283 research outputs found
Modulation of extracellular matrix by nutritional hepatotrophic factors in thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis in the rat
Nutritional substances associated to some hormones enhance liver regeneration when injected intraperitoneally, being denominated hepatotrophic factors (HF). Here we verified if a solution of HF (glucose, vitamins, salts, amino acids, glucagon, insulin, and triiodothyronine) can revert liver cirrhosis and how some extracellular matrices are affected. Cirrhosis was induced for 14 weeks in 45 female Wistar rats (200 mg) by intraperitoneal injections of thioacetamide (200 mg/kg). Twenty-five rats received intraperitoneal HF twice a day for 10 days (40 mL·kg-1·day-1) and 20 rats received physiological saline. Fifteen rats were used as control. The HF applied to cirrhotic rats significantly: a) reduced the relative mRNA expression of the genes: Col-α1 (-53%), TIMP-1 (-31.7%), TGF-β1 (-57.7%), and MMP-2 (-41.6%), whereas Plau mRNA remained unchanged; b) reduced GGT (-43.1%), ALT (-17.6%), and AST (-12.2%) serum levels; c) increased liver weight (11.3%), and reduced liver collagen (-37.1%), regenerative nodules size (-22.1%), and fibrous septum thickness. Progranulin protein (immunohistochemistry) and mRNA (in situ hybridization) were found in fibrous septa and areas of bile duct proliferation in cirrhotic livers. Concluding, HF improved the histology and serum biochemistry of liver cirrhosis, with an important reduction of interstitial collagen and increased extracelullar matrix degradation by reducing profibrotic gene expression
D-Brane Propagation in Two-Dimensional Black Hole Geometries
We study propagation of D0-brane in two-dimensional Lorentzian black hole
backgrounds by the method of boundary conformal field theory of SL(2,R)/U(1)
supercoset at level k. Typically, such backgrounds arise as near-horizon
geometries of k coincident non-extremal NS5-branes, where 1/k measures
curvature of the backgrounds in string unit and hence size of string worldsheet
effects. At classical level, string worldsheet effects are suppressed and
D0-brane propagation in the Lorentzian black hole geometry is simply given by
the Wick rotation of D1-brane contour in the Euclidean black hole geometry.
Taking account of string worldsheet effects, boundary state of the Lorentzian
D0-brane is formally constructible via Wick rotation from that of the Euclidean
D1-brane. However, the construction is subject to ambiguities in boundary
conditions. We propose exact boundary states describing the D0-brane, and
clarify physical interpretations of various boundary states constructed from
different boundary conditions. As it falls into the black hole, the D0-brane
radiates off to the horizon and to the infinity. From the boundary states
constructed, we compute physical observables of such radiative process. We find
that part of the radiation to infinity is in effective thermal distribution at
the Hawking temperature. We also find that part of the radiation to horizon is
in the Hagedorn distribution, dominated by massive, highly non-relativistic
closed string states, much like the tachyon matter. Remarkably, such
distribution emerges only after string worldsheet effects are taken exactly
into account. From these results, we observe that nature of the radiation
distribution changes dramatically across the conifold geometry k=1 (k=3 for the
bosonic case), exposing the `string - black hole transition' therein.Comment: 51 pages, 5 figures, v2: referece added, note added replying the
comment made in hep-th/060206
Association of labor induction with offspring risk of autism spectrum disorders
IMPORTANCE: Induction of labor is a frequently performed obstetrical
intervention. It would thus be of great concern if reported associations between
labor induction and offspring risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) reflected
causal influence. OBJECTIVE: To assess the associations of labor induction with
ASD, comparing differentially exposed relatives (siblings and cousins discordant
for induction). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Follow-up of all live births
in Sweden between 1992 and 2005, defined in the Medical Birth Register. The
register was linked to population registers of familial relations, inpatient and
outpatient visits, and education records. Diagnoses of ASD were from 2001 through
2013, and data were analyzed in the 2015-2016 year. EXPOSURES: Induction of
labor. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Autism spectrum disorders identified by
diagnoses from inpatient and outpatient records between 2001 and 2013. Hazard
ratios (HRs) quantified the association between labor induction and offspring
ASD. In addition to considering a wide range of measured confounders, comparison
of exposure-discordant births to the same woman allowed additional control for
all unmeasured factors shared by siblings. RESULTS: The full cohort included
1362950 births, of which 22077 offspring (1.6%) were diagnosed with ASD by ages 8
years through 21 years. In conventional models of the full cohort, associations
between labor induction and offspring ASD were attenuated but remained
statistically significant after adjustment for measured potential confounders
(HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.13-1.24). When comparison was made within siblings whose
births were discordant with respect to induction, thus accounting for all
environmental and genetic factors shared by siblings, labor induction was no
longer associated with offspring ASD (HR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.88-1.10). CONCLUSIONS
AND RELEVANCE: In this nationwide sample of live births we observed no
association between induction of labor and offspring ASD within sibling
comparison. Our findings suggest that concern for ASD should not factor into the
clinical decision about whether to induce labor.NonePublishe
Conformal Transformations in Cosmology of Modified Gravity: the Covariant Approach Perspective
The 1+3 covariant approach and the covariant gauge-invariant approach to
perturbations are used to analyze in depth conformal transformations in
cosmology. Such techniques allow us to obtain very interesting insights on the
physical content of these transformations, when applied to non-standard
gravity. The results obtained lead to a number of general conclusions on the
change of some key quantities describing any two conformally related
cosmological models. In particular, it is shown that the physics in the
Einstein frame has characteristics which are completely different from those in
the Jordan frame. Even if some of the geometrical properties of the cosmology
are preserved (homogeneous and isotropic Universes are mapped into homogeneous
and isotropic universes), it can happen that decelerating cosmologies are
mapped into accelerated ones. Differences become even more pronounced when
first-order perturbations are considered: from the 1+3 equations it is seen
that first-order vector and tensor perturbations are left unchanged in their
structure by the conformal transformation, but this cannot be said of the
scalar perturbations, which include the matter density fluctuations. Behavior
in the two frames of the growth rate, as well as other evolutionary features,
like the presence or absence of oscillations, etc., appear to be different too.
The results obtained are then explicitly interpreted and verified with the help
of some clarifying examples based on -gravity cosmologies.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figure
Kinetic modeling of H-mode pedestal with effects from anomalous transport and MHD stability
Scaling of the H-mode pedestal in tokamak plasmas with type I ELMs and dependence of the pedestal properties and the resulting divertor head load width with the plasma elongation and plasma current are investigated using the kinetic neoclassical XGC0 code for DIII-D and Alcator C-Mod tokamaks. The simulations in this study use realistic diverted geometry and are self-consistent with the inclusion of kinetic neoclassical physics, theory-based anomalous transport models with the E×B flow shearing effects, as well as an MHD ELM triggering criterion. Scalings for the pedestal width and height are developed as a function of the scanned plasma parameters. The nonlinear interplay between anomalous and neoclassical effects motivates the development of a self-consistent simulation model that includes neoclassical and anomalous effects simultaneously. It is demonstrated that the divertor heat load width depend on the plasma currents. In the development of this dependence, effects of neutral collisions and anomalous transport are taken into account. Changes in the neoclassical divertor heat load fluxes associated with the introduction of the neutral collision and anomalous transport effects are described.За допомогою кінетичного неокласичного коду XGC0 для розрядів в токамаках DIII-D і Alcator C-Mod досліджено скейлінг п’єдесталу в плазмі, що перебуває в режимі поліпшеного утримання, з прикордонними локалізованими модами (ПЛМ) першого типу, властивості п’єдесталу і потоку тепла на дивертор в залежності від витягнутості плазми та струму плазми. У розрахунках використовуються: реалістична геометрія дивертора, кінетична модель для неокласичних ефектів, модель аномального транспорту, яка враховує ефекти шира (ExB)-потоків, і умови збудження ПЛМ-нестійкостей. У результаті розрахунків отримані скейлінгі для ширини і висоти п’єдесталу як функції параметрів плазми. Нелінійна взаємодія неокласичних ефектів і ефектів, пов'язаних з аномальним транспортом, є мотивацією для розробки самоузгодженої чисельної моделі, яка одночасно включає ефекти аномального і неокласичного транспорту. Показано, що потоки тепла на дивертор залежать від плазмових струмів. Також представлено результати дослідження залежності напівширини профілів тепла на дивертор від ефектів, пов'язаних з аномальним транспортом і зіткненнями з нейтральними частинками.С помощью кинетического неоклассического кода XGC0 для разрядов в токамаках DIII-D и Alcator C-Mod исследованы скэйлинг пьедестала в плазме, находящейся в режиме улучшенного удержания, с приграничными локализованными модами (ПЛМ) первого типа, и зависимость свойств пьедестала и потока тепла на дивертор от вытянутости плазмы и тока плазмы. В расчетах используются: реалистичная геометрия дивертора, кинетическая модель для неоклассических эффектов, модель аномального транспорта, которая учитывает эффекты шира (ExB)-потоков, и условия возбуждения ПЛМ-неустойчивостей. В результате расчетов получены скэйлинги для ширины и высоты пьедестала как функции параметров плазмы. Нелинейное взаимодействие неоклассических эффектов и эффектов, связанных с аномальным транспортом, является мотивацией разработки самосогласованной численной модели, которая одновременно включает эффекты аномального и неоклассического транспорта. Показано, что потоки тепла на дивертор зависят от плазменных токов. Также представлены результаты исследования зависимости полуширины профилей тепла на дивертор от эффектов, связанных с аномальным транспортом и столкновениями с нейтральными частицами
Inferring Deleterious-Mutation Parameters in Natural Daphnia Populations
Deng and Lynch (1, 2) proposed to characterize deleterious genomic mutations from changes in the mean and genetic variance of fitness traits upon selfing in outcrossing populations. Such observations can be readily acquired in cyclical parthenogens. Selfing and life-table experiments were performed for two such Daphnia populations. A significant inbreeding depression and an increase of genetic variance for all traits analyzed were observed. Deng and Lynch's (2) procedures were employed to estimate the genomic mutation rate (U), mean dominance coefficient ( [Image: see text] ), mean selection coefficient ( [Image: see text] ), and scaled genomic mutational variance ( [Image: see text] ). On average, [Image: see text] , [Image: see text] , [Image: see text] and [Image: see text] (^ indicates an estimate) are 0.84, 0.30, 0.14 and 4.6E-4 respectively. For the true values, the [Image: see text] and [Image: see text] are lower bounds, and [Image: see text] and [Image: see text] upper bounds
Cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in the neurotoxicity of opioid and psychostimulant drugs
Substance abuse and addiction are the most costly of all the neuropsychiatric disorders. In the last decades, much progress has been achieved in understanding the effects of the drugs of abuse in the brain. However, efficient treatments that prevent relapse have not been developed. Drug addiction is now considered a brain disease, because the abuse of drugs affects several brain functions. Neurological impairments observed in drug addicts may reflect drug-induced neuronal dysfunction and neurotoxicity. The drugs of abuse directly or indirectly affect neurotransmitter systems, particularly dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurons. This review explores the literature reporting cellular and molecular alterations reflecting the cytotoxicity induced by amphetamines, cocaine and opiates in neuronal systems. The neurotoxic effects of drugs of abuse are often associated with oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis and inhibition of neurogenesis, among other mechanisms. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie brain dysfunction observed in drug-addicted individuals may contribute to improve the treatment of drug addiction, which may have social and economic consequences.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6SYS-4S50K2J-1/1/7d11c902193bfa3f1f57030572f7034
Multiplicity distributions at high energies as a sum of Poissonian-like distributions
It is shown that at collider energies experimental multiplicity distributions
are well parameterized by a sum of Gupta-Sarma distributions. This extends
earlier description of the lower energy data by the two parameter sum of
Poissonians. Implications of the proposed parametrization for LHC are
discussed.Comment: 16 pages, Latex, 4 EPS figure
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