Scientific Research Publishing

Coronary perfusion pressure (CPP), also known as simply perfusion pressure, refers to the pressure gradient that drives coronary blood pressure, meaning the difference between the diastolic aortic pressure and the left ventricular end diastolic pressure. Sufficient CPP to provide myocardial reperfusion is required for defibrillation success after prolonged ventricular fibrillation (VF) cardiac arrest. However, when chest compression interruptions occur during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), there is a precipitous and sustained loss of CPP. The purpose of this study was to quantify the extent to which CPP recovers to pre-pause levels following chest compression interruptions. This was a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from two similar IACUC approved protocols. Animal handling and all surgical procedures were in strict compliance with the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Animals. Both studies were conducted in our USDA-certified laboratory. A total of 105 fe...

Within human populations participating in boxing there is likely to be considerable diversity in the thickness, proportional composition and mechanical qualities of the interface between an impact site and internal anatomical structures. Comprehensive determination of the potential protective effects of pneumatic boxing gloves requires understanding of the effects of realistic interface variation. In this study, the impact damping capabilities of four different boxing gloves were assessed under two different conditions of target padding to determine whether target characteristics might influence previous conclusions concerning potential for impact mitigation through novel glove design. A conventional 10 oz glove (Std 10 oz), a conventional 16 oz glove (Std 16 oz), a prototype pneumatic glove with a sealed bladder (SBLI) and a prototype pneumatic glove with a bladder allowing air exchange with the external environment (ARLI) were each dropped three times on to a ...

Millets are an important grain and pasture crop. Millet seeds have less anti-nutrient factors and are better choices for feed formulation in small ruminant, poultry, hog, and swine operations. Domesticated millet seed can be used as feed/or feed supplements in swine and poultry production, and has also been fed directly to wild and pet birds by bird enthusiasts. Pearl millets is one such millet that has high protein and essential amino acid content and is used as feed in poultry and hog operations. However, the changes in global climate affect the nutritive quality of crops and therefore directly affecting human and animal food/feed. Mineral element fertilizer application improves both the quantity and quality of harvestable plant parts like forage and seeds. However, there is limited information on micronutrient elements requirements and their effects on seed and stalk forage quality. In this study, two millets:  Pennisetum glaucum  L. R. Br. (Pearl millet var. TifGrain...

It is generally understood that under seriously impaired renal function a variety of uremic toxins accumulate in the body at greater plasma levels, with indoxyl sulfate (IS) typical of such uremic toxins. Elevated IS levels leads to the induction of various unfavorable events such as progression to renal failure, and cardiovascular and bone toxicities. IS accumulation is attributed primarily to the fact that IS is a potent substrate of organic anion transporter (OAT) and OAT3 presents on the basal membrane of the renal epithelial cells. Moreover, IS is a highly protein-bound compound. Based on these characteristics, IS is considered to be associated with the occurrence of clinically relevant pharmacokinetic drug interactions in the patients with impaired renal function. This study sought to clarify whether IS exerted a potent modulating effect on the hepatic transport of pravastatin, which is a substrate of both organic anion transporting peptides (OATPs) and multidrug resistance-...

The number of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients has been increasing rapidly worldwide in recent decades. Curative resection is important, and major complications are well reported, including surgical site infection, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, renal insufficiency, cerebrovascular accident and so on. Chylous ascites, a rare problem after colorectal cancer surgery, is defined as the extravasation of milky or creamy peritoneal fluid rich in triglycerides. In this paper, the authors aimed to investigate the epidemiology and risk factors of chylous ascites.  The authors identified the cases of 913 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer at the University Hospital between January 2005 and December 2016. The patients were 623 males and 390 females aged 28 - 90 years old (median 65 years old). The authors divided the patients into two groups: Group A, having chylous ascites (n = 8), and Group B, nonchylous ascites (n = 905). Then they compared the groups a...

Ozone concentrations at a particular location depend on a number of variables such as quantity of emissions, types of source categories, meteorology, and land use. Ozone formation in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) area is associated with emissions from on- and off-road vehicles, power plants and biogenic sources. However, the extensive petrochemical industry that contributes both reactive VOCs and NO x to the pollutant mix and ozone formation makes it a unique region. In this study, the authors aimed to analyze the relative contribution of different emission source categories to ozone in the HGB area of Texas. Emission Processing System (EPS3) was used to prepare the emission files for five different source combination cases (Base case, Biogenic, Area + Biogenic, Mobile + Biogenic, Low-level Point + Biogenic). These emission files were used to perform photochemical modeling with Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx), and the results were analyzed with Visu...

Malnutrition is a disorder of nutritional status due to reduced nutrient intake or impaired metabolism. It comprises a broad spectrum of clinical conditions from mild to very severe and has serious implications for health, recovery from illness or surgery, and hospital costs. Malnutrition has been frequently described among the elderly in hospital patients; this condition is often underestimated and considered as one of the aspects of aging. In this paper, the authors measured the incidence of malnutrition and its consequences on general health, physical and mental performance in a cohort of elderly patients.  A cross-sectional study was conducted in a geriatric inpatient unit. Three hundred patients admitted to the clinic who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled. Nutritional status was evaluated by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire, macro and micronutrients intake, anthropometric measures and biochemical parameters. Physical and mental performances wer...

The market for herbal-based products as life and wellbeing enhancers has grown exponentially in the last twenty years—irrespective of economic down turn and recession. However, the efficacy of many of these products remains untested and claims unverified. Given the rapidly increasing value that is placed on herbal interventions by the general public it is becoming imperative that scientific assessment using well established measures and robust techniques is undertaken. Rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis ) is a woody, perennial herb native to the Mediterranean region. Historically it has been associated with memory and more recently Rosemary aroma has been shown to deliver improvements in prospective memory, and visual and numerical memory. Also, some studies have found rosemary aroma improved aspects of performance, and produced feelings of increased alertness and reduced anxiety. In this study, the authors investigated the potential impact of the acute ingestion of No. 1 Rosem...

Estrogen, or oestrogen, is the primary female sex hormone. It is responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. Estrogen exposure plays a role in breast cancer (BC) development. Estrogen DNA adduct (EDA) ratio are thought to play a role in BC initiation due to their role in forming depurinating DNA adducts, which have been described in a number of studies . And modifiable factors may impact the EDA ratio, with studies demonstrating that resveratrol reduces EDA ratio  in vitro . In this study, the authors sought to examine the hypothesis that dietary intake of fruits and vegetables was inversely associated with EDA ratio. This analysis was conducted in 53 pre-menopausal, healthy women aged 40 - 45 years old from a cross-sectional study in which participants provided first-void urine samples and 3-day food records. Urine samples were analyzed using ultra performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectromet...

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, anthropogenic activities have rapidly increased the concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change. One major consequence of the change in global climate is the rise of temperatures in a variety of habitats including the oceans. And by the end of the 21st century, mean sea surface temperatures are expected to increase 4 ˚C, while atmospheric CO 2 concentrations are predicted to triple causing seawater to become acidic. Consequently, marine ecosystems are especially vulnerable to these changes to the environment as organisms are under the compounding stress of ocean acidification and warming. Bacterioplankton play a vital role in the marine carbon cycle and the oceans’ ability to sequester CO 2 . In this paper, the authors utilized p CO 2 perturbation experiments to investigate the effects of ocean acidity and elevated temperature on bacterioplankton community structure and metabolism. Water samp...

In psychological counseling and psychotherapy, embodied synchrony is considered an important factor related to building rapport and empathy. Recent interpersonal synchrony/coordination studies have addressed this issue, not only at the behavioral level but also at the neurological (brain activity) and physiological (cardiac activity) levels. However, there is little known literature on heart rate synchrony in a psychological counseling context. Therefore, the authors conducted a single exploratory case study to ascertain whether heart rate synchrony was observed in a counseling session and how it related to therapeutic processes and psychological issues. One male university student (21 years old) and one male clinical psychologist (30 years old) participated in our experiment. The student who was healthy and didn’t have any specific depression or anxiety had a counseling session for 50 minutes. Video data were recorded and two wearable sensors were attached to the chests of both p...