Circadian rhythm disruption is commonly observed in bipolar disorder (BD). Daylight is the most powerful signal to entrain the human circadian clock system. This exploratory study investigated if ...solar insolation at the onset location was associated with the polarity of the first episode of BD I. Solar insolation is the amount of electromagnetic energy from the Sun striking a surface area of the Earth.
Data from 7488 patients with BD I were collected at 75 sites in 42 countries. The first episode occurred at 591 onset locations in 67 countries at a wide range of latitudes in both hemispheres. Solar insolation values were obtained for every onset location, and the ratio of the minimum mean monthly insolation to the maximum mean monthly insolation was calculated. This ratio is largest near the equator (with little change in solar insolation over the year), and smallest near the poles (where winter insolation is very small compared to summer insolation). This ratio also applies to tropical locations which may have a cloudy wet and clear dry season, rather than winter and summer.
The larger the change in solar insolation throughout the year (smaller the ratio between the minimum monthly and maximum monthly values), the greater the likelihood the first episode polarity was depression. Other associated variables were being female and increasing percentage of gross domestic product spent on country health expenditures. (All coefficients: P ≤ 0.001).
Increased awareness and research into circadian dysfunction throughout the course of BD is warranted.
•Studied polarity of first episode of BP I in large global sample.•Data collection sites in 42 countries at wide range of latitudes in both hemispheres.•Analyzed solar insolation change across year (winter/summer or tropical wet/dry).•Large change in solar insolation across the year associated with a depressed polarity.•Female, increased GDP percentage for health also associated with a depressed polarity.
This article focused on the estimation of the state of charge (SoC) of a Li-con Cell by carrying out a series of experimental tests at various operating temperatures and SoC. The cell was ...characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests, from which the impedance frequency spectrum for different SoC and temperatures was obtained. Indeed, the cell model consisted of a modified Randles circuit type that included a constant phase element so-called Warburg impedance. Each circuit parameter was obtained from the EIS tests. The obtained were been used to develop two numerical models for each parameter, i.e., one based on numerical correlations and the other based on the artificial neural network (ANN) method. A genetic algorithm was used to solve and optimize the numerical models. The accuracy of the models was examined and the results showed that the ANN-based model was more accurate than the correlations-based model. The root mean square relative error (RMSRE) of the parameters Rs, R1, C1 and W for the ANN-based model were: 4.63%, 13.65%, 10.96% and 4.4%, respectively, compared to 7.09%, 27.45%, 34.36% and 7.07% for the correlations-based model, respectively. The SoC was estimated using the extended Kalman filter based on a Randles model, with an estimation RMSRE of about 1.19%.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) represents a great burden for the patient and the health system, particularly if diagnosed at late stages. Consequently, tools to identify patients at high risk of having ...CKD are needed, particularly in limited-resources settings where laboratory facilities are scarce. This study aimed to develop a risk score for prevalent undiagnosed CKD using data from four settings in Peru: a complete risk score including all associated risk factors and another excluding laboratory-based variables.
Cross-sectional study. We used two population-based studies: one for developing and internal validation (CRONICAS), and another (PREVENCION) for external validation. Risk factors included clinical- and laboratory-based variables, among others: sex, age, hypertension and obesity; and lipid profile, anemia and glucose metabolism. The outcome was undiagnosed CKD: eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73m
. We tested the performance of the risk scores using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive/negative predictive values and positive/negative likelihood ratios.
Participants in both studies averaged 57.7 years old, and over 50% were females. Age, hypertension and anemia were strongly associated with undiagnosed CKD. In the external validation, at a cut-off point of 2, the complete and laboratory-free risk scores performed similarly well with a ROC area of 76.2% and 76.0%, respectively (P = 0.784). The best assessment parameter of these risk scores was their negative predictive value: 99.1% and 99.0% for the complete and laboratory-free, respectively.
The developed risk scores showed a moderate performance as a screening test. People with a score of ≥ 2 points should undergo further testing to rule out CKD. Using the laboratory-free risk score is a practical approach in developing countries where laboratories are not readily available and undiagnosed CKD has significant morbidity and mortality.
To evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensive care program to achieve and maintain goals in patients with type 2 diabetes.
The CAIPaDi program includes 9 interventions delivered in 7 h. It seeks ...to achieve metabolic goals, identify and resolve barriers that would make implementation difficult, and provide self-efficacy and empowerment to patients by identifying personal profiles to establish individualized strategies. The program consists of a 4 intervention visits (1, 2, 3, and 4 months) and two follow up visits (12 and 24 months). Outcomes are compared between every visit. Main outcome was the attainment of the USA National Committee for Quality Assurance treatment goals.
1104 patients completed the first 4 visits, 545 the 12 month evaluation, and 218 the 24 month evaluation. After the conclusion of the four monthly sessions, 80.6% had HbA1c <7%, 72.1% had BP <130/80 mmHg and 71.6% had LDL- cholesterol <100 mg/dl. After twelve months, the percentage of goals achieved were 65.9%, 67.7% and 43.3% respectively (p < 0.001). For the 2-year evaluation the percentages were 61.0%, 70.6%, and 40.8% respectively (p < 0.001). All patients had renal, eye, foot and dental evaluations. Empowerment and quality of life showed significant changes; anxiety and depression scores remained low at annual follow-ups.
The CAIPaDI program results in sustained improvement and maintenance of treatment goals.
Objective
To determine the involvement of TNF-α and glycine receptors in the inhibition of pro-inflammatory adipokines in 3T3-L1 cells.
Methods
RT-PCR evidenced glycine receptors in 3T3-L1 ...adipocytes. 3T3-L1 cells were transfected with siRNA for the glycine (Glrb) and TNF1a (Tnfrsf1a) receptors and confirmed by confocal microscopy. Transfected cells were treated with glycine (10 mM). The expressions of TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA were measured by qRT-PCR, while concentrations were quantified by ELISA.
Results
Glycine decreased the expression and concentration of TNF-α and IL-6; this effect did not occur in the absence of TNF-α receptor due to siRNA. In contrast, glycine produced only slight changes in the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 in the absence of the glycine receptor due to siRNA. A docking analysis confirmed the possibility of binding glycine to the TNF-α1a receptor.
Conclusion
These findings support the idea that glycine could partially inhibit the binding of TNF-α to its receptor and provide clues about the mechanisms by which glycine inhibits the secretion of pro-inflammatory adipokines in adipocytes through the TNF-α receptor.
A novel and simple method for fabrication of microelectrode ensembles is reported. This procedure is based on the heat-transference of toner masks onto conductive substrates such as gold, platinum, ...and glassy carbon. The percentage of printed toner masks was controlled by using a suitable graphic software. The heat transference of 100% black toner mask onto a conductive substrate isolated electrically its whole surface, in such a way no electrochemical response was established using the modified substrate. However, when the same substrates were coated with 99% black toner mask, few naked micro-areas of the conductive material were identified. Such modified substrate presented typical electrochemical behavior of microelectrode ensembles, which evinced the presence of exposed micro-areas of substrate to the bulk solution. Different percentages of coverage were evaluated and the microelectrode ensembles were characterized by cyclic voltammetry with good agreement with the established theory. Stripping voltammetry of metals was also performed demonstrating the successful application of these new ensembles in accordance with characteristics normally presented by microelectrodes. The main advantages of this new procedure are the simplicity, low-cost of equipments (LaserJet printer and thermal press equipment), and the high speed of production of microelectrode arrays on different substrates.
The molecular and supramolecular structure of the title compound, 3-(tertbutyl)-1-(2-nitrophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-5-amine (2NPz) from the single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) and spectroscopic data ...analysis is reported. The computational analysis of the structure, geometry optimization, vibrational frequencies, nuclear magnetic resonance and UV–Vis is also described and compared with experimental data. Satisfactory theoretical aspects were made for the molecule using density functional theory (DFT), with B3LYP and B3PW91 functionals, and Hartree-Fock (HF), with 6–311++G(d,p) basis set, using GAUSSIAN 09 program package without any constraint on the geometry. With VEDA 4 software, vibrational frequencies were assigned in terms of the potential energy distribution while, with the GaussSum software, the percentage contribution of the frontier orbitals at each transition of the electronic absorption spectrum was established. The obtained results indicated that optimized geometry could well reflect the molecular structural parameters from SC-XRD. Theoretical data obtained for the vibrational analysis and NMR spectra are consistent with experimental data.
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•The title pyrazole was synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic methods.•Quantum chemical calculations of the title pyrazole were performed by using Gaussian09 software.•Theoretical IR, NMR, DRX and UV-Vis results are in agreement with experimental observation.
Obesity is associated with a rapid decrease in ventilatory function. The most common way of assessing nutritional status and measuring abdominal fat and hips are the body mass index (BMI) and the ...waist-hip ratio (WHR). There is scarce evidence suggesting their relation to functional residual capacity (FRC). Our objective was to determine the relation among BMI, WHR, and FRC in obese children in the city of Talca, Chile.
Male and female children were recruited (6-12 years). Weight, height, BMI, WHR, and pulmonary function were assessed; the latter with body plethysmography. Depending on data distribution, Student's t test or the Mann-Whitney U test were used for independent samples, while Pearson's or Spearman's r test was used to establish the correlation between WHR and FRC.
Children were divided into normal weight (n = 18) and obese (n = 18). A significant reduction in FRC (p = 0.025) was reported in obese children, while a reverse association was observed between WHR and FRC, which was moderate in normal weight children (s = -0.489; p = 0.03) and high in obese children (r = -0.681; p = 0.001).
Obese children showed a lower FRC compared to normal weight children, which, in turn, was associated with WHR. These results are indicative of the systemic effects caused by obesity on children's ventilatory function and the need to use body fat distribution indicators at an early age.
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