamma-ray burst (GRB) formation rate based on the new relation between the spectral peak energy (E sub(p)) and the peak luminosity. The new relation is derived by combining the data of ...E sub(p) and the peak luminosities by BeppoSAX and BATSE, and it looks considerably tighter and more reliable than the relations suggested by the previous works. Using the new E sub(p)-luminosity relation, we estimate redshifts of the 689 GRBs without known distances in the BATSE catalog and derive a GRB formation rate as a function of the redshift. For the redshift range of 0 < z < 2, the GRB formation rate increases and is well correlated with the star formation rate, while it keeps constant toward z approx 12. We also discuss the luminosity function and the redshift dependence of the intrinsic luminosity (luminosity evolution).
The largest living rodent, capybara, can efficiently depolymerize and utilize lignocellulosic biomass through microbial symbiotic mechanisms yet elusive. Herein, we elucidate the microbial community ...composition, enzymatic systems and metabolic pathways involved in the conversion of dietary fibers into short-chain fatty acids, a main energy source for the host. In this microbiota, the unconventional enzymatic machinery from Fibrobacteres seems to drive cellulose degradation, whereas a diverse set of carbohydrate-active enzymes from Bacteroidetes, organized in polysaccharide utilization loci, are accounted to tackle complex hemicelluloses typically found in gramineous and aquatic plants. Exploring the genetic potential of this community, we discover a glycoside hydrolase family of β-galactosidases (named as GH173), and a carbohydrate-binding module family (named as CBM89) involved in xylan binding that establishes an unprecedented three-dimensional fold among associated modules to carbohydrate-active enzymes. Together, these results demonstrate how the capybara gut microbiota orchestrates the depolymerization and utilization of plant fibers, representing an untapped reservoir of enzymatic mechanisms to overcome the lignocellulose recalcitrance, a central challenge toward a sustainable and bio-based economy.
The removal and degradation characteristics of natural and synthetic estrogens by activated sludge were investigated by a series of batch experiments using the activated sludge samples of four actual ...wastewater treatment plants and synthetic wastewater spiked with estrogen. The rapid removal and degradation of 17β-estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1) were observed by the activated sludge samples of the oxidation ditch process which operated at higher solids retention time (SRT). On the other hand, E1 tended to remain both in the water phase and the sludge phase in the activated sludge samples of the conventional activated sludge process which operated at lower SRT. The anoxic condition was considered to be not favorable to the effective removal of estrogens as compared with the aerobic condition. The removal and degradation of EE2 showed the lag phase, which neither E2 nor E1 showed, but EE2 was finally removed and degraded completely after 24
h. The removal of estrogens in the water phase did not follow the first-order-rate reaction because a large part of the spiked estrogen was immediately removed from the water phase to the sludge phase by adsorption.
Metastable <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha ' </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe-N (12 at% N) and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha ' </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe-C ...(12 at% C) are unique materials with a magnetocrystalline constant <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">K_{1} </tex-math></inline-formula> of +<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">5\times10 </tex-math></inline-formula> 6 and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">- 7\times10 </tex-math></inline-formula> 6 erg/cm 3 , respectively, according to measurements based on thin films. Therefore, co-addition <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha '' </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">_{16}X_{2} </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">X </tex-math></inline-formula> = N, C) particles are attractive as potential new soft magnetic materials because their magnetocrystalline constant can be varied by manipulating their N and C concentrations. However, introducing C interstitially into <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe particles by the carbonization process using a C-containing gas such as CO gas is difficult because the equilibrium phase Fe 3 C is easily generated. Therefore, we investigated various reaction routes of nitridation and carbonization, along with various C-containing gases, to prepare co-addition <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha '' </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe 16 (N, C) 2 particles. We obtained <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha '' </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe 16 (N, C) 2 particles using a route in which <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe was obtained by reduction of Fe 3 O 4 particles, followed by nitridation to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha '' </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe 16 N 2 and subsequent carbonization to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha '' </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe 16 (N, C) 2 . The amount of C particles after carbonization was measured to be 0.8 wt% (3.6 at%). This gas-solid reaction process based on the concept of using <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha '' </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe 16 N 2 as a material with an expanded <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\alpha </tex-math></inline-formula>-Fe lattice is a useful method for the co-addition of interstitial N and C.
Amyloidoses are a group of protein-misfolding disorders that are characterized by the deposition of amyloid fibrils in organs and/or tissues. In reactive amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis, serum AA (SAA) ...protein forms deposits in mice, domestic and wild animals, and humans that experience chronic inflammation. AA amyloid fibrils are abnormal β-sheet–rich forms of the serum precursor SAA, with conformational changes that promote fibril formation. Extracellular deposition of amyloid fibrils causes disease in affected animals. Recent findings suggest that AA amyloidosis could be transmissible. Similar to the pathogenesis of transmissible prion diseases, amyloid fibrils induce a seeding-nucleation process that may lead to development of AA amyloidosis. We review studies of possible transmission in bovine, avian, mouse, and cheetah AA amyloidosis.
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