Neonatal intensive care unit occupancy rate and probability of discharge of very preterm infants.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association of NICU occupancy with probability of discharge and length of stay (LOS) among infants born <33 weeks gestational age (GA). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of 3388 infants born 23-32 weeks GA, admitted to five Level 3/4 NICUs (2014-2018) and discharged alive. Standardized ratios of observed-to-expected number of discharges were calculated for each quintile of unit occupancy. Multivariable linear regression models were used to assess the association between occupancy and LOS. RESULTS: At the lowest unit occupancy quintiles (Q1 and Q2), infants were 12% and 11% less likely to be discharged compared to the expected number. At the highest unit occupancy quintile (Q5), infants were 20% more likely to be discharged. Highest occupancy (Q5) was also associated with a 4.7-day (95% CI 1.7, 7.7) reduction in LOS compared Q1. CONCLUSION: NICU occupancy was associated with likelihood of discharge and LOS among infants born <33 weeks GA.

Computer-Aided Facial Reconstruction of "Mary-Magdalene" Relics Following Hair and Skull Analyses.

The supposed relics of "Mary-Magdalene" are preserved in Provence (France) in an ancient tradition. They consist of a dry skull and a lock of hair. For the first time, they were officially subjected to an extensive medico-surgical examination by photogrammetry, high-magnification binocular lenses, scanning electron microscope, and energy-dispersive X-ray elemental analysis, to propose a full computer-aided facial reconstruction. The preliminary results are presented here.

Early Activation of Growth Pathways in Mitral Leaflets Exposed to Aortic Regurgitation: New Insights from an Animal Model.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Mitral leaflet enlargement in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation (AR) has been identified as an adaptive mechanism potentially able to prevent functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) in response to left ventricular (LV) dilatation. The timing of valve enlargement is not known, and the related mechanisms are largely unexplored. METHODS: AR was induced in 58 rats, and another 54 were used as sham controls. Animals were euthanized at different time points after AR creation (48 h, one week, and three months), and AR severity, FMR and LV dilatation were assessed using echocardiography. Mitral valves were harvested to document the reactivation of embryonic growth pathways. RESULTS: AR animals had increased LV dimensions and mitral annulus size. No animal developed FMR. No change in leaflet length or thickness was seen at 48 h; however, anterior mitral leaflets were longer and thicker in AR animals at one week and three months. Molecular changes were present early (at 48 h and at one week), with positive staining for transforming growth factor-b1 (TGF-b1), Alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), which suggested active matrix remodeling. Increased gene expression for collagen 1, TGF-ß1, α-SMA and MMP-2 was found in the mitral valve at 48 h and at one week, but after three months their expression had returned to normal. CONCLUSIONS: This model of AR induces active expansion and thickening of the mitral leaflets. Growth signals are expressed acutely, but not at three months, which suggests that most of this enlargement occurs at an early stage. The stimulation of valvular growth could represent a new strategy for the prevention of FMR.

Relevance of Damped Harmonic Oscillation for Modeling the Training Effects on Daily Physical Performance Capacity in Team Sport.

CONTEXT: Positive and negative effects of training induce apparent oscillations of performance, suggesting that the delayed cumulative effects of training on daily performance capacity (DPC) are best fitted by sine waves damped over time. PURPOSE: To compare the criterion validity of the impulse-response (IR) model of Banister et al and the damped harmonic oscillation (DHO) model for quantifying the training load (TL)-DPC relationship. METHODS: Six female professional volleyball players (20.8 ± 2.4 y) were monitored using the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) for 9 mo to quantify TL. Countermovement-jump (CMJ) and 4-step-approach-CMJ (4sCMJ) performances were recorded once a month. Parameters of models were determined by minimizing residual-sum squares between predicted and real performances with a nonlinear regression. RESULTS: DPC was best fitted by the DHO model rather than the IR model (CMJ, R2 = .80 ±.08 and.69 ±.20, respectively; 4sCMJ, R2 = .86 ± .09 and .67 ± .29, respectively). The damping parameter θ and the period T were positively correlated with age (ρ = 0.81, P < .05, and ρ = 0.86, P < .02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The DHO model is a useful tool for modeling DPC as the sum of the delayed DPCs from the consecutive training and recovery days. DPC could be considered the expression of the individual process of accumulation and dissipation of fatigue induced by training. DHO-model parameters were correlated with age, which prompts one to postulate that expertise has a major influence on DPC. The DHO model will help coaches develop a greater understanding of training effects and make monitoring of the training process more effective.

Investigation of redox properties of different PtSn/Al2O3 catalysts.

Alumina-supported Sn and PtSn particles are studied by 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy after oxidation and reduction under various conditions. The observed species of Sn(IV), Sn(II) and Sn(0) are grouped in several categories, each being characterised by distinct structural properties. Tin phases in contact with the support or with platinum are identified. The results are used to establish a model describing the phase transformations occurring in PtSn particles under oxidising or reducing conditions. Particular attention is paid to the reduction/reoxidation mechanisms governing H2/O2 double titrations. An increased reactivity of tin towards oxygen, induced by the contact with platinum, is demonstrated. It is shown that tin contributes to the oxygen uptake VO1 of a first titration cycle by platinum-catalysed transformation of Sn(II) into an oxometallic phase Pt(x)Sn(O). The oxygen titre VO2 of a second cycle is due to O2 chemisorption on platinum only.