Plasma renin activity and risk of cardiovascular and mortality outcomes among individuals with elevated and nonelevated blood pressure

( Simran K. Bhandari ),( Michael Batech ),( Jiaxiao Shi ),( Steven J. Jacobsen ),( John J. Sim ) 대한신장학회 2016 Kidney Research and Clinical Practice Vol.35 No.4

Background: We sought to evaluate plasma renin activity (PRA) levels and risk of mortality and cardiovascular events among individuals with elevated blood pressure [systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg] and those with controlled blood pressure (SBP < 140 mmHg) in a large diverse population. Methods: A retrospective cohort study between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2013, among adults (≥ 18 years) within an integrated health system was conducted. Subjects were categorized by SBP into 2 groups: SBP < 140 mmHg and SBP ≥ 140 mmHg and then further categorized into population-based PRA tertiles within each SBP group. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to estimate hazard ratios for cardiovascular and mortality outcomes among tertiles of PRA levels. Results: Among 6,331 subjects, 32.6% had SBP ≥ 140 mmHg. Multivariable hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval for PRA tertiles T2 and T3 compared to T1 in subjects with SBP ≥ 140 mmHg were 1.42 (0.99-2.03) and 1.61 (1.12-2.33) for ischemic heart events; 1.40 (0.93-2.10) and 2.23 (1.53-3.27) for congestive heart failure; 1.10 (0.73-1.68) and 1.06 (0.68-1.66) for cerebrovascular accident; 1.23 (0.94-1.59) and 1.43 (1.10-1.86) for combined cardiovascular events; and 1.39 (0.97-1.99) and 1.35 (0.92-1.97) for all-cause mortality, respectively. Among the SBP < 140mmHg group, therewas no relationship between PRA levels and outcomes. Conclusion: Higher PRA levels demonstrated increased risk for ischemic heart events and congestive heart failure and a trend toward higher mortality among individuals with SBP ≥ 140 mmHg but not among those with SBP < 140 mmHg. Copyright ⓒ 2016. The Korean Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

BRAND TRANSGRESSIONS AND BRAND RECOVERY IN THE CONTEXT OF SACRED CONSUMPTION: AN INSTITUTIONAL THEORY PERSPECTIVE

Simran Kaur,Pervaiz Ahmed,Chong Yit Sean,Yunus Ali 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2020 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2020 No.11

A central focus area of this study is to investigate the distinctive way religion influences consumer behaviour in their consumption of brands by exploring the dynamics that take place when a brand transgression violates a religious norm. Specifically, the Halal consumption context was used in this study, where the brand transgression involved a breach by Halal-certified brands. This study applies the disconfirmation paradigm and posits that a brand transgression involving a violation of a religious norm, results in a unique disconfirmation of expectations that is beyond a consumer-brand relationship. Essentially, the present research explores trust levels and behavioural intentions after a brand transgression and the effectiveness of recovery strategies in mitigating the negative effects of a transgression. A scenario-based experimental approach was used to operationalise this research.

Determination and Comparison of Trace Elements in Various Parts of Eichhornia crassipes by a Validated Method using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and Atomic Emission Spectrometry

Deepti Gholap Khanvilkar,Simran Nagarjee 대한환경공학회 2020 대한환경공학회지 Vol.42 No.11

Objective : In this study, we have evaluated trace element concentration of various parts of Eicchornia crassipes, collected from three different lakes in Pune district, India. Methods : The dried segregated parts of Eicchornia crassipes were subjected to microwave digestion, followed by measurement with Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Optimization and validation of the method was performed for determining the minor and trace element concentrations of Co, I, Ni, Cu, Mn, Zn, Fe in roots, petiole and leaves of the plant. NIST Standard reference material SRM 1547 (Peach leaves) was used for establishing accuracy of the analytical method. Rhodium was used an internal standard for correcting matrix effects. Results and Discussion : A validated ICP-OES and ICP-MS method was established for determining the minor and trace element concentrations of Co, I, Ni, Cu, Mn, Zn, Fe in roots, petiole and leaves of the plant. Levels of all elements were found to be higher in roots, followed by petiole and leaves. Except for Zn and Fe, where concentration in leaves was found to be higher than in petiole. Of all the measured elements, total concentration of Mn was found to be highest (566 ㎎ ㎏-1), followed by Fe (341 ㎎ ㎏<SUP>-1</SUP>), Zn (40.26 ㎎ ㎏<SUP>-1</SUP>), Cu (28.04 ㎎ ㎏<SUP>-1</SUP>), Ni (9.54 ㎎ ㎏<SUP>-1</SUP>), Co (4.33 ㎎ ㎏<SUP>-1</SUP>) and I (0.94 ㎎ ㎏<SUP>-1</SUP>). A surprising finding was the presence of iodine in the plant, despite its non-marine source. Conclusion : Plant-derived products form an important category in alternative medicine that is often used for treatment of several disorders. Eicchornia crassipes (water hyacinth), considered as the world’s worst weed, has been used in folk medicine, with very little evidence-based data to support its potential medicinal value. Here we report the trace element profile of Eicchornia crassipes. Insight into the trace element profile of various parts of the plant can perhaps be harnessed to postulate the rationale behind the use of specific parts of the weed in traditional medicine.

SSTL Based Power Efficient Implementation of DES Security Algorithm on 28nm FPGA

Bishwajeet Pandey,Vandana Thind,Simran Kaur Sandhu,Tamanna Walia,Sumit Sharma 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Security and Its Applicat Vol.9 No.7

In this particular work, we have done power dissipation analysis of DES algorithm, implemented on 28nm FPGA. We have used Xilinx ISE software development kit for all the observation done in this particular research work. Here, we have taken SSTL (Stub-Series Terminated Logic) as input-output standard. We have considered six sub-categories of SSTL (i.e. SSTL135, SSTL135_R, SSTL15, SSTL15_R, SSTL18_I and SSTL18_II) for four different WLAN frequencies (i.e. 2.4GHz, 3.6GHz, 4.9GHz, and 5.9GHz). We have done analysis considering five basic powers i.e. clock power, logic power, signal power, IOs power, leakage power and total power. There is 50-60% reduction in power dissipation, which is possible with proper selection of the most energy efficient IO standards i.e. SSTL135_R among SSTL logic families.

Future Perspective and Current Aspects of Internet of Things Enable Design

Evedeep Kaur Bhatia,Simran Ohri,Gurbani Kaur,Minal Dhankar,Sweety Dabas 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of Software Engineering and Vol.9 No.8

In this work, we are going to survey the latest progress in Internet of Things (IoTs) and also design IoTs enable electronics design like frame buffer, content addressable memory, and key generator for encryption and decryption. We are analyzing future perspective, overall impact, and its role in every corner of life, characteristics features and current aspects of IoTs. Apart from this, we study how this concept came into existence and its emergence changes our lives. In this paper, we have also designed IoTs enable Frame Buffer on FPGA for Object Tracking, IoTs enable Content Addressable Memory for processor and IoTs enable Key Generator for Green Communication. In order to make IOTs enable design, we are embedding a 128-bit Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) address in each and every design that enables.

Exemestane encapsulated copolymers L121/F127/GL44 based mixed micelles: solubility enhancement and in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation using MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Singh Gurdeep,Singh Davinder,Choudhari Manisha,Kaur Simran Deep,Dubey Sunil Kumar,Arora Saroj,Bedi Neena 한국약제학회 2021 Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation Vol.51 No.6

Purpose The present study aimed to develop a novel therapeutic approach for controlled delivery of exemestane (EXE) to cancer cells using nanostructured polymeric micelles. Methods A simplex centroid design of experiment study was employed for optimizing the polymeric micelle formulation to achieve the desired critical quality attributes, including micelle size, drug loading (DL), encapsulation efficiency (EE), and critical micelle concentration (CMC). The oil-in-water (o/w) solvent evaporation method was used to prepare mixed micelles (MMs) of copolymers L121/F127/GL44 for encapsulating EXE. Profile analysis tensiometer methods were used to determine the CMC of the copolymer mixture. EXE-MMs, blank mixed micelles, and lyophilized mixed micelles (Lyp- EXE-MMs) were characterized for other key quality attributes, such as zeta potential, chemical interactions, and morphology. Results The optimized ratio of L121/F127/GL44 was 1.98, 0.812, and 1.20, respectively, providing EXE-MMs with small micelle sizes (35.45 ± 1.20 nm), higher EE (89.75 ± 2.14%), and DL (5.85 ± 2.14%). EXE-encapsulated MMs exhibited an in vitro sustained release profile with improved cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells than that with pure EXE. The cellular growth inhibitory concentration ( IC50) of EXE-MMs was 0.225 ± 0.124 μg/ml, while that of naïve EXE was 7.58 ± 0.145 μg/ ml. Moreover, in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters of EXE micellar formulation showed significant improvement in Cmax and AUC (0–72 h), viz. 207.54 ± 18.65 ng/ml and 3530.77 ± 212.25 ng h/ml, respectively, suggesting enhanced bioavailability than that of pure EXE. Conclusion EXE-MMs have a great potential for enhancing the bioavailability of EXE.

Anxiety Symptoms and Associated Psychological and Job-Related Factors Among Hospital Nurses

Eun Hyun Seo,Jae-Hon Lee,Arlene MacDougall,Nancy Liu,Alexander Hofkirchner,Simran Sharma,Mohamad Elfakhani,Hyung-Jun Yoon 대한신경정신의학회 2024 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.21 No.1

Objective Recently, burnout and mental health issues regarding nurses are reported increasingly. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety symptoms among hospital nurses and determine their association with psychological and job-related factors.Methods Data on demographics, job-related characteristics, burnout, Type A behavior patterns, self-esteem, and happiness were collected from 515 nurses working at a university hospital in Korea. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, with scores of 8 or higher indicating the presence of anxiety symptoms. Demographic, job-related, and psychological factors were compared according to the presence of anxiety. Logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with anxiety symptoms.Results Two hundred and four (39.6%) participants had anxiety symptoms. Self-esteem and happiness were associated with a lower risk of anxiety symptoms, whereas burnout was associated with a higher risk of anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, being female, having a career of less than five years, and requiring counseling due to stress were associated with a higher risk of anxiety symptoms. Being younger, female, or a basic nurse; having a career of less than five years; partaking in shift work; experiencing job dissatisfaction; requiring counseling due to stress; being exposed to higher levels of burnout; and having lower levels of self-esteem and happiness were all found to be significantly correlated with anxiety symptoms.Conclusion These findings suggest that promoting self-esteem and happiness while reducing burnout may be beneficial in preventing and managing anxiety symptoms among hospital nurses.

Slope Stability Analysis of Xanthan Gum Biopolymer Treated Laterite Soil Using Plaxis Limit Equilibrium Method (PLAXIS LE)

Shailendra P. Banne,Arun W. Dhawale,Rajkumar B. Patil,Manjitsinh Girase,Chinmay Kulkarni,Mayuri Dake,Simran Khan 대한토목학회 2024 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.28 No.4

The landslides or slope failures are responsible for many fatalities and significant delays in travel by blocking the roads. The soil properties such as cohesiveness, angle of internal friction, and bulk unit weight are the primary parameters responsible for land stability and should be considered for the analysis. In this paper, a Xanthan Gum (XG) biopolymer is applied to the laterite soil to improve its engineering properties. The Plaxis Limit Equilibrium (LE) 2D software is utilized to analyze the slope's stability. Four section/ paths of the Lote Parshuram Ghat in the Ratnagiri area of Maharashtra, India are taken for the analysis. It is observed that the applicationof the XG to the soil which is exposed to atmosphere (normal condition) and submerged conditions improves the strength of the soil and stability of slopes. When compared to conventional laterite soil in its natural state, the cohesiveness of soil treated with XG at concentrations ranging from 1 to 5% is greatly improved, increasing from 250.51% to 378.64%. XG-treated laterite soil has a maximum dry density of 1.72 gm/cc, 28.36% higher than untreated soil. Submerged XG-treated soil often shows a factor of safety (FOS) improvement of across 57.25%. The slope stability analysis revealed that the optimum percentage of xanthan gum as a stabilizer for the submerged slope condition is 2.7% that increase the factor of safety. In case of normal condition, the factor of safety (FOS) and strength of the laterite soil increases with the reinforced percentage of xanthan gum.

Comparison of Kinematics and Myoelectrical Activity during Deadlift, with and without Variable Banded Resistance, in Healthy, Trained Athletes

Everett B. Lohman,Mansoor Alameri,Fulden Cakir,Chih Chieh Chia,Maxine Shih,Owee Mulay,Kezia Marceline,Simran Jaisinghani,Gurinder Bains,Michael De Leon,Noha Daher 물리치료재활과학회 2024 Physical therapy rehabilitation science Vol.13 No.1

Background: The conventional deadlift is a popular exercise for enhancing trunk, core, and lower extremity strength. However, its use in sports medicine is constrained by concerns of lumbar injuries, despite evidence supporting its safety and rehabilitative benefits. To optimize muscle activation using resistive bands in variable resistance therapy, we explored their feasibility in the deadlift. Design: Comparative experimental designMethods: Surface electromyography recorded muscle activity in the trunk and lower extremities during lifting, with normalization to the isometric Floor Lift using Maximal Voluntary Contraction. Kinematics were measured using inclinometer sensors to track hip and trunk sagittal plane angles. To prevent fatigue, each subject only used one of the three pairs of bands employed in the study. Results: Our study involved 45 healthy subjects (mean age: 30.4 ± 6.3 years) with similar baseline characteristics, except for years of lifting and strength-to-years-of-lifting ratio. Various resistance band groups exhibited significantly higher muscle activity than conventional deadlifts during different phases. The minimal resistance band group had notably higher muscle activity in the trunk, core, and lower extremity muscles, particularly in the end phase. The moderate resistance band group showed increased muscle activity in the mid-and end-phases. The maximum resistance band group demonstrated greater muscle activity in specific muscles during the early phase and overall higher activity in all trunk and lower extremity muscles in the mid and end phases of the deadlift (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our findings provide valuable insights into muscle activation with various resistance bands during deadlift exercise in clinical and gym settings. There appears to be a dose-response relationship between increased resistance bandwidth, external load, myoelectric activation, and range.

Effect of Combining EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors and Cytotoxic Agents on Cholangiocarcinoma Cells

Boonyakorn Boonsri,Kiren Yacqub-Usman,Pakpoom Thintharua,Kyaw Zwar Myint,Thannicha Sae-Lao,Pam Collier,Chinnawut Suriyonplengsaeng,Noppadol Larbcharoensub,Brinda Balasubramanian,Simran Venkatraman,Isi 대한암학회 2021 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.53 No.2

Purpose The potential of members of the epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB) family as drug targets in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) has not been extensively addressed. Although phase III clinical trials showed no survival benefits of erlotinib in patients with advanced CCA, the outcome of the standard-of-care chemotherapy treatment for CCA, gemcitabine/cisplatin, is discouraging so we determined the effect of other ErbB receptor inhibitors alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy in CCA cells. Materials and Methods ErbB receptor expression was determined in CCA patient tissues by immunohistochemistry and digital-droplet polymerase chain reaction, and in primary cells and cell lines by immunoblot. Effects on cell viability and cell cycle distribution of combination therapy using ErbB inhibitors with chemotherapeutic drugs was carried out in CCA cell lines. 3D culture of primary CCA cells was then adopted to evaluate the drug effect in a setting that more closely resembles in vivo cell environments. Results CCA tumors showed higher expression of all ErbB receptors compared with resection margins. Primary and CCA cell lines had variable expression of erbB receptors. CCA cell lines showed decreased cell viability when treated with chemotherapeutic drugs (gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracil) but also with ErbB inhibitors, particularly afatinib, and with a combination. Sequential treatment of gemcitabine with afatinib was particularly effective. Co-culture of CCA primary cells with cancer-associated fibroblasts decreased sensitivity to chemotherapies, but sensitized to afatinib. Conclusion Afatinib is a potential epidermal growth factor receptor targeted drug for CCA treatment and sequential treatment schedule of gemcitabine and afatinib could be explored in CCA patients.