Clinical significance of small airway obstruction markers in patients with asthma

BACKGROUND

The role of small airway obstruction in the clinical expression of asthma is incompletely understood.

OBJECTIVE

We tested the hypotheses that markers of small airway obstruction are associated with (i) increased asthma severity, (ii) impaired asthma control and quality of life and (iii) frequent exacerbations.

METHODS

Seventy-four adults with asthma and 18 healthy control subjects underwent impulse oscillometry (IOS), multiple breath inert gas washout (MBW), body plethysmography, single-breath determination of carbon monoxide uptake and spirometry. Patients completed the six-point Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ-6) and standardized Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire [AQLQ(S)]. Asthma severity was classified according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) treatment steps.

RESULTS

The putative small airway obstruction markers Sacin , resistance at 5 Hz minus resistance at 20 Hz (R5-R20) and reactance area (AX) were not independently associated with asthma severity, control, quality of life or exacerbations. In contrast, markers of total (R5) and mean airway resistance of large and small airways (R20) were significantly higher in the severe asthma group compared with the mild-moderate group (0.47 vs. 0.37, P < 0.05 for R5; 0.39 vs. 0.31, P < 0.01 for R20). The strongest independent contributors to ACQ-6 score were R20 and forced expiratory volume in one second (% pred.), and the strongest independent contributors to AQLQ(S) score were R20 and forced vital capacity (% pred.). A history of one or more exacerbations within the previous year was independently associated with R20.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Previously reported markers of small airway obstruction do not appear to be independently associated with asthma disease expression. In contrast, the IOS parameter R20, a marker of mean airway resistance of both large and small airways, appears to have independent clinical significance. These observations require confirmation in prospective longitudinal studies.

Spectral characterization of some second harmonic generation materials from the amino acid family: L-Threonine and L-prolinium tartrate

Single crystals of the organic non-linear optical materials L-threonine (I) and L-prolinium tartrate (II) were grown using a home-made crystal growth setup (MKN setup). The grown crystals were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Infrared (IR), UV-vis-NIR and Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Measurements of Vicker's microhardness, laser damage threshold (LDT) values and second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiencies are reported. Thermal and dielectric studies were also carried out.

A study on mast cell number and lipid profile in oral submucous fibrosis

AIMS

Prevention of oral precancer is most desirable and should take precedence over its diagnosis and therapy. As both, mast cell counts in connective tissue and serum lipids are altered in Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSF), so study of both the factors is vitally important in OSF.

METHODS

A total of 50 persons were included in the study of which 40 were OSF patients and 10 controls. Tissue sections and blood samples were collected for mast cell count and lipid profile estimation for both OSF patients and controls.

RESULTS

Mean mast cells in all grades of OSF were higher as compared to apparently normal appearing oral mucosa but as severity of OSF increases (from Grade II to Grade IV), count of Mast cell decreases. Further, the mean mast cells in OSF Grade II, III and IV groups were found 95.5%, 93.8% and 92.2% higher respectively as compared to normal (highly significant for all the groups p<0.001). The mean serum lipid profile of OSF groups was comparatively lower than age and sex matched healthy controls but was highly significant for all the groups (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Thus, it can be said that in the present study serum lipid profile decreases in OSF patients and mast cell count is increased when compared with apparently normal appearing mucosa but with the advancement of the grades mast cell number decreases in tissue sections of OSF. It can be suggested that biochemical and histological assessment of OSF patients may help in earlier diagnosis and/or prognosis of this disease.

A Decision-Theoretic Model of Assistance

There is a growing interest in intelligent assistants for a variety of applications from sorting email to helping people with disabilities to do their daily chores. In this paper, we formulate the problem of intelligent assistance in a decision-theoretic framework, and present both theoretical and empirical results. We first introduce a class of POMDPs called hidden-goal MDPs (HGMDPs), which formalizes the problem of interactively assisting an agent whose goal is hidden and whose actions are observable. In spite of its restricted nature, we show that optimal action selection for HGMDPs is PSPACE-complete even for deterministic dynamics. We then introduce a more restricted model called helper action MDPs (HAMDPs), which are sufficient for modeling many real-world problems. We show classes of HAMDPs for which efficient algorithms are possible. More interestingly, for general HAMDPs we show that a simple myopic policy achieves a near optimal regret, compared to an oracle assistant that knows the agent's goal. We then introduce more sophisticated versions of this policy for the general case of HGMDPs that we combine with a novel approach for quickly learning about the agent being assisted. We evaluate our approach in two game-like computer environments where human subjects perform tasks, and in a real-world domain of providing assistance during folder navigation in a computer desktop environment. The results show that in all three domains the framework results in an assistant that substantially reduces user effort with only modest computation.

Germination and Seedling Growth of <i>Zea mays</i> L. under Different Levels of Sodium Chloride Stress

Salt stress is one of the most severe environmental factors that reduces and limits growth and development of plants. Abiotic stresses such as heavy metals, salinity, drought, temperature, UV-radiation, ozone causes drastic yield reduction in most of the crops. Especially salt stress affects around 20 of NaCl on germination and seedling growth of Zea mays L. Seeds of Zea mays were germinated in glass Petri- 100 × 15 mm diameter lined with blotting paper. Ten seeds were placed in each petri-dish. Petridishes were irrigated with 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 mM concentrations of NaCl. A control was moistened with ten milliliters of distilled water. The germination percentage, water absorption of the seeds, water uptake percentage and the growth parameters were observed. The results obtained showed that the inhibition of the germination percentage, germination rate, water uptake, growth and biomass accumulation of the seedlings were observed to decrease with increasing NaCl concentrations. At the highest level of stress both plumule and radical decreased significantly. The salt stress decreased seed germination, biomass and growth of maize seedlings due to ion toxicity, decrease osmotic potential and oxidative stress

Germination and Seedling Growth of <i>Zea mays</i> L. under Different Levels of Sodium Chloride Stress

Salt stress is one of the most severe environmental factors that reduces and limits growth and development of plants. Abiotic stresses such as heavy metals, salinity, drought, temperature, UV-radiation, ozone causes drastic yield reduction in most of the crops. Especially salt stress affects around 20 of NaCl on germination and seedling growth of Zea mays L. Seeds of Zea mays were germinated in glass Petri- 100 × 15 mm diameter lined with blotting paper. Ten seeds were placed in each petri-dish. Petridishes were irrigated with 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200 mM concentrations of NaCl. A control was moistened with ten milliliters of distilled water. The germination percentage, water absorption of the seeds, water uptake percentage and the growth parameters were observed. The results obtained showed that the inhibition of the germination percentage, germination rate, water uptake, growth and biomass accumulation of the seedlings were observed to decrease with increasing NaCl concentrations. At the highest level of stress both plumule and radical decreased significantly. The salt stress decreased seed germination, biomass and growth of maize seedlings due to ion toxicity, decrease osmotic potential and oxidative stress

Growth and Mineral Constituents’ Variations in Halophytic Species under Salinity

The present investigation was made to study the effect of different concentrations of sodium chloride on the growth and mineral constituents in different parts of Clerodendron inerme. The plant and could survive a wide range of 100-1000 mM of NaCl. The upper limit for the survival of Clerodendron inerme was 500 mM NaCl. However, favourable growth response by seedlings was confined to 200 mM NaCl. The morphological parameters such as shoot and length, number of leaves, total leaf area, fresh and dry mass and mineral constituents such as sodium, potassium and calcium were assessed.

Growth and Mineral Constituents’ Variations in Halophytic Species under Salinity

The present investigation was made to study the effect of different concentrations of sodium chloride on the growth and mineral constituents in different parts of Clerodendron inerme. The plant and could survive a wide range of 100-1000 mM of NaCl. The upper limit for the survival of Clerodendron inerme was 500 mM NaCl. However, favourable growth response by seedlings was confined to 200 mM NaCl. The morphological parameters such as shoot and length, number of leaves, total leaf area, fresh and dry mass and mineral constituents such as sodium, potassium and calcium were assessed.

Spectral characterization of a non-centrosymmetric organic compound: D-(-)-alanine

The crystal growth of D-(-)-alanine (1), a non-centrosymmetric solid is reported. It was characterized by NMR, infrared, Raman, UV-Vis-NIR and CD spectra. Experimental vibrational frequencies are compared with theoretically calculated values. Second harmonic generation (SHG) and first hyperpolarizability measurements are reported.

Unidirectional growth and characterization of L-tartaric acid single crystals

Single crystals of L-tartaric acid (LTA), an organic nonlinear optical material, have been grown using a home-built crystal growth setup (the Moovendaran–Kalyanasundar–Natarajan setup). Crystals of LTA were also grown by the slow evaporation solution technique. These single crystals were characterized using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, high-resolution X-ray diffraction, and IR and UV–Vis–NIR spectroscopy. In addition, measurements of Vickers microhardness, laser damage threshold value and second harmonic generation efficiency are reported. Thermal, dielectric and photoluminescence studies were also carried out.

Methylene blue as an early diagnostic marker for oral precancer and cancer

Oral cancer is one of the most common neoplasm's and is ranked eighth in the cancer incidence worldwide. Early detection is of critical importance because survival rates markedly improve. In vivo staining is a simple, inexpensive, and fairly sensitive method. Involved 120 patients (50 with Premalignant Lesion, 50 with OSCC and 20 controls) stained by Methylene Blue (MB). The results of MB uptake were compared with a simultaneous biopsy of these lesions. Pathologically confirmed precancers and cancers were the positive targets of this screening, while hyperkeratosis without dysplasia and no evidence of malignancy were sorted as negative subjects of screening. The results revealed sensitivity of 91.4%, specificity of 66.6%, positive predictive value 97.7% and negative predictive value 33% leading to diagnostic accuracy of MB stain to 90%. We state that MB staining is useful diagnostic tool in community oral cancer screening programmes for high-risk individuals.