Impact Assessment of Fertilizers and AM Fungi on Biomass Production of Jatropha curcas Under Alkali Soil Conditions

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - In India, about 40 % of the land area comes under the category of wasteland. Jatropha curcas is a...     

Biomass Production and Carbon Storage Potential of Selected Old-Growth Temperate Forests in Garhwal Himalaya,India

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - Fifteen old-growth temperate forest types were assessed for biomass productivity and carbon (C) storage...     

Direct Current Shock Ablation: Quantitative Assessment of Proarrhythmic Effects

Catheter ablation using direct current (DC) shock has proved invaluable in the management of a variety of tachycardias. However, sporadic reports of fatal arrhythmias following ablation have raised the question of the proarrhythmic potential of DC shock ablation. The present study was undertaken in 45 patients to assess prospectively any proarrhythmia related to DC shock ablation, using matched pre- and postablation Holter monitors and programmed electrical stimulation (PES). Nineteen of these patients had Holter monitors for three successive postablation days to observe trends. There was unmatched data in 11 additional patients. All 56 patients provided prospective follow-up for clinical events. There was no immediate sustained VT/VF at the time of the ablation. Four patients had sustained VT in the first 72 hours after ablation; three episodes were similar to the preablation clinical arrhythmias; one patient had torsades de pointes interrupting bradycardia. Twelve patients met Holter, PES, or clinical criteria for proarrhythmia; none were treated on the basis of these findings. On Holter monitoring, there were significant increases in VPCs/hour and couplets/hour in patients undergoing atrial or atrioventricular junctional ablations; and an increase in couplets after accessory pathway ablations. Increases in these categories were not significant for VT patients; nor were increases in episodes of VT/hour or atrial arrhythmias significant in any group. Patients were followed for 44 +/- 33 months, with an actuarial survival of 95% at 1 year, 88% at 3 years, and 85% at 4 years. There were six deaths during follow-up. Two patients had sudden death: one at 2 months had early evidence of proarrhythmia; the other at 32 months may have represented later myocardia deterioration. One patient died of heart failure at 77 months; and there were three noncardiac deaths. DC shock ablation in humans is much less proarrhythmic than in dogs. The low incidence of clinical proarrhythmic events during prolonged follow-up after discharge resulted in low sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values for Holter and PES, although the negative predictive values of these tests were greater than 90%. Only one of 12 patients who met criteria for proarrhythmia in the days immediately following ablation had subsequent clinical events consistent with proarrhythmia. These results may be useful as standards for comparison with results of radiofrequency or other ablation modalities.     

行走功能定量评定方法研究

用VICON三维运动分析系统,对161人进行步态检查。在所得原始数据、曲线的基础上,结合临床从行走时相对称、垂直分力对称性、行走中站立平衡功能、行走制动功能及驱动功能5个方面,以隶属函数的形式,提出5个相应的的经验公式。用此可对“三瘫一截”（脑瘫、截瘫、偏瘫、截肢）患者的行走功能进行评定。结果证明,本研究所提出的定量评定方法,能明显地区分出各类残疾群体与健全群体的差异程度。并讨论了适用范围。     

人体平衡功能定量测评

建立国产平衡仪的正常值范围，探讨各指标的敏感性及可靠性，运用国产人体平衡仪对202例相对正常人群及某些疾病患者进行测评，并分组进行比较。结果：该仪器大部分指标与年龄相关，但并非线性关系，动摇径、动摇轨迹、包络面积、单位面积轨迹长、动摇角度及能耗等指标在正常与疾病组间有差异。提示人体平衡功能与年龄相关，该平衡仪有助于客观和定量地评价人体平衡功能。     

Assessment of the Effects of Combination Therapy with Ciprofloxacin and Fenbufen on the Central Nervous Systems of Healthy Volunteers by Quantitative Electroencephalography

The potential effects of concurrent administration of fenbufen and ciprofloxacin on central nervous system activity in healthy young subjects were investigated by electroencephalography (EEG). Visual analog scales (VAS) were used to assess subjective measures of concentration, vigilance, tension, and irritability. When ciprofloxacin was administered in combination with fenbufen, none of the EEG parameters or VAS ratings measured were significantly different from those measured when the drugs were administered alone.     

Quantitative Assessment of the Tension-Type Headache and Migraine Severity Continuum

Two quantitative measures for Waters'¹ tension-type head ache and migraine severity continuum are proposed. To ensure face validity, symptoms and precipitants of this disorder were compiled from the literature as a basis for the Auckland Migraine and Headache Inventory. This inventory was completed by 84 participants (mean age ± SD, 26.0 ± 9.7 years; range, 18 to 59 years) who complied with the criteria of the International Headache Society, for migraine of tension-type headache. The migraine headache index and the number of precipitants were derived from the Auckland Migraine and Headache Inventory. These scores yielded significant internal reliability ( r _s =.77 and .84), test-retest reliability ( r _s =.86 and .74), and concurrent validity ( r _s =.57) coefficients. The data, therefore, support the notion that the migraine headache index and the number of precipitants are reliable and valid indices of tension-type headache and migraine severity, suitable for participant selection and assessment of treatment. This study offers support for Waters'1 suggestion that tension-type headache and migraine are extremes of a severity continuum.     

A Quantitative Assessment of Photophobia in Migraine and Tension Headache

SYNOPSIS
Intensity of photophobia in dull and bright light was assessed in 39 migrainous patients and 15tension headache sufferers during headache, and in 20 nonheadache control subjects. In 24 patients,measurements were repeated during the headache-free interval. Subjective estimates of glare andlight-induced pain were greatest in patients with migraine at the time of examination, but ratings bytension headache sufferers also exceeded control ratings at most levels of illumination. In 19 of 25patients with unilateral headache, light-induced pain was greater on the symptomatic side. During theheadache-free interval, glare ratings in dull and bright light, and pain ratings in bright light, weregreater in headache-prone patients than in nonheadache controls. Sensitivity to glare could thusform part of a general hyperexcitability of the special senses, while bright light appears to exacerbatepain resulting from activation of trigeminal pain pathways during headache.     

Ambient Air Pollutants Have Adverse Effects on Insulin and Glucose Homeostasis in Mexican Americans

OBJECTIVE

Recent studies suggest that air pollution plays a role in type 2 diabetes (T2D) incidence and mortality. The underlying physiological mechanisms have yet to be established. We hypothesized that air pollution adversely affects insulin sensitivity and secretion and serum lipid levels.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Participants were selected from BetaGene (n = 1,023), a study of insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell function in Mexican Americans. All participants underwent DXA and oral and intravenous glucose tolerance tests and completed dietary and physical activity questionnaires. Ambient air pollutant concentrations (NO₂, O₃, and PM_2.5) for short- and long-term periods were assigned by spatial interpolation (maximum interpolation radius of 50 km) of data from air quality monitors. Traffic-related air pollution from freeways (TRAP) was estimated using the dispersion model as NO_x. Variance component models were used to analyze individual and multiple air pollutant associations with metabolic traits.

RESULTS

Short-term (up to 58 days cumulative lagged averages) exposure to PM_2.5 was associated with lower insulin sensitivity and HDL-to-LDL cholesterol ratio and higher fasting glucose and insulin, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) (all P ≤ 0.036). Annual average PM_2.5 was associated with higher fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, and LDL-C (P ≤ 0.043). The effects of short-term PM_2.5 exposure on insulin sensitivity were largest among obese participants. No statistically significant associations were found between TRAP and metabolic outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure to ambient air pollutants adversely affects glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, and blood lipid concentrations. Our findings suggest that ambient air pollutants may contribute to the pathophysiology in the development of T2D and related sequelae.     

等速运动测试仪量化评定痉挛的研究

痉挛是上运动神经元损伤性疾患的常见症状。正确评定和处理痉挛有重要的临床意义。但是由于痉挛是肌肉在病理状态下的一种神经生理表现,不易直接测量,尤其是量化评定的问题成为康复医学研究中的一个难题,越来越受到人们的关注。本研究目的：寻找一种痉挛量化评定的新方法。方法：利用等速运动测试仪CybexⅡ结合评定痉挛常用的摆动试验进行痉挛的量化评定研究。本研究对观察组34例痉挛患者,对照1组9例驰缓性麻痹患者,对照2组10例正常人下肢肌张力进行了评定。结果：记录到了各种不同的摆动曲线,并找到5个有代表性的特征性参数：A₁（第一摆膝关节屈曲角度）、R₁、（放松指数）、R₂、（幅度比）、T（摆动时间）、F（摆动次数）。经统计学检验观察组与对照组间有显著差异。实验结果信度、效度很高。结论：本方法可以做痉挛量化评定的指标。     

老年静态平衡功能定量测定及年龄相关性分析

目的量化评估老年人静态平衡功能,及其随年龄变化的特点及规律。方法 60～94岁老年人142例,根据年龄分为7组:60～65岁组、66～70岁组、71～75岁组、76～80岁组、81～85岁组、86～90岁组和90岁以上组,选择18～30岁为健康对照组。采用Tetrax平衡测试系统测定受试者在睁眼自然站立(NO)、闭眼自然站立(NC)、睁眼脚垫站立(PO)、闭眼脚垫站立(PC)4种不同测试状态下的一般稳定性指数(ST)和姿势摆动频谱。结果与对照组比较,老年组ST升高,F1、F4、F6、F8区段摆动强度增加。NO状态:ST、F1、F4、F6、F8在81岁以上各组间有显著性差异(P<0.01);NC状态:ST、F1、F4在81岁以上各组间有显著性差异,F6、F8在66岁以上各组间有显著性差异(P<0.05);PO状态:ST、F4、F6在66岁以上各组间有显著性差异(P<0.05),F1、F8在71岁以上各组间有显著性差异(P<0.05);PC状态:ST、F4在所有老年组间均有显著性差异(P<0.05),F6在66岁以上各组间有显著性差异(P<0.05),F8在76岁以上各组间有显著性差异(P<0.05),而F1在80岁以上老年组有显著性差异(P<0.01)。稳定性指数:NO相似文献   

Quantitative Ultrasound Assessment of the Achilles Tendon Under Varied Loads

This Institutional Review Board–approved pilot study attempted to detect the correlation between ultrasound shear wave elastographic measures and tendon loads. Five male fresh‐frozen cadaveric Achilles tendons were loaded in 10‐N increments from 0 to 60 N. Shear wave velocity measurements within each Achilles tendon were obtained at each load in longitudinal and transverse orientations. Shear wave velocity measurements were correlated with tendon tension on both longitudinal and transverse plane imaging and showed moderate and strong positive correlation coefficients, respectively. Of note, limitations of the clinically available shear wave elastographic technology for measuring high velocities exist.     

实时三维超声心动图定量评价多巴酚丁胺对心肌顿抑犬和心肌梗死犬左室局部几何形状的作用

目的应用实时三维超声心动图(RT-3DE)定量评价多巴酚丁胺对心肌顿抑犬和心肌梗死犬左室局部几何形状的作用。方法健康杂种犬32条,随机分为3组:心肌顿抑组(8条),心肌梗死组(16条),正常对照组(8条)。应用RT-3DE获取3组试验犬静息状态(Rest)及输注多巴酚丁胺(Dobutamine,Dob)10μg/(kg·min)的RT-3DE全容积数据库。脱机后进行后处理分析:采用心尖长轴观8平面法重建收缩末期左室立体几何形状。将二尖瓣环中点至左室心尖部心内膜最远点的连线定义为左室中心轴;将左室由心尖部至二尖瓣环等分成与中心轴垂直的10mm厚互相平行的短轴切面,从中选取室壁运动异常面积最大者作为研究平面。手动勾画所选研究平面收缩末期心内膜边界,测量其面积(A)和周长(C),计算Gibson圆形指数(CSI)(公式:CSI=4πA/C2),以此作为定量评价左室局部几何形状的指标。比较输注Dob前、后3组实验犬所选研究平面平均CSI的变化。结果(1)正常对照组静息状态下,所选研究平面平均CSI为0.971,接近于1;输注Dob后,平均CSI无明显变化(CSI=0.980,P>0.05);(2)心肌顿抑组静息状态下,所选研究平面平均CSI较正常对照组明显减小(CSI=0.950,P<0.05);输注Dob后,平均CSI明显增大(CSI=0.965,P<0.01),较正常对照组无明显差异(P>0.05);(3)心肌梗死组静息状态下,所选研究平面平均CSI较正常对照组也明显减小(CSI=0.931,P<0.001);输注Dob后,上述平均CSI明显增大(CSI=0.940,P<0.05),较正常对照组有明显差异(P<0.05)。结论通过应用RT-3DE分析输注Dob前、后左室局部几何形状的变化,可以区分心肌顿抑和心肌梗死。RT-3DE有望为临床定量评价左室局部几何形状提供一项有效手段。     

脑瘫患儿平衡功能的定量评定

应用重心记录仪对26例脑瘫患儿进行站立平衡功能的定量评定。根据年龄将健康儿童和脑瘫患儿各分为学龄前和学龄2组。结果：健康儿童组随年龄增长，重心移动轨迹长度逐渐缩短，重心压力面积减小；脑瘫患儿则无论学龄前组或学龄组，其重心移动轨迹长度均延长（P＜0．01），压力重心面积增大（P＜0．01）。研究表明，应用重心记录仪可对脑瘫患儿平衡障碍及其程度进行客观、精确的测定，其结果有助于指导脑瘫的康复治疗，在脑瘫评定与康复中具有重要应用价值。