Lindhald8933
There were no significant differences in the genotype or allele distribution of selected SNPs (rs1800795 (-174 G>C), rs1800796 (-572 G>C), and rs1800797 (-597 G>A)) in the promoter region of the IL-6 gene in patients with severe COVID-19 and patients with mild COVID-19.
Our study indicated that these SNPs are not associated with COVID-19 severity in the Kurdish population from Kermanshah, Iran.
Our study indicated that these SNPs are not associated with COVID-19 severity in the Kurdish population from Kermanshah, Iran.Autoimmunity, hyperstimulation of the immune system, can be caused by a variety of reasons. Viruses are thought to be important environmental elements that contribute to the development of autoimmune antibodies. It seems that viruses cause autoimmunity with mechanisms such as molecular mimicry, bystander activation of T cells, transient immunosuppression, and inflammation, which has also been seen in post-Covid-19 autoimmunity. Infection of respiratory epithelium by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) dysregulates the immune response, triggers both innate and acquired immunity that led to the immune system's hyperactivation, excessive cytokine secretion known as "cytokine storm," and finally acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) associated with high mortality. read more Any factor in the body that triggers chronic inflammation can contribute to autoimmune disease, which has been documented during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been observed that some patients produce autoantibody and autoreactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, leading to the loss of self-tolerance. However, there is a scarcity of evidence defining the precise molecular interaction between the virus and the immune system to elicit autoreactivity. Here, we present a review of the relevant immunological findings in Covid-19 and the current reports of autoimmune disease associated with the disease.
To determine the efficacy and safety, in terms of maternal and neonatal outcomes, of adding intrathecal midazolam to spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery in healthy pregnant women.
A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted. PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science were searched manually, and citation screening was completed on May 20, 2021.
Most of the included data were collected in the operating room and postoperative recovery area.
A total of 1382 healthy parturients undergoing cesarean delivery with single-shot spinal anesthesia were recruited in 19 eligible randomized controlled trials.
Single intrathecal midazolam adjuvant was compared to a control, with the local anesthetic dose in spinal anesthesia identical between the intervention and control groups.
The primary outcomes were time to first analgesic use, maternal adverse effects, and neonatal Apgar scores at 1 and 5min. The secondary outcomes were the onset and duration of the sensory and motor blocks.
, and long-term measurements of neonatal safety and maternal neurological effects should be performed in the future.
Current evidence indicates that intrathecal midazolam, as an adjuvant to spinal anesthesia, provides modest analgesic and significant antiemetic effects at the cost of more sedation events in cesarean delivery patients. The neonatal Apgar score was not affected by intrathecal midazolam administration. However, more objective, sensitive, and long-term measurements of neonatal safety and maternal neurological effects should be performed in the future.Humans quickly detect and gaze at faces in the world, which reflects their importance in cognition and may lead to tuning of face recognition toward the central visual field. Although sometimes reported, foveal selectivity in face processing is debated brain imaging studies have found evidence for a central field bias specific to faces, but behavioral studies have found little foveal selectivity in face recognition. These conflicting results are difficult to reconcile, but they could arise from stimulus-specific differences. Recent studies, for example, suggest that individual faces vary in the degree to which they require holistic processing. Holistic processing is the perception of faces as a whole rather than as a set of separate features. We hypothesized that the dissociation between behavioral and neuroimaging studies arises because of this stimulus-specific dependence on holistic processing. Specifically, the central bias found in neuroimaging studies may be specific to holistic processing. Here, we tested whether the eccentricity-dependence of face perception is determined by the degree to which faces require holistic processing. We first measured the holistic-ness of individual Mooney faces (two-tone shadow images readily perceived as faces). In a group of independent observers, we then used a gender discrimination task to measured recognition of these Mooney faces as a function of their eccentricity. Face gender was recognized across the visual field, even at substantial eccentricities, replicating prior work. Importantly, however, holistic face gender recognition was relatively tuned-slightly, but reliably stronger in the central visual field. Our results may reconcile the debate on the eccentricity-dependance of face perception and reveal a spatial inhomogeneity specifically in the holistic representations of faces.
Early diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) through targeted spirometry may provide better treatment opportunities and in the long run reduce its high burden. We therefore investigated potential beneficial clinical implications of targeted spirometry for detection of COPD and focus on both pulmonary and extrapulmonary conditions in a contemporary general population cohort.
We recruited 29 678 randomly selected adults from the Copenhagen General Population Study from 2014 to 2017. Individuals unlikely to have undiagnosed COPD with a treatment potential were excluded (age <40 or >80, no smoking or respiratory symptoms, previous COPD/asthma diagnosis). COPD was defined as pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV
)/forced vital capacity (FVC)<0.70 and FEV
<80% of predicted.
5520 (19%) were at high risk of undiagnosed COPD, of whom 589 (11%) fulfilled our COPD criteria. Of these, 45% were smokers, 23% reported modified Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale (mMRC) ≥2, 49% reported COPD assessment test (CAT) ≥10, and 12% reported low physical activity. In addition, 8% were underweight, 28% were obese, 28% had undiagnosed hypertension, 49% had undiagnosed hypercholesterolemia, and 1% had undiagnosed diabetes. When all treatable conditions were considered, only 6.5% of individuals with undiagnosed COPD had no potentially treatable condition, while 73% had at least two treatable conditions.
In a general population setting, one undiagnosed COPD case will be detected for every tenth spirometry in smokers with respiratory symptoms. Up to half of individuals with undiagnosed COPD could potentially benefit from smoking cessation, treatment of respiratory symptoms, increased physical activity, and treatment of other undiagnosed comorbidities.
Post-bronchodilator spirometry was not used to diagnose COPD.
Post-bronchodilator spirometry was not used to diagnose COPD.
To identify better predictors of early death in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using potential predictors derived from key measures obtained from cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).
This is a prospective, cohort study with 42-month follow-up in 126 COPD patients. Every patient completed the clinical evaluation, followed by a pulmonary function test and CPET. CPET was performed on a cycle ergometer with electromagnetic braking and ventilatory expired analysis was measured breath-by-breath using a computer-based system. Peak oxygen consumption (V̇O
mlO
kg
min
), minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production and the, minute ventilation (V̇
, L/min), and the V̇
/carbon dioxide production (V̇
/V̇CO
) slope were obtained from CPET.
48 (38%) patients died during the 42-month follow-up. Kaplan Meier analysis revealed a V̇
/V̇CO
slope ≥30, peak V̇
≤25.7L/min and peak V̇O
≤13.8 mlO
kg
min
were strong predictors of mortality in COPD patients. Cox regression revealed that the V̇O
peak ≤13.8 mlO
kg
min
(CI 95% 0.08-0.93), V̇
/V̇CO
slope ≥30 (CI 95% 0.07-0.94), V̇
peak ≤25.7L/min (CI 95% 0.01-0.15), Sex (CI 95% 0.04-0.55) and Age (CI 95% 1.03-1.2) were the main predictors of mortality risk.
Diminished exercise capacity and peak ventilation as well as ventilatory inefficiency are independent prognostic markers. Similar to patients with heart failure, CPET may be a valuable clinical assessment in the COPD population.
Diminished exercise capacity and peak ventilation as well as ventilatory inefficiency are independent prognostic markers. Similar to patients with heart failure, CPET may be a valuable clinical assessment in the COPD population.
Sarcopenia is the age-associated atrophy of muscles, and advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) accumulate in patients with age-associated diseases. We aimed to investigate the relationship between AGE accumulation in the skin and sarcopenia in middle-aged and older Japanese people.
We enrolled 240 participants in this cross-sectional study. The participants consisted of 120 men (mean age 68.8 ± 10.1 years) and 120 women (mean age 67.4 ± 9.0 years). The level of dermal AGE accumulation in the forearms was measured using skin autofluorescence (SAF) and many parameters associated with sarcopenia, including grip strength and thigh muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), were evaluated during medical check-ups at the Ehime University Hospital.
Grip strength and thigh muscle CSA were significantly higher in men than women, but mean SAF did not significantly differ between them. There were significant correlations of age, height, C-reactive protein, glycated hemoglobin, grip strength, and thigh muscle CSA with SAF in men, but only age in women. Multivariate analysis showed that SAF was significantly independently associated with low grip strength in men (β =-0.211, p =0.046). The men were then allocated to four groups according to their grip strength and thigh muscle CSA, and SAF was significantly higher in the lowgrip strength/low-thigh muscle CSA group than in the high-grip strength/high-thigh muscle CSA group (low/low group 2.25 ± 0.37 and high/high group 1.93 ± 0.36, p =0.001).
SAF is associated with sarcopenia-related measures, especially grip strength, in middle-aged and older Japanese men, but not women.
SAF is associated with sarcopenia-related measures, especially grip strength, in middle-aged and older Japanese men, but not women.
Frailty is a syndrome commonly associated with old age. Social relationships are an essential determinant of frailty progression, and frailty can negatively affect social relationships.
To identify social relationship types among older adults in Europe; to evaluate whether social relationship types differ across European regions; and to assess the association between frailty status and social relationship type.
We used data from 56,226 individuals from 17 European countries who participated in Wave 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. We constructed social relationship types from social relationship variables (contacts frequency, perceived emotional support, participation in social activities, providing and receiving instrumental support) using latent class analysis (LCA). Associations between social relationship types and frailty were examined using multinomial regression analyses integrated with LCA.
We identified four social relationship types 'poor'; 'frequent and emotionally close'; 'frequent, emotionally close, and supportive'; and 'frequent, emotionally close, and active'.
