Mattress and pillow for prone positioning for treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea

Conclusion: The new mattress and pillow for prone positioning (MPP) is efficient in reducing the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) in most patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), with satisfactory compliance. Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the prone body and head sleep position on severity of disease in patients with OSA after 4 weeks of adaptation to a mattress and pillow facilitating prone positioning. Methods: Fourteen patients with mild to severe OSA, 11 men and 3 women with a mean AHI of 26 (min, 6; max, 53) and mean ODI of 21 (min, 6; max, 51) were evaluated. Two polysomnographic (PSG) studies were performed. The first PSG study was without any treatment and the second was after 4 weeks of adaptation to the MPP for prone positioning of the body and the head. Results: Mean AHI and ODI decreased from 26 and 21 to 8 and 7, respectively (p 4 h per night during the 4-week study.Acta Otolaryngologica Foundation, Swede

Forms of Structuralism: Bourbaki and the Philosophers

In this paper, we argue that, contrary to the view held by most philosophers of mathematics, Bourbaki’s technical conception of mathematical structuralism is relevant to philosophy of mathematics. In fact, we believe that Bourbaki has captured the core of any mathematical structuralism

Nutrition Risk Classification: A Reproducible and Valid Tool for Nurses

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141661/1/ncp0020.pd

The Association Between Self-Reported Symptoms of Recent Airway Infection and CRP Values in a General Population: The Tromsø Study: Tromsø 6

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a much used biomarker for respiratory tract infection; however, the influence of airway infection on the CRP level in the general population has not been well described. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of recent symptoms of airway infection on the CRP level and how the predictive power of other known CRP predictors is influenced by taking respiratory symptoms into account. A total of 6,325 participants, aged 38–87 years, in the Tromsø Study, a repeated population-based survey, were examined with questionnaires, measurements of height and weight, spirometry, and high-sensitivity CRP analyses. The mean CRP value was 2.86 mg/L, and the geometric mean was 1.51 mg/L. Geometric means above 2.0 mg/L were found in the subgroups with the following characteristics: self-reported COPD, diabetes, recent symptoms of airway infection, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) <80% predicted, body mass index (BMI) ≥30, and subjects treated with inhaled or oral corticosteroids. Among the subjects who reported recent airway infection, 10.5% had a CRP value of ≥10 mg/L, compared to 3.3% among the remaining participants. By multivariate analysis, BMI was the strongest independent predictor of the CRP level, followed by recent airway infection, FEV1% predicted, age, and current smoking. The study clearly demonstrates that a report of recent symptoms of airway infection strongly predicts the CRP level in the population. Such symptoms were shared rather equally between subgroups with increased CRP level, and the risk of being an important confounder in epidemiological studies is probably low. In the clinical setting, care should be taken when using the CRP level as a guide for medical prevention of chronic diseases

ArteFill® Permanent Injectable for Soft Tissue Augmentation: II. Indications and Applications

Patients ask for procedures with long-lasting effects. ArteFill is the first permanent injectable approved in 2006 by the FDA for nasolabial folds. It consists of cleaned microspheres of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) suspended in bovine collagen. Over the development period of 20 years most of its side effects have been eliminated to achieve the same safety standard as today’s hyaluronic acid products. A 5-year follow-up study in U.S. clinical trial patients has shown the same wrinkle improvement as seen at 6 months. Long-term follow-up in European Artecoll patients has shown successful wrinkle correction lasting up to 15 years. A wide variety of off-label indications and applications have been developed that help the physician meet the individual needs of his/her patients. Serious complications after ArteFill injections, such as granuloma formation, have not been reported due to the reduction of PMMA microspheres smaller than 20 μm to less than 1% “by the number.” Minor technique-related side effects, however, may occur during the initial learning curve. Patient and physician satisfaction with ArteFill has been shown to be greater than 90%

Hepatitis delta infection among persons living with HIV in Europe

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A high prevalence of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection, the most severe form of viral hepatitis, has been reported among persons living with HIV (PLWH) in Europe. We analysed data from a large HIV cohort collaboration to characterize HDV epidemiological trends across Europe, as well as its impact on clinical outcomes. METHODS: All PLWH with a positive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study and EuroSIDA between 1988 and 2019 were tested for anti-HDV antibodies and, if positive, for HDV RNA. Demographic and clinical characteristics at initiation of antiretroviral therapy were compared between HDV-positive and HDV-negative individuals using descriptive statistics. The associations between HDV infection and overall mortality, liver-related mortality as well as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were assessed using cumulative incidence plots and cause-specific multivariable Cox regression. RESULTS: Of 2793 HBsAg-positive participants, 1556 (56%) had stored serum available and were included. The prevalence of HDV coinfection was 15.2% (237/1556, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 13.5%–17.1%) and 66% (132/200) of HDV-positive individuals had active HDV replication. Among persons who inject drugs (PWID), the prevalence of HDV coinfection was 50.5% (182/360, 95% CI: 45.3%–55.7%), with similar estimates across Europe, compared to 4.7% (52/1109, 95% CI: 3.5%–5.9%) among other participants. During a median follow-up of 10.8 years (interquartile range 5.6–17.8), 82 (34.6%) HDV-positive and 265 (20.1%) HDV-negative individuals died. 41.5% (34/82) of deaths were liver-related in HDV-positive individuals compared to 17.7% (47/265) in HDV-negative individuals. HDV infection was associated with overall mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 1.6; 95% CI 1.2–2.1), liver-related death (2.9, 1.6–5.0) and HCC (6.3, 2.5–16.0). CONCLUSION: We found a very high prevalence of hepatitis delta among PWID across Europe. Among PLWH who do not inject drugs, the prevalence was similar to that reported from populations without HIV. HDV coinfection was associated with liver-related mortality and HCC incidence

Measurement of D s ^± production asymmetry in pp collisions at √s=7 and 8 TeV

The inclusive $D_s^{\pm}$ production asymmetry is measured in $pp$ collisions collected by the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of $\sqrt{s} =7$ and 8 TeV. Promptly produced $D_s^{\pm}$ mesons are used, which decay as $D_s^{\pm}\to\phi\pi^{\pm}$, with $\phi\to K^+K^-$. The measurement is performed in bins of transverse momentum, $p_{\rm T}$, and rapidity, $y$, covering the range $2.5<p_{\rm T}<25.0$ GeV$/c$ and $2.0<y<4.5$. No kinematic dependence is observed. Evidence of nonzero $D_s^{\pm}$ production asymmetry is found with a significance of 3.3 standard deviations.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2018-010.htm

Measurement of the Λb0→Λ(1520)μ+μ−\Lambda_{b}^{0}\to \Lambda(1520) \mu^{+}\mu^{-} differential branching fraction

The branching fraction of the rare decay $\Lambda_{b}^{0}\to \Lambda(1520) \mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ is measured for the first time, in the squared dimuon mass intervals, $q^2$, excluding the $J/\psi$ and $\psi(2S)$ regions. The data sample analyzed was collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of $9\ \mathrm{fb}^{-1}$. The result in the highest$q^{2}$interval,$q^{2} >15.0\ \mathrm{GeV}^2/c^4$, where theoretical predictions have the smallest model dependence, agrees with the predictions.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-050.html (LHCb public pages

Observation of the decay Λ _b ⁰ → ψ(2S)pπ⁻

International audienceThe Cabibbo-suppressed decay Λ$_{b}^{0}$  → ψ(2S)pπ$^{−}$ is observed for the first time using a data sample collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions corresponding to 1.0, 2.0 and 1.9 fb$^{−1}$ of integrated luminosity at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV, respectively. The ψ(2S) mesons are reconstructed in the μ$^{+}$μ$^{−}$ final state. The branching fraction with respect to that of the Λ$_{b}^{0}$  → ψ(2S)pK$^{−}$ decay mode is measured to b