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Acute study of dose-dependent effects of (-)-epicatechin on vascular function in healthy male volunteers: a randomized controlled trial
BACKGROUND & AIMS
There is convincing clinical evidence to suggest that flavanol-containing foods/beverages are capable of inducing improvements in human vascular function. However, whilst (-)-epicatechin has been tested for efficacy, a full dose-dependency has yet to be established, particularly at doses below 1 mg/kg BW. The current study examined the dose-dependent effects of (-)-epicatechin on human vascular function with concurrent measurement of plasma (-)-epicatechin metabolites and levels of circulating nitrite and nitrate species, NOx.
METHODS
An acute, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover intervention trial was conducted in 20 healthy males with 4 treatment arms: water-based (-)-epicatechin (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg BW) and a water only as control. Vascular function was assessed by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) measured at the brachial artery, laser Doppler imaging with iontophoresis (LDI) at the subcutaneous capillaries of the forearm (response to Ach and SNP) and peripheral blood pressure (BP) at baseline, 1, 2, 4 and 6 h post-intervention. Plasma analysis of epicatechin metabolites was conducted by LC-MS and circulating plasma of nitrite and nitrate species were performed using an HPLC-based system (ENO-30).
RESULTS
Significant increases in % FMD were found to occur at 1 and 2 h following intake of 1 mg/kg BW, and at 2 h for the 0.5 mg/kg BW intake. There were no significant changes in LDI or BP at any time-points or intake levels. Increases in FMD over the 6 h timeframe were closely paralleled by the appearance of total plasma (-)-epicatechin metabolites. Non-significant changes in circulating NOx was observed.
CONCLUSIONS
Our data add further evidence that (-)-epicatechin is a causal vasoactive molecule within flavanol-containing foods/beverages. In addition, we show for the first time that intake levels as low as 0.5 mg/kg BW are capable of inducing acute improvements in vascular function (FMD) in healthy volunteers
Dynamic Control of Nanoprecipitation in a Nanopipette
Studying the earliest stages of precipitation at the nanoscale is technically challenging but quite valuable as such phenomena reflect important processes such as crystallization and biomineralization. Using a quartz nanopipette as a nanoreactor, we induced precipitation of an insoluble salt to generate oscillating current blockades. The reversible process can be used to measure both kinetics of precipitation and relative size of the resulting nanoparticles. Counter ions for the highly water-insoluble salt zinc phosphate were separated by the pore of a nanopipette and a potential applied to cause ion migration to the interface. By analyzing the kinetics of pore blockage, two distinct mechanisms were identified: a slower process due to precipitation from solution, and a faster process attributed to voltage-driven migration of a trapped precipitate. We discuss the potential of these techniques in studying precipitation dynamics, trapping particles within a nanoreactor, and electrical sensors based on nanoprecipitation
The Two Loop Crossed Ladder Vertex Diagram with Two Massive Exchanges
We compute the (three) master integrals for the crossed ladder diagram with
two exchanged quanta of equal mass. The differential equations obeyed by the
master integrals are used to generate power series expansions centered around
all the singular (plus some regular) points, which are then matched numerically
with high accuracy. The expansions allow a fast and precise numerical
calculation of the three master integrals (better than 15 digits with less than
30 terms in the whole real axis). A conspicuous relation with the equal-mass
sunrise in two dimensions is found. Comparison with a previous large momentum
expansion is made finding complete agreement.Comment: 42 pages, 1 figur
Active Galactic Nuclei under the scrutiny of CTA
Active Galactic Nuclei (hereafter AGN) produce powerful outflows which offer
excellent conditions for efficient particle acceleration in internal and
external shocks, turbulence, and magnetic reconnection events. The jets as well
as particle accelerating regions close to the supermassive black holes
(hereafter SMBH) at the intersection of plasma inflows and outflows, can
produce readily detectable very high energy gamma-ray emission. As of now, more
than 45 AGN including 41 blazars and 4 radiogalaxies have been detected by the
present ground-based gamma-ray telescopes, which represents more than one third
of the cosmic sources detected so far in the VHE gamma-ray regime. The future
Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) should boost the sample of AGN detected in the
VHE range by about one order of magnitude, shedding new light on AGN population
studies, and AGN classification and unification schemes. CTA will be a unique
tool to scrutinize the extreme high-energy tail of accelerated particles in
SMBH environments, to revisit the central engines and their associated
relativistic jets, and to study the particle acceleration and emission
mechanisms, particularly exploring the missing link between accretion physics,
SMBH magnetospheres and jet formation. Monitoring of distant AGN will be an
extremely rewarding observing program which will inform us about the inner
workings and evolution of AGN. Furthermore these AGN are bright beacons of
gamma-rays which will allow us to constrain the extragalactic infrared and
optical backgrounds as well as the intergalactic magnetic field, and will
enable tests of quantum gravity and other "exotic" phenomena.Comment: 28 pages, 23 figure
Third San Juan photoelectric astrolabe catalogue (CPASJ3)
Resulting from the cooperation between Beijing, San Juan and La Plata Astronomical Observatories, the photoelectric astrolabe Mark II(PAII) of the Beijing Astronomical Observatory was moved and installed at the San Juan Observatory, Argentina in January, 1992 for observations of stars in the southern hemisphere. Using the data observed with the instrument from Feb. 23 1992 to Mar. 11, 2000 over 2382 days, the Third San Juan photoelectric astrolabe catalogue has been compiled from double transits at both the eastern and western passages. There are 6762 stars in this catalogue, including 6156 Hipparcos stars (in which there are 69 radio stars), 8 FK5 stars, 47 SRS stars, 551 CAMC4 stars. The mean precisions are ±3.0 ms and ±0.053'' in right ascension and declination, respectively. The magnitudes of stars are from 1.0 to 11.5. The declinations are from -3° to -60°. The mean epoch is 1996.3. Systematic corrections of (CPASJ3-Hipp) are given.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica
Standard SANC modules for NLO QCD Radiative Corrections to Single-top Production
It this paper we present the results obtained with the newly created Standard
SANC modules for calculation of the NLO QCD corrections to single top
production processes in s and t channels at the partonic level, as well as
top-decays. The main aim of these results is to prove the correct work of
modules. A comprehensive comparison with results of the CompHEP system is
given, where possible. These modules are intended to be used in Monte Carlo
generators for single top production processes at the LHC. As in our recent
paper, devoted to the electroweak corrections to these processes, we study the
regularization of the top-legs associated infrared divergences with aid of the
complex mass of the top quark. A comparison of QCD corrections with those
computed by the conventional method is presented both for top production and
decays. For s channel production we give an analytic proof of equivalence of
the two methods in the limit of low top width.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures, 17 table
Standard Model Higgs-Boson Branching Ratios with Uncertainties
We present an update of the branching ratios for Higgs-boson decays in the
Standard Model. We list results for all relevant branching ratios together with
corresponding uncertainties resulting from input parameters and missing
higher-order corrections. As sources of parametric uncertainties we include the
masses of the charm, bottom, and top quarks as well as the QCD coupling
constant. We compare our results with other predictions in the literature.Comment: 32 pages, 4 figures, contribution to LHC Higgs Cross Section Working
Group https://twiki.cern.ch/twiki/bin/view/LHCPhysics/CrossSections,
theoretical uncertainties for H->\mu\mu{} added, version to appear in
European Physical Journal
Monte-Carlo Generator Photon Jets for the process e+e- -> gamma gamma
Monte-Carlo generator with photon jets radiation in collinear regions for the
process \eegg is described in detail. Radiative corrections in the first order
of are treated exactly. Large leading logarithmic corrections coming
from collinear regions are taken into account in all orders of by
applying the Structure Function approach. Theoretical precision of the cross
section with radiative corrections is estimated to be 0.2%. This process is
considered as an additional tool to measure luminosity in forthcoming
experiments with the CMD-3 detector at the collider VEPP-2000.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Calculation of the Two-Loop Heavy-Flavor Contribution to Bhabha Scattering
We describe in detail the calculation of the two-loop corrections to the QED
Bhabha scattering cross section due to the vacuum polarization by heavy
fermions. Our approach eliminates one mass scale from the most challenging part
of the calculation and allows us to obtain the corrections in a closed
analytical form. The result is valid for arbitrary values of the heavy fermion
mass and the Mandelstam invariants, as long as s,t,u >> m_e^2.Comment: 43 pages, 8 figures; added reference
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