Nutrient limitation of primary producers affects planktivorous fish condition

We investigated whether nutrient limitations of primary producers act upward through food webs only in terms of density effects or if there is a second pathway for nutrient limitation signals channelled upward to higher trophic levels. We used tritrophic food chains to assess the effects of nutrient-limited phytoplankters (the cryptophyte Rhodomonas salina) on herbivorous zooplankters (the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa) and finally zooplanktivores (larval herring Clupea harengus) living on the herbivores. The primary producers� food quality had a significant effect on fish condition. Our experimental phosphorus-limited food chain resulted in larval fish with a significantly poorer condition than their counterparts reared under nitrogen-limited or nutrient-sufficient conditions. Our results show that mineral nutrient requirements of consumers have to be satisfied first before fatty acids can promote further growth. This challenges the match/mismatch hypothesis, which links larval fish survival probability solely to prey availability, and could imply that reduced nutrient releases into the environment may affect fish stocks even more severely than previously believed

Prognostic Significance of Angiogenic Growth Factor Serum Levels in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes

BACKGROUND: In patients with acute coronary syndromes, compensatory processes are initiated, including angiogenesis and endothelial regeneration of ruptured or eroded plaques. Angiogenic growth factors like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) are upregulated during ischemia. However, it is unknown whether their serum levels are related to clinical outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS: We measured VEGF, HGF, and bFGF levels in 1090 patients with acute coronary syndromes. Angiographic evaluation was performed at baseline as well as death, and nonfatal myocardial infarctions were recorded during 6-month follow-up. HGF and VEGF, but not bFGF, were significantly and independently associated with the patients' outcome. Patients with elevated VEGF serum levels suffered from adverse outcome (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.50 [1.52 to 4.82]; P=0.002). VEGF elevation was associated with evidence of ischemia and was a significant predictor of the effect of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition. In contrast, patients with high HGF levels had a significantly lower event rate compared with patients with low HGF levels (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.33 [0.21 to 0.51]; P<0.001). HGF levels did not correlate with evidence of ischemia and did not predict the effect of abciximab. Intriguingly, however, HGF levels significantly correlated with angiographically visible collateralization of the target vessel (22.4% versus 10.5%; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The angiogenic growth factors VEGF and HGF are independent predictors of the patients' prognosis in acute coronary syndromes. Whereas VEGF elevation correlated with the evidence of myocardial ischemia and indicated an adverse outcome, HGF elevation was independent of ischemia and associated with improved collateralization as well as a favorable prognosis

Overweight and Class I Obesity Are Associated with Lower 10-Year Risk of Mortality in Brazilian Older Adults: The Bambuí Cohort Study of Ageing

Background: Prospective studies mostly with European and North-American populations have shown inconsistent results r

C-Reactive Protein and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Yield Either a Non-Significant or a Modest Incremental Value to Traditional Risk Factors in Predicting Long-Term Overall Mortality in Older Adults

Background:New biomarkers may aid in preventive and end-of-life decisions in older adults if they enhance the prognostic ability of traditional risk factors. We investigated whether C-reactive protein (CRP) and/or B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) improve the ability to predict overall mortality among the elderly of the Bambuí, Brazil Study of Aging when added to traditional risk factors.Methods:From 1997 to 2007, 1,470 community-dwelling individuals (≥60 years) were followed-up. Death was ascertained by continuous verification of death certificates. We calculated hazard ratios per 1 standard deviation change (HR) of death for traditional risk factors only (old model), and traditional risk factors plus CRP and/or BNP (new models) and assessed calibration of the models. Subsequently, we compared c-statistic of each of the new models to the old one, and calculated integrated discriminative improvement (IDI) and net reclassification improvement (NRI).Results:544 (37.0%) participants died in a mean follow-up time of 9.0 years. CRP (HR 1.28, 95% CI 1.17-1.40), BNP (HR 1.31 95% CI 1.19-1.45), and CRP plus BNP (HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.15-1.38, and HR 1.29, 95% CI 1.16-1.42, respectively) were independent determinants of mortality. All models were well-calibrated. Discrimination was similar among the old (c-statistic 0.78 [0.78-0.81]) and new models (p=0.43 for CRP; p=0.57 for BNP; and p=0.31 for CRP plus BNP). Compared to the old model, CRP, BNP, and CRP plus BNP models led to an IDI of 0.009 (p<0.001), -0.005 (p<0.001) and -0.003 (p=0.84), and a NRI of 0.04 (p=0.24), 0.07 (p=0.08) and 0.06 (p=0.10), respectively.Conclusions:Despite being independent predictors of long-term risk of death, compared to traditional risk factors CRP and/or BNP led to either a modest or non-significant improvement in the ability of predicting all-cause mortality in older adults

CD40-CD40 ligand interactions in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis

We investigated the role of CD40-CD40 ligand (CD40L) interactions in multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Activated helper T cells expressing CD40L (gp39) surface protein were found in MS patient brain sections, but not in brain tissue sections of normal controls or patients with other neurological diseases. CD40L-positive cells were co-localized with CD40-bearing cells in active lesions (perivascular infiltrates). Most of these CD40 bearing cells proved to be of the monocytic lineage (macrophages or microglial cells), and relatively few were B cells. To functionally evaluate CD40-CD40L interactions, EAE was elicited in mice by means of proteolipid-peptide immunization. Treatment with anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody completely prevented the development of disease. Furthermore, administration of anti-CD40L monoclonal antibody, even after disease onset, shortly before maximum disability score was reached led to dramatic disease reduction. The presence of helper T cells expressing CD40L in brain tissue of MS patients and EAE animals, together with the functional evidence provided by successful experimental prevention and therapy in an animal model, indicates that blockade of CD40-CD40L-mediated cellular interactions may be a method for interference in active MS

Soluble CD40 ligand in acute coronary syndromes

BACKGROUND: CD40 ligand is expressed on platelets and released from them on activation. We investigated the predictive value of soluble CD40 ligand as a marker for clinical outcome and the therapeutic effect of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibition in patients with acute coronary syndromes. METHODS: Serum levels of soluble CD40 ligand were measured in 1088 patients with acute coronary syndromes who had previously been enrolled in a randomized trial comparing abciximab with placebo before coronary angioplasty and in 626 patients with acute chest pain. RESULTS: The levels of soluble CD40 ligand were elevated (above 5.0 microg per liter) in 221 patients with acute coronary syndromes (40.6 percent). Among patients receiving placebo, elevated soluble CD40 ligand levels indicated a significantly increased risk of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction during six months of follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio as compared with patients with low levels of the ligand [< or =5.0 microg per liter], 2.71; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.51 to 5.35; P=0.001). The prognostic value of this marker was validated in the patients with chest pain, among whom elevated soluble CD40 ligand levels identified those with acute coronary syndromes who were at high risk for death or nonfatal myocardial infarction (adjusted hazard ratio as compared with those with low levels of the ligand, 6.65; 95 percent confidence interval, 3.18 to 13.89; P<0.001). The increased risk in patients with elevated soluble CD40 ligand levels was significantly reduced by treatment with abciximab (adjusted hazard ratio as compared with those receiving placebo, 0.37; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.20 to 0.68; P=0.001), whereas there was no significant treatment effect of abciximab in patients with low levels of soluble CD40 ligand. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with unstable coronary artery disease, elevation of soluble CD40 ligand levels indicated an increased risk of cardiovascular events. El

The role of nucleon structure in finite nuclei

The quark-meson coupling model, based on a mean field description of non-overlapping nucleon bags bound by the self-consistent exchange of $\sigma$, $\omega$ and $\rho$ mesons, is extended to investigate the properties of finite nuclei. Using the Born-Oppenheimer approximation to describe the interacting quark-meson system, we derive the effective equation of motion for the nucleon, as well as the self-consistent equations for the meson mean fields. The model is first applied to nuclear matter, after which we show some initial results for finite nuclei.Comment: The revised version. This is tar, compressed and uuencoded (including 3 tables and 8 figures). 45 page

Decreased role of neuropeptides in the microvascular function in migraine patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Paroxysmal Cerebral Disorder

Transpacific Transport of Ozone Pollution and the Effect of Recent Asian Emission Increases on Air Quality in North America: An Integrated Analysis Using Satellite, Aircraft, Ozonesonde, and Surface Observations

We use an ensemble of aircraft, satellite, sonde, and surface observations for April–May 2006 (NASA/INTEX-B aircraft campaign) to better understand the mechanisms for transpacific ozone pollution and its implications for North American air quality. The observations are interpreted with a global 3-D chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). OMI NO2 satellite observations constrain Asian anthropogenic NOx emissions and indicate a factor of 2 increase from 2000 to 2006 in China. Satellite observations of CO from AIRS and TES indicate two major events of Asian transpacific pollution during INTEX-B. Correlation between TES CO and ozone observations shows evidence for transpacific ozone pollution. The semi-permanent Pacific High and Aleutian Low cause splitting of transpacific pollution plumes over the Northeast Pacific. The northern branch circulates around the Aleutian Low and has little impact on North America. The southern branch circulates around the Pacific High and some of that air impacts western North America. Both aircraft measurements and model results show sustained ozone production driven by peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN) decomposition in the southern branch, roughly doubling the transpacific influence from ozone produced in the Asian boundary layer. Model simulation of ozone observations at Mt. Bachelor Observatory in Oregon (2.7 km altitude) indicates a mean Asian ozone pollution contribution of 9±3 ppbv to the mean observed concentration of 54 ppbv, reflecting mostly an enhancement in background ozone rather than episodic Asian plumes. Asian pollution enhanced surface ozone concentrations by 5–7 ppbv over western North America in spring 2006. The 2000–2006 rise in Asian anthropogenic emissions increased this influence by 1–2 ppbv.Earth and Planetary SciencesEngineering and Applied Science

Worldwide experience with a totally subcutaneous implantable defibrillator: Early results from the EFFORTLESS S-ICD registry

Aims The totally subcutaneous implantable-defibrillator (S-ICD) is a new alternative to the conventional transveno