To determine if the association between hyperuricaemia and poor outcomes in heart failure (HF) varies by chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Of the 2645 systolic HF patients in the Beta-Blocker Evaluation ...of Survival Trial with data on baseline serum uric acid, 1422 had hyperuricaemia (uric acid ≥6 mg/dL for women and ≥8 mg/dL for men). Propensity scores for hyperuricaemia, estimated for each patient, were used to assemble a matched cohort of 630 pairs of patients with and without hyperuricaemia who were balanced on 75 baseline characteristics. Associations of hyperuricaemia with outcomes during 25 months of median follow-up were examined in all patients and in those with and without CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate of <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2)). Hyperuricaemia-associated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization were 1.44 (1.12-1.85, P = 0.005) and 1.27 (1.02-1.58, P = 0.031), respectively. Hazard ratios (95% CIs) for all-cause mortality among those with and without CKD were 0.96 (0.70-1.31, P = 0.792) and 1.40 (1.08-1.82, P = 0.011), respectively (P for interaction, 0.071), and those for HF hospitalization among those with and without CKD were 0.99 (0.74-1.33, P = 0.942) and 1.49 (1.19-1.86, P = 0.001), respectively (P for interaction, 0.033).
Hyperuricaemia has a significant association with poor outcomes in HF patients without CKD but not in those with CKD, suggesting that hyperuricaemia may predict poor outcomes when it is primarily a marker of increased xanthine oxidase activity, but not when it is primarily due to impaired renal excretion of uric acid.
Synthesis, adsorption and corrosion inhibiting effect of three new Schiff base compounds on mild steel in 1.0 M HCl were explored using weight loss, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and ...potentiodynamic polarization techniques. The empirical results showed that three Schiff base compounds inhibited the corrosion reaction in aggressive acid medium. Impedance results indicate that the three organic compounds were adsorbed on the mild steel/solution interface, while polarization data show that the three compounds performed typically as a mixed-type inhibitor. A theoretical study of the adsorption performance of some of the components of Schiff base inhibitors was carried out in the basis of the density functional theory (DFT) and Monte Carlo simulations.
To examine the association of orthostatic hypotension with incident heart failure (HF) in older adults.
Of the 5,273 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older free of baseline prevalent HF in ...the Cardiovascular Health Study, 937 (18%) had orthostatic hypotension, defined as ≥20 mmHg drop in systolic or ≥10 mmHg drop in diastolic blood pressure from supine to standing position at 3 minutes. Of the 937, 184 (20%) had symptoms of dizziness upon standing and were considered to have symptomatic orthostatic hypotension. Propensity scores for orthostatic hypotension were estimated for each of the 5,273 participants and were used to assemble a cohort of 3,510 participants (883 participants with and 2,627 participants without orthostatic hypotension) who were balanced on 40 baseline characteristics. Cox regression models were used to estimate the association of orthostatic hypotension with centrally adjudicated incident HF and other outcomes during 13 years of follow-up.
Participants (n = 3,510) had a mean (±standard deviation) age of 74 (±6) years, 58% were women, and 15% nonwhite. Incident HF occurred in 25% and 21% of matched participants with and without orthostatic hypotension, respectively (hazard ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.45; p = .007). Among matched participants, hazard ratios for incident HF associated with symptomatic (n = 173) and asymptomatic (n = 710) orthostatic hypotension were 1.57 (95% confidence interval, 1.16-2.11; p = .003) and 1.17 (95% confidence interval, 0.99-1.39; p = .069), respectively.
Community-dwelling older adults with orthostatic hypotension have higher independent risk of developing new-onset HF, which appeared to be more pronounced in those with symptomatic orthostatic hypotension.
An experimental field trial was conducted at El-Ayat, El-Giza Governorate, Egypt (latitude 30 degrees11'13"N, longitude 31 degrees41'38"E, and mean altitude 74 m above sea level) during the growing ...season of 2017 and 2018. The study aimed to assess the suitable irrigation interval and applied water volume for drip-irrigated green beans, based on water production functions and water use-yield relationships. The field trial was arranged in a split-plot design with 3 irrigation intervals (F1, F2 and F3 irrigation events, once every 1, 2 and 3 days, respectively) and 3 irrigation regimes (I1: 1.00, I2: 0.80, and I3: 0.60 of the crop evapotranspiration, ETc). The results showed that the yield and water use efficiency (WUE) increased with increasing irrigation interval. Maximum and minimum yield of 12 030 and 4 879 kg·ha-1 were obtained in F1I2 and F3I3 treatment, respectively, in the winter season of 2017, and were 12 364 and 4 678 kg·ha-1 for the corresponding treatments in the winter season of 2018. WUE ranged from 56.55 kg·ha-1·mm-1 in F1I2 to 23.80 kg·ha-1·mm-1 in F3I3. Plant growth parameters were significantly affected by the irrigation schedule. The highest plant growth parameters were obtained under F1 and F2. The seasonal yield response factors (ky) were 0.845 and 0.856 in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The relationship between yield and seasonal crop ET was best explained by a power function for all irrigation schedules for both growing seasons. It is recommended that the F1I2 irrigation treatment is the suitable one for green beans grown under field conditions, in order to achieve the highest yield and WUE.
A diverse and abundant gut microbiome can improve cancer patients' treatment response; however, the effect of pelvic chemoradiotherapy (CRT) on gut diversity and composition is unclear. The purpose ...of this prospective study was to identify changes in the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome during and after pelvic CRT.
Rectal swabs from 58 women with cervical, vaginal, or vulvar cancer from two institutions were prospectively analyzed before CRT (baseline), during CRT (weeks 1, 3, and 5), and at first follow-up (week 12) using 16Sv4 rRNA gene sequencing of the V4 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16S rRNA marker gene. 42 of these patients received antibiotics during the study period. Observed operational taxonomic units (OTUs; representative of richness) and Shannon, Simpson, Inverse Simpson, and Fisher diversity indices were used to characterize alpha (within-sample) diversity. Changes over time were assessed using a paired t-test, repeated measures ANOVA, and linear mixed modeling. Compositional changes in specific bacteria over time were evaluated using linear discriminant analysis effect size.
Gut microbiome richness and diversity levels continually decreased throughout CRT (mean Shannon diversity index, 2.52 vs. 2.91; all P <0.01), but were at or near baseline levels in 60% of patients by week 12. Patients with higher gut diversity at baseline had the steepest decline in gut microbiome diversity. Gut microbiome composition was significantly altered during CRT, with increases in Proteobacteria and decreases in Clostridiales, but adapted after CRT, with increases in Bacteroides species.
After CRT, the diversity of the gut microbiomes in this population tended to return to baseline levels by the 12 week follow-up period, but structure and composition remained significantly altered. These changes should be considered when designing studies to analyze the gut microbiome in patients who receive pelvic CRT for gynecologic cancers.
Hereditary hemochromatosis can cause individuals to absorb too much iron from their diet. Higher tissue iron content, below the threshold of toxicity, may enhance oxygen carrying capacity and offer a ...competitive advantage. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in the homeostatic iron regulator (HFE) gene have been shown to modify iron metabolism and can be used to predict an individual's risk of hemochromatosis. Several studies have shown that HFE genotypes are associated with elite endurance athlete status; however, no studies have examined whether HFE genotypes are associated with endurance performance.
The objectives of this study were to determine whether there was an association between HFE risk genotypes (rs1800562 and rs1799945) and endurance performance in a 10-km cycling time trial as well as maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2peak), an indicator of aerobic capacity.
Competitive male athletes (n = 100; age = 25 ± 4 yr) completed a 10-km cycling time trial. DNA was isolated from saliva and genotyped for the rs1800562 (C282Y) and rs1799945 (H63D) SNP in HFE. Athletes were classified as low risk (n = 88) or medium/high risk (n = 11) based on their HFE genotype for both SNP using an algorithm. ANCOVA was conducted to compare outcome variables between both groups.
Individuals with the medium- or high-risk genotype were ~8% (1.3 min) faster than those with the low-risk genotype (17.0 ± 0.8 vs 18.3 ± 0.3 min, P = 0.05). V˙O2peak was ~17% (7.9 mL·kg-1⋅min-1) higher in individuals with the medium- or high-risk genotype compared with those with the low-risk genotype (54.6 ± 3.2 vs 46.7 ± 1.0 mL·kg-1⋅min-1, P = 0.003).
Our findings show that HFE risk genotypes are associated with improved endurance performance and increased V˙O2peak in male athletes.
Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating can date many materials, including hydroxyapatite in enamel and some fish scales, aragonite and calcite in corals, molluscs, some travertine and calcrete, and ...quartz from ash, fluvial deposits, and some flint. Dating studies using these materials have numerous potential applications in many varied Quaternary settings. ESR dating uses signals resulting from trapped charges created by radiation in crystalline solids. Ages are calculated by comparing the accumulated radiation dose in the dating sample with the internal and external radiation dose rates produced by natural radiation in and around the sample and produced by cosmic radiation. When compared to other dating techniques, age agreement has been excellent for teeth, corals, molluscs, and quartz. Recent improvements have included using a more complex modelling technique to calculate the cosmic dose rates and more detailed modelling techniques for dealing with variable external dose rates. Methods in development include using quartz from buried fluvial valleys to date geomorphic surfaces and using the signals in barnacles and benthic foraminifera for dating fossils or their associated sediment. New chronometer applications recently developed include using coral and mollusc dates to build sealevel curves and to monitor volcanic activity and tectonic uplift, using tooth and mollusc dates to assess water availability in deserts, and using isochron data to assess U uptake processes into teeth. When coupled with other geochemical and geomorphological techniques, ESR can provide the chronometric control to build paleoclimatic and other paleoenvironmental records. Many other applications are possible, from heating studies for artefacts to dating sulphates and other minerals on distant planets.
Abnormal production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an undesirable event which occurs in plants due to stress. To meet this event, plants synthesize ROS-neutralizing compounds, including the ...non-enzymatic oxidant scavenger known as vitamin C: ascorbic acid (AsA). In addition to scavenging ROS, AsA modulates many vital functions in stressed or non-stressed plants. Thus, two-season (2018/2019 and 2019/2020) trials were conducted to study the effect of integrative treatment (seed soaking + foliar spray) using 1.0 or 2.0 mM AsA vs. distilled water (control) on the growth, seed yield, and oil yield of parsley plants under three sowing dates (SDs; November, December, and January, which represent adverse conditions of late sowing) vs. October as the optimal SD (control). The ion balance, osmotic-modifying compounds, and different antioxidants were also studied. The experimental layout was a split plot in a completely randomized block design. Late sowing (December and January) noticeably reduced growth traits, seed and oil yield components, and chlorophyll and nutrient contents. However, soluble sugar, proline, and AsA contents were significantly increased along with the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Under late sowing conditions, the use of AsA significantly increased growth, different yields, essential oil fractions, CAT and SOD activities, and contents of chlorophylls, nutrients, soluble sugars, free proline, and AsA. The interaction treatments of SDs and AsA concentrations indicated that AsA at a concentration of 2 mM was more efficient in conferring greater tolerance to adverse conditions of late sowing in parsley plants. Therefore, this study recommends 2.0 mM AsA for integrative (seed soaking + foliar spraying) treatment to prolong the sowing period of parsley seeds (from October up to December) and avoid damage caused by adverse conditions of late sowing.
PDF
