Folic Acid and Taurine Alleviate the Impairment of Redox Status, Immunity, Rumen Microbial Composition and Fermentation of Lambs under Heat Stress

The aim of this study was to investigate if the supplementation of folic acid and taurine can relieve the adverse effects of different levels of heat stress (HS) on growth performance, physiological indices, antioxidative capacity, immunity, rumen fermentation and microbiota. A total of 24 Dorper × Hu crossbred lambs (27.51 ± 0.96 kg) were divided into four groups: control group (C, 25 °C), moderate HS group (MHS, 35 °C), severe HS group (SHS, 40 °C), and the treatment group, under severe HS (RHS, 40 °C, 4 and 40 mg/kg BW/d coated folic acid and taurine, respectively). Results showed that, compared with Group C, HS significantly decreased the ADG of lambs (p < 0.05), and the ADG in the RHS group was markedly higher than in the MHS and SHS group (p < 0.05). HS had significant detrimental effects on physiological indices, antioxidative indices and immune status on the 4th day (p < 0.05). The physiological indices, such as RR and ST, increased significantly (p < 0.05) with the HS level and were significantly decreased in the RHS group, compared to the SHS group (p < 0.05). HS induced the significant increase of MDA, TNF-α, and IL-β, and the decrease of T-AOC, SOD, GPx, IL-10, IL-13, IgA, IgG, and IgM (p < 0.05). However, there was a significant improvement in these indices after the supplementation of folic acid and taurine under HS. Moreover, there were a significant increase in Quinella and Succinivibrio, and an evident decrease of the genera Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and Asteroleplasma under HS (p < 0.05). The LEfSe analysis showed that the genera Butyrivibrio, Eubacterium_ventriosum_group, and f_Bifidobacteriaceae were enriched in the MHS, SHS and RHS groups, respectively. Correlated analysis indicated that the genus Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group was positively associated with MDA, while it was negatively involved in IL-10, IgA, IgM, and SOD (p < 0.05); The genus Anaeroplasma was positively associated with the propionate and valerate, while the genus Succinivibrio was negatively involved in TNF-α (p < 0.05). In conclusion, folic acid and taurine may alleviate the adverse effects of HS on antioxidant capacity, immunomodulation, and rumen fermentation of lambs by inducing changes in the microbiome that improve animal growth performance.

Causal relationship between physical activity and platelet traits: a Mendelian randomization study

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to discuss the causal relationship between physical activity and platelet traits. Methods: A dataset from a large-scale European physical activity and platelet traits was collected by using Mendelian randomization of the study. For the analysis, the inverse variance weighting method, weighted median and MR-Egger were used to estimate causal effects. The sensitivity analyses were also performed using Cochran's Q test, funnel plots and Leave-one-out analysis. Results: Light DIY, other exercises, strenuous sports, walking for pleasure were significantly associated with a decrease in platelet crit. But none of the heavy /light DIY was associated with increase in platelet crit. Other exercises and strenuous sports were associated with decrease in platelet count. Conclusion: Some types of physical activity have a causal relationship with platelet crit and platelet count. However, the types of physical activity we studied have not supported a causal relationship with mean platelet volume and platelet distribution width.

The Effect of Soundproof Headphones During Orthopedic Surgery Under Spinal Anesthesia on Patients' Physiological Indices and Duration of Recovery: A Randomized, Controlled, Clinical Trial

PURPOSE

With spinal anesthesia, the patient remains awake and may hear different noises when undergoing orthopedic surgery, and these noises may lead to some discomfort. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of wearing soundproof headphones during orthopedic surgery under spinal anesthesia on the patients' physiological indices and duration of recovery.

DESIGN

This was a randomized clinical trial with a control group.

METHODS

The sample included 184 patients selected through convenience sampling, who were then randomly allocated to the control and intervention groups. Data were collected by observation and by filling out a researcher-made checklist. Soundproof headphones were placed on the patients' ears during surgery in the intervention group, while the patients in the control group underwent surgery with no headphones. Physiological indices were measured at five time points, and the patients' length of stay in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) was also measured.

FINDINGS

The mean changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly lower in the intervention group (P < .02 and P < .005) at two of the time points. The mean changes in heart rate were also significantly lower in the intervention group (P < .003, P < .01) at four time points. The respiratory rate and oxygen saturation were both significantly higher in the intervention group (P < .001, P < .03, P < .002, P < .008) at four time points. The two groups also had significant differences (P = .004) in terms of the length of stay in the PACU, which was shorter in the intervention group.

CONCLUSIONS

Reducing the exposure to noise via soundproof headphones may improve patients' physiological indices in noisy orthopedic surgeries, and may also decrease their length of stay in the PACU. This method is recommended as an easy and applicable way to ameliorate the patients' experiences of this surgery.

Analysis of retinal and choroidal characteristics in patients with early diabetic retinopathy using WSS-OCTA

Introduction

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common and destructive microvascular complications of DM, and has become a major cause of irreversible visual impairment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in fundus microcirculation in non-diabetic retinopathy (NDR) and mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) in patients with type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) using widefield swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (WSSOCTA), and to investigate the correlation with laboratory indices of T2DM.

Methods

Eighty nine, 58 and 28 eyes were included in the NDR, NPDR and Control groups, respectively, were enrolled in this study. The 12mm×12mm fundus images obtained by WSS-OCTA were divided into 9 regions (supratemporal, ST; temporal, T; inferotemporal, IT; superior, S; central macular area, C; inferior, I; supranasal, SN; nasal, N; inferonasal, IN) to evaluate changes in vessel density (VD) of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), choriocapillaris, and mid-large choroidal vessel (MLCV), as well as changes in inner retinal thickness (IRT), outer retinal thickness (ORT), and choroidal thickness (CT). Results: Compared with control group, MLCV VD (I, N, IN) was significantly decreased in NDR group, SCP VD (IT, C, I) and DCP VD (T, IT, I) were significantly decreased in NPDR group. In NPDR group, DCP VD (IT) was significantly decreased compared with that in NDR group. Compared with control group, CT (ST, T, IT, S, SN, IN) was significantly declined in NDR group, and IRT (ST, IT) and ORT (ST, N) were significantly increased in NPDR group. In NPDR group, IRT (ST) and ORT (T, S) were significantly increased compared with NDR group. Correlation analysis showed that age, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, fasting C-peptide, and estimated glomerular filtration rate in T2DM patients were statistically correlated with retinal and choroidal thickness/VD.

Discussion

Structural and blood flow changes in the choroid occur before the onset of DR and precede changes in the retinal microcirculation, and MLCV thickness/VD is a more sensitive imaging biomarker for the clinical detection of DR. WSS-OCTA enables large-scale non-invasive visual screening and follow-up of the retinal and choroidal vasculature in DR patients, providing a new strategy for the prevention and monitoring of DR in patients with T2DM.

Stress-Adaptive Training: An Adaptive Psychomotor Training According to Stress Measured by Grip Force

Current training methods show advances in simulation technologies; however, most of them fail to account for changes in the physical or mental state of the trainee. An innovative training method, adaptive to the trainee's stress levels as measured by grip force, is described and inspected. It is compared with two standard training methods that ignore the trainee's state, either leaving the task's level of difficulty constant or increasing it over time. Fifty-two participants, divided into three test groups, performed a psychomotor training task. The performance level of the stress-adaptive group was higher than for both control groups, with a main effect of t = -2.12 (p = 0.039), while the training time was shorter than both control groups, with a main effect of t = 3.27 (p = 0.002). These results indicate that stress-adaptive training has the potential to improve training outcomes. Moreover, these results imply that grip force measurement has practical applications. Future studies may aid in the development of this training method and its outcomes.

Comprehensive Biochemical, Physiological, and Transcriptomic Analyses Provide Insights Into Floral Bud Dormancy in Rhododendron delavayi Franch

Due to a scarcity of relevant data, the ornamental woody flower Rhododendron delavayi Franch. is examined in the current study for its low temperature-induced floral bud dormancy (late October-end December) aspect. This study used transcriptome data profiling and co-expression network analyses to identify the interplay between endogenous hormones and bud dormancy phases such as pre-dormancy, para-dormancy, endo-dormancy, eco-dormancy, and dormancy release. The biochemical and physiological assays revealed the significance of the abundance of phytohormones (abscisic acid, auxin, zeatin, and gibberellins), carbohydrate metabolism, oxidative species, and proteins (soluble proteins, proline, and malondialdehyde) in the regulatory mechanism of floral bud dormancy. The transcriptome sequencing generated 65,531 transcripts, out of which 504, 514, 307, and 240 expressed transcripts were mapped uniquely to pre-, para-, endo-, and eco-phases of dormancy, showing their roles in the stimulation of dormancy. The transcripts related to LEA29, PGM, SAUR family, RPL9e, ATRX, FLOWERING LOCUS T, SERK1, ABFs, ASR2, and GID1 were identified as potential structural genes involved in floral bud dormancy. The transcription factors, including Zinc fingers, CAD, MADS-box family, MYB, and MYC2, revealed their potential regulatory roles concerning floral bud dormancy. The gene co-expression analysis highlighted essential hub genes involved in cold stress adaptations encoding proteins, viz, SERPIN, HMA, PMEI, LEA_2, TRX, PSBT, and AMAT. We exposed the connection among low temperature-induced dormancy in floral buds, differentially expressed genes, and hub genes via strict screening steps to escalate the confidence in selected genes as being truly putative in the pathways regulating bud dormancy mechanism. The identified candidate genes may prove worthy of further in-depth studies on molecular mechanisms involved in floral bud dormancy of Rhododendron species.

Identifying a Clinical Risk Triage Score for Adult Emergency Department

Emergency triage is crucial for the treatment and prognosis of emergency patients, but its validity needs further improvement. The purpose of this study was to identify a risk score for adult triage. We conducted a regression analysis of physiological and biochemical data from 1,522 adult patients. A 60-point triage scoring model included temperature, pulse, systolic blood pressure, oxygen saturation, consciousness, dyspnea, admission mode, syncope history, chest pain or chest tightness, complexion, hematochezia or hematemesis, hemoptysis, white blood count, creatinine, bicarbonate, platelets, and creatine kinase. The area under curve in predicting ICU admission was 0.929 (95% CI [0.913-0.944]) for the derivation cohort and 0.911 (95% CI [0.884-0.938]) for the validation cohort. Four categories: critical level (≥13 points), severe level (6-12 points), urgency level (1-5 points), and sub-acute level (0 points) were divided, which significantly distinguished the severity of emergency patients.

Using a novel paradigm to examine observational fear-learning across development

BACKGROUND

Fear-learning through observing others begins early in life. Yet, most observational fear-learning research has focused on adults. The current study used a novel developmentally appropriate observational fear conditioning paradigm to examine differences in observational fear-learning among children, adolescents, and adults.

METHOD

Thirty-six typically developing children, 41 typically developing adolescents, and 40 adults underwent differential observational fear conditioning followed by a direct exposure test. Skin conductance response (SCR) and self-reported fear were measured.

RESULTS

Successful differential observational fear-learning was demonstrated in all three age groups as indexed by SCR, yet developmental differences emerged. Children showed overall higher physiological arousal during acquisition compared to adolescents and adults. Additionally, children reported less differential fear and were less successful at reporting the conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus contingency compared to adolescents and adults. Finally, adolescents tended to overgeneralize their fear compared with adults.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to compare observational fear-learning among children, adolescents, and adults. The novel task effectively induced observational fear-learning, particularly among adolescents and adults. Findings revealed developmental differences that have both theoretical and clinical implications.

Comparison of the Effect of Massage and EMLA Cream on Children's Physiological Indices During Venipuncture: A Factorial Clinical Trial

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to identify the effect of massage, EMLA cream, and the combination of these two methods on changes in physiological indices because of pain caused by intravenous line insertion in preschool children.

DESIGN

A four-group randomized nonblinded clinical trial with factorial design.

METHODS

In total, 140 eligible 3- to 6-year-old children entered the study in Tabriz Children's Hospital in 2017 and were randomly allocated to four groups (EMLA cream, massage, combination of the two, and control). Physiological responses were measured before and immediately after interventions in all groups. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 19.

FINDINGS

Comparison of the physiological indices changes caused by pain between groups showed that changes in children's heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) in the EMLA group and in the combined-method group were statistically significant (P < .05). No significant differences were found in systolic blood pressure and oxygen saturation (SPo₂) between the four groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicated that EMLA cream was more effective than massage and a combination of EMLA and massage in reducing an increase in the HR and RR caused by pain in children. Massage alone was not effective in significantly lowering the children's increased physiological indices such as the HR and RR, and it seems the effectiveness of massage is more noticeable in conjunction with EMLA cream.

High-efficient utilization and uptake of N contribute to higher NUE of 'Qinguan' apple under drought and N-deficient conditions compared with 'Honeycrisp'

Drought and nitrogen (N) deficiency are common factors that limit apple production in the Loess Plateau region of China. Different apple cultivars respond to drought and low N differently; however, the mechanism that underlies the difference in nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) under drought conditions is not well understood. In this study, by comparing the physiological responses of two apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivars with contrasting NUE, 'Qinguan' (higher NUE) and 'Honeycrisp' (lower NUE), under low N and drought conditions, we discovered that, 'Qinguan' had larger stomatal apertures, higher chlorophyll fluorescence levels, more active N metabolism and antioxidant enzymes, higher abscisic acid and auxin concentrations, larger root size and more efficient N uptake mediated by higher expression of MdNRT2.4 in rootstock than that of 'Honeycrisp'. Additionally, we experimentally confirmed that MdNRT2.4 enhanced low N and osmotic stress tolerance in Arabidopsis when being overexpressed. Taken together, our findings shed light on the mechanism that underlies the difference in NUE of apple under drought and N-deficient conditionss and provide MdNRT2.4 as a candidate gene for future genetic engineering.

Assessment of Cucumber Genotypes for Salt Tolerance Based on Germination and Physiological Indices

Soil salinity is one of the primary problem for agricultural crops which causes a great loss in crop production in Pakistan and worldwide. Various approaches have been implemented to overcome salinity problem. Assembly of crops for the enhancement of salt tolerance is a good strategy to achieve cost-effective yields. Cucumber is considered as one of the leading vegetable crop around the world for the nourishment of human being as source of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Screening of 12 cucumber genotypes using some physiological indices, that is, seedling germination stress tolerance index, plant height stress tolerance index, root length stress tolerance index, shoot and root dry weight stress tolerance index, and shoot and root fresh weight stress tolerance index were performed for the identification of salt tolerance. Using the above characteristics genotypes, Valley and HC-999 were categorized as tolerant, Safaa and Debra as medium tolerant, while Thamin-II identified as medium sensitive and NSC-CM1 and Akbar are classified as sensitive genotypes of cucumber. According to the current study findings, the screened cucumber genotypes for salinity tolerance can also be suggested to farmers for the improved production and yield of crop at saline soil.

Evaluation of Warming Effectiveness on Physiological Indices of Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

PURPOSE

The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of warming on physiological indices of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

DESIGN

The study was a three-group randomized controlled clinical trial.

METHODS

In the present study, 96 patients were assigned to three groups: forced-air warming system group; warmed intravenous fluid group; and control group. The intervention was performed immediately after the anesthesia induction. Physiological indices (core body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate) were evaluated at 15-minute intervals, and postoperative shivering was also recorded.

FINDINGS

The mean systolic blood pressure and the mean heart rate were significantly different in each warming group before, during, and after surgery, but the three groups had no significant differences in terms of physiological indices at any time (P > .05). Postoperative shivering was not seen in any group.

CONCLUSIONS

Both interventions had similar effects on physiological indices. Therefore, the recommendation is to use the warming method according to patient's other conditions.

The effect of kangaroo mother care on physiological parameters of premature infants in Hamadan City, Iran

Introduction

Breast-feeding and being with mother have positive effects on the preterm infant's health status. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) on physiological parameters of premature infants in Fatemiyeh Hospital in Hamadan in 2016.

Methods

This was a quasi-experimental study. One hundred newborns who were admitted to in neonatal intensive care unit of Fatemiyeh Hospital in Hamadan city, Iran were selected by convenience sampling. They were randomly divided into two groups (experimental group, n = 50 and control group, n = 50). In the experimental group, newborns were taken daily KMC for an hour during 7 days. In the control group, routine care was performed in the incubator. The data gathering tool was questionnaire of infants and mother characteristics, checklists of vital signs and oxygen saturation. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 19 software using descriptive and inferential statistics (Independent t -test, Paired t-test, Chi-square, ANOVA).

Results

Before intervention, there was no significant difference between the physiological parameters of the infants (heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial blood oxygen saturation and temperature) in experimental and control groups. However, after intervention, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of physiological indices (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The findings of this study indicate the effect of KMC on enhancement of physiological indices. Therefore, it is recommended that KMC is taken as one of the routine care of premature infants.

Effects of Curcuma longa rhizome powder on egg quality, performance and some physiological indices of laying hens fed different levels of metabolizable energy

BACKGROUND

High-energy diets of laying hens may improve roductive performance, although some negative effects may also appear with respect to egg quality and physiological parameters. Curcuma longa rhizome powder (CRP) has beneficial effects on health indices of the birds through antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, especially when the birds experience nutritional stress.

RESULTS

Increasing dietary CRP enhanced egg quality by improving eggshell thickness and hardness but decreasing yolk cholesterol content (P < 0.05). The best feed conversion ratio was obtained in birds fed high-apparent metabolizable energy (AME) diets supplemented with 2.0 g kg^-1 CRP (P < 0.05). Although increasing dietary AME elevated the serum concentration of triglycerides (P < 0.05) and enzymatic activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase (P < 0.05), dietary inclusion of CRP alleviates the blood levels of these enzymes (P < 0.01). Low level of dietary CRP boosted the immune responses to Newcastle virus (P < 0.01) and sheep red blood cells (P < 0.05) antigens but decreased the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (P < 0.05). Inclusion of at least 2.0 g kg^-1 CRP in the diet of laying decreased Escherichia coli enumerations in the ileal content (P < 0.01) and improved villus height, crypt depth and goblet cell numbers (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

An improvement in the productive performance of laying hens fed high-energy diets might be associated with decreasing health indices and product quality, which could potentially be amended by nutritional modifications such as incorporating medicinal herbs in the feed. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Proteomic analysis of salt-responsive proteins in oat roots (Avena sativa L.)

BACKGROUND

Oat is considered as a moderately salt-tolerant crop that could be used to improve saline and alkaline soil. Previous studies have focused on short-term salt stress exposure (0.5-48 h), while molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance in oat remain unclear.

RESULTS

Long-term salt stress (16 days) increased the levels of superoxide dismutase activity, peroxidase activity, malondialdehyde content, putrescine content, spermidine content and soluble sugar content and reduced catalase activity in oat roots. The stress also caused changes in protein profiles in the roots. At least 1400 reproducible protein spots were identified in a two-dimensional electrophoresis gel, among which 23 were differentially expressed between treated vs control plants and 13 were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

CONCLUSION

These differentially expressed proteins are involved in five types of biological process: (1) two fructose-bisphosphate aldolases, four alcohol dehydrogenases, an enolase, a UDP-glucuronic acid decarboxylase and an F1-ATPase alpha subunit related to carbohydrate and energy metabolism; (2) a choline monooxygenase related to stress and defense; (3) a lipase related to fat metabolism; (4) a polyubiquitin related to protein degradation; (5) a 14-3-3 protein related to signaling. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Shaping physiological indices, swimming technique, and their influence on 200m breaststroke race in young swimmers

The aim of this study was to investigate somatic properties and physiological capacity, and analyze kinematic parameters in the 200 m breaststroke swimming race. Twenty-seven male swimmers participated in the study. They were 15.7±1.98 years old. Their average height was 1.80 ± 0.02 m and lean body mass (LBM) was 62.45 ± 8.29 kg. Physiological exercise capacity was measured in two separate 90 sec. all-out tests, one for the arms and second for legs. During the tests total work of arm cranking (TWAR) and cycling (TWLG) as well as peak of VO2 for arm (VO2peakAR) and leg (VO2peakLG) were measured. The underwater swimmers body movements were recorded during the all-out swimming 200m breaststroke speed test using an underwater camera installed on a portable trolley. The swimming kinematic parameters and propulsive or non-propulsive movement phases of the arms and legs as well as average speed (V200), surface speed (V200surface) and swimming speed in turn zones (V200turns) were extracted. V200surface was significantly related to the percentage of leg propulsion and was shown to have large effect on VO2peakLG in the Cohen analysis. V200turns depended significantly on the indicators of physiological performance and body structure: TWAR, VO2peak LG and LBM, LBM, which in turn strongly determined the measured results of TWAR, TWLG, VO2peakAR and VO2peakLG. The V200turns and V200surface were strongly associated with V200, 0.92, p < 0.001 and 0.91, p < 0.001 respectively. In each lap of the 200m swimming there was an increased percentage of propulsion of limb movement observed simultaneously with a reduction in the gliding phase in the breaststroke cycles. Key pointsThis study investigated the influence of the selected indicators of somatic properties and physiological capacity as well kinematic and coordination parameters on breaststroke swimming.In this observations the body's functional capacity have an important impact on achieving good breaststroke swimming results, the V200 was moderately associated on VO2peakLG, moreover, separate V200turns depended with VO2peakLG and on LBM and TWAR.The speed of surface breaststroke swimming - V200surface similarly as V200turns had a very strong influence on the end result of V200 , 0.91, p<0.001 and 0.92, p<0.001 respectively.The ability to swim fast on the surface (V200surface) was positively and significantly associated with the percentage time of propulsion generation -LP in the breaststroke cycle.

Rapid heartbeat, but dry palms: reactions of heart rate and skin conductance levels to social rejection

Background: Social rejection elicits negative mood, emotional distress, and neural activity in networks that are associated with physical pain. However, studies assessing physiological reactions to social rejection are rare and results of these studies were found to be ambiguous. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine and specify physiological effects of social rejection.

Methods: Participants (n = 50) were assigned to either a social exclusion or inclusion condition of a virtual ball-tossing game (Cyberball). Immediate and delayed physiological [skin conductance level (SCL) and heart rate] reactions were recorded. In addition, subjects reported levels of affect, emotional states, and fundamental needs.

Results: Subjects who were socially rejected showed increased heart rates. However, social rejection had no effect on subjects' SCLs. Both conditions showed heightened arousal on this measurement. Furthermore, psychological consequences of social rejection indicated the validity of the paradigm.

Conclusions: Our results reveal that social rejection evokes an immediate physiological reaction. Accelerated heart rates indicate that behavior activation rather than inhibition is associated with socially threatening events. In addition, results revealed gender-specific response patterns suggesting that sample characteristics such as differences in gender may account for ambiguous findings of physiological reactions to social rejection.

The trauma of peer abuse: effects of relational peer victimization and social anxiety disorder on physiological and affective reactions to social exclusion

BACKGROUND

Social exclusion elicits emotional distress, negative mood, and physiological stress. Recent studies showed that these effects were more intense and persisting in socially anxious subjects. The present study examined whether the abnormal reactions of socially anxious subjects can be traced back to previous experiences of relational peer victimization during childhood and adolescence.

METHODS

Participants (N = 74) were patients with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder as well as healthy controls. The patient and control groups were subdivided into two subgroups according to the subject's reports about previous relational peer victimization. Immediate and delayed physiological (skin conductance level and heart rate) and affective reactions to a simulated social exclusion in a ball-toss game (Cyberball) were recorded.

RESULTS

Overall, subjects' immediate reactions to social exclusion were an increase in skin conductance and a reduction of positive affect. Regardless of the diagnostic status, subjects with a history of relational peer victimization showed a more intense self-reported affective change that was accompanied by a blunted skin conductance response. However, the mood of the subjects with a history of peer victimization recovered during a 15 min waiting period. A diagnosis of social anxiety disorder did not affect the reactions to social exclusion on any measure.

CONCLUSION

Findings indicate that stress reactions to social exclusion depend more on previous experiences of peer victimization than on a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder. The findings indicate that memories of negative social experiences can determine the initial stress reaction to social threats.

Comparison of the effects of two levels of negative pressure in open endotracheal tube suction on the physiological indices among patients in intensive care units

BACKGROUND

Most of the patients admitted in the intensive care units (ICUs) require an endotracheal tube and mechanical ventilation. In order to clear and maintain patency of the airways, endotracheal suctioning is required. Therefore, the least detrimental way of endotracheal tube suctioning which can diminish the complications should be selected. The present study aimed to compare the effect of two levels of negative pressure (100 mmHg and 200 mmHg) in open endotracheal tube suction on the physiological indices among patients in the ICUs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this single-blind clinical trial, 60 patients meeting the inclusion criteria were selected by convenience sampling and randomly allocated in two groups. First group of patients were suctioned with negative pressure of 100 mmHg and the second group with 200 mmHg. Effects of two levels of suction pressure on oxygen saturation (SPO2) and heart rate (HR) values were measured and recorded at four time points. Repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA), Chi-square test, and independent t-test were adopted to analyze the data.

RESULTS

In the two groups consisting of totally 60 subjects (30 in each group), 34 subjects were males and 26 were females, with a mean age of 60.63 years (minimum 18 years and maximum 75 years). Repeated measure ANOVA showed a significant difference in the mean SpO2 and HR before, during, and 5 and 20 min after suction within each group (P < 0.05), but not between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study revealed that with regard to the detrimental effect of endotracheal tube suctioning on arterial oxygen saturation and HR, suctioning with negative pressure of 200 mmHg is considered to be a low-risk procedure compared to suctioning with negative pressure of 100 mmHg, if standard procedures in open suction system are followed.

Insights on aging and exceptional longevity from longitudinal data: novel findings from the Framingham Heart Study

Age trajectories of physiological indices contain important information about aging-related changes in the human organism and therefore may help us understand human longevity. The goal of this study is to investigate whether shapes of such trajectories earlier in life affect the residual life span distribution. We used longitudinal limited access data from seven physiological indices and life spans of respective individuals collected in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS). These include: diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), body mass index (BMI), serum cholesterol (SCH), blood glucose (BG), hematocrit (HC), and pulse rate (PR). We developed a method for assigning individuals to groups of potentially long-lived (PLL) and potentially medium-lived (PML) groups using age trajectories of physiological indices at the age interval between 40 and 60 years. The analysis shows that the longevity of individuals who survived to age of 65 depends on the behavior of the physiological indices between 40 and 60 years of age.