Nighttime Periods Research Articles

Lymphocyte to monocyte ratio and blood pressure variability in childhood hypertension-a pilot study.

The investigation of inflammatory background of hypertension (HTN) concentrates mainly on patients with primary HTN. The aim of the study was to analyze the role of new parameters of inflammation-lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), in the population of children with primary (pHTN) and secondary renal hypertension (rHTN). The study group consisted of 70 children with pHTN, 46 patients with rHTN, and 30 age-matched normotensive controls. The retrospective analysis focused on the evaluation of LMR, NLR, and PLR values in relation to blood pressure (BP) parameters from in-office and ambulatory BP monitoring measurements. Twenty-four hours, daytime, and nighttime periods were evaluated. Blood pressure variability (BPV) was defined by standard deviation and coefficient of variation of analyzed values. LMR and NLR values in HTN patients differed significantly vs. controls. Dippers with pHTN demonstrated significant correlations between LMR, NLR, PLR, and markers of BPV, in 24 h and daytime diastolic BP and mean arterial pressure. In dippers with rHTN such correlations concerned only LMR. LMR may become a promising marker of BPV, useful in children with primary and secondary hypertension. Lymphocyte to monocyte ratio is a novel marker of blood pressure variability, connected to target-organ damage, in children with primary and secondary renal hypertension. Our study analyzes for the first time the connections between blood cell count-driven inflammatory markers (lymphocyte to monocyte, neutrophil to lymphocyte, and platelet to lymphocyte ratios) and parameters of blood pressure variability, and compares those ratios in children with primary and secondary hypertension. The increasing incidence of hypertension among children urges the search for simple methods of assessment of its complications. LMR may be of added value in the analysis of the inflammatory background of hypertension.

Stress Management Intervention for Leaders Increases Nighttime SDANN: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Stress management interventions aim to reduce the disease risk that is heightened by work stress. Possible pathways of risk reduction include improvements in the autonomous nervous system, which is indexed by the measurement of heart rate variability (HRV). A randomized controlled trial on improving stress management skills at work was conducted to investigate the effects of intervention on HRV. A total of 174 lower management employees were randomized into either the waiting list control group (CG) or the intervention group (IG) receiving a 2-day stress management training program and another half-day booster after four and six months. In the trial, 24 h HRV was measured at baseline and after 12 months. Heart rate (HR), root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), and standard deviation of the average of normal-to-normal intervals (SDANN) were calculated for 24 h and nighttime periods. Age-adjusted multilevel mixed effects linear regressions with unstructured covariance, time as a random coefficient, and time × group interaction with the according likelihood-ratio tests were calculated. The linear mixed-effect regression models showed neither group effects between IG and CG at baseline nor time effects between baseline and follow-up for SDANN (24 h), SDNN (24 h and nighttime), RMSSD (24 h and nighttime), and HR (24 h and nighttime). Nighttime SDANN significantly improved in the intervention group (z = 2.04, p = 0.041) compared to the control group. The objective stress axis measures (SDANN) showed successful stress reduction due to the training. Nighttime SDANN was strongly associated with minimum HR. Though the effects were small and only visible at night, it is highly remarkable that 3 days of intervention achieved a measurable effect considering that stress is only one of many factors that can influence HR and HRV.

Daytime versus Nighttime in Acute Appendicitis.

Background: Little is known about patients with appendicitis presenting at nighttime. It is hypothesized that patients presented at night more frequently have a complicated (gangrenous or perforated) appendicitis and therefore develop more postoperative complications. Methods: In this study data were used from the nationwide, prospective SNAPSHOT study appendicitis, including 1975 patients undergoing surgery for suspected appendicitis. This study included only adults. Two primary outcomes were defined: (A) The proportion of patients with complicated appendicitis and (B) the proportion of patients with a complication postoperatively presenting during daytime versus nighttime period. Analysis for both complicated and uncomplicated appendicitis was performed, and a multivariate model was used to correct for baseline characteristics and time to surgery. Results: In total, 1361 adult patients with appendicitis were analyzed. Both at nighttime and at daytime, 34% had complicated appendicitis. In patients presenting in the daytime, 12.1% developed a postoperative complication versus 18.6% for presentation at night (p = 0.008). In a multivariate analysis, the risk for a postoperative complication when presenting at night was significantly increased (adjusted OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.14–2.66, p = 0.01). Surgery within eight hours after presentation does not lower this risk (adjusted OR 1.37; 95% CI 0.97–1.95, p = 0.078). Conclusion: Complicated appendicitis is seen as frequently during the day as at nighttime. For patients who present at nighttime with acute appendicitis, the risk of a postoperative complication is higher compared with a presentation at daytime. In multivariate analysis, nighttime presentation but not surgery within 8 h after presentation is independently associated with postoperative complication risk.

Daytime Exposure to Blue Light Alters Cardiovascular Circadian Rhythms, Electrolyte Excretion and Melatonin Production.

Artificial light is characterized by certain features of its impact on the body in terms of its spectral distribution of power, duration of exposure and intensity. Short waves, perceived as blue light, are the strongest synchronizing agent for the circadian system. In the present work, we investigated the features of the circadian rhythms of blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), the excretion of electrolytes and the secretion of melatonin in normotensive (Wistar–Kyoto) and hypertensive (SHR) rats under the action of monochromatic blue light in the daytime period. It was found that the exposure of Wistar–Kyoto rats to monochromatic blue light was accompanied by a significant decrease in nighttime and 24 h systolic BP. The most remarkable changes are characteristic of the HR in SHR rats under monochromatic light. A significant decrease in HR in each time period was found, but the predominance of nighttime over daytime values remained in SHR animals. There was also a significant increase in the mesor of the HR in SHR rats. Additionally, the amplitude of diastolic BP and HR, as well as the range of oscillations in HR, were significantly increased compared with the standard light pattern. In contrast to SHR rats, the regulation of the circadian rhythms in Wistar–Kyoto rats was more flexible and presented more changes, which may be aimed at the adaptation of the body to environmental conditions. For Wistar–Kyoto rats, an increase in the level of excreted electrolytes was observed under the action of monochromatic light, but no similar changes were found in SHR rats. For Wistar–Kyoto rats, a significant decrease in the urine concentration of aMT6s in the daytime and nighttime periods is characteristic, which results in the loss of the circadian rhythm. In SHR rats, there was a significant decrease in the nighttime content of aMT6s in the urine, while the daytime concentration, on the contrary, increased. The obtained data demonstrate that prolonged exposure to monochromatic blue light in the daytime period affects the circadian structure of the rhythms of the cardiovascular system, the rhythm of electrolyte excretion and the production of epiphyseal melatonin in wild-type and hypertensive animals. In SHR rats, the rhythms of BP and HR exhibit a more rigid pattern.

Competitive Energy Storage and the Duck Curve

Power systems with high penetrations of solar generation need to replace solar output when it falls rapidly in the late afternoon—the duck curve problem. Storage is a carbon-free solution to this problem. This essay considers investment in generation and storage to minimize expected cost in a Boiteux-Turvey-style model of an electric power system with alternating daytime time periods, with solar generation, and nighttime periods, without it. In the most interesting cases, if energy market prices are uncapped, all expected cost minima are long-run competitive equilibria, and the long-run equilibrium value of storage capacity minimizes expected system cost conditional on generation capacities.

The Levels of Environmental Pollution by Noise in the Industrial Areas of Sulaimani City in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Environmental pollution is one of the biggest problems that face humanity and it is very dangerous matter these days. Furthermore, excessive noise is regarded as a significant environmental pollution like other environmental pollutions. Therefore, the aim of this research was to assess noise pollution levels and its effects on the environment at the commercial and Industrial zone in Sulemani city The noise levels were measured by using a sound level meter. This research of noise assessment was conducted in three different seasons which were summer, spring, and winter. Noise pollution was measured on official working days from Sunday to Thursday and in the day and night periods. Moreover, noise levels were measured on weekend days, Friday and Saturday, and in both daytime and nighttime periods as well. Also, the aim of this research was to identify and investigate noise effects on human being body and psychological characteristics. In view of the obtained results, we also concluded that the background noise level in the study area has exceeded the permissible international noise standards, and this causing posing a serious threat to people's health and having negative consequences for their heart, veins, and blood circulation system. Therefore, this study strongly suggests that it is necessary to develop a noise abatement strategy and programme of strategic noise reduction in the study area, such as building barriers between the noise sources and peoples; locating noisy equipment as far as possible from hospitals, schools, work areas; implementation of environmentalist policies and regulations; etc.

Tall tower eddy covariance measurements of CO2 fluxes in Vienna, Austria

This study reports on three years (2018–2020) of turbulent CO2 fluxes measured at 144 m above the city of Vienna, Austria using an eddy covariance system installed on the A1 Arsenal radio tower. Overall CO2 flux data availability after quality control filtering (49%) was comparable to that observed by other studies of urban and suburban eddy covariance measurements. Average monthly CO2 fluxes followed seasonal trends in temperature-based proxies of heating demand, with the highest fluxes observed in the winter months. When analysing separate trends for the two dominating wind directions, this seasonality was most pronounced for the flows from the north-west when flux footprints overlapped with Vienna's most populated and urbanised districts and fluxes. For flows from the south-east, when flux footprints covered areas of built-up and industrial land yet were dominated by green urban spaces and arable land, the seasonality was much less marked and average monthly CO2 fluxes were generally lower, particularly in winter. Weekday-weekend patterns as well as weekday diurnal variations in CO2 generally followed respective trends in local traffic counts; however, flux correlations with hourly traffic counts on weekends and public holidays were much weaker. Weekend/public holiday diurnal trends in CO2 fluxes indicated an influence of vegetation fluxes on net CO2 flux variations between midday and late afternoon in spring and summer. Furthermore, variations in weekend/public holiday CO2 fluxes from night-time to morning periods suggested a partial night-time decoupling between turbulent exchange at 144 m and the net fluxes at the surface. While the influence of CO2 advection could not be quantified, the pronounced morning flux peaks indicated that CO2 released to the atmosphere during these partially decoupled, night-time periods accumulated to some extent and was subsequently mixed vertically with the morning increase in boundary layer depth. Indeed, the calculated annual fluxes suggested that positive and negative 30-min biases were largely offset when averaging over longer time intervals. The 2018 flux of 10.89 kt CO2 km−2 was in close agreement with the annual CO2 emissions estimate of 10.19 kt CO2 km−2 derived from an official emissions inventory (excluding large point source emissions). A similar annual flux was observed in 2019; however, the substantially lower flux in 2020 likely reflected emissions reductions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparison of normalised daytime CO2 fluxes between years indicated that the initial lockdown led to a ca. 50–60% reduction in net CO2 emissions from Vienna's most populated and urbanised districts. This study thus provides further evidence that defensible estimates of urban CO2 fluxes can be achieved with tall tower eddy covariance.

Study Optimization of a Hybrid Solar-Wind System from an Individual in Ouagadougou

This work is a contribution to the study of hybrid systems for converting solar and wind energy into electricity in Burkina Faso. The approach consists of evaluating and analyzing the production of a wind turbine and a solar field in order to optimize the production of all the technologies. The results obtained made it possible to evaluate the operating performance of the installation and to show the complementarity between the two energy sources with regard to temporary and seasonal variations in resources. During nighttime periods or periods of low sunlight, the wind turbine is a good alternative to energy storage by batteries, the output of the wind turbine can be up to 853.76 W. It was also a question of proposing solutions for optimizing the hybrid system through the automation of the hybrid charge regulator. A minimum height of 30 m above the ground has been chosen as the optimum height for the wind turbine.

The Importance of Terminology for Quantifying Nocturia in Practice

BackgroundAlthough nocturia, affecting mainly the elderly population, is a urinary tract symptom, it may also be a part of conditions not related to the urinary tract. In this scenario, nocturia terminology is crucial to avoid confusion and misunderstanding across different specialities. The International Continence Society (ICS) provides the updated nocturia terminology. ObjectiveTo review, describe, and explain the applicability of nocturia terminology based on the ICS standardisation documents. Design, setting, and participantsThe ICS report provides definitions on the terminology for nocturia and nocturnal lower urinary tract function, which were identified and summarised. Outcome measurements and statistical analysisTerminology was classified as symptoms and signs, and an explanation of how terms are applied in a bladder diary for use in clinical practice was given. Results and limitationsTerminology was classified into symptoms and signs. Nocturia is a symptom where the patient reports waking up to pass urine during their main sleep period, and every episode is followed by sleep or the intention to sleep. Nocturnal polyuria is a symptom when the patient perceives that they have passed large volumes of urine during the main sleep period. Enuresis is the complaint of incontinence that occurs while a patient is asleep and is usually unaware of it. All these terms can be a sign when quantified on the bladder diary. The remaining terminology is identified and quantified on the 3-d bladder diary (24-h voided volume, 24-h polyuria, nocturnal urine volume, night-time frequency, first morning void, night-time main sleep period). ConclusionsThe health care provider must understand the critical differences between the different terms. It will facilitate communication among all the professionals involved in the care of these patients. A 3-d bladder diary is a fundamental tool for assessing nocturia. Patient summaryThis paper has the objective of defining and explaining all the terms currently used for nocturia. For this purpose, we utilised the published standard terminology and summarised it with examples for better understanding and applicability.

Randomized controlled trial of gamma sensory stimulation treatment maintains functional ability and decreases sleep fragmentation in Alzheimer’s disease patients

AbstractBackgroundDaily, at‐home gamma sensory stimulation consisting of EEG‐calibrated auditory and visual stimuli is a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Based on experimental studies demonstrating that sensory‐evoked gamma oscillation halts or reverses AD‐related pathology, improves cognitive function, and normalizes circadian rhythm in transgenic mice carrying human AD pathological genes, this clinical trial evaluated the effects of 40Hz sensory stimulation on functional ability and sleep quality of AD patients.MethodPatients with mild‐to‐moderate AD (MMSE 14‐26, inclusive; n=74) were randomized to receive either 40Hz noninvasive audio‐visual stimulation or sham stimulation over a 6‐month period. Functional abilities of patients were measured by Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study ‐ Activities of Daily Living (ADCS‐ADL) scale at baseline and every four weeks during the study and follow‐up period. Sleep quality was assessed from nighttime activities of a subgroup of patients (n=7 in treatment, n=6 in sham groups) who were monitored continuously via a wrist worn actigraphy watch throughout the 6‐month period.ResultAdjusted ADCS‐ADL scores from beginning and end of the trial were compared in patients who completed the trial. Over the 6‐month period, patients in the sham group (n=19) showed the expected decline, a 5.40‐point drop in ADCS‐ADL scores, whereas patients in the treatment group (n=33) receiving therapy exhibited only a 0.57‐point decline. Changes in ADCS‐ADL scores were statistically significant between the sham and treatment groups (P<0.01). Nighttime active durations in the treatment group were significantly (p<0.03) reduced in the second 3 months compared to the first 3 months but the opposite change was observed in the sham group. After normalizing the active durations by the corresponding nighttime period of each patient, the analysis confirmed opposite changes in nighttime active durations between the two groups (p<0.001).ConclusionPatients in gamma sensory stimulation therapy maintained their activities of daily living and showed an improved sleep quality over a 6‐month treatment period; two outcome measures, functional ability and sleep quality known to be strongly linked in AD. Maintenance of functional ability represents an important treatment and management goal for AD patients, reducing formal and informal care, and delaying time to institutionalization.

Economic policy uncertainty and industrial pollution: The role of environmental supervision by local governments

This paper explores the effect of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on industrial pollution using China's real-time pollution data and a novel news-based EPU index constructed by Davis, Liu, and Sheng (2019). Empirical results suggest that EPU can significantly promote sulfur dioxide (SO2) readings in cities experiencing higher ex-ante fiscal pressure, and this effect is more profound during the daytime. Given that SO2 is the main contributor to industrial pollution, and local governments have less incentive to monitor illegal pollutant discharges during the nighttime period, our findings indicate that rising EPU will harm the environment by motivating local authorities to reduce environmental supervision and thus increase industrial pollution. We also find that promoting regional innovation and strengthening external environmental regulations can mitigate the pollution effect of economic policy uncertainty.

Nighttime chemistry of biomass burning emissions in urban areas: A dual mobile chamber study

Abstract. Residential biomass burning for heating purposes is an important source of air pollutants during winter. Here we test the hypothesis that significant secondary organic aerosol production can take place even during winter nights through oxidation of the emitted organic vapors by the nitrate (NO3) radical produced during the reaction of ozone and nitrogen oxides. We use a mobile dual smog chamber system which allows the study of chemical aging of ambient air against a control reference. Ambient urban air sampled during a wintertime campaign during nighttime periods with high concentrations of biomass burning emissions was used as the starting point for the aging experiments. Biomass burning organic aerosol (OA) was, on average, 70 % of the total OA at the beginning of our experiments. Ozone was added in the perturbed chamber to simulate mixing with background air (and subsequent NO3 radical production and aging), while the second chamber was used as a reference. Following the injection of ozone, rapid OA formation was observed in all experiments, leading to increases in the OA concentration by 20 %–70 %. The oxygen-to-carbon ratio of the OA increased on average by 50 %, and the mass spectra of the produced OA was quite similar to the oxidized OA mass spectra reported during winter in urban areas. Furthermore, good correlation was found for the OA mass spectra between the ambient-derived emissions in this study and the nocturnal aged laboratory-derived biomass burning emissions from previous work. Concentrations of NO3 radicals as high as 25 ppt (parts per trillion) were measured in the perturbed chamber, with an accompanying production of 0.1–3.2 µg m−3 of organic nitrate in the aerosol phase. Organic nitrate represented approximately 10 % of the mass of the secondary OA formed. These results strongly indicate that the OA in biomass burning plumes can chemically evolve rapidly even during wintertime periods with low photochemical activity.

Simulation of maize crop growth using an improved crop model considering the disintegrated area of biodegradable film

• An improved crop growth model (FCM) under biodegradable film mulching was developed. • FCM model performed well in capturing the temporal trends in crop growth dynamics. • Biodegradable film mulching results in a slight decrease of crop yield. • An irrigation depth of 22.5 mm as optimal treatment was recommended in arid region. • Disintegrated rate should not exceed 63 % and 38 % in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Biodegradable film is recognized as a promising alternative to plastic film within crop mulching. This is because biodegradable film disintegrates into water and carbon dioxide through soil microorganisms-facilitated catalytic decomposition during the crop growth season. However, biodegradable film mulching (BFM) also has some disadvantages, such as the water and heat conservation being poor during nighttime period. Crop growth and yield is reduced by a suboptimal distribution of soil water and temperature. Therefore, there is value in assessing the effects of BFM on crop growth during daytime and nighttime periods, and particularly under different irrigation levels. This study developed a crop growth model (FCM) considering the disintegrated area of biodegradable film mulching to capture crop growth dynamics under different soil water contents and mulching areas. The disintegrated area of biodegradable film was determined by an image method. The model was firstly calibrated and validated using observed data collected over two years (2018 and 2019) under three mulching treatments [plastic film mulching (PFM), biodegradable film mulching (BFM), and no film mulching (NFM)] and three irrigation levels (irrigation depths of 30, 22.5, and 15 mm). The model was then used to evaluate crop growth rate ( k ), crop yield ( CY ), and water use efficiency (WUE) during daytime and nighttime periods. The results showed that the simulation accuracy of the FCM model was sufficiently high under different treatments, with a root mean square error ( RMSE) of 284.6 kg ha –1 . The benefits of BFM for crop growth were similar to that of PFM under a low range of effective accumulated soil temperature (EAST). However, differences in crop growth variables between PFM and BFM increased with an increase in EAST. Average leaf area index ( LAI ) and aboveground dry biomass ( AB ) during both years increased by 16.9 % and 39.2 % under PFM compared to that under BFM, respectively. In general, the harvest index ( HI ), CY , and water use efficiency (WUE) under BFM were lower than that under PFM. There were comparable variations in crop growth under different irrigation levels. The highest WUE occurred in the BFM 22.5 treatment at 44.5 kg ha –1 mm –1 . Therefore, this study recommends an irrigation depth of 22.5 mm as an optimal irrigation treatment in an arid region.

Influence of transport noise on living environment in New Moscow

The article considers problems of increasing traffic noise in the territory of New Moscow. The increase in traffic flow during the reconstruction of the Kaluga highway led to the expansion of the acoustic discomfort zone. The actual norms of permissible noise levels were violated in many low–rise buildings settlements of New Moscow. The study object was the settlement of Desenovskoe, as the inhabitants of settlement began to note the increase in discomfort associated with the reconstruction of the highway. However, there were no protective measures for this settlement according to the reconstruction plan. Students under the guidance of Moscow state University of Civil Engineering lecturers carried out instrumental measurements and analysis of the traffic noise level. A comprehensive detailed approach to measurement is distinctive feature of this research. 28 characteristic measuring points were chosen in the territory of the settlement and on its border. The location of the points was chosen taking into the lie of the ground and the distribution of the traffic flow. The measurements were carried out in parallel along the Kaluga highway, on access roads and inside Desenovskoe settlement. Instrumental research was conducted both in the daytime and at night. The daily measurements were carried out on Monday and Friday (the days of the greatest congestion of highways in this locality), night measurements were on Wednesday. In addition, the intensity and composition of the traffic flow were calculated. Equivalent and maximum sound levels in dBA, and the average and maximum sound pressure levels in dB were determined by the results of the studies and based on calculations. Significant norms’ deviations for the permissible noise level for populated areas were revealed both for the daytime and for the nighttime period. These results became the basis for creating noise propagation maps and determining zones of acoustic discomfort in Desenovskoe settlement. The zone of acoustic discomfort spread about 400 m deep into the territory of the settlement. Half of the residents were in the zone of acoustic discomfort.

Heart Rate Variability as an Indicator of Autonomic Nervous System Disturbance in Behcet's Disease.

BackgroundBehçet’s disease (BD) is a multisystemic vasculiti where cardiac involvement is not common. Previous studies have shown that the incidence of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death (SCD) is higher in patients with BD than in the healthy population. Among various possible explanations, autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction has been suggested. Few studies have evaluated ANS function in patients with BD, and the results obtained are controversial.ObjectiveWe aimed to assess cardiac autonomic function by heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with BD; to evaluate circadian changes in HRV; and to study the relationship between HRV parameters and disease parameters.MethodsThirty-six patients with Behçet’s disease (median age 42 years, 28 men) and 36 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were included. HRV analyses were performed in the time and frequency domains for the entire 24-hour period and for the daytime and nighttime periods. BD activity was studied with Behcet’s disease current activity form (BDCAF).ResultsPatients with BD had significantly lower values of SDNN compared to controls. PNN50, RMSSD, and HF components mean values were significantly reduced in patients than in controls implying parasympathetic impairment. LF was comparable between the two groups, whereas LF/HF ratio was significantly higher in BD group. The circadian rhythm of HRV was preserved in patient group. There was no significant correlation of CRP or disease duration with HRV indices in Behçet’s subjects. BDCAF score was found to be negatively correlated with LF/HF.ConclusionPatients with BD, despite no cardiovascular involvement, have reduced parasympathetic activity compared with controls. However, circadian rhythms of autonomic function were preserved. As known, there is strong evidence for the role of the ANS in the pathogenesis of ventricular arrhythmias. Thus, being a practical tool, HRV can be an interesting approach for the rhythmic follow-up of BD patients.

Long-Term Narrowband Lighting Influences Activity but Not Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cell-Driven Pupil Responses.

Purpose: Light affects a variety of non-image forming processes, such as circadian rhythm entrainment and the pupillary light reflex, which are mediated by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of long- and short-wavelength ambient lighting on activity patterns and pupil responses in rhesus monkeys.Methods: Infant rhesus monkeys were reared under either broadband “white” light (n = 14), long-wavelength “red” light (n = 20; 630 nm), or short-wavelength “blue” light (n = 21; 465 nm) on a 12-h light/dark cycle starting at 24.1 ± 2.6 days of age. Activity was measured for the first 4 months of the experimental period using a Fitbit activity tracking device and quantified as average step counts during the daytime (lights-on) and nighttime (lights-off) periods. Pupil responses to 1 s red (651 nm) and blue (456 nm) stimuli were measured after approximately 8 months. Pupil metrics included maximum constriction and the 6 s post-illumination pupil response (PIPR).Results: Activity during the lights-on period increased with age during the first 10 weeks (p < 0.001 for all) and was not significantly different for monkeys reared in white, red, or blue light (p = 0.07). Activity during the 12-h lights-off period was significantly greater for monkeys reared in blue light compared to those in white light (p = 0.02), but not compared to those in red light (p = 0.08). However, blue light reared monkeys exhibited significantly lower activity compared to both white and red light reared monkeys during the first hour of the lights-off period (p = 0.01 for both) and greater activity during the final hour of the lights-off period (p < 0.001 for both). Maximum pupil constriction and the 6 s PIPR to 1 s red and blue stimuli were not significantly different between groups (p > 0.05 for all).Conclusion: Findings suggest that long-term exposure to 12-h narrowband blue light results in greater disruption in nighttime behavioral patterns compared to narrowband red light. Normal pupil responses measured later in the rearing period suggest that ipRGCs adapt after long-term exposure to narrowband lighting.

Morning Surge in Blood Pressure and Stroke Events in a Large Modern Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Cohort: Results of the JAMP Study.

Morning Surge in Blood Pressure and Stroke Events in a Large Modern Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Cohort: Results of the JAMP Study.

Office, Central, and Ambulatory Blood Pressure for Predicting First Stroke in Older Adults: A Community-Based Cohort Study.

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Differential diagnosis between LQT1 and LQT2 by QT/RR relationships using 24-hour Holter monitoring: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

BackgroundThe clinical course and therapeutic strategies in the congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) are genotype‐specific. However, accurate estimation of LQTS genotype is often difficult from the standard 12‐lead ECG.ObjectivesThis study aims to evaluate the utility of QT/RR slope analysis by the 24‐hour Holter monitoring for differential diagnosis of LQTS genotype between LQT1 and LQT2.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study enrolled 54 genetically identified LQTS patients (29 LQT1 and 25 LQT2) recruited from three medical institutions. The QT‐apex (QTa) interval and the QT‐end (QTe) interval at each 15‐second were plotted against the RR intervals, and the linear regression (QTa/RR and QTe/RR slopes, respectively) was calculated from the entire 24‐hour and separately during the day or night‐time periods of the Holter recordings.ResultsThe QTe/RR and QTa/RR slopes at the entire 24‐hour were significantly steeper in LQT2 compared to those in LQT1 patients (0.262 ± 0.063 vs. 0.204 ± 0.055, p = .0007; 0.233 ± 0.052 vs. 0.181 ± 0.040, p = .0002, respectively). The QTe interval was significantly longer, and QTe/RR and QTa/RR slopes at daytime were significantly steeper in LQT2 than in LQT1 patients. The receiver operating curve analysis revealed that the QTa/RR slope of 0.211 at the entire 24‐hour Holter was the best cutoff value for differential diagnosis between LQT1 and LQT2 (sensitivity: 80.0%, specificity: 75.0%, and area under curve: 0.804 [95%CI = 0.68–0.93]).ConclusionThe continuous 24‐hour QT/RR analysis using the Holter monitoring may be useful to predict the genotype of congenital LQTS, particularly for LQT1 and LQT2.

Global 100% energy transition by 2050: A fiction in developing economies?

Global 100% energy transition by 2050: A fiction in developing economies?