73 research outputs found
Impact of synthetic fibres on asphalt concrete mix
No full textThe use of synthetic fibres has been reported to enhance the performance of asphalt pavement materials in terms of permanent deformation, fatigue and thermal cracking. However, limited results about the benefits of synthetic fibres in the reinforced warm-mix asphaltic materials, and the exact mechanism of reinforcing the binding part in pavement structures is still unclear. In this contribution, a semi-circular bending test was per-formed by using various fibre amounts as well as fibre length inside the bituminous mix. The results indicate that the inclusion of fibre can improves the warm-mix performance. Tensile strength as the first criterion is en-hanced proportionally by increasing fibre dosage. The reinforcing effect brought by 38-mm fibre is higher than the one with 19-mm.Pavement Engineerin
Insulin resistance in hyperthyroidism: the role of IL6 and TNF alpha
No full textObjective: Although insulin resistance is a common finding in hyperthyroidism, the implicated mechanisms are obscure. The aim of this study was to investigate whether interleukin 6 (IL6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) are related to the development of insulin resistance in hyperthyroidism of nonautoimmune origin. Design and methods: A meal was given to ten hyperthyroid (HR) and ten euthyroid (EU) women. Plasma samples were taken for 360 min from the radial artery for measurements of glucose, insulin, and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA). IL6 and TNFa were measured preprandially from the superficial epigastric vein and from the radial artery. Results: i) In HR versus EU: (a) arterial glucose was similar (AUC(0-360) 2087 +/- 57 vs 2010 +/- 43 mM x min), but insulin was increased (AUC(0-360) 17 267 +/- 2447 vs 10 331 +/- 666 mu U/mlXmin, P=0.01), (b) homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was increased (2.3 +/- 0.4 vs 1 +/- 0.1 kg/m(2), P=0.007), (c) arterial NEFA were increased (AUC(0-360) 136 +/- 18 vs 89 +/- 7mmol/lXmin, P=0.03), (d) arterial IL6 (2 +/- 0.3 vs 0.9 +/- 0.1 pg/ml, P=0.0009) and TNFa (4.2 +/- 0.8 vs 1.5 +/- 0.2 pg/ml, P=0.003) were increased, and (e) IL6 production from the subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) was increased (18 +/- 6 vs 5 +/- 1 pg/min per 100 ml tissue, P=0.04). ii) (a) Subcutaneous venous IL6 was positively associated with HOMA(beta-coefficient=1.7 +/- 0.7, P=0.049) and (b) although TNF alpha was not producedby the subcutaneous AT, arterial TNFawas positively associatedwithNEFA(AUC0-360; b-coefficientZ0.045G0.01, PZ0.005). Conclusions: Inhyperthyroidism: i) glucose and lipidmetabolismare resistant to insulin, ii) subcutaneousAT releases IL6, which could then act as an endocrine mediator of insulin resistance, iii) although there is no net secretion of TNFa by the subcutaneous AT, increased systemic TNFa levels may be related to the development of insulin resistance in lipolysis
Author Correction: Future response of global coastal wetlands to sea-level rise (Nature, (2018), 561, 7722, (231-234), 10.1038/s41586-018-0476-5)
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Change history: In Fig. 2b of this Letter, ‘Relative wetland change (km
2
)’ should have read ‘Relative wetland change (%)’ and equations (2) and (3) have been changed from ‘RSLR
crit
= (m × TR
e
) × Sed + i’ and ‘Sed
crit
= (RSLR − i)/(m × TR
e
)’, respectively. The definition of the variables in equation (2) has been updated. These errors have been corrected online.
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What the radiologist needs to know about the diabetic patient
No full textAbstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognised as a major health problem. Ninety-nine percent of diabetics suffer from type 2 DM and 10% from type 1 and other types of DM. The number of diabetic patients worldwide is expected to reach 380 millions over the next 15 years. The duration of diabetes is an important factor in the pathogenesis of complications, but other factors frequently coexisting with type 2 DM, such as hypertension, obesity and dyslipidaemia, also contribute to the development of diabetic angiopathy. Microvascular complications include retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy. Macroangiopathy mainly affects coronary arteries, carotid arteries and arteries of the lower extremities. Eighty percent of deaths in the diabetic population result from cardiovascular incidents. DM is considered an equivalent of coronary heart disease (CHD). Stroke and peripheral artery disease (PAD) are other main manifestations of diabetic macroangiopathy. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DC) represents another chronic complication that occurs independently of CHD and hypertension. The greater susceptibility of diabetic patients to infections completes the spectrum of the main consequences of DM. The serious complications of DM make it essential for physicians to be aware of the screening guidelines, allowing for earlier patient diagnosis and treatment.</jats:p
Genome wide high density SNP-based linkage analysis of childhood absence epilepsy identifies a susceptibility locus on chromosome 3p23-p14
No full textChildhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is an idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE) characterised by typical absence seizures manifested by transitory loss of awareness with 2.5–4 Hz spike-wave complexes on ictal EEG. A genetic component to the aetiology is well recognised but the mechanism of inheritance and the genes involved are yet to be fully established.
A genome wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based high density linkage scan was carried out using 41 nuclear pedigrees with at least two affected members. Multipoint parametric and non-parametric linkage analyses were performed using MERLIN 1.1.1 and a susceptibility locus was identified on chromosome 3p23-p14 (Zmean = 3.9, p < 0.0001; HLOD = 3.3, α = 0.7). The linked region harbours the functional candidate genes TRAK1 and CACNA2D2. Fine-mapping using a tagSNP approach demonstrated disease association with variants in TRAK1
Erythrocyte and Liver Porphobilinogen Deaminase in Cirrhosis and Clinical or Experimental Cholestasis
Get PDFBACKGROUND? ? Porphobilinogen deaminase, the third enzyme in the haem synthetic process -mainly expressed in the erythrocytes and liver - has a key role in the pathogenesis of the acute porphyrias.DESIGN AND RESULTS We studied the effect of cirrhosis or cholestasis on this enzyme activity and found that:1. Erythrocyte porphobilinogen deaminase was significantly increased (p=0.0003) in 27 patients with non-alcoholic liver cirrhosis (19.89?±6.65 ??moles/h.l) and 24 patients with extrahepatic cholestasis (20.69?±11.17 ??moles/h.l) as compared to 30 controls (12.77?±4.76 ??moles/h.l). Its activity was positively correlated to the prothrombin time in both patient groups and negatively to the alkaline phosphatase in the cholestasis group.2. Erythrocyte porphobilinogen deaminase of controls significantly increased when their plasma was substituted by that of patients with cholestasis (p lt; 0.001) or cirrhosis (p=0.05), although it remained lower than that of the latter. No change was observed in samples from patients with cirrhosis or cholestasis when their plasma was substituted by that of controls.3. In 8 rabbits, cholestasis produced by ligation of the common bile duct significantly increased porphobilinogen deaminase both in the erythrocytes (from 30.26?±10.33 to 48.87?±15.82 nmoles/h.l, p=0.002) and the liver (from 13.27?±4.79 to 17.68?±5.42 nmoles/h.g, p=0.035). In 8 sham-operated rabbits erythrocyte porphobilinogen deaminase also increased (from 29.60?±9.85 to 33.32?±12.23 nmoles/h.l, p=0.016), but to a significantly lower degree than that of the ???cholestatic?? group (111.10?±10.95 % versus 167.96?±41.64% p=0.006) while the hepatic enzyme remained unchanged (from 13.40?±3.85 to 13.83?±7.21 nmoles/h.g, p=0.80).4. In 5 patients with cholestasis the mean hepatic PBG-D activity was higher than in the 5 controls (12.63?±3.24 versus 9.64?±1.17 nmoles/h.g), although not significantly higher (p=0.11).CONCLUSION PBG-D activity is considerably increased in liver cirrhosis and clinical or experimental cholestasis. It seems probable that plasma factors may play a role in this effect by inducing PBG-D activity
The association of the metabolic profile in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients with obsessive-compulsive symptomatology and depressive symptomatology: New insights
No full textObjective. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between diabetes mellitus type 2, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptomatology and depressive symptomatology with the metabolic profile of diabetic patients. Methods. One hundred and thirty-one diabetic patients were randomly selected. In the first assessment all participants completed the Zung Self Rating Scale (ZUNG) and the Maudsley O-C Inventory Questionnaire (MOCI). After 1 year, diabetic patients that were initially uncontrolled (n = 31) (HbA1c > 7) were re-evaluated by the same psychometric tools. From those 31 patients, 10 had managed to control their metabolic profile. Results. In the first evaluation MOCI and the sub-scale of slowness were statistically related with the diabetic profile (controlled, HbA1c > 7; uncontrolled, HbA1c > 7), with uncontrolled patients scoring significantly higher on the overall MOCI score and the factor of slowness of MOCI scale (P = 0.028). The analysis revealed a positive association between depressive symptomatology (P = 0.004) and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptomatology (P < 0.001) and the metabolic profile of the patients. In the second evaluation the patients that managed to control their metabolic profile scored lower in both ZDRS and MOCI, although these differences in scores failed to reach significance levels were indicative of a tendency. Conclusions. The present results provide initial evidence that diabetes mellitus type 2 is associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder symptomatology and depressive symptomatology
Subcutaneous glucose monitoring with GlucoDay (R): comparison of the results to those obtained with the Endocrine Artificial Pancreas
No full textObjective : This study was undertaken to assess the accuracy of GlucoDay (R) - a portable detector of subcutaneous glucose - by comparing the results to those obtained by Biostator (R) an established and reliable method for continuous glucose measurement in whole blood. Design : Subjects with type 1 diabetes (n:6), subjects with type 2 diabetes (n:6), and six healthy controls were studied for 24 hours; they consumed three main meals. The GlucoDay (R) was connected to the subjects by inserting a microfibre probe into the periumbilical subcutaneous area, whilst the Biostator (R) was inserted by a double-lumen catheter into an antecubital vein. A third catheter was inserted into a separate vein for blood withdrawal to measure glucose by the hexokinase method. Results: The three methods (GlucoDay (R)-Biostator (R)-hexokinase) were equally accurate in measuring glucose levels (p=0.233, Kruskall-Wallis test). The glucose measurements performed with GlucoDay (R) and Biostator (R) were significantly correlated with those performed with hexokinase (p<0.001, r2=66.65% and p< 0.001, r2=64.4%, respectively, using simple regression analysis). Conclusions: Measurements of glucose fluctuations in the subcutaneous tissue with the GlucoDay (R) were close to those in blood determined by the Biostator (R). GlucoDay (R) is therefore a reliable method for continuous glucose monitoring and may prove useful for optimizating treatment in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
The role of actor associations in understanding the implementation of lean thinking in healthcare
Get PDFPurpose: The importance of networks in effecting the outcomes of change processes is well-established in the literature. Whilst extant literature focuses predominantly on the structural properties of networks, our purpose is to explore the dynamics of network emergence that give rise to the outcomes of process interventions. We show how Actor Network Theory (ANT) may be used as a lens for interrogating the way in which management interventions play out in the complex organisational setting of a UK National Health Service Trust, providing insights for management of process change initiatives. Design/methodology/approach: This is a rich qualitative study in the Pathology Unit of a UK National Health Service Trust, using ANT as the theoretical lens for tracking the emergence and transformation of networks of individuals over the course of a management intervention to promote “lean thinking” for performance improvements.Findings: ANT is useful for explicitly tracking how organisational players shift their positions and network allegiances over time, and identifying objects and actions that are effective in engaging individuals in networks enabling transition to a lean process. It is important to attend to the dynamics of the process of change and devise appropriate timely interventions enabling actors to shift their own positions towards a desired outcome.Research limitations/implications: We make the case for using of theoretical frameworks developed outside the operations management to develop insights for designing process interventions.Originality/value: By understanding the role of shifting networks managers can use timely interventions during the process implementation to facilitate the transition to lean processes: e.g. using demonstrable senior leadership commitment and visual communication.<br/
Hypermedia Interoperability: Navigating the Information Continuum
No full textOpen Hypermedia Systems are designed to allow links to be authored and followed on top of any media format. The link structures are held separately from the documents in a software component called a Link Server. As hypermedia has matured as a research topic attention has turned to standardising the way in which components talk to Link Servers in order to provide interoperability. The Open Hypermedia Systems Working Group took up this challenge and proposed an Open Hypermedia Protocol (OHP). However, the scope of this proposal proved to be too large and the protocol was divided into domain specific parts (Navigational, Spatial and Taxonomic Hypermedia), tackling each domain differently, but consistently. It is questionable whether this step was the correct one, as the domains share many similar features. In this thesis I present a detailed examination of the information spaces that the OHP was attempting to model (from all these considered hypertext domains), which incorporates notions of both behaviour and context. This examination looks at what it means to navigate around the many dimensions of information, across these domains, and reveals a cohesive and continuous structure that I call the Information Continuum. The Fundamental Open Hypermedia Model (FOHM) is presented, which is capable of representing the structures of this continuum in a consistent and meaningful way. FOHM is coupled with an agent infrastructure to produce an implementation that demonstrates the model being used for cross-domain interoperability
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