Pre-stroke physical activity is associated with fewer post-stroke complications, lower mortality and a better long-term outcome.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Physical activity is associated with a reduced incidence of first-time stroke. However, few studies have examined the effect of pre-stroke physical activity on post-stroke complications and clinical outcomes. METHODS: A total of 39 835 cases of stroke registered in the nationwide stroke registry system of Taiwan between 2006 and 2009 were analyzed according to five levels of severity as determined by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score upon hospital admission. Pre-stroke physical activity was defined in the Taiwan Stroke Registry as dedicated leisure-time physical activity for at least 30 min/day for 3 days/week for more than 6 months. A Cox model was used to compare complications and outcomes between active and inactive groups. RESULTS: The active and inactive groups were similar in age distribution and stroke type distribution, but the active group had better National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores upon admission. The active group also had significantly fewer post-stroke complications. Active patients had lower hospital mortality and better functional outcomes upon discharge as per the modified Rankin Scale. Improved functional status in the active group was significant at 1, 3 and 6 months post-stroke. CONCLUSION: Dedicated leisure-time physical activity for at least 30 min/day, at least three times per week for more than 6 months was associated with decreased stroke severity, fewer post-stroke complications, lower mortality and better outcomes.

Impact of hepatitis B virus infection on metabolic profiles and modifying factors.

The metabolic syndrome may cause disease progression in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). However, the interactions between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and metabolic factors remain unknown. We investigated the association of HBV infection with metabolic profiles in HBV-infected and noninfected subjects. In addition, the impacts of serum HBV DNA level on metabolic profiles were studied. Initially, a case-control analysis of patients with and without chronic HBV infection was performed. The HBV group consisted of 322 patients with chronic HBV infection, and the control group consisted of 870 matched subjects without HBV infection. Fasting blood glucose, lipid profiles and adiponectin levels were compared. The results were then confirmed in a second retrospective cohort study in 122 CHB patients with serum HBV DNA levels and HOMA-IR index values. In the case-control analysis, the HBV group had significantly higher serum adiponectin, but lower triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) levels than the control group. These relationships already existed in subjects younger than 45 years of age and were modified by serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. In the retrospective cohort, serum HBV DNA levels were negatively proportional to TG levels, but not to other metabolic parameters. Moreover, this relationship was significant only in subjects with higher ALT levels. Compared with healthy adults, patients with chronic HBV infection have significantly higher serum adiponectin, but lower TG and HDL levels. These relationships are modified by ALT levels and already exist in middle-age patients with chronic HBV infection, implying HBV may interact with host metabolism.

Surface-surface interaction in smectic liquid crystal films.

Null transmission ellipsometry was employed to study the field induced transition of the surface arrangements in freestanding films of smectic liquid crystals. The interlayer interaction between the two surfaces obtained from the threshold voltage for the transition is found to be antiferroelectric and is quasilong ranged. The possible microscopic origins of the measured interaction and its relevance to the interlayer interaction in antiferroelectric liquid crystal materials are discussed.

Kruger strict morphology and post-thaw progressive motility in cryopreserved human spermatozoa.

The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate Kruger strict morphology and conventional semen analysis in predicting cryosurvival and the progressive motility recovery rate of frozen spermatozoa. Our study included 56 semen samples with >10 million spermatozoa per ejaculate. The main outcome measures were conventional semen analysis, strict morphology analysis by the Kruger method, cryosurvival rate and post-thaw sperm motility. A significant reduction in sperm motility after cryopreservation was demonstrated. The freeze-thawing process caused a 66% reduction in rapid progressive motile spermatozoa, a 45% reduction in slow progressive motile spermatozoa and a 2% reduction in nonprogressive motile spermatozoa. The cryosurvival and progressive motility recovery rates were not correlated with parameters of conventional semen analysis, such as sperm concentration, motility, WHO morphology and total motile count, but the progressive motility recovery rate was significantly correlated with the percentage of spermatozoa exhibiting Kruger normal morphology (P = 0.028). The recovery rate of rapidly progressive motility was profoundly decreased compared with slow progressive motility following the frozen-thaw procedure of semen. Kruger strict morphology assessment was a better predictor of the progressive motility recovery rate following the freezing-thaw procedure than parameters of conventional semen analysis.

Synthesis of ethanol-soluble few-layer graphene nanosheets for flexible and transparent conducting composite films.

We report a facile method of preparing few-layer graphene nanosheets (FLGs), which can be soluble in ethanol. Atomic force microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies reveal that FLGs have average thicknesses in the range of 2.6-2.8 nm, corresponding to 8-9 layers. A graphene/nafion composite film has a sheet resistance of 9.70 kΩ/sq at the transmittance of 74.5% (at 550 nm) while the nafion film on polyethylene terephthalate has a sheet resistance of 128 kΩ/sq at transmittance of 90.0%. For the cycling/bending test, almost no change in resistance was exhibited when the film was bent at an angle up to 140°, and no obvious deviation in resistance could be found after 100 bending cycles was applied. In addition, an FLGs-poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) composite layer was demonstrated as the effective hole transporting layer to improve the hole transporting ability in an organic photovoltaic device, with which the power conversion efficiency was enhanced from 3.10% to 3.70%. The results demonstrated the promising applications of FLGs on graphene-based electronics, such as transparent electrode and flexible conducting film.

General anaesthesia is associated with increased risk of surgical site infection after Caesarean delivery compared with neuraxial anaesthesia: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: This study compared the odds ratio (OR) of surgical site infection (SSI) within 30 days after operation with general anaesthesia (GA) or neuraxial anaesthesia (NA) in Taiwanese women undergoing Caesarean delivery (CD). METHODS: An epidemiologic design was used. The study population was based on the records of all deliveries in hospitals or obstetric clinics between January 2002 and December 2006 in Taiwan. Anonymized claim data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) were analysed. Women who received CD were identified from the NHIRD by Diagnosis-Related Group codes. The mode of anaesthesia was defined by order codes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the OR and associated 95% confidence interval (CI) of post-CD SSIs for GA when compared with NA. The outcome was whether a woman had been diagnosed as having an SSI during the hospitalization or was re-hospitalized within 30 days after CD for the treatment of SSIs using five or 81 International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes. RESULTS: Among the 303 834 Taiwanese women who underwent CD during the 5 yr observation period, the 30 day post-CD SSI rate was 0.3% or 0.9% based on five or 81 ICD-9-CM codes. The multivariate-adjusted OR of having post-CD SSIs in the GA group was 3.73 (95% CI, 3.07-4.53) compared with the NA group (P<0.001) using five ICD-9-CM codes for the definition of SSI. CONCLUSIONS: GA for CD was associated with a higher risk of SSI when compared with neuraxial anaesthesia.

Thickness dependent phase behavior of antiferroelectric liquid crystal films.

Free standing films of a liquid crystal compound with simple surface enhanced order were studied. The resultant phase diagram demonstrates that (1) the short helical pitch smectic-C(alpha)* phase disappears below a film thickness of 10 layers, and (2) the temperature window of a distorted 4 layer smectic-C(FI2)* phase increases dramatically upon decreasing film thickness. The experimental findings were attributed to the reduced dimensionality and enhanced surface effects in thin films. The results of the smectic-C(alpha)* phase are consistent with what have been reported for helically ordered magnetic thin films, with a noticeable difference due to the opposite effect of the surface on ordering in the two systems.

Surface-induced ordering effect in one antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound.

Null transmission ellipsometer was employed to study the surface-induced tilt transition of an antiferroelectric liquid crystal compound in the bulk smectic- A (SmA) temperature range. The data of the surface tilt transition can be fitted with an extended mean-field model. These results indicate the transition is near a mean-field tricritical point. The surface layers' tilt directions are found to be in different planes several degrees above the bulk SmA-SmC_{alpha};{ *} transition.

Mutational analysis of the Arabidopsis RPS2 disease resistance gene and the corresponding pseudomonas syringae avrRpt2 avirulence gene.

Plants have evolved a large number of disease resistance genes that encode proteins containing conserved structural motifs that function to recognize pathogen signals and to initiate defense responses. The Arabidopsis RPS2 gene encodes a protein representative of the nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) class of plant resistance proteins. RPS2 specifically recognizes Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strains expressing the avrRpt2 gene and initiates defense responses to bacteria carrying avrRpt2, including a hypersensitive cell death response (HR). We present an in planta mutagenesis experiment that resulted in the isolation of a series of rps2 and avrRpt2 alleles that disrupt the RPS2-avrRpt2 gene-for-gene interaction. Seven novel avrRpt2 alleles incapable of eliciting an RPS2-dependent HR all encode proteins with lesions in the C-terminal portion of AvrRpt2 previously shown to be sufficient for RPS2 recognition. Ten novel rps2 alleles were characterized with mutations in the NBS and the LRR. Several of these alleles code for point mutations in motifs that are conserved among NBS-LRR resistance genes, including the third LRR, which suggests the importance of these motifs for resistance gene function.

Physical properties of a porcine internal thoracic artery fixed with an epoxy compound.

This study aimed to investigate the physical properties of a porcine internal thoracic artery fixed with an epoxy compound. Fresh and glutaraldehyde-fixed porcine arteries were used as controls. Both the epoxy-fixed and glutaraldehyde-fixed porcine arteries showed significant increases in fixation index and denaturation temperature as compared to the fresh one. Additionally, the resistance of porcine arteries against bacterial collagenase in vitro degradation increased significantly after cross-linking with the epoxy compound of glutaraldehyde. The reduction of the tensile strength of the epoxy-fixed artery after bacterial collagenase degradation was more severe than in its glutaraldehyde-fixed counterpart. Generally, with increasing pH, temperature or fixative concentration, the fixation indices and denaturation temperatures of the epoxy-fixed porcine arteries increased. The results obtained in this study may be used to optimize the fixation process for developing a small-diameter biological vascular graft fixed by an epoxy compound.

Lymphocyte surface markers in acute lymphoblastic leukemia of adults.

Leukemic cells from eight adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) were examined for the T-lymphocyte (T-cell) marker of sheep erythrocyte (E) receptors and for B-lymphocyte (B-cell) markers of surface immunoglobulins (SIg), complement receptors and FC receptors. Six of these patients' leukemic cells were devoid of both T- and B-cell markers, and therefore were "null" cells. The leukemic lymphoblasts of a 79-year-old patient had all B-cell markers, including monoclonal IgG K and receptors for complement and Fc. In cells from another patient (21 years old), only complement receptors were found. A review of the literature revealed that, similar to childhood ALL, adult cases of ALL were mostly of "null" cell type. All of the T-cell type was found in approximately 20% of patients. ALL of the B-cell type occurred only rarely. The latter cell type appeared to occur mainly in the middle-aged and the elderly.

Sacral parasite conjoined twin.

BACKGROUND: A variant of conjoined twins is one in which one twin is incomplete. CASE: A female infant was born vaginally at 40 weeks' gestation to a healthy primipara. No important abnormalities were noted during prenatal examinations. The infant was fully developed in all external aspects except for a parasitic body conjoined with her sacrococcygeal region. Separated by operation 2 weeks after birth, the parasite contained lower limbs, adipose tissue, muscles, and a bowel sac. Over 4 years of observation, no abnormalities have been found since the operation. CONCLUSION: Obstetricians should be aware of the existence of a parasite twin during prenatal examinations and of the importance of the differential diagnosis of parasite and teratoma, a neoplasm with malignant potential.

Effect of isoproterenol on the uptake of [14C]glucose into glial cells.

The effect of isoproterenol on the uptake of [14C]glucose into cultured glial cells was investigated in the present study. Isoproterenol markedly stimulated the uptake of [14C]glucose 30 min after incubation. This action was produced in a dose-dependent manner. A positive correlation between the increase of [14C]glucose uptake and the stimulation of adenylate cyclase induced by isoproterenol was obtained (r = 0.99). The effect of isoproterenol was reduced by the beta-adrenergic blockers but not by other blockers, indicating the selective action of isoproterenol. The results obtained suggest that isoproterenol stimulates the uptake of glucose into glial cells through the activation of beta-adrenoceptors which are linked to adenylate cyclase.

Shear strength of the composite bond to etched porcelain.

The shear bond strength of composite resin to porcelain was investigated to optimize variables for bonding porcelain laminate veneers. Scanning electron microscopy was initially used to examine the surface configuration of porcelain prepared under various conditions. A factorial experiment was undertaken to determine the effects of three different bonding methods on both etched and non-etched porcelain. Composite resin was bonded to the porcelain groups using (a) unfilled resin, (b) silane, and (c) silane with dentin adhesive. The results indicated a significant difference in shear bond strength for the three bonding groups, depending on the porcelain surface condition. For the unetched samples, significant differences in bond strength were obtained for all three bonding conditions. However, for the etched group, there were no differences between the silane and silane-with-dentin-adhesive groups. Porcelain etching significantly increased bond strength across all three bonding methods and was the main contributor to the obtained values.

Effect of enantiomeric excess on surface structures and phase sequences in free-standing liquid-crystal films.

We present differential optical reflectivity and null transmission ellipsometry data from several mixtures of MHPBC enantiomers. From this data, we have determined the chiral smectic phase sequence as a function of enantiomeric excess. The data suggest a change in the structure of the smectic-C(*)(alpha) phase and the surface tilt state as the enantiomeric excess is reduced. The results also show that the intermediate phases, smectic C(*)(FI2), smectic C(*)(FI1), and smectic C(*)(alpha), disappear sequentially on reducing the net chirality.

Soy isoflavone supplementation in postmenopausal women. Effects on plasma lipids, antioxidant enzyme activities and bone density.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate isoflavone supplementation on plasma lipids, erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-seven postmenopausal women were given 150 mg/d of isoflavone supplements twice daily for six months. Blood was sampled before and after supplementation, at three and six months. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in plasma total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride concentrations or erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities after three and six months of supplementation when compared with the baseline. No significant changes were noted in calcaneus bone mineral density after supplementing isoflavones for six months. CONCLUSION: The antioxidant effect of isoflavones in normal postmenopausal women is not obvious, and supplementation with isoflavone alone may not have a hypocholesterolemic effect. Since the duration of this study was too short with respect to bone density, longer studies are needed to clarify the bone-sparing effect of isoflavone supplementation.

Dibutyryl cAMP prevents increased vascular permeability caused by air embolism in isolated rat lungs.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Venous gas bubbles are routinely detected in astronauts undergoing extravehicular activities at lower suit pressure. Venous air embolism increases the pulmonary arterial pressure and the vascular permeability leading to acute lung injury. In the present study we evaluated the protective effect of dibutyryl cAMP, aminophylline, and pentoxifylline on the pulmonary vasculatures after air embolism. METHOD: In isolated and perfused rat lungs, we induced air embolism by introducing air bubbles into the pulmonary artery. We measured the pulmonary arterial pressures and capillary pressure. Vascular permeability was determined by measuring the filtration coefficient (Kf) and the protein concentration in the lung lavage fluid. RESULTS: Air infusion caused pulmonary hypertension and increased vascular permeability, resulting in pulmonary edema. The Kf (in g.min-1.cm H2O-1.100 g-1) increased from 0.44 +/- 0.05 at baseline to 2.98 +/- 0.47 after air infusion. Pretreatment with DBcAMP prevented the increase in Kf (0.63 +/- 0.09) caused by air embolism without altering the hemodynamics. Aminophylline and pentoxifylline did not prevent lung injury induced by air embolism. Although aminophylline did not alter the response of pulmonary arterial pressure to air infusion, it elevated the capillary pressure to 5.1 +/- 0.4 mmHg, which was significantly greater than that in the lung receiving air infusion alone. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that DBcAMP prevents the increase in vascular permeability caused air embolism. The ineffectiveness of aminophylline and pentoxifylline on the prevention of air embolism-induced lung injury remains for further investigation.

[The shear bond strength of porcelain and base metal alloys for metal-ceramic crown (VI)].

The popularity of base metal alloy for porcelain fused to a metal crown and bridges has increased recently because of lower price, superior yield strength and modulus of elasticity (rigidity). The use of these alloys give them the potential advantage of thinner coping with less material and the required rigidity for long-span fixed partial dentures. The addition of beryllium to base metal alloys increases fluidity and improves casting fit. Beryllium also controls surface oxidation and bonding strength. Oxidation heat treatment of the metal is used to remove entrapped air, eliminate organic material and form the metal oxidized layer. The bonding agent and gold bonding agent also affect the bonding strength between porcelain and metal alloys. Four commercially available ceramic base alloys (two alloys contain beryllium element, another two do not) are studied. The purposes of this investigation are to test the shear bond strength between porcelain and metal alloy under different conditions (oxidized layer removed or not, gold bonding agent and uniseal bonding agent used in combination, separately or not at all). The following results were obtained: 1. Whether the oxidized layer was removed or not did not have a significant effect on the bond strength of porcelain (p > 0.05). 2. When different metal alloys was used, Wiron 88 alloy showed significantly the best bond strength of all alloys tested (p < 0.05). 3. When different bonding agent were used, the combination of bonding agent and gold bonding agent showed the best bond strength of all bonding agents tested. It showed a significantly higher bonding strength than opaque layer and gold bonding agent. 4. Vita porcelain powder showed a significantly higher bond strength than did Unibond porcelain (p < 0.05). 5. When opaque layer was used and when no bonding agent was used, the porcelain powder significantly affected the bond strength (p < 0.0001). The Vita porcelain showed a significantly higher bond strength than did Unibond porcelain. Wiron 88 alloy showed significantly the high bond strength than Rexillium III alloy (p < 0.05). 6. When bonding agent was used, the porcelain powder and alloy significantly affected bond strength. The Vita porcelian showed a significantly higher bond strength than did Unibond porcelain. Wiron 88 alloy showed significantly the best bond strength than other alloys Wiron (p < 0.05). 7. When bonding agent and gold bonding agent were used, the porcelain powder significantly affected the bond strength (p < 0.05). The Vita porcelain showed a significantly higher bond strength than did Unibond porcelain (p < 0.05). 8. When gold bonding agent was used, there was not any bond strength between metal and powder.

[The shear bond strength of porcelain and base metal alloys for metal-ceramic crown (VII)].

The popularity of the base metal alloys has increased in the past decade because of their lower price, high tensile strength and high elastic modulus. Several factors are critical in ensuring successful bonding: the matching of the thermal coefficients of expansion and constraction of the porcelain and metal, the metallurgic composition of the alloy and the pretreatment procedures used in preparation of the metal substructure. Two ceramic base alloys (one alloy contains beryllium, another without) were studied. The surface textures were created by 50 microns, 100 microns aluminum oxide sandblasting, carbide bur, carborundum point and disk upon two base alloys, Rexillium III and Wiron 88. The purposes of this investigation were to determine how these variations in surface texture affect the bond strength of the two ceramo-metal alloy systems. The following results were obtained: 1. Statistics revealed that bond strength was not significantly increased with surface roughness (p > 0.05). 2. The shear bond strength for variable pretreatment methods were in the following sequence: 100 microns Al2O3 sandblasting, carbide bur, 50 microns Al2O3 sandblasting, carborundum point, disk. 3. The Rexillium III alloy had a significantly higher bond strength than Wiron 88 alloy (p < 0.05). 4. The Noritake porcelain showed a significantly higher bond strength than Biobond porcelain (p < 0.05). 5. The fracture site was cohesive and adhesive mode treated with 50 microns Al2O3, 100 microns Al2O3, carbide bur. But carborundum point and disk was adhesive mode.

[The shear bond strength of porcelain and base metal alloys for metal-ceramic crown the study of metal roughness and microstructure].

The metal-ceramic crown has become a predominant restoration in fixed prosthodontics. The base metal has the quality of lower price, high tensile strength, high elastic modulus. The base metal alloy that contain beryllium element increases fluidity and improved casting performance. Beryllium also controls surface oxidation and affects the metal ceramic bonds. Preparation of surface prior to porcelain bonding has been a subject of controversy among dental ceramists. Two ceramic base metal alloys (one alloy contains beryllium, another is not) were studied. This investigation evaluated the polishing effects of 50 microns, 100 microns aluminum oxide sandblasting, carbide bur, carborundum point and separating disk upon two base metal alloys, Rexillium III and Wiron 88. A scanning electron microscope was used to study the surface texture. The following results were obtained: 1. The most roughest surface was created with 50 microns aluminum oxide sandblasting. The carbide bur produced the least roughed surface. 2. There are specific surface texture patterns after polishing with five different grinding materials. 3. The metal surfaces treated with 50 microns and 100 microns aluminum oxide have same micro-structure pictures, but there are much more undercuts treated with 100 microns aluminum oxide. 4. The usage of carbide bur resulted in less undercuts of metal surface at two metal alloys. 5. The usage of carborundum point and disk resulted in abrasive particles that retained on the grinding metal surface at two metal alloys. 6. The surface of Wiron 88 alloy usually had wrinkle texture but not the Rexillium III alloy.