Canadian Pregnancy Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective. To describe obstetrical and neonatal outcomes in Canadian women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods. An administrative database of hospitalizations for neonatal delivery (1998–2009) from Calgary, Alberta was searched to identify women with RA (38 pregnancies) or SLE (95 pregnancies), and women from the general population matched on maternal age and year of delivery (150 and 375 pregnancies, resp.). Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) for maternal and neonatal outcomes, adjusting for parity. Results. Women with SLE had increased odds for preeclampsia or eclampsia (SLE OR 2.16 (95% CI 1.10–4.21; P = 0.024); RA OR 2.33 (95% CI 0.76–7.14; P = 0.138)). Women with SLE had increased odds for cesarean section after adjustment for dysfunctional labour, instrumentation and previous cesarean section (OR 3.47 (95% CI 1.67–7.22; P < 0.001)). Neonates born to women with SLE had increased odds of prematurity (SLE OR 6.17 (95% CI 3.28–11.58; P < 0.001); RA OR 2.66 (95% CI 0.90–7.84; P = 0.076)) and of SGA (SLE OR 2.54 (95% CI 1.42–4.55; P = 0.002); RA OR 2.18 (95% CI 0.84–5.66; P = 0.108)) after adjusting for maternal hypertension. There was no excess risk of congenital defects in neonates. Conclusions. There is increased obstetrical and neonatal morbidity in Canadian women with RA or SLE

Landau Theory of the Phase Transitions in Half Doped Manganites: Interplay of Magnetic, Charge and Structural Orders

The order parameters of the magnetic, charge and structural orders at half-doped manganites are identified. A corresponding Landau theory of the phase transitions is formulated. Many structural and thermodynamical behaviors are accounted for and clarified within the framework. In particular, the theory provides a unified picture for the scenario of the phase transitions and their nature with respect to the variation of the tolerance factor of the manganites. It also accounts for the origin of the incommensurate nature of the orbital order and its subsequently accompanying antiferromagnetic order.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figures, Revtex, Phys. Rev. B61, 200

Acute Auditory Stimulation with Different Styles of Music Influences Cardiac Autonomic Regulation in Men

Background: No clear evidence is available in the literature regarding the acute effect of different styles of music on cardiac autonomic control. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the acute effects of classical baroque and heavy metal musical auditory stimulation on Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in healthy men. Patients and Methods: In this study, HRV was analyzed regarding time (SDNN, RMSSD, NN50, and pNN50) and frequency domain (LF, HF, and LF / HF) in 12 healthy men. HRV was recorded at seated rest for 10 minutes. Subsequently, the participants were exposed to classical baroque or heavy metal music for five minutes through an earphone at seated rest. After exposure to the first song, they remained at rest for five minutes and they were again exposed to classical baroque or heavy metal music. The music sequence was random for each individual. Standard statistical methods were used for calculation of means and standard deviations. Besides, ANOVA and Friedman test were used for parametric and non-parametric distributions, respectively. Results: While listening to heavy metal music, SDNN was reduced compared to the baseline (P = 0.023). In addition, the LF index (ms2 and nu) was reduced during exposure to both heavy metal and classical baroque musical auditory stimulation compared to the control condition (P = 0.010 and P = 0.048, respectively). However, the HF index (ms2) was reduced only during auditory stimulation with music heavy metal (P = 0.01). The LF/HF ratio on the other hand decreased during auditory stimulation with classical baroque music (P = 0.019). Conclusions: Acute auditory stimulation with the selected heavy metal musical auditory stimulation decreased the sympathetic and parasympathetic modulation on the heart, while exposure to a selected classical baroque music reduced sympathetic regulation on the heart

Grey and white matter correlates of recent and remote autobiographical memory retrieval:Insights from the dementias

The capacity to remember self-referential past events relies on the integrity of a distributed neural network. Controversy exists, however, regarding the involvement of specific brain structures for the retrieval of recently experienced versus more distant events. Here, we explored how characteristic patterns of atrophy in neurodegenerative disorders differentially disrupt remote versus recent autobiographical memory. Eleven behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia, 10 semantic dementia, 15 Alzheimer's disease patients and 14 healthy older Controls completed the Autobiographical Interview. All patient groups displayed significant remote memory impairments relative to Controls. Similarly, recent period retrieval was significantly compromised in behavioural-variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease, yet semantic dementia patients scored in line with Controls. Voxel-based morphometry and diffusion tensor imaging analyses, for all participants combined, were conducted to investigate grey and white matter correlates of remote and recent autobiographical memory retrieval. Neural correlates common to both recent and remote time periods were identified, including the hippocampus, medial prefrontal, and frontopolar cortices, and the forceps minor and left hippocampal portion of the cingulum bundle. Regions exclusively implicated in each time period were also identified. The integrity of the anterior temporal cortices was related to the retrieval of remote memories, whereas the posterior cingulate cortex emerged as a structure significantly associated with recent autobiographical memory retrieval. This study represents the first investigation of the grey and white matter correlates of remote and recent autobiographical memory retrieval in neurodegenerative disorders. Our findings demonstrate the importance of core brain structures, including the medial prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, irrespective of time period, and point towards the contribution of discrete regions in mediating successful retrieval of distant versus recently experienced events

The background in the neutrinoless double beta decay experiment GERDA

The GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) of INFN is searching for neutrinoless double beta decay of 76Ge. The signature of the signal is a monoenergetic peak at 2039 keV, the Q-value of the decay, Q_bb. To avoid bias in the signal search, the present analysis does not consider all those events, that fall in a 40 keV wide region centered around Q_bb. The main parameters needed for the neutrinoless double beta decay analysis are described. A background model was developed to describe the observed energy spectrum. The model contains several contributions, that are expected on the basis of material screening or that are established by the observation of characteristic structures in the energy spectrum. The model predicts a flat energy spectrum for the blinding window around Q_bb with a background index ranging from 17.6 to 23.8*10^{-3} counts/(keV kg yr). A part of the data not considered before has been used to test if the predictions of the background model are consistent. The observed number of events in this energy region is consistent with the background model. The background at Q-bb is dominated by close sources, mainly due to 42K, 214Bi, 228Th, 60Co and alpha emitting isotopes from the 226Ra decay chain. The individual fractions depend on the assumed locations of the contaminants. It is shown, that after removal of the known gamma peaks, the energy spectrum can be fitted in an energy range of 200 kev around Q_bb with a constant background. This gives a background index consistent with the full model and uncertainties of the same size

Glioblastoma cellular cross-talk converges on NF-κB to attenuate EGFR inhibitor sensitivity

Funding Information: We thank Dr. David James, Dr. Frederick Lang, Dr. Cameron Brennan, and Dr. Harley Kornblum for GBM-PDX neurospheres. We thank Dr. Karen Arden for continuous support and critical evaluation of the results. We thank Dr. Robert Davis, Dr. German Gomez, Dr. Tiffany Taylor, Dr. Rachel Reed, Dr. Melissa Mcalonis, and Dr. Sora Lee for technical support. In memory of Rosa Lupo. This work was supported by the Defeat GBM Research Collaborative, a subsidiary of the National Brain Tumor Society (F.B.F. and P.S.M.), R01-NS080939 (F.B.F.), the James S. McDonnell Foundation (F.B.F.), the National Cancer Institute (2T32CA009523-29A1) (A.H.T), and 1RO1NS097649-01 (C.C.C.). C.Z. was partially supported by an American-Italian Cancer Foundation post-doctoral research fellowship. F.L. received a Gao Feng Gao Yuan Scholarship Award. T.C.G., A.K.S., P.S.M., W.K.C., and F.B.F. receive salary and additional support from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Zanca et al.In glioblastoma (GBM), heterogeneous expression of amplified and mutated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) presents a substantial challenge for the effective use of EGFR-directed therapeutics. Here we demonstrate that heterogeneous expression of the wild-type receptor and its constitutively active mutant form, EGFRvIII, limits sensitivity to these therapies through an interclonal communication mechanism mediated by interleukin-6 (IL-6) cytokine secreted from EGFRvIII-positive tumor cells. IL-6 activates a NF-κB signaling axis in a paracrine and autocrine manner, leading to bromodomain protein 4 (BRD4)-dependent expression of the prosurvival protein survivin (BIRC5) and attenuation of sensitivity to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). NF-κB and survivin are coordinately up-regulated in GBM patient tumors, and functional inhibition of either protein or BRD4 in in vitro and in vivo models restores sensitivity to EGFR TKIs. These results provide a rationale for improving anti-EGFR therapeutic efficacy through pharmacological uncoupling of a convergence point of NF-κB-mediated survival that is leveraged by an interclonal circuitry mechanism established by intratumoral mutational heterogeneity.publishersversionPeer reviewe

A Search for the Dark Matter Annual Modulation in South Pole Ice

Astrophysical observations and cosmological data have led to the conclusion that nearly one quarter of the Universe consists of dark matter. Under certain assumptions, an observable signature of dark matter is the annual modulation of the rate of dark matter-nucleon interactions taking place in an Earth-bound experiment. To search for this effect, we introduce the concept for a new dark matter experiment using NaI scintillation detectors deployed deep in the South Pole ice. This experiment complements dark matter search efforts in the Northern Hemisphere and will investigate the observed annual modulation in the DAMA/LIBRA and DAMA/NaI experiments. The unique location will permit the study of background effects correlated with seasonal variations and the surrounding environment. This paper describes the experimental concept and explores the sensitivity of a 250 kg NaI experiment at the South Pole.Comment: FERMILAB-PUB-11-251-A

Strong Gravitational Lensing as a Probe of Gravity, Dark-Matter and Super-Massive Black Holes

Whereas considerable effort has been afforded in understanding the properties of galaxies, a full physical picture, connecting their baryonic and dark-matter content, super-massive black holes, and (metric) theories of gravity, is still ill-defined. Strong gravitational lensing furnishes a powerful method to probe gravity in the central regions of galaxies. It can (1) provide a unique detection-channel of dark-matter substructure beyond the local galaxy group, (2) constrain dark-matter physics, complementary to direct-detection experiments, as well as metric theories of gravity, (3) probe central super-massive black holes, and (4) provide crucial insight into galaxy formation processes from the dark matter point of view, independently of the nature and state of dark matter. To seriously address the above questions, a considerable increase in the number of strong gravitational-lens systems is required. In the timeframe 2010-2020, a staged approach with radio (e.g. EVLA, e-MERLIN, LOFAR, SKA phase-I) and optical (e.g. LSST and JDEM) instruments can provide 10^(2-4) new lenses, and up to 10^(4-6) new lens systems from SKA/LSST/JDEM all-sky surveys around ~2020. Follow-up imaging of (radio) lenses is necessary with moderate ground/space-based optical-IR telescopes and with 30-50m telescopes for spectroscopy (e.g. TMT, GMT, ELT). To answer these fundamental questions through strong gravitational lensing, a strong investment in large radio and optical-IR facilities is therefore critical in the coming decade. In particular, only large-scale radio lens surveys (e.g. with SKA) provide the large numbers of high-resolution and high-fidelity images of lenses needed for SMBH and flux-ratio anomaly studies.Comment: White paper submitted to the 2010 Astronomy & Astrophysics Decadal Surve