Heart and lung, a dangerous liaison-Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy and respiratory diseases: A systematic review

AIM: To investigate the possible association between Tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy(TTC)-a reversible clini-cal condition mimicking an acute myocardial infarction characterized by multifactorial pathophysiologic mecha-nisms- and respiratory system diseases. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed and EMBASE medical information sources, to identify the different triggering causes, limiting our search to ar-ticles in English. The search keywords were: "tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy", "takotsubo", "takotsubo cardiomyopa-thy", "broken heart syndrome", "stress-induced cardio-myopathy", "apical ballooning syndrome", and "ampulla cardiomyopathy in combination with respiratory dis-eases, lung, pulmonary disease. For each kind of dis-ease, we registered: author, year and country of study, patient sex, age, concurring situation, and outcome. RESULTS: Out of a total of 1725 articles found, we se-lected 37 papers reporting a total of 38 patients. As ex-pected, most patients were women(81.6%), mean age was 65 ± 10 years. Outcome was favorable in 100% of cases, and all the patients have been discharged un-eventfully in a few days. CONCLUSION: An association between respiratory diseases and TTC is likely to exist. Patients with severe respiratory diseases, due to the high dosages of β2-agonists used or to the need of invasive procedures, are highly exposed to the risk of developing TTC.

Optimizing the ratio of the spike to sample for isotope dilution analysis:a case study with selenium isotopes

Isotope dilution(ID)method has been widely applied to studies of elemental speciation and certification of the concentrations of geological reference materials.One of the key factors restricting the application of the ID method is the difficulty in identifying the optimal ratios of the isotope tracer(spike)to sample(S/N)and in estimating the error propagation.Here,using Se isotope as an example and employing a Monte Carlo method,we found that the optimal choice of spike and S/N are^(77)Se(spike)and 0.7,respectively.The S/N in the range from 0.1 to 4 can produce sufficiently low errors(<0.4%).Extending this method to other elements such as Cr,Fe,Ni,Sr,Cd and etc.,their optimal spike and S/N were also presented.According to the optimized parameters of Se,we determined the Se concentrations of geological reference materials(GRMs)by thiol cotton fiber(TCF)-hydride generation ID-MC-ICP-MS.The relative standard deviation is<5%,and the detection limit is reduced to0.1 ng/g.Most of the measured concentrations are consistent with those recommended by IGGE or reported previously.For some GRMs,discrepancies(e.g.6.90%for GSS-5)exist between our measurements and previous ones,which can be explained by the inhomogeneity of GRMs and/or the different digestion,purification and measurement methods among laboratories.

Measurement of Economic Power： An Engineering Approach

Business Directory defines economic power as ＂conditions of having sufficient productive resources at command that give the capacity to make and enforce economic decisions, such as allocation of resources and apportioning of goods and services＂. This qualitative definition may be sufficient for general discussions, but it does not offer any quantitative measurements for management and control. Is there a way to measure economic power for analysis and synthesis of economic systems in this 21st century？ This paper answers this question by introducing a set of quantitative terms from the field of electrical engineering, used in power measurement and control of electrical systems. Circuit theory concepts are introduced to show how the relationship between cash and cash flow in finance is analogous to that of electric charge and electric current and how education level, as economic potential, is analogous to electrical potential that causes current to flow in a circuit. An individual is identified as the basic cash flow source in the economy. Circuit models for an individual as well as a typical production facility are developed and demonstrated with an example. Equations for the measurement of economic power, losses, efficiency, and power factor are presented. It is shown that the individuals are the basic cash flow sources and producers of economic power.

Antiretroviral naive and treated patients: Discrepancies of B cell subsets during the natural course of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection

AIM To evaluate alterations of memory B cell subpopulations during a 48-wk period in human immunodeficiency virus type 1(HIV-1) patients. METHODS Forty-one antiretroviral na?ve and 41 treated HIV-1 patients matched for age and duration of HIV infection were recruited. All clinical, epidemiological and laboratory data were recorded or measured. The different B cell subsets were characterized according to their surface markers: Total B cells(CD19^+), memory B cells(CD19^+CD27^+, BMCs), resting BMCs(CD19^+CD27^+CD21^(high), RM), exhausted BMCs(CD19^+CD21^(low)CD27-, EM), IgM memory B(CD19^+CD27^+IgM^(high)), isotype-switched BMCs(CD19^+CD27^+IgM-, ITS) and activated BMCs(CD19^+CD21^(low+)CD27^+, AM) at baseline on week 4 and week 48.RESULTS Mean counts of BMCs were higher in treated patients. There was a marginal upward trend of IgM memory B cell proportions which differed significantly in the treated group(overall trend, P = 0.004). ITS BMC increased over time significantly in all patients. Naive patients had of ^(low)er levels of EM B cells compared to treated, with a downward trend, irrespectively of ^(high)ly active antiretroviral therapy(HAART) intake. Severe impairment of EM B cells was recorded to both treated(P = 0.024) and naive(P = 0.023) and patients. Higher proportions of RM cells were noted in HAART group, which differed significantly on week 4^(th)(P = 0.017) and 48th(P = 0.03). Higher levels of AM were preserved in HAART naive group during the whole study period(week 4: P = 0.018 and 48: P = 0.035). HIV-RNA viremia strongly correlated with AM B cells(r = 0.54, P = 0.01) and moderately with RM cells(r =-0.45, P = 0.026) at baseline.CONCLUSION HIV disrupts memory B cell subpopulations leading to impaired immunologic memory over time. BMC, RM, EM and ITS BMC were higher in patients under HAART. Activated BMCs(AM) were higher in patients without HAART. Viremia correlated with AM and RM. Significant depletion was recorded in EM B cells irrespectively of HAART intake. Perturbations in BMC-populations are not fully restored by antiretrovirals.

Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea:A Glimpse at Female Writing Divergence and Consensus from Jane and Antoinette

This essay mainly focuses on the female writings in the 19^th and 20^th century that are represented by Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea,considering the strong connections between them.In particular,the stark contrasts between the two fictions’settings,plots and attitude toward love and female identities leave plenty room for exploring the interconnections.In Chapter One,the essay will introduce the two fictions briefly,and reveal the mirror image relationship between the two heroines.Chapter Two will devote to identifying the commonalities behind the aforementioned characters,pointing out a potential female writing paradigm among contemporary female writers.Despite the overlapping features with male writing paradigm,topics usually focusing on marriages and the large proportion of mean women figures mark the uniqueness of the paradigm that belongs to females.Based on the two features,Chapter Three will postulate the exclusion mindset among female writers,and explain the possible historical and psychological reasons behind this theory.Chapter Four will offer a glimpse at a growing woman consensus under the discrepancies by discussing two women figures in the two fictions,who shed light into the awakening female wisdom.Finally,Chapter Five will focus on the collective identity recognition concluded from female writers,and bring up the continuing problem in female communities.

An Improved Demosaicking Algorithm Based On Region-Dividing

The Bayer Color Filter Array(CFA)is commonly used in such industries as digital cameras.However,due to the arrangement of color channels in the Bayer CFA,it becomes a problem to estimate the missed color information in each pixel.The algorithms that deal with this problem are named“demosaicking algorithms”.There are many demosaicking algorithms,which show different efficiency and image quality for different images.This paper proposes an algorithm that combines two existing algorithms to reach better image qualities and acceptable computing complexities.The experimental results indicate effectiveness in terms of the balance between complexity and quality.

Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Total Crude Leaf Extract of <i>Phytolacca dodecandra</i>in Wistar Albino Rats

Background: Pain is a common problem encountered in daily life among humans and animal and it is commonly managed conventionally using modern medicines and traditionally by use of medicinal plants. Phytolacca dodecandra is a common herb in Uganda, used traditionally to alleviate pain and inflammatory conditions. However, its activity in alleviating pain and inflammatory diseases has not been fully scientifically evaluated. Aim of Study: To evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of total crude leaf extracts of P. dodecandra in Wistar albino rats. Materials and Methods: It was a laboratory-based experimental study. Acetic acid-induced writhing test was used to determine the analgesic activity and the histamine-induced paw edema formation for anti-inflammatory activity of the extract. Twenty eight animals were divided into 7 groups each with 4 rats and two (2) sets of data were obtained from each animal per group as per guidance of the refinement rule of 3Rs. For analgesic activity, Group I was dosed with 1.0ml of normal saline (negative control), group II, III, IV, V, VI were dosed with 1000.0, 600.0, 150.0, 40.0 and 5.0 mg/kg bwt of extract respectively. Group VII was dosed 10.0 mg/kg bwt diclofenac sodium (Na) drug (positive control). For anti-inflammatory activity, Group I was dosed with 1.0ml of normal saline (negative control), Group II, III, IV, V, VI were dosed with 1000.0, 600.0, 300.0, 40.0 and 5.0 mg/kg bwt of extract respectively. Group VII was dosed 10.0 mg/kg bwt diclofenac Na. The percentage mean paw volume inhibition and percentage writhing protection were determined. Results: The mean percentage paw volume inhibitions were 29.1%, 74.2% and 32.3% at doses of 5.0, 40.0 mg/kg bwt and 10.0 mg/kg bwt diclofenac Na respectively. The mean percentage writhing protection was 8.9%, 10.4%, 78.5% and 98.7% at doses of 150.0, 600.0, 1000.0 mg/kg of extract and 10.0 mg/kg bwt diclofenac Na respectively. Conclusions: Total crude leaf extracts of P. dodecandra has analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity that may be attributed to the presence of polyphenolic, saponins and many others phytochemicals that are present in the plant.

1^(st) International Palaeogeography Conference September 14-17,2013 Beijing,China

【正】Second Circular In order to promote the development and innovation of international palaeogeography and related disciplines,and to organize high academic quality papers for the Journal of Palaeogeography and thus develop it into a prestigious interna-

1^(st) International Palaeogeography Conference September 14-17,2013 Beijing,China

【正】First Circular In order to promote the development and innovation of international palaeogeography and related disciplines, and to organize high academic quality papers for the Journal of Palaeogeography and thus develop it into a prestigious international periodical, and to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the China University of Petroleum, the 1st International Palaeogeography Conference will be held from September 14 to 17, 2013 at the China University of Petroleum

Effect of serum lipid level on prognosis of patients with small cell lung cancer at the initial treatment

Objective To investigate the effect of serum lipid level on prognosis of patients with small cell lung cancer(SCLC)at the initial treatment.Methods The clinical data of patients with SCLC from 2012 to 2017 in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.According to the standard of appropriate level and abnormal stratification of blood lipid in Chinese population,the levels of different lipids,including total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDLC)and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDLC)at the time of initial treatment were grouped.