Acupuncture and Kinesitherapy Improve Physical Activity More than Kinesitherapy Alone in Patients with Acute Decompensated Chronic Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction Who Are Already on Optimal Drug Therapy: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Double-Blind Clinical Study.

: It is unknown how early exercise therapy combined with acupuncture (AP) affects the speed of recovery in patients suffering from heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who are hospitalized due to worsening HF. : A prospective, sham-procedure-controlled, double-blind, randomized clinical trial with three patient groups was conducted. The study included patients with HFrEF who were hospitalized for worsening HF.

Multimodal data for behavioural authentication in Internet of Things environments.

Identifying humans based on their behavioural patterns represents an attractive basis for access control as such patterns appear naturally, do not require a focused effort from the user side, and do not impose the additional burden of memorising passwords. One means of capturing behavioural patterns is through passive sensors laid out in a target environment. Thanks to the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), sensing devices are already embedded in our everyday surroundings and represent a rich source of multimodal data.

Image sensors using thin-film absorbers.

Image sensors are must-have components of most consumer electronics devices. They enable portable camera systems, which find their way into billions of devices annually. Such high volumes are possible thanks to the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) platform, leveraging wafer-scale manufacturing.

Interface-Engineered Organic Near-Infrared Photodetector for Imaging Applications.

We report a high-speed low dark current near-infrared (NIR) organic photodetector (OPD) on a silicon substrate with amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) as the electron transport layer (ETL). In-depth understanding of the origin of dark current is obtained using an elaborate set of characterization techniques, including temperature-dependent current-voltage measurements, current-based deep-level transient spectroscopy (Q-DLTS), and transient photovoltage decay measurements. These characterization results are complemented by energy band structures deduced from ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy.

Context-aware adaptation of mobile video decoding resolution.

While the evolution of mobile computing is experiencing considerable growth, it is at the same time seriously threatened by the limitations of battery technology, which does not keep pace with the evergrowing increase in energy requirements of mobile applications. Yet, with the limits of human perception and the diversity of requirements that individuals may have, a question arises of whether the effort should be made to always deliver the highest quality result to a mobile user? In this work we investigate how a user's physical activity, the spatial/temporal properties of the video, and the user's personality traits interact and jointly influence the minimal acceptable playback resolution. We conduct two studies with 45 participants in total and find out that the minimal acceptable resolution indeed varies across different contextual factors.

Can Personalization Persuade? Study of Notification Adaptation in Mobile Behavior Change Intervention Application.

The growing ubiquity of smartphones and the ease of creating and distributing applications render the mobile platform an attractive means for facilitating positive behavior change at scale. Within the smartphone as a behavior change support system, mobile notifications play a critical role as they enable timely and relevant information distribution. In this paper we describe our preliminary investigation of the persuasiveness of mobile notifications delivered within a real-world behavior change intervention mobile app, which enabled users to set goals and define tasks related to those goals.

Colloidal III-V Quantum Dot Photodiodes for Short-Wave Infrared Photodetection.

Short-wave infrared (SWIR) image sensors based on colloidal quantum dots (QDs) are characterized by low cost, small pixel pitch, and spectral tunability. Adoption of QD-SWIR imagers is, however, hampered by a reliance on restricted elements such as Pb and Hg. Here, QD photodiodes, the central element of a QD image sensor, made from non-restricted In(As,P) QDs that operate at wavelengths up to 1400 nm are demonstrated.

Correction: The Effect of Timing and Frequency of Push Notifications on Usage of a Smartphone-Based Stress Management Intervention: An Exploratory Trial.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

How common is Balkan endemic nephropathy among immigrants in endemic regions?

Purpose: In the early 1970s, a number of authors described the development of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) in immigrants in endemic regions. The aim of this study was to examine whether immigrants in endemic regions are suffering from BEN today.

Methods: The study involved 193 residents of two endemic regions divided into three groups: two groups of native residents-(1) members of BEN families, (2) members of non-BEN families, and (3) immigrants, who had moved from non-affected settlements to the endemic regions of Kolubara (38 years ago) or Semberia (20 years ago).

The Effect of Timing and Frequency of Push Notifications on Usage of a Smartphone-Based Stress Management Intervention: An Exploratory Trial.

Unlabelled: Push notifications offer a promising strategy for enhancing engagement with smartphone-based health interventions. Intelligent sensor-driven machine learning models may improve the timeliness of notifications by adapting delivery to a user's current context (e.g.

Erosion rate study at the Allchar deposit (Macedonia) based on radioactive and stable cosmogenic nuclides (Al, Cl, He, and Ne).

This paper focuses on constraining the erosion rate in the area of the Allchar Sb-As-Tl-Au deposit (Macedonia). It contains the largest known reserves of lorandite (TlAsS), which is essential for the LORanditeEXperiment (LOREX), aimed at determining the long-term solar neutrino flux. Because the erosion history of the Allchar area is crucial for the success of LOREX, we applied terrestrial in situ cosmogenic nuclides including both radioactive (Al and Cl) and stable (He and Ne) nuclides in quartz, dolomite/calcite, sanidine, and diopside.

Comprehensive geriatric assessment: comparison of elderly hemodialysis patients and primary care patients.

Backgrounds: The quality of life and survival of elderly depend not only on their age but on many social and health factors. In the present study, comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) was made in elderly patients on regular hemodialysis (HD) and those without chronic kidney disease recruited in primary health care in order to compare their sociodemographic characteristics, physical health, functional ability and social support.

Method: The 106 HD patients and 300 primary care patients aged 70 years and more were studied.

Disease Containment Strategies based on Mobility and Information Dissemination.

Human mobility and social structure are at the basis of disease spreading. Disease containment strategies are usually devised from coarse-grained assumptions about human mobility. Cellular networks data, however, provides finer-grained information, not only about how people move, but also about how they communicate.

Cumulative, additive benefits of memantine-donepezil combination over component monotherapies in moderate to severe Alzheimer's dementia: a pooled area under the curve analysis.

Introduction: Treatment in moderate or severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) often involves adding memantine to a cholinesterase-inhibitor (ChEI: donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine). Evidence from six-month randomized trials and long-term observational studies supports superiority of memantine-ChEI combination to ChEI monotherapy. We utilized area-under-the-curve (AUC) analysis to assess six-month cumulative treatment efficacy of memantine-donepezil combination versus component monotherapies on individual clinical domains and on a composite index.

The A-test: assessment of functional recovery during early rehabilitation of patients in an orthopedic ward--content, criterion and construct validity.

Background/aim: The A-test was designed for assessment of functional recovery during early rehabilitation of patients in an orthopedic ward. This performance-based test consists of 10 items for assessing basic activities by a six level ordinal scale (0-5). Total scores can range from 0 to 50, i.

The pharmacokinetics of recombinant human erythropoietin in Balkan endemic nephropathy patients.

Background: Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) hemodialysis patients require a higher dose of recombinant human erythropoietin for maintaining target hemoglobin level than patients with other kidney diseases.

Objectives: Comparison of the pharmacokinetics of beta-erythropoietin given subcutaneously to hemodialysis patients with BEN or other kidney diseases (non-BEN).

Methods: Recombinant human erythropoietin (75 U/kg) was administered subcutaneously to 10 BEN and 14 non-BEN hemodialysis patients.

The safety, tolerability, and efficacy of once-daily memantine (28 mg): a multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease taking cholinesterase inhibitors.

Introduction: Immediate-release memantine (10 mg, twice daily) is approved in the USA for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of a higher-dose, once-daily, extended-release formulation in patients with moderate-to-severe AD concurrently taking cholinesterase inhibitors.

Methods: In this 24-week, double-blind, multinational study (NCT00322153), outpatients with AD (Mini-Mental State Examination scores of 3-14) were randomized to receive once-daily, 28-mg, extended-release memantine or placebo.

Efficacy and tolerability of nebivolol: does age matter? A retrospective analysis of three randomized, placebo-controlled trials in stage I-II hypertension.

Objectives: This retrospective analysis examined the efficacy and tolerability of nebivolol, a ß(1)-selective, vasodilatory β-blocker, in four different age groups of patients with hypertension.

Methods: Data were pooled from three 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled trials (placebo, n = 205; nebivolol [1.25-30/40 mg/day], n = 1811) and stratified into age quartiles (Group 1: 22-46 years; Group 2: 47-53 years; Group 3: 54-62 years; Group 4: 63-84 years).

Memantine and functional communication in Alzheimer's disease: results of a 12-week, international, randomized clinical trial.

Post hoc analyses suggest that memantine treatment may provide communication-related benefits in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this 12-week, international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of memantine (10 mg bid), the functional communication abilities of patients with AD (MMSE range: 10-19) were assessed using the Functional Linguistic Communication Inventory (FLCI; primary measure). Two combined subscales (Social Communication and Communication of Basic Needs) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for Adults (ASHA FACS; secondary measure) were administered to caregivers.

Memantine discontinuation and the health status of nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease.

Objective: To estimate the effect of memantine discontinuation for a nonmedical reason (eg, formulary restriction or family decision) on the health status of nursing home (NH) residents with Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: NHs (n = 113) in the United States.

[Investigation of Balkan endemic nephropathy in Serbia: how to proceed?].

Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) presents an unsolved puzzle despite fifty years of its investigation. Academy of Medical Sciences of the Serbian Medical Society organized a round table discussion on current unsolved problems related to BEN. The present paper summarizes presentations, discussion and conclusions of this meeting.

Memantine therapy of behavioral symptoms in community-dwelling patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease.

Memantine is a moderate-affinity, uncompetitive antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, approved for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease (AD). Available data suggest that, in addition to its benefits on cognition, function, and global status, memantine treatment may also help alleviate behavioral symptoms. This article provides an overview of the prevalence, assessment, and treatment of behavioral disturbances in AD, and summarizes current knowledge regarding the effects of memantine on the behavior of community-dwelling patients.

Treatment options in Alzheimer's disease: maximizing benefit, managing expectations.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is becoming an increasingly heavy burden on the society of developed countries, and physicians now face the challenge of providing efficient treatment regimens to an ever-higher number of individuals affected by the disease. Currently approved anti-AD therapies - the cholinesterase inhibitors and the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist memantine - offer modest symptomatic relief, which can be enhanced using combination therapy with both classes of drugs. Additionally, alternative therapies such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamin E, selegiline, Ginkgo biloba extracts, estrogens, and statins, as well as behavioral and lifestyle changes, have been explored as therapeutic options.

Increased apoptosis in cystinotic fibroblasts and renal proximal tubule epithelial cells results from cysteinylation of protein kinase Cdelta.

Cystinosis is a rare genetic disease characterized by defective lysosomal cystine transport and increased lysosomal cystine. How lysosomal cystine causes the lethal nephropathic phenotype is unknown. It was shown recently that cultured fibroblasts and renal proximal tubule epithelial cells whose lysosomes are cystine-loaded display a two-fold or greater increase in apoptosis after both intrinsic and extrinsic stimuli.