Evaluation of facial temperature distribution changes during meditation using infrared thermal imaging:An experimental,cross-over study

Objective:To investigate the differences between meditation and resting states using infrared thermal imaging(IRTI)to determine facial temperature distribution features during meditation and annotate the patterns of facial temperature changes during meditation from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine facial diagnosis.Methods:Each participant performed 10 min meditation and 10 min resting but in different sequences.A concentration test was set as the task load,followed by a meditation/resting or resting/meditation session,during which the participants'facial temperatures were observed using IRTI.Participants were scored on the Big Five Inventory(BFI)and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale(MAAS).Results:Forehead temperatures decreased more during meditation than during the resting state.The chin temperature increased only during meditation(P<.0001).For the subjects with meditation experience,there were significant differences in the temperatures of the left forehead(P<.01),right forehead(P<.01)and chin(P<.05)between the meditation and resting state at the 10~(th)min.In the nontask state,the BFI-Extraversion showed a negative correlation with the temperature of the left forehead(R=-0.41,P=.03).In the post-task state,the temperature of the left forehead was negatively correlated with scores on the MAAS(R=-0.42,P=.02).Conclusion:Using IRTI to study meditation offers a practical solution to the challenges in meditation research.The results indicate that an increase in chin temperature may be a representative feature of a meditation state,and forehead temperature is also a potential indicator.

Decompositions of Symmetry Using Generalized Linear Diagonals-Parameter Symmetry Model and Orthogonality of Test Statistic for Square Contingency Tables

For square contingency tables with ordered categories, the present paper gives several theorems that the symmetry model holds if and only if the generalized linear diagonals-parameter symmetry model for cell probabilities and for cumulative probabilities and the mean nonequality model of row and column variables hold. It also shows the orthogonality of statistic for testing goodness-of-fit of the symmetry model. An example is given.

Partially hydrolyzed guar gum attenuates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice through the gut-liver axis

BACKGROUND The gut-liver axis has attracted much interest in the context of chronic liver disease pathogenesis.Prebiotics such as dietary fibers were shown to attenuate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)by modulating gut microbiota.Partially hydrolyzed guar gum(PHGG),a water-soluble dietary fiber,has been reported to alleviate the symptoms of various intestinal diseases and metabolic syndromes.However,its effects on NAFLD remain to be fully elucidated.To determine whether treatment with PHGG attenuates NAFLD development in mice through the gut-liver axis.METHODS Seven-week-old male C57BL/6J mice with increased intestinal permeability were fed a control or atherogenic(Ath)diet(a mouse model of NAFLD)for 8 wk,with or without 5%PHGG.Increased intestinal permeability was induced through chronic intermittent administration of low-dose dextran sulfate sodium.Body weight,liver weight,macroscopic findings in the liver,blood biochemistry[aspartate aminotransferase(AST)and alanine aminotransferase(ALT),total cholesterol,triglyceride,free fatty acids,and glucose levels],liver histology,myeloperoxidase activity in liver tissue,mRNA expression in the liver and intestine,serum endotoxin levels in the portal vein,intestinal permeability,and microbiota and short-chain fatty acid(SCFA)profiles in the cecal samples were investigated.RESULTS Mice with increased intestinal permeability subjected to the Ath diet showed significantly increased serum AST and ALT levels,liver fat accumulation,liver inflammatory(tumor necrosis factor-αand monocyte chemotactic protein-1)and fibrogenic(collagen 1a1 andαsmooth muscle actin)marker levels,and liver myeloperoxidase activity,which were significantly attenuated by PHGG treatment.Furthermore,the Ath diet combined with increased intestinal permeability resulted in elevated portal endotoxin levels and activated toll-like receptor(TLR)4 and TLR9 expression,confirming that intestinal permeability was significantly elevated,as observed by evaluating the lumen-to-blood clearance of fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated dextran.PHGG treatment did not affect fatty acid metabolism in the liver.However,it decreased lipopolysaccharide signaling through the gut-liver axis.In addition,it significantly increased the abundance of cecal Bacteroides and Clostridium subcluster XIVa.Treatment with PHGG markedly increased the levels of SCFAs,particularly,butyric acid,acetic acid,propionic acid,and formic acid,in the cecal samples.CONCLUSION PHGG partially prevented NAFLD development in mice through the gut-liver axis by modulating microbiota and downstream SCFA profiles.

Study on myocardial infarction based on nationwide inpatient sample database:a bibliometric analysis from 2000 to 2022

Background:Studies on myocardial infarction(MI)based on large medical databases have become popular in recent years.The influence of the National Inpatient Sample(NIS),the largest collection of administrative healthcare data across the United States,on the field of MI has not been well investigated.This study aimed to quantify the contribution of NIS to MI research using bibliometric methods.Methods:We searched the Web of Science Core Collection database to identify publications on MI using NIS from 2000 to 2022.Bibliometric indicators,such as the number of publications,citations,and Hirsch index(H-index),were summarized by years,authors,organizations,and journals.VOSviewer and CiteSpace software were used to analyze the keywords and trends of the hot spots.Results:A total of 342 articles on MI based on NIS were included.A significant growth in outputs related to MI using the NIS from 2000 to 2020 was observed.The publications were mainly from the United States.The Mayo Clinic was the most prolific institution and had the most citations and the highest H-index.The American Journal of Cardiology ranked first among journals with the highest number of publications,citations,and H-index.Mortality and healthcare management are the main focuses of this field.Personalized risks and care are receiving increased attention.Conclusion:This study suggests that NIS significantly contributes to high-quality output in MI research.More efforts are needed to improve the impact of knowledge gained from the NIS on MI.

Pulmonary artery diameter ratio as a prognostic indicator of congenital diaphragmatic hernia

Background Following on from an earlier study published in 2008 about left pulmonary artery(LPA)flow measured on serial echocardiography being strongly prognostic in left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia(CDH)and the ratio of LPA to right pulmonary artery(RPA)diameters being a simple and reliable indicator for commencing nitric oxide(NO)therapy,the ratio of LPA:RPA diameters(PA ratio orPAR)was hypothesized to possibly reflect cardiopulmonary stresses accompanying CDH better.Methods Subjects with isolated left-sided CDH treated between 2007 and 2020 at a single pediatric surgical center were recruited and classified according to survival.Data obtained retrospectively for subject demographics,clinical course,LPA/RPA diameters,and PAR were compared between survivors and non-survivors.The value of PAR for optimizing the prognostic value of PA diameter data in CDH were analyzed with receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Results Of 65 subjects,there were 54 survivors(82.3%)and 11 non-survivors(17.7%);7 of 11 non-survivors died before surgical repair could be performed.Mean PAR for survivors(0.851±0.152)was significantly higher than for non-survivors(0.672±0.108)(p=0.0003).Mean PAR for non-survivors was not affected by surgical repair.Characteristics of survivors were:LPA≥2 mm(n=52 of 54;mean PAR=0.866±0.146)and RPA≥3mm(n=46 of 54;mean PAR=0.857±0.152).Non-survivors with similar LPA and RPA diameters to survivors had significantly lower mean PAR.ROC curve cut-off for PAR was 0.762.Subjects with high PAR(≥0.762)required high-frequency oscillatory ventilation/NO less than subjects with low PAR(<0.762)(p=0.0244 and p=0.0485,respectively)and subjects with high PAR stabilized significantly earlier than subjects with low PAR(1.71±0.68 days vs 3.20±0.87 days)(p<0.0001).Conclusions PAR would appear to be strongly correlated with clinical outcome in CDH and be useful for planning management of cardiopulmonary instability in CDH.