235 research outputs found
Immunomodulation in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction: Current State and Future Perspectives
The heart failure (HF) epidemic is growing and approximately half of the HF patients have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HFpEF is a heterogeneous syndrome, characterized by a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF â„ 50%) with diastolic dysfunction, and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Underlying comorbidities of HFpEF, i.e., hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, and renal failure, lead to a systemic pro-inflammatory state, thereby affecting normal cardiac function. Increased inflammatory biomarkers predict incident HFpEF and are higher in patients with HFpEF as compared with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Randomized trials in HFpEF patients using traditional HF medication failed to demonstrate a clear benefit on hard endpoints (mortality and/or HF hospitalization). Therefore, therapies targeting underlying comorbidities and systemic inflammation in early HFpEF may provide better opportunities. Here, we provide an overview of the current state and future perspectives of immunomodulatory therapies for HFpEF
Large enhancement of deuteron polarization with frequency modulated microwaves
We report a large enhancement of 1.7 in deuteron polarization up to values of
0.6 due to frequency modulation of the polarizing microwaves in a two liters
polarized target using the method of dynamic nuclear polarization. This target
was used during a deep inelastic polarized muon-deuteron scattering experiment
at CERN. Measurements of the electron paramagnetic resonance absorption spectra
show that frequency modulation gives rise to additional microwave absorption in
the spectral wings. Although these results are not understood theoretically,
they may provide a useful testing ground for the deeper understanding of
dynamic nuclear polarization.Comment: 10 pages, including the figures coming in uuencoded compressed tar
files in poltar.uu, which also brings cernart.sty and crna12.sty files neede
Inverse Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay Revisited
We critically reexamine the prospects for the observation of the
lepton-number-violating process \eeWW using the option of a
high-energy collider (NLC). We find that, except in the most contrived
scenarios, constraints from neutrinoless double beta decay render the process
unobservable at an NLC of TeV. Other processes such
as \ggllww, \egnllw, \eennll (), and \egeww, which use
various options of the NLC, require a of at least 4 TeV for
observability.Comment: paper in LATEX, 24 pages, 10 figures in separate uuencoded psfile.
Complete psfile available via anonymous ftp at
ftp://lapphp0.in2p3.fr/pub/preprints-theorie/doublebeta.uu or via www at
http://lapphp0.in2p3.fr/preplapp/psth/doublebeta.ps.g
Anthropogenic Space Weather
Anthropogenic effects on the space environment started in the late 19th
century and reached their peak in the 1960s when high-altitude nuclear
explosions were carried out by the USA and the Soviet Union. These explosions
created artificial radiation belts near Earth that resulted in major damages to
several satellites. Another, unexpected impact of the high-altitude nuclear
tests was the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that can have devastating effects
over a large geographic area (as large as the continental United States). Other
anthropogenic impacts on the space environment include chemical release ex-
periments, high-frequency wave heating of the ionosphere and the interaction of
VLF waves with the radiation belts. This paper reviews the fundamental physical
process behind these phenomena and discusses the observations of their impacts.Comment: 71 pages, 35 figure
In search of disorders: internalizing symptom networks in a large clinical sample.
Background
The coâoccurrence of internalizing disorders is a common form of psychiatric comorbidity, raising questions about the boundaries between these diagnostic categories. We employ network psychometrics in order to: (a) determine whether internalizing symptoms cluster in a manner reflecting DSM diagnostic criteria, (b) gauge how distinct these diagnostic clusters are and (c) examine whether this network structure changes from childhood to early and then late adolescence.
Method
Symptomâlevel data were obtained for service users in publicly funded mental health services in England between 2011 and 2015 (N = 37,162). A symptom network (i.e. Gaussian graphical model) was estimated, and a community detection algorithm was used to explore the clustering of symptoms.
Results
The estimated network was densely connected and characterized by a multitude of weak associations between symptoms. Six communities of symptoms were identified; however, they were weakly demarcated. Two of these communities corresponded to social phobia and panic disorder, and four did not clearly correspond with DSM diagnostic categories. The network structure was largely consistent by sex and across three age groups (8â11, 12â14 and 15â18 years). Symptom connectivity in the two older age groups was significantly greater compared to the youngest group and there were differences in centrality across the age groups, highlighting the ageâspecific relevance of certain symptoms.
Conclusions
These findings clearly demonstrate the interconnected nature of internalizing symptoms, challenging the view that such pathology takes the form of distinct disorders
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