Drug adherence was measured using the medication possession ratio. Multivariate analyses, including logit and multinomial logit were used. Of the 170,381 diabetics (mean age: 62 +/- 14 years), 18% and 32%
were find more regular users of ASA and ACEIs/ARBs, respectively. Regular use increased with age (p < 0.0001) and comorbidities (p < 0.0001). Rural inhabitants were more likely to use ACEIs/ARBs (OR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.26-1.32) and to be regular users (OR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.32-1.39). Similar results were found for ASA. In conclusion, despite the high cardiovascular risks associated with diabetes, less than one-third of diabetic adults took vascular-protection drugs regularly. This important issue needs proper attention.”
“Automated
monitoring of circadian rhythms is an efficient way of gaining insight into oscillation parameters like period and phase for the underlying pacemaker of the circadian clock. Measurement of the circadian rhythm of phototaxis (swimming towards light) exhibited by the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been automated by directing a narrow and dim light beam through a culture at regular intervals and determining the decrease in light transmittance due to the accumulation of cells in the beam. In this study, the monitoring process was optimized by constructing a new computer-controlled measuring machine that limits the test beam to wavelengths reported to be specific for phototaxis and by choosing an algal strain, which does not need background illumination between test light cycles for proper expression of the rhythm. As a result, HM781-36B period and phase of the rhythm are now unaffected by the time a culture is placed into the machine. Analysis of the rhythm data was also optimized through a new algorithm, whose robustness was demonstrated using virtual rhythms with various noises. The algorithm differs in particular from other reported algorithms by maximizing the fit of the data to a sinusoidal curve that dampens exponentially. The algorithm was also used to confirm the reproducibility of rhythm monitoring by the machine. Machine and algorithm
can now be used for a multitude of circadian clock studies that require unambiguous period and phase determinations such as Selleck BV-6 light pulse experiments to identify the photoreceptor(s) that reset the circadian clock in C. reinhardtii. (c) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.”
“Fifty-five bacteria with gelatinolytic activity were screened from over 500 isolates obtained from fishing docks in Songkhla, Thailand. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, 3 selected strains (K12, O02, and S13) were identified as Bacillus cereus with 99.8% similarity. Three other stains (D10, G02, and H11) were identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens with 99.7% similarity. Gelatinolytic enzymes of the D10, G02, and H11 strains were precipitated using ammonium sulfate precipitation, followed by dialysis with an increase in purity between 19-34-fold.