Respiratory Measurements Research Articles

Breathe Easy, an automated respiratory data pipeline for waveform characteristic analysis

Whole body barometric flow through plethysmography is used to study respiratory output in adult rodent genetic and disease models. Turn-key commercial and custom systems are both used to gather multiple data streams for a reasonable estimation of tidal volume and key metabolic parameters. Comprehensive and accurate analysis of respiratory and metabolic data is crucial to modelling congenital, pathogenic, and degenerative diseases. However, such studies produce large amounts of data that are time-consuming and difficult to analyze. The investigator may use cumbersome hand annotation subject to observer bias or a series of software products to manage raw data, calculated data, statistical analysis, and graphing. Commercial software, however, is prohibitively expensive or bundled with turn-key systems limiting options for bespoke respiratory measurement systems. A lack of tools for high-throughput analysis of respiratory datasets remains a major challenge.Here, we present Breathe Easy, a novel open-source pipeline for processing raw recordings and associated metadata into operative outcomes, publication-worthy graphs, and robust statistical analyses including QQ and residual plots for assumption queries and data transformations. This pipeline uses a facile graphical user interface for uploading data files, setting waveform feature thresholds, and defining experimental variables. Behind the scenes we have a fine-tuned, python-based program called BASSPRO that takes the user-settings and selects all quantitatively defined, quality breaths from each period of interest in the signal files. After BASSPRO, STAGG takes those breaths and performs linear mixed effects modeling based on user selections for each dependent variable of interest. Furthermore, our software can integrate non-respiratory experimental outcomes including quantified behavioral or expression data to test for breathing related associations.To validate breath selection and generate optimized default values, results from Breathe Easy were compared to manual selection by experts, which represents the current standard in the field. We show high quality breath selection and a significant reduction in quality of breaths that were rejected by the software. We also demonstrate Breathe Easy’s utility and capacity by examining a 2-year longitudinal study of an Alzheimer’s Disease mouse model to assess contributions of forebrain pathology in disordered breathing (600+ files; 1TB data). We show that, at least with this model of AD, there does not seem to be an association between forebrain pathology and respiratory outcomes.Breathe Easy offers a facile and highly customizable platform for automated handling and analysis of animal respiratory and metabolic data that sets the stage for high-throughput studies and machine learning approaches on large data sets. NIH: 1F32HL160073-01A1, R01HL130249 44617-S4. BCM McNair Scholar Program, March of Dimes Basil O'Connor Research Award, Parker B. Francis Fellowship, CJ Foundation for SIDS. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Response of soil respiration to hydrothermal effects of gravel–sand mulch in arid regions of the Loess Plateau, China

Gravel–sand mulching is a traditional no–tillage technique used for more than 300 years on the Loess Plateau. Applying gravel–sand mulch (mixture of gravel and sand) has an impact on the soil environment, soil microorganisms, and crop yield. However, we know surprisingly little of how respiration dynamics at the soil surface is affected by gravel–sand mulching. To study the response of soil respiration (Rs) dynamics to different in gravel–sand mulch thickness and its driving factors, we recorded Rs under a gradient of gravel–sand mulch thickness consisting of six layers (0 cm [CK], 3 cm, 5 cm, 7 cm, 9 cm, 11 cm), in situ, during the growing season by using the LI–6400–09 soil respiration measurement system on the Loess Plateau in northwest China. The trends of all six treatments in diurnal and monthly variation of soil respiration followed a single–peaked curve; the diurnal dynamics trends were consistent with soil temperature changes. With gravel–sand mulch applied, the daily peak of soil respiration decreased, and the peak in Rs under the gravel–sand mulch treatments lagged that of bare land by 2 h. Monthly changes in soil respiration were consistent with soil temperature and precipitation changes, with peaks concentrated in July and August. Compared with bare land (CK), the monthly average soil respiration is lowest at 0.67 µmol∙m–2∙s–1 under a 11–cm thick mulch layer, and reduced by 26.63–61.03% by all mulch applications. Gravel–sand mulch reduced the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration, while soil temperature and soil water content were the main factors determining soil respiration. The thickness of gravel–sand has a significant, negative exponential function relationship with the changes in monthly soil respiration. Further, compared with bare land, the presence of gravel–sand mulch reduced the positive impact of precipitation on Rs. Soil temperature (T), gravel–sand mulch thickness (M), and soil pH were all significant predictors of soil respiration (Rs) (multiple regression model: Rs = 8.561 + 0.077 T – 0.056 M – 0.989 pH), together accounting for 73% of its variation. Hence, by considering all these three factors simultaneously we can better explain the changes to soil respiration in response to gravel–sand mulch. Overall, our results show that as the thickness of the gravel–sand layer increases, soil respiration decreases.

Respiratory-Correlated 4-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting for Liver Cancer Radiation Therapy Motion Management

The objective of this study was to develop a respiratory-correlated (RC) 4-dimensional (4D) imaging technique based on magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) (RC-4DMRF) for liver tumor motion management in radiation therapy. Thirteen patients with liver cancer were prospectively enrolled in this study. k-space MRF signals of the liver were acquired during free-breathing using the fast acquisition with steady-state precession sequence on a 3T scanner. The signals were binned into 8 respiratory phases based on respiratory surrogates, and interphase displacement vector fields were estimated using a phase-specific low-rank optimization method. Hereafter, the tissue property maps, including T1 and T2 relaxation times, and proton density, were reconstructed using a pyramid motion-compensated method that alternatively optimized interphase displacement vector fields and subspace images. To evaluate the efficacy of RC-4DMRF, amplitude motion differences and Pearson correlation coefficients were determined to assess measurement agreement in tumor motion between RC-4DMRF and cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); mean absolute percentage errors of the RC-4DMRF-derived tissue maps were calculated to reveal tissue quantification accuracy using digital human phantom; and tumor-to-liver contrast-to-noise ratio of RC-4DMRF images was compared with that of planning CT and contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI) images. A paired Student t test was used for statistical significance analysis with a P value threshold of .05. RC-4DMRF achieved excellent agreement in motion measurement with cine MRI, yielding the mean (± standard deviation) Pearson correlation coefficients of 0.95 ± 0.05 and 0.93 ± 0.09 and amplitude motion differences of 1.48 ± 1.06 mm and 0.81 ± 0.64 mm in the superior-inferior and anterior-posterior directions, respectively. Moreover, RC-4DMRF achieved high accuracy in tissue property quantification, with mean absolute percentage errors of 8.8%, 9.6%, and 5.0% for T1, T2, and proton density, respectively. Notably, the tumor contrast-to-noise ratio in RC-4DMRI-derived T1 maps (6.41 ± 3.37) was found to be the highest among all tissue property maps, approximately equal to that of CE-MRI (6.96 ± 1.01, P=.862), and substantially higher than that of planning CT (2.91 ± 1.97, P=.048). RC-4DMRF demonstrated high accuracy in respiratory motion measurement and tissue properties quantification, potentially facilitating tumor motion management in liver radiation therapy.

A Portable Multi-Modal Cushion for Continuous Monitoring of a Driver's Vital Signs.

With higher levels of automation in vehicles, the need for robust driver monitoring systems increases, since it must be ensured that the driver can intervene at any moment. Drowsiness, stress and alcohol are still the main sources of driver distraction. However, physiological problems such as heart attacks and strokes also exhibit a significant risk for driver safety, especially with respect to the ageing population. In this paper, a portable cushion with four sensor units with multiple measurement modalities is presented. Capacitive electrocardiography, reflective photophlethysmography, magnetic induction measurement and seismocardiography are performed with the embedded sensors. The device can monitor the heart and respiratory rates of a vehicle driver. The promising results of the first proof-of-concept study with twenty participants in a driving simulator not only demonstrate the accuracy of the heart (above 70% of medical-grade heart rate estimations according to IEC 60601-2-27) and respiratory rate measurements (around 30% with errors below 2 BPM), but also that the cushion might be useful to monitor morphological changes in the capacitive electrocardiogram in some cases. The measurements can potentially be used to detect drowsiness and stress and thus the fitness of the driver, since heart rate variability and breathing rate variability can be captured. They are also useful for the early prediction of cardiovascular diseases, one of the main reasons for premature death. The data are publicly available in the UnoVis dataset.

Exposures to Organophosphate Esters and Respiratory Morbidity among School-Aged Children with Asthma.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are an emerging class of chemicals used in a variety of consumer products as flame retardants, plasticizers, and additives. While prior epidemiologic studies suggest that OPEs may impact respiratory health, results remain inconclusive. We examined associations between urinary biomarkers of OPEs and symptoms of respiratory morbidity in a panel study of 147 predominantly Black school-aged children with asthma living in Baltimore City, Maryland. The study consisted of up to four seasonal, week-long, in-home visits where urine samples and self-reported asthma symptoms were collected on days 4 and 7 (nsamples = 438). We quantified concentrations of nine urinary OPE biomarkers: bis(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (BCEtp), bis(1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BCPP), bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP), di-n-butyl phosphate (DBuP), di-benzyl phosphate (DBzP), di-o-cresylphosphate (DOCP), di-p-cresylphosphate (DPCP), di-(2-propylheptyl) phthalate (DPHP), and 2,3,4,5-tetrabromo benzoic acid (TBBA). We estimated prevalence odds ratios (POR) of respiratory morbidity symptoms using logistic regression with generalized estimating equations to account for our repeated measure design. We assessed BDCIPP and DPHP as continuous (log2) concentrations and dichotomized exposure of BCEtP, DBuP, and DPCP (detect vs non-detect) based on their lower detection frequencies. We adjusted models for season, visit day, age, gender, caregiver education, health insurance type, exposure to household smoking, atopy, and PM2.5. Higher DPHP concentrations were significantly associated with odds of daytime symptoms (POR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.04-1.53; p = 0.02) where daytime symptoms consisted of trouble breathing due to asthma, reporting bother caused by asthma, and/or limitation in activities due to asthma. DBuP detection was associated with use of rescue medication on the day of sample collection (POR: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.05-5.29; p = 0.04). We also observed several consistent, albeit non-significant (p > 0.05), positive associations for BCEtP and DPCP and respiratory morbidity measures. This is the first study to evaluate the relationship between OPE biomarkers and respiratory morbidity symptoms in children with asthma, and findings suggest that further studies are warranted to confirm whether these associations are causal.

Assessment of diaphragmatic function by ultrasonography in patients with systemic sclerosis and its relation to clinical parameters : Acase-control study.

Diaphragmatic function can be affected in many diseases and disorders. Although systemic sclerosis (SSc) is aserious connective tissue disease that affects not only the skin but also the pulmonary and musculoskeletal systems, there is insufficient information about diaphragm function. To compare the diaphragmatic parameters by ultrasonography (USG) in patients with SSc and healthy individuals and examine the relationship between these parameters and clinical features in patients with SSc. This study included 13 patients with SSc and 15healthy individuals. Muscle thickness (in deep inspiration Tins and at the end of calm expiration Texp), changes in thickness (∆T), and thickening fraction at deep breathing were evaluated by USG. Skin thickness, pulmonary function tests, respiratory muscle strength, and the perception of dyspnea were measured as clinical features. The results of Texp, Tins, and ∆T were similar in both groups (p > 0.05), albeit patients in the SSc group had less thickening fraction compared to the control group (79.9 ± 36.7 cm and 103.8 ± 20.6 cm, respectively, p < 0.05). The Tins, ∆T, and thickening fraction of the diaphragm were associated with skin thickness, pulmonary function test parameters, and respiratory muscle strength (p < 0.05). Besides, there was significant correlation between muscle thickening fraction and perception of dyspnea (p < 0.05). These results confirm that diaphragm thickness and contractility can be affected in patients with SSc. Therefore, ultrasonographic evaluation of the diaphragm can play acomplementary role to pulmonary function test and respiratory muscle strength measurement in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with SSc.

Dynamics and periods in the nasal cycle during night sleep by separate measurement of nostril respiration

Abstract BACKGROUND. The registration of the nasal cycle by separate measurement of breathing through the left and the right nostril appears a non-invasive method, in which the passability of the nostrils is assessed by the respiratory amplitudes of the air. OBJECTIVE. To present the dynamics and periods of the nasal cycle during night sleep using the Interface 2-Channel System Method. MATERIAL AND METHODS. The recordings demonstrate the dynamics and periods of the nasal cycle during the night sleep of a healthy volunteer. RESULTS. The patient respiratory and nasal cycle through the left and right nostril was measured separately for 10 hours. The entire record consisted of 3 large nasal cycles lasting 4.0h, 3.5h and 2.5h, separated by short awakenings, getting out of bed lasting no longer than 10 minutes. Each part was composed of smaller cycles that structure separate stages of the nasal and sleep cycles. The smallest period recorded in the nasal cycle was about 4 minutes long. Records show that the duration of the REM stage must be longer than 20 minutes to perform the nasal cycle reversal. In the presented records, the nasal cycle reversals were performed after a 30-minute duration of the REM stages. It has been found that nasal cycles can change fast (impulse change) and gradually (gradual change). The impulse change implies that the passability of only one nostril lasts for about 12 seconds, while the other nostril retains its passability. The slow gradual changes of the nasal cycle involve both nostrils and continue for about 4 minutes. Waking up and getting up of persons for about 10 minutes restarts the nasal cycle with potential for a new nasal cycle reversal. CONCLUSION. The method provides an objective assessment of nasal resistance, which can be used in the diagnosis of patients with breathing disorders during sleep.

Non-invasive measurements of respiration and heart rate across wildlife species using Eulerian Video Magnification of infrared thermal imagery

BackgroundAn animal’s metabolic rate, or energetic expenditure, both impacts and is impacted by interactions with its environment. However, techniques for obtaining measurements of metabolic rate are invasive, logistically difficult, and costly. Red–green–blue (RGB) imaging tools have been used in humans and select domestic mammals to accurately measure heart and respiration rate, as proxies of metabolic rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate if infrared thermography (IRT) coupled with Eulerian video magnification (EVM) would extend the applicability of imaging tools towards measuring vital rates in exotic wildlife species with different physical attributes.ResultsWe collected IRT and RGB video of 52 total species (39 mammalian, 7 avian, 6 reptilian) from 36 taxonomic families at zoological institutions and used EVM to amplify subtle changes in temperature associated with blood flow for respiration and heart rate measurements. IRT-derived respiration and heart rates were compared to ‘true’ measurements determined simultaneously by expansion of the ribcage/nostrils and stethoscope readings, respectively. Sufficient temporal signals were extracted for measures of respiration rate in 36 species (85% success in mammals; 50% success in birds; 100% success in reptiles) and heart rate in 24 species (67% success in mammals; 33% success in birds; 0% success in reptiles) using IRT-EVM. Infrared-derived measurements were obtained with high accuracy (respiration rate, mean absolute error: 1.9 breaths per minute, average percent error: 4.4%; heart rate, mean absolute error: 2.6 beats per minute, average percent error: 1.3%). Thick integument and animal movement most significantly hindered successful validation.ConclusionThe combination of IRT with EVM analysis provides a non-invasive method to assess individual animal health in zoos, with great potential to monitor wildlife metabolic indices in situ.

Noninvasive Skin Respiration (CO2) Measurement Based on Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic Spectroscopy.

A noninvasive method for disease diagnosis that does not require complex specialized laboratory facilities and chemical reagents is particularly attractive in the current medical environment. Here, we develop a noninvasive skin respiration sensor based on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) that can monitor the skin elimination rate of carbon dioxide (CO2). A 3.8 mW distributed feedback laser emitting at 2.0 μm is used as an excitation source, and a three-dimensional (3D)-printed acoustic detection module is designed to apply to the skin as a sensor head. The performance of the noninvasive skin respiration sensor is assessed in terms of detection sensitivity, linearity, long-term stability, and water effect. A minimum detection limit of 35 ppb is achieved at the optimal integration time of 670 s. The skin respiration measurements from eight healthy volunteers are recorded, and the real-time results are analyzed.

Non-contact human respiratory rate measurement under dark environments by low-light video enhancement

A non-contact human respiratory rate measurement algorithm under dark environments is proposed in this study. The algorithm takes the low-light video as input, which includes four steps: time-domain preprocessing, space-domain preprocessing, image enhancement, and respiratory rate measurement. Firstly, the time-domain preprocessing and space-domain preprocessing run in turn to filter out the image noise and environment interference. Then, a Retinex-based image enhancement algorithm works for image enhancement. The human respiratory rate is measured at last. Experiments on a self-made dataset show that an average increase of 2.3 % in accuracy can be obtained by the proposed method. Specifically, high-precision measurement results can be achieved when the light intensity is not less than 200 lux and the detection distance is not far from 1.5 m.

Gasdermin A Is Required for Epidermal Cornification during Skin Barrier Regeneration and in an Atopic Dermatitis-Like Model

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is featured with impaired skin barrier. The stratum corneum (SC) and the intercellular tight junctions (TJs) constitute the permeability barrier, which is essential to protect the host water loss and pathogen entrance. The epidermal barrier is constantly renewed by differentiating keratinocytes through cornification, during which autophagy contributes to organelles and nucleus elimination. The human GSDMA and its mouse homologs Gsdma1-3 are expressed in the suprabasal epidermis. Although a pyroptotic role for GSDMA/Gsdma1 in host defense against Streptococcus pyogenes has been reported, the physiological function of Gsdma1/a2/a3 in epidermal homeostasis remains elusive. Herein, through repeated epidermal barrier disruption, we found that TJ formation and SC maturation were defective in the Gsdma1/a3-deficient epidermis. Using comparative gene profiling analysis, mitochondrial respiration measurement, and in vivo tracing of mitophagy, our data indicate that Gsdma1/a3 activation leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequently facilitates mitochondrial turnover and epidermal cornification. In calcipotriol (MC903)-induced AD-like animal model, we demonstrated that Gsdma1/a3-deficiency selectively enhanced the Th2 response. Remarkably, the GSDMA expression is reduced in the epidermis of patients with AD compared to normal individuals. Gsdma1/a3-deficiency might be involved in AD pathogenesis, likely through GSDMA-mediated epidermal differentiation and cornification.

Physiological benefits associated with facial skincare: Well-being from emotional perception to neuromodulation.

This study aimed to demonstrate the specific nature of well-being induced by a facial skincare by deciphering its physiological and psychological impacts out of a therapeutic context. Objective and subjective evaluations were performed on two groups of healthy participants. One group of 32 participants received 1-h facial skincare, while the second group of 31 participants were subjected to a resting condition during the same period. Electroencephalography, electrocardiography, electromyography, and respiratory rate measurements were assessed before and after both experimental conditions. Prosody and semantic analyses were also performed to evaluate the emotional perception in both groups. Physiological relaxation was observed after both experimental sessions; however, the effect was higher after the facial skincare. The cerebral, cardiac, respiratory, and muscular relaxation induced by facial skincare was 42%, 13%, 12%, and 17% higher, respectively, than that induced by the resting condition. In addition, non-verbal and verbal assessments showed that positive emotions were more markedly associated with the perception of facial skincare. The comparison between parameters recorded after a rest period allowed us to distinguish the physiological and psychological signature of facial skincare. Moreover, our results suggest an involvement of positive emotions in the physiological relaxation enhancement. All these observations contribute to the very scarce data available on the specific profile of well-being associated with facial skincare.

Regulation of marine plankton respiration: A test of models

Plankton respiration is a major process removing oxygen from pelagic environments and constitutes one of the largest oxygen transformations in the sea. Where the O2 supplies due to dissolution, advection and oxygenic photosynthesis are not sufficient, hypoxic, or anoxic waters may result. Coastal waters with limited water exchange are especially prone to have low oxygen levels due to eutrophication and climate change. To support marine environmental management in a period of rapid climate change, we investigated the current knowledge of regulating plankton respiration based on field and experimental studies reported in the literature. Models for regulation of plankton respiration was tested on a three-year field data set. Temperature is the most reported predictor positively influencing plankton respiration (mean r2 = 0.50, n=15). The organic carbon supply driven by primary production has a similar coefficient of determination but fewer reported relationships (mean r2 = 0.52, n=6). Riverine discharges of dissolved organic carbon can override the influence of primary production in estuaries precluding effects of nutrient reductions. The median predictions of respiration regulation produced by current models vary by a factor of 2 from the median of observed values and extreme values varied even more. Predictions by models are therefore still too uncertain for application at regional and local scales. Models with temperature as predictor showed best performance but deviated from measured values in some seasons. The combined dependence of plankton respiration on temperature, phytoplankton production and discharge of riverine organic carbon will probably lead to increased oxygen consumption and reduced oxygen levels with projected climate change. This will be especially pronounced where increased precipitation is expected to enhance riverine discharges of carbon compounds. The biologically mediated transfer of carbon for long-term storage in deeper layers will slow down. Implementation of plankton respiration measurements in long-term ecological monitoring programs at water body and basin scales is advocated, which would enable future multivariate analyses and improvements in model precision across aquatic environments.

Mitochondrial bioenergetic changes in systemic lupus erythematosus immune cell subsets: Contributions to pathogenesis and clinical applications

The association of dysregulated metabolism in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) pathogenesis has prompted investigations into metabolic rewiring and the involvement of mitochondrial metabolism as a driver of disease through NLRP3 inflammasome activation, disruption of mitochondrial DNA maintenance, and pro-inflammatory cytokine release. The use of Agilent Seahorse Technology to gain functional in situ metabolic insights of selected cell types from SLE patients has identified key parameters that are dysregulated during disease. Mitochondrial functional assessments specifically can detect dysfunction through oxygen consumption rate (OCR), spare respiratory capacity, and maximal respiration measurements, which, when coupled with disease activity scores could show potential as markers of disease activity. CD4+ and CD8 + T cells have been assessed in this way and show that oxygen consumption rate, spare respiratory capacity, and maximal respiration are blunted in CD8 + T cells, with results not being as clear cut in CD4 + T cells. Additionally, glutamine, processed by mitochondrial substrate level phosphorylation is emerging as a key role player in the expansion and differentiation of Th1, Th17, ϒδ T cells, and plasmablasts. The role that circulating leukocytes play in acting as bioenergetic biomarkers of diseases such as diabetes suggests that this may also be a tool to detect preclinical SLE. Therefore, the metabolic characterization of immune cell subsets and the collection of metabolic data during interventions is also essential. The delineation of the metabolic tuning of immune cells in this way could lead to novel strategies in treating metabolically demanding processes characteristic of autoimmune diseases such as SLE.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of respiratory dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

Respiratory dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) is common and associated with increased hospital admission and mortality rates. Central and peripheral mechanisms have been proposed in PD. To date no systematic review identifies the extent and type of respiratory impairments in PD compared with healthy controls. PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Pedro, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and OpenGrey were searched from inception to December 2021 to identify case-control studies reporting respiratory measures in PD and matched controls. Thirty-nine studies met inclusion criteria, the majority with low risk of bias across Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-randomized Studies (RoBANS) domains. Data permitted pooled analysis for 26 distinct respiratory measures. High-to-moderate certainty evidence of impairment in PD was identified for vital capacity (standardised mean difference [SMD] 0.75; 95% CI 0.45-1.05; p < 0.00001; I2 =10%), total chest wall volume (SMD 0.38; 95% CI 0.09-0.68; p=0.01; I2 =0%), maximum inspiratory pressure (SMD 0.91; 95% CI 0.64-1.19; p < 0.00001; I2 =43%) and sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SMD 0.58; 95% CI 0.30-0.87; p < 0.00001; I2 =0%). Sensitivity analysis provided high-moderate certainty evidence of impairment for forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1s during medication ON phases and increased respiratory rate during OFF phases. Lower certainty evidence identified impairments in PD for maximum expiratory pressure, tidal volume, maximum voluntary ventilation and peak cough flow. Strong evidence supports a restrictive pattern with inspiratory muscle weakness in PD compared with healthy controls. Limited data for central impairment were identified with inconclusive findings.

Hitting the Target of Image-Guided Psychiatry?

Hitting the Target of Image-Guided Psychiatry?

Heart rate variability may index emotion dysregulation in alcohol-related intimate partner violence.

Intimate partner violence is a serious public health problem that costs the United States more than $4.1 billion in direct medical and mental health costs alone. Furthermore, alcohol use contributes to more frequent and more severe intimate partner violence incidents. Compounding this problem is treatments for intimate partner violence have largely been socially informed and demonstrate poor efficacy. We argue that improvements in intimate partner treatment will be gained through systematic scientific study of mechanisms through which alcohol is related to intimate partner violence. We hypothesize that poor emotional and behavioral regulation as indexed by the respiratory sinus arrythymia measure of heart rate variability is a key mechanism between alcohol use and intimate partner violence. The present study is a placebo-controlled alcohol administration study with an emotion-regulation task that investigated heart rate variability in distressed violent and distressed nonviolent partners. We found a main effect for alcohol on heart rate variability. We also found a four-way interaction whereby distressed violent partners exhibited significant reductions in heart rate variability when acutely intoxicated and attempting to not respond to their partners evocative stimuli. These findings suggest that distressed violent partners may adopt maladaptive emotion regulation strategies such as rumination and suppression when intoxicated and attempting to not respond to partner conflict. Such strategies of emotion regulation have been shown to have many deleterious emotional, cognitive and social consequences for individuals who adopt them, possibly including intimate partner violence. These findings also highlight an important novel treatment target for intimate partner violence and suggest that novel treatments should focus on teaching effective conflict resolution and emotion-regulation strategies that may be augmented by biobehavioral treatments such as heart rate variability biofeedback.

당원지수 차이에 따른 탄수화물의 섭취가 축구선수들의 대사 및 운동수행능력에 미치는 영향

This study aims to identify the effects of carbohydrate intake due to differences in Glycemic Index on soccer players’ metabolism and performance and to provide information on improving athletes’ performance. In this study, eight male soccer players studying were tested using an exercise protocol that reflects the characteristics of soccer. The subjects conducted four experiments designed by a single-blind method. The group consuming carbohydrate-electrolyte drinks was categorized as LGI (Low Glycemic Index) and HGI (High Glycemic Index), and MGI (Mixed Glycemic Index) according to the GI. In this study, respiratory gas collection and measurement were performed using a respiratory gas analyzer. RER (Respirational exertion), FO (Fat oxidation), CHOO (Carbohydrate oxidation), HR, Running time, Distance, RPE, Digestive symptoms were analyzed in the SPSS statistical program One-way ANOVA. As a result of this study showed a significant difference between Cycle 5, 6 of the LGI group RER and Cycle 5 of the FO, and a considerable difference between the running time and distance of the RTF in the MGI group (p＜.05). In addition, both LGI and MGI groups showed significant differences in Cycle 5 of RPE, and MGI groups showed substantial differences in Cycle 6 of RPE (p＜.05). The results of this study suggest important implications for sports that perform intermittent high-intensity exercise with limited recoveries, such as soccer.

Assessment of respiratory health effects of cement dust on the workers of Rabak cement factory

Globally, the cement industry has been identified as a factor which causes significant pollution. This study is conducted to assess respiratory health effects of cement dust on the workers of Rabak cement factory, Sudan. This descriptive cross- sectional study was carried out at Rabak city. 134 samples were taken from the workers of the Rabak cement factory. The respiratory symptoms experienced, were scored and recorded using BMRC questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. The lung function measurements were performed using a portable Spirometer. The respiratory measurements of the subjects were Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1) and Forced Expiratory Volume ratio (FEV1%). The results of the study showed that: the majority of the cement workers were infected by allergy. Cement dust might be the main cause of respiratory infection in exposed subjects. The duration of exposure to cement dust affects the prevalence of respiratory diseases among the cement workers. The present study clearly revealed that cement dust is not only the major cause of environmental pollution in the study area but also a threat to health of local inhabitants in addition to the worker. It has also been observed that majority of workers do not use personal protective equipment.

Sugar infusion into trees: A novel method to study tree carbon relations and its regulations.

Many carbon-related physiological questions in plants such as carbon (C) limitation or starvation have not yet been resolved thoroughly due to the lack of suitable experimental methodology. As a first step towards resolving these problems, we conducted infusion experiments with bonsai trees (Ficus microcarpa) and young maple trees (Acer pseudoplatanus) in greenhouse, and with adult Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris) in the field, that were "fed" with 13C-labelled glucose either through the phloem or the xylem. We then traced the 13C-signal in plant organic matter and respiration to test whether trees can take up and metabolize exogenous sugars infused. Ten weeks after infusion started, xylem but not phloem infusion significantly increased the δ13C values in both aboveground and belowground tissues of the bonsai trees in the greenhouse, whereas xylem infusion significantly increased xylem δ13C values and phloem infusion significantly increased phloem δ13C values of the adult pines in the field experiment, compared to the corresponding controls. The respiration measurement experiment with young maple trees showed significantly increased δ13C-values in shoot respired CO2 at the time of four weeks after xylem infusion started. Our results clearly indicate that trees do translocate and metabolize exogenous sugars infused, and because the phloem layer is too thin, and thus xylem infusion can be better operated than phloem infusion. This tree infusion method developed here opens up new avenues and has great potential to be used for research on the whole plant C balance and its regulation in response to environmental factors and extreme stress conditions.