14 research outputs found
Effects of air pollutants on endothelial function
No full textBackground: Substantial evidence links exposure to particulate matter air pollution with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Endothelial dysfunction has been recently investigated as a potential mechanism by which an exposure to air pollutants for a short period of time can cause adverse cardiovascular events. Methods: We examined the intra-day reproducibility of EndoPAT measurements obtained 2.5 hours apart and the inter-day reproducibility of EndoPAT measurements obtained 1 week apart in a group of young and healthy volunteers. We also examined the acute changes in EndoPAT measurements and plasma nitrite concentration following a 2-hour exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) compared to clean air (CA) in a controlled environmental facility as well as changes in these markers associated with increases in 5 ambient air pollutant concentrations, namely particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) on the preceding 7 days. Results: In Aim 1, the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) for the PAT ratio obtained 2.5 hours apart were -0.07 and 0.40 in the pilot and CA exposure study, respectively, and the ICC for the PAT ratio obtained a week apart was 0.27, indicating a low intra-day and inter-day reproducibility. In Aim 2, the plasma nitrite concentration showed a greater decrease following the exposure to DE and SOA compared to CA. The mean PAT ratios showed an increase from pre to post-exposure to DE, SOA, and CA. In Aim 3, each interquartile range increase in the mean PM2.5 and CO concentration in the first 24 hours before the endothelial function measurement was associated with an increase in the plasma nitrite concentration (17.1 and 17.2% respectively). Conclusions: The EndoPAT device does not produce reliable PAT ratios 2.5 hours apart and one week apart in a young population. The increase in the plasma nitrite associated with the increase in the ambient air pollutants in the first 24 hours suggests a potential role of systemic inflammation via stimulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase enzyme and generation of nitric oxide within a short period of time.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby Sampada Gandh
Organizational Factors and Office Workers’ Health After the World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks: Long-Term Physical Symptoms, Psychological Distress, and Work Productivity
No full textObjective: To assess if organizational factors are predictors of workers' health and productivity after the World Trade Center attacks.Methods: We conducted a survey of 750 workers and compared those who had direct exposures to the World Trade Center attacks (south of Canal Street workers; primary victims) with those less directly exposed (north of Canal Street workers; other victims and non-victims).Results: South of Canal Street workers reported headache more frequently than north of Canal Street workers did (P = 0.0202). Primary victims reported headache and cough more frequently than did other victims and non-victims (P = 0.0086 and 0.0043, respectively). Defensive organizational culture was an independent predictor of cough and job stress, and job stress was an independent predictor of on-the-job productivity losses.Conclusion: Organizational variables may modify health and productivity outcomes after a large-scale traumatic event in the workplace.This research was supported in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Grant 5 R21 OH007713-02, and the NIEHS sponsored UMDNJ Center for Environmental Exposures and Disease, Grant NIEHS P30ES005022.This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (50(2):112-25, 2008 Feb) a publication of Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. The published article is available at http://journals.lww.com/joem/Fulltext/2008/02000/Organizational_Factors_and_Office_Workers__Health.4.asp
Improving the Workflow of Radiation Oncologists: Facilitating Data-Enabled Pre-treatment Process Optimization in Radiotherapy
No full textEvery year in the Netherlands, approximately 100,000 patients are diagnosed with cancer (https://www.nki.nl/.) . With these numbers on the rise, and a shortage of staffing, there is an increased workload on the existing professionals to work fast, despite the complexity and meticulous nature of radiotherapy planning. There are multiple obstacles that may cause a buildup and inability for a smooth flow of a patient through the system, sometimes causing oncologists to lose track of the patients' situation in the care pathway. This further builds onto the pyschological stress owing to their sense of responsibility towards the patient in the process, and to their need to preserve their control over the patient's treatment process. With increasing demand to work with complex systems and technology, there is also an increasing reliance on the smooth operations and uniform working methods of other professionals and colleagues for the radio oncologist's smooth workflow. But there are currently some unaddressed operational and working issues faced by the Erasmus radiotherapy department that attribute to inefficiencies, delays, and loss of patient status in the pre-treatment process. Hence there is a strong motivation to explore this space through the project, where there is currently a lack of solutions towards optimising and supporting the professionals in this stage of the process. The design hence focuses on supporting oncologists in the treatment planning phase by providing real-time patient status, assistance, and prioritization of tasks and administrative work in order to minimize disruptions and gain control over their workflow, such that oncologists can uphold their sense of accountability towards their patients, themselves, and the organizational expectations and alleviate their fear of losing the patient to the system. The end result is an omnichannel solution that works on two levels- through an iPad-based solution for the radiation oncologists to help manage their workflow, as well as a data collection strategy for the managers to capture valuable data throughout the pre-treatment process to identify delays and inefficiencies.The project employs both UX as well as system-level approaches in order to cater to professional, process-related, and organizational needs to ultimately reduce patient waiting time and alleviate workload. Design for Interaction | Medisig
Deconstructing The Grand Myth: A Study Of Anand Neelakantan's "Asura: Tale Of The Vanquished"
No full textAnand Neelakantan become known with his novel "Asura: Tale of the Vanquished" gave voice to
Ravana, the Asura king. The Ramayana, the hallowed Hindu epic, depicts the mythical tale from the perspective
of a legendary hero Ram who is worshipped as God in India. This novel explores the role of anti
by reading against the grain. The present research paper will try to deconstruct the grand myth in the novel
"Asura: Tale of the Vanquished". The writer
initiated a new tradition of looking into the tale from another side. This paper will analyze how the author has
tried to appreciate the wrong mythical character by deconstructing their imag
through it silenced dark character. In Asura Tale, Neelakantan had done the opposite brought out virtues of
Ravana and questioned certain actions of Rama that has goes unquestioned before. This research paper is to
reinterpret the past as well as epic giving voice to the muted. Neelakantan gives alternative voices, it was implied
that this distinction would emerge rather than capsizing the conventional notion, but this distinction interprets
Ravana as humane rather t h a n divine
DECONSTRUCTING THE GRAND MYTH: A STUDY OF ANAND NEELAKANTAN'S "ASURA: TALE OF THE VANQUISHED
No full textAnand Neelakantan become known with his novel "Asura: Tale of the Vanquished" gave voice to
Ravana, the Asura king. The Ramayana, the hallowed Hindu epic, depicts the mythical tale from the perspective
of a legendary hero Ram who is worshipped as God in India. This novel explores the role of anti
by reading against the grain. The present research paper will try to deconstruct the grand myth in the novel
"Asura: Tale of the Vanquished". The writer
initiated a new tradition of looking into the tale from another side. This paper will analyze how the author has
tried to appreciate the wrong mythical character by deconstructing their imag
through it silenced dark character. In Asura Tale, Neelakantan had done the opposite brought out virtues of
Ravana and questioned certain actions of Rama that has goes unquestioned before. This research paper is to
reinterpret the past as well as epic giving voice to the muted. Neelakantan gives alternative voices, it was implied
that this distinction would emerge rather than capsizing the conventional notion, but this distinction interprets
Ravana as humane rather t h a n divine
Tox21 dataset backup
No full textDataset backup for computational experiments in the paper:
"Ranking Molecules with Vanishing Kernels and a Single Parameter:
Applicability Domain Included"
Berenger, F. and Yamanishi, Y.
Data source
https://github.com/deepchem/deepchem/tree/master/datasets/tox21.csv
download date: 09/11/2018 at 13:59:05
Preparation protocol
All smiles strings (molecules) have been standardised using
https://github.com/flatkinson/standardiser
Molecules that did not pass standardisation have been removed. Cf. standardisation/errors.smi for such molecules.
All molecules tested on a given toxicity endpoint/target were copied into a specific directory for that target. All toxic molecules for a given target have had their name prefixed with the word "active". Each list of molecules was randomized.
Directory structure
tox21.csv: backup copy of the original data source
targets.txt: list of all toxicity endpoints in the dataset; one per line.
Target names are in the same order than columns
in the tox21.csv file.
TARGET/ligands_std_rand.smi: all toxic molecules for TARGET and all
non toxic molecules; in random order
standardisation/errors.smi: molecules that did not pass standardisation
standardisation/standardised.smi: molecules that passed standardisation
Bibliography
@article{Huang2016,
author = {Huang, Ruili and Xia, Menghang and Nguyen, Dac-Trung and Zhao, Tongan and Sakamuru, Srilatha and Zhao, Jinghua and Shahane, Sampada A. and Rossoshek, Anna and Simeonov, Anton},
title = {Tox21Challenge to Build Predictive Models of Nuclear Receptor and Stress Response Pathways as Mediated by Exposure to Environmental Chemicals and Drugs},
journal = {Frontiers in Environmental Science},
volume = {3},
pages = {85},
year = {2016},
doi = {10.3389/fenvs.2015.00085},
}
</pre
Cholesterol uptake and efflux are impaired in human trophoblast cells from pregnancies with maternal supraphysiological hypercholesterolemia
No full textFunding Information: We thank the personnel at the Hospital Clínico UC-CHRISTUS labour ward for their support in supplying placentas; Amparo Pacheco, Ana María Delpiano and Ludwig Amigo for technical assistance; and Theresa Powell, Thomas Jansson and Emily Su from The University of Colorado, from whom we learned how to carry out the PHT cultures. This work was supported by Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico [FONDECYT 1150344, 1180935 and 1190250]. C. Albrecht was supported by a grant from the Lindenhof Foundation and the NCCR TransCure. This work was also supported by the Unidad de Microscopía Avanzada UC (UMA UC). B Fuenzalida, C Cantin and L Carvajal hold CONICYT (Chile) fellowships. B Fuenzalida and C Cantin hold Facultad de Medicina, PUC (Chile) fellowships. Publisher Copyright: © 2020, The Author(s).Maternal physiological (MPH) or supraphysiological hypercholesterolaemia (MSPH) occurs during pregnancy. Cholesterol trafficking from maternal to foetal circulation requires the uptake of maternal LDL and HDL by syncytiotrophoblast and cholesterol efflux from this multinucleated tissue to ApoA-I and HDL. We aimed to determine the effects of MSPH on placental cholesterol trafficking. Placental tissue and primary human trophoblast (PHT) were isolated from pregnant women with total cholesterol <280 md/dL (MPH, n = 27) or ≥280 md/dL (MSPH, n = 28). The lipid profile in umbilical cord blood from MPH and MSPH neonates was similar. The abundance of LDL receptor (LDLR) and HDL receptor (SR-BI) was comparable between MSPH and MPH placentas. However, LDLR was localized mainly in the syncytiotrophoblast surface and was associated with reduced placental levels of its ligand ApoB. In PHT from MSPH, the uptake of LDL and HDL was lower compared to MPH, without changes in LDLR and reduced levels of SR-BI. Regarding cholesterol efflux, in MSPH placentas, the abundance of cholesterol transporter ABCA1 was increased, while ABCG1 and SR-BI were reduced. In PHT from MSPH, the cholesterol efflux to ApoA-I was increased and to HDL was reduced, along with reduced levels of ABCG1, compared to MPH. Inhibition of SR-BI did not change cholesterol efflux in PHT. The TC content in PHT was comparable in MPH and MSPH cells. However, free cholesterol was increased in MSPH cells. We conclude that MSPH alters the trafficking and content of cholesterol in placental trophoblasts, which could be associated with changes in the placenta-mediated maternal-to-foetal cholesterol trafficking
Phosphorus bioaccessibility measured in four amino acid-based formulas using in-vitro batch digestion translates well into phosphorus bioavailability in mice
No full textObjective: The aim of this study was to quantify the bioaccessibility of phosphorus from amino acid-based formulas (AAFs) under different digestive conditions.Methods: We developed in-vitro batch digestion models with stomach digestion at different pH mimicking the normal digestive condition and conditions representing use of acid-suppressive medication. To validate bioaccessibility findings, we devised a low phosphorus murine model to test phosphorus bioavailability under compromised digestive conditions using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to neutralize stomach pH.Results: In vitro phosphorus bioaccessibility of AAFs Neocate (R) Infant and Neocate Junior ranged between 57% and 65% under normal digestive conditions for infants (stomach pH 3.5) and between 38% and 46% under conditions that simulated bypass of stomach acidification, which is comparable to control diet and two EleCare (R) AAFs. In vivo bioavailability analysis showed that both Neocate formulas were able to normalize plasma phosphorus levels when administered to low phosphorus mice along with PPIs (control diet + PPI 8 +/- 0.4; Neocate Infant 10.1 +/- 0.9; Neocate Junior 9.2 +/- 0.6; EleCare Infant 8.6 +/- 0.4; EleCare Junior 8.7 +/- 0.5; n = 8-10; P < 0.0001 versus baseline 3.4 +/- 0.2 mg/dL). In comparison, plasma phosphorus levels remained lower on the low phosphorus diet (5.7 +/- 0.2 mg/dL). Furthermore, urinary phosphorus/creatinine and intact fibroblast growth factor 23 were significantly lowered by low phosphorus diet. In contrast, intact parathyroid hormone and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D decreased and increased, respectively, and these parameters likewise normalized in mice administered AAFs.Conclusion: The present findings indicated that phosphorus bioaccessibility in the in-vitro batch digestion model translates well into phosphorus bioavailability in mice even under compromised digestive conditions that bypass gastric acidification. (C) 2021 The Author( s). Published by Elsevier Inc.</p
Prevalence of chronic cough, its risk factors and population attributable risk in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study: a multinational cross-sectional study
No full text© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Background: Chronic cough is a common respiratory symptom with an impact on daily activities and quality of life. Global prevalence data are scarce and derive mainly from European and Asian countries and studies with outcomes other than chronic cough. In this study, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of chronic cough across a large number of study sites as well as to identify its main risk factors using a standardised protocol and definition.
Methods: We analysed cross-sectional data from 33,983 adults (≥40 years), recruited between Jan 2, 2003 and Dec 26, 2016, in 41 sites (34 countries) from the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease (BOLD) study. We estimated the prevalence of chronic cough for each site accounting for sampling design. To identify risk factors, we conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis within each site and then pooled estimates using random-effects meta-analysis. We also calculated the population attributable risk (PAR) associated with each of the identifed risk factors.
Findings: The prevalence of chronic cough varied from 3% in India (rural Pune) to 24% in the United States of America (Lexington,KY). Chronic cough was more common among females, both current and passive smokers, those working in a dusty job, those with a history of tuberculosis, those who were obese, those with a low level of education and those with hypertension or airflow limitation. The most influential risk factors were current smoking and working in a dusty job.
Interpretation: Our findings suggested that the prevalence of chronic cough varies widely across sites in different world regions. Cigarette smoking and exposure to dust in the workplace are its major risk factors.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
