NPTP

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been shown to enhance learning and memory, yet the mechanisms behind these enhancements are unknown. Here, we present evidence that epigenetic modulation underlies VNS-induced improvements in cognition. We show that VNS enhances novelty preference (NP); alters the hippocampal, cortical, and blood epigenetic transcriptomes; and epigenetically modulates neuronal plasticity and stress-response signaling genes in male Sprague Dawley rats. Brain-behavior analysis revealed structure-specific relationships between NP test performance (NPTP) and epigenetic alterations...

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common in commercial motor vehicle operators (CMVOs); however, polysomnography (PSG), the gold-standard diagnostic test, is expensive and inconvenient for screening. OSA is associated with changes in heart rate and voltage on electrocardiography (EKG). We evaluated the utility of EKG parameters in identifying CMVOs at greater risk for sleepiness-related crashes (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ≥ 30 events/h). METHODS: In this prospective study of CMVOs, we performed EKGs with concurrent PSG, and calculated the respiratory power index (RPI) on EKG, a surrogate for AHI calculated from PSG...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate joint task force criteria-based screening for severe obstructive sleep apnea (s-OSA) in commercial drivers. METHODS: Among a community-based cohort of licensed commercial vehicle drivers, we assessed utility of the joint task force criteria. We conducted full, 14-channel overnight polysomnography in all drivers, defining s-OSA as an apnea-hypopnea index of 30 or more per hour. RESULTS: One hundred of 104 drivers with successful polysomnography studies were predominantly obese (median body mass index = 32...

The authors attempted to validate a 2-stage strategy to screen for severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (s-OSAS) among hypertensive outpatients, with polysomnography (PSG) as the gold standard. Using a prospective design, outpatients with hypertension were recruited from medical outpatient clinics. Interventions included (1) assessment of clinical data; (2) home sleep testing (HST); and (3) 12-channnel, in-laboratory PSG. The authors developed models using clinical or HST data alone (single-stage models) or clinical data in tandem with HST (2-stage models) to predict s-OSAS...

Pu-erh tea is made via a natural fermentation process. In this study, Pu-erh tea was used as a raw material for nanomaterials preparation and as an antibacterial agent. Antibacterial activities on Escherichia coli of Pu-erh tea, Pu-erh tea powder (PTP) of different sizes, and Pu-erh tea residual powder were firstly determined, respectively. With polyvinyl alcohol as the carrier, through an electrospinning technique, different kinds of nanofibrous membranes were obtained from the extract of Pu-erh tea and nano-PTP (NPTP), and their antibacterial properties and mechanism against E...

This study was carried out to determine the concentrations of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and tryptase in the nasal lavage fluid (NLF) of 24 children (C) with grass pollen rhinitis as well as rhinitis symptoms before and after nasal provocation tests with or without a levocabastine (anti-H1 topical antihistamine) pretreatment. All C were monosensitized to grasses only. Twelve patients (Active Group = AG) were tested with a nasal provocation test with grass pollen (NPT) carried out by the insufflation of increasingly higher doses of an allergenic extract powder, while the other 12 patients (Placebo Group = PG) underwent just a nasal provocation test with lactose (placebo) (NPTp)...