Voigtstrand7481

Aging is accompanied by a progressive decline of muscle mass and strength and also higher levels of circulating cytokines such as growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15). Studies evaluating the association of GDF15 with muscle mass and strength are rare. In this analysis, we investigated GDF15 concentrations and their relationship with muscle mass and strength in older men compared with women. GDF15 serum concentrations were measured in 103 (60 years and older) hospital patients and an age-matched control group with an immunosorbent assay. Skeletal muscle mass was determined with the bioelectrical impedance analysis. Grip strength and knee extension strength were assessed and normalized for height. Associations between GDF15 concentrations and muscle mass and strength were evaluated with general linear models. Male patients showed higher levels of GDF15 compared with female patients (p = 0.021). Elevated GDF15 concentrations were associated with lower measures of muscle mass, exclusively in men, after adjustment for age and number of drugs per day. Our results indicate sex differences between associations of GDF15 with muscle mass and strength parameters in a cohort of older hospital patients.In 2012, Pocock and colleagues proposed the win ratio (WR) statistics for the analysis of controlled clinical trials with a composite endpoint. This approach takes into account clinical priorities among multiple components of the composite. Subjects in the test group are compared with subjects in the control group in all possible pairwise comparisons. The WR is calculated as the number of "winners" divided by the number of "losers" in the test group. The WR statistic is intuitive; however, it is not clear how it should be applied when the number of ties is substantial. To handle the ties, Dong et al. recently introduced the win odds (WO) statistics, which assigns 50% of the ties to both the numerator and the denominator of the WR statistic. In this work, we discuss the WO in the design of a Non-Inferiority (NI) trial with a composite endpoint, as ties in NI trials may reflect comparable treatment effect and the number of ties may be substantial. We extend the large sample inference for the WR to the WO and demonstrate the utility of the WO in the design of NI trials through simulations.Introduction Autologous bone grafting or various bone-regenerating materials are used to treat bone defects caused by tumor resection and accident trauma. Octacalcium phosphate, a reasonable bone regenerative material, activates osteoblasts. We fabricated a composite material, octacalcium phosphate/weakly denatured collagen, as a new scaffold. We aimed to investigate the osteoregenerative effect of the octacalcium phosphate/weakly denatured collagen scaffold (compared with that of weakly denatured collagen) in skull defects in a canine model. Methods Atelocollagen was extracted from porcine skin via pepsin treatment. The weakly denatured collagen scaffold was fabricated with a freeze-dried and thermally crosslinked atelocollagen suspension at pH 7.4. Octacalcium phosphate was synthesized using Ca-acetate and NaH2PO4. Octacalcium phosphate particles (diameter, 199-298 µm) were mixed with a collagen matrix to fabricate an octacalcium phosphate/weakly denatured collagen scaffold. Bilateral defects (diameter, 10 mm; full-thickness) were induced in dog skulls, and the octacalcium phosphate/weakly denatured collagen and weakly denatured collagen scaffolds were implanted into the defects. Results Eight weeks after implantations, bone regeneration was evaluated via histopathological analysis. It revealed osteoblast infiltration and osteoregeneration in all defects treated with the octacalcium phosphate/weakly denatured collagen scaffold. GSK2636771 molecular weight The defects treated with weakly denatured collagen scaffold or without any scaffold mostly contained connective tissue, with no neo-osteogenesis. Discussion The novel octacalcium phosphate/weakly denatured collagen scaffold better promotes osteoregeneration than the weakly denatured collagen scaffold; this "in situ tissue engineering" approach is potentially clinically applicable for bone reconstruction.Purpose We aimed to study eye injuries and their risk factors among workers at small-scale industrial enterprises. Methods Cross-sectional descriptive study. Five hundred workers at small-scale industrial enterprises in Al-Ain City, United Arab Emirates were included. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data by direct interviews during the period of October 2018 through June 2019. The outcome measures included self-reported eye injuries, risk factors, and outcomes in the past 12 months. The study adhered to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. Results One-hundred seventy-five (35%) workers reported eye injury, 25 (14.3%) had recurrent injuries. Twenty-five (15%) received treatment for eye injury. Five percent were hospitalized. Workers who had an eye injury were less educated compared with those who did not (p less then .0001), received less safety training (p less then .0001), had less work experience (p less then .0001), used more spectacle correction glasses (p less then .0001), and had less usage of the safety eye goggles and safety eyeglasses (p less then .0001) compared with those who had no eye injury. Arc welding (76; 43.4%), chipping (25; 14.3%), and drilling (24; 13.7%) were associated with high risk for eye injury. Twenty-eight percent of eye injuries occurred to observers or working assistants. Conclusions This study has shown a high percentage of eye injury incidents among workers at small-scale industrial enterprises. This was associated with low usage of the safety eye goggles and glasses. Arc welding posed significant risks for eye injury. This information is useful for safety promotion and development of work-related eye injury prevention legislations.Introduction A device that may help attenuate the amount of homologous blood product given to pediatric cardiac surgical patients is the autotransfusion device. Three separate autotransfusion devices were selected for evaluation. The Sorin Xtra, Fresenius Continuous Autotransfusion System Plus (CATS*plus), and the Fresenius Continuous Autotransfusion System Smart (CATSmart) were evaluated based on the mechanical processes of each device, hematocrit value of the salvaged packed red cell product, time of processing, and the advantageous accessories with each device. Methods Each of the autotransfusion devices were used to collect salvageable blood from the surgical field as well as to process residual blood from the cardiopulmonary bypass circuit after decannulation. The cell salvage process was performed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions for use and the recommended settings for processing and washing. The Sorin Xtra device had the 55 mL bowl set up for all cases, while the Fresenius continuous autotransfusion systems utilized the standard disposable for each device.