Materials and methods: Forty-eight acromegalic patients and 41 age-and gender-matched controls were enrolled in the study. The median ages of the patients and controls were 48 (25-75) and 50 (25-67) yr, respectively. Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and one-leg stance test (OLST) were used to compare dynamic and static balance respectively, 50 meters walking test was used to compare functional capacity and falls efficacy scale-international (FES-I) was used to compare fear of falling between Selleck 4-Hydroxytamoxifen the groups. Results: Balance tests (BBS and 50 meter walking test) and fear of falling (FES-I) were significantly disturbed in patients compared with controls. There was no significant difference

in OLST. BBS and OLST were negatively and FES-I was positively correlated with age. FES-I was negatively correlated with BBS and OLST was positively correlated with 50 meters walking test. Only OLST was negatively correlated with disease duration. Logistic regression analysis revealed that balance was not affected by

the presence of co-morbidities, postoperative vision loss and disease control. Conclusions: This is the first study showing that balance is disturbed in acromegalic patients. This disturbance is not related to disease control and co-morbidities but somewhat to disease duration. (J. Endocrinol. Invest. 36: 759-763, 2013) (C) 2013, Editrice Kurtis”
“This paper describes the results of an experimental programme to determine the fatigue behaviour of bamboo. Bamboo is subjected to cyclic loading, both in the plant itself and subsequently when the material is used in load-bearing applications in the construction industry. selleck screening library However, there is currently no data in the literature describing fatigue in this material. We found that sections of bamboo culm loaded parallel to the culm axis did not undergo fatigue failure: samples either failed on the first loading cycle, or not at all. By contrast, fatigue was readily

apparent in samples loaded in compression across the diameter of the culm. The number of cycles to failure increased as the cyclic load range decreased in a manner similar to that found in many engineering materials: Sapanisertib ic50 fatigue occurred at applied loads as small as 40% of the ultimate strength. Two different species of bamboo were tested and found to have different ultimate strengths but similar high-cycle fatigue strengths. Finite element analysis was used to help understand the progression of fatigue damage and the effect of stress concentration features. Some tentative design rules are proposed to define stress levels for the safe use of bamboo, taking fatigue into account. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Agonistic AT, receptor autoantibodies (AT(1)-AAs) have been described in the patients with malignant hypertension or preeclampia. Furthermore, AT(1)-AAs were highly associated with refractory hypertension.