Lifestyle factors and comorbidities in gout patients compared to the general population in Western Sweden: results from a questionnaire study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify lifestyle factors associated with gout in patients with prevalent gout compared to the general population. METHOD: Adult patients with gout identified in primary and secondary care in Western Sweden between 2015 and 2017 were sent a questionnaire asking about demographics, lifestyle, and comorbidities. Five age- and gender-matched controls were identified in a random sample of 52 348 individuals aged 16-84 years who participated in the National Public Health survey in Sweden, year 2015. Logistic regression models were used to compare cases and controls with regard to lifestyle factors and comorbidities. RESULTS: Of the 1589 invited gout patients, 868 (55%) responded. After matching for age and gender, 728 were included in the analysis (82.4% male; mean ± sd age 69.3 ± 10.5 years for men and 71.8 ± 9.9 years for women with gout). Male and female gout patients were significantly more likely to be overweight or obese (men 79% vs 66%; women 78.5% vs 65.3%), to have binge-drinking behaviour (men 29.9% vs 11%; women 13.7% vs 2.9%), and to be ex-smokers, compared to controls. Moreover, male gout patients reported lower levels of physical activity, while diabetes and hypertension were more common in both genders with gout than in controls. CONCLUSION: In this questionnaire study, gout patients reported significantly more obesity and binge-drinking behaviour and less physical activity than controls. This suggests that there are great unmet needs for the management of lifestyle factors, particularly regarding overweight/obesity and binge drinking, in patients with gout.

Understanding InP Nanowire Array Solar Cell Performance by Nanoprobe-Enabled Single Nanowire Measurements.

III-V solar cells in the nanowire geometry might hold significant synthesis-cost and device-design advantages as compared to thin films and have shown impressive performance improvements in recent years. To continue this development there is a need for characterization techniques giving quick and reliable feedback for growth development. Further, characterization techniques which can improve understanding of the link between nanowire growth conditions, subsequent processing, and solar cell performance are desired. Here, we present the use of a nanoprobe system inside a scanning electron microscope to efficiently contact single nanowires and characterize them in terms of key parameters for solar cell performance. Specifically, we study single as-grown InP nanowires and use electron beam induced current characterization to understand the charge carrier collection properties, and dark current-voltage characteristics to understand the diode recombination characteristics. By correlating the single nanowire measurements to performance of fully processed nanowire array solar cells, we identify how the performance limiting parameters are related to growth and/or processing conditions. We use this understanding to achieve a more than 7-fold improvement in efficiency of our InP nanowire solar cells, grown from a different seed particle pattern than previously reported from our group. The best cell shows a certified efficiency of 15.0%; the highest reported value for a bottom-up synthesized InP nanowire solar cell. We believe the presented approach have significant potential to speed-up the development of nanowire solar cells, as well as other nanowire-based electronic/optoelectronic devices.

Temporal overexpression of SIRT1 in skeletal muscle of adult mice does not improve insulin sensitivity or markers of mitochondrial biogenesis.

AIMS: Activation of the NAD+ dependent protein deacetylase SIRT1 has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy to treat mitochondrial dysfunction and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. However, lifelong overexpression of SIRT1 in skeletal muscle does not improve parameters of mitochondrial function and insulin sensitivity. In this study, we investigated whether temporal overexpression of SIRT1 in muscle of adult mice would affect skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and insulin sensitivity. METHODS: To circumvent potential effects of germline SIRT1 overexpression, we utilized an inducible model of SIRT1 overexpression in skeletal muscle of adult mice (i-mOX). Insulin sensitivity was assessed by 2-deoxyglucose uptake, muscle maximal respiratory function by high-resolution respirometry and systemic energy expenditure was assessed by whole body calorimetry. RESULTS: Although SIRT1 was highly, and specifically, overexpressed in skeletal muscle of i-mOX compared to WT mice, glucose tolerance and skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity were comparable between genotypes. Additionally, markers of mitochondrial biogenesis, muscle maximal respiratory function and whole-body oxygen consumption were also unaffected by SIRT1 overexpression. CONCLUSION: These results support previous work demonstrating that induction of SIRT1 in skeletal muscle, either at birth or in adulthood, does not impact muscle insulin action or mitochondrial function.

Effects of short-term training on behavioral learning and skill acquisition during intraoral fine motor task.

Sensory information from the orofacial mechanoreceptors are used by the nervous system to optimize the positioning of food, determine the force levels, and force vectors involved in biting of food morsels. Moreover, practice resulting from repetition could be a key to learning and acquiring a motor skill. Hence, the aim of the experiment was to test the hypothesis that repeated splitting of a food morsel during a short-term training with an oral fine motor task would result in increased performance and optimization of jaw movements, in terms of reduction in duration of various phases of the jaw movements. Thirty healthy volunteers were asked to intraorally manipulate and split a chocolate candy, into two equal halves. The participants performed three series (with 10 trials) of the task before and after a short-term (approximately 30 min) training. The accuracy of the split and vertical jaw movement during the task were recorded. The precision of task performance improved significantly after training (22% mean deviation from ideal split after vs. 31% before; P<0.001). There was a significant decrease in the total duration of jaw movements during the task after the training (1.21 s total duration after vs. 1.56 s before; P<0.001). Further, when the jaw movements were divided into different phases, the jaw opening phase and contact phase were significantly shorter after training than before training (P=0.001, P=0.002). The results indicate that short-term training of an oral fine motor task induces behavior learning, skill acquisition and optimization of jaw movements in terms of better performance and reduction in the duration of jaw movements, during the task. The finding of the present study provides insights into how humans learn oral motor behaviors or the kind of adaptation that takes place after a successful prosthetic rehabilitation.

The early clinical course of infliximab treatment in rheumatoid arthritis: results from the REMARK observational study.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe patterns of disease activity during infliximab plus methotrexate (MTX) treatment and explore C-reactive protein (CRP) as a potential marker of early response. METHODS: REMARK was a phase IV, open-label, observational study of infliximab-naïve adults with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who received infliximab 3 mg/kg plus MTX for 14 weeks. Treatment response was evaluated in 3 subgroups: patients with <1 year disease duration who were TNF-inhibitor (TNFi)-naïve, patients with ≥ 1 year disease duration who were TNFi-naïve, and patients who had previous TNFi failure or intolerance. In post hoc analyses, CRP kinetic profiles were analysed by EULAR response (good, moderate, non-response) in REMARK and in an independent replication with data from the ASPIRE study. RESULTS: In the efficacy-evaluable population (n=662), median 28-joint disease activity score (DAS28) improved from baseline to Week 14 (5.2 vs. 3.6, p<0.0001). Regardless of disease history subgroup, most patients had good or moderate EULAR responses at Weeks 2 (64.9%), 6 (74.1%), and 14 (73.6%). DAS28 and its components did not differ across patient subgroups. Disease flare occurred in 16.2% of patients. CRP levels declined markedly at Week 2, but patients who were EULAR non-responders at Week 14 showed a CRP rebound at Weeks 6 and 14. This CRP pattern was independently replicated in data from ASPIRE. Adverse events were consistent with the known risk profile of infliximab. CONCLUSIONS: Infliximab plus MTX treatment in patients with RA rapidly diminished disease activity. A unique pattern of CRP rebound was found in non-responders early in treatment.

Emission factors for gases and particle-bound substances produced by firing lead-free small-caliber ammunition.

Lead-free ammunition is becoming increasingly popular because of the environmental and human health issues associated with the use of leaded ammunition. However, there is a lack of data on the emissions produced by firing such ammunition. We report emission factors for toxic gases and particle-bound compounds produced by firing lead-free ammunition in a test chamber. Carbon monoxide, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide levels within the chamber were analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, while total suspended particles and respirable particles were determined gravimetrically. The metal content of the particulate emissions was determined and the associated organic compounds were characterized in detail using a method based on thermal desorption coupled to gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The particulate matter (∼30 mg/round) consisted primarily of metals such as Cu, Zn, and Fe along with soot arising from incomplete combustion. Nitrogen-containing heterocyclic aromatic compounds such as carbazole, quinolone, and phenazine were responsible for some of the 25 most significant chromatographic peaks, together with PAHs, diphenylamine, and phthalates. Emission factors were determined for PAHs and oxygenated PAHs; the latter were less abundant in the gun smoke particles than in domestic dust and diesel combustion smoke. This may be due to the oxygen-deficient conditions that occur when the gun is fired. By using an electrical low pressure impactor, it was demonstrated that more than 90% of the particles produced immediately after firing the weapon had diameters of less than 30 nm, and so most of the gun smoke particles belonged to the nanoparticle regime.

The mGlu2/3 Receptor Agonists LY354740 and LY379268 Differentially Regulate Restraint-Stress-Induced Expression of c-Fos in Rat Cerebral Cortex.

Metabotropic glutamate 2/3 (mGlu2/3) receptors have emerged as potential therapeutic targets due to the ability of mGlu2/3 receptor agonists to modulate excitatory transmission at specific synapses. LY354740 and LY379268 are selective and potent mGlu2/3 receptor agonists that show both anxiolytic- and antipsychotic-like effects in animal models. We compared the efficacy of LY354740 and LY379268 in attenuating restraint-stress-induced expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos in the rat prelimbic (PrL) and infralimbic (IL) cortex. LY354740 (10 and 30 mg/kg, i.p.) showed statistically significant and dose-related attenuation of stress-induced increase in c-Fos expression, in the rat cortex. By contrast, LY379268 had no effect on restraint-stress-induced c-Fos upregulation (0.3-10 mg/kg, i.p.). Because both compounds inhibit serotonin 2A receptor (5-HT2AR)-induced c-Fos expression, we hypothesize that LY354740 and LY379268 have different in vivo properties and that 5-HT2AR activation and restraint stress induce c-Fos through distinct mechanisms.

Image formation mechanisms in scanning electron microscopy of carbon nanotubes, and retrieval of their intrinsic dimensions.

We present a detailed analysis of the image formation mechanisms that are involved in the imaging of carbon nanotubes with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We show how SEM images can be modelled by accounting for surface enhancement effects together with the absorption coefficient for secondary electrons, and the electron-probe shape. Images can then be deconvoluted, enabling retrieval of the intrinsic nanotube dimensions. Accurate estimates of their dimensions can thereby be obtained even for structures that are comparable to the electron-probe size (on the order of 2 nm). We also present a simple and robust model for obtaining the outer diameter of nanotubes without any detailed knowledge about the electron-probe shape.

Desorption of H2, HD, and D2 through temporary negative ion formation.

Physically adsorbed H(2), HD, and D(2) desorbs via the low-energy 2Σ(u)+ electron scattering resonance with characteristic electron energy dependent cross sections as we show by desorption and electron energy-loss measurements. Only H(2) and HD desorb, for energetic reasons, via excitation of the j = 0 → 2 rotational mode and its subsequent decay into free translational motion, while all three isotopes desorb by direct transitions to unbound continuum states, with a probability close to unity and an unexpectedly weak mass dependence ~m(-1/2).

Physical exercise ameliorates deficits induced by traumatic brain injury.

The extent and depth of traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a major determining factor together with the type of structural insult and its location, whether mild, moderate or severe, as well as the distribution and magnitude of inflammation and loss of cerebrovascular integrity, and the eventual efficacy of intervention. The influence of exercise intervention in TBI is multiple, ranging from anti-apoptotic effects to the augmentation of neuroplasticity. Physical exercise diminishes cerebral inflammation by elevating factors and agents involved in immunomodulatory function, and buttresses glial cell, cerebrovascular, and blood-brain barrier intactness. It provides unique non-pharmacologic intervention that incorporate different physical activity regimes, whether dynamic or static, endurance or resistance. Physical training regimes ought necessarily to be adapted to the specific demands of diagnosis, type and degree of injury and prognosis for individuals who have suffered TBI.

Glycopeptide resistance in coagulase-negative staphylococci isolated in blood cultures from patients with hematological malignancies during three decades.

The aim of this study was to determine if there was a long-term increase in glycopeptide minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, MIC creep, among bloodstream isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis and S. haemolyticus isolated from patients with hematological malignancies. We conducted a retrospective single-center study where all positive blood cultures of S. epidermidis (n = 387) and S. haemolyticus (n = 19) isolated from patients with hematological malignancies during three decades, 1980 to 2009, were re-evaluated for the presence of reduced susceptibility to vancomycin and teicoplanin. Three different methods for the detection of reduced susceptibility to glycopeptides were used; standard Etest, macromethod Etest, and glycopeptide resistance detection (GRD) Etest. The median MIC value for vancomycin was 2 mg/L. MIC values for vancomycin and teicoplanin did not show any statistically significant increase during the study period. The presence of heterogeneously glycopeptide-intermediate staphylococci (hGIS) was analyzed among 405 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolates. hGIS were found in 31-45% of the CoNS isolates by the macromethod Etest and in 53-67% by the GRD Etest during the three decades. In conclusion, we did not observe any long-term glycopeptide MIC creep determined by the standard Etest, although a high and increasing proportion of heterogeneous vancomycin resistance was observed.

Dissociation of physisorbed H2 through low-energy electron scattering resonances.

Electron induced dissociation of physisorbed H2, HD, and D2 proceeds, as we observe in electron energy-loss measurements of the resulting atomic species, with a high quantum efficiency via the 2Σg(+) core excited electron scattering resonances. We find that the predominant decay of the temporary H2(-) state to the neutral excited 3Σu(+) parent state, which is intramolecularly antibonding, provides a sufficiently long-lived channel for dissociation to occur with high probability, even in the proximity of a metal surface.

Asthma Control Questionnaire in children: validation, measurement properties, interpretation.

The Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) has been validated in adults to measure the primary goal of management (minimisation of symptoms, activity limitations, short-acting ß2-agonist use and airway narrowing). The present study evaluated the validity, measurement properties and interpretability of the ACQ in children aged 6-16 yrs. 35 children attended clinic on three occasions (0, 1 and 4 weeks) and completed the ACQ, Mini Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Royal College of Physicians' "Three Questions". Parents completed the Paediatric Asthma Caregiver's Quality of Life Questionnaire. Between visits, children completed the Asthma Control Diary and measured peak expiratory flow. At weeks 1 and 4, clinicians and parents completed Global Rating of Change Questionnaires. All patients completed the study. 19 children were stable between two assessments and provided evidence of good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.79). The ACQ was responsive to change in asthma control (p = 0.026) and the mean ± sd Minimal Important Difference was 0.52 ± 0.45. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal correlations between the ACQ and the other outcomes were close to predicted and provided evidence that the ACQ measures asthma control in children. The ACQ has strong measurement properties and is valid for use in children aged 6-16 yrs. In children aged 6-10 yrs, it must be administered by a trained interviewer.

Development and validation of the Capacity of Daily Living during the Morning questionnaire and the Global Chest Symptoms Questionnaire in COPD.

This report concerns the development and validation of two patient-reported outcomes questionnaires developed to assess chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients' ability to perform morning activities and to evaluate their morning symptoms. Based on interviews with COPD patients, the Capacity of Daily Living during the Morning (CDLM) questionnaire and the Global Chest Symptoms Questionnaire (GCSQ) were developed, linguistically validated and incorporated into two multicentre, randomised trials involving a total of 1,100 COPD patients; those trials were registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00496470 and NCT00542880). Data from these trials were used to determine the reliability, validity and responsiveness of the questionnaires and to derive estimates of minimal important differences (MIDs). Both questionnaires displayed good-to-high reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.75-0.93). Analysis of convergent validity showed that CDLM and GCSQ scores correlated significantly (p<0.001) with symptoms, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and use of rescue medication. In both trials, CDLM and GCSQ scores discriminated between patients with different levels of HRQoL, as assessed by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire for COPD patients (SGRQ-C), but not with disease severity, as assessed by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria. A significant improvement in CDLM and GCSQ scores occurred in response to treatment. Estimations of MID scores, corresponding to an SGRQ-C MID of 4, were 0.20 for the CDLM questionnaire and 0.15 for the GCSQ. Both the CDLM questionnaire and the GCSQ are easy-to-use, reliable, responsive, self-administered questionnaires that report on patients' symptoms and ability to perform morning activities.

Electron-induced desorption of physisorbed H2 via resonance vibrational excitation.

We show by electron energy-loss measurements that desorption of physisorbed H(2) and D(2) induced by low-energy electrons takes place with large cross sections, predominantly via resonance excitation of the molecule-surface vibrational mode. The observed H(2), D(2) cross-section ratio supports a picture where rotation-translation conversion of the resonance excited j = 0 --> 2 rotational transition contributes to the desorption of H(2), while this channel is energetically closed for D(2).

Probabilistic modelling of exposure doses and implications for health risk characterization: glycoalkaloids from potatoes.

Potatoes are a source of glycoalkaloids (GAs) represented primarily by alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine (about 95%). Content of GAs in tubers is usually 10-100 mg/kg and maximum levels do not exceed 200 mg/kg. GAs can be hazardous for human health. Poisoning involve gastrointestinal ailments and neurological symptoms. A single intake of >1-3 mg/kg b.w. is considered a critical effect dose (CED). Probabilistic modelling of acute and chronic (usual) exposure to GAs was performed in the Czech Republic, Sweden and The Netherlands. National databases on individual consumption of foods, data on concentration of GAs in tubers (439 Czech and Swedish results) and processing factors were used for modelling. Results concluded that potatoes currently available at the European market may lead to acute intakes >1 mg GAs/kg b.w./day for upper tail of the intake distribution (0.01% of population) in all three countries. 50 mg GAs/kg raw unpeeled tubers ensures that at least 99.99% of the population does not exceed the CED. Estimated chronic (usual) intake in participating countries was 0.25, 0.29 and 0.56 mg/kg b.w./day (97.5% upper confidence limit). It remains unclear if the incidence of GAs poisoning is underreported or if assumptions are the worst case for extremely sensitive persons.

Estimating health utilities in patients with asthma and COPD: evidence on the performance of EQ-5D and SF-6D.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to understand systematic differences in utility values derived from the EQ-5D and the SF-6D in two respiratory populations with heterogeneous disease severity. METHODS: This study involved secondary analysis of data from two cross-sectional surveys of patients with asthma (N = 228; Hungary) and COPD (N = 176; Sweden). Disease severity was defined according to GINA and GOLD guidelines for asthma and COPD, respectively. EQ-5D and SF-6D scores and their distributional characteristics were compared across the two samples by disease severity level. RESULTS: Within each patient population, mean EQ-5D and SF-6D scores were similar for the overall group and for those with moderate disease. Mean scores varied for patients with mild and severe disease. EQ-5D versus SF-6D scores in the asthma group by severity levels were 0.89 versus 0.80, 0.70 versus 0.73, 0.63 versus 0.64, and 0.51 versus 0.63, respectively. EQ-5D versus SF-6D scores in the COPD group by severity levels were 0.85 versus 0.80, 0.73 versus 0.73, 0.74 versus 0.73, and 0.53 versus 0.62, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the EQ-5D and SF-6D do not yield consistent utility values in patients with asthma and COPD due to differences in underlying valuation techniques and the EQ-5D's limited response options relative to mild disease.

Changes in soil chemical and microbiological properties during 4 years of application of various organic residues.

A 4-year field trial was established in eastern Sweden to evaluate the effects of organic waste on soil chemical and microbiological variables. A simple crop rotation with barley and oats was treated with either compost from household waste, biogas residue from household waste, anaerobically treated sewage sludge, pig manure, cow manure or mineral fertilizer. All fertilizers were amended in rates corresponding to 100kgNha(-1)year(-1). The effects of the different types of organic waste were evaluated by subjecting soil samples, taken each autumn 4 weeks after harvest, to an extensive set of soil chemical (pH, Org-C, Tot-N, Tot-P, Tot-S, P-AL, P-Olsen, K-AL, and some metals) and microbiological (B-resp, SIR, microSIR active and dormant microorganisms, PDA, microPDA, PAO, Alk-P and N-min) analyses. Results show that compost increased pH, and that compost as well as sewage sludge increased plant available phosphorus; however, the chemical analysis showed few clear trends over the 4 years and few clear relations to plant yield or soil quality. Biogas residues increased substrate induced respiration (SIR) and, compared to the untreated control amendment of biogas residues as well as compost, led to a higher proportion of active microorganisms. In addition, biogas residues increased potential ammonia oxidation rate (PAO), nitrogen mineralization capacity (N-min) as well as the specific growth rate constant of denitrifiers (microPDA). Despite rather large concentrations of heavy metals in some of the waste products, no negative effects could be seen on either chemical or microbiological soil properties. Changes in soil microbial properties appeared to occur more rapidly than most chemical properties. This suggests that soil microbial processes can function as more sensitive indicators of short-term changes in soil properties due to amendment of organic wastes.

Fast ortho-para conversion of H2 adsorbed at copper surface step atoms.

Ortho-para conversion of H2 adsorbed at the step atoms of a Cu(510) surface proceeds with a short conversion time constant around 1 s as observed in electron-energy-loss measurements of rotational populations. We suggest that this rapid conversion is related to the special character of the adsorption state, which involves a short H2-Cu bond length of 1.8 A. On the flat Cu(100) surface, conversion is found to occur at active sites, most likely step atoms.

Molecular hydrogen adsorption at surface adatoms.

Using electron-energy-loss spectroscopy, we have measured preferential adsorption of molecular hydrogen at Cu and Au adatoms deposited on a cold Cu(100) surface. We show, with particular attention to the D(2)-Au system, that the molecules adsorb at the adatoms, with an enhanced binding energy. The adsorption state is not of chemisorption character, the D(2) rotational and internal vibrational transition energies are close to the corresponding gas phase values, a characteristic property of a physisorbed state. A revealing signature of the D(2)-Au interaction is an induced dipole activity of the rotational transition, which discriminates molecules adsorbed at the adatoms from those adsorbed on the bare substrate surface. The average number of molecules per Au atom depends on the Au coverage and increases at lower coverages, for example, at 4% of an adatom monolayer, there are approximately six D(2) molecules per Au adatom. In this limit, Au monomers prevail, and a cluster of six D(2) around a single Au adatom appears to be an optimal dense two-dimensional configuration.