Putnambyskov3680
Pulmonary function tests are useful to evaluate airway obstructions and bronchial responsiveness. We aimed to determine the reference values applicable to Korean children and adolescents. In total, 5590 (2607 males, 2983 females) healthy children aged 4 to 17 years old were recruited from three regions in Korea. Simple and multiple regression analyses were applied using age, height, and weight as variables to predict the forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), maximum mid-expiratory flow (MMEF) and the peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). There were significant correlations between the variables and parameters (P less then 0.001). The coefficient of determination (R2) values of polynomial equations with two variables were lower than those with two variables but higher than those of monomial equations based on height. The prediction equations by height were obtained, and the R2 value of the FEV1 was the highest. The predicted spirometric values for males were higher than those for females except for the MMEF. The R2 values for the FEV1 and FVC were higher than previous studies except for the R2 value of the FVC for males in European data. This study provided updated regression equations of normal predicted values for spirometry applicable to Korean children and adolescents.The metabolic dysfunctions induced by high fat diet (HFD) consumption are not limited to organs involved in energy metabolism but cause also a chronic low-grade systemic inflammation that affects the whole body including the central nervous system. The brain has been considered for a long time to be protected from systemic inflammation by the blood-brain barrier, but more recent data indicated an association between obesity and neurodegeneration. Moreover, obesity-related consequences, such as insulin and leptin resistance, mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, may anticipate and accelerate the physiological aging processes characterized by systemic inflammation and higher susceptibility to neurological disorders. Here, we discussed the link between obesity-related metabolic dysfunctions and neuroinflammation, with particular attention to molecules regulating the interplay between energetic impairment and altered synaptic plasticity, for instance AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). buy Epigallocatechin The effects of HFD-induced neuroinflammation on neuronal plasticity may be mediated by altered brain mitochondrial functions. Since mitochondria play a key role in synaptic areas, providing energy to support synaptic plasticity and controlling ROS production, the negative effects of HFD may be more pronounced in synapses. In conclusion, it will be emphasized how HFD-induced metabolic alterations, systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and impaired brain plasticity are tightly interconnected processes, implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological diseases.The article presents an original machine-learning-based automated approach for controlling the process of machining of low-rigidity shafts using artificial intelligence methods. Three models of hybrid controllers based on different types of neural networks and genetic algorithms were developed. In this study, an objective function optimized by a genetic algorithm was replaced with a neural network trained on real-life data. The task of the genetic algorithm is to select the optimal values of the input parameters of a neural network to ensure minimum deviation. Both input vector values and the neural network's output values are real numbers, which means the problem under consideration is regressive. The performance of three types of neural networks was analyzed a classic multilayer perceptron network, a nonlinear autoregressive network with exogenous input (NARX) prediction network, and a deep recurrent long short-term memory (LSTM) network. Algorithmic machine learning methods were used to achieve a high level of automation of the control process. By training the network on data from real measurements, we were able to control the reliability of the turning process, taking into account many factors that are usually overlooked during mathematical modelling. Positive results of the experiments confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method for controlling low-rigidity shaft turning.Bacterial colonization of implanted biomedical devices is the main cause of healthcare-associated infections, estimated to be 8.8 million per year in Europe. Many infections originate from damaged skin, which lets microorganisms exploit injuries and surgical accesses as passageways to reach the implant site and inner organs. Therefore, an effective treatment of skin damage is highly desirable for the success of many biomaterial-related surgical procedures. Due to gained resistance to antibiotics, new antibacterial treatments are becoming vital to control nosocomial infections arising as surgical and post-surgical complications. Surface coatings can avoid biofouling and bacterial colonization thanks to biomaterial inherent properties (e.g., super hydrophobicity), specifically without using drugs, which may cause bacterial resistance. The focus of this review is to highlight the emerging role of degradable polymeric micro- and nano-structures that show intrinsic antifouling and antimicrobial properties, with a special outlook towards biomedical applications dealing with skin and skin damage. The intrinsic properties owned by the biomaterials encompass three main categories (1) physical-mechanical, (2) chemical, and (3) electrostatic. Clinical relevance in ear prostheses and breast implants is reported. Collecting and discussing the updated outcomes in this field would help the development of better performing biomaterial-based antimicrobial strategies, which are useful to prevent infections.Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem autoimmune and vascular disease resulting in fibrosis of various organs with unknown etiology. Accumulating evidence suggests that a common pathologic cascade across multiple organs and additional organ-specific pathologies underpin SSc development. The common pathologic cascade starts with vascular injury due to autoimmune attacks and unknown environmental factors. After that, dysregulated angiogenesis and defective vasculogenesis promote vascular structural abnormalities, such as capillary loss and arteriolar stenosis, while aberrantly activated endothelial cells facilitate the infiltration of circulating immune cells into perivascular areas of various organs. Arteriolar stenosis directly causes pulmonary arterial hypertension, scleroderma renal crisis and digital ulcers. Chronic inflammation persistently activates interstitial fibroblasts, leading to the irreversible fibrosis of multiple organs. The common pathologic cascade interacts with a variety of modifying factors in each organ, such as keratinocytes and adipocytes in the skin, esophageal stratified squamous epithelia and myenteric nerve system in gastrointestinal tract, vasospasm of arterioles in the heart and kidney, and microaspiration of gastric content in the lung.