Effect of two yoga-based relaxation techniques on memory scores and state anxiety

Background  

A yoga practice involving cycles of yoga postures and supine rest (called cyclic meditation) was previously shown to improve performance in attention tasks more than relaxation in the corpse posture (shavasana). This was ascribed to reduced anxiety, though this was not assessed.     

Prone Position Is Associated with Mild Cerebral Oxygen Desaturation in Elderly Surgical Patients

Purpose

A variety of hemodynamic and respiratory alterations accompany patients in the prone position; however the effect of the prone position on intraoperative cerebral saturation has not been studied. We sought to examine whether the incidence of cerebral oxygen desaturation in elderly patients (≥68 years of age) undergoing spine surgery in the prone position was more common than patients undergoing major surgery in the supine position.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study of 205 patients; 63 patients underwent surgery in the prone position and 142 in the supine position. Patients were evaluated for cerebral desaturation with bilateral cerebral oximetry. The primary predictor was position, secondary were: length of the surgery, incidence and duration of cerebral desaturation episodes at several thresholds, average time of Bispectral index below threshold of 45 in minutes, average electroencephalogram suppression ratio >0, amount of blood transfused, and the incidence of hypotension and hypertension.

Results

Elderly spine surgery patients in the prone position were more than twice as likely to experience mild cerebral desaturation as patients in the supine position. Patients in the prone position had longer surgeries; however cerebral desaturation in the prone position was significantly more common even when adjusted for surgery time and the occurrence of intraoperative hypotension.

Conclusion

Cerebral desaturation is related to the prone position in elderly surgery patients. Future studies are necessary to determine whether this translates to a higher incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction and delirium.     

Cognitive Function in Peripheral Autonomic Disorders

Objective

aims of the current study were 1) to evaluate global cognitive function in patients with autonomic failure (AF) of peripheral origin and 2) to investigate the effect of a documented fall in blood pressure (BP) fulfilling the criteria for orthostatic hypotension (OH) on cognitive performances.

Methods

we assessed 12 consecutive patients (10 males, 68±7 years old) with pure AF (PAF) or autoimmune autonomic neuropathy (AAN) and 12 age- and gender-matched controls. All patients had no clinical signs of central nervous system involvement and normal brain CT/MRI scan. Cognitive function was assessed on two consecutive days in 3 conditions: on day 1, while sitting, by means of a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests; on day 2, while tilted (HUT) and during supine rest (supine) in a randomized manner. BP and heart rate (HR) were continuously recorded non-invasively for the whole duration of the examination.

Results

patients with PAF or AAN displayed a preserved global cognitive function while sitting. However, compared to supine assessment, during HUT patients scored significantly worse during the Trail Making Test A and B, Barrage test, Analogies test, Immediate Visual Memory, Span Forward and Span Backward test. Pathological scores, with regard to Italian normative range values, were observed only during HUT in the Barrage test and in the Analogies test in 3 and 6 patients respectively. On the contrary, in healthy controls, results to neuropsychological tests were not significantly different, during HUT compared to supine rest.

Conclusions

these data demonstrate that patients with PAF and AAN present a normal sitting global cognitive evaluation. However, their executive functions worsen significantly during the orthostatic challenge, possibly because of transient frontal lobes hypoperfusion.     

Regional differences in APD restitution can initiate wavebreak and re-entry in cardiac tissue: A computational study

Background  

Regional differences in action potential duration (APD) restitution in the heart favour arrhythmias, but the mechanism is not well understood.     

Associations between duration of first trimester intrauterine exposure to genocide against the Tutsi and health outcomes in adulthood

Objectives

Hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were conceived during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, including thousands conceived by genocidal rape. We explore whether the duration of first trimester exposure to the genocide is associated with variation in adult mental health outcomes in individuals exposed to varying degrees of genocide-related stress in utero.

Materials and Methods

We recruited 30 Rwandans conceived via genocidal rape, 31 Rwandans conceived by genocide survivors not raped, and 30 individuals of Rwandan-descent who were conceived outside of Rwanda at the time of the genocide (control group). Individuals were age- and sex-matched across groups. Adult mental health was assessed through standardized questionnaires for vitality, anxiety, and depression.

Results

Among the genocide only group, a longer duration of first trimester prenatal exposure was associated with higher anxiety scores and lower vitality (both p < 0.010), and higher depression scores (p = 0.051). Duration of first trimester exposure was not associated with any measures of mental health among the genocidal rape or control group.

Discussion

Duration of exposure to genocide in the first trimester of gestation was associated with variation in adult mental health among the genocide only group. The lack of association between duration of first trimester exposure to genocide and adult mental health in the genocidal rape group may reflect the fact that stress associated with conception through rape persisted beyond the genocide period itself, encompassing all of gestation and likely beyond. Geopolitical and community interventions are needed in the context of extreme events during pregnancy to mitigate adverse intergenerational outcomes.     

Dispersion of cardiac action potential duration and the initiation of re-entry: A computational study

Background  

The initiation of re-entrant cardiac arrhythmias is associated with increased dispersion of repolarisation, but the details are difficult to investigate either experimentally or clinically. We used a computational model of cardiac tissue to study systematically the association between action potential duration (APD) dispersion and susceptibility to re-entry.     

Lifestyle factors and lumbar disc disease: results of a German multi-center case-control study (EPILIFT)

Introduction  

In the large-scale case-control study EPILIFT, we investigated the dose-response relationship between lifestyle factors (weight, smoking amount, cumulative duration of different sports activities) and lumbar disc disease.     

Critical scale of propagation influences dynamics of waves in a model of excitable medium

Background  

Duration and speed of propagation of the pulse are essential factors for stability of excitation waves. We explore the propagation of excitation waves resulting from periodic stimulation of an excitable cable to determine the minimal stable pulse duration in a rate-dependent modification of a Chernyak-Starobin-Cohen reaction-diffusion model.     

Growth inhibition of HeLa cell by internalization of Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Tokyo

Background  

Intravesical BCG immunotherapy is effective for preventing recurrence and progression in none muscle-invasive bladder cancer but the dosing schedule and duration of treatment remain empirical. The mechanisms by which intravesical BCG treatment mediates antitumor activity are currently poorly understood.     

The impact of fetal gender on prematurity in dichorionic twin gestations after in vitro fertilization

Background  

Impact of fetal gender on prematurity has been primarily investigated in singleton pregnancies. In an attempt to understand better how fetal gender may affect gestational length in twin gestations after in vitro fertilization, same-sex twins and opposite twins were compared for pregnancy duration.     

Single-dose rofecoxib for acute postoperative pain in adults: a quantitative systematic review

Background  

Rofecoxib is a cyclo-oxygenase 2 selective inhibitor. This systematic review of rofecoxib in acute pain examined studies in adults of analgesic efficacy over six hours, the amount and quality of the evidence on extended duration of analgesia, and the quality and quantity of evidence on adverse events.     

A randomised controlled trial evaluating family mediated exercise (FAME) therapy following stroke

Background  

Stroke is a leading cause of disability among adults worldwide. Evidence suggests that increased duration of exercise therapy following stroke has a positive impact on functional outcome following stroke. The main objective of this randomised controlled trial is to evaluate the impact of additional family assisted exercise therapy in people with acute stroke.     

Sexual conflict over the duration of copulation in Drosophila montana : why is longer better?

Background  

Conflicts of interest between the sexes are increasingly recognized as an engine driving the (co-)evolution of reproductive traits. The reproductive behaviour of Drosophila montana suggests the occurrence of sexual conflict over the duration of copulation. During the last stages of copulation, females vigorously attempt to dislodge the mounting male, while males struggle to maintain genital contact and often successfully extend copulations far beyond the females' preferred duration.     

Comparison of P-wave dispersion in healthy dogs,dogs with chronic valvular disease and dogs with disturbances of supraventricular conduction

Background  

P-wave dispersion (P_d) is a new ECG index used in human cardiology and veterinary medicine. It is defined as the difference between the maximum and the minimum P-wave duration recorded from multiple different ECG leads. So far no studies were performed assessing the importance of P-wave dispersion in dogs.     

Long term adaptation of a microbial population to a permanent metabolic constraint: overcoming thymineless death by experimental evolution of Escherichia coli

Background  

To maintain populations of microbial cells under controlled conditions of growth and environment for an indefinite duration is a prerequisite for experimentally evolving natural isolates of wild-type species or recombinant strains. This goal is beyond the scope of current continuous culture apparatus because these devices positively select mutants that evade dilution, primarily through attachment to vessel surfaces, resulting in persistent sub-populations of uncontrollable size and growth rate.     

Clinical features and predictors for disease natural progression in adults with Pompe disease: a nationwide prospective observational study

Background

Due partly to physicians’ unawareness, many adults with Pompe disease are diagnosed with great delay. Besides, it is not well known which factors influence the rate of disease progression, and thus disease outcome. We delineated the specific clinical features of Pompe disease in adults, and mapped out the distribution and severity of muscle weakness, and the sequence of involvement of the individual muscle groups. Furthermore, we defined the natural disease course and identified prognostic factors for disease progression.

Methods

We conducted a single-center, prospective, observational study. Muscle strength (manual muscle testing, and hand-held dynamometry), muscle function (quick motor function test), and pulmonary function (forced vital capacity in sitting and supine positions) were assessed every 3–6 months and analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA.

Results

Between October 2004 and August 2009, 94 patients aged between 25 and 75 years were included in the study. Although skeletal muscle weakness was typically distributed in a limb-girdle pattern, many patients had unfamiliar features such as ptosis (23%), bulbar weakness (28%), and scapular winging (33%). During follow-up (average 1.6 years, range 0.5-4.2 years), skeletal muscle strength deteriorated significantly (mean declines of ?1.3% point/year for manual muscle testing and of ?2.6% points/year for hand-held dynamometry; both p<0.001). Longer disease duration (>15 years) and pulmonary involvement (forced vital capacity in sitting position <80%) at study entry predicted faster decline. On average, forced vital capacity in supine position deteriorated by 1.3% points per year (p=0.02). Decline in pulmonary function was consistent across subgroups. Ten percent of patients declined unexpectedly fast.

Conclusions

Recognizing patterns of common and less familiar characteristics in adults with Pompe disease facilitates timely diagnosis. Longer disease duration and reduced pulmonary function stand out as predictors of rapid disease progression, and aid in deciding whether to initiate enzyme replacement therapy, or when.

     

Assessment of progesterone profiles and postpartum onset of luteal activity in spring calving Hereford beef suckler cattle

Background  

Reproduction is the single greatest factor limiting beef cattle production. Previous research on beef suckler luteal activity has largely focused on the mechanisms, and duration, of postpartum anoestrus. However, the temporal pattern of luteal activity after resumption of post-partum ovarian activity, and the impact of pattern type on days open (DO) in purebred beef suckler cows, are unknown.     

Antibodies to cyclic citrullinated protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate predict hand bone loss in patients with rheumatoid arthritis of short duration: a longitudinal study

Introduction  

Radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has in several studies been shown to be predicted by serological markers widely used in daily clinical practice. The objective of this longitudinal study was to examine if these serological markers also predict hand bone mineral density (BMD) loss in patients with RA of short disease duration.     

Accuracy of Self-Reported Sleep Position in Late Pregnancy

Background

There is emerging research to suggest that supine maternal sleep position in late pregnancy may adversely affect fetal wellbeing. However, these studies have all been based on maternal report of sleeping position. Before recommendations to change sleep position can be made it is important to determine the validity of these studies by investigating how accurate pregnant women are in reporting their sleep position. If avoiding the supine sleeping position reduces risk of poor pregnancy outcome, it is also important to know how well women can comply with the instruction to avoid this position and sleep on their left.

Method

Thirty women in late pregnancy participated in a three-night observational study and were asked to report their sleeping position. This was compared to sleep position as recorded by a night capable video recording. The participants were instructed to settle to sleep on their left side and if they woke overnight to settle back to sleep on their left.

Results

There was a moderate correlation between reported and video-determined left-side sleep time (r = 0.48), mean difference = 3 min (SD = 3.5 h). Participants spent an average of 59.60% (SD = 16.73%) of time in bed on their left side (ICC across multiple nights = 0.67). Those who included left side among their typical sleep positions reported significantly longer sleep during the study (p<0.01).

Conclusions

On average participant reports of sleep position were relatively accurate but there were large individual differences in reporting accuracy and in objectively-determined time on left side. Night-to-night consistency was substantial. For those who do not ordinarily sleep on that side, asking participants to sleep on their left may result in reduced sleep duration. This is an important consideration during a sleep-critical time such as late pregnancy.     

Models of epidemics: when contact repetition and clustering should be included

Background  

The spread of infectious disease is determined by biological factors, e.g. the duration of the infectious period, and social factors, e.g. the arrangement of potentially contagious contacts. Repetitiveness and clustering of contacts are known to be relevant factors influencing the transmission of droplet or contact transmitted diseases. However, we do not yet completely know under what conditions repetitiveness and clustering should be included for realistically modelling disease spread.