The effect of sets and repetitions of the spirometer by flow in cardiorespiratory parameters

IntroductionThe incentive spirometer helps pulmonary ventilation and the cardiorespiratory changes of its use are controversial. ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of sets and repetitions on cardiorespiratory parameters using a spirometer alinear flow (SAF). The sample group consisted of 50 young people, healthy and sedentary. The evaluated parameters were: systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic (DBP), heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), oxygen saturation (SaO2), minute volume (VE), tidal volume (VT), vital capacity (VC), maximal inspiratory pressure (Pimax), maximal expiratory pressure (Pemax), and peak expiratory flow (PEF). The moments of study were: initial evaluations (M1); 3 sets of 10 repetitions using SAF (M2); 3 sets of 15 repetitions using SAF (M3); and final evaluation (M4). Statistical analysis was made by t test, ANOVA and Tukey test (p < 0.05). ResultSBP and HR decreased in M2 after the 2nd set. In the 3rd set, SBP and RR decreased. Comparing the initial and final variables in M2, SBP and RR decreased, and Pemax increased. After 1st set in M3, SBP and SaO2 decreased. The 2nd set: SBP, HR, RR, and SaO2 decreased. After the 3rd set: SBP, HR, SaO2, and RR decreased. Comparing the initial and final variables in M3, SBP, HR, RR decreased, and Pimax and Pemax increased. Comparing M4 to M1, Pimax, Pemax, and VC increased, and RR decreased. ConclusionThere are changes in cardiorespiratory parameters after the use of a spirometer alinear flow, especially in the sets with more repetitions.Introdução Os incentivadores respiratórios auxiliam na ventilação pulmonar e as modificações cardiorrespiratórias mediante seu uso ainda são discutidas. Objetivo Avaliar efeito das séries e repetições com uso do inspirômetro alinear a fluxo (IAF) nos parâmetros cardiorrespiratórios. Materiais e métodos A amostra foi composta de 50 jovens, saudáveis e sedentários. Os parâmetros avaliados foram: pressão arterial (PA), frequência de pulso (FP), frequência respiratória (FR), saturação (SatO2), volume minuto (VM), volume corrente (VC), capacidade vital (CV), pressão inspiratória (Pimáx), pressão expiratória (Pemáx) e fluxometria. Os momentos foram: avaliações inicial (M1); uso do IAF em 3 séries de 10 repetições (M2); 3 séries de 15 repetições (M3); avaliação final (M4). A análise estatística se deu pelo teste “t” de Student, ANOVA e Teste de Tukey (p < 0,05). Resultados No M2, após a 2ª série houve diminuição da PAS e FP; na 3ª série: diminuição da PAS e FR. Comparando as variáveis iniciais e finais do M2, houve diminuição da PAS e FR, e aumento da Pemáx. No M3, 1ª série, houve diminuição da PAS e SatO2. Na 2ª série: diminuição da PAS, FP, FR e SatO2. Após a 3ª série: diminuição da PAS, FP, SatO2 e FR. Comparando as variáveis iniciais e finais do M3, houve diminuição da PAS, FP, FR; aumento da Pimáx e Pemáx. Comparando M4 com M1, houve aumento da Pimáx e Pemáx, diminuição da FR e aumento da CV. Conclusão Há alterações nos parâmetros cardiorrespiratórios após utilização do IAF, principalmente nas séries com maiores repetições.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Unesp Faculdade de Medicina de BotucatuUniversidade do Sagrado CoraçãoUniversidade Estadual PaulistaUnesp Faculdade de Medicina de BotucatuUniversidade Estadual Paulist

Urban-rural disparities in smoking behaviour in Germany

BACKGROUND: It is currently not clear whether individuals living in metropolitan areas differ from individuals living in rural and urban areas with respect to smoking behaviours. Therefore, we sought to explore the relation between residential area and smoking behaviours in Germany. METHODS: We used a nationwide German census representative for the general population of Germany. A number of 181,324 subjects aged 10 years or older were included. Information on the average daily usage of cigarettes that have or had been smoked formerly or currently was available in subjects who have ever smoked. A daily consumption of more than 20 cigarettes was considered heavy smoking. Logistic regression analyses were performed sex-stratified and adjusted for relevant confounders. RESULTS: Analyses revealed inhabitants of metropolitan areas to be more likely current smokers than inhabitants of rural areas (odds ratio 1.56, 95%-confidence interval 1.51; 1.62). Among current and former smokers those who lived in urban communities had also increased odds for being heavy smokers than those who lived in rural communities. CONCLUSION: We conclude that living in an urban and particularly living in a metropolitan area is a determinant of both smoking and severity of current smoking. Tobacco control programs should recognize the difference in living conditions between rural and urban areas

Degree of urbanization and gender differences in substance use among Slovak adolescents

Substance use among adolescents varies with gender and between countries. Urbanization may contribute to this. The aim of our study is to explore the association between the degree of urbanization and gender differences in adolescent smoking, binge drinking, and cannabis use. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of Slovak adolescents was used (N = 3,493; mean age = 14.33), stratified by degree of urbanization. The effects of gender and urbanization of the area and their interaction on substance use (smoking, binge drinking, and cannabis) were analyzed using a logistic regression model adjusted for age. Gender and area and their interaction had statistically significant (p <0.01) associations with substance use. The lower the urbanization of the area, the less riskily females behaved. An exception was found in the case of binge drinking where the results of the interaction of gender and degree of urbanization were not significant for the second least urbanized area. Prevalence rate of substance use among girls increased along with an increasing degree of urbanization, while the prevalence rate of substance use among boys remained constant

The Glasgow Prognostic Score. An useful tool to predict survival in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

To evaluate the usefulness of the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) in patients with esophageal carcinoma (EC). A total of 50 patients with EC were analyzed for GPS, nutritional and clinicopathologic parameters. Patients with CRP ≤ 1.0mg/L and albumin ≥ 3.5mg/L were considered as GPS=0. Patients with only CRP increased or albumin decreased were classified as GPS=1 and patients with CRP > 1.0mg/L and albumin < 3.5mg/L were considered as GPS=2. GPS of 0, 1 and 2 were observed in seven, 23 and 20 patients, respectively. A significant inverse relationship was observed between GPS scores and the survival rate. The survival rate was greatest in patients with GPS= 0 and significantly higher than those from patients with GPS=1 and GPS=2. Minimum 12-month survival was observed in 71% patients with GPS=0 and in 30% patients with GPS=1. None of the patients with GPS=2 survived for 12 months. A significant relationship between CRP or albumin individually and the survival rate was observed. No significant relationship among nutritional, clinic pathological parameters and survival was found. Glasgow Prognostic Score is an useful tool to predict survival in patients with esophageal carcinoma.Universidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Cirurgia e Ortopedia, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucat

Insulin resistance in adolescents with Down syndrome: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is higher in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) than in the general population; it may be due to the high prevalence of obesity presented by many of them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the insulin resistance (IR) using the HOMA (Homeostasis Model Assessment) method, in DS adolescents, describing it according to the sex, body mass index (BMI) and pubertal development. METHODS: 15 adolescents with DS (8 males and 7 females) were studied, aged 10 to 18 years, without history of disease or use of medication that could change the suggested laboratory evaluation. On physical examination, the pubertal signs, acanthosis nigricans (AN), weight and height were evaluated. Fasting plasma glucose and insulin were analysed by the colorimetric method and RIA-kit LINCO, respectively. IR was calculated using the HOMA method. The patients were grouped into obese, overweight and normal, according to their BMI percentiles. The EPIINFO 2004 software was used to calculate the BMI, its percentile and Z score. RESULTS: Five patients were adults (Tanner V or presence of menarche), 9 pubertal (Tanner II – IV) and 1 prepubertal (Tanner I). No one had AN. Two were obese, 4 overweight and 9 normal. Considering the total number of patients, HOMA was 1.7 ± 1.0, insulin 9.3 ± 4.8 μU/ml and glucose 74.4 ± 14.8 mg/dl. The HOMA values were 2.0 ± 1.0 in females and 1.5 ± 1.0 in males. Considering the nutritional classification, the values of HOMA and insulin were: HOMA: 3.3 ± 0.6, 2.0 ± 1.1 and 1.3 ± 0.6, and insulin: 18.15 ± 1.6 μU/ml, 10.3 ± 3.5 μU/ml and 6.8 ± 2.8 μU/ml, in the obese, overweight and normal groups respectively. Considering puberty, the values of HOMA and insulin were: HOMA: 2.5 ± 1.3, 1.4 ± 0.6 and 0.8 ± 0.0, and insulin: 13.0 ± 5.8 μU/ml, 7.8 ± 2.9 μU/ml and 4.0 ± 0.0 μU/ml, in the adult, pubertal and prepubertal groups respectively. CONCLUSION: The obese and overweight, female and adult patients showed the highest values of HOMA and insulin

Sex Ratio at Birth and Mortality Rates Are Negatively Related in Humans

Evolutionary theory posits that resource availability and parental investment ability could signal offspring sex selection, in order to maximize reproductive returns. Non-human studies have provided evidence for this phenomenon, and maternal condition around the time of conception has been identified as most important factor that influence offspring sex selection. However, studies on humans have reported inconsistent results, mostly due to use of disparate measures as indicators of maternal condition. In the present study, the cross-cultural differences in human natal sex ratio were analyzed with respect to indirect measures of condition namely, life expectancy and mortality rate. Multiple regression modeling suggested that mortality rates have distinct predictive power independent of cross-cultural differences in fertility, wealth and latitude that were earlier shown to predict sex ratio at birth. These findings suggest that sex ratio variation in humans may relate to differences in parental and environmental conditions

Cardiac sodium channelopathies

Cardiac sodium channel are protein complexes that are expressed in the sarcolemma of cardiomyocytes to carry a large inward depolarizing current (INa) during phase 0 of the cardiac action potential. The importance of INa for normal cardiac electrical activity is reflected by the high incidence of arrhythmias in cardiac sodium channelopathies, i.e., arrhythmogenic diseases in patients with mutations in SCN5A, the gene responsible for the pore-forming ion-conducting α-subunit, or in genes that encode the ancillary β-subunits or regulatory proteins of the cardiac sodium channel. While clinical and genetic studies have laid the foundation for our understanding of cardiac sodium channelopathies by establishing links between arrhythmogenic diseases and mutations in genes that encode various subunits of the cardiac sodium channel, biophysical studies (particularly in heterologous expression systems and transgenic mouse models) have provided insights into the mechanisms by which INa dysfunction causes disease in such channelopathies. It is now recognized that mutations that increase INa delay cardiac repolarization, prolong action potential duration, and cause long QT syndrome, while mutations that reduce INa decrease cardiac excitability, reduce electrical conduction velocity, and induce Brugada syndrome, progressive cardiac conduction disease, sick sinus syndrome, or combinations thereof. Recently, mutation-induced INa dysfunction was also linked to dilated cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation, and sudden infant death syndrome. This review describes the structure and function of the cardiac sodium channel and its various subunits, summarizes major cardiac sodium channelopathies and the current knowledge concerning their genetic background and underlying molecular mechanisms, and discusses recent advances in the discovery of mutation-specific therapies in the management of these channelopathies