Prediction of Actual from Climatic Precipitation with Data Collected from Northern Poland: A Statistical Approach.

Water is a basic element of the natural environment and the most important component in human water management. Rainfall is the main source of water. Therefore, determining the amount of precipitation reaching the ground using sensors is crucial information. Precise precipitation data are necessary for better modeling quality, as the observation data from weather stations are used as basics for weather model assessment. The authors compared precipitation from the Hellmann rain gauge (climatic precipitation, 1.0 m above the ground surface) measured throughout the year and the GGI 3000 rain gauge (actual precipitation on the ground level) measured from April to October. Measurement sequences from the years 2011-2020 were considered. The data for analysis were obtained from a weather station located in northern Poland. The authors analyzed the relationships between data from the two sensors. A comparative study showed that the measurements of actual precipitation are higher and there are strong relationships between actual and climatic rainfall (r = 0.99). Using the introduced coefficient it is possible to determine the full-year actual precipitation with high probability, taking into account the precipitation with a correction from the winter half-year and the actual precipitation from the summer half-year, which is of great importance in the calculation of the water balance.

Health concerns regarding malnutrition among the older populations: considerations from a Slovenian perspective.

Diet is an important factor in a healthy lifestyle for all age groups. However, with aging it is important to be aware that the diet, due to changed physiology, needs an accordingly adjusted and balanced daily regime. This article reviews the field of older population's nutrition and presents: the most common nutritional disorders, causes, demographics and malnutrition measurement tools. Relevant scientific literature as well as professional Slovenian papers were identified through specific searches with topic-related keywords in EBSCO, PubMed, Web of Science and COBISS databases. The results of the identified papers are subsequently discussed in a descriptive narrative. The reviewed literature shows noticeable trends of high proportions of malnutrition among older persons, both globally and in Slovenia: predominantly observed are overnutrition like overweight and obese, but as well, and often unnoticed, undernutrition. The latter is more worrying, as inadequate knowledge in health care institutions regarding nutritional screening tools and measures to prevent drastic forms of undernutrition, seem to facilitate these trends. Though there are many reasons for insufficient food intake in older people, the article formulates considerations that can feed appropriate education and awareness programs, and through correct screening point to timely identification of malnourished individuals and those with risk of malnutrition. The promotion and implementation of such considerations could prevent malnutrition among the older population, reduce the frequency of nutritional disorders and co-morbidities, and generally improve the nutritional status of the older population, thus, provide better quality of health later in life.

Diet is an important factor in a healthy lifestyle for all age groups. However, with aging it is important to be aware that the diet, due to changed physiology, needs an accordingly adjusted and balanced daily regime. This article reviews the field of older population's nutrition and presents: the most common nutritional disorders and causes with the limited demographics of malnutrition among the older populations, and several efficient malnutrition measurement tools. The global literature shows noticeable trends of high proportions of malnutrition among older persons, both globally and in Slovenia. Predominantly observed are overnutrition like overweight and obese, but as well, and often unnoticed, undernutrition. The latter is more worrying, as inadequate knowledge in health care institutions regarding nutritional screening tools and measures to prevent drastic forms of undernutrition, seem to facilitate these trends. The article formulates considerations to be implemented in appropriate education and awareness programs, to reduce the frequency of nutritional disorders and co-morbidities, and generally improve the nutritional status of the older population, thus, provide better quality of health later in life.

Unleashing the potential of dance: a neuroplasticity-based approach bridging from older adults to Parkinson's disease patients.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects >1% of individuals worldwide and is manifested by motor symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia, as well as non-motor symptoms such as cognitive impairment and depression. Non-pharmacological interventions such as dance therapy are becoming increasingly popular as complementary therapies for PD, in addition to pharmacological treatments that are currently widely available. Dance as a sensorimotor activity stimulates multiple layers of the neural system, including those involved in motor planning and execution, sensory integration, and cognitive processing. Dance interventions in healthy older people have been associated with increased activation of the prefrontal cortex, as well as enhanced functional connectivity between the basal ganglia, cerebellum, and prefrontal cortex. Overall, the evidence suggests that dance interventions can induce neuroplastic changes in healthy older participants, leading to improvements in both motor and cognitive functions. Dance interventions involving patients with PD show better quality of life and improved mobility, whereas the literature on dance-induced neuroplasticity in PD is sparse. Nevertheless, this review argues that similar neuroplastic mechanisms may be at work in patients with PD, provides insight into the potential mechanisms underlying dance efficacy, and highlights the potential of dance therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention in PD. Further research is warranted to determine the optimal dance style, intensity, and duration for maximum therapeutic benefit and to determine the long-term effects of dance intervention on PD progression.

The influence of lifestyle interventions and overweight on infertility: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of lifestyle intervention (LSI) on diagnosed infertility in overweight and obese women. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. A literature search was performed on the following databases from September 2022 to December 2022: PubMed, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus. The inclusion criteria were the following: women between 18 and 45 years of age, BMI over 25.0 kg/m2, diagnosed with infertility, a weight loss intervention, and control group part of RCTs. In total, 15 studies were identified and included. The meta-analysis shows a beneficial effect of LSI on reducing weight, waist circumference, and BMI and increasing infertility. A significantly beneficial effect of lifestyle intervention on weight reduction was observed for participants who initially had a higher BMI, while a non-significant effect was observed for individuals with a BMI above 35 kg/m2. The meta-analysis showed a beneficial effect of lifestyle intervention on ovulation incidence and sex hormone-binding globulin. The lifestyle intervention group had 11.23 times more ovulatory incidence than the control group, which in turn increased the ability to conceive. As robust evidence for the effect of lifestyle interventions on infertility in obese and overweight women was found, it is advised to integrate similar interventions into future infertility treatment processes.

A Perspective on Implementation of Technology-Driven Exergames for Adults as Telerehabilitation Services.

A major concern of public health authorities is to also encourage adults to be exposed to enriched environments (sensory and cognitive-motor activity) during the pandemic lockdown, as was recently the case worldwide during the COVID-19 outbreak. Games for adults that require physical activity, known as exergames, offer opportunities here. In particular, the output of the gaming industry nowadays offers computer games with extended reality (XR) which combines real and virtual environments and refers to human-machine interactions generated by computers and wearable technologies. For example, playing the game in front of a computer screen while standing or walking on a force plate or treadmill allows the user to react to certain infrastructural changes and obstacles within the virtual environment. Recent developments, optimization, and minimizations in wearable technology have produced wireless headsets and sensors that allow for unrestricted whole-body movement. This makes the virtual experience more immersive and provides the opportunity for greater engagement than traditional exercise. Currently, XR serves as an umbrella term for current immersive technologies as well as future realities that enhance the experience with features that produce new controllable environments. Overall, these technology-enhanced exergames challenge the adult user and modify the experience by increasing sensory stimulation and creating an environment where virtual and real elements interact. As a therapy, exergames can potentially create new environments and visualizations that may be more ecologically valid and thus simulate real activities of daily living that can be trained. Furthermore, by adding telemedicine features to the exergame, progress over time can be closely monitored and feedback provided, offering future opportunities for cognitive-motor assessment. To more optimally serve and challenge adults both physically and cognitively over time in future lockdowns, there is a need to provide long-term remote training and feedback. Particularly related to activities of daily living that create opportunities for effective and lasting rehabilitation for elderly and sufferers from chronic non-communicable diseases (CNDs). The aim of the current review is to envision the remote training and monitoring of physical and cognitive aspects for adults with limited mobility (due to disability, disease, or age), through the implementation of concurrent telehealth and exergame features using XR and wireless sensor technologies.

Determination of exercise intensity domains during upright versus supine cycling: a methodological study.

Background: There is a growing interest among the research community and clinical practitioners to investigate cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) procedures and protocols utilized in supine cycling. Materials and Methods: The current study investigated the effects of posture on indicators of exercise intensity including gas exchange threshold (GET), respiratory compensation point (RCP), and the rate of peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2 peak), as well as the role of V̇O2 mean response time (MRT) in determining exercise intensity domains in nineteen healthy men (age: 22 ± 3 years). Two moderate-intensity step-transitions from 20 to 100 Watt (W) were completed, followed by a maximal CPET. After completing the ramp test, participants performed a constant-load at 90% of their attained peak power output (PPO). Results: No differences were observed in the V̇O2 MRT between the two positions, although the phase II-time constant (τV̇O2p) was 7 s slower in supine position compared to upright (p = 0.001). The rate of O2 uptake in the supine position at GET and RCP were lower compared to the upright position (208 ± 200 mL·min-1 (p = 0.007) and 265 ± 235 mL·min-1 (p = 0.012) respectively). Besides, V̇O2 peak was significantly decreased (by 6%, p = 0.002) during supine position. These findings were confirmed by the wide limits of agreement between the measures of V̇O2 in different postures (V̇O2 peak: -341 to 859; constant-load test: -528 to 783; GET: -375 to 789; RCP: -520 to 1021 all in mL·min-1). Conclusion: Since an accurate identification of an appropriate power output (PO) from a single-visit CPET remains a matter of debate, especially for supine cycling, we propose that moderate-intensity step-transitions preceding a ramp CPET could be a viable addition to ensure appropriate exercise-intensity domain determination, in particular upon GET-based prescription.

A Randomized Crossover Trial on the Acute Cardiovascular Demands During Flywheel Exercise.

In a randomized crossover trial, we examined whether age plays a role in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) response during a vigorous flywheel exercise of varying load. We hypothesized that the magnitude of increase in the MAP during the flywheel exercise would increase in proportion to advancing age, thereby imposing a significant challenge to the cardiovascular system. A total of 30 participants of both sexes (age range from 20-55 y, 37% women) underwent a detailed medical examination, and their maximal oxygen uptake was determined. They performed a squat exercise (2 sets × 7 repetitions) on a flywheel ergometer at three randomly assigned moments of inertia set at 0.025, 0.05, and 0.075 kg m2, while the cardiovascular response was continuously recorded via a Task force monitor. Compared to the resting values, robust rises in the MAP were observed during all three flywheel loads, reaching the highest value of 179 ± 4 mmHg (p = 0.001) during the highest load. In parallel, the cardiac index (cardiac output normalized by the body surface area) was two-fold greater during all the flywheel loads compared to rest, and at a high load, exclusively, the total peripheral resistance increased by 11% (p = 0.001). The rise in heart rate compensated for a load-dependent drop in the stroke index (stroke volume normalized by the body surface area). In our study population, no correlations were observed between the relative increase in the MAP and the participants' age for the three flywheel loads. The present findings suggest that the larger moments of inertia impose a substantial burden to the cardiovascular system, without apparent associated age-differences of the relative magnitude of MAP rise throughout the exercise.

Pairwise coupling of hair cell transducer channels links auditory sensitivity and dynamic range.

Hair cells in the inner ear provide the basis for the exquisite hearing capabilities of mammals. These cells transduce sound-induced displacements of their mechanosensitive hair bundle into electrical currents within a fraction of a millisecond and with nanometer fidelity. Excitatory displacements of the hair cell's bundle tense tip links that open transducer channels. These channels are located either at one or at both ends of the links, where the latter possibility was thought to compromise sensitivity via negative cooperativity, and discarded for quantitatively describing the transduction process. Here, we show instead that this series mode of activation accurately explains measured transduction in hair cells. It enhances both sensitivity and dynamic range of hair cell transduction, by one channel that is extremely sensitive at small displacements while the other responds best to larger stimuli. Our results provide a new framework for exploring the dynamics of hair cell activation.

Frequency-dependent properties of a fluid jet stimulus: calibration, modeling, and application to cochlear hair cell bundles.

The investigation of small physiological mechano-sensory systems, such as hair cells or their accessory structures in the inner ear or lateral line organ, requires mechanical stimulus equipment that allows spatial manipulation with micrometer precision and stimulation with amplitudes down to the nanometer scale. Here, we describe the calibration of a microfluid jet produced by a device that was designed to excite individual cochlear hair cell bundles or cupulae of the fish superficial lateral line system. The calibration involves a precise definition of the linearity and time- and frequency-dependent characteristics of the fluid jet as produced by a pressurized fluid-filled container combined with a glass pipette having a microscopically sized tip acting as an orifice. A procedure is described that can be applied during experiments to obtain a fluid jet's frequency response, which may vary with each individual glass pipette. At small orifice diameters (<15 mum), the fluid velocity of the jet is proportional to the displacement of the piezoelectric actuator pressurizing the container's volume and is suitable to stimulate the hair bundles of sensory hair cells. With increasing diameter, the fluid jet velocity becomes proportional to the actuator's velocity. The experimentally observed characteristics can be described adequately by a dynamical model of damped fluid masses coupled by elastic components.

Organic solvent-induced changes in membrane geometry in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells - a common narcotic effect?

Exposure to organic solvents may cause narcotic effects. At the cellular level, these narcotic effects have been associated with a reduction in neuronal excitability caused by changes in membrane structure and function. In order to critically test whether changes in membrane geometry contribute to these narcotic effects, cultured human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells have been exposed to selected organic solvents. The solvent-induced changes in cell membrane capacitance were investigated using the whole-cell patch clamp technique for real-time capacitance measurements. Exposure of SH-SY5Y cells to the cyclic hydrocarbons m-xylene, toluene, and cyclohexane caused a rapid and reversible increase of membrane capacitance. The aliphatic, nonpolar n-hexane did not cause a detectable change of whole-cell membrane capacitance, whereas the amphiphiles n-hexanol and n-hexylamine caused an increase of membrane capacitance and a concomitant reduction in membrane resistance. Despite a large difference in dielectric properties, the chlorinated hydrocarbons 1,1,2,2-tetrachoroethane and tetrachloroethylene caused a similar magnitude increase in membrane capacitance. The theory on membrane capacitance has been applied to deduce changes in membrane geometry caused by solvent partitioning. Although classical observations have shown that solvents increase the membrane capacitance per unit area of membrane, i.e., increase membrane thickness, the present results demonstrate that solvent partitioning predominantly leads to an increase in membrane surface area and to a lesser degree to an increase in membrane thickness. Moreover, the present results indicate that the physicochemical properties of each solvent are important determinants for its specific effects on membrane geometry. This implies that the hypothesis that solvent partitioning is associated with a common perturbation of membrane structure needs to be revisited and cannot account for the commonly observed narcotic effects of different organic solvents.

Selective inhibition of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptors in human IMR-32 cells by low concentrations of toluene.

Effects of the neurotoxic organic solvent toluene on human neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) and gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) neurotransmitter receptors were investigated in whole-cell voltage-clamped IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells. Ion currents evoked by near maximum effective concentrations of 1 mM acetylcholine (ACh) and 1 mM gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are inhibited by toluene in a concentration-dependent way. Concentration-effect curves of toluene yield IC(50) values of 276+/-26 and 39+/-6 microM and slope factors of 1.4+/-0.2 and 0.8+/-0.1 for inhibition of the ACh- and GABA-induced ion currents, respectively. The results demonstrate the selective inhibition of human GABA(A) receptors by toluene at concentrations comparable with brain concentrations associated with occupational exposure.

Relationship between olive oil:air, saline:air, and rat brain:air partition coefficients of organic solvents in vitro.

Partition coefficients of 28 volatile organic solvents (13 alkylbenzenes, 10 chlorinated hydrocarbons, and 5 ketones) in olive oil, saline, and rat brain tissue homogenates were measured by equilibration in a closed vial and subsequent gas-chromatographic analysis of headspace air. The values of oil and saline partition coefficients correlate well with previously reported data. Brain partition coefficients were fit to a bilinear equation of the form P(brain:air) = alpha(o)P(oil:air) + alpha(s)P(saline:air) + c. The regression coefficients accurately predicted previously reported rat brain partition coefficients of 19 solvents with distinct physicochemical properties within a factor of 2.5. The combined data set of presently determined and previously reported brain partition coefficients (n = 46) yields tissue-specific regression coefficients for solvent partitioning in rat brain of 0.028 for alpha(O'), 0.845 for alpha(S'), and 0.90 for the intercept, with coefficients of variation amounting to 11%, 4%, and 463%, respectively. The generalized empirical relationship predicts the brain partition coefficients within a factor of 2.5 accurately for 95% of the compounds. The ratios of rat brain concentrations calculated from predicted and measured P(brain:air) and P(blood:air) values were within a factor of 4 for 95% of the compounds. It was concluded that the enlargement of the empirical data set leads to more reliable predictions of rat brain partition coefficients, particularly for the lipophilic volatile organic compounds.

Low-magnification image analysis of Giemsa stained, electroporation and bleomycin treated endothelial monolayers provides reliable monolayer integrity data.

The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro cell model for studying the in vivo observed vascular effect, induced by exposing blood vessels to changing electric field strengths. Human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) were cultured as monolayers on 8 chamber glass slides as a model of capillary wall. Exposed to electric pulses alone, or in the presence of bleomycin (electrochemotherapy), monolayers were incubated with culture medium, fixed with methanol, stained with Giemsa, and photographed. Images of high-contrast low-magnification monolayers made under identical optimal light exposure were converted to greyscale, and the use of a threshold tool yielded a binary distribution, from which we determined two parameters of monolayer integrity: the covered surface area and the number of cells. We show that this low-magnification image analysis method for attached endothelial cells provides reliable control parameters of monolayer integrity, representing capillary wall. Besides, already within 2h post-treatment the data show distinct effects in the monolayer integrity parameters for electric pulses alone, or in the presence of bleomycin. The present method can be readily introduced to short and long-term toxicity assays with a variety of treatment conditions.

Differential cellular effects of electroporation and electrochemotherapy in monolayers of human microvascular endothelial cells.

In vivo electroporation of tumours shows disruption of blood flow and creates a vascular effect with an initial rapid and transient vasoconstriction phase and a much longer lasting phase with changed microvascular endothelium. These changes are not well understood but are presumed to involve the cytoskeleton. The paper presents for the first time differential in vitro effects describing cytoskeleton changes and monolayer integrity changes by both electroporation and electrochemotherapy of monolayers of human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1). After the application of electric field pulses, the morphology of cells, and both the F-actin and Beta-tubulin cytoskeleton proteins were affected. During both electroporation and electrochemotherapy, the initial phase of cellular damage was noticed at 10 min as swollen cells and honeycomb-like actin bundles. The electroporation-induced cellular effects, observed from electric pulses >150 V, were voltage-dependent and within 24 hrs partly recoverable. The electrochemotherapy-induced cellular effects developed at 2 hrs in spindle-like cells, and more densely packed F-actin and Beta-tubulin were observed, which were dependent on the amount of bleomycin and the voltages applied (>50 V). In addition, for electrochemotherapy with electric pulses >150 V cellular changes were not recoverable within 24 hrs. The effects on monolayer integrity were reflected in the enhanced monolayer permeability, with the electrochemotherapy showing an earlier onset and synergy. We conclude that electrochemotherapy as compared to electroporation leads within 24 hrs to a quicker and more pronounced monolayer integrity damage and endothelial cell death, which together provide further insight into the cellular changes of the vascular disruption of electrochemotherapy.