Are obesity and rheumatoid arthritis interrelated

OBJECTIVES In recent years, both the prevalence of obesity and the incidence of RA have been rising. Our aim was to assess the association between overweight or obesity and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). DESIGN Patients who were diagnosed with RA were compared with population-based controls, matched for age and sex (by a ratio of 1:5). Body measurements and smoking status were collected from medical records. Body mass index was classified in WHO categories of underweight, normal, overweight and obese (<18.5, 18.5-<25, 25-<30, ≥30 kg/m2 ). χ2 and t-tests and logistic regression models were used to compare the study groups and to assess the association between obesity and RA. SETTING A cross-sectional analysis performed utilizing the database of Clalit Health Services, the largest healthcare provider organisation in Israel. Data were collected from the beginning of computerised database usage (around year 2000) until 2015. PARTICIPANTS CHS covers over 4.4 million enrollees, of which all RA patients and matched controls were selected. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Proportion of obesity (BMI≥30.0 kg/m2 ) among RA patients and controls. RESULTS The study included 11 406 patients with RA and 54 701 controls. The proportion of obese subjects among RA patients was higher in comparison with controls, (33.4% vs 31.6%, respectively). In multivariate regression model, smoking and obesity were found to be associated with RA, whereas male gender was found as inversely related to RA. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that obesity is significantly associated with RA. This finding underlines the role that obesity plays in inflammation and autoimmune conditions

Chemical evolution of the Galactic bulge as traced by microlensed dwarf and subgiant stars. II. Ages, metallicities, detailed elemental abundances, and connections to the Galactic thick disc

The Bulge is the least understood major stellar population of the Milky Way. Most of what we know about the formation and evolution of the Bulge comes from bright giant stars. The underlying assumption that giants represent all the stars, and accurately trace the chemical evolution of a stellar population, is under debate. In particular, recent observations of a few microlensed dwarf stars give a very different picture of the evolution of the Bulge from that given by the giant stars. [ABRIDGED] We perform a detailed elemental abundance analysis of dwarf stars in the Galactic bulge, based on high-resolution spectra that were obtained while the stars were optically magnified during gravitational microlensing events. [ABRIDGED] We present detailed elemental abundances and stellar ages for six new dwarf stars in the Galactic bulge. Combining these with previous events, here re-analysed with the same methods, we study a homogeneous sample of 15 stars, which constitute the largest sample to date of microlensed dwarf stars in the Galactic bulge. We find that the stars span the full range of metallicities from [Fe/H]=-0.72 to +0.54, and an average metallicity of =-0.08+/-0.47, close to the average metallicity based on giant stars in the Bulge. Furthermore, the stars follow well-defined abundance trends, that for [Fe/H]<0 are very similar to those of the local Galactic thick disc. This suggests that the Bulge and the thick disc have had, at least partially, comparable chemical histories. At sub-solar metallicities we find the Bulge dwarf stars to have consistently old ages, while at super-solar metallicities we find a wide range of ages. Using the new age and abundance results from the microlensed dwarf stars we investigate possible formation scenarios for the Bulge.Comment: New version accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

O5‐08‐01: Trends In Racial And Ethnic Differences In Dementia Prevalence Rates And Disease Awareness

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153266/1/alzjjalz2019064876.pd

Mechanochemical action of the dynamin protein

Dynamin is a ubiquitous GTPase that tubulates lipid bilayers and is implicated in many membrane severing processes in eukaryotic cells. Setting the grounds for a better understanding of this biological function, we develop a generalized hydrodynamics description of the conformational change of large dynamin-membrane tubes taking into account GTP consumption as a free energy source. On observable time scales, dissipation is dominated by an effective dynamin/membrane friction and the deformation field of the tube has a simple diffusive behavior, which could be tested experimentally. A more involved, semi-microscopic model yields complete predictions for the dynamics of the tube and possibly accounts for contradictory experimental results concerning its change of conformation as well as for plectonemic supercoiling.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures; typos corrected, reference adde

Development of a porous layer-by-layer microsphere with branched aliphatic hydrocarbon porogens

Porous polymer microspheres are employed in biotherapeutics, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Porosity dictates cargo carriage and release that are aligned with the polymer physicochemical properties. These include material tuning, biodegradation, and cargo encapsulation. How uniformity of pore size affects therapeutic delivery remains an area of active investigation. Herein, we characterize six branched aliphatic hydrocarbon-based porogen(s) produced to create pores in single and multilayered microspheres. The porogens are composed of biocompatible polycaprolactone, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), and polylactic acid polymers within porous multilayered microspheres. These serve as controlled effective drug and vaccine delivery platforms

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Knowledge About One’s Dementia Status

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156478/1/jgs16442.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156478/3/jgs16442_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156478/2/jgs16442-sup-0001-supinfo.pd

Hubble Space Telescope Spectroscopy of the Balmer lines in Sirius B

Sirius B is the nearest and brightest of all white dwarfs, but it is very difficult to observe at visible wavelengths due to the overwhelming scattered light contribution from Sirius A. However, from space we can take advantage of the superb spatial resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope to resolve the A and B components. Since the closest approach in 1993, the separation between the two stars has become increasingly favourable and we have recently been able to obtain a spectrum of the complete Balmer line series for Sirius B using HST?s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). The quality of the STIS spectra greatly exceed that of previous ground-based spectra, and can be used to provide an important determination of the stellar temperature (Teff = 25193K) and gravity (log g = 8.556). In addition we have obtained a new, more accurate, gravitational red-shift of 80.42 +/- 4.83 km s-1 for Sirius B. Combining these results with the photometric data and the Hipparcos parallax we obtain new determinations of the stellar mass for comparison with the theoretical mass-radius relation. However, there are some disparities between the results obtained independently from log g and the gravitational redshift which may arise from flux losses in the narrow 50x0.2arcsec slit. Combining our measurements of Teff and log g with the Wood (1995) evolutionary mass-radius relation we get a best estimate for the white dwarf mass of 0.978 M. Within the overall uncertainties, this is in agreement with a mass of 1.02 M obtained by matching our new gravitational red-shift to the theoretical M/R relation.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ