Effects of Tyrosine,Phentermine, Caffeine d-amphetamine,and Placebo on Cognitive and Motor Performance Deficits During Sleep Deprivation

Abstract

Cognitive and motor performance are critical in many circumstances and are impaired by sleep deprivation. We administered placebo, tyrosine 150 mg/kg, caffeine 300 mg/70 kg, phentermine 37.5 mg and _d-amphetamine 20 mg at 15.30 h following overnight sleep deprivation and compare their effects on cognitive and motor performance in healthy young men. Tests of visual scanning, running memory, logical reasoning, mathematical processing, the Stroop task, four-choice serial reaction time, time wall take, pursuit tracking, visual vigilance, Trails (B) task and long-term memory were evaluated at standardized intervals before, during and after sleep deprivation and drugs. Performance decrements with sleep deprivation occurred in visual scanning, running memory, logical reasoning, mathematical processing, the Stroop test, the time wall test, tracking and visual vigilance. Interestingly, with sleep deprivation some tests improved and others did not deteriorate. Improvements with medication following sleep deprivation were seen in running memory, logical reasoning, mathematical processing, tracking and visual vigilance. Although less effective than _d-amphetamine, tyrosine improved performance on several tests. We conclude that all drugs tested improved at least some aspects of cognitive and motor performance after sleep deprivation. As a naturally occurring amino acid, and thus amenable to nutritional strategies, tyrosine may deserve further testing.     

Relationships between exogenous-toxin quantity and increased biomass of transgenic Bt crops under elevated carbon dioxide

Field-OTC experiments were conducted with the goals of ascertaining if increased biomass in Bt transgenic cotton and rice grown under elevated CO₂ results in diminished exogenous-Bt toxin, and assessing the effectiveness of Bt transgenes against lepidopteran pests. Bt cotton responded differently, in terms of Bt-toxin quantity, than Bt rice, and both indicated differences among developmental stages. Dramatic biomass increase significantly diluted Bt-toxin content in 45-DAS (“days after seedling”) petioles and shoots and 90-DAS Bt cotton squares, and in the 50-DAS tissues and 100-DAS leaf sheaths of Bt rice. Moreover, the dilution effect was partially responsible for decreased Bt-toxin in these tissues, but not responsible for significant decreases in Bt-toxin in 90-DAS Bt cotton leaves and bolls. Furthermore, elevated CO₂ significantly affected the fitness and performance of Chilo suppressalis, and the susceptible and resistant colonies of Helicoverpa armigera, although adversely affected Bt-gene expression for the transgenic cotton and rice.     

PKP 术中骨水泥的灌注量与分布对 OVCF 早期疗效的影响

目的：分析经皮椎体后凸成形术（PKP）治疗胸腰椎骨质疏松性压缩性骨折（OVCF）的骨水泥的灌注量与椎体内骨水泥的分布情况对早期疗效的影响。方法将该科2011年5月至2013年5月62例 OVCF 患者按常规行 PKP ,术中注射骨水泥PMMA 。术后将手术椎体做 CT 平扫并分区,将骨水泥的分布情况分为优、良、中、差4个等级,对患者进行定期随访,比较不同等级骨水泥分布情况及灌注量的术前、术后的疼痛视觉模拟（VAS）评分、Oswestry 功能障碍指数（ODI）、椎体高度、后凸 Cobb 角及并发症。结果本组62例随访时间3～36个月,平均（10．5±5．3）个月。术前与术后1周 VAS 评分有显著差异（P＜0．05）。术后3个月各等级间观察指标差异无统计学意义（P＞0．05）。骨水泥灌注量大于5 mL 的病例术后6个月、12个月分别有3例、6例出现邻椎骨折。骨水泥灌注量小于3 mL 的病例术后12个月有2例出现手术椎再骨折。术后6个月、12个月骨水泥分布优差等级之间的手术椎高度丢失差异有统计学意义（P＜0．05）,邻椎体继发骨折率差异无统计学意义（P ＞0．05）。术后12个月骨水泥分布不同等级间疼痛、功能差异有统计学意义（P＜0．05）。结论经皮椎体后凸成形术治疗 OVCF ,按常规操作不同灌注量与分布均有良好的超早期（3个月内）疗效,但骨水泥灌注量适中,分布越均匀、越对称,可能早期疗效越好。     

不同类型城市的公厕数量和种类构成差异

根据建设部《城市建设统计年报》以及３１个城市怕抽样调查，对我国不规模、不同地域城市公厕的和种类构成差异进行了统计分析。     

慢性乙型肝炎血清学标志、HBV DNA定量分析及HBV前C/C变异的临床研究

目的 :探讨慢性乙型肝炎患者血清学标志、HBVDNA载量及HBV前C/C变异与临床病变的关系。方法 :随机选取慢性乙型肝炎患者 2 4 6例 ,其中轻度 10 2例、中度 88例、重度 5 6例 ,分别应用ELISA、实时PCR法检测其血清中的HBV免疫学标志及HBVDNA含量。同时对HBeAg阴性而HBVDNA含量高拷贝的 3例轻度、6例中度及 8例重度患者血清 ,应用巢式PCR方法分离前C/C区全长基因 ,纯化后克隆入T载体 ,鉴定后进行序列测定。结果 :10 2例轻度、88例中度及 5 6例重度患者中血清学标志HBsAg ,HBeAg,抗 -HBc阳性模式分别为 5 3例 (5 1.9% )、4 6例(5 2 .3% )、33例 (5 8.9% ) ;HBsAg ,抗 -HBe,抗 -HBc阳性模式分别为 37例 (36 .3% )、32例 (37.5 % )、2 1例 (37.5 % ) ;单独HBsAg阳性为 8例 (7.8% )、5例 (5 .6 % )、1例 (1.7% ) ;其他模式分别为 4例、5例、1例。HBVDNA含量平均值分别为 10E 5 .5 3拷贝 /ml、10E 6 .0 3拷贝 /ml、10E 6 .5 8拷贝 /ml。HBeAg阴性而HBVDNA含量 >10E 6拷贝 /ml的病例数分别为 3例、6例、8例。统计分析表明 ,轻、中、重慢性乙肝患者间血清学标志及HBVDNA含量差异均不具统计学意义 ,而HBeAg阴性HBVDNA含量高拷贝的患者出现频率差异具有统计学意义。序列测定结果显示 17例患者血清的HBV分离株的前C/C     

孕前、孕期医学量表测定综合分析对降低自然流产率及出生缺陷的效果评价

目的:评价孕前、孕期医学量表测定综合分析在降低自然流产率和出生缺陷中的效果。方法:选择怀孕的200对夫妇,将其随机分成两组,A组(100对)参加"孕前、孕期医学量表测定综合分析",B组(100对)未参加,随访1年,若怀孕继续随访至胎儿出生,观察2组的妊娠率、自然流产率和出生缺陷发生率。结果:A组妊娠率89.0%,自然流产率9.0%,B组妊娠率80.0%,自然流产率21.3%,组间妊娠率比较(P0.05),组间自然流产率比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。A组出生缺陷发生率1.2%,B组出生缺陷发生率3.2%,组间比较差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:孕前、孕期医学量表测定综合分析可降低自然流产率,值得进步应用。     

糖尿病神经病变病人末梢感觉定量检查方法的探讨与临床应用

目的 探讨糖尿病(DM)病人末梢感觉定量检测方法(QST)及其在临床应用的价值。方法 采用计算机辅助感觉定量检查仪，检测120名正常人与92例DM病人四肢末梢的冷、热感觉，冷、热痛觉和振动觉等5项。结果 检测结果，临床常规检查有糖尿病神经病变(DPN)病人的检测数值100％异常，常规检查无神经病变的，与同时采用四肢末梢5项检测的数值比较，差异无显著意义(X^2-0．922，P=0．631)；DM病人QST检测结果与正常人数值比较，温度觉与振动觉明显减退；QST检查发现的DM末梢感觉异常人数比临床常规检查发现的明显增多(X^2=10．985，P=0．001)，这两种检查的异常人数又都与DM病程相关。结论 DM病人QST可选择足部作常规检查；计算机辅助感觉定量检测是早期发现DPN的良好指标。     

Salinity of deep groundwater in California: Water quantity,quality, and protection

Deep groundwater aquifers are poorly characterized but could yield important sources of water in California and elsewhere. Deep aquifers have been developed for oil and gas extraction, and this activity has created both valuable data and risks to groundwater quality. Assessing groundwater quantity and quality requires baseline data and a monitoring framework for evaluating impacts. We analyze 938 chemical, geological, and depth data points from 360 oil/gas fields across eight counties in California and depth data from 34,392 oil and gas wells. By expanding previous groundwater volume estimates from depths of 305 m to 3,000 m in California’s Central Valley, an important agricultural region with growing groundwater demands, fresh [<3,000 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS)] groundwater volume is almost tripled to 2,700 km³, most of it found shallower than 1,000 m. The 3,000-m depth zone also provides 3,900 km³ of fresh and saline water, not previously estimated, that can be categorized as underground sources of drinking water (USDWs; <10,000 ppm TDS). Up to 19% and 35% of oil/gas activities have occurred directly in freshwater zones and USDWs, respectively, in the eight counties. Deeper activities, such as wastewater injection, may also pose a potential threat to groundwater, especially USDWs. Our findings indicate that California’s Central Valley alone has close to three times the volume of fresh groundwater and four times the volume of USDWs than previous estimates suggest. Therefore, efforts to monitor and protect deeper, saline groundwater resources are needed in California and beyond.Deep groundwater aquifers are rarely studied compared with freshwater zones (1) but can be important groundwater resources. Estimating the quantity of useable groundwater and assessing the risk of groundwater contamination by human activities, such as oil and gas development, require baseline data and an appropriate monitoring framework (2–7). In this paper, we (i) characterize salinity of deep groundwater aquifers in eight counties across California, (ii) estimate useable groundwater volumes in California’s Central Valley, and (iii) evaluate potential saline water migration into freshwater zones and underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) in eight counties in California.USDWs as defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency include groundwater aquifers with concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) ≤10,000 mg/L, consistent with US Bureau of Land Management’s definition for “usable” water (43 Code of Federal Regulation 3160), that have not been exempted and allow other subsurface activities, such as mineral, oil, and geothermal energy production. Depending on the state or federal agency, freshwater is defined as having <1,000 (8, 9), ∼<2,000 (10, 11), and <3,000 mg/L TDS (7, 12), including in California (7). The National Ground Water Association defines slightly saline water as having TDS concentrations of 1,000–3,000 ppm and moderately saline water as having TDS concentrations between 3,000 and 10,000 ppm (9). Water with TDS concentrations >10,000 ppm (upper limit for USDWs) and up to 35,000 ppm (seawater) is considered highly saline (9). Seawater is currently being desalinated to provide drinking water in California (7) as well as other parts of the United States and internationally (13). The billion dollar Carlsbad desalination plant in San Diego County, CA opened in December of 2015 and is desalinating ∼0.14 km³ (37 billion gallons) of seawater annually (14) at a cost of >$1.70/m³ (>$2,100/acre ft) (15), far above the cost of most other freshwater sources in the state. Moderately saline groundwater aquifers, containing lower TDS concentrations than seawater, require less desalination and are useable for drinking water.Under what circumstances could deep, useable groundwater serve as a feasible alternative resource for drinking water or agriculture? To answer this question about groundwater quantity and quality, we first need to understand the depths and locations of useable drinking water and characterize the resource. Typically, groundwater salinity increases with depth (16). Fresh groundwater resources occurring at relatively shallow depths ( ?  1,000 m) have been studied extensively in terms of groundwater availability (17–22) and quality (23–26). In California, water quality data from over 200,000 groundwater wells are available from the State Water Resources Control Board Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program (27). Depth information for these samples is not publicly available, but depths are unlikely to be deeper than a few hundred meters in most cases. Information on deeper, more saline aquifers are limited, and most of the available information comes from oil and gas production. The California Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) provides data on formation water salinity and TDS from oil and gas pools (28–30) and records of wells (31) drilled to depths of a several thousand meters (SI Appendix and Dataset S1).Groundwater volume estimates in California are uncertain and require additional studies. As an example, the groundwater estimate for the well-studied Central Valley Aquifer of 1,000 km³ (830 million acre-ft) is more than 20 y old (32) and still widely used as a reference (18). The volume estimate is based on the shallower of either the base of freshwater (BFW) or 1,000 ft (305 m) (32). Current technologies and growing water demands have made water wells deeper than 1,000 ft more common. Thus, groundwater volumes reflecting this change and including deeper and saline groundwater resources are needed.As deeper groundwater resources become increasingly important, additional studies are needed for evaluating subsurface activities that could contaminate these resources. Fluid injections, an integral part of a wide range of applications, including wastewater disposal, CO₂ storage, and enhanced oil/gas recovery, will cause formation pressures to increase, and this increase will propagate horizontally. If the horizontally propagated pressure increase is sufficiently large, upward water migration and groundwater contamination can occur through permeable vertical pathways, such as abandoned wells (33) or geologic faults (34). Upward migration of resident brine or fracturing fluids requires pressure gradients that can overcome gravity forces and is controlled by subsurface conditions and various fluid and porous media properties (34–37). Salinity has been identified as a key variable controlling brine/saline water densities (38). Threshold critical pressure increases based on salinities and migration depths coupled with semianalytic solutions provide a useful framework for evaluating upward water migration as applied previously to the case of geologic storage of CO₂ (38).Here, we characterize deep groundwater salinities, expand groundwater volume estimates to include deeper and more saline waters, and estimate the potential for groundwater contamination for water-stressed California. We focus on eight counties across California: Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Kern, Fresno, Solano, Yolo, and Colusa (Fig. 1). For each county, we compile and analyze trends in available salinity, TDS, BFW, and depth data and estimate the previously unavailable base of USDWs. We use the depth-based salinity and TDS information to revise fresh groundwater volume estimates and provide the first estimates, to our knowledge, of USDW volumes for California’s Central Valley. To evaluate contamination potential, we estimate the threshold critical pressure increases for saline water to migrate upward into fresh groundwater zones and USDWs in eight counties. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for California’s water resources and oil and gas development.Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Selected oil and gas fields and counties in California and the Central Valley shallow groundwater aquifer system extent (39). The Central Valley Subregions, as shown by the thicker boundary lines in blue, from north to south are Sacramento, Delta, San Joaquin, and Tulare (32).