Days Of Interval Research Articles

Factors Associated With Participation Rate and Predictive of Improvement After Cardiac Rehabilitation in Patients With Heart Failure.

Patients with heart failure (HF) are often limited in their ability to perform exercise. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves aerobic capacity and quality of life (QOL) and is recommended for patients with clinically stable HF; however, it is underutilized. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with participation and completion rates and predictive of improvement after phase II CR in patients with HF. Participation and completion rates were calculated for all patients with HF enrolled in a multidisciplinary management program from October 2008 to December 2018. Functional capacity and QOL were estimated. In patients undergoing CR, changes in peak oxygen uptake (V˙ o2peak ) were measured. Of 662 patients enrolled, 448 (68%) completed the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPX). Phase II CR was recommended in 411 patients, of whom 291 (71%) participated in CR. Participation was significantly related to sex and the time interval in days between hospital discharge and the CPX. Overall, 171 patients completed 36 sessions of CR (with a completion rate of 59%). During CR, there were 18 (6%) adverse events. Cardiac rehabilitation was associated with improvement in V˙ o2peak from 1153 ± 393 to 1342 ± 470 mL/min (a 16% improvement; P < .001) and in QOL. The independent predictors of increase in V˙ o2peak included sex, age, diabetes mellitus, and entry V˙ o2peak . In patients with HF, factors associated with CR participation rate included sex and days between hospital discharge and the CPX. Participation in CR improved V˙ o2peak and QOL. The improvement was related to male sex, younger age, no diabetes mellitus, and higher entry V˙ o2peak .

Abstract 1018: Time to secondary treatment initiation affects overall survival in early-stage lung cancer

Abstract Rationale: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US and worldwide. The 5-year overall survival (OS) for lung cancer patients is below 20%, lower than most other common cancers. In general, timely care can positively affect the survival of patients. However, previous studies of lung cancer and the effect of time-to-treatment on patient outcomes have been inconclusive. Some studies report adverse effects, while others report the association referred to as the ‘waiting time paradox’, where patients with severe diagnosis receive quicker care, but have poorer outcomes due to advanced disease. These studies investigate time-to-treatment of any type, but association between time-to-treatment for secondary treatments and outcomes for lung cancer has not been conclusively defined. Methods: Treatment data from 714 patients with lung cancer diagnosis at Vanderbilt University Medical Center between 2001 and 2021 was used for this analysis. Secondary treatment data included data in three categories: chemotherapy (N=577), radiation therapy (N=126), and target therapies(N=11). Cox regression and Kaplan-Meir curves were used to model the effect of time-to-treatment on overall survival, adjusted for demographic and clinical factors, including if surgical resection was performed before secondary treatment start date. Time-to-treatment was defined as the interval of days between diagnosis or initial surgical procedure and treatment start date in four categories: 0-10 days (1), 11-20 days (2), 21-30 days (3), 31-45 days (4). Results: Cox proportion regression analysis of patients treated within 30 days, including stage and time-to-treatment, had a significant difference in overall survival when stratified by cox linear predictor median (value = 0.0912). Patients with linear predictors values above the median (high) in the cox proportion model had a lower 3-year survival than patients with linear predictor values lower than the median (low) (p=0.0021). This contrast is seen clearly in early-stage lung cancer patients, who received chemotherapy as secondary treatment, where patients with longer time-to-treatment start (15-30 days) had a lower 3-year survival than patients with shorter time-to-treatment (0-15 days) (p=0.047). Conclusions: The effect of changes in time-to-treatment initiation in lung cancer patients receiving secondary treatment appears to be sensitive to initiation within a 30-day period. Although past studies have focused on treatment start time initiation categories within weeks or months, our study is the first to elucidate a possible sensitivity to secondary initiation within just a few days period. Further examination aims to further detail treatment types, by investigating changes in dosage, treatment combinations, or institutions differences to better understand time-to-treatment effects on the survival rates of lung cancer patients. Citation Format: Dianna J. Rowe, Michael Kammer, Jonathan Lehman, Fabien Maldonado. Time to secondary treatment initiation affects overall survival in early-stage lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1018.

Narcotic use and pain control after cesarean section

Opioid use and dependence have markedly increased in recent years which has led to an opioid epidemic. Various factors that have contributed to this crisis, one being the over prescription of opioid medication to post-surgery patients. In the United States cesarean section deliveries accounted for 31.8% of all births in 2020. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate pain control and narcotic use in the postpartum period. Most studies on postpartum pain control focus primarily on the immediate inpatient postoperative period. This study investigates pain control and Percocet use in the 3-day post-discharge period of women who underwent Cesarean delivery at The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC) from January to June 2021. This study evaluated 100 women; the data shows that patients took on average 4 out of 36 Percocet pills; only 11% of the total prescribed dose. Additional factors were taken into consideration including pain scale up to 3 days post-discharge, pain management alternatives, home childcare, family size, and prior opioid use. This study concludes that post cesarean delivery patients were overprescribed narcotics upon discharge from the hospital. Considerations should be made for smaller doses, spaced-out hourly doses, and shorter interval of days. Patients should be advised that if additional pain medication is required to contact their provider and be educated on the importance of properly disposing unused opioid medications.

Association between high resolution computed topography chest severity scores of COVID positive patients with their clinical severity in the COVID care hospital, Jhalawar, Rajasthan

Background: Novel coronavirus is a new emerging infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that has led to a global pandemic. Early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis is essential to manage the disease. The present study was undertaken to determine the relationship between HRCT (high resolution computed topography) severity scores with clinical severity of COVID positive patients.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on reports of HRCT scan of RT-PCR positive patients admitted in COVID care hospital of JMCH. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect all the relevant information including clinical symptoms and post COVID symptoms.Results: CT scores of 236 patients in mild, moderate and severe category were 111 (47%), 83 (35.2%) and 42 (17.8%) respectively. The mean age group was 52.35 years with male preponderance showing a number of 173 (73.3%). The most common clinical symptoms of COVID positive patients in mild, moderate, severe category were cough (82%) and fever (74.8%); cough (95.2%) and SOB (90.40%) and SOB (97.6%) and cough (85.70%) respectively followed by other symptoms. The mean interval of days between initial positive to subsequent RT-PCR negative results in CT severity scores of mild, moderate, severe categories were 5.22, 6.22, 7.12 days respectively.Conclusions: The study suggests that chest CT scoring can add in predicting disease diagnosis and outcome significantly.

Use of hydrogel in the irrigation management of white pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) seedlings: Biometrics and accumulation of organic and inorganic solutes

The initial development of pitayas may be limited by a few factors, among them, water deficit. Agricultural hydrogels can be used as an alternative to enhance the retention and availability of water and nutrients in the soil. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the influence of irrigation frequency and hydrogel doses on the development of white pitaya (Hylocereus undatus) seedlings to establish a time interval in days between irrigations that provides better seedling development and determine the hydrogel dose that provides a reduction of water consumption without damaging seedling development. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks in a 4 x 4 factorial arrangement, in which the treatments corresponded to 4 hydrogel doses (0, 2, 4, and 6 g/plant of Biogel Hidro Plus) incorporated into the substrate and four irrigation frequencies (1, 3, 5, and 7 days of interval). The biometric characteristics, photosynthetic pigments, and organic and inorganic solutes of the plants were evaluated after 120 days. The use of daily irrigation negatively influenced the growth and biomass accumulation of the aerial part of the seedlings and, consequently, provided the lowest values of cladodes of the pitaya seedlings. Pitaya seedlings had greater development when using an irrigation frequency of around 3 days. The application of 6 g/plant of hydrogel provided the highest averages for accumulation of dry biomass, photosynthetic pigments, and organic and inorganic solutes at irrigation levels of 3.6, 4, and about 3.8 days of intervals, respectively. Hydrogel incorporation allowed increasing the interval between irrigations by 1 day without damages to the seedling development.

An Experimental Study on Strength of Concrete Due To Cold Joints

In major infrastructure projects with huge concreting works, concreting works cannot be completed in a single day. Concreting works for infrastructures like major bridges, dams are done in intervals of days and weeks when concreting are done in large volume. It is not possible to complete mass concreting in a single day due to limitation of labor, unavailability of sufficient equipment, labor productivity and site conditions which leads to the formation cold joints. This study focuses primarily on by what means the strength of concrete is affected from cold joints formation and how the effect of such joints can be improved in the construction site. This study shows the variation of strength of concrete with various types of joints formed during placing of concrete. Compressive strength and Split tensile strength of concrete were observed during the test. It was found that the presence of joint reduced both the compressive strength and split tensile strength of concrete. The compressive strength of concrete was found to decrease by 22-25% in the case of cubes with joints while the split tensile strength decreased by 23%. The study also focused on the use of cement slurry (1:1) and chemical admixture on the cold joints and found that use of cement slurry reduced the loss in compressive strength by 30.80% in case of concrete with vertical joints and 13.82% in case of split tensile strength of cylinder. Chemical admixture also showed improvement in compressive strength by 21.50% and split tensile strength by 17.51%. However, improvement in compressive strength of concrete with horizontal joints with the use of chemical admixture or cement slurry didn’t show satisfactory results. This study recommends surface treatment of cold joints with cement slurry or chemical admixture when concreting in large volume to avoid the effects of cold joints.

Effects of Soaking in Water, Base Oil, Ionic Liquid, and Grease of an Epoxy/UHMWPE/MoS2 Composite on Mechanical and Tribological Properties

Abstract Liquid absorption and tribological studies of epoxy-based composite with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and MoS2, sliding against steel, were conducted. Composites, as coating and as a bulk, were soaked in water, base oil, ionic liquid, and lithium-based grease for different intervals of days or months. Liquid weight percent gain was more in polar liquids when compared to non-polar. Coated composite soaked in grease for 10 days showed coefficient of friction of 0.08 with wear life of more than 1 million cycles and wear-rate of 1.7 × 10−8 mm3/N m. Bulk polymer composite soaked in grease for 180 days provided the least coefficient of friction of 0.06 and specific wear-rate of 2.60 × 10−7 mm3/N m.

Single-dose prolonged drug provocation test, without previous skin testing, is safe for diagnosing children with mild non-immediate reactions to beta-lactams.

Mild non-immediate reactions (NIRs) to beta-lactams (BLs) are the most frequent manifestation of drug allergy in children. The diagnostic approach is complex as the utility of skin tests (STs) and lymphocyte transformation tests (LTTs) is controversial. Drug provocation test (DPT) is the gold standard, although no standardized protocols exist. We aimed to investigate the utility of DPT in a unique dose without previous STs, and LTTs in the diagnosis of NIRs to BLs in children. We prospectively evaluated children 0-14years old referred to the Regional University Hospital of Málaga during 2017-2020 reporting NIRs to BLs. We performed a DPT with a unique dose followed by regular treatment at home. If positive, STs and LTTs were done after the reaction had disappeared. We included 194 children, having 24 (12.4%) a positive DPT. The main culprit was AX (70.1%) followed by AX-clavulanic acid (CLV) (26.8%) and the main symptoms maculopapular exanthema (MPE) (49.5%) and delayed-urticaria (48.5%). A decrease (p=0.013) in the interval of days between drug administration and onset of symptoms was observed in positive DPT compared with the original reaction (3.5 vs 6days), with no differences in the overall percentage of MPE and delayed-appearing urticaria (p=0.551). No severe reactions occurred during DPT. Moreover, STs were positive in 13.33% and LTTs in 52.9%. Single-dose DPT without previous STs is a safe and useful way to assess NIRs to BLs in children. LTT has shown to be useful, confirming a T-cell mechanism involved in these reactions.

Prevalence, risk factors, and effects on fertility of cytological endometritis at the time of insemination in Norwegian Red cows

The present study aimed to assess the occurrence of cytological endometritis (CYTO), a nonsymptomatic inflammation of the endometrium, at first artificial insemination (AI) postpartum in Norwegian Red cows. Further, risk factors for CYTO manifestation and its effect on reproductive success and late embryo loss were evaluated. In total 1,648 cows located in 116 herds were included in the study. On mainly spontaneous estrus, endometrial cytology samples were collected using a cytotape technique, and a total of 300 representative epithelial cells and polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) were counted at 400× magnification. Vaginal mucus obtained by Metricheck (Simcro) and body condition score were recorded. Milk samples for progesterone analysis were collected at AI and 21 d later. Pregnancy was diagnosed by rectal palpation or analysis of pregnancy-associated glycoproteins. Based on the constructions of a receiver operator characteristics curve, the cut-off level for PMN defined as CYTO was set to 3.0%, representing the level at which the PMN occurrence affected pregnancy outcome, with the highest summation of sensitivity (32.4%) and specificity (74.9%). Three logistic models with herd included as random factor were constructed. The outcome for the first model was the likelihood for CYTO based on the endometrial samples, in the second model pregnancy to first AI, and in the third model embryo loss. The proportion of CYTO was 28.0% (461/1,648). The average interval in days to first AI was 71.7 d (standard error ± 0.7) and the overall pregnancy incidence to first AI was 59.8% (866/1,449). The likelihood for CYTO at first AI was associated with AI personnel, calving to first AI interval, vaginal mucus characteristics, amount of red blood cells in sample, season, and barn type. Pregnancy to first AI was lower in CYTO-positive cows (odds ratio = 1.51, confidence interval = 1.17-1.94). Other factors affecting pregnancy to first AI were AI personnel, test day milk yield, barn type, and obstetrical conditions or fertility treatments before first AI. The proportion of late embryo loss and abortion was 8.6% (82/948) and 2.8% (24/866), respectively. Late embryo loss was associated with treatment against fertility disorders before first AI, but not associated with CYTO. Overall, our results suggest that even if Norwegian Red cows show a fairly high prevalence of CYTO in the endometrium at first AI, it does not seem to have a major effect on the reproductive performance. The Norwegian Red breeding program has emphasized fertility and health for decades, and a genetically advantageous uterine immunology might be one of the preserved mechanisms.

Evolution of Production Indicators over Time in Nelore Cows from the Bolivian Tropics

The objective of the present work was to analyze the evolution of the productive indicators over time in Nelore cows of the Bolivian tropics. The period between 1991 and 2016, corresponding to 3899 calvings of Nelore cows were used for the research work which belong to the Technology Center on Agriculture and Livestock in Bolivia belonging (FUNDATION CETABOL) and the Cooperativa Agropecuaria Integral San Juan de Yapacan&amp;iacute; were used. Cows were ordered by birth period into three groups (1991-2000; 2001-2010; 2011-2016). The following variables were analyzed: Age at first calving in days, Live weight of cow in kg, Calf weight at birth in kg, Calf weight at weaning in kg, Calving interval in days, Longevity in days, Accumulative Productivity in kg Total calf production (CP) in kg. The age at first calving has decreased compared to the decade of 1991-2000, however the last period (2011-2016) has increased one more month compared to the period (2001-2010) showing significant differences (p&amp;le;0.05). The weights of the cows and the calving interval followed the same behavior in the sense of decreasing, showing that in the period 2011-2015, the cows had the lowest live weight and the lowest calving-calving interval. The calf weight at birth showed an increase in the last two periods with significant difference (p&amp;le;0.05) with the period 1991-2000. That the longest-lived cows were those from the 1991-2000 period, showing significant differences (p&amp;le;0.05). The cows of the period 2001-2010 presented the best value of the Accumulated Production (p&amp;le;0.05), although the highest production of kg of weaned calf was for the cows of the period 1991-2000. It was concluded of the evolution of the productive indicators over time in Nelore cows from the Bolivian tropics individually showed an improvement in their indicators, although the analysis of the more complex indicators did not show an improvement in the results.

BM 76829: A small astronomical fragment with important implications for the Late Babylonian Astronomy and the Astronomical Book of Enoch

BM 76829, a fragment from the mid-section of a small tablet from Sippar in Late Babylonian script, preserves what remains of two new unparalleled pieces from the cuneiform astronomical repertoire relating to the zodiac. The text on the obverse assigns numerical values to sectors assigned to zodiacal signs, while the text on the reverse seems to relate zodiacal signs with specific days or intervals of days. The system used on the obverse also presents a new way of representing the concept of numerical ‘zero’ in cuneiform, and for the first time in cuneiform, a system for dividing the horizon into six arcs in the east and six arcs in the west akin to that used in the Astronomical Book of Enoch. Both the obverse and the reverse may describe the periodical courses of the sun and moon, in a similar way to what is found in astronomical texts from Qumran, thus adding to our knowledge of the scientific relationship between the two cultures.

Refractory neovascular age-related macular degeneration: time-dependent changes of central retinal thickness with anti-VEGF treatment

PurposeTo assess the influence of time interval since last injection and time from baseline on central retinal thickness (CRT) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) with fluid refractory to monthly anti-VEGF treatment.MethodsThis retrospective study included nAMD eyes with incomplete response to anti-VEGF defined by the presence of intra- or subretinal fluid on optical coherence tomography despite maximal (monthly) anti-VEGF dosing. The outcome measure was CRT, and two time variables (time from last injection ant time from baseline) were the independent factors included in the individual correlation analyses. In addition, an association analysis was performed.ResultsSixty eyes of 56 patients (67.9% females, mean age: 78.7 ± 6.8 years) were included with a mean included time period of 35.6 months. A significant positive correlation between CRT and the time from last injection occurred in 24 (40%) and 25 (42%) eyes by univariate and multivariate analysis, respectively. Time from baseline was significantly correlated with CRT in 29 (48.3%) and 30 (50%) eyes by univariate and multivariate analysis, respectively. This correlation was positive in 12 (20%) and negative in 18 eyes (30%). No association with such correlation was found.ConclusionSo-called refractory nAMD frequently shows a correlation of CRT with the interval in days from the preceding anti-VEGF injection, revealing that there is a subgroup of short-term responsiveness of the residual fluid. Moreover, slower CRT changes may occur over the years, either decrease or increase. In case of a slow CRT increase, this might require a diagnostic workup and therapeutic change.

Identifying and understanding determinants of high healthcare costs for breast cancer: a quantile regression machine learning approach

BackgroundTo identify and rank the importance of key determinants of high medical expenses among breast cancer patients and to understand the underlying effects of these determinants.MethodsThe Oncology Care Model (OCM) developed by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation were used. The OCM data provided to Mount Sinai on 2938 breast-cancer episodes included both baseline periods and three performance periods between Jan 1, 2012 and Jan 1, 2018. We included 11 variables representing information on treatment, demography and socio-economics status, in addition to episode expenditures. OCM data were collected from participating practices and payers. We applied a principled variable selection algorithm using a flexible tree-based machine learning technique, Quantile Regression Forests.ResultsWe found that the use of chemotherapy drugs (versus hormonal therapy) and interval of days without chemotherapy predominantly affected medical expenses among high-cost breast cancer patients. The second-tier major determinants were comorbidities and age. Receipt of surgery or radiation, geographically adjusted relative cost and insurance type were also identified as important high-cost drivers. These factors had disproportionally larger effects upon the high-cost patients.ConclusionsData-driven machine learning methods provide insights into the underlying web of factors driving up the costs for breast cancer care management. Results from our study may help inform population health management initiatives and allow policymakers to develop tailored interventions to meet the needs of those high-cost patients and to avoid waste of scarce resource.

Gaps in the Use of Long-Acting Opioids Within Intervals of Consecutive Days Among Cancer Outpatients Using Electronic Pill Caps

This study describes individual cancer patients' nonuse of extended-release or long-acting (ER/LA) opioids, including periods of gap between opioid doses taken. Secondary analysis of a three-month observational study of prescribed ER/LA opioids monitored using electronic pill caps. Two outpatient oncology clinics of a large health system in the Mid-Atlantic region. Inclusion was based on self-identified African Americans and whites, at least 18 years old, diagnosed with solid tumors or multiple myeloma. For the current analysis, the additional inclusion criterion was prescription of an oral ER/LA opioid for cancer pain to be taken around the clock. The electronic monitoring period for each study participant was partitioned into intervals of days between days with one or more openings (using medication event monitoring systems) representing rates of ER/LA opioid nonuse over consecutive days and over time. Of the sample (N = 109), two-thirds of the cancer patients had some nonuse of prescribed ER/LA opioids, with one in four having nonuse during 31.5-87.5% of their electronic-monitoring periods. Nonuse over periods of five or more, six or more, and seven or more consecutive days occurred for 37.6%, 34.9%, and 30.3% of the participants, respectively. About one in three ambulatory cancer patients in this study had substantial gaps between days of ER/LA opioid use, potentially resulting in risk of overdose depending upon the prescribed ER/LA opioid type, dose, and length of the time the opioid was stopped and resumed at the previous dose. This phenomenon has received little to no attention in the opioid safety discourse.

Shape Modification is Common in Woven EndoBridge-Treated Intracranial Aneurysms: A Longitudinal Quantitative Analysis Study.

After endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms with the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) device, worsening of aneurysm occlusion or re-opening was reported to be possibly associated with WEB shape modification. This study analyzed quantitatively the WEB shape modification with time in association with anatomic results. Thirty patients with 32 WEB-treated intracranial aneurysms fulfilled the inclusion criteria of cranial CT at baseline (day of intervention) and a follow-up CT at least >1 months' later (median follow-up time, 11.4 months; interquartile range, 6.5-21.5 months). Adequate occlusion was observed in 84.4%, and aneurysm remnant, in 15.6%. WEB shape modification was quantified by a semiautomated approach on CT scans. Time courses were evaluated graphically and analytically; association analyses were performed by linear mixed-effects regression models. In 29/32 WEB devices (90.6%), the reduction in height was found to be at least 5%. The decrease in height with time was significantly associated with the time interval in days since the intervention (P < .0001): A stronger decrease in WEB height was associated with a longer time since the intervention (median reduction in 1 year, 19.2%; range, 8.6%-52.3%). No significant association was found with the quality of aneurysm occlusion, device size, rupture status of the aneurysm, aneurysm location, and reintervention rate. Shape modification was common in WEB-treated intracranial aneurysms with a median height reduction of 19.2% in 1 year. The quality of aneurysm occlusion was not associated with WEB modification.

Asociación entre producción de leche y parámetros reproductivos en biotipos Holstein con diferente potencial productivo

El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar parámetros productivos y reproductivos y la asociación existente entre ellos, en dos biotipos Holstein con diferente potencial productivo. Se utilizaron registros retrospectivos de 1.315 vacas multíparas del biotipo Holstein ecuatoriano y 148 registros de Holstein puro, de 46 hatos ubicados en la provincia de Cotopaxi - Ecuador, recolectados en el periodo 1996 - 2015. Las vacas se agruparon en dos categorías: Holstein ecuatorianas (HE) y Holstein puras (HP) y se caracterizaron en función de la producción de leche ajusta a 305 días de lactancia en litros (PLA) y de los parámetros reproductivos: edad al primer parto en días (EPP), intervalo parto-concepción en días (IPC) y número de partos (NP). Los datos obtenidos se analizaron mediante regresión múltiple, considerando el coeficiente de bondad. No se encontró diferencias significativas en PLA, EPP, IPC y NP en los biotipos HE y HP. De acuerdo a la categoría de producción, el biotipo HE presentó una ligera superioridad (6.686,8 L/lactancia en PLA; la EPP está alejada de los 24 a 27 meses consideradas ideal y no muestra asociación con la PLA al igual que el IPC; el 12,5% y el 10% de la producción de leche dependen del número de partos y a partir del quinto parto, empieza a decrecer la producción de leche. El comportamiento de las variables estudiadas, se puede asumir a otros factores que están influyendo en el cumplimiento de parámetros y objetivos propios de otros sistemas y pone en discusión la necesidad de repensar metas y objetivos lecheros que permitan la sustentabilidad de las ganaderías.

Patterns of Fatal Explosion Accidents in China

Explosion accidents usually lead to serious fatality and disability. To investigate the patterns of Fatal Explosion Accidents (FEA), a database containing 1835 FEA that happened in China during 2001–2018 was built. Statistical analysis was made based on the year, month, time interval of day, day of week, province, type of accident, place of occurrence and severity of accident. The result shown that, (1) FEA were more likely to occur in November; (2) 08: 00-10: 00 and 14: 00-16: 00 were two time intervals of frequent accident occurrence; (3) hazardous chemical FEA mostly happened on Tuesday and Wednesday, whereas pressurized container FEA often happened on Saturday; (4) coal mine gas FEA still accounted for a dominant proportion with the highest fatality rate. In addition, the correlation was measured by calculating Cramer’s coefficients, which indicated that the severities and types of FEA were significantly correlated with month. To be specific, (1) major and extraordinarily serious FEA were more likely to occur in November; (2) most of gas FEA were observed in April; (3) gunpowder and dust FEA happened most commonly in May; (4) more fireworks FEA happened in November. The patterns found in this study will provide explosion accident prevention and control with references.

Relationship of Longevity with Productive and Reproductive Variables in Nelore Cows of the Bolivian Tropic

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between longevity with productive and reproductive efficiency variables of Nelore cows in grazing systems in the Bolivian tropics. Retrospective data corresponding to the period 1992-2019, belonging to the Cooperativa Agropecuaria Integral San Juan de Yapacaní and the Foundation Technology Center on Agriculture and Livestock, Santa Cruz-Bolivia were used. The data corresponding to 774 Nelore breed cows, primiparous and multiparous discarded with a total of 4050 calvings were evaluated. The following variables were analyzed: Number of calves, live weight of cow in kg, calf weight at birth in kg, calf weight at weaning in kg, total calf weight in kg, age at first calving in months, longevity in days and calving interval in days. Cows born in the year (1985-1995) are those that arrive later to have their first calving, have a greater calving interval, have greater longevity, similar weaning weight, lower birth weight, lower live weight and higher weight total calf. While cows born in the year (2005-2015) are those that arrive younger to have their first calving, they have a shorter calving interval; have shorter longevity, similar weaning weight, higher birth weight, live weight intermediate and lower total calf weight. For the three periods analyzed, the length of life increases between 0.66-0.95 days on average when the age at first calving increases by one unit, between 1.78-2.99 days on average when the calving-calving interval increases by one unit and between 1.77-1.83 days on average when total calf weight increases by one unit. It is concluded that it was possible to find a model that explained that the greater longevity of Nelore cows in a grazing system in the Bolivian tropics was related to the older age at first calving, the greater calving interval and the greater kg of weights total calves.

Study of Wound Dressing Material Coated with Natural Extracts of Calotropis Gigantean, Eucalyptus Globulus and Buds of Syzygium Aromaticum Solution Enhanced with rhEGF (REGEN-DTM 60)

ABSTRACT In this work, the leave extracts of Calotropis gigantean, Eucalyptus globulus and buds of Syzygium aromaticum were prepared and coated on natural fibers based bamboo gauze fabric for wound dressing applications. The fabrics coated with different compositions of the natural extract were enhanced with rhEGF (REGEN-D™ 60). The morphology of developed samples was studied using SEM to know its pores sizes. Various mechanical properties have been studied. The antibacterial activity was studied using Gram positive and negative types of bacteria. The wound healing efficacy of the coated fabric samples were studied through in vivo method. The type of wound selected for the study was second degree wound. The dorsal surface of the rat’s skin was removed and second degree wound was created. Then the developed fabric samples were dressed over the wound surface and the wound healing was studied by wound closure rate in equal interval of days. A specified composition of natural extracts coated on bamboo gauze fabric enhanced with rhEGF (REGEN-D™ 60) exhibits good antibacterial property was confirmed from the formation of zone of inhibition in antibacterial test against Escherichia coli and a Staphylococcus aureus and appropriate wound closure rate on second degree wound through in vivo evaluation.

Age-dependent cut-offs for pathological deep gray matter and thalamic volume loss using Jacobian integration

IntroductionSeveral recent studies indicate that deep gray matter or thalamic volume loss (VL) might be promising surrogate markers of disease activity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. To allow applying these markers to individual MS patients in clinical routine, age-dependent cut-offs distinguishing physiological from pathological VL and an estimation of the measurement error, which provides the confidence of the result, are to be defined. MethodsLongitudinal MRI scans of the following cohorts were analyzed in this study: 189 healthy controls (HC) (mean age 54 years, 22% female), 98 MS patients from Zurich university hospital (mean age 34 years, 62% female), 33 MS patients from Dresden university hospital (mean age 38 years, 60% female), and publicly available reliability data sets consisting of 162 short-term MRI scan-rescan pairs with scan intervals of days or few weeks. Percentage annualized whole brain volume loss (BVL), gray matter (GM) volume loss (GMVL), deep gray matter volume loss (deep GMVL), and thalamic volume loss (ThalaVL) were computed deploying the Jacobian integration (JI) method. BVL was additionally computed using Siena, an established method used in many Phase III drug trials. A linear mixed effect model was used to estimate the measurement error as the standard deviation (SD) of model residuals of all 162 scan-rescan pairs For estimation of age-dependent cut-offs, a quadratic regression function between age and the corresponding annualized VL values of the HC was computed. The 5th percentile was defined as the threshold for pathological VL per year since 95% of HC subjects exhibit a less pronounced VL for a given age. For the MS patients BVL, GMVL, deep GMVL, and ThalaVL were mutually compared and a paired t-test was used to test whether there are systematic differences in VL between these brain regions. ResultsSiena and JI showed a high agreement for BVL measures, with a median absolute difference of 0.1% and a correlation coefficient of r = 0.78. Siena and GMVL showed a similar standard deviation (SD) of the scan-rescan error of 0.28% and 0.29%, respectively. For deep GMVL, ThalaVL the SD of the scan-rescan error was slightly higher (0.43% and 0.5%, respectively). Among the HC the thalamus showed the highest mean VL (−0.16%, −0.39%, and −0.59% at ages 35, 55, and 75, respectively). Corresponding cut-offs for a pathological VL/year were −0.68%, −0.91%, and −1.11%. The MS cohorts did not differ in BVL and GMVL. However, both MS cohorts showed a significantly (p = 0.05) stronger deep GMVL than BVL per year. ConclusionIt might be methodologically feasible to assess deep GMVL using JI in individual MS patients. However, age and the measurement error need to be taken into account. Furthermore, deep GMVL may be used as a complementary marker to BVL since MS patients exhibit a significantly stronger deep GMVL than BVL.