Identifying preferred format and source of exercise information in persons with multiple sclerosis that can be delivered by health-care providers

Background: There is increasing recognition of the benefits of exercise in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), yet the MS population does not engage in sufficient amounts of exercise to accrue health benefits. There has been little qualitative inquiry to establish the preferred format and source for receiving exercise information from health-care providers among persons with MS. Objective: We sought to identify the desired and preferred format and source of exercise information for persons with MS that can be delivered through health-care providers. Setting and participants: Participants were adults with MS who had mild or moderate disability and participated in a range of exercise levels. All participants lived in the Midwest of the United States. Methods: Fifty semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Two themes emerged, (i) approach for receiving exercise promotion and (ii) ideal person for promoting exercise. Persons with MS want to receive exercise information through in-person consultations with health-care providers, print media and electronic media. Persons with MS want to receive exercise promotion from health-care providers with expertise in MS (ie neurologists) and with expertise in exercise (eg physical therapists). Conclusions: These data support the importance of understanding how to provide exercise information to persons with MS and identifying that health-care providers including neurologists and physical therapists should be involved in exercise promotion

Equation of state and initial temperature of quark gluon plasma at RHIC

In gold-gold collisions of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) a perfect fluid of quarks, sometimes called the strongly interacting quark gluon plasma (sQGP) is created for an extremely short time. The time evolution of this fluid can be described by hydrodynamical models. After expansion and cooling, the freeze-out happens and hadrons are created. Their distribution reveals information about the final state of the fluid. To investigate the time evolution one needs to analyze penetrating probes, such as direct photon observables. Transverse momentum distributions of low energy direct photons were mesured in 2010 by PHENIX, while azimuthal asymmetry in 2011. These measurements can be compared to hydrodynamics to determine the equation of state and the initial temperature of sQGP. In this paper we analyze an 1+3 dimensional solution of relativistic hydrodynamics. We calculate momentum distribution, azimuthal asymmetry and momentum correlations of direct photons. Based on earlier fits to hadronic spectra, we compare photon calculations to measurements to determine the equation of state and the initial temperature of sQGP. We find that the initial temperature in the center of the fireball is 507+-12 MeV, while for the sound speed we get a speed of sound of 0.36+-0.02. We also estimate a systematic error of these results. We find that the measured azimuthal asymmetry is also not incompatible with this model, and predict a photon source that is significantly larger in the out direction than in the side direction.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures. This work was supported by the OTKA grant NK-73143 and NK-101438 and M. Csanad's Bolyai scholarshi

The signals of FGFs on the neurogenesis of embryonic stem cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neural induction is a complex process and the detailed mechanism of FGF-induced neurogenesis remains unclear.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>By using a serum-free neural induction method, we showed that FGF1 dose-dependently promoted the induction of Sox1/N-cadherin/nestin triple positive cells, which represent primitive neuroblasts, from mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrated that FGF1, FGF2, and FGF4, but not FGF8b, enhanced this neurogenesis. Especially, FGF-enhanced neurogenesis is not mediated through the rescue of the apoptosis or the enhancement of the proliferation of Sox1⁺cells. We further indicated that the inactivation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK-1) and extracellular signal-related kinase-2 (ERK-2), but not p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), inhibited the neural formation through the inhibition of ES differentiation, but not through the formation of endomesodermal cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These lines of evidence delineated the roles of FGF downstream signals in the early neural differentiation of ES cells.</p

Pentaquarks in string dynamics

The masses of $uudd\bar s$, $uudd\bar d$, and $uuss\bar d$ pentaquarks are evaluated in a framework of both the Effective Hamiltonian approach to QCD and spinless Salpeter using the Jaffe-Wilczek diquark approximation and the string interaction for the diquark-diquark-antiquark system. The masses of the light pentaquarks are found to be in the region above 2 GeV. The similar calculations yield the mass of $[ud]^2\bar c$ pentaquark $\sim$ 3250 MeV and $[ud]^2\bar b$ pentaquark $\sim$ 6509 MeV.Comment: 5 pages. Based on talk by I.M.Narodetskii at BEACH 2004, 6th International Conference on Hyperons, Charm and Beauty Hadrons, Illionois Institute of Technology, Chicago, June. 27 - July 3, 2004. Typos correcte

Neuro-ophthalmic complications of vestibular schwannoma resection : current perspectives

Vestibular schwannomas (VSs), also called acoustic neuromas, are benign intracranial neoplasms of the vestibulocochlear (VIII) cranial nerve. Management options include “wait-and-scan,” stereotactic radiosurgery and surgical resection. Due to the proximity of the VIII nerve to the facial (VII) nerve in the cerebello-pontine angle, the VII nerve is particularly vulnerable to the effects of surgical resection. This can result in poor eye closure, lagophthalmos and resultant corneal exposure post VS resection. Additionally, compression from the tumor or resection can cause trigeminal (V) nerve damage and a desensate cornea. The combination of an exposed and desensate cornea puts the eye at risk of serious ocular complications including persistent epithelial defects, corneal ulceration, corneal vascularization, corneal melting and potential perforation. The abducens (VI) nerve can be affected by a large intracranial VS causing raised intracranial pressure (a false localizing sign) or as a result of damage to the VI nerve at the time of resection. Other types of neurogenic strabismus are rare and typically transient. Contralaterally beating nystagmus as a consequence of vestibular dysfunction is common post-operatively. This generally settles to pre-operative levels as central compensation occurs. Ipsilaterally beating nystagmus post-operatively should prompt investigation for post-operative cerebrovascular complications. Papilledema (and subsequent optic atrophy) can occur as a result of a large VS causing raised intracranial pressure. Where papilledema follows surgical resection of a VS, it can indicate that cerebral venous sinus thrombosis has occurred. Poor visual function following VS resection can result as a combination of all these potential complications and is more likely with larger tumors

Magnetic Moment of The Θ+\Theta^+ Pentaquark State

We have calculated the magnetic moment of the recently observed $\Theta^+$ pentaquark in the framework of the light cone QCD sum rules using the photon distribution amplitudes. We find that $\mu_{\Theta^+}=(0.12\pm 0.06) \mu_N$, which is quite small. We also compare our result with predictions of other groups.Comment: 1 eps figure, 13 page

Hadron Multiplicities

We review results on hadron multiplicities in high energy particle collisions. Both theory and experiment are discussed. The general procedures used to describe particle multiplicity in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) are summarized. The QCD equations for the generating functions of the multiplicity distributions are presented both for fixed and running coupling strengths. The mean multiplicities of gluon and quark jets, their ratio, higher moments, and the slopes of multiplicities as a function of energy scale, are among the main global features of multiplicity for which QCD results exist. Recent data from high energy e+e- experiments, including results for separated quark and gluon jets, allow rather direct tests of these results. The theoretical predictions are generally quite successful when confronted with data. Jet and subjet multiplicities are described. Multiplicity in limited regions of phase space is discussed in the context of intermittency and fractality. The problem of singularities in the generating functions is formulated. Some special features of average multiplicities in heavy quark jets are described.Comment: 140 pages, 33 figures, version for Physics Report

Observables from a solution of 1+3 dimensional relativistic hydrodynamics

In this paper we analyze a 1+3 dimensional solution of relativistic hydrodynamics. We calculate momentum distribution and other observables from the solution and compare them to measurements from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). We find that the solution we analyze is compatible with the data. In the last several years many numerical models were tested, but it is the first time that an exact, parametric, 1+3 dimensional relativistic solution is compared to data.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures. Published in EPJ A. This work was supported by the OTKA grant NK73143 and M. Csanad's Bolyai scholarshi

Filamentary structures of ionized gas in Cygnus X

Interstellar matter and star formatio

Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes

In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (F-ROH) for >1.4 million individuals, we show that F-ROH is significantly associated (p <0.0005) with apparently deleterious changes in 32 out of 100 traits analysed. These changes are associated with runs of homozygosity (ROH), but not with common variant homozygosity, suggesting that genetic variants associated with inbreeding depression are predominantly rare. The effect on fertility is striking: F-ROH equivalent to the offspring of first cousins is associated with a 55% decrease [95% CI 44-66%] in the odds of having children. Finally, the effects of F-ROH are confirmed within full-sibling pairs, where the variation in F-ROH is independent of all environmental confounding.Peer reviewe