253875 research outputs found
Sort by
Anxiety Level and Cardiac Autonomic Modulations in Coronary Artery Disease and Cardiac Syndrome X Patients
No full textAnxiety and cardiac autonomic modulations (CAM) were thoroughly investigated in coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiac syndrome X (CSX) patients worldwide, but not among Sudanese with similar pathology.To compare levels of anxiety and CAM between Sudanese patients with CSX and CAD.Anxiety was evaluated in 51 CAD and 26 CSX patients using Taylor Manifest anxiety score (TMAS) questionnaire while heart rate variability derived indices were used to assess CAM, namely natural logarithm of low frequency (LnLF), high frequency (LnHF) and LF/HF ratio (LnLF/HF).Low anxiety levels were achieved by 6 (23.1%) and 9 (17.6%) patients with CSX and CAD respectively. High anxiety level was achieved by only one (3.8%) patient, who was suffering from CSX. TMAS was significantly higher in CSX (31.27 (21.97)) compared to CAD (21.86 (12.97), P = 0.021). However, abnormally increased anxiety was not associated with higher risk of CSX. LnLF, LnHF and LnLF/HF were comparable in CAD and CSX patients.CSX and CAD patients showed comparable CAM. Although anxiety levels were higher in CSX compared to CAD, TMAS ≥ 35 failed to show significant association with CSX
Comparing longitudinal CD4 responses to cART among non-perinatally HIV-infected youth versus adults: Results from the HIVRN Cohort
No full textYouth have residual thymic tissue and potentially greater capacity for immune reconstitution than adults after initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). However, youth face behavioral and psychosocial challenges that may make them more likely than adults to delay ART initiation and less likely to attain similar CD4 outcomes after initiating cART. This study compared CD4 outcomes over time following cART initiation between ART-naïve non-perinatally HIV-infected (nPHIV) youth (13–24 years-old) and adults (≥25–44 years-old).Retrospective analysis of ART-naïve nPHIV individuals 13–44 years-old, who initiated their first cART between 2008 and 2011 at clinical sites in the HIV Research Network. A linear mixed model was used to assess the association between CD4 levels after cART initiation and age (13–24, 25–34, 35–44 years), accounting for random variation within participants and between sites, and adjusting for key variables including gender, race/ethnicity, viral load, gaps in care (defined as > 365 days between CD4 tests), and CD4 levels prior to cART initiation (baseline CD4). had greater predicted CD4 levels: 390, 607, and 831, respectively. Additionally, having no gaps in care and higher viral load were associated with better CD4 outcomes.Despite having residual thymic tissue, youth attain similar, not superior, CD4 gains as adults. Early ART initiation with minimal delay is as essential to optimizing outcomes for youth as it is for their adult counterparts
Influence of Volatile Anesthesia on the Release of Glutamate and other Amino Acids in the Nucleus Accumbens in a Rat Model of Alcohol Withdrawal: A Pilot Study
No full textAlcohol withdrawal syndrome is a potentially life-threatening condition, which can occur when patients with alcohol use disorders undergo general anesthesia. Excitatory amino acids, such as glutamate, act as neurotransmitters and are known to play a key role in alcohol withdrawal syndrome. To understand this process better, we investigated the influence of isoflurane, sevoflurane, and desflurane anesthesia on the profile of excitatory and inhibitory amino acids in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) of alcohol-withdrawn rats (AWR).Eighty Wistar rats were randomized into two groups of 40, pair-fed with alcoholic or non-alcoholic nutrition. Nutrition was withdrawn and microdialysis was performed to measure the activity of amino acids in the NAcc. The onset time of the withdrawal syndrome was first determined in an experiment with 20 rats. Sixty rats then received isoflurane, sevoflurane, or desflurane anesthesia for three hours during the withdrawal period, followed by one hour of elimination. Amino acid concentrations were measured using chromatography and results were compared to baseline levels measured prior to induction of anesthesia. = 0.006). However, amino acid levels did not differ between the groups as a result of sevoflurane anesthesia.Each of three volatile anesthetics we studied showed different effects on excitatory and inhibitory amino acid concentrations. Under desflurane anesthesia, both glutamate and aspartate showed a tendency to be lower in AWR than controls over the whole timecourse. The inhibitory amino acid arginine increased in AWR compared to controls, whereas GABA levels decreased. However, there were no significant differences in amino acid concentrations under or after sevoflurane anesthesia. Under isoflurane, aspartate release increased in AWR following induction, and from 40 min to 140 min arginine release in controls was elevated. The precise mechanisms through which each of the volatile anesthetics affected amino acid concentrations are still unclear and further experimental research is required to draw reliable conclusions
How Does the Concentration of Determinants Affect Industrial Innovation Performance? – An Empirical Analysis of 23 Chinese Industrial Sectors
No full textObesity disproportionately impacts lung volumes, airflow and exhaled nitric oxide in children
No full textThe current literature focusing on the effect of obesity and overweight on lung function and fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) in children, particularly among healthy children of non-European descent, remains controversial. Furthermore, whether the relationship of obesity and overweight with lung function and FeNO in children is modified by atopy is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of excess weight on lung function parameters and FeNO among Asian children, with a particular focus on exploring the potential effect modification by atopy.We investigated the effect of excess weight on lung function and FeNO in a population sample of 1,717 children aged 5 to 18 years and explored the potential modifying effect of atopy. = 0.46).Excess weight disproportionately impacts lung volumes and airflow in children from the general population, independent of atopic status. Excess weight inversely affects FeNO in atopic but not in non-atopic children
