Little is known about researchers' understanding of confidence intervals (CIs) and standard error (
SE
) bars. Authors of journal articles in psychology, behavioral neuroscience, and medicine were ...invited to visit a Web site where they adjusted a figure until they judged 2 means, with error bars, to be just statistically significantly different (
p
< .05). Results from 473 respondents suggest that many leading researchers have severe misconceptions about how error bars relate to statistical significance, do not adequately distinguish CIs and
SE
bars, and do not appreciate the importance of whether the 2 means are independent or come from a repeated measures design. Better guidelines for researchers and less ambiguous graphical conventions are needed before the advantages of CIs for research communication can be realized.
The objective of our study was to describe knowledge, attitudes and practices of Latin-American rheumatology patients regarding management and follow-up of their disease during COVID-19 pandemic. A ...cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a digital anonymous survey. Rheumatic patients ≥ 18 years from non-English-speaking PANLAR countries were included. Our survey included 3502 rheumatic patients living in more than 19 Latin-American countries. Median age of patients was 45.8(36–55) years and the majority (88.9%) was female. Most frequently self-reported disease was rheumatoid arthritis (48.4%). At least one anti-rheumatic treatment was suspended by 23.4% of patients. Fear of contracting SARS-Cov2 (27.7%) and economic issues (25%) were the most common reasons for drug discontinuation. Self-rated disease activity increased from 30 (7–50) to 45 (10–70) points during the pandemic. Communication with their rheumatologist during the pandemic was required by 55.6% of patients, mainly by telephone calls (50.2%) and social network messages (47.8%). An adequate knowledge about COVID-19 was observed in 43% of patients. Patients with rheumatic diseases in Latin America were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. An increase in self-rated disease activity, a reduction in medication adherence, and hurdles for medical follow-up were reported. Teleconsultation was perceived as a valid alternative to in-person visits during the pandemic.
The reported research developed a generic nutrient recovery model (NRM) library based on detailed chemical solution speciation and reaction kinetics, with focus on fertilizer quality and quantity as ...model outputs. Dynamic physicochemical three-phase process models for precipitation/crystallization, stripping and acidic air scrubbing as key unit processes were developed. In addition, a compatible biological-physicochemical anaerobic digester model was built. The latter includes sulfurgenesis, biological N/P/K/S release/uptake, interactions with organics, among other relevant processes, such as precipitation, ion pairing and liquid-gas transfer. Using a systematic database reduction procedure, a 3- to 5-fold improvement of model simulation speeds was obtained as compared to using full standard thermodynamic databases. Missing components and reactions in existing standard databases were discovered. Hence, a generic nutrient recovery database was created for future applications. The models were verified and validated against a range of experimental results. Their functionality in terms of increased process understanding and optimization was demonstrated.
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•The first generic nutrient recovery model library was developed and implemented.•An efficient numerical solution strategy was established through model coupling.•Implementation correctness was verified using a 6-step procedure.•Steady-state simulation results showed excellent agreement with experimental results.•The models were applied as tool for increased process understanding & optimization.
Aim of the present work was the evaluation of the effects of moderate exercise training on 2 skeletal muscles differing in fibre-type composition, Tibialis Anterior (TA) and Soleus (SOL). Fibre ...adaptations, including their metabolic shift and mechanisms underlying proliferation and differentiation, oxidative stress markers, antioxidant and cytoprotective molecules, activity of Ca2+-handling molecules were examined. 6 male 2-month-old rats trained on a treadmill for 1 h/day, 3 days/week, for 14 weeks, reaching 30 m/min at the end of training. 6 age-matched sedentary rats served as controls. Rats were sacrificed 24 h after the last training session. Muscle regulatory factors increased in both muscles, activating satellite cell proliferation, which led to moderate hypertrophy in SOL and to moderate hyperplasia in TA, where the upregulation of desmin and TNFR2 expression suggests that myotube formation by proliferating myoblasts is somehow delayed. Changes leading to a more oxidative metabolism together with the upregulation of a number of antioxidant enzymes occurred in TA. HSP70i protein was upregulated in both SOL and TA, while oxidative stress markers increased in SOL alone. The status of ionic channels and pumps was preserved. We suggest that the increase in ROS, known to be associated with exercise, underlies most observed results.
Demand for rheumatology care has steadily increased in recent years. The number of specialists in this field, however, seems insufficient. No recent studies have diagnosed the attributes of ...rheumatology training in Latin America.
This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. We obtained data on each country through local rheumatologists of the Pan-American League Against Rheumatism, who acted as principal investigators for participating countries. Our sample was analyzed and described through means and standard deviations or through frequencies and percentages, depending on the variable.
Countries with the most rheumatology-training programs were Brazil (n = 50), Argentina (n = 18), and Mexico (n = 15). Ecuador, Honduras, and Nicaragua do not have rheumatology-training programs. The countries with the most available slots for rheumatology residents were Brazil (n = 126) and Argentina (n = 36). To be admitted into rheumatology training, candidates were required to have completed graduate studies in internal medicine in 42.1% of the programs. In 8 countries (42.1%), residents are not required to pay tuition; the median cost of tuition in the remaining countries is US $528 (interquartile range, US $2153).
Conditions associated with rheumatology training in Latin America vary. Significant differences exist in income and tuition fees for residents, for example, and 4 countries in Latin America do not currently offer programs. Information collected in this study will be useful when comparing the status of rheumatology services offered in Latin America with those in other countries. Most countries require a wider offering of rheumatology-training programs, as well as more available slots.
L’hyperparathyroïdie primaire (HPP) est majoritairement asymptomatique mais semble modulée par le statut en vitamine D (VD). Objectif Évaluer le statut en VD et son impact sur la présentation de ...l’HPP chez des sujets vivant en zone tropicale. Patients-méthodes Étude rétrospective (2008–2014), colligeant les données cliniques, biologiques, morphologiques et fonctionnelles de sujets hospitalisés pour exploration d’une HPP. Analyse du statut en VD et de la présentation initiale des sujets. Résultats Soixante-deux sujets inclus (62 ± 15 ans, 74 % F dont 56,5 % en ménopause). 75,8 % des sujets étaient asymptomatiques. Dosage de la VD dans 74,2 % des cas. 69,6 % des sujets avaient une VD < 75 nmol/L et 21,7 % une VD < 50 nmol/L. Aucune relation n’était trouvée entre statut en VD, âge, sexe, IMC, diabète, hypertension artérielle. La présentation initiale de l’HPP (symptômes, profil phosphocalcique, concentration préopératoire de PTH) n’était pas différente chez les sujets déficients en VD (groupe 1) comparés aux autres sujets (groupe 2). La taille des parathyroïdes après chirurgie n’était pas associée au statut initial en VD. Après substitution en VD, la diminution de la PTH était significativement plus importante chez les sujets du groupe 1 substitués en VD en préopératoire comparés aux sujets du groupe 2 ayant bénéficié d’une chirurgie seule. Conclusion La prévalence de la déficience en VD est élevée chez les sujets avec HPP vivant en zone tropicale mais ne modifie pas la présentation clinique de l’HPP. Cependant, la substitution en VD préopératoire doit être systématique pour éviter l’impact délétère de la PTH sur l’os.
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