Utility of estimated pulse wave velocity for assessing vascular stiffness: comparison of methods

Aim. Pulse wave velocity independently predicts cardiovascular risk. Easy to use single cuff oscillometric methods are utilized in clinical practice to estimate pulse wave velocity. We applied the approach in master athletes to assess possible beneficial effects of lifelong exercise on vascular health. Furthermore, we compared single cuff measurements with a two-cuff method in another cohort. Methods. We obtained single cuff upper arm oscillometric measurements thrice in 129 master athletes aged 35 to 86 years and estimated pulse wave velocity using the ArcSolver algorithm. We applied the same method in 24 healthy persons aged 24 to 55 years participating in a head down tilt bedrest study. In the latter group, we also obtained direct pulse wave velocity measurements using a thigh cuff.Results. Estimated pulse velocity very highly correlated with age (R2 = 0.90) in master athletes. Estimated pulse wave velocity values were located on the same regression line like values obtained in participants of the head down tilt bed rest study. The modest correlation between estimated and measured PWV (r² 0.40; p<0.05) was attenuated after adjusting for age; the mean difference between pulse wave velocity measurements was 1 m/s.Conclusion. Estimated pulse wave velocity mainly reflects the entered age rather than true vascular properties and, therefore, failed detecting beneficial effects of life long exercise.Funding. The AGBRESA-Study was funded by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the European Space Agency (ESA, contract number 4000113871/15/NL/PG) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, contract number 80JSC018P0078). Fabian Hoffmann received funding by the DLR and the German Federal Ministry of Economy and Technology, BMWi (50WB1816). SM, JT and JJ were supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, BMK (SPACE4ALL Project, FFG No. 866761).

Doppler Mitral Inflow Variables Time Course After Treadmill Stress Echo with and Without Ischemic Response

This study evaluated Doppler mitral inflow variables changes from rest to post-exercise among 104 subjects with and without echocardiographic evidence of ischemic response (IR) to exercise (63.9 ± 11 years, 54% male, 32% with IR) who underwent a clinically indicated treadmill stress echo (TSE) test. The time from exercise cessation to imaging (TIME) was recorded. The changes (after TSE minus baseline values) in the peak E-wave velocity (∆E) [34.2 vs. 24.2, p = 0.024] and E-wave deceleration rate (∆DR) [348.0 vs. 225.7, p = 0.010] were bigger in ischemic than in nonischemic subjects, while the changes in the peak A-wave velocity (∆A) did not differ [7.9 vs. 15.0, p = 0.082]. The correlations between Doppler variables and IR, TIME, and TIME*IR interaction were analyzed. We observed a significant interaction between TIME and IR regarding ∆E and ∆DR. The differences in the regression line slopes of time courses for ∆E and ∆DR based on IR were significant: ∆E (–0.09 vs. –8.17, p = 0.037) and ∆DR (11.23 vs. –82.60, p = 0.022). Main findings: 1. Time courses after exercise of ∆E and ∆DR in subjects with and without IR were different. 2. ∆E and ∆DR did not differ between subjects with and without IR at exercise cessation (TIME = 0). 3. The simple main effect of ischemia on ∆E and ∆DR was significant at TIME of ≥3 min. Divergent time courses of ∆E and ∆DR after exercise might be promising for detecting diastolic dysfunction caused by ischemia.

SIMULTANEOUS ESTIMATION OF AZILSARTAN AND CILNIDIPINE IN BULK BY RP-HPLC AND ASSESSMENT OF ITS APPLICABILITY IN MARKETED TABLET DOSAGE FORM

Objective: This study aims to build up the RP-HPLC process for Azilsartan and Cilnidipine and authenticate the RP-HPLC process according to ICH validation code Q2R1. Methods: System suitability testing was performed to discover the qualifying criterion of the method by injecting the identical standard solution of Azilsartan 40μg/ml and Cilnidipine 10μg/ml in mixture/combination in subsequent optimized chromatographic conditions and the chromatogram was recorded. Moreover, the planned method was validated as per ICH guideline Q2R1 for the following parameters: linearity and range, precision, accuracy, robustness, and determined % recovery. Results: The outcomes of %RSD for retention time and peak area were found to be 0.65 and 1.32 for Azilsartan and 0.85 and 1.90 for Cilnidipine. The correlation coefficient, y-intercept, slope of the regression line were 0.9996,-1127.1, 3313.9, and 0.9993, 1460.2, 2876.4 for Azilsartan and Cilnidipine, respectively. Moreover, the range of this method was observed to be 40-240μg/ml and 10-60 μg/ml for Azilsartan and Cilnidipine, standard concentrations respectively. The % RSD achieved for precision (repeatability) was observed in the range of 1.57 to 2.43 for Azilsartan and 0.70 to 1.88 for Cilnidipine. The % accuracy was found in the range of 96.96 to 101.92% w/w for Azilsartan and 99.19 to101.96%w/w for Cilnidipine. The percent recovery values achieved for Azilsartan were in the range of 99.87 to 106.39% w/w and for Cilnidipine in the range of 94.51 to 105.96% w/w. Conclusion: The author concludes that the simultaneous estimation of Azilsartan and Cilnidipine with predefined objectives was successfully achieved. Moreover, the method was found to be steadfast for the quantification of Azilsartan and Cilnidipine in marketed tablet dosage forms.

Effect of dilute Ethanol Intake on DEHP (di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate)-induced Testicular Atrophy

Background: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is the most commonly used as a plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but recently, concern has arisen over the DEHP which may act as a reproductive toxicant to humans. On the other hand, ethanol is the most common supplement of beverages and foods, and so many persons ingest a large quantity of ethanol in daily life. However, interactions between ethanol and DEHP toxicity are not well known. Method: To investigate the effect of dilute ethanol ingestion on the DEHP induced testicular atrophy, rats were received a 1% (w/w) DEHP diet and 2.5 or 5% (v/v) ethanol water for 7 days. Result: The rats treated with DEHP-diet alone for 7 days were observed significant testicular weight loss. On the other hand, testicular weight loss was significantly suppressed in rats treated with DEHP diet and ethanol water. A significant negative correlation between relative testicular weight (as a percentage of body weight) and testicular MEHP concentration was found among rats treated with DEHP-free diet (Control) and DEHP diet alone. Most of the data plots for the DEHP diet plus ethanol water group were scattered above the regression line. Conclusion: These results suggest that dilute ethanol may be effective in preventing DEHP testicular atrophy. However, the mechanism of prevention is unknown and further research is needed.

An experimental feasibility study evaluating the adequacy of sportswear-type wearables for recording physical exercise intensity

Sportswear-type wearables with integrated inertial sensors and electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes, have been developed. We examined the feasibility of using sportswear-type wearables to evaluate exercise intensity within a controlled laboratory setting. Six male college athletes were asked to don a sportswear-type wearable while performing a treadmill test that reached up to 20 km/h. The magnitude of the filtered tri-axial acceleration signal, recorded by the inertial sensor, was used to calculate the acceleration index. The R-R intervals of ECG were used to determine heart rate; the external validity of the heart rate was then evaluated according to oxygen uptake, which is the gold standard physiological exercise intensity. Single regression analyses between treadmill speed and the acceleration index in each participant showed that the slope of the regression line was significantly greater than zero with a high coefficient of determination (walking, 0.95; jogging, 0.96; running, 0.90). Another single regression analyses between heart rate and oxygen uptake showed that the slope of the regression line was significantly greater than zero, with a high coefficient of determination (0.96). Together, these results indicate that sportswear-type wearables are a feasible technology for evaluating physical and physiological exercise intensity across a wide range of physical activities and sport performances.

PENGARUH AUDIT MANAJEMEN SUMBER DAYA MANUSIA TERHADAP KINERJA KARYAWAN DI RUMAH SAKIT UMUM DAERAH KOTA BEKASI

This study aims to analyze the effect of Human Resources Management Audit on Employee Performance in General Hospital Bekasi.This study is a causal-comparative research. This study population is the entire General Hospital Bekasi employees totaling 158 respondents. The selection of the sample using Cluster Random Sampling method. The number of samples was 80 respondents, derived from four divisions: medical division (8 respondents), paramedic (32 respondents), medical support (10 respondents), and general (30 respondents). The data used are primary data in the form of a questionnaire. Prior to the study, first conducted trials-test with the instrument validity-test and reliability-test involving 20 employees of a General Hospital Bekasi were not involved back at the time of the study. Analysis prerequisite- test including normality-test, linearity-test, multicolinearity-test, and heteroscedasticity-test. The hypothesis-test in this study using simple-regression analysis.The results of this study indicate the Human Resources Management Audit have a significant and positive influence on Employee Performance in General Hospital Bekasi indicated by r2 value of 0.518, the significant value smaller than level of significant (0.000 0.050) and the regression line equation is Y = 0.813 + 0.766X.

Parameters Estimation for Wear-out Failure Period of Three-Parameter Weibull Distribution

The shape parameter estimation using the minimum-variance linear estimator with hyperparameter (MVLE-H) method is believed to be effective for a wear-out failure period in a small sample. In the process of the estimation, our method uses the hyperparameter and estimate shape parameters of the MVLE-H method. To obtain the optimal hyperparameter c, it takes a long time, even in the case of the small sample. The main purpose of this paper is to remove the restriction of small samples. We observed that if we set the shape parameters, for sample size n and c, we can use the regression equation to infer the optimal c from n. So we searched in five increments and complemented the hyperparameter for the remaining sample sizes with a linear regression line. We used Monte Carlo simulations (MCSs) to determine the optimal hyperparameter for various sample sizes and shape parameters of the MVLE-H method. Intrinsically, we showed that the MVLE-H method performs well by determining the hyperparameter. Further, we showed that the location and scale parameter estimations are improved using the shape parameter estimated by the MVLE-H method. We verified the validity of the MVLE-H method using MCSs and a numerical example.

Evaluation of Compression Behaviors of Marine Clay Reinforced with Waste Shredded Tires

This study evaluates the compression behaviors of a soft marine clay reinforced with waste shredded tire (WST) at different sizes (<0.5 mm, 0.5–2.0 mm, and 2.0–4.0 mm) and contents (15%, 35%, and 50%). Results from compression tests indicate that the compression index (Cc) of WST-reinforced soft clay decreases with increasing WST shred size and content. The swelling index (Cs) increases as the WST shred size and content increase. The difference in compression curves becomes more significant for composite reinforced at large shred size. The void indexes of WST-reinforced Lianyungang clay can be well normalized regardless of WST shred size and content by a regression line. The WST dominates the compression behavior of the WST-clay composite, as the WST would be compressed prior to the clay particles. The results in this study provide an optimum WST content at 50% with shred size of 2.0–4.0 mm for reinforcing the Lianyungang marine clay for achieving higher compressibility, contributing to the input database of machine learning for WST-reinforced soil.

Alginate NiFe2O4 Nanoparticles Cryogel for Electrochemical Glucose Biosensor Development

Glucose biosensors based on porous material of alginate cryogel has been developed, and the cryogel provides a large surface area for enzyme immobilization. The alginate cryogel has been supplemented with NiFe2O4 nanoparticles to improve the electron transfer for electrochemical detection. The fabrication parameters and operational conditions for the biosensor have also been optimized. The results showed that the optimum addition of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles to the alginate solution was 0.03 g/mL. The optimum operational conditions for the electrochemical detection were a cyclic voltammetry scan rate of 0.11 V/s, buffer pH of 7.0, and buffer concentration of 150 mM. The fabricated alginate NiFe2O4 nanoparticles cryogel-based glucose biosensor showed a linear response for glucose determination with a regression line of y = 18.18x + 455.28 and R² = 0.98. Furthermore, the calculated detection limit was 0.32 mM and the limit of quantification was 1.06 mM.

Adaptivity of sweet pepper varieties cultivated in the Astrakhan region

In agricultural production, it is important not only to achieve a high productivity, but also to ensure its stability. To obtain high and stable yields, it is necessary to have information on the adaptability of crops varieties and hybrids to a specific cultivation zone. The article analyzes the results of the field experiment on the variety testing of sweet pepper. To assess the variety for adaptability to natural conditions and cultivation technology in the Astrakhan region, such parameters as plasticity and stability of the variety were used. To characterize the ecological plasticity, the regression coefficient bi was determined, which characterizes response of the cultivar to changes in cultivation conditions. To characterize the parameter of stability, the standard deviation from the regression line 2d. was calculated. All calculations were carried out according to S.A. Eberhart, W.A. Russell as presented by V.Z. Pakudin.