The radio/gamma-ray connection in active galactic nuclei in the era of the Fermi Large Area Telescope

DOE PAGES

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; ...

2011-10-12

We present a detailed statistical analysis of the correlation between radio and gamma-ray emission of the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) detected by Fermi during its first year of operation, with the largest data sets ever used for this purpose. We use both archival interferometric 8.4 GHz data (from the Very Large Array and ATCA, for the full sample of 599 sources) and concurrent single-dish 15 GHz measurements from the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO, for a sub sample of 199 objects). Our unprecedentedly large sample permits us to assess with high accuracy the statistical significance of the correlation, using amore » surrogate data method designed to simultaneously account for common-distance bias and the effect of a limited dynamical range in the observed quantities. We find that the statistical significance of a positive correlation between the centimeter radio and the broadband (E > 100 MeV) gamma-ray energy flux is very high for the whole AGN sample, with a probability of <10 –7 for the correlation appearing by chance. Using the OVRO data, we find that concurrent data improve the significance of the correlation from 1.6 × 10 –6 to 9.0 × 10 –8. Our large sample size allows us to study the dependence of correlation strength and significance on specific source types and gamma-ray energy band. As a result, we find that the correlation is very significant (chance probability < 10 –7) for both flat spectrum radio quasars and BL Lac objects separately; a dependence of the correlation strength on the considered gamma-ray energy band is also present, but additional data will be necessary to constrain its significance.« less

The Radio/Gamma-Ray Connection in Active Galactic Nuclei in the Era of the Fermi Large Area Telescope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; Allafort, A.; Angelakis, E.; Axelsson, M.; Baldini, L.; Ballet, J.; Barbiellini, G.; Bastieri, D.; Bellazzini, R.;

Burnout and the learning environment of anaesthetic trainees.

PubMed

Castanelli, D J; Wickramaarachchi, S A; Wallis, S

2017-11-01

Burnout has a high prevalence among healthcare workers and is increasingly recognised as an environmental problem rather than reflecting a personal inability to cope with work stress. We distributed an electronic survey, which included the Maslach Burnout Inventory Health Services Survey and a previously validated learning environment instrument, to 281 Victorian anaesthetic trainees. The response rate was 50%. We found significantly raised rates of burnout in two of three subscales. Ninety-one respondents (67%) displayed evidence of burnout in at least one domain, with 67 (49%) reporting high emotional exhaustion and 57 (42%) reporting high depersonalisation. The clinical learning environment tool demonstrated a significant negative correlation with burnout (r=-0.56, P <0.001). Burnout was significantly more common than when previously measured in Victoria in 2008 (62% versus 38%). Trainees rated examination preparation the most stressful aspect of the training program. There is a high prevalence of burnout among Victorian anaesthetic trainees. We have shown a significant correlation exists between the clinical learning environment measure and the presence of burnout. This correlation supports the development of interventions to improve the clinical learning environment, as a means to improve trainee wellbeing and address the high prevalence of burnout.

Using multi-scale sampling and spatial cross-correlation to investigate patterns of plant species richness

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kalkhan, M.A.; Stohlgren, T.J.

2000-01-01

Land managers need better techniques to assess exoticplant invasions. We used the cross-correlationstatistic, IYZ, to test for the presence ofspatial cross-correlation between pair-wisecombinations of soil characteristics, topographicvariables, plant species richness, and cover ofvascular plants in a 754 ha study site in RockyMountain National Park, Colorado, U.S.A. Using 25 largeplots (1000 m2) in five vegetation types, 8 of 12variables showed significant spatial cross-correlationwith at least one other variable, while 6 of 12variables showed significant spatial auto-correlation. Elevation and slope showed significant spatialcross-correlation with all variables except percentcover of native and exotic species. Percent cover ofnative species had significant spatialcross-correlations with soil variables, but not withexotic species. This was probably because of thepatchy distributions of vegetation types in the studyarea. At a finer resolution, using data from ten1 m2 subplots within each of the 1000 m2 plots, allvariables showed significant spatial auto- andcross-correlation. Large-plot sampling was moreaffected by topographic factors than speciesdistribution patterns, while with finer resolutionsampling, the opposite was true. However, thestatistically and biologically significant spatialcorrelation of native and exotic species could only bedetected with finer resolution sampling. We foundexotic plant species invading areas with high nativeplant richness and cover, and in fertile soils high innitrogen, silt, and clay. Spatial auto- andcross-correlation statistics, along with theintegration of remotely sensed data and geographicinformation systems, are powerful new tools forevaluating the patterns and distribution of native andexotic plant species in relation to landscape structure.

Correlation of diffusion and perfusion MRI with Ki-67 in high-grade meningiomas.

PubMed

Ginat, Daniel T; Mangla, Rajiv; Yeaney, Gabrielle; Wang, Henry Z

2010-12-01

Atypical and anaplastic meningiomas have a greater likelihood of recurrence than benign meningiomas. The risk for recurrence is often estimated using the Ki-67 labeling index. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation between Ki-67 and regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) and between Ki-67 and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in atypical and anaplastic meningiomas. A retrospective review of the advanced imaging and immunohistochemical characteristics of atypical and anaplastic meningiomas was performed. The relative minimum ADC, relative maximum rCBV, and specimen Ki-67 index were measured. Pearson's correlation was used to compare these parameters. There were 23 cases with available ADC maps and 20 cases with available rCBV maps. The average Ki-67 among the cases with ADC maps and rCBV maps was 17.6% (range, 5-38%) and 16.7% (range, 3-38%), respectively. The mean minimum ADC ratio was 0.91 (SD, 0.26) and the mean maximum rCBV ratio was 22.5 (SD, 7.9). There was a significant positive correlation between maximum rCBV and Ki-67 (Pearson's correlation, 0.69; p = 0.00038). However, there was no significant correlation between minimum ADC and Ki-67 (Pearson's correlation, -0.051; p = 0.70). Maximum rCBV correlated significantly with Ki-67 in high-grade meningiomas.

Fundamental Movement Skills among Iranian Primary School Children.

PubMed

Aalizadeh, Bahman; Mohamadzadeh, Hassan; Hosseini, Fatemeh Sadat

2014-12-01

To determine the relationship between anthropometric indicators, physical activity (PA) and socioeconomic status (SES) with fundamental movement skills (FMS) among Iranian male students. In this descriptive study, based on SES scores, 241 students (7-10 years) were randomly selected and classified in high, medium and low groups. All children were measured by 8 morphology anthropometric measures. In order to examine a subset of manipulative skills and to measure physical activity and socioeconomic status, Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD2) and, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used, respectively. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression. There was a significant positive correlation between SES and body mass index (BMI), while a significant negative correlation existed between PA and BMI. Object control skills were significantly correlated with height, foot length, forearm length, hand length and physical activity. Students with low socioeconomic status were more qualified in movements than other students who were in medium and high socioeconomic status. Therefore, parents need to encourage students to be more active in order to prevent obesity and to facilitate development of object control skills in high socioeconomic status.

Correlation between dynamic contrast-enhanced perfusion MRI relative cerebral blood volume and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in meningiomas.

PubMed

Ginat, Daniel T; Mangla, Rajiv; Yeaney, Gabrielle; Schaefer, Pamela W; Wang, Henry

2012-08-01

To determine whether there is a correlation between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and cerebral blood flow (CBV) measurements in dynamic contrast-enhanced susceptibility perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to correlate the perfusion characteristics in high- versus low-grade meningiomas. A total of 48 (24 high-grade and 24 low-grade) meningiomas with available dynamic susceptibility-weighted MRI were retrospectively reviewed for maximum CBV and semiquantitative VEGF immunoreactivity. Correlation between normalized CBV and VEGF was made using the Spearman rank test and comparison between CBV in high- versus low-grade meningiomas was made using the Wilcoxon test. There was a significant (P = .01) correlation between normalized maximum CBV and VEGF scores with a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.37. In addition, there was a significant (P < .01) difference in normalized maximum CBV ratios between high-grade meningiomas (mean 12.6; standard deviation 5.2) and low-grade meningiomas (mean 8.2; standard deviation 5.2). The data suggest that CBV accurately reflects VEGF expression and tumor grade in meningiomas. Perfusion-weighted MRI can potentially serve as a useful biomarker for meningiomas, pending prospective studies. Copyright © 2012 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From proactive personality to organizational citizenship behavior: mediating role of harmony.

PubMed

Gan, Yiqun; Cheung, Fanny M

2010-06-01

The objective of the present study was to examine the moderating role of interpersonal harmony in the relation of proactive personality with organizational citizenship behavior. 158 employees in Chinese state-owned companies completed the Proactive Personality Scale (Bateman & Crant, 1993), Harmony scale, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Questionnaire. Proactive personality had insignificant correlation with job dedication. The correlation between interpersonal facilitation and proactive personality was significant but quite low. Results of the hierarchical regression analyses indicated that when demographic variables were controlled, Harmony had significant moderating effects on the relations of proactive behavior and job dedication/interpersonal facilitation. In the high Harmony group, the correlation between proactive personality and organizational citizenship behavior was significant; whereas in the low Harmony group, this correlation was not significant.

Evaluation of the collaborative network of highly correlating skin proteins and its change following treatment with glucocorticoids

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Glucocorticoids (GC) represent the core treatment modality for many inflammatory diseases. Its mode of action is difficult to grasp, not least because it includes direct modulation of many components of the extracellular matrix as well as complex anti-inflammatory effects. Protein expression profile of skin proteins is being changed with topical application of GC, however, the knowledge about singular markers in this regard is only patchy and collaboration is ill defined. Material/Methods Scar formation was observed under different doses of GC, which were locally applied on the back skin of mice (1 to 3 weeks). After euthanasia we analyzed protein expression of collagen I and III (picrosirius) in scar tissue together with 16 additional protein markers, which are involved in wound healing, with immunhistochemistry. For assessing GC's effect on co-expression we compared our results with a model of random figures to estimate how many significant correlations should be expected by chance. Results GC altered collagen and protein expression with distinct results in different areas of investigation. Most often we observed a reduced expression after application of low dose GC. In the scar infiltrate a multivariate analysis confirmed the significant impact of both GC concentrations. Calculation of Spearman's correlation coefficient similarly resulted in a significant impact of GC, and furthermore, offered the possibility to grasp the entire interactive profile in between all variables studied. The biological markers, which were connected by significant correlations could be arranged in a highly cross-linked network that involved most of the markers measured. A marker highly cross-linked with more than 3 significant correlations was indicated by a higher variation of all its correlations to the other variables, resulting in a standard deviation of > 0.2. Conclusion In addition to immunohistochemical analysis of single protein markers multivariate analysis of co-expressions by use of correlation coefficients reveals the complexity of biological relationships and identifies complex biological effects of GC on skin scarring. Depiction of collaborative clusters will help to understand functional pathways. The functional importance of highly cross-linked proteins will have to be proven in subsequent studies. PMID:20509951

Angular correlation between IceCube high-energy starting events and starburst sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moharana, Reetanjali; Razzaque, Soebur, E-mail: moharana.reetanjali@mail.huji.ac.il, E-mail: srazzaque@uj.ac.za

Starburst galaxies and star-forming regions in the Milkyway, with high rate of supernova activities, are candidate sources of high-energy neutrinos. Using a gamma-ray selected sample of these sources we perform statistical analysis of their angular correlation with the four-year sample of high-energy starting events (HESE), detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. We find that the two samples (starburst galaxies and local star-forming regions) are correlated with cosmic neutrinos at ∼ (2–3)σ (pre-trial) significance level, when the full HESE sample with deposited energy ∼> 20 TeV is considered. However when we consider the HESE sample with deposited energy ∼> 60 TeV,more » which is almost free of atmospheric neutrino and muon backgrounds, the significance of correlation decreased drastically. We perform a similar study for Galactic sources in the 2nd Catalog of Hard Fermi -LAT Sources (2FHL, >50 GeV) catalog as well, obtaining ∼ (2–3)σ (pre-trial) correlation, however the significance of correlation increases with higher cutoff energy in the HESE sample for this case. We also fit available gamma-ray data from these sources using a pp interaction model and calculate expected neutrino fluxes. We find that the expected neutrino fluxes for most of the sources are at least an order of magnitude lower than the fluxes required to produce the HESE neutrinos from these sources. This puts the starburst sources being the origin of the IceCube HESE neutrinos in question.« less

Searches for correlation between UHECR events and high-energy gamma-ray Fermi-LAT data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Álvarez, Ezequiel; Cuoco, Alessandro; Mirabal, Nestor

The astrophysical sources responsible for ultra high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) continue to be one of the most intriguing mysteries in astrophysics. We present a comprehensive search for correlations between high-energy (∼> 1 GeV) gamma-ray events from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and UHECRs (∼> 60 EeV) detected by the Telescope Array and the Pierre Auger Observatory. We perform two separate searches. First, we conduct a standard cross-correlation analysis between the arrival directions of 148 UHECRs and 360 gamma-ray sources in the Second Catalog of Hard Fermi-LAT sources (2FHL). Second, we search for a possible correlation between UHECR directions andmore » unresolved Fermi -LAT gamma-ray emission. For the latter, we use three different methods: a stacking technique with both a model-dependent and model-independent background estimate, and a cross-correlation function analysis. We also test for statistically significant excesses in gamma rays from signal regions centered on Cen A and the Telescope Array hotspot. No significant correlation is found in any of the analyses performed, except a weak (∼< 2σ) hint of signal with the correlation function method on scales ∼ 1°. Upper limits on the flux of possible power-law gamma-ray sources of UHECRs are derived.« less

Searches for correlation between UHECR events and high-energy gamma-ray Fermi-LAT data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Álvarez, Ezequiel; Cuoco, Alessandro; Mirabal, Nestor

The astrophysical sources responsible for ultra high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) continue to be one of the most intriguing mysteries in astrophysics. Here, we present a comprehensive search for correlations between high-energy (≳ 1 GeV) gamma-ray events from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and UHECRs (≳ 60 EeV) detected by the Telescope Array and the Pierre Auger Observatory. We perform two separate searches. First, we conduct a standard cross-correlation analysis between the arrival directions of 148 UHECRs and 360 gamma-ray sources in the Second Catalog of Hard Fermi-LAT sources (2FHL). Second, we search for a possible correlation between UHECR directionsmore » and unresolved Fermi-LAT gamma-ray emission. For the latter, we use three different methods: a stacking technique with both a model-dependent and model-independent background estimate, and a cross-correlation function analysis. We also test for statistically significant excesses in gamma rays from signal regions centered on Cen A and the Telescope Array hotspot. There was no significant correlation is found in any of the analyses performed, except a weak (≲ 2σ) hint of signal with the correlation function method on scales ~ 1°. Upper limits on the flux of possible power-law gamma-ray sources of UHECRs are derived.« less

Searches for correlation between UHECR events and high-energy gamma-ray Fermi-LAT data

DOE PAGES

Álvarez, Ezequiel; Cuoco, Alessandro; Mirabal, Nestor; ...

2016-12-13

The astrophysical sources responsible for ultra high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) continue to be one of the most intriguing mysteries in astrophysics. Here, we present a comprehensive search for correlations between high-energy (≳ 1 GeV) gamma-ray events from the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and UHECRs (≳ 60 EeV) detected by the Telescope Array and the Pierre Auger Observatory. We perform two separate searches. First, we conduct a standard cross-correlation analysis between the arrival directions of 148 UHECRs and 360 gamma-ray sources in the Second Catalog of Hard Fermi-LAT sources (2FHL). Second, we search for a possible correlation between UHECR directionsmore » and unresolved Fermi-LAT gamma-ray emission. For the latter, we use three different methods: a stacking technique with both a model-dependent and model-independent background estimate, and a cross-correlation function analysis. We also test for statistically significant excesses in gamma rays from signal regions centered on Cen A and the Telescope Array hotspot. There was no significant correlation is found in any of the analyses performed, except a weak (≲ 2σ) hint of signal with the correlation function method on scales ~ 1°. Upper limits on the flux of possible power-law gamma-ray sources of UHECRs are derived.« less

Transitions in High-Arctic Vegetation Growth Patterns and Ecosystem Productivity from 2000-2013 Tracked with Cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westergaard-Nielsen, A.; Hansen, B. U.; Klosterman, S.; Pedersen, S. H.; Schmidt, N. M.; Abermann, J.; Lund, M.

2015-12-01

The changes in vegetation seasonality in high northern latitudes resulting from changes atmospheric temperatures and precipitation are still not well understood. Continued monitoring and research is therefore needed. In this study we use 13 years of time lapse camera data and climate data from high-Arctic Northeast Greenland to assess the seasonal response of a dwarf shrub heath, grassland, and fens to snow cover, soil moisture, and atmospheric and soil temperatures. Based on the camera data, we computed a greenness index which was subsequently used to analyze transition dates in vegetation seasonality. We show that snow cover and subsequent water from the melting snow pack is highly important for the seasonality. We found a significant advancement in start of growing season of 12 days but not a significant increase in growing season length. Both the timing and greenness index value of peak of growing season was significantly correlated to the available water in the pre-melt snow pack, mostly pronounced in vegetation with limited soil water. The end of growing season was likewise significantly correlated to the water equivalents in the pre-melt snowpack. Moreover, the vegetation greenness was highly correlated to GPP, and shifts in seasonality as tracked by the greenness index are thus expected to have direct influence on ecosystem productivity.

Dissecting genotype × environment interactions and trait correlations present in the Pee Dee cotton germplasm collection following seventy years of plant breeding

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genotype × environment interactions and trait correlations significantly impact efforts to develop high yield, high quality, and environmentally stable Upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars. Knowledge of both can and should be used to design optimal breeding programs and effective selectio...

Impact of prescribed fire on understory and forest floor nutrients

Treesearch

Walter A. Hough

1981-01-01

The impact of low-intensity prescribed fires on slash pine/saw-palmetto/gallberry understory and forest floor nutrients was estimated from measurements before and after burning. Highly significant correlations existed between weight loss of these fuel components and the weight loss of several elements. Energy loss was also highly correlated with forestfloor and...

High density lipoprotein cholesterol is associated with serum cortisol in older people.

PubMed

Varma, V K; Rushing, J T; Ettinger, W H

1995-12-01

To determine the associations between serum cortisol and HDL cholesterol, other lipoprotein lipids and cardiovascular risk factors, carotid atherosclerosis, and clinical heart disease in older people. A cross-sectional, observational, ancillary study of the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). A total of 245 community-dwelling people, 65 to 89 years old, were recruited consecutively for a 2-month period from the CHS cohort in Forsyth County, North Carolina. Cortisol was measured by radioimmunoassay in serum collected between 7:00 and 10:00 AM after an overnight fast. Cortisol levels were correlated with lipoprotein lipids, insulin, glucose, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, prevalent coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and carotid atherosclerosis by B-mode ultrasound. Serum cortisol was correlated negatively (r = -.24) with body mass index and waist-hip ratio (r = -.16) but was not related significantly to fasting insulin or glucose. Cortisol was not associated significantly with triglyceride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol but showed a positive correlation (r = .21) with high density lipoprotein cholesterol. The relationship between cortisol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol persisted after adjustment for gender, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, cigarette and alcohol use, triglyceride level, and diabetes. There was a trend toward a negative correlation between cortisol and measures of carotid atherosclerosis, but no significant relationship was indicated between cortisol and prevalent coronary heart disease, hypertension, or diabetes. Endogenous glucocorticoid levels correlated with HDL cholesterol levels and may play a role in the physiologic regulation of high density lipoprotein levels in older people.

Correlation analysis of radio properties and accretion-disk luminosity for low luminosity AGNs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Renzhi; Liu, Xiang; Zhang, Zhen

2017-01-01

The correlation between the jet power and accretion disk luminosity is investigated and analyzed with our model for 7 samples of low luminosity active galactic nuclei (LLAGNs). The main results are: (1) the power-law correlation index (P_{jet} ∝ L_{disk} ^{μ}) typically ranges μ=0.4-0.7 for the LLAGN samples, and there is a hint of steep index for the LLAGN sample which hosted by a high fraction of elliptical galaxies, and there are no significant correlation between the μ and the LLAGN types (Seyfert, LINER); (2) for μ≈1, as noted in Liu et al., the accretion disk dominates the jet power and the black hole (BH) spin is not important, for the LLAGN samples studied in this paper we find that the μ is significantly less than unity, implying that BH spin may play a significant role in the jet power of LLAGNs; (3) the BH spin-jet power is negatively correlated with the BH mass in our model, which means a high spin-jet efficiency in the `low' BH-mass LLAGNs; (4) an anti-correlation between radio loudness and disk luminosity is found, which is apparently due to the flatter power-law index in the jet-disk correlation of the LLAGNs, and the radio loudness can be higher in the LLAGNs than in luminous AGNs/quasars when the BH spin-jet power is comparable to or dominate over the accretion-jet power in the LLAGNs. The high radio-core dominance of the LLAGNs is also discussed.

Fundamental Movement Skills among Iranian Primary School Children

PubMed Central

Aalizadeh, Bahman; Mohamadzadeh, Hassan; Hosseini, Fatemeh Sadat

2014-01-01

Objective: To determine the relationship between anthropometric indicators, physical activity (PA) and socioeconomic status (SES) with fundamental movement skills (FMS) among Iranian male students. Materials and methods: In this descriptive study, based on SES scores, 241 students (7-10 years) were randomly selected and classified in high, medium and low groups. All children were measured by 8 morphology anthropometric measures. In order to examine a subset of manipulative skills and to measure physical activity and socioeconomic status, Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD2) and, interviewer-administered questionnaires were used, respectively. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression. Results: There was a significant positive correlation between SES and body mass index (BMI), while a significant negative correlation existed between PA and BMI. Object control skills were significantly correlated with height, foot length, forearm length, hand length and physical activity. Conclusion: Students with low socioeconomic status were more qualified in movements than other students who were in medium and high socioeconomic status. Therefore, parents need to encourage students to be more active in order to prevent obesity and to facilitate development of object control skills in high socioeconomic status. PMID:25530767

Teaching Quality and Learning Creativity in Technical and Vocational Schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kembuan, D. R. E.; Rompas, P. T. D.; Mintjelungan, M.; Pantondate, T.; Kilis, B. M. H.

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study is to obtain information about the teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity with the outcomes of student learning in a vocational high school in Indonesia. This research is a survey research. The sample used in this research is 50 teachers, selected by simple random sampling. Data were analyzed by using correlation analysis. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) There is a significant and positive correlation between teacher quality of teaching with the outcomes of student learning at the vocational high school; (2) There is a significant and positive correlation between learning creativity with the outcomes of student learning at the vocational high school, and (3) there is a significant and positive correlation between the teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity with the outcomes of student learning at the school. That is, if the use of appropriate the teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity, then the outcomes of student learning at the school. Finally it can be concluded that to improve the outcomes of student learning, it has to be followed by an improvement of teacher quality of teaching and learning creativity.

Retinal sensitivity and choroidal thickness in high myopia.

PubMed

Zaben, Ahmad; Zapata, Miguel Á; Garcia-Arumi, Jose

2015-03-01

To estimate the association between choroidal thickness in the macular area and retinal sensitivity in eyes with high myopia. This investigation was a transversal study of patients with high myopia, all of whom had their retinal sensitivity measured with macular integrity assessment microperimetry. The choroidal thicknesses in the macular area were then measured by optical coherence tomography, and statistical correlations between their functionality and the anatomical structuralism, as assessed by both types of measurements, were analyzed. Ninety-six eyes from 77 patients with high myopia were studied. The patients had a mean age ± standard deviation of 38.9 ± 13.2 years, with spherical equivalent values ranging from -6.00 diopter to -20.00 diopter (8.74 ± 2.73 diopter). The mean central choroidal thickness was 159.00 ± 50.57. The mean choroidal thickness was directly correlated with sensitivity (r = 0.306; P = 0.004) and visual acuity but indirectly correlated with the spherical equivalent values and patient age. The mean sensitivity was not significantly correlated with the macular foveal thickness (r = -0.174; P = 0.101) or with the overall macular thickness (r = 0.103; P = 0.334); furthermore, the mean sensitivity was significantly correlated with visual acuity (r = 0.431; P < 0.001) and the spherical equivalent values (r = -0.306; P = 0.003). Retinal sensitivity in highly myopic eyes is directly correlated with choroidal thickness and does not seem to be associated with retinal thickness. Thus, in patients with high myopia, accurate measurements of choroidal thickness may provide more accurate information about this pathologic condition because choroidal thickness correlates to a greater degree with the functional parameters, patient age, and spherical equivalent values.

Multifractal detrended cross-correlations between the CSI 300 index futures and the spot markets based on high-frequency data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Guangxi; Han, Yan; Cui, Weijun; Guo, Yu

2014-11-01

The cross-correlation between the China Securities Index 300 (CSI 300) index futures and the spot markets based on high-frequency data is discussed in this paper. We empirically analyze the cross-correlation by using the multifractal detrended cross-correlation analysis (MF-DCCA), and investigate further the characteristics of asymmetry, frequency difference, and transmission direction of the cross-correlation. The results indicate that the cross-correlation between the two markets is significant and multifractal. Meanwhile, weak asymmetries exist in the cross-correlation, and higher data frequency results in a lower multifractality degree of the cross-correlation. The causal relationship between the two markets is bidirectional, but the CSI 300 index futures market has greater impact on the spot market.

Analyzing the spatio-temporal relationship between dengue vector larval density and land-use using factor analysis and spatial ring mapping

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Dengue, a mosquito-borne febrile viral disease, is found in tropical and sub-tropical regions and is now extending its range to temperate regions. The spread of the dengue viruses mainly depends on vector population (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus), which is influenced by changing climatic conditions and various land-use/land-cover types. Spatial display of the relationship between dengue vector density and land-cover types is required to describe a near-future viral outbreak scenario. This study is aimed at exploring how land-cover types are linked to the behavior of dengue-transmitting mosquitoes. Methods Surveys were conducted in 92 villages of Phitsanulok Province Thailand. The sampling was conducted on three separate occasions in the months of March, May and July. Dengue indices, i.e. container index (C.I.), house index (H.I.) and Breteau index (B.I.) were used to map habitats conducible to dengue vector growth. Spatial epidemiological analysis using Bivariate Pearson’s correlation was conducted to evaluate the level of interdependence between larval density and land-use types. Factor analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was performed to ascertain the variance among land-use types. Furthermore, spatial ring method was used as to visualize spatially referenced, multivariate and temporal data in single information graphic. Results Results of dengue indices showed that the settlements around gasoline stations/workshops, in the vicinity of marsh/swamp and rice paddy appeared to be favorable habitat for dengue vector propagation at highly significant and positive correlation (p = 0.001) in the month of May. Settlements around the institutional areas were highly significant and positively correlated (p = 0.01) with H.I. in the month of March. Moreover, dengue indices in the month of March showed a significant and positive correlation (p <= 0.05) with deciduous forest. The H.I. of people living around horticulture land were significantly and positively correlated (p = 0.05) during the month of May, and perennial vegetation showed a highly significant and positive correlation (p = 0.001) in the month of March with C.I. and significant and positive correlation (p <= 0.05) with B.I., respectively. Conclusions The study concluded that gasoline stations/workshops, rice paddy, marsh/swamp and deciduous forests played highly significant role in dengue vector growth. Thus, the spatio-temporal relationships of dengue vector larval density and land-use types may help to predict favorable dengue habitat, and thereby enables public healthcare managers to take precautionary measures to prevent impending dengue outbreak. PMID:23043443

Analyzing the spatio-temporal relationship between dengue vector larval density and land-use using factor analysis and spatial ring mapping.

PubMed

Sarfraz, Muhammad Shahzad; Tripathi, Nitin K; Tipdecho, Taravudh; Thongbu, Thawisak; Kerdthong, Pornsuk; Souris, Marc

2012-10-09

Dengue, a mosquito-borne febrile viral disease, is found in tropical and sub-tropical regions and is now extending its range to temperate regions. The spread of the dengue viruses mainly depends on vector population (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus), which is influenced by changing climatic conditions and various land-use/land-cover types. Spatial display of the relationship between dengue vector density and land-cover types is required to describe a near-future viral outbreak scenario. This study is aimed at exploring how land-cover types are linked to the behavior of dengue-transmitting mosquitoes. Surveys were conducted in 92 villages of Phitsanulok Province Thailand. The sampling was conducted on three separate occasions in the months of March, May and July. Dengue indices, i.e. container index (C.I.), house index (H.I.) and Breteau index (B.I.) were used to map habitats conducible to dengue vector growth. Spatial epidemiological analysis using Bivariate Pearson's correlation was conducted to evaluate the level of interdependence between larval density and land-use types. Factor analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was performed to ascertain the variance among land-use types. Furthermore, spatial ring method was used as to visualize spatially referenced, multivariate and temporal data in single information graphic. Results of dengue indices showed that the settlements around gasoline stations/workshops, in the vicinity of marsh/swamp and rice paddy appeared to be favorable habitat for dengue vector propagation at highly significant and positive correlation (p = 0.001) in the month of May. Settlements around the institutional areas were highly significant and positively correlated (p = 0.01) with H.I. in the month of March. Moreover, dengue indices in the month of March showed a significant and positive correlation (p <= 0.05) with deciduous forest. The H.I. of people living around horticulture land were significantly and positively correlated (p = 0.05) during the month of May, and perennial vegetation showed a highly significant and positive correlation (p = 0.001) in the month of March with C.I. and significant and positive correlation (p <= 0.05) with B.I., respectively. The study concluded that gasoline stations/workshops, rice paddy, marsh/swamp and deciduous forests played highly significant role in dengue vector growth. Thus, the spatio-temporal relationships of dengue vector larval density and land-use types may help to predict favorable dengue habitat, and thereby enables public healthcare managers to take precautionary measures to prevent impending dengue outbreak.

Multiple regression equations modelling of groundwater of Ajmer-Pushkar railway line region, Rajasthan (India).

PubMed

Mathur, Praveen; Sharma, Sarita; Soni, Bhupendra

2010-01-01

In the present work, an attempt is made to formulate multiple regression equations using all possible regressions method for groundwater quality assessment of Ajmer-Pushkar railway line region in pre- and post-monsoon seasons. Correlation studies revealed the existence of linear relationships (r 0.7) for electrical conductivity (EC), total hardness (TH) and total dissolved solids (TDS) with other water quality parameters. The highest correlation was found between EC and TDS (r = 0.973). EC showed highly significant positive correlation with Na, K, Cl, TDS and total solids (TS). TH showed highest correlation with Ca and Mg. TDS showed significant correlation with Na, K, SO4, PO4 and Cl. The study indicated that most of the contamination present was water soluble or ionic in nature. Mg was present as MgCl2; K mainly as KCl and K2SO4, and Na was present as the salts of Cl, SO4 and PO4. On the other hand, F and NO3 showed no significant correlations. The r2 values and F values (at 95% confidence limit, alpha = 0.05) for the modelled equations indicated high degree of linearity among independent and dependent variables. Also the error % between calculated and experimental values was contained within +/- 15% limit.

Comparative Analysis of Serum (Anti)oxidative Status Parameters in Healthy Persons

PubMed Central

Jansen, Eugène HJM; Ruskovska, Tatjana

2013-01-01

Five antioxidant and two oxidative stress assays were applied to serum samples of 43 healthy males. The antioxidant tests showed different inter-assay correlations. A very good correlation of 0.807 was observed between the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) and total antioxidant status (TAS) assay and also a fair correlation of 0.501 between the biological antioxidant potential (BAP) and TAS assay. There was no statistically significant correlation between the BAP and FRAP assay. The anti-oxidant assays have a high correlation with uric acid, especially the TAS (0.922) and FRAP assay (0.869). The BAP assay has a much lower and no statistically significant correlation with uric acid (0.302), which makes BAP more suitable for the antioxidant status. The total thiol assay showed no statistically significant correlation with uric acid (0.114). The total thiol assay, which is based on a completely different principle, showed a good and statistically significant correlation with the BAP assay (0.510) and also to the TAS assay, but to a lower and not significant extent (0.279) and not with the FRAP assay (−0.008). The oxy-adsorbent test (OXY) assay has no correlation with any of the other assays tested. The oxidative stress assays, reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) and total oxidant status (TOS), based on a different principle, do not show a statistically significant correlation with the serum samples in this study. Both assays showed a negative, but not significant, correlation with the antioxidant assays. In conclusion, the ROM, TOS, BAP and TTP assays are based on different principles and will have an additional value when a combination of these assays will be applied in large-scale population studies. PMID:23507749

Bronchiectasis: correlation of high-resolution CT findings with health-related quality of life.

PubMed

Eshed, I; Minski, I; Katz, R; Jones, P W; Priel, I E

2007-02-01

To evaluate the relationship between the severity of bronchiectatic diseases, as evident on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and the patient's quality of life measured using the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Forty-six patients (25 women, 21 men, mean age: 63 years) with bronchiectatic disease as evident on recent HRCT examinations were recruited. Each patient completed the SGRQ and underwent respiratory function tests. HRCT findings were blindly and independently scored by two radiologists, using the modified Bhalla scoring system. The relationships between HRCT scores, SGRQ scores and pulmonary function tests were evaluated. The patients' total CT score did not correlate with the SGRQ scores. However, patients with more advanced disease on HRCT, significantly differed in their SGRQ scores from patients with milder bronchiectatic disease. A significant correlation was found between the CT scores for the middle and distal lung zones and the activity, impacts and total SGRQ scores. No correlation was found between CT scores and respiratory function test indices. However, a significant correlation was found between the SGRQ scores and most of the respiratory function test indices. A correlation between the severity of bronchiectatic disease as expressed in HRCT and the health-related quality of life exists in patients with a more severe bronchiectatic disease but not in patients with mild disease. Such correlation depends on the location of the bronchiectasis in the pulmonary tree.

Impact of an Advanced Cardiac Life Support Simulation Laboratory Experience on Pharmacy Student Confidence and Knowledge.

PubMed

Maxwell, Whitney D; Mohorn, Phillip L; Haney, Jason S; Phillips, Cynthia M; Lu, Z Kevin; Clark, Kimberly; Corboy, Alex; Ragucci, Kelly R

2016-10-25

Objective. To assess the impact of an advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) simulation on pharmacy student confidence and knowledge. Design. Third-year pharmacy students participated in a simulation experience that consisted of team roles training, high-fidelity ACLS simulations, and debriefing. Students completed a pre/postsimulation confidence and knowledge assessment. Assessment. Overall, student knowledge assessment scores and student confidence scores improved significantly. Student confidence and knowledge changes from baseline were not significantly correlated. Conversely, a significant, weak positive correlation between presimulation studying and both presimulation confidence and presimulation knowledge was discovered. Conclusions. Overall, student confidence and knowledge assessment scores in ACLS significantly improved from baseline; however, student confidence and knowledge were not significantly correlated.

The correlation between highly sensitive C-reactive protein levels and erectile function among men with late-onset hypogonadism.

PubMed

Shigehara, Kazuyoshi; Konaka, Hiroyuki; Ijima, Masashi; Nohara, Takahiro; Narimoto, Kazutaka; Izumi, Koji; Kadono, Yoshifumi; Kitagawa, Yasuhide; Mizokami, Atsushi; Namiki, Mikio

2016-12-01

We investigated the correlation between highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels and erectile function, and assessed the clinical role of hs-CRP levels in men with late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) syndrome. For 77 participants, we assessed Sexual Health Inventory for men (SHIM) score, Aging Male Symptoms (AMS) score and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). We also evaluated free testosterone (FT), hs-CRP, total cholesterol, triglyceride levels, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, body mass index, waist size and blood pressure. We attempted to identify parameters correlated with SHIM score and to determine the factors affecting cardiovascular risk based on hs-CRP levels. A Spearman rank correlation test revealed that age, AMS score, IPSS and hs-CRP levels were significantly correlated with SHIM score. Age-adjusted analysis revealed that hs-CRP and IPSS were the independent factors affecting SHIM score (r= -0.304 and -0.322, respectively). Seventeen patients belonged to the moderate to high risk group for cardiovascular disease, whereas the remaining 60 belonged to the low risk group. Age, FT value and SHIM score showed significant differences between the two groups. A multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that SHIM score was an independent factor affecting cardiovascular risk (OR: 0.796; 95%CI: 0.637-0.995).

[Correlations Between Joint Proprioception, Muscle Strength, and Functional Ability in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis].

PubMed

Chen, Yoa; Yu, Yong; He, Cheng-qi

2015-11-01

To establish correlations between joint proprioception, muscle flexion and extension peak torque, and functional ability in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Fifty-six patients with symptomatic knee OA were recruited in this study. Both proprioceptive acuity and muscle strength were measured using the isomed-2000 isokinetic dynamometer. Proprioceptive acuity was evaluated by establishing the joint motion detection threshold (JMDT). Muscle strength was evaluated by Max torque (Nm) and Max torque/weight (Nm/ kg). Functional ability was assessed by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index physical function (WOMAC-PF) questionnaire. Correlational analyses were performed between proprioception, muscle strength, and functional ability. A multiple stepwise regression model was established, with WOMAC-PF as dependent variable and patient age, body mass index (BMI), visual analogue scale (VAS)-score, mean grade for Kellgren-Lawrance of both knees, mean strength for quadriceps and hamstring muscles of both knees, and mean JMDT of both knees as independent variables. Poor proprioception (high JMDT) was negatively correlated with muscle strength (P<0.05). There was no significant correlation between knee proprioception (high JMDT) and joint pain (WOMAC pain score), and between knee proprioception (high JMDT) and joint stiffness (WOMAC stiffness score). Poor proprioception (high JMDT) was correlated with limitation in functional ability (WOMAC physical function score r=0.659, P<0.05). WOMAC score was correlated with poor muscle strength (quadriceps muscle strength r = -0.511, P<0.05, hamstring muscle strength r = -0.408, P<0.05). The multiple stepwise regression model showed that high JMDT C standard partial regression coefficient (B) = 0.385, P<0.50 and high VAS-scale score (B=0.347, P<0.05) were significant predictors of WOMAC-PF score. Patients with poor proprioception is associated with poor muscle strength and limitation in functional ability. Patients with symptomatic OA of knees commonly endure with moderate to considerable dysfunction, which is associated with poor proprioception (high JMDT) and high VAS-scale score.

The Correlation between Self-Determination and ACT Scores for High School Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Deitra Learchelle

2017-01-01

A significant gap exists between the graduation rate of students with disabilities and their nondisabled. The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to determine the relationship self-determination had on college and career readiness using ACT scores of students with high incident disabilities. This study was guided by the following…

Circulating CD14+ HLA-DR-/low myeloid-derived suppressor cells predicted early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after surgery.

PubMed

Gao, Xing-Hui; Tian, Lu; Wu, Jiong; Ma, Xiao-Lu; Zhang, Chun-Yan; Zhou, Yan; Sun, Yun-Fan; Hu, Bo; Qiu, Shuang-Jian; Zhou, Jian; Fan, Jia; Guo, Wei; Yang, Xin-Rong

2017-09-01

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play an important role in tumor progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic value of MDSCs for early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients undergoing curative resection. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells were measured by flow cytometry. The correlation between MDSCs and tumor recurrence was analyzed using a cohort of 183 patients who underwent curative resection between February 2014 and July 2015. Prognostic significance was further assessed using Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and log-rank tests. In vivo, CD14 + HLA-DR -/low MDSCs inhibit T cell proliferation and secretion. The frequency of CD14 + HLA-DR -/low MDSCs was significantly higher in HCC patients (3.7 ± 5.3%, n = 183) than in chronic hepatitis patients (1.4 ± 0.6%, n = 25) and healthy controls (1.1 ± 0.5%, n = 50). High frequency of MDSCs was significantly correlated with recurrence (time to recurrence) (P < 0.001) and overall survival (P = 0.034). Patients with HCC in the high MDSC group were prone to more vascular invasion (P = 0.018) and high systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) (P = 0.009) than those in the low MDSC group. Scatter-plot analyses revealed a significant positive correlation between the SII level and the frequency of MDSCs (r = 0.188, P = 0.011). Patients with HCC with a high MDSC frequency and high SII level had significantly shorter time to recurrence (P < 0.001) and overall survival (P = 0.028) than those with a low MDSC frequency and low SII. An increased frequency of MDSCs was correlated with early recurrence and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC undergoing curative resection. The HCC patients with high frequency of MDSCs should be provided more advanced management and frequent monitoring. © 2016 The Japan Society of Hepatology.

[Chemical forms and ecological effect of soil Mn in liver cancer's high incidence area in Zhu-jiang River Delta, China].

PubMed

Dou, Lei; Zhou, Yong-Zhang; Li, Yong; Ma, Jin; An, Yan-Fei; Du, Hai-Yan; Li, Zhan-Qiang

2008-06-01

The samples of surface soil, deep soil, and vegetables were collected from the liver cancer's high- and low incidence areas in Zhujiang River Delta to study the relationships between soil Mn forms and vegetables' Mn enrichment. The results showed that the soil Mn in study area was mainly derived from parent materials, and rarely come from human activities. The average soil Mn content in liver cancer's high incidence area was 577.65 mg x kg(-1), being significantly lower than that of liver cancer's low incidence area (718.04 mg x kg(-1)) and whole country (710 mg x kg(-1)). The Mn forms in high incidence area were mainly of residual Mn and Fe-Mn oxide, and less of water soluble Mn and exchangeable Mn, with the sum of the latter two's distribution coefficients being not higher than 4%. In low incidence area, the distribution pattern of soil Mn forms was similar to that in high incidence area, but the absolute contents of the Mn forms were significantly higher. Soil total Mn and soil pH had significant effects on soil Mn forms. There existed significant positive correlations between soil total Mn and the Mn forms of Fe-Mn bound, humic acid bound, carbonate bound, and residual, and negative correlations between soil pH and soil water soluble and organic bound Mn forms. Among the test five kinds of vegetables, Youmai lettuce and Chinese cabbage in liver cancer' s high incidence area had a significantly lower Mn content than in low incidence area, while the other three had less difference. The Mn enrichment in test vegetables was positively correlated with to the content of soil available Mn (sum of water soluble Mn and exchangeable Mn), but had no correlations with the contents of soil total Mn and other Mn forms.

Comparison of Rectal and Esophageal Sensitivity in Women With Functional Heartburn.

PubMed

Freede, Margaret; Leasure, A Renee; Proskin, Howard M; Hatch, Daniel; Edwards, Karethy; Pascucci, MaryAnn; Smith, Patsy R

2016-01-01

This study tested the primary hypothesis that there is a correlation of maximum pain threshold (MPT) in the esophagus and rectum in persons with functional heartburn. Secondary aims evaluated correlations with initial perception threshold (IPT) and pain threshold (PT). This study explored objective sensory endpoints of IPT, PT, and MPT in the esophagus and rectum of 14 females with functional heartburn to determine whether visceral hypersensitivity is generalized or organ-specific. Data on volume and pressure measurements at IPT, PT, and MPT with esophageal and rectal barostat distention were collected. The relationship of sensation and pain to volume, pressure, and compliance was analyzed. Esophageal and rectal IPT balloon volume scores were highly and significantly correlated (r = .61, p = .02). Esophageal and rectal PT balloon volume scores were highly and significantly correlated (r = .6, p = .02). Esophageal and rectal MPT balloon volume scores were not correlated (r = .35, p = .26). The correlation of visceral sensitivity in the esophagus and rectum in persons with functional heartburn supports the hypothesis that visceral sensory changes in functional gastrointestinal disorders are not organ specific.

Meat and Seafood Consumption in Relation to Plasma Metabolic Profiles in a Chinese Population: A Combined Untargeted and Targeted Metabolomics Study.

PubMed

Lu, Yonghai; Zou, Li; Su, Jin; Tai, E Shyong; Whitton, Clare; Dam, Rob M van; Ong, Choon Nam

2017-06-30

We examined the relationship between different patterns of meat and seafood consumption and plasma metabolic profiles in an Asian population. We selected 270 ethnic Chinese men and women from the Singapore Prospective Study Program based on their dietary habits assessed with a validated food frequency questionnaire. Participants were divided into four subgroups: high meat and high seafood ( n = 60), high meat and low seafood ( n = 64), low meat and high seafood ( n = 60), and low meat and low seafood ( n = 86) consumers. Plasma metabolites were measured using both targeted and untargeted mass spectroscopy-based analyses. A total of 42 metabolites differed significantly by dietary group. Higher concentrations of essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and d-glucose were found in high meat and/or seafood consumers as compared with the group with a low consumption of these animal foods. Red meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, soy products, and dairy were each correlated with at least one differential metabolite ( r = -0.308 to 0.448). Some observations, such as the correlation between fish and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid (CMPF), confirmed previous studies. Other observations, such as the correlation between shellfish and phosphatidylethanolamine (p36:4), were novel. We also observed significant correlations between plasma metabolites and clinical characteristics, such as CMPF with fasting blood glucose ( r = 0.401). These findings demonstrate a significant influence of meat and seafood consumption on metabolic profiles in the Asian population.

Meat and Seafood Consumption in Relation to Plasma Metabolic Profiles in a Chinese Population: A Combined Untargeted and Targeted Metabolomics Study

PubMed Central

Lu, Yonghai; Zou, Li; Su, Jin; Tai, E. Shyong; Whitton, Clare; van Dam, Rob M.; Ong, Choon Nam

2017-01-01

We examined the relationship between different patterns of meat and seafood consumption and plasma metabolic profiles in an Asian population. We selected 270 ethnic Chinese men and women from the Singapore Prospective Study Program based on their dietary habits assessed with a validated food frequency questionnaire. Participants were divided into four subgroups: high meat and high seafood (n = 60), high meat and low seafood (n = 64), low meat and high seafood (n = 60), and low meat and low seafood (n = 86) consumers. Plasma metabolites were measured using both targeted and untargeted mass spectroscopy-based analyses. A total of 42 metabolites differed significantly by dietary group. Higher concentrations of essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and d-glucose were found in high meat and/or seafood consumers as compared with the group with a low consumption of these animal foods. Red meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, soy products, and dairy were each correlated with at least one differential metabolite (r = −0.308 to 0.448). Some observations, such as the correlation between fish and 3-carboxy-4-methyl-5-propyl-2-furanpropanoic acid (CMPF), confirmed previous studies. Other observations, such as the correlation between shellfish and phosphatidylethanolamine (p36:4), were novel. We also observed significant correlations between plasma metabolites and clinical characteristics, such as CMPF with fasting blood glucose (r = 0.401). These findings demonstrate a significant influence of meat and seafood consumption on metabolic profiles in the Asian population. PMID:28665358

A reduction in both visceral and subcutaneous fats contributes to increased adiponectin by lifestyle intervention in the Diabetes Prevention Program.

PubMed

Zhang, Chao; Luo, Hao; Gao, Feng; Zhang, Chun-Ting; Zhang, Ren

2015-06-01

Adiponectin, an insulin-sensitizing adipokine, confers protection against type 2 diabetes. Although adiponectin is secreted exclusively from fat, contributions of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) versus subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) to adiponectin levels have not been fully understood. We aimed to examine correlations between changes in VAT and SAT volumes and changes in adiponectin levels. Here, we have investigated the correlations between ΔVAT and ΔSAT with Δadiponectin in participants of the Diabetes Prevention Program, a clinical trial investigating the effects of lifestyle changes and metformin versus placebo on the rate of developing type 2 diabetes. Data on VAT and SAT volumes, measured by computed tomography, and on adiponectin levels at both baseline and 1-year follow-up were available in 321 men and 626 women. In men, Δadiponectin was highly significantly correlated with both ΔSAT (r s  = -0.329) and ΔVAT (r s  = -0.413). Likewise, in women, Δadiponectin was correlated with both ΔSAT (r s  = -0.294) and ΔVAT (r s  = -0.348). In the lifestyle arm, Δadiponectin remained highly significantly correlated with ΔSAT and ΔVAT in men (r s  = -0.399 and r s  = -0.460, respectively), and in women (r s  = -0.372 and r s  = -0.396, respectively), with P < 0.001 for all above correlations. We conclude that for both men and women, adiponectin changes are highly significantly correlated with changes in both SAT and VAT and that exercise- and weight-loss-induced reduction in both SAT and VAT contributes to the increased adiponectin.

Study of the relationship between myopia and personality.

PubMed

Rodríguez Uña, I; Pérez Bartolomé, F; Urriés Ortiz, M; Arriola Villalobos, P; Bermúdez Vallecilla, M; Fernández-Vega Cueto, L; Martín Villaescusa, C; Marticorena Álvarez, P

2015-08-01

To study the correlation between the myopic refractive error and certain personality traits, and to determine whether there is a correlation between the degree of myopia and an increased frequency in personality disorders. Cross-sectional observational multicenter study conducted on 82 subjects (26 men, 56 women) age over 18 years with myopia (spherical defect ≤ -0.5 D), with 30 subjects having high myopia (<-6 D). age and gender, academic level, result in the Neo PI-R personality test, autorefractometry, myopic pathology, and ophthalmological treatment. Correlation (Spearman's) between the magnitude of the spherical defect and the 5 personality traits studied in the total sample was not statistically significant: neuroticism (-0.057; P=.610), extroversion (-0.020; P=.857), openness (-0.032; P=.774), kindness (-0.060; P=.592), and responsibility (-0.034; P=.765). By dividing them into subgroups of low and high significance (t-test), a significant (P=.002) upward trend of the myopic defect with increasing scores on extraversion was found. When comparing high myopic subjects to the non-high myopic ones, there were significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of the associated pathology (P=.001), received treatment (P=.001) and the level of studies (P=.013). There were no differences in the variables of personality: neuroticism (P=.852), extroversion (P=.199), openness (P=.560), kindness (P=.584), and responsibility (P=.722). A low correlation was found between myopia and personality. There was no difference in the degree of myopia between the groups with different education levels. Subjects with more severe ocular pathology associated with myopia had higher scores in neuroticism, without finding any significant association. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Fatty acid composition in serum correlates with that in the liver and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease activity scores in mice fed a high-fat diet.

PubMed

Wang, Xing-He; Li, Chun-Yan; Muhammad, Ishfaq; Zhang, Xiu-Ying

2016-06-01

In this study, we investigated the correlation between the serum fatty acid composition and hepatic steatosis, inflammation, hepatocellular ballooning scores, and liver fatty acids composition in mice fed a high-fat diet. Livers were collected for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease score analysis. Fatty acid compositions were analysed by gas chromatography. Correlations were determined by Pearson correlation coefficient. Exposed to a high-fat diet, mice developed fatty liver disease with varying severity without fibrosis. The serum fatty acid variation became more severe with prolonged exposure to a high-fat diet. This variation also correlated significantly with the variation in livers, with the types of fatty acids corresponding to liver steatosis, inflammation, and hepatocellular ballooning scores. Results of this study lead to the following hypothesis: the extent of serum fatty acid variation may be a preliminary biomarker of fatty liver disease caused by high-fat intake. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Trends in timing, magnitude, and duration of summer and fall/winter streamflows for unregulated coastal river basins in Maine during the 20th century

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dudley, Robert W.; Hodgkins, Glenn A.

2005-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission (ASC), began a study in 2003 to examine the timing, magnitude, and duration of summer (June through October) and fall/early winter (September through January) seasonal streamflows of unregulated coastal river basins in Maine and to correlate them to meteorological variables and winter/spring (January through May) seasonal streamflows. This study overlapped the summer seasonal window with the fall/early winter seasonal window to completely bracket the low-streamflow period during July, August, and September between periods of high streamflows in June and October. The ASC is concerned with the impacts of potentially changing meteorological and hydrologic conditions on Atlantic salmon survival. Because winter/spring high streamflows appear to have trended toward earlier dates over the 20th century in coastal Maine, it was hypothesized that the spring/summer recession to low streamflows could have a similar trend toward earlier, and possibly lower, longer lasting, late summer/early fall low streamflows during the 20th century. There were few statistically significant trends in the timing, magnitude, or duration of summer low streamflows for coastal river basins in Maine during the 20th century. The hypothesis that earlier winter/spring high streamflows may result in earlier or lower low streamflows is not supported by the data. No statistically significant trends in the magnitude of total runoff volume during the low-streamflow months of August and September were observed. The magnitude and timing of summer low streamflows correlated with the timing of fall/winter high streamflows and the amount of summer precipitation. The magnitude and timing of summer low streamflows did not correlate with the timing of spring snowmelt runoff. There were few correlations between the magnitude and timing of summer low streamflows and monthly mean surface air temperatures. There were few statistically significant trends in the timing or duration of fall/winter high streamflows for coastal river basins in Maine during the 20th century. The timing of the bulk of fall/winter high streamflows correlated with seasonal precipitation. Earlier fall/winter center-of-volume dates correlated with higher September and October precipitation. In general, little evidence was observed of trends in the magnitude of seasonal runoff volume during fall/winter. The magnitude of fall/winter high streamflows positively correlated with November and December precipitation amounts. There were few correlations between the magnitude and timing of fall/winter high streamflows and monthly mean surface air temperatures.

Serum ferritin in combination with prostate-specific antigen improves predictive accuracy for prostate cancer.

PubMed

Wang, Xijuan; An, Peng; Zeng, Jiling; Liu, Xiaoyan; Wang, Bo; Fang, Xuexian; Wang, Fudi; Ren, Guoping; Min, Junxia

2017-03-14

Ferritin is highly expressed in many cancer types. Although a few studies have reported an association between high serum ferritin levels and an increased risk of prostate cancer, the results are inconsistent. Therefore, we performed a large case-control study consisting of 2002 prostate cancer patients and 951 control patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We found that high ferritin levels were positively associated with increased serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and prostate cancer risk; each 100 ng/ml increase in serum ferritin increased the odds ratio (OR) by 1.20 (95% CI: 1.13-1.36). In the prostate cancer group, increased serum ferritin levels were significantly correlated with higher Gleason scores (p < 0.001). Notably, serum PSA values had even higher predictive accuracy among prostate cancer patients with serum ferritin levels > 400 ng/ml (Gleason score + total PSA correlation: r = 0.38; Gleason score + free PSA correlation: r = 0.49). Moreover, using immunohistochemistry, we found that prostate tissue ferritin levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in prostate cancer patients (n = 129) compared to BPH controls (n = 31). Prostate tissue ferritin levels were also highly correlated with serum ferritin when patients were classified by cancer severity (r = 0.81). Importantly, we found no correlation between serum ferritin levels and the inflammation marker C-reactive protein (CRP) in prostate cancer patients. In conclusion, serum ferritin is significantly associated with prostate cancer and may serve as a non-invasive biomarker to complement the PSA test in the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of prostate cancer.

The Jackson Career Explorer: Correlates With Self-Monitoring and Social Desirability.

PubMed

Schermer, Julie Aitken

2018-01-01

The Jackson Career Explorer (JCE) is a short form and continuous version of the Jackson Vocational Interest Survey measuring 34 vocational interest dimensions which can be reduced to seven factors (six vocational interest factors and one work style factor). Both the scales and factors were examined for possible significant correlations with social desirability and self-monitoring. Volunteer participants ( N = 779) aged 14 to 92 years completed the JCE, a social desirability scale, and a self-monitoring scale. Social desirability did not correlate significantly with the JCE scales and factors. Self-monitoring was found to correlate significantly with only a few of the JCE dimensions, including the performing arts, dominant leadership, and law scales as well as the business factor. Interestingly, the accountability JCE work style scale, which assesses a preference to work in an environment requiring high levels of honesty, had a significant negative correlation with self-monitoring. These results add to the validity of the JCE and add information to the area of vocational interest assessment.

[Motivation and learning strategies in pediatric residents].

PubMed

Sepúlveda-Vildósola, Ana Carolina; Carrada-Legaria, Sol; Reyes-Lagunes, Isabel

2015-01-01

Motivation is an internal mood that moves individuals to act, points them in certain directions, and maintains them in activities, playing a very important role in self-regulated learning and academic performance. Our objective was to evaluate motivation and self-regulation of knowledge in pediatric residents in a third-level hospital, and to determine if there are differences according to the type of specialty and sociodemographic variables. All residents who agreed to participate responded to the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. Cronbach alpha was performed to determine reliability. The mean value of each subscale was compared with Student's t test or ANOVA, correlation of subscales with Pearson test. A value of p≤0.05 was considered significant. We included 118 residents. The questionnaire was highly reliable (α=0.939). There were no significant differences in motivation or learning strategies according to sex, marital status, or age. Those residents studying a second or third specialization had significantly higher scores in elaboration, critical thinking, and peer learning. There were significant correlations between intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy with the development of knowledge strategies such as elaboration, critical thinking, and metacognitive self-regulation. Our students present average-to-high scores of motivation and knowledge strategies, with a significant difference according to type of specialization. There is a high correlation between motivation and knowledge strategies.

Documenting a significant relationship between macroevolutionary origination rates and Phanerozoic pCO2 levels.

PubMed

Cornette, James L; Lieberman, Bruce S; Goldstein, Robert H

2002-06-11

We show that the rates of diversification of the marine fauna and the levels of atmospheric CO(2) have been closely correlated for the past 545 million years. These results, using two of the fundamental databases of the Earth's biota and the Earth's atmospheric composition, respectively, are highly statistically significant (P < 0.001). The strength of the correlation suggests that one or more environmental variables controlling CO(2) levels have had a profound impact on evolution throughout the history of metazoan life. Comparing our work with highly significant correlations described by D. H. Rothman [Rothman, D. H. (2001) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98, 4305-4310] between total biological diversity and a measure of stable carbon isotope fractionation, we find that the rates of diversification rather than total diversification correlate with environmental variables, and that the rate of diversification follows the record of CO(2) projected by R. A. Berner and Z. Kothavala [Berner, R. A. & Kothavala, Z. (2001) Am. J. Sci. 301, 182-204] more closely than that predicted by Rothman.

An Analysis of Cryptographically Significant Boolean Functions With High Correlation Immunity by Reconfigurable Computer

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

with high correlation immunity and then evaluate these functions for other desirable cryptographic features. C. METHOD The only known primary methods...out if not used) # ---------------------------------- # PRIMARY = < primary file 1> < primary file 2> #SECONDARY = <secondary file 1...finding the fuction value for a //set u and for each value of v. end end

Meta-Analysis of Correlations Between Marginal Bone Resorption and High Insertion Torque of Dental Implants.

PubMed

Li, Haoyan; Liang, Yongqiang; Zheng, Qiang

2015-01-01

To evaluate correlations between marginal bone resorption and high insertion torque value (> 50 Ncm) of dental implants and to assess the significance of immediate and early/conventional loading of implants under a certain range torque value. Specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to retrieve eligible articles from Ovid, PubMed, and EBSCO up to December 2013. Screening of eligible studies, quality assessment, and data extraction were conducted in duplicate. The results were expressed as random/fixed-effects models using weighted mean differences for continuous outcomes with 95% confidence intervals. Initially, 154 articles were selected (11 from Ovid, 112 from PubMed, and 31 from EBSCO). After exclusion of duplicate articles and articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria, six clinical studies were selected. Assessment of P values revealed that correlations between marginal bone resorption and high insertion torque were not statistically significant and that there was no difference between immediately versus early/conventionally loaded implants under a certain range of torque. None of the meta-analyses revealed any statistically significant differences between high insertion torque and conventional insertion torque in terms of effects on marginal bone resorption.

CD47 expression in Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma: coexistence with tumor immunity lowering the ratio of CD8+/Foxp3+ T cells.

PubMed

Abe, Hiroyuki; Saito, Ruri; Ichimura, Takashi; Iwasaki, Akiko; Yamazawa, Sho; Shinozaki-Ushiku, Aya; Morikawa, Teppei; Ushiku, Tetsuo; Yamashita, Hiroharu; Seto, Yasuyuki; Fukayama, Masashi

2018-04-01

Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) frequently harbors dense lymphocytic infiltration, suggesting a specific microenvironment allowing coexistence with tumor immunity. CD47, which mediates the "do not eat me" signal in innate immunity, is also important in adaptive anti-tumor immunity. We investigated the significance of CD47 in EBVaGC compared with EBV-negative gastric cancer and the correlation with various immune cells. By immunohistochemistry of CD47, high, low, and negative expression was observed in 24, 63, and 12% of EBVaGC (n = 41), while 11, 49, and 39% of EBV-negative gastric cancer (n = 262), respectively, indicating that high expression of CD47 in cancer cells was significantly frequent and increased in EBVaGC (P = 0.043). In contrast to EBV-negative gastric carcinoma in which no significant correlation was observed between CD47 and survival, high expression of CD47 correlated significantly with worse disease-specific survival (P = 0.011) and overall survival (P = 0.013) in EBVaGC. To further clarify the role of CD47 expression in EBVaGC, digital image analysis of immune cell infiltration revealed that high CD47 expression was correlated with a lower ratio of CD8 + /Foxp3 + T cells (P = 0.021), a sensitive indicator of tumor immunity. Thus, CD47 lowers anti-tumor immunity in EBVaGC by finely tuning profile of infiltrating T cells, suggesting that CD47 is an additional target for cancer immunotherapy against this virus-driven gastric cancer.

Suicidality and its relationships with individual, family, peer, and psychopathology factors among adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Chou, Wen-Jiun; Liu, Tai-Ling; Hu, Huei-Fan; Yen, Cheng-Fang

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence rates of suicidal intent and its correlates among adolescents diagnosed with ADHD in Taiwan. A total of 287 adolescents aged 11-18 years and diagnosed with ADHD participated in this study. Their suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were assessed. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations of suicide with individual, family, peer, ADHD, and psychopathology factors. A total of 12.2% of the participants reported suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. A logistic regression analysis model showed that adolescents who were older, were bullying perpetrators, and reported high depression level were more likely to have suicidal intent. These three factors were also significantly correlated with suicidal ideation; however, only having high depression level was significantly correlated with suicidal attempts. The results of this study showed that a high proportion of adolescents with ADHD reported suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. Multiple factors were significantly associated with suicidal intent among adolescents with ADHD. Clinicians, educational professionals, and parents of adolescents with ADHD should monitor the possibility of suicide in adolescents with ADHD who exhibit the correlates of suicidal intent identified in this study. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An exploratory study of parent-child communication about sex and the sexual attitudes of early, middle, and late adolescents.

PubMed

Fisher, T D

1986-12-01

In an attempt to examine the relationship between parent-child communication about sex and parent-adolescent attitudes about sex, 12- to 20-year-olds (N = 141) and their parents completed sexual communication and attitude questionnaires. The correlation between parents' and children's attitudes were high for all the early adolescents and low for all the middle adolescents. Only among the late adolescents was there a significant difference in the correlations between the sexual attitudes of parents and their children as a function of family communication level, with the attitudes of adolescents and parents in the high communication group being highly correlated and the attitudes of adolescents and parents in the low communication group not being significantly correlated. Middle adolescents had significantly more permissive sexual attitudes than early and late adolescents. Gender variables were also studied, but conclusions were limited due to the small number of participating fathers. All findings must be tempered with the recognition of the possible sampling bias introduced by the use of a convenience sample. It is suggested that the more responsible sexuality seen in adolescents who can talk to their parents about sex may be a function of the similarity in sexual attitudes between these late adolescents and their parents.

Exploring the connection between radio and GeV-TeV γ-ray emission in the 1FHL and 2FHL AGN samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lico, R.; Giroletti, M.; Orienti, M.; Costamante, L.; Pavlidou, V.; D'Ammando, F.; Tavecchio, F.

2017-10-01

Context. With the advent of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) it was revealed that blazars, representing the most extreme radio-loud active galactic nuclei (AGN) population, dominate the census of the γ-ray sky, and a significant correlation was found between radio and γ-ray emission in the 0.1-100 GeV energy range. However, the possible connection between radio and very high energy (VHE, E> 0.1 TeV) emission still remains elusive, owing to the lack of a homogeneous coverage of the VHE sky. Aims: The main goal of this work is to quantify and assess the significance of a possible connection between the radio emission on parsec scale measured by the very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) and GeV-TeV γ-ray emission in blazars, which is a central issue for understanding blazar physics and the emission processes in these objects. Methods: We investigate the radio VLBI and high energy γ-ray emission by using two large and unbiased AGN samples extracted from the first and second Fermi-LAT catalogs of hard γ-ray sources detected above 10 GeV (1FHL) and 50 GeV (2FHL). For comparison, we perform the same correlation analysis by using the 0.1-300 GeV γ-ray energy flux provided by the third Fermi-LAT source catalog (3FGL). We assess the correlation's statistical significance by means of a method based on permutations of the luminosities, by taking into account the various observational biases, which may apparently enhance or spoil any intrinsic correlation. Results: We find that the correlation strength and significance depend on the γ-ray energy range, with a different behavior among the blazar sub-classes. Overall, the radio and γ-ray emission above 10 GeV turns out to be uncorrelated for the full samples and for all of the blazar sub-classes with the exception of high synchrotron peaked (HSP) objects, which show a strong and significant correlation. On the contrary, when 0.1-300 GeV γ-ray energies are considered, a strong and significant correlation is found for the full blazar sample as well as for all of the blazar sub-classes. Conclusions: We interpret and explain this correlation behavior within the framework of the blazar spectral energy distribution properties. In the most powerful blazars, which are in general of low synchrotron peaked type, the high energy emission component peaks at energies lower than those sampled by the LAT. On the contrary, in HSP blazars the part of the high energy spectrum affected by cooling effects is well beyond the energy range sampled by the LAT, showing a rising spectrum both in the 3FGL and 1FHL/2FHL energy ranges.

Student Use of Scaffolding Software: Relationships with Motivation and Conceptual Understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butler, Kyle A.; Lumpe, Andrew

2008-10-01

This study was designed to theoretically articulate and empirically assess the role of computer scaffolds. In this project, several examples of educational software were developed to scaffold the learning of students performing high level cognitive activities. The software used in this study, Artemis, focused on scaffolding the learning of students as they performed information seeking activities. As 5th grade students traveled through a project-based science unit on photosynthesis, researchers used a pre-post design to test for both student motivation and student conceptual understanding of photosynthesis. To measure both variables, a motivation survey and three methods of concept map analysis were used. The student use of the scaffolding features was determined using a database that tracked students' movement between scaffolding tools. The gain scores of each dependent variable was then correlated to the students' feature use (time and hits) embedded in the Artemis Interface. This provided the researchers with significant relationships between the scaffolding features represented in the software and student motivation and conceptual understanding of photosynthesis. There were a total of three significant correlations in comparing the scaffolding use by hits (clicked on) with the dependent variables and only one significant correlation when comparing the scaffold use in time. The first significant correlation ( r = .499, p < .05) was between the saving/viewing features hits and the students' task value. This correlation supports the assumption that there is a positive relationship between the student use of the saving/viewing features and the students' perception of how interesting, how important, and how useful the task is. The second significant correlation ( r = 0.553, p < 0.01) was between the searching features hits and the students' self-efficacy for learning and performance. This correlation supports the assumption that there is a positive relationship between the student use of the searching features and the students' perception of their ability to accomplish a task as well as their confidence in their skills to perform that task. The third significant correlation ( r = 0.519, p < 0.05) was between the collaborative features hits and the students' essay performance scores. This correlation supports the assumption that there is a positive relationship between the student use of the collaborative features and the students' ability to perform high cognitive tasks. Finally, the last significant correlation ( r = 0.576, p < 0.01) was between the maintenance features time and the qualitative analysis of the concept maps. This correlation supports the assumption that there is a positive relationship between the student use of the maintenance features and student conceptual understanding of photosynthesis.

Optimization of selective breeding through analysis of morphological traits in Chinese sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus).

PubMed

Wang, W; Ma, C Y; Chen, W; Ma, H Y; Zhang, H; Meng, Y Y; Ni, Y; Ma, L B

2016-08-19

Determining correlations between certain traits of economic importance constitutes an essential component of selective activities. In this study, our aim was to provide effective indicators for breeding programs of Lateolabrax maculatus, an important aquaculture species in China. We analyzed correlations between 20 morphometric traits and body weight, using correlation and path analyses. The results indicated that the correlations among all 21 traits were highly significant, with the highest correlation coefficient identified between total length and body weight. The path analysis indicated that total length (X 1 ), body width (X 5 ), distance from first dorsal fin origin to anal fin origin (X 10 ), snout length (X 16 ), eye diameter (X 17 ), eye cross (X 18 ), and slanting distance from snout tip to first dorsal fin origin (X 19 ) significantly affected body weight (Y) directly. The following multiple-regression equation was obtained using stepwise multiple-regression analysis: Y = -472.108 + 1.065X 1 + 7.728X 5 + 1.973X 10 - 7.024X 16 - 4.400X 17 - 3.338X 18 + 2.138X 19 , with an adjusted multiple-correlation coefficient of 0.947. Body width had the largest determinant coefficient, as well as the highest positive direct correlation with body weight. At the same time, high indirect effects with six other morphometric traits on L. maculatus body weight, through body width, were identified. Hence, body width could be a key factor that efficiently indicates significant effects on body weight in L. maculatus.

The association between lipid parameters and obesity in university students.

PubMed

Hertelyova, Z; Salaj, R; Chmelarova, A; Dombrovsky, P; Dvorakova, M C; Kruzliak, P

2016-07-01

Abdominal obesity is associated with high plasma triglyceride and with low plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Objective of the study was to find an association between plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels and anthropometric parameters in abdominal obesity in Slovakian university students. Lipid profile and anthropometric parameters of obesity were studied in a sample of 419 probands, including 137 men and 282 women. Males had higher values of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) than females, but these differences were not significant. Females had significantly (P < 0.05) higher TC and HDL-C (P < 0.001) than males. In comparison, all anthropometric parameters in the males were significantly (P < 0.001) higher than in the females. A positive correlation between non-HDL-C, TG, VLDL-C and anthropometric parameters (BMI, WC, WHR, WHtR) was found at P < 0.001. LDL was positively correlated with BMI, WCF, WHtR and TC with BMI, WHtR at P < 0.001. We also observed a correlation between TC-WCF and LDL-WHR at P < 0.01. A negative correlation was found between HDL and all monitored anthropometric parameters at P < 0.001. On the other hand, no correlation between TC and WHR was detected. This study shows an association between plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels and anthropometric parameters in abdominal obesity in young people, predominantly university students.

Hair mercury association with selenium, serum lipid spectrum, and gamma-glutamyl transferase activity in adults.

PubMed

Tinkov, Alexey A; Skalnaya, Margarita G; Demidov, Vasily A; Serebryansky, Eugeny P; Nikonorov, Alexandr A; Skalny, Anatoly V

2014-12-01

The primary objective of the research is to estimate the dependence between hair mercury content, hair selenium, mercury-to-selenium ratio, serum lipid spectrum, and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) activity in 63 adults (40 men and 23 women). Serum triglyceride (TG) concentration in the high-mercury group significantly exceeded the values obtained for low- and medium-mercury groups by 72 and 42 %, respectively. Serum GGT activity in the examinees from high-Hg group significantly exceeded the values of the first and the second groups by 75 and 28 %, respectively. Statistical analysis of the male sample revealed similar dependences. Surprisingly, no significant changes in the parameters analyzed were detected in the female sample. In all analyzed samples, hair mercury was not associated with hair selenium concentrations. Significant correlation between hair mercury content and serum TG concentration (r = 0.531) and GGT activity (r = 0.524) in the general sample of the examinees was detected. The respective correlations were observed in the male sample. Hair mercury-to-selenium ratios significantly correlated with body weight (r = 0.310), body mass index (r = 0.250), serum TG (r = 0.389), atherogenic index (r = 0.257), and GGT activity (r = 0.393). The same correlations were observed in the male sample. Hg/Se ratio in women did not correlate with the analyzed parameters. Generally, the results of the current study show the following: (1) hair mercury is associated with serum TG concentration and GGT activity in men, (2) hair selenium content is not related to hair mercury concentration, and (3) mercury-to-selenium ratio correlates with lipid spectrum parameters and GGT activity.

Correlates of Attitudes Favorable to Racial Discrimination Among High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chadwich, Bruce A.; And Others

1971-01-01

Independent variables significantly correlated with an attitudinal tendency to discriminate among whites: prejudice, perceived nonconformity, parental social pressure, fear of future competition, political separatism, anxiety about racial conflict, assaultiveness, and equal status contact. Prejudice, parental pressure, and institutional…

Dynamic correlations in the highly dilute 2D electron liquid: Loss function, critical wave vector and analytic plasmon dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drachta, Jürgen T.; Kreil, Dominik; Hobbiger, Raphael; Böhm, Helga M.

2018-03-01

Correlations, highly important in low-dimensional systems, are known to decrease the plasmon dispersion of two-dimensional electron liquids. Here we calculate the plasmon properties, applying the 'Dynamic Many-Body Theory', accounting for correlated two-particle-two-hole fluctuations. These dynamic correlations are found to significantly lower the plasmon's energy. For the data obtained numerically, we provide an analytic expression that is valid across a wide range both of densities and of wave vectors. Finally, we demonstrate how this can be invoked in determining the actual electron densities from measurements on an AlGaAs quantum well.

Neural Correlates of Wakefulness, Sleep, and General Anesthesia: An Experimental Study in Rat.

PubMed

Pal, Dinesh; Silverstein, Brian H; Lee, Heonsoo; Mashour, George A

2016-11-01

Significant advances have been made in our understanding of subcortical processes related to anesthetic- and sleep-induced unconsciousness, but the associated changes in cortical connectivity and cortical neurochemistry have yet to be fully clarified. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were instrumented for simultaneous measurement of cortical acetylcholine and electroencephalographic indices of corticocortical connectivity-coherence and symbolic transfer entropy-before, during, and after general anesthesia (propofol, n = 11; sevoflurane, n = 13). In another group of rats (n = 7), these electroencephalographic indices were analyzed during wakefulness, slow wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Compared to wakefulness, anesthetic-induced unconsciousness was characterized by a significant decrease in cortical acetylcholine that recovered to preanesthesia levels during recovery wakefulness. Corticocortical coherence and frontal-parietal symbolic transfer entropy in high γ band (85 to 155 Hz) were decreased during anesthetic-induced unconsciousness and returned to preanesthesia levels during recovery wakefulness. Sleep-wake states showed a state-dependent change in coherence and transfer entropy in high γ bandwidth, which correlated with behavioral arousal: high during wakefulness, low during SWS, and lowest during REM sleep. By contrast, frontal-parietal θ connectivity during sleep-wake states was not correlated with behavioral arousal but showed an association with well-established changes in cortical acetylcholine: high during wakefulness and REM sleep and low during SWS. Corticocortical coherence and frontal-parietal connectivity in high γ bandwidth correlates with behavioral arousal and is not mediated by cholinergic mechanisms, while θ connectivity correlates with cortical acetylcholine levels.

The link between callosal thickness and intelligence in healthy children and adolescents.

PubMed

Luders, Eileen; Thompson, Paul M; Narr, Katherine L; Zamanyan, Alen; Chou, Yi-Yu; Gutman, Boris; Dinov, Ivo D; Toga, Arthur W

2011-02-01

The link between brain structure and intelligence is a well-investigated topic, but existing analyses have mainly focused on adult samples. Studies in healthy children and adolescents are rare, and normative data specifically addressing the association between corpus callosum morphology and intellectual abilities are quite limited. To advance this field of research, we mapped the correlations between standardized intelligence measures and callosal thickness based on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Our large and well-matched sample included 200 normally developing subjects (100 males, 100 females) ranging from 6 to 17 years of age. Although the strongest correlations were negative and confined to the splenium, the strength and the direction of intelligence-callosal thickness associations varied considerably. While significant correlations in females were mainly positive, significant correlations in males were exclusively negative. However, only the negative correlations in the overall sample (i.e., males and females combined) remained significant when controlling for multiple comparisons. The observed negative correlations between callosal thickness and intelligence in children and adolescents contrast with the positive correlations typically reported in adult samples. However, negative correlations are in line with reports from other pediatric studies relating cognitive measures to other brain attributes such as cortical thickness, gray matter volume, and gray matter density. Altogether, these findings suggest that relationships between callosal morphology and cognition are highly dynamic during brain maturation. Sex effects on links between callosal thickness and intelligence during childhood and adolescence are present but appear rather weak in general. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The link between callosal thickness and intelligence in healthy children and adolescents

PubMed Central

Luders, Eileen; Thompson, Paul M.; Narr, Katherine L.; Zamanyan, Alen; Chou, Yi-Yu; Gutman, Boris; Dinov, Ivo D.; Toga, Arthur W.

2010-01-01

The link between brain structure and intelligence is a well-investigated topic, but existing analyses have mainly focused on adult samples. Studies in healthy children and adolescents are rare, and normative data specifically addressing the association between corpus callosum morphology and intellectual abilities is quite limited. To advance this field of research, we mapped the correlations between standardized intelligence measures and callosal thickness based on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Our large and well-matched sample included 200 normally developing subjects (100 males, 100 females) ranging from 6 to 17 years of age. Although the strongest correlations were negative and confined to the splenium, the strength and the direction of intelligence-callosal thickness associations varied considerably with respect to age and sex. While significant correlations in females were mainly positive, significant correlations in males were exclusively negative. However, only the negative correlations in the overall sample (i.e., males and females combined) remained significant when controlling for multiple comparisons. The observed negative correlations between callosal thickness and intelligence in children and adolescents contrast with the positive correlations typically reported in adult samples. However, negative correlations are in line with reports from other pediatric studies relating cognitive measures to other brain attributes such as cortical thickness, gray matter volume, and gray matter density. Altogether, these findings suggest that relationships between callosal morphology and cognition are highly dynamic during brain maturation. Sex effects on links between callosal thickness and intelligence during childhood and adolescence are present but appear rather weak in general. PMID:20932920

New Measurements of High-Momentum Nucleons and Short-Range Structures in Nuclei

DOE PAGES

Fomin, N.; Arrington, J.; Asaturyan, R.; ...

2012-02-01

We present new, high-Q 2 measurements of inclusive electron scattering from high-momentum nucleons in nuclei. This yields an improved extraction of the strength of two-nucleon correlations for several nuclei, including light nuclei where clustering effects can, for the first time, be examined. The data extend to the kinematic regime where three-nucleon correlations are expected to dominate and we observe significantly greater strength in this region than previous measurements.

Correlated components of ongoing EEG point to emotionally laden attention - a possible marker of engagement?

PubMed

Dmochowski, Jacek P; Sajda, Paul; Dias, Joao; Parra, Lucas C

2012-01-01

Recent evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging suggests that cortical hemodynamic responses coincide in different subjects experiencing a common naturalistic stimulus. Here we utilize neural responses in the electroencephalogram (EEG) evoked by multiple presentations of short film clips to index brain states marked by high levels of correlation within and across subjects. We formulate a novel signal decomposition method which extracts maximally correlated signal components from multiple EEG records. The resulting components capture correlations down to a one-second time resolution, thus revealing that peak correlations of neural activity across viewings can occur in remarkable correspondence with arousing moments of the film. Moreover, a significant reduction in neural correlation occurs upon a second viewing of the film or when the narrative is disrupted by presenting its scenes scrambled in time. We also probe oscillatory brain activity during periods of heightened correlation, and observe during such times a significant increase in the theta band for a frontal component and reductions in the alpha and beta frequency bands for parietal and occipital components. Low-resolution EEG tomography of these components suggests that the correlated neural activity is consistent with sources in the cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices. Put together, these results suggest that the observed synchrony reflects attention- and emotion-modulated cortical processing which may be decoded with high temporal resolution by extracting maximally correlated components of neural activity.

Correlated Components of Ongoing EEG Point to Emotionally Laden Attention – A Possible Marker of Engagement?

PubMed Central

Dmochowski, Jacek P.; Sajda, Paul; Dias, Joao; Parra, Lucas C.

2012-01-01

Recent evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging suggests that cortical hemodynamic responses coincide in different subjects experiencing a common naturalistic stimulus. Here we utilize neural responses in the electroencephalogram (EEG) evoked by multiple presentations of short film clips to index brain states marked by high levels of correlation within and across subjects. We formulate a novel signal decomposition method which extracts maximally correlated signal components from multiple EEG records. The resulting components capture correlations down to a one-second time resolution, thus revealing that peak correlations of neural activity across viewings can occur in remarkable correspondence with arousing moments of the film. Moreover, a significant reduction in neural correlation occurs upon a second viewing of the film or when the narrative is disrupted by presenting its scenes scrambled in time. We also probe oscillatory brain activity during periods of heightened correlation, and observe during such times a significant increase in the theta band for a frontal component and reductions in the alpha and beta frequency bands for parietal and occipital components. Low-resolution EEG tomography of these components suggests that the correlated neural activity is consistent with sources in the cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices. Put together, these results suggest that the observed synchrony reflects attention- and emotion-modulated cortical processing which may be decoded with high temporal resolution by extracting maximally correlated components of neural activity. PMID:22623915

Immunohistochemical expression of mucin antigens in gallbladder adenocarcinoma: MUC1-positive and MUC2-negative expression Is associated with vessel invasion and shortened survival.

PubMed

Hiraki, Tsubasa; Yamada, Sohsuke; Higashi, Michiyo; Hatanaka, Kazuhito; Yokoyama, Seiya; Kitazono, Ikumi; Goto, Yuko; Kirishima, Mari; Batra, Surinder K; Yonezawa, Suguru; Tanimoto, Akihide

2017-06-01

Mucins play pivotal roles in influencing cancer biology, for example affecting carcinoma invasion, aggressiveness and/or metastatic potential. Our aim is to investigate the significance of expression profiles of two mucins in particular, MUC1 and MUC2, their correlations with various clinicopathological features, and prognosis in gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GBAC). We performed immunohistochemistry from patients with surgically resected GBAC, using antibodies against mucin core proteins MUC1/DF3 and MUC2/Ccp58 in 81 paraffin-embedded tumor samples. MUC1 or MUC2 expression was considered to be high when ≥ 20% or 10% of the GBAC cells showed positive staining, respectively. High MUC1 expression was revealed to have a significant relationship to the presence of pathologically lymphatic and vascular invasion, and regional lymph node metastasis. By contrast, high MUC2 expression showed a significant correlation with pathologically perineural invasion, T stage ≥ 3, and post-operative recurrence. Moreover, MUC1 showed significantly positive co-expression and potentially complementary correlations with MUC2. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that the high MUC1 expression group had significantly shorter disease-specific survival times. However, the combination of both high MUC1 and MUC2 expression did not predict worse outcome in GBACs. Therefore, although each mucin has a somewhat important role in the pathogenesis of GBAC progression, MUC1 can independently predict vessel invasion and poor prognosis in patients with GBAC. The detection of MUC1 might well offer a useful parameter for providing clinical management and treatment against postsurgical GBACs.

Association of Neck Circumference and Obesity with Blood Pressure among Adolescents in Urban and Rural Population in North Tamil Nadu.

PubMed

Rajagopalan, Archana; Balaji, Nisha

2017-01-01

Since a few studies exist on the association of neck circumference (NC) and obesity with blood pressure (BP) among adolescents in India, we found it highly relevant to measure the NC and body mass index (BMI) using them as indicators of upper body subcutaneous fat and obesity and relate them to BP in a rural and urban adolescent population in North Tamil Nadu. This is a community-based cross-sectional study of descriptive design where 500 students from urban and rural areas were selected, and their BMI, NC, and BP were measured using standardized instruments. Among urban and rural population high and normal NC positively correlated with BMI, systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP), indicating that the data clearly reflects increase in BMI, SBP, and DBP values with increase in NC or vice versa. The correlation was statistically significant ( P < 0.001) significantly higher BMI ( P < 0.01), SBP ( P < 0.05), and NC ( P < 0.001) was observed in urban population than rural. DBP was not significantly different in rural and urban population. 95 th percentile values are significantly higher than rest in both urban and rural population. Only the 95 th percentile values correlate and reflect similar changes in BMI, SBP, and DBP. Our studies indicate a strong association of elevation in BP with high NC and increase in BMI. Overweight and obesity were positively correlated with increase in SBP and DBP.

Preference and intake frequency of high sodium foods and dishes and their correlations with anthropometric measurements among Malaysian subjects

PubMed Central

Choong, Stella Sinn-Yee; Balan, Sumitha Nair; Chua, Leong-Siong

2012-01-01

This study investigated the preference and intake frequency of a list of 15 commonly available high sodium Malaysian foods/dishes, discretionary salt use, and their possible association with demographics, blood pressures and anthropometric measurements among 300 Malaysian university students (114 males, 186 females; 259 ethnic Chinese, 41 Indians; 220 lean, 80 overweight). French fries and instant soup noodle were found to be the most preferred and most frequently consumed salty food, respectively, while salted fish was least preferred and least frequently consumed. Males had a significantly higher intake frequency of at least 6 of the salty foods, but the preference of most salty foods was not significantly different between genders. Ethnic Chinese significantly preferred more and took more frequently traditional and conventional Malaysian foods like asam laksa (a Malaysian salty-sour-spicy noodle in fish stock), salted biscuits and salted vegetable, while Indians have more affinity and frequency towards eating salty Western foods. Body Mass Index was significantly negatively correlated with the intake frequency of canned/packet soup and salted fish while waist circumference was significantly positively correlated with the preference of instant noodle. Also, an increased preference of potato chips and intake frequency of salted biscuits seemed to lead to a decreased WHR. Other than these, all the other overweight/obesity indicators did not seem to fully correlate with the salty food preference and intake frequency. Nevertheless, the preference and intake frequency of asam laksa seemed to be significant negative predictors for blood pressures. Finally, increased preference and intake frequency of high sodium shrimp paste (belacan)-based foods like asam laksa and belacan fried rice seemed to discourage discretionary salt use. In conclusion, the preference and intake frequency of the high sodium belacan-based dish asam laksa seems to be a good predictor for ethnic difference, discretionary salt use and blood pressures. PMID:22808349

Preference and intake frequency of high sodium foods and dishes and their correlations with anthropometric measurements among Malaysian subjects.

PubMed

Choong, Stella Sinn-Yee; Balan, Sumitha Nair; Chua, Leong-Siong; Say, Yee-How

2012-06-01

This study investigated the preference and intake frequency of a list of 15 commonly available high sodium Malaysian foods/dishes, discretionary salt use, and their possible association with demographics, blood pressures and anthropometric measurements among 300 Malaysian university students (114 males, 186 females; 259 ethnic Chinese, 41 Indians; 220 lean, 80 overweight). French fries and instant soup noodle were found to be the most preferred and most frequently consumed salty food, respectively, while salted fish was least preferred and least frequently consumed. Males had a significantly higher intake frequency of at least 6 of the salty foods, but the preference of most salty foods was not significantly different between genders. Ethnic Chinese significantly preferred more and took more frequently traditional and conventional Malaysian foods like asam laksa (a Malaysian salty-sour-spicy noodle in fish stock), salted biscuits and salted vegetable, while Indians have more affinity and frequency towards eating salty Western foods. Body Mass Index was significantly negatively correlated with the intake frequency of canned/packet soup and salted fish while waist circumference was significantly positively correlated with the preference of instant noodle. Also, an increased preference of potato chips and intake frequency of salted biscuits seemed to lead to a decreased WHR. Other than these, all the other overweight/obesity indicators did not seem to fully correlate with the salty food preference and intake frequency. Nevertheless, the preference and intake frequency of asam laksa seemed to be significant negative predictors for blood pressures. Finally, increased preference and intake frequency of high sodium shrimp paste (belacan)-based foods like asam laksa and belacan fried rice seemed to discourage discretionary salt use. In conclusion, the preference and intake frequency of the high sodium belacan-based dish asam laksa seems to be a good predictor for ethnic difference, discretionary salt use and blood pressures.

Ideal charge-density-wave order in the high-field state of superconducting YBCO

DOE PAGES

Jang, H.; Lee, W. -S.; Nojiri, H.; ...

2016-12-05

The existence of charge-density-wave (CDW) correlations in cuprate superconductors has now been established. However, the nature of the CDW ground state has remained uncertain because disorder and the presence of superconductivity typically limit the CDW correlation lengths to only a dozen unit cells or less. Here we explore the field-induced 3D CDW correlations in extremely pure detwinned crystals of YBa 2Cu 3O 2 (YBCO) ortho-II and ortho-VIII at magnetic fields in excess of the resistive upper critical field ( H c2) where superconductivity is heavily suppressed. We observe that the 3D CDW is unidirectional and possesses a long in-plane correlationmore » length as well as significant correlations between neighboring CuO 2 planes. It is significant that we observe only a single sharply defined transition at a critical field proportional to H c2, given that the field range used in this investigation overlaps with other high-field experiments including quantum oscillation measurements. The correlation volume is at least two to three orders of magnitude larger than that of the zero-field CDW. Furthermore, this is by far the largest CDW correlation volume observed in any cuprate crystal and so is presumably representative of the high-field ground state of an “ideal” disorder-free cuprate.« less

The relationship between journal use in a medical library and citation use.

PubMed Central

Tsay, M Y

1998-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between library journal use and journal citation use in the medical sciences. The six-month journal use study was conducted in the Library of the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei. The data on citation frequency and impact factors were obtained from Journal Citation Reports, 1993 microfiche edition. The study explored the use, citation, and impact factor data, especially for heavily used, highly cited, or high-impact-factor journals. The correlations between frequency of use and citation frequency and between frequency of use and impact factor were determined by using the Spearman rank and Pearson correlation tests. The same comparisons were also made within four subject categories: clinical medicine journals, life science journals, hybrid journals publishing both clinical medicine and life science papers, and journals that publish neither clinical medicine nor life science articles. The results of the study showed that there is a significant correlation between frequency of use and citation frequency, and between frequency of use and impact factor for all titles. There is also a significant correlation between frequency of use and citation frequency and between frequency of use and impact factor for journals that publish either clinical medicine or life science articles, or both. However, the correlation is not significant for other journals. PMID:9549010

High Phosphohistone H3 Expression Correlates with Adverse Clinical, Biological, and Pathological Factors in Neuroblastomas

PubMed Central

Ramani, Pramila; Taylor, Scott; Miller, Elizabeth; Sowa-Avugrah, Emile; May, Margaret T.

2015-01-01

Phosphohistone H3 (pHH3), a biomarker of the late G2- and M-phase of the cell cycle, provides a powerful indication of the proliferative state of many cancers. We investigated the prognostic significance of pHH3 by immunostaining 80 neuroblastomas and counting the average number of strongly stained nuclei and mitotic figures. The median and 75th percentile pHH3 proliferation indices (PIs) were 0.54% and 1.06% (range, 0.01% to 2.23%) respectively. pHH3 expression was significantly higher in neuroblastomas from patients with adverse clinical characteristics, all unfavorable pathological factors including high mitosis karyorrhexis index (MKI), and adverse biological factors including MYCN oncogene amplification. High pHH3-PIs, at 1% threshold, were significantly associated with a shorter overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) in the univariable Cox regression analyses. In the multivariable models, high pHH3 counts were significantly associated with worse OS after adjustment for age but were not independent of either high MKI or MYCN amplification. In children less than 18 months of age, high MKIs and high PHH3-PIs were associated with significantly worse OS and EFS. In conclusion, high pHH3 expression correlates strongly with high MKI and MYCN amplification and indicates poor prognosis in neuroblastomas. PMID:25711230

Relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms and cardiovascular risk scores including Framingham risk score and ACC/AHA risk score.

PubMed

Lee, Bora; Lee, Sang Wook; Kang, Hye Rim; Kim, Dae In; Sun, Hwa Yeon; Kim, Jae Heon

2018-01-01

This study attempted to investigate the association between lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk using International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and CVD risk scores and to overcome the limitations of previous relevant studies. A total of 2994 ostensibly healthy males, who participated in a voluntary health check in a health promotion center from January 2010 to December 2014, were reviewed. CVD risk scores were calculated using Framingham risk score and American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) score. Correlation and multivariate logistic regression analysis to predict the CVD risk severity were performed. Correlation between total IPSS with CVD risk scores demonstrated significant positive associations, which showed higher correlation with ACC/AHA score than the Framingham score (r = 0.18 vs 0.09, respectively). For ACC/AHA score, the partial correlation after adjustment of body mass index (BMI) showed significant positive correlations between all LUTS parameters and PSA. For the Framingham score, all variables, except IPSS Q2 and IPSS Q6, showed significant positive correlations. After adjustment of BMI, prostate volume and PSA, only the severe LUTS group showed significant relationship with intermediate-high CVD risk severity, as compared with normal LUTS group (OR = 2.97, 95%CI (1.35-6.99)). Using two validated CVD risk calculators, we observed that LUTS is closely associated with future CVD risk. To predict the intermediate-high CVD risk severity, severe LUTS was a sentinel sign, the presence of which warrants the importance of an earlier screening for CVD. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Amygdalar volumetric correlates of social anxiety in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Park, Min-Hyeon; Garrett, Amy; Boucher, Spencer; Howe, Meghan; Sanders, Erica; Kim, Eunjoo; Singh, Manpreet; Chang, Kiki

2015-11-30

The prevalence of social anxiety disorder is high in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) and anxiety may be a significant risk factor in these youth for developing BD. We compared social anxiety symptoms between BD offspring with mood symptoms (high-risk group for developing BD I or II: HR) and healthy controls (HC). We also explored the correlations between the amygdalar volumes and social anxiety symptoms in the HR group with high social anxiety scores (HRHSA) due to the potential involvement of the amygdala in the pathophysiology of both BD and social anxiety. Youth participating in the study included 29h and 17HC of comparable age and gender. To assess social anxiety symptoms, we used the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) social anxiety subscale. The HR group's MASC social anxiety score was significantly higher than that of the HC group. Among the 29h, 17 subjects (58.6%) showed high social anxiety and they were classified as the HRHSA group. No significant difference was observed in amygdalar volume between the HRHSA and HC groups. However, there were significant negative correlations between amydalar volumes and MASC social anxiety score in the HRHSA group. These findings have implications for the link between amygdalar structure and both anxiety and mood control. This link may serve to implicate high social anxiety as a risk marker for future BD development. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Associations Between Adiposity and Metabolic Syndrome Over Time: The Healthy Twin Study.

PubMed

Song, Yun-Mi; Sung, Joohon; Lee, Kayoung

2017-04-01

We evaluated the association between changes in adiposity traits including anthropometric and fat mass indicators and changes in metabolic syndrome traits including metabolic syndrome clustering and individual components over time. We also assessed the shared genetic and environmental correlations between the two traits. Participants were 284 South Korean twin individuals and 279 nontwin family members had complete data for changes in adiposity traits and metabolic syndrome traits of the Healthy Twin study. Mixed linear model and bivariate variance-component analysis were applied. Over a period of 3.1 ± 0.6 years of study, changes in adiposity traits [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, total fat mass, and fat mass to lean mass ratio] had significant associations with changes in metabolic syndrome clustering [high blood pressure, high serum glucose, high triglycerides (TG), and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol] after adjusting for intra-familial and sibling correlations, age, sex, baseline metabolic syndrome clustering, and socioeconomic factors and health behaviors at follow-up. Change in BMI associated significantly with changes in individual metabolic syndrome components compared to other adiposity traits. Change in metabolic syndrome component TG was a better predictor of changes in adiposity traits compared to changes in other metabolic components. These associations were explained by significant environmental correlations but not by genetic correlations. Changes in anthropometric and fat mass indicators were positively associated with changes in metabolic syndrome clustering and those associations appeared to be regulated by environmental influences.

Identification of sequence motifs significantly associated with antisense activity.

PubMed

McQuisten, Kyle A; Peek, Andrew S

2007-06-07

Predicting the suppression activity of antisense oligonucleotide sequences is the main goal of the rational design of nucleic acids. To create an effective predictive model, it is important to know what properties of an oligonucleotide sequence associate significantly with antisense activity. Also, for the model to be efficient we must know what properties do not associate significantly and can be omitted from the model. This paper will discuss the results of a randomization procedure to find motifs that associate significantly with either high or low antisense suppression activity, analysis of their properties, as well as the results of support vector machine modelling using these significant motifs as features. We discovered 155 motifs that associate significantly with high antisense suppression activity and 202 motifs that associate significantly with low suppression activity. The motifs range in length from 2 to 5 bases, contain several motifs that have been previously discovered as associating highly with antisense activity, and have thermodynamic properties consistent with previous work associating thermodynamic properties of sequences with their antisense activity. Statistical analysis revealed no correlation between a motif's position within an antisense sequence and that sequences antisense activity. Also, many significant motifs existed as subwords of other significant motifs. Support vector regression experiments indicated that the feature set of significant motifs increased correlation compared to all possible motifs as well as several subsets of the significant motifs. The thermodynamic properties of the significantly associated motifs support existing data correlating the thermodynamic properties of the antisense oligonucleotide with antisense efficiency, reinforcing our hypothesis that antisense suppression is strongly associated with probe/target thermodynamics, as there are no enzymatic mediators to speed the process along like the RNA Induced Silencing Complex (RISC) in RNAi. The independence of motif position and antisense activity also allows us to bypass consideration of this feature in the modelling process, promoting model efficiency and reducing the chance of overfitting when predicting antisense activity. The increase in SVR correlation with significant features compared to nearest-neighbour features indicates that thermodynamics alone is likely not the only factor in determining antisense efficiency.

Co-Expression of Putative Cancer Stem Cell Markers CD44 and CD133 in Prostate Carcinomas.

PubMed

Kalantari, Elham; Asgari, Mojgan; Nikpanah, Seyedehmoozhan; Salarieh, Naghme; Asadi Lari, Mohammad Hossein; Madjd, Zahra

2017-10-01

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the main players of prostate tumorigenesis thus; characterization of CSCs can pave the way for understanding the early detection, drug resistance, metastasis and relapse. The current study was conducted to evaluate the expression level and clinical significance of the potential CSC markers CD44 and CD133 in a series of prostate tissues. One hundred and forty eight prostate tissues composed of prostate cancer (PCa), high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) were immunostained for the putative CSC markers CD44 and CD133. Subsequently, the correlation between the expression of these markers and the clinicopathological variables was examined. A higher level of CD44 expression was observed in 42% of PCa, 57% of HGPIN, and 42% BPH tissues. In the case of CD133 expression PCa, HGPIN, and BPH samples demonstrated high immunoreactivity in 46%, 43%, and 42% of cells, respectively. Statistical analysis showed an inverse significant correlation between CD44 expression with Gleason score of PCa (P = 0.02), while no significant correlation was observed between CD133 expression and clinicopathological parameters. A significant reciprocal correlation was observed between the expression of two putative CSC markers CD44 and CD133 in PCa specimens while not indicating clinical significance. Further clinical investigation is required to consider these markers as targets of new therapeutic strategies for PCa.

Heavy-metal contamination of Crassostrea virginica and associated sediments of the Corpus Christi Bay system, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harrison, G.; Martin, E.A.

1982-01-01

In a preliminary survey, Crassostrea virginica from areas of the Corpus Christi Bay system of Texas show significant concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in their tissues and shells; concentrations of these same metals in associated sediments are also high in certain areas of the bay system. Zn and Cd concentrations in tissue show a high negative correlation to each other, whereas Zn and Pb in tissue and shell show a high positive correlation to one another. Sediment contents of Pb and Zn best reflect tissue values of the heavy metals; sediment concentrations of Cd and Cu show a poor inverse correlation to tissue concentrations. Some possible factors influencing these correlations are suspended-sediment type, physiological changes, water quality, and Ca intake.

Jaw Dysfunction Is Associated with Neck Disability and Muscle Tenderness in Subjects with and without Chronic Temporomandibular Disorders

PubMed Central

Silveira, A.; Gadotti, I. C.; Armijo-Olivo, S.; Biasotto-Gonzalez, D. A.; Magee, D.

2015-01-01

Purpose. Tender points in the neck are common in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, the correlation among neck disability, jaw dysfunction, and muscle tenderness in subjects with TMD still needs further investigation. This study investigated the correlation among neck disability, jaw dysfunction, and muscle tenderness in subjects with and without chronic TMD. Participants. Forty females between 19 and 49 years old were included in this study. There were 20 healthy controls and 20 subjects who had chronic TMD and neck disability. Methods. Subjects completed the neck disability index and the limitations of daily functions in TMD questionnaires. Tenderness of the masticatory and cervical muscles was measured using an algometer. Results. The correlation between jaw disability and neck disability was significantly high (r = 0.915, P < 0.05). The correlation between level of muscle tenderness in the masticatory and cervical muscles with jaw dysfunction and neck disability showed fair to moderate correlations (r = 0.32–0.65). Conclusion. High levels of muscle tenderness in upper trapezius and temporalis muscles correlated with high levels of jaw and neck dysfunction. Moreover, high levels of neck disability correlated with high levels of jaw disability. These findings emphasize the importance of considering the neck and its structures when evaluating and treating patients with TMD. PMID:25883963

Jaw dysfunction is associated with neck disability and muscle tenderness in subjects with and without chronic temporomandibular disorders.

PubMed

Silveira, A; Gadotti, I C; Armijo-Olivo, S; Biasotto-Gonzalez, D A; Magee, D

2015-01-01

Tender points in the neck are common in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). However, the correlation among neck disability, jaw dysfunction, and muscle tenderness in subjects with TMD still needs further investigation. This study investigated the correlation among neck disability, jaw dysfunction, and muscle tenderness in subjects with and without chronic TMD. Participants. Forty females between 19 and 49 years old were included in this study. There were 20 healthy controls and 20 subjects who had chronic TMD and neck disability. Subjects completed the neck disability index and the limitations of daily functions in TMD questionnaires. Tenderness of the masticatory and cervical muscles was measured using an algometer. The correlation between jaw disability and neck disability was significantly high (r = 0.915, P < 0.05). The correlation between level of muscle tenderness in the masticatory and cervical muscles with jaw dysfunction and neck disability showed fair to moderate correlations (r = 0.32-0.65). High levels of muscle tenderness in upper trapezius and temporalis muscles correlated with high levels of jaw and neck dysfunction. Moreover, high levels of neck disability correlated with high levels of jaw disability. These findings emphasize the importance of considering the neck and its structures when evaluating and treating patients with TMD.

Cerebellar Purkinje Cells Generate Highly Correlated Spontaneous Slow-Rate Fluctuations.

PubMed

Cao, Ying; Liu, Yu; Jaeger, Dieter; Heck, Detlef H

2017-01-01

Cerebellar Purkinje cells (PC) fire action potentials at high, sustained rates. Changes in spike rate that last a few tens of milliseconds encode sensory and behavioral events. Here we investigated spontaneous fluctuations of PC simple spike rate at a slow time scale of the order of 1 s. Simultaneous recordings from pairs of PCs that were aligned either along the sagittal or transversal axis of the cerebellar cortex revealed that simple spike rate fluctuations at the 1 s time scale were highly correlated. Each pair of PCs had either a predominantly positive or negative slow-rate correlation, with negative correlations observed only in PC pairs aligned along the transversal axis. Slow-rate correlations were independent of faster rate changes that were correlated with fluid licking behavior. Simultaneous recordings from PCs and cerebellar nuclear (CN) neurons showed that slow-rate fluctuations in PC and CN activity were also highly correlated, but their correlations continually alternated between periods of positive and negative correlation. The functional significance of this new aspect of cerebellar spike activity remains to be determined. Correlated slow-rate fluctuations seem too slow to be involved in the real-time control of ongoing behavior. However, slow-rate fluctuations of PCs converging on the same CN neuron are likely to modulate the excitability of the CN neuron, thus introduce a possible slow modulation of cerebellar output activity.

Uterine Fibroids: Correlation of T2 Signal Intensity with Semiquantitative Perfusion MR Parameters in Patients Screened for MR-guided High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Ablation.

PubMed

Kim, Young-Sun; Lee, Jeong-Won; Choi, Chel Hun; Kim, Byoung-Gie; Bae, Duk-Soo; Rhim, Hyunchul; Lim, Hyo Keun

2016-03-01

To evaluate the relationships between T2 signal intensity and semiquantitative perfusion magnetic resonance (MR) parameters of uterine fibroids in patients who were screened for MR-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) ablation. Institutional review board approval was granted, and informed consents were waived. One hundred seventy most symptom-relevant, nondegenerated uterine fibroids (mean diameter, 7.3 cm; range, 3.0-17.2 cm) in 170 women (mean age, 43.5 years; range, 24-56 years) undergoing screening MR examinations for MR-guided HIFU ablation from October 2009 to April 2014 were retrospectively analyzed. Fibroid signal intensity was assessed as the ratio of the fibroid T2 signal intensity to that of skeletal muscle. Parameters of semiquantitative perfusion MR imaging obtained during screening MR examination (peak enhancement, percentage of relative peak enhancement, time to peak [in seconds], wash-in rate [per seconds], and washout rate [per seconds]) were investigated to assess their relationships with T2 signal ratio by using multiple linear regression analysis. Correlations between T2 signal intensity and independently significant perfusion parameters were then evaluated according to fibroid type by using Spearman correlation test. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that relative peak enhancement showed an independently significant correlation with T2 signal ratio (Β = 0.004, P < .001). Submucosal intracavitary (n = 20, ρ = 0.275, P = .240) and type III (n = 18, ρ = 0.082, P = .748) fibroids failed to show significant correlations between perfusion and T2 signal intensity, while significant correlations were found for all other fibroid types (ρ = 0.411-0.629, P < .05). In possible candidates for MR-guided HIFU ablation, the T2 signal intensity of nondegenerated uterine fibroids showed an independently significant positive correlation with relative peak enhancement in most cases, except those of submucosal intracavitary or type III fibroids.

Analysis of the relationship between community characteristics and depression using geographically weighted regression.

PubMed

Choi, Hyungyun; Kim, Ho

2017-01-01

Achieving national health equity is currently a pressing issue. Large regional variations in the health determinants are observed. Depression, one of the most common mental disorders, has large variations in incidence among different populations, and thus must be regionally analyzed. The present study aimed at analyzing regional disparities in depressive symptoms and identifying the health determinants that require regional interventions. Using health indicators of depression in the Korea Community Health Survey 2011 and 2013, the Moran's I was calculated for each variable to assess spatial autocorrelation, and a validated geographically weighted regression analysis using ArcGIS version 10.1 of different domains: health behavior, morbidity, and the social and physical environments were created, and the final model included a combination of significant variables in these models. In the health behavior domain, the weekly breakfast intake frequency of 1-2 times was the most significantly correlated with depression in all regions, followed by exposure to secondhand smoke and the level of perceived stress in some regions. In the morbidity domain, the rate of lifetime diagnosis of myocardial infarction was the most significantly correlated with depression. In the social and physical environment domain, the trust environment within the local community was highly correlated with depression, showing that lower the level of trust, higher was the level of depression. A final model was constructed and analyzed using highly influential variables from each domain. The models were divided into two groups according to the significance of correlation of each variable with the experience of depression symptoms. The indicators of the regional health status are significantly associated with the incidence of depressive symptoms within a region. The significance of this correlation varied across regions.

Examination of psychological variables related to nuclear attitudes and nuclear activism

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roy, P.J.

1985-01-01

It was hypothesized that knowledge about nuclear arms developments would not be correlated with nuclear attitudes, that sense of efficacy would be positively correlated with magnitude of nuclear activism, and that death anxiety would be correlated with high level of nuclear knowledge and anti-nuclear attitudes, but not with sense of power. It was also hypothesized that positive correlations would be found between nuclear activism and political activism, knowledge of nuclear facts, and degree of adherence to anti-nuclear attitudes. One hundred and forty three women and 90 men participated in this questionnaire study. Major findings are as follows. In general, themore » more people knew about nuclear developments, the more anti-nuclear were their attitudes. Also, regardless of nuclear attitudes, a positive correlation was found between knowledge of nuclear facts and nuclear activism. Death anxiety and powerlessness were not correlated. There was a positive correlation between anxiety and both nuclear knowledge and anti-nuclear attitudes. A strong positive correlation was found between nuclear activism and anti-nuclear attitudes, and between political activism and nuclear activism. Internal locus of control did not correlate significantly with high sense of power or with high degree of nuclear activism.« less

Both high expression of pyruvate kinase M2 and vascular endothelial growth factor-C predicts poorer prognosis in human breast cancer.

PubMed

Lin, Yang; Liu, Fangfang; Fan, Yu; Qian, Xiaolong; Lang, Ronggang; Gu, Feng; Gu, Jun; Fu, Li

2015-01-01

Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) and vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) have been known to play an important role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression in breast cancer. However, the association between PKM2 and VEGF-C in breast cancer remains unclear. In the present study, a total of 218 specimens from breast cancer patients and 26 paired breast tumors with adjacent normal tissues as well as two breast cancer cell lines were enrolled to investigate the correlation between PKM2 and VEGF-C. We found that PKM2 and VEGF-C mRNA levels were both significantly increasing in breast tumors compared with adjacent normal tissues. Knockdown of PKM2 mRNA expression resulted in VEGF-C mRNA and protein down-regulated as well as cell proliferation inhibited. A positive correlation between PKM2 and VEGF-C expression was identified by immunohistochemical analyses of 218 specimens of patients with breast cancer (P=0.023). PKM2 high expression was significantly correlated with histological grade (P=0.030), lymph node stage (P=0.001), besides VEGF-C high expression was significantly associated with lymphovascular invasion (P=0.012). While combined high expression of PKM2 and VEGF-C was found to be associated with worse histological grade, more lymph node metastasis, more lymphovascular invasion, shorter progression free survival (PFS), and poorer overall survival (OS) in human breast cancer. The results of the present study suggested that PKM2 expression was correlated with VEGF-C expression, and combination of PKM2 and VEGF-C levels had the better prognostic significance in predicting the poor outcome of patients with breast cancer.

A method for the estimation of the significance of cross-correlations in unevenly sampled red-noise time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Max-Moerbeck, W.; Richards, J. L.; Hovatta, T.; Pavlidou, V.; Pearson, T. J.; Readhead, A. C. S.

2014-11-01

We present a practical implementation of a Monte Carlo method to estimate the significance of cross-correlations in unevenly sampled time series of data, whose statistical properties are modelled with a simple power-law power spectral density. This implementation builds on published methods; we introduce a number of improvements in the normalization of the cross-correlation function estimate and a bootstrap method for estimating the significance of the cross-correlations. A closely related matter is the estimation of a model for the light curves, which is critical for the significance estimates. We present a graphical and quantitative demonstration that uses simulations to show how common it is to get high cross-correlations for unrelated light curves with steep power spectral densities. This demonstration highlights the dangers of interpreting them as signs of a physical connection. We show that by using interpolation and the Hanning sampling window function we are able to reduce the effects of red-noise leakage and to recover steep simple power-law power spectral densities. We also introduce the use of a Neyman construction for the estimation of the errors in the power-law index of the power spectral density. This method provides a consistent way to estimate the significance of cross-correlations in unevenly sampled time series of data.

Relationship of uranium and other trace elements to post-Cretaceous vulcanism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coats, Robert R.

1955-01-01

A regional study of the distribution of uranium, boron, tin, beryllium, niobium, lanthanum, lead, zirconium, lithium, and fluorine in 112 samples of Cenozoic volcanic rocks of predominately rhyolitic and dacitic composition has shown that the content of uranium has a significantly high positive correlation with that of niobium, beryllium, and fluorine, a lower but still significant positive correlation with lithium and tin, a significant negative correlation with boron and lanthanum, and no significant correlation with zirconium and lead. A study of the relation of content of the several elements to the geographic provenance shows significant variation with provenance for all these elements, except tin and lanthanum. On the basis of these variations and on patterns of consistency, five comagmatic provinces, one of which is divided into three sub-provinces, have been delimited, in part, on a map of the western United States. The patter of distribution of boron is significantly different from that of the other elements. The regional difference are perhaps best explained by structural control of the effectiveness of vertical transport.

High-frequency profile in adolescents and its relationship with the use of personal stereo devices.

PubMed

Silvestre, Renata Almeida Araújo; Ribas, Ângela; Hammerschmidt, Rogério; de Lacerda, Adriana Bender Moreira

2016-01-01

To analyze and correlate the audiometric findings of high frequencies (9-16 kHz) in adolescents with their hearing habits and attitudes, in order to prevent noise-induced hearing loss. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, which included 125 adolescents in a sample of normal-hearing students, at a state school. The subjects performed high-frequency audiometry testing and answered a self-administered questionnaire addressing information on sound habits concerning the use of personal stereo devices. The sample was divided according to the exposure characteristics (time, duration, intensity, etc.) and the results were compared with the observed thresholds, through the difference in proportions test, chi-squared, Student's t-test, and ANOVA, all at a significance level of 0.05. Average high-frequency thresholds were registered below 15 dB HL and no significant correlation was found between high frequency audiometric findings and the degree of exposure. The prevalence of harmful sound habits due to the use of personal stereo devices is high in the adolescent population, but there was no correlation between exposure to high sound pressure levels through personal stereos and the high-frequency thresholds in this population. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Cytoplasmic expression of survivin is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in patients with salivary gland cancer.

PubMed

Stenner, Markus; Weinell, Antje; Ponert, Tobias; Hardt, Aline; Hahn, Moritz; Preuss, Simon F; Guntinas-Lichius, Orlando; Klussmann, Jens Peter

2010-11-01

The expression of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein survivin has been shown to be a significant prognostic indicator in various human cancers. The aim was to assess its expression and prognostic value in salivary gland adenocarcinoma and muco-epidermoid carcinoma. Survivin expression was analysed in 48 patients with parotid gland cancer (21 muco-epidermoid, 27 adenocarcinomas) by means of immunohistochemistry. The experimental findings were correlated with clinicopathological and survival parameters. A high cytoplasmic expression of survivin was found in 30% of the examined tumours without any significant correlation with the patients' clinicopathological characteristics (P > 0.05). Within all patients, the estimated overall survival rate of muco-epidermoid carcinomas was significantly better than that of adenocarcinomas (P = 0.013). A high cytoplasmic survivin expression significantly indicated a poor 5-year disease-free survival rate compared to patients with a low cytoplasmic survivin expression in the whole group (P = 0.001) and in adenocarcinomas (P = 0.004). In a multivariate analysis, a high cytoplasmic survivin expression was the only independent prognostic indicator for a significantly poorer 5-year disease-free survival rate (P = 0.001). The correlation between cytoplasmic survivin expression and survival in salivary gland malignancies might make this an effective tool in patient follow-up, prognosis and targeted therapy in future. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Limited.

What Makes Super‐Aged Nations Happier? Exploring Critical Factors of Happiness Among Middle‐Aged Men and Women in Japan

PubMed Central

Tamiya, Nanako; Kawachi, Nobuyuki; Miyairi, Maya

2018-01-01

This study aimed to examine multiple factors associated with happiness from the perspective of gender difference among a middle‐aged Japanese population. A total of 865 participants (male = 344, female = 521) aged 40–64 years were divided into two groups (high and low) by their self‐reported level of happiness. Logistic regression analysis by gender was carried out. In men, high levels of happiness were significantly correlated with living with spouse, occupation, enough sleep, leading a normal life, and regular checkups; while low levels of happiness were significantly correlated with smoking and having two or more diseases. In women, low levels of happiness were significantly correlated with caring for a family member. Our data suggested that the factors relevant to happiness levels might vary between men and women among middle‐aged people in Japan. To increase the nation's level of happiness, the Japanese government must implement extended social services and policymaking, to alleviate caregivers’ burdens, especially among Japanese women. PMID:29610701

High Avidity dsDNA Autoantibodies in Brazilian Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Correlation with Active Disease and Renal Dysfunction

PubMed Central

Oliveira, Rodrigo C.; Oliveira, Isabela S.; Santiago, Mittermayer B.; Sousa Atta, Maria L. B.; Atta, Ajax M.

2015-01-01

We investigated in Brazilian women with SLE the prevalence and levels of high avidity (HA) dsDNA antibodies and tested their correlation with lupus activity and biomarkers of renal disease. We also compared these correlations to those observed with total dsDNA antibodies and antibodies against nucleosome (ANuA). Autoantibodies were detected by ELISA, while C3 and C4 levels were determined by nephelometry. Urine protein/creatinine ratio was determined, and lupus activity was measured by SLEDAI-2K. The prevalence of total and HA dsDNA antibodies was similar to but lower than that verified for ANuA. The levels of the three types of antibodies were correlated, but the correlation was more significant between HA dsDNA antibodies and ANuA. High avidity dsDNA antibodies correlated positively with ESR and SLEDAI and inversely with C3 and C4. Similar correlations were observed for ANuA levels, whereas total dsDNA antibodies only correlated with SLEDAI and C3. The levels of HA dsDNA antibodies were higher in patients with proteinuria, but their levels of total dsDNA antibodies and ANuA were unaltered. High avidity dsDNA antibodies can be found in high prevalence in Brazilian women with SLE and are important biomarkers of active disease and kidney dysfunction. PMID:26583157

High Avidity dsDNA Autoantibodies in Brazilian Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Correlation with Active Disease and Renal Dysfunction.

PubMed

Oliveira, Rodrigo C; Oliveira, Isabela S; Santiago, Mittermayer B; Sousa Atta, Maria L B; Atta, Ajax M

2015-01-01

We investigated in Brazilian women with SLE the prevalence and levels of high avidity (HA) dsDNA antibodies and tested their correlation with lupus activity and biomarkers of renal disease. We also compared these correlations to those observed with total dsDNA antibodies and antibodies against nucleosome (ANuA). Autoantibodies were detected by ELISA, while C3 and C4 levels were determined by nephelometry. Urine protein/creatinine ratio was determined, and lupus activity was measured by SLEDAI-2K. The prevalence of total and HA dsDNA antibodies was similar to but lower than that verified for ANuA. The levels of the three types of antibodies were correlated, but the correlation was more significant between HA dsDNA antibodies and ANuA. High avidity dsDNA antibodies correlated positively with ESR and SLEDAI and inversely with C3 and C4. Similar correlations were observed for ANuA levels, whereas total dsDNA antibodies only correlated with SLEDAI and C3. The levels of HA dsDNA antibodies were higher in patients with proteinuria, but their levels of total dsDNA antibodies and ANuA were unaltered. High avidity dsDNA antibodies can be found in high prevalence in Brazilian women with SLE and are important biomarkers of active disease and kidney dysfunction.

Growth hormone-binding protein activity is inversely related to 24-hour growth hormone release in normal boys.

PubMed

Martha, P M; Rogol, A D; Blizzard, R M; Shaw, M A; Baumann, G

1991-07-01

To investigate the physiological relationship between serum GH-binding proteins and 24-h GH release, we compared the 24-h GH pulse attributes in serum samples obtained at 20-min intervals to the serum GH-binding protein activity (GH-BP) from 38 normal boys between 7 5/12 and 18 4/12 yr of age. GH-BP was determined in a serum sample from each study (containing less than 1.0 micrograms/L GH) using a standardized GH-BP assay. GH-BP results are expressed as the percentage of [125I]human GH bound to the high affinity GH-BP complex (peak II) per 160 microL serum. There were significant inverse relationships between the high affinity (receptor-related) GH-BP and several characteristics of 24-h GH release. Specifically, GH-BP was significantly (P less than 0.005 for all), but negatively, correlated with mean 24-h GH concentration (r = -0.62), sum of the GH pulse amplitudes (r = -0.57), sum of the GH pulse areas (r = -0.55), interpulse mean GH concentration (r = -0.53), and number of GH pulses per 24 h (r = -0.53). In addition, GH-BP correlated positively with the mean time interval between pulses (r = 0.59). There was also a significant positive correlation (r = 0.75; P less than 0.001) between GH-BP and the subject's age-adjusted body mass index SD score (BMI-SDS). Each characteristic of 24-h GH release correlating inversely with GH-BP also correlated inversely with BMI-SDS (P less than 0.01 for all comparisons). GH-BP did not, however, correlate with plasma insulin-like growth factor-I levels, serum testosterone concentrations, or height SDS. Binding to the low affinity GH-BP (peak I) did not correlate significantly with any of the examined GH pulse attributes, BMI-SDS, or the degree of binding to the high affinity GH-BP (peak II). We conclude that an inverse relationship exists between the high affinity serum GH-BP and 24-h GH release in boys under normal physiological conditions. We speculate that abnormalities in this relationship probably also exist and may underlie some disorders of growth.

Pitfalls in interpretation of CT-values of RT-PCR in children with acute respiratory tract infections.

PubMed

Wishaupt, Jérôme O; Ploeg, Tjeerd van der; Smeets, Leo C; Groot, Ronald de; Versteegh, Florens G A; Hartwig, Nico G

2017-05-01

The relation between viral load and disease severity in childhood acute respiratory tract infections (ARI) is not fully understood. To assess the clinical relevance of the relation between viral load, determined by cycle threshold (CT) value of real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays and disease severity in children with single- and multiple viral ARI. 582 children with ARI were prospectively followed and tested for 15 viruses. Correlations were calculated between CT values and clinical parameters. In single viral ARI, statistically significant correlations were found between viral loads of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and hospitalization and between viral loads of Human Coronavirus (HCoV) and a disease severity score. In multiple-viral ARI, statistically significant correlations between viral load and clinical parameters were found. In RSV-Rhinovirus (RV) multiple infections, a low viral load of RV was correlated with a high length of hospital stay and a high duration of extra oxygen use. The mean CT value for RV, HCoV and Parainfluenza virus was significantly lower in single- versus multiple infections. Although correlations between CT values and clinical parameters in patients with single and multiple viral infection were found, the clinical importance of these findings is limited because individual differences in host-, viral and laboratory factors complicate the interpretation of statistically significant findings. In multiple infections, viral load cannot be used to differentiate between disease causing virus and innocent bystanders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validity of wearable activity monitors for tracking steps and estimating energy expenditure during a graded maximal treadmill test.

PubMed

Kendall, Bradley; Bellovary, Bryanne; Gothe, Neha P

2018-06-04

The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of energy expenditure (EE) estimation and step tracking abilities of six activity monitors (AMs) in relation to indirect calorimetry and hand counted steps and assess the accuracy of the AMs between high and low fit individuals in order to assess the impact of exercise intensity. Fifty participants wore the Basis watch, Fitbit Flex, Polar FT7, Jawbone, Omron pedometer, and Actigraph during a maximal graded treadmill test. Correlations, intra-class correlations, and t-tests determined accuracy and agreement between AMs and criterions. The results indicate that the Omron, Fitbit, and Actigraph were accurate for measuring steps while the Basis and Jawbone significantly underestimated steps. All AMs were significantly correlated with indirect calorimetry, however, no devices showed agreement (p < .05). When comparing low and high fit groups, correlations between AMs and indirect calorimetry improved for the low fit group, suggesting AMs may be better at measuring EE at lower intensity exercise.

C-reactive protein and reactive oxygen metabolites in subjects with metabolic syndrome.

PubMed

Kotani, K; Sakane, N

2012-01-01

This cross-sectional study investigated the correlation between diacron reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in subjects with or without metabolic syndrome. Cardiometabolic risk factors, d-ROMs and hs-CRP were determined in 457 women: 123 with metabolic syndrome and 334 without metabolic syndrome. The correlation between d-ROMs and hs-CRP levels was compared between the two groups. The group with metabolic syndrome had significantly higher d-ROMs and hs-CRP levels than the group without metabolic syndrome. While the d-ROMs level was significantly and positively correlated with the hs-CRP level in both groups, the correlation level between the two groups was significantly different. Multiple linear regression analysis adjusted for other cardiometabolic risk factors also showed significant positive correlation between dROMs and hs-CRP levels in both groups. Subjects with metabolic syndrome may have a closer relationship between inflammation and oxidative stress than subjects without metabolic syndrome, possibly reflecting their increased predisposition to atherosclerosis. Further studies are necessary to confirm the observed relationship.

Study of blood pressure and blood sugar levels in adolescence and comparison with body mass index.

PubMed

Borade, Ashwin; Kadam, Gauri Shashank; Bhide, Gayatri; Dhongade, Ram

2011-07-01

Worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing and its consequences prompted the WHO to designate obesity as a global epidemic in 2002. Being overweight is a risk factor for significant illness, especially diabetes and hypertension in adult life. To study the blood pressure and blood sugar levels and lifestyle parameters in adolescence and comparison with body mass index. In a prospective case control study, out of the 1000 screened, a total of 200 adolescents were considered out of which 100 were with high body mass index (BMI) and the other 100 were with normal BMI. Height, weight, BMI, waist hip ratio (WHR), blood pressure (BP), BSL, and associated risk factors like physical activity, fast food consumption, and computer/television watching were measured and screened. 109 (54.5%) males and 91 (45.5%) females were included. Maximum number [90 (45%)] of adolescents screened were in the age group of 17-19 years, while 54 (27%) and 56 (28%) adolescents were in the age group of 10-13 years and 14-16 years, respectively. According to CDC charts 2000, prevalence of overweight was 24% which was double when compared to WHO charts 2007. There was significant difference in prevalence of obesity; according to CDC chart it was 26%, whereas according to WHO chart it was 39%. The difference in blood pressures between cases and controls as per both CDC and WHO charts was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Positive family history of hypertension has a highly significant correlation (P < 0.001) with BMI. Blood sugar level (BSL) was significantly higher in cases (high BMI) when compared to controls (normal BMI). The comparison of WHR in the study group showed highly significant correlation ( P < 0.0001) between cases and controls. The present study shows highly significant correlation of physical activity ( P < 0.0001) and fast food ( P < 0.05) between cases and controls, whereas there was no significant correlation of computer/television watching ( P > 0.05) with BMI. The adolescents seem to have become heavier owing to environmental influences on growth patterns. So, a consideration should be given to shift the cut-offs for overweight and obesity to higher BMI percentiles if recent growth charts are to be followed. Adolescents with a BMI above the 95 th percentile (obese) are most likely to have obesity-related health risks.

Prognostic significance of NFIA and NFIB in esophageal squamous carcinoma and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma.

PubMed

Yang, Bo; Zhou, Zhi-Hang; Chen, Li; Cui, Xiang; Hou, Jun-Yan; Fan, Kai-Jie; Han, Si-Hao; Li, Peng; Yi, Shao-Qiong; Liu, Yang

2018-05-01

The nuclear factor I (NFI) family members, especially NFIA and NFIB, play essential roles in cancers. The roles of NFIA and NFIB in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma (EJA) remain poorly known. This study aimed to determine the expression of NFIA and NFIB in ESCC and EJA and elucidate their prognostic significance. The expression of NFIA and NFIB was examined in 163 ESCC samples and 26 EJA samples by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that high NFIA expression correlated significantly with poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and advanced TNM stage in patients with ESCC. High NFIB expression only correlated with poor differentiation in patients with ESCC. Survival analysis showed that NFIA but not NFIB associated with short overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with ESCC. On the other hand, high NFIB expression correlated with lymph node metastasis, advanced TNM stage, and short OS and DFS in patients with EJA. Finally, multivariate analysis demonstrated that high NFIA expression was an independent prognostic factor for ESCC. Taken together, these results demonstrated that NFIA and NFIB could serve as prognostic indicators for ESCC and EJA, respectively. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dysfunctional Metacognitive Beliefs in Body Dysmorphic Disorder

PubMed Central

Zeinodini, Zahra; Sedighi, Sahar; Rahimi, Mandana Baghertork; Noorbakhsh, Simasadat; Esfahani, Sepideh Rajezi

2016-01-01

The present study aims to examine the correlation of body dysmorphic disorder, with metacognitive subscales, metaworry and thought-fusion. The study was conducted in a correlation framework. Sample included 155 high school students in Isfahan, Iran in 2013-2014, gathered through convenience sampling. To gather data about BDD, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Modified for BDD was applied. Then, Meta Cognitive Questionnaire, Metaworry Questionnaire, and Thought-Fusion Inventory were used to assess metacognitive subscales, metaworry and thought-fusion. Data obtained from this study were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regressions in SPSS 18. Result indicated YBOCS-BDD scores had a significant correlation with scores from MCQ (P<0.05), MWG (P<0.05), and TFI (P<0.05). Also, multiple regressions were run to predict YBOCS from TFI, MWQ, and MCQ-30. These variables significantly predicted YBOCS [F (3,151) =32.393, R2=0.57]. Findings indicated that body dysmorphic disorder was significantly related to metacognitive subscales, metaworry, and thought fusion in high school students in Isfahan, which is in line with previous studies. A deeper understanding of these processes can broaden theory and treatment of BDD, thereby improve the lives of sufferers and potentially protect others from developing this devastating disorder. PMID:26493420

[Correlational study among anger, perceived stress and mental health status in middle aged women].

PubMed

Lee, Pyoung-Sook

2003-10-01

This study was to identify the relationships of trait anger, mode of anger expression, and perceived stress to mental health status in middle aged women. The subjects were 157 middle aged women from 40s to 60s who lived in Seoul. Data was collected by questionnaire surveys using the convenience sampling. The instruments used for this study were Spielberger's trait anger scale and anger expression scale, Cohen, Kamarck, and Mermelstein's perceived stress and Derogatis's SCL-90-R. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Stepwise multiple regression with SAS/PC. The trait anger of middle aged women indicated a significantly positive correlation to perceived stress(r=.180, p=.023) and mental health status(r.=021, p=.014). Anger-in(r=.237, p<.05), and perceived stress(p=.461, p<.01) showed significantly positive correlation to mental health status. The most significant predictor influencing health status of middle aged women was perceived stress, and anger-in and the variance explained was 27%. These results suggested that middle aged women with high degree of trait anger is likely to be high in stress perception. Perceived stress and anger-in are major factors influencing mental health status.

Cross-correlation analysis between Chinese TF contracts and treasury ETF based on high-frequency data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yu; Chen, Shi

2016-02-01

In this paper, we investigate the high-frequency cross-correlation relationship between Chinese treasury futures contracts and treasury ETF. We analyze the logarithmic return of these two price series, from which we can conclude that both return series are not normally distributed and the futures markets have greater volatility. We find significant cross-correlation between these two series. We further confirm the relationship using the DCCA coefficient and the DMCA coefficient. We quantify the long-range cross-correlation with DCCA method, and we further show that the relationship is multifractal. An arbitrage algorithm based on DFA regression with stable return is proposed in the last part.

Protein disorder is positively correlated with gene expression in E. coli

PubMed Central

Paliy, Oleg; Gargac, Shawn M.; Cheng, Yugong; Uversky, Vladimir N.; Dunker, A. Keith

2009-01-01

We considered on a global scale the relationship between the predicted fraction of protein disorder and RNA and protein expression in E. coli. Fraction of protein disorder correlated positively with both measured RNA expression levels of E. coli genes in three different growth media and with predicted abundance levels of E. coli proteins. Though weak, the correlation was highly significant. Correlation of protein disorder with RNA expression did not depend on the growth rate of E. coli cultures and was not caused by a small subset of genes showing exceptionally high concordance in their disorder and expression levels. Global analysis was complemented by detailed consideration of several groups of proteins. PMID:18465893

Herschel-ATLAS: The Angular Correlation Function of Submillimetre Galaxies at High and Low Redshift

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maddox, S. J.; Dunne, L.; Rigby, E.; Eales, S.; Cooray, A.; Scott, D.; Peacock, J. A.; Negrello, M.; Smith, D. J. B.; Benford, D.;

Correlation Between Vision and Cognitive Function in the Elderly

PubMed Central

Spierer, Oriel; Fischer, Naomi; Barak, Adiel; Belkin, Michael

2016-01-01

Abstract The correlation between vision and cognition is not fully understood. Visual impairment in the elderly has been associated with impaired cognitive function, dementia, and Alzheimer disease. The aim was to study the correlation between near visual acuity (VA), refraction, and cognitive state in an elderly population. Subjects ≥75 years were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Refraction and near VA was tested. Cognitive function was evaluated with a version of the mini-mental state examination for the visually impaired (MMSE-blind). The eye with better VA and no cataract or refractive surgery was analyzed. One-hundred ninety subjects (81.6 ± 5.1 years, 69.5% female) were included. Good VA (≤J3) was associated with high MMSE-blind (>17) (OR = 3.18, 95% CI = 1.57–6.43, P = 0.001). This remained significant adjusting for sex, age, and years of education. Wearing reading glasses correlated significantly with high MMSE-blind after adjustment for sex and age (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.16–3.97, P = 0.016), but reached borderline significance after adjustment for education. There was a trend toward correlation between myopia and better MMSE-blind (r = −0.123, P = 0.09, Pearson correlation). Good VA and wearing glasses seem to correlate with better cognitive function. Reading glasses can serve as a protective factor against cognitive deterioration associated with sensory (visual) deprivation in old age. The association between myopia and cognition requires further investigation. PMID:26817872

Sciatic neurosteatosis: Relationship with age, gender, obesity and height.

PubMed

Ratner, Shayna; Khwaja, Raamis; Zhang, Lihua; Xi, Yin; Dessouky, Riham; Rubin, Craig; Chhabra, Avneesh

2018-04-01

To evaluate inter-reader performance for cross-sectional area and fat quantification of bilateral sciatic nerves on MRI and assess correlations with anthropometrics. In this IRB-approved, HIPPA-compliant study, three readers performed a cross-sectional analysis of 3T lumbosacral plexus MRIs over an 18-month period. Image slices were evaluated at two levels (A and B). The sciatic nerve was outlined using a free hand region of interest tool on PACS. Proton-density fat fraction (FF) and cross-sectional areas were recorded. Inter-reader agreement was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Spearman correlation coefficients were used for correlations with age, BMI and height and Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to assess gender differences. A total of 67 patients were included in this study with male to female ratio of 1:1. Inter-reader agreement was good to excellent for FF measurements at both levels (ICC=0.71-0.90) and poor for sciatic nerve areas (ICC=0.08-0.27). Positive correlations of sciatic FF and area were seen with age (p value<0.05). Males had significantly higher sciatic intraneural fat than females (p<0.05). Fat quantification MRI is highly reproducible with significant positive correlations of sciatic FF and area with age, which may have implications for MRI diagnosis of sciatic neuropathy. • MR proton density fat fraction is highly reproducible at multiple levels. • Sciatic intraneural fat is positively correlated with increasing age (p < 0.05). • Positive correlations exist between bilateral sciatic nerve areas and age (p < 0.05). • Males had significantly higher sciatic intraneural fat than females (p < 0.05).

Search for Cross-Correlations of Ultrahigh-Energy Cosmic Rays with BL Lacertae Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, R. U.; Abu-Zayyad, T.; Amann, J. F.; Archbold, G.; Belov, K.; Belz, J. W.; BenZvi, S.; Bergman, D. R.; Blake, S. A.; Boyer, J. H.; Burt, G. W.; Cao, Z.; Connolly, B. M.; Deng, W.; Fedorova, Y.; Findlay, J.; Finley, C. B.; Hanlon, W. F.; Hoffman, C. M.; Holzscheiter, M. H.; Hughes, G. A.; Hüntemeyer, P.; Jui, C. C. H.; Kim, K.; Kirn, M. A.; Knapp, B. C.; Loh, E. C.; Maestas, M. M.; Manago, N.; Mannel, E. J.; Marek, L. J.; Martens, K.; Matthews, J. A. J.; Matthews, J. N.; O'Neill, A.; Painter, C. A.; Perera, L.; Reil, K.; Riehle, R.; Roberts, M. D.; Rodriguez, D.; Sasaki, M.; Schnetzer, S. R.; Seman, M.; Sinnis, G.; Smith, J. D.; Snow, R.; Sokolsky, P.; Springer, R. W.; Stokes, B. T.; Thomas, J. R.; Thomas, S. B.; Thomson, G. B.; Tupa, D.; Westerhoff, S.; Wiencke, L. R.; Zech, A.; HIRES Collaboration

2006-01-01

Data taken in stereo mode by the High Resolution Fly's Eye (HiRes) air fluorescence experiment are analyzed to search for correlations between the arrival directions of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays with the positions of BL Lacertae objects. Several previous claims of significant correlations between BL Lac objects and cosmic rays observed by other experiments are tested. These claims are not supported by the HiRes data. However, we verify a recent analysis of correlations between HiRes events and a subset of confirmed BL Lac objects from the 10th Veron Catalog, and we study this correlation in detail. Due to the a posteriori nature of the search, the significance level cannot be reliably estimated and the correlation must be tested independently before any claim can be made. We identify the precise hypotheses that will be tested with statistically independent data.

Age-standardized Incidence Rates for Leukemia Associated with Consanguineous Marriages in 68 Countries, an Ecological Study

PubMed Central

Saadat, Mostafa

2015-01-01

Consanguineous marriage that defines as a union between biologically related persons has a variety of known deleterious correlations with factors that affect public health within human populations. To investigate the association between the mean of inbreeding coefficient (α) and incidence of leukemia, the present ecological study on 68 countries was carried out. Statistical analysis showed that the age-standardized incidence rate of leukemia positively correlated with log10GNI per capita (r=0.699, df=66, P<0.001) and negatively correlated with log10α (r=−0.609, df=66, P<0.001). Controlling log10GNI per capita, a significant negative correlation between log10α and the age-standardized incidence rate of leukemia was observed (r=−0.392, df=65, P=0.001). The countries were stratified according to their annual GNI per capita, low and high-income countries with GNI per capita less than and more than 10,000$, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that in high-income countries, after controlling for log10GNI per capita, the correlation between the age-standardized incidence rate of leukemia and log10α was still significant (r=−0.600, df=36, P<0.001). It should be noted that there was no significant association between the age-standardized mortality rate due to leukemia and log10α (P>0.05). The present finding indicates that the rate of leukemia, age-standardized for incidence, is lower in countries with a high prevalence of consanguineous marriages. PMID:25960855

Increased red cell distribution width in Fanconi anemia: a novel marker of stress erythropoiesis.

PubMed

Sousa, Rosa; Gonçalves, Cristina; Guerra, Isabel Couto; Costa, Emília; Fernandes, Ana; do Bom Sucesso, Maria; Azevedo, Joana; Rodriguez, Alfredo; Rius, Rocio; Seabra, Carlos; Ferreira, Fátima; Ribeiro, Letícia; Ferrão, Anabela; Castedo, Sérgio; Cleto, Esmeralda; Coutinho, Jorge; Carvalho, Félix; Barbot, José; Porto, Beatriz

2016-07-25

Red cell distribution width (RDW), a classical parameter used in the differential diagnosis of anemia, has recently been recognized as a marker of chronic inflammation and high levels of oxidative stress (OS). Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genetic disorder associated to redox imbalance and dysfunctional response to OS. Clinically, it is characterized by progressive bone marrow failure, which remains the primary cause of morbidity and mortality. Macrocytosis and increased fetal hemoglobin, two indicators of bone marrow stress erythropoiesis, are generally the first hematological manifestations to appear in FA. However, the significance of RDW and its possible relation to stress erythropoiesis have never been explored in FA. In the present study we analyzed routine complete blood counts from 34 FA patients and evaluated RDW, correlating with the hematological parameters most consistently associated with the FA phenotype. We showed, for the first time, that RDW is significantly increased in FA. We also showed that increased RDW is correlated with thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and, most importantly, highly correlated with anemia. Analyzing sequential hemograms from 3 FA patients with different clinical outcomes, during 10 years follow-up, we confirmed a consistent association between increased RDW and decreased hemoglobin, which supports the postulated importance of RDW in the evaluation of hematological disease progression. This study shows, for the first time, that RDW is significantly increased in FA, and this increment is correlated with neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and highly correlated with anemia. According to the present results, it is suggested that increased RDW can be a novel marker of stress erythropoiesis in FA.

Factors of soil diversity in the Batumi delta (Georgia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turgut, Bülent; Ateş, Merve

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine certain basic properties of soils in the Batumi delta (southwestern Georgia) to determine the relationships of studied properties and to identify differences with regards to these properties between different sampling sites in the delta that were selected based on the delta morphology. In this context, a total of 125 soil samples were collected from five different sampling sites, and the clay, silt and sand content of the samples were determined along with their mean weight diameter (MWD) values, aggregate stability (AS) values, amount of water retained under -33 (FC) and -1500 kPa (WP) pressure and organic matter (OM) content. Correlation analysis indicated that clay content and OM were positively correlated with MWD, and OM was positively correlated with AS. However, the sand content was found to be negatively correlated with MWD. In addition, clay, silt and OM content were positive correlated with FC and WP. Variance analysis results determined statistically significant differences between the sampling sites with respect to all of the evaluated properties. The active delta section of the study area was characterized by high sand content, while the lower delta plain was characterized by high OM and AS values, and the upper delta plain was characterized by high MWD values, high FC and WP moisture content levels and high clay and silt content. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that the examined properties were significantly affected by the different morphological positions and usages of these different areas. These results may help with the management of agricultural lands in the Batumi delta, which has never been studied before.

Functional brain networks associated with eating behaviors in obesity.

PubMed

Park, Bo-Yong; Seo, Jongbum; Park, Hyunjin

2016-03-31

Obesity causes critical health problems including diabetes and hypertension that affect billions of people worldwide. Obesity and eating behaviors are believed to be closely linked but their relationship through brain networks has not been fully explored. We identified functional brain networks associated with obesity and examined how the networks were related to eating behaviors. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained for 82 participants. Data were from an equal number of people of healthy weight (HW) and non-healthy weight (non-HW). Connectivity matrices were computed with spatial maps derived using a group independent component analysis approach. Brain networks and associated connectivity parameters with significant group-wise differences were identified and correlated with scores on a three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ) describing restraint, disinhibition, and hunger eating behaviors. Frontoparietal and cerebellum networks showed group-wise differences between HW and non-HW groups. Frontoparietal network showed a high correlation with TFEQ disinhibition scores. Both frontoparietal and cerebellum networks showed a high correlation with body mass index (BMI) scores. Brain networks with significant group-wise differences between HW and non-HW groups were identified. Parts of the identified networks showed a high correlation with eating behavior scores.

Association of circulating sTRAIL and high-sensitivity CRP with type 2 diabetic nephropathy and foot ulcers

PubMed Central

Arık, Hasan Onur; Yalcin, Arzu Didem; Gumuslu, Saadet; Genç, Gizem Esra; Turan, Adil; Sanlioglu, Ahter Dilsad

2013-01-01

Background Hyperglycemia is among the potent factors that may induce or facilitate apoptosis. TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Factor (TRAIL) is known for its apoptotic and immunomodulatory effects that have recently been correlated with diabetes. We examined serum-soluble TRAIL (sTRAIL) and high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) levels and their association with various distinct parameters in type 2 diabetic nephropathy patients with diabetic foot disease. Material/Methods Twenty-two diabetic nephropathy patients with foot ulcers were enrolled in our study. Patients had been diagnosed with diabetes at age 24±10.58 years. Circulating sTRAIL and Hs-CRP levels were compared with control values, and possible correlations were investigated with parameters such as age, Wagner’s Grade (WG), BMI, HbA1c, and creatinine. Results Serum sTRAIL levels were significantly reduced in the patient group, compared to healthy subjects. High HsCRP levels correlated with age, and WGS correlated with BMI and creatinine levels. Conclusions Significantly suppressed sTRAIL levels in diabetic nephropathy patients with foot ulcers compared to healthy controls suggest a protective role for TRAIL in the disease setting. PMID:23986130

Some Aspects of the Radio Emission of EGRET-Detected Blazars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Y. C.; Bertsch, D. L.; Bloom, S. D.; Esposito, J. A.; Hartman, R. C.; Hunter, S. D.; Kniffen, D. A.; Kanbach, G.; Mayer-Hasselwander, H. A.; Michelson, P. F.

1999-01-01

It has long been recognized that the high-latitude Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope (EGRET) sources can be identified with blazars of significant radio emission. Many aspects of the relation between high-energy gamma-ray emission and radio emission of EGRET-detected blazars remain uncertain. In this paper, we use the results of the recently published Third EGRET Source Catalog to examine in more detail to what extent the EGRET flux and the radio flux are correlated. In particular we examine the correlation (or the lack of it) in flux level, spectral shape, temporal variation, and detection limit. Many significant previous studies in these areas are also evaluated.

Intercorrelations among plasma high density lipoprotein, obesity and triglycerides in a normal population.

PubMed

Albrink, M J; Krauss, R M; Lindgrem, F T; von der Groeben, J; Pan, S; Wood, P D

1980-09-01

The interrelationships among fatness measures, plasma triglycerides and high density lipoproteins (HDL) were examined in 131 normal adult subjects: 38 men aged 27-46, 40 men aged 47-66, 29 women aged 27-46 and 24 women aged 47-66. None of the women were taking estrogens or oral contraceptive medication. The HDL concentration was subdivided into HDL2b, HDL2a and HDL3 by a computerized fitting of the total schlieren pattern to reference schlieren patterns. Anthropometric measures employed included skinfolds at 3 sites. 2 weight/height indices and 2 girth measurements. A high correlation was found among the various fatness measures. These measures were negatively correlated with total HDL, reflecting the negative correlation between fatness measures and HDL2 (as the sum of HDL2a and 2b). Fatness measures showed no relationship to HDL3. There was also an inverse correlation between triglyceride concentration and HDL2. No particular fatness measure was better than any other for demonstrating the inverse correlation with HDL but multiple correlations using all of the measures of obesity improved the correlations. Partial correlations controlling for fatness did not reduce any of the significant correlations between triglycerides and HDL2 to insignificance. The weak correlation between fatness and triglycerides was reduced to insignificance when controlled for HDL2.

Correlations Between MMPs and TIMPs Levels in Aqueous Humor from High Myopia and Cataract Patients.

PubMed

Jia, Yan; Hu, Dan-Ning; Sun, Jing; Zhou, Jibo

2017-04-01

To study the relationships between matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-2, MMP-3, and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1, TIMP-2, and TIMP-3 aqueous humor levels in patients with high myopia or cataract. MMPs and TIMPs protein levels in 65 aqueous humor samples collected from patients with high myopia or cataract during cataract or clear lens extraction surgery were measured with the Luminex xMAP Technology. The relationship between MMPs and TIMPs levels was analyzed with Spearman's correlation test. MMP-2 levels, but not MMP-3 levels, were increased in the aqueous humor from high-myopia patients. Levels of TIMP-1, -2, and -3 were positively and very significantly correlated with the MMP-2 levels (TIMP-1: r=0.626, p < 0.001; TIMP-2: r = 0.545, p < 0.001; TIMP-3: r = 0.439, p < 0.001). TIMP-2 and-3 levels did not significantly correlate with MMP-3 levels (TIMP-2: r = 0.175, p > 0.05; TIMP-3: r = 0.127, p > 0.05) and TIMP-1 levels only marginally correlated with MMP-3 levels (r = 0.278, 0.01< P < 0.05). Compared to the present findings with the relationship of MMPs and TIMPs in other fields of medicine, our results are consistent with the homeostasis hypothesis that the increase of TIMPs serves as a compensation reaction to inhibit the excessive degradation caused by the increase of MMPs and limits the development of myopia.

[Soil N/P ratio distribution characteristics of alpine grassland ecosystem in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau].

PubMed

Wang, Jian-Lin; Zhong, Zhi-Ming; Wang, Zhong-Hong; Chen, Bao-Xiong; Zhang, Xian-Zhou; Shen, Zhen-Xi; Hu, Xing-Xiang; Dacizhuoga

2013-12-01

The distribution characteristics of soil N/P ratio in alpine grassland ecosystem of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were surveyed by field investigation and laboratory analysis. Horizontally, soil N/ P ratio was generally higher in west and lower in east in a manner of staggered patch distribution, with higher N/P ratios mainly centralized in the hinterland of northern part of Tibet Plateau and in the lake basin area of the northern foot of Himalayas. Significant differences in soil N/P ratio were observed among grassland types and natural transects. Vertically, the distribution of N/P ratio along the soil profile from aboveground to underground among different grass types could be categorized into five patterns, including low-high-low-high, low-high-low, low-high, high-low-high-low, and high-low-high. The N/P ratio showed a significant positive correlation with soil bulk density at 0-20 cm depth, soil water content at 20-30 cm depth, contents of soil available K and total nitrogen, respectively. However, it showed significant negative correlation with soil bulk density at 20-30 cm depth, contents of soil available P and total P, respectively.

Removing the Impact of Correlated PSF Uncertainties in Weak Lensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Tianhuan; Zhang, Jun; Dong, Fuyu; Li, Yingke; Liu, Dezi; Fu, Liping; Li, Guoliang; Fan, Zuhui

2018-05-01

Accurate reconstruction of the spatial distributions of the point-spread function (PSF) is crucial for high precision cosmic shear measurements. Nevertheless, current methods are not good at recovering the PSF fluctuations of high spatial frequencies. In general, the residual PSF fluctuations are spatially correlated, and therefore can significantly contaminate the correlation functions of the weak lensing signals. We propose a method to correct for this contamination statistically, without any assumptions on the PSF and galaxy morphologies or their spatial distribution. We demonstrate our idea with the data from the W2 field of CFHTLenS.

Self-concept of academic ability as a function of sex, age, and academic achievement among African adolescents.

PubMed

Mboya, M M

1998-08-01

This study examined (a) sex and age variations for scores on Self-concept of Academic Ability and academic achievement among 244 African adolescents attending a coeducational high school and (b) correlations between scores on Self-concept of Academic Ability and academic achievement by sex and age. No significant sex differences were found, but there were significant age differences on the Self-concept scores and measures of English, science, and history but not in mathematics. A significant positive correlation was found between Self-concept scores and academic achievement for boys and girls and in all age groups, but the magnitude of the correlations with achievement in mathematics was stronger among boys than among girls.

Alcohol-Attributable Fraction in Liver Disease: Does GDP Per Capita Matter?

PubMed

Kröner, Paul T; Mankal, Pavan Kumar; Dalapathi, Vijay; Shroff, Kavin; Abed, Jean; Kotler, Donald P

2015-01-01

The alcohol-attributable fraction (AAF) quantifies alcohol's disease burden. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is influenced by alcohol consumption per capita, duration, gender, ethnicity, and other comorbidities. In this study, we investigated the association between AAF/alcohol-related liver mortality and alcohol consumption per capita, while stratifying to per-capita gross domestic product (GDP). Data obtained from the World Health Organization and World Bank for both genders on AAF on liver disease, per-capita alcohol consumption (L/y), and per-capita GDP (USD/y) were used to conduct a cross-sectional study. Countries were classified as "high-income" and "very low income" if their respective per-capita GDP was greater than $30,000 or less than $1,000. Differences in total alcohol consumption per capita and AAF were calculated using a 2-sample t test. Scatterplots were generated to supplement the Pearson correlation coefficients, and F test was conducted to assess for differences in variance of ALD between high-income and very low income countries. Twenty-six and 27 countries met the criteria for high-income and very low income countries, respectively. Alcohol consumption per capita was higher in high-income countries. AAF and alcohol consumption per capita for both genders in high-income and very low income countries had a positive correlation. The F test yielded an F value of 1.44 with P = .357. No statistically significant correlation was found among alcohol types and AAF. Significantly higher mortality from ALD was found in very low income countries relative to high-income countries. Previous studies had noted a decreased AAF in low-income countries as compared to higher-income countries. However, the non-statistically significant difference between AAF variances of low-income and high-income countries was found by this study. A possible explanation is that both high-income and low-income populations will consume sufficient amount of alcohol, irrespective of its type, enough to weigh into equivalent AAF. No significant difference of AAF variance was found between high-income and very low income countries relating to sex-specific alcohol consumption per capita. Alcohol consumption per capita was greater in high-income countries. Type of preferred alcohol did not correlate with AAF. ALD related mortality was less in high-income countries as a result of better developed healthcare systems. ALD remains a significant burden globally, requiring prevention from socioeconomic, medical, and political realms. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Digit ratio (2D:4D) and physical fitness (Eurofit test battery) in school children.

PubMed

Ranson, R; Stratton, G; Taylor, S R

2015-05-01

The relative lengths of the index finger to the ring finger (2D:4D) is sexually dimorphic and is thought to be a correlate of prenatal sex steroids (low 2D:4D=high prenatal testosterone and low prenatal oestrogen). In adults there have been reports that low 2D:4D is consistently associated with high sports performance. To investigate correlations between 2D:4D and fitness levels in children. Right 2D:4D and body size were measured, in addition to flexibility, speed, endurance and strength (Eurofit tests). 922 boys and 835 girls (mean ages (years): 10.8 ± 1.01 and 10.07 ± 1.00 respectively). height, mass, BMI, triceps and subscapular skinfolds, 20 m shuttle run, sit and reach, standing broad jump, hand grip strength, 10 × 5m sprint, and the sit and reach test. Boys significantly outperformed the girls in the 10 × 5m sprints, the 20 m shuttle run, standing broad jump, and hand grip strength. In boys but not girls, 2D:4D was significantly negatively correlated with scores in all these tests except the standing broad jump. In girls but not boys, 2D:4D was significantly positively correlated to stature, mass, BMI and waist circumference. It is suggested that high prenatal testosterone and low prenatal oestrogen (low 2D:4D) is implicated in high sprinting speed, endurance and hand grip strength in boys. In girls low prenatal testosterone and high prenatal oestrogen is associated with large body size. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cosmic ray modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal Mishra, Rekha; Mishra, Rajesh Kumar

2016-07-01

Propagation of cosmic rays to and inside the heliosphere, encounter an outward moving solar wind with cyclic magnetic field fluctuation and turbulence, causing convection and diffusion in the heliosphere. Cosmic ray counts from the ground ground-based neutron monitors at different cut of rigidity show intensity changes, which are anti-correlated with sunspot numbers. They also lose energy as they propagate towards the Earth and experience various types of modulations due to different solar activity indices. In this work, we study the first three harmonics of cosmic ray intensity on geo-magnetically quiet days over the period 1965-2014 for Beijing, Moscow and Tokyo neutron monitoring stations located at different cut off rigidity. The amplitude of first harmonic remains high for low cutoff rigidity as compared to high cutoff rigidity on quiet days. The diurnal amplitude significantly decreases during solar activity minimum years. The diurnal time of maximum significantly shifts to an earlier time as compared to the corotational direction having different cutoff rigidities. The time of maximum for first harmonic significantly shifts towards later hours and for second harmonic it shifts towards earlier hours at low cutoff rigidity station as compared to the high cut off rigidity station on quiet days. The amplitude of second/third harmonics shows a good positive correlation with solar wind velocity, while the others (i.e. amplitude and phase) have no significant correlation on quiet days. The amplitude and direction of the anisotropy on quiet days does not show any significant dependence on high-speed solar wind streams for these neutron monitoring stations of different cutoff rigidity threshold. Keywords: cosmic ray, cut off rigidity, quiet days, harmonics, amplitude, phase.

Perceived and desired facilitativeness of one's closest friend, need for approval and self-esteem.

PubMed

Cramer, D

1993-03-01

The hypothesis that the positive association between self-esteem and the perceived facilitativeness of one's closest friend can be explained by the presumed greater desire of low self-esteem individuals for a facilitative relationship was not confirmed in 262 16-17-year-old females, who completed the Rosenberg (1965) Self-Esteem Scale and a shortened version of the Barrett-Lennard (1964) Relationship Inventory. Although desired facilitativeness correlated significantly positively with self-esteem, the correlation between perceived facilitativeness and self-esteem remained significantly positive when desired facilitativeness was partialled out. The further prediction that the correlation between perceived facilitativeness and self-esteem would be more positive for those scoring higher on the Jones' (1969) Need for Approval Scale was also not confirmed. The opposite result was obtained in that this correlation was significantly positive for those with low need for approval but not for those with a high need.

Identification of Rubisco rbcL and rbcS in Camellia oleifera and their potential as molecular markers for selection of high tea oil cultivars.

PubMed

Chen, Yongzhong; Wang, Baoming; Chen, Jianjun; Wang, Xiangnan; Wang, Rui; Peng, Shaofeng; Chen, Longsheng; Ma, Li; Luo, Jian

2015-01-01

Tea oil derived from seeds of Camellia oleifera Abel. is high-quality edible oil in China. This study isolated full-length cDNAs of Rubisco subunits rbcL and rbcS from C. oleifera. The rbcL has 1,522 bp with a 1,425 bp coding region, encoding 475 amino acids; and the rbcS has 615 bp containing a 528 bp coding region, encoding 176 amino acids. The expression level of the two genes, designated as Co-rbcL and Co-rbcS, was determined in three C. oleifera cultivars: Hengchong 89, Xianglin 1, and Xianglin 14 whose annual oil yields were 546.9, 591.4, and 657.7 kg ha(-1), respectively. The Co-rbcL expression in 'Xianglin 14' was significantly higher than 'Xianglin 1', and 'Xianglin 1' was greater than 'Hengchong 89'. The expression levels of Co-rbcS in 'Xianglin 1' and 'Xianglin 14' were similar but were significantly greater than in 'Hengchong 89'. The net photosynthetic rate of 'Xianglin 14' was significantly higher than 'Xianglin 1', and 'Xianglin 1' was higher than 'Hengchong 89'. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that seed yields and oil yields were highly correlated with the expression level of Co-rbcL at P < 0.001 level; and the expression of Co-rbcS was correlated with oil yield at P < 0.01 level. Net photosynthetic rate was also correlated with oil yields and seed yields at P < 0.001 and P < 0.01 levels, respectively. Our results suggest that Co-rbcS and Co-rbcL in particular could potentially be molecular markers for early selection of high oil yield cultivars. In combination with the measurement of net photosynthetic rates, the early identification of potential high oil production cultivars would significantly shorten plant breeding time and increase breeding efficiency.

Changes in patellofemoral alignment do not cause clinical impact after open-wedge high tibial osteotomy.

PubMed

Lee, Yong Seuk; Lee, Sang Bok; Oh, Won Seok; Kwon, Yong Eok; Lee, Beom Koo

2016-01-01

The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the clinical and radiologic outcomes of open-wedge high tibial osteotomy focusing on patellofemoral alignment and (2) to search for correlation between variables and patellofemoral malalignment. A total of 46 knees (46 patients) from 32 females and 14 males who underwent open-wedge high tibial osteotomy were included in this retrospective case series. Outcomes were evaluated using clinical scales and radiologic parameters at the last follow-up. Pre-operative and final follow-up values were compared for the outcome analysis. For the focused analysis of the patellofemoral joint, correlation analyses between patellofemoral variables and pre- and post-operative weight-bearing line (WBL), clinical score, posterior slope, Blackburn Peel ratio, lateral patellar tilt, lateral patellar shift, and congruence angle were performed. The minimum follow-up period was 2 years and median follow-up period was 44 months (range 24-88 months). The percentage of weight-bearing line was shifted from 17.2 ± 11.1 to 56.7 ± 12.7%, and it was statistically significant (p < 0.01). Regarding the clinical results, statistical significance was observed using all scores (p < 0.01). In the radiologic evaluation, patellar descent was observed with statistical significance (p < 0.01). Last follow-up lateral patellar tilt was decreased with statistical significance (p < 0.01). In correlation analysis between variables of patellofemoral malalignment, the pre-operative weight-bearing line showed an association with the change in lateral patellar tilt and lateral patellar shift (correlation coefficient: 0.3). After open-wedge high tibial osteotomy, clinical results showed improvement, compared to pre-operative values. The patellar tilt and lateral patellar shift were not changed; however, descent of the patella was observed. Therefore, mild patellofemoral problems should not be a contraindication of the open-wedge high tibial osteotomy. Case series, Level IV.

Exploring the relationship of peripheral total bilirubin, red blood cell, and hemoglobin with blood pressure during childhood and adolescence.

PubMed

Chen, Xiao-Tian; Yang, Song; Yang, Ya-Ming; Zhao, Hai-Long; Chen, Yan-Chun; Zhao, Xiang-Hai; Wen, Jin-Bo; Tian, Yuan-Rui; Yan, Wei-Li; Shen, Chong

2017-11-04

Total bilirubin is beneficial for protecting cardiovascular diseases in adults. The authors aimed to investigate the association of total bilirubin, red blood cell, and hemoglobin levels with the prevalence of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. A total of 3776 students (aged from 6 to 16 years old) were examined using cluster sampling. Pre-high blood pressure and high blood pressure were respectively defined as the point of 90th and 95th percentiles based on the Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were standardized into z-scores. Peripheral total bilirubin, red blood cell and hemoglobin levels were significantly correlated with age, and also varied with gender. Peripheral total bilirubin was negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure in 6- and 9-year-old boys, whilst positively correlated with diastolic blood pressure in the 12-year-old boys and 13- to 15-year-old girls (p<0.05). Higher levels of red blood cell and hemoglobin were observed in pre-high blood pressure and high blood pressure students when compared with their normotensive peers (p<0.01). The increases in red blood cell and hemoglobin were significantly associated with high blood pressure after adjusting for confounding factors. The ORs (95% CI) of each of the increases were 2.44 (1.52-3.92) and 1.04 (1.03-1.06), respectively. No statistical association between total bilirubin and high blood pressure was observed (p>0.05). Total bilirubin could be weakly correlated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as correlations varied with age and gender in children and adolescents; in turn, the increased levels of red blood cell and hemoglobin are proposed to be positively associated with the prevalence of high blood pressure. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Vertical multiphase flow correlations for high production rates and large tubulars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aggour, M.A.; Al-Yousef, H.Y.; Al-Muraikhi, A.J.

1996-02-01

Numerous correlations exist for predicting pressure drop in vertical multiphase flow. These correlations, however, were all developed and tested under limited operating conditions that do not match the high production rates and large tubulars normally found in the Middle East fields. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of existing correlations and modifications of some correlations to determine and recommend the best correlation or correlations for various field conditions. More than 400 field data sets covering tubing sizes from 2 3/8 to 7 inches, oil rates up to 23,200 B/D, water cuts up to 95%, and gas/oil ratio (GOR) up tomore » 927 scf/STB were used in this study. Considering all data combined, the Beggs and Brill correlation provided the best pressure predictions. However, the Hagedorn and Brown correlation was better for water cuts above 80%, while the Hasan and Kabir model was better for total liquid rates above 20,000 B/D. The Aziz correlation was significantly improved when the Orkiszewski flow-pattern transition criteria were used.« less

Correlation of parents' religious behavior with family's emotional relations and students' self-actualization.

PubMed

Poorsheikhali, Fatemah; Alavi, Hamid Reza

2015-02-01

The main goal of this research is to study the relationship between parents' religious behavior, emotional relations inside family, and self-actualization of male and female high school students of district 2 in Kerman city. Research method is descriptive and of correlative type. Questionnaires of parent's religious behavior, emotional relations inside family, and students' self-actualization were used in the research. After collecting questionnaires, data were analyzed by SPSS, MINITAB, and EXCEL software. The sample volume in the research has been 309 students and their parents, and the sampling method was in the form of classification and then in the form of cluster in two stages. 1.29 % of students had a low self-actualization, 17.15 % had average, and 81.55 % of them had high self-actualization. Also the results showed that 9.4 % of emotional relations in families were undesirable, 55.3 % were relatively desirable, and 35.3 % were desirable. Moreover, 2.27 % of parents' religious behavior was inappropriate, 29.13 % was relatively appropriate, and 68.61 % was appropriate. The main results of the research are as follows: (1) There is a significant positive correlation between parents' religious behavior and emotional relations inside students' family. (2) There is not any significant correlational between parents' religious behavior and students' self-actualization. (3) There is a significant positive correlation between emotional relations inside family and students' self-actualization.

The Relationships between Two Different Drinking Water Fluoride Levels, Dental Fluorosis and Bone Mineral Density of Children

PubMed Central

Grobler, S.R; Louw, A.J; Chikte, U.M.E; Rossouw, R.J; van W Kotze, T.J.

2009-01-01

This field study included the whole population of children aged 10–15 years (77 from a 0.19 mg/L F area; 89 from a 3.00 mg/L F area), with similar nutritional, dietary habits and similar ethnic and socioeconomic status. The fluoride concentration in the drinking water, the bone mineral content, the bone density and the degree of dental fluorosis were determined. The left radius was measured for bone width, bone mineral content, and bone mineral density. The mean fluorosis score was 1.3 in the low fluoride area and 3,6 in the high fluoride area. More than half the children in the low fluoride area had no fluorosis (scores 0 and 1) while only 5% in the high fluoride area had none. Severe fluorosis (30%) was only observed in the high fluoride area. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test indicated that fluorosis levels differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the two areas. No relationships were found between dental fluorosis and bone width or between fluorosis and bone mineral density in the two areas (Spearment Rank correlations). A significant increase in bone width was found with age but no differences amongst and boys and girls. A significant positive correlation was found in the high fluoride area between bone mineral density over age. In the 12-13 and 13-14 year age groups in the high fluoride area, girls had higher bone mineral densities. However, a significant negative correlation (p<0.02) was found for the low fluoride area (0.19 mg/L F) over age. PMID:19444344

The Presence of Mercury in the Tissues of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos L.) from Włocławek Reservoir in Poland.

PubMed

Żarski, Jerzy F; Skibniewski, Michał; Skibniewska, Ewa; Żarski, Tadeusz P; Majdecka, Teresa

2017-04-01

The study aimed at determining the degree of mercury contamination of mallards, game waterbirds migrating from the regions of the unknown degree of contamination and establishing whether the consumption of their meat comprises a hazard to human health in view of the binding norms concerning the mercury content in food products. The investigations were carried out on 30 mallards shot during the duck shooting season in which mercury concentrations in the muscles, liver, and kidneys were determined using the cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) method. The mean Hg concentration in the investigated tissues in all birds studied amounted to 0.110, 0.154, and 0.122 mg kg -1 for the muscles, kidneys, and liver, respectively. The study indicated statistically significant (p ≤ 0.01) positive correlation between all of the organs examined. Animals were divided into two groups differing in both absolute values of Hg concentrations and those measured in individual tissues. In particular organs of birds representing the first group, the presence of highly significant correlation (p ≤ 0.01) was observed in all organs examined. In the second group, highly significant positive correlation between Hg concentrations in the liver and kidneys and highly significant negative dependence between the liver and muscles was noted. The examinations revealed that some birds must have come from regions of a high degree of mercury contamination.

A study of correlations in the stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Chandradew; Banerjee, Kinjal

2015-08-01

We study the various sectors of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) for a period of 8 years from April 2006 to March 2014. Using the data of daily returns of a period of eight years we make a direct model free analysis of the pattern of the sectorial indices movement and the correlations among them. Our analysis shows significant auto correlation among the individual sectors and also strong cross-correlation among sectors. We also find that auto correlations in some of the sectors persist in time. This is a very significant result and has not been reported so far in Indian context. These findings will be very useful in model building for prediction of price movement of equities, derivatives and portfolio management. We show that the Random Walk Hypothesis is not applicable in modeling the Indian market and mean-variance-skewness-kurtosis based portfolio optimization might be required. We also find that almost all sectors are highly correlated during large fluctuation periods and have only moderate correlation during normal periods.

TROP2 correlates with microvessel density and poor prognosis in hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

PubMed

Ning, Shanglei; Guo, Sen; Xie, Jianjun; Xu, Yunfei; Lu, Xiaofei; Chen, Yuxin

2013-02-01

Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (TROP2) was found to be associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in a variety of epithelial carcinomas. The aim of the study was to investigate TROP2 expression and its prognostic impact in hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR were used to determine TROP2 expression in surgical specimens from 70 hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients receiving radical resection. The relationship between TROP2 expression and microvessel density was investigated and standard statistical analysis was used to evaluate TROP2 prognosis significance in hilar cholangiocarcinoma. High TROP2 expression by immunohistochemistry was found in 43 (61.4 %) of the 70 tumor specimens. Quantitative real-time PCR confirmed that TROP2 level in tumor was significantly higher than in non-tumoral biliary tissues (P = 0.001). Significant correlations were found between TROP2 expression and histological differentiation (P = 0.016) and tumor T stage (P = 0.031) in hilar cholangiocarcinoma. TROP2 expression correlated with microvessel density in hilar cholangiocarcinoma (P = 0.026). High TROP2 expression patients had a significantly poorer overall survival rate than those with low TROP2 expression (30 vs. 68.5 %, P = 0.001), and multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated TROP2 as an independent prognostic factor for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (P = 0.004). TROP2 expression correlates with microvessel density significantly and is an independent prognostic factor in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma.

The Characteristics of Postprandial Proximal Gastric Acid Pocket in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

PubMed Central

Wu, Jing; Liu, Dong; Feng, Cheng; Luo, Yumei; Nian, Yuanyuan; Wang, Xueqin; Zhang, Jun

2018-01-01

Background Postprandial proximal gastric acid pocket (PPGAP) plays important roles in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of PPGAP in GERD. Material/Methods There were 17 normal participants and 20 GERD patients who completed a gastroesophageal reflux disease questionnaire (GerdQ) and underwent a gastroscopy, a high-resolution manometry, an esophageal 24-hour pH monitoring, and a station pull-through pH monitoring to assess their symptomatic degree, endoscopic change, acid exposure, and PPGAP. Results PPGAP was present in all participants. Compared with normal participants, the PPGAP in GERD patients was significantly different, thus the disappearing time was significantly later (p<0.001), the lasting time was significantly longer (p<0.001), the length was significantly longer (p<0.001), and the lowest pH and the mean pH were significantly lower (p<0.001). The length of PPGAP in GERD patients was positively correlated with GerdQ score (p<0.05). The disappearing time, the lasting time, and the length of PPGAP in GERD patients was positively correlated with the DeMeester score (p<0.01). The lowest pH and the mean pH of PPGAP in GERD patients was negatively correlated with the DeMeester score (p<0.001). Conclusions PPGAP was generally present. PPGAP in GERD patients had characteristics of long time period, long length, and high acidity. Its length was positively correlated with subjective symptomatic degree. Its period, length, and acidity were positively correlated with the objective acid exposure. PPGAP seems to be the originator of acid reflux events and plays important roles in GERD. PMID:29309401

DNA methylation epigenotype and clinical features of NRAS-mutation(+) colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Takane, Kiyoko; Akagi, Kiwamu; Fukuyo, Masaki; Yagi, Koichi; Takayama, Tadatoshi; Kaneda, Atsushi

2017-05-01

Sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) is classified into several molecular subtypes. We previously established two groups of DNA methylation markers through genome-wide DNA methylation analysis to classify CRC into distinct subgroups: high-, intermediate-, and low-methylation epigenotypes (HME, IME, and LME, respectively). HME CRC, also called CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP)-high CRC, shows methylation of both Group 1 markers (CIMP markers) and Group 2 markers, while IME/CIMP-low CRC shows methylation of Group 2, but not of Group 1 markers, and LME CRC shows no methylation of either Group 1 or Group 2 markers. While BRAF- and KRAS-mutation(+) CRC strongly correlated with HME and IME, respectively, clinicopathological features of NRAS-mutation(+) CRC, including association with DNA methylation, remain unclear. To characterize NRAS-mutation(+) CRC, the methylation levels of 19 methylation marker genes (6 Group 1 and 13 Group 2) were analyzed in 61 NRAS-mutation(+) and 144 NRAS-mutation(-) CRC cases by pyrosequencing, and their correlation with clinicopathological features was investigated. Different from KRAS-mutation(+) CRC, NRAS-mutation(+) CRC significantly correlated with LME. NRAS-mutation(+) CRC showed significantly better prognosis than KRAS-mutation(+) CRC (P = 3 × 10 -4 ). NRAS-mutation(+) CRC preferentially occurred in elder patients (P = 0.02) and at the distal colon (P = 0.006), showed significantly less lymph vessel invasion (P = 0.002), and correlated with LME (P = 8 × 10 -5 ). DNA methylation significantly accumulated at the proximal colon. NRAS-mutation(+) CRC may constitute a different subgroup from KRAS-mutation(+) CRC, showing significant correlation with LME, older age, distal colon, and relatively better prognosis. © 2017 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Regional variation in interhemispheric coordination of intrinsic hemodynamic fluctuations.

PubMed

Stark, David E; Margulies, Daniel S; Shehzad, Zarrar E; Reiss, Philip; Kelly, A M Clare; Uddin, Lucina Q; Gee, Dylan G; Roy, Amy K; Banich, Marie T; Castellanos, F Xavier; Milham, Michael P

2008-12-17

Electrophysiological studies have long demonstrated a high degree of correlated activity between the left and right hemispheres, however little is known about regional variation in this interhemispheric coordination. Whereas cognitive models and neuroanatomical evidence suggest differences in coordination across primary sensory-motor cortices versus higher-order association areas, these have not been characterized. Here, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired from 62 healthy volunteers to examine interregional correlation in spontaneous low-frequency hemodynamic fluctuations. Using a probabilistic atlas, we correlated probability-weighted time series from 112 regions comprising the entire cerebrum. We then examined regional variation in correlated activity between homotopic regions, contrasting primary sensory-motor cortices, unimodal association areas, and heteromodal association areas. Consistent with previous studies, robustly correlated spontaneous activity was noted between all homotopic regions, which was significantly higher than that between nonhomotopic (heterotopic and intrahemispheric) regions. We further demonstrated substantial regional variation in homotopic interhemispheric correlations that was highly consistent across subjects. Specifically, there was a gradient of interhemispheric correlation, with highest correlations across primary sensory-motor cortices (0.758, SD=0.152), significantly lower correlations across unimodal association areas (0.597, SD=0.230) and still lower correlations across heteromodal association areas (0.517, SD=0.226). These results demonstrate functional differences in interhemispheric coordination related to the brain's hierarchical subdivisions. Synchrony across primary cortices may reflect networks engaged in bilateral sensory integration and motor coordination, whereas lower coordination across heteromodal association areas is consistent with functional lateralization of these regions. This novel method of examining interhemispheric coordination may yield insights regarding diverse disease processes as well as healthy development.

Nuclear anxiety: a test-construction study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Braunstein, A.L.

1986-01-01

The Nuclear Anxiety Scale was administered to 263 undergraduate and graduate studies (on eight occasions in December, 1985 and January, 1986). (1) The obtained alpha coefficient was .91. This was significant at the .01 level, and demonstrated that the scale was internally homogeneous and consistent. (2) Item discrimination indices (point biserial correlation coefficients) computered for the thirty (30) items yielded a range of .25 to .64. All coefficients were significant at the .01 level, and all 30 items were retained as demonstrating significant discriminability. (3) The correlation between two administrations of the scale (with a 48-hour interval) was .83. Thismore » was significant at the .01 level, and demonstrated test-retest reliability and stability over time. (4) The point-biserial correlation coefficient between scores on the Nuclear Anxiety Scale, and the students' self-report of nuclear anxiety as being either a high or low ranked stressor, was .59. This was significant at the .01 level, and demonstrated concurrent validity. (5) The correlation coefficient between scores on the Nuclear Anxiety Scale and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, A-Trait, (1970), was .41. This was significant at the .01 level, and demonstrated convergent validity. (6) The correlation coefficient between positively stated and negatively stated items (with scoring reversed) was .76. This was significant at the .01 level, and demonstrated freedom from response set bias.« less

Differential expression analysis of genes involved in high-temperature induced sex differentiation in Nile tilapia.

PubMed

Li, Chun Ge; Wang, Hui; Chen, Hong Ju; Zhao, Yan; Fu, Pei Sheng; Ji, Xiang Shan

2014-01-01

Nowadays, high temperature effects on the molecular pathways during sex differentiation in teleosts need to be deciphered. In this study, a systematic differential expression analysis of genes involved in high temperature-induced sex differentiation was done in the Nile tilapia gonad and brain. Our results showed that high temperature caused significant down-regulation of CYP19A1A in the gonad of both sexes in induction group, and FOXL2 in the ovary of the induction group. The expressions of GTHα, LHβ and ERα were also significantly down-regulated in the brain of both sexes in the induction and recovery groups. On the contrary, the expression of CYP11B2 was significantly up-regulated in the ovary, but not in the testis in both groups. Spearman rank correlation analysis showed that there are significant correlations between the expressions of CYP19A1A, FOXL2, or DMRT1 in the gonads and the expression of some genes in the brain. Another result in this study showed that high temperature up-regulated the expression level of DNMT1 in the testis of the induction group, and DNMT1 and DNMT3A in the female brain of both groups. The expression and correlation analysis of HSPs showed that high temperature action on tilapia HSPs might indirectly induce the expression changes of sex differentiation genes in the gonads. These findings provide new insights on TSD and suggest that sex differentiation related genes, heat shock proteins, and DNA methylation genes are new candidates for studying TSD in fish species. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Positive relationship between liquid cloud droplet effective radius and aerosol optical depth over Eastern China from satellite data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jinping; Wang, Pucai; Mickley, Loretta J.; Xia, Xiangao; Liao, Hong; Yue, Xu; Sun, Li; Xia, Junrong

2014-02-01

Correlations between water cloud effective radius (CER) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) are examined over seven sub-regions in Eastern China for 2003-2012. Water phase cloud is defined as having a cloud top pressure greater than 800 hPa. Significant negative correlation coefficients (r = -0.79 ˜ -0.94) between AOD and CER are derived over the East Sea and the South China Sea for grid cells with AOD < 0.3. However, positive correlations (r = 0.01-0.91) are calculated for cells with AOD > 0.3. In contrast, significant positive correlations (r = 0.67-0.95) are derived over the Eastern China mainland and Yellow Sea. Further analysis for North China Plain shows that variations in wind speed and relative humidity may account for such positive correlations. Southerly winds carry high levels of pollutants and abundant water vapor, resulting in coincident increases in both AOD and CER in North China Plain, while the northerly winds transport dry and clean air from high latitudes, leading to decreases in AOD and CER. Both processes contribute to the positive correlations between AOD and CER over Eastern China, suggesting that the influence of background weather conditions need to be considered when studying the interactions between aerosol and cloud.

Novel Assessment of Interstitial Lung Disease Using the "Computer-Aided Lung Informatics for Pathology Evaluation and Rating" (CALIPER) Software System in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies.

PubMed

Ungprasert, Patompong; Wilton, Katelynn M; Ernste, Floranne C; Kalra, Sanjay; Crowson, Cynthia S; Rajagopalan, Srinivasan; Bartholmai, Brian J

2017-10-01

To evaluate the correlation between measurements from quantitative thoracic high-resolution CT (HRCT) analysis with "Computer-Aided Lung Informatics for Pathology Evaluation and Rating" (CALIPER) software and measurements from pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). A cohort of patients with IIM-associated ILD seen at Mayo Clinic was identified from medical record review. Retrospective analysis of HRCT data and PFTs at baseline and 1 year was performed. The abnormalities in HRCT were quantified using CALIPER software. A total of 110 patients were identified. At baseline, total interstitial abnormalities as measured by CALIPER, both by absolute volume and by percentage of total lung volume, had a significant negative correlation with diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), total lung capacity (TLC), and oxygen saturation. Analysis by subtype of interstitial abnormality revealed significant negative correlations between ground glass opacities (GGO) and reticular density (RD) with DLCO and TLC. At one year, changes of total interstitial abnormalities compared with baseline had a significant negative correlation with changes of TLC and oxygen saturation. A negative correlation between changes of total interstitial abnormalities and DLCO was also observed, but it was not statistically significant. Analysis by subtype of interstitial abnormality revealed negative correlations between changes of GGO and RD and changes of DLCO, TLC, and oxygen saturation, but most of the correlations did not achieve statistical significance. CALIPER measurements correlate well with functional measurements in patients with IIM-associated ILD.

Natriuretic Peptide and High-Sensitive Troponin T Concentrations Correlate with Effectiveness of Short-Term CPAP in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Coronary Artery Disease.

PubMed

Strehmel, Ralf; Valo, Misa; Teupe, Claudius

2016-01-01

The risk of cardiovascular complications is increased in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most effective way to treat clinically significant OSA. We hypothesized that the concentrations of the cardiac risk markers N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitive troponin T (hs-TropT) correlate with the effectiveness of CPAP therapy in patients with OSA and coexisting coronary artery disease (CAD). Twenty-one patients with severe OSA and coexisting CAD (group 1) and 20 control patients with severe OSA alone (group 2) were treated with CPAP and monitored by laboratory-based polysomnography. NT-proBNP and hs-TropT levels were measured before and after CPAP. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and oxygen desaturation were similar in both groups. In group 1, hs-TropT levels correlated with AHI and oxygen desaturation upon CPAP. Elevated NT-proBNP levels in group 1 were significantly reduced by CPAP. NT-proBNP levels correlated with AHI and showed negative correlation with ST-segment depression. No such correlations were found in group 2. CPAP has the potential to normalize elevated NT-proBNP serum levels in patients with severe OSA and coexisting CAD. Levels of NT-proBNP and hs-TropT correlated with AHI and oxygen desaturation.

Reflectance measurements for the detection and mapping of soil limitations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benson, L. A.; Frazee, C. J.

1973-01-01

During 1971 and 1972 research was conducted on two fallow fields in the proposed Oahe Irrigation Project to investigate the relationship between the tonal variations observed on aerial photographs and the principal soil limitations of the area. A grid sampling procedure was used to collected detailed field data during the 1972 growing season. The field data was compared to imagery collected on May 14, 1971 at 3050 meters altitude. The imagery and field data were initially evaluated by a visual analysis. Correlation and regression analysis revealed a highly significant correlation and regression analysis revealed a highly significant correlation between the digitized color infrared film data and soil properties such as organic matter content, color, depth to carbonates, bulk density and reflectivity. Computer classification of the multiemulsion film data resulted in maps delineating the areas containing claypan and erosion limitations. Reflectance data from the red spectral band provided the best results.

First Measurements of High Frequency Cross-Spectra from a Pair of Large Michelson Interferometers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chou, Aaron S.; Gustafson, Richard; Hogan, Craig

Measurements are reported of high frequency cross-spectra of signals from the Fermilab Holometer, a pair of co-located 39 m, high power Michelson interferometers. The instrument obtains differential position sensitivity to cross-correlated signals far exceeding any previous measurement in a broad frequency band extending to the 3.8 MHz inverse light crossing time of the apparatus. A model of universal exotic spatial shear correlations that matches the Planck scale holographic information bound of space-time position states is excluded to 4.6{\\sigma} significance.

Immunohistochemical and Biochemical Expression Patterns of TTF-1, RAGE, GLUT-1 and SOX2 in HCV-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinomas

PubMed Central

Aboushousha, Tarek; Mamdouh, Samah; Hamdy, Hussam; Helal, Noha; Khorshed, Fatma; Safwat, Gehan; Seleem, Mohamed

2018-01-01

Objective: To investigate the expression of TTF-1, RAGE, GLUT1 and SOX2 in HCV-associated HCCs and in surrounding non-tumorous liver tissue. Material and Methods: Tissue material from partial hepatectomy cases for HCC along with corresponding serum samples and 30 control serum samples from healthy volunteers were studied. Biopsies were classified into: non-tumor hepatic tissue (36 sections); HCC (33 sections) and liver cell dysplasia (LCD) (15 sections). All cases were positive for HCV. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), gene extraction and quantitative real-time reverse-transcription assays (qRT-PCR) were applied. Results: By IHC, LCD and HCC showed significantly high percentages of positive cases with all markers. SOX2 showed significant increase with higher HCC grades, while RAGE demonstrated an inverse relation and GLUT-1 and TTF-1 lacked any correlation. In nontumorous-HCV tissue, we found significantly high TTF-1, low RAGE and negative SOX2 expression. RAGE, GLUT-1 and SOX2 show non-significant elevation positivity in high grade HCV compared to low grade lesions. TTF-1, RAGE and SOX2 exhibited low expression in cirrhosis compared to fibrosis. Biochemical studies on serum and tissue extracts revealed significant down-regulation of RAGE, GLUT-1 and SOX2 genes, as well as significant up-regulation of the TTF-1 gene in HCC cases compared to controls. All studied genes show significant correlation with HCC grade. In non-tumor tissue, only TTF-1 gene expression had a significant correlation with the fibrosis score. Conclusion: Higher expression of TTF-1, RAGE, GLUT-1 and SOX2 in HCC and dysplasia compared to non-tumor tissues indicates up-regulation of these markers as early events during the development of HCV-associated HCC. PMID:29373917

Immunohistochemical and Biochemical Expression Patterns of TTF-1, RAGE, GLUT-1 and SOX2 in HCV-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinomas

PubMed

Aboushousha, Tarek; Mamdouh, Samah; Hamdy, Hussam; Helal, Noha; Khorshed, Fatma; Safwat, Gehan; Seleem, Mohamed

2018-01-27

Objective: To investigate the expression of TTF-1, RAGE, GLUT1 and SOX2 in HCV-associated HCCs and in surrounding non-tumorous liver tissue. Material and Methods: Tissue material from partial hepatectomy cases for HCC along with corresponding serum samples and 30 control serum samples from healthy volunteers were studied. Biopsies were classified into: non-tumor hepatic tissue (36 sections); HCC (33 sections) and liver cell dysplasia (LCD) (15 sections). All cases were positive for HCV. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), gene extraction and quantitative real-time reverse-transcription assays (qRT-PCR) were applied. Results: By IHC, LCD and HCC showed significantly high percentages of positive cases with all markers. SOX2 showed significant increase with higher HCC grades, while RAGE demonstrated an inverse relation and GLUT-1 and TTF-1 lacked any correlation. In nontumorous-HCV tissue, we found significantly high TTF-1, low RAGE and negative SOX2 expression. RAGE, GLUT-1 and SOX2 show non-significant elevation positivity in high grade HCV compared to low grade lesions. TTF-1, RAGE and SOX2 exhibited low expression in cirrhosis compared to fibrosis. Biochemical studies on serum and tissue extracts revealed significant down-regulation of RAGE, GLUT-1 and SOX2 genes, as well as significant up-regulation of the TTF-1 gene in HCC cases compared to controls. All studied genes show significant correlation with HCC grade. In non-tumor tissue, only TTF-1 gene expression had a significant correlation with the fibrosis score. Conclusion: Higher expression of TTF-1, RAGE, GLUT-1 and SOX2 in HCC and dysplasia compared to non-tumor tissues indicates up-regulation of these markers as early events during the development of HCV-associated HCC. Creative Commons Attribution License

Investigation of Tinnitus Patients in Italy: Clinical and Audiological Characteristics

PubMed Central

Martines, Francesco; Bentivegna, Daniela; Di Piazza, Fabiola; Martines, Enrico; Sciacca, Vincenzo; Martinciglio, Gioacchino

2010-01-01

Objective. 312 tinnitus sufferers were studied in order to analyze: the clinical characteristics of tinnitus; the presence of tinnitus-age correlation and tinnitus-hearing loss correlation; the impact of tinnitus on subjects' life and where possible the etiological/predisposing factors of tinnitus. Results. There is a slight predominance of males. The highest percentage of tinnitus results in the decades 61–70. Of the tinnitus sufferers, 197 (63.14%) have a hearing deficit (light hearing loss in 37.18% of cases). The hearing impairment results of sensorineural type in 74.62% and limited to the high frequencies in 58.50%. The tinnitus is referred as unilateral in 59.93%, a pure tone in 66.99% and 10 dB above the hearing threshold in 37.7%. It is limited to high frequencies in 72.10% of the patients with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) while the 88.37% of the patients with high-frequency SNHL have a high-pitched tinnitus (χ 2 = 66.26;P < .005). Conclusion. Hearing status and age represent the principal tinnitus related factors; there is a statistically significant association between high-pitched tinnitus and high-frequency SNHL. There is no significant correlation between tinnitus severity and tinnitus loudness confirming the possibility that neural connection involved in evoking tinnitus-related negative reactions are governed by conditioned reflexes. PMID:20652075

Specific Features of Pressure-Fluctuation Fields in the Vicinity of a Forward-Facing Step-Backward-Facing Step Configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golubev, A. Yu.

2018-01-01

A computational model of inhomogeneous pressure-fluctuation fields in the vicinity of a forward-facing step-backward-facing step configuration taking into account the high degree of their mutual correlation (global correlation) is generalized from experimental data. It is shown that when determining the characteristics of pressure fluctuations that act on an elastic structure, the global correlation is represented by an additional inhomogeneous field. It is demonstrated that a high degree of correlation may lead to a significant change in the main characteristics of the pressure-fluctuation field in the wake behind the configuration. This is taken into consideration in the model by correcting the local properties of this field.

Feature Genes Selection Using Supervised Locally Linear Embedding and Correlation Coefficient for Microarray Classification

PubMed Central

Wang, Yun; Huang, Fangzhou

2018-01-01

The selection of feature genes with high recognition ability from the gene expression profiles has gained great significance in biology. However, most of the existing methods have a high time complexity and poor classification performance. Motivated by this, an effective feature selection method, called supervised locally linear embedding and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (SLLE-SC2), is proposed which is based on the concept of locally linear embedding and correlation coefficient algorithms. Supervised locally linear embedding takes into account class label information and improves the classification performance. Furthermore, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient is used to remove the coexpression genes. The experiment results obtained on four public tumor microarray datasets illustrate that our method is valid and feasible. PMID:29666661

Feature Genes Selection Using Supervised Locally Linear Embedding and Correlation Coefficient for Microarray Classification.

PubMed

Xu, Jiucheng; Mu, Huiyu; Wang, Yun; Huang, Fangzhou

2018-01-01

The selection of feature genes with high recognition ability from the gene expression profiles has gained great significance in biology. However, most of the existing methods have a high time complexity and poor classification performance. Motivated by this, an effective feature selection method, called supervised locally linear embedding and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (SLLE-SC 2 ), is proposed which is based on the concept of locally linear embedding and correlation coefficient algorithms. Supervised locally linear embedding takes into account class label information and improves the classification performance. Furthermore, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient is used to remove the coexpression genes. The experiment results obtained on four public tumor microarray datasets illustrate that our method is valid and feasible.

Impact of back muscle strength and aging on locomotive syndrome in community living Japanese women.

PubMed

Hirano, Kenichi; Imagama, Shiro; Hasegawa, Yukiharu; Wakao, Norimitsu; Muramoto, Akio; Ishiguro, Naoki

2013-02-01

The Japanese Orthopaedic Association has proposed the term locomotive syndrome (LS) to designate a condition of individuals in high-risk groups with musculoskeletal disease who are highly likely to require nursing care. This study investigates the influence of spinal factors on LS in Japanese females. A total of 187 women > or =50 years old were enrolled in the study. Those answering yes to least one of the 7 categories in the self-assessment checklist for LS were defined as having LS. We evaluated lateral lumbar radiographs, sagittal parameters, sagittal balance using the spinal inclination angle (SIA) as an index, spinal range of motion (ROM) as determined with SpinalMouse, back muscle strength (BMS), and body mass index (BMI). Age, BMI, BMS, SIA, sacral slope angle (SSA), and lumbar spinal ROM showed significant correlations with LS. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that an increase in age (OR 1.054, p<0.05) and a decrease in BMS (OR 0.968, p<0.01) were significantly associated with LS. Age had significant negative correlations with BMS, SSA, thoracic and lumbar spinal ROM, and it had positive correlations with BMI, SIA, and lumbar kyphosis. BMS had significant negative correlations with age, SIA, thoracic and lumbar kyphosis, and it had positive correlations with SSA, lumbar and total spinal ROM. An increase in age and a decrease in BMS may be the most important risk factors for LS in Japanese women. Back muscle strengthening and spinal ROM exercises could be useful for improving the status of an individual suffering from LS.

Levels of glutathione and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in the red blood cells of Australian Aborigines.

PubMed

Agar, N S

1980-01-01

There were no significant differences in packed cell volume (PCV) and red cell 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) levels in Australian Aborigines and Caucasians. A highly significant negative correlation was found between PCV and 2,3-DPG in both Aborigines (r = 0.251; n = 231) and Caucasians (r = 0.435; n = 227). Levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) in the red blood cells of Aborigines were significantly lower (P < 0.001) compared to those of Caucasians. There was a significant negative correlation between PCV and GSH in both the groups; (Aborigines r = -0.637, n = 115; Caucasians r = 0.388, n = 111).

Correlation of cancer stem cell markers and immune cell markers in resected non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Huang, Zhaoqin; Yu, Haining; Zhang, Jianbo; Jing, Haiyan; Zhu, Wanqi; Li, Xiaolin; Kong, Lingling; Xing, Ligang; Yu, Jinming; Meng, Xiangjiao

2017-01-01

Background: Recent studies confirmed that immunotherapy showed prominent efficacy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Cancer stem cells/cancer initiating cells are resistant to anticancer treatment. The purpose of the study was to analyze the correlation of cancer stem cells/cancer initiating cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in NSCLC. Methods: CD133, octamer 4 (OCT-4), CD8, CD56, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) were assessed in 172 resected NSCLC samples. The staining was analyzed and scored by the pathologist who was blinded to the clinical pathological data of the patients. Results: High CD8+ T cell infiltration was correlated significantly with squamous cell carcinoma histology (p=0.008). High PD-L1 expression (≥10%) was associated with high tumor status (p=0.043). Pearson's correlation test showed that CD56+ cells were negatively correlated with CD133 expression (r=-0.361, p<0.001) and weakly correlated with negative OCT-4 expression (r=-0.180, p=0.018). There was a strong positive correlation between CD8 and HLA class I (r=0.573, p<0.001). In the survival analysis, high CD8+ T cell infiltration is an independent predictor of improved disease-free survival and overall survival. Patients with low CD133 expression and high CD56 expression had a longer overall survival than those with high CD133 expression and/or low CD56 expression (p=0.013). Conclusion: There is a negative correlation between CD56+ cells and cancer stem cell markers. This correlation may confirm the possibility that natural killer cells can target CD133+ cancer stem cells/cancer initiating cells in non-small cell lung cancer.

The expression of pigment epithelium-derived factor in bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Jang, Tae Jung; Kim, Sung Woo; Lee, Kyung Seop

2012-06-01

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is an anti-angiogenic factor. The purpose of this study is to examine the involvement of PEDF in the angiogenesis and biological behavior of bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). We examined the expression of PEDF in 99 bladder TCCs and ten non-neoplastic tissues, and evaluated microvessel density (MVD). The positive immunoreactivity for PEDF was seen in normal urothelium in 60% (6/10) and TCC in 13% (13/99). The PEDF expression had a significant correlation with MVD, i.e., a low MVD in 42% (5/12), a middle MVD in 11% (8/76) and a high MVD 0% (0/11) of tumors. The PEDF expression was not significantly correlated with the differentiation and invasion of TCC, but the degree of MVD was significantly higher in both high grade TCC and the pT2 tumors. The degree of PEDF expression is significantly higher in normal bladder urothelium than bladder TCC; it is inversely correlated with the angiogenesis; and it is not related to the differentiation and progression of TCC. It can therefore be concluded that bladder TCC would initially occur if there is a lack of the PEDF expression.

The Expression of Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor in Bladder Transitional Cell Carcinoma

PubMed Central

Kim, Sung Woo; Lee, Kyung Seop

2012-01-01

Background Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is an anti-angiogenic factor. The purpose of this study is to examine the involvement of PEDF in the angiogenesis and biological behavior of bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). Methods We examined the expression of PEDF in 99 bladder TCCs and ten non-neoplastic tissues, and evaluated microvessel density (MVD). Results The positive immunoreactivity for PEDF was seen in normal urothelium in 60% (6/10) and TCC in 13% (13/99). The PEDF expression had a significant correlation with MVD, i.e., a low MVD in 42% (5/12), a middle MVD in 11% (8/76) and a high MVD 0% (0/11) of tumors. The PEDF expression was not significantly correlated with the differentiation and invasion of TCC, but the degree of MVD was significantly higher in both high grade TCC and the pT2 tumors. Conclusions The degree of PEDF expression is significantly higher in normal bladder urothelium than bladder TCC; it is inversely correlated with the angiogenesis; and it is not related to the differentiation and progression of TCC. It can therefore be concluded that bladder TCC would initially occur if there is a lack of the PEDF expression. PMID:23110012

Soil Bacterial Diversity Is Associated with Human Population Density in Urban Greenspaces.

PubMed

Wang, Haitao; Cheng, Minying; Dsouza, Melissa; Weisenhorn, Pamela; Zheng, Tianling; Gilbert, Jack A

2018-05-01

Urban greenspaces provide extensive ecosystem services, including pollutant remediation, water management, carbon maintenance, and nutrient cycling. However, while the urban soil microbiota underpin these services, we still have limited understanding of the factors that influence their distribution. We characterized soil bacterial communities from turf-grasses associated with urban parks, streets, and residential sites across a major urban environment, including a gradient of human population density. Bacterial diversity was significantly positively correlated with the population density; and species diversity was greater in park and street soils, compared to residential soils. Population density and greenspace type also led to significant differences in the microbial community composition that was also significantly correlated with soil pH, moisture, and texture. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed that microbial guilds in urban soils were well correlated. Abundant soil microbes in high density population areas had fewer interactions, while abundant bacteria in high moisture soils had more interactions. These results indicate the significant influence of changes in urban demographics and land-use on soil microbial communities. As urbanization is rapidly growing across the planet, it is important to improve our understanding of the consequences of urban zoning on the soil microbiota.

Vibrational spectroscopic characterization of growth bands in Porites coral from South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yinxian; Yu, Kefu; Ayoko, Godwin A.; Frost, Ray L.; Shi, Qi; Feng, Yuexing; Zhao, Jianxin

2013-08-01

A series of samples from different growth bands of Porites coral skeleton were studied using Raman, infrared reflectance methods. The Raman spectra proved that skeleton samples from different growth bands have the same mineral phase as aragonite, but a band at 133 cm-1 for the top layer shows a transition from ˜120 cm-1 for vaterite to ˜141 cm-1 for aragonite. It is inferred that the vaterite should be the precursor of aragonite of coral skeleton. The positional shift in the infrared spectra of the skeleton samples from growth bands correlate significantly to their minor elements (Li, Mg, Sr, Mn, Fe and U) contents. Mg, Sr and U especially have significant negative correlations with the positions of the antisymmetric stretching band ν3 at ˜1469 cm-1. And Li shows a high negative correlation with ν2 band (˜855 cm-1), while Sr and Mn show similar negative correlation with ν4 band (˜712 cm-1). And Mn also shows a negative correlation with ν1 band (˜1082 cm-1). A significantly negative correlation is observed for U with ν1 + ν4 band (˜1786 cm-1). However, Fe shows positive correlation with ν1, ν2, ν3, ν4 and ν1 + ν4 bands shifts, especially a significant correlation with ν1 band (˜1082 cm-1). New insights into the characteristics of coral at different growth bands of skeleton are given in present work.

Inference for High-dimensional Differential Correlation Matrices.

PubMed

Cai, T Tony; Zhang, Anru

2016-01-01

Motivated by differential co-expression analysis in genomics, we consider in this paper estimation and testing of high-dimensional differential correlation matrices. An adaptive thresholding procedure is introduced and theoretical guarantees are given. Minimax rate of convergence is established and the proposed estimator is shown to be adaptively rate-optimal over collections of paired correlation matrices with approximately sparse differences. Simulation results show that the procedure significantly outperforms two other natural methods that are based on separate estimation of the individual correlation matrices. The procedure is also illustrated through an analysis of a breast cancer dataset, which provides evidence at the gene co-expression level that several genes, of which a subset has been previously verified, are associated with the breast cancer. Hypothesis testing on the differential correlation matrices is also considered. A test, which is particularly well suited for testing against sparse alternatives, is introduced. In addition, other related problems, including estimation of a single sparse correlation matrix, estimation of the differential covariance matrices, and estimation of the differential cross-correlation matrices, are also discussed.

Time correlation between the radio and gamma-ray activity in blazars and the production site of the gamma-ray emission

DOE PAGES

Max-Moerbeck, W.; Hovatta, T.; Richards, J. L.; ...

2014-09-22

In order to determine the location of the gamma-ray emission site in blazars, we investigate the time-domain relationship between their radio and gamma-ray emission. Light-curves for the brightest detected blazars from the first 3 years of the mission of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope are cross-correlated with 4 years of 15GHz observations from the OVRO 40-m monitoring program. The large sample and long light-curve duration enable us to carry out a statistically robust analysis of the significance of the cross-correlations, which is investigated using Monte Carlo simulations including the uneven sampling and noise properties of the light-curves. Modeling the light-curvesmore » as red noise processes with power-law power spectral densities, we find that only one of 41 sources with high quality data in both bands shows correlations with significance larger than 3σ (AO0235+164), with only two more larger than even 2.25σ (PKS 1502+106 and B2 2308+34). Additionally, we find correlated variability in Mrk 421 when including a strong flare that occurred in July-September 2012. These results demonstrate very clearly the difficulty of measuring statistically robust multiwavelength correlations and the care needed when comparing light-curves even when many years of data are used. This should be a caution. In all four sources the radio variations lag the gamma-ray variations, suggesting that the gamma-ray emission originates upstream of the radio emission. Continuous simultaneous monitoring over a longer time period is required to obtain high significance levels in cross-correlations between gamma-ray and radio variability in most blazars.« less

Weight-correction of carbon dioxide diffusion coefficient (DCO2 ) reduces its inter-individual variability and improves its correlation with blood carbon dioxide levels in neonates receiving high-frequency oscillatory ventilation.

PubMed

Belteki, Gusztav; Lin, Benjamin; Morley, Colin J

2017-10-01

Carbon-dioxide elimination during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) is thought to be proportional to the carbon dioxide diffusion coefficient (DCO 2 ) which is calculated as frequency x (tidal volume) 2 . DCO 2 can be used to as an indicator of CO 2 elimination but values obtained in different patients cannot be directly compared. To analyze the relationship between DCO 2 , the weight-corrected DCO 2 (DCO 2 corr) and blood gas PCO 2 values obtained from infants receiving HFOV. DCO 2 data were obtained from 14 infants at 1/s sampling rate and the mean DCO 2 was determined over 10 min periods preceding the time of the blood gas. DCO 2 corr was calculated by dividing the DCO 2 by the square of the body weight in kg. Weight-correction significantly reduced the inter-individual variability of DCO 2 . When data from all the babies were combined, standard DCO 2 showed no correlation with PCO 2 but DCO 2 corr showed a weak but statistically significant inverse correlation. The correlation was better when the endotracheal leak was <10%. There was significant inverse but weaker correlation between the HFOV tidal volume (VThf) and the PCO 2 . In any baby, DCO 2 corr >50 mL 2 /sec/kg 2 or VThf > 2.5 mL/kg was rarely needed to avoid hypercapnia. Weight-correction of DCO 2 values improved its comparability between patients. Weight-corrected DCO 2 correlated better with PCO 2 than uncorrected DCO 2 but the correlation was weak. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

In silico selection of therapeutic antibodies for development: Viscosity, clearance, and chemical stability

PubMed Central

Sharma, Vikas K.; Patapoff, Thomas W.; Kabakoff, Bruce; Pai, Satyan; Hilario, Eric; Zhang, Boyan; Li, Charlene; Borisov, Oleg; Kelley, Robert F.; Chorny, Ilya; Zhou, Joe Z.; Dill, Ken A.; Swartz, Trevor E.

2014-01-01

For mAbs to be viable therapeutics, they must be formulated to have low viscosity, be chemically stable, and have normal in vivo clearance rates. We explored these properties by observing correlations of up to 60 different antibodies of the IgG1 isotype. Unexpectedly, we observe significant correlations with simple physical properties obtainable from antibody sequences and by molecular dynamics simulations of individual antibody molecules. mAbs viscosities increase strongly with hydrophobicity and charge dipole distribution and decrease with net charge. Fast clearance correlates with high hydrophobicities of certain complementarity determining regions and with high positive or high negative net charge. Chemical degradation from tryptophan oxidation correlates with the average solvent exposure time of tryptophan residues. Aspartic acid isomerization rates can be predicted from solvent exposure and flexibility as determined by molecular dynamics simulations. These studies should aid in more rapid screening and selection of mAb candidates during early discovery. PMID:25512516

Refinements of Stout’s Procedure for Assessing Latent Trait Unidimensionality

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-08-01

in the presence of guessing when coupled with many high-discriminating items. A revision of DIMTEST is proposed to overcome this limitation. Also, an...used for factor analysis. When guessing is present in the responses to items, however, linear factor analysis of tetrachoric correlations can produce...significance when d=1 and maintaining good power when d=2, even when the correlation between the abilities is as high as .7. The present study provides a

Job Stress and Presenteeism among Chinese Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Effects of Affective Commitment.

PubMed

Yang, Tianan; Guo, Yina; Ma, Mingxu; Li, Yaxin; Tian, Huilin; Deng, Jianwei

2017-08-29

Presenteeism affects the performance of healthcare workers. This study examined associations between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism among healthcare workers. To investigate the relationship between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism, structural equation modeling was used to analyze a sample of 1392 healthcare workers from 11 Class A tertiary hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. The mediating effect of affective commitment on the association between job stress and presenteeism was examined with the Sobel test. Job stress was high and the level of presenteeism was moderate among healthcare workers. Challenge stress and hindrance stress were strongly correlated (β = 0.62; p < 0.05). Affective commitment was significantly and directly inversely correlated with presenteeism (β = -0.27; p < 0.001). Challenge stress was significantly positively correlated with affective commitment (β = 0.15; p < 0.001) but not with presenteeism. Hindrance stress was significantly inversely correlated with affective commitment (β = -0.40; p < 0.001) but was significantly positively correlated with presenteeism (β = 0.26; p < 0.001). This study provides important empirical data on presenteeism among healthcare workers. Presenteeism can be addressed by increasing affective commitment and challenge stress and by limiting hindrance stress among healthcare workers in China.

Association of Beta-2 Microglobulin with Inflammation and Dislipidemia in High-Flux Membrane Hemodialysis Patients.

PubMed

Topçiu-Shufta, Valdete; Miftari, Ramë; Haxhibeqiri, Valdete; Haxhibeqiri, Shpend

2016-10-01

Higher than expected cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis patients, has been attributed to dyslipidemia as well as inflammation. Beta2-Microglobulin (β2M) is an independent predictor of outcome for hemodialysis patients and a representative substance of middle molecules. In 40 patients in high-flux membrane hemodialysis, we found negative correlation of β2M with high density lipoprotein (r=-0.73, p<0.001) and albumin (r= -0.53, p<0.001) and positive correlation with triglycerides (r=0.69, p<0.001), parathyroid hormone (r=0.58, p < 0.05) and phosphorus (r= 0.53, p<0.001). There was no correlation of β2M with C- reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). During the follow-up period of three years, 6 out of 40 patients have died from cardiovascular events. In high-flux membrane hemodialysis patients, we observed a significant relationship of β2M with dyslipidemia and mineral bone disorders, but there was no correlation with inflammation.

Temperature properties in the tropical tropopause layer and their correlations with Outgoing Longwave Radiation: FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kaiti; Wu, Yi-chao; Lin, Jia-Ting; Tan, Pei-Hua

2018-06-01

The properties of temperature at the level of lapse rate minimum (LRM) in the tropical tropopause layer between 20°S and 20°N are investigated using 3-year radio occultation observations based on the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC mission from November of 2006 to October of 2009. The correlations between this LRM temperature and Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) are analyzed by 5° × 5° grids in longitude and latitude. Two primary regions, one from 60°E to 180°E and the other from 90°W to 30°E, are found to have higher correlations and can be associated with regions of lower OLR values. The patterns of this spatial distributions of regions with higher correlations begin to change more obviously when the altitude ascends to the level of Cold Point Tropopause (CPT). This correlation at the LRM altitude in annual and seasonal scales also shows spatial distributions associated with OLR intensities. The altitudinal dependence of the correlations between temperature and OLR is further analyzed based on grids of high correlations with significance at LRM altitude, for the two primary regions. The results show that for the different time scales in this analysis (3-year, annual, and seasonal), the correlations all gradually decrease above the LRM levels but maintain a significant level to as high as 2.5-3.5 km. Below the LRM level, the correlation decreases with a slower rate as the altitude descends and still keeps significant at the deep 5 km level. These suggest that the vertical temperature profiles could be affected by the convection mechanism for a wide range of altitudes in the troposphere even above LRM altitude. Applying the same analysis on one complete La Niña event during the survey period also reveals similar features.

Exploring homogeneity of correlation structures of gene expression datasets within and between etiological disease categories.

PubMed

Jong, Victor L; Novianti, Putri W; Roes, Kit C B; Eijkemans, Marinus J C

2014-12-01

The literature shows that classifiers perform differently across datasets and that correlations within datasets affect the performance of classifiers. The question that arises is whether the correlation structure within datasets differ significantly across diseases. In this study, we evaluated the homogeneity of correlation structures within and between datasets of six etiological disease categories; inflammatory, immune, infectious, degenerative, hereditary and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We also assessed the effect of filtering; detection call and variance filtering on correlation structures. We downloaded microarray datasets from ArrayExpress for experiments meeting predefined criteria and ended up with 12 datasets for non-cancerous diseases and six for AML. The datasets were preprocessed by a common procedure incorporating platform-specific recommendations and the two filtering methods mentioned above. Homogeneity of correlation matrices between and within datasets of etiological diseases was assessed using the Box's M statistic on permuted samples. We found that correlation structures significantly differ between datasets of the same and/or different etiological disease categories and that variance filtering eliminates more uncorrelated probesets than detection call filtering and thus renders the data highly correlated.

Co-expression of COX-2 and 5-LO in primary glioblastoma is associated with poor prognosis.

PubMed

Wang, Xingfu; Chen, Yupeng; Zhang, Sheng; Zhang, Lifeng; Liu, Xueyong; Zhang, Li; Li, Xiaoling; Chen, Dayang

2015-11-01

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) are important factors in tumorigenesis and malignant progression; however, studies of their roles in glioblastoma have produced conflicting results. To define the frequencies of COX-2 and 5-LO expression and their correlation with clinicopathological features and prognosis, tumor tissues from 76 cases of newly diagnosed primary ordinary glioblastoma were examined for COX-2 and 5-LO expression by immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of COX-2 and 5-LO and the relationships between the co-expression of COX-2/5-LO and patient age and gender, edema index (EI), Karnofsky Performance Scale and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. COX-2 and 5-LO were expressed in 73.7 % (56/76) and 92.1 % (70/76) of the samples, respectively. Among the clinicopathological characteristics, only age (>60 years) exhibited a significant association with the high expression of COX-2. No statistically significant correlations were found in the 5-LO cohort. A significant positive correlation was revealed between the COX-2 and 5-LO scores (r = 0.374; p = 0.001). The elevated co-expression of COX-2 and 5-LO was observed primarily in the patients over the age of 60 years. Patients with a high expression of COX-2 had a significantly shorter OS (p < 0.01), whereas the immunoexpression of 5-LO was not associated with the OS of patients with glioblastoma. Survival analysis indicated that simultaneous high levels of COX-2 and 5-LO expression were significantly correlated with poor OS and, conversely, that a low/low expression pattern of these two proteins was significantly associated with better OS (p < 0.05). Moreover, the Cox multivariable proportional hazard model showed that a high expression of COX-2, high co-expression of COX-2 and 5-LO, and a high Ki-67 index were significant predictors of shorter OS in primary glioblastoma, independent of age, gender, EI, 5-LO expression and p53 status. The hazard ratios for OS were 2.347 (95 % CI 1.30-4.25, p = 0.005), 1.900 (95 % CI 1.30-2.78, p = 0.001), and 2.210 (95 % CI 1.19-4.09, p = 0.011), respectively. These results suggest that COX-2 and 5-LO play roles in tumorigenesis and the progression of primary glioblastoma and that the co-expression pattern of COX-2/5-LO may be used as an independent prognostic factor in this disease.

Monocarboxylate transporters MCT1 and MCT4 are independent prognostic biomarkers for the survival of patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma and those receiving therapy targeting angiogenesis.

PubMed

Cao, Yan-Wei; Liu, Yong; Dong, Zhen; Guo, Lei; Kang, En-Hao; Wang, Yong-Hua; Zhang, Wei; Niu, Hai-Tao

2018-04-12

Prognostic biomarkers for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), particularly those receiving therapy targeting angiogenesis, are not well established. In this study, we examined the correlations of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) and MCT4, 2 critical transporters for glycolytic metabolism, with various clinicopathological parameters as well as survival of patients with ccRCC and those treated with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) inhibitors. A cohort of 150 ccRCC patients were recruited into this study. All patients underwent radical or partial nephrectomy as the first-line treatment, and 38 received targeted therapy (sorafenib or sunitinib) after the surgery. Expression levels of MCT1, MCT4, and CD34 were examined by immunohistochemistry. Correlations between MCT1 or MCT4 expression and different clinicopathological parameters or patient survival were analyzed among all as well as patients receiving targeted therapy. MCT1 or MCT4 expression did not significantly correlate with sex, age, tumor diameter, microvascular density, tumor staging, pathological Furmann grade, or MSKCC (P>0.05). High expression of either MCT1 or MCT4 significantly correlated with reduced overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) among the total cohort of ccRCC patients. For patients receiving targeted therapy, high expression of either MCT1 or MCT4 significantly correlated with reduced PFS, but not OS. Both conditions were independent prognostic biomarkers for reduced PFS among all patients or those receiving targeted therapy. MCT1 and MCT4 are prognostic biomarkers for patients with ccRCC or those receiving targeted therapy. High expression of these 2 proteins predicts reduced PFS in these patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Hearing Loss in Pilots

PubMed Central

Atalay, Hayriye; Babakurban, Seda Türkoğlu; Aydın, Erdinç

2015-01-01

Objective High-intensity noise sources with an increase in air traffic and sudden changes in atmospheric pressure can cause hearing loss in pilots. The main goal of this research is to examine hearing loss due to age, the total flight hours and aircraft types and to evaluate the effects of personal conditions that can influence the hearing level. Methods We examined the data of 234 Turkish pilots aged between 25 and 54 years who were examined due to the aviation Law for annual control from January 2005 to January 2014 at Başkent University Medical Faculty, Ankara Hospital. The audiometric results of the pilots were used. While 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 KHz were used for the airway threshold, 1, 2, and 4 KHz were used for the bone conduction threshold. Results According to the data of the 234 pilots, there was a significant correlation between high-frequency hearing loss and the total flight hours and pilots’ ages. The average hearing loss was higher, particularly in the left ear, in pilots using helicopters than in those using other aircraft types. There was no statistically significant correlation between hearing loss and diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, high blood pressure, anemia, obesity, and smoking. Conclusion A significant correlation was observed between high frequency hearing loss and the total flight hours, pilots’ age, and aircraft types in our study. PMID:29392000

Correlations between skin hydration parameters and corneocyte-derived parameters to characterize skin conditions.

PubMed

Masaki, Hitoshi; Yamashita, Yuki; Kyotani, Daiki; Honda, Tatsuya; Takano, Kenichi; Tamura, Toshiyasu; Mizutani, Taeko; Okano, Yuri

2018-03-30

Skin hydration is generally assessed using the parameters of skin surface water content (SWC) and trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL). To date, few studies have characterized skin conditions using correlations between skin hydration parameters and corneocyte parameters. The parameters SWC and TEWL allow the classification of skin conditions into four distinct Groups. The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics of skin conditions classified by SWC and TEWL for correlations with parameters from corneocytes. A human volunteer test was conducted that measured SWC and TEWL. As corneocyte-derived parameters, the size and thick abrasion ratios, the ratio of sulfhydryl groups and disulfide bonds (SH/SS) and CP levels were analyzed. Volunteers were classified by their median SWC and TEWL values into 4 Groups: Group I (high SWC/low TEWL), Group II (high SWC/high TEWL), Group III (low SWC/low TEWL), and Group IV (low SWC/high TEWL). Group IV showed a significantly smaller size of corneocytes. Groups III and IV had significantly higher thick abrasion ratios and CP levels. Group I had a significantly lower SH/SS value. The SWC/TEWL value showed a decline in order from Group I to Group IV. Groups classified by their SWC and TEWL values showed characteristic skin conditions. We propose that the SWC and TEWL ratio is a comprehensive parameter to assess skin conditions. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Interrogative suggestibility: its relationship with assertiveness, social-evaluative anxiety, state anxiety and method of coping.

PubMed

Gudjonsson, G H

1988-05-01

This paper attempts to investigate empirically in 30 subjects some of the theoretical components related to individual differences that are thought by Gudjonsson & Clark (1986) to mediate interrogative suggestibility as measured by the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS; Gudjonsson, 1984a). The variables studied were: assertiveness, social-evaluative anxiety, state anxiety and the coping methods subjects are able to generate and implement during interrogation. Low assertiveness and high evaluative anxiety were found to correlate moderately with suggestibility, but no significant correlations emerged for 'social avoidance and distress'. State anxiety correlated significantly with suggestibility, particularly after negative feedback had been administered. Coping methods (active-cognitive/behavioural vs. avoidance) significantly predicted suggestibility scores. The findings give strong support to the theoretical model of Gudjonsson & Clark.

Social acceptance among tuberculosis patients at Puskesmas Amplas Medan, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyanoer, P. C.

2018-03-01

Social acceptance is a confession, compilation, and appreciation for an individual which come from other individual or social groups in their entirety which makes individual feels safe, comfortable, and their existence is appreciated. A cross-sectional study consisted of 42 pulmonary TB patients registered at Puskesmas Amplas was done to analyze their social acceptance in the society. Data was collected by direct interview using structured questionnaire. The result showed that majority had either high and very high social acceptance with 45.20% and 31.0% respectively with high family support and high self-confidence (73.8%). Bivariate analysis showed a significant association between family support and self confidence with social acceptance (p value<0.05). The correlation coefficient (r) of self confidenceis 0.629 while family support were is 0.455 (p-value<0.05). This study concludes that both family support and self-confidence have a significant correlation with social acceptance.

Alertness Modulates Conflict Adaptation and Feature Integration in an Opposite Way

PubMed Central

Chen, Jia; Huang, Xiting; Chen, Antao

2013-01-01

Previous studies show that the congruency sequence effect can result from both the conflict adaptation effect (CAE) and feature integration effect which can be observed as the repetition priming effect (RPE) and feature overlap effect (FOE) depending on different experimental conditions. Evidence from neuroimaging studies suggests that a close correlation exists between the neural mechanisms of alertness-related modulations and the congruency sequence effect. However, little is known about whether and how alertness mediates the congruency sequence effect. In Experiment 1, the Attentional Networks Test (ANT) and a modified flanker task were used to evaluate whether the alertness of the attentional functions had a correlation with the CAE and RPE. In Experimental 2, the ANT and another modified flanker task were used to investigate whether alertness of the attentional functions correlate with the CAE and FOE. In Experiment 1, through the correlative analysis, we found a significant positive correlation between alertness and the CAE, and a negative correlation between the alertness and the RPE. Moreover, a significant negative correlation existed between CAE and RPE. In Experiment 2, we found a marginally significant negative correlation between the CAE and the RPE, but the correlation between alertness and FOE, CAE and FOE was not significant. These results suggest that alertness can modulate conflict adaptation and feature integration in an opposite way. Participants at the high alerting level group may tend to use the top-down cognitive processing strategy, whereas participants at the low alerting level group tend to use the bottom-up processing strategy. PMID:24250824

Validity of the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR): effort considered in a clinical sample of U.S. military veterans.

PubMed

Whitney, Kriscinda A; Shepard, Polly H; Mariner, Jennifer; Mossbarger, Brad; Herman, Steven M

2010-07-01

The current study represents an examination of the construct validity of the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR) among a sample of U.S. military veterans referred for outpatient neuropsychological evaluation that included a measure of negative response bias, namely, the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM). This retrospective data analysis examined the relationship between the WTAR and measures of current verbal general intellectual function and current cognitive skills. Findings showed that, among patients passing the TOMM (N = 98), WTAR scores were most highly correlated with current verbal IQ but also showed significant correlations with verbal memory and lesser, but still significant, correlations with measures of visual-spatial memory. Discriminant validity for the WTAR was also shown among the group passing the TOMM in the sense that the WTAR, which is designed to measure verbal premorbid general intellectual skill, was not as highly correlated with measures of learning and memory as was a measure of current verbal general intellectual skill. Whereas scores on most study measures did significantly differ between the groups that passed versus failed the TOMM (N = 26), scores on the WTAR did not, suggesting that the WTAR may remain robust even in the face of suboptimal effort.

Crackle analysis for chest auscultation and comparison with high-resolution CT findings.

PubMed

Kawamura, Takeo; Matsumoto, Tsuneo; Tanaka, Nobuyuki; Kido, Shoji; Jiang, Zhongwei; Matsunaga, Naofumi

2003-01-01

The purpose of our study was to clarify the correlation between respiratory sounds and the high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings of lung diseases. Respiratory sounds were recorded using a stethoscope in 41 patients with crackles. All had undergone inspiratory and expiratory CT. Subjects included 18 patients with interstitial pneumonia and 23 without interstitial pneumonia. Two parameters, two-cycle duration (2CD) and initial deflection width (IDW) of the "crackle," were induced by time-expanded waveform analysis. Two radiologists independently assessed 11 HRCT findings. An evaluation was carried out to determine whether there was a significant difference in the two parameters between the presence and absence of each HRCT finding. The two parameters of crackles were significantly shorter in the interstitial pneumonia group than the non-interstitial pneumonia group. Ground-glass opacity, honeycombing, lung volume reduction, traction bronchiectasis, centrilobular nodules, emphysematous change, and attenuation and volume change between inspiratory and expiratory CT were correlated with one or two parameters in all patients, whereas the other three findings were not. Among the interstitial pneumonia group, traction bronchiectasis, emphysematous change, and attenuation and volume change between inspiratory and expiratory CT were significantly correlated with one or two parameters. Abnormal respiratory sounds were correlated with some HRCT findings.

Detecting coupled collective motions in protein by independent subspace analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakuraba, Shun; Joti, Yasumasa; Kitao, Akio

2010-11-01

Protein dynamics evolves in a high-dimensional space, comprising aharmonic, strongly correlated motional modes. Such correlation often plays an important role in analyzing protein function. In order to identify significantly correlated collective motions, here we employ independent subspace analysis based on the subspace joint approximate diagonalization of eigenmatrices algorithm for the analysis of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation trajectories. From the 100 ns MD simulation of T4 lysozyme, we extract several independent subspaces in each of which collective modes are significantly correlated, and identify the other modes as independent. This method successfully detects the modes along which long-tailed non-Gaussian probability distributions are obtained. Based on the time cross-correlation analysis, we identified a series of events among domain motions and more localized motions in the protein, indicating the connection between the functionally relevant phenomena which have been independently revealed by experiments.

Characterizing scaling properties of complex signals with missed data segments using the multifractal analysis.

PubMed

Pavlov, A N; Pavlova, O N; Abdurashitov, A S; Sindeeva, O A; Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya, O V; Kurths, J

2018-01-01

The scaling properties of complex processes may be highly influenced by the presence of various artifacts in experimental recordings. Their removal produces changes in the singularity spectra and the Hölder exponents as compared with the original artifacts-free data, and these changes are significantly different for positively correlated and anti-correlated signals. While signals with power-law correlations are nearly insensitive to the loss of significant parts of data, the removal of fragments of anti-correlated signals is more crucial for further data analysis. In this work, we study the ability of characterizing scaling features of chaotic and stochastic processes with distinct correlation properties using a wavelet-based multifractal analysis, and discuss differences between the effect of missed data for synchronous and asynchronous oscillatory regimes. We show that even an extreme data loss allows characterizing physiological processes such as the cerebral blood flow dynamics.

Characterizing scaling properties of complex signals with missed data segments using the multifractal analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavlov, A. N.; Pavlova, O. N.; Abdurashitov, A. S.; Sindeeva, O. A.; Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya, O. V.; Kurths, J.

2018-01-01

The scaling properties of complex processes may be highly influenced by the presence of various artifacts in experimental recordings. Their removal produces changes in the singularity spectra and the Hölder exponents as compared with the original artifacts-free data, and these changes are significantly different for positively correlated and anti-correlated signals. While signals with power-law correlations are nearly insensitive to the loss of significant parts of data, the removal of fragments of anti-correlated signals is more crucial for further data analysis. In this work, we study the ability of characterizing scaling features of chaotic and stochastic processes with distinct correlation properties using a wavelet-based multifractal analysis, and discuss differences between the effect of missed data for synchronous and asynchronous oscillatory regimes. We show that even an extreme data loss allows characterizing physiological processes such as the cerebral blood flow dynamics.

Brief Report: Cognitive Correlates of Enlarged Head Circumference in Children with Autism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deutsch, Curtis K.; Joseph, Robert M.

2003-01-01

A study examined the frequency and cognitive correlates of enlarged head circumference in 63 children with autism (ages 4-14). Macrocephaly occurred at a significantly higher frequency. Children with discrepantly high nonverbal abilities had a mean standardized head circumference that was more than 1 standard deviation greater than the reference…

Correlating Science Center Use with Adult Science Literacy: An International, Cross-Institutional Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Falk, John H.; Dierking, Lynn D.; Swanger, Lisa Prendergast; Staus, Nancy; Back, Mariana; Barriault, Chantal; Catalao, Carlos; Chambers, Cindy; Chew, Ling-Ling; Dahl, Svein A.; Falla, Sigrid; Gorecki, Bern; Lau, Tak-Cheung; Lloyd, Andy; Martin, Jennifer; Santer, Jennifer; Singer, Silvia; Solli, Anne; Trepanier, Gabrielle; Tyystjarvi, Kati; Verheyden, Patricia

2016-01-01

This international investigation was designed to determine if, and under what circumstances experiences at science centers, significantly correlated with a range of adult general public science and technology literacy measures. Given the complex and cumulative nature of science and technology learning, and the highly variable and free-choice…

An improved correlation method for determining the period of a torsion pendulum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luo Jie; Wang Dianhong

Considering variation of environment temperature and unhomogeneity of background gravitational field, an improved correlation method was proposed to determine the variational period of a torsion pendulum with high precision. The result of processing experimental data shows that the uncertainty of determining the period with this method has been improved about twofolds than traditional correlation method, which is significant for the determination of gravitational constant with time-of-swing method.

Effects of high-carbohydrate and high-fat dietary treatments on measures of heart rate variability and sympathovagal balance.

PubMed

Millis, Richard M; Austin, Rachel E; Bond, Vernon; Faruque, Mezbah; Goring, Kim L; Hickey, Brian M; Blakely, Raymond; Demeersman, Ronald E

2009-07-17

We tested the hypothesis that respiratory quotient (RQ) determines sympathovagal balance associated with metabolism of stored and dietary energy substrates. Six 18-20 year-old African-American males were studied after two control pretreatments of fasting and post-treatments of metabolizing high-fat and high-carbohydrate beverages. RQ, heart rate (HR), energy expenditure (EE) and blood pressure (BP) were recorded at rest and repeated 1 h-3 h after ingesting isocaloric high-carbohydrate and high-fat beverages. Sympathovagal modulation of HR was quantified by the low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio from fast Fourier transform (spectral) analysis of the electrocardiogram RR intervals during paced breathing at 0.2 Hz. Significance of differences of peak post-treatment values from controls was evaluated by analysis of covariance and of correlations by linear regression at P<0.05. The high-carbohydrate and high-fat treatments increased RQ, EE, HR and LF/HF with significant interactions between covariates. LF/HF values were not significant after eliminating covariance of RQ, EE and HR for the control vs. high-fat and for the high-fat vs. high-carbohydrate and after eliminating covariance of EE and HR for the control vs. high-carbohydrate treatments. Across the RQ values, correlations were significant for EE and LF/HF. These findings imply that high RQ and sympathetic modulation produced by metabolizing carbohydrate is associated with high resting energy expenditure. We conclude that respiratory quotient may be an important determinant of the LF/HF ratio in the heart rate variability spectrum, likely, by a respiratory chemosensory mechanism.

Information processing of an acquaintance rape scenario among high- and low-dissociating college women.

PubMed

Sandberg, D A; Lynn, S J; Matorin, A I

2001-07-01

To assess the impact of dissociation on information processing, 66 college women with high and low levels of trait dissociation were studied with regard to how they unitized videotape segments of an acquaintance rape scenario (actual assault not shown) and a nonthreatening control scenario. Unitization is a paradigm that measures how actively people process stimuli by recording how many times they press a button to indicate that they have seen a significant or meaningful event. Trait dissociation was negatively correlated with participants' unitization of the acquaintance rape videotape, unitization was positively correlated with danger cue identification, and state dissociation was negatively correlated with dangerousness ratings.

Evaluation of Exotically-Derived Soybean Breeding Lines for Seed Yield, Germination, Damage, and Composition under Dryland Production in the Midsouthern USA

PubMed Central

Bellaloui, Nacer; Smith, James R.; Mengistu, Alemu; Ray, Jeffery D.; Gillen, Anne M.

2017-01-01

Although the Early Soybean Production System (ESPS) in the Midsouthern USA increased seed yield under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions, heat stress and drought still lead to poor seed quality in heat sensitive soybean cultivars. Our breeding goal was to identify breeding lines that possess high germination, nutritional quality, and yield potential under high heat and dryland production conditions. Our hypothesis was that breeding lines derived from exotic germplasm might possess physiological and genetic traits allowing for higher seed germinability under high heat conditions. In a 2-year field experiment, breeding lines derived from exotic soybean accessions, previously selected for adaptability to the ESPS in maturity groups (MG) III and IV, were grown under non-irrigated conditions. Results showed that three exotic breeding lines had consistently superior germination across 2 years. These lines had a mean germination percentage of >80%. Two (25-1-1-4-1-1 and 34-3-1-2-4-1) out of the three lines with ≥80% germination in both years maintained high seed protein, oleic acid, N, P, K, B, Cu, and Mo in both years. Significant (P < 0.05) positive correlations were found between germination and oleic acid and with K and Cu in both years. Significant negative correlations were found between germination and linoleic acid, Ca, and hard seed in both years. There were positive correlations between germination and N, P, B, Mo, and palmitic acid only in 2013. A negative correlation was found between germination and green seed damage and linolenic acid in 2013 only. Seed wrinkling was significantly negatively correlated with germination in 2012 only. A lower content of Ca in the seed of high germinability genotypes may explain the lower rates of hard seed in those lines, which could lead to higher germination. Many of the differences in yield, germination, diseases, and seed composition between years are likely due to heat and rainfall differences between years. The results also showed the potential roles of seed minerals, especially K, Ca, B, Cu, and Mo, in maintaining high seed quality. The knowledge gained from this research will help breeders to select for soybean with high seed nutritional qualities and high germinability. PMID:28289420

Diffusion Profiling via a Histogram Approach Distinguishes Low-grade from High-grade Meningiomas, Can Reflect the Respective Proliferative Potential and Progesterone Receptor Status.

PubMed

Gihr, Georg Alexander; Horvath-Rizea, Diana; Garnov, Nikita; Kohlhof-Meinecke, Patricia; Ganslandt, Oliver; Henkes, Hans; Meyer, Hans Jonas; Hoffmann, Karl-Titus; Surov, Alexey; Schob, Stefan

2018-02-01

Presurgical grading, estimation of growth kinetics, and other prognostic factors are becoming increasingly important for selecting the best therapeutic approach for meningioma patients. Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) provides microstructural information and reflects tumor biology. A novel DWI approach, histogram profiling of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) volumes, provides more distinct information than conventional DWI. Therefore, our study investigated whether ADC histogram profiling distinguishes low-grade from high-grade lesions and reflects Ki-67 expression and progesterone receptor status. Pretreatment ADC volumes of 37 meningioma patients (28 low-grade, 9 high-grade) were used for histogram profiling. WHO grade, Ki-67 expression, and progesterone receptor status were evaluated. Comparative and correlative statistics investigating the association between histogram profiling and neuropathology were performed. The entire ADC profile (p10, p25, p75, p90, mean, median) was significantly lower in high-grade versus low-grade meningiomas. The lower percentiles, mean, and modus showed significant correlations with Ki-67 expression. Skewness and entropy of the ADC volumes were significantly associated with progesterone receptor status and Ki-67 expression. ROC analysis revealed entropy to be the most accurate parameter distinguishing low-grade from high-grade meningiomas. ADC histogram profiling provides a distinct set of parameters, which help differentiate low-grade versus high-grade meningiomas. Also, histogram metrics correlate significantly with histological surrogates of the respective proliferative potential. More specifically, entropy revealed to be the most promising imaging biomarker for presurgical grading. Both, entropy and skewness were significantly associated with progesterone receptor status and Ki-67 expression and therefore should be investigated further as predictors for prognostically relevant tumor biological features. Since absolute ADC values vary between MRI scanners of different vendors and field strengths, their use is more limited in the presurgical setting.

Systemic lupus erythematosus patients in the low-latitude plateau of China: altitudinal influences.

PubMed

Qian, G; Ran, X; Zhou, C X; Deng, D Q; Zhang, P L; Guo, Y; Luo, J H; Zhou, X H; Xie, H; Cai, M

2014-12-01

The current study was to investigate the features of hospitalized patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at different altitudes. The correlation between SLE activity and altitudinal variations was also explored. Medical records of 1029 patients were retrospectively reviewed. Activity of SLE in each organ system was recorded using the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). There was no significant correlation between SLE activity and altitudes (r = 0.003, p = 0.159). Age at onset for SLE patients at high altitudes was significantly younger than that at low and moderate altitudes (p = 0.022 and p = 0.004, respectively). Age at SLE admission at low altitudes was significant older than those at moderate and high altitudes (p = 0.011 and p < 0.001, respectively). Patients at high altitudes had shorter duration from disease onset to admission than those at moderate altitudes (p = 0.009). Incidence of Sm antibodies-positive for resident patients at high altitudes was 36.4%, which were higher than that at moderate altitudes (p = 0.003). We found increasing trends of CNS activity in active patients; immunological and renal activities in inactive patients were correlated with elevated altitudes (p = 0.024, p = 0.004, p = 0.005), while arthritis scores in active patients showed the tendency of decreasing with the rise of elevation (p = 0.002). Hemoglobin level, red blood cell and platelet counts at high altitudes were significantly lower than those at low altitudes (p < 0.05, respectively). There was no significant difference in hemoglobin level between moderate- and low-altitude groups (p > 0.05). No significant difference in platelet counts between moderate- and high-altitude groups was observed (p > 0.05). Our findings suggest that some clinical features, laboratory tests and activity of main organs in SLE are influenced by altitudes. Furthermore, organ activities of active and inactive SLE patients have different patterns of altitudinal variations. These distinctive variations likely reveal that peculiar environmental factors at high altitudes can affect the development of SLE. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Cell migration or cytokinesis and proliferation? – Revisiting the “go or grow” hypothesis in cancer cells in vitro

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garay, Tamás; Juhász, Éva; Molnár, Eszter

The mortality of patients with solid tumors is mostly due to metastasis that relies on the interplay between migration and proliferation. The “go or grow” hypothesis postulates that migration and proliferation spatiotemporally excludes each other. We evaluated this hypothesis on 35 cell lines (12 mesothelioma, 13 melanoma and 10 lung cancer) on both the individual cell and population levels. Following three-day-long videomicroscopy, migration, proliferation and cytokinesis-length were quantified. We found a significantly higher migration in mesothelioma cells compared to melanoma and lung cancer while tumor types did not differ in mean proliferation or duration of cytokinesis. Strikingly, we found inmore » melanoma and lung cancer a significant positive correlation between mean proliferation and migration. Furthermore, non-dividing melanoma and lung cancer cells displayed slower migration. In contrast, in mesothelioma there were no such correlations. Interestingly, negative correlation was found between cytokinesis-length and migration in melanoma. FAK activation was higher in melanoma cells with high motility. We demonstrate that the cancer cells studied do not defer proliferation for migration. Of note, tumor cells from various organ systems may differently regulate migration and proliferation. Furthermore, our data is in line with the observation of pathologists that highly proliferative tumors are often highly invasive. - Highlights: • We investigated the “go or grow” hypothesis in human cancer cells in vitro. • Proliferation and migration positively correlate in melanoma and lung cancer cells. • Duration of cytokinesis and migration shows inverse correlation. • Increased FAK activation is present in highly motile melanoma cells.« less

Sustained expression of steroid receptor coactivator SRC-2/TIF-2 is associated with better prognosis in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

PubMed

Jennings, Cormac J; O'Grady, Anthony; Cummins, Robert; Murer, Bruno; Al-Alawi, Mazen; Madden, Stephen F; Mutti, Luciano; Harvey, Brian J; Thomas, Warren; Kay, Elaine W

2012-01-01

Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) overexpression by malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) tumor cells correlates with enhanced patient survival. ER-regulated transcription is mediated by the p160 family of steroid receptor coactivators (SRCs), and SRC isoform overexpression is associated with worse prognosis in many steroid-related malignancies. The aim of this study was to establish whether SRC isoform expression varied between individual MPM tumors with positive or negative prognostic significance. Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor biopsies from 89 subjects with confirmed histological diagnosis of MPM and biopsies from 3 normal control subjects was performed to detect the expression of SRC-1, SRC-2 (TIF-2), SRC-3 (AIB-1), and ERβ. Allred scores for expression of ERβ and each of the SRCs were determined, and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were calculated to correlate biomarker expression, gender, and histology type with postdiagnosis survival. ERβ and all the SRCs were expressed at high levels in normal pleural mesothelium, and expression of each biomarker was reduced or lost in a subset of the MPM subjects; however, postdiagnosis survival only significantly correlated with TIF-2 expression. Low or intermediate expression of TIF-2 correlated with reduced median postdiagnosis survival (9 months) compared with those subjects whose tumors highly expressed TIF-2 (20 months) (p = 0.036, log-rank test). Maintained high expression of TIF-2 in tumor cells is a positive prognostic indicator for postdiagnosis survival in patients with confirmed MPM. This is the first clinical study to correlate high TIF-2 expression with improved patient prognosis in any malignancy.

High-b-value diffusion-weighted MR imaging for pretreatment prediction and early monitoring of tumor response to therapy in mice.

PubMed

Roth, Yiftach; Tichler, Thomas; Kostenich, Genady; Ruiz-Cabello, Jesus; Maier, Stephan E; Cohen, Jack S; Orenstein, Arie; Mardor, Yael

2004-09-01

To evaluate the use of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with standard and high b values for pretreatment prediction and early detection of tumor response to various antineoplastic therapies in an animal model. Mice bearing C26 colon carcinoma tumors were treated with doxorubicin (n = 25) and with aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (n = 23). Fourteen mice served as controls. Conventional T2-weighted fast spin-echo and diffusion-weighted MR images were acquired once before therapy and at 6, 24, and 48 hours after treatment. Pretreatment and early (1-2 days) posttreatment water diffusion parameters were calculated and compared with later changes in tumor volumes measured on conventional MR images by using the Pearson correlation test. In chemotherapy-treated tumors, a significant correlation (P <.002, r = 0.6) was observed between diffusion parameters that reflected tumor viability, measured prior to treatment, and changes in tumor volumes after therapy. This correlation implies that tumors with high pretreatment viability will respond better to chemotherapy than more necrotic tumors. In tumors treated with photodynamic therapy, no such correlation was found. Changes observed in water diffusion 1-2 days after treatment significantly correlated with later tumor growth rate for both therapies (P <.002, r = 0.54 for photodynamic therapy; P <.0003, r = 0.61 for chemotherapy). High-b-value diffusion-weighted MR imaging has potential use for the early detection of response to therapy and for predicting treatment outcome prior to initiation of chemotherapy. Copyright RSNA, 2004

Why people do what they do to protect against earthquake risk: perceptions of hazard adjustment attributes.

PubMed

Lindell, Michael K; Arlikatti, Sudha; Prater, Carla S

2009-08-01

This study examined respondents' self-reported adoption of 16 hazard adjustments (preimpact actions to reduce danger to persons and property), their perceptions of those adjustments' attributes, and the correlations of those perceived attributes with respondents' demographic characteristics. The sample comprised 561 randomly selected residents from three cities in Southern California prone to high seismic risk and three cities from Western Washington prone to moderate seismic risks. The results show that the hazard adjustment perceptions were defined by hazard-related attributes and resource-related attributes. More significantly, the respondents had a significant degree of consensus in their ratings of those attributes and used them to differentiate among the hazard adjustments, as indicated by statistically significant differences among the hazard adjustment profiles. Finally, there were many significant correlations between respondents' demographic characteristics and the perceived characteristics of hazard adjustments, but there were few consistent patterns among these correlations.

Prognostic significance of lactate/proton symporters MCT1, MCT4, and their chaperone CD147 expressions in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

PubMed

Choi, Jung-Woo; Kim, Younghye; Lee, Ju-Han; Kim, Young-Sik

2014-07-01

To investigate the prognostic significance of lactate/proton monocarboxylate transporters MCT1, MCT4, and their chaperone CD147 expressions in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). We examined the expressions of MCT1, MCT4, and CD147 proteins in a total of 360 cases of UCB by immunohistochemistry. The immunohistochemical expressions were quantified using an ImageJ-based analysis program. MCT1, MCT4, and CD147 expressions were increased in 130 (36.1%), 168 (46.7%), and 228 (63.3%) UCB cases, respectively. Most tumor cells showed diffuse membranous staining, whereas normal urothelial cells showed negative or weak staining. High levels of MCT1 expression correlated with high World Health Organization grade (P<.001), advanced tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage (P<.001), nonpapillary growth type (P<.001), and lymphatic tumor invasion (P=.010), whereas high levels of MCT4 expression did not significantly correlate with any of these variables. High CD147 expression was associated with high World Health Organization grade (P<.001), advanced tumor node metastatis stage (P<.001), and nonpapillary growth type (P=.003). Univariate analyses revealed that high MCT1 (P<.001) and CD147 (P=.029) expressions were associated with poor overall survival and that high MCT4 expression was correlated with poor recurrence-free survival (P=.036). Multivariate analyses revealed that high MCT1 and MCT4 expressions were independent prognostic factors for poor overall survival and poor recurrence-free survival, respectively, in UCB patients. Our results indicate that increased MCT1, MCT4, and CD147 expressions have prognostic implications in UCB and suggest their roles in urothelial cancer metabolism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct and correlated responses to artificial selection on male mating frequency in the stalk-eyed fly Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni.

PubMed

Rogers, D W; Baker, R H; Chapman, T; Denniff, M; Pomiankowski, A; Fowler, K

2005-05-01

Traditionally it was thought that fitness-related traits such as male mating frequency, with a history of strong directional selection, should have little additive genetic variance and thus respond asymmetrically to bidirectional artificial selection. However, recent findings and theory suggest that a balance between selection for increased male mating frequency and opposing selection pressures on physiologically linked traits will cause male mating frequency to have high additive genetic variation and hence respond symmetrically to selection. We tested these hypotheses in the stalk-eyed fly, Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni, in which males hold harems comprising many females and so have the opportunity to mate at extremely high frequencies. We subjected male stalk-eyed flies to artificial selection for increased ('high') and decreased ('low') mating frequency in the presence of ecologically realistic, high numbers of females. High line males mated significantly more often than control or low line males. The direct response to selection was approximately symmetric in the high and low lines, revealing high additive genetic variation for, and no significant genetic constraints on, increased male mating frequency in C. dalmanni. In order to investigate trade-offs that might constrain male mating frequency under natural conditions we examined correlated responses to artificial selection. We measured accessory gland length, testis length and eyespan after 7 and 14 generations of selection. High line males had significantly larger accessory glands than low line males. No consistent correlated responses to selection were found in testis length or eyespan. Our results suggest that costs associated with the production and maintenance of large accessory glands, although yet to be identified, are likely to be a major constraint on mating frequency in natural populations of C. dalmanni.

Histogram analysis of diffusion kurtosis imaging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Correlation between quantitative parameters and clinical stage.

PubMed

Xu, Xiao-Quan; Ma, Gao; Wang, Yan-Jun; Hu, Hao; Su, Guo-Yi; Shi, Hai-Bin; Wu, Fei-Yun

2017-07-18

To evaluate the correlation between histogram parameters derived from diffusion-kurtosis (DK) imaging and the clinical stage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). High T-stage (T3/4) NPC showed significantly higher Kapp-mean (P = 0.018), Kapp-median (P = 0.029) and Kapp-90th (P = 0.003) than low T-stage (T1/2) NPC. High N-stage NPC (N2/3) showed significantly lower Dapp-mean (P = 0.002), Dapp-median (P = 0.002) and Dapp-10th (P < 0.001) than low N-stage NPC (N0/1). High AJCC-stage NPC (III/IV) showed significantly lower Dapp-10th (P = 0.038) than low AJCC-stage NPC (I/II). ROC analyses indicated that Kapp-90th was optimal for predicting high T-stage (AUC, 0.759; sensitivity, 0.842; specificity, 0.607), while Dapp-10th was best for predicting high N- and AJCC-stage (N-stage, AUC, 0.841; sensitivity, 0.875; specificity, 0.807; AJCC-stage, AUC, 0.671; sensitivity, 0.800; specificity, 0.588). DK imaging data of forty-seven consecutive NPC patients were retrospectively analyzed. Apparent diffusion for Gaussian distribution (Dapp) and apparent kurtosis coefficient (Kapp) were generated using diffusion-kurtosis model. Histogram parameters, including mean, median, 10th, 90th percentiles, skewness and kurtosis of Dapp and Kapp were calculated. Patients were divided into low and high T, N and clinical stage based on American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system. Differences of histogram parameters between low and high T, N and AJCC stages were compared using t test. Multiple receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine and compare the value of significant parameters in predicting high T, N and AJCC stage, respectively. DK imaging-derived parameters correlated well with clinical stage of NPC, therefore could serve as an adjunctive imaging technique for evaluating NPC.

HBsAg level and hepatitis B viral load correlation with focus on pregnancy

PubMed Central

Belopolskaya, Maria; Avrutin, Viktor; Firsov, Sergey; Yakovlev, Alexey

2015-01-01

Background Viral load measurement is necessary to estimate mother-to-child transmission risk for women with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), however, it is expensive. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between HBsAg and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels, and to determine potential applications of HBsAg level monitoring for estimating viral load. Methods 85 patients with CHB (31 pregnant women, 26 non-pregnant women, 28 men) were included in the study. HBV DNA level was measured by real-time PCR, and HBsAg level by chemiluminescent immunoassay method. Dependency between viral load and HBsAg level was determined by Spearman correlation coefficient ρ. Results The correlation between HBsAg and HBV DNA levels was significant for all patients [ρ=0.3762 (P<0.0005; n=85)]. In the group of pregnant women, a low (unmeasurable) HBV DNA level led to a decrease in the Spearman coefficient ρ. In almost all cases a low level of the HBsAg corresponded to a low HBV DNA level. Only 2 patients had a low level of HBsAg and a relatively high viral load. By contrast, a high HBsAg level was observed in patients both with high and low viral load. Conclusions Correlation between HBsAg and HBV DNA levels is significant. In most cases, a low level of HBsAg indicates a low HBV DNA level, whereas a high HBsAg level does not always correspond to a high viral load. The measurement of HBV DNA level is necessary for pregnant women with a high HBsAg level. PMID:26127004

Critical thinking, self-esteem, and state anxiety of nursing students.

PubMed

Suliman, Wafika A; Halabi, Jehad

2007-02-01

This study aimed at exploring the existing predominant critical thinking disposition(s) of baccalaureate nursing students and the relationship among their critical thinking (CT), self-esteem (SE), and state anxiety (SA). Cross-sectional correlational design was utilized to achieve the said aim. A voluntary convenient sample consisted of first year (n=105) and fourth year (n=60) nursing students. The California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory were used for data collection after their translation to Arabic language and test for validity and reliability. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. Results showed that both groups overall CT was marginal indicating no serious deficiency, their SE was average, and their SA was relatively high; they reported analyticity, open-mindedness, systematicity, inquisitiveness, and truth seeking as predominant critical thinking dispositions with no significant difference between them. However, the two groups were weak with significant difference on CT self-confidence (t=-2.053, df=136.904, p=.042) with beginning students reporting poorer level of CT self-confidence. Significant correlation results showed that critical thinking is positively correlated with SE, negatively correlated with SA, and SE is negatively correlated with SA; however, all correlations were actually quite low.

A high-significance measurement of correlation between unresolved IRAS sources and optically-selected galaxy clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hincks, Adam D.; Hajian, Amir; Addison, Graeme E.

2013-05-01

We cross-correlate the 100 μm Improved Reprocessing of the IRAS Survey (IRIS) map and galaxy clusters at 0.1 < z < 0.3 in the maxBCG catalogue taken from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, measuring an angular cross-power spectrum over multipole moments 150 < l < 3000 at a total significance of over 40σ. The cross-spectrum, which arises from the spatial correlation between unresolved dusty galaxies that make up the cosmic infrared background (CIB) in the IRIS map and the galaxy clusters, is well-fit by a single power law with an index of -1.28±0.12, similar to the clustering of unresolved galaxies from cross-correlating far-infrared and submillimetre maps at longer wavelengths. Using a recent, phenomenological model for the spectral and clustering properties of the IRIS galaxies, we constrain the large-scale bias of the maxBCG clusters to be 2.6±1.4, consistent with existing analyses of the real-space cluster correlation function. The success of our method suggests that future CIB-optical cross-correlations using Planck and Herschel data will significantly improve our understanding of the clustering and redshift distribution of the faint CIB sources.

Seed Structure Characteristics to Form Ultrahigh Oil Content in Rapeseed

PubMed Central

Zhang, Liang; Deng, Lin-Bin; Wang, Xin-Fa; Liu, Gui-Hua; Hao, Wan-Jun; Wang, Han-Zhong

2013-01-01

Background Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is an important oil crop in the world, and increasing its oil content is a major breeding goal. The studies on seed structure and characteristics of different oil content rapeseed could help us to understand the biological mechanism of lipid accumulation, and be helpful for rapeseed breeding. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we report on the seed ultrastructure of an ultrahigh oil content rapeseed line YN171, whose oil content is 64.8%, and compared with other high and low oil content rapeseed lines. The results indicated that the cytoplasms of cotyledon, radicle, and aleuronic cells were completely filled with oil and protein bodies, and YN171 had a high oil body organelle to cell area ratio for all cell types. In the cotyledon cells, oil body organelles comprised 81% of the total cell area in YN171, but only 53 to 58% in three high oil content lines and 33 to 38% in three low oil content lines. The high oil body organelle to cotyledon cell area ratio and the cotyledon ratio in seed were the main reasons for the ultrahigh oil content of YN171. The correlation analysis indicated that oil content is significantly negatively correlated with protein content, but is not correlated with fatty acid composition. Conclusions/Significance Our results indicate that the oil content of YN171 could be enhanced by increasing the oil body organelle to cell ratio for some cell types. The oil body organelle to seed ratio significantly highly positively correlates with oil content, and could be used to predict seed oil content. Based on the structural analysis of different oil content rapeseed lines, we estimate the maximum of rapeseed oil content could reach 75%. Our results will help us to screen and identify high oil content lines in rapeseed breeding. PMID:23637973

Correlations of chemokine CXCL16 and TNF-α with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease.

PubMed

Xing, Jieyong; Liu, Yanshao; Chen, Tao

2018-01-01

This study determined the correlations of CXC ligand 16 (CXCL16) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAHD) and screened for new clinical markers for the prognosis and treatment of the disease. Eighty patients with coronary heart disease and 50 healthy subjects were enrolled into a CAHD or healthy control group, respectively. Computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography and Gensini integral were used to classify plaques and evaluate patients with coronary heart disease. The serum levels of CXCL16 and TNF-α of subjects in each group were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and the correlation between levels and clinical markers (such as blood pressure, glucose, lipid and heart rate) and the severity of disease were analyzed. Our results showed the serum levels of CXCL16 and TNF-α were significantly higher in the CAHD group than those in the CK group. The serum CXCL16 levels of the CAHD group patients with plaques were distinctly higher than those of the CADH group patients without plaques, but there were no significant difference in serum TNF-α levels between these two groups of patients. The level of CXCL16 had a significantly positive correlation with the severity of disease, but there was no significant correlation between TNF-α level and the severity of disease. Also, there was no significant correlation between the CXCL16 levels and blood pressure, blood glucose, heart rate, total cholesterol, triglyceride or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but there was a clear correlation with the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Finally no significant correlations were found between TNF-α levels and each of the clinical markers studied. Based on our findings, the levels of CXCL16 and TNF-α in the patients with coronary heart disease were abnormally increased and the level of CXCL16 correlated closely with the severity of disease. These markers seem to be reliable biological markers for prognosis and disease evaluation in coronary heart disease patients.

The correlation between resting serum leptin and serum angiogenic indices at rest and after submaximal exercise.

PubMed

Nourshahi, Maryam; Hedayati, Mehdi; Ranjbar, Kamal

2012-01-10

The effect of leptin as stimulant angiogenic factor has been studied. But the association of leptin levels and exercise-induced angiogenesis has not been studied. Accordingly, the researchers investigated whether there were any differences in circulating serum VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 among high and low resting leptin individuals at rest or in response to submaximal exercise. For this purpose the researchers defined two groups with high and low resting leptin levels. Fifteen subjects with high resting leptin (23.57±9.14ng/ml and Vo(2) max=29.46±3.62ml/kg.min) and fifteen subjects with low resting leptin level (1.04±0.49ng/ml and Vo(2) max=37.99±4.63ml/kgmin) exercised for 1h (1h) at 70% of Vo(2) max. Antecubital vein blood was collected at rest, immediately and 2h post exercise. Serum VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 was measured by ELISA method. Results of the study showed that the resting serum levels of VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 didn't have any correlation with basic levels of leptin. In low leptin group the levels of VEGF and MMP-2 in immediately post exercise decreased significantly, but in high leptin group, only VEGF decreased significantly. 2h post exercise; the VEGF level in the low resting leptin group was significantly lower than that of its basal level. Beside, MMP-2 in the high and low basic levels of leptin groups were significantly increased compared to that of immediately post exercise. But the amount of MMP-9 did not change significantly in response to exercise in two groups. There were not any differences in the changes of VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in response to exercise between two groups. Furthermore, resting leptin had a significant correlation with V0(2) max. The obtained results showed that the serum VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 did not have any correlation with basic levels of leptin. In addition, it was concluded that levels of different resting leptin is ineffective on serum levels of VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 at rest and in response to exercise in normal healthy subjects. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of two influenza assessments: Exploring the impact of knowledge and social environment on health behaviors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romine, William

Assessments of knowledge and perceptions about influenza were developed for high school students, and used to determine how knowledge, perceptions, and demographic variables relate to students taking precautions and their odds of getting sick. Assessments were piloted with 205 students and validated using the Rasch model. Data were then collected on 410 students from six high schools. Scores were calculated using the 2-parameter logistic model and clustered using the k-means algorithm. Kendall-tau correlations were evaluated at the alpha = 0.05 level, multinomial logistic regression was used to identify the best predictors and to test for interactions, and neural networks were used to test how well precautions and illness can be predicted using the significant correlates. Precautions and illness had more than one statistically significant correlate with small to moderate effect sizes. Knowledge was positively correlated to compliance with vaccination, hand washing frequency, and respiratory etiquette, and negatively correlated with hand sanitizer use. Perceived risk was positively correlated to compliance with flu vaccination; perceived complications to personal distancing and staying home when sick. Perceived risk and complications increased with reported illness severity. Perceived barriers decreased compliance with vaccination, hand washing, and respiratory etiquette. Factors such as gender, ethnicity, and school, had effects on more than one precaution. Hand washing quality and frequency could be predicted moderately well. Other predictions had small-to-negligible associations with actual values. Implications for future uses of the instruments and development of interventions regarding influenza in high schools are discussed.

Comparison of sagittal parameters for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, hybrid surgery, and total disc replacement for three levels of cervical spondylosis.

PubMed

Hung, Che-Wei; Wu, Ming-Fang; Yu, Gwo-Fane; Ko, Chin-Chu; Kao, Cheng-Hsing

2018-05-01

To analyze sagittal balance of the cervical spine after three operative methods for three consecutive levels. A retrospective case selection and observational study was performed from December 2012 to December 2015: 20 patients underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, 22 patients underwent hybrid surgery (HS), and 20 patients underwent total disc replacement (TDR). Perioperative parameters, clinical outcomes, and preoperative and postoperative sagittal parameters were recorded. Clinical outcomes improved. Fusion and hybrid groups were associated with more postoperative focal lordosis than the TDR group (no significant difference). The postoperative C2-7 sagittal vertical axis (SVA) was greater in the TDR group (no significant difference). In the fusion group, the postoperative C2-7 SVA was highly correlated with the preoperative C2-7 SVA and postoperative C7 slope (C7SL). Postoperative C2-7 lordosis (C2-7L) was highly correlated with the preoperative C2-7 SVA and preoperative and postoperative C7SL. In the hybrid group, postoperative C2-7L was highly correlated with preoperative C2-7L, preoperative and postoperative focal lordosis, and C7SL. In the TDR group, the postoperative C2-7 SVA was highly correlated with the preoperative C2-7 SVA and postoperative C7 slope. The postoperative C2-7 SVA was also negatively correlated with postoperative C2-7L and focal lordosis. Postoperative C2-7L was highly correlated with postoperative focal lordosis. For three or more levels of cervical degenerative disease, good clinical outcomes can be achieved. TDR may not be a good choice for large preoperative C2-7 SVA. HS provides good cervical range of motion and restores cervical lordosis and C2-7 SVA. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Is Disgust Proneness Associated With Anxiety and Related Disorders? A Qualitative Review and Meta-Analysis of Group Comparison and Correlational Studies.

PubMed

Olatunji, Bunmi O; Armstrong, Thomas; Elwood, Lisa

2017-07-01

Research suggests that disgust may be linked to the etiology of some anxiety-related disorders. The present investigation reviews this literature and employs separate meta-analyses of clinical group comparison and correlational studies to examine the association between disgust proneness and anxiety-related disorder symptoms. Meta-analysis of 43 group comparison studies revealed those high in anxiety disorder symptoms reported significantly more disgust proneness than those low in anxiety symptoms. Although this effect was not moderated by clinical versus analogue studies or type of disorder, larger group differences were observed for those high in anxiety symptoms associated with contagion concerns compared to those high in anxiety symptoms not associated with contagion concerns. Similarly, meta-analysis of correlational data across 83 samples revealed moderate associations between disgust proneness and anxiety-related disorder symptoms. Moderator analysis revealed that the association between disgust proneness and anxiety-related disorder symptoms was especially robust for anxiety symptoms associated with contagion concerns. After controlling for measures of negative affect, disgust proneness continued to be moderately correlated with anxiety-related disorder symptoms. However, negative affect was no longer significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety-related disorders when controlling for disgust proneness. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of a novel transdiagnostic model.

Stomach cancer in 67 Chinese counties: evidence of interaction between salt consumption and helicobacter pylori infection.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaoqin; Terry, Paul; Yan, Hong

2008-01-01

To examine the interaction between salt-intake and helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in the development of stomach cancer in an ecological study of 67 Chinese rural counties. Stomach cancer mortality data of 67 counties were derived from a national survey conducted in China between 1986 and 1988. Information regarding the prevalence of H. pylori infection and urinary sodium excretion were collected from the same individuals during a subsequent dietary survey in 1989. In these 67 counties, H. pylori prevalence and urinary sodium were correlated with stomach cancer mortality, with r=0.31 (p=0.01) and r=0.28 (p=0.03), respectively. After stratification, the significant correlation between H. pylori prevalence and stomach cancer mortality only existed in counties with high levels (> or =5.0 mg/mg creatinine/12-hour) of urinary sodium (r=0.5; p=0.002). Similarly, the significant correlation between urinary sodium and stomach cancer mortality was only presented in counties with high (> or =71.6%) H. pylori prevalence (r=0.4; p=0.017). Multivariate regression analysis showed results consistent with the correlation analysis. These findings suggest that there may be an interaction between high salt consumption and H .pylori infection in the development of stomach cancer. Corroborating data from epidemiological, clinical, and experimental studies are needed.

Microbiome-Metabolome Responses in the Cecum and Colon of Pig to a High Resistant Starch Diet.

PubMed

Sun, Yue; Su, Yong; Zhu, Weiyun

2016-01-01

Currently, knowledge about the impact of long-term intake of high resistant starch diet on pig hindgut microbiota and metabolite profile is limited. In this study, a combination of the pyrosequencing and the mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics techniques were used to investigate the effects of a raw potato starch (RPS, high in resistant starch) diet on microbial composition and microbial metabolites in the hindgut of pig. The results showed that Coprococcus, Ruminococcus, and Turicibacter increased significantly, while Sarcina and Clostridium decreased in relative abundances in the hindgut of pigs fed RPS. The metabolimic analysis revealed that RPS significantly affected starch and sucrose metabolites, amino acid turnover or protein biosynthesis, lipid metabolites, glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, inositol phosphate metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. Furthermore, a Pearson's correlation analysis showed that Ruminococcus and Coprococcus were positively correlated with glucose-6-phosphate, maltose, arachidonic acid, 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid, oleic acid, phosphate, but negatively correlated with α-aminobutyric acid. However, the correlation of Clostridium and Sarcina with these compounds was in the opposite direction. The results suggest that RPS not only alters the composition of the gut microbial community but also modulates the metabolic pathway of microbial metabolism, which may further affect the hindgut health of the host.

Microbiome-Metabolome Responses in the Cecum and Colon of Pig to a High Resistant Starch Diet

PubMed Central

Sun, Yue; Su, Yong; Zhu, Weiyun

2016-01-01

Currently, knowledge about the impact of long-term intake of high resistant starch diet on pig hindgut microbiota and metabolite profile is limited. In this study, a combination of the pyrosequencing and the mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics techniques were used to investigate the effects of a raw potato starch (RPS, high in resistant starch) diet on microbial composition and microbial metabolites in the hindgut of pig. The results showed that Coprococcus, Ruminococcus, and Turicibacter increased significantly, while Sarcina and Clostridium decreased in relative abundances in the hindgut of pigs fed RPS. The metabolimic analysis revealed that RPS significantly affected starch and sucrose metabolites, amino acid turnover or protein biosynthesis, lipid metabolites, glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, inositol phosphate metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism. Furthermore, a Pearson's correlation analysis showed that Ruminococcus and Coprococcus were positively correlated with glucose-6-phosphate, maltose, arachidonic acid, 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid, oleic acid, phosphate, but negatively correlated with α-aminobutyric acid. However, the correlation of Clostridium and Sarcina with these compounds was in the opposite direction. The results suggest that RPS not only alters the composition of the gut microbial community but also modulates the metabolic pathway of microbial metabolism, which may further affect the hindgut health of the host. PMID:27303373

Evidence and mapping of extinction debts for global forest-dwelling reptiles, amphibians and mammals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Youhua; Peng, Shushi

2017-03-01

Evidence of extinction debts for the global distributions of forest-dwelling reptiles, mammals and amphibians was tested and the debt magnitude was estimated and mapped. By using different correlation tests and variable importance analysis, the results showed that spatial richness patterns for the three forest-dwelling terrestrial vertebrate groups had significant and stronger correlations with past forest cover area and other variables in the 1500 s, implying the evidence for extinction debts. Moreover, it was likely that the extinction debts have been partially paid, given that their global richness patterns were also significantly correlated with contemporary forest variables in the 2000 s (but the absolute magnitudes of the correlation coefficients were usually smaller than those calculated for historical forest variables). By utilizing species-area relationships, spatial extinction-debt magnitudes for the three vertebrate groups at the global scale were estimated and the hotspots of extinction debts were identified. These high-debt hotspots were generally situated in areas that did not spatially overlap with hotspots of species richness or high extinction-risk areas based on IUCN threatened status to a large extent. This spatial mismatch pattern suggested that necessary conservation efforts should be directed toward high-debt areas that are still overlooked.

Evidence and mapping of extinction debts for global forest-dwelling reptiles, amphibians and mammals.

PubMed

Chen, Youhua; Peng, Shushi

2017-03-16

Evidence of extinction debts for the global distributions of forest-dwelling reptiles, mammals and amphibians was tested and the debt magnitude was estimated and mapped. By using different correlation tests and variable importance analysis, the results showed that spatial richness patterns for the three forest-dwelling terrestrial vertebrate groups had significant and stronger correlations with past forest cover area and other variables in the 1500 s, implying the evidence for extinction debts. Moreover, it was likely that the extinction debts have been partially paid, given that their global richness patterns were also significantly correlated with contemporary forest variables in the 2000 s (but the absolute magnitudes of the correlation coefficients were usually smaller than those calculated for historical forest variables). By utilizing species-area relationships, spatial extinction-debt magnitudes for the three vertebrate groups at the global scale were estimated and the hotspots of extinction debts were identified. These high-debt hotspots were generally situated in areas that did not spatially overlap with hotspots of species richness or high extinction-risk areas based on IUCN threatened status to a large extent. This spatial mismatch pattern suggested that necessary conservation efforts should be directed toward high-debt areas that are still overlooked.

Correlation between gut microbiota and personality in adults: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Kim, Han-Na; Yun, Yeojun; Ryu, Seungho; Chang, Yoosoo; Kwon, Min-Jung; Cho, Juhee; Shin, Hocheol; Kim, Hyung-Lae

2018-03-01

Personality affects fundamental behavior patterns and has been related with health outcomes and mental disorders. Recent evidence has emerged supporting a relationship between the microbiota and behavior, referred to as brain-gut relationships. Here, we first report correlations between personality traits and gut microbiota. This research was performed using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and the sequencing data of the 16S rRNA gene in 672 adults. The diversity and the composition of the human gut microbiota exhibited significant difference when stratified by personality traits. We found that personality traits were significantly correlated with diversity of gut microbiota, while their differences were extremely subtle. High neuroticism and low conscientiousness groups were correlated with high abundance of Gammaproteobacteria and Proteobacteria, respectively when covariates, including age, sex, BMI and nutrient intake, were controlled. Additionally, high conscientiousness group also showed increased abundance of some universal butyrate-producing bacteria including Lachnospiraceae. This study was of observational and cross-sectional design and our findings must be further validated through metagenomic or metatranscriptomic methodologies, or metabolomics-based analyses. Our findings will contribute to elucidating potential links between the gut microbiota and personality, and provide useful insights toward developing and testing personality- and microbiota-based interventions for promoting health. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Maximal, Not Habitual, Walking Velocity is More Highly Correlated to Functional Fitness of Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

PubMed

Gray, Michelle; Paulson, Sally; Powers, Melissa

2016-04-01

The aim of this investigation was to determine the relationship between usual and maximal walking velocities with measures of functional fitness (FF). Fifty-seven older adults (78.2 ± 6.6 years) were recruited from a local retirement community. All participants completed the following assessments: 10-m usual and maximal walk, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), 6-min walk (6MW), 8-foot up-and-go (UPGO), and 30-s chair stand. Based on their SPPB performance, low (≤ 9) and high (≥ 10) FF groups were formed. Among all participants, maximal walking velocity, not usual walking velocity, was significantly correlated with SPPB (r = .35; p < .05 and r = .19; p > .05, respectively). In the high functioning group, both maximal and usual walking velocities were correlated, but correlation coefficients were stronger for all variables for maximal walking velocity. These results suggest different walking conditions may be necessary to use for high and low functioning older adults; specifically, maximal walking velocity may be a preferred measure among high functioning older adults.

Laboratory Estimates of Heritabilities and Genetic Correlations in Nature

PubMed Central

Riska, B.; Prout, T.; Turelli, M.

1989-01-01

A lower bound on heritability in a natural environment can be determined from the regression of offspring raised in the laboratory on parents raised in nature. An estimate of additive genetic variance in the laboratory is also required. The estimated lower bounds on heritabilities can sometimes be used to demonstrate a significant genetic correlation between two traits in nature, if their genetic and phenotypic correlations in nature have the same sign, and if sample sizes are large, and heritabilities and phenotypic and genetic correlations are high. PMID:2515111

Energy Transformation Topic: Correlation between Pre-Classroom Reading Activity and Students’ Curiosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muttaqiin, A.; Sopandi, W.

2017-09-01

This research aimed to analyze the correlation between pre-classroom reading activity and students’ curiosity to science. 31 participants were selected randomly from one of the junior high schools in Cimahi. Spearman’s correlation was chosen since the data from two variables were not normally distributed. The result shows that there was a weak correlation between reading before learning and students’ curiosity in the classroom and it was not significant. Several factors influence this result, one of them was students’ reluctant in daily reading to science content.

SU-F-P-64: The Impact of Plan Complexity Parameters On the Plan Quality and Deliverability of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy with Canonical Correlation Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jin, X; Yi, J; Xie, C

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of complexity indices on the plan quality and deliverability of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), and to determine the most significant parameters in the generation of an ideal VMAT plan. Methods: A multi-dimensional exploratory statistical method, canonical correlation analysis (CCA) was adopted to study the correlations between VMAT parameters of complexity, quality and deliverability, as well as their contribution weights with 32 two-arc VMAT nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) patients and 31 one-arc VMAT prostate cancer patients. Results: The MU per arc (MU/Arc) and MU per control point (MU/CP) of NPC were 337.8±25.2 and 3.7±0.3, respectively, whichmore » were significantly lower than those of prostate cancer patients (MU/Arc : 506.9±95.4, MU/CP : 5.6±1.1). The plan complexity indices indicated that two-arc VMAT plans were more complex than one-arc VMAT plans. Plan quality comparison confirmed that one-arc VMAT plans had a high quality than two-arc VMAT plans. CCA results implied that plan complexity parameters were highly correlated with plan quality with the first two canonical correlations of 0.96, 0.88 (both p<0.001) and significantly correlated with deliverability with the first canonical correlation of 0.79 (p<0.001), plan quality and deliverability was also correlated with the first canonical correlation of 0.71 (p=0.02). Complexity parameters of MU/CP, segment area (SA) per CP, percent of MU/CP less 3 and planning target volume (PTV) were weighted heavily in correlation with plan quality and deliveability . Similar results obtained from individual NPC and prostate CCA analysis. Conclusion: Relationship between complexity, quality, and deliverability parameters were investigated with CCA. MU, SA related parameters and PTV volume were found to have strong effect on the plan quality and deliverability. The presented correlation among different quantified parameters could be used to improve the plan quality and the efficiency of the radiotherapy process when creating a complex VMAT plan.« less

Humor styles moderate borderline personality traits and suicide ideation.

PubMed

Meyer, Neil A; Helle, Ashley C; Tucker, Raymond P; Lengel, Gregory J; DeShong, Hilary L; Wingate, LaRicka R; Mullins-Sweatt, Stephanie N

2017-03-01

The way individuals use humor to interact interpersonally has been associated with general personality, depression, and suicidality. Certain humor styles may moderate the risk for suicide ideation (SI) in individuals who are high in specific risk factors (e.g., thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness). Previous research suggests a relationship between humor styles and borderline personality disorder (BPD) and an increased risk of suicidality and suicide completion in individuals with BPD. Participants (n =176) completed measures of BPD traits, SI, and humor styles. It was hypothesized that BPD traits would be positively correlated with negative humor styles and negatively correlated with positive humor styles, and that humor styles would significantly moderate BPD traits and SI. Results showed that BPD traits were negatively correlated with self-enhancing humor styles and positively correlated with self-defeating humor styles, but that they were not significantly correlated with affiliative or aggressive humor styles. Bootstrapping analyses demonstrated that the affiliative, self-enhancing, and self-defeating humor styles significantly moderated BPD traits and SI, while the aggressive humor style did not. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Symptom clusters in patients with high-grade glioma.

PubMed

Fox, Sherry W; Lyon, Debra; Farace, Elana

2007-01-01

To describe the co-occurring symptoms (depression, fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, and cognitive impairment), quality of life (QoL), and functional status in patients with high-grade glioma. Correlational, descriptive study of 73 participants with high-grade glioma in the U.S. Nine brief measures were obtained with a mailed survey. Participants were recruited from the online message board of The Healing Exchange BRAIN TRUST, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving quality of life for people with brain tumors. Two symptom cluster models were examined. Four co-occurring symptoms were significantly correlated with each other and explained 29% of the variance in QoL: depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and cognitive impairment. Depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment, and pain were significantly correlated with each other and explained 62% of the variance in functional status. The interrelationships of the symptoms examined in this study and their relationships with QoL and functional status meet the criteria for defining a symptom cluster. The differences in the models of QoL and functional status indicates that symptom clusters may have unique characteristics in patients with gliomas.

Uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (ucMGP) is associated with coronary artery calcification in haemodialysis patients.

PubMed

Cranenburg, Ellen C M; Brandenburg, Vincent M; Vermeer, Cees; Stenger, Melanie; Mühlenbruch, Georg; Mahnken, Andreas H; Gladziwa, Ulrich; Ketteler, Markus; Schurgers, Leon J

2009-02-01

Matrix gamma-carboxyglutamate (Gla) protein (MGP) is a potent local inhibitor of cardiovascular calcification and accumulates at areas of calcification in its uncarboxylated form (ucMGP). We previously found significantly lower circulating ucMGP levels in patients with a high vascular calcification burden. Here we report on the potential of circulating ucMGP to serve as a biomarker for vascular calcification in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Circulating ucMGP levels were measured with an ELISA-based assay in 40 HD patients who underwent multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) scanning to quantify the extent of coronary artery calcification (CAC). The mean ucMGP level in HD patients (193 +/- 65 nM) was significantly lower as compared to apparently healthy subjects of the same age (441 +/- 97 nM; p < 0.001) and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) without CAC (560 +/- 140 nM; p < 0.001). Additionally, ucMGP levels correlated inversely with CAC scores (r = -0.41; p = 0.009), and this correlation persisted after adjustment for age, dialysis vintage and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Since circulating ucMGP levels are significantly and inversely correlated with the extent of CAC in HD patients, ucMGP may become a tool for identifying HD patients with a high probability of cardiovascular calcification.

Association of serum uric acid with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in postmenopausal women.

PubMed

Raeisi, A; Ostovar, A; Vahdat, K; Rezaei, P; Darabi, H; Moshtaghi, D; Nabipour, I

2017-02-01

To explore the independent correlation between serum uric acid and low-grade inflammation (measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, hs-CRP) in postmenopausal women. A total of 378 healthy Iranian postmenopausal women were randomly selected in a population-based study. Circulating hs-CRP levels were measured by highly specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method and an enzymatic calorimetric method was used to measure serum levels of uric acid. Pearson correlation coefficient, multiple linear regression and logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between uric acid and hs-CRP levels. A statistically significant correlation was seen between serum levels of uric acid and log-transformed circulating hs-CRP (r = 0.25, p < 0.001). After adjustment for age and cardiovascular risk factors (according to NCEP ATP III criteria), circulating hs-CRP levels were significantly associated with serum uric acid levels (β = 0.20, p < 0.001). After adjustment for age and cardiovascular risk factors, hs-CRP levels ≥3 mg/l were significantly associated with higher uric acid levels (odds ratio =1.52, 95% confidence interval 1.18-1.96). Higher serum uric acid levels were positively and independently associated with circulating hs-CRP in healthy postmenopausal women.

Immunohistochemical detection of HIF-1alpha and CAIX in advanced head-and-neck cancer. Prognostic role and correlation with tumor markers and tumor oxygenation parameters.

PubMed

Kappler, Matthias; Taubert, Helge; Holzhausen, Hans-Jürgen; Reddemann, Rolf; Rot, Swetlann; Becker, Axel; Kuhnt, Thomas; Dellas, Kathrin; Dunst, Jürgen; Vordermark, Dirk; Hänsgen, Gabriele; Bache, Matthias

2008-08-01

Tumor hypoxia has an impact on the outcome of cancer patients treated with radiotherapy. The validity of endogenous markers such as hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) and carbonic anhydrase isozyme IX (CAIX) to detect therapeutically relevant Levels of hypoxia within tumors is controversially discussed. Furthermore, the association of these hypoxia markers with tumor markers or tumor oxygenation parameters is of importance for understanding the relationship between the different factors. Tumortissue sections of 34 patients with advanced head-and-neck cancertreated with radio(chemo)therapy were assessed by immunohistochemistry for the expression of HIF-1alpha and CAIX. The relationships of both markers with tumor oxygenation parameters, molecular factors like P53, OPN, VEGF, VHL, survivin, and Ki67 levels, and clinical parameters were studied. Bivariate analysis showed a significant correlation of HIF-1alpha expression with high P53 and high OPN expression, high serum VEGF Levels, and low VHL and low Ki67 expression. The CAIX expression was inversely correlated with pH value and directly correlated with T-stage. However, no correlation was found between HIF-1alpha and CAIX expression. Neither in a univariate Cox proportional hazard regression nor in a Kaplan-Meier analysis did expression of HIF-1alpha or CAIX have a significant impact on clinical outcome. However, in a Kaplan-Meier analysis, the combination of both factors showed that patients with intratumoral overexpression of either HIF-1alpha or CAIX or both markers died on average 2 years earlier than patients whose tumors had low expression of both factors (p < 0.05). Expression of HIF-1alpha and CAIX was correlated with different tumor parameters. Only combined HIF-1alpha and CAIX expression was significantly predictive of patients' overall survival.

Quality-of-Life Outcomes of Patients following Patellofemoral Stabilization Surgery: The Influence of Trochlear Dysplasia.

PubMed

Hiemstra, Laurie Anne; Kerslake, Sarah; Lafave, Mark R

2017-11-01

Trochlear dysplasia is a well-described risk factor for recurrent patellofemoral instability. Despite its clear association with the incidence of patellofemoral instability, it is unclear whether the presence of high-grade trochlear dysplasia influences clinical outcome after patellofemoral stabilization. The purpose of this study was to assess whether trochlear dysplasia influenced patient-reported, disease-specific outcomes in surgically treated patellar instability patients, when risk factors were addressed in accordance with the à la carte surgical approach to the treatment of patellofemoral instability. The study design is of a case series. A total of 318 patellar stabilization procedures were performed during the study period. Of these procedures, 260 had adequate lateral radiographs and complete Banff Patellar Instability Instrument (BPII) scores available for assessment. A Pearson r correlation was calculated between four characteristics of trochlear dysplasia, the BPII total and the BPII symptoms, and physical complaints scores, a mean of 24 months following patellofemoral stabilization. Independent t -tests were performed between stratified trochlear dysplasia groups (no/low grade and high grade) and all BPII measures. There was a statistically significant correlation between measures of trochlear dysplasia and quality-of-life physical symptoms scores, an average of 2 years following patellofemoral stabilization surgery. The BPII symptoms and physical complaints domain score, as well as the individual weakness and stiffness questions, correlated with the classification of trochlear dysplasia as well as the presence of a trochlear bump ( p  < 0.05). Independent t -tests demonstrated statistically significant differences between the no/low-grade and high-grade dysplasia groups for the BPII stiffness ( p  = 0.002), BPII weakness ( p  = 0.05) and BPII symptom, and physical complaints values ( p  = 0.04). Two additional measures-the 24-month postoperative total BPII score ( p  = 0.11) and BPII pain score ( p  = 0.07)-demonstrated trends toward statistical significance. This research has established a statistically significant correlation between trochlear dysplasia and disease-specific quality-of-life outcomes following patellofemoral stabilization surgery. There was a significant correlation between patient-reported physical symptoms after surgery and high-grade trochlear dysplasia. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among adolescents and its correlation with bone parameters using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

PubMed

Cheung, T F; Cheuk, K Y; Yu, F W P; Hung, V W Y; Ho, C S; Zhu, T Y; Ng, B K W; Lee, K M; Qin, L; Ho, S S Y; Wong, G W K; Cheng, J C Y; Lam, T P

2016-08-01

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are highly prevalent among adolescents in Hong Kong, which is a sub-tropical city with ample sunshine. Vitamin D level is significantly correlated with key bone density and bone quality parameters. Further interventional studies are warranted to define the role of vitamin D supplementation for improvement of bone health among adolescents. The relationship between bone quality parameters and vitamin D (Vit-D) status remains undefined among adolescents. The aims of this study were to evaluate Vit-D status and its association with both bone density and bone quality parameters among adolescents. Three hundred thirty-three girls and 230 boys (12-16 years old) with normal health were recruited in summer and winter separately from local schools. Serum 25(OH) Vit-D level, bone density and quality parameters by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) and High-Resolution peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (HR-pQCT), dietary calcium intake, and physical activity level were assessed. Sixty-four point seven percent and 11.4 % of subjects were insufficient [25 ≤ 25(OH)Vit-D ≤ 50 nmol/L] and deficient [25(OH)Vit-D < 25 nmol/L] in Vit-D, respectively. The mean level of serum 25(OH)Vit-D in summer was significantly higher than that in winter (44.7 ± 13.6 and 35.9 ± 12.6 nmol/L, respectively) without obvious gender difference. In girls, areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of bilateral femoral necks, cortical area, cortical thickness, total volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), and trabecular thickness were significantly correlated with 25(OH)Vit-D levels. In boys, aBMD of bilateral femoral necks, BMC of the dominant femoral neck, cortical area, cortical thickness, total vBMD, trabecular vBMD, BV/TV, and trabecular separation were significantly correlated with 25(OH)Vit-D levels. Vit-D insufficiency was highly prevalent among adolescents in Hong Kong with significant correlation between Vit-D levels and key bone density and bone quality parameters being detected in this study. Given that this is a cross-sectional study and causality relationship cannot be inferred, further interventional studies investigating the role of Vit-D supplementation on improving bone health among adolescents are warranted.

Longitudinal Examination of Links Between Risk Factors for the Metabolic Syndrome and Both Age and Fasting Glucose Levels in Nondiabetic Subjects.

PubMed

Preuss, Harry G; Kaats, Gilbert R; Mrvichin, Nate; Bagchi, Debasis; Swaroop, Anand

2018-01-01

Previous evaluations in nondiabetic subjects revealed statistically significant correlations between fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels used as an estimate of insulin resistance and many components constituting the metabolic syndrome. Similar significant correlations were not found employing chronological age as the independent variable in the same nondiabetic individuals. The major purpose here was to replicate as well as corroborate the previous cross-sectional observations, emphasizing results obtained from data collected longitudinally. Material was assessed from 99 nondiabetic volunteers who had undergone 2 separate baseline measurements carried out over a minimum of 5 and up to a maximum of 20 years. Findings from the starting baseline measurements mimicked many observations perceived in the earlier published cross-sectional material. The following correlations with elements constituting the metabolic syndrome using FBG as an independent variable were once more statistically significantly positive: scale weight, fat mass, circulating levels of triglycerides and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was once again appropriately significant in a negative direction. In contrast, the same correlations were generally nonsignificant when age replaced FBG as the independent variable. Examining the 2 data sets over the 5-20-year intervals, FBG increased statistically significantly over time. However, the average increase clinically was relatively minor: -92.1 mg/dL ± 1.1 (SEM) vs 95.1 mg/dL ± 1.1 (SEM), p < 0.007. When the actual changes (delta) in the dependent parameters were correlated with the individual passages of time (intervals in years), only downward changes in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were statistically significant. Fat-free mass showed a trend downward, whereas fat mass, trunk fat, and triglycerides merely demonstrated trends upward. Current findings gathered over years are consistent with the original hypothesis that maintaining relatively low, stable circulating glucose levels during aging retards the development and intensity of many common manifestations of the metabolic syndrome.

Vertical facial height and its correlation with facial width and depth: Three dimensional cone beam computed tomography evaluation based on dry skulls.

PubMed

Wang, Ming Feng; Otsuka, Takero; Akimoto, Susumu; Sato, Sadao

2013-01-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate how vertical facial height correlates with mandibular plane angle, facial width and depth from a three dimensional (3D) viewing angle. In this study 3D cephalometric landmarks were identified and measurements from 43 randomly selected cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of dry skulls from the Weisbach collection of Vienna Natural History Museum were analyzed. Pearson correlation coefficients of facial height measurements and mandibular plane angle and the correlation coefficients of height-width and height-depth were calculated, respectively. The mandibular plane angle (MP-SN) significantly correlated with ramus height (Co-Go) and posterior facial height (PFH) but not with anterior lower face height (ALFH) or anterior total face height (ATFH). The ALFH and ATFH showed significant correlation with anterior cranial base length (S-N), whereas PFH showed significant correlation with the mandible (S-B) and maxilla (S-A) anteroposterior position. High or low mandibular plane angle might not necessarily be accompanied by long or short anterior face height, respectively. The PFH rather than AFH is assumed to play a key role in the vertical facial type whereas AFH seems to undergo relatively intrinsic growth.

HHV Predicting Correlations for Torrefied Biomass Using Proximate and Ultimate Analyses

PubMed Central

Nhuchhen, Daya Ram; Afzal, Muhammad T.

2017-01-01

Many correlations are available in the literature to predict the higher heating value (HHV) of raw biomass using the proximate and ultimate analyses. Studies on biomass torrefaction are growing tremendously, which suggest that the fuel characteristics, such as HHV, proximate analysis and ultimate analysis, have changed significantly after torrefaction. Such changes may cause high estimation errors if the existing HHV correlations were to be used in predicting the HHV of torrefied biomass. No study has been carried out so far to verify this. Therefore, this study seeks answers to the question: “Can the existing correlations be used to determine the HHV of the torrefied biomass”? To answer this, the existing HHV predicting correlations were tested using torrefied biomass data points. Estimation errors were found to be significantly high for the existing HHV correlations, and thus, they are not suitable for predicting the HHV of the torrefied biomass. New correlations were then developed using data points of torrefied biomass. The ranges of reported data for HHV, volatile matter (VM), fixed carbon (FC), ash (ASH), carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) contents were 14.90 MJ/kg–33.30 MJ/kg, 13.30%–88.57%, 11.25%–82.74%, 0.08%–47.62%, 35.08%–86.28%, 0.53%–7.46% and 4.31%–44.70%, respectively. Correlations with the minimum mean absolute errors and having all components of proximate and ultimate analyses were selected for future use. The selected new correlations have a good accuracy of prediction when they are validated using another set of data (26 samples). Thus, these new and more accurate correlations can be useful in modeling different thermochemical processes, including combustion, pyrolysis and gasification processes of torrefied biomass. PMID:28952487

Canonical correlation analysis of factors involved in the occurrence of peptic ulcers.

PubMed

Bayyurt, Nizamettin; Abasiyanik, M Fatih; Sander, Ersan; Salih, Barik A

2007-01-01

The impact of risk factors on the development of peptic ulcers has been shown to vary among different populations. We sought to establish a correlation between these factors and their involvement in the occurrence of peptic ulcers for which a canonical correlation analysis was applied. We included 7,014 patient records (48.6% women, 18.4% duodenal ulcer [DU], 4.6% gastric ulcer [GU]) of those underwent upper gastroendoscopy for the last 5 years. The variables measured are endoscopic findings (DU, GU, antral gastritis, erosive gastritis, pangastritis, pyloric deformity, bulbar deformity, bleeding, atrophy, Barret esophagus and gastric polyp) and risk factors (age, gender, Helicobacter pylori infection, smoking, alcohol, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] and aspirin intake). We found that DU had significant positive correlation with bulbar deformity (P=2.6 x 10(-23)), pyloric deformity (P=2.6 x 10(-23)), gender (P=2.6 x 10(-23)), H. pylori (P=1.4 x 10(-15)), bleeding (P=6.9 x 10(-15)), smoking (P=1.4 x 10(-7)), aspirin use (P=1.1 x 10(-4)), alcohol intake (P=7.7 x 10(-4)), and NSAIDs (P=.01). GU had a significantly positive correlation with pyloric deformity (P=1,6 x 10(-15)), age (P=2.6 x 10(-14)), bleeding (P=3.7 x 10(-8)), gender (P=1.3 x 10(-7)), aspirin use (P=1.1 x 10(-6)), bulbar deformity (P=7.4 x 10(-4)), alcohol intake (P=.03), smoking (P=.04), and Barret esophagus (P=.03). The level of significance was much higher in some variables with DU than with GU and the correlations with GU in spite of being highly significant the majority, were small in magnitude. In conclusion, Turkish patients with the following endoscopic findings bulbar deformity and pyloric deformity are high-risk patients for peptic ulcers with the risk of the occurrence of DU being higher than that of GU. Factors such as H. pylori, smoking, alcohol use, and NSAIDs use (listed in a decreasing manner) are risk factors that have significant impact on the occurrence of DU; aspirin has a significant impact on both DU and GU.

CORRELATION INDICES OF CEREBRAL HEMODYNAMICS AND ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY IN CHILDREN WITH IMPAIRED MOTOR SKILLS.

PubMed

Golovchenko, I V; Hayday, M I

The correlations between the indicators of cerebral hemodynamics and electrical activity in children with impaired motor skills of central origin (children with cerebral palsy) were investigated. There is established a high number of links between indicators of rheoencephalogram (REG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) in the left cerebral hemisphere than in the right. In frontomastoidal allocation 19 correlations and in occipitomastoidal - 59 links. We suppose that poor circulation in vertebroplasty-basilar system leads to the defeat of the brain stem, which, with afferent pathways of the reticular formation, connects the thalamus with the cortex. In the reticular formation there is an inhibition of ascending activators influences, which eland to decreasing of the cortex is tonus. You can talk about the functional immaturity of the system of nonspecific activation by the reticular formation of the brain stem. Children with violation of motor activity had significantly more negative and positive significant and high correlation among the existing indicators of electric brain activity and cerebral hemodynamics, in our opinion, is due to the development of interconnection compensation that is carried out by adjustment of the functional systems and the formation of new forms of adaptive responses in conditions of disontogenetik. Feature correlation pattern of the EEG, of children with disorders of motor activity, is associated with a significantly great number of high and significant correlations between measures of electrical brain activity in the δ- and q- rhythms, especially in the temporal areas of the cerebral cortex. According to visual analysis of EEG there is revealed a common manifestation of changes of bioelectric brain activity in children with disorders of motor activity. This is manifested in the development of paroxysmal activity of action potentials of θ- and δ-rhythms with the focus of activity in the anterior areas of the cerebral cortex; the formation of a mosaic representation of the θ-rhythms in temporal areas; the presence of hypersynchronous a-paroxysms in the posterior areas of the cerebral cortex. The given facts testify to activation of mechanisms of limbic-neocortical systems and synchronizing influences of the reticular formation of the stem and diencephalic structures. There is also detected greater number of correlations when occipitomastoidal registration was lone it reflects compensatory redistribution of cerebral blood flow over the affected structures of brain stem structures that are associated with the provision of cortical functions.

Relationship between platelet phospholipid FA and mean platelet volume in healthy men.

PubMed

Li, Duo; Turner, Alan; Sinclair, Andrew J

2002-09-01

Increased mean platelet volume (MPV) has been suggested as an independent risk factor for acute myocardial infarction and the increased reactivity of large platelets. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between platelet phospholipid (PL) PUFA composition and MPV in 139 free-living healthy men ages 20-55 yr (vegans, n = 18; ovolacto vegetarians, n = 43; moderate meat-eaters, n = 60; and high meateaters, n = 18). Each subject completed a semiquantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire and gave a blood sample. Platelet PL FA composition and MPV were determined by standard methods. MPV was significantly greater in the vegans than in the ovolacto vegetarian, moderate, or high meat-eater groups (P < 0.01). Both vegan and ovolacto vegetarian groups had significantly higher platelet PL 18:2n-6 and 22:4n-6, and lower 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 compared with the moderate and high meat-eater groups. The vegans demonstrated a significant reduction in 20:4n-6 and 22:5n-3 compared with the ovolacto vegetarian, high meat-eater, and moderate meat-eater groups. Bivariate analysis results showed that MPV was significantly positively correlated with platelet PL 18:2n-6 (P = 0.048) and negatively correlated with 20:3n-6 (P = 0.02), 20:5n-3 (P = 0.005), and 22:5n-3 (P< 0.0001), respectively. In a multiple linear regression analysis, after controlling for potential confounding factors such as dietary group, age, exercise, body mass index, and dietary polyunsaturated and saturated fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate, and fiber intake, the MPV was still strongly negatively correlated with platelet PL 20:3n-6 (P = 0.003) and 22:5n-3 (P = 0.001). The present data suggest that 22:5n-3 and 20:3n-6 may play a role in the structural function of the platelet membrane.

Changes in brain glioma incidence and laterality correlates with use of mobile phones--a nationwide population based study in Israel.

PubMed

Barchana, Micha; Margaliot, Menahem; Liphshitz, Irena

2012-01-01

Mobile phones are in extensive use worldwide and concerns regarding their role in tumor formation were raised. Over the years multiple studies were published in order to investigate this issue using several approaches. The current study looks at secular trends of brain gliomas (low and high grade) incidence and changes in tumor's laterality over 30 years in a population extensively using this technology with a possible correlation to the spread of use of mobile phones. All brain gliomas that were diagnosed from 1980-2009 were included and subdivided into two groups--low and high grade. Secular and periodic time trend analyses of incidence rates and changes in laterality were performed. Preferred side of head using mobile phones was assessed with a questionnaire in a sample of adult individuals. A decrease in incidence of low grade giomas (LGG) that correlated with introduction of mobile technology was found from 2.57, 2.34 and 2.79 for every 100,000 in the period 1980 to the end of 1994 to 1.72, 1.82 and 1.57, respectively, over the last three 5-years periods (1995-2009). High-grade glioma incidences increased significantly from 1980-2009 but in the period after mobile phones were introduced (1994-2009) a lower, non significant, rate of increase was observed in males and a lower one (significant) in females. A shift towards left sided tumor location for all adult gliomas combined and separately for LGG and HGG was noted from 1995 onward. The shift was more marked for those who were diagnosed in ages 20-49 (p=0.03). We found a statistically significant decrease in LGG's over 30-years period that correlates with introducing of mobile phones technology and a shift in laterality towards left-sided tumors, the latter occurred in both low and high-grade gliomas.

Demographics and the correlation between irrational parenthood cognitions and marital relationship quality in infertile women in Zanjan province in 2016.

PubMed

Safaei Nezhad, Arezoo; Vakili, Mohammad Masoud; Ebrahimi, Loghman; Kharaghani, Roghieh

2018-06-11

The study determined the correlation between Irrational Parenthood Cognitions (IPC) and marital quality by demographic variables in infertile women. A correlational study with a census method was conducted on all primary infertile women, who had a file in Zanjan, Iran. A 47% significant positive correlation was showed between IPC and marital quality (p < 0.001). The highest correlation was observed in the subsets of women aged 31-40 years, with high level of education, those at third socioeconomic classes, those with less than 10 years of married life, and women whose husband had no children from their previous marriage (all ps < 0.05). Providing counseling services to women with primary infertility, especially high-risk women may help to reduce IPC and to improve marital quality. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Identification of Noise Sources in High Speed Jets via Correlation Measurements: A Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bridges, James (Technical Monitor); Panda, Jayanta

2005-01-01

Significant advancement has been made in the last few years to identify noise sources in high speed jets via direct correlation measurements. In this technique turbulent fluctuations in the flow are correlated with far field acoustics signatures. In the 1970 s there was a surge of work using mostly intrusive probes, and a few using Laser Doppler Velocimetry, to measure turbulent fluctuations. The later experiments established "shear noise" as the primary source for the shallow angle noise. Various interpretations and criticisms from this time are described in the review. Recent progress in the molecular Rayleigh scattering based technique has provided a completely non-intrusive means of measuring density and velocity fluctuations. This has brought a renewed interest on correlation measurements. We have performed five different sets of experiments in single stream jets of different Mach number, temperature ratio and nozzle configurations. The present paper tries to summarize the correlation data from these works.

Pairing phase diagram of three holes in the generalized Hubbard model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Navarro, O.; Espinosa, J.E.

Investigations of high-{Tc} superconductors suggest that the electronic correlation may play a significant role in the formation of pairs. Although the main interest is on the physic of two-dimensional highly correlated electron systems, the one-dimensional models related to high temperature superconductivity are very popular due to the conjecture that properties of the 1D and 2D variants of certain models have common aspects. Within the models for correlated electron systems, that attempt to capture the essential physics of high-temperature superconductors and parent compounds, the Hubbard model is one of the simplest. Here, the pairing problem of a three electrons system hasmore » been studied by using a real-space method and the generalized Hubbard Hamiltonian. This method includes the correlated hopping interactions as an extension of the previously proposed mapping method, and is based on mapping the correlated many body problem onto an equivalent site- and bond-impurity tight-binding one in a higher dimensional space, where the problem was solved in a non-perturbative way. In a linear chain, the authors analyzed the pairing phase diagram of three correlated holes for different values of the Hamiltonian parameters. For some value of the hopping parameters they obtain an analytical solution for all kind of interactions.« less

Saturated fat consumption and the Theory of Planned Behaviour: exploring additive and interactive effects of habit strength.

PubMed

de Bruijn, Gert-Jan; Kroeze, Willemieke; Oenema, Anke; Brug, Johannes

2008-09-01

The additive and interactive effects of habit strength in the explanation of saturated fat intake were explored within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Cross-sectional data were gathered in a Dutch adult sample (n=764) using self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses and simple slope analyses. Results showed that habit strength was a significant correlate of fat intake (beta=-0.11) and significantly increased the amount of explained variance in fat intake (R(2-change)=0.01). Furthermore, based on a significant interaction effect (beta=0.11), simple slope analyses revealed that intention was a significant correlate of fat intake for low levels (beta=-0.29) and medium levels (beta=-0.19) of habit strength, but a weaker and non-significant correlate for high levels (beta=-0.07) of habit strength. Higher habit strength may thus make limiting fat intake a non-intentional behaviour. Implications for information and motivation-based interventions are discussed.

Correlations of Clinical and Laboratory Measures of Balance in Older Men and Women: The MOBILIZE Boston Study

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Uyen-Sa D.T.; Kiel, Douglas P.; Li, Wenjun; Galica, Andrew M.; Kang, Hyun Gu; Casey, Virginia A.; Hannan, Marian T.

2012-01-01

Objective Impaired balance is associated with falls in older adults. However, there is no accepted gold standard on how balance should be measured. Few studies have examined measures of postural sway and clinical balance concurrently in large samples of community-dwelling older adults. We examined the associations among four types of measures of laboratory- and clinic-based balance in a large population-based cohort of older adults. Methods We evaluated balance measures in the MOBILIZE Boston Study (276 men, 489 women, 64–97 years). Measures included: (1) laboratory-based anteroposterior (AP) path length and average sway speed, mediolateral (ML) average sway and root-mean-square, and area of ellipse postural sway; (2) Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB); (3) Berg Balance Scale; and (4) one-leg stand. Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficients (r) were assessed among the balance measures. Results Area of ellipse sway was highly correlated with the ML sway measures (r >0.9, p < 0.0001), and sway speed was highly correlated with AP sway (r=0.97, p < 0.0001). The Berg Balance Scale was highly correlated with SPPB (r=0.7, p<0.001), and one-leg stand (r=0.8, p<0.001). Correlations between the laboratory- and clinic-based balance measures were low but statistically significant (0.2 < r < 0.3, p<0.0001). Conclusion Clinic-based balance measures, and laboratory-based measures comparing area of ellipse with ML sways or sway speed with AP sway, are highly correlated. Clinic- with laboratory-based measures are less correlated. As both laboratory- and clinic-based measures inform balance in older adults but are not highly correlated with each other, future work should investigate the differences. PMID:22745045

The relationship of live animal muscular and skeletal scores, ultrasound measurements and carcass classification scores with carcass composition and value in steers.

PubMed

Conroy, S B; Drennan, M J; Kenny, D A; McGee, M

2009-11-01

This study examined the relationship of muscular and skeletal scores and ultrasound measurements in the live animal, and carcass conformation and fat scores with carcass composition and value using 336 steers, slaughtered at 2 years of age. Live animal scores and measurements were recorded at 8 to 12 months of age and pre-slaughter. Following slaughter, each carcass was classified for conformation and fatness and the right side dissected into meat, fat and bone. Carcass conformation scores and fat scores were both measured on a continuous 15-point scale and ranged from 2.0 to 12.0 and from 2.8 to 13.3, respectively. Pre-slaughter muscular scores showed positive correlations (P < 0.001) ranging from 0.31 to 0.86 with carcass meat proportion, proportion of high-value cuts in the carcass, conformation score and carcass value, significant negative correlations with carcass fat (r = -0.13) and bone (r = -0.81) proportions, and generally low non-significant relationships with the proportion of high-value cuts in meat and carcass fat score. Pre-slaughter ultrasound muscle depth and carcass conformation score showed similar correlations with carcass traits to those using the pre-slaughter muscular scoring procedure. Pre-slaughter ultrasound fat depth showed positive correlations (P < 0.001) with carcass fat proportion (r = 0.59) and fat score (r = 0.63), and significant negative correlations (-0.23 to -0.50) with carcass meat and bone proportions, high-value cuts in the carcass and in meat, and carcass value. Pre-slaughter skeletal scores generally showed poor correlations ranging from -0.38 to 0.52 with the various carcass traits. Corresponding correlations (-0.26 to 0.44) involving records collected at 8 to 12 months of age were lower than those using pre-slaughter records. A one-unit increase in carcass conformation score increased carcass meat proportion and value by 11.2 g/kg and 5.6 cents/kg, respectively. Corresponding values for fat score were -8.2 g/kg and -5.1 cents/kg. In conclusion, both pre-slaughter live animal scores/measurements and carcass classification scores, explained an appreciable amount of the total variation in carcass meat, fat and bone proportions and carcass value, and a moderate amount of the variation in proportion of high-value meat cuts in the carcass.

Remote measurement of turbidity and chlorophyll through aerial photography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwebel, M. D.; James, W. P.; Clark, W. J.

1973-01-01

Studies were conducted utilizing six different film and filter combinations to quantitatively detect chlorophyll and turbidity in six farm ponds. The low range of turbidity from 0-35 JTU correlated well with the density readings from the green band of normal color film and the high range above 35 JTU was found to correlate with density readings in the red band of color infrared film. The effect of many of the significant variables can be reduced by using standardized procedures in taking the photography. Attempts to detect chlorophyll were masked by the turbidity. The ponds which were highly turbid also had high chlorophyll concentrations; whereas, the ponds with low turbidity also had low chlorophyll concentrations. This prevented a direct correlation for this parameter. Several suggested approaches are cited for possible future investigations.

Genotypic character relationship and phenotypic path coefficient analysis in chili pepper genotypes grown under tropical condition.

PubMed

Usman, Magaji G; Rafii, Mohd Y; Martini, Mohammad Y; Oladosu, Yusuff; Kashiani, Pedram

2017-03-01

Studies on genotypic and phenotypic correlations among characters of crop plants are useful in planning, evaluating and setting selection criteria for the desired characters in a breeding program. The present study aimed to estimate the phenotypic correlation coefficients among yield and yield attributed characters and to work out the direct and indirect effects of yield-related characters on yield per plant using path coefficient analysis. Twenty-six genotypes of chili pepper were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Yield per plant showed positive and highly significant (P ≤ 0.01) correlations with most of the characters studied at both the phenotypic and genotypic levels. By contrast, disease incidence and days to flowering showed a significant negative association with yield. Fruit weight and number of fruits exerted positive direct effect on yield and also had a positive and significant (P ≤ 0.01) correlation with yield per plant. However, fruit length showed a low negative direct effect with a strong and positive indirect effect through fruit weight on yield and had a positive and significant association with yield. Longer fruits, heavy fruits and a high number of fruits are variables that are related to higher yields of chili pepper under tropical conditions and hence could be used as a reliable indicator in indirect selection for yield. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Correlation of nutritional status with academic achievement in adolescents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinurat, R. S.; Sembiring, T.; Azlin, E.; Faranita, T.; Pratita, W.

2018-03-01

Malnutrition is considered a problem that limits learning ability (cognitive function), which is related to poor academic achievement results. This study aimed to determine the relationship of nutritional status with academic achievement in adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 126 junior high school students ranging from 12 to 15 years in Batubara, North Sumatra in January 2015. Nutritional status is determined by weight for height. Academic achievement was recorded from the final results of their school exams. The value of intelligence quotient (IQ) was assessed by using the Aptitude Test. Data were then analyzed by using Spearman correlation and Chi-Square test. In conclusion, there was no significant difference between nutritional status with IQ score (p=0,540) but showed a significant relationship (p=0.003) between normal nutritional status with the total value of the report card with positive weak correlation strength (r=0.342). There was also a significant difference (p=0.020) and moderate positive correlation (r=0.541) between overweight with academic achievement based on mathematics.

Correlation Between High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein and Reactive Oxygen Metabolites During A One-year Period Among Asymptomatic Subjects

PubMed Central

Kotani, Kazuhiko; Taniguchi, Nobuyuki

2012-01-01

Background Inflammation and oxidative stress are associated with human health and the disease status. The present study aimed to investigate the longitudinal correlation between the diacron reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) level, as an oxidative stress-related marker, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), as an inflammatory marker, during a one-year period among asymptomatic subjects. Methods The data, including anthropometric and biochemical markers, were collected at baseline and after the one-year period from 71 participants (male/female = 41/30, mean age 50 years). The correlation between the changes of the d-ROMs and hsCRP levels during the study period was examined. Results A simple correlation analysis showed a significant and positive correlation to exist between the changes of the d-ROMs and hsCRP levels (r = 0.40, P < 0.01). This significant correlation remained independent in a multiple linear regression analysis adjusted for confounding factors. Conclusions The present findings suggest that the relationship between the d-ROMs and hsCRP levels could be prospectively followed, and that monitoring both markers may help to better understand the cooperation of inflammation and oxidative stress in association with health and disease. Further studies are necessary to clarify the biological mechanism(s) responsible for the observed relationship. Keywords Oxidative stress; Oxygen reactive species; Inflammation; CRP PMID:22383928

Poisson's ratio and the densification of glass under high pressure.

PubMed

Rouxel, T; Ji, H; Hammouda, T; Moréac, A

2008-06-06

Because of a relatively low atomic packing density, (Cg) glasses experience significant densification under high hydrostatic pressure. Poisson's ratio (nu) is correlated to Cg and typically varies from 0.15 for glasses with low Cg such as amorphous silica to 0.38 for close-packed atomic networks such as in bulk metallic glasses. Pressure experiments were conducted up to 25 GPa at 293 K on silica, soda-lime-silica, chalcogenide, and bulk metallic glasses. We show from these high-pressure data that there is a direct correlation between nu and the maximum post-decompression density change.

Spherical disharmonics in the Earth sciences and the spatial solution: Ridges, hotspots, slabs, geochemistry and tomography correlations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ray, Terrill W.; Anderson, Don L.

1994-01-01

There is increasing use of statistical correlations between geophysical fields and between geochemical and geophysical fields in attempts to understand how the Earth works. Typically, such correlations have been based on spherical harmonic expansions. The expression of functions on the sphere as spherical harmonic series has many pitfalls, especially if the data are nonuniformly and/or sparsely sampled. Many of the difficulties involved in the use of spherical harmonic expansion techniques can be avoided through the use of spatial domain correlations, but this introduces other complications, such as the choice of a sampling lattice. Additionally, many geophysical and geochemical fields fail to satisfy the assumptions of standard statistical significance tests. This is especially problematic when the data values to be correlated with a geophysical field were collected at sample locations which themselves correlate with that field. This paper examines many correlations which have been claimed in the past between geochemistry and mantle tomography and between hotspot, ridge, and slab locations and tomography using both spherical harmonic coefficient correlations and spatial domain correlations. No conclusively significant correlations are found between isotopic geochemistry and mantle tomography. The Crough and Jurdy (short) hotspot location list shows statistically significant correlation with lowermost mantle tomography for degree 2 of the spherical harmonic expansion, but there are no statistically significant correlations in the spatial case. The Vogt (long) hotspot location list does not correlate with tomography anywhere in the mantle using either technique. Both hotspot lists show a strong correlation between hotspot locations and geoid highs when spatially correlated, but no correlations are revealed by spherical harmonic techniques. Ridge locations do not show any statistically significant correlations with tomography, slab locations, or the geoid; the strongest correlation is with lowermost mantle tomography, which is probably spurious. The most striking correlations are between mantle tomography and post-Pangean subducted slabs. The integrated locations of slabs correlate strongly with fast areas near the transition zone and the core-mantle boundary and with slow regions from 1022-1248 km depth. This seems to be consistent with the 'avalanching' downwellings which have been indicated by models of the mantle which include an endothermic phase transition at the 670-km discontinuity, although this is not a unique interpretation. Taken as a whole, these results suggest that slabs and associated cold downwellings are the dominant feature of mantle convection. Hotspot locations are no better correlated with lower mantle tomography than are ridge locations.

An assessment of correlations between chlorinated VOC concentrations in tree tissue and groundwater for phytoscreening applications.

PubMed

Duncan, Candice M; Brusseau, Mark L

2018-03-01

The majority of prior phytoscreening applications have employed the method as a tool to qualitatively determine the presence of contamination in the subsurface. Although qualitative data is quite useful, this study explores the potential for using phytoscreening quantitatively. The existence of site-specific and non-site-specific (master) correlations between VOC concentrations in tree tissue and groundwater is investigated using data collected from several phytoscreening studies. The aggregated data comprise 100 measurements collected from 12 sites that span a wide range of site conditions. Significant site-specific correlations are observed between tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) concentrations measured for tree tissue and those measured in groundwater for three sites. A moderately significant correlation (r 2 =0.56) exists for the entire aggregate data set. Parsing the data by groundwater depth produced a highly significant correlation (r 2 =0.88) for sites with shallow (<4m) groundwater. Such a significant correlation for data collected by different investigators from multiple sites with a wide range of tree species and subsurface conditions indicates that groundwater concentration is the predominant factor mediating tree-tissue concentrations for these sites. This may be a result of trees likely directly tapping groundwater for these shallow groundwater conditions. This master correlation may provide reasonable order-of-magnitude estimates of VOC concentrations in groundwater for such sites, thereby allowing the use of phytoscreening in a more quantitative mode. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relook TURBT in superficial bladder cancer: its importance and its correlation with the tumor ploidy.

PubMed

Dwivedi, Udai S; Kumar, Abhay; Das, Suren K; Trivedi, Sameer; Kumar, Mohan; Sunder, Shyam; Singh, Pratap B

2009-01-01

To evaluate various prognostic factor predictors of residual growth in Relook transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) in superficial bladder cancer. Also, to evaluate the role of Relook TURBT along with the ploidy for prediction of recurrence and stage progression in these patients. Fifty patients with superficial bladder cancer underwent TURBT after complete evaluation. Ploidy of the tumor specimen was evaluated by flow cytometry. After 4 to 6 weeks of initial TURBT, these patients underwent Relook TURBT. Final treatment was given after the results of the histological evaluation of these specimens. Patients who underwent bladder sparing treatment were followed-up. Of the patients, 28.5% had residual tumor in Relook TURBT. Growth was found to be at the same site in 66.7% and at a different site 33.3%; 75% had single while 25% had multiple residual growth. Residual malignant tissue had a statistically significant correlation with size of the tumor (>3 cm), appearance (solid tumor), number (>3), grade (high), and multiple previous resections. Overall, the up-migration of stage and grade leads to change in treatment in 41.6%; 5 underwent radical cystectomy and 1 opted for radiotherapy; in 2 patients, intravesical BCG was given. In follow-up of mean 11.5 months, 16.6% had recurrence. Presence of residual growth in Relook TURBT along with number, size, morphology, and multiple previous resections were found to have significant correlation with the recurrence in these patients. Ploidy and grade of the tumor were not found to have correlation. Multiple, more than 3 cm, solid high grade tumor with > 3 previous resections were predictors of presence of residual tumor in Relook TURBT. Presence of residual growth is a significant risk factor for recurrence. Ploidy was not found to be significantly correlated with recurrence.

Relationships among cardiovascular, muscular, and oxytocin responses during human sexual activity.

PubMed

Carmichael, M S; Warburton, V L; Dixen, J; Davidson, J M

1994-02-01

To determine the psychophysiological correlates of hormonal response during sexual activity, systolic blood pressure (SBP), anal electromyography (EMG), and anal photoplethysmography (APG) were monitored continuously throughout testing in 13 women and 10 men. Each subject completed two or more tests of self-stimulation to 5 min beyond orgasm. Blood samples were obtained continuously for measurement of oxytocin (OT) levels. In both men and women, very high positive correlations were observed between the percentage change in levels from baseline through orgasm of: OT and SBP; OT and EMG intensity prior to and during orgasm; APG and EMG. The number of anal contractions and duration of orgasm were also highly correlated. Two patterns of orgasm were defined by the presence or absence of a quiescent period between orgasmic contractions. EMG and APG amplitudes correlated with the pattern of orgasm. Subjective orgasm intensity correlated significantly with increased levels of OT in multiorgasmic women only. The positive correlations between measures are consistent with a possible functional role for OT in human sexual response.

Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy and Career Commitment: Gender and Ethnic Differences among College Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chung, Y. Barry

2002-01-01

Analysis of responses from 165 undergraduates on the Career Decision Making Self Efficacy Scale revealed high internal consistency for the instrument and moderate correlation between it and the Career Commitment Scale. No gender or ethnic differences were found in this correlation. Blacks scored significantly higher than whites on both measures.…

Bender Gestalt Test Performance and the Word Recognition Skills of Disadvantaged Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, E. H.; Thurber, Steven

1976-01-01

The Bender Gestalt Test and the WRAT reading section were administered to 147 disadvantaged children. The zero-order correlation of -.62 was found to be moderated by the variable of age. For younger subjects, highly significant first- and second-order partial correlations were obtained with age and/or WISC information scores held constant. (Author)

The Correlation Between Schizophrenic Patients' Level of Internalized Stigma and Their Level of Hope.

PubMed

Olçun, Zeynep; Şahin Altun, Özlem

2017-08-01

The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between schizophrenic patients' level of internalized stigma and their level of hope. The population of the study consisted of patients who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and also met the study inclusion criteria. The study sample selection from the population was not further divided; the study was conducted with 76 patients. The data of the study were collected using a personal information form, the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) Scale, and Herth Hope Scale. The patients' mean score on the Internalized Stigma Scale was 72.78±16.05. Their score on the Hope Scale is 50.36±11.91. A significant negative correlation was found between the total mean scores of ISMI and the Herth Hope Scale (r=-0.360, p<0.01). A significant positive correlation was found between the stigma resistance subscale mean score of ISMI and the total mean score of the Herth Hope Scale (r=0.510, p<0.01). The internalized stigma levels of schizophrenic patients were found to be high, whereas their hope levels were found to be moderate. A significant negative correlation was found between internalized stigma and hope. This study also found a significant positive correlation between the stigma resistance of patients and their hope levels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Photogrammetric Correlation of Face with Frontal Radiographs and Direct Measurements.

PubMed

Negi, Gunjan; Ponnada, Swaroopa; Aravind, N K S; Chitra, Prasad

2017-05-01

Photogrammetry is a science of making measurements from photographs. As cephalometric analysis till date has focused mainly on skeletal relationships, photogrammetry may provide a means to reliably assess and compare soft tissue and hard tissue measurements. To compare and correlate linear measurements taken directly from subject's faces and from standardized frontal cephalometric radiographs and to correlate them with standardized frontal facial photographs of Indian population and to obtain mean values. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 30 subjects of Indian origin. Frontal cephalograms and standardized frontal photographs were obtained from subjects in the age group of 18- 25 years. Vernier calipers were used to obtain facial measurements directly. Photographs and radiographs were uploaded and measured using Nemoceph software. Analogous cephalometric, photographic and direct measurements were compared by one-way ANOVA to assess Pearson correlation coefficients for 12 linear measurements (6 vertical, 6 horizontal). Bonferroni post-hoc test was done for pair wise comparison. Among all measurements used, O R -O L (orbitale right-orbitale left) showed a high correlation r = 0.76, 0.70, 0.71. There was moderate correlation with En R -En L (endocanthion rt - endocanthion lt) r 2 = 0.62, 0.68, 0.68. Highly significant correlation was evident with N-Sn, En R -En L and Ag R -Ag L with p<0.001. A statistically significant correlation was found between photographic, radiographic and direct measurements. Therefore, photogrammetry has proven to be an alternative diagnostic tool that can be used in epidemiologic studies when there is a need for a simple, basic, non-invasive and cost-effective method.

The neuropsychology of male adults with high-functioning autism or asperger syndrome.

PubMed

Wilson, C Ellie; Happé, Francesca; Wheelwright, Sally J; Ecker, Christine; Lombardo, Michael V; Johnston, Patrick; Daly, Eileen; Murphy, Clodagh M; Spain, Debbie; Lai, Meng-Chuan; Chakrabarti, Bhismadev; Sauter, Disa A; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Murphy, Declan G M

2014-10-01

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is diagnosed on the basis of behavioral symptoms, but cognitive abilities may also be useful in characterizing individuals with ASD. One hundred seventy-eight high-functioning male adults, half with ASD and half without, completed tasks assessing IQ, a broad range of cognitive skills, and autistic and comorbid symptomatology. The aims of the study were, first, to determine whether significant differences existed between cases and controls on cognitive tasks, and whether cognitive profiles, derived using a multivariate classification method with data from multiple cognitive tasks, could distinguish between the two groups. Second, to establish whether cognitive skill level was correlated with degree of autistic symptom severity, and third, whether cognitive skill level was correlated with degree of comorbid psychopathology. Fourth, cognitive characteristics of individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and high-functioning autism (HFA) were compared. After controlling for IQ, ASD and control groups scored significantly differently on tasks of social cognition, motor performance, and executive function (P's < 0.05). To investigate cognitive profiles, 12 variables were entered into a support vector machine (SVM), which achieved good classification accuracy (81%) at a level significantly better than chance (P < 0.0001). After correcting for multiple correlations, there were no significant associations between cognitive performance and severity of either autistic or comorbid symptomatology. There were no significant differences between AS and HFA groups on the cognitive tasks. Cognitive classification models could be a useful aid to the diagnostic process when used in conjunction with other data sources-including clinical history. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Correlation of P16 (Ink4a) and CK17 to HPV (16E6+18E6) in Premalignant and Malignant Lesions of Uterine Cervix: A Clinicopathologic Study

PubMed Central

Chaloob, Mohammed K.; Hussein, Alaa G.; Qasim, Ban J.

2016-01-01

Background: This research was accomplished to evaluate the IHC expression of p16 (ink4a) and CK17 in low grade cervical intraepithelial lesions (LSIL), high grade cervical intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and invasive cervical carcinomas and to assess their correlation to HPV (16E6+18E6). Methods: The study included (127) formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded cervical biopsies; of which 22 cases were chronic cervicitis, 24 cases were LSIL, 28 cases were HSIL and 53 cases were invasive cervical carcinomas. Sections were immunohistochemically stained for p16 (ink4a), CK17 and HPV (16E6+18E6). Results: The study established a highly significant increase in IHC of expression of p16 (ink4a), CK17 and HPV (16E6+18E6) from LSIL through HSIL to invasive carcinomas (P-value˂0.001). There was non-significant association between IHC expression of all makers with age of patients; types, grade and stage of cervical carcinomas (P-value˃0.05). HPV (16E6+18E6) revealed a significantly positive correlation with p16 (ink4a) (P-value˂0.05) and a non- significant correlation with CK17 (P-value˃0.05); in LSIL, HSIL and invasive carcinoma cases. Conclusion: p16 (ink4a) expression directly reflects infection with high risk HPV in cervical lesions and can add a significant diagnostic accuracy in the evaluation of CIN. CK 17 is a good marker of malignant transformation, with increasing in its expression according to the severity of cervical lesions; however, it is not related to HPV infection. Both markers are not related to prognostic variables of patients with cervical carcinoma. PMID:28855930

The feasibility of measuring joint angular velocity with a gyro-sensor.

PubMed

Arai, Takeshi; Obuchi, Shuichi; Shiba, Yoshitaka; Omuro, Kazuya; Nakano, Chika; Higashi, Takuya

2008-01-01

To determine the reliability of an assessment of joint angular velocity using a gyro-sensor and to examine the relationship between ankle angular velocity and physical functions. Cross-sectional. Kinesiology laboratory. Twenty healthy young adults (mean age, 22.5 y) and 113 community-dwelling older adults (mean age, 75.1 y). Not applicable. Maximal ankle joint velocity was measured using a gyro-sensor during heel-rising and jumping with knee extended. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine the intertester and intratester reliability. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationships between maximal ankle joint velocity and isometric muscle strength and isokinetic muscle power in young adults and also to examine the relationships between maximal ankle joint velocity and functional performance measurements such as walking time in older adults. High reliability was found for intertester (ICC=.96) and intratester reliability (ICC=.96). The data from the gyro-sensor highly correlated with muscle strength (r range, .62-.68; P<.01) and muscle power (r range, .45-.79; P range, .01-.05). In older subjects, mobility functions significantly correlated with the angular velocity of ankle plantarflexion. Measurement of ankle angular velocity using a gyro-sensor is both reliable and feasible, with the results representing a significant correlation to muscle power and performance measurements.

Influence of blood lipids on global coagulation test results.

PubMed

Kim, Jung-Ah; Kim, Ji-Eun; Song, Sang Hoon; Kim, Hyun Kyung

2015-01-01

High levels of blood lipids have been associated with high levels of coagulation factors. We investigated whether blood lipids influence the results of global coagulation tests, including prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and thrombin generation assay (TGA). PT, aPTT, and TGA, along with procoagulant and anticoagulant factors, were measured in 488 normal individuals. Vitamin K status was assessed with prothrombin-induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II). The procoagulant factors II, VII, IX, X, and XI and anticoagulant factors protein C and protein S showed significant correlations with triglyceride, and the procoagulant factors II, V, VII, IX, X, XI, and XII and anticoagulant factors antithrombin and protein C correlated with total cholesterol. There were no correlations of blood lipid levels with PIVKA-II levels. Subjects with high triglyceride levels (≥200 mg/dL) showed shorter PT values than those with lower triglyceride levels. However, aPTT value was not changed in terms of blood lipid levels. In both 1 and 5 pM tissue factor-induced TGAs, subjects in the high-triglyceride or high-cholesterol groups (≥240 mg/dL) had high levels of lag time, time-to-peak, and endogenous thrombin potential. Total cholesterol was a significant determinant of PT and TGA values. High blood lipids were related with increased coagulation activity in a normal population. Our findings are expected to help interpret the global coagulation test results in individuals with high lipid levels.

Influence of Blood Lipids on Global Coagulation Test Results

PubMed Central

Kim, Jung-Ah; Kim, Ji-Eun; Song, Sang Hoon

2015-01-01

Background High levels of blood lipids have been associated with high levels of coagulation factors. We investigated whether blood lipids influence the results of global coagulation tests, including prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and thrombin generation assay (TGA). Methods PT, aPTT, and TGA, along with procoagulant and anticoagulant factors, were measured in 488 normal individuals. Vitamin K status was assessed with prothrombin-induced by vitamin K absence-II (PIVKA-II). Results The procoagulant factors II, VII, IX, X, and XI and anticoagulant factors protein C and protein S showed significant correlations with triglyceride, and the procoagulant factors II, V, VII, IX, X, XI, and XII and anticoagulant factors antithrombin and protein C correlated with total cholesterol. There were no correlations of blood lipid levels with PIVKA-II levels. Subjects with high triglyceride levels (≥200 mg/dL) showed shorter PT values than those with lower triglyceride levels. However, aPTT value was not changed in terms of blood lipid levels. In both 1 and 5 pM tissue factor-induced TGAs, subjects in the high-triglyceride or high-cholesterol groups (≥240 mg/dL) had high levels of lag time, time-to-peak, and endogenous thrombin potential. Total cholesterol was a significant determinant of PT and TGA values. Conclusion High blood lipids were related with increased coagulation activity in a normal population. Our findings are expected to help interpret the global coagulation test results in individuals with high lipid levels. PMID:25553275

Correlated responses to clonal selection in populations of Daphnia pulicaria: mechanisms of genetic correlation and the creative power of sex.

PubMed

Dudycha, Jeffry L; Snoke-Smith, Margaret; Alía, Ricardo

2013-02-01

Genetic correlations among traits alter evolutionary trajectories due to indirect selection. Pleiotropy, chance linkage, and selection can all lead to genetic correlations, but have different consequences for phenotypic evolution. We sought to assess the mechanisms contributing to correlations with size at maturity in the cyclic parthenogen Daphnia pulicaria. We selected on size in each of four populations that differ in the frequency of sex, and evaluated correlated responses in a life table. Size at advanced adulthood, reproductive output, and adult growth rate clearly showed greater responses in high-sex populations, with a similar pattern in neonate size and r. This pattern is expected only when trait correlations are favored by selection and the frequency of sex favors the creation and demographic expansion of highly fit clones. Juvenile growth and age at maturity did not diverge consistently. The inter-clutch interval appeared to respond more strongly in low-sex populations, but this was not statistically significant. Our data support the hypothesis that correlated selection is the strongest driver of genetic correlations, and suggest that in organisms with both sexual and asexual reproduction, adaptation can be enhanced by recombination.

Emotional personality/proximity versus emotional authenticity in patient-physician communication in healthy study participants, and in patients with benign breast disease, and breast cancer: a prospective case-control study in Finland.

PubMed

Eskelinen, Matti; Korhonen, Riika; Selander, Tuomas; Ollonen, Paula

2015-03-01

The associations between emotional personality, proximity and authenticity in patient-physician communication during breast cancer (BC) consultations are rarely considered together in a prospective study. We, therefore, investigated emotional personality/proximity versus authenticity in patient-physician communication in healthy study subjects (HSS) and in patients with benign breast disease (BBD) and breast cancer (BC). In the Kuopio Breast Cancer Study, 115 women with breast symptoms were evaluated regarding emotional personality, proximity and authenticity in their a patient-physician communication before any diagnostic procedures were carried-out. The emotional personality and the emotional proximity in patient-physician communication was highly significantly positively correlated in the BBD group. The kappa-values for emotional personality versus emotional proximity in the HSS, BBD and BC groups were statistically significant. There was also a highly significant positive correlation between emotional personality and emotional authenticity in the HSS, BBD and BC groups and the kappa values in the HSS, BBD and BC groups were statistically significant. There was a highly significant positive correlation between emotional proximity and emotional authenticity in the BBD group, and the weighted kappa-values in the BBD group were statistically significant. The results of the present study support a powerful link between emotional personality/proximity and emotional authenticity, and provides new information in patient-physician communication in the HSS, BBD and BC groups. This finding is of clinical importance, since during breast disease consultation, barriers to patient-physician communication may be associated with difficulties in early BC diagnosis in the breast cancer diagnostic unit. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

HbA1c and Glycated Albumin Levels Are High in Gastrectomized Subjects with Iron-Deficiency Anemia.

PubMed

Inada, Shinya; Koga, Masafumi

2017-01-01

We report that glycated albumin (GA) is higher relative to HbA1c in non-diabetic, gastrectomized subjects without anemia, and thus is a sign of oxyhyperglycemia. It is known that gastrectomized subjects are prone to iron-deficiency anemia (IDA), and that the HbA1c levels of subjects with IDA are falsely high. In the present study, the HbA1c and GA levels of gastrectomized subjects with IDA were compared with gastrectomized subjects without anemia. Seven non-diabetic gastrectomized subjects with IDA were enrolled in the present study. Twenty-eight non-diabetic gastrectomized subjects without anemia matched with the subjects with IDA in terms of age, gender, and body mass index were used as the controls. Although there were no significant differences in fasting plasma glucose and OGTT 2-hour plasma glucose (2-h PG) between the two groups, the HbA1c and GA levels in gastrectomized subjects with IDA were significantly higher than the controls. For all of the gastrectomized subjects (n=35), ferritin exhibited a significant negative correlation with HbA1c and GA, and a significant positive correlation with 2-h PG. In addition, the HbA1c and GA levels exhibited a significant negative correlation with the mean corpuscular hemoglobin and hemoglobin. The HbA1c and GA levels in gastrectomized subjects with IDA were significantly higher than those in controls. The high GA levels are attributed to a tendency in which patients with total gastrectomy, who are prone to IDA, are susceptible to postprandial hyperglycemia and reactive hypoglycemia, which in turn leads to large fluctuations in plasma glucose. © 2017 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.

The Religiosity/Spirituality of Latina Breast Cancer Survivors and Influence on Health-Related Quality of Life

PubMed Central

Wildes, Kimberly A.; Miller, Alexander R.; de Majors, Sandra San Miguel; Ramirez, Amelie G.

2010-01-01

Objective The study evaluated the association of religiosity/spirituality (R/S) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Latina breast cancer survivors (BCS) in order to determine whether R/S would be positively correlated with HRQOL and whether R/S would significantly influence HRQOL. Methods The cross-sectional study utilized self-report data from 117 Latina BCS survivors. R/S was measured with the Systems of Belief Inventory - 15 Revised (SBI-15R) and HRQOL was measured with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – General (FACT-G). Analyses included calculation of descriptive statistics, t-tests, bivariate correlations, and multivariate analyses. Results Latina BCS had very high levels of R/S and generally good HRQOL. The SBI-15R total score was positively correlated with FACT-G social well-being (r=0.266, p=0.005), relationship with doctor (r=0.219, p=0.020), and functional well-being (r=0.216, p=0.022). Multivariate analyses revealed that SBI-15R was a significant predictor of FACT-G functional well-being (p=0.041) and satisfaction with the relationship with the doctor (p=0.050), where higher levels of R/S predicted higher levels of well-being. Conclusions Latina BCS had very high levels of R/S, which were significantly, positively correlated with dimensions of HRQOL (social well-being, functional well-being, relationship with doctor). Further, these high levels of R/S predicted better functional well-being and satisfaction with the patient-doctor relationship while controlling for potentially confounding variables. Implications are discussed. PMID:19034922

Semi-automated software to measure luminal and stromal areas of choroid in optical coherence tomographic images.

PubMed

Sonoda, Shozo; Sakamoto, Taiji; Kakiuchi, Naoko; Shiihara, Hideki; Sakoguchi, Tomonori; Tomita, Masatoshi; Yamashita, Takehiro; Uchino, Eisuke

2018-03-01

To determine the capabilities of "EyeGround" software in measuring the choroidal cross sectional areas in optical coherence tomographic (OCT) images. Cross sectional, prospective study. The cross-sectional area of the subfoveal choroid within a 1500 µm diameter circle centered on the fovea was measured both with and without using the EyeGround software in the OCT images. The differences between the evaluation times and the results of the measurements were compared. The inter-rater, intra-rater, inter-method agreements were determined. Fifty-one eyes of 51 healthy subjects were studied: 24 men and 27 women with an average age of 35.0 ± 8.8 years. The time for analyzing a single image was significantly shorter with the software at 3.2±1.1 min than without the software at 12.1±5.1 min (P <0.001). The inter-method correlation efficient for the measurements of the whole choroid was high [0.989, 95% CI (0.981-0.994)]. With the software, the inter-rater correlation efficient was significantly high [0.997, 95% CI (0.995-0.999)], and the intra-rater correlation efficient was also significantly high [0.999, 95% CI (0.999-1.0)]. The EyeGround software can measure the choroidal area in the OCT cross sectional images with good reproducibility and in a significantly shorter times. It can be a valuable tool for analyzing the choroid.

High carotenoids content can enhance resistance of selected Pinctada fucata families to high temperature stress.

PubMed

Meng, Zihao; Zhang, Bo; Liu, Baosuo; Li, Haimei; Fan, Sigang; Yu, Dahui

2017-02-01

Carotenoids are a class of natural antioxidants widely found in aquatic, and they have significant effects on the growth, survival, and immunity of these organisms. To investigate the mechanisms of carotenoids in high temperature resistance, we observed the immune response of selected pearl oyster Pinctada fucata (Akoya pearl oyster) families with different carotenoids contents to high temperature stress. The results indicated that the survival rate (SR) of P. fucata decreased significantly with increase in temperature from 26 °C to 34 °C and with the decrease of total carotenoids content (TCC); when the TCC was higher, the SR tended to be higher. TCC and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) decreased significantly at 30 °C with increasing stress time. Correlation analysis indicated that TAC was positively and linearly correlated with TCC, and SR was S-type correlated with TCC and TAC. Immune analysis indicated that levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in selected families (with higher TCC) under temperature stress (at 30 °C) were generally significantly lower than in the control group (with lowest TCC) and from 0 to 96 h, the levels of each of these substances varied significantly. Levels of SOD, CAT, and MDA within each family first rose from 0 to 3 h, then decreased to their lowest point after 24 h, and then rose again to their highest levels at 96 h. When TCC was higher, the levels of SOD, CAT, and MDA tended to be lower. These findings indicated that carotenoids play an important role in improving survival rates of P. fucata under high temperature stress by enhancing animals' antioxidant system, and could serve as an index for breeding stress-resistant lines in selective breeding practices. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nicotine dependence and smoking habits in patients with head and neck cancer*

PubMed Central

de Almeida, Adriana Ávila; Bandeira, Celso Muller; Gonçalves, Antonio José; Araújo, Alberto José

2014-01-01

Objective: To assess smoking habits and nicotine dependence (ND) in patients with head and neck cancer Methods: This study involved 71 smokers or former smokers with squamous cell carcinoma in the oral cavity, pharynx, or larynx who were treated at a university hospital in the city of São Paulo between January and May of 2010. We used the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence to evaluate smoking habits and ND in the sample. Data regarding cancer treatment were collected from medical records. Depending on the variables studied, we used the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test, or Spearman's correlation test. Results: Of the 71 patients, 47 (66.2%) presented with high or very high ND, 40 (56.3%) smoked more than 20 cigarettes/day, and 32 (45.1%) smoked their first cigarette within 5 min of awakening. Advanced disease stage correlated significantly with the number of cigarettes smoked per day (p = 0.011) and with smoking history (p = 0.047). We found that ND did not correlate significantly with gender, disease stage, smoking cessation, or number of smoking cessation attempts, nor did the number of cigarettes smoked per day correlate with smoking cessation or gender. Treatment for smoking cessation was not routinely offered. Conclusions: In most of the patients studied, the level of ND was high or very high. The prevalence of heavy smoking for long periods was high in our sample. A diagnosis of cancer is a motivating factor for smoking cessation. However, intensive smoking cessation treatment is not routinely offered to smoking patients diagnosed with cancer. PMID:25029652

Azimuthal anisotropy and correlations in the hard scattering regime at RHIC.

PubMed

Adler, C; Ahammed, Z; Allgower, C; Amonett, J; Anderson, B D; Anderson, M; Averichev, G S; Balewski, J; Barannikova, O; Barnby, L S; Baudot, J; Bekele, S; Belaga, V V; Bellwied, R; Berger, J; Bichsel, H; Billmeier, A; Bland, L C; Blyth, C O; Bonner, B E; Boucham, A; Brandin, A; Bravar, A; Cadman, R V; Caines, H; Calderón De La Barca Sánchez, M; Cardenas, A; Carroll, J; Castillo, J; Castro, M; Cebra, D; Chaloupka, P; Chattopadhyay, S; Chen, Y; Chernenko, S P; Cherney, M; Chikanian, A; Choi, B; Christie, W; Coffin, J P; Cormier, T M; Cramer, J G; Crawford, H J; Deng, W S; Derevschikov, A A; Didenko, L; Dietel, T; Draper, J E; Dunin, V B; Dunlop, J C; Eckardt, V; Efimov, L G; Emelianov, V; Engelage, J; Eppley, G; Erazmus, B; Fachini, P; Faine, V; Faivre, J; Filimonov, K; Finch, E; Fisyak, Y; Flierl, D; Foley, K J; Fu, J; Gagliardi, C A; Gagunashvili, N; Gans, J; Gaudichet, L; Germain, M; Geurts, F; Ghazikhanian, V; Grachov, O; Grigoriev, V; Guedon, M; Gushin, E; Hallman, T J; Hardtke, D; Harris, J W; Henry, T W; Heppelmann, S; Herston, T; Hippolyte, B; Hirsch, A; Hjort, E; Hoffmann, G W; Horsley, M; Huang, H Z; Humanic, T J; Igo, G; Ishihara, A; Ivanshin, Yu I; Jacobs, P; Jacobs, W W; Janik, M; Johnson, I; Jones, P G; Judd, E G; Kaneta, M; Kaplan, M; Keane, D; Kiryluk, J; Kisiel, A; Klay, J; Klein, S R; Klyachko, A; Konstantinov, A S; Kopytine, M; Kotchenda, L; Kovalenko, A D; Kramer, M; Kravtsov, P; Krueger, K; Kuhn, C; Kulikov, A I; Kunde, G J; Kunz, C L; Kutuev, R Kh; Kuznetsov, A A; Lakehal-Ayat, L; Lamont, M A C; Landgraf, J M; Lange, S; Lansdell, C P; Lasiuk, B; Laue, F; Lauret, J; Lebedev, A; Lednický, R; Leontiev, V M; LeVine, M J; Li, Q; Lindenbaum, S J; Lisa, M A; Liu, F; Liu, L; Liu, Z; Liu, Q J; Ljubicic, T; Llope, W J; LoCurto, G; Long, H; Longacre, R S; Lopez-Noriega, M; Love, W A; Ludlam, T; Lynn, D; Ma, J; Majka, R; Margetis, S; Markert, C; Martin, L; Marx, J; Matis, H S; Matulenko, Yu A; McShane, T S; Meissner, F; Melnick, Yu; Meschanin, A; Messer, M; Miller, M L; Milosevich, Z; Minaev, N G; Mitchell, J; Moiseenko, V A; Moore, C F; Morozov, V; De Moura, M M; Munhoz, M G; Nelson, J M; Nevski, P; Nikitin, V A; Nogach, L V; Norman, B; Nurushev, S B; Odyniec, G; Ogawa, A; Okorokov, V; Oldenburg, M; Olson, D; Paic, G; Pandey, S U; Panebratsev, Y; Panitkin, S Y; Pavlinov, A I; Pawlak, T; Perevoztchikov, V; Peryt, W; Petrov, V A; Planinic, M; Pluta, J; Porile, N; Porter, J; Poskanzer, A M; Potrebenikova, E; Prindle, D; Pruneau, C; Putschke, J; Rai, G; Rakness, G; Ravel, O; Ray, R L; Razin, S V; Reichhold, D; Reid, J G; Renault, G; Retiere, F; Ridiger, A; Ritter, H G; Roberts, J B; Rogachevski, O V; Romero, J L; Rose, A; Roy, C; Rykov, V; Sakrejda, I; Salur, S; Sandweiss, J; Saulys, A C; Savin, I; Schambach, J; Scharenberg, R P; Schmitz, N; Schroeder, L S; Schüttauf, A; Schweda, K; Seger, J; Seliverstov, D; Seyboth, P; Shahaliev, E; Shestermanov, K E; Shimanskii, S S; Shvetcov, V S; Skoro, G; Smirnov, N; Snellings, R; Sorensen, P; Sowinski, J; Spinka, H M; Srivastava, B; Stephenson, E J; Stock, R; Stolpovsky, A; Strikhanov, M; Stringfellow, B; Struck, C; Suaide, A A P; Sugarbaker, E; Suire, C; Sumbera, M; Surrow, B; Symons, T J M; Szanto De Toledo, A; Szarwas, P; Tai, A; Takahashi, J; Tang, A H; Thomas, J H; Thompson, M; Tikhomirov, V; Tokarev, M; Tonjes, M B; Trainor, T A; Trentalange, S; Tribble, R E; Trofimov, V; Tsai, O; Ullrich, T; Underwood, D G; Buren, G Van; VanderMolen, A M; Vasilevski, I M; Vasiliev, A N; Vigdor, S E; Voloshin, S A; Wang, F; Ward, H; Watson, J W; Wells, R; Westfall, G D; Whitten, C; Wieman, H; Willson, R; Wissink, S W; Witt, R; Wood, J; Xu, N; Xu, Z; Yakutin, A E; Yamamoto, E; Yang, J; Yepes, P; Yurevich, V I; Zanevski, Y V; Zborovský, I; Zhang, H; Zhang, W M; Zoulkarneev, R; Zubarev, A N

2003-01-24

Azimuthal anisotropy (v(2)) and two-particle angular correlations of high p(T) charged hadrons have been measured in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=130 GeV for transverse momenta up to 6 GeV/c, where hard processes are expected to contribute significantly. The two-particle angular correlations exhibit elliptic flow and a structure suggestive of fragmentation of high p(T) partons. The monotonic rise of v(2)(p(T)) for p(T)<2 GeV/c is consistent with collective hydrodynamical flow calculations. At p(T)>3 GeV/c, a saturation of v(2) is observed which persists up to p(T)=6 GeV/c.

Right ventricular diastolic performance in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease: correlation of echocardiographic parameters with invasive reference standards by high-fidelity micromanometer catheter.

PubMed

Okumura, Kenichi; Slorach, Cameron; Mroczek, Dariusz; Dragulescu, Andreea; Mertens, Luc; Redington, Andrew N; Friedberg, Mark K

2014-05-01

Right ventricular diastolic dysfunction influences outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), but echocardiographic parameters have not been investigated in relation to invasive reference standards in pediatric PAH. We investigated echocardiographic parameters of right ventricular diastolic function in children with PAH in relation to simultaneously measured invasive reference measures. We prospectively recruited children undergoing a clinically indicated cardiac catheterization for evaluation of PAH and pulmonary vasoreactivity testing. Echocardiography was performed simultaneously with invasive reference measurements by high-fidelity micromanometer catheter. For analysis, patients were divided into shunt and nonshunt groups. Sixteen children were studied. In the group as a whole, significant correlations were found among τ and tricuspid deceleration time, E', E/E', TimeE-E', A wave velocity, and global early and late diastolic strain rate. dp/dt minimum correlated significantly with late diastolic tricuspid annular velocity (A'), tissue Doppler imaging-derived systolic:diastolic duration ratio, and global late diastolic strain rate. End-diastolic pressure correlated significantly with tissue Doppler imaging-derived systolic:diastolic duration ratio. On multivariate analysis, tricuspid deceleration time, TimeE-E', and global early diastolic strain rate were independent predictors of τ, whereas tissue Doppler imaging-derived systolic:diastolic duration ratio was an independent predictor of dp/dt minimum. In general, correlations between echocardiographic and invasive parameters were better in the shunt group than in the nonshunt group. Echocardiography correlates with invasive reference measures of right ventricular diastolic function in children with PAH, although it does not differentiate between early versus late diastolic abnormalities. Newer echocardiographic techniques may have added value to assess right ventricular diastolic dysfunction in this population. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Ranking Causal Anomalies via Temporal and Dynamical Analysis on Vanishing Correlations.

PubMed

Cheng, Wei; Zhang, Kai; Chen, Haifeng; Jiang, Guofei; Chen, Zhengzhang; Wang, Wei

2016-08-01

Modern world has witnessed a dramatic increase in our ability to collect, transmit and distribute real-time monitoring and surveillance data from large-scale information systems and cyber-physical systems. Detecting system anomalies thus attracts significant amount of interest in many fields such as security, fault management, and industrial optimization. Recently, invariant network has shown to be a powerful way in characterizing complex system behaviours. In the invariant network, a node represents a system component and an edge indicates a stable, significant interaction between two components. Structures and evolutions of the invariance network, in particular the vanishing correlations, can shed important light on locating causal anomalies and performing diagnosis. However, existing approaches to detect causal anomalies with the invariant network often use the percentage of vanishing correlations to rank possible casual components, which have several limitations: 1) fault propagation in the network is ignored; 2) the root casual anomalies may not always be the nodes with a high-percentage of vanishing correlations; 3) temporal patterns of vanishing correlations are not exploited for robust detection. To address these limitations, in this paper we propose a network diffusion based framework to identify significant causal anomalies and rank them. Our approach can effectively model fault propagation over the entire invariant network, and can perform joint inference on both the structural, and the time-evolving broken invariance patterns. As a result, it can locate high-confidence anomalies that are truly responsible for the vanishing correlations, and can compensate for unstructured measurement noise in the system. Extensive experiments on synthetic datasets, bank information system datasets, and coal plant cyber-physical system datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.

Identification of Rubisco rbcL and rbcS in Camellia oleifera and their potential as molecular markers for selection of high tea oil cultivars

PubMed Central

Chen, Yongzhong; Wang, Baoming; Chen, Jianjun; Wang, Xiangnan; Wang, Rui; Peng, Shaofeng; Chen, Longsheng; Ma, Li; Luo, Jian

2015-01-01

Tea oil derived from seeds of Camellia oleifera Abel. is high-quality edible oil in China. This study isolated full-length cDNAs of Rubisco subunits rbcL and rbcS from C. oleifera. The rbcL has 1,522 bp with a 1,425 bp coding region, encoding 475 amino acids; and the rbcS has 615 bp containing a 528 bp coding region, encoding 176 amino acids. The expression level of the two genes, designated as Co-rbcL and Co-rbcS, was determined in three C. oleifera cultivars: Hengchong 89, Xianglin 1, and Xianglin 14 whose annual oil yields were 546.9, 591.4, and 657.7 kg ha-1, respectively. The Co-rbcL expression in ‘Xianglin 14’ was significantly higher than ‘Xianglin 1’, and ‘Xianglin 1’ was greater than ‘Hengchong 89’. The expression levels of Co-rbcS in ‘Xianglin 1’ and ‘Xianglin 14’ were similar but were significantly greater than in ‘Hengchong 89’. The net photosynthetic rate of ‘Xianglin 14’ was significantly higher than ‘Xianglin 1’, and ‘Xianglin 1’ was higher than ‘Hengchong 89’. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that seed yields and oil yields were highly correlated with the expression level of Co-rbcL at P < 0.001 level; and the expression of Co-rbcS was correlated with oil yield at P < 0.01 level. Net photosynthetic rate was also correlated with oil yields and seed yields at P < 0.001 and P < 0.01 levels, respectively. Our results suggest that Co-rbcS and Co-rbcL in particular could potentially be molecular markers for early selection of high oil yield cultivars. In combination with the measurement of net photosynthetic rates, the early identification of potential high oil production cultivars would significantly shorten plant breeding time and increase breeding efficiency. PMID:25873921

The response of the temperature of cold-point mesopause to solar activity based on SABER data set

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Chaoli; Liu, Dong; Wei, Heli; Wang, Yingjian; Dai, Congming; Wu, Pengfei; Zhu, Wenyue; Rao, Ruizhong

2016-07-01

The thermal structure and energy balance of upper atmosphere are dominated by solar activity. The response of cold-point mesopause (CPM) to solar activity is an important form. This article presents the response of the temperature of CPM (T-CPM) to solar activity using 14 year Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry data series over 80°S-80°N regions. These regions are divided into 16 latitude zones with 10° interval, and the spatial areas of 80°S-80°N, 180°W-180°E are divided into 96 lattices with 10°(latitude) × 60°(longitude) grid. The annual-mean values of T-CPM and F10.7 are calculated. The least squares regression method and correlation analysis are applied to these annual-mean series. First, the results show that the global T-CPM is significantly correlated to solar activity at the 0.05 level of significance with correlation coefficient of 0.90. The global solar response of T-CPM is 4.89 ± 0.67 K/100 solar flux unit. Then, for each latitude zone, the solar response of T-CPM and its fluctuation are obtained. The solar response of T-CPM becomes stronger with increasing latitude. The fluctuation ranges of solar response at middle-latitude regions are smaller than those of the equator and high-latitude regions, and the global distribution takes on W shape. The corelationship analysis shows that the T-CPM is significantly correlated to solar activity at the 0.05 level of significance for each latitude zone. The correlation coefficients at middle-latitude regions are higher than those of the equator and high-latitude regions, and the global distribution takes on M shape. At last, for each grid cell, the response of T-CPM to solar activity and their correlation coefficient are presented.

Job Stress and Presenteeism among Chinese Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Effects of Affective Commitment

PubMed Central

Ma, Mingxu; Li, Yaxin; Tian, Huilin; Deng, Jianwei

2017-01-01

Background: Presenteeism affects the performance of healthcare workers. This study examined associations between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism among healthcare workers. Methods: To investigate the relationship between job stress, affective commitment, and presenteeism, structural equation modeling was used to analyze a sample of 1392 healthcare workers from 11 Class A tertiary hospitals in eastern, central, and western China. The mediating effect of affective commitment on the association between job stress and presenteeism was examined with the Sobel test. Results: Job stress was high and the level of presenteeism was moderate among healthcare workers. Challenge stress and hindrance stress were strongly correlated (β = 0.62; p < 0.05). Affective commitment was significantly and directly inversely correlated with presenteeism (β = −0.27; p < 0.001). Challenge stress was significantly positively correlated with affective commitment (β = 0.15; p < 0.001) but not with presenteeism. Hindrance stress was significantly inversely correlated with affective commitment (β = −0.40; p < 0.001) but was significantly positively correlated with presenteeism (β = 0.26; p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study provides important empirical data on presenteeism among healthcare workers. Presenteeism can be addressed by increasing affective commitment and challenge stress and by limiting hindrance stress among healthcare workers in China. PMID:28850081

Clinical Significance of SASH1 Expression in Glioma.

PubMed

Yang, Liu; Zhang, Haitao; Yao, Qi; Yan, Yingying; Wu, Ronghua; Liu, Mei

2015-01-01

SAM and SH3 domain containing 1 (SASH1) is a recently discovered tumor suppressor gene. The role of SASH1 in glioma has not yet been described. We investigated SASH1 expression in glioma cases to determine its clinical significance on glioma pathogenesis and prognosis. We produced tissue microarrays using 121 patient-derived glioma samples and 30 patient-derived nontumor cerebral samples. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to evaluate SASH1 expression. We used Fisher's exact tests to determine relationships between SASH1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics; Cox regression analysis to evaluate the independency of different SASH1 expression; Kaplan-Meier analysis to determine any correlation of SASH1 expression with survival rate. SASH1 expression was closely correlated with the WHO glioma grade. Of the 121 cases, 66.9% with low SASH1 expression were mostly grade III-IV cases, whereas 33.1% with high SASH1 expression were mostly grades I-II. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between SASH1 expression and postoperative survival. SASH1 was widely expressed in normal and low-grade glioma tissues. SASH1 expression strongly correlated with glioma grades, showing higher expression at a lower grade, which decreased significantly as grade increased. Furthermore, SASH1 expression was positively correlated with better postoperative survival in patients with glioma.

Psychosocial concerns of cancer patients in Singapore.

PubMed

Mahendran, Rathi; Lim, Haikel A; Chua, Joanne; Lim, Siew Eng; Kua, Ee Heok

2017-04-01

Psychosocial needs are high among cancer patients, and screening for these is recognized as integral to quality cancer care. This study identified the psychosocial needs of cancer patients at their first visit at a hematology-oncology clinic. Fifty-four new consecutive patients completed the Distress Thermometer and the Problem List, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the EuroQol Quality of Life Scale at their first visit to plan for chemotherapy. Data were analyzed with SPSS. Analyses revealed that participants had an average of 2.8 ± 2.3 problems, with 82% having psychosocial needs. Emotional concerns formed the top four psychosocial needs of the cohort (worry 46%, fears 26%, nervousness 26%, sadness 24%), with the fifth being a practical concern (insurance/finance 22%). The former were more frequent among 41- to 50-year-olds and significantly correlated with distress scores. Practical concerns were significantly correlated with depressive symptoms. Family concerns were more significant in women. The overall score on the Problem List correlated with distress, anxious symptomatology and poorer quality of life scores. Distress and psychosocial needs are high in cancer patients even at an early stage prior to chemotherapy. Attention to these needs is crucial as they cause significant distress and affect the patient's quality of life. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Different gastric microbiota compositions in two human populations with high and low gastric cancer risk in Colombia

PubMed Central

Yang, Ines; Woltemate, Sabrina; Piazuelo, M. Blanca; Bravo, Luis E.; Yepez, Maria Clara; Romero-Gallo, Judith; Delgado, Alberto G.; Wilson, Keith T.; Peek, Richard M.; Correa, Pelayo; Josenhans, Christine; Fox, James G.; Suerbaum, Sebastian

2016-01-01

Inhabitants of Túquerres in the Colombian Andes have a 25-fold higher risk of gastric cancer than inhabitants of the coastal town Tumaco, despite similar H. pylori prevalences. The gastric microbiota was recently shown in animal models to accelerate the development of H. pylori-induced precancerous lesions. 20 individuals from each town, matched for age and sex, were selected, and gastric microbiota analyses were performed by deep sequencing of amplified 16S rDNA. In parallel, analyses of H. pylori status, carriage of the cag pathogenicity island and assignment of H. pylori to phylogeographic groups were performed to test for correlations between H. pylori strain properties and microbiota composition. The gastric microbiota composition was highly variable between individuals, but showed a significant correlation with the town of origin. Multiple OTUs were detected exclusively in either Tumaco or Túquerres. Two operational taxonomic units (OTUs), Leptotrichia wadei and a Veillonella sp., were significantly more abundant in Túquerres, and 16 OTUs, including a Staphylococcus sp. were significantly more abundant in Tumaco. There was no significant correlation of H. pylori phylogeographic population or carriage of the cagPAI with microbiota composition. From these data, testable hypotheses can be generated and examined in suitable animal models and prospective clinical trials. PMID:26729566

Inference for High-dimensional Differential Correlation Matrices *

PubMed Central

Cai, T. Tony; Zhang, Anru

2015-01-01

Motivated by differential co-expression analysis in genomics, we consider in this paper estimation and testing of high-dimensional differential correlation matrices. An adaptive thresholding procedure is introduced and theoretical guarantees are given. Minimax rate of convergence is established and the proposed estimator is shown to be adaptively rate-optimal over collections of paired correlation matrices with approximately sparse differences. Simulation results show that the procedure significantly outperforms two other natural methods that are based on separate estimation of the individual correlation matrices. The procedure is also illustrated through an analysis of a breast cancer dataset, which provides evidence at the gene co-expression level that several genes, of which a subset has been previously verified, are associated with the breast cancer. Hypothesis testing on the differential correlation matrices is also considered. A test, which is particularly well suited for testing against sparse alternatives, is introduced. In addition, other related problems, including estimation of a single sparse correlation matrix, estimation of the differential covariance matrices, and estimation of the differential cross-correlation matrices, are also discussed. PMID:26500380

The Prognostic and Clinicopathological Significance of Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Yin, Songcheng; Huang, Jinyu; Li, Zhan; Zhang, Junyan; Luo, Jiazi; Lu, Chunyang; Xu, Hao; Xu, Huimian

2017-01-01

Comprehensive studies have investigated the prognostic and clinicopathological value of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in gastric cancer patients, yet results remain controversial. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify this issue. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify eligible studies. We extracted hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to estimate the effect sizes. In addition, subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were also conducted. A total of 19 studies involving 2242 patients were included. High generalised TAMs density was significantly associated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.15-1.95). Subgroup analysis revealed that CD68+ TAMs had no significant effect on OS (HR 1.38, 95% CI 1.00-1.91). High M1 TAMs density was correlated with better OS (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.32-0.65). By contrast, high density of M2 TAMs was correlated with a poor prognosis for OS (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.25-1.75). Furthermore, high M2 TAMs density was correlated with larger tumor size, diffuse Lauren type, poor histologic differentiation, deeper tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and advanced TNM stage. Overall, this meta-analysis reveal that although CD68+ TAMs infiltration has the neutral prognostic effects on OS, the M1/M2 polarization of TAMs are predicative factor of prognosis in gastric cancer patients.

Contribution of atmospheric nitrogen deposition to diffuse pollution in a typical hilly red soil catchment in southern China.

PubMed

Shen, Jianlin; Liu, Jieyun; Li, Yong; Li, Yuyuan; Wang, Yi; Liu, Xuejun; Wu, Jinshui

2014-09-01

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition is currently high and meanwhile diffuse N pollution is also serious in China. The correlation between N deposition and riverine N export and the contribution of N deposition to riverine N export were investigated in a typical hilly red soil catchment in southern China over a two-year period. N deposition was as high as 26.1 to 55.8kgN/(ha·yr) across different land uses in the studied catchment, while the riverine N exports ranged from 7.2 to 9.6kgN/(ha·yr) in the forest sub-catchment and 27.4 to 30.3kgN/(ha·yr) in the agricultural sub-catchment. The correlations between both wet N deposition and riverine N export and precipitation were highly positive, and so were the correlations between NH4(+)-N or NO3(-)-N wet deposition and riverine NH4(+)-N or NO3(-)-N exports except for NH4(+)-N in the agricultural sub-catchment, indicating that N deposition contributed to riverine N export. The monthly export coefficients of atmospheric deposited N from land to river in the forest sub-catchment (with a mean of 14%) presented a significant positive correlation with precipitation, while the monthly contributions of atmospheric deposition to riverine N export (with a mean of 18.7% in the agricultural sub-catchment and a mean of 21.0% in the whole catchment) were significantly and negatively correlated with precipitation. The relatively high contribution of N deposition to diffuse N pollution in the catchment suggests that efforts should be done to control anthropogenic reactive N emissions to the atmosphere in hilly red soil regions in southern China. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The relationship between family functioning and self-esteem in female high school students of Isfahan, Iran, in 2013–2014

PubMed Central

Rezaei-Dehaghani, Abdollah; Paki, Somayeh; Keshvari, Mahrokh

2015-01-01

Background: One of the most critical periods of the life of a person is adolescence. During this period, individuals face many problems such as low self-esteem. Self-esteem can be influenced by many factors such as school, friends, and inner personality, but it seems that the family has a crucial role in shaping self-esteem. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between family functioning and self-esteem in female high school students in Isfahan, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive correlational study was performed with multi-stage random sampling method on 237 female high school students who met the inclusion criteria of the study. The data collection tools included Bloom's Family Functioning Scale and Pop's self-esteem questionnaire. The data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed through SPSS software. Results: The results showed that the majority of the samples examined had moderate level self-esteem (48.5%) and family function (56.5%). There was a significant correlation between the dimensions of family functioning and areas of self-esteem (except for lack of independence, and public, academic, and physical self-esteem). In addition, the correlation between family aspirations and self-esteem (r = 0.636, P < 0.01) was higher than other variables. Moreover, across the dimensions of family functioning, a significant negative correlation was found between the lack of independence and the family self-esteem subscale. Conclusions: The results of the study showed that adolescents’ self-esteem is highly correlated with their family's performance. Therefore, to enhance the self-esteem of adolescents, family-centered empowerment programs should be planned and implemented by health service providers, especially nurses, in order to improve and enhance family functioning. PMID:26120339

The relationship between family functioning and self-esteem in female high school students of Isfahan, Iran, in 2013-2014.

PubMed

Rezaei-Dehaghani, Abdollah; Paki, Somayeh; Keshvari, Mahrokh

2015-01-01

One of the most critical periods of the life of a person is adolescence. During this period, individuals face many problems such as low self-esteem. Self-esteem can be influenced by many factors such as school, friends, and inner personality, but it seems that the family has a crucial role in shaping self-esteem. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the relationship between family functioning and self-esteem in female high school students in Isfahan, Iran. This descriptive correlational study was performed with multi-stage random sampling method on 237 female high school students who met the inclusion criteria of the study. The data collection tools included Bloom's Family Functioning Scale and Pop's self-esteem questionnaire. The data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed through SPSS software. The results showed that the majority of the samples examined had moderate level self-esteem (48.5%) and family function (56.5%). There was a significant correlation between the dimensions of family functioning and areas of self-esteem (except for lack of independence, and public, academic, and physical self-esteem). In addition, the correlation between family aspirations and self-esteem (r = 0.636, P < 0.01) was higher than other variables. Moreover, across the dimensions of family functioning, a significant negative correlation was found between the lack of independence and the family self-esteem subscale. The results of the study showed that adolescents' self-esteem is highly correlated with their family's performance. Therefore, to enhance the self-esteem of adolescents, family-centered empowerment programs should be planned and implemented by health service providers, especially nurses, in order to improve and enhance family functioning.

Cognitive and behavioural dispositions in offspring at high risk for alcoholism.

PubMed

Kumar, Rajesh; Kumar, Keshav Janakiprasad; Benegal, Vivek

2018-06-01

Offspring with family history of alcoholism are considered to be at high risk for alcoholism. The present study sought to expand our understanding of cognitive and behavioural dispositions associated with executive control and self-regulation in alcohol naïve offspring with and without family history of alcoholism. Sample comprised of alcohol naive offspring in two groups: (i) at high risk (n = 34) and (ii) at low risk for alcoholism (n = 34). Both groups were matched on age (+/-1 year), education (+/-1 year) and gender. Measures used were: Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Family Interview for Genetic Studies, Socio-demographic Data Sheet, Annett's Handedness Questionnaire, Barratt's Impulsiveness Scale-version 11, Digit Span Test, Spatial Span Test, Tower of London, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and Game of Dice Task (GDT). Results showed that alcohol naive offspring at high risk for alcoholism reported significantly high impulsivity and demonstrated significant differences on executive functions and decision making tasks. Correlation analysis revealed that high impulsivity was significantly associated with poor performance on explicit decision making task (GDT) and executive function task (WCST). There was no significant correlation between two decision making tasks (IGT and GDT) in both groups and performance on IGT was not significantly associated with impulsivity and executive functions. The present study indicates cognitive and behavioural dispositions in alcohol naive offspring at high risk for alcoholism and support the sub-optimal balance between reflective and impulsive system responsible for addiction. Furthermore, present study supports separability between two different types of decision making tasks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structure of health-enhancing behavior in adolescence: a latent-variable approach.

PubMed

Donovan, J E; Jessor, R; Costa, F M

1993-12-01

The structure of the interrelations among a variety of health-enhancing behaviors was examined using structural equation modeling analyses of questionnaire data from 1,280 middle school students and 2,219 high school students. The health-enhancing behaviors included seat belt use, adequate hours of sleep, attention to healthy diet, adequate exercise, low sedentary behavior, and regular toothbrushing. In the middle school sample, all of the health-enhancing behaviors correlated significantly but modestly with each other, except for sleep with toothbrushing. In the high school sample, all but three of the 15 correlations among the behaviors were significant. The results further show that a single underlying factor can account for the modest correlations among these health-enhancing behaviors in both samples. The generality of the single-factor model was also established for male, female, White, Hispanic, and Black students at each school level. These findings provide some support for the existence of health-related lifestyles in adolescence.

Efficiency and cross-correlation in equity market during global financial crisis: Evidence from China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Pengcheng; Li, Daye; Li, Shuo

2016-02-01

Using one minute high-frequency data of the Shanghai Composite Index (SHCI) and the Shenzhen Composite Index (SZCI) (2007-2008), we employ the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and the detrended cross correlation analysis (DCCA) with rolling window approach to observe the evolution of market efficiency and cross-correlation in pre-crisis and crisis period. Considering the fat-tail distribution of return time series, statistical test based on shuffling method is conducted to verify the null hypothesis of no long-term dependence. Our empirical research displays three main findings. First Shanghai equity market efficiency deteriorated while Shenzhen equity market efficiency improved with the advent of financial crisis. Second the highly positive dependence between SHCI and SZCI varies with time scale. Third financial crisis saw a significant increase of dependence between SHCI and SZCI at shorter time scales but a lack of significant change at longer time scales, providing evidence of contagion and absence of interdependence during crisis.

Calorimetric analysis of fungal degraded wood

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blankenhorn, P.R.; Baldwin, R.C.; Merrill, W. Jr.

1980-01-01

Endothermic transition and gross heat of combustion of aspenwood subjected to degradation by Lenzites trabea and Polyporus versicolor were determined by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and an adiabatic O bomb. Endothermic peak areas of undegraded and fungi-degraded wood differed from each other at all levels of weight loss. The regression analysis of the DSC data vs. weight loss revealed a significant relations, although not highly correlated, for P. versicolor-degraded specimens and a nonsignificant relation for L. trabea-degraded specimens; weight loss and gross heat of combustion values of degraded specimens were significantly correlated.

Hypothesis: discrepancy between intra- and interpopulation studies of the relationship between dietary salt and blood pressure: fact or fiction?

PubMed

Omvik, P

1984-01-01

It is a paradox that intra-population studies fail to show significant correlation between sodium excretion and blood pressure while a clear relationship exists in cross-cultural studies. Since daily variation of sodium excretion is high, the discrepancy between the two observations could be due to non-comparable data on sodium excretion. This is a discussion of the hypothesis that the finding of a significant correlation or not between sodium excretion and blood pressure depends on the statistical analysis of the data.

SLUG expression is an indicator of tumour recurrence in high-grade endometrial carcinomas.

PubMed

Kihara, Atsushi; Wakana, Kimio; Kubota, Toshiro; Kitagawa, Masanobu

2016-09-01

To investigate how SNAIL and SLUG were involved in the nature of high-grade endometrial carcinomas (grade 3 endometrioid carcinoma, serous carcinoma and clear cell carcinoma), we analysed the correlation of their expression status with clinicopathological characteristics and evaluated their prognostic significance. We performed immunohistochemical staining in 52 high-grade endometrial carcinomas. Expression status of SNAIL and SLUG was classified into a high expression (positive in more than 50% of the tumour cells) and a low expression. Thirteen cases (25%) showed a high expression of SLUG, whereas all 52 cases showed a low expression of SNAIL. High expression of SLUG was correlated significantly with tumour recurrence (P = 0.0203) and aberrant p53 expression (P = 0.000559). Overall survival was worse in patients with high SLUG expression at all stages (P = 0.0327) and in those who underwent adjuvant therapy (P = 0.00963). Among the patients with complete tumour resection, high SLUG expression was associated with worse recurrence-free survival (RFS) in the patients at all stages (P = 0.00264), at stages III/IV (P = 0.0146), and who underwent adjuvant therapy (P = 0.000743). SLUG expression was identified as an independent factor of RFS by multivariate analysis (hazard ratio 5.938, 95% confidence interval 1.251-28.18, P = 0.025). SLUG expression could be correlated with TP53 mutational status and could be involved in therapeutic resistance resulting in tumour recurrence. A high expression level of SLUG can be an indicator of recurrence and a therapeutic target for long-term remission in high-grade endometrial carcinomas. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Correlations between the Hand Test Pathology score and Personality Assessment Inventory scales for pain clinic patients.

PubMed

George, J M; Wagner, E E

1995-06-01

Pearson correlations between the Hand Test Pathology (PATH) score and Personality Assessment Inventory scales produced a cluster of relationships characteristic of an antisocial orientation. Likewise, PATH significantly differentiated between a "P" (Pathology) group flagged by a high Negative Impression score on the inventory, and an "N" (Normal) group of 100 pain patients. It was suggested that the interpretive simplicity of Hand Test scores renders the scores amenable to further correlational studies involving the inventory.

The Mediational Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies in the Relationship of Ego-strength and Adjustment to Infertility in Women.

PubMed

Teimourpour, Negar; Besharat, Mohammad Ali; Rahiminezhad, Abbas; Hossein Rashidi, Batool; Gholamali Lavasani, Masoud

2015-06-01

Infertility is considered as an intense and prolonged stressful experience. Despite of high prevalence of infertility and its emotional burden for couples and especially for women, the knowledge regarding psychological factors influencing adjustment to it is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediational role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in the relationship of ego-strength and adjustment to infertility in women. A total number of 275 women with primary infertility referring to Valie-asr Reproductive Health Research Center (Tehran Imam Khomeini Hospital) participated in the present study. Data was collected via demographic information questionnaire, Ego-Strength Scale (ESS), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) and Adjustment to Illness Scale (AIS). Data were analysed using Pearson correlation and path analysis methods Using SPSS (18) and LISREL (8.5) software. RESULTS indicated there are significant positive correlation between ego-strength and adjustment to infertility (r = 0.44, p < 0.01). Also Adjustment has significant positive correlation withadaptive emotion regulation strategies (r = 0.38, p < 0.01) and significant negative correlation with non-adaptive emotion regulation strategies (r = -0.43, p < 0.01). RESULTS of path analysis indicated emotion regulation strategies mediate the relationship of ego-strength and adjustment. These results can be helpful in making preventive policies, identifying high risk patients and planning psychological interventions.

Correlation of dickkopf-1 concentrations in plasma and synovial fluid to the severity of radiographic signs of equine osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Mills, Jillian S; Kinsley, Marc A; Peters, Duncan F; Weber, Patty S D; Shearer, Tara R; Pease, Anthony P

2017-09-12

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a correlation between circulating and intra-synovial Dkk-1 and radiographic signs of equine osteoarthritis. Circulating and intra-synovial Dkk-1 levels were measured in clinical cases using a commercially available human Dkk-1 ELISA. Radiographs were performed of the joints from which fluid was collected and these were assessed and scored by a boarded radiologist for joint narrowing, subchondral bone sclerosis, subchondral bone lysis, and periarticular modelling. Comparisons were made between radiographic scores and the concentrations of Dkk-1 using a Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA. Correlations were calculated using Kendall's statistic. A total of 42 synovial fluid samples from 21 horses were collected and used in the analysis. No significant correlation was identified between Dkk-1 concentrations and radiographic signs of osteoarthritis. Intra-synovial Dkk-1 concentrations were significantly greater (p <0.001) in low motion joints (mean concentration, 232.68 pg/mL; range, 109.07-317.17) when compared to high-motion joints (28.78 pg/mL; 0.05-186.44 pg/mL) (p <0.001). Low motion joints have significantly higher concentrations of Dkk-1 compared to high motion joints. Further research is needed to establish the importance of this finding and whether potential diagnostic or therapeutic applications of Dkk-1 exist in the horse.

Uric acid and the cardiovascular profile of African and Caucasian men.

PubMed

Palmer, I M; Schutte, A E; Huisman, H W

2010-10-01

The African population is considered a high-risk group for the development of hypertension, and identifying risk factors are therefore essential in preventive actions against cardiovascular disease (CVD). Elevated levels of uric acid (UA) are often associated with CVD. Our first aim was to establish possible ethnic differences in UA levels between African and Caucasian men. Our second aim was to determine any associations between UA levels and cardio-metabolic variables, and also how these correlates differ between the two groups. African (N=87) and Caucasian (N=121) men participated in this cross-sectional study. Our results have shown that African men had significantly lower (353±87.7 vs 401±98.2; P<0.01) UA levels compared with Caucasian men. Waist circumference and triglycerides correlated strongly with UA in both ethnic groups. This was confirmed with a forward stepwise multiple regression analysis. After adjustment for confounders, the correlation between UA and triglycerides remained significant only in the Caucasians (r=0.29; P=0.02), whereas only the African men showed an independent correlation between UA and total peripheral resistance (TPR) (r=0.23; P=0.04). TPR increased significantly across UA tertiles only in the African men (P=0.01 vs P=0.96). In conclusion, despite their lower UA levels, Africans showed an independent relationship between UA and vascular resistance, indicating a possible explanation for their high prevalence of hypertension.

Association of Beta-2 Microglobulin with Inflammation and Dislipidemia in High-Flux Membrane Hemodialysis Patients

PubMed Central

Topçiu–Shufta, Valdete; Miftari, Ramë; Haxhibeqiri, Valdete; Haxhibeqiri, Shpend

2016-01-01

Background: Higher than expected cardiovascular mortality in hemodialysis patients, has been attributed to dyslipidemia as well as inflammation. Beta2-Microglobulin (β2M) is an independent predictor of outcome for hemodialysis patients and a representative substance of middle molecules. Results: In 40 patients in high-flux membrane hemodialysis, we found negative correlation of β2M with high density lipoprotein (r=-0.73, p<0.001) and albumin (r= -0.53, p<0.001) and positive correlation with triglycerides (r=0.69, p<0.001), parathyroid hormone (r=0.58, p < 0.05) and phosphorus (r= 0.53, p<0.001). There was no correlation of β2M with C- reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). During the follow-up period of three years, 6 out of 40 patients have died from cardiovascular events. Conclusion: In high-flux membrane hemodialysis patients, we observed a significant relationship of β2M with dyslipidemia and mineral bone disorders, but there was no correlation with inflammation. PMID:27994294

Inflammatory Markers and Plasma Lipids in HIV Patients: A Correlation Analysis Study

PubMed Central

Muswe, Rudo; Oktedalen, Olav; Zhou, Danai T.; Zinyando, Enita; Shawarira-Bote, Sandra; Stray-Pedersen, Babill; Siziba, Atipa; Gomo, Zvenyika A.R.

2017-01-01

Background: Recent evidence suggests that HIV infection, even with treatment, increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and that both chronic inflammation and traditional risk factors play key roles in HIV-associated CHD. Subjects and Methods: Patients (N=152), attending Harare HIV clinic, 26% of them male and 82% of them on antiretroviral therapy (ART), were studied. Inflammatory markers comprising of cytokines such as pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor-α, (TNF-α), anti-inflammatory interleukin 10, (IL-10) and highly sensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP) together with lipids were assayed using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immuno-turbidimetric and enzymatic assays, respectively. Correlation analysis of inflammatory markers versus lipid profiles was carried out using bivariate regression analysis. Results: Anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and inflammatory hsCRP levels were elevated when measured in all the HIV positive patients, while TNF-α and lipid levels were within normal ranges. Pro-inflammatory TNF-α was significantly higher in ART-naive patients than ART-experienced patients, whereas the reverse was observed for anti-inflammatory IL-10 and anti-atherogenic HDL-C. Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive linear association between IL-10 and total cholesterol (TC) levels but no other correlations were found. Conclusion: High cytokine ratio (TNF-α/IL-10) indicates higher CHD risk in ART-naive patients compared to the ART-exposed. The CHD risk could be further strengthened by interplay between inflammatory markers and high prevalence of low HDL-C. Lack of correlation between pro-inflammatory markers (hsCRP and TNF-α) with lipid fractions and correlation between anti-inflammatory IL-10 with artherogenic TC were unexpected findings, necessitating further studies in future. PMID:29387269

Detection of circulating tumour cells may add value in endometrial cancer management.

PubMed

Ni, T; Sun, X; Shan, B; Wang, J; Liu, Y; Gu, S-L; Wang, Y-D

2016-12-01

To evaluate the role of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in patients with endometrial cancer (EC). This study included 40 patients with a pre-operative diagnosis of high-risk EC between April 2015 and May 2016. Patients were further divided into high-risk (grade 3, non-endometrioid, myometrial invasion ≥1/2 and stage III-IV) and high-intermediate-risk (grade 2-3, endometrioid, myometrial invasion <1/2 and stage I-II) groups according to postoperative pathological results. CTCs were detected using the CellSearch system, and CTC results were correlated with standard clinicopathological characteristics and serum tumour marker CA125/HE4 status using Chi-squared test, continuity correction or Fisher's exact test. The pharmacodynamic effect was detected after the first cycle of adjuvant therapy. Patients were followed up for 13 months to assess outcomes. Fifteen percent of patients had one or more CTCs. The presence of CTCs was found to be significantly associated with cervical involvement (83.33% vs 11.76%, p=0.00). No significant difference in CTC-positive rates was detected between the high-risk and high-intermediate-risk groups, and no significant correlation was found between CTCs and serum CA125/HE4, either by positive rates or exact serum levels of the conventional tumour markers. No more CTCs were detected after the first cycle of standard chemotherapy in this study, and no distant metastases or recurrence were found in the CTC-positive patients during the follow-up period. The presence of CTCs was correlated with cervical involvement. Early-stage EC patients with CTCs may benefit from additional adjuvant therapies. Assessment of CTCs may be useful in the management of high-risk EC patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of plasma adiponectin & certain inflammatory markers in angiographically proven coronary artery disease patients with & without diabetes – A study from India

PubMed Central

Kumpatla, Satyavani; Karuppiah, Kirubakaran; Immaneni, Sathyamurthy; Muthukumaran, Parthiban; Krishnan, Jayanthi; Narayanamoorthy, Srinivasan Kanthallu; Viswanathan, Vijay

2014-01-01

Background & objectives: The association between adiponectin and risk of cardiovascular disease is well known. The aim of the present study was to evaluate adiponectin and certain inflammatory markers and to determine the correlations between them in angiographically proven coronary artery disease (CAD) in subjects with and without diabetes. Methods: A total of 180 subjects who underwent coronary angiography for symptoms suggestive of CAD were categorised into groups based on their diabetes and/or CAD status: group1 (non-diabetic non-CAD); group2 (non-diabetic CAD); group3 (diabetic non-CAD) and group4 (diabetic CAD). Adiponectin, tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and soluble form of E-selectin (sE-selectin) were estimated using quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) by particle enhanced immunoturbidimetric method. Results: Adiponectin levels were significantly lower in subjects with either diabetes or CAD and were much lower in subjects who had both. hsCRP was elevated in CAD and diabetes but did not differ significantly between groups. sE-selectin and TNF-α levels were elevated in CAD. Adiponectin negatively correlated with age, glucose, sE-selectin, total and LDL cholesterol. hsCRP correlated with BMI, sE-selectin and urea. sE-selectin correlated with BMI, triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol, whereas TNF-α correlated with fasting plasma glucose. In the logistic regression analysis, adiponectin had a significant inverse association with CAD. sE-selectin and TNF-α also showed significant independent association with CAD. Interpretation & conclusions: Adiponectin and other inflammatory markers such as sE-selectin and TNF-α showed a significant association with CAD. Hence, early assessment of such markers can help to identify high risk patients, and to reduce the inflammatory component of diabetes and CAD. PMID:25109718

Integrated Proteogenomic Characterization of Human High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Hui; Liu, Tao; Zhang, Zhen

Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological malignancy in the developed world, despite recent advances in genomic information and treatment. To better understand this disease, define an integrated proteogenomic landscape, and identify factors associated with homologous repair deficiency (HRD) and overall survival, we performed a comprehensive proteomic characterization of ovarian high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSC) previously characterized by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We observed that messenger RNA transcript abundance did not reliably predict abundance for 10,030 proteins across 174 tumors. Clustering of tumors based on protein abundance identified five subtypes, two of which correlated robustly with mesenchymal and proliferative subtypes,more » while tumors characterized as immunoreactive or differentiated at the transcript level were intermixed at the protein level. At the genome level, HGSC is characterized by a complex landscape of somatic copy number alterations (CNA), which individually do not correlate significantly with survival. Correlation of CNAs with protein abundances identified loci with significant trans regulatory effects mapping to pathways associated with proliferation, cell motility/invasion, and immune regulation, three known hallmarks of cancer. Using the trans regulated proteins we also created models significantly correlated with patient survival by multivariate analysis. Integrating protein abundance with specific post-translational modification data identified subnetworks correlated with HRD status; specifically, acetylation of Lys12 and Lys16 on histone H4 was associated with HRD status. Using quantitative phosphoproteomics data covering 4,420 proteins as reflective of pathway activity, we identified the PDGFR and VEGFR signaling pathways as significantly up-regulated in patients with short overall survival, independent of PDGFR and VEGFR protein levels, potentially informing the use of anti-angiogenic therapies. Components of the Rho/Rac/Cdc42 cell motility pathways were also significantly enriched for short survival. Overall, proteomics provided new insights into ovarian cancer not apparent from genomic analysis and enabling a deeper understanding of HGSC with the potential to inform targeted therapeutics.« less

Assessment of corneal biomechanical properties and intraocular pressure in myopic spanish healthy population.

PubMed

Del Buey, María A; Lavilla, Laura; Ascaso, Francisco J; Lanchares, Elena; Huerva, Valentín; Cristóbal, José A

2014-01-01

Purpose. To examine biomechanical parameters of the cornea in myopic eyes and their relationship with the degree of myopia in a western healthy population. Methods. Corneal hysteresis (CH), corneal resistance factor (CRF), Goldmann correlated intraocular pressure (IOP), and corneal compensated IOP (IOPcc) were measured using the ocular response analyzer (ORA) in 312 eyes of 177 Spanish subjects aged between 20 and 56 years. Refraction was expressed as spherical equivalent (SE), which ranged from 0 to -16.50 diopters (D) (mean: -3.88 ± 2.90 D). Subjects were divided into four groups according to their refractive status: group 1 or control group: emmetropia (-0.50 ≤ SE < 0.50); group 2: low myopia (-0.75 ≤ SE < 3.00 D); group 3: moderate myopia (-3.00 ≤ SE ≤ -6.00 D); and group 3: high myopia (SE greater than -6.00 D). We analyzed the relationship between corneal biomechanics measured with ORA and SE. Results. CH in the emmetropia, low myopia, moderate myopia, and high myopia groups was 11.13 ± 0.98, 11.49 ± 1.25, 10.52 ± 1.54, and 10.35 ± 1.33 mmHg, respectively. CH in the highly myopic group was significantly lower than that in the emmetropic group (P = 0.07) and low myopic group (P = 0.035); however, there were no differences with the moderate myopic group (P = 0.872). There were no statistically significant differences regarding IOP among the four groups (P > 0.05); nevertheless, IOPcc was significantly higher in the moderately myopic (15.47 ± 2.47 mmHg) and highly myopic (16.14 ± 2.59 mmHg) groups than in the emmetropia (15.15 ± 2.06 mmHg) and low myopia groups (14.53 ± 2.37 mmHg). No correlation between age and the measured parameters was found. CH and IOPcc were weakly but significantly correlated with SE (r = 0.171, P = 0.002 and r = -0.131, P = 0.021, resp.). Conclusions. Present study showed only a very weak, but significant, correlation between CH and refractive error, with CH being lower in both moderately and highly myopic eyes than that in the emmetropic and low myopic eyes. These changes in biomechanical properties of the cornea may have an impact on IOP measurement, increasing the risk of glaucoma.

[The influencing factors on alienation in high school students].

PubMed

Lee, Eun-Sook

2004-02-01

This study was performed to identify the influencing factors on alienation among high school students. Data was collected by questionnaires from 550 students of academic and vocational high schools in G city. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. The scores of alienation among students in financially lower middle class and lower class were higher than those of the upper middle class students, resulting in significant differences(F=6.87, p=.00). A sense of alienation showed a significantly negative correlation with the scores of responding parenting style(r=-.32), family cohesion(r=-.33), school attachment(r=-.51), academic performance(r=-.34), peer relationships(r=-.38), self-control (r=-.43), and social skills(r=-.33). The most powerful predictor of alienation among high school students was school attachment and the variance explained was 26%. A combination of school attachment, self control, peer relationships, family cohesion, demanding parenting style, and academic performance account for 40% of the variance in alienation among high school students. This study suggests that school attachment, self control, peer relationships, family cohesion, demanding parenting style, and academic performance are significant influencing factors on alienation in high school students. Therefore, nursing strategy is needed to manage these revealed factors.

Can a four-dimensional model of occupational commitment help to explain intent to leave the emergency medical service occupation?

PubMed

Blau, Gary; Chapman, Susan; Pred, Robert S; Lopez, Andrea

2009-01-01

Using a sample of 854 emergency medical service (EMS) respondents, this study supported a four-dimension model of occupational commitment, comprised of affective, normative, accumulated costs, and limited alternatives. When personal and job-related variables were controlled, general job satisfaction emerged as a negative correlate of intent to leave. Controlling for personal, job-related, and job satisfaction variables, affective and limited alternatives commitment were each significant negative correlates. There were small but significant interactive effects among the commitment dimensions in accounting for additional intent to leave variance, including a four-way interaction. "High" versus "low" cumulative commitment subgroups were created by selecting respondents who were equal to or above ("high") versus below ("low") the median on each of the four occupational commitment dimensions. A t-test indicated that low cumulative commitment EMS respondents were more likely to intend to leave than high cumulative commitment EMS respondents.

Genotype by environment interaction for activity-based estrus traits in relation to production level for Danish Holstein.

PubMed

Ismael, Ahmed; Strandberg, Erling; Berglund, Britt; Kargo, Morten; Fogh, Anders; Løvendahl, Peter

2016-12-01

The objective of this study was to investigate whether genotype by environment interaction exists for female fertility traits and production of energy-corrected milk at 70d in milk (ECM70). Fertility traits considered were the activity-based estrus traits interval from calving to first high activity (CFHA), duration of high activity episode (DHA), as an indicator for first estrus duration, and strength of high activity episode (SHA), as an indicator for first estrus strength. The physical activity traits were derived from electronic activity tags for 11,522 first-parity cows housed in 125 commercial dairy herds. Data were analyzed using a univariate random regression animal model (URRM), by regressing the phenotypic performance on the average herd ECM70 as an environmental gradient. Furthermore, the genetic correlations between CFHA and ECM70 as a function of production level were estimated using a bivariate random regression animal model (BRRM). For all traits, heterogeneity of additive genetic variances and heritability estimates was observed. The heritability estimate for CFHA decreased from 0.25 to 0.10 with increasing production level and the heritability estimate for ECM70 decreased from 0.35 to 0.15 with increasing production level using URRM. The genetic correlation of the same trait in low and high production levels was around 0.74 for CFHA and 0.80 for ECM70 using URRM, but when data were analyzed using the multiple-trait analysis (MT), genetic correlation estimates between low and high production levels were not significantly different from unity. Furthermore, the genetic correlation of SHA between low and high production level was 0.22 using URRM, but the corresponding correlation estimate had large standard error when data were analyzed using MT. The genetic correlation between CFHA and ECM70 as a function of production environment was weak but unfavorable and decreased slightly from 0.09 to 0.04 with increasing production level using BRRM. Moreover, the same trend was observed when the data were analyzed using MT where the genetic correlation between CFHA and ECM70 in the low production environment was 0.29 compared with -0.13 in the high production environment, but these estimates had large standard errors. In conclusion, regardless of the trait used, in relation to average herd ECM70 production, the results indicated no clear evidence of strong genotype by environment interaction that would cause significant re-ranking of sires between low and high production environments. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring the nose in septorhinoplasty patients: ultrasonographic standard values and clinical correlations.

PubMed

Stenner, Markus; Koopmann, Mario; Rudack, Claudia

2017-02-01

Although septorhinoplasty is the most commonly performed operation in plastic surgery, and the surgical plan as well as its outcome is directly related to the configuration of the anatomical structures in the nose, these are not routinely assessed preoperatively. The aim of our study was to evaluate the nasal soft tissue and cartilaginous structures by means of high-resolution ultrasonography to set up clinical correlations and standard values. We examined 44 patients before septorhinoplasty by high-resolution ultrasonography in noncontact mode. All pictures were quantitatively evaluated by measuring 13 lengths and 4 ratios. All patients underwent a rhinomanometry measuring the nasal air flow. Besides others, men as well as older patients have a significantly thicker alar cartilage. Patients with thinner alar cartilages have a significantly smaller interdomal distance as well as significantly thinner upper lateral cartilages. The soft tissue above the bony dorsum was significantly thicker in older patients. Younger patients have significantly thicker soft tissue in relation to their cartilage. Patients with thicker soft tissue and thinner cartilage have a smaller tip. The interdomal distance and the thickness of the cartilaginous septum significantly correlated with the nasal air flow. We set up standard values of nasal structures in septorhinoplasty patients which can be used as reference values. By judging cartilage and soft tissue characteristics preoperatively, relevant factors for distinct procedures could be analyzed and the surgical steps can be better planned. Visualization by ultrasonography enables the surgeon to achieve treatment goals in a more predictable fashion.

The use of automated Ki67 analysis to predict Oncotype DX risk-of-recurrence categories in early-stage breast cancer.

PubMed

Thakur, Satbir Singh; Li, Haocheng; Chan, Angela M Y; Tudor, Roxana; Bigras, Gilbert; Morris, Don; Enwere, Emeka K; Yang, Hua

2018-01-01

Ki67 is a commonly used marker of cancer cell proliferation, and has significant prognostic value in breast cancer. In spite of its clinical importance, assessment of Ki67 remains a challenge, as current manual scoring methods have high inter- and intra-user variability. A major reason for this variability is selection bias, in that different observers will score different regions of the same tumor. Here, we developed an automated Ki67 scoring method that eliminates selection bias, by using whole-slide analysis to identify and score the tumor regions with the highest proliferative rates. The Ki67 indices calculated using this method were highly concordant with manual scoring by a pathologist (Pearson's r = 0.909) and between users (Pearson's r = 0.984). We assessed the clinical validity of this method by scoring Ki67 from 328 whole-slide sections of resected early-stage, hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer. All patients had Oncotype DX testing performed (Genomic Health) and available Recurrence Scores. High Ki67 indices correlated significantly with several clinico-pathological correlates, including higher tumor grade (1 versus 3, P<0.001), higher mitotic score (1 versus 3, P<0.001), and lower Allred scores for estrogen and progesterone receptors (P = 0.002, 0.008). High Ki67 indices were also significantly correlated with higher Oncotype DX risk-of-recurrence group (low versus high, P<0.001). Ki67 index was the major contributor to a machine learning model which, when trained solely on clinico-pathological data and Ki67 scores, identified Oncotype DX high- and low-risk patients with 97% accuracy, 98% sensitivity and 80% specificity. Automated scoring of Ki67 can thus successfully address issues of consistency, reproducibility and accuracy, in a manner that integrates readily into the workflow of a pathology laboratory. Furthermore, automated Ki67 scores contribute significantly to models that predict risk of recurrence in breast cancer.

The Correlation between Teachers' Perceptions about Principal's Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Climate and Job Satisfaction of Teachers of State Senior High School in Gunungsitoli Nias, Indonesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waruwu, Binahati

2015-01-01

This study is aimed at finding out the significant correlation between: (1) teachers' perceptions about principal's emotional intelligence and job satisfaction of teachers, (2) organizational climate and job satisfaction of teachers, and (3) teachers' perceptions about principal's emotional intelligence and organizational climate and job…

Social deprivation and use of mental health legislation in New Zealand.

PubMed

O'Brien, Anthony John; Kydd, Robert; Frampton, Christopher

2012-11-01

Low socioeconomic status has consistently been associated with poorer health outcomes. Few studies have used ecological analysis to explore relationships between area measures of deprivation and use of mental health legislation. We used an ecological design to explore associations between two area measures of relative deprivation and the two most commonly used sections of New Zealand mental health legislation. High levels of relative deprivation were positively correlated with use of both acute and long-term community care provisions of mental health legislation with the correlation with long-term care achieving significance (r = .518, p = .016). Low levels of relative deprivation showed negative correlations with use of both provisions. The correlation of -.493 between low levels of relative deprivation and acute care provisions was significant at p = .023. In stepwise regression, the proportion of the population aged 15-64 contributed to the model for section 11, but ethnicity contributed to neither model. Mental health legislation is used disproportionately in areas with high levels of relative deprivation. The results have implications for regional allocation of funding for mental health and social services to support community-based care. Further research is needed to explore other factors that may account for the regional variation.

Human sperm NADH and NADPH diaphorase cytochemistry: correlation with sperm motility.

PubMed

Zini, A; O'Bryan, M K; Israel, L; Schlegel, P N

1998-03-01

We have examined the correlation between the retention of residual sperm cytoplasm and sperm motility in semen from men presenting for infertility evaluation. Semen samples (n = 12) were obtained from nonazoospermic men presenting for infertility evaluation at our institution. Samples were fractionated into high-, intermediate-, and low-density subpopulations by Percoll gradients in order to examine the correlation between the retention of residual sperm cytoplasm and sperm motility. Residual sperm cytoplasm retention was detected by cytochemical staining of sperm for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)- or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-dependent diaphorase activity. The different sperm subpopulations (low, intermediate, and high density) had significantly different percentages of sperm with droplet retention (analysis of variance, P < 0.05). Using either NADH or NADPH diaphorase staining as a marker of the cytoplasmic space, a significant negative correlation was observed between the percentage of sperm with residual cytoplasmic droplets and the percentage of motile sperm (r = -0.58 and -0.61, respectively, P < 0.05). Assessment of residual sperm cytoplasm retention is a simple diagnostic test. Although this test is of unproven value in the management of infertile men, this and other studies suggest that it may provide useful data on sperm function.

The influence of mood on the perception of hearing-loss related quality of life in people with hearing loss and their significant others.

PubMed

Preminger, Jill E; Meeks, Suzanne

2010-04-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate the congruent/incongruent perceptions of hearing-loss related quality of life between members of couples and to determine how incongruence was affected by individual psychosocial characteristics, specifically measures of mood (negative affect and positive affect), stress, and communication in the marriage. An exploratory correlational analysis was performed on data for 52 couples in which only one member had a hearing loss. In the regression analyses the independent variables were hearing-loss related quality of life scores measured in people with hearing loss, measured in significant others, and differences in hearing-loss related quality of life among members of a couple. The results demonstrate that both in people with hearing loss and their significant others, perceptions of hearing-loss related quality of life is highly correlated with negative mood scores. Incongruence in hearing-loss related quality of life scores reported by members of a couple were highly correlated with negative affect measured within each individual. Future research evaluating the effectiveness of audiologic rehabilitation can use measures of mood as an outcome variable.

Nesting behavior of house mice (Mus domesticus) selected for increased wheel-running activity.

PubMed

Carter, P A; Swallow, J G; Davis, S J; Garland, T

2000-03-01

Nest building was measured in "active" (housed with access to running wheels) and "sedentary" (without wheel access) mice (Mus domesticus) from four replicate lines selected for 10 generations for high voluntary wheel-running behavior, and from four randombred control lines. Based on previous studies of mice bidirectionally selected for thermoregulatory nest building, it was hypothesized that nest building would show a negative correlated response to selection on wheel-running. Such a response could constrain the evolution of high voluntary activity because nesting has also been shown to be positively genetically correlated with successful production of weaned pups. With wheel access, selected mice of both sexes built significantly smaller nests than did control mice. Without wheel access, selected females also built significantly smaller nests than did control females, but only when body mass was excluded from the statistical model, suggesting that body mass mediated this correlated response to selection. Total distance run and mean running speed on wheels was significantly higher in selected mice than in controls, but no differences in amount of time spent running were measured, indicating a complex cause of the response of nesting to selection for voluntary wheel running.

Positive correlation between postoperative tumor recurrence and changes in circulating tumor cell counts in pulmonary venous blood (pvCTC) during surgical manipulation in non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Masaki; Tanaka, Fumihiro; Yoneda, Kazue; Takuwa, Teruhisa; Matsumoto, Seiji; Okumura, Yoshitomo; Kondo, Nobuyuki; Tsujimura, Tohru; Nakano, Takashi; Hasegawa, Seiki

2018-01-01

In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), circulating tumor cells (CTC) are shed and circulate to the peripheral blood through the pulmonary vein. Previously, CTC count in pulmonary venous blood (pvCTC) was shown to significantly increase after surgical manipulation. Therefore, we assessed the correlation between the changes in the pvCTC count (ΔpvCTC) and clinical outcomes. Consecutive patients with peripheral-type, NSCLC, who underwent lobectomy or bi-lobectomy through open thoracotomy, were enrolled prospectively. Before and after lobectomy, 2.5 mL of blood was drawn from the associated lobar pulmonary vein (PV), and was served for the quantitative evaluation of CTC using the CellSearch ® system. The cut-off point of ΔpvCTC was determined according to clinical outcomes and ΔpvCTC using receiver operation characteristic (ROC) curve. Then the correlation between ΔpvCTC and clinical outcomes was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analyses and log-rank test. In addition, the correlation between ΔpvCTC and perioperative variables was assessed. A total of 30 patients were enrolled, tumor recurrence occurred in 11 patients over a median follow-up of 64.4 months. Of these, 7 patients had distant metastasis and 4 had local recurrence. The median ΔpvCTC was 49 cells/2.5 mL, and pvCTC-count was increased during surgical manipulation in 24 patients (80%). We divided patients into two groups based on ΔpvCTC with the cut-off value as 119 cells/2.5 mL according to ROC curve. Significant shorter time to distant metastasis (TDM) (P=0.0123) was observed in high ΔpvCTC group (ΔpvCTC ≥119 cells/2.5 mL) than low ΔpvCTC group (ΔpvCTC <119 cells/ 2.5mL). Neither disease-free survival (DFS) nor overall survival (OS) was significantly correlated with ΔpvCTC. Increasing pvCTC count during surgical manipulation was significantly correlated with postoperative distant metastasis in completely resected NSCLC patients. Significant shorter TDM was observed in patient with high ΔpvCTC group.

High-lying single-particle modes, chaos, correlational entropy, and doubling phase transition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stoyanov, Chavdar; Zelevinsky, Vladimir

Highly excited single-particle states in nuclei are coupled with the excitations of a more complex character, first of all with collective phononlike modes of the core. In the framework of the quasiparticle-phonon model, we consider the structure of resulting complex configurations, using the 1k{sub 17/2} orbital in {sup 209}Pb as an example. Although, on the level of one- and two-phonon admixtures, the fully chaotic Gaussian orthogonal ensemble regime is not reached, the eigenstates of the model carry a significant degree of complexity that can be quantified with the aid of correlational invariant entropy. With artificially enhanced particle-core coupling, the systemmore » undergoes the doubling phase transition with the quasiparticle strength concentrated in two repelling peaks. This phase transition is clearly detected by correlational entropy.« less

CD10 and osteopontin expression in dentigerous cyst and ameloblastoma.

PubMed

Masloub, Shaimaa M; Abdel-Azim, Adel M; Elhamid, Ehab S Abd

2011-05-24

To investigate the expression of CD10 and osteopontin in dentigerous cyst and ameloblastoma and to correlate their expression with neoplastic potentiality of dentigerous cyst and local invasion and risk of local recurrence in ameloblastoma. CD10 and osteopontin expression was studied by means of immunohistochemistry in 9 cases of dentigerous cysts (DC) and 17 cases of ameloblastoma. There were 7 unicystic ameloblastoma (UCA) and 10 multicystic ameloblastoma (MCA). Positive cases were included in the statistical analysis, carried on the tabulated data using the Open Office Spreadsheet 3.2.1 under Linux operating system. Analysis of variance and correlation studies were performed using "R" under Linux operating system (R Development Core Team (2010). Tukey post-hoc test was also performed as a pair-wise test. The significant level was set at 0.05. High CD10 and osteopontin expression was observed in UCA and MCA, and low CD10 and osteopontin expression was observed in DC. Significant correlation was seen between CD10 and osteopontin expression and neoplastic potentiality of DC and local invasion and risk of recurrences in ameloblastoma. In DC, high CD10 and osteopontin expression may indicate the neoplastic potentiality of certain areas. In UCA & MCA, high CD10 and osteopontin expression may identify areas with locally invasive behavior and high risk of recurrence.

Exploring the relationship between preferences for high fat foods and efficacy of the ketogenic and modified Atkins diets among children with seizure disorders.

PubMed

Amari, Adrianna; Turner, Zahava; Rubenstein, James E; Miller, Jonathan R; Kossoff, Eric H

2015-02-01

Previous research has indicated that children with seizures may prefer high fat foods - a preference compatible with ketogenic and modified Atkins dietary therapies. The purpose of this prospective study was to examine the relationship between fat preference and efficacy of therapeutic diets in treating intractable seizures among a pediatric population. Preference for high fat foods was directly assessed in a sample of 30 children prior to commencing either the ketogenic or modified Atkins diet. Seizure control was assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months following diet initiation. Using an intent-to-treat analysis, correlations between fat preference and diet efficacy were examined at each follow-up and across the follow-up period. At individual follow-ups, correlations between fat preference and diet efficacy varied in terms of both strength and significance; however, modest, positive correlations with fat preference were significant when examining high levels of efficacy (100% seizure reduction, ≥90% seizure reduction) across a 1-year follow-up period. These findings provide preliminary evidence that fat preference, when directly assessed, may be a useful predictor of treatment efficacy for the ketogenic and modified Atkins diets; however, further research is necessary. Copyright © 2014 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relationship between summer monsoon rainfall and cyclogenesis over Bay of Bengal during post-monsoon (October-December) season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadhuram, Y.; Maneesha, K.

2016-10-01

In this study, an attempt has been made to examine the relationship between summer monsoon rainfall (June-September) and the total number of depressions, cyclones and severe cyclones (TNDC) over Bay of Bengal during the post-monsoon (October-December) season. The seasonal rainfall of the subdivisions (located in south India) (referred as rainfall index - RI), is positively and significantly correlated ( r=0.59; significant at >99% level) with the TNDC during the period, 1984-2013. By using the first differences (current season minus previous season), the correlations are enhanced and a remarkably high correlation of 0.87 is observed between TNDC and RI for the recent period, 1993-2013. The average seasonal genesis potential parameter (GPP) showed a very high correlation of 0.84 with the TNDC. A very high correlation of 0.83 is observed between GPP and RI for the period, 1993-2013. The relative vorticity and mid-tropospheric relative humidity are found to be the dominant terms in GPP. The GPP was 3.5 times higher in above (below) normal RI in which TNDC was 4 (2). It is inferred that RI is playing a key role in TNDC by modulating the environmental conditions (low level vorticity and relative humidity) over Bay of Bengal during post-monsoon season which could be seen from the very high correlation of 0.87 (which explains 76% variability in TNDC). For the first time, we show that RI is a precursor for the TNDC over Bay of Bengal during post-monsoon season. Strong westerlies after the SW monsoon season transport moisture over the subdivisions towards Bay of Bengal due to cyclonic circulation. This circulation favours upward motion and hence transport moisture vertically to mid-troposphere which causes convective instability and this in turn favour more number of TNDC, under above-normal RI year.

The Category Cued Recall test in very mild Alzheimer's disease: discriminative validity and correlation with semantic memory functions.

PubMed

Vogel, A; Mortensen, E L; Gade, A; Waldemar, G

2007-01-01

Episodic memory tests that measure cued recall may be particularly effective in the diagnosis of early Alzheimer's disease (AD) because they examine both episodic and semantic memory functions. The Category Cued Recall (CCR) test provides superordinate semantic cues at encoding and retrieval, and high discriminative validity has been claimed for this test. The aim of this study was to investigate the discriminative validity for this test when compared with the 10-word memory list from Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog) that measures free recall. The clinical diagnosis of AD was taken as the standard. It was also investigated whether the two episodic memory tests correlated with measures of semantic memory. The tests were administered to 35 patients with very mild AD (Mini Mental State Examination score >22) and 28 control subjects. Both tests had high sensitivity (>88%) with high specificity (>89%). One out of the five semantic memory tests was significantly correlated to performances on CCR, whereas delayed recall on the ADAS-cog memory test was significantly correlated to two semantic tests. In conclusion, the discriminative validity of the CCR test and the ADAS-cog memory test was equivalent in very mild AD. This may be because CCR did not tap more semantic processes, which are impaired in the earliest phases of AD, than a test of free recall.

Psychometric properties of the reassurance-seeking scale in a Turkish sample.

PubMed

Gençöz, Tülin; Gençöz, Faruk

2005-02-01

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Reassurance-Seeking Scale in a sample of 102 Turkish undergraduate students. High internal consistency reliability was found for the Reassurance-Seeking Scale (alpha=.86). Factor analysis of the scale identified a single component that accounted for 71% of the total variance. The scale was significantly positively correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory and had a significantly negative correlation with the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Partial correlations of Reassurance-seeking with Depression scores as controlled by Anxiety scores and with Anxiety scores as controlled by Depression scores indicated that Reassurance-seeking scores maintained association with Depression but not with Anxiety. All these findings were in line with expectations.

Quantitative immunohistochemistry of factor VIII-related antigen in breast carcinoma: a comparison of computer-assisted image analysis with established counting methods.

PubMed

Kohlberger, P D; Obermair, A; Sliutz, G; Heinzl, H; Koelbl, H; Breitenecker, G; Gitsch, G; Kainz, C

1996-06-01

Microvessel density in the area of the most intense neovascularization in invasive breast carcinoma is reported to be an independent prognostic factor. The established method of enumeration of microvessel density is to count the vessels using an ocular raster (counted microvessel density [CMVD]). The vessels were detected by staining endothelial cells using Factor VIII-related antigen. The aim of the study was to compare the CMVD results with the percentage of factor VIII-related antigen-stained area using computer-assisted image analysis. A true color red-green-blue (RGB) image analyzer based on a morphologically reduced instruction set computer processor was used to evaluate the area of stained endothelial cells. Sixty invasive breast carcinomas were included in the analysis. There was no significant correlation between the CMVD and the percentage of factor VIII-related antigen-stained area (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.24, confidence interval = 0.02-0.46). Although high CMVD was significantly correlated with poorer recurrence free survival (P = .024), percentage of factor VIII-related antigen-stained area showed no prognostic value. Counted microvessel density and percentage of factor VIII-related antigen-stained area showed a highly significant correlation with vessel invasion (P = .0001 and P = .02, respectively). There was no correlation between CMVD and percentage of factor VIII-related antigen-stained area with other prognostic factors. In contrast to the CMVD within malignant tissue, the percentage of factor VIII-related antigen-stained area is not suitable as an indicator of prognosis in breast cancer patients.

Correlational Study of Sleep Apnea Patient Characteristics With Discharge Locations.

PubMed

Lee, Esther; Daugherty, JoAnn; Burkard, Joseph

2016-10-01

To determine if a correlation exists between OSA patient characteristics and the PACU discharge location; and the characteristics of the patients at-risk for low saturation levels, increased number of desaturations, and longer length of stay in the PACU. Retrospective, correlational study design. Chart review of OSA patients ≥ 18 years old. Correlational analysis was performed between 15 high risk patient variables and the PACU discharge disposition: home or monitored bed. Complications resulting in monitored bed admission were reviewed. 153 patients' charts were reviewed. The results showed that age>60, ASA classification, anesthesia type and narcotics use in the PACU were significantly correlated (p≤.05) with a patient's discharge disposition. The findings are consistent with other OSA research except BMI was not significant in this study. The results highlighted areas for future research and implications for clinical practice that would enable the perioperative care team to deliver safe care based on evidence. Copyright © 2016 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between Agronomic Parameters, Phenolic Composition of Grape Skin, and Texture Properties of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Tempranillo.

PubMed

García-Estévez, Ignacio; Andrés-García, Paula; Alcalde-Eon, Cristina; Giacosa, Simone; Rolle, Luca; Rivas-Gonzalo, Julián C; Quijada-Morín, Natalia; Escribano-Bailón, M Teresa

2015-09-09

The relationship between the agronomic parameters of grapevine and the phenolic composition of skin of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Tempranillo grapes was assessed. The physical and mechanical properties of berries and their skins were also determined and correlated to the chemical composition. Results showed a significant negative correlation between grapevine vigor-related parameters (such as leaf area and bunch weight) and anthocyanin composition, whereas the percentage (w/w) of seeds was negatively correlated with the amount of flavanols of grape skins. Texture properties of grape skins also showed an important relationship with chemical composition. Berry hardness showed a negative correlation with the coumaroyl-anthocyanin derivatives, but it was positively correlated to skin flavanic composition. Moreover, significant regressions with high coefficients of determination were found between phenolic composition and grapevine vigor-related and texture variables, thus pointing out that these parameters might be useful for estimating the phenolic composition of grape skins.

Impact of the serum ferritin concentration in liver transplantation.

PubMed

Wakiya, Taiichi; Sanada, Yukihiro; Urahashi, Taizen; Ihara, Yoshiyuki; Yamada, Naoya; Okada, Noriki; Hirata, Yuta; Hakamada, Kenichi; Yasuda, Yoshikazu; Mizuta, Koichi

2015-11-01

The serum ferritin (SF) concentration is a widely available and objective laboratory parameter. SF is also widely recognized as an acute-phase reactant. The purpose of the present study was to identify the chronological changes in the recipient's SF concentration during liver transplantation (LT) and to clarify factors having an effect on the recipient's intraoperative SF level. In addition, the study retrospectively evaluated the usefulness of measuring SF during LT. Ninety-eight pediatric recipients were retrospectively analyzed. The data were analyzed and compared according to the SF level in the recipient. Patients were classified into 2 groups based on the intraoperative peak SF levels of ≤ 1000 ng/mL (low-SF group) or >1000 ng/mL (high-SF group). The SF value increased dramatically after reperfusion and fell to normal levels within the early postoperative period. The warm ischemia time (WIT) was significantly longer in the high-SF group (47.0 versus 58.5 minutes; P = 0.003). In addition, a significant positive correlation was observed between the peak SF value and WIT (r = 0.35; P < 0.001). There were significant positive correlations between the peak SF value and the donors' preoperative laboratory data, including transaminases, cholinesterase, hemoglobin, transferrin saturation, and SF, of which SF showed the strongest positive correlation (r = 0.74; P < 0.001). The multivariate analysis revealed that WIT and donor's SF level were a significant risk factor for high SF level in the recipient (P = 0.007 and 0.02, respectively). In conclusion, the SF measurement can suggest the degree of ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). A high SF level in the donor is associated with the risk of further acute reactions, such as IRI, in the recipient. © 2015 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Diet and liver apoptosis in rats: a particular metabolic pathway.

PubMed

Monteiro, Maria Emilia Lopes; Xavier, Analucia Rampazzo; Azeredo, Vilma Blondet

2017-03-30

Various studies have indicated an association between modifi cation in dietary macronutrient composition and liver apoptosis. To explain how changes in metabolic pathways associated with a high-protein, high-fat, and low-carbohydrate diet causes liver apoptosis. Two groups of rats were compared. An experimental diet group (n = 8) using a high-protein (59.46%), high-fat (31.77%), and low-carbohydrate (8.77%) diet versus a control one (n = 9) with American Institute of Nutrition (AIN)-93-M diet. Animals were sacrificed after eight weeks, the adipose tissue weighed, the liver removed for flow cytometry analysis, and blood collected to measure glucose, insulin, glucagon, IL-6, TNF, triglycerides, malondialdehyde, and β-hydroxybutyrate. Statistical analysis was carried out using the unpaired and parametric Student's t-test and Pearson's correlation coeffi ents. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Animals from the experimental group presented less adipose tissue than dose of the control group. Percentage of nonviable hepatocytes in the experimental group was 2.18 times larger than the control group (p = 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found in capillary glucose, insulin, glucagon, IL-6, or TNF-α between two groups. Plasmatic β-hydroxybutyrate and malondialdehyde of the experimental group expressed higher levels and triglycerides lower levels compared with the control group. The results show a positive and significant correlation between the percentage of nonviable hepatocytes and malondialdehyde levels (p = 0.0217) and a statistically significant negative correlation with triglycerides levels (p = 0.006). Results suggest that plasmatic malondialdehyde and triglyceride levels are probably good predictors of liver damage associated with an experimental low-carbohydrate diet in rats.

Cys34-Cysteinylated Human Serum Albumin Is a Sensitive Plasma Marker in Oxidative Stress-Related Chronic Diseases

PubMed Central

Nagumo, Kohei; Tanaka, Motohiko; Chuang, Victor Tuan Giam; Setoyama, Hiroko; Watanabe, Hiroshi; Yamada, Naoyuki; Kubota, Kazuyuki; Tanaka, Motoko; Matsushita, Kazutaka; Yoshida, Akira; Jinnouchi, Hideaki; Anraku, Makoto; Kadowaki, Daisuke; Ishima, Yu; Sasaki, Yutaka; Otagiri, Masaki; Maruyama, Toru

2014-01-01

The degree of oxidized cysteine (Cys) 34 in human serum albumin (HSA), as determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), is correlated with oxidative stress related pathological conditions. In order to further characterize the oxidation of Cys34-HSA at the molecular level and to develop a suitable analytical method for a rapid and sensitive clinical laboratory analysis, the use of electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ESI-TOFMS) was evaluated. A marked increase in the cysteinylation of Cys34 occurs in chronic liver and kidney diseases and diabetes mellitus. A significant positive correlation was observed between the Cys-Cys34-HSA fraction of plasma samples obtained from 229 patients, as determined by ESI-TOFMS, and the degree of oxidized Cys34-HSA determined by HPLC. The Cys-Cys34-HSA fraction was significantly increased with the progression of liver cirrhosis, and was reduced by branched chain amino acids (BCAA) treatment. The changes in the Cys-Cys34-HSA fraction were significantly correlated with the alternations of the plasma levels of advanced oxidized protein products, an oxidative stress marker for proteins. The binding ability of endogenous substances (bilirubin and tryptophan) and drugs (warfarin and diazepam) to HSA purified from chronic liver disease patients were significantly suppressed but significantly improved by BCAA supplementation. Interestingly, the changes in this physiological function of HSA in chronic liver disease were correlated with the Cys-Cys34-HSA fraction. In conclusion, ESI-TOFMS is a suitable high throughput method for the rapid and sensitive quantification of Cys-Cys34-HSA in a large number of samples for evaluating oxidative stress related chronic disease progression or in response to a treatment. PMID:24416365

General Lack of Correlations between Age and Signs of the Metabolic Syndrome in Subjects with Non-diabetic Fasting Glucose Values.

PubMed

Preuss, Harry G; Mrvichin, Nate; Clouatre, Dallas; Bagchi, Debasis; Preuss, Jeffrey M; Perricone, Nicholas V; Swaroop, Anand; Kaats, Gilbert R

2017-01-01

Insulin resistance and advancing age are well-recognized risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Recent reports indicate that fasting glucose levels in non-diabetic patients correlate appropriately with the development of certain elements in metabolic syndrome, which suggest a cause-effect relationship with insulin resistance. The present investigation assessed whether a significant association exists between chronological age and various elements of metabolic syndrome in this same group of subjects possessing non-diabetic fasting glucose levels. Baseline data were taken from 288 subjects (age 17-87 years) with fasting glucose levels ≤ 125 mg/dl. Correlations between chronological age and different metabolic parameters were assessed to determine any statistically significant relationships and compare these with previously demonstrated metabolic parameters. With the exception of systolic blood pressure, the following correlations between age and components of metabolic syndrome were not significant or even significant in the opposite direction compared to those found in the same population using fasting glucose as the independent variable: body weight, body fat, diastolic blood pressure, white blood cell count (WBC)/neutrophil count, and circulating levels of insulin, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Although systolic blood pressure still increased, it was to a lesser extent than might be expected. In the present investigation, a cross-sectional analysis was carried out over a wide age range of subjects. It is noteworthy that fasting glucose levels and the other major elements of metabolic syndrome did not change significantly with advancing age. These results demonstrate that decreasing insulin resistance and fasting glucose levels may be an important way to overcome the adverse effects and perturbations of advancing age-induced consequences of metabolic syndrome.

Using the bootstrap to establish statistical significance for relative validity comparisons among patient-reported outcome measures

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Relative validity (RV), a ratio of ANOVA F-statistics, is often used to compare the validity of patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. We used the bootstrap to establish the statistical significance of the RV and to identify key factors affecting its significance. Methods Based on responses from 453 chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients to 16 CKD-specific and generic PRO measures, RVs were computed to determine how well each measure discriminated across clinically-defined groups of patients compared to the most discriminating (reference) measure. Statistical significance of RV was quantified by the 95% bootstrap confidence interval. Simulations examined the effects of sample size, denominator F-statistic, correlation between comparator and reference measures, and number of bootstrap replicates. Results The statistical significance of the RV increased as the magnitude of denominator F-statistic increased or as the correlation between comparator and reference measures increased. A denominator F-statistic of 57 conveyed sufficient power (80%) to detect an RV of 0.6 for two measures correlated at r = 0.7. Larger denominator F-statistics or higher correlations provided greater power. Larger sample size with a fixed denominator F-statistic or more bootstrap replicates (beyond 500) had minimal impact. Conclusions The bootstrap is valuable for establishing the statistical significance of RV estimates. A reasonably large denominator F-statistic (F > 57) is required for adequate power when using the RV to compare the validity of measures with small or moderate correlations (r < 0.7). Substantially greater power can be achieved when comparing measures of a very high correlation (r > 0.9). PMID:23721463

Significant Locus and Metabolic Genetic Correlations Revealed in Genome-Wide Association Study of Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Duncan, Laramie; Yilmaz, Zeynep; Gaspar, Helena; Walters, Raymond; Goldstein, Jackie; Anttila, Verneri; Bulik-Sullivan, Brendan; Ripke, Stephan; Thornton, Laura; Hinney, Anke; Daly, Mark; Sullivan, Patrick F; Zeggini, Eleftheria; Breen, Gerome; Bulik, Cynthia M

2017-09-01

The authors conducted a genome-wide association study of anorexia nervosa and calculated genetic correlations with a series of psychiatric, educational, and metabolic phenotypes. Following uniform quality control and imputation procedures using the 1000 Genomes Project (phase 3) in 12 case-control cohorts comprising 3,495 anorexia nervosa cases and 10,982 controls, the authors performed standard association analysis followed by a meta-analysis across cohorts. Linkage disequilibrium score regression was used to calculate genome-wide common variant heritability (single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP]-based heritability [h 2 SNP ]), partitioned heritability, and genetic correlations (r g ) between anorexia nervosa and 159 other phenotypes. Results were obtained for 10,641,224 SNPs and insertion-deletion variants with minor allele frequencies >1% and imputation quality scores >0.6. The h 2 SNP of anorexia nervosa was 0.20 (SE=0.02), suggesting that a substantial fraction of the twin-based heritability arises from common genetic variation. The authors identified one genome-wide significant locus on chromosome 12 (rs4622308) in a region harboring a previously reported type 1 diabetes and autoimmune disorder locus. Significant positive genetic correlations were observed between anorexia nervosa and schizophrenia, neuroticism, educational attainment, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and significant negative genetic correlations were observed between anorexia nervosa and body mass index, insulin, glucose, and lipid phenotypes. Anorexia nervosa is a complex heritable phenotype for which this study has uncovered the first genome-wide significant locus. Anorexia nervosa also has large and significant genetic correlations with both psychiatric phenotypes and metabolic traits. The study results encourage a reconceptualization of this frequently lethal disorder as one with both psychiatric and metabolic etiology.

A novel coefficient for detecting and quantifying asymmetry of California electricity market based on asymmetric detrended cross-correlation analysis.

PubMed

Wang, Fang

2016-06-01

In order to detect and quantify asymmetry of two time series, a novel cross-correlation coefficient is proposed based on recent asymmetric detrended cross-correlation analysis (A-DXA), which we called A-DXA coefficient. The A-DXA coefficient, as an important extension of DXA coefficient ρDXA, contains two directional asymmetric cross-correlated indexes, describing upwards and downwards asymmetric cross-correlations, respectively. By using the information of directional covariance function of two time series and directional variance function of each series itself instead of power-law between the covariance function and time scale, the proposed A-DXA coefficient can well detect asymmetry between the two series no matter whether the cross-correlation is significant or not. By means of the proposed A-DXA coefficient conducted over the asymmetry for California electricity market, we found that the asymmetry between the prices and loads is not significant for daily average data in 1999 yr market (before electricity crisis) but extremely significant for those in 2000 yr market (during the crisis). To further uncover the difference of asymmetry between the years 1999 and 2000, a modified H statistic (MH) and ΔMH statistic are proposed. One of the present contributions is that the high MH values calculated for hourly data exist in majority months in 2000 market. Another important conclusion is that the cross-correlation with downwards dominates over the whole 1999 yr in contrast to the cross-correlation with upwards dominates over the 2000 yr.

Surface temperature statistics over Los Angeles - The influence of land use

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dousset, Benedicte

1991-01-01

Surface temperature statistics from 84 NOAA AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) satellite images of the Los Angeles basin are interpreted as functions of the corresponding urban land-cover classified from a multispectral SPOT image. Urban heat islands observed in the temperature statistics correlate well with the distribution of industrial and fully built areas. Small cool islands coincide with highly watered parks and golf courses. There is a significant negative correlation between the afternoon surface temperature and a vegetation index computed from the SPOT image.

The target material influence on the current pulse during high power pulsed magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moens, Filip; Konstantinidis, Stéphanos; Depla, Diederik

2017-10-01

The current-time characteristic during high power pulsed magnetron sputtering is measured under identical conditions for seventeen different target materials. Based on physical processes such as gas rarefaction, ion-induced electron emission, and electron impact ionization, two test parameters were derived that significantly correlate with specific features of the current-time characteristic: i) the peak current is correlated to the momentum transfer between the sputtered material and the argon gas, ii) while the observed current plateau after the peak is connected to the metal ionization rate.

High expression of Polycomb group protein EZH2 predicts poor survival in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma.

PubMed

Vékony, H; Raaphorst, F M; Otte, A P; van Lohuizen, M; Leemans, C R; van der Waal, I; Bloemena, E

2008-06-01

The prognosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), a malignant salivary gland tumour, depends on clinicopathological parameters. To decipher the biological behaviour of ACC, and to identify patients at risk of developing metastases, additional markers are needed. Expression of the cell cycle proteins p53, cyclin D1, p16(INK4a), E2F1 and Ki-67, together with the Polycomb group (PcG) proteins BMI-1, MEL-18, EZH2 and EED was investigated immunohistochemically 21 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary ACCs in relation to tumour characteristics. ACC revealed significantly increased expression of the cell cycle proteins compared to normal salivary tissue (n = 17). Members of the two PcG complexes displayed mutually exclusive expression in normal salivary gland tissue, with BMI-1 and MEL-18 being abundantly present. In ACC, this expression pattern was disturbed, with EZH2 and EED showing significantly increased expression levels. In univariate analysis, presence of recurrence, poor differentiation and high EZH2 levels (>25% immunopositivity) significantly correlated with unfavourable outcome. ACCs with high proliferative rate (>25% Ki-67 immunopositivity) significantly correlated with high levels of EZH2 and p16. Only the development of recurrence was an independent prognostic factor of survival in multivariate analysis. Expression of PcG complexes and of essential cell cycle proteins is highly deregulated in ACC. Also, EZH2 expression has prognostic relevance in this malignancy.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lopez, A.L.; Kohrs, M.B.; Horwitz, D.L.

To determine the effect of glucose loading on serum zinc concentrations, 34 elderly subjects aged 60-86 y were studied. Anthropometric data, medical and dietary histories were obtained. Serum zinc and glucose concentrations were obtained fasting and 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, 2 and 3 h after 75 g oral glucose load; glycohemoglobin and fasting serum lipids were also determined. For comparison, the subjects were categorized as: normal or low serum zinc concentrations; normal or high body mass index BMI; normal or high sum of skinfolds and normal or high serum cholesterol. Results showed that low serum zinc concentrations increased significantly overmore » baseline values after the glucose load and did not return to fasting levels. On the other hand, mean serum zinc concentrations significantly declined without recovery for those with normal zinc values. For the total group, no significant differences were noted between fasting values and subsequent time periods. No correlations were noted between fasting serum zinc and area under the curve for zinc except in the high BMI group (positive correlation observed). For the high BMI group, fasting serum zinc differed significantly from the succeeding measurements except for 30 min. For the group as a whole, mean serum zinc concentration was within normal limits (76.9 +/- 2.8 mcg/ml): mean zinc intake was less than 2/3rds the RDA. They conclude that glucose ingestion may alter serum zinc and should be considered in interpreting these levels.« less

Correlation of standardized uptake value and apparent diffusion coefficient in integrated whole-body PET/MRI of primary and recurrent cervical cancer.

PubMed

Grueneisen, Johannes; Beiderwellen, Karsten; Heusch, Philipp; Buderath, Paul; Aktas, Bahriye; Gratz, Marcel; Forsting, Michael; Lauenstein, Thomas; Ruhlmann, Verena; Umutlu, Lale

2014-01-01

To evaluate a potential correlation of the maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) and the minimum apparent diffusion coefficient (ADCmin) in primary and recurrent cervical cancer based on integrated PET/MRI examinations. 19 consecutive patients (mean age 51.6 years; range 30-72 years) with histopathologically confirmed primary cervical cancer (n = 9) or suspected tumor recurrence (n = 10) were prospectively enrolled for an integrated PET/MRI examination. Two radiologists performed a consensus reading in random order, using a dedicated post-processing software. Polygonal regions of interest (ROI) covering the entire tumor lesions were drawn into PET/MR images to assess SUVmax and into ADC parameter maps to determine ADCmin values. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated to assess a potential correlation between the mean values of ADCmin and SUVmax. In 15 out of 19 patients cervical cancer lesions (n = 12) or lymph node metastases (n = 42) were detected. Mean SUVmax (12.5 ± 6.5) and ADCmin (644.5 ± 179.7 × 10(-5) mm2/s) values for all assessed tumor lesions showed a significant but weak inverse correlation (R = -0.342, p < 0.05). When subdivided in primary and recurrent tumors, primary tumors and associated primary lymph node metastases revealed a significant and strong inverse correlation between SUVmax and ADCmin (R = -0.692, p < 0.001), whereas recurrent cancer lesions did not show a significant correlation. These initial results of this emerging hybrid imaging technique demonstrate the high diagnostic potential of simultaneous PET/MR imaging for the assessment of functional biomarkers, revealing a significant and strong correlation of tumor metabolism and higher cellularity in cervical cancer lesions.

Correlation of major components of ocular astigmatism in myopic patients.

PubMed

Mohammadpour, Mehrdad; Heidari, Zahra; Khabazkhoob, Mehdi; Amouzegar, Afsaneh; Hashemi, Hassan

2016-02-01

To investigate the correlation of major components of ocular astigmatism in myopic patients in an academic hospital. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 376 eyes of 188 patients who were referred to Farabi Eye Hospital for refractive surgery. Preoperative examinations including refraction and corneal topography were performed for all candidates to measure refractive and corneal astigmatism. Ocular residual astigmatism was calculated using vector analysis. Pearson's correlation and ANOVA analysis were used to evaluate the strength of the association between different types of astigmatism. Both eyes were defined as cluster and the Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) analysis were performed. Mean age of 119 women (63.3%) and 69 men (36.7%) was 27.8 ± 5.7 years. Mean refractive error based on spherical equivalent was -3.59 ± 1.95D (range, -0.54 to -10.22D). Mean refractive and corneal astigmatism was 1.97 ± 1.3D and 1.85 ± 1.01D, respectively. Mean amount of ORA was 0.65 ± 0.36D.There was a significant correlation between ORA and refractive astigmatism(r=0.23, p<0.001), corneal and refractive astigmatism (r=0.91, p<0.001) and a weak correlation between ORA and corneal astigmatism (r=0.13, p=0.014). There was a significant correlation between J0 and J45 values of ORA and corneal astigmatism (p<0.001). There is a significant correlation between ORA and refractive astigmatism, refractive and corneal astigmatism and a weak correlation between ORA and corneal astigmatism in refractive surgery candidates. Identifying the type of astigmatism and preoperative measurement of ocular residual astigmatism is highly recommended prior to any refractive surgery, especially in cases with significant astigmatism. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Correlation Entropy as a Measure of the Complexity of High-Lying Single-Particle Modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stoyanov, Chavdar; Zelevinsky, Vladimir; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824-1321

Highly-excited single-particle states in nuclei are coupled with the excitations of a more complex character, first of all with collective phonon-like modes of the core. In the framework of the quasiparticle-phonon model we consider the structure of resulting complex configurations using the 1k17/2 orbital in 209Pb as an example. The eigenstates of the model carry significant degree of complexity that can be quantified with the aid of correlational invariant entropy. With artificially enhanced particle-core coupling, the system undergoes the doubling phase transition with the quasiparticle strength concentrated in two repelling peaks.

Poisson's Ratio and the Densification of Glass under High Pressure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rouxel, T.; Ji, H.; Hammouda, T.

2008-06-06

Because of a relatively low atomic packing density, (C{sub g}) glasses experience significant densification under high hydrostatic pressure. Poisson's ratio ({nu}) is correlated to C{sub g} and typically varies from 0.15 for glasses with low C{sub g} such as amorphous silica to 0.38 for close-packed atomic networks such as in bulk metallic glasses. Pressure experiments were conducted up to 25 GPa at 293 K on silica, soda-lime-silica, chalcogenide, and bulk metallic glasses. We show from these high-pressure data that there is a direct correlation between {nu} and the maximum post-decompression density change.

Development of a diffraction imaging flow cytometer

PubMed Central

Jacobs, Kenneth M.; Lu, Jun Q.

2013-01-01

Diffraction images record angle-resolved distribution of scattered light from a particle excited by coherent light and can correlate highly with the 3D morphology of a particle. We present a jet-in-fluid design of flow chamber for acquisition of clear diffraction images in a laminar flow. Diffraction images of polystyrene spheres of different diameters were acquired and found to correlate highly with the calculated ones based on the Mie theory. Fast Fourier transform analysis indicated that the measured images can be used to extract sphere diameter values. These results demonstrate the significant potentials of high-throughput diffraction imaging flow cytometry for extracting 3D morphological features of cells. PMID:19794790

Chromium-induced skin damage among Taiwanese cement workers.

PubMed

Chou, Tzu-Chieh; Wang, Po-Chih; Wu, Jyun-De; Sheu, Shiann-Cherng

2016-10-01

Little research has been done on the relationships between chromium exposure, skin barrier function, and other hygienic habits in cement workers. Our purpose was to investigate chromium-induced skin barrier disruption due to cement exposure among cement workers. One hundred and eight cement workers were recruited in this study. Urinary chromium concentration was used to characterize exposure levels. The biological exposure index was used to separate high and low chromium exposure. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was used to assess the skin barrier function. TEWL was significantly increased in workers with high chromium exposure levels than those with low chromium exposure levels (p = 0.048). A positive correlation was also found between urinary chromium concentration and TEWL (R = 0.28, p = 0.004). After adjusting for smoking status and glove use, a significant correlation between urinary chromium concentrations and TEWL remained. Moreover, workers who smoked and had a high chromium exposure had significantly increased TEWL compared to nonsmokers with low chromium exposure (p = 0.01). Skin barrier function of cement workers may have been disrupted by chromium in cement, and smoking might significantly enhance such skin barrier perturbation with chromium exposure. Decreased chromium skin exposure and smoking cessation should be encouraged at work. © The Author(s) 2015.

Correlation dimension of financial market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Chun-Xiao

2017-05-01

In this paper, correlation dimension is applied to financial data analysis. We calculate the correlation dimensions of some real market data and find that the dimensions are significantly smaller than those of the simulation data based on geometric Brownian motion. Based on the analysis of the Chinese and US stock market data, the main results are as follows. First, by calculating three data sets for the Chinese and US market, we find that large market volatility leads to a significant decrease in the dimensions. Second, based on 5-min stock price data, we find that the Chinese market dimension is significantly larger than the US market; this shows a significant difference between the two markets for high frequency data. Third, we randomly extract stocks from a stock set and calculate the correlation dimensions, and find that the average value of these dimensions is close to the dimension of the original set. In addition, we analyse the intuitional meaning of the relevant dimensions used in this paper, which are directly related to the average degree of the financial threshold network. The dimension measures the speed of the average degree that varies with the threshold value. A smaller dimension means that the rate of change is slower.

Genetics of serum carotenoid concentrations and their correlation with obesity-related traits in Mexican American children.

PubMed

Farook, Vidya S; Reddivari, Lavanya; Mummidi, Srinivas; Puppala, Sobha; Arya, Rector; Lopez-Alvarenga, Juan Carlos; Fowler, Sharon P; Chittoor, Geetha; Resendez, Roy G; Kumar, Birunda Mohan; Comuzzie, Anthony G; Curran, Joanne E; Lehman, Donna M; Jenkinson, Christopher P; Lynch, Jane L; DeFronzo, Ralph A; Blangero, John; Hale, Daniel E; Duggirala, Ravindranath; Vanamala, Jairam Kp

2017-07-01

Background: Dietary intake of phytonutrients present in fruits and vegetables, such as carotenoids, is associated with a lower risk of obesity and related traits, but the impact of genetic variation on these associations is poorly understood, especially in children. Objective: We estimated common genetic influences on serum carotenoid concentrations and obesity-related traits in Mexican American (MA) children. Design: Obesity-related data were obtained from 670 nondiabetic MA children, aged 6-17 y. Serum α- and β-carotenoid concentrations were measured in ∼570 (α-carotene in 565 and β-carotene in 572) of these children with the use of an ultraperformance liquid chromatography-photodiode array. We determined heritabilities for both carotenoids and examined their genetic relation with 10 obesity-related traits [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, fat mass (FM), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting insulin and glucose, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance] by using family data and a variance components approach. For these analyses, carotenoid values were inverse normalized, and all traits were adjusted for significant covariate effects of age and sex. Results: Carotenoid concentrations were highly heritable and significant [α-carotene: heritability ( h 2 ) = 0.81, P = 6.7 × 10 -11 ; β-carotene: h 2 = 0.90, P = 3.5 × 10 -15 ]. After adjusting for multiple comparisons, we found significant ( P ≤ 0.05) negative phenotypic correlations between carotenoid concentrations and the following traits: BMI, WC, FM, and triglycerides (range: α-carotene = -0.19 to -0.12; β-carotene = -0.24 to -0.13) and positive correlations with HDL cholesterol (α-carotene = 0.17; β-carotene = 0.24). However, when the phenotypic correlations were partitioned into genetic and environmental correlations, we found marginally significant ( P = 0.051) genetic correlations only between β-carotene and BMI (-0.27), WC (-0.30), and HDL cholesterol (0.31) after accounting for multiple comparisons. None of the environmental correlations were significant. Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest that the serum carotenoid concentrations were under strong additive genetic influences based on variance components analyses, and that the common genetic factors may influence β-carotene and obesity and lipid traits in MA children. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Fast and Accurate Approximation to Significance Tests in Genome-Wide Association Studies

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yu; Liu, Jun S.

2011-01-01

Genome-wide association studies commonly involve simultaneous tests of millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) for disease association. The SNPs in nearby genomic regions, however, are often highly correlated due to linkage disequilibrium (LD, a genetic term for correlation). Simple Bonferonni correction for multiple comparisons is therefore too conservative. Permutation tests, which are often employed in practice, are both computationally expensive for genome-wide studies and limited in their scopes. We present an accurate and computationally efficient method, based on Poisson de-clumping heuristics, for approximating genome-wide significance of SNP associations. Compared with permutation tests and other multiple comparison adjustment approaches, our method computes the most accurate and robust p-value adjustments for millions of correlated comparisons within seconds. We demonstrate analytically that the accuracy and the efficiency of our method are nearly independent of the sample size, the number of SNPs, and the scale of p-values to be adjusted. In addition, our method can be easily adopted to estimate false discovery rate. When applied to genome-wide SNP datasets, we observed highly variable p-value adjustment results evaluated from different genomic regions. The variation in adjustments along the genome, however, are well conserved between the European and the African populations. The p-value adjustments are significantly correlated with LD among SNPs, recombination rates, and SNP densities. Given the large variability of sequence features in the genome, we further discuss a novel approach of using SNP-specific (local) thresholds to detect genome-wide significant associations. This article has supplementary material online. PMID:22140288

Evaluation of dietary patterns among Norwegian postmenopausal women using plasma carotenoids as biomarkers.

PubMed

Markussen, Marianne S; Veierød, Marit B; Sakhi, Amrit K; Ellingjord-Dale, Merete; Blomhoff, Rune; Ursin, Giske; Andersen, Lene F

2015-02-28

A number of studies have examined dietary patterns in various populations. However, to study to what extent such patterns capture meaningful differences in consumption of foods is of interest. In the present study, we identified important dietary patterns in Norwegian postmenopausal women (age 50-69 years, n 361), and evaluated these patterns by examining their associations with plasma carotenoids. Diet was assessed by a 253-item FFQ. These 253 food items were categorised into forty-six food groups, and dietary patterns were identified using principal component analysis. We used the partial correlation coefficient (r(adj)) and multiple linear regression analysis to examine the associations between the dietary patterns and the plasma carotenoids α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene and zeaxanthin. Overall, four dietary patterns were identified: the 'Western'; 'Vegetarian'; 'Continental'; 'High-protein'. The 'Western' dietary pattern scores were significantly inversely correlated with plasma lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene and total carotenoids (-0·25 ≤ r(adj) ≤ -0·13). The 'Vegetarian' dietary pattern scores were significantly positively correlated with all the plasma carotenoids (0·15 ≤ r(adj) ≤ 0·24). The 'Continental' dietary pattern scores were significantly inversely correlated with plasma lutein and α-carotene (r(adj) = -0·13). No significant association between the 'High-protein' dietary pattern scores and the plasma carotenoids was found. In conclusion, the healthy dietary pattern, the 'Vegetarian' pattern, is associated with a more favourable profile of the plasma carotenoids than our unhealthy dietary patterns, the 'Western' and 'Continental' patterns.

The effects of texting on driving performance in a driving simulator: the influence of driver age.

PubMed

Rumschlag, Gordon; Palumbo, Theresa; Martin, Amber; Head, Doreen; George, Rajiv; Commissaris, Randall L

2015-01-01

Distracted driving is a significant contributor to motor vehicle accidents and fatalities, and texting is a particularly significant form of driver distraction that continues to be on the rise. The present study examined the influence of driver age (18-59 years old) and other factors on the disruptive effects of texting on simulated driving behavior. While 'driving' the simulator, subjects were engaged in a series of brief text conversations with a member of the research team. The primary dependent variable was the occurrence of Lane Excursions (defined as any time the center of the vehicle moved outside the directed driving lane, e.g., into the lane for oncoming traffic or onto the shoulder of the road), measured as (1) the percent of subjects that exhibited Lane Excursions, (2) the number of Lane Excursions occurring and (3) the percent of the texting time in Lane Excursions. Multiple Regression analyses were used to assess the influence of several factors on driving performance while texting, including text task duration, texting skill level (subject-reported), texting history (#texts/week), driver gender and driver age. Lane Excursions were not observed in the absence of texting, but 66% of subjects overall exhibited Lane Excursions while texting. Multiple Regression analysis for all subjects (N=50) revealed that text task duration was significantly correlated with the number of Lane Excursions, and texting skill level and driver age were significantly correlated with the percent of subjects exhibiting Lane Excursions. Driver gender was not significantly correlated with Lane Excursions during texting. Multiple Regression analysis of only highly skilled texters (N=27) revealed that driver age was significantly correlated with the number of Lane Excursions, the percent of subjects exhibiting Lane Excursions and the percent of texting time in Lane Excursions. In contrast, Multiple Regression analysis of those drivers who self-identified as not highly skilled texters (N=23) revealed that text task duration was significantly correlated with the number of Lane Excursions. The present studies confirm past reports that texting impairs driving simulator performance. Moreover, the present study demonstrates that for highly skilled texters, the effects of texting on driving are actually worse for older drivers. Given the increasing frequency of texting while driving within virtually all age groups, these data suggest that 'no texting while driving' education and public service messages need to be continued, and they should be expanded to target older drivers as well. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil chemistry in lithologically diverse datasets: the quartz dilution effect

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bern, Carleton R.

2009-01-01

National- and continental-scale soil geochemical datasets are likely to move our understanding of broad soil geochemistry patterns forward significantly. Patterns of chemistry and mineralogy delineated from these datasets are strongly influenced by the composition of the soil parent material, which itself is largely a function of lithology and particle size sorting. Such controls present a challenge by obscuring subtler patterns arising from subsequent pedogenic processes. Here the effect of quartz concentration is examined in moist-climate soils from a pilot dataset of the North American Soil Geochemical Landscapes Project. Due to variable and high quartz contents (6.2–81.7 wt.%), and its residual and inert nature in soil, quartz is demonstrated to influence broad patterns in soil chemistry. A dilution effect is observed whereby concentrations of various elements are significantly and strongly negatively correlated with quartz. Quartz content drives artificial positive correlations between concentrations of some elements and obscures negative correlations between others. Unadjusted soil data show the highly mobile base cations Ca, Mg, and Na to be often strongly positively correlated with intermediately mobile Al or Fe, and generally uncorrelated with the relatively immobile high-field-strength elements (HFS) Ti and Nb. Both patterns are contrary to broad expectations for soils being weathered and leached. After transforming bulk soil chemistry to a quartz-free basis, the base cations are generally uncorrelated with Al and Fe, and negative correlations generally emerge with the HFS elements. Quartz-free element data may be a useful tool for elucidating patterns of weathering or parent-material chemistry in large soil datasets.

Heritability, parental transmission and environment correlation of pediatric-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome-related traits.

PubMed

Miranda-Lora, América L; Vilchis-Gil, Jenny; Molina-Díaz, Mario; Flores-Huerta, Samuel; Klünder-Klünder, Miguel

2017-04-01

To estimate the heritability, parental transmission and environmental contributions to the phenotypic variation in type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome-related traits in families of Mexican children and adolescents. We performed a cross-sectional study of 184 tri-generational pedigrees with a total of 1160 individuals (99 families with a type 2 diabetes mellitus proband before age 19). The family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus in three generations was obtained by interview. Demographic, anthropometric, biochemical and lifestyle information was corroborated in parents and offspring. We obtained correlations for metabolic traits between relative pairs, and variance component methods were used to determine the heritability and environmental components. The heritability of early-onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus was 0.50 (p<1.0e-7). The heritability was greater than 0.5 for hypertension, hypoalphalipoproteinemia, hypercholesterolemia, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, 2-h insulin, and cholesterol (p<0.001). In contrast, we observed a high environmental correlation (>0.50) for blood pressure, HbA1c and HDL-cholesterol after multivariate adjustment (p<0.05). Several traits, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance, were significantly correlated only through the mother and others, such as hypertriglyceridemia, were significantly correlated only through the father. This study demonstrates that type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome-related traits are highly heritable among Mexican children and adolescents. Furthermore, several cardiometabolic factors have strong heritability and/or high environmental contributions that highlight the complex architecture of these alterations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of SPI and SPEI applicability for drought impact assessment on crop production in the Danubian Lowland and the East Slovakian Lowland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Labudová, L.; Labuda, M.; Takáč, J.

2017-04-01

Drought belongs among the main impact factors considering crop yields. Therefore, this paper is focused on the assessment of drought occurrence and intensity as well as on its impact on crop yields on the Danubian and the East Slovakian lowlands with the spatial resolution at district level. Yield data were the main limitation of the study, which resulted in the limited length of the assessed period (1996-2013). The standardized yields of ten crops (winter wheat, spring wheat, winter barley, spring barley, rye, maize, potatoes, oilseed rape, sunflower, and sugar beet) were correlated with monthly, 2-, and 3-monthly standardized precipitation index (SPI) and standardized precipitation and evapotranspiration index (SPEI). For this purpose, the common significance level of alpha = 0.05 was used. The temporal evolution of both indices and drought occurrence during the period 1961-2013 were assessed for each district. Most crops show a higher correlation with the SPEI than with the SPI in contrast to potatoes, which reached a higher significant correlation using the SPI. The correlation also increases with increasing number of months within a time step. The highest correlation can be seen between maize and the 3-monthly SPEI in August representing summer precipitation and potential evapotranspiration conditions. Furthermore, a very high correlation was recorded considering sugar beet, which is influenced mainly by summer precipitation, because the correlation coefficient between the sugar beet and the 3-monthly SPI is as high as using the 3-monthly SPEI. Crop yields in the East Slovakian Lowland do not seem to be influenced by wet/dry periods identified using the SPI and the SPEI as their correlation with both indices is quite low and insignificant.

Association of subcutaneous and visceral fat mass with serum concentrations of adipokines in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Saito, Tomoyuki; Murata, Miho; Otani, Taeko; Tamemoto, Hiroyuki; Kawakami, Masanobu; Ishikawa, San-E

2012-01-01

The goal of the study was to examine the association of subcutaneous and visceral fat mass with serum concentrations of adipokines in 130 subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The levels of serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP), adiponectin, high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin, interleukin-18, and retinol-binding protein 4 were measured. Percentage body fat was determined by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and subcutaneous and visceral fat areas were measured by abdominal CT. HS-CRP had significant positive correlations with percentage body fat and subcutaneous fat area, and a particularly significant positive correlation with visceral fat area. Serum adiponectin had a negative correlation with the subcutaneous and visceral fat areas, with the strongest correlation with the visceral fat area. Similar results were obtained for HMW adiponectin. Serum adiponectin had a negative correlation with visceral fat area in subjects with a visceral fat area < 100 cm², but not in those with a visceral fat area ≥ 100 cm². In contrast, serum HS-CRP showed a positive correlation with visceral fat area in subjects with visceral fat area ≥ 100 cm², but not in those with a visceral fat area < 100 cm². These findings indicate that an increased visceral fat area is associated with inflammatory changes, and that inflammatory reactions may alter the functional properties of visceral fat in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Qualitative pattern classification of shear wave elastography for breast masses: how it correlates to quantitative measurements.

PubMed

Yoon, Jung Hyun; Ko, Kyung Hee; Jung, Hae Kyoung; Lee, Jong Tae

2013-12-01

To determine the correlation of qualitative shear wave elastography (SWE) pattern classification to quantitative SWE measurements and whether it is representative of quantitative SWE values with similar performances. From October 2012 to January 2013, 267 breast masses of 236 women (mean age: 45.12 ± 10.54 years, range: 21-88 years) who had undergone ultrasonography (US), SWE, and subsequent biopsy were included. US BI-RADS final assessment and qualitative and quantitative SWE measurements were recorded. Correlation between pattern classification and mean elasticity, maximum elasticity, elasticity ratio and standard deviation were evaluated. Diagnostic performances of grayscale US, SWE parameters, and US combined to SWE values were calculated and compared. Of the 267 breast masses, 208 (77.9%) were benign and 59 (22.1%) were malignant. Pattern classifications significantly correlated with all quantitative SWE measurements, showing highest correlation with maximum elasticity, r = 0.721 (P<0.001). Sensitivity was significantly decreased in US combined to SWE measurements to grayscale US: 69.5-89.8% to 100.0%, while specificity was significantly improved: 62.5-81.7% to 13.9% (P<0.001). Area under the ROC curve (Az) did not show significant differences between grayscale US to US combined to SWE (P>0.05). Pattern classification shows high correlation to maximum stiffness and may be representative of quantitative SWE values. When combined to grayscale US, SWE improves specificity of US. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Public stigma against family members of people with mental illness: findings from the Gilgel Gibe Field Research Center (GGFRC), Southwest Ethiopia.

PubMed

Girma, Eshetu; Möller-Leimkühler, Anne Maria; Müller, Norbert; Dehning, Sandra; Froeschl, Guenter; Tesfaye, Markos

2014-02-21

Public stigma against family members of people with mental illness is a negative attitude by the public which blame family members for the mental illness of their relatives. Family stigma can result in self social restrictions, delay in treatment seeking and poor quality of life. This study aimed at investigating the degree and correlates of family stigma. A quantitative cross-sectional house to house survey was conducted among 845 randomly selected urban and rural community members in the Gilgel Gibe Field Research Center, Southwest Ethiopia. An interviewer administered and pre-tested questionnaire adapted from other studies was used to measure the degree of family stigma and to determine its correlates. Data entry was done by using EPI-DATA and the analysis was performed using STATA software. Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression analysis was done to identify the correlates of family stigma. Among the total 845 respondents, 81.18% were female. On a range of 1 to 5 score, the mean family stigma score was 2.16 (± 0.49). In a multivariate analysis, rural residents had significantly higher stigma scores (std. β = 0.43, P < 0.001) than urban residents. As the number of perceived signs (std. β = -0.07, P < 0.05), perceived supernatural (std. β = -0.12, P < 0.01) and psychosocial and biological (std. β = -0.11, P < 0.01) explanations of mental illness increased, the stigma scores decreased significantly. High supernatural explanation of mental illness was significantly correlated with lower stigma among individuals with lower level of exposure to people with mental illness (PWMI). On the other hand, high exposure to PWMI was significantly associated with lower stigma among respondents who had high education. Stigma scores increased with increasing income among respondents who had lower educational status. Our findings revealed moderate level of family stigma. Place of residence, perceived signs and explanations of mental illness were independent correlates of public stigma against family members of people with mental illness. Therefore, mental health communication programs to inform explanations and signs of mental illness need to be implemented.

[Dendroclimatic potentials for the tree rings of Huangshan pine (Pinus taiwanensis ) at Xiaolinhai in the western Dabie Mountains, China].

PubMed

Peng, Jian-Feng; Li, Guo-Dong; Li, Ling-Ling

2014-07-01

By using the dendrochronology research methods, this paper developed the 1915-2011 tree ring-width standard chronology of the Huangshan pine (Pinus taiwanesis) at the north slope of western Dabie Mountains in the junction of Hubei, Henan and Anhui provinces. High mean sensitivity (MS) indicated that there was conspicuous high-frequency climate signals and high first-order autocorrelation (AC) showed there were significant lag-effects of tree previous growth. The higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and expressed population signal (EPS) indicated that the trees had high levels of common climate signals. Correlations between the tree ring-width standard chronology and climatic factors (1959-2011) revealed the significant influences of temperature, precipitation and relative humidity on the tree width growth of Huangshan pine by the end of growing season (September and October). Significant positive correlations were found between the tree-ring indices and the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) of current September and October. In conclusion, the combination of water and heat of September and October is the major effect factor for the growth of Huangshan pine in western Dabie Mountains.

Detection of soil moisture and snow characteristics from Skylab. [Texas and Kansas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eagleman, J. R. (Principal Investigator); Lin, W. C.; Hardy, N.; Sloan, R.; Parashar, S. K.; Perry, C.; League, L.; Engling, M.; Pogge, E. C.; Moore, R. K.

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The most significant result is the good response of the passive radiometers, particularly the L-band radiometer, to changing soil moisture conditions near the surface of the earth. Radiometer response was very good for the five complete data sets consisting of three passes across Texas and two passes across Kansas. When data from the five different passes were combined, the correlation between the S194 radiometric temperature and soil moisture content remained high with a value of -0.96. The performance of the S193 passive radiometer was less consistent; however, one data set gave a very high correlation of -0.95. The scatterometer response to soil moisture at incidence angles near 30 deg was not as good as for the radiometers.

The factor structure of static actuarial items: its relation to prediction.

PubMed

Barbaree, Howard E; Langton, Calvin M; Peacock, Edward J

2006-04-01

Principal components analysis was conducted on items contained in actuarial instruments used with adult sex offenders, including: the Rapid Assessment of Sex Offender Risk for Recidivism (RASORR), the Static-99, the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG), the Sex Offender Risk Appraisal Guide (SORAG), and the Minnesota Sex Offender Screening Tool-Revised (MnSOST-R). In a data set that included child molesters and rapists (N = 311), six interpretable components were identified: Antisocial Behavior, Child Sexual Abuse, Persistence, Detached Predatory Behavior, Young and Single, and Male Victim(s). The RRASOR was highly correlated with Persistence, and the VRAG and SORAG were highly correlated with Antisocial Behavior. Antisocial Behavior was a significant predictor of violent recidivism, while Persistence and Child Sexual Abuse were significant predictors of sexual recidivism.

A study of the neuropsychological correlates in adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Fried, Ronna; Joshi, Gagan; Bhide, Pradeep; Pope, Amanda; Galdo, Maribel; Koster, Ariana; Chan, James; Faraone, Stephen V; Biederman, Joseph

2016-10-01

To examine the unique neuropsychological presentation in adults with high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HF-ASD) by comparison with adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adults with ASD referred to a specialty clinic (n=26) were compared to two non-ASD groups with (n=52) and without (n=52) ADHD of similar age and sex. No differences in IQ were found. Subjects with HF-ASD were significantly more impaired than both comparison groups in processing speed, cognitive flexibility and sight words. Subjects with HF-ASD were more impaired than controls in working memory, but not the ADHD group. These findings suggest that there may be specific neuropsychological correlates of HF-ASD differing from ADHD that could have significant implications for identifying individuals at risk for ASD.

The immunohistochemical expression and potential prognostic value of HDAC6 and AR in invasive breast cancer.

PubMed

Li, Congying; Cao, Lu; Xu, Cong; Liu, Fang; Xiang, Guomin; Liu, Xiaozhen; Jiao, Jiao; Niu, Yun

2018-05-01

Previous studies have investigated the role of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) in the regulation of androgen receptor (AR) in prostate cancer; however, the role of HDAC6 has not yet been clearly identified in breast cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of HDAC6 and AR, determine the correlation between HDAC6 and AR, and assess the prognostic value of HDAC6 and AR in breast cancer. A total of 228 cases of invasive breast cancer were randomly selected. The expression of HDAC6 and AR was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. χ 2 Tests were performed to determine the association between conventional clinicopathological factors and HDAC6, AR, and HDAC6/AR co-expression. Spearman correlation methods were performed to determine the correlation between HDAC6 and AR, and Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to determine the prognostic impact of HDAC6, AR and HDAC6/AR co-expression; 58.8% (134/228) patients exhibited high expression of HDAC6. High HDAC6 expression was significantly associated with high histologic grade (G3) (P<.001) and p53 overexpression (P=.002). HDAC6 and AR expression levels were significantly associated (r=0.382, P<.01). In estrogen receptor (ER)-negative samples, high expression of HDAC6 was more common in the AR+ groups (P<.001) and correlated with high histologic grade (G3) (P=.009), as well as higher HER2 (P=.006) and p53 levels (P=.012). Higher expression of AR and HDAC6 and HDAC6/AR co-expression had a worse clinical prognosis. The expression levels of HDAC6 and AR are correlated in breast cancer; moreover, HDAC6 and AR have prognostic value in predicting the overall survival (OS) of ER-negative breast cancer patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Galectin-9 Expression Predicts Favorable Clinical Outcome in Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Zhou, Xiaoxiang; Sun, Lejia; Jing, Dan; Xu, Gang; Zhang, Jinmei; Lin, Li; Zhao, Jingjing; Yao, Zhuoran; Lin, Hongfeng

2018-01-01

Background and Objective: Galectin-9 (Gal-9) is one of the galectin family members which are known as proteins with β-galactoside-binding affinity. Accumulative evidence suggest that Gal-9 plays multifaceted roles in tumor biology. However, the prognostic significance of Gal-9 in solid cancer patients remains controversial. The objective of the study was to clarify the prognostic significance of Gal-9 in solid tumors via meta-analysis. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library for studies that report the correlation between Gal-9 expression and prognosis or clinicopathological parameters in solid cancer patients from inception to October 2017, with no language restriction. We calculated pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to investigate the prognostic significance of Gal-9 expression in solid tumors. We also calculated Odds ratio (OR) to explore the association between Gal-9 expression and clinicopathological features. Results: We included Fourteen studies with 2326 patients in our meta-analysis. The synthetic results revealed that high Gal-9 expression indicated improved overall survival (OS; HR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.51–0.71, P = 0.006) but had no correlation with disease-free survival (DFS)/recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.51–1.41, P = 0.527) in solid tumors. In stratified analyses, high Gal-9 expression was significantly correlated with improved OS in hepatocellular carcinoma and colon cancer and with improved DFS/RFS in gastric cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. In addition, ethnicity and the method of data extraction didn’t affect the positive prognostic values of high Gal-9 expression. Moreover, high Gal-9 expression was significantly correlated with a smaller depth of invasion (TI/TII vs. TIII/TIV, OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.97–3.96, P < 0.001), an earlier histopathological stage (I/II vs. III/IV, OR = 3.00, 95% CI = 2.04–4.42, P < 0.001), negative lymph node metastasis (Presence vs. Absence, OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.25–0.89, P = 0.020) and negative distal tumor metastasis (Presence vs. Absence, OR = 13.85, 95% CI = 3.50–54.76, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Gal-9 expression indicates beneficial outcome in patients with solid tumors and is correlated with the pathogenesis of solid tumors. Gal-9 may serve as a prognostic biomarker and an emerging therapeutic target against solid tumors. PMID:29765332

Galectin-9 Expression Predicts Favorable Clinical Outcome in Solid Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Zhou, Xiaoxiang; Sun, Lejia; Jing, Dan; Xu, Gang; Zhang, Jinmei; Lin, Li; Zhao, Jingjing; Yao, Zhuoran; Lin, Hongfeng

2018-01-01

Background and Objective: Galectin-9 (Gal-9) is one of the galectin family members which are known as proteins with β-galactoside-binding affinity. Accumulative evidence suggest that Gal-9 plays multifaceted roles in tumor biology. However, the prognostic significance of Gal-9 in solid cancer patients remains controversial. The objective of the study was to clarify the prognostic significance of Gal-9 in solid tumors via meta-analysis. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library for studies that report the correlation between Gal-9 expression and prognosis or clinicopathological parameters in solid cancer patients from inception to October 2017, with no language restriction. We calculated pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to investigate the prognostic significance of Gal-9 expression in solid tumors. We also calculated Odds ratio (OR) to explore the association between Gal-9 expression and clinicopathological features. Results: We included Fourteen studies with 2326 patients in our meta-analysis. The synthetic results revealed that high Gal-9 expression indicated improved overall survival (OS; HR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.51-0.71, P = 0.006) but had no correlation with disease-free survival (DFS)/recurrence-free survival (RFS) (HR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.51-1.41, P = 0.527) in solid tumors. In stratified analyses, high Gal-9 expression was significantly correlated with improved OS in hepatocellular carcinoma and colon cancer and with improved DFS/RFS in gastric cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. In addition, ethnicity and the method of data extraction didn't affect the positive prognostic values of high Gal-9 expression. Moreover, high Gal-9 expression was significantly correlated with a smaller depth of invasion (TI/TII vs. TIII/TIV, OR = 2.80, 95% CI = 1.97-3.96, P < 0.001), an earlier histopathological stage (I/II vs. III/IV, OR = 3.00, 95% CI = 2.04-4.42, P < 0.001), negative lymph node metastasis (Presence vs. Absence, OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.25-0.89, P = 0.020) and negative distal tumor metastasis (Presence vs. Absence, OR = 13.85, 95% CI = 3.50-54.76, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Gal-9 expression indicates beneficial outcome in patients with solid tumors and is correlated with the pathogenesis of solid tumors. Gal-9 may serve as a prognostic biomarker and an emerging therapeutic target against solid tumors.

Correlation and volatility in an Indian stock market: A random matrix approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, Varsha; Deo, Nivedita

2007-11-01

We examine the volatility of an Indian stock market in terms of correlation of stocks and quantify the volatility using the random matrix approach. First we discuss trends observed in the pattern of stock prices in the Bombay Stock Exchange for the three-year period 2000 2002. Random matrix analysis is then applied to study the relationship between the coupling of stocks and volatility. The study uses daily returns of 70 stocks for successive time windows of length 85 days for the year 2001. We compare the properties of matrix C of correlations between price fluctuations in time regimes characterized by different volatilities. Our analyses reveal that (i) the largest (deviating) eigenvalue of C correlates highly with the volatility of the index, (ii) there is a shift in the distribution of the components of the eigenvector corresponding to the largest eigenvalue across regimes of different volatilities, (iii) the inverse participation ratio for this eigenvector anti-correlates significantly with the market fluctuations and finally, (iv) this eigenvector of C can be used to set up a Correlation Index, CI whose temporal evolution is significantly correlated with the volatility of the overall market index.

The Neuropsychology of Male Adults With High-Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome†

PubMed Central

Wilson, C Ellie; Happé, Francesca; Wheelwright, Sally J; Ecker, Christine; Lombardo, Michael V; Johnston, Patrick; Daly, Eileen; Murphy, Clodagh M; Spain, Debbie; Lai, Meng-Chuan; Chakrabarti, Bhismadev; Sauter, Disa A; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Murphy, Declan G M

2014-01-01

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is diagnosed on the basis of behavioral symptoms, but cognitive abilities may also be useful in characterizing individuals with ASD. One hundred seventy-eight high-functioning male adults, half with ASD and half without, completed tasks assessing IQ, a broad range of cognitive skills, and autistic and comorbid symptomatology. The aims of the study were, first, to determine whether significant differences existed between cases and controls on cognitive tasks, and whether cognitive profiles, derived using a multivariate classification method with data from multiple cognitive tasks, could distinguish between the two groups. Second, to establish whether cognitive skill level was correlated with degree of autistic symptom severity, and third, whether cognitive skill level was correlated with degree of comorbid psychopathology. Fourth, cognitive characteristics of individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and high-functioning autism (HFA) were compared. After controlling for IQ, ASD and control groups scored significantly differently on tasks of social cognition, motor performance, and executive function (P's < 0.05). To investigate cognitive profiles, 12 variables were entered into a support vector machine (SVM), which achieved good classification accuracy (81%) at a level significantly better than chance (P < 0.0001). After correcting for multiple correlations, there were no significant associations between cognitive performance and severity of either autistic or comorbid symptomatology. There were no significant differences between AS and HFA groups on the cognitive tasks. Cognitive classification models could be a useful aid to the diagnostic process when used in conjunction with other data sources—including clinical history. Autism Res 2014, 7: 568–581. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:24903974

Altered interactions of tryptophan metabolites in first-episode neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Yao, JK; Dougherty, GG; Reddy, RD; Keshavan, MS; Montrose, DM; Matson, WR; Rozen, S; Krishnan, RR; McEvoy, J; Kaddurah-Daouk, R

2010-01-01

Schizophrenia is characterized by complex and dynamically interacting perturbations in multiple neurochemical systems. In the past, evidence for these alterations has been collected piecemeal, limiting our understanding of the interactions among relevant biological systems. Earlier, both hyper- and hyposerotonemia were variously associated with the longitudinal course of schizophrenia, suggesting a disturbance in the central serotonin (5-hydroxytrypt-amine (5-HT)) function. Using a targeted electrochemistry-based metabolomics platform, we compared metabolic signatures consisting of 13 plasma tryptophan (Trp) metabolites simultaneously between first-episode neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia (FENNS, n = 25) and healthy controls (HC, n = 30). We also compared these metabolites between FENNS at baseline (BL) and 4 weeks (4w) after antipsychotic treatment. N-acetylserotonin was increased in FENNS-BL compared with HC (P = 0.0077, which remained nearly significant after Bonferroni correction). N-acetylserotonin/Trp and melatonin (Mel)/serotonin ratios were higher, and Mel/N-acetylserotonin ratio was lower in FENNS-BL (all P-values < 0.0029), but not after treatment, compared with HC volunteers. All three groups had highly significant correlations between Trp and its metabolites, Mel, kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine and tryptamine. However, in the HC, but in neither of the FENNS groups, serotonin was highly correlated with Trp, Mel, kynurenine or tryptamine, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA) was highly correlated with Trp, Mel, kynurenine or 3-hydroxykynurenine. A significant difference between HC and FENNS-BL was further shown only for the Trp–5HIAA correlation. Thus, some metabolite interactions within the Trp pathway seem to be altered in the FENNS-BL patients. Conversion of serotonin to N-acetylserotonin by serotonin N-acetyltransferase may be upregulated in FENNS patients, possibly related to the observed alteration in Trp–5HIAA correlation. Considering N-acetylserotonin as a potent antioxidant, such increases in N-acetylserotonin might be a compensatory response to increased oxidative stress, implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. PMID:19401681

TEMPORAL CORRELATIONS BETWEEN OPTICAL AND GAMMA-RAY ACTIVITY IN BLAZARS

DOE PAGES

Cohen, Daniel P.; Romani, Roger W.; Filippenko, Alexei V.; ...

2014-12-08

For this research, we have been using the 0.76 m Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope (KAIT) at Lick Observatory to optically monitor a sample of 157 blazars that are bright in gamma-rays being detected with high significance (≥10σ) in one year by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. We attempt to observe each source on a three-day cadence with KAIT, subject to weather and seasonal visibility. The gamma-ray coverage is essentially continuous. KAIT observations extend over much of the five-year Fermi mission for several objects, and most have >100 optical measurements spanning the last three years.more » These blazars (flat-spectrum radio quasars and BL Lac objects) exhibit a wide range of flaring behavior. Using the discrete correlation function (DCF), here we search for temporal relationships between optical and gamma-ray light curves in the 40 brightest sources in hopes of placing constraints on blazar acceleration and emission zones. We find strong optical-gamma-ray correlation in many of these sources at time delays of ~1 to ~10 days, ranging between –40 and +30 days. A stacked average DCF of the 40 sources verifies this correlation trend, with a peak above 99% significance indicating a characteristic time delay consistent with 0 days. These findings strongly support the widely accepted leptonic models of blazar emission. However, we also find examples of apparently uncorrelated flares (optical flares with no gamma-ray counterpart and gamma-ray flares with no optical counterpart) that challenge simple, one-zone models of blazar emission. Moreover, we find that flat-spectrum radio quasars tend to have gamma-rays leading the optical, while intermediate- and high-synchrotron peak blazars with the most significant peaks have smaller lags/leads. In conclusion, it is clear that long-term monitoring at high cadence is necessary to reveal the underlying physical correlation.« less

Empirical multi-wavelength prediction method for very high energy gamma-ray emitting BL Lacertae objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallah Ramazani, V.; Lindfors, E.; Nilsson, K.

2017-12-01

Aim: We have collected the most complete multi-wavelength (6.0-6.0 × 10-18 cm) dataset of very high energy (VHE) γ-ray emitting (TeV) BL Lacs, which are the most numerous extragalactic VHE sources. Using significant correlations between different bands, we aim to identify the best TeV BL Lac candidates that can be discovered by the current and next generation of imaging air Cherenkov telescopes. Methods: We formed five datasets from lower energy data, i.e. radio, mid-infrared, optical, X-rays, and GeV γ-ray, and five VHE γ-ray datasets to perform a correlation study between different bands and to construct the prediction method. The low energy datasets were averaged for individual sources, while the VHE γ-ray data were divided into subsets according to the flux state of the source. We then looked for significant correlations and determined their best-fit parameters. Using the best-fit parameters we predicted the level of VHE γ-ray flux for a sample of 182 BL Lacs, which have not been detected at TeV energies. We identified the most promising TeV BL Lac candidates based on the predicted VHE γ-ray flux for each source. Results: We found 14 significant correlations between radio, mid-infrared, optical, γ-ray, and VHE γ-ray bands. The correlation between optical and VHE γ-ray luminosity is established for the first time. We attribute this to the more complete sample and more accurate handling of host galaxy flux in our work. We found nine BL Lac candidates whose predicted VHE γ-ray flux is high enough for detection in less than 25 h with current imaging air Cherenkov telescopes. Full Tables A.1 and A.2 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/608/A68

Testing a single regression coefficient in high dimensional linear models

PubMed Central

Zhong, Ping-Shou; Li, Runze; Wang, Hansheng; Tsai, Chih-Ling

2017-01-01

In linear regression models with high dimensional data, the classical z-test (or t-test) for testing the significance of each single regression coefficient is no longer applicable. This is mainly because the number of covariates exceeds the sample size. In this paper, we propose a simple and novel alternative by introducing the Correlated Predictors Screening (CPS) method to control for predictors that are highly correlated with the target covariate. Accordingly, the classical ordinary least squares approach can be employed to estimate the regression coefficient associated with the target covariate. In addition, we demonstrate that the resulting estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal even if the random errors are heteroscedastic. This enables us to apply the z-test to assess the significance of each covariate. Based on the p-value obtained from testing the significance of each covariate, we further conduct multiple hypothesis testing by controlling the false discovery rate at the nominal level. Then, we show that the multiple hypothesis testing achieves consistent model selection. Simulation studies and empirical examples are presented to illustrate the finite sample performance and the usefulness of the proposed method, respectively. PMID:28663668

Testing a single regression coefficient in high dimensional linear models.

PubMed

Lan, Wei; Zhong, Ping-Shou; Li, Runze; Wang, Hansheng; Tsai, Chih-Ling

2016-11-01

In linear regression models with high dimensional data, the classical z -test (or t -test) for testing the significance of each single regression coefficient is no longer applicable. This is mainly because the number of covariates exceeds the sample size. In this paper, we propose a simple and novel alternative by introducing the Correlated Predictors Screening (CPS) method to control for predictors that are highly correlated with the target covariate. Accordingly, the classical ordinary least squares approach can be employed to estimate the regression coefficient associated with the target covariate. In addition, we demonstrate that the resulting estimator is consistent and asymptotically normal even if the random errors are heteroscedastic. This enables us to apply the z -test to assess the significance of each covariate. Based on the p -value obtained from testing the significance of each covariate, we further conduct multiple hypothesis testing by controlling the false discovery rate at the nominal level. Then, we show that the multiple hypothesis testing achieves consistent model selection. Simulation studies and empirical examples are presented to illustrate the finite sample performance and the usefulness of the proposed method, respectively.

Schizophrenia classification using functional network features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rish, Irina; Cecchi, Guillermo A.; Heuton, Kyle

2012-03-01

This paper focuses on discovering statistical biomarkers (features) that are predictive of schizophrenia, with a particular focus on topological properties of fMRI functional networks. We consider several network properties, such as node (voxel) strength, clustering coefficients, local efficiency, as well as just a subset of pairwise correlations. While all types of features demonstrate highly significant statistical differences in several brain areas, and close to 80% classification accuracy, the most remarkable results of 93% accuracy are achieved by using a small subset of only a dozen of most-informative (lowest p-value) correlation features. Our results suggest that voxel-level correlations and functional network features derived from them are highly informative about schizophrenia and can be used as statistical biomarkers for the disease.

Clinical significance of the correlation between PLCE 1 and PRKCA in esophageal inflammation and esophageal carcinoma

PubMed Central

Ma, Ming; Zhang, Shanshan; Zhang, Yongmeng; Yuan, Ming; Liu, Bing; Yang, Yiqiong; Cui, Wen; Ansong, Emmanuel; Dong, Huali; Macias, Virgilia; Yang, Wancai

2017-01-01

Esophagitis and Barrett's esophagus are linked to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, respectively. However, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. This study analyzed the expression levels of and correlation between PLCE1 and PRKCA in human esophagitis, carcinogen NMBA-induced rat esophagus, PLCE1 genetic deficient mouse esophageal epithelial tissues and human esophageal cancer cell line, integrated with Online oncology data sets. We found that the expression levels of both PLCE1 and PRKCA were significantly elevated in human esophagitis, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, Barrett's esophagus, esophageal adenocarcinoma and in NMBA-treated rat esophageal epithelia. However, PRKCA and cytokines were significantly downregulated in PLCE1-deficient mouse esophageal epithelia, and knockdown of PLCE1 in human esophageal cancer cells led to reduction of PRKCA and cytokines. Finally, high expression of both PLCE1 and PRKCA is significantly associated with poor outcomes of the patients with esophageal cancers. In conclusion, this study defined the initiation and progression of esophageal inflammation and malignant transformation, in which the positive correlation of PLCE1 and PRKCA exhibits critical clinical significance. PMID:28402280

Heat transfer and flow friction correlations for perforated plate matrix heat exchangers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratna Raju, L.; Kumar, S. Sunil; Chowdhury, K.; Nandi, T. K.

2017-02-01

Perforated plate matrix heat exchangers (MHE) are constructed of high conductivity perforated plates stacked alternately with low conductivity spacers. They are being increasingly used in many cryogenic applications including Claude cycle or Reversed Brayton cycle cryo-refrigerators and liquefiers. Design of high NTU (number of (heat) transfer unit) cryogenic MHEs requires accurate heat transfer coefficient and flow friction factor. Thermo-hydraulic behaviour of perforated plates strongly depends on the geometrical parameters. Existing correlations, however, are mostly expressed as functions of Reynolds number only. This causes, for a given configuration, significant variations in coefficients from one correlation to the other. In this paper we present heat transfer and flow friction correlations as functions of all geometrical and other controlling variables. A FluentTM based numerical model has been developed for heat transfer and pressure drop studies over a stack of alternately arranged perforated plates and spacers. The model is validated with the data from literature. Generalized correlations are obtained through regression analysis over a large number of computed data.

High Ki-67 Immunohistochemical Reactivity Correlates With Poor Prognosis in Bladder Carcinoma

PubMed Central

Luo, Yihuan; Zhang, Xin; Mo, Meile; Tan, Zhong; Huang, Lanshan; Zhou, Hong; Wang, Chunqin; Wei, Fanglin; Qiu, Xiaohui; He, Rongquan; Chen, Gang

2016-01-01

Abstract Ki-67 is considered as one of prime biomarkers to reflect cell proliferation and immunohistochemical Ki-67 staining has been widely applied in clinical pathology. To solve the widespread controversy whether Ki-67 reactivity significantly predicts clinical prognosis of bladder carcinoma (BC), we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis by combining results from different literature. A comprehensive search was conducted in the Chinese databases of WanFang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Chinese VIP as well as English databases of PubMed, ISI web of science, EMBASE, Science Direct, and Wiley online library. Independent studies linking Ki-67 to cancer-specific survival (CSS), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were included in our meta-analysis. With the cut-off values literature provided, hazard ratio (HR) values between the survival distributions were extracted and later combined with STATA 12.0. In total, 76 studies (n = 13,053 patients) were eligible for the meta-analysis. It was indicated in either univariate or multivariate analysis for survival that high Ki-67 reactivity significantly predicted poor prognosis. In the univariate analysis, the combined HR for CSS, DFS, OS, PFS, and RFS were 2.588 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.623–4.127, P < 0.001), 2.697 (95%CI: 1.874–3.883, P < 0.001), 2.649 (95%CI: 1.632–4.300, P < 0.001), 3.506 (95%CI: 2.231–5.508, P < 0.001), and 1.792 (95%CI: 1.409–2.279, P < 0.001), respectively. The pooled HR of multivariate analysis for CSS, DFS, OS, PFS, and RFS were 1.868 (95%CI: 1.343–2.597, P < 0.001), 2.626 (95%CI: 2.089–3.301, P < 0.001), 1.104 (95%CI: 1.008–1.209, P = 0.032), 1.518 (95%CI: 1.299–1.773, P < 0.001), and 1.294 (95%CI: 1.203–1.392, P < 0.001), respectively. Subgroup analysis of univariate analysis by origin showed that Ki-67 reactivity significantly correlated with all 5 clinical outcome in Asian and European-American patients (P < 0.05). For multivariate analysis, however, the pooled results were only significant for DFS, OS, and RFS in Asian patients, for CSS, DFS, PFS, and RFS in European-American patients (P < 0.05). In the subgroup with low cut-off value (<20%), our meta-analysis indicated that high Ki-67 reactivity was significantly correlated with worsened CSS, DFS, OS, PFS, and RFS on univariate analysis (P < 0.05). For multivariate analysis, the meta-analysis of literature with low cut-off value (<20%) demonstrated that high Ki-67 reactivity predicted shorter DFS, PFS, and RFS in BC patients (P < 0.05). In the subgroup analysis of high cut-off value (≥20%), our meta-analysis indicated that high Ki-67 reactivity, in either univariate or multivariate analysis, significantly correlated with all five clinical outcomes in BC patients (P < 0.05). The meta-analysis indicates that high Ki-67 reactivity significantly correlates with deteriorated clinical outcomes in BC patients and that Ki-67 can be considered as an independent indicator for the prognosis by the meta-analyses of multivariate analysis. PMID:27082587

The impact of diurnal fasting during Ramadan on the lipid profile, hs-CRP, and serum leptin in stable cardiac patients.

PubMed

Khafaji, Hadi Abdul Ridha Hadi; Bener, Abdulbari; Osman, Mohammed; Al Merri, Ajayeb; Al Suwaidi, Jassim

2012-01-01

To study the effect of strict prolonged fasting on lipid profile, serum leptin, and high- sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients with different stable cardiac illnesses and look for associated new cardiac events and any correlation between entire variables. A total of 56 patients of different stable cardiac illnesses were followed in our cardiology outpatient for 3 months. Data concerning their ability to fast were collected: New York Heart Association class of congestive cardiac failure, angina class, previous myocardial infarction, previous coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous coronary intervention, severity of valvular lesion, metallic prosthetic valve, and traditional risk factors (diabetes mellitus, insulin requirement, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, smoking habit, and obesity). Detailed clinical examination and electrocardiography were performed in all patients in three consecutive visits before, during, and after Ramadan. Echocardiographic and angiographic findings and medication plans were collected from patient records. Lipid profile, serum leptin, and hs-CRP were assessed before, during, and after Ramadan. All patients fasted during Ramadan: 80.4% were male, 67.9% were aged >50 years, 71.4% had no change in their symptoms during fasting while 28.6% felt better. No patient has deteriorated. 91.1% of the patients were compliant with medicine during Ramadan, 73.2% after. 89.3% were compliant with diet during Ramadan with no significant change in body weight in the follow-up period. No cardiac or noncardiac morbidity or mortality was reported. High- density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased significantly during compared to before fasting (P = 0.012). Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) significantly increased during compared to before fasting (P = 0.022). No statistically significant changes were observed in total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), serum leptin, or hs-CRP. Significant correlation was observed between TC and hs-CRP during fasting (P = 0.036), but not with TG, LDL-C, or HDL-C (P > 0.05). Neither of these correlated with serum leptin (P > 0.05), but significant correlation was observed between hs-CRP and serum leptin (P < 0.05). Ramadan fasting in stable cardiac patients has no effect on their clinical status, serum leptin, or hs-CRP, but results in decrease in HDL-C, increase in LDL-C, with significant correlation between TC and hs-CRP during Ramadan, but not with TG, LDL-C, or HDL-C, and with significant correlation between hs-CRP and serum leptin before, during, and after fasting.

Relationships between milk consumption and academic performance, learning motivation and strategy, and personality in Korean adolescents.

PubMed

Kim, Sun Hyo; Kim, Woo Kyoung; Kang, Myung-Hee

2016-04-01

A healthy diet has been reported to be associated with physical development, cognition and academic performance, and personality during adolescence. This study was performed to investigate the relationships among milk consumption and academic performance, learning motivation and strategies, and personality among Korean adolescents. The study was divided into two parts. The first part was a survey on the relationship between milk consumption and academic performance, in which intakes of milk and milk products and academic scores were examined in percentiles among 630 middle and high school students residing in small and medium-sized cities in 2009. The second part was a survey on the relationships between milk consumption and learning motivation and strategy as well as personality, in which milk consumption habits were collected and Learning Motivation and Strategy Test (L-MOST) for adolescents and Total Personality Inventory for Adolescents (TPI-A) were conducted in 262 high school students in 2011. In the 2009 survey, milk and milk product intakes of subjects were divided into a low intake group (LM: ≤ 60.2 g/day), medium intake group (MM: 60.3-150.9 g/day), and high intake group (HM: ≥ 151.0 g/day). Academic performance of each group was expressed as a percentile, and performance in Korean, social science, and mathematics was significantly higher in the HM group (P < 0.05). In the 2011 survey, the group with a higher frequency of everyday milk consumption showed significantly higher "learning strategy total," "testing technique," and "resources management technique" scores (P < 0.05) in all subjects. However, when subjects were divided by gender, milk intake frequency, learning strategy total, class participation technique, and testing technique showed significantly positive correlations (P < 0.05) in boys, whereas no correlation was observed in girls. Correlations between milk intake frequency and each item of the personality test were only detected in boys, and milk intake frequency showed positive correlations with "total agreeability", "organization", "responsibility", "conscientiousness", and "intellectual curiosity" (P < 0.05). Intakes of milk and milk products were correlated with academic performance (Korean, social science, and mathematics) in Korean adolescents. In male high school students, particularly, higher milk intake frequency was positively correlated with learning motivation and strategy as well as some items of the personality inventory.

Relationships between milk consumption and academic performance, learning motivation and strategy, and personality in Korean adolescents

PubMed Central

Kim, Sun Hyo; Kim, Woo Kyoung

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES A healthy diet has been reported to be associated with physical development, cognition and academic performance, and personality during adolescence. This study was performed to investigate the relationships among milk consumption and academic performance, learning motivation and strategies, and personality among Korean adolescents. SUBJECTS/METHODS The study was divided into two parts. The first part was a survey on the relationship between milk consumption and academic performance, in which intakes of milk and milk products and academic scores were examined in percentiles among 630 middle and high school students residing in small and medium-sized cities in 2009. The second part was a survey on the relationships between milk consumption and learning motivation and strategy as well as personality, in which milk consumption habits were collected and Learning Motivation and Strategy Test (L-MOST) for adolescents and Total Personality Inventory for Adolescents (TPI-A) were conducted in 262 high school students in 2011. RESULTS In the 2009 survey, milk and milk product intakes of subjects were divided into a low intake group (LM: ≤ 60.2 g/day), medium intake group (MM: 60.3-150.9 g/day), and high intake group (HM: ≥ 151.0 g/day). Academic performance of each group was expressed as a percentile, and performance in Korean, social science, and mathematics was significantly higher in the HM group (P < 0.05). In the 2011 survey, the group with a higher frequency of everyday milk consumption showed significantly higher "learning strategy total," "testing technique," and "resources management technique" scores (P < 0.05) in all subjects. However, when subjects were divided by gender, milk intake frequency, learning strategy total, class participation technique, and testing technique showed significantly positive correlations (P < 0.05) in boys, whereas no correlation was observed in girls. Correlations between milk intake frequency and each item of the personality test were only detected in boys, and milk intake frequency showed positive correlations with "total agreeability", "organization", "responsibility", "conscientiousness", and "intellectual curiosity" (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Intakes of milk and milk products were correlated with academic performance (Korean, social science, and mathematics) in Korean adolescents. In male high school students, particularly, higher milk intake frequency was positively correlated with learning motivation and strategy as well as some items of the personality inventory. PMID:27087904

Ground and surface water developmental toxicity at a municipal landfill--Description and weather-related variation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bruner, M.A.; Rao, M.; Dumont, J.N.; Hull, M.; Jones, T.; Bantle, J.A.

1998-01-01

Contaminated groundwater poses a significant health hazard and may also impact wildlife such as amphibians when it surfaces. Using FETAX (Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus), the developmental toxicity of ground and surface water samples near a closed municipal landfill at Norman, OK, were evaluated. The groundwater samples were taken from a network of wells in a shallow, unconfined aquifer downgradient from the landfill. Surface water samples were obtained from a pond and small stream adjacent to the landfill. Surface water samples from a reference site in similar habitat were also analyzed. Groundwater samples were highly toxic in the area near the landfill, indicating a plume of toxicants. Surface water samples from the landfill site demonstrated elevated developmental toxicity. This toxicity was temporally variable and was significantly correlated with weather conditions during the 3 days prior to sampling. Mortality was negatively correlated with cumulative rain and relative humidity. Mortality was positively correlated with solar radiation and net radiation. No significant correlations were observed between mortality and weather parameters for days 4–7 preceding sampling.

Inducible nitric oxide synthase, nitrotyrosine and apoptosis in gastric adenocarcinomas and their correlation with a poor survival

PubMed Central

Li, Long-Gang; Xu, Hui-Mian

2005-01-01

AIM: To detect the presence of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitrotyrosine (NT) and apoptosis in gastric adenocarcinomas and their possible correlations with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Sixty-six specimens of gastric adenocarcinoma and corresponding adjacent normal gastric tissues were studied. Immunohistochemistry was employed to localize iNOS and NT protein and an immunohistochemical scoring system was used. The occurrence of apoptotic cell death (apoptotic index [AI]) was analyzed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method. RESULTS: Results showed that iNOS expression was detected at an intermediate or high level in 41 of 66 (62%) specimens of gastric adenocarcinoma. NT expression was 58%. Neither of them was found in the normal gastric tissues; there were significant positive correlations among iNOS expression, NT expression and AI. Many clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric adenocarcinoma, such as tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis and TNM staging, were related to iNOS and NT expressions (P<0.05). In 66 surviving patients, the 5-year survival rate of 41 patients who had tumors with intermediate or high iNOS expressions and high AIs (4.09%; 19.96%) was significantly lower than that of 25 patients who had tumors with negative or low iNOS expressions and low AIs (0.79%; 47.14%) (P = 0.001). COX’s multivariate analysis revealed that the iNOS expression was identified as one of the significant independent prognostic factors predictive of a poor survival (relative risk [RR] = 2.69). CONCLUSION: NO produced by iNOS may play a stronger role in promoting gastric adenocarcinoma growth than in suppressing its growth. iNOS and NT expressions by gastric adenocarcinoma may correlate with a poor survival. PMID:15849807

MRI predictors of clinical success in MR-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) treatments of uterine fibroids: results from a single centre.

PubMed

Mindjuk, Irene; Trumm, Christoph G; Herzog, Peter; Stahl, Robert; Matzko, Matthias

2015-05-01

To assess the technical and clinical results of MRgFUS treatment and factors affecting clinical treatment success. A total of 252 women (mean age, 42.1 ± 6.9 years) with uterine fibroids underwent MRgFUS. All patients underwent MRI before treatment. Results were evaluated with respect to post-treatment nonperfused volume (NPV), symptom severity score (SSS), reintervention rate, pregnancy and safety data. NPV ratio was significantly higher in fibroids characterized by low signal intensity in contrast-enhanced T1-weighted fat saturated MR images and in fibroids distant from the spine (>3 cm). NPV ratio was lower in fibroids with septations, with subserosal component and in skin-distant fibroids (p < 0.001). NPV ratio was highly correlated with clinical success: NPV of more than 80 % resulted in clinical success in more than 80 % of patients. Reintervention rate was 12.7 % (mean follow-up time, 19.4 ± 8 months; range, 3-38). Expulsion of fibroids (21 %) was significantly correlated with a high clinical success rate. No severe adverse events were reported. Adequate patient selection and correct treatment techniques, based on the learning curve of this technology, combined with technical advances of the system, lead to higher clinical success rates with low complications rate, comparable to other uterine-sparing treatment options. • MRgFUS appears to be a valid alternative to other uterus-preserving therapies • Patient selection is a significant factor in achieving high NPV ratios • MRI screening parameters correlate with the amount of fibroid ablation in MRgFUS • NPV results of more than 80 % correlate with higher clinical success rates.

The Dorsal Rather than Ventral Pathway Better Reflects Individual Syntactic Abilities in Second Language

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Kayako; Sakai, Kuniyoshi L.

2016-01-01

The left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) has been reported to be critically involved in syntactic processing, not only in first language (L1), but in second language (L2). Indeed, the leftward lateralization of the IFG has been shown to be correlated with the performance of a syntactic task in L2. Given that posterior language-related regions are systematically connected with the left IFG, the next question is which of the dorsal and ventral pathways is more critical to the individual syntactic abilities in L2. Here we used diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tractography with newly developed semi-automatic methods of defining seeds and selecting regions of interest (ROIs). We calculated mean thickness and fractional anisotropy (FA) in each ROI for the arcuate fasciculus (Arcuate) of the dorsal pathway, as well as for the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) of the ventral pathway. In Experiment I, we performed partial correlation analyses between FA and the accuracy of the syntactic task, removing the effects of the accuracy of a spelling task, gender, and handedness. Among the two pathways in each hemisphere, only FA of the left Arcuate was significantly correlated with individual accuracy of the syntactic task. In Experiment II, we recruited monozygotic twins and examined to what extent their L2 abilities and their structural properties were similar. Within twin pairs, the highest significant correlation was observed for reaction times of the spelling task, while the correlation for the accuracy of the syntactic task was marginal; these two correlation coefficients were significantly different. Moreover, the thickness of the left Arcuate was highly correlated within pairs, while its FA, as well as the thickness/FA in the ventral pathways, was not significantly correlated. The correlation coefficient for the thickness of the left Arcuate was significantly larger than that of the left IFOF. These results suggest that the thickness of the left Arcuate is more associated with the shared genetic/environmental factors, whereas both of mutually correlated FA in the left Arcuate and individual syntactic abilities in L2 may be less prone to these shared factors. PMID:27378889

Quantification of correlational selection on thermal physiology, thermoregulatory behavior, and energy metabolism in lizards

PubMed Central

Artacho, Paulina; Saravia, Julia; Ferrandière, Beatriz Decencière; Perret, Samuel; Le Galliard, Jean-François

2015-01-01

Phenotypic selection is widely accepted as the primary cause of adaptive evolution in natural populations, but selection on complex functional properties linking physiology, behavior, and morphology has been rarely quantified. In ectotherms, correlational selection on thermal physiology, thermoregulatory behavior, and energy metabolism is of special interest because of their potential coadaptation. We quantified phenotypic selection on thermal sensitivity of locomotor performance (sprint speed), thermal preferences, and resting metabolic rate in captive populations of an ectothermic vertebrate, the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara. No correlational selection between thermal sensitivity of performance, thermoregulatory behavior, and energy metabolism was found. A combination of high body mass and resting metabolic rate was positively correlated with survival and negatively correlated with fecundity. Thus, different mechanisms underlie selection on metabolism in lizards with small body mass than in lizards with high body mass. In addition, lizards that selected the near average preferred body temperature grew faster that their congeners. This is one of the few studies that quantifies significant correlational selection on a proxy of energy expenditure and stabilizing selection on thermoregulatory behavior. PMID:26380689

Quantification of correlational selection on thermal physiology, thermoregulatory behavior, and energy metabolism in lizards.

PubMed

Artacho, Paulina; Saravia, Julia; Ferrandière, Beatriz Decencière; Perret, Samuel; Le Galliard, Jean-François

2015-09-01

Phenotypic selection is widely accepted as the primary cause of adaptive evolution in natural populations, but selection on complex functional properties linking physiology, behavior, and morphology has been rarely quantified. In ectotherms, correlational selection on thermal physiology, thermoregulatory behavior, and energy metabolism is of special interest because of their potential coadaptation. We quantified phenotypic selection on thermal sensitivity of locomotor performance (sprint speed), thermal preferences, and resting metabolic rate in captive populations of an ectothermic vertebrate, the common lizard, Zootoca vivipara. No correlational selection between thermal sensitivity of performance, thermoregulatory behavior, and energy metabolism was found. A combination of high body mass and resting metabolic rate was positively correlated with survival and negatively correlated with fecundity. Thus, different mechanisms underlie selection on metabolism in lizards with small body mass than in lizards with high body mass. In addition, lizards that selected the near average preferred body temperature grew faster that their congeners. This is one of the few studies that quantifies significant correlational selection on a proxy of energy expenditure and stabilizing selection on thermoregulatory behavior.

Correlation of higher order aberrations in the anterior corneal surface and degree of keratoconus measured with a Scheimpflug camera.

PubMed

Delgado, S; Velazco, J; Delgado Pelayo, R M; Ruiz-Quintero, N

2016-07-01

To determine the correlation of higher order aberrations in anterior corneal surface and degree of keratoconus measured with a Scheimpflug camera. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 152 eyes (both eyes of each patient) of patients with keratoconus, from January 2009 to April 2014. An examination was performed on the corneal aberrometry in the anterior corneal surface, and topographic mapping (by Amsler and Muckenhirn classification) was used to determine the degree of keratoconus. The correlation between high-order aberrations in anterior corneal surface and the degree of keratoconus was determined. Coma aberration significantly correlated with keratoconus severity (r=.60, P<.01), as well as with the high order aberration (r=.61, P<.01). Trefoil and keratoconus were weakly correlated (r=.34, P<.01). Higher order aberrations in anterior corneal surface were positively correlated with the degree of keratoconus in a similar way to the entire optical system. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Correlating Fast Fluence to dpa in Atypical Locations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drury, Thomas H.

2016-02-01

Damage to a nuclear reactor's materials by high-energy neutrons causes changes in the ductility and fracture toughness of the materials. The reactor vessel and its associated piping's ability to withstand stress without brittle fracture are paramount to safety. Theoretically, the material damage is directly related to the displacements per atom (dpa) via the residual defects from induced displacements. However in practice, the material damage is based on a correlation to the high-energy (E > 1.0 MeV) neutron fluence. While the correlated approach is applicable when the material in question has experienced the same neutron spectrum as test specimens which were the basis of the correlation, this approach is not generically acceptable. Using Monte Carlo and discrete ordinates transport codes, the energy dependent neutron flux is determined throughout the reactor structures and the reactor vessel. Results from the models provide the dpa response in addition to the high-energy neutron flux. Ratios of dpa to fast fluence are calculated throughout the models. The comparisons show a constant ratio in the areas of historical concern and thus the validity of the correlated approach to these areas. In regions above and below the fuel however, the flux spectrum has changed significantly. The correlated relationship of material damage to fluence is not valid in these regions without adjustment. An adjustment mechanism is proposed.

[Changes of insulin resistance and islet beta cells function in subjects with high-normal blood pressure].

PubMed

Xu, Ling-Ling; Xiang, Hong-Ding; Zhang, Li-Hong; Chen, Wei; Fang, Jing-Hui

2009-08-01

To investigate the changes of insulin resistance and islet beta cells function in subjects with euglycemia and high-normal blood pressure. Total 423 subjects were divided into normal blood pressure group and high-normal blood pressure group. Body height, weight, waist and hip circumference, and biochemical data were measured. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), insulin sensitivity index (ISI)-composite, and first-phase (1 PH) Stumvoll index were calculated. Results Waist circumference, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HOMA-IR were significantly higher and IPH Stumvoll index and ISI-composite were significantly lower in high-normal blood pressure group than in normal blood pressure group (P < 0.05). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was positively correlated with HOMA-IR (r = 0.122) and negatively correlated with 1PH Stumvoll index (r = -0. 159) and ISI-composite (r = -0.131) (P < 0.05). SBP and triglyceride were independent factors for IPH Stumvoll index. Insulin resistance and islet dysfunction may exist in subjects with high-normal blood pressure.

Estimation of the 24-h urinary protein excretion based on the estimated urinary creatinine output.

PubMed

Ubukata, Masamitsu; Takei, Takashi; Nitta, Kosaku

2016-06-01

The urinary protein/creatinine ratio [Up/Ucr (g/gCr)] has been used in the clinical management of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, a discrepancy is often noted between the Up/Ucr and 24-h urinary protein excretion [24hUp (g/day)] in patients with extremes of muscle mass. We examined devised a method for precise estimation of the 24-h urinary protein excretion (E-24hUp) based on estimation of 24-h urinary creatinine output (E-24hCr). Three parameters, spot Up/Ucr, 24hUP and E-24hUp (=Up/Ucr × E-24hCr), were determined in 116 adult patients with CKD. The correlations among the groups were analyzed. There was a significant correlation between the Up/Ucr and 24hUp (p < 0.001). We divided the patients into three groups according to the 24hUp; the low urinary protein group (<1.0 g/day), the intermediate urinary protein group (1.0-3.5 g/day), and the high urinary protein group (>3.5 g/day). There was a significant correlation between the Up/Ucr and 24hUp in the low (p = 0.04) and high urinary protein (p = 0.01) groups, whereas the correlation coefficient was lower in the intermediate urinary protein (p = 0.07) group. Thus, we found a significant correlation between 24hUp and E-24hUp in the study population overall (p < 0.001), in the low (p = 0.01), in the intermediate (p < 0.001), and in the high urinary protein group (p < 0.001). We conclude that a poor correlation exists between the Up/Ucr and 24hUp in patients with intermediate urinary protein excretion levels. The recommended parameter for monitoring proteinuria in such patients may be the E-24hUp, which is calculated using the E-24hCr.

Farmers' breeding practices and traits of economic importance for indigenous chicken in RWANDA.

PubMed

Mahoro, J; Muasya, T K; Mbuza, F; Mbuthia, J; Kahi, A K

2018-01-01

Data on breeding practices and traits of economic importance for the indigenous chicken (IC) were collected through personal interviews using structured questionnaires and direct observations of chicken management practices. The study was conducted from November 2015 to January 2016 in Rwamagana, Rulindo, Ruhango, Kicukiro and Muhanga districts of Rwanda. Data were collected and analysed through computation of indices, which represented a weighted average of all rankings of a specific trait. Spearman's non-parametric rank correlation was calculated for ranking of traits of economic importance to indicate the directional effects. The results on chicken ecotypes and their attributes showed that prolificacy, mature weight, disease tolerance, egg number and heat tolerance were highly preferred. The dwarf ecotype was most abundantly reared (38.84%) and considered to be significantly smaller and to have poorer growth rate, but to have better prolificacy than other indigenous chicken ecotypes. Selection of breeding cock and hen was based on disease tolerance, body weight at sexual maturity, body size and growth rate. In addition, for hen, mothering ability and egg fertility (Fer) were considered. Indices for the traits perceived by farmers as of primary economic importance were egg yield (0.093), disease tolerance (0.091), high growth rate (0.089), prolificacy (0.088), high body weight (0.087) and egg fertility (0.083). The most important traits considered by the marketers were body weight (BW), disease tolerance (Dtol), plumage colour (Pcol), egg yolk colour (EYC), meat quality (MQ), growth rate (GR) and egg yield (EY) whereas for consumers, meat quality, egg yolk colour, egg yield, body weight and growth rate were considered. Among traits perceived as important by farmers, a positive and significant correlation was found between BW and GR and Fer. Correlation was moderate for BW and prolificacy, drought tolerance (Drtol), Dtol and EYC. BW was negatively correlated with temperament (Temp), heat tolerance, Pcol and egg shell colour (ESC). Regarding marketers and consumers' preference rank correlation, positive and significant correlation was between BW and GR and MQ. As such, appropriate ecotypes (indigenous chicken) which have these characteristics need to be identified and utilised more based on their performance and adaption to the environment conditions to ensure efficient IC production.

Assessing the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence and academic performance of medical students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajasingam, Uma; Suat-Cheng, Peh; Aung, Thidar; Dipolog-Ubanan, Genevieve; Wei, Wee Kok

2014-12-01

This study examines the association between emotional intelligence and its influence on academic performance on medical students to see if emotional intelligence emerges as a significant influencer of academic achievement. The instrument used is the Trait-Meta Mood Scale (TMMS), a 30-item self-report questionnaire designed to measure an individual's perceived emotional intelligence (PEI). Participants are required to rate the extent to which they agree with each item on a 5-point Likert scale. The TMMS consists of three subscales - Attention to Feelings (which measures the extent to which individuals notice and think about their feelings, Clarity (which measures the extent to which an individual is able to discriminate among different moods) and Mood Repair (related to an individual's ability to repair/terminate negative moods or maintain pleasant ones). Of special interest is whether high scores in the Clarity and Repair subscales correlate positively with academic performance, and whether high scores on the Attention subscale, without correspondingly high scores in the Clarity and Mood Repair subscales, correlates negatively with academic performance. Sample population includes all medical students (Years 1-5) of the MD program in UCSI University, Malaysia. Preliminary analysis indicates no significant relationship between overall TMMS scores and academic performance; however, the Attention subscale is significantly correlated to academic performance. Therefore even though PEI has to be ruled out as an influencer on academic performance for this particular sample, the fact that Attention has a significant relationship with academic performance may give some insight into the factors that possibly influence medical students' academic performance.

Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Alters Whole-Spine Sagittal Alignment

PubMed Central

Kim, Jang Hoon; Yi, Seong; Kim, Kyung Hyun; Kuh, Sung Uk; Chin, Dong Kyu; Kim, Keun Su; Cho, Yong Eun

2015-01-01

Purpose Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has become a common spine procedure, however, there have been no previous studies on whole spine alignment changes after cervical fusion. Our purpose in this study was to determine whole spine sagittal alignment and pelvic alignment changes after ACDF. Materials and Methods Forty-eight patients who had undergone ACDF from January 2011 to December 2012 were enrolled in this study. Cervical lordosis, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sagittal vertical axis (SVA), and pelvic parameters were measured preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Clinical outcomes were assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores and Neck Disability Index (NDI) values. Results Forty-eight patients were grouped according to operative method (cage only, cage & plate), operative level (upper level: C3/4 & C4/5; lower level: C5/6 & C6/7), and cervical lordosis (high lordosis, low lordosis). All patients experienced significant improvements in VAS scores and NDI values after surgery. Among the radiologic parameters, pelvic tilt increased and sacral slope decreased at 12 months postoperatively. Only the high cervical lordosis group showed significantly-decreased cervical lordosis and a shortened SVA postoperatively. Correlation tests revealed that cervical lordosis was significantly correlated with SVA and that SVA was significantly correlated with pelvic tilt and sacral slope. Conclusion ACDF affects whole spine sagittal alignment, especially in patients with high cervical lordosis. In these patients, alteration of cervical lordosis to a normal angle shortened the SVA and resulted in reciprocal changes in pelvic tilt and sacral slope. PMID:26069131

[Helicobacter pylori gastritis: assessment of OLGA and OLGIM staging systems].

PubMed

Ben Slama, Sana; Ben Ghachem, Dorra; Dhaoui, Amen; Jomni, Mohamed Taieb; Dougui, Mohamed Hédi; Bellil, Khadija

2016-01-01

Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) gastritis presents a risk of cancer related to atrophy and intestinal metaplasia. Two recent classifications OLGA (Operative Link on Gastritis Assessment) and OLGIM (Operative Link on Gastritic Intestinal Metaplasia assessment) have been proposed to identify high-risk forms (stages III and IV). The aim of this study is to evaluate the OLGA and OLGIM staging systems in H pylori gastritis. A descriptive study of 100 cases of chronic H pylori gastritis was performed. The revaluation of Sydney System parameters of atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, of gastric antrum and corpus, allowed identifying respectively the stages of OLGA and OLGIM systems. The progressive risk of our H pylori gastritis was 6% according to OLGA staging and 7% according to OLGIM staging. Significant correlation was revealed between age and OLGA staging. High-risk gastritis according to OLGIM staging was significantly associated with moderate to severe atrophy. High-risk forms according to OLGA staging were associated in 80% of the cases to intestinal metaplasia. OLGA and OLGIM systems showed a highly significant positive correlation between them with a mismatch at 5% for H pylori gastritis. The OLGA and OLGIM staging systems in addition to Sydney System, allow selection of high risk forms of chronic gastritis requiring accurate observation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bourdon, Christopher Jay; Olsen, Michael G.; Gorby, Allen D.

The analytical model for the depth of correlation (measurement depth) of a microscopic particle image velocimetry (micro-PIV) experiment derived by Olsen and Adrian (Exp. Fluids, 29, pp. S166-S174, 2000) has been modified to be applicable to experiments using high numerical aperture optics. A series of measurements are presented that experimentally quantify the depth of correlation of micro-PIV velocity measurements which employ high numerical aperture and magnification optics. These measurements demonstrate that the modified analytical model is quite accurate in estimating the depth of correlation in micro-PIV measurements using this class of optics. Additionally, it was found that the Gaussian particlemore » approximation made in this model does not significantly affect the model's performance. It is also demonstrated that this modified analytical model easily predicts the depth of correlation when viewing into a medium of a different index of refraction than the immersion medium.« less

Azimuthal anisotropy and correlations at large transverse momenta in p + p and Au + Au collisions at square root sNN=200 GeV.

PubMed

Adams, J; Aggarwal, M M; Ahammed, Z; Amonett, J; Anderson, B D; Arkhipkin, D; Averichev, G S; Badyal, S K; Bai, Y; Balewski, J; Barannikova, O; Barnby, L S; Baudot, J; Bekele, S; Belaga, V V; Bellwied, R; Berger, J; Bezverkhny, B I; Bharadwaj, S; Bhasin, A; Bhati, A K; Bhatia, V S; Bichsel, H; Billmeier, A; Bland, L C; Blyth, C O; Bonner, B E; Botje, M; Boucham, A; Brandin, A V; Bravar, A; Bystersky, M; Cadman, R V; Cai, X Z; Caines, H; Calderón de la Barca Sánchez, M; Carroll, J; Castillo, J; Cebra, D; Chajecki, Z; Chaloupka, P; Chattopdhyay, S; Chen, H F; Chen, Y; Cheng, J; Cherney, M; Chikanian, A; Christie, W; Coffin, J P; Cormier, T M; Cramer, J G; Crawford, H J; Das, D; Das, S; de Moura, M M; Derevschikov, A A; Didenko, L; Dietel, T; Dogra, S M; Dong, W J; Dong, X; Draper, J E; Du, F; Dubey, A K; Dunin, V B; Dunlop, J C; Dutta Mazumdar, M R; Eckardt, V; Edwards, W R; Efimov, L G; Emelianov, V; Engelage, J; Eppley, G; Erazmus, B; Estienne, M; Fachini, P; Faivre, J; Fatemi, R; Fedorisin, J; Filimonov, K; Filip, P; Finch, E; Fine, V; Fisyak, Y; Foley, K J; Fomenko, K; Fu, J; Gagliardi, C A; Gans, J; Ganti, M S; Gaudichet, L; Geurts, F; Ghazikhanian, V; Ghosh, P; Gonzalez, J E; Grachov, O; Grebenyuk, O; Grosnick, D; Guertin, S M; Guo, Y; Gupta, A; Gutierrez, T D; Hallman, T J; Hamed, A; Hardtke, D; Harris, J W; Heinz, M; Henry, T W; Hepplemann, S; Hippolyte, B; Hirsch, A; Hjort, E; Hoffmann, G W; Huang, H Z; Huang, S L; Hughes, E W; Humanic, T J; Igo, G; Ishihara, A; Jacobs, P; Jacobs, W W; Janik, M; Jiang, H; Jones, P G; Judd, E G; Kabana, S; Kang, K; Kaplan, M; Keane, D; Khodyrev, V Yu; Kiryluk, J; Kisiel, A; Kislov, E M; Klay, J; Klein, S R; Klyachko, A; Koetke, D D; Kollegger, T; Kopytine, M; Kotchenda, L; Kramer, M; Kravtsov, P; Kravtsov, V I; Krueger, K; Kuhn, C; Kulikov, A I; Kumar, A; Kunz, C L; Kutuev, R Kh; Kuznetsov, A A; Lamont, M A C; Landgraf, J M; Lange, S; Laue, F; Lauret, J; Lebedev, A; Lednicky, R; Lehocka, S; LeVine, M J; Li, C; Li, Q; Li, Y; Lindenbaum, S J; Lisa, M A; Liu, F; Liu, L; Liu, Q J; Liu, Z; Ljubicic, T; Llope, W J; Long, H; Longacre, R S; Lopez-Noriega, M; Love, W A; Lu, Y; Ludlam, T; Lynn, D; Ma, G L; Ma, J G; Ma, Y G; Magestro, D; Mahajan, S; Mahapatra, D P; Majka, R; Mangotra, L K; Manweiler, R; Margetis, S; Markert, C; Martin, L; Marx, J N; Matis, H S; Matulenko, Yu A; McClain, C J; McShane, T S; Meissner, F; Melnick, Yu; Meschanin, A; Miller, M L; Milosevich, Z; Minaev, N G; Mironov, C; Mischke, A; Mishra, D K; Mitchell, J; Mohanty, B; Molnar, L; Moore, C F; Morozov, D A; Munhoz, M G; Nandi, B K; Nayak, S K; Nayak, T K; Nelson, J M; Netrakanti, P K; Nikitin, V A; Nogach, L V; Nurushev, S B; Odyniec, G; Ogawa, A; Okorokov, V; Oldenburg, M; Olson, D; Pal, S K; Panebratsev, Y; Panitkin, S Y; Pavlinov, A I; Pawlak, T; Peitzmann, T; Perevoztchikov, V; Perkins, C; Peryt, W; Petrov, V A; Phatak, S C; Picha, R; Planinic, M; Pluta, J; Porile, N; Porter, J; Poskanzer, A M; Potekhin, M; Potrebenikova, E; Potukuchi, B V K S; Prindle, D; Pruneau, C; Putschke, J; Rai, G; Rakness, G; Raniwala, R; Raniwala, S; Ravel, O; Ray, R L; Razin, S V; Reichhold, D; Reid, J G; Renault, G; Retiere, F; Ridiger, A; Ritter, H G; Roberts, J B; Rogachevskiy, O V; Romero, J L; Rose, A; Roy, C; Ruan, L; Sahoo, R; Sakrejda, I; Salur, S; Sandweiss, J; Savin, I; Sazhin, P S; Schambach, J; Scharenberg, R P; Schmitz, N; Schroeder, L S; Schweda, K; Seger, J; Seyboth, P; Shahaliev, E; Shao, M; Shao, W; Sharma, M; Shen, W Q; Shestermanov, K E; Shimanskiy, S S; Sichtermann, E; Simon, F; Singaraju, R N; Skoro, G; Smirnov, N; Snellings, R; Sood, G; Sorensen, P; Sowinski, J; Speltz, J; Spinka, H M; Srivastava, B; Stadnik, A; Stanislaus, T D S; Stock, R; Stolpovsky, A; Strikhanov, M; Stringfellow, B; Suaide, A A P; Sugarbaker, E; Suire, C; Sumbera, M; Surrow, B; Symons, T J M; Szanto de Toledo, A; Szarwas, P; Tai, A; Takahashi, J; Tang, A H; Tarnowsky, T; Thein, D; Thomas, J H; Timoshenko, S; Tokarev, M; Trentalange, S; Tribble, R E; Tsai, O D; Ulery, J; Ullrich, T; Underwood, D G; Urkinbaev, A; Van Buren, G; van Leeuwen, M; Vander Molen, A M; Varma, R; Vasilevski, I M; Vasiliev, A N; Vernet, R; Vigdor, S E; Viyogi, Y P; Vokal, S; Voloshin, S A; Vznuzdaev, M; Waggoner, W T; Wang, F; Wang, G; Wang, G; Wang, X L; Wang, Y; Wang, Y; Wang, Z M; Ward, H; Watson, J W; Webb, J C; Wells, R; Westfall, G D; Wetzler, A; Whitten, C; Wieman, H; Wissink, S W; Witt, R; Wood, J; Wu, J; Xu, N; Xu, Z; Xu, Z Z; Yamamoto, E; Yepes, P; Yurevich, V I; Zanevsky, Y V; Zhang, H; Zhang, W M; Zhang, Z P; Zolnierczuk, P A; Zoulkarneev, R; Zoulkarneeva, Y; Zubarev, A N

2004-12-17

Results on high transverse momentum charged particle emission with respect to the reaction plane are presented for Au + Au collisions at square root s(NN)=200 GeV. Two- and four-particle correlations results are presented as well as a comparison of azimuthal correlations in Au + Au collisions to those in p + p at the same energy. The elliptic anisotropy v(2) is found to reach its maximum at p(t) approximately 3 GeV/c, then decrease slowly and remain significant up to p(t) approximately 7-10 GeV/c. Stronger suppression is found in the back-to-back high-p(t) particle correlations for particles emitted out of plane compared to those emitted in plane. The centrality dependence of v(2) at intermediate p(t) is compared to simple models based on jet quenching.

Contingent negative variation in patients with deficit schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder with psychotic features: measurement and correlation with clinical characteristics.

PubMed

Li, Zhe; Deng, Wei; Liu, Xiang; Zheng, Zhong; Li, Mingli; Li, Yinfei; Han, Yuanyuan; Ma, Xiaohong; Wang, Qiang; Liu, Xiehe; Li, Tao

2015-04-01

Schizophrenia is a highly heterogeneous disease. Event-related potentials have been regarded to establish intermediate phenotypes of schizophrenia. Our previous study found that patients with deficit schizophrenia (DS) are relatively homogeneous and show a significantly longer onset latency of contingent negative variation (CNV) expectancy wave. To further examine CNV in patients with first-episode and drug-naïve DS or bipolar I disorder (BP I) with psychotic features, and also investigate correlations between CNV and clinical characteristics in DS and BP I. We elicited a CNV using an alarm (S1)-imperative (S2) paradigm in 30 DS patients or 33 BP I with psychotic features as well as 40 healthy controls. CNV amplitude was significantly smaller and reaction time significantly longer in the DS and BP I groups than in healthy controls. Post-imperative negative variation (PINV) interval was significantly shorter in the DS group than in healthy controls. The onset latency of CNV expectancy wave was significantly longer and PINV area significantly smaller in the DS group than in the other groups. In the DS group, CNV amplitude and PINV interval correlated negatively with the subscale of negative symptoms on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS); CNV amplitude also correlated negatively with disease duration. In the BP I group, CNV amplitude and reaction time showed no correlation with clinical features. CNV amplitude is a common trait marker for psychosis. The onset latency of CNV expectancy wave appears to be a specific trait marker and may be used to identify candidate genes for DS.

The extreme ultraviolet spectra of low-redshift radio-loud quasars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punsly, Brian; Reynolds, Cormac; Marziani, Paola; O'Dea, Christopher P.

2016-07-01

This paper reports on the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectrum of three low-redshift (z ˜ 0.6) radio-loud quasars, 3C 95, 3C 57 and PKS 0405-123. The spectra were obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph of the Hubble Space Telescope. The bolometric thermal emission, Lbol, associated with the accretion flow is a large fraction of the Eddington limit for all of these sources. We estimate the long-term time-averaged jet power, overline{Q}, for the three sources. overline{Q}/L_{bol}, is shown to lie along the correlation of overline{Q}/L_{bol}, and αEUV found in previous studies of the EUV continuum of intermediate and high-redshift quasars, where the EUV continuum flux density between 1100 and 700 Å is defined by F_{ν } ˜ ν ^{-α _{EUV}}. The high Eddington ratios of the three quasars extend the analysis into a wider parameter space. Selecting quasars with high Eddington ratios has accentuated the statistical significance of the partial correlation analysis of the data. Namely, the correlation of overline{Q}/L_{bol} and αEUV is fundamental, and the correlation of overline{Q} and αEUV is spurious at a very high statistical significance level (99.8 per cent). This supports the regulating role of ram pressure of the accretion flow in magnetically arrested accretion models of jet production. In the process of this study, we use multifrequency and multiresolution Very Large Array radio observations to determine that one of the bipolar jets in 3C 57 is likely frustrated by galactic gas that keeps the jet from propagating outside the host galaxy.

Effects of neutropenia and histological responses in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.

PubMed

Konishi, Hirotaka; Fujiwara, Hitoshi; Shiozaki, Atsushi; Hiramoto, Hidekazu; Kosuga, Toshiyuki; Komatsu, Shuhei; Ichikawa, Daisuke; Okamoto, Kazuma; Otsuji, Eigo

2016-02-01

Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radical esophagectomy has been shown to prolong survival in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, neutropenia, one of the major adverse events due to NAC, influences the therapeutic course. The aim of this study is to clarify the relationship between neutropenia and therapeutic response in ESCC with NAC. A total of 117 patients with clinical stage II/III ESCC who had undergone NAC followed by radical esophagectomy were retrospectively analyzed in terms of the relationship between neutropenia and clinicopathological features or outcomes. Neutropenia was the major adverse event observed in 56 % (66/117) and grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 29 % of patients. Grade 3/4 neutropenia correlated with a high histological response (Grade 1b-3) (p < 0.01). Correlative analysis identified grade 3/4 neutropenia and poor differentiation as independent predictors of a high histological response (odds ratio 5.13 and 3.25, p < 0.01 and p = 0.01, respectively). Survival analysis showed that patients with a high histological response had significantly longer survival than those with a low histological response (Grade 0-1a) (p = 0.03), whereas no significant differences were found for survival according to the grade of neutropenia (p = 0.45). In a subgroup analysis according to histological response, grade 3/4 neutropenia correlated with worse survival in patients with a low histological response (p = 0.05). Severe neutropenia due to NAC correlates with a high histological response in ESCC. However, severe neutropenia may also result in a worse prognosis for patients with a low histological response.

Prognostic impact of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 expression in human leukocyte antigen class I-positive hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatectomy.

PubMed

Umemoto, Yuichiroh; Okano, Shinji; Matsumoto, Yoshihiro; Nakagawara, Hidekazu; Matono, Rumi; Yoshiya, Shohei; Yamashita, Yo-Ichi; Yoshizumi, Tomoharu; Ikegami, Toru; Soejima, Yuji; Harada, Mamoru; Aishima, Shinichi; Oda, Yoshinao; Shirabe, Ken; Maehara, Yoshihiko

2015-01-01

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common solid tumors worldwide. Surgery is potentially curative, but high recurrence rates worsen patient prognosis. The interaction between the proteins programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) is an important immune checkpoint. The significance of PD-L1 expression and human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA class I), recognized by CD8 T cells, in the prognosis of patients with HCC remains to be determined. We assessed the levels of PD-L1 and HLA class I expression on HCC samples from 80 patients who had undergone hepatectomy at our institution, and evaluated the correlations between PD-L1 and HLA class I expression and patient prognosis. High HLA class I expression was correlated with significantly better recurrence-free survival (RFS), but not overall survival (OS). Multivariate analysis showed that high HLA class I expression was an independent predictor of improved RFS. Low expression of PD-L1 on HCC tended to predict better OS, but the difference was not statistically significant. PD-L1 expression on HCC correlated with the number of CD163-positive macrophages and HLA class I expression with CD3-positive cell infiltration. Univariable and multivariable analyses showed that combined PD-L1 low/HLA class I high expression on HCCs was prognostic for improved OS and RFS. PD-L1 status may be a good predictor of prognosis in HCC patients with high HLA class I expression. Novel therapies targeting the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway may improve the prognosis of patients with HCC.

Clinical Significance of SASH1 Expression in Glioma

PubMed Central

Yang, Liu; Zhang, Haitao; Yao, Qi; Yan, Yingying; Wu, Ronghua; Liu, Mei

2015-01-01

Objective. SAM and SH3 domain containing 1 (SASH1) is a recently discovered tumor suppressor gene. The role of SASH1 in glioma has not yet been described. We investigated SASH1 expression in glioma cases to determine its clinical significance on glioma pathogenesis and prognosis. Methods. We produced tissue microarrays using 121 patient-derived glioma samples and 30 patient-derived nontumor cerebral samples. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to evaluate SASH1 expression. We used Fisher's exact tests to determine relationships between SASH1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics; Cox regression analysis to evaluate the independency of different SASH1 expression; Kaplan-Meier analysis to determine any correlation of SASH1 expression with survival rate. Results. SASH1 expression was closely correlated with the WHO glioma grade. Of the 121 cases, 66.9% with low SASH1 expression were mostly grade III-IV cases, whereas 33.1% with high SASH1 expression were mostly grades I-II. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between SASH1 expression and postoperative survival. Conclusions. SASH1 was widely expressed in normal and low-grade glioma tissues. SASH1 expression strongly correlated with glioma grades, showing higher expression at a lower grade, which decreased significantly as grade increased. Furthermore, SASH1 expression was positively correlated with better postoperative survival in patients with glioma. PMID:26424902

Scale-dependent correlation of seabirds with schooling fish in a coastal ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schneider, Davod C.; Piatt, John F.

1986-01-01

The distribution of piscivorous seabirds relative to schooling fish was investigated by repeated censusing of 2 intersecting transects in the Avalon Channel, which carries the Labrador Current southward along the east coast of Newfoundland. Murres (primarily common murres Uria aalge), Atlantic puffins Fratercula arctica, and schooling fish (primarily capelin Mallotus villosus) were highly aggregated at spatial scales ranging from 0.25 to 15 km. Patchiness of murres, puffins and schooling fish was scale-dependent, as indicated by significantly higher variance-to-mean ratios at large measurement distances than at the minimum distance, 0.25 km. Patch scale of puffins ranged from 2.5 to 15 km, of murres from 3 to 8.75 km, and of schooling fish from 1.25 to 15 km. Patch scale of birds and schooling fish was similar m 6 out of 9 comparisons. Correlation between seabirds and schooling birds was significant at the minimum measurement distance in 6 out of 12 comparisons. Correlation was scale-dependent, as indicated by significantly higher coefficients at large measurement distances than at the minimum distance. Tracking scale, as indicated by the maximum significant correlation between birds and schooling fish, ranged from 2 to 6 km. Our analysis showed that extended aggregations of seabirds are associated with extended aggregations of schooling fish and that correlation of these marine carnivores with their prey is scale-dependent.

Plasma and muscle cortisol measurements as indicators of meat quality and stress in pigs.

PubMed

Shaw, F D; Trout, G R; McPhee, C P

1995-01-01

Post-slaughter blood samples and muscle samples were collected from pigs slaughtered at the completion of a live-animal performance trial. There were two lines of pigs in which the halothane allele (n) was segregating. The lines were a lean line selected for rapid lean growth and an unselected fat line. There were homozygous normal (NN), homozygous halothane positive (nn) and heterozygous (Nn) genotypes in both lnes. Cortisol was measured in the plasma of the blood samples and in muscle juice obtained by high-speed centrifugation. Meat quality was assessed using pH, colour, fibre-optic probe, drip loss and cure yield measurements. Plasma cortisol concentrations in the fat line were significantly (P < 0·05) greater than thosein the lean line but concentrations did not differ significantly for the three halothane genotypes. Carcasses classified as dark, firm and dry (DFD) had significantly (P < 0·05) greater muscle cortisol concentrations than those classified as normal. Plasma and muscle cortisol concentrations of carcases classified as pale, soft and exudative (PSE) did not differ significantly from those classified as normal. Correlations between muscle cortisol and meat quality attributes were generally highly significant (r = 0·31 to r = 0·51, P < 0·001) There was a highly significant correlation (r = 0·73, P < 0·0001) between plasma and muscle cortisol concentrations.

Importance of conduction electron correlation in a Kondo lattice, Ce₂CoSi₃.

PubMed

Patil, Swapnil; Pandey, Sudhir K; Medicherla, V R R; Singh, R S; Bindu, R; Sampathkumaran, E V; Maiti, Kalobaran

2010-06-30

Kondo systems are usually described by the interaction of the correlation induced local moments with the highly itinerant conduction electrons. Here, we study the role of electron correlations among conduction electrons in the electronic structure of a Kondo lattice compound, Ce₂CoSi₃, using high resolution photoemission spectroscopy and ab initio band structure calculations, where Co 3d electrons contribute in the conduction band. High energy resolution employed in the measurements helped to reveal the signatures of Ce 4f states derived Kondo resonance features at the Fermi level and the dominance of Co 3d contributions at higher binding energies in the conduction band. The lineshape of the experimental Co 3d band is found to be significantly different from that obtained from the band structure calculations within the local density approximations, LDA. Consideration of electron-electron Coulomb repulsion, U, among Co 3d electrons within the LDA + U method leads to a better representation of experimental results. The signature of an electron correlation induced satellite feature is also observed in the Co 2p core level spectrum. These results clearly demonstrate the importance of the electron correlation among conduction electrons in deriving the microscopic description of such Kondo systems.

Long range stress correlations in the inherent structures of liquids at rest

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chowdhury, Sadrul; Abraham, Sneha; Hudson, Toby

2016-03-28

Simulation studies of the atomic shear stress in the local potential energy minima (inherent structures) are reported for binary liquid mixtures in 2D and 3D. These inherent structure stresses are fundamental to slow stress relaxation and high viscosity in supercooled liquids. We find that the atomic shear stress in the inherent structures (IS’s) of both liquids at rest exhibits slowly decaying anisotropic correlations. We show that the stress correlations contribute significantly to the variance of the total shear stress of the IS configurations and consider the origins of the anisotropy and spatial extent of the stress correlations.

Inclusive inelastic scattering of heavy ions and nuclear correlations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, Francis A.; Townsend, Lawrence W.; Wilson, John W.; Khandelwal, Govind S.

1990-01-01

Calculations of inclusive inelastic scattering distributions for heavy ion collisions are considered within the high energy optical model. Using ground state sum rules, the inclusive projectile and complete projectile-target inelastic angular distributions are treated in both independent particle and correlated nuclear models. Comparisons between the models introduced are made for alpha particles colliding with He-4, C-12, and O-16 targets and protons colliding with O-16. Results indicate that correlations contribute significantly, at small momentum transfers, to the inelastic sum. Correlation effects are hidden, however, when total scattering distributions are considered because of the dominance of elastic scattering at small momentum transfers.

Increased Expression of ALDH1A1 in Prostate Cancer is Correlated With Tumor Aggressiveness: A Tissue Microarray Study of Iranian Patients.

PubMed

Kalantari, Elham; Saadi, Faezeh H; Asgari, Mojgan; Shariftabrizi, Ahmad; Roudi, Raheleh; Madjd, Zahra

2017-09-01

Subpopulations of prostate cancer (PCa) cells expressing putative stem cell markers possess the ability to promote tumor growth, maintenance, and progression. This study aimed to evaluate the expression patterns and clinical significance of putative stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 A1 (ALDH1A1) in prostate tumor tissues. ALDH1A1 expression was examined in a well-defined series of prostate tissues, including 105 (68%) samples of PCa, 21 (13%) samples of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and 31 (19%) samples of benign prostate hyperplasia, which were embedded in tissue microarray blocks. The correlation of ALDH1A1 expression with clinicopathologic parameters was also assessed. There was a significant difference between the expression level of ALDH1A1 in PCa compared with the high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and benign prostate hyperplasia samples (P<0.001). PCa cells expressing ALDH1A1 were more often seen in samples with advanced Gleason score (P=0.05) and high serum prostate specific antigen level (P=0.02). In addition, a positive correlation was found between ALDH1A1 expression and primary tumor stage and regional lymph node involvement (P=0.04 and 0.03, respectively). The significant association between ALDH1A1 expressions with Gleason score indicates the potential role of this protein in PCa tumorigenesis and aggressive behavior; therefore, this cancer stem cell marker can be used as a promising candidate for targeted therapy of PCa, especially those with high Gleason score.

Irrigation scheduling, freeze warning and soil salinity detecting. [in Cameron County Texas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wiegand, C. L. (Principal Investigator)

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Correlations of multispectral scanner (MSS) digital data differences between vegetated and bare soil areas with salinity levels from the eight saline areas using MSS bands seven and ten in the infrared region were significant. Correlations were derived for Cameron County, Texas. Detection of saline soils may be possible, using either film density readings or multispectral scanner data, when the lower reflectance of vegetation on highly saline soil and the higher reflectance of vegetation on lower saline soil are considered by using film on MSS contrasts between vegetation and bare soil.

Agreement in polar motion measurements during the MERIT campaign

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djurovic, D.; Techy, C.; Paquet, P.

From the original polar motion (PM) measurements performed during the MERIT Campaign, the Chandler and the annual components are removed. The analysis of the residuals shows a high level of significant correlation between the various techniques mainly for phenomenon ranging from 30 days to a few months. For periods smaller than one month the series are not correlated except for the X component, deduced from laser and Doppler techniques, which remains significant at the 99 percent level. These results led to the belief for a new earth rotation service open to different sources of data.

Evidence for higher twist effects in fast π- production by antineutrinos in neon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitch, P. J.; Kasper, P.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Aderholz, M.; Armenise, N.; Azemoon, T.; Bertrand, D.; Berggren, M.; Bullock, F. W.; Calicchio, M.; Clayton, E. F.; Coghen, T.; Erriquez, O.; Gerbier, G.; Guy, J.; Hulth, P. O.; Iaselli, G.; Jones, G. T.; Lagraa, M.; Marage, P.; Middleton, R. P.; Miller, D.; Mobayyen, M. M.; Neveu, M.; O'Neale, S. W.; Parker, M. A.; Sansum, R. A.; Simopoulou, E.; Varvell, K.; Vallée, C.; Vayaki, A.; Venus, W.; Wachsmuth, H.; Wittek, W.; Wells, J.; Zevgolatakos, E.

1986-03-01

Evidence for a significant higher twist contribution to high z π- production in antineutrino scattering is presented. In events with W>3 GeV and Q 2>1 GeV2 in our data, it accounts for (51 ±8)% of all π- with z above 0.5. It is consistent with the z- Q 2 correlations of Berger's higher twist prediction. The data are inconclusive concerning the predicted y-z correlation and p T dependence. The z - Q 2 correlation is not adequately described by the Lund Monte-Carlo.

Correlates of suicide ideation among LGBT Nebraskans.

PubMed

Irwin, Jay A; Coleman, Jason D; Fisher, Christopher M; Marasco, Vincent M

2014-01-01

The aim of this investigation is to outline correlates of suicide ideation among LGBT individuals living in Nebraska. A community-based participatory research approach was utilized to develop a 30-minute, online anonymous survey. Almost half of the sample had seriously considered suicide at some point in their lives. Significant correlates of increased likelihood of suicide ideation are age, gender, transgender identity, income, depression, and discrimination. Suicide ideation is a serious concern for the health of LGBT Nebraskans. Steps should be taken to incorporate individuals who fall into these high-risk categories in suicide outreach programs.

The efficacy of World Wide Web-mediated microcomputer-based laboratory activities in the high school physics classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slykhuis, David A.

This research project examined the efficacy of an online microcomputer-based laboratory based (MBL) physics unit. One hundred and fifty physics students from five high schools in North Carolina were divided into online and classroom groups. The classroom group completed the MBL unit in small groups with assistance from their teachers. The online groups completed the MBL unit in small groups using a website designed for this project for guidance. Pre- and post-unit content specific tests and surveys were given. Statistical analysis of the content tests showed significant development of conceptual understanding by the online group over the course of the unit. There was not a significant difference between the classroom and online group with relation to the amount of conceptual understanding developed. Correlations with post-test achievement showed that pre-test scores and math background were the most significant correlates with success. Computer related variables, such as computer comfort and online access, were only mildly correlated with the online group. Students' views about the nature of physics were not well developed prior to the unit and did not significantly change over the course of the unit. Examination of the students' physics conceptions after instruction revealed common alternative conceptions such as confusing position and velocity variables and incorrect interpretations of graphical features such as slope.

[Anthropometrical profile of Brazilian junior volleyball players for different sports requirement levels].

PubMed

Fonseca-Toledo, Cláudio; Roquetti, Paula; Fernandes-Filho, José

2010-12-01

This study was aimed at investigating the anthropometrics characteristics of male Brazilian junior volleyball players, organised into 3 sports requirement groups: high qualification (HQ) formed by the national team, middle qualification (MQ) formed by athletes playing in the Brazilian national championships and low qualification (LQ) formed by players at school level. 101 athletes were observed, HQ (n=16), MQ (n=68) and LQ (n=17), aged 16.7 ± 0.5; 16.6 ± 0.5 and 16.2 ± 0.7 years, respectively. There following were evaluated: body mass, height, standing reach height, % body fat and Heath & Carter somatotype. The statistical analysis was descriptive and inferential, the Kruskal Wallis test being used for detecting differences between groups (p<0.05 significance) and Spearman correlation coefficient for establishing association between anthropometric characteristics and requirement levels, considering p<0,05 e p<0.01 to be significant and highly significant, respectively. Significant differences (p<0.05) were detected between athlete groups for body mass, height, standing reach height and ectomorphy. A "strong" correlation for height and "regular" correlation for standing reach height, body mass and ectomorphy were observed, according to players' height or classification. The results gave normative data for athletes which will allow coaches and physical instructors to use such information during training as a sports' selection instrument for young talented volleyball players.

High p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts predicts poor survival in patients with clinical stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.

PubMed

Chen, Yongbing; Xing, Pengfei; Chen, Yuanyuan; Zou, Li; Zhang, Yongsheng; Li, Feng; Lu, Xueguan

2014-11-05

Increasing evidence indicates that the TGFβ/Smad signaling pathway plays a prominent role in tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. Therefore, we investigate the expression of p-Smad2 in surgical resection specimens from non-small cell lung cancer, and evaluate the prognostic significance of p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts and cancer cells for patients with clinical stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer. The immunohistochemical expression of p-Smad2 was evaluated in 78 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded surgical resection specimens from clinical stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer. Correlations between p-Smad2 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics were determined by Chi-square test. The prognostic significance of p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts and cancer cells with regard to overall survival was determined by Kaplan-Meier. There were 38.5% (30/78) and 92.3% (72/78) patients with high p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts and cancer cells, respectively. There was a positive correlation between the p-Smad2 expression level in stromal fibroblasts and the p-Smad2 expression level in cancer cells (χ2=4.176, P=0.045). No significant correlation of p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts or cancer cells with any of clinicopathologic characteristics was found. The 3-year overall survival rates with low and high p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts were 53.7% and 37.7%, respectively (χ2=3.86, P=0.049). No significant association was found between low and high p-Smad2 expression in cancer cells with respect to overall survival, respectively (χ2=0.34, P=0.562). The results suggested that high p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts predicted poor survival in patients with clinical stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.

The Achilles Tendon in Healthy Subjects: An Anthropometric and Ultrasound Mapping Study.

PubMed

Patel, Nick N; Labib, Sameh A

Ultrasonography is an inexpensive, fast, and reliable imaging technique widely used to assess the Achilles tendon. Although significant data exists regarding pathologic tendon changes, ultrasound data from healthy individuals are more limited. We aimed to better characterize ultrasound Achilles tendon measurements in healthy individuals and identify important correlating factors. The information collected included patient demographics, body habitus, activity level, foot dominance, and resting ankle angle. Ultrasound analysis was performed bilaterally on the Achilles tendons of 50 subjects using a high-frequency transducer to measure tendon width, thickness, cross-sectional area, and length. Males had a significantly larger mean tendon length, width, thickness, and cross-sectional area. No statistically significant difference was found in any tendon dimension between the white and black participants. Similarly, no difference was found in any tendon parameter when comparing right versus left leg dominance. Healthy subjects had a mean ankle resting angle of 45.1° ± 24° with no statistically significant difference between right and left ankles. Considering all individuals, each tendon parameter (tendon length, width, thickness, and cross-sectional area) correlated positively with subject height, weight, tibia length, and foot size. Only the Achilles cross-sectional area correlated significantly with the activity level. The resting angle of the ankle correlated positively with both tendon length and thickness. In conclusion, we found significant variations in Achilles tendon anatomy in the healthy adult population. We have thoroughly characterized significant correlations between healthy tendon dimensions and various body habitus, activity levels, and ankle parameters. Greater knowledge of the normal Achilles tendon anatomy and characterization of its variations in the healthy population will potentially allow for better pathologic diagnosis and surgical repair. Copyright © 2017 The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of Obesity in Medical students and its correlation with cardiovascular risk factors: Emergency Alarm for Today?

PubMed

Purohit, G; Shah, T; Harsoda, J M

2015-01-01

Background It is predicted that the prevalence of overweight and obesity will rise significantly by 2015 in young population. Problem of overweight and obesity has been recognized as public health problem worldwide due to the fact that it increases the risk of chronic diseases such as Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD), stroke, diabetes, sleep apnoea, osteoarthritis etc. Objective To assess the body mass index in medical students and its association with various cardiovascular risk factors like blood pressure, dietary habits, and family history of cardiovascular diseases. Method A university based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in Department of Physiology, Smt. B.K. Shah Medical Institute and Research Center, Vadodara, Gujarat. Data was collected through convenient sampling technique by using selfadministered questionnaire followed by anthropometric measurement. Body Mass Index (BMI) of 138 first year medical students was assessed. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, mean blood pressure, pulse rate and arterial oxygen saturation were measured. Result Data was compiled in excel sheet, analyzed for percentage and proportion. Chi square and Pearson correlation test were also applied and alpha error was set at 5% level. In comparison to the students with normal BMI, students with BMI >25 kg/m2 (N=49) showed significantly high blood pressure indices. Dietary habits and family history of cardiovascular diseases were also noted. Highly significant association of high BMI was found with elevated blood pressure (X2=7.4042***, p<0.001) and presence of family history of cardiovascular diseases X2=9.8625***, p<0.001). BMI is negatively correlated with SpO2 (r= -0.0504, p<0.05) and pulse rate, while positively correlated with systolic blood pressure (r=0.2736) and diastolic blood pressure (r=0.0275). Conclusion In conclusion, majority (more than 35%) of medical students were overweight, high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors like family history, elevated blood pressure and less SpO2.

Life events and Tourette syndrome.

PubMed

Steinberg, Tamar; Shmuel-Baruch, Sharona; Horesh, Netta; Apter, Alan

2013-07-01

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric developmental disorder characterized by the presence of multiple motor tics and one or more vocal tics. Although TS is primarily biological in origin, stress-diatheses interactions most probably play a role in the course of the illness. The precise influence of the environment on this basically biological disorder is difficult to ascertain, particularly when TS is complicated by comorbidities. Among the many questions that remain unresolved are the differential impact of positive and negative events and specific subtypes of events, and the importance of major crucial events relative to minor daily ones to tic severity. To examine the relationships between life events, tic severity and comorbid disorders in Tourette Syndrome (TS), including OCD, ADHD, anxiety, depression and rage attacks. Life events were classified by quantity, quality (positive or negative) and classification types of events (family, friends etc.). Sixty patients aged 7-17 years with Tourette syndrome or a chronic tic disorder were recruited from Psychological Medicine Clinic in Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel. Yale Global Tic Severity Scale; Children's Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale; Life Experiences Survey; Brief Adolescent Life Events Scale; Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders; Child Depression Inventory/Beck Depression Inventory; ADHD Rating Scale IV; Overt Aggression Scale. Regarding tics and minor life events, there was a weak but significant correlation between severity of motor tics and the quantity of negative events. No significant correlation was found between tic severity and quantity of positive events. Analysis of the BALES categories yielded a significant direct correlation between severity of vocal tics and quantity of negative events involving friends. Regarding comorbidities and minor life events, highly significant correlations were found with depression and anxiety. Regarding tics and major life events, significant correlation was found between the quantity of major life events and the severity of motor tics, but not vocal tics. Regarding comorbidities and major life events, significant correlation was found between the severity of compulsions, ADHD, and aggression and the subjects' personal evaluation of the effect of negative major life events on their lives. Minor life events appear to be correlated with tic severity and comorbidities in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome. The lack of an association between major life events and tic severity further emphasizes the salient impact of minor life events that occur in temporal proximity to the assessment of tic severity. Clinically, the results match our impression from patient narratives wherein they "blamed" the exacerbations in tics on social interactions. The high correlation between negative life events and depression, anxiety and compulsions symptoms, were reported also in previous studies. In conclusion, These findings may have clinical implications for planning supportive psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy for this patient population. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of methamphetamine on the noradrenergic activity biomarker salivary alpha-amylase*

PubMed Central

Haile, Colin N.; De La Garza, Richard; Mahoney, James J.; Newton, Thomas F.

2013-01-01

Background Methamphetamine (METH) potently activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) by increasing central and peripheral norepinephrine (NE). Salivary α-amylase (sAA) is a biomarker of SNS activation that correlates with plasma NE levels. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of METH on sAA activity and whether changes in sAA activity were correlated with subjective effects ratings. Methods Non-treatment seeking METH-dependent volunteers (N=8) participated in this within-subjects laboratory-based study. Volunteers received randomly administered intravenous METH (0mg, 30mg) and sAA activity, cardiovascular measures and subjective ratings were assessed at baseline (−15 min) and five post-METH time points (10, 20, 30, 45, and 60 min). Results METH (30mg) increased sAA activity over time. sAA activity significantly correlated with diastolic blood pressure following 0mg METH and systolic blood pressure following 30mg METH. Subjective ratings (ANY EFFECT, HIGH, GOOD, STIMULATED, LIKE, WLLING TO PAY) highly correlated with sAA over five post-METH time points (N=40; r’s=0.543–0.684, p’s <0.001). Age, body mass index and METH amount received on a mg/kg basis were significantly associated with sAA activity. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated sAA activity remained a significant predictor of subjective ratings following METH after controlling for these factors. Conclusions The NE peripheral biomarker sAA activity is associated with METH’s subjective effects. PMID:23968815

Correlation between safety climate and contractor safety assessment programs in construction

PubMed Central

Sparer, EH1; Murphy, LA; Taylor, KM; Dennerlein, Jt

2015-01-01

Background Contractor safety assessment programs (CSAPs) measure safety performance by integrating multiple data sources together; however, the relationship between these measures of safety performance and safety climate within the construction industry is unknown. Methods 401 construction workers employed by 68 companies on 26 sites and 11 safety managers employed by 11 companies completed brief surveys containing a nine-item safety climate scale developed for the construction industry. CSAP scores from ConstructSecure, Inc., an online CSAP database, classified these 68 companies as high or low scorers, with the median score of the sample population as the threshold. Spearman rank correlations evaluated the association between the CSAP score and the safety climate score at the individual level, as well as with various grouping methodologies. In addition, Spearman correlations evaluated the comparison between manager-assessed safety climate and worker-assessed safety climate. Results There were no statistically significant differences between safety climate scores reported by workers in the high and low CSAP groups. There were, at best, weak correlations between workers’ safety climate scores and the company CSAP scores, with marginal statistical significance with two groupings of the data. There were also no significant differences between the manager-assessed safety climate and the worker-assessed safety climate scores. Conclusions A CSAP safety performance score does not appear to capture safety climate, as measured in this study. The nature of safety climate in construction is complex, which may be reflective of the challenges in measuring safety climate within this industry. PMID:24038403

Physical characteristics, blood hormone concentrations, and plasma lipid concentrations in obese horses with insulin resistance.

PubMed

Frank, Nicholas; Elliott, Sarah B; Brandt, Laura E; Keisler, Duane H

2006-05-01

To compare obese horses with insulin resistance (IR) with nonobese horses and determine whether blood resting glucose, insulin, leptin, and lipid concentrations differed between groups and were correlated with combined glucose-insulin test (CGIT) results. 7 obese adult horses with IR (OB-IR group) and 5 nonobese mares. Physical measurements were taken, and blood samples were collected after horses had acclimated to the hospital for 3 days. Response to insulin was assessed by use of the CGIT, and maintenance of plasma glucose concentrations greater than the preinjection value for > or = 45 minutes was used to define IR. Area under the curve values for glucose (AUC(g)) and insulin (AUC(i)) concentrations were calculated. Morgan, Paso Fino, Quarter Horse, and Tennessee Walking Horse breeds were represented in the OB-IR group. Mean neck circumference and BCS differed significantly between groups and were positively correlated with AUC values. Resting insulin and leptin concentrations were 6 and 14 times as high, respectively, in the OB-IR group, compared with the nonobese group, and were significantly correlated with AUC(g) and AUC(i). Plasma nonesterified fatty acid, very low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were significantly higher (86%, 104%, and 29%, respectively) in OB-IR horses, and HDL-C concentrations were positively correlated with AUC values. Measurements of neck circumference and resting insulin and leptin concentrations can be used to screen obese horses for IR. Dyslipidemia is associated with IR in obese horses.

A comparison of methods to quantify the in-season training load of professional soccer players.

PubMed

Scott, Brendan R; Lockie, Robert G; Knight, Timothy J; Clark, Andrew C; Janse de Jonge, Xanne A K

2013-03-01

To compare various measures of training load (TL) derived from physiological (heart rate [HR]), perceptual (rating of perceived exertion [RPE]), and physical (global positioning system [GPS] and accelerometer) data during in-season field-based training for professional soccer. Fifteen professional male soccer players (age 24.9 ± 5.4 y, body mass 77.6 ± 7.5 kg, height 181.1 ± 6.9 cm) were assessed in-season across 97 individual training sessions. Measures of external TL (total distance [TD], the volume of low-speed activity [LSA; <14.4 km/h], high-speed running [HSR; >14.4 km/h], very high-speed running [VHSR; >19.8 km/h], and player load), HR and session-RPE (sRPE) scores were recorded. Internal TL scores (HR-based and sRPE-based) were calculated, and their relationships with measures of external TL were quantified using Pearson product-moment correlations. Physical measures of TD, LSA volume, and player load provided large, significant (r = .71-.84; P < .01) correlations with the HR-based and sRPE-based methods. Volume of HSR and VHSR provided moderate to large, significant (r = .40-.67; P < .01) correlations with measures of internal TL. While the volume of HSR and VHSR provided significant relationships with internal TL, physical-performance measures of TD, LSA volume, and player load appear to be more acceptable indicators of external TL, due to the greater magnitude of their correlations with measures of internal TL.

Effects of methamphetamine on the noradrenergic activity biomarker salivary alpha-amylase.

PubMed

Haile, Colin N; De La Garza, Richard; Mahoney, James J; Newton, Thomas F

2013-12-01

Methamphetamine (METH) potently activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) by increasing central and peripheral norepinephrine (NE). Salivary α-amylase (sAA) is a biomarker of SNS activation that correlates with plasma NE levels. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of METH on sAA activity and whether changes in sAA activity were correlated with subjective effects ratings. Non-treatment seeking METH-dependent volunteers (N=8) participated in this within-subjects laboratory-based study. Volunteers received randomly administered intravenous METH (0mg, 30 mg) and sAA activity, cardiovascular measures and subjective ratings were assessed at baseline (-15 min) and five post-METH time points (10, 20, 30, 45, and 60 min). METH (30 mg) increased sAA activity over time. sAA activity significantly correlated with diastolic blood pressure following 0mg METH and systolic blood pressure following 30 mg METH. Subjective ratings (ANY EFFECT, HIGH, GOOD, STIMULATED, LIKE, WLLING TO PAY) highly correlated with sAA over five post-METH time points (N=40; r's=0.543-0.684, p's<0.001). Age, body mass index and METH amount received on a mg/kg basis were significantly associated with sAA activity. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated sAA activity remained a significant predictor of subjective ratings following METH after controlling for these factors. The NE peripheral biomarker sAA activity is associated with METH's subjective effects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Correlation and path coefficient analysis of quantitative characters in spine gourd (Momordica dioica Roxb.).

PubMed

Aliya, F; Begum, H; Reddy, M T; Sivaraj, N; Pandravada, S R; Narshimulu, G

2014-05-01

Fifty genotypes of spine gourd (Momordica dioica Roxb.) were evaluated in a randomized block design with two replications at the Vegetable Research Station, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India during kharif, 2012. Correlation and path coefficient analysis were carried out to study the character association and contribution, respectively for twelve quantitative characters namely vine length (m), number of stems per plant, days to first female flower appearance, first female flowering node, days to first fruit harvest, days to last fruit harvest, fruiting period (days), fruit length (cm), fruit width (cm), fruit weight (g), number of fruits per plant and fruit yield per plant (kg) for identification of the potential selection indices. Correlation and path coefficient analyses revealed that fruiting period and number of fruits per plant not only had positively significant correlation with fruit yield but also had positively high direct effect on it and are regarded as the main determinants of fruit yield. Days to first fruit harvest had positively moderate direct effect on fruit yield and its association was negatively significant, days to last fruit harvest had negatively high direct effect on fruit yield and its association was significant positively, hence restricted simultaneous selection can be made for days to first fruit harvest and days to last fruit harvest. The improvement in fruit yield can be effective if selection is based on days to first fruit harvest, days to last fruit harvest, fruiting period and number of fruits per plant.

Dry eye in patients with fibromyalgia and its relevance to functional and emotional status.

PubMed

Türkyilmaz, Kemal; Türkyilmaz, Ayşegül Küçükali; Kurt, Emine Eda; Kurt, Ali; Öner, Veysi

2013-06-01

To evaluate dry eye in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Fifty-three FM patients and 53 age and sex well-matched controls were included in this study. Visual analog scale (VAS), number of tender points, FM impact questionnaire (FIQ), Beck depression scale (BDS), Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), the tear break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer test, and tear osmolarity (TO) were assessed. The OSDI, TBUT, Schirmer test, and TO scores of the FM and control groups were significantly different (P < 0.05). The OSDI, TBUT, Schirmer test, and TO were higher in FM with high FIQ, and TBUT and TO were higher in FM with high BDS. In FM patients, Schirmer test was correlated with the VAS (r = -0.429, P = 0.001), BDS (r = -0.277, P = 0.044), and FIQ (r = -0.382, P = 0.005), and the TBUT was correlated with the VAS (r = -0.537, P < 0.001), BDS (r = -0.350, P = 0.010), and FIQ (r = -0.456, P = 0.001). In addition, TO was significantly correlated with the VAS (r = 0.681, P < 0.001), BDS (r = 0.661, P < 0.001), and FIQ (r = 0.842, P < 0.001). However, no significant correlation existed between the OSDI and the VAS, BDS, or FIQ. We have revealed an association between FM disease activity and dry eye severity. The consideration of this relation will be useful in the treatment of FM with deteriorated clinical status.

A novel technique for bedside anorectal manometry in humans.

PubMed

Bharucha, A E; Stroetz, R; Feuerhak, K; Szarka, L A; Zinsmeister, A R

2015-10-01

Currently, anorectal manometry (ARM), which is used to diagnose defecatory disorders and identify anal weakness in fecal incontinence (FI) is generally conducted in specialized laboratories. Our aims were to compare anorectal functions measured with high-resolution manometry (HRM) and a novel portable manometry device. Anal pressures at rest, during squeeze, and simulated evacuation, and rectal sensation were evaluated with portable and HRM in 20 healthy women, 19 women with constipation, and 11 with FI. The relationship between anal pressures measured with portable and HRM was assessed by the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), Bland Altman test, and paired t-tests. Anal pressures at rest (CCC 0.45; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.58) and during squeeze (CCC 0.60; 95% CI: 0.46, 0.72) measured with portable and HRM were correlated and inversely associated with the risk of FI. During simulated evacuation, the CCC for rectal pressure (0.62; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.76) was greater than that for anal pressure (CCC 0.22; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.39) and the rectoanal gradient (CCC 0.22; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.41). Rectal sensory thresholds for first sensation, the desire to defecate, and urgency measured by portable and HRM were also significantly correlated between techniques. For several parameters, differences between portable and HRM were statistically significant and the Bland Altman test was positive. Anorectal pressures and rectal sensation can be conveniently measured by portable manometry and are significantly correlated with high-resolution manometry. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quantum key distribution with an efficient countermeasure against correlated intensity fluctuations in optical pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshino, Ken-ichiro; Fujiwara, Mikio; Nakata, Kensuke; Sumiya, Tatsuya; Sasaki, Toshihiko; Takeoka, Masahiro; Sasaki, Masahide; Tajima, Akio; Koashi, Masato; Tomita, Akihisa

2018-03-01

Quantum key distribution (QKD) allows two distant parties to share secret keys with the proven security even in the presence of an eavesdropper with unbounded computational power. Recently, GHz-clock decoy QKD systems have been realized by employing ultrafast optical communication devices. However, security loopholes of high-speed systems have not been fully explored yet. Here we point out a security loophole at the transmitter of the GHz-clock QKD, which is a common problem in high-speed QKD systems using practical band-width limited devices. We experimentally observe the inter-pulse intensity correlation and modulation pattern-dependent intensity deviation in a practical high-speed QKD system. Such correlation violates the assumption of most security theories. We also provide its countermeasure which does not require significant changes of hardware and can generate keys secure over 100 km fiber transmission. Our countermeasure is simple, effective and applicable to wide range of high-speed QKD systems, and thus paves the way to realize ultrafast and security-certified commercial QKD systems.

[Liver and heart T2* measurement in secondary haemochromatosis].

PubMed

Barrera Portillo, M C; Uranga Uranga, M; Sánchez González, J; Alústiza Echeverría, J M; Gervás Wells, C; Guisasola Íñiguez, A

2013-01-01

To determine whether there is iron overload by calculating the T2* value in the liver and myocardium in patients with secondary haemochromatosis. To analyse the correlation of the values obtained with the iron levels in blood, with the liver iron concentration (LIC) calculated using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and the correlation between them. A total of 16 patients (13 males, 3 females), with a mean age of 61 years, were included and evaluated in the years 2008 and 2009. Fifteen of them had received multiple transfusions, and one was diagnosed with hereditary sideroblastic anaemia. The measurements included, blood ferritin, LIC by MRI, cardiac function using MRI and the T2* value by means of multi-echo sequences in the liver (TR/TE1/ΔTE/No of echos/α: 21/1,18/1.0/20/35°) and myocardium (26/1.04/0.8/30/60°). A correlation-regression analysis was performed by comparing the cardiac and liver T2* values with the ferritin, LIC and between each of them. A total of 13 patients had ferritin values greater than 1000ng/ml (median/minimum/maximum: 1762/294/3785ng/ml). An increased LIC greater than 80μmol/g (median/minimum/maximum: 125.4/41.2/241.5μmol/g) was observed in 13 patients. In all cases cardiac function was conserved, and in 15 cases the liver T2* value was less than 6.3ms. The myocardium T2* value was less than 20ms. in only one case. A high correlation was observed between the liver T2* values and the LIC (r:-0.912). The correlation was statistically significant between the liver T2* value and ferritin (r:-0.541). The correlations between myocardium T2* and ferritin, myocardium T2* and LIC, and myocardium T2* and liver T2* were not statistically significant. The liver T2* showed a high correlation with LIC and a statistically significant correlation with ferritin. No association was observed between the myocardium T2* values and ferritin in blood, the LIC or the liver T2* value. Copyright © 2011 SERAM. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Validity of selected physical activity questions in white Seventh-day Adventists and non-Adventists.

PubMed

Singh, P N; Tonstad, S; Abbey, D E; Fraser, G E

1996-08-01

The validity and reliability of selected physical activity questions were assessed in both Seventh-day Adventist (N = 131) and non-Adventist (N = 101) study groups. Vigorous activity questions similar to those used by others and new questions that measured moderate and light activities were included. Validation was external, comparing questionnaire data with treadmill exercise time, resting heart rate, and body mass index (kg.m-2), and internal, comparing data with other similar questions. Both Adventist and non-Adventist males showed significant age-adjusted correlations between treadmill time and a "Run-Walk-Jog Index" (R = 0.28, R = 0.48, respectively). These correlations increased substantially when restricting analysis to exercise speeds exceeding 3 mph (R = 0.39, R = 0.71, respectively). Frequency of sweating and a vigorous physical activity index also correlated significantly with treadmill time in males. Correlations were generally weaker in females. Moderate- and light-intensity questions were not correlated with physical fitness. Internal correlations R = 0.50-0.78) between the above three vigorous activity questions were significant in all groups, and correlations (R = 0.14-0.60) for light and moderate activity questions were also documented. Test-retest reliability coefficients were high for vigorous activity questions (R = 0.48-0.85) and for one set of moderate activity questions (R = 0.43-0.75). No important differences in validity and reliability were found between Adventist and non-Adventists, but the validity of vigorous activity measures was generally weaker in females.

Correlation between reactive oxygen metabolites & atherosclerotic risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Kotani, Kazuhiko; Tsuzaki, Kokoro; Taniguchi, Nobuyuki; Sakane, Naoki

2013-04-01

Oxidative stress plays important roles in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The diacron reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs) test has been used in the clinics. The present study was aimed to investigate the correlation of the oxidative stress status, as evaluated by the d-ROMs, with atherosclerotic risk factors in T2DM patients, in comparison to controls. The study included 200 subjects (100 patients with T2DM and 100 controls; 86 males/114 females; mean age 59.0 yr). Clinical variables including the body mass index, blood pressure (BP), glucose and lipid panels, in addition to the d-ROMs, were measured. Patients with T2DM showed significantly higher d-ROMs levels than controls (322 ± 60 vs. 345 ± 64 U. Carr., P<0.05). A multiple linear regression analysis revealed that systolic BP (β=0.26, P<0.05) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C: β= -0.30, P<0.05) were independently and significantly correlated with the d-ROMs levels in patients with T2DM, although these correlations were not significant in the controls. The gender-based analysis showed that systolic BP (β = 0.44, P<0.05) and HDL-C (β = -0.36, P<0.05) were independently and significantly correlated with the d-ROMs levels in females with T2DM, while there was a marginally significant correlation between HDL-C and the d-ROMs levels (β = -0.36, P=0.06) in males with T2DM. The present findings may reinforce the importance of BP control in female patients with T2DM, as well as the management of HDL-C in male and female patients with T2DM, under the linkage between oxidative stress and atherosclerosis.

Poincaré plot analysis of autocorrelation function of RR intervals in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Chuang, Shin-Shin; Wu, Kung-Tai; Lin, Chen-Yang; Lee, Steven; Chen, Gau-Yang; Kuo, Cheng-Deng

2014-08-01

The Poincaré plot of RR intervals (RRI) is obtained by plotting RRIn+1 against RRIn. The Pearson correlation coefficient (ρRRI), slope (SRRI), Y-intercept (YRRI), standard deviation of instantaneous beat-to-beat RRI variability (SD1RR), and standard deviation of continuous long-term RRI variability (SD2RR) can be defined to characterize the plot. Similarly, the Poincaré plot of autocorrelation function (ACF) of RRI can be obtained by plotting ACFk+1 against ACFk. The corresponding Pearson correlation coefficient (ρACF), slope (SACF), Y-intercept (YACF), SD1ACF, and SD2ACF can be defined similarly to characterize the plot. By comparing the indices of Poincaré plots of RRI and ACF between patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and patients with patent coronary artery (PCA), we found that the ρACF and SACF were significantly larger, whereas the RMSSDACF/SDACF and SD1ACF/SD2ACF were significantly smaller in AMI patients. The ρACF and SACF correlated significantly and negatively with normalized high-frequency power (nHFP), and significantly and positively with normalized very low-frequency power (nVLFP) of heart rate variability in both groups of patients. On the contrary, the RMSSDACF/SDACF and SD1ACF/SD2ACF correlated significantly and positively with nHFP, and significantly and negatively with nVLFP and low-/high-frequency power ratio (LHR) in both groups of patients. We concluded that the ρACF, SACF, RMSSDACF/SDACF, and SD1ACF/SD2ACF, among many other indices of ACF Poincaré plot, can be used to differentiate between patients with AMI and patients with PCA, and that the increase in ρACF and SACF and the decrease in RMSSDACF/SDACF and SD1ACF/SD2ACF suggest an increased sympathetic and decreased vagal modulations in both groups of patients.

Drinking water contamination by chromium and lead in industrial lands of Karachi.

PubMed

Nadeem-ul-Haq; Arain, Mubashir Aslam; Haque, Zeba; Badar, Nasira; Mughal, Noman

2009-05-01

To identify and quantify chromium and lead as contaminant in water sources of Karachi. This water assessment survey was conducted from June 2007 to February 2008 in all the 18 towns of Karachi. In total 216 water samples were collected from ground (n=108) and surface water sources (n = 108). Water samples were collected in a liter polyethylene acid resistant bottle with extreme care to prevent contamination and concentrations of heavy metals (chromium and lead). Metallic ion contents were estimated by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Statistical analysis was done by applying T-test and chi-square for continuous and categorical variables respectively at 95% confidence level; Pearson correlation was also determined between chromium and lead concentrations. A total of 187 water samples had lead concentration higher than the maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) in drinking water, established by WHO (10 PPB) and lead contaminated sources were in significantly higher proportion than chromium contaminated water samples (n = 49) [chi2 = 128; P- < 0.001]. Mean chromium concentration in ground water was (micro = 49; SE = 3.8) was significantly higher than mean chromium concentration (micro = 33, SE = 3.5) in surface water (P = 0.003). There was a significant and positive correlation between chromium and lead concentrations in ground water (P = 0.04) however Pearson correlation was not significant for surface water (P = 0.6). Industrial towns (Korangi, Landhi and SITE) had significantly higher concentration of chromium (micro = 82.4; SE = 8.9) in their ground and tap water as compared to the mean chromium concentration (micro = 33; SE = 2.2) in the water samples of rest of the towns of Karachi (P < 0.001). Chromium and Lead levels are high in almost all ground water sources, however extremely high concentrations were found in industrial areas. Presence of any one of the heavy metal contamination necessitate the need for the estimation of other heavy metals as significant positive correlation was found between chromium and lead concentration, indicating the possibility of similar contamination sources in Karachi.

On the significance of δ13C correlations in ancient sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derry, Louis A.

2010-08-01

A graphical analysis of the correlations between δc and ɛTOC was introduced by Rothman et al. (2003) to obtain estimates of the carbon isotopic composition of inputs to the oceans and the organic carbon burial fraction. Applied to Cenozoic data, the method agrees with independent estimates, but with Neoproterozoic data the method yields results that cannot be accommodated with standard models of sedimentary carbon isotope mass balance. We explore the sensitivity of the graphical correlation method and find that the variance ratio between δc and δo is an important control on the correlation of δc and ɛ. If the variance ratio σc/ σo ≥ 1 highly correlated arrays very similar to those obtained from the data are produced from independent random variables. The Neoproterozoic data shows such variance patterns, and the regression parameters for the Neoproterozoic data are statistically indistinguishable from the randomized model at the 95% confidence interval. The projection of the data into δc- ɛ space cannot distinguish between signal and noise, such as post-depositional alteration, under these circumstances. There appears to be no need to invoke unusual carbon cycle dynamics to explain the Neoproterozoic δc- ɛ array. The Cenozoic data have σc/ σo < 1 and the δc vs. ɛ correlation is probably geologically significant, but the analyzed sample size is too small to yield statistically significant results.

Neighbourhood environment correlates of physical activity: a study of eight Czech regional towns.

PubMed

Sigmundová, Dagmar; El Ansari, Walid; Sigmund, Erik

2011-02-01

An adequate amount of physical activity (PA) is a key factor that is associated with good health. This study assessed socio-environmental factors associated with meeting the health recommendations for PA (achieving 10,000 steps per day). In total, 1,653 respondents randomly selected from across eight regional towns (each >90,000 inhabitants) in the Czech Republic participated in the study. The ANEWS questionnaire assessed the environment in neighbourhoods, and participants' weekly PA was objectively monitored (Yamax Digiwalker SW-700 pedometer). About 24% of participants were sufficiently active, 27% were highly active; 28% participants were overweight and 5% were obese. Although BMI was significantly inversely associated with the daily step counts achieved only in females, for both genders, BMI was generally not significantly associated with the criterion of achieving 10,000 steps per day during the week. Increased BMI in both genders was accompanied with a decline in participation in organized PA and with increasing age. As regards to the demographic/lifestyle factors, for females, more participation in organized PA was significantly positively correlated with the achieved daily step counts. In contrast, older age and higher BMI (for females) and smoking (for males) were significantly negatively correlated with the achieved daily step counts. In terms of the environmental aspects, pleasant environments were significantly positively correlated to daily step counts for both genders. Additionally, for males, better residencies (more family homes rather than apartment blocks) in the neighbourhood were significantly positively correlated with their daily step counts. For females, less accessibility of shops and non-sport facilities (depending on walking distance in minutes) were significantly negatively correlated to the achieved daily step counts. Individuals who lived in pleasant neighbourhoods, with better access to shops and who participated in organized PA (≥ 2 times a week) tended to meet the recommendations for health-enhancing PA levels. The creation of physical activity-friendly environments could be associated with enhancing people's achieved daily step counts and meeting the health criteria for PA.

Zinc, lead, and cadmium levels in serum and milk of lactating women in Ibadan, Nigeria.

PubMed

Edem, Victory Fabian; Akintunde, Kikelomo; Adelaja, Yewande Adeola; Nwozo, Sarah O; Charles-Davies, Mabel

2017-01-01

Zinc (Zn) is known to interact with lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) reversing their toxicity and reducing their concentrations. However, lactating women are at high risk of developing Zn deficiency, which may result in Pb and Cd intoxication or increased exposure of breast-fed infants to Pb and Cd from breast milk. The aim of this study was to determine Zn, Pb, and Cd concentrations and examine their relationship in serum and breast milk of lactating women in Ibadan, Nigeria. Ninety-two lactating women were recruited into this study. Anthropometric measurements were assessed by standard methods while serum and breast milk concentrations of Zn, Pb, and Cd were assessed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Data analyzed statistically by Student's t test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and a multiple regression model were significant at p < 0.05. Zn deficiency was observed in 12 (17.1%) of lactating women. Breast milk levels of Zn, Pb, and Cd were significantly higher than their levels in serum, whereas the ratios Zn:Pb and Zn:Cd in milk were significantly less than serum ratios. Significant negative correlation was observed between milk Pb and serum Zn:Pb while milk Cd correlated positively with milk Zn. Significant positive correlations were observed between serum Zn and serum Zn:Pb, serum Zn and serum Zn:Cd, as well as serum Zn:Cd and serum Zn:Pb. Serum Cd and serum Zn were significantly negatively related. Significant negative correlations between serum Pb and serum Zn:Pb as well as milk Zn:Pb. Serum Cd and serum Zn:Pb as well as serum Zn:Cd correlated negatively. Milk Cd and Zn/Cd positively related with milk Pb while milk Zn was a negatively related with milk Pb in a multiple regression model ( R 2 = 0.333; p = 0.023). Breast milk may be contaminated by toxic metals. However, Zn supplementation in deficient mothers may protect maternal and infant health.

[Clinical significance and distribution of BRCA genes mutation in sporadic high grade serous ovarian cancer].

PubMed

Liu, W L; Wang, Z Z; Zhao, J Z; Hou, Y Y; Wu, X X; Li, W; Dong, B; Tong, T T; Guo, Y J

2017-01-25

Objective: To investigate the mutations of BRCA genes in sporadic high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) and study its clinical significance. Methods: Sixty-eight patients between January 2015 and January 2016 from the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University were collected who were based on pathological diagnosis of ovarian cancer and had no reported family history, and all patients firstly hospitalized were untreated in other hospitals before. (1) The BRCA genes were detected by next-generation sequencing (NGS) method. (2) The serum tumor markers included carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA(125), CA(199), and human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) were detected by the chemiluminescence methods, and their correlation was analyzed by Pearson linear correlation. Descriptive statistics and comparisons were performed using two-tailed t -tests, Pearson's chi square test, Fisher's exact tests or logistic regression analysis as appropriate to research the clinicopathologic features associated with BRCA mutations, including age, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage, platinum-based chemotherapy sensitivity, distant metastases, serum tumor markers (STM) . Results: (1) Fifteen cases (22%, 15/68) BRCA mutations were identified (BRCA1: 11 cases; BRCA2: 4 cases), and four novel mutations were observed. (2) The levels of CEA, CA(199), and HE4 were lower in BRCA mutations compared to that in control group, while no significant differences were found ( P >0.05), but the level of CA(125) was much higher in BRCA mutation group than that in controls ( t =-3.536, P =0.003). Further linear regression analysis found that there was a significant linear correlation between CA(125) and HE4 group ( r =0.494, P <0.01), and the same correlation as CEA and CA(199) group ( r =0.897, P <0.01). (3) Single factor analysis showed that no significant differences were observed in onset age, FIGO stage, distant metastasis, and STM between BRCA(+) and BRCA(-) group ( P >0.05), while significant differences were found in CA(125) and sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy between the patients with BRCA mutation and wild type ( P <0.05). The multiple factors analysis showed that the high level of CA(125) was a independent risk factor of BRCA mutations in sporadic HGSOC ( P =0.007). Conclusion: The combination of CA(125) with BRCA have great clinical significance, the mutation of BRCA gene could guild the clinical chemotherapy regiments.

"When Music Speaks": Auditory Cortex Morphology as a Neuroanatomical Marker of Language Aptitude and Musicality.

PubMed

Turker, Sabrina; Reiterer, Susanne M; Seither-Preisler, Annemarie; Schneider, Peter

2017-01-01

Recent research has shown that the morphology of certain brain regions may indeed correlate with a number of cognitive skills such as musicality or language ability. The main aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which foreign language aptitude, in particular phonetic coding ability, is influenced by the morphology of Heschl's gyrus (HG; auditory cortex), working memory capacity, and musical ability. In this study, the auditory cortices of German-speaking individuals ( N = 30; 13 males/17 females; aged 20-40 years) with high and low scores in a number of language aptitude tests were compared. The subjects' language aptitude was measured by three different tests, namely a Hindi speech imitation task (phonetic coding ability), an English pronunciation assessment, and the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). Furthermore, working memory capacity and musical ability were assessed to reveal their relationship with foreign language aptitude. On the behavioral level, significant correlations were found between phonetic coding ability, English pronunciation skills, musical experience, and language aptitude as measured by the MLAT. Parts of all three tests measuring language aptitude correlated positively and significantly with each other, supporting their validity for measuring components of language aptitude. Remarkably, the number of instruments played by subjects showed significant correlations with all language aptitude measures and musicality, whereas, the number of foreign languages did not show any correlations. With regard to the neuroanatomy of auditory cortex, adults with very high scores in the Hindi testing and the musicality test (AMMA) demonstrated a clear predominance of complete posterior HG duplications in the right hemisphere. This may reignite the discussion of the importance of the right hemisphere for language processing, especially when linked or common resources are involved, such as the inter-dependency between phonetic and musical aptitude.

Correlation of Insurance, Race, and Ethnicity with Pathologic Risk in a Controlled Retinoblastoma Cohort: A Children's Oncology Group Study.

PubMed

Green, Adam L; Chintagumpala, Murali; Krailo, Mark; Langholz, Bryan; Albert, Daniel; Eagle, Ralph; Cockburn, Myles; Chevez-Barrios, Patricia; Rodriguez-Galindo, Carlos

2016-08-01

To determine whether insurance status, race, and ethnicity correlate with increased retinoblastoma invasiveness as a marker of both risk and time to diagnosis. Retrospective case-control study. All 203 patients from the United States enrolled in the Children's Oncology Group (COG) trial ARET0332, a study of patients with unilateral retinoblastoma requiring enucleation. All surgical specimens underwent pathologic review to determine the presence of well-defined histopathologic features correlating with a higher risk of disease progression. Insurance status, race, and ethnicity were compiled from the study record for each patient. On institutional pathologic review, nonprivate insurance, nonwhite race, and Hispanic ethnicity all correlated significantly with a greater rate of high-risk pathologic findings. Hispanic ethnicity remained a significant predictor on multivariate analysis. On central pathologic review, these correlations remained but did not reach statistical significance. The differences in results from institutional versus central pathologic reviews appeared to be due to a higher likelihood of patients in minority groups of being misclassified as high risk by institutional pathologists. In this controlled study population of patients with retinoblastoma who had central pathologic review, our findings suggest a higher rate of more advanced disease associated with nonprivate insurance, nonwhite race, and Hispanic ethnicity; these findings may be due to delays in diagnosis for these groups. Future work should use direct methods to study the impact of other variables, including English-language proficiency and socioeconomic status. Further effort also should focus on where in the diagnostic process potential delays exist, so that interventions can be designed to overcome barriers to care for these groups. In addition, potential systematic differences in pathologic reads based on demographic variables deserve further study. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Variation in the stress response between high- and low-neuroticism female undergraduates across the menstrual cycle.

PubMed

Liu, Qing; Zhou, Renlai; Oei, Tian P S; Wang, Qingguo; Zhao, Yan; Liu, Yanfeng

2013-09-01

This study was undertaken to elucidate possible relationships between menstrual cycle stage, neuroticism and behavioral and physiological responses to a cognitive challenge. The study investigated the differences between high neuroticism and low neuroticism groups across the menstrual cycle (luteal, menstrual and ovulatory stages). The Stroop color-naming task was used as a stressor. During the task, the galvanic skin response (GSR), heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) were simultaneously recorded by a polygraph. The results showed a significant difference in reaction times (RT) on the Stroop task between the high- and low-neuroticism groups during menstruation. However, there were no significant RT differences between groups during the luteal or ovulatory cycle stages. The GSR of the high-neuroticism group during menstruation was significantly lower than it was in the luteal and ovulatory stages. Moreover, during menstruation, the cardiovascular responses (high-frequency HRV (HF) and low-frequency HRV (LF)) and accuracy on the Stroop task were positively correlated, while the correlations between HF, LF and the RT were negative. The results demonstrate that during menstruation, there were consistent variations in female behavior and physiology when facing a cognitive stressor. Specifically, the high-neuroticism group was more sensitive to the stressor than the low neuroticism group, with decreased reaction time on the Stroop task, and increased GSR and HRV.

Clinical and biochemical presentation of sarcoidosis with high and normal serum angiotensin-converting enzyme.

PubMed

Sejdic, A; Graudal, N; Baslund, B

2018-06-22

The presentation of sarcoidosis can involve symptoms from all organs and the diagnosis is therefore often difficult. A raised serum level of serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (sACE) can be detected in 41-58% of patients. However, whether the sACE level per se reflects the severity of the sarcoid inflammation at the onset of the disease is not well described. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and laboratory significance of high versus normal sACE levels in sarcoidosis. Journal data were retrospectively extracted from 101 patients from our clinic. Clinical and biochemical data were compared between patients with high sACE levels (> 115 U/L) on at least one occasion and normal sACE levels (< 115 U/L). In total, 48% (n = 48) of the patients had high ACE and 52% (n = 53) had normal ACE. The most common extrapulmonary manifestation for both groups was arthritis, followed by skin and eye involvement, but none of these differed between the two groups. Serum ionized calcium was significantly higher in the high sACE group, with a correlation coefficient of 0.112 (p = 0.460). Our study demonstrates that serum ionized calcium is significantly higher in the high sACE group but there was no statistical correlation to sACE. No other clinical or biochemical differences were observed.

A novel coefficient for detecting and quantifying asymmetry of California electricity market based on asymmetric detrended cross-correlation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fang

2016-06-01

In order to detect and quantify asymmetry of two time series, a novel cross-correlation coefficient is proposed based on recent asymmetric detrended cross-correlation analysis (A-DXA), which we called A-DXA coefficient. The A-DXA coefficient, as an important extension of DXA coefficient ρ D X A , contains two directional asymmetric cross-correlated indexes, describing upwards and downwards asymmetric cross-correlations, respectively. By using the information of directional covariance function of two time series and directional variance function of each series itself instead of power-law between the covariance function and time scale, the proposed A-DXA coefficient can well detect asymmetry between the two series no matter whether the cross-correlation is significant or not. By means of the proposed A-DXA coefficient conducted over the asymmetry for California electricity market, we found that the asymmetry between the prices and loads is not significant for daily average data in 1999 yr market (before electricity crisis) but extremely significant for those in 2000 yr market (during the crisis). To further uncover the difference of asymmetry between the years 1999 and 2000, a modified H statistic (MH) and ΔMH statistic are proposed. One of the present contributions is that the high MH values calculated for hourly data exist in majority months in 2000 market. Another important conclusion is that the cross-correlation with downwards dominates over the whole 1999 yr in contrast to the cross-correlation with upwards dominates over the 2000 yr.

Flaxseed oil supplementation manipulates correlations between serum individual mol % free fatty acid levels and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetics. Insulin resistance and percent remaining pancreatic β-cell function are unaffected.

PubMed

Barre, D E; Mizier-Barre, K A; Griscti, O; Hafez, K

2016-10-01

Elevated total serum free fatty acids (FFAs) concentrations have been suggested, controversially, to enhance insulin resistance and decrease percent remaining β-cell function. However, concentrations of individual serum FFAs have never been published in terms of their relationship (correlation) to homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and percent remaining β-cell function (HOMA-%β) in the type 2 diabetics (T2Ds). Alpha-linolenic acid consumption has a negative correlation with the insulin resistance, which in turn is negatively correlated with the remaining β-cell function. The primary objective was to test the hypothesis that there would be different relationship (correlation) between the blood serum individual free FFA mol % levels and HOMA-IR and/or HOMA-%β in T2D. The secondary objective was to test the hypothesis that flaxseed oil, previously being shown to be ineffective in the glycemic control in T2Ds, may alter these correlations in a statistically significant manner as well as HOMA-IR and/or HOMA-%β. Patients were recruited via a newspaper advertisement and two physicians have been employed. All the patients came to visit one and three months later for a second visit. At the second visit, the subjects were randomly assigned (double blind) to flaxseed or safflower oil treatment for three months, until the third visit. Different statistically significant correlations or trends towards among some serum individual free FFA mol % levels and HOMA-IR and HOMA-%β, pre- and post-flaxseed and safflower oil supplementation were found. However, flaxseed oil had no impact on HOMA-IR or HOMA-%β despite statistically significant alterations in correlations compared to baseline HOMA-IR. The obtained data indicate that high doses of flaxseed oil have no statistically significant effect on HOMA-IR or HOMA-%β in T2Ds, probably due to the additive effects of negative and positive correlations.

[Relationships of forest fire with lightning in Daxing' anling Mountains, Northeast China].

PubMed

Lei, Xiao-Li; Zhou, Guang-Sheng; Jia, Bing-Rui; Li, Shuai

2012-07-01

Forest fire is an important factor affecting forest ecosystem succession. Recently, forest fire, especially forest lightning fire, shows an increasing trend under global warming. To study the relationships of forest fire with lightning is essential to accurately predict the forest fire in time. Daxing' anling Mountains is a region with high frequency of forest lightning fire in China, and an important experiment site to study the relationships of forest fire with lightning. Based on the forest fire records and the corresponding lightning and meteorological observation data in the Mountains from 1966 to 2007, this paper analyzed the relationships of forest fire with lightning in this region. In the period of 1966-2007, both the lightning fire number and the fired forest area in this region increased significantly. The meteorological factors affecting the forest lighting fire were related to temporal scales. At yearly scale, the forest lightning fire was significantly correlated with precipitation, with a correlation coefficient of -0.489; at monthly scale, it had a significant correlation with air temperature, the correlation coefficient being 0.18. The relationship of the forest lightning fire with lightning was also related to temporal scales. At yearly scale, there was no significant correlation between them; at monthly scale, the forest lightning fire was strongly correlated with lightning and affected by precipitation; at daily scale, a positive correlation was observed between forest lightning fire and lightning when the precipitation was less than 5 mm. According to these findings, a fire danger index based on ADTD lightning detection data was established, and a forest lightning fire forecast model was developed. The prediction accuracy of this model for the forest lightning fire in Daxing' anling Mountains in 2005-2007 was > 80%.

Association between antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from food animals and blood stream isolates from humans in Europe: an ecological study.

PubMed

Vieira, Antonio R; Collignon, Peter; Aarestrup, Frank M; McEwen, Scott A; Hendriksen, Rene S; Hald, Tine; Wegener, Henrik C

2011-12-01

In addition to medical antimicrobial usage, the use of antimicrobials in food animals contributes to the occurrence of resistance among some bacterial species isolated from infections in humans. Recently, several studies have indicated that a large proportion of Escherichia coli causing infections in humans, especially those resistant to antimicrobials, have an animal origin. We analyzed the correlation between the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in E. coli isolates from blood stream infections in humans and in E. coli isolates from poultry, pigs, and cattle between 2005 and 2008 for 11 countries, using available surveillance data. We also assessed the correlation between human antimicrobial usage and the occurrence of resistance in E. coli isolates from blood stream infections. Strong and significant correlations between prevalences of resistance to ampicillin (r=0.94), aminoglycosides (r=0.72), third-generation cephalosporins (r=0.76), and fluoroquinolones (r=0.68) were observed for human and poultry E. coli isolates. Similar significant correlations were observed for ampicillin (r=0.91), aminoglycosides (r=0.73), and fluoroquinolone resistance (r=0.74) in pig and human isolates. In cattle isolates, only ampicillin resistance (r=0.72) was significantly correlated to human isolates. When usage of antimicrobials in humans was analyzed with antimicrobial resistance among human isolates, only correlations between fluoroquinolones (r=0.90) and third-generation cephalosporins (r=0.75) were significant. Resistance in E. coli isolates from food animals (especially poultry and pigs) was highly correlated with resistance in isolates from humans. This supports the hypothesis that a large proportion of resistant E. coli isolates causing blood stream infections in people may be derived from food sources.

A Millennial-length Reconstruction of the Western Pacific Pattern with Associated Paleoclimate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, W. E.; Guan, B. T.; Wei, K.

2010-12-01

The Western Pacific Pattern (WP) is a lesser known 500 hPa pressure pattern similar to the NAO or PNA. As defined, the poles of the WP index are centered on 60°N over the Kamchatka peninsula and the neighboring Pacific and on 32.5°N over the western north Pacific. However, the area of influence for the southern half of the dipole includes a wide swath from East Asia, across Taiwan, through the Philippine Sea, to the western north Pacific. Tree rings of Taiwanese Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana in this extended region show significant correlation with the WP, and with local temperature. The WP is also significantly correlated with atmospheric temperatures over Taiwan, especially at 850hPa and 700 hPa, pressure levels that bracket the tree site. Spectral analysis indicates that variations in the WP occur at relatively high frequency, with most power at less than 5 years. Simple linear regression against high frequency variants of the tree-ring chronology yielded the most significant correlation coefficients. Two reconstructions are presented. The first uses a tree-ring time series produced as the first intrinsic mode function (IMF) from an Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD), based on the Hilbert-Huang Transform. The significance of the regression using the EEMD-derived time series was much more significant than time series produced using traditional high pass filtering. The second also uses the first IMF of a tree-ring time series, but the dataset was first sorted and partitioned at a specified quantile prior to EEMD decomposition, with the mean of the partitioned data forming the input to the EEMD. The partitioning was done to filter out the less climatically sensitive tree rings, a common problem with shade tolerant trees. Time series statistics indicate that the first reconstruction is reliable to 1241 of the Common Era. Reliability of the second reconstruction is dependent on the development of statistics related to the quantile partitioning, and the consequent reduction in sample depth. However, the correlation coefficients from regressions over the instrumental period greatly exceed those from any other method of chronology generation, and so the technique holds promise. Additional atmospheric parameters having significant correlations against the WPO and tree ring time series with similar spatial patterns are also presented. These include vertical wind shear (850hPa-700hPa) over the northern Philippines and the Philippine Sea, surface Omega and 850hPa v-winds over the East China Sea, Japan and Taiwan. Possible links to changes in the subtropical jet stream will also be discussed.

Co-relationship between sexual dysfunction and high-risk sexual behavior in patients receiving buprenorphine and naltrexone maintenance therapy for opioid dependence.

PubMed

Ramdurg, Santosh; Ambekar, Atul; Lal, Rakesh

2015-01-01

People suffering from substance dependence suffer from various sexual dysfunctions and are at risk for indulging in various high-risk sexual behaviors and thus are vulnerable to acquire various infections such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. The aim of the study was to evaluate the correlation between sexual dysfunction and high-risk sexual behavior in opioid-dependent men receiving buprenorphine and naltrexone maintenance therapy. Semi-structured questionnaire, brief male sexual functioning inventory and HIV-risk taking behavior scale was administered to a sample of 60 sexually active men, receiving buprenorphine (n = 30) and naltrexone (n = 30) maintenance therapy for opioid dependence. The main outcomes are correlation between severity of sexual dysfunction and HIV-risk taking behavior. The study results showed 83% of the men on buprenorphine and 90% on naltrexone reported at least one of the sexual dysfunction symptoms. There was a negative correlation between sexual dysfunction and HIV-risk taking behavior that suggest severe the dysfunction, higher the risk taking behavior. Significant correlation was present with overall sexual dysfunction and HIV-risk taking behavior (P = 0.028 and in naltrexone receiving group premature ejaculation versus HIV-risk taking behavior however, (P = 0.022, P < 0.05) there were no significant differences among both the groups except above findings. Conclusion was treatment is associated with sexual dysfunctions and HIV-risk taking behavior, which has clinical implication. Future research should explore this further using biochemical analyses.

Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea is Related to Aldosterone Status in Subjects with Resistant Hypertension

PubMed Central

Gonzaga, Carolina C.; Gaddam, Krishna K.; Ahmed, Mustafa I.; Pimenta, Eduardo; Thomas, S. Justin; Harding, Susan M.; Oparil, Suzanne; Cofield, Stacey S.; Calhoun, David A.

2010-01-01

Background: We previously described a significant correlation between plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with resistant hypertension. This investigation examines the relationship between aldosterone status and OSA in patients with resistant hypertensive—with and without hyperaldosteronism. Methods and Results: One hundred and nine consecutive patients with resistant hypertension were prospectively evaluated with plasma renin activity (PRA), PAC, 24-hour urinary aldosterone excretion (UAldo), and polysomnography. Hyperaldosteronism (PRA < 1 ng·mL-1·h-1 and UAldo ≥ 12 μg/24-h) prevalence was 28% and OSA prevalence was 77%. In patients with hyperaldosteronism, OSA prevalence was 84%, compared with 74% in hypertensive patients with normal aldosterone levels. There were no significant differences in body mass index or neck circumference between aldosterone groups. PAC and UAldo were both significantly correlated with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in the high-aldosterone group (ρ = 0.568, p = 0.0009; ρ = 0.533, p = 0.002, respectively). UAldo correlated weakly with apnea-hypopnea index in the normal-aldosterone group, but there was no significant correlation between PAC and AHI in the normal-aldosterone group (ρ = 0.224, p = 0.049; ρ = 0.015, p = 0.898, respectively). Conclusions: Our analysis of patients with resistant hypertension confirms a markedly high prevalence of OSA in this group. Furthermore, severity of OSA was greater in those patients with hyperaldosteronism and related to the degree of aldosterone excess. The correlation between OSA severity and aldosterone supports the hypothesis that aldosterone excess contributes to greater severity of OSA. Citation: Gonzaga CC; Gaddam KK; Ahmed MI; Pimenta E; Thomas SJ; Harding SM; Oparil S; Cofield SS; Calhoun DA. Severity of obstructive sleep apnea is related to aldosterone status in subjects with resistant hypertension. J Clin Sleep Med 2010;6(4):363-368. PMID:20726285

Maritime Coastlines: A New Ecosystem for Dendrochronological Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucker, C. S.; Trepanier, J. C.; Harley, G. L.; DeLong, K. L.

2017-12-01

Research at the forefront of dendrochronology is investigating the usefulness of coastal tree-ring chronologies as climatic and environmental proxies. We hypothesize trees growing on the margin of freshwater-brackish environments are sensitive to climate variability similar to those in other climatically stressed regions (e.g., the arid Southwest U.S.) and can be used for dendrochronological analyses. This study explores rings from Pinus elliottii var. elliottii trees in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GBNERR) growing less than 2 km from the Gulf of Mexico. Interseries correlations (r=0.68, p<0.01) and average mean sensitivities (r=0.57, p<0.01) for these trees are higher than most Southeast U.S. tree-ring studies. P. elliottii growth in this study is significantly correlated to Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI; r=0.5, p<0.05) during this species' growing season (May-October). Though precipitation and temperatures in the region are favorable for tree growth, coastal processes (e.g., saltwater intrusion, brackish groundwater, aerosolized salt) are substantial regulators of growth to the maritime trees at GBNERR, which makes individuals sensitive to climate variability. Significant correlations with pressure regimes during these trees' growing season suggest that as pressure decreases over the northern Gulf of Mexico coast, thus producing precipitation, pressure increases over the Caribbean. Previous research proposes that the Central U.S. receives important precipitation sources from the Caribbean through the `Maya Express', and our results show that this precipitation may also be important to northern Gulf of Mexico coastal ecosystems. P. elliottii growth in this study is significantly correlated to tropical cyclone storm surge and is not significantly correlated to tropical cyclone high winds, which supports other studies' hypotheses that Pinus spp. are susceptible to saltwater intrusion and not high winds. Additionally, growth in trees rebounds to above average following years of tropical cyclone induced growth suppressions, and the largest storm surges cause the largest suppressions in growth, thus supporting the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis.

Atmospheric response to Saharan dust deduced from ECMWF reanalysis increments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kishcha, P.; Alpert, P.; Barkan, J.; Kirchner, I.; Machenhauer, B.

2003-04-01

This study focuses on the atmospheric temperature response to dust deduced from a new source of data - the European Reanalysis (ERA) increments. These increments are the systematic errors of global climate models, generated in reanalysis procedure. The model errors result not only from the lack of desert dust but also from a complex combination of many kinds of model errors. Over the Sahara desert the dust radiative effect is believed to be a predominant model defect which should significantly affect the increments. This dust effect was examined by considering correlation between the increments and remotely-sensed dust. Comparisons were made between April temporal variations of the ERA analysis increments and the variations of the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer aerosol index (AI) between 1979 and 1993. The distinctive structure was identified in the distribution of correlation composed of three nested areas with high positive correlation (> 0.5), low correlation, and high negative correlation (<-0.5). The innermost positive correlation area (PCA) is a large area near the center of the Sahara desert. For some local maxima inside this area the correlation even exceeds 0.8. The outermost negative correlation area (NCA) is not uniform. It consists of some areas over the eastern and western parts of North Africa with a relatively small amount of dust. Inside those areas both positive and negative high correlations exist at pressure levels ranging from 850 to 700 hPa, with the peak values near 775 hPa. Dust-forced heating (cooling) inside the PCA (NCA) is accompanied by changes in the static stability of the atmosphere above the dust layer. The reanalysis data of the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast(ECMWF) suggests that the PCA (NCA) corresponds mainly to anticyclonic (cyclonic) flow, negative (positive) vorticity, and downward (upward) airflow. These facts indicate an interaction between dust-forced heating /cooling and atmospheric circulation. The April correlation results are supported by the analysis of vertical distribution of dust concentration, derived from the 24-hour dust prediction system at Tel Aviv University (website: http://earth.nasa.proj.ac.il/dust/current/). For other months the analysis is more complicated because of the essential increasing of humidity along with the northward progress of the ITCZ and the significant impact on the increments.

Optimization of tannase production by a novel Klebsiella pneumoniae KP715242 using central composite design.

PubMed

Kumar, Mukesh; Rana, Shiny; Beniwal, Vikas; Salar, Raj Kumar

2015-09-01

A novel tannase producing bacterial strain was isolated from rhizospheric soil of Acacia species and identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae KP715242. A 3.25-fold increase in tannase production was achieved upon optimization with central composite design using response surface methodology. Four variables namely pH, temperature, incubation period, and agitation speed were used to optimize significant correlation between the effects of these variables on tannase production. A second-order polynomial was fitted to data and validated by ANOVA. The results showed a complex relationship between variables and response given that all factors were significant and could explain 99.6% of the total variation. The maximum production was obtained at 5.2 pH, 34.97 °C temperature, 103.34 rpm agitation speed and 91.34 h of incubation time. The experimental values were in good agreement with the predicted ones and the models were highly significant with a correlation coefficient ( R 2 ) of 0.99 and a highly significant F-value of 319.37.

Genetic variation and correlated changes in reproductive performance of a red tilapia line selected for improved growth over three generations.

PubMed

Thoa, Ngo Phu; Hamzah, Azhar; Nguyen, Nguyen Hong

2017-09-01

The present study examines genetic variation and correlated changes in reproductive performance traits in a red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) population selected over three generations for improved growth. A total of 328 breeding females (offspring of 111 sires and 118 dams) had measurements of body weight prior to spawning (WBS), number of fry at hatching (NFH), total fry weight (TFW) and number of dead fry (NDF) or mortality of fry including unhatched eggs at hatching (MFH). Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) analysis in a multi-trait model showed that there are heritable genetic components for all traits studied. The heritability for WBS was very high (0.80). The estimates for traits related to fecundity (NFH, TFW) and survival (NDF) were low and they were associated with high standard errors. Genetic correlations of WBS with other reproductive performance traits (NFH, TFW and NDF) were generally positive. However, NFH was negatively correlated genetically with TFW. As expected, body measurements during growth stage exhibited strong positive genetic correlations with WBS. The genetic correlations between body traits and reproductive performance (NFH, TFW, NDF) were not significant. Correlated responses in reproductive traits were measured as changes in least squares means between generations or spawning years. Except for WBS that increased with the selection programs, the phenotypic changes in other reproductive traits observed were not statistically significant (P>0.05). It is concluded that the selection program for red tilapia has resulted in very little changes in reproductive performance of the animals after three generations. However, periodic monitoring of genetic changes in fecundity and fitness related traits such as NDF or MFH should be made in selective breeding programs for red tilapia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Association of trace elements with lipid profiles and glycaemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus in northern Sardinia, Italy: An observational study.

PubMed

Peruzzu, Angela; Solinas, Giuliana; Asara, Yolande; Forte, Giovanni; Bocca, Beatrice; Tolu, Francesco; Malaguarnera, Lucia; Montella, Andrea; Madeddu, Roberto

2015-08-01

Sardinia is an Italian region with a high incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to determine the associations of trace elements with lipid profiles and glycaemic control in patients with T1DM. A total of 192 patients with T1DM who attended the Unit of Diabetology and Metabolic Diseases in Sassari, Italy, were enrolled. Trace elements zinc, copper, selenium, chromium, and iron were measured in whole blood by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The correlations between metabolic variables and the levels of trace elements were determined. Zinc was positively correlated with total cholesterol (P=0.023), low-density lipoprotein (P=0.0015), and triglycerides (P=0.027). Iron as significantly correlated with TC (P=0.0189), LDL (P=0.0121), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (P=0.0466). In males, Cr was positively correlated with HDL (P=0.0079) and Se, in females was correlated with TG (P=0.0113). The mean fasting plasma glucose was166.2mgdL(-1). Chromium was correlated with fasting plasma glucose (P=0.0149), particularly in males (P=0.0038). Overall, 63.5% of the patients had moderate HbA1c (7-9%). Copper was significantly correlated with HbA1c% in males (P=0.0155). In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that trace elements show different associations with lipid levels and glycaemic control in T1DM. Zinc, Fe, and Se were associated with lipid levels whereas Cu and Cr were associated with HbA1c%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dietary intake and cardiometabolic biomarkers in relation to insulin resistance and hypertension in a middle-aged and elderly population in Beijing, China.

PubMed

Wang, Jia; Hong, Zhongxin; Wu, Li; Ding, Bingjie; Bi, Yanxia; Gu, Zhongyi; Li, Wei

2017-08-01

This study investigated the relationships of dietary intake and cardiometabolic biomarkers with insulin resistance and hypertension in rural middle-aged and elderly people in China. One hundred and eight middle-aged and elderly adults were recruited in Zhangfang village in May 2014. We measured blood pressure, anthropometric parameters, and biochemical indexes, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), glucose, insulin, and blood lipids. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was assessed on the basis of fasting glucose and insulin. We recorded participant demographic characteristics, dietary intake, and lifestyle using questionnaires. Hypertensive participants had higher levels of triglycerides (TG), hsCRP, sICAM-1, body fat percentage (BF%), arm muscle circumference (AMC) and HOMA-IR than nonhypertensive individuals. Hypertensive participants had higher carbohydrate intake but lower intakes of protein and fat. Carbohydrate intake was positively correlated with hsCRP, sICAM-1, TG, BF%, and HOMA-IR, and was negatively correlated with AMC. Protein and fat intakes were negatively correlated with hsCRP and sICAM-1. Protein intake was also significantly negatively correlated with TG and HOMA-IR, and positively correlated with AMC. HOMA-IR was positively correlated with hsCRP, sICAM-1, TG and BF%, and negatively correlated with AMC. Multivariable linear regression indicated that TG, sICAM-1, and hsCRP were significantly associated with HOMA-IR. In conclusion, in a rural Chinese population, high intake of carbohydrate and low intake of fat and protein were associated with insulin resistance and hypertension, possibly by increasing inflammatory factors such as sICAM-1 and hsCRP, increasing BF% and increasing the level of plasma TG.

Tinetti and Berg balance scales correlate with disability in hereditary peripheral neuropathies: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Monti Bragadin, M; Francini, L; Bellone, E; Grandis, M; Reni, L; Canneva, S; Gemelli, C; Ursino, G; Maggi, G; Mori, L; Schenone, A

2015-08-01

The combination of distal muscle weakness, sensory defects and feet deformities leads to disequilibrium in patients affected by Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy. Studies relating the outcome of balance scales and clinical severity of CMT are lacking. To evaluate the accuracy of the Tinetti Balance scale (TBS) and Berg Balance scale (BBS) in identifying balance disorders and quantifying disease severity in CMT patients. Observational study. University of Genoa-IRCCS AOU San Martino IST-Department of Neurology, Italy. Nineteen individuals with a diagnosis of CMT (12 females, 7 males, age 41.26±12.42). All subjects underwent an evaluation with both TBS and BBS. Disability was quantified with CMT neuropathy score (CMTNS). Moreover, a complete neurophysiological study was performed. Distal lower limbs strength was evaluated with MRC scale. Pearson rank order correlation was used to determine the correlation between the scores on the two tests and to identify an eventual correlation between TBS or BBS and the CMTNS. Both scales showed a highly significant negative correlation with the CMTNS (r=-0.78, P<0.0005 and r=-0.77, P<0.001, respectively) and distal weakness on the anterior tibial muscles (AT) (TBS: AT left: r=0.65, P<0.005 and AT right: 0.59, P<0.01; BBS: AT left r=+0.71, P<0.001 and AT right r=+0.66, P<0.005). We found also a highly significant, positive correlation between the two different balance scales (r=+0.9, P<0.0001). TBS and BBS strongly correlate with disease disability and distal muscular weakness. Both TBS and BBS may play a relevant role in the assessment of disability in patients affected by CMT. Further studies are needed to validate our results in a larger population.

A hybrid correlation analysis with application to imaging genetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Wenxing; Fang, Jian; Calhoun, Vince D.; Wang, Yu-Ping

2018-03-01

Investigating the association between brain regions and genes continues to be a challenging topic in imaging genetics. Current brain region of interest (ROI)-gene association studies normally reduce data dimension by averaging the value of voxels in each ROI. This averaging may lead to a loss of information due to the existence of functional sub-regions. Pearson correlation is widely used for association analysis. However, it only detects linear correlation whereas nonlinear correlation may exist among ROIs. In this work, we introduced distance correlation to ROI-gene association analysis, which can detect both linear and nonlinear correlations and overcome the limitation of averaging operations by taking advantage of the information at each voxel. Nevertheless, distance correlation usually has a much lower value than Pearson correlation. To address this problem, we proposed a hybrid correlation analysis approach, by applying canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to the distance covariance matrix instead of directly computing distance correlation. Incorporating CCA into distance correlation approach may be more suitable for complex disease study because it can detect highly associated pairs of ROI and gene groups, and may improve the distance correlation level and statistical power. In addition, we developed a novel nonlinear CCA, called distance kernel CCA, which seeks the optimal combination of features with the most significant dependence. This approach was applied to imaging genetic data from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC). Experiments showed that our hybrid approach produced more consistent results than conventional CCA across resampling and both the correlation and statistical significance were increased compared to distance correlation analysis. Further gene enrichment analysis and region of interest (ROI) analysis confirmed the associations of the identified genes with brain ROIs. Therefore, our approach provides a powerful tool for finding the correlation between brain imaging and genomic data.

Two dimension MDW OCDMA code cross-correlation for reduction of phase induced intensity noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Israa Sh.; Aljunid, Syed A.; Nordin, Junita M.; Dulaimi, Layth A. Khalil Al; Matem, Rima

2017-11-01

In this paper, we first review 2-D MDW code cross correlation equations and table to be improved significantly by using code correlation properties. These codes can be used in the synchronous optical CDMA systems for multi access interference cancellation and maximum suppress the phase induced intensity noise. Low Psr is due to the reduction of interference noise that is induced by the 2-D MDW code PIIN suppression. High data rate causes increases in BER, requires high effective power and severely deteriorates the system performance. The 2-D W/T MDW code has an excellent system performance where the value of PIIN is suppressed as low as possible at the optimum Psr with high data bit rate. The 2-D MDW code shows better tolerance to PIIN in comparison to others with enhanced system performance. We prove by numerical analysis that the PIIN maximally suppressed by MDW code through the minimizing property of cross correlation in comparison to 2-D PDC and 2-D MQC OCDMA code.scheme systems.

Molecular and morphologic correlates of the alternative lengthening of telomeres phenotype in high-grade astrocytomas.

PubMed

Nguyen, Doreen N; Heaphy, Christopher M; de Wilde, Roeland F; Orr, Brent A; Odia, Yazmin; Eberhart, Charles G; Meeker, Alan K; Rodriguez, Fausto J

2013-05-01

Recent studies suggest that the telomere maintenance mechanism known as alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) is relatively more common in specific glioma subsets and strongly associated with ATRX mutations. We retrospectively examined 116 high-grade astrocytomas (32 pediatric glioblastomas, 65 adult glioblastomas, 19 anaplastic astrocytomas) with known ALT status using tissue microarrays to identify associations with molecular and phenotypic features. Immunohistochemistry was performed using antibodies against ATRX, DAXX, p53 and IDH1(R132H) mutant protein. EGFR amplification was evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Almost half of fibrillary and gemistocytic astrocytomas (44%) demonstrated ALT. Conversely all gliosarcomas (n = 4), epithelioid (n = 2), giant cell (n = 2) and adult small cell astrocytomas (n = 7) were ALT negative. The ALT phenotype was positively correlated with the presence of round cells (P = 0.002), microcysts (P < 0.0002), IDH1 mutant protein (P < 0.0001), ATRX protein loss (P < 0.0001), strong P53 immunostaining (P < 0.0001) and absence of EGFR amplification (P = 0.004). There was no significant correlation with DAXX expression. We conclude that ALT represents a specific phenotype in high-grade astrocytomas with distinctive pathologic and molecular features. Future studies are required to clarify the clinical and biological significance of ALT in high-grade astrocytomas. © 2012 The Authors; Brain Pathology © 2012 International Society of Neuropathology.

Adaptive Waveform Correlation Detectors for Arrays: Algorithms for Autonomous Calibration

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

March 17, 2005. The seismic signals from both master and detected events are followed by infrasound arrivals. Note the long duration of the...correlation coefficient traces with a significant array -gain. A detected event that is co-located with the master event will record the same time-difference...estimating the detection threshold reduction for a range of highly repeating seismic sources using arrays of different configurations and at different

The response of hardwood flakes and flakeboard to high temperature drying

Treesearch

Walter L. Plagemann; Eddie W. Price; William E. Johns

1982-01-01

This study assesses the effect of high temperature drying on chemical and mechanical properties of flakes and correlates changes in flake quality with board properties. The high temperature drying of flakes was found to have a significant effect on the internal bond (IB) of the resulting panels. The highest IB values were observed in boards produced from flakes dried...

Relation of anosognosia to frontal lobe dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Michon, A; Deweer, B; Pillon, B; Agid, Y; Dubois, B

1994-07-01

A self-rating scale of memory functions was administered to 24 non-depressed patients with probable Alzheimer's disease, divided into two groups according to the overall severity of dementia (mild, mini-mental state (MMS) > 21; moderate, MMS between 10 and 20). These groups did not significantly differ in their self-rating of memory functions. The same questionnaire was submitted to a member of each patient's family, who had to rate the patient's memory. An "anosognosia score" was defined as the difference between patient's and family's ratings. This score was highly variable, and covered, in the two groups, the full range between complete awareness of deficits and total anosognosia. Correlations between the anosognosia score and several neuropsychological data were searched for. No significant correlation was found with either the Wechsler memory scale, the MMS, or linguistic abilities and gestures. In contrast, this score was highly correlated with the "frontal score", defined as the sum of scores on the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), verbal fluency, Luria's graphic series, and "frontal behaviours" (prehension, utilisation, imitation behaviours, inertia, indifference). Among these tests of executive functions, the highest correlation with the anosognosia score was obtained on the WCST. This suggests that anosognosia in Alzheimer's disease is not related to the degree of cognitive deterioration but results, at least in part, from frontal dysfunction.

F-18 high alpha research vehicle surface pressures: Initial in-flight results and correlation with flow visualization and wind-tunnel data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fisher, David F.; Banks, Daniel W.; Richwine, David M.

1990-01-01

Pressure distributions measured on the forebody and the leading-edge extensions (LEX's) of the NASA F-18 high alpha research vehicle (HARV) were reported at 10 and 50 degree angles of attack and at Mach 0.20 to 0.60. The results were correlated with HARV flow visualization and 6-percent scale F-18 wind-tunnel-model test results. The general trend in the data from the forebody was for the maximum suction pressure peaks to first appear at an angle of attack (alpha) of approximately 19 degrees and increase in magnitude with angle of attack. The LEX pressure distribution general trend was the inward progression and increase in magnitude of the maximum suction peaks up to vortex core breakdown and then the decrease and general flattening of the pressure distribution beyond that. No significant effect of Mach number was noted for the forebody results. However, a substantial compressibility effect on the LEX's resulted in a significant reduction in vortex-induced suction pressure as Mach number increased. The forebody primary and the LEX secondary vortex separation lines, from surface flow visualization, correlated well with the end of pressure recovery, leeward and windward, respectively, of maximum suction pressure peaks. The flight to wind-tunnel correlations were generally good with some exceptions.

``Seeing'' electroencephalogram through the skull: imaging prefrontal cortex with fast optical signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medvedev, Andrei V.; Kainerstorfer, Jana M.; Borisov, Sergey V.; Gandjbakhche, Amir H.; Vanmeter, John

2010-11-01

Near-infrared spectroscopy is a novel imaging technique potentially sensitive to both brain hemodynamics (slow signal) and neuronal activity (fast optical signal, FOS). The big challenge of measuring FOS noninvasively lies in the presumably low signal-to-noise ratio. Thus, detectability of the FOS has been controversially discussed. We present reliable detection of FOS from 11 individuals concurrently with electroencephalogram (EEG) during a Go-NoGo task. Probes were placed bilaterally over prefrontal cortex. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used for artifact removal. Correlation coefficient in the best correlated FOS-EEG ICA pairs was highly significant (p < 10-8), and event-related optical signal (EROS) was found in all subjects. Several EROS components were similar to the event-related potential (ERP) components. The most robust ``optical N200'' at t = 225 ms coincided with the N200 ERP; both signals showed significant difference between targets and nontargets, and their timing correlated with subject's reaction time. Correlation between FOS and EEG even in single trials provides further evidence that at least some FOS components ``reflect'' electrical brain processes directly. The data provide evidence for the early involvement of prefrontal cortex in rapid object recognition. EROS is highly localized and can provide cost-effective imaging tools for cortical mapping of cognitive processes.

Linearized semiclassical initial value time correlation functions with maximum entropy analytic continuation.

PubMed

Liu, Jian; Miller, William H

2008-09-28

The maximum entropy analytic continuation (MEAC) method is used to extend the range of accuracy of the linearized semiclassical initial value representation (LSC-IVR)/classical Wigner approximation for real time correlation functions. LSC-IVR provides a very effective "prior" for the MEAC procedure since it is very good for short times, exact for all time and temperature for harmonic potentials (even for correlation functions of nonlinear operators), and becomes exact in the classical high temperature limit. This combined MEAC+LSC/IVR approach is applied here to two highly nonlinear dynamical systems, a pure quartic potential in one dimensional and liquid para-hydrogen at two thermal state points (25 and 14 K under nearly zero external pressure). The former example shows the MEAC procedure to be a very significant enhancement of the LSC-IVR for correlation functions of both linear and nonlinear operators, and especially at low temperature where semiclassical approximations are least accurate. For liquid para-hydrogen, the LSC-IVR is seen already to be excellent at T=25 K, but the MEAC procedure produces a significant correction at the lower temperature (T=14 K). Comparisons are also made as to how the MEAC procedure is able to provide corrections for other trajectory-based dynamical approximations when used as priors.

“Seeing” electroencephalogram through the skull: imaging prefrontal cortex with fast optical signal

PubMed Central

Medvedev, Andrei V.; Kainerstorfer, Jana M.; Borisov, Sergey V.; Gandjbakhche, Amir H.; VanMeter, John

2010-01-01

Near-infrared spectroscopy is a novel imaging technique potentially sensitive to both brain hemodynamics (slow signal) and neuronal activity (fast optical signal, FOS). The big challenge of measuring FOS noninvasively lies in the presumably low signal-to-noise ratio. Thus, detectability of the FOS has been controversially discussed. We present reliable detection of FOS from 11 individuals concurrently with electroencephalogram (EEG) during a Go-NoGo task. Probes were placed bilaterally over prefrontal cortex. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used for artifact removal. Correlation coefficient in the best correlated FOS–EEG ICA pairs was highly significant (p < 10−8), and event-related optical signal (EROS) was found in all subjects. Several EROS components were similar to the event-related potential (ERP) components. The most robust “optical N200” at t = 225 ms coincided with the N200 ERP; both signals showed significant difference between targets and nontargets, and their timing correlated with subject’s reaction time. Correlation between FOS and EEG even in single trials provides further evidence that at least some FOS components “reflect” electrical brain processes directly. The data provide evidence for the early involvement of prefrontal cortex in rapid object recognition. EROS is highly localized and can provide cost-effective imaging tools for cortical mapping of cognitive processes. PMID:21198150

Paternal-age and birth-order effect on the human secondary sex ratio.

PubMed Central

Ruder, A

1985-01-01

Because of conflicting results in previous analyses of possible maternal and paternal effects on the variation in sex ratio at birth, records of United States live births in 1975 were sorted by offspring sex, live birth order (based on maternal parity), parental races, and, unlike prior studies, ungrouped parental ages. Linear regression and logistic analysis showed significant effects of birth order and paternal age on sex ratio in the white race data (1.67 million births; 10,219 different combinations of independent variables). Contrary to previous reported results, the paternal-age effect cannot be ascribed wholly to the high correlation between paternal age and birth order as maternal age, even more highly correlated with birth order, does not account for a significant additional reduction in sex-ratio variation over that accounted for by birth order alone. PMID:3985011

Brief Report: Biochemical correlates of clinical impairment in high functioning autism and Asperger’s disorder

PubMed Central

Kleinhans, Natalia M.; Richards, Todd; Weaver, Kurt E.; Liang, Olivia; Dawson, Geraldine; Aylward, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

Amygdala dysfunction has been proposed as a critical contributor to social impairment in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The current study investigated biochemical abnormalities in the amygdala in 20 high functioning adults with autistic disorder or Asperger’s disorder and 19 typically developing adults matched on age and IQ. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure n-acetyl aspartate (NAA), creatine/phosphocreatine (Cre), choline/choline containing compounds (Cho), and Myoinositol (mI) in the right and left amygdala. There were no significant between-group differences in any of the metabolites. However, NAA and Cre levels were significantly correlated to clinical ratings on the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. This suggests that altered metabolite levels in the amygdala may be associated with a more severe early developmental course in ASD. PMID:19234776

Alarmins and Clinical Outcomes After Major Abdominal Surgery-A Prospective Study.

PubMed

Máca, Jan; Burša, Filip; Ševčík, Pavel; Sklienka, Peter; Burda, Michal; Holub, Michal

2017-06-01

Tissue injury causing immune response is an integral part of surgical procedure. Evaluation of the degree of surgical trauma could help to improve postoperative management and determine the clinical outcomes. We analyzed serum levels of alarmins, including S100A5, S100A6, S100A8, S100A9, S100A11, and S100A12; high-mobility group box 1; and heat-shock protein 70, after elective major abdominal surgery (n = 82). Blood samples were collected for three consecutive days after surgery. The goals were to evaluate the relationships among the serum levels of alarmins and selected surgical characteristics and to test potential of alarmins to predict the clinical outcomes. Significant, positive correlations were found for high-mobility group box 1 with the length of surgery, blood loss, and intraoperative fluid intake for all three days of blood sampling. The protein S100A8 serum levels showed positive correlations with intensive care unit length of stay, 28-day and in-hospital mortality. The protein S100A12 serum levels had significant, positive correlations with intensive care unit length of stay, 28-day mortality, and in-hospital mortality. We did not find significant differences in alarmin levels between cancer and noncancer subjects. The high-mobility group box 1 serum levels reflect the degree of surgical injury, whereas proteins S100A8 and S100A12 might be considered good predictors of major abdominal surgery morbidity and mortality.

[Liver cirrhosis mortality in Mexico. II. Excess mortality and pulque consumption].

PubMed

Narro-Robles, J; Gutiérrez-Avila, J H; López-Cervantes, M; Borges, G; Rosovsky, H

1992-01-01

Over the years high cirrhosis mortality rates have been reported in Mexico City and in the surrounding states (Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Puebla and the State of Mexico); on the contrary, well defined areas, such as the northern states, have shown a considerably lower mortality rate. This situation may indicate that some factors such as the pattern of alcoholic intake and other environmental characteristics could explain this striking difference. To determine the role of alcohol, the availability and consumption of alcohol at regional and state level were compared with cirrhosis mortality rates. A high and statistically significant correlation was found with pulque availability and consumption (r = 72-92%, p less than 0.01) in all periods of time under examination. On the contrary, a statistically significant negative association was observed with beer consumption and a positive, but not significant correlation, with distilled alcoholic beverages. Infectious hepatitis incidence, prevalence of exclusive use of native languages (as an indirect index of ethnic background) and nutritional deficiencies were also studied as possible risk factors. Nutritional deficiencies and the prevalence of exclusive use of náhuatl and otomí languages were positively correlated. These results can be useful to conduct further epidemiological studies still needed to determine the etiologic role of pulque consumption as well as of the other risk factors. Nonetheless, the current data stress the need to implement public health programs to reduce alcohol consumption, especially pulque, and to minimize the impact of these risk factors in high mortality areas.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 and overall survival of patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer

PubMed Central

Rosenberg, Ari J.; Wainwright, Derek A.; Rademaker, Alfred; Galvez, Carlos; Genet, Matthew; Zhai, Lijie; Lauing, Kristen L.; Mulcahy, Mary F.; Hayes, John P.; Odell, David D.; Horbinski, Craig; Komanduri, Srinadh; Tetreault, Marie-Pier; Kim, Kwang-Youn A.; Villaflor, Victoria M.

2018-01-01

Background Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is an enzyme with immunomodulatory properties that has emerged as a potential immunotherapeutic target in human cancer. However, the role, expression pattern, and relevance of IDO1 in esophageal cancer (EC) are poorly understood. Here, we utilize gene expression analysis of the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to better understand the role and prognostic significance of IDO1 in EC. Results High IDO1 mRNA levels were associated with worse overall survival (OS) in both esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (P = 0.02) and adenocarcinoma (AC) (P = 0.036). High co-expression of IDO1 and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) was associated with worse OS in SCC (P = 0.0031) and AC (P = 0.0186). IHC for IDO1 in SCC showed a significant correlation with PD-L1 (P < 0.0001) and CD3ε (P < 0.0001). Conclusions EC with high IDO1 and PD-L1 expression is significantly correlated with decreased patient survival, and may correlate with increased T-cells. These data suggest that simultaneous inhibition of IDO1 and PD-(L)1 may overcome important barriers to T-cell mediated immune rejection of EC. Materials and Methods mRNA expression data from TCGA (SCC N = 87; AC N = 97). IHC in a second cohort of EC (N = 93) were stained for IDO1, PD-L1, and CD3ε, followed by light microscopic analysis. PMID:29805749

Study of occupational stress among railway engine pilots

PubMed Central

Kumar, Devesh; Singh, Jai Vir; Kharwar, Poonam S.

2011-01-01

Background: Traffic volume and speed is going to be increased in Indian Railways successively, leading to higher stress in staff connected with train operations. The jobs of railway engine pilots come under the category of high-strain jobs, necessitating a need to conduct multicentric study to unfold the factors associated with occupational stress and organizational strategies. Materials and Methods: Present study covered 185 railway engine pilots and office clerks working in various railway zones by incidental method. Occupational Stress Index (OSI) test developed by Srivastva and Singh, questionnaire of specific stressors constructed by authors and laboratory test battery for psychological screening of high-speed train pilots were used as tools. Results: Means of OSI and all the 12 occupational stressors of railway engine pilots were found significantly higher to that of office clerks. Means of OSI and occupational stressors of goods train pilots were significantly higher in comparison to high-speed train pilots and passenger train pilots. Study revealed positive correlation of speed perception and complex reaction time tests and negative correlation of other constituent tests of laboratory test battery to OSI test. Highest subgroup of stressor observedwas role overload followed by role conflict. Conclusions: These findings provide a prima facie evidence of higher occupational stress among railway engine pilots because of identified specific stressors prevalent in their job and explore the possible intervention strategies for its reduction. Significant correlation is noticed between OSI and laboratory test results, indicating its relevant utility in preliminary psychological screening. PMID:21808497

Prevalence of overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity and obesity-related risk factors in southern China.

PubMed

Hu, Lihua; Huang, Xiao; You, Chunjiao; Li, Juxiang; Hong, Kui; Li, Ping; Wu, Yanqing; Wu, Qinhua; Wang, Zengwu; Gao, Runlin; Bao, Huihui; Cheng, Xiaoshu

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity and obesity-related risk factors in southern China. A cross-sectional survey of 15,364 participants aged 15 years and older was conducted from November 2013 to August 2014 in Jiangxi Province, China, using questionnaire forms and physical measurements. The physical measurements included body height, weight, waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BFP) and visceral adipose index (VAI). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors for overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. The prevalence of overweight was 25.8% (25.9% in males and 25.7% in females), while that of obesity was 7.9% (8.4% in males and 7.6% in females). The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 10.2% (8.6% in males and 11.3% in females). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 37.1% in urban residents and 30.2% in rural residents, and this difference was significant (P < 0.001). Urban residents had a significantly higher prevalence of abdominal obesity than rural residents (11.6% vs 8.7%, P < 0.001). Among the participants with an underweight/normal body mass index (BMI), 1.3% still had abdominal obesity, 16.1% had a high BFP and 1.0% had a high VAI. Moreover, among obese participants, 9.7% had a low /normal WC, 0.8% had a normal BFP and 15.9% had a normal VAI. Meanwhile, the partial correlation analysis indicated that the correlation coefficients between VAI and BMI, VAI and WC, and BMI and WC were 0.700, 0.666, and 0.721, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that being female and having a high BFP and a high VAI were significantly associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. In addition, living in an urban area and older age correlated with overweight/obesity. This study revealed that obesity and abdominal obesity, which differed by gender and age, are epidemic in southern China. Moreover, there was a very high, significant, positive correlation between WC, BMI and VAI. However, further studies are needed to explore which indicator of body fat could be used as the best marker to indirectly reflect cardiometabolic risk.

Prevalence of overweight, obesity, abdominal obesity and obesity-related risk factors in southern China

PubMed Central

Hu, Lihua; Huang, Xiao; You, Chunjiao; Li, Juxiang; Hong, Kui; Li, Ping; Wu, Yanqing; Wu, Qinhua; Wang, Zengwu; Gao, Runlin; Bao, Huihui

2017-01-01

Objectives The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of overweight/obesity, abdominal obesity and obesity-related risk factors in southern China. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 15,364 participants aged 15 years and older was conducted from November 2013 to August 2014 in Jiangxi Province, China, using questionnaire forms and physical measurements. The physical measurements included body height, weight, waist circumference (WC), body fat percentage (BFP) and visceral adipose index (VAI). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors for overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. Results The prevalence of overweight was 25.8% (25.9% in males and 25.7% in females), while that of obesity was 7.9% (8.4% in males and 7.6% in females). The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 10.2% (8.6% in males and 11.3% in females). The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 37.1% in urban residents and 30.2% in rural residents, and this difference was significant (P < 0.001). Urban residents had a significantly higher prevalence of abdominal obesity than rural residents (11.6% vs 8.7%, P < 0.001). Among the participants with an underweight/normal body mass index (BMI), 1.3% still had abdominal obesity, 16.1% had a high BFP and 1.0% had a high VAI. Moreover, among obese participants, 9.7% had a low /normal WC, 0.8% had a normal BFP and 15.9% had a normal VAI. Meanwhile, the partial correlation analysis indicated that the correlation coefficients between VAI and BMI, VAI and WC, and BMI and WC were 0.700, 0.666, and 0.721, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that being female and having a high BFP and a high VAI were significantly associated with an increased risk of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity. In addition, living in an urban area and older age correlated with overweight/obesity. Conclusion This study revealed that obesity and abdominal obesity, which differed by gender and age, are epidemic in southern China. Moreover, there was a very high, significant, positive correlation between WC, BMI and VAI. However, further studies are needed to explore which indicator of body fat could be used as the best marker to indirectly reflect cardiometabolic risk. PMID:28910301

Correlation of the Radiographic and Morphological Features of the Dental Follicle of Third Molars with Incomplete Root Formation

PubMed Central

de OLIVEIRA, David Moraes; de Souza ANDRADE, Emanuel Sávio; da SILVEIRA, Márcia Maria Fonseca; CAMARGO, Igor Batista

2008-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the correlation of the radiographic and morphological features of the dental follicle of unerupted third molars with incomplete root formation. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 56 patients (105 teeth) aged 13 to 24 years. Panoramic radiography was used to determine the stage of root formation to locate and measure pericoronal radiolucency. The width of the dental follicle ranged from 0.0 to 4.0 mm, the distal face being the one most frequently involved, and stage 7 of root formation showing the highest incidence. An inactive enamel reduced epithelium and inactive epithelium remnant also showed a high incidence. Dense connective tissue showed a high incidence, chronic inflammation was infrequent and calcification was a common finding. There was a significant association between the progression of the rhizogenesis and the transformation of the enamel reduced epithelium into a stratified squamous epithelium. No significant association was found between rhizogenesis and the other morphological findings or between the latter and the width of the pericoronal space. It was concluded that there was no clinically significant correlation between the radiographic and morphological features. Every asymptomatic unerupted third molar should be followed up and the follicular tissue analyzed. PMID:18311329

Correlation of cerebrovascular disorder and anxiety: The Kecskemet study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sipos, Kornel; Bodo, Michael; Szalay, Piroska; Szucs, Attila

2010-04-01

In order to test the hypothesis that anxiety is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, specifically stroke, we simultaneously measured anxiety and cerebral vascular alternation, using a computer-based system, "Cerberus." Sixty nine psychiatric patients (including an alcoholic subgroup) were selected as subjects for measurements conducted in Kecskemet, Hungary. The five-item short form of anxiety test (STAI) was administered twice during the same session. Between each test, brain pulse waves were recorded by rheoencephalogram (REG). A REG peak time above 180 milliseconds was considered a cerebrovascular alteration (modified after Jenkner). Data were sorted into two groups: low anxiety (N=10) and high anxiety (N=10). Significant differences were found between cardiovascular risk factors (p< 0.001), REG peak time (p<0.043), and heart rate (p< 0.045). Six subjects showed cerebrovascular alteration in the high anxiety group, and two in the low anxiety group. For the two anxiety groups, there were no significant differences in body mass index, cardiovascular sympathetic-parasympathetic balance, age and symptoms of transient ischemic attack. The correlation of REG and age was significantly different only for the alcoholic subgroup (Szalay et al, 2007). These data support the hypothesis that a correlation exists between cerebrovascular disorder and anxiety in the studied population.

Weight-dependent changes of immune system in adipose tissue: Importance of leptin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Caspar-Bauguil, S.; Groupe de Recherche et d'Etude en Nutrition; Cousin, B.

2006-07-15

Ancestral lymphoid cells reside in adipose tissues, and their numbers are highly altered in obesity. Leptin, production of which is correlated to fat mass, is strongly involved in the relationships between adipose tissues and immune system. We investigated in epididymal (EPI) and inguinal (ING) fat pads to determine whether 1) lymphocyte phenotypes were correlated to the tissue weight and 2) leptin was involved in such relationships. Immunohistological analyses revealed a tight relationship between the T and NK lymphocytes of the stromal vascular fraction and adipocytes. We identified a significant negative and positive correlation between EPI weight and the percentage ofmore » NK and total T cells respectively by cytofluorometric analyses. The NK and ancestral {gamma}{delta} T cell contents were directly dependent of leptin since they increased significantly in high-fat (HF) diet mice but not in leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mice as compared to control. By contrast, the {alpha}{beta} T cell content seemed independent of leptin because their percentages increased significantly with the EPI weight whatever the type of mice (control, HF, ob/ob). The present study suggests that adipose tissues present, according to their localization, different immunological mechanisms that might be involved in the regulation of adipose cells functions and proliferations.« less

[Effects of Different Altitudes on Soil Microbial PLFA and Enzyme Activity in Two Kinds of Forests].

PubMed

Zeng, Qing-ping; He, Bing-hui; Mao, Qiao-zhi; Wu, Yao-peng; Huang, Qi; Li, Yuan

2015-12-01

The soil microbial community is an important part in soil ecosystem, and it is sensitive to the ecological environment. Phospholipid-derived fatty acids ( PLFA ) analysis was used to examine variations in soil microbial community diversity and its influencing factors. The results showed that: there existed 48 PLFAs that were significant in the soil samples from six altitudes. The PLFAs of six altitudes with the highest contents were i16:0, 10Me17:0, 10Me18:0 TBSA. The citrus forest exhibited richer soil PLFAs distribution both in type and amount than those in masson pine. The microbial activity and functional diversity of masson pine were increased with increasing altitudes, and citrus forest gradually decreased, the PLFA content of different microbial groups in each altitude were significantly different. The richness index, Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou evenness index of masson pine in low elevation were holistically higher than those in high elevation. However, the highest richness index of citrus forest was in low altitude, the highest Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou evenness index were in high altitude. The PLFAs content of different microbial groups were closely correlated to the soil enzyme activities and environmental factors. The PLFAs of bacteria, actinomycetes, G⁻ (Gram- positive), G⁺ (Gram-negative) were positively correlated with Ure(urease) , Ive(invertase) , CAT( catalase activity) and forest type, the PLFAs of fungi was significantly correlated with Ure, Ive, CAT, the PLFAs of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, G⁻ , G⁺ were significantly negatively or less correlated with elevation. Ure, Ive, CAT, forest type and elevation are the pivotal factors controlling the soil microbial biomass and activities.

Relationships between magnetic susceptibility and heavy metals in urban topsoils in the arid region of Isfahan, central Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karimi, Rezvan; Ayoubi, Shamsollah; Jalalian, Ahmad; Sheikh-Hosseini, Ahmad Reza; Afyuni, Majid

2011-05-01

Recently methods dealing with magnetometry have been proposed as a proper proxy for assessing the heavy metal pollution of soils. A total of 113 topsoil samples were collected from public parks and green strips along the rim of roads with high-density traffic within the city of Isfahan, central Iran. The magnetic susceptibility (χ) of the collected soil samples was measured at both low and high frequency (χlf and χhf) using the Bartington MS2 dual frequency sensor. As, Cd, Cr, Ba, Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn, Sr and V concentrations were measured in the all collected soil samples. Significant correlations were found between Zn and Cu (0.85) and between Zn and Pb (0.84). The χfd value of urban topsoil varied from 0.45% to 7.7%. Low mean value of χfd indicated that the magnetic properties of the samples are predominately contributed by multi-domain grains, rather than by super-paramagnetic particles. Lead, Cu, Zn, and Ba showed positive significant correlations with magnetic susceptibility, but As, Sr, Cd, Mn, Cr and V, had no significant correlation with the magnetic susceptibility. There was a significant correlation between pollution load index (PLI) and χlf. PLI was computed to evaluate the soil environmental quality of selected heavy metals. Moreover, the results of multiple regression analysis between χlf and heavy metal concentrations indicated the LnPb, V and LnCu could explain approximately 54% of the total variability of χlf in the study area. These results indicate the potential of the magnetometric methods to evaluate the heavy metal pollution of soils.

The Tie2 receptor antagonist angiopoietin-2 in systemic lupus erythematosus: its correlation with various disease activity parameters.

PubMed

Salama, Maysa K; Taha, Fatma M; Safwat, Miriam; Darweesh, Hanan E A; Basel, Mohamed El

2012-01-01

Systemic lupus erythematosus is one of the autoimmune diseases characterized by multisystem involvement associated with autoantibody and immune complex vasculitis along with endothelial cell damage. to study the possible role of Angiopoietin- 2 (Ang-2) as a recently highlighted inflammatory and angiogenic mediator in the pathogenesis of SLE and its correlation with the state of another inflammatory marker, P-Selectin, as well as with various markers of the disease activity. The present study included 3 main groups: active SLE patients (group I), inactive SLE patients (group II) and healthy normal control subjects (group III). Groups I and II were subjected to disease activity assessment using the SLEDAI scoring system and measurement of plasma Ang-2 and P-Selectin by ELISA in addition to various laboratory investigations to assess disease activity as: Complete blood count, ESR, serum creatinine, C3, C4 and 24-h urinary proteins. The mean level of Plasma Ang-2 and P-selectin showed a high significant increase in active group compared to inactive SLE patients and control subjects (p < 0.001).There was a significant positive correlation between Ang-2, P-Selectin, and each of SLEDAI score and 24-h urinary proteins in all SLE patients as well as in the active group, and Ang-2 was a significant independent marker for proteinuria. A significant negative correlation was found between Ang-2, P-Selectin and each of C3, C4. Ang-2 and P-Selectin showed a high sensitivity and specificity in the patients with SLE. Our study suggests that Ang-2 may be a more useful marker than P-Selectin, C3 and C4 in the assessment of disease activity.

Radiographic assessment of third molars development and it's relation to dental and chronological age in an Iranian population.

PubMed

Monirifard, Mohamad; Yaraghi, Navid; Vali, Ava; Vali, Asana; Vali, Amrita

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to estimate chronological age based on third molar development and to determine the association between dental age and third molar calcification stages. In this cross-sectional study, 505 digital panoramic radiographs of 223 males (44.2%) and 282 females (55.8%) between the age of 6 and 17 were selected from patients who were treated in Departments of Pediatrics and Orthodontics of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences between the years of 2009 and 2013. Correlation between chronological age and third molar development was analyzed with SPSS 21 using Spearman's Rank correlation coefficient, Chi-square test and multiple regression statistical tests (P < 0.05). All third molars demonstrated a highly significant correlation with dental age (P < 0.001). The teeth showing the highest relationship with dental age were mandibular left third molar in males and mandibular right third molar in females (r s = 0.072). When multiple regression was used to predict dental age based on molar calcification stage, the only significant correlation was between maxillary left third molar in males (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation for any of third molars in females. Relationship between chronological age and molars development stage was significant in all age subgroups and in both gender (P < 0.001). Strong correlation was observed between left third molars and dental age in males. Results showed that third molar calcification stage can be used as an age predictor and in general mandibular teeth seems to be more reliable for this purpose in both genders and in all ages.

[Association between bone turnover markers, bone mineral density and vitamin D in Moroccan postmenopausal women].

PubMed

Elmaataoui, A; Elmachtani Idrissi, S; Dami, A; Bouhsain, S; Chabraoui, L; Ouzzif, Z

2014-02-01

The aim of the study is to find the correlation between bone turnover markers and bone mineral density in a cohort of Moroccan postmenopausal women. A cross-sectional study, conducted over a period of 12 months from October 2008 to November 2009. Five hundred Moroccan postmenopausal women volunteers participated in this study and we included only 185. In this cohort of 185 women, average age 60 years, the percentage of osteoporotic women was 35.7%, they were older 62.09 (9.13) years and they had an average of the body mass index (BMI), the lowest 29.58 (4.45). The values of the bone mineral density (BMD) measured at the lumbar spine correlated positively and significantly with BMI (P<0.001), serum calcium (P=0.026), negatively with age (P<0.001) and osteocalcin (OC) (P=0.0033). As for the results of BMD measured at the femoral neck, they show a negative and highly significant correlation with age (P<0.001) and osteocalcin. Looking for an association between the biochemical markers of bone remodeling, a weak positive correlation was found between the calcium (Ca) and alkaline phosphatase (PAL) on the one hand and Ca and intact parathyroid hormone (PTHi) in the other hand. And a significant positive correlation was found between PTHi and PAL, and between PTHi and OC. Finally, a significant positive correlation was found between the cross-laps (β-CTX) and Ca and between PAL and OC. Our results are in agree to some international studies and disagree to others. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Climatic driving forces in inter-annual variation of global FPAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Dailiang; Liu, Liangyun; Yang, Xiaohua; Zhou, Bin

2012-09-01

Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) characterizes vegetation canopy functioning and its energy absorption capacity. In this paper, we focus on climatic driving forces in inter-annual variation of global FPAR from 1982 to 2006 by Global Historical Climatology Network (GHCN-Monthly) data. Using FPAR-Simple Ratio Vegetation Index (SR) relationship, Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to estimate FPAR at the global scale. The correlation between inter-annual variation of FPAR and temperature, precipitation derived from GHCN-Monthly was examined, during the periods of March-May (MAM), June-August (JJA), September-November (SON), and December-February (DJF) over from 1982 to 2006. The analysis of climatic influence on global FPAR revealed the significant correlation with temperature and precipitation in some meteorological stations area, and a more significant correlation with precipitation was found than which with temperature. Some stations in the regions between 30° N and 60° N and around 30° S in South America, where the annual FPAR variation showed a significant positive correlation with temperature (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) during MAM, SON, and DJF, as well as in Europe during MAM and SON period. A negative correlation for more stations was observed during JJA. For precipitation, there were many stations showed a significant positive correlation with inter-annual variation of global FPAR (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), especially for the tropical rainfall forest of Africa and Amazon during the dry season of JJA and SON.

Study of the dairy characters of lactating Murrah buffaloes on the basis of body parts measurements.

PubMed

Dhillod, Sandeep; Kar, Dipankar; Patil, C S; Sahu, Subhasish; Singh, Narender

2017-01-01

The aim of the study was to correlate the milk yield of Murrah buffaloes with certain body parts measurements. A total of 70 lactating Murrah buffaloes were selected from Buffalo Farm, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Science, Hisar and were randomly selected in a range from first to fifth parity. Traits studied were 305 days milk yield (MY), body weight (BW), body length (BL), muzzle width (MW), height at wither (HW), abdominal girth (AG), chest girth (CG), body depth fore, body depth rear, hip bone distance (HBD), pin bone distance (PBD), skin thickness (STK), and tail length (TL). Data were collected and statically analyzed by Pearson's correlation method. The result of this study showed that Murrah buffaloes had the average 2604.8±39.5 kg for MY, 556.1±4.9 kg for BW, and 152.2±0.8 cm for BL. This study showed that buffaloes had positive significant (p<0.05) correlation between MY and BW (0.26). Highly significant (p<0.01) correlation was observed between MY and AG (0.64), MW (0.42). Significant (p<0.01) negative correlation was observed between MY and STK (-0.79). Different body part measurements (BW, BL, HW, AG, CG, MW, TL, BD, PBD, HBD, STK) were significantly correlated with each other. This study can be helpful as a selection tool to enhance and evaluate the production potential by setting standards of Murrah buffalo breed. BW, abdominal growth, muzzle thickness, and STK were found key factors while selecting a dairy Murrah buffalo.

High-Performance Computational Analysis of Glioblastoma Pathology Images with Database Support Identifies Molecular and Survival Correlates.

PubMed

Kong, Jun; Wang, Fusheng; Teodoro, George; Cooper, Lee; Moreno, Carlos S; Kurc, Tahsin; Pan, Tony; Saltz, Joel; Brat, Daniel

2013-12-01

In this paper, we present a novel framework for microscopic image analysis of nuclei, data management, and high performance computation to support translational research involving nuclear morphometry features, molecular data, and clinical outcomes. Our image analysis pipeline consists of nuclei segmentation and feature computation facilitated by high performance computing with coordinated execution in multi-core CPUs and Graphical Processor Units (GPUs). All data derived from image analysis are managed in a spatial relational database supporting highly efficient scientific queries. We applied our image analysis workflow to 159 glioblastomas (GBM) from The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. With integrative studies, we found statistics of four specific nuclear features were significantly associated with patient survival. Additionally, we correlated nuclear features with molecular data and found interesting results that support pathologic domain knowledge. We found that Proneural subtype GBMs had the smallest mean of nuclear Eccentricity and the largest mean of nuclear Extent, and MinorAxisLength. We also found gene expressions of stem cell marker MYC and cell proliferation maker MKI67 were correlated with nuclear features. To complement and inform pathologists of relevant diagnostic features, we queried the most representative nuclear instances from each patient population based on genetic and transcriptional classes. Our results demonstrate that specific nuclear features carry prognostic significance and associations with transcriptional and genetic classes, highlighting the potential of high throughput pathology image analysis as a complementary approach to human-based review and translational research.

Stress Measured by Allostatic Load in Neurologically Impaired Children: The Importance of Nutritional Status.

PubMed

Calcaterra, Valeria; Cena, Hellas; de Silvestri, Annalisa; Albertini, Riccardo; De Amici, Mara; Valenza, Mario; Pelizzo, Gloria

2017-01-01

Allostatic load (AL) is the cumulative physiological wear and tear that results from repeated efforts to adapt to stressors over time. The life stress response is modified by nutritional status. We estimated AL scores among neurologically impaired (NI) children; the association with malnutrition was also evaluated. Forty-one patients with severe disabilities were included. Data based on 15 biomarkers were used to create the AL score. A dichotomous outcome of high AL was defined for those who had ≥6 dysregulated components. Body mass index (BMI)-standard deviation score (SDS) <-2 or SDS ≥2 and biochemical markers (≥4) defined malnutrition. High AL was noted in 17/41 of the whole sample (41.47%). Malnutrition occurred in 36.6% of the subjects. A significant correlation between high AL and malnutrition was observed (p = 0.01; ar ea under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.7457). High AL subjects had a significantly higher BMI (p = 0.009) and lower BMI-SDS (p = 0.003) than low AL subjects. AL score correlated with fat mass (p ≤ 0.01) and negatively correlated with fat-free mass (p ≤ 0.02). In NI children, high AL was associated with malnutrition. Body composition is a better indicator than BMI of allostatic adjustments. AL estimation should be considered a measure of health risk and be used to promote quality of life in at-risk disabled populations. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

[Flag leaf photosynthetic characteristics, change in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, and their relationships with yield of winter wheat sowed in spring].

PubMed

Xu, Lan; Gao, Zhi-qang; An, Wei; Li, Yan-liang; Jiao, Xiong-fei; Wang, Chuang-yun

2016-01-01

With five good winter wheat cultivars selected from the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River and Southwest China as test materials, a field experiment in Xinding basin area of Shanxi Province was conducted to study the photosynthetic characteristics, chlorophyll content, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of flag leaf at different sowing dates, as well as the correlations between these indices and yield for two years (2013-2014). The results showed that the difference in most fluorescence parameters except chlorophyll content among cultivars was significant. The correlations between these fluorescence parameters and yield were significant. The variation coefficient of chlorophyll (Chl) content was low (0.12-0.17), and that of performance index based on absorption (PIabs) was high (0.32-0.39), with the partial correlation coefficients of them with grain yield from 2013 to 2014 ranged in 0.70-0.81. Under the early sowing condition, the grain yield positively correlated with PIabs at flowering and filling stages and chlorophyll content at grain filling stage, but negatively correlated with the relative variable fluorescence at I point (Vi) at grain filling stage. About 81.1%-82.8% of grain yield were determined by the variations of PIabs, Chl, and Vi. Wheat cultivars had various performances in the treatments with different sowing dates and a consistent trend was observed in the two experimental years. Among these 5 cultivars, Yangmai 13 was suitable for early sowing, with the flag leaf photosynthetic rate (Pn), Chl, most fluorescence parame-ters, and grain yield showed obviously high levels. In conclusion, under early sowing condition chlorophyll content at grain filling stages, PIabs at flowering and filling stages, and Pn were important indices for selecting wheat cultivars with high photosynthetic efficiency.

The association between computer literacy and training on clinical productivity and user satisfaction in using the electronic medical record in Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Alasmary, May; El Metwally, Ashraf; Househ, Mowafa

2014-08-01

The association of computer literacy, training on clinical productivity and satisfaction of a recently implemented Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system in Prince Sultan Medical Military City ((PSMMC)) was investigated. The scope of this study was to explore the association between age, occupation and computer literacy and clinical productivity and users' satisfaction of the newly implemented EMR at PSMMC as well as the association of user satisfaction with age and position. A self-administrated questionnaire was distributed to all doctors and nurses working in Alwazarat Family and Community Center (a Health center in PSMMC). A convenience sample size of 112 healthcare providers (65 Nurses and 47 physicians) completed the questionnaire. A combination of correlation, One Way ANOVA and t-tests were used to answer the research questions. Participants had high levels of self-reported literacy on computers and satisfaction of the system. Both levels were higher among physicians than among nurses. A moderate but significant (at p < 0.01 level) correlation was found between computer literacy and users' satisfaction towards the system (R = 0.343). Age was weakly, but significantly (at p < 0.05), positively correlated with satisfaction with the system (R = 0.29). Self-reported system productivity and satisfaction was statistically correlated at p < 0.01 (R = 0.509). High level of satisfaction with training on using the system was not positively correlated with overall satisfaction of using the system. This study demonstrated that EMR users with high computer literacy skills were more satisfied with using the EMR than users with low computer literacy skills.

Methyl-coenzyme M reductase A as an indicator to estimate methane production from dairy cows.

PubMed

Aguinaga Casañas, M A; Rangkasenee, N; Krattenmacher, N; Thaller, G; Metges, C C; Kuhla, B

2015-06-01

The evaluation of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies requires the quantitative assessment of individual methane production. Because methane measurement in respiration chambers is highly accurate, but also comprises various disadvantages such as limited capacity and high costs, the establishment of an indicator for estimating methane production of individual ruminants would provide an alternative to direct methane measurement. Methyl-coenzyme M reductase is involved in methanogenesis and the subunit α of methyl-coenzyme M reductase is encoded by the mcrA gene of rumen archaea. We therefore examined the relationship between methane emissions of Holstein dairy cows measured in respiration chambers with 2 different diets (high- and medium-concentrate diet) and the mcrA DNA and mcrA cDNA abundance determined from corresponding rumen fluid samples. Whole-body methane production per kilogram of dry matter intake and mcrA DNA normalized to the abundance of the rrs gene coding for 16S rRNA correlated significantly when using qmcrA primers. Use of qmcrA primers also revealed linear correlation between mcrA DNA copy number and methane yield. Regression analyses based on normalized mcrA cDNA abundances revealed no significant linear correlation with methane production per kilogram of dry matter intake. Furthermore, the correlations between normalized mcrA DNA abundance and the rumen fluid concentration of acetic and isobutyric acid were positive, whereas the correlations with propionic and lactic acid were negative. These data suggest that the mcrA DNA approach based on qmcrA primers could potentially be a molecular proxy for methane yield after further refinement. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Contributions of a Tunable Diode Laser Instrument (ATLAS) to the Stratospheric Ozone Depletion Question

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loewenstein, Max; Russell, Philip B. (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

The Airborne Tunable Laser Absorption Spectrometer - ATLAS - was designed and built at the NASA Ames Research Center and operates on the NASA ER-2 high altitude research aircraft. ATLAS has taken part in a number of important polar and mid-latitude research campaigns, since 1987, focused on various aspects of stratospheric ozone chemistry and dynamics. The chief measurement carried out by the ATLAS second harmonic diode laser spectrometer is of the important atmospheric tracer N2O. Using N2O as an inert tracer we have been able to gain significant new information on polar vortex dynamics and on the correlations of several important long-lived tracers in the stratosphere. The correlation of N2O with NOy (total reactive nitrogen) has been shown to be linear for a great variety of unperturbed stratospheric conditions, and the breakdown of this correlation has been used to detect denitrification by PSCs in the polar vortex, especially in the Antarctic spring. Denitrification is an important step in the process of ozone hole formation in the austral spring. Correlations of N2O with CFCs and CH4 have led to improved estimates of atmospheric lifetimes of these important molecules. Finally the correlation of N2O with CO2, the latter now being measured with great precision by a new instrument on the ER-2, has led to a significant new tool for studying horizontal and vertical mixing in the lower stratosphere, a tool which is very useful in assessing the potential effects of high speed civil transport aircraft in the lower stratosphere. A new, light-weight version of ATLAS is currently being built for unmanned high altitude aircraft, specifically the new Perseus vehicle. We will give a brief description of this effort.

Monitoring of lead load and its effect on neonatal behavioral neurological assessment scores in Guiyu, an electronic waste recycling town in China.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Xu, Xijin; Wu, Kusheng; Chen, Gangjian; Liu, Junxiao; Chen, Songjian; Gu, Chengwu; Zhang, Bao; Zheng, Liangkai; Zheng, Minghao; Huo, Xia

2008-10-01

Guiyu is the major electronic waste (e-waste) recycling town in China. The primary purpose of this study was to measure the lead levels in neonates and examine the correlation between lead levels and neurobehavioral development. One hundred full-term neonates from Guiyu and fifty-two neonates from neighboring towns (control group) in the late summer of 2006 were selected for study. The lead levels in the umbilical cord blood (CBPb) and lead levels in meconium (MPb) of neonates were determined with atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The neonatal behavioral neurological assessment (NBNA) was conducted on all neonates. A questionnaire related to the exposure to lead of pregnant women was used as a survey of the neonates' mothers. Compared with the control group, neonates in Guiyu had significantly higher levels of lead (P < 0.01), and the mean CBPb and MPb were 113.28 microg L(-1) and 2.50 microg g(-1), respectively. The relatively high lead levels in the neonates of the Guiyu group were found to correlate with their maternal occupation in relation to e-waste recycling. Neonates with high levels of lead load have lower NBNA scores (P < 0.01). There was a statistically significant difference in NBNA scores between the Guiyu group and the control group by t test (P < 0.05). No correlation was found between CBPb and NBNA scores; however, a negative correlation was found between MPb and NBNA scores (P < 0.01). There is a correlation between relatively high lead levels in the umbilical cord blood and meconium in neonates and the local e-waste recycling activities related to lead contamination. This study suggests that environmental lead contamination due to e-waste recycling have an impact on neurobehavioral development of neonates in Guiyu.

Connecting optical and X-ray tracers of galaxy cluster relaxation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Ian D.; Parker, Laura C.; Hlavacek-Larrondo, Julie

2018-04-01

Substantial effort has been devoted in determining the ideal proxy for quantifying the morphology of the hot intracluster medium in clusters of galaxies. These proxies, based on X-ray emission, typically require expensive, high-quality X-ray observations making them difficult to apply to large surveys of groups and clusters. Here, we compare optical relaxation proxies with X-ray asymmetries and centroid shifts for a sample of Sloan Digital Sky Survey clusters with high-quality, archival X-ray data from Chandra and XMM-Newton. The three optical relaxation measures considered are the shape of the member-galaxy projected velocity distribution - measured by the Anderson-Darling (AD) statistic, the stellar mass gap between the most-massive and second-most-massive cluster galaxy, and the offset between the most-massive galaxy (MMG) position and the luminosity-weighted cluster centre. The AD statistic and stellar mass gap correlate significantly with X-ray relaxation proxies, with the AD statistic being the stronger correlator. Conversely, we find no evidence for a correlation between X-ray asymmetry or centroid shift and the MMG offset. High-mass clusters (Mhalo > 1014.5 M⊙) in this sample have X-ray asymmetries, centroid shifts, and Anderson-Darling statistics which are systematically larger than for low-mass systems. Finally, considering the dichotomy of Gaussian and non-Gaussian clusters (measured by the AD test), we show that the probability of being a non-Gaussian cluster correlates significantly with X-ray asymmetry but only shows a marginal correlation with centroid shift. These results confirm the shape of the radial velocity distribution as a useful proxy for cluster relaxation, which can then be applied to large redshift surveys lacking extensive X-ray coverage.

Complex correlation approach for high frequency financial data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilinski, Mateusz; Ikeda, Yuichi; Aoyama, Hideaki

2018-02-01

We propose a novel approach that allows the calculation of a Hilbert transform based complex correlation for unevenly spaced data. This method is especially suitable for high frequency trading data, which are of a particular interest in finance. Its most important feature is the ability to take into account lead-lag relations on different scales, without knowing them in advance. We also present results obtained with this approach while working on Tokyo Stock Exchange intraday quotations. We show that individual sectors and subsectors tend to form important market components which may follow each other with small but significant delays. These components may be recognized by analysing eigenvectors of complex correlation matrix for Nikkei 225 stocks. Interestingly, sectorial components are also found in eigenvectors corresponding to the bulk eigenvalues, traditionally treated as noise.

Modification of jet-like correlations in Pb-Au collisions at 158A GeV/c

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceres Collaboration; Adamová, D.; Agakichiev, G.; Antończyk, D.; Appelshäuser, H.; Belaga, V.; Bielčíková, J.; Braun-Munzinger, P.; Busch, O.; Cherlin, A.; Damjanović, S.; Dietel, T.; Dietrich, L.; Drees, A.; Dubitzky, W.; Esumi, S. I.; Filimonov, K.; Fomenko, K.; Fraenkel, Z.; Garabatos, C.; Glässel, P.; Holeczek, J.; Kalisky, M.; Kniege, S.; Kushpil, V.; Maas, A.; Marín, A.; Milošević, J.; Milov, A.; Miśkowiec, D.; Panebrattsev, Yu.; Petchenova, O.; Petráček, V.; Pfeiffer, A.; Płoskoń, M.; Rak, J.; Ravinovich, I.; Rehak, P.; Sako, H.; Schmitz, W.; Schuchmann, S.; Sedykh, S.; Shimansky, S.; Stachel, J.; Šumbera, M.; Tilsner, H.; Tserruya, I.; Wessels, J. P.; Wienold, T.; Wurm, J. P.; Xie, W.; Yurevich, S.; Yurevich, V.

2009-07-01

Results of a two-particle correlation analysis of high-p charged particles in Pb-Au collisions at 158A GeV/c are presented. The data have been recorded by the CERES experiment at the CERN-SPS. The correlations are studied as function of transverse momentum, particle charge and collision centrality. We observe a jet-like structure in the vicinity of a high-p trigger particle and a broad back-to-back distribution. The yields of associated particles per trigger show a strong dependence on the trigger/associate charge combination. A comparison to PYTHIA confirms the jet-like pattern at the near-side but suggests a strong modification at the away-side, implying significant energy transfer of the hard-scattered parton to the medium.

High-resolution genetic linkage mapping, high-temperature tolerance and growth-related quantitative trait locus (QTL) identification in Marsupenaeus japonicus.

PubMed

Lu, Xia; Luan, Sheng; Hu, Long Yang; Mao, Yong; Tao, Ye; Zhong, Sheng Ping; Kong, Jie

2016-06-01

The Kuruma prawn, Marsupenaeus japonicus, is one of the most promising marine invertebrates in the industry in Asia, Europe and Australia. However, the increasing global temperatures result in considerable economic losses in M. japonicus farming. In the present study, to select genetically improved animals for the sustainable development of the Kuruma prawn industry, a high-resolution genetic linkage map and quantitative trait locus (QTL) identification were performed using the RAD technology. The maternal map contained 5849 SNP markers and spanned 3127.23 cM, with an average marker interval of 0.535 cM. Instead, the paternal map contained 3927 SNP markers and spanned 3326.19 cM, with an average marker interval of 0.847 cM. The consensus map contained 9289 SNP markers and spanned 3610.90 cM, with an average marker interval of 0.388 cM and coverage of 99.06 % of the genome. The markers were grouped into 41 linkage groups in the maps. Significantly, negative correlation was detected between high-temperature tolerance (UTT) and body weight (BW). The QTL mapping revealed 129 significant QTL loci for UTT and four significant QTL loci for BW at the genome-wide significance threshold. Among these QTLs, 129 overlapped with linked SNPs, and the remaining four were located in regions between contiguous SNPs. They explained the total phenotypic variance ranging from 8.9 to 12.4 %. Because of a significantly negative correlation between growth and high-temperature tolerance, we demonstrate that this high-resolution linkage map and QTLs would be useful for further marker-assisted selection in the genetic improvement of M. japonicus.

Prognostic value of survivin expression in parotid gland cancer in consideration of different histological subtypes.

PubMed

Stenner, Markus; Demgensky, Ariane; Molls, Christoph; Hardt, Aline; Luers, Jan C; Grosheva, Maria; Huebbers, Christian U; Klussmann, Jens P

2011-05-01

Cancer of the major salivary glands comprises a morphological diverse group of rare tumours of largely unknown cause. Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis has shown to be a significant prognostic indicator in various human cancers. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term prognostic value of survivin in a large group of histological different salivary gland cancers. We analysed the survivin expression in 143 patients with parotid gland cancer by means of immunohistochemistry and tissue micro array. Survivin expression was categorised into a low and a high expressing group. The experimental findings were correlated with clinicopathological and survival parameters. The mean follow-up time was 54.8 months. A positive cytoplasmic expression of survivin was found in 61.5%, a high expression in 25.9% of all specimens. In the whole group, high cytoplasmic survivin expression significantly indicated a poor 5-year disease-free and overall survival rate (p < 0.0001, p = 0.003). This applied for all adeno-, adenoid cystic and undifferentiated carcinomas whereas in mucoepidermoid carcinomas an analogical non-significant trend could be observed. A high cytoplasmic survivin expression significantly indicated a poor survival in high grade but not in low grade tumours. A multivariate analysis revealed that high cytoplasmic survivin expression was the only significant negative prognostic indicator for a poor 5-year disease-free survival rate in all patients (p = 0.042). The correlation between cytoplasmic survivin expression and survival probabilities of salivary gland cancer might make this an effective tool in patient follow-up, prognosis and targeted therapy in future. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cortical Thickness Reduction in Combat Exposed U.S. Veterans with and without PTSD

PubMed Central

Wrocklage, Kristen M.; Averill, Lynnette A.; Scott, J. Cobb; Averill, Christopher L.; Schweinsburg, Brian; Trejo, Marcia; Roy, Alicia; Weisser, Valerie; Kelly, Christopher; Martini, Brenda; Harpaz-Rotem, Ilan; Southwick, Steven M.; Krystal, John H.; Abdallah, Chadi G.

2017-01-01

We investigated the extent of cortical thinning in U.S. Veterans exposed to combat who varied in the severity of their posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In addition, we explored the neural correlates of PTSD symptom dimensions and the interactive effects of combat exposure and PTSD upon cortical thickness. Sixty-nine combat exposed Veterans completed high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to estimate cortical thickness. The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and Combat Exposure Scale (CES) assessments were completed to measure current PTSD and historical combat severity, respectively. PTSD symptom dimensions (numbing, avoidance, reexperiencing, anxious arousal, and dysphoric arousal) were studied. Vertex-wise whole cerebrum analyses were conducted. We found widespread negative correlations between CAPS severity and cortical thickness, particularly within the prefrontal cortex. This prefrontal correlation remained significant after controlling for depression severity, medication status, and other potential confounds. PTSD dimensions, except anxious arousal, negatively correlated with cortical thickness in various unique brain regions. CES negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the left lateral prefrontal, regardless of PTSD diagnosis. A significant interaction between CES and PTSD diagnosis was found, such that CES negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the non-PTSD, but not in the PTSD, participants. The results underscore the severity of cortical thinning in U.S. Veterans suffering from high level of PTSD symptoms, as well as in Veterans with no PTSD diagnosis but severe combat exposure. The latter finding raises considerable concerns about a concealed injury potentially related to combat exposure in the post-9/11 era. PMID:28279623

Cortical thickness reduction in combat exposed U.S. veterans with and without PTSD.

PubMed

Wrocklage, Kristen M; Averill, Lynnette A; Cobb Scott, J; Averill, Christopher L; Schweinsburg, Brian; Trejo, Marcia; Roy, Alicia; Weisser, Valerie; Kelly, Christopher; Martini, Brenda; Harpaz-Rotem, Ilan; Southwick, Steven M; Krystal, John H; Abdallah, Chadi G

2017-05-01

We investigated the extent of cortical thinning in U.S. Veterans exposed to combat who varied in the severity of their posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In addition, we explored the neural correlates of PTSD symptom dimensions and the interactive effects of combat exposure and PTSD upon cortical thickness. Sixty-nine combat exposed Veterans completed high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to estimate cortical thickness. The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and Combat Exposure Scale (CES) assessments were completed to measure current PTSD and historical combat severity, respectively. PTSD symptom dimensions (numbing, avoidance, reexperiencing, anxious arousal, and dysphoric arousal) were studied. Vertex-wise whole cerebrum analyses were conducted. We found widespread negative correlations between CAPS severity and cortical thickness, particularly within the prefrontal cortex. This prefrontal correlation remained significant after controlling for depression severity, medication status, and other potential confounds. PTSD dimensions, except anxious arousal, negatively correlated with cortical thickness in various unique brain regions. CES negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the left lateral prefrontal, regardless of PTSD diagnosis. A significant interaction between CES and PTSD diagnosis was found, such that CES negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the non-PTSD, but not in the PTSD, participants. The results underscore the severity of cortical thinning in U.S. Veterans suffering from high level of PTSD symptoms, as well as in Veterans with no PTSD diagnosis but severe combat exposure. The latter finding raises considerable concerns about a concealed injury potentially related to combat exposure in the post-9/11 era. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Association of High-Resolution Manometry Metrics with the Symptoms of Achalasia and the Symptomatic Outcomes of Peroral Esophageal Myotomy

PubMed Central

Tang, Yurong; Xie, Chen; Wang, Meifeng; Jiang, Liuqin; Shi, Ruihua; Lin, Lin

2015-01-01

Background High-resolution manometry (HRM) has improved the accuracy of manometry in detecting achalasia and has helped distinguish between clinically relevant subtypes. This study investigated whether HRM metrics correlate with the achalasia symptoms and symptomatic outcomes of peroral esophageal myotomy (POEM). Methods Of the 30 patients who were enrolled, 25 were treated with POEM, 12 of who underwent HRM after 3 months. All the patients completed the Eckardt score questionnaires, and those who underwent POEM were followed up for about 6 months. Pearson correlation was used to assess the relationship between the HRM metrics and symptoms and outcomes. Key results The integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) score positively correlated with the total Eckardt score, regurgitation score and weight loss score in all the patients, and with the weight loss score in type I achalasia. In 25 patients (10 patients, type I; 15 patients, type II) who underwent POEM, the total Eckardt scores and individual symptom scores significantly decreased after surgery. Changes in the Eckardt scores were similar between type I and type II. Further, the Eckardt scores and weight loss score changes were positively correlated with baseline IRP. Twelve patients (4 patients, type I; 8 patients, type II) underwent HRM again after POEM. IRP changed significantly after POEM, as did the DEP in type II. The IRP changes after POEM were positively correlated with the Eckardt score changes. Conclusions & Inferences IRP is correlated with the symptoms and outcomes of achalasia patients. Thus, HRM is effective for assessing the severity of achalasia and can predict the efficacy of POEM. PMID:26421919

Association of High-Resolution Manometry Metrics with the Symptoms of Achalasia and the Symptomatic Outcomes of Peroral Esophageal Myotomy.

PubMed

Tang, Yurong; Xie, Chen; Wang, Meifeng; Jiang, Liuqin; Shi, Ruihua; Lin, Lin

2015-01-01

High-resolution manometry (HRM) has improved the accuracy of manometry in detecting achalasia and has helped distinguish between clinically relevant subtypes. This study investigated whether HRM metrics correlate with the achalasia symptoms and symptomatic outcomes of peroral esophageal myotomy (POEM). Of the 30 patients who were enrolled, 25 were treated with POEM, 12 of who underwent HRM after 3 months. All the patients completed the Eckardt score questionnaires, and those who underwent POEM were followed up for about 6 months. Pearson correlation was used to assess the relationship between the HRM metrics and symptoms and outcomes. The integrated relaxation pressure (IRP) score positively correlated with the total Eckardt score, regurgitation score and weight loss score in all the patients, and with the weight loss score in type I achalasia. In 25 patients (10 patients, type I; 15 patients, type II) who underwent POEM, the total Eckardt scores and individual symptom scores significantly decreased after surgery. Changes in the Eckardt scores were similar between type I and type II. Further, the Eckardt scores and weight loss score changes were positively correlated with baseline IRP. Twelve patients (4 patients, type I; 8 patients, type II) underwent HRM again after POEM. IRP changed significantly after POEM, as did the DEP in type II. The IRP changes after POEM were positively correlated with the Eckardt score changes. IRP is correlated with the symptoms and outcomes of achalasia patients. Thus, HRM is effective for assessing the severity of achalasia and can predict the efficacy of POEM.

Adoption and correlates of Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) in the evaluation of learning environments - A systematic review.

PubMed

Chan, Christopher Yi Wen; Sum, Min Yi; Lim, Wee Shiong; Chew, Nicholas Wuen Ming; Samarasekera, Dujeepa D; Sim, Kang

2016-12-01

The Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) is a highly reliable and valid instrument to measure the educational environment during post graduate medical training. This review extends earlier reports by evaluating the extant adoption of PHEEM in various international clinical training sites, and its significant correlations in order to expand our understanding on the use of PHEEM and facilitate future applications and research. A systematic literature review was conducted on all articles between 2005 and October 2015 that adopted and reported data using the PHEEM. Overall 30 studies were included, encompassing data from 14 countries internationally. Notable differences in the PHEEM scores were found between different levels of training, disciplines, and clinical training sites. Common strengths and weaknesses in learning environments were observed and there were significant correlations between PHEEM scores and In-Training Exam (ITE) performance (positive correlation) and level of burnout (negative correlation), respectively. PHEEM is widely adopted in different learning settings, and is a useful tool to identify the strengths and weaknesses of an educational environment. Future research can examine other correlates of PHEEM and longitudinal changes in interventional studies.

Aerobic Fitness and Body Mass Index in Individuals with Schizophrenia: Implications for Neurocognition and Daily Functioning

PubMed Central

Kimhy, David; Vakhrusheva, Julia; Bartels, Matthew N.; Armstrong, Hilary F.; Ballon, Jacob S.; Khan, Samira; Chang, Rachel W.; Hansen, Marie C.; Ayanruoh, Lindsey; Smith, Edward E.; Sloan, Richard P.

2014-01-01

Previous reports indicate that among healthy individuals low Aerobic Fitness (AF) and high Body-Mass Index (BMI) predict poor neurocognition and daily-functioning. It is unknown whether these associations extend to disorders characterized by poor neurocognition, such as schizophrenia. Therefore, we compared AF and BMI in individuals with schizophrenia and non-clinical controls, and then within the schizophrenia group we examined the links between AF, BMI, neurocognition and daily-functioning. Thirty-two individuals with schizophrenia and 64 gender- and age-matched controls completed assessments of AF (indexed by VO2max) and BMI. The former also completed measures of neurocognition, daily-functioning and physical activity. The schizophrenia group displayed significantly lower AF and higher BMI. In the schizophrenia group, AF was significantly correlated with overall neurocognition (r=0.57), along with executive functioning, working memory, social cognition, and processing speed. A hierarchical regression analysis indicated that AF accounted for 22% of the neurocognition variance. Furthermore, AF was significantly correlated with overall daily-functioning (r=0.46). In contrast, BMI displayed significant inverse correlations with neurocognition, but no associations to daily-functioning. AF was significantly correlated physical activity. The authors discuss the potential use of AF-enhancing interventions to improve neurocognitive and daily-functioning in schizophrenia, along with putative neurobiological mechanisms underlying these links, including Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. PMID:25219618

Effective Phytoextraction of Cadmium (Cd) with Increasing Concentration of Total Phenolics and Free Proline in Cannabis sativa (L) Plant Under Various Treatments of Fertilizers, Plant Growth Regulators and Sodium Salt.

PubMed

Ahmad, Ayaz; Hadi, Fazal; Ali, Nasir

2015-01-01

The comparative effect of fertilizers (NPK), plant growth regulators (GA3, IAA, Zeatin) and sodium chloride (NaCl) on Cd phytoaccumulation, proline and phenolics production in Cannabis sativa was evaluated. Proline and phenolices were correlated with Cd contents in plant. Cd significantly reduced the plant growth. Fertilizers application (in combination) most significantly increased the growth (19 cm root and 47 cm shoot) on Cd contaminated soil. All treatments increased the Cd contents in plant tissues. This increase was highly significant in fertilizers treated plants (1101, 121 and 544 ppm in roots, stem and leaves respectively). Significantly positive correlation was found between Cd concentration and dry biomass of root (R2=0.7511) and leaves (R2=0.5524). All treatments significantly increased the proline and total phenolics and maximum was recorded in NaCl treated plants followed by fertilizers. Proline was higher in roots while phenolics in leaves. The correlation between proline and phenolics was positive in leaf (R2=0.8439) and root (R2=0.5191). Proline and phenolics showed positive correlation with Cd concentration in plant. Conclusively, fertilizers in combination seem to be the better option for Cd phytoextraction. Further investigation is suggested to study the role of phenolics and proline in Cd phytoextraction.

Increased expression of c-Ski as a co-repressor in transforming growth factor-beta signaling correlates with progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Fukuchi, Minoru; Nakajima, Masanobu; Fukai, Yasuyuki; Miyazaki, Tatsuya; Masuda, Norihiro; Sohda, Makoto; Manda, Ryokuhei; Tsukada, Katsuhiko; Kato, Hiroyuki; Kuwano, Hiroyuki

2004-03-01

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) regulates cell growth inhibition, and inactivation of the TGF-beta signaling pathway contributes to tumor development. In our previous study, altered expression of TGF-beta, TGF-beta-specific receptors and Smad4 was shown to correlate with tumor progression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). These components, however, were maintained normally in some patients with esophageal SCC. In our study, the mechanism by which aggressive esophageal SCC maintains these components was investigated, with particular emphasis on the participation of c-Ski and SnoN as transcriptional co-repressors in TGF-beta signaling. Immunohistochemistry for c-Ski and SnoN was carried out on surgical specimens obtained from 80 patients with esophageal SCC. The expression of c-Ski and SnoN was also studied in 6 established cell lines derived from esophageal SCC and compared to an immortalized human esophageal cell line by Western blotting. High levels of expression of c-Ski, detected immunohistologically, were found to correlate with depth of invasion (p = 0.0080) and pathologic stage (p = 0.0447). There was, however, no significant correlation between expression of SnoN and clinicopathologic characteristics. A significant correlation between c-Ski and TGF-beta expression was observed. Moreover, in patients with TGF-beta negative expression, the survival rates of patients with c-Ski positive expression were significantly lower than those of patients with c-Ski negative expression (p = 0.0486). c-Ski was expressed at a high level in 5 of 6 cell lines derived from esophageal SCC compared to immortalized esophageal keratinocytes. Furthermore, the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor, p21 that was up-regulated by TGF-beta signaling was expressed at a low level in the 5 cell lines. The expression of c-Ski protein as a transcriptional co-repressor in TGF-beta signaling seems to be correlated with tumor progression of esophageal SCC. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Principals' transformational leadership and teachers' collective efficacy.

PubMed

Dussault, Marc; Payette, Daniel; Leroux, Mathieu

2008-04-01

The study was designed to test the relationship of principals' transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership with teachers' collective efficacy. Bandura's theory of efficacy applied to the group and Bass's transformational leadership theory were used as the theoretical framework. Participants included 487 French Canadian teachers from 40 public high schools. As expected, there were positive and significant correlations between principals' transformational and transactional leadership and teachers' collective efficacy. Also, there was a negative and significant correlation between laissez-faire leadership and teachers' collective efficacy. Moreover, regression analysis showed transformational leadership significantly enhanced the predictive capabilities of transactional leadership on teachers' collective efficacy. These results confirm the importance of leadership to predict collective efficacy and, by doing so, strengthen Bass's theory of leadership.

Holographic thermalization with initial long range correlation

DOE PAGES

Lin, Shu

2016-01-19

Here, we studied the evolution of the Wightman correlator in a thermalizing state modeled by AdS 3-Vaidya background. A prescription was given for calculating the Wightman correlator in coordinate space without using any approximation. For equal-time correlator , we obtained an enhancement factor v 2 due to long range correlation present in the initial state. This was missed by previous studies based on geodesic approximation. Moreover, we found that the long range correlation in initial state does not lead to significant modification to thermalization time as compared to known results with generic initial state. We also studied the spatially integratedmore » Wightman correlator and showed evidence on the distinction between long distance and small momentum physics for an out-of-equilibrium state. We also calculated the radiation spectrum of particles weakly coupled to O and found that lower frequency mode approaches thermal spectrum faster than high frequency mode.« less

Physiological Mechanisms Underlying the High-Grain Yield and High-Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Elite Rice Varieties under a Low Rate of Nitrogen Application in China.

PubMed

Wu, Lilian; Yuan, Shen; Huang, Liying; Sun, Fan; Zhu, Guanglong; Li, Guohui; Fahad, Shah; Peng, Shaobing; Wang, Fei

2016-01-01

Selecting rice varieties with a high nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) is the best approach to reduce N fertilizer application in rice production and is one of the objectives of the Green Super Rice (GSR) Project in China. However, the performance of elite candidate GSR varieties under low N supply remains unclear. In the present study, differences in the grain yield and NUE of 13 and 14 candidate varieties with two controls were determined at a N rate of 100 kg ha(-1) in field experiments in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The grain yield for all of the rice varieties ranged from 8.67 to 11.09 t ha(-1), except for a japonica rice variety YG29, which had a grain yield of 6.42 t ha(-1). HY549 and YY4949 produced the highest grain yield, reflecting a higher biomass production and harvest index in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Total N uptake at maturity (TNPM) ranged from 144 to 210 kg ha(-1), while the nitrogen use efficiency for grain production (NUEg) ranged from 35.2 to 62.0 kg kg(-1). Both TNPM and NUEg showed a significant quadratic correlation with grain yield, indicating that it is possible to obtain high grain yield and NUEg with the reduction of TNPM. The correlation between N-related parameters and yield-related traits suggests that promoting pre-heading growth could increase TNPM, while high biomass accumulation during the grain filling period and large panicles are important for a higher NUEg. In addition, there were significant and negative correlations between the NUEg and N concentrations in leaf, stem, and grain tissues at maturity. Further improvements in NUEg require a reduction in the stem N concentration but not the leaf N concentration. The daily grain yield was the only parameter that significantly and positively correlated with both TNPMand NUEg. This study determined variations in the grain yield and NUE of elite candidate GSR rice varieties and provided plant traits that could be used as selection criteria in breeding N-efficient rice varieties.

A novel tool for continuous fracture aftercare - Clinical feasibility and first results of a new telemetric gait analysis insole.

PubMed

Braun, Benedikt J; Bushuven, Eva; Hell, Rebecca; Veith, Nils T; Buschbaum, Jan; Holstein, Joerg H; Pohlemann, Tim

2016-02-01

Weight bearing after lower extremity fractures still remains a highly controversial issue. Even in ankle fractures, the most common lower extremity injury no standard aftercare protocol has been established. Average non weight bearing times range from 0 to 7 weeks, with standardised, radiological healing controls at fixed time intervals. Recent literature calls for patient-adapted aftercare protocols based on individual fracture and load scenarios. We show the clinical feasibility and first results of a new, insole embedded gait analysis tool for continuous monitoring of gait, load and activity. Ten patients were monitored with a new, independent gait analysis insole for up to 3 months postoperatively. Strict 20 kg partial weight bearing was ordered for 6 weeks. Overall activity, load spectrum, ground reaction forces, clinical scoring and general health data were recorded and correlated. Statistical analysis with power analysis, t-test and Spearman correlation was performed. Only one patient completely adhered to the set weight bearing limit. Average time in minutes over the limit was 374 min. Based on the parameters load, activity, gait time over 20 kg weight bearing and maximum ground reaction force high and low performers were defined after 3 weeks. Significant difference in time to painless full weight bearing between high and low performers was shown. Correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between weight bearing and clinical scoring as well as pain (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Score rs=0.74; Olerud-Molander Score rs=0.93; VAS pain rs=-0.95). Early, continuous gait analysis is able to define aftercare performers with significant differences in time to full painless weight bearing where clinical or radiographic controls could not. Patient compliance to standardised weight bearing limits and protocols is low. Highly individual rehabilitation patterns were seen in all patients. Aftercare protocols should be adjusted to real-time patient conditions, rather than fixed intervals and limits. With a real-time measuring device high performers could be identified and influenced towards optimal healing conditions early, while low performers are recognised and missing healing influences could be corrected according to patient condition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intramuscular Priming and Intranasal Boosting Induce Strong Genital Immunity Through Secretory IgA in Minipigs Infected with Chlamydia trachomatis

PubMed Central

Lorenzen, Emma; Follmann, Frank; Bøje, Sarah; Erneholm, Karin; Olsen, Anja Weinreich; Agerholm, Jørgen Steen; Jungersen, Gregers; Andersen, Peter

2015-01-01

International efforts in developing a vaccine against Chlamydia trachomatis have highlighted the need for novel immunization strategies for the induction of genital immunity. In this study, we evaluated an intramuscular (IM) prime/intranasal boost vaccination strategy in a Göttingen Minipig model with a reproductive system very similar to humans. The vaccine was composed of C. trachomatis subunit antigens formulated in the Th1/Th17 promoting CAF01 adjuvant. IM priming immunizations with CAF01 induced a significant cell-mediated interferon gamma and interleukin 17A response and a significant systemic high-titered neutralizing IgG response. Following genital challenge, intranasally boosted groups mounted an accelerated, highly significant genital IgA response that correlated with enhanced bacterial clearance on day 3 post infection. By detecting antigen-specific secretory component (SC), we showed that the genital IgA was locally produced in the genital mucosa. The highly significant inverse correlation between the vaginal IgA SC response and the chlamydial load suggests that IgA in the minipig model is involved in protection against C. trachomatis. This is important both for our understanding of protective immunity and future vaccination strategies against C. trachomatis and genital pathogens in general. PMID:26734002

Climate change increases the production of female hatchlings at a northern sea turtle rookery.

PubMed

Reneker, J L; Kamel, S J

2016-12-01

The most recent climate change projections show a global increase in temperatures, along with major adjustments to precipitation, throughout the 21st century. Species exhibiting temperature-dependent sex determination are highly susceptible to such changes since the incubation environment influences critical offspring characteristics such as survival and sex ratio. Here we show that the mean incubation duration of loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nests from a high-density nesting beach on Bald Head Island, North Carolina, USA has decreased significantly over the past 25 yr. This decrease in incubation duration is significantly positively correlated with mean air temperature and negatively correlated with mean precipitation during the nesting season. Additionally, although no change in hatching success was detected during this same period, a potentially detrimental consequence of shorter incubation durations is that they lead to the production of primarily female offspring. Given that global temperatures are predicted to increase by as much as 4°C over the next century, the mass feminization of sea turtle hatchlings is a high-priority concern. While presently limited in number, studies using long-term data sets to examine the temporal correlation between offspring characteristics and climatic trends are essential for understanding the scope and direction of climate change effects on species persistence. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Chromium (VI) induced oxidative damage to DNA: increase of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine concentrations (8-OHdG) among electroplating workers

PubMed Central

Kuo, H; Chang, S; Wu, K; Wu, F

2003-01-01

Aims: To investigate the concentration of urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) among electroplating workers in Taiwan. Methods: Fifty workers were selected from five chromium (Cr) electroplating plants in central Taiwan. The 20 control subjects were office workers with no previous exposure to Cr. Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were determined using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Results: Urinary 8-OHdG concentrations among Cr workers (1149.5 pmol/kg/day) were higher than those in the control group (730.2 pmol/kg/day). There was a positive correlation between urinary 8-OHdG concentrations and urinary Cr concentration (r = 0.447, p < 0.01), and urinary 8-OHdG correlated positively with airborne Cr concentration (r = 0.285). Using multiple regression analysis, the factors that affected urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were alcohol, the common cold, and high urinary Cr concentration. There was a high correlation of urinary 8-OHdG with both smoking and drinking, but multiple regression analysis showed that smoking was not a significant factor. Age and gender were also non-significant factors. Conclusion: 8-OHdG, which is an indicator of oxidative DNA damage, was a sensitive biomarker for Cr exposure. PMID:12883020

Association between somatotypes and blood pressure in an adult Chuvasha population.

PubMed

Kalichman, Leonid; Livshits, Gregory; Kobyliansky, Eugene

2004-01-01

The relationship between blood pressure (BP) and anthropometrical characteristics has been indeed examined extensively, but only a few studies have investigated any connection of somatotypes to BP. to evaluate the association between BP and various anthropometrical characteristics, including components of somatotypes (using the methods of Heath and Carter and of Deriabin). The study sample comprised 783 males aged 18-89 years and 720 females aged 18-90 years, all residents of the Chuvasha, Russian Federation. We used multiple regression, Pearson's and canonical correlation analyses. Significant correlations (r = 0.19-0.28, p < 0.05) were obtained between BP and anthropometric characteristics associated with body compositions and somatotypes. The most impressive were the canonical correlations between BP and somatotype components derived according to Heath and Carter (0.275), and according to Deriabin's (0.333) method. Different body types were highly significantly (P < 0.001) associated with systolic and diastolic BP. Individuals of robust physique (with high endomorphy and mesomorphy) showed high mean values of systolic and diastolic BP, whereas the smallest persons had the lowest BP values. These findings suggest the existence of common physiological paths in the development of body physique and blood pressure regulation and may possibly be indicative of the involvement of pleiotropic genetic and/or epigenetic mechanisms in this regulation.

Social Network Analysis Reveals the Negative Effects of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms on Friend-Based Student Networks.

PubMed

Kim, Jun Won; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Kim, Johanna Inhyang; Lee, Young Sik; Min, Kyung Joon; Kim, Hyun-Jin; Lee, Jaewon

2015-01-01

Social network analysis has emerged as a promising tool in modern social psychology. This method can be used to examine friend-based social relationships in terms of network theory, with nodes representing individual students and ties representing relationships between students (e.g., friendships and kinships). Using social network analysis, we investigated whether greater severity of ADHD symptoms is correlated with weaker peer relationships among elementary school students. A total of 562 sixth-graders from two elementary schools (300 males) provided the names of their best friends (maximum 10 names). Their teachers rated each student's ADHD symptoms using an ADHD rating scale. The results showed that 10.2% of the students were at high risk for ADHD. Significant group differences were observed between the high-risk students and other students in two of the three network parameters (degree, centrality and closeness) used to assess friendship quality, with the high-risk group showing significantly lower values of degree and closeness compared to the other students. Moreover, negative correlations were found between the ADHD rating and two social network analysis parameters. Our findings suggest that the severity of ADHD symptoms is strongly correlated with the quality of social and interpersonal relationships in students with ADHD symptoms.

Social Network Analysis Reveals the Negative Effects of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms on Friend-Based Student Networks

PubMed Central

Kim, Jun Won; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Kim, Johanna Inhyang; Lee, Young Sik; Min, Kyung Joon; Kim, Hyun-Jin; Lee, Jaewon

2015-01-01

Introduction Social network analysis has emerged as a promising tool in modern social psychology. This method can be used to examine friend-based social relationships in terms of network theory, with nodes representing individual students and ties representing relationships between students (e.g., friendships and kinships). Using social network analysis, we investigated whether greater severity of ADHD symptoms is correlated with weaker peer relationships among elementary school students. Methods A total of 562 sixth-graders from two elementary schools (300 males) provided the names of their best friends (maximum 10 names). Their teachers rated each student’s ADHD symptoms using an ADHD rating scale. Results The results showed that 10.2% of the students were at high risk for ADHD. Significant group differences were observed between the high-risk students and other students in two of the three network parameters (degree, centrality and closeness) used to assess friendship quality, with the high-risk group showing significantly lower values of degree and closeness compared to the other students. Moreover, negative correlations were found between the ADHD rating and two social network analysis parameters. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the severity of ADHD symptoms is strongly correlated with the quality of social and interpersonal relationships in students with ADHD symptoms. PMID:26562777