Eating in the city: Experimental effect of anthropogenic food resources on the body condition, nutritional status, and oxidative stress of an urban bioindicator passerine.

Urban areas provide a constant and predictable supply of anthropogenic processed food. The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus Linnaeus, 1758), a declining urban bioindicator species, has recently been reported to have a high level of oxidative stress, with urban diet or pollutants proposed as the potential cause. In this study, we aimed to experimentally determine the effects of two urban trophic resource types (bar snack food leftovers and pet food) on sparrows' physical condition, plasma biochemical nutritional parameters, and blood oxidative status in captivity.

Accuracy of Emergency Department Chest Pain Patients' Reporting of Coronary Disease History.

Introduction: History is an important component of emergency department risk stratification for chest pain patients. We hypothesized that a significant portion of patients would not be able to accurately report their history of coronary artery disease (CAD) and diagnostic testing.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled a convenience sample of a cohort of adult ED patients with a chief complaint of chest pain.

A prospective study to compare serial changes in pain scores for patients with and without a history of frequent ED utilization.

Background: In the face of the opiate addiction epidemic, there is a paucity of research that evaluates limitations for our current pain rating methodologies for patient populations at risk for drug seeking behavior.

Objective: We hypothesized that VAS scores would be higher and show less serial improvement for patients with a history of frequent ED use.

Methods: This was a prospective, observational cohort study of a convenience sample of adult ED patients with chief complaint of pain.

The Influence of Cervical Collar Immobilization on Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter.

Background: Prior research has revealed that cervical collars elevate intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients with traumatic brain injury. Two recent small studies evaluated the change in optic sheath nerve diameter (ONSD) measured by ultrasound as a proxy for ICP following cervical collar placement in healthy volunteers.

Objective: We sought to validate the finding that ONSD measured by ultrasound increases after cervical collar placement within an independent data set.

Does Hyperglycemia Affect Risk of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter-Related Upper Extremity Venous Thrombosis?

It is not clear whether blood glucose (BG) affects the risk of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)-related upper extremity venous thrombosis (PRUEVT). A case-control study was conducted comparing patients with PRUEVT versus patients with PICCs who did not develop PRUEVT. BG on admission was significantly higher among cases with PRUEVT than controls.

Development and validation of a tool to assess knowledge of healthy lifestyles in early grade school children.

Objective: Healthy habits during childhood has been of prime importance. We aimed to gather baseline information about health habits from children in kindergarten and first grade (typically ages 5-7). Our objectives were to validate the questionnaire in assessing health habits, as well as the electronic audience response system, iClicker (MPS, Gordonsville, VA), in this age group.

Efficacy and safety of direct antiviral agents in a cohort of cirrhotic HCV/HIV-coinfected patients.

Background: New direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) have shown great efficacy and tolerability in clinical trials and real-life cohorts. However, data are scarce regarding efficacy and safety in cirrhotic HCV/HIV-coinfected patients.

Methods: A multicentre prospective analysis was performed in 13 Spanish hospitals, including all cirrhotic HCV/HIV-coinfected patients starting DAA combinations from January to December 2015.

Increased door to admission time is associated with prolonged throughput for ED patients discharged home.

Background: Emergency Department (ED) service evaluations are typically based on surveys of discharged patients. Physicians/administrators benefit from data that quantifies system-based factors that adversely impact the experience of those who represent the survey cohort.

Objective: While investigators have established that admitted patient boarding impacts overall ED throughput times, we sought to specifically quantify the relationship between throughput times for patients admitted (EDLOS) versus discharged home from the ED (DCLOS).

Are patients who call a primary care office referred to the emergency department by non-healthcare personnel without the input of a physician?

Objective. We hypothesized that a significant percentage of patients who are referred to the Emergency Department (ED) after calling their primary care physician's (PCP) office receive such instructions without the input of a physician. Methods.

Potential impact of co-payment at point of care to influence emergency department utilization.

Background. Many proponents for healthcare reform suggest increased cost-sharing by patients as a method to reduce overall expenditures. Prior studies on the effects of co-payments for ED visits have generally not been directed toward understanding patient attitudes/behavior at point of care.

Patient understanding of radiation risk from medical computed tomography-A comparison of Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic emergency department populations.

Background. Cultural differences and language barriers may adversely impact patients with respect to understanding the risks/benefits of medical testing. Objective.

Efficacy and tolerability after 24 weeks of treatment with telaprevir, pegylated interferon and ribavirin in cirrhotic HIV-HCV coinfected subjects.

Efficacy and tolerability of telaprevir, pegylated interferon and ribavirin combination was assessed in 32 cirrhotic genotype 1 hepatitis C (HCV)-HIV coinfected patients. Undetectability of HCV-RNA was observed in 23/32 (71.9%) patients after 24 weeks.

Drug-related visits to the emergency department in a Spanish university hospital.

Background: Negative outcomes of medications (NOMs) are a major public health problem that impact on patients' quality of life. As many NOMs are avoidable, it is necessary to determine their causes in each health setting in order to plan preventive strategies.

Objective: The aims of this study were to assess the frequency, type, severity, and preventability of NOMs that result in emergency department visits, to identify the main medications involved, and to determine factors associated with their development in a general hospital in Spain.

Photosynthesis down-regulation precedes carbohydrate accumulation under sink limitation in Citrus.

Photosynthesis down-regulation due to an imbalance between sources and sinks in Citrus leaves could be mediated by excessive accumulation of carbohydrates. However, there is limited understanding of the physiological role of soluble and insoluble carbohydrates in photosynthesis regulation and the elements triggering the down-regulation process. In this work, the role of non-structural carbohydrates in the regulation of photosynthesis under a broad spectrum of source-sink relationships has been investigated in the Salustiana sweet orange.

Vitamin E action on oxidative state, endothelial function and morphology in long-term myocardial preservation.

This study assesses the effects of a vitamin E analogue, Trolox, on the oxidative state, endothelial function and morphology in experimental heart transplantation. Heterotopic heart transplantation was carried out in pigs: untreated after 2 and 24 hours of ischemia and treated with Trolox after 24 hours of ischemia. Prolonged preservation of donor hearts was achieved with continuous perfusion and University of Wisconsin solution, in which acid-base balance and enzymes were determined during the procedure.

Bacillus subtilis FZB24 affects flower quantity and quality of saffron (Crocus sativus).

The effect of Bacillus subtilis FZB24 on saffron ( Crocus sativus L.) was studied using saffron corms from Spain and the powdered form of B. SUBTILIS FZB24(R).

Discrete Laplacian recordings of the electroenterogram from abdominal surface in humans.

The first aim of this study was to obtain the discrete Laplacian of the myoelectric small intestine signal (electroenterogram, EEnG) from bipolar recordings on the abdominal surface in humans. In addition, the objective was to identify the slow wave (SW) component of the EEnG in the estimated Laplacian, as well as to compare this signal with the bipolar surface recordings. It was carried out 8 recording sessions in 6 healthy volunteers.

Signal noise ratio of small intestine myoelectrical signal recorded from external surface.

Electroenterogram (EEnG), which is the myoelectrical activity of the small bowel, can be non-invasively recorded from abdominal external surface. However, this bioelectrical signal is weak and noisy compared to internal recording from bowel serous layers, because of bioelectric transmission through abdominal layers. Furthermore, it is contaminated with several interferences from other biological activities as cardiac muscle (ECG), skeletal muscles (EMG), or respiration movements.

[Ischemia-reperfusion injury during experimental heart transplantation. Evaluation of trimetazidine's cytoprotective effect].

Introduction And Objectives: The objectives of this study were to analyze the ischemia-reperfusion injury due to free radicals that occurs during heart transplantation and to determine the potential cytoprotective effect of trimetazidine.

Material And Method: A total of 21 orthotopic heart transplantations were performed in pigs. We divided the experimental animals into 2 groups: in group A (n=11),standard myocardial protection was used; in group B (n=10), trimetazidine was added to the cardioplegic solution used to protect the donor heart and to the solution administered to the recipient prior to release of the aortic clamp (trimetazidine, 10(-5) mol/L), and recipients were pretreated with trimetazidine, 2.

Ultrastructural characteristics of distal duodenum mucosa in patients with cirrhosis.

Objectives: Morphological abnormalities observed by light microscopy, such as oedema or vasodilatation, have been described in intestinal mucosa of patients with cirrhosis, but no information is available regarding the ultrastructural characteristics of the intestinal epithelial layer. The aim of this observational study was to investigate the ultrastructural characteristics of the intestinal epithelial layer of duodenum mucosa in patients with cirrhosis.

Methods: Six patients with advanced cirrhosis and six control patients without liver disease were included in the study.