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Terms modified by Mean Maximum Selected AbstractsDALI Apheresis in Hyperlipidemic Patients: Biocompatibility, Efficacy, and Selectivity of Direct Adsorption of Lipoproteins from Whole BloodARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 2 2000T. Bosch Abstract: Recently, the first apheresis technique for direct adsorption of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] from whole blood (DALI) was developed that does not require a prior plasma separation. That markedly simplifies the extracorporeal circuit. The aim of the present study was to test the acute biocompatibility, efficacy, and selectivity of DALI apheresis. In a prospective clinical study, 6 hypercholesterolemic patients suffering from angiographically proven atherosclerosis were treated 4 times each by DALI. 1.3 patient blood volumes were treated per session at blood flow rates of 60,80 ml/min using 750 or 1,000 ml of polyacrylate/polyacrylamide adsorber gel. The anticoagulation consisted of an initial heparin bolus followed by a citrate infusion. The sessions were clinically essentially uneventful. Mean corrected reductions of lipoproteins amounted to 65% for LDL-cholesterol, 54% for Lp(a), 28% for triglycerides, 1% for HDL-cholesterol, and 8% for fibrinogen. The selectivity of lipoprotein removal was high. Cell counts remained virtually unchanged and no signs of hemolysis or clotting were detected. Cell activation parameters elastase, ,-thromboglobulin, interleukin-1,, and IL-6 showed no significant increase. Complement activation was negligible. There was significant, but clinically asymptomatic, bradykinin activation in the adsorber with mean maxima of 12,000 pg/ml in the efferent line at 1,000 ml of treated blood volume. In conclusion, DALI proved to be safe, selective, and efficient for the adsorption of LDL-C and Lp(a), which simplifies substantially the extracorporeal therapy in hypercholesterolemic patients. [source] Spatial assessment of hydrologic alteration across the Pearl River Delta, China, and possible underlying causesHYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 11 2009Qiang Zhang Abstract The alterations of the water level across the Pearl River Delta (PRD) were investigated using a ,range of variability approach' (RVA) based on monthly water level datasets extracted from 17 gauging stations. A mapping method was used to illustrate the spatial patterns in the degrees of alteration of water levels. The results indicated that more stations showing moderate and high alterations in monthly mean maximum and minimum water levels when compared with monthly maximum and minimum water levels. River channels characterized by higher alterations of water levels were observed mainly in the regions north of 22° 30,N. Alterations of water levels across the PRD were a consequence of various influencing factors. However, changed hypsography due to extensive and intensive human activities, particularly the large-scale dredging and excavation of the river sand, may be taken as one of the major causes for the substantial hydrologic alteration. This study indicated that the river channels characterized by altered water levels are mostly those characterized by highly and moderately intensive sand dredging. The changed ratio of the streamflow between Makou and Sanshui stations, the major upstream flow control stations, also influenced the water level alterations of the Pearl River delta. The results of this study will be of great significance in water resources management and better human mitigation of the natural hazards due to the altered water level under the changing environment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Change in mean temperature as a predictor of extreme temperature change in the Asia,Pacific regionINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 10 2005G. M. Griffiths Abstract Trends (1961,2003) in daily maximum and minimum temperatures, extremes and variance were found to be spatially coherent across the Asia,Pacific region. The majority of stations exhibited significant trends: increases in mean maximum and mean minimum temperature, decreases in cold nights and cool days, and increases in warm nights. No station showed a significant increase in cold days or cold nights, but a few sites showed significant decreases in hot days and warm nights. Significant decreases were observed in both maximum and minimum temperature standard deviation in China, Korea and some stations in Japan (probably reflecting urbanization effects), but also for some Thailand and coastal Australian sites. The South Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ) region between Fiji and the Solomon Islands showed a significant increase in maximum temperature variability. Correlations between mean temperature and the frequency of extreme temperatures were strongest in the tropical Pacific Ocean from French Polynesia to Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and southern Japan. Correlations were weaker at continental or higher latitude locations, which may partly reflect urbanization. For non-urban stations, the dominant distribution change for both maximum and minimum temperature involved a change in the mean, impacting on one or both extremes, with no change in standard deviation. This occurred from French Polynesia to Papua New Guinea (except for maximum temperature changes near the SPCZ), in Malaysia, the Philippines, and several outlying Japanese islands. For urbanized stations the dominant change was a change in the mean and variance, impacting on one or both extremes. This result was particularly evident for minimum temperature. The results presented here, for non-urban tropical and maritime locations in the Asia,Pacific region, support the hypothesis that changes in mean temperature may be used to predict changes in extreme temperatures. At urbanized or higher latitude locations, changes in variance should be incorporated. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society. [source] Modification of growing-season surface temperature records in the northern great plains due to land-use transformation: verification of modelling results and implication for global climate changeINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Rezaul Mahmood Abstract Land-use and land-cover change can modify near-surface atmospheric condition. Mesoscale modelling studies have shown that modification in land use affects near-surface soil moisture storage and energy balance. Such a study in the Great Plains showed that changes in land use from natural grass to irrigated agriculture enhanced soil water storage in the root zone and increased latent energy flux. This increase in latent energy flux would correspond to a decrease in sensible heat flux and, therefore, modify near-surface temperature records. To verify this deduction, we have investigated the changes in the historical near-surface temperature records in Nebraska, USA. We have analysed the long-term mean monthly maximum, minimum, and monthly mean air temperature data from five irrigated and five non-irrigated sites. The cooperative weather observation (coop) network is the source of the data. We have found that there is a clear trend in decreasing mean maximum and average temperature data for irrigated sites. For example, York, NE, reports that the mean maximum growing season temperature is decreasing at the rate ,0.01°C year,1. The results from non-irrigated sites indicated an increasing trend for the same parameters. The data from Halsey, NE, indicate a +0.01°C year,1 increase in this century. In addition, we have conducted similar analyses of temperature data for the National Climatic Data Center's Historical Climatic Network data set for the same locations. The results are similar to that obtained with the coop data set. Further investigation of dew-point temperature records for irrigated and non-irrigated sites also show an increasing and decreasing trend respectively. Therefore, we conclude that the land-use change in the Great Plains has modified near-surface temperature records. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Biotic affinities of rocky reef fishes, invertebrates and macroalgae in different zones of the Port Davey marine protected area, south-western TasmaniaAQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 3 2010Graham J. Edgar Abstract 1.Assemblages of fishes, invertebrates, and macroalgae showed strong and predictable distributional patterns within the newly declared Port Davey marine protected area (MPA) in south-western Tasmania. Biotic assemblages in the eastern estuarine section of the MPA within Bathurst Channel were extremely anomalous, both in relation to biota elsewhere in the Port Davey region and also to those present along the wider Tasmanian and Australian coasts. Much of this variation was due to the phenomenon of deepwater emergence, with species in 5,m water depth in eastern Bathurst Channel possessing a mean maximum recorded depth of 200,m, compared with<80,m for the same metric when calculated for sites studied elsewhere around Australia. Deepwater emergence in Bathurst Channel was particularly notable for sessile organisms, although also evident among fishes and mobile macro-invertebrates. 2.Quantitative baseline surveys of reef-associated species were undertaken at sites interspersed among MPA management zone types and biotic community types, thereby providing an appropriate benchmark for assessing ecological changes in different management zones within the Port Davey region through the long term. Distinctive biota present in eastern and western Bathurst Channel, and eastern Port Davey, are well protected within ,no-take' sanctuary zones; however, a bias in location of sanctuary zones towards areas with little fishery resources resulted in less protection for the western Port Davey biota, which also extends along the open coast. Although the lack of high level protection for sites with fishery resources detracts from conservation goals, the Port Davey MPA nevertheless represents a major advance in environmental protection because the ecologically unique, fully protected locations are a necessary inclusion within any comprehensive Australian MPA network. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A novel autoantibody recognizing 200-kd and 100-kd proteins is associated with an immune-mediated necrotizing myopathyARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 9 2010Lisa Christopher-Stine Objective Myofiber necrosis without prominent inflammation is a nonspecific finding in patients with dystrophies and toxic or immune-mediated myopathies. However, the etiology of a necrotizing myopathy is often obscure, and the question of which patients would benefit from immunosuppression remains unanswered. The aim of this study was to identify novel autoantibodies in patients with necrotizing myopathy. Methods Muscle biopsy specimens and serum samples were available for 225 patients with myopathy. Antibody specificities were determined by performing immunoprecipitations from 35S-methionine,labeled HeLa cell lysates. Selected biopsy specimens were stained for membrane attack complex, class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC), and endothelial cell marker CD31. Results Muscle biopsy specimens from 38 of 225 patients showed predominantly myofiber necrosis. Twelve of these patients had a known autoantibody association with or other etiology for their myopathy. Sixteen of the remaining 26 sera immunoprecipitated 200-kd and 100-kd proteins; this specificity was observed in only 1 of 187 patients without necrotizing myopathy. Patients with the anti-200/100 autoantibody specificity had proximal weakness (100%), high creatine kinase levels (mean maximum 10,333 IU/liter), and an irritable myopathy on electromyography (88%). Sixty-three percent of these patients had been exposed to statins prior to the onset of weakness. All patients responded to immunosuppressive therapy, and many experienced a relapse of weakness when the medication was tapered. Immunohistochemical studies showed membrane attack complex on small blood vessels in 6 of 8 patients and on the surface of non-necrotic myofibers in 4 of 8 patients. Five of 8 patients had abnormal capillary morphology, and 4 of 8 patients expressed class I MHC on the surface of non-necrotic myofibers. Conclusion An anti,200/100-kd specificity defines a subgroup of patients with necrotizing myopathy who previously were considered to be autoantibody negative. We propose that these patients have an immune-mediated myopathy that is frequently associated with prior statin use and should be treated with immunosuppressive therapy. [source] Anti,U3 RNP autoantibodies in systemic sclerosisARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 4 2009Rohit Aggarwal Objective To describe the classification, demographic and clinical features, and survival in anti,U3 RNP autoantibody,positive patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods Medical records of 108 anti,U3 RNP,positive and 2,471 anti,U3 RNP,negative SSc patients first evaluated during 1985,2003 were reviewed. Anti,U3 RNP antibody was detected by protein and RNA immunoprecipitation. Disease classification, demographic and clinical features, organ system involvement, and survival were compared between the 2 patient groups, by Student's t -test, chi-square analysis, and Mantel-Haenszel test. Results The anti,U3 RNP,positive group had a higher proportion of African American patients (27% versus 5%; P < 0.001) and male patients (29% versus 19%; P = 0.021), and was younger at the time of first physician diagnosis (mean age 42.8 years versus 47.4 years; P = 0.001). The 2 groups had similar proportions of patients with diffuse cutaneous involvement (47% and 45% in those with and those without anti,U3 RNP, respectively). However, among patients with diffuse cutaneous involvement, the mean maximum modified Rodnan skin score was significantly lower in the anti,U3 RNP group (22.3 versus 27.9; P < 0.001). Skeletal muscle involvement was more frequent in anti,U3 RNP,positive patients (25% versus 14%; P = 0.002), as was "intrinsic" pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) (31% versus 13%; P < 0.001). The frequency of gastrointestinal involvement, cardiac involvement, pulmonary fibrosis, and "renal crisis" did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. Survival was worse in the anti,U3 RNP,positive group (hazard ratio 1.38 [95% confidence interval 1.05,1.82]). PAH was the most common known cause of death in patients with anti,U3 RNP (30%, versus 10% in the anti,U3 RNP,negative group; P < 0.001). Conclusion The present findings demonstrate that the frequencies of African American race and male sex are greater among SSc patients with anti,U3 RNP antibody than those without, and the former group is younger at SSc diagnosis. Anti,U3 RNP,positive patients have more frequent skeletal muscle involvement and PAH, the latter being the most common cause of death. [source] Dentin strain induced by laser irradiationAUSTRALIAN ENDODONTIC JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Satoshi Watanabe dds Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the strain and temperature change in dentin induced by laser irradiation of human root canals with or without water cooling. Twenty-eight palatal roots of extracted human maxillary first molars were used. The strain in dentin was measured using strain gauges fixed on the apical third of the buccal root surface. The temperature change of the root dentin was monitored using thermocouples embedded into dentin near the apex. The root canal was irradiated with Er:YAG or Nd:YAG laser at an output of 1 W (100 mJ, 10 pps) for 5 s. The tip of the irradiation fibre was located 2.0 mm from the root apex. With water cooling, the mean maximum strain induced by Er:YAG laser was significantly lower than that by Nd:YAG laser (P < 0.05). However, without water cooling, no significant difference between the two lasers (P > 0.05) was found. The results suggest that the strain induced by Er:YAG laser irradiation in dentin with water cooling may be minimal, but there still might be a risk of root micro-fracture if cooling is not sufficient. [source] | ||||||||||