453 research outputs found
Effects of Pharmacotherapy on Combat-Related PTSD, Anxiety, and Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis.
No full textObjectivesTo estimate the effect of pharmacotherapy on PTSD, anxiety, and depression among combat veterans; to determine whether the effects varied according to patient and intervention characteristics; and to examine differential effects of pharmacotherapy on outcomes.Materials and methodsGoogle Scholar, PILOTS, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched through November 2014. Searches resulted in eighteen double-blind, placebo controlled trials of 773 combat veterans diagnosed with PTSD and included only validated pre- and post-intervention PTSD and anxiety or depression measures. Authors extracted data on effect sizes, moderators, and study quality. Hedges' d effect sizes were computed and random effects models estimated sampling error and population variance. The Johnson-Neyman procedure identified the critical points in significant interactions to define regions of significance.ResultsPharmacotherapy significantly reduced (Δ, 95%CI) PTSD (0.38, 0.23-0.52), anxiety (0.42, 0.30-0.54), and depressive symptoms (0.52, 0.35-0.70). The effects of SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants on PTSD were greater than other medications independent of treatment duration. The effect of SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants were greater than other medications up to 5.2 and 13.6 weeks for anxiety and depression, respectively. The magnitude of the effect of pharmacotherapy on concurrently-measured PTSD, anxiety, and depression did not significantly differ.ConclusionsPharmacotherapy reduced PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in combat veterans. The effects of SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants were greater for PTSD and occurred quicker for anxiety and depression than other medications
Non-targeted metabolomics identify polyamine metabolite acisoga as novel biomarker for reduced left ventricular function.
No full textAims: Chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction remains a major health issue. To date, no reliable biomarker is available to predict reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LV-EF). We aimed to identify novel circulating biomarkers for reduced left ventricular function using untargeted serum metabolomics in two independent patient cohorts. Methods and results: Echocardiography and non-targeted serum metabolomics were conducted in two patient cohorts with varying left ventricular function: (1) 25 patients with type 2 diabetes with established cardiovascular disease or high cardiovascular risk (LV-EF range 20–66%) (discovery cohort) and (2) 37 patients hospitalized for myocardial infarction (LV-EF range 25–60%) (validation cohort). In the discovery cohort, untargeted metabolomics revealed seven metabolites performing better than N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in the prediction of impaired left ventricular function shown by LV-EF. For only one of the metabolites, acisoga, the predictive value for LV-EF could be confirmed in the validation cohort (r = −0.37, P = 0.02). In the discovery cohort, acisoga did not only correlate with LV-EF (r = −60, P = 0.0016), but also with global circumferential strain (r = 0.67, P = 0.0003) and global longitudinal strain (r = 0.68, P = 0.0002). Similar results could be detected in the discovery cohort in a 6 month follow-up proofing stability of these results over time. With an area under the curve of 0.86 in the receiver operating characteristic analysis, acisoga discriminated between patients with normal EF and LV-EF < 40%. Multivariate analysis exposed acisoga as independent marker for impairment of LV-EF (Beta = −0.71, P = 0.004). Conclusions: We found the polyamine metabolite acisoga to be elevated in patients with impaired LV-EF in two independent cohorts. Our analyses suggest that acisoga may be a valuable biomarker to detect patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
Solving Problems through Katasterismos: Classical Reception in New Zealand author Sabrina Malcolm’s Zeustian Logic
No full textNew Zealand writer Sabrina Malcolm’s 2017 novel Zeustian Logic is a contemporary school story about a family struggling to deal with grief. This text follows in a decades-long tradition of New Zealand YA literature employing Classical reception. The novel illustrates how Classical myth helps a contemporary New Zealand teenager (Tuttle) come to terms with his father’s death and his own feelings of helplessness, frustration and anger. This chapter examines the role of Classical reception in this novel, discussing how the author uses star mythology to underpin the depiction of the protagonist’s coming-of-age. More than that, Malcolm compares Tuttle’s feelings with ancient perceptions of anger and grief and skillfully casts Tuttle, in his quest for knowledge, as a modern-day Telemachus. The chapter concludes with a look at how Tuttle’s attitudes towards Zeus change, as he matures
In silico modeling of the dynamics of low density lipoprotein composition via a single plasma sample
No full textLipoproteins play a key role in the development of CVD, but the dynamics of lipoprotein metabolism are difficult to address experimentally. This article describes a novel two-step combined in vitro and in silico approach that enables the estimation of key reactions in lipoprotein me- tabolism using just one blood sample. Lipoproteins were isolated by ultracentrifugation from fasting plasma stored at 4°C. Plasma incubated at 37°C is no longer in a steady state, and changes in composition may be determined. From these changes, we estimated rates for reactions like LCAT (56.3 μM/h), -LCAT (15.62 μM/h), and cholesteryl ester (CE) transfer protein-mediated flux of CE from HDL to IDL/VLDL (21.5 μM/h) based on data from 15 healthy in- dividuals. In a second step, we estimated LDL’s HL activity (3.19 pools/day) and, for the very first time, selective CE efflux from LDL (8.39 μM/h) by relying on the previously derived reaction rates. The estimated metabolic rates were then confirmed in an independent group (n = 10). Al- though measurement uncertainties do not permit us to esti- mate parameters in individuals, the novel approach we describe here offers the unique possibility to investigate li- poprotein dynamics in various diseases like atherosclerosis or diabetes.—Jansen, M., P. Pfaffelhuber, M. M. Hoffmann, G. Puetz, and K. Winkler. In silico modeling of the dynamics of low density lipoprotein composition via a single plasma sample. J. Lipid Res. 2016. 57: 882–893
Global Detrital Zircon Trace Element Database
No full textComplete Database for the following paper: "Regional trends and petrologic factors inhibit global interpretations of zircon trace element compositions"submitted to American Journal of Science, by: Nick M W Roberts, Christopher J Spencer, Stephen Puetz, C. Brenhin Keller, and Simon Tapster</p
When Is a Robot a Human? Hope, Myth, and Humanity in Bernard Beckett's "Genesis"
No full textThis chapter discusses the role of hope in Bernard Beckett’s New Zealand young adult novel Genesis (2006). It looks at how the author employs allusions to ancient myth and philosophy (Plato) to place the topic in a wider context, in particular to shed light on the notion of false hope. Mainly, this chapter focuses on the novel’s protagonist Anax’s (false) hope, as expressed in her uncritical belief in her state’s ideology. It also explores the crucial part which myth plays in creating this false hope and how hope, in combination with myth, is employed by the author to give readers the misleading impression that Anax is human, rather than a robot. Genesis’ allusions to ancient myths help its readers place Anax’s and Adam’s (a human character) views and actions into a wider context and understand how hope, as an emotion which is central to our humanity, has always been a decisive motivator for human decision-making (both on the personal and on the state level) and for cultural progress, and will still be in the future.Book chapter in the volume: Katarzyna Marciniak, ed., Our Mythical Hope: The Ancient Myths as Medicine for Hardships of Life in Children's and Young Adults' Culture, in the series "Our Mythical Childhood", Warsaw: University of Warsaw Press, 2021, 836 pp.
Open Access https://www.wuw.pl/product-eng-16830-Our-Mythical-Hope-The-Ancient-Myths-as-Medicine-for-the-Hardships-of-Life-in-Childrens-and-Young-Adults-Culture-PDF.html
This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 681202 (2016–2022), Our Mythical Childhood... The Reception of Classical Antiquity in Children's and Young Adults' Culture in Response to Regional and Global Challenges, ERC Consolidator Grant led by Katarzyna Marciniak.
Project's Website: www.omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl.
The publication is licensed under (CC BY 3.0 PL) (full license available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/pl/legalcode)
Nurse and patient perception of stressors associated with coronary artery bypass surgery
No full textThis study investigated the relationships between the nurses\u27 and patients\u27 perception of stressors associated with coronary artery bypass surgery. The population of the study consisted of two groups: (1) patients recovering from coronary artery bypass surgery, and (2) registered nurses providing the care for the coronary artery bypass patient. The instrument utilized was the Cardiac Surgery Stressor Scale. The research data was analyzed by the following statistical techniques: (1) descriptive methods, (2) Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, and (3) Student t-test. Nurses consistently rated the stressors higher than the patients. The results suggest that nurses need to develop a method of accurately assessing the patient\u27s perception of the stressors related to coronary artery bypass surgery. Using the assessment and examination in the development of the plan of care rather than relying upon generalizations will facilitate more concise and accurate patient care. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)
Word-Power: Reading, Writing and Traveling from Story to Story in the 'Inkheart' Novels
No full textMany readers of fantasy books have wished they could meet the characters or even enter the fantasy worlds of these works. This idea is played out in Cornelia Funke's 'Inkheart' trilogy, where characters move back and forth between the primary world and the secondary one which is set inside a book that is also called Inkheart. The processes and consequences of these appearances and disappearances of characters in both worlds, which - for lack of a better term - I will refer to as 'world-travel', are explored in great detail in the 'Inkheart' series. A striking example of metafiction, the work centres around the processes of reading and writing fantasy. Through a discussion of the power, reciprocity, and responsibility of the author, the reader, and the characters of the story this article will examine the author's claim that her fantasy is not escapist
Extent of hypoattenuation on CT angiography source images in Basilar Artery occlusion: prognostic value in the Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study
No full text<p><b>Background and Purpose:</b> The posterior circulation Acute Stroke Prognosis Early CT Score (pc-ASPECTS) quantifies the extent of early ischemic changes in the posterior circulation with a 10-point grading system. We hypothesized that pc-ASPECTS applied to CT angiography source images predicts functional outcome of patients in the Basilar Artery International Cooperation Study (BASICS).</p>
<p><b>Methods:</b> BASICS was a prospective, observational registry of consecutive patients with acute symptomatic basilar artery occlusion. Functional outcome was assessed at 1 month. We applied pc-ASPECTS to CT angiography source images of patients with CT angiography for confirmation of basilar artery occlusion. We calculated unadjusted and adjusted risk ratios (RRs) of pc-ASPECTS dichotomized at ≥8 versus <8. Primary outcome measure was favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale scores 0–3). Secondary outcome measures were mortality and functional independence (modified Rankin Scale scores 0–2).</p>
<p><b>Results:</b> Of 158 patients included, 78 patients had a CT angiography source images pc-ASPECTS ≥8. Patients with a pc-ASPECTS ≥8 more often had a favorable outcome than patients with a pc-ASPECTS <8 (crude RR, 1.7; 95% CI, 0.98–3.0). After adjustment for age, baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, and thrombolysis, pc-ASPECTS ≥8 was not related to favorable outcome (RR, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.8–2.2), but it was related to reduced mortality (RR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.5–0.98) and functional independence (RR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1–3.8). In post hoc analysis, pc-ASPECTS dichotomized at ≥6 versus <6 predicted a favorable outcome (adjusted RR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.2–7.5).</p>
<p><b>Conclusions:</b> pc-ASPECTS on CT angiography source images independently predicted death and functional independence at 1 month in the CT angiography subgroup of patients in the BASICS registry.</p>
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