Ergonomic comparison of a chem/bio prototype firefighter ensemble and a standard ensemble

Firefighter turnout gear and equipment protect the wearer against external hazards but, unfortunately, restrict mobility. The aim of this study was to determine the ease of mobility and comfort while wearing a new prototype firefighter ensemble (PE) with additional chemical/biological hazard protection compared to a standard ensemble (SE) by measuring static and dynamic range of motion (ROM), job-related tasks, and comfort. Eight healthy adults (five males, three females), aged 20-40 years, participated in this study. The study consisted of two repeated phases, separated by five uses of the ensembles. Subjects randomly donned either the SE or PE in either dry or wet conditions on separate days. In each phase, five tests were carried out as follows: baseline (non-ensemble), SE-dry, SE-wet, PE-dry, and PE-wet. There was a significant reduction (P < 0.05) of wrist flexion for PE-dry condition compared to the same SE-dry condition. Donning the PE took 80 s longer than the SE in phase 1, this difference disappeared in phase 2. There was a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in post-test comfort wearing the PE compared to the SE. The data collected in this study suggest that, in spite of design features to enhance chemical/biological hazard protection, the PE design does not decrease the wearer's overall functional mobility compared to the SE. However, subjects seem to be more comfortable wearing the SE compared to the PE. These overall findings support the need for a comprehensive ergonomic evaluation of protective clothing systems to ascertain human factors issues.     

Value of ultrasound-guided core biopsy in the diagnosis of malignant lymphoma

PURPOSE: Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy for the diagnosis and management of malignant lymphomas is controversial and has not been accepted as an alternative to surgical biopsy. We investigate the clinical usefulness of this procedure in a large series of patients. METHODS: Over a 5-year period (2000-2004), ultrasound-guided core needle biopsies were performed in 102 malignant lymphomas. Five diagnostic categories were considered: large B-cell lymphomas (LBCL), small B-cell lymphomas (SBCL), Hodgkin's disease (HD), T cell lymphomas, and miscellaneous. Surgical excisional biopsy of the node was performed in 47 cases (46.1%) for diagnostic confirmation. RESULTS: The overall diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy was 88.2% (90/102). SBCL (39), LBCL (36), HD (15), T cell lymphomas (5), and miscellaneous (7) [including T cell-rich B cell (2), natural killer cell (1), Burkitt's lymphoma (1), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the B cell type, NOS (3)] were correctly diagnosed. Three HDs, 1 natural killer cell lymphoma, 1 follicular lymphoma, and 1 LBCL were not correctly diagnosed. The core needle biopsy did not yield tumor tissue in 6 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy is effective in the diagnosis of malignant lymphomas and can be used as the first diagnostic approach in selected clinical situations.     

Worldwide patterns of genomic variation and admixture in gray wolves

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is a widely distributed top predator and ancestor of the domestic dog. To address questions about wolf relationships to each other and dogs, we assembled and analyzed a data set of 34 canine genomes. The divergence between New and Old World wolves is the earliest branching event and is followed by the divergence of Old World wolves and dogs, confirming that the dog was domesticated in the Old World. However, no single wolf population is more closely related to dogs, supporting the hypothesis that dogs were derived from an extinct wolf population. All extant wolves have a surprisingly recent common ancestry and experienced a dramatic population decline beginning at least ∼30 thousand years ago (kya). We suggest this crisis was related to the colonization of Eurasia by modern human hunter–gatherers, who competed with wolves for limited prey but also domesticated them, leading to a compensatory population expansion of dogs. We found extensive admixture between dogs and wolves, with up to 25% of Eurasian wolf genomes showing signs of dog ancestry. Dogs have influenced the recent history of wolves through admixture and vice versa, potentially enhancing adaptation. Simple scenarios of dog domestication are confounded by admixture, and studies that do not take admixture into account with specific demographic models are problematic.The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is a dominant large predator that exerts important top-down effects on biodiversity (Levi and Wilmers 2012; Ripple et al. 2014). The species is widely distributed throughout the Holarctic (including the Nearctic and Palearctic regions), and as many as 32 subspecies have been described (Aggarwal et al. 2003). Gray wolves have an ancient origin, first appearing about 500 thousand years ago (kya) in Eurasia and in North America soon thereafter (Nowak 1979; Kurten and Anderson 1980). Initial studies based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data suggested that the gray wolf had a complex evolutionary history without clear worldwide phylogeographic structure (e.g., Wayne et al. 1992; Vilà et al. 1999). However, subsequent studies found subpopulation structure related to local environmental characteristics (e.g., Carmichael et al. 2001; Geffen et al. 2004; Pilot et al. 2006, 2010, 2014; Musiani et al. 2007; vonHoldt et al. 2011). Genome-wide approaches using SNP genotyping arrays have confirmed these environmentally related genetic partitions and demonstrated extensive admixture with coyotes and, to a more limited extent, with domestic dogs (Pilot et al. 2010, 2014; vonHoldt et al. 2010, 2011). Using complete genome sequence data of a wolf from Europe, Israel, and China, Freedman et al. (2014) found an unexpected recent coalescence of ∼30 kya, suggesting that wolves existing before that time were phylogenetically distinct, a result supported by genetic, isotopic, and morphologic analyses (Leonard et al. 2007; Thalmann et al. 2013). The wolves from these three regions also suffered a substantial bottleneck that initiated ∼15 kya, which was nearly coincident with the Wisconsin glacial maximum (Freedman et al. 2014). However, as inferred from genomic data, Zhang et al. (2014) found that Tibetan wolves experienced earlier and more dramatic population declines perhaps due to the extreme loss of wolf habitat with Late Pleistocene glaciations in the Tibetan Plateau. These findings suggest the recent worldwide history of wolves is complex and needs to be assessed with a fuller sample of genomes from throughout the historic range of the species.The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), a descendant of gray wolves, is the most widely abundant large carnivore (Vilà et al. 1999; Thalmann et al. 2013), but the specific region of origin is controversial. Previous genetic evidence suggested that dogs were domesticated either in the Middle East or East Asia (Savolainen et al. 2002; vonHoldt et al. 2010; Wang et al. 2013). However, a recent study based on ancient mtDNA analysis of dogs and wolves infers an origin in Europe from a now-extinct lineage of gray wolves (Thalmann et al. 2013). This result is consistent with whole-genome analysis, showing that none of the extant wolf lineages from putative domestication centers (Europe, Israel, and China) were more closely related to dogs (Freedman et al. 2014). Very recently, however, these conclusions were questioned by results from an extensive study of SNP genotypes in a worldwide sample of breed and village dogs, which concluded that dogs originated in Central Asia (Shannon et al. 2015). Consequently, we test for alternative regions of origin with a geographically broad sample of gray wolves.The release of the boxer genome in 2005 (Lindblad-Toh et al. 2005) provided a high-quality dog reference for comparison to wolves and other canids (e.g., Wang et al. 2013; Freedman et al. 2014; Zhang et al. 2014; Koepfli et al. 2015). However, no studies have been performed to investigate population subdivision, demography, and relationships of gray wolves based on whole-genome sequences. In this study, we generate whole genomes of nine individual wolves, one coyote, and one golden jackal at 9–28× coverage using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform to geographically complement existing canine sequences. Combined with published genomes, we assemble a data set with 34 canid genomes to (1) assess relationship patterns across the entire geographic range of wolves; (2) affirm their recent demographic decline with a more geographically extensive sample; (3) assess admixture between dogs and wolves; and (4) explore the possibility of dog domestication outside the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia, which was not addressed in previous studies but is a possibility suggested by new findings (Shannon et al. 2015; Skoglund et al. 2015).     

Heavy metal concentration in feathers of Little Egret (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Egretta garzetta</Emphasis>) nestlings in three coastal breeding colonies in Spain

The colonial ardeid Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), which is is protected under the European Birds Directive (2009/147/EC), can be a reliable bioindicator of aquatic environmental pollution. Concentrations of the heavy metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn in nestling feathers were assessed for three different breeding colonies of Little Egret on the Spanish coast during 2013 (5 individuals in Urdaibai, 10 in Santoña and 26 in Odiel). There were no significant differences in mean tissue residues of Cd, Ni, Pb and Zn between the colonies; however, mean concentration of Hg in Odiel nestlings was approximately three times lower than that of the other colonies, while Cr and Cu were significantly higher. In general, Little Egret nestlings from the three study sites had low levels of most of the measured metals, and thus the breeding populations did not appear to be at risk from heavy metal pollution. Baseline metal concentration in feathers derived from this study and calculated as the 90th percentile values were: 0.02 μg Cd g^?1 dw, 0.42 μg Cr g^?1 dw, 1.63 μg Hg g^?1 dw, 0.40 μg Pb g^?1 dw and 122 μg Zn g^?1 dw. However, mean Cu residues attained relatively high levels (17.6–26.9 μg Cu g^?1 dw) compared with data reported elsewhere, which raises concern and indicates a need for further research.     

Activity of soluble aminopeptidase A and dipeptidyl peptidase IV and membrane-bound aminopeptidase B and pyroglutamyl peptidase I in adenoid hyperplasia, tonsillar hyperplasia and chronic tonsillitis

Objective

To analyze soluble and membrane-bound peptidase activities in the tonsils and adenoids removed from patients with adenoid hyperplasia, tonsillar hyperplasia and chronic tonsillitis.

Methods

A total of 48 tissue samples from patients undergoing adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy for adenoid hyperplasia, tonsillar hyperplasia or chronic tonsillitis were analyzed. The catalytic activity of a pool of peptidases in the soluble (dipeptidyl peptidase IV, aminopeptidase A, aminopeptidase N and cystinyl aminopeptidase) and membrane-bound (prolyl endopeptidase, aspartyl aminopeptidase, aminopeptidase B and pyroglutamyl peptidase I) fractions was measured fluorometrically.

Results

The activity of membrane-bound aminopeptidase B was higher in cases of chronic tonsillitis and adenoid hyperplasia than in tonsillar hyperplasia, p = 0.004. Soluble dipeptidyl peptidase IV and membrane-bound pyroglutamyl peptidase I were found to be more active in tissues from male chronic tonsillitis tissues, p < 0.05, while membrane-bound aminopeptidase B activity was higher in tissues of females with tonsillar hyperplasia, p < 0.001. In the case of chronic tonsillitis, soluble aminopeptidase A was found to have a higher level of activity in tissues from children than those from adults, p = 0.005.

Conclusions

Our results suggest a potential role of soluble aminopeptidase A, soluble dipeptidyl peptidase IV, membrane-bound aminopeptidase B and membrane-bound pyroglutamyl peptidase I in the pathobiology of adenoid hyperplasia, tonsillar hyperplasia and chronic tonsillitis that is differently regulated as a function of gender. These finfings may modify in the future the clinical approach to these diseases.     

Is cardiorespiratory fitness independently associated with the biochemical profile in overweight/obese adults with primary hypertension? The EXERDIET-HTA study

Abstract

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is positively associated with enhanced cardiovascular health. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine associations between CRF and the biochemical profile of overweight/obese adults diagnosed with primary hypertension (HTN). Does cardiorespiratory fitness (exposure) positively affect the biochemical profile (outcome) in overweight/obese individuals suffering from HTN? Assessment with anthropometric, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (24?h), CRF (peak oxygen uptake, V?O_2peak) and biochemical analysis was performed on 214 participants (138 men, 76 women). A series of linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Participants were divided into CRF tertiles (classified as low, moderate and high CRF). The CRF was independently and inversely associated with aspartate aminotransferase (AST; β?=??0.328, p?p?相似文献   

SARS-CoV-2 outbreak impact on a trauma unit

BACKGROUND From February 2020 onwards, our country has been hit by the coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome-2(SARS-CoV-2) infection. At a glance, hospitals became overrun and had to reformulate all the assistance guidelines, focusing on the coronavirus disease 2019. One year after the start of the pandemic, we present the results of a morbimortality study.AIM To analyze how our department was affected by the outbreak in terms of morbimortality, and to analyze demographic data, admission to hospital-related data, and subgroups analyses for patients with hip fractures and polytrauma.METHODS We designed a study comparing data from patients who were admitted to our unit due to a lower limb fracture or a high energy trauma during the pandemic(from March to April 2020) to those admitted during the same period in 2019 before the pandemic. during the pandemic situation. Both cohorts completed a minimum of 6 mo of follow-up.RESULTS The number of patients admitted to hospital in 2020 was nearly half of those in 2019. Hip fractures in the elderly represented 52 out of 73 of the admitted patients. Twenty patients had a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were admitted to the hospital for a longer time than the non-infected(P 0.001), and had a higher mortality rate during hospitalization and follow-up(P = 0.02). Patients with a hip fracture associated with a severe respiratory syndrome were mostly selected for conservative treatment(P = 0.03).CONCLUSION Mortality and readmission rates were higher in the 2020 cohort and during follow-up, in comparison with the cohort in 2019.     

Neuropilin-1: A feasible link between liver pathologies and COVID-19

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has a tremendous impact on the health of millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately, those suffering from previous pathological conditions are more vulnerable and tend to develop more severe disease upon infection with the new SARS-CoV-2. This coronavirus interacts with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor to invade the cells. Recently, another receptor, neuropilin-1 (NRP-1), has been reported to amplify the viral infection. Interestingly, NRP-1 is expressed in nonparenchymal liver cells and is related to and upregulated in a wide variety of liver-related pathologies. It has been observed that SARS-CoV-2 infection promotes liver injury through several pathways that may be influenced by the previous pathological status of the patient and liver expression of NRP-1. Moreover, coronavirus disease 2019 causes an inflammatory cascade called cytokine storm in patients with severe disease. This cytokine storm may influence liver sinusoidal-cell phenotype, facilitating viral invasion. In this review, the shreds of evidence linking NRP-1 with liver pathologies such as hepatocellular carcinoma, liver fibrosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and inflammatory disorders are discussed in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, the involvement of the infection-related cytokine storm in NRP-1 overexpression and the subsequent increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection are also analyzed. This review aims to shed some light on the involvement of liver NRP-1 during SARS-CoV-2 infection and emphasizes the possible involvement this receptor with the observed liver damage.     

Characterization and genotyping of the DRB1 gene of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in the Marmota monax, animal model of hepatitis B

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-containing genes are among the most polymorphic in vertebrates. MHC genes code for proteins that are critical in the immune system response. In this study, the polymorphism of the second exon of the MHC class II DRB gene was characterized in the Eastern woodchuck (Marmota monax). Woodchucks chronically infected with the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) represent the best available animal model for the study of chronic hepatitis B infection in humans. In the genotyped animals we found fifteen alleles, which were expressed in two independent loci and that were named DRB1A and DRB1B in this work. The 15 alleles investigated showed an elevated divergence. A significant excess of non-synonymous substitutions was detected, which could indicate that a historical positive selection is acting in the woodchuck DRB1 genes. This hypothesis was confirmed in our study by the high variability in or near the antigen binding sites (ABS) and by the results obtained in sequence variability analyses. This analysis identified the presence of a microsatellite sequence that is located at the start of the second intron, which could further allow the development of a fast and cheap semiautomatic sequencing method.