Associates of an elevated natriuretic peptide level in stable heart failure patients:implications for targeted management

BACKGROUND: Persistently elevated natriuretic peptide (NP) levels in heart failure (HF) patients are associated with impaired prognosis. Recent work suggests that NP-guided therapy can improve outcome, but the mechanisms behind an elevated BNP remain unclear. Among the potential stimuli for NP in clinically stable patients are persistent occult fluid overload, wall stress, inflammation, fibrosis, and ischemia. The purpose of this study was to identify associates of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in a stable HF population.

METHODS: In a prospective observational study of 179 stable HF patients, the association between BNP and markers of collagen metabolism, inflammation, and Doppler-echocardiographic parameters including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left atrial volume index (LAVI), and E/e prime (E/e') was measured.

RESULTS: Univariable associates of elevated BNP were age, LVEF, LAVI, E/e', creatinine, and markers of collagen turnover. In a multiple linear regression model, age, creatinine, and LVEF remained significant associates of BNP. E/e' and markers of collagen turnover had a persistent impact on BNP independent of these covariates.

CONCLUSION: Multiple variables are associated with persistently elevated BNP levels in stable HF patients. Clarification of the relative importance of NP stimuli may help refine NP-guided therapy, potentially improving outcome for this at-risk population.

Long-term statin therapy in patients with systolic heart failure and normal cholesterol:effects on elevated serum markers of collagen turnover, inflammation, and B-type natriuretic peptide

BACKGROUND: The role of statin therapy in heart failure (HF) is unclear. The amino-terminal propeptide of procollagen type III (PIIINP) predicts outcome in HF, and yet there are conflicting reports of statin therapy effects on PIIINP.

OBJECTIVES: This study determined whether there was an increase in serum markers of inflammation, fibrosis (including PIIINP), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in patients with systolic HF and normal total cholesterol and determined the effects of long-term treatment with atorvastatin on these markers.

METHODS: Fifty-six white patients with systolic HF and normal cholesterol levels (age 72 [13] years; 68% male; body mass index 27.0 [7.3] kg/m(2); ejection fraction 35 [13]%; 46% with history of smoking) were randomly allocated to atorvastatin treatment for 6 months, titrated to 40 mg/d (A group) or not (C group). Age- and/or sex-matched subjects without HF (N group) were also recruited. Biomarkers were measured at baseline (all groups) and 6 months (A and C groups).

RESULTS: Serum markers of collagen turnover, inflammation, and BNP were significantly elevated in HF patients compared with normal participants (all P < 0.05). There were correlations between these markers in HF patients but not in normal subjects. Atorvastatin treatment for 6 months caused a significant reduction in the following biomarkers compared with baseline: BNP, from median (interquartile range) 268 (190-441) pg/mL to 185 (144-344) pg/mL; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), from 5.26 (1.95 -9.29) mg/L to 3.70 (2.34-6.81) mg/L; and PIIINP, from 4.65 (1.86) to 4.09 (1.25) pg/mL (all P < 0.05 baseline vs 6 months). Between-group differences were significant for PIIINP only (P = 0.027). There was a positive interaction between atorvastatin effects and baseline hs-CRP and PIIINP (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Long-term statin therapy reduced PIIINP in this small, selected HF population with elevated baseline levels. Further evaluation of statin therapy in the management of HF patients with elevated PIIINP is warranted.

Continuous flow gas phase photoreforming of methanol at elevated reaction temperatures sensitised by Pt/TiO2

Gas phase photoreforming of methanol using a Pt/TiO2 photocatalyst has been performed under flow conditions at elevated temperatures. Comparing the activity of the reforming process as a function of temperature under dark and irradiated conditions shows a significant enhancement in the rate of H2 production using the photo-assisted conditions at temperatures between 100-140 °C. At higher temperatures, the effect of irradiation is small with the process dominated by the thermal process. Deactivation of the catalyst was observed under irradiation but the catalyst was easily regenerated using an oxygen treatment at 120 °C. Diffuse Reflectance Infra-red Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) showed that the activity of the catalyst could be correlated with the presence of the photogenerated trapped electrons. In addition, lower amounts of CO adsorbed on Pt, compared to those observed in the dark reaction, were found for the UV-irradiated systems. It is proposed that CO and adsorbed intermediates, such as formate, can act as inhibitors in the photoreforming process and this is further supported by the observation that, before and after the regeneration process in O2, the CO and surface adsorbed organic intermediate products are removed and the activity is recovered.

An elevated systolic blood pressure response at 8 minutes in full contact exercise may identify hypertensive subjects

The aim of this study was to identify hypertension (HT) in karate competitors (KCs) in high intensity exercise. Values were compared with an exercise control group (EC). The 84 subjects were randomly divided into two groups: KC and EC. Resting blood pressure (BP) was measured the day before and immediately precompetition. A further three measurements were taken postexercise for all subjects at 1-, 2-, and 8- minute intervals. At rest, day one, mean BP of KC was 134/84 ± 3/2 mmHg vs. EC, 124/72 ± 1/2 mmHg and on day 2, was 141/79 ± 3/2 mmHg vs. EC, 125/72 ± 1/2 mmHg, respectively. Eight minutes postcompetition, BP of KCs was 140/77 ± 2/1 mmHg vs. EC 135/75 ± 2/1 mmHg. High blood pressure (HBP) was recorded in 60.5% of KCs on day 2, and essential HT that required medical therapy was subsequently diagnosed in 5% of KCs. Five percent of EC also had HBP, but subsequent medical examination reported normal values.

Genomic and biochemical investigation of soybean antioxidant metabolism in response to growth at elevated carbon dioxide and elevated ozone

Metabolism in an environment containing of 21% oxygen has a high risk of oxidative damage due to the formation of reactive oxygen species. Therefore, plants have evolved an antioxidant system consisting of metabolites and enzymes that either directly scavenge ROS or recycle the antioxidant metabolites. Ozone is a temporally dynamic molecule that is both naturally occurring as well as an environmental pollutant that is predicted to increase in concentration in the future as anthropogenic precursor emissions rise. It has been hypothesized that any elevation in ozone concentration will cause increased oxidative stress in plants and therefore enhanced subsequent antioxidant metabolism, but evidence for this response is variable. Along with increasing atmospheric ozone concentrations, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is also rising and is predicted to continue rising in the future. The effect of elevated carbon dioxide concentrations on antioxidant metabolism varies among different studies in the literature. Therefore, the question of how antioxidant metabolism will be affected in the most realistic future atmosphere, with increased carbon dioxide concentration and increased ozone concentration, has yet to be answered, and is the subject of my thesis research. First, in order to capture as much of the variability in the antioxidant system as possible, I developed a suite of high-throughput quantitative assays for a variety of antioxidant metabolites and enzymes. I optimized these assays for Glycine max (soybean), one of the most important food crops in the world. These assays provide accurate, rapid and high-throughput measures of both the general and specific antioxidant action of plant tissue extracts. Second, I investigated how growth at either elevated carbon dioxide concentration or chronic elevated ozone concentration altered antioxidant metabolism, and the ability of soybean to respond to an acute oxidative stress in a controlled environment study. I found that growth at chronic elevated ozone concentration increased the antioxidant capacity of leaves, but was unchanged or only slightly increased following an acute oxidative stress, suggesting that growth at chronic elevated ozone concentration primed the antioxidant system. Growth at high carbon dioxide concentration decreased the antioxidant capacity of leaves, increased the response of the existing antioxidant enzymes to an acute oxidative stress, but dampened and delayed the transcriptional response, suggesting an entirely different regulation of the antioxidant system. Third, I tested the findings from the controlled environment study in a field setting by investigating the response of the soybean antioxidant system to growth at elevated carbon dioxide concentration, chronic elevated ozone concentration and the combination of elevated carbon dioxide concentration and elevated ozone concentration. In this study, I confirmed that growth at elevated carbon dioxide concentration decreased specific components of antioxidant metabolism in the field. I also verified that increasing ozone concentration is highly correlated with increases in the metabolic and genomic components of antioxidant metabolism, regardless of carbon dioxide concentration environment, but that the response to increasing ozone concentration was dampened at elevated carbon dioxide concentration. In addition, I found evidence suggesting an up regulation of respiratory metabolism at higher ozone concentration, which would supply energy and carbon for detoxification and repair of cellular damage. These results consistently support the conclusion that growth at elevated carbon dioxide concentration decreases antioxidant metabolism while growth at elevated ozone concentration increases antioxidant metabolism.

Soybean ferritin expression in saccharomyces cerevisiae modulates iron accumulation and resistance to elevated iron concentrations.

Fungi, including the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, lack ferritin and use vacuoles as iron storage organelles. This work explored how plant ferritin expression influenced baker's yeast iron metabolism. Soybean seed ferritin H1 (SFerH1) and SFerH2 genes were cloned and expressed in yeast cells. Both soybean ferritins assembled as multimeric complexes, which bound yeast intracellular iron in vivo and, consequently, induced the activation of the genes expressed during iron scarcity. Soybean ferritin protected yeast cells that lacked the Ccc1 vacuolar iron detoxification transporter from toxic iron levels by reducing cellular oxidation, thus allowing growth at high iron concentrations. Interestingly, when simultaneously expressed in ccc1Δ cells, SFerH1 and SFerH2 assembled as heteropolymers, which further increased iron resistance and reduced the oxidative stress produced by excess iron compared to ferritin homopolymer complexes. Finally, soybean ferritin expression led to increased iron accumulation in both wild-type and ccc1Δ yeast cells at certain environmental iron concentrations.

Taunton's citizens' and travelers' rapid transit map and time table of the Metropolitan and New York elevated railways : showing, on a new plan, the railways with up and down-town tracks ... ferries, etc., etc.

Covers Manhattan south of 62nd Street.

Ovarian sertoli-leydig cell tumour with heterologous elements of gastrointestinal type associated with elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein level: an unusual case and literature review

Here we describe the case of a 19-year-old woman with a poorly differentiated ovarian Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor and an elevated serum alphafetoprotein level. The patient presented with diffuse abdominal pain and bloating. Physical examination, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a right ovarian tumor that was histopathologically diagnosed as a poorly differentiated Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor with heterologous elements. Her alpha-fetoprotein serum level was undetectable after tumor resection. Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors are rare sex cord-stromal tumors that account for 0.5% of all ovarian neoplasms. Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors tend to be unilateral and occur in women under 30 years of age. Although they are the most common virilizing tumor of the ovary, about 60% are endocrineinactive tumors. Elevated serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein are rarely associated with Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors, with only approximately 30 such cases previously reported in the literature. The differential diagnosis should include common alpha-fetoprotein-producing ovarian entities such as germ cell tumors, as well as other non-germ cell tumors that have been rarely reported to produce this tumor marker.

Elevated hepatocyte growth factor levels in osteoarthritis osteoblasts contribute to their altered response to bone morphogenetic protein-2 and reduced mineralization capacity

International audience

INVESTIGATING THE USE OF MAZE-CBM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Recent legislation and initiatives set forth high academic expectations for all high school graduates in the area of reading (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, 2010; Every Student Succeeds Act, 2015). To determine which students need additional support to meet these reading standards, teachers can conduct universal screening using formative assessments. Maze Curriculum-Based Measurement (Maze-CBM) is a commonly used screening and progress monitoring assessment that the National Center on Intensive Intervention (2013) and the Center on Instruction (Torgesen & Miller, 2009) recommend. Despite the recommendation to use Maze-CBM, little research has been conducted on the reliability and validity of Maze-CBM for measuring reading ability for students at the secondary level (Mitchell & Wexler, 2016). In the papers included in this dissertation, I present an initial investigation into the use of Maze-CBM for secondary students. In the first paper, I investigated prior studies of Maze-CBM for students in Grades 6 through 12. Next, in the second paper, I investigated the alternate-form reliability and validity for screening students in Grades 9 and 10 using signal detection theory methods. In the third paper, I examined the effect of genre on Maze-CBM scores with a sample of students in Grades 9 and 10 using multilevel modeling. When writing these three papers, I discovered several important findings related to Maze-CBM. First, there are few studies that have investigated the technical adequacy of Maze-CBM for screening and progress monitoring students in Grades 6 through 12. Additionally, only two studies (McMaster, Wayman, & Cao, 2006; Pierce, McMaster, & Deno, 2010) examined the technical adequacy of Maze-CBM for high school students. A second finding is that the reliability of Maze-CBM is often below acceptable levels for making screening decisions or progress monitoring decisions (.80 and above and .90 and above, respectively; Salvia, Ysseldyke, & Bolt, 2007) for secondary students. A third finding is that Maze-CBM scores show promise of being a valid screening tool for reading ability of secondary students. Finally, I found that the genre of the text used in the Maze-CBM assessment does impact scores on Maze-CBM for students in Grades 9 and 10.

DEVELOPMENT OF PRECIPITATION HARDENABLE AL-SC-ZR-HF QUATERNARY ALLOYS THROUGH THERMODYNAMIC MODELING, AND ROOM-TEMPERATURE AND ELEVATED TEMPERATURE HARDNESS

Aluminum alloyed with small atomic fractions of Sc, Zr, and Hf has been shown to exhibit high temperature microstructural stability that may improve high temperature mechanical behavior. These quaternary alloys were designed using thermodynamic modeling to increase the volume fraction of precipitated tri-aluminide phases to improve thermal stability. When aged during a multi-step, isochronal heat treatment, two compositions showed a secondary room-temperature hardness peak up to 700 MPa at 450°C. Elevated temperature hardness profiles also indicated an increase in hardness from 200-300°C, attributed to the precipitation of Al3Sc, however, no secondary hardness response was observed from the Al3Zr or Al3Hf phases in this alloy.

Predicting Explorative Behavior by Level of Emotional Reactivity in Bobwhite Quail Neonates (Colinus virginianus)

Tests of emotional reactivity have been used in a broad range of basic and applied research and have been primarily concerned with how rearing conditions, particularly environmental enrichment, can affect reactivity. However, assessment of how emotional reactivity can be altered during testing procedures and how it affects behaviors such as exploration is relatively uncommon. The present study assessed the explorative responses of Northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) neonates under conditions of either elevated or attenuated emotional reactivity during a maze task. Measures of emotional reactivity were compared with measures of exploration to determine their relationship with one another. Chicks that were highly emotionally reactive were generally less willing to explore during the maze task than chicks that were less emotionally reactive. Results indicate that levels of emotional reactivity and approach/avoidance motivation play a role in the speed and amount of exploration that is likely to occur in novel environments.

Effect of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration on rice blast in open-top chambers in Brazil.

2008

Evolution and challenges of dynamic global vegetation models for some aspects of plant physiology and elevated atmospheric CO2.

Dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) simulate surface processes such as the transfer of energy, water, CO2, and momentum between the terrestrial surface and the atmosphere, biogeochemical cycles, carbon assimilation by vegetation, phenology, and land use change in scenarios of varying atmospheric CO2 concentrations. DGVMs increase the complexity and the Earth system representation when they are coupled with atmospheric global circulation models (AGCMs) or climate models. However, plant physiological processes are still a major source of uncertainty in DGVMs. The maximum velocity of carboxylation (Vcmax), for example, has a direct impact over productivity in the models. This parameter is often underestimated or imprecisely defined for the various plant functional types (PFTs) and ecosystems. Vcmax is directly related to photosynthesis acclimation (loss of response to elevated CO2), a widely known phenomenon that usually occurs when plants are subjected to elevated atmospheric CO2 and might affect productivity estimation in DGVMs. Despite this, current models have improved substantially, compared to earlier models which had a rudimentary and very simple representation of vegetation?atmosphere interactions. In this paper, we describe this evolution through generations of models and the main events that contributed to their improvements until the current state-of-the-art class of models. Also, we describe some main challenges for further improvements to DGVMs.

The Intrahippocampal Infusion Of Crotamine From Crotalus Durissus Terrificus Venom Enhances Memory Persistence In Rats.

Previous research has shown that crotamine, a toxin isolated from the venom of Crotalus durissus terrificus, induces the release of acetylcholine and dopamine in the central nervous system of rats. Particularly, these neurotransmitters are important modulators of memory processes. Therefore, in this study we investigated the effects of crotamine infusion on persistence of memory in rats. We verified that the intrahippocampal infusion of crotamine (1 μg/μl; 1 μl/side) improved the persistence of object recognition and aversive memory. By other side, the intrahippocampal infusion of the toxin did not alter locomotor and exploratory activities, anxiety or pain threshold. These results demonstrate a future prospect of using crotamine as potential pharmacological tool to treat diseases involving memory impairment, although it is still necessary more researches to better elucidate the crotamine effects on hippocampus and memory.