The Association between Platelet/Lymphocyte Ratio and Coronary Artery Disease Severity in Asymptomatic Low Ejection Fraction Patients

Fatih Mehmet Uçar,Burak Açar,Murat Gul,Özcan Özeke,Sinan Aydogdu 대한심장학회 2016 Korean Circulation Journal Vol.46 No.6

Background and Objectives: Coronary angiography (CAG) is generally needed in the setting of systolic heart failure (HF) with an unidentified etiology as a part of diagnostic strategy. On the other hand, the clinical value of this invasive strategy is largely unknown. Platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has recently emerged as a novel inflammatory index that may serve as an important predictor of inflammatory state and overall mortality. The present study aimed to search the predictive value of PLR in determining the extent of coronary atherosclerosis in asymptomatic low ejection fraction (EF) patients. Subjects and Methods: 156 asymptomatic heart failure (HF) subjects (without angina or HF symptoms, mean age: 58 years; to male: 71.2%) were enrolled, and thereafter a CAG was performed. Gensini Score was used to determine the severity of coronary artery disease (CAD) on CAG. According to this scoring system, the overall study group was categorized into three distinct subgroups: control group with the score 0, mild atherosclerosis group with the score 0 to 20 and severe atherosclerosis group with the score of >20. Thereafter, a comparison was made among groups with regard to mean values of PLR. Results: The severe atherosclerosis group had a substantially higher level of mean PLR in comparison to other groups (p<0.001). Pre-CAG PLR levels as well as a variety of clinical variables including age, low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol demonstrated an independent correlation with Gensini score through a multivariate analysis. Conclusion: These findings suggest the potential association of high PLR levels with severe atherosclerosis in the setting of asymptomatic systolic HF. A simple measurement of PLR helps to identify the severity of coronary atherosclerosis prior to conducting coronary angiography.

Validation and comparison of volume measurements using 1 multidetector computed tomography and 5 cone-beam computed tomography protocols: An in vitro study

Travessas Juliana Andréa Corrêa,dos Santos Alessandra Mendonça,Buligon Rodrigo Pagliarini,Arús Nádia Assein,da Silveira Priscila Fernanda Tiecher,da Silveira Heraldo Luis Dias,Vizzotto Mariana Boessio 대한영상치의학회 2022 Imaging Science in Dentistry Vol.52 No.4

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare volume measurements obtained using 2 image software packages on Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images acquired from 1 multidetector computed tomography and 5 cone-beam computed tomography devices, using different protocols for physical volume measurements. Materials and Methods: Four pieces of bovine leg were prepared. Marrow was removed from 3 pieces, leaving cortical bone exposed. The resulting space of 1 piece was filled with water, another was filled with propylene glycol, and the third was left unfilled. The marrow in the fourth sample was left fully intact. Volume measurements were obtained after importing DICOM images into the Dolphin Imaging 11.95 and ITK-SNAP software programs. Data were analyzed using 3-way analysis of variance with a generalized linear model to determine the effects of voxel size, software, and content on percentage mean volume differences between tomographic protocols. A significance level of 0.05 was used. Results: The intraclass correlation coefficients for intraobserver and interobserver reliability were, respectively, 0.915 and 0.764 for the Dolphin software and 0.894 and 0.766 for the ITK-SNAP software. Three sources of statistically significant variation were identified: the interaction between software and content (P = 0.001), the main effect of content (P = 0.014), and the main effect of software (P = 0.001). Voxel size was not associated with statistically significant differences in volume measurements. Conclusion: Both content and software influenced the accuracy of volume measurements, especially when the content had gray values similar to those of the adjacent tissues.

Evaluation of Microbial Load in Oropharyngeal Mucosa from Tannery Workers

Diana C. Castellanos-Arévalo,Andrea P. Castellanos-Arévalo,David A. Camarena-Pozos,Juan G. Colli-Mull,María Maldonado-Vega 한국산업안전보건공단 산업안전보건연구원 2015 Safety and health at work Vol.6 No.1

Background: Animal skin provides an ideal medium for the propagation of microorganisms and it is usedlike raw material in the tannery and footware industry. The aim of this study was to evaluate and identifythe microbial load in oropharyngeal mucosa of tannery employees. Methods: The health risk was estimated based on the identification of microorganisms found in theoropharyngeal mucosa samples. The study was conducted in a tanners group and a control group. Samples were taken from oropharyngeal mucosa and inoculated on plates with selective medium. In thesamples, bacteria were identified by 16S ribosomal DNA analysis and the yeasts through a presumptivemethod. In addition, the sensitivity of these microorganisms to antibiotics/antifungals was evaluated. Results: The identified bacteria belonged to the families Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, Neisseriaceae,Alcaligenaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Xanthomonadaceae, of which some species are consideredas pathogenic or opportunistic microorganisms; these bacteria were not present in the control group. Forty-two percent of bacteria identified in the tanners group are correlated with respiratory diseases. Yeasts were also identified, including the following species: Candida glabrata, Candida tropicalis, Candidaalbicans, and Candida krusei. Regarding the sensitivity test of bacteria identified in the tanners group, 90%showed sensitivity to piperacillin/tazobactam, 87% showed sensitivity to ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, 74%showed sensitivity to ampicillin/sulbactam, and 58% showed sensitivity to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Conclusion: Several of the bacteria and yeast identified in the oropharyngeal mucosa of tanners havebeen correlated with infections in humans and have already been reported as airborne microorganismsin this working environment, representing a health risk for workers.

Characteristics and Nutritional and Cardiovascular-Health Properties of Seaweeds

Aránzazu Bocanegra,Sara Bastida,Juana Benedí,Sofía Ródenas,Francisco J. Sánchez-Muniz 한국식품영양과학회 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.2

While marine algae have traditionally formed part of the Oriental diet, their major use in Western countries has been in the phytocolloid industry. Only a few coastal communities outside Asia have customarily used seaweeds as components of special dishes. Of late, however, seaweeds have gained importance as foodstuffs in Western countries and most recently as components of functional foods because of their high dietary fiber, mineral, vitamin, and phytochemical content, low energy levels, and high concentrations of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The present paper reviews the available data for some of the components of the major edible algae and studies several factors that can affect their physiochemical properties (e.g., hydration, water and oil-holding capacity, fermentability, binding capacity, etc.) and, in turn, their nutritional importance. The effects of marine alga consumption on growth and body weight, mineral availability, lipid metabolism, blood pressure, and antioxidant properties are reviewed, together with preliminary data on the effects of some functional foods containing seaweeds on lipid metabolism and gene expression of enzymes engaged in antioxidant protection. This review concludes with some remarks regarding the danger of the improper use of seaweeds in herbal medications. In addition, as the properties of algae are highly dependent on their individual composition, any generalization regarding these properties may be considered misleading and scientifically inappropriate.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Analysis of Clarithromycin-Resistant Helicobacter pylori from Bogotá D.C., Colombia

Alba A. Trespalacios,William Otero,Jorge E. Caminos,Marcela M. Mercado,Jenny Ávila,Liliana E. Rosero,Azucena Arévalo,Raúl A. Poutou-Piñales,David Y. Graham 한국미생물학회 2013 The journal of microbiology Vol.51 No.4

Resistance of Helicobacter pylori to clarithromycin is the most common cause of treatment failure in patients with H. pylori infections. This study describes the MICs and the presence of 23S rRNA mutations of H. pylori isolates from Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. H. pylori were isolated from gastric biopsies from patients with functional dyspepsia. Clarithromycin susceptibility was investigated by agar dilution and strains were considered resistant if the MIC was ≥1 μg/ml. DNA sequences of the 23S rRNA gene of strains resistant and sensitive to clarithromycin were determined to identify specific point mutations. Clarithromycin resistance was present in 13.6% of patients by agar dilution. The A2143G,A2142G and A2142C mutations were found in 90.5, 7.1, and 2.4% of H. pylori strains with resistance genotype.The resistant phenotype was associated with 23S rRNA resistance genotype in 85.7% of isolates. The point mutations in 23S rRNA were well correlated with MICs values for clarithromycin.

Validation of a Strategy to Predict Secant Shear Modulus and Damping of Soils with an Elastoplastic Model

Rui Carrilho Gomes,Jaime A. Santos,Arézou Modaressi-Farahmand Razavi,Fernando Lopez-Caballero 대한토목학회 2016 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.20 No.2

The assessment of seismic site effects such as ground motion and permanent displacement requires the accurate description of the soil's stress-strain-strength relationship under irregular cyclic loading from small to medium and at large strains. The main objective of this paper is to enhance and validate the performance of an elastoplastic constitutive law in modelling non-linear soil behaviour, with particular attention to the stiffness and damping evolution with deformation. First, a simple and rational strategy is presented to derive model parameters related to shear hardening based on experimental data. Secondly, as the elastoplastic law tends to overestimate damping in the large strain range in comparison with experimental data (Ishihara, 1996; Puzrin, 2012), a new parameter is introduced in the model to overcome this issue. The modified model response exhibits lower stiffness than the standard one. For sands, an effective reduction of the damping factor is achieved and good agreement is obtained for hysteretic loop and straindependent stiffness and damping curves. For clays, the reduction in damping is also achieved for large strains, but it also has a significant effect on the soil stiffness. Finally, numerical simulations of one-dimensional ground seismic response show that for sands the new parameter has no visible effect on the seismic soil response due to maximum shear strain level achieved, while for clays the reduction in both damping and stiffness occurs.

Nutritional content of Liometopum apiculatum Mayr larvae (“escamoles”) by vegetation type in north-central Mexico

José Domingo Cruz-Labana,María Magdalena Crosby-Galván,Adriana Delgado-Alvarado,José Luis Alcántara-Carbajal,Juan Manuel Cuca-García,Luis Antonio Tarango-Arámbula 한국응용곤충학회 2018 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.21 No.4

In Mexico the ant Liometopum apiculatum is an important insect nutritionally, economically and ecologically. Their larvae (“escamoles”) contain proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals, the concentrations of which may be related with the type of vegetation where the ant forages. The objective of this study was to evaluate the content of macro and micro nutrients of L. apiculatum larvae collected in three types of vegetation in north-central Mexico. We determined content of moisture, crude protein, total lipids, crude fiber, ash, and nitrogen-free extract. The amino acids were analyzed by cationic Exchange chromatography with acid hydrolysis and fatty acids by gas chromatography and solvent extraction with sodium methoxide. The effect of vegetation type on nutrient content was determined with an ANOVA and Sheffé comparison of means (P < .05). The concentration of amino acids and fatty acids (FA) was analyzed with a Kruskall-Wallis test (P < .05). Significant differences were found in protein, lipids and ash (P < .0001) and moisture content (P < .0036). We identified 17 amino acids, which concentration differed by type of vegetation. There were no significant differences in fatty acids. It is likely that the differences in the concentrations of macronutrients are due to the diversity and differential density of the food components available in each type of vegetation for L. apiculatum, and that the number of types and quantity of amino acids and fatty acids depend on the chemical properties of the liquid secretions the ants obtain by trophobiosis.

Long-term evolution of continence and quality of life after sphincteroplasty for obstetric fecal incontinence

Vicente Pla-Martí,Jose Martín-Arévalo,Rosa Martí-Fernández,David Moro-Valdezate,Stephanie García-Botello,Alejandro Espí-Macías,Miguel Mínguez-Pérez,Maria Dolores Ruiz-Carmona,Jose Vicente Roig-Vila 대한대장항문학회 2022 Annals of Coloproctolgy Vol.38 No.1

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the long-term evolution of continence and patient’s quality of life after surgical treatment for obstetric fecal incontinence. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted including consecutive patients who underwent sphincteroplasty for severe obstetric fecal incontinence. The first phase analyzed changes in continence and impact on quality of life. The second phase studied the long-term evolution reevaluating the same group of patients 6 years later. Degree of fecal incontinence was calculated using the Cleveland Clinic Score (CCS). Quality of life assessment was carried out with the Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life scale. Results: Thirty-five patients with median age of 55 years (range, 28 to 73 years) completed the study. Phase 1 results: after a postoperative follow-up of 30 months (4 to 132 months), CCS had improved significantly from a preoperative of 15.7±3.1 to 6.1±5.0 (P<0.001). Phase 2 results: median follow-up in phase 2 was 110 months (76 to 204 months). The CCS lowered to 8.4±4.9 (P=0.04). There were no significant differences between phases 1 and 2 in terms of quality of life; lifestyle (3.47± 0.75 vs. 3.16±1.04), coping/behavior (3.13±0.83 vs. 2.80±1.09), depression/self-perception (3.65±0.80 vs. 3.32± 0.98), and embarrassment (3.32±0.90 vs. 3.12±1.00). Conclusion: Sphincteroplasty offers good short-medium term outcomes in continence and quality of life for obstetric fecal incontinence treatment. Functional clinical results deteriorate over time but did not impact on patients’ quality of life.

Physical and chemical variables of the soil of nests of Liometopum apiculatum MAYR in north-central Mexico

Domingo Cruz-Labana José,Antonio Tarango-Arámbula Luis,Luis Alcántara-Carbajal José,Delgado-Alvarado Adriana,Magdalena Crosby-Galván María,Manuel Ruiz-Vera Víctor 한국응용곤충학회 2024 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.27 No.1

Ants are among the organisms that are considered habitat engineers due to their ability to induce changes in the soil. An economically significant ant species is Liometopum apiculatum MAYR, 1870, as its pupae are utilized for human consumption. This ant has been extensively studied using various biological and ecological approaches in diverse habitats across North America. However, there is limited research documenting the properties of the soil in which they nest. The objective of this research was to analyze the physical and chemical properties of soil from Liometopum apiculatum nests and random sites, and to explain how ants can modify the soil in a semi-arid area of north-central Mexico. A sample size of 45 nests distributed in scrub vegetation was determined. Soil samples (2.5 kg) were collected from nests and random sites (20 m in a random direction) at a depth of 20 cm, and aggregates of 3 to 4 cm in length were included during the excavations. The physical variables evaluated were moisture, texture, bulk density and mechanical penetration resistance (MPR); while the chemical ones were pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The variables moisture (p = 0.031), bulk density (p < 0.01), MPR (p = 0.0289); pH (p < 0.001), electrical conductivity (p < 0.01) and organic matter (p < 0.01) had statistical differences between soil from nests and random sites. This research adds to the existing body of knowledge on Liometopum apiculatum by presenting information on the physical and chemical properties of the soil in which they establish their nests.

Serum Irisin Level Can Predict the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Stable Angina

Tolga Han Efe,Çağrı Yayla,Burak Açar,Göktuğ Ertem,Kadriye Gayretli Yayla,Engin Algül,Sefa Ünal,Murat Bilgin,Tolga Çimen,Özgür Kirbaş,Ekrem Yeter 대한심장학회 2017 Korean Circulation Journal Vol.47 No.1

Background and Objectives: The recently discovered myokine irisin has a proposed role in adipose tissue metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum irisin level and the coronary artery severity in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). Subjects and Methods: Sixty-three patients who underwent coronary angiography (CA) diagnosed with stable CAD and twenty-six patients with normal coronary artery (NCA) were enrolled in the study. Stable CAD patients were divided into two groups as high synergy between percutaneous coronary intervention with taxus and cardiac surgery (SYNTAX) score (≥23) and lower SYNTAX score (<23). Serum irisin level measurement was carried out using human irisin colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) commercial kit (AG-45A-0046EK-KI01, Adipogen, San Diego, CA, USA) as recommended by the manufacturer’s protocol. Results: The patients with stable CAD with a higher SYNTAX score (score ≥23) had significantly lower serum irisin levels (127.91±55.38 ng/mL), as compared the patients with a low SYNTAX score (score <23) (224.69±92.99 ng/mL) and control group (299.54±123.20 ng/mL). Irisin levels showed significant differences between all groups (p<0.001). Conclusion: Serum irisin level is an independent predictor of coronary artery severity in patients with stable CAD.