Detection of air trapping in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by low frequency ultrasound

Background

The poor recognition and related underdiagnosis of COPD contributes to an underestimation of mortality in subjects with COPD. Data derived from population studies can advance our understanding of the true burden of COPD. The objective of this report was to evaluate the impact of COPD on mortality and its predictors in a cohort of subjects with and without COPD recruited during the twenty first century.

Methods

All subjects with COPD (n = 993) defined according to the GOLD spirometric criteria, FEV₁/FVC < 0.70, and gender- and age-matched subjects without airway obstruction, non-COPD (n = 993), were identified in a clinical follow-up survey of the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) Studies cohorts in 2002-2004. Mortality was observed until the end of year 2007. Baseline data from examination at recruitment were used in the risk factor analyses; age, smoking status, lung function (FEV₁ % predicted) and reported heart disease.

Results

The mortality was significantly higher among subjects with COPD, 10.9%, compared to subjects without COPD, 5.8% (p < 0.001). Mortality was associated with higher age, being a current smoker, male gender, and COPD. Replacing COPD with FEV₁ % predicted in the multivariate model resulted in the decreasing level of FEV₁ being a significant risk factor for death, while heart disease was not a significant risk factor for death in any of the models.

Conclusions

In this cohort COPD and decreased FEV₁ were significant risk factors for death when adjusted for age, gender, smoking habits and reported heart disease.     

Immunocorrective effect of low intensity radiation of ultrahigh frequency on carcinogenesis in mice

The effect of low-intensity centimeter electromagnetic waves (8.15-18 GHz, 1 microW/cm2, 1.5 h daily, 20 days) on the production of tumor necrosis factor, intreleukin-2, and interleukin-3 and the expression of the heat shock protein 72 in healthy and tumor-bearing mice was measured. A significant increase in tumor necrosis factor production and a slight reduction of interleukin-2 concentration were observed after exposure to microwaves; we consider these effects as adaptive response. The interleukin-3 production in healthy mice was not affected by microwaves. Low-intensity centimeter waves induced antitumoral resistance in tumor-bearing mice. Thus, exposure of tumor-bearing mice led to a significant rise in the tumor necrosis factor production and the normalization of both interleukin-2 and interleukin-3 concentration. We assume that the significant immunomodulating effect of low-density centimeter microwaves can be used for immunocorrection and suppression of tumor growth.     

The effect of air velocity on the wingstroke frequency of the blowflyCalliphora erythrocephala

Summary The effect of air velocity and pressure on the wingstroke frequency ofCalliphora erythrocephala, flying in a windtunnel, was studied. The results can be understood by considering the flight mechanism as a mechanical oscillator with an inertia, that depends on air velocity and pressure, without any need for nervous control.The effect of changes in air velocity on the wingstroke frequency was calculated, taking the inertia of a steady two-dimensional boundary layer around the wings as the variable part of the inertia of the flight mechanism. The calculated effect was ten times smaller than that observed experimentally. The reason for this discrepancy is discussed.     

Protective effect of low frequency low energy pulsing electromagnetic fields on acute experimental myocardial infarcts in rats.

This series of experiments assesses the effect of exposure to low-frequency pulsing electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) in 340 rats with acute experimental myocardial infarcts. The left anterior descending artery was ligated with suture thread, and the rats underwent total body exposure to PEMFs until they were killed. Twenty-four hours after surgery, the necrotic area was evaluated by staining with triphenyltetrazolium chloride. A significant reduction of the necrotic area was observed in the animals exposed to PEMFs compared with the nonexposed controls. Exposure for up to 6 days does not appear to affect the area of necrosis, although in exposed animals an increase of vascular invasion of the necrotic area is observed: 24.3 % as against 11.3 % in controls. No effect on the necrotic area size from exposure was found when the left anterior descending artery was occluded for 60 min, followed by reperfusion. The results reported show that exposure to PEMFs is able to limit the area of necrosis after an acute ischemic injury caused by permanent ligation of the left anterior descending artery. These data are in agreement with the protective effect of PEMFs observed on acute ischemia in skin free flaps in rats and in cerebral infarcts in rabbits.     

两种杀虫剂对近江牡蛎(Crassostrea ariakensis)的致死作用

为了阐明环境污染物在近江牡蛎死亡中的作用,设置两种浓度梯度的敌百虫和溴氰菊酯,分别处理正常和天然患病近江牡蛎,研究了这两种杀虫刺对近江牡蛎的致死作用。结果表明,浓度为0．005～0．1（mg／l）时,敌百虫对正常近江牡蛎不致死;0．001～0．5（mg/l）敌百虫对天然患病近江牡蛎致死,随浓度增加,死亡率从30％上升到65％。溴氰菊酯对正常和天然患病近江牡蛎均有致死作用,对患病牡蛎的致死作用比对正常牡蛎强,且随浓度增加,死亡率呈上升趋势。溴氰菊酯对近江牡蛎的致死作用远强于敌百虫的作用。     

Lethal and mutation frequency responses of Spiroplasma citri cells to UV irradiation

The effect of UV irradiation on viability and mutant colony frequency in the Mollicute Spiroplasma citri was investigated at 3 phases of growth. The first UV-induced mutants obtained in Mollicutes were selected: xylitol-resistant (XylR) and arsenic acid-resistant mutants (ArsR). Lethal and mutation frequency responses of S. citri cells increase with the age of the cell cultures. In all UV-irradiated populations, light exposure slightly increases the number of survivors and decreases the induced mutation frequency; liquid holding conditions increase the number of both survivors and mutant colonies. This suggests that, in UV-irradiated S. citri cells maintained under liquid holding conditions, there is no dark reactivation but induction of an error-prone repair system of the SOS type. In S. citri, the error-free light and dark repair systems are inefficient. Results allow the development of a method to select UV-induced mutations usable as markers in genetic studies of Spiroplasma cells.     

The effect of abnormally low concentrations of air ions on the growth ofHordeum vulgaris

A chamber has been designed for growing seedlings in a chemically defined medium while maintaining them in air containing ca. 30⁺ and 30^– air ions/cm³. Air-ion depletion produces a significant reduction in growth of HORDEUM VULGARIS seedlings as measured by integral elongation, fresh weight and dry weight. There is no gross change in chlorophyll production but after 30 days of growth the plants have very soft leaves and lack normal rigidity.

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Zusammenfassung Eine Kammer wurde entworfen, in der Sämlinge in einem chemisch definierten Medium und Luft mit einem Gehalt von ci. 30⁺ und 30^– Luftionen/cm³ wachsen können. Verminderung des Luftionengehalts führte zu einer signifikanten Verminderung des Wachstums von HORDEUM VULGARIS Sämlingen, gemessen an der integralen Verlängerung und dem Feucht- und Trockengewicht. Die Chlorophyllbildung war nicht verändert, aber nach 30. Tagen zeigten die Pflanzen sehr weiche Blätter und es fehlte die normale Festigkeit.

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Resume On a fabriqué une cellule dans laquelle on peut placer des plantules dans un milieu chimique déterminé et exposées à de l'air contenant environ 30 ions positifs et 30 ions négatifs au cm³. Une diminution du nombre des ions provoque un ralentissement significatif de la croissance des germes de HORDEUM VULGARIS. Cette croissance était définie aussi bien par l'allongement total que par le poids humide et par celui de la matière sèche. La formation de chlorophylle ne fut pas affectée, mais, après 30 jours, les plantes n'avaient pas leur rigidité normale et les feuilles en étaient très tendres.