113 research outputs found
Nanoscale battery cathode materials induce DNA damage in bacteria
The increasing use of nanoscale lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LixNiyMnzCo1−y−zO2, NMC) as a cathode material in lithium-ion batteries poses risk to the environment. Learning toxicity mechanisms on molecular levels is critical to promote proactive risk assessment of these complex nanomaterials and inform their sustainable development. We focused on DNA damage as a toxicity mechanism and profiled in depth chemical and biological changes linked to DNA damage in two environmentally relevant bacteria upon nano-NMC exposure. DNA damage occurred in both bacteria, characterized by double-strand breakage and increased levels of many putative chemical modifications on bacterial DNA bases related to direct oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, measured by cutting-edge DNA adductomic techniques. Chemical probes indicated elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species and transition metal ions, in agreement with DNA adductomics and gene expression analysis. By integrating multi-dimensional datasets from chemical and biological measurements, we present rich mechanistic insights on nano-NMC-induced DNA damage in bacteria, providing targets for biomarkers in the risk assessment of reactive materials that may be extrapolated to other nano–bio interactions
Logarithmic corrections and soft photon phenomenology in the multipole model of the nucleon form factors
We analyzed the presently available experimental data on nucleon
electromagnetic form factors within a multipole model based on dispersion
relations. A good fit of the data is achieved by considering the coefficients
of the multipole expansions as logarithmic functions of the momentum transfer
squared. The superconvergence relations, applied to this coefficients, makes
the model agree with unitary constraints and pQCD asymptotics for the Dirac and
Pauli form factors. The soft photon emission is proposed as a mechanism
responsible for the difference between the Rosenbluth, polarization and
beam--target--asymmetry data. It is shown, that the experimentally measured
cross sections depend not only on the Dirac and Pauli form factors, but also on
the average number of the photons emitted. For proton this number is shown to
be different for different types of experimental measurements and then
estimated phenomenologically. For neutron the same mechanism predicts, that the
data form different types of experiments must coincide with high accuracy. A
joint fit of all the experimental data reproduce the dependence with the
accuracy . Predictions of the model, that 1) the ratios of the
proton form factors are different for Rosenbluth, polarization and
beam--target--asymmetry experiments and 2) similar ratios are nearly the same
for neutron, can be used for experimental verification of the model.Comment: 14 pages in 2-column format, 4 figures, references added, typos
corrected, minor changes in the text, accepted in Eur. Phys. Journal
Maintenance treatment with quetiapine versus discontinuation after one year of treatment in patients with remitted first episode psychosis: randomised controlled trial
Objective To study rates of relapse in remitted patients with first episode psychosis who either continued or discontinued antipsychotic drugs after at least one year of maintenance treatment
Ancestral Diversity in Lipoprotein(a) Studies Helps Address Evidence Gaps
INTRODUCTION: The independent and causal cardiovascular disease risk factor lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is elevated in \u3e1.5 billion individuals worldwide, but studies have prioritised European populations.
METHODS: Here, we examined how ancestrally diverse studies could clarify Lp(a)\u27s genetic architecture, inform efforts examining application of Lp(a) polygenic risk scores (PRS), enable causal inference and identify unexpected Lp(a) phenotypic effects using data from African (n=25 208), East Asian (n=2895), European (n=362 558), South Asian (n=8192) and Hispanic/Latino (n=8946) populations.
RESULTS: Fourteen genome-wide significant loci with numerous population specific signals of large effect were identified that enabled construction of Lp(a) PRS of moderate (R
CONCLUSIONS: Our results emphasise the merits of prioritising ancestral diversity when addressing Lp(a) evidence gaps
GWAS of QRS Duration Identifies New Loci Specific to Hispanic/Latino Populations
BACKGROUND: The electrocardiographically quantified QRS duration measures ventricular depolarization and conduction. QRS prolongation has been associated with poor heart failure prognosis and cardiovascular mortality, including sudden death. While previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 32 QRS SNPs across 26 loci among European, African, and Asian-descent populations, the genetics of QRS among Hispanics/Latinos has not been previously explored.
METHODS: We performed a GWAS of QRS duration among Hispanic/Latino ancestry populations (n = 15,124) from four studies using 1000 Genomes imputed genotype data (adjusted for age, sex, global ancestry, clinical and study-specific covariates). Study-specific results were combined using fixed-effects, inverse variance-weighted meta-analysis.
RESULTS: We identified six loci associated with QRS (P
CONCLUSIONS: Our QRS duration GWAS, the first in Hispanic/Latino populations, identified two new loci, underscoring the utility of extending large scale genomic studies to currently under-examined populations
The Transcriptional Corepressor NAB2 Inhibits NGF-induced Differentiation of PC12 Cells
Parity Violation in Elastic Electron-Nucleon Scattering: Strangeness Content in the Nucleon
Parity violation in elastic electron-nucleon scattering is studied with the
basic goal of improving the understanding of electroweak hadronic structure
with special emphasis on the strangeness content in the nucleon. Models for the
parity-violating (PV) asymmetry are provided and compared with the world data
measured at very different kinematics. The effects introduced in the PV
asymmetry due to alternative descriptions of the hadronic structure are
analyzed in detail. In particular, a wide selection of prescriptions for
dealing with the electromagnetic and neutral current weak interaction nucleon
form factors, including the most recent ones used in the literature, is
considered.Comment: 73 pages, 20 figures. To be published in Physics Report
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