RESUMO
Cardiovascular disease is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV . The immature platelet fraction (IPF) is increased in HIV-negative patients with cardiovascular disease and evidence suggests that an enlarged IPF is associated with adverse cardiovascular events. In this multi-center observational study, we aimed to investigate how the IPF in people living with HIV is influenced by antiretroviral therapy and cardiovascular disease. Subjects without cardiovascular disease that received antiretroviral therapy showed a smaller IPF accompanied by lower D-dimer and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels compared to therapy-naïve subjects (mean IPF: 2.9% vs. 3.9%, p = .016; median D-dimer: 252 µg/L vs. 623 µg/L, p < .001; median CRP: 0.2 mg/dL vs. 0.5 mg/dL, p = .004). No significant differences for the IPF, D-dimer or CRP were found between subjects on antiretroviral therapy with documented cardiovascular disease and therapy-naïve subjects. In conclusion, we observed a reduction in the IPF among subjects on therapy only in the absence of cardiovascular disease. In contrast, subjects receiving therapy that had documented cardiovascular disease showed an IPF comparable to therapy-naïve subjects. Future studies are needed to investigate if an enlarged IPF may serve as a biomarker in predicting adverse cardiovascular events in people living with HIV.
Assuntos
Antirretrovirais/uso terapêutico , Plaquetas/metabolismo , Doenças Cardiovasculares/sangue , Infecções por HIV/sangue , Adulto , Antirretrovirais/farmacologia , Plaquetas/efeitos dos fármacos , Plaquetas/patologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos ProspectivosRESUMO
PURPOSE: Few and contradictory data suggest changes in taste perception in type 2 diabetes (T2DM), potentially altering food choices. We, therefore, analyzed taste recognition thresholds in T2DM patients with good metabolic control and free of conditions potentially impacting on taste, compared with age-, body mass index-, and sex-matched normoglycemic controls. METHODS: An ascending-concentration method was used, employing sucrose (sweet), sodium chloride (salty), citric acid (sour), and quinine hydrochloride (bitter), diluted in increasing concentration solutions. The recognition threshold was the lowest concentration of correct taste identification. RESULTS: The recognition thresholds for the four tastes were higher in T2DM patients. In a multiple regression model, T2DM [ß = 0.95; 95% CI 0.32-1.58; p = 0.004 (salty); ß = 0.61; 0.19-1.03; p = 0.006 (sweet); ß = 0.78; 0.15-1.40; p = 0.016 (sour); ß = 0.74; 0.22-1.25; p = 0.006 (bitter)] and waist circumference [ß = 0.05; 0.01-0.08; p = 0.012 (salty); ß = 0.03; 0.01-0.05; p = 0.020 (sweet); ß = 0.04; 0.01-0.08; p = 0.020 (sour); ß = 0.04; 0.01-0.07; p = 0.007 (bitter)] were associated with the recognition thresholds. Age was associated with salty (ß = 0.06; 0.01-0.12; p = 0.027) and BMI with sweet thresholds (ß = 0.06; 0.01-0.11; p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: Taste recognition thresholds were higher in uncomplicated T2DM, and central obesity was significantly associated with this impairment. Hypogeusia may be an early sign of diabetic neuropathy and be implicated in the poor compliance of these patients to dietary recommendations.
Assuntos
Ageusia/etiologia , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/complicações , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/fisiopatologia , Limiar Gustativo/fisiologia , Adulto , Ageusia/epidemiologia , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Doença Crônica , Complicações do Diabetes/epidemiologia , Complicações do Diabetes/fisiopatologia , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/epidemiologia , Dieta , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Paladar/fisiologiaRESUMO
This paper describes the design and characterization of a charged particle imaging system composed of a position sensitive detector and residual range detector. The position detector consists of two identical overlying and orthogonal planes each of which consists of two layers of pre-aligned and juxtaposed scintillating fibres. The 500µm square section fibres are optically coupled to two Silicon Photomultiplier arrays using a channel reduction system patented by the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare. The residual range detector consists of sixty parallel layers of the same fibres used in the position detector each of which is optically coupled to a Silicon Photomultiplier array by wavelength shifting fibres. The sensitive area of the two detectors is 9×9cm(2). Characterising the position sensitive and the residual range detectors to reconstruct the radiography, is fundamental to validating the detectors' designs. The proton radiography of a calibrated target in imaging conditions is presented. The spatial resolution of the position sensitive detector is about 150µm and the range resolution is about 170µm. The performance of the prototypes were tested at CATANA proton therapy facility (Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, INFN, Catania) with energy up to 58MeV and rate of about 10(6) particles per second. The comparison between the simulations and measurements confirms the validity of this system.
Assuntos
Carbono/química , Íons , Neoplasias/radioterapia , Fibras Ópticas , Terapia com Prótons/métodos , Radiografia/métodos , Calibragem , Simulação por Computador , Desenho de Equipamento , Humanos , Método de Monte Carlo , Prótons , Planejamento da Radioterapia Assistida por Computador , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Silício/química , Água/químicaRESUMO
Abstract NUMEN proposes cross sections measurements of Heavy-Ion double charge exchange reactions as an innovative tool to access the nuclear matrix elements, entering the expression of the life time of Neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ). A key aspect of the projectis the use at INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS) of the Superconducting Cyclotron (CS) for the acceleration of the required high resolution and low emittance heavy-ion beams and of MAGNEX large acceptance magnetic spectrometer for the detection of the ejectiles. The experimental measurements of double charge exchange reactions induced by heavy ions present a number of challenging aspects, since such reactions are characterized by very low cross sections. First experimental results give encouraging indication on the capability to access quantitative information towards the determination of the Nuclear Matrix Elements for 0νββ decay.
Resumen NUMEN propone mediciones de secciones eficaces de reacciones de intercambio de carga doble de iones pesados como una herramienta innovadora para acceder a los elementos de la matriz nuclear, entrando en la expresión del tiempo de vida de la desintegración beta doble sin neutrino (0νββ). Un aspecto clave del proyecto es el uso en INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS) del ciclotrón superconductor (CS) para la aceleración de los haces de iones pesados de alta resolución y baja emitancia requeridos y del espectrómetro magnético de gran aceptación MAGNEX para la detección de los residuos eyectados. Las mediciones experimentales de reacciones de intercambio de carga doble inducidas por iones pesados presentan una serie de aspectos desafiantes, ya que tales reacciones se caracterizan por secciones eficaces muy bajas. Los primeros resultados experimentales dan una indicación alentadora sobre la capacidad de acceder a información cuantitativa para la determinación de los Elementos de la Matriz Nuclear para la descomposición de 0νββ.