Search results for "FN"
showing 10 items of 862 documents
Noninvasive respiratory support in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure associated with COVID-19 and other viral infections
2020
ABSTRACTIntroductionNoninvasive respiratory support (NRS) such as noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and high flow nasal therapy (HFNT) have been used in the treatment of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and other viral infections. However, there is a lack of consensus in favor of or against NRS use due to the risks of worsening hypoxemia, intubation delay, and aerosols environmental contamination associated with the use of these tools. We aimed to summarize the evidence on the use of NRS in adult patients with COVID-19 and other viral pneumonia (i.e. H1N1, SARS, MERS) and AHRF. We also searched for studies evaluating the risk of aerosoliza…
THE OPTIMIZATION OF INTERFERON FOR MS STUDY: 375 MICROG INTERFERON BETA-1B IN SUBOPTIMAL RESPONDERS.
2008
We aimed to evaluate the safety and MRI efficacy of interferon beta-1b (IFNbeta-1b) 375 microg (subcutaneously [sc] every other day [eod]) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with a suboptimal response to IFNbeta-1b 250 microg, i.e., with MRI activity or relapses. The OPTimization of Interferon for MS (OPTIMS) study was a prospective multicenter randomized phase 2 trial comprising a 6-month run-in phase (to identify suboptimal responders) and a 6-month randomized phase of open-label clinical and blinded MRI follow-up. During run-in all patients were treated with IFNbeta-1b 250 microg sc eod; during the study phase suboptimal treatment responders were randomized either …
Acute and prolonged reduction in joint stiffness in humans after exhausting stretch-shortening cycle exercise.
2002
The purpose of the present study was to examine the acute and long-term fatigue effects of exhausting stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) exercise on the stiffness of ankle and knee joints. Five subjects were fatigued on a sledge apparatus by 100 maximal rebound jumps followed by continuous submaximal jumping until complete exhaustion. Neuromuscular fatigue ef- fects were examined in submaximal hopping (HOP) and in maximal drop jumps (DJ) from 35 (DJ35) and 55 cm (DJ55) heights on a force plate. Additional force and reflex measurements were made using an ankle ergom- eter. Jumping tests and ankle ergometer tests were car- ried out before, immediately after, 2 h (2H), 2 days and 7 days (7D) after…
Associations of Sex Hormones and Hormonal Status With Arterial Stiffness in a Female Sample From Reproductive Years to Menopause
2021
Objective: Loss of sex hormones has been suggested to underlie menopause-associated increment in cardiovascular risk. We investigated associations of sex hormones with arterial stiffness in 19–58-years-old women. We also studied associations of specific hormonal stages, including natural menstrual cycle, cycle with combined oral contraceptives (COC) and menopausal status with or without hormone therapy (HT), with arterial stiffness. Methods: This study includes repeated measurements of 65 healthy women representing reproductive (n=16 natural, n=10 COC-users) and menopause (n=5 perimenopausal, n=26 postmenopausal, n=8 HT-users) stages. Arterial stiffness outcomes were aortic pulse wave veloc…
An investigation of the mechanical properties of rubber modified asphalt mixtures using a modified dry process
2017
Incorporating recycling tyres into asphalt mixtures contributes to solving a serious environmental problem as well as the potential of improving the mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures. The recycled tyre rubber is added by two technologies known as the dry process (when rubber particles are treated as an aggregate modifier) and the wet process (when rubber particles are treated as a binder modifier). Although, the dry process is easier and requires minimal or no modification in the asphalt plant, the inconsistency in field performance makes the dry process not widely used. The main reason for this is believed to be the lack of interaction between the rubber particles and binder. In o…
Age-related muscle activation profiles and joint stiffness regulation in repetitive hopping
2011
It is well documented that increasing effort during exercise is characterized by an increase in electromyographic activity of the relevant muscles. How aging influences this relationship is a matter of great interest. In the present study, nine young and 24 elderly subjects did repetitive hopping with maximal effort as well as with 50%, 65%, 75% and 90% intensities. During hopping joint kinematics were measured together with electromyographic activity (EMG) from the soleus, gastrocnemius medialis, gastrocnemius lateralis and tibialis anterior muscles. The results showed that agonist activation increased in both age groups with increasing intensity. The highest jumping efficiency (EMG ratio …
The prognostic role of the cardio-ankle vascular index
2018
The well‐performed meta‐analysis of Matsushita et al represents an important contribution to the knowledge about the clinical meaning of arterial stiffness parameters, suggesting that CAVI is associated positively with a slightly increased risk of CV events, but not of total mortality. However, caution is needed in interpreting these findings, due to the limited number of prospective studies eligible for the meta‐analysis and the relatively low number of subjects included, mostly living in Japan or China. Therefore, additional studies, preferably with a prospective design and involving participants also from non‐Asian countries, are required to better define the prognostic role and the clin…
Microvascular brain damage with aging and hypertension
2011
Loss of cognitive function and hypertension are two common conditions in the elderly and both significantly contribute to loss of personal independency. Microvascular brain damage - the result of age-associated alteration in large arteries and the progressive mismatch of their cross-talk with small cerebral arteries - represents a potent risk factor for cognitive decline and for the onset of dementia in older individuals. The present review discusses the complexity of factors linking large artery to microvascular brain disease and to cognitive decline and the evidence for possible clinical markers useful for prevention of this phenomenon. The possibility of dementia prevention by cardiovasc…
Association between arterial stiffness and walking capacity in older adults
2022
Background and aim: Arterial stiffening – a process that is largely due to intimal thickening, collagen disposition or elastin fragmentation – significantly contributes to cardiovascular events and mortality. There is also some evidence that it may negatively affect physical function. This study aimed to evaluate whether arterial stiffness was associated with measures of walking capacity in a large, population-based sample of highly aged older adults.Methods: A population-based sample of 910 community-dwelling adults (aged 75, 80, or 85 years) were investigated in a cross-sectional observational study. Pulse wave velocity (PWV), a surrogate marker of arterial stiffness, was estimated based …
On stability issues for IMEX schemes applied to 1D scalar hyperbolic equations with stiff reaction terms
2011
The application of a Method of Lines to a hyperbolic PDE with source terms gives rise to a system of ODEs containing terms that may have very different stiffness properties. In this case, Implicit-Explicit Runge-Kutta (IMEX-RK) schemes are particularly useful as high order time integrators because they allow an explicit handling of the convective terms, which can be discretized using the highly developed shock capturing technology, together with an implicit treatment of the source terms, necessary for stability reasons. Motivated by the structure of the source term in a model problem introduced by LeVeque and Yee in [J. Comput. Phys. 86 (1990)], in this paper we study the preservation of ce…