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Modern method contraceptive prevalence among married women in Nigeria has jumped to 16.0% in 2016 compared with

© 2019 The reinforcing effect of graphene oxide on cementitious materials under high strain rate remains largely unknown. Existing studies on microfiber reinforced cementitious composites showed that the dynamic increase factor (DIF) decreases due to these fibres. This study reports that the reinforcing effect of graphene oxide nanosheets can, in contrast, increase with strain rate. Tensile splitting and compression tests were conducted under both static and dynamic loadings. High strain rate, up to 1700 s −1 , is achieved using a split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus. It is found that the DIF of graphene oxide nanocomposite only increase when the DIF is higher than a threshold which is about 780 and 30 s −1 for compression and tensile test respectively. The increased of DIF was correlated with the speed of crack development and pull-out of the graphene oxide nanosheets. Also, the pull-out or fracture of graphene oxide on fragmented sand was also found a possible contributing factor to the increased DIF. The findings of this study indicate the future potential of atomic-thin nanosheets for materials under extreme impact and blast loading.

Objective To determine the efficacy of oral propranolol for the treatment of infantile subglottic hemangioma. Methods 17 children (13 females and 4 males) with a median age at onset of treatment of 5 months were included in this study. Propranolol was administered after the presence of subglottic hemangioma was confirmed by laryngoscopy and a CT scan of the trachea with contrast. Propranolol was started at 1 mg/kg per day divided into 3 doses. Heart rate and blood pressure were monitored during treatment. If no side effects were observed, then the dose was increased to 1.5 mg/kg per day on the second day. Results 14 patients (82%) showed clinical improvement within 1 week of treatment initiation. In each of these patients, the diameter of the subglottic stenosis caused by the hemangioma decreased, and the hemangioma became lighter in color. Two children with cutaneous hemangiomata also exhibited significant improvements in their cutaneous lesions after treatment. One patient's treatment was stopped after 2 weeks for personal reasons (family issue). After treatment cessation, this patient's respiratory symptoms recurred and increased in severity over the next 2 weeks. The patient was restarted on propranolol, and the symptoms disappeared. One patient only partially responded to propranolol. One patient continued with a tracheostomy for 15 months due to the diffuse nature of the lesion and was just recently decannulated. One patient initially did not respond to propranolol and developed residual disease after open resection; this patient finally responded to propranolol after 6 months of therapy and was recently weaned off the drug. Conclusion Oral propranolol is a safe and effective treatment for infantile subglottic hemangiomata and may be used as a first-line therapeutic modality.

To investigate the causes of the occurrence and persistence of porcine cystic follicles, we evaluated the apoptosis and proliferation of follicular cells in these cysts. Apoptotic frequencies were examined by TUNEL assay and the expression of apoptosis regulators (XIAP, bax, bc1-2 and caspase-3) by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and real-time quantitative PCR; cell proliferation activity was evaluated by PCNA immunohistochemistry and proliferation of in vitro cultured granulosa and theca cells. The low apoptotic frequency and weak proliferative activity were found in cystic follicles. Low frequency of apoptosis might be associated with decreased amounts of apoptotic-related factors (bax and caspase-3) and increased amounts of anti-apoptotic factors (XIAP and bcl-2) in cystic follicles. Significantly lower proliferation activity was detected in granulosa and theca cells from cystic follicles, and lesser PCNA-positive cells were found in cystic follicles. Our results indicate that the programmed cell death and cell proliferation system were altered in cystic follicles. The disorder between apoptosis and proliferation was responsible for maintaining a static condition without degeneration, which leads to the long-term persistence of follicles. These findings provide important novel insights into the pathogenesis of follicular cysts in sows.

Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S), an endogenous "gasotransmitter", exists in the central nervous system. However, the central cardiovascular effects of endogenous H(2)S are not fully determined. The present study was designed to investigate the central cardiovascular effects and its possible mechanism in anesthetized rats. Intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of NaHS (0.17~17 microg) produced a significant and dose-dependent decrease in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) (P0.05) compared to control. The higher dose of NaHS (17 microg, n = 6) decreased BP and HR quickly of rats and 2 of them died of respiratory paralyse. Icv injection of the cystathionine beta-synthetase (CBS) activator s-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM, 26 microg) also produced a significant hypotension and bradycardia, which were similar to the results of icv injection of NaHS. Furthermore, the hypotension and bradycardia induced by icv NaHS were effectively attenuated by pretreatment with the K(ATP) channel blocker glibenclamide but not with the CBS inhibitor hydroxylamine. The present study suggests that icv injection of NaHS produces hypotension and bradycardia, which is dependent on the K(ATP) channel activation.

Contents Follicular fluid (FF) includes various biologically active proteins which can affect follicular growth and maturation. Certain proteins could reflect the physiological and pathological status of follicles. The aim of the present study was to explore the key proteins associated with pathogenesis of follicular cysts, some of which may be candidate biomarkers for the condition. We analysed the proteomes of FF from small, medium, large and cystic follicles by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) combined with mass spectrometry (MS). The protein components in FF were found to be significantly different among groups; about 300 proteins spots in each group were examined, and 32 differentially expressed proteins were identified from different groups. To further reveal the source of identified proteins, transcripts encoding two of these, transferrin and RBP-4, were detected in granulosa cells (GCs) by RT-PCR, as well as the proteins were detected in 24 h culture media of GCs by ELISA. High levels of RBP-4 were examined in FF of cystic follicles by 2-DE analysis, which were significantly different to those in large follicles (p

This study compared the association between blood pressure (BP) and obesity in 1145 Chinese children and adolescents (608 males, 537 females) using data from the 2006 China Health and Nutrition Survey. Obesity was diagnosed by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Analysis of variance was used to analyse the difference in BP among different subgroups. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated and multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out. The prevalence of high systolic and diastolic BP increased directly with corresponding increments in BMI, WC and WHtR, although the prevalence and OR of high BP were higher when increased BMI was combined with WC (OR 3.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.79, 6.41) or WHtR (OR 3.28; 95% CI 1.71, 6.30). In conclusion, increased BMI, WC and WHtR were directly associated with high BP in Chinese children and adolescents.

PURPOSE To investigate the incidence of latanoprost-related adverse events of the cornea, iris, and retina and the occurrence of hyperpigmentation. METHODS An open-label safety surveillance study was conducted in 14 countries. Patients on intraocular pressure (IOP)-reducing therapy other than latanoprost were eligible if they required a change in therapy. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1) to latanoprost administered once daily or to usual care (any other commercially available medication). Patients were examined at baseline and every 6 months for 5 years. RESULTS In all, 5854 patients were included (latanoprost, 3936; usual care, 1918). Of those initially randomized to latanoprost, 2707 (68.8%) completed the study, and 4638 (79.2%) patients received at least one dose of latanoprost. Five-year risks were < or = 3.17% for new occurrences of corneal erosions, iritis/uveitis, or macular edema in both randomization groups. Serious adverse drug reactions were reported in 17/3936 (0.43%) latanoprost and 9/1918 (0.47%) usual care patients. In all, 87.6% of patients ever treated with latanoprost had no increased iris pigmentation; no serious adverse drug reactions were reported in patients with increased iris pigmentation. CONCLUSIONS This 5-year study suggests that latanoprost as prescribed in 14 countries is a safe long-term treatment for patients with glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

Early-life antibiotic exposure can disrupt the founding intestinal microbial community and lead to obesity later in life. Recent studies show that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce body weight gain and chronic inflammation through modulation of the gut microbiota. We hypothesize that increased tissue levels of omega-3 fatty acids may prevent antibiotic-induced alteration of gut microbiota and obesity later in life. Here, we utilize the fat-1 transgenic mouse model, which can endogenously produce omega-3 fatty acids and thereby eliminates confounding factors of diet, to show that elevated tissue levels of omega-3 fatty acids significantly reduce body weight gain and the severity of insulin resistance, fatty liver and dyslipidemia resulting from early-life exposure to azithromycin. These effects were associated with a reversal of antibiotic-induced dysbiosis of gut microbiota in fat-1 mice. These results demonstrate the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids on antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis and obesity, and suggest the potential utility of omega-3 supplementation as a safe and effective means for the prevention of obesity in children who are exposed to antibiotics.

To explore the diagnostic value of quantitative contrast-enhanced (CE) ultrasonography for crush injury in the hind limb muscles of rabbits.A total of 120 New Zealand white rabbits were randomized to receive compression on the left hind limb for either 2 h (n = 56) or 4 h (n = 56) to induce muscle crush injury. Another eight animals were not injured and served as normal controls. CE ultrasonography parameters such as peak intensity (PI), ascending slop, descending slop and area under curve (AUC) were measured at 0.5, 2, 6 and 24 h and 3, 7 and 14 days after decompression.Compared with the uninjured muscles, reperfusion of the injured muscles showed early and high enhancement in CE ultrasonography images. The time-intensity curve showed a trend of rapid lift and gradual drop. The PI and AUC values differed significantly among the three groups and were positively correlated with serum and tissue biomarkers. Rabbits of the 4-h compression group showed significantly higher PI and AUC values, and serum and tissue parameters than the 2-h compression group at each time points.CE ultrasonography can effectively detect muscle crush injury and monitor dynamic changes of the injured muscles in rabbits. PI and AUC are promising diagnostic parameters for this disease.CE ultrasonography might play an important role in the pre-hospital and bedside settings for the diagnosis of muscle crush injury.

In the paper, principles of signal and information were introduced to the design of GNSS receiver. Analyze Antenna and radio frequency (RF) front-end with the perspective of transmission link, Understand the baseband processing though signal modulate and demodulate, design the navigation calculation utilized the information pick-up and disposal, and research the receiver system by the inherent connection between signal and information. New ways and means would be developed though these researches. © (2013) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.

Groundwater-dependent vegetation (GDV) is useful as an indicator of watertable depth and water availability in north-western China. Nitrogen (N) is an essential limiting resource for growth of GDV. To elucidate how leaf N allocation and partitioning influence photosynthesis and photosynthetic N-use efficiency (PNUE), three typical GDV species were selected, and their photosynthesis, leaf N allocation and partitioning were investigated in the Taklamakan Desert. The results showed that Karelinia caspica (Pall.) Less. and Peganum harmala L. had lower leaf N content, and allocated a lower fraction of leaf N to photosynthesis. However, they were more efficient in photosynthetic N partitioning among photosynthetic components. They partitioned a higher fraction of the photosynthetic N to carboxylation and showed higher PNUE, whereas Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. partitioned a higher fraction of the photosynthetic N to light-harvesting components. For K. caspica and P. harmala, the higher fraction of leaf N was allocated to carboxylation and bioenergetics, which led to a higher maximum net photosynthetic rate, and therefore to a higher PNUE, water-use efficiency (WUE), respiration efficiency (RE) and so on. In the desert, N and water are limiting resources; K. caspica and P. harmala can benefit from the increased PNUE and WUE. These physiological advantages and their higher leaf-area ratio (LAR) may contribute to their higher resource-capture ability. © 2012 CSIRO.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of dexamethasone intravitreal implant (Ozurdex, DEX implant) 0.7 and 0.35 mg in the treatment of patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).Design: Two randomized, multicenter, masked, sham-controlled, phase III clinical trials with identical protocols were conducted. Data were pooled for analysis.Participants: Patients (n = 1048) with DME, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/50 to 20/200 Snellen equivalent, and central retinal thickness (CRT) of ≥300 μm by optical coherence tomography.Methods: Patients were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to study treatment with DEX implant 0.7 mg, DEX implant 0.35 mg, or sham procedure and followed for 3 years (or 39 months for patients treated at month 36) at ≤40 scheduled visits. Patients who met retreatment eligibility criteria could be retreated no more often than every 6 months.Main Outcome Measures: The predefined primary efficacy endpoint for the United States Food and Drug Administration was achievement of ≥15-letter improvement in BCVA from baseline at study end. Safety measures included adverse events and intraocular pressure (IOP).Results: Mean number of treatments received over 3 years was 4.1, 4.4, and 3.3 with DEX implant 0.7 mg, DEX implant 0.35 mg, and sham, respectively. The percentage of patients with ≥15-letter improvement in BCVA from baseline at study end was greater with DEX implant 0.7 mg (22.2%) and DEX implant 0.35 mg (18.4%) than sham (12.0%; P ≤ 0.018). Mean average reduction in CRT from baseline was greater with DEX implant 0.7 mg (−111.6 μm) and DEX implant 0.35 mg (−107.9 μm) than sham (−41.9 μm; P < 0.001). Rates of cataract-related adverse events in phakic eyes were 67.9%, 64.1%, and 20.4% in the DEX implant 0.7 mg, DEX implant 0.35 mg, and sham groups, respectively. Increases in IOP were usually controlled with medication or no therapy; only 2 patients (0.6%) in the DEX implant 0.7 mg group and 1 (0.3%) in the DEX implant 0.35 mg group required trabeculectomy.Conclusions: The DEX implant 0.7 mg and 0.35 mg met the primary efficacy endpoint for improvement in BCVA. The safety profile was acceptable and consistent with previous reports.