Cold Plasma Dispersion Relations in the Vicinity of a Schwarzschild Black Hole Horizon

We apply the ADM 3+1 formalism to derive the general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic equations for cold plasma in spatially flat Schwarzschild metric. Respective perturbed equations are linearized for non-magnetized and magnetized plasmas both in non-rotating and rotating backgrounds. These are then Fourier analyzed and the corresponding dispersion relations are obtained. These relations are discussed for the existence of waves with positive angular frequency in the region near the horizon. Our results support the fact that no information can be extracted from the Schwarzschild black hole. It is concluded that negative phase velocity propagates in the rotating background whether the black hole is rotating or non-rotating.Comment: 27 pages, 11 figures accepted for publication in Gen. Relat. & Gravi

Challenges of implementing an individual randomized controlled trial (women first: Preconception maternal nutrition study) in a rural study site: A case study from Pakistan

Persistent global disparities in maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with poor maternal nutrition provided the genesis of the Women First (WF) study, an individually randomized controlled trial on preconceptional maternal nutrition. This article describes the challenges that arose in implementing this trial related to nutrition or diet of the mother, in District Thatta-Pakistan. During different phases of the study, we encountered problems in identifying the eligible participants, taking consent from couples, randomizing participants in different arms, conducting biweekly follow-up visits on time, ensuring compliance to the intervention, and measuring the primary outcome within the 24 hours of birth. Each challenge was itself an opportunity for the research team to address the same through effective coordination and teamwork. Moreover, with adequate resources and dedicated staff with diverse backgrounds, it was possible to implement the WF study across the widely scattered geographic clusters of District Thatta. In addition, there are some broad strategies that could be applied to other studies such as very close contact either in person or at least by talking to mothers via phones and rapport with the study participants, the study leadership of country coordinator and the field supervisors to build trust between those on front lines and the study leadership. Moreover, continuous monitoring and supervision with frequent training and refreshers were also found to be more important to assure the data quality and to meet the study targets. Community meetings were also found to be very helpful and effective to follow the participants for a long time. Researchers conducting a similar type of studies particularly in rural areas can learn many lessons from such experiences. Thus, the process of implementing the study in one of the rural areas of Pakistan provides an insight into where and how similar individual randomized trials might be deployed

Use of smokeless tobacco before conception and its relationship with maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancy in Thatta, Pakistan: Findings from women first study

Introduction: Smokeless tobacco (SLT) consumption during pregnancy has adverse consequences for the mother and fetus. We aimed to investigate the effects of maternal pre-pregnancy SLT consumption on maternal and fetal outcomes in the district of Thatta, Pakistan.Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of an individual randomized controlled trial of preconception maternal nutrition. Study participants were women of reproductive age residing in the district of Thatta, Pakistan. Participants were asked questions regarding the usage of commonly consumed SLT known as gutka (exposure variable). Study outcomes included maternal anemia, miscarriage, preterm births, stillbirths, and low birth weight. We performed a cox-regression analysis by controlling for confounders such as maternal age, education, parity, working status, body mass index, and geographic clusters.Results: The study revealed that 71.5% of the women reported using gutka, with a higher proportion residing in rural areas as compared to urban areas in the district of Thatta, Pakistan. In the multivariable analysis, we did not find a statistically significant association between gutka usage and anemia [(RR: 1.04, 95% CI (0.92-1.16)]; miscarriage [(RR: 1.08, 95% CI (0.75-1.54)]; preterm birth [(RR: 1.37, 95% CI (0.64-2.93)]; stillbirth [(RR: 1.02, 95% CI (0.39-2.61)] and low birth weight [(RR: 0.96, 95% CI (0.72-1.28)].Conclusion: The study did not find an association between gutka usage before pregnancy and adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. In the future, robust epidemiological studies are required to detect true differences with a dose-response relationship between gutka usage both before and during pregnancy and adverse feto-maternal outcomes.Implications: While most epidemiological studies conducted in Pakistan have focused on smoking and its adverse outcomes among males, none of the studies have measured the burden of SLT among women of reproductive age (WRA) and its associated adverse outcomes. In addition, previously conducted studies have primarily assessed the effect of SLT usage during pregnancy rather than before pregnancy on adverse fetal and maternal outcomes. The current study is unique because it provides an insight into the usage of SLT among WRA before pregnancy and investigated the association between pre-pregnancy SLT usage and its adverse feto-maternal outcomes in rural Pakistan

A phase II study of temsirolimus and liposomal doxorubicin for patients with recurrent and refractory bone and soft tissue sarcomas

Background Relapsed and refractory sarcomas continue to have poor survival rates. The cancer stem cell (CSC) theory provides a tractable explanation for the observation that recurrences occur despite dramatic responses to upfront chemotherapy. Preclinical studies demonstrated that inhibition of the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) sensitizes the CSC population to chemotherapy. Methods Here we present the results of the Phase II portion of a Phase I/II clinical trial that aimed to overcome the chemoresistance of sarcoma CSC by combining the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus (20 mg/m2 weekly) with the chemotherapeutic agent liposomal doxorubicin (30 mg/m2 monthly). Results Fifteen patients with relapsed/refractory sarcoma were evaluable at this recommended Phase 2 dose level. The median progression free survival was 315 days (range 27–799). Response rate, defined as stable disease or better for 60 days, was 53%. Nine of the patients had been previously treated with doxorubicin. Therapy was well tolerated. In a small number of patients, pre- and post- treatment tumor biopsies were available for assessment of ALDH expression as a marker of CSCs and showed a correlation between response and decreased ALDH expression. We also found a correlation between biopsy-proven inhibition of mTOR and response. Conclusions Our study adds to the literature supporting the addition of mTOR inhibition to chemotherapy agents for the treatment of sarcomas, and proposes that a mechanism by which mTOR inhibition enhances the efficacy of chemotherapy may be through sensitizing the chemoresistant CSC population. Further study, ideally with pre- and post-therapy assessment of ALDH expression in tumor cells, is warranted. Trial registration The trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT00949325) on 30 July 2009. http://www.editorialmanager.com/csrj/default.asp

Cold Plasma Wave Analysis in Magneto-Rotational Fluids

This paper is devoted to investigate the cold plasma wave properties. The analysis has been restricted to the neighborhood of the pair production region of the Kerr magnetosphere. The Fourier analyzed general relativistic magnetohydrodynamical equations are dealt under special circumstances and dispersion relations are obtained. We find the $x$-component of the complex wave vector numerically. The corresponding components of the propagation vector, attenuation vector, phase and group velocities are shown in graphs. The direction and dispersion of waves are investigated.Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophys. Space Sc

Maternal Characteristics Affect Fetal Growth Response in the Women First Preconception Nutrition Trial.

The objective of this secondary analysis was to identify maternal characteristics that modified the effect of maternal supplements on newborn size. Participants included 1465 maternal-newborn dyads in Guatemala, India, and Pakistan. Supplementation commenced before conception (Arm 1) or late 1st trimester (Arm 2); Arm 3 received usual care. Characteristics included body mass index (BMI), stature, anemia, age, education, socio-economic status (SES), parity, and newborn sex. Newborn outcomes were z-scores for length (LAZ), weight (WAZ), and weight to length ratio-for-age (WLRAZ). Mixed-effect regression models included treatment arm, effect modifier, and arm * effect modifier interaction as predictors, controlling for site, characteristics, and sex. Parity (para-0 vs. para ≥1), anemia (anemia/no anemia), and sex were significant effect modifiers. Effect size (95% CI) for Arm 1 vs. 3 was larger for para-0 vs. ≥1 for all outcomes (LAZ 0.56 (0.28, 0.84, p \u3c 0.001); WAZ 0.45 (0.20, 0.07, p \u3c 0.001); WLRAZ 0.52 (0.17, 0.88, p \u3c 0.01) but only length for Arm 2 vs. 3. Corresponding effects for para ≥1 were \u3e0.02. Arm 3 z-scores were all very low for para-0, but not para ≥1. Para-0 and anemia effect sizes for Arm 1 were \u3e Arm 2 for WAZ and WLRAZ, but not LAZ. Arm 1 and 2 had higher WAZ for newborn boys vs. girls. Maternal nulliparity and anemia were associated with impaired fetal growth that was substantially improved by nutrition intervention, especially when commenced prior to conception

Repeat 24-hour recalls and locally developed food composition databases: a feasible method to estimate dietary adequacy in a multi-site preconception maternal nutrition RCT.

Background: Our aim was to utilize a feasible quantitative methodology to estimate the dietary adequacy of \u3e900 first-trimester pregnant women in poor rural areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India and Pakistan. This paper outlines the dietary methods used. Methods: Local nutritionists were trained at the sites by the lead study nutritionist and received ongoing mentoring throughout the study. Training topics focused on the standardized conduct of repeat multiple-pass 24-hr dietary recalls, including interview techniques, estimation of portion sizes, and construction of a unique site-specific food composition database (FCDB). Each FCDB was based on 13 food groups and included values for moisture, energy, 20 nutrients (i.e. macro- and micronutrients), and phytate (an anti-nutrient). Nutrient values for individual foods or beverages were taken from recently developed FAO-supported regional food composition tables or the USDA national nutrient database. Appropriate adjustments for differences in moisture and application of nutrient retention and yield factors after cooking were applied, as needed. Generic recipes for mixed dishes consumed by the study population were compiled at each site, followed by calculation of a median recipe per 100 g. Each recipe’s nutrient values were included in the FCDB. Final site FCDB checks were planned according to FAO/INFOODS guidelines. Discussion: This dietary strategy provides the opportunity to assess estimated mean group usual energy and nutrient intakes and estimated prevalence of the population ‘at risk’ of inadequate intakes in first-trimester pregnant women living in four low- and middle-income countries. While challenges and limitations exist, this methodology demonstrates the practical application of a quantitative dietary strategy for a large international multi-site nutrition trial, providing within- and between-site comparisons. Moreover, it provides an excellent opportunity for local capacity building and each site FCDB can be easily modified for additional research activities conducted in other populations living in the same area

Dogs Leaving the ICU Carry a Very Large Multi-Drug Resistant Enterococcal Population with Capacity for Biofilm Formation and Horizontal Gene Transfer

The enterococcal community from feces of seven dogs treated with antibiotics for 2–9 days in the veterinary intensive care unit (ICU) was characterized. Both, culture-based approach and culture-independent 16S rDNA amplicon 454 pyrosequencing, revealed an abnormally large enterococcal community: 1.4±0.8×108 CFU gram−1 of feces and 48.9±11.5% of the total 16,228 sequences, respectively. The diversity of the overall microbial community was very low which likely reflects a high selective antibiotic pressure. The enterococcal diversity based on 210 isolates was also low as represented by Enterococcus faecium (54.6%) and Enterococcus faecalis (45.4%). E. faecium was frequently resistant to enrofloxacin (97.3%), ampicillin (96.5%), tetracycline (84.1%), doxycycline (60.2%), erythromycin (53.1%), gentamicin (48.7%), streptomycin (42.5%), and nitrofurantoin (26.5%). In E. faecalis, resistance was common to tetracycline (59.6%), erythromycin (56.4%), doxycycline (53.2%), and enrofloxacin (31.9%). No resistance was detected to vancomycin, tigecycline, linezolid, and quinupristin/dalfopristin in either species. Many isolates carried virulence traits including gelatinase, aggregation substance, cytolysin, and enterococcal surface protein. All E. faecalis strains were biofilm formers in vitro and this phenotype correlated with the presence of gelE and/or esp. In vitro intra-species conjugation assays demonstrated that E. faecium were capable of transferring tetracycline, doxycycline, streptomycin, gentamicin, and erythromycin resistance traits to human clinical strains. Multi-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of E. faecium strains showed very low genotypic diversity. Interestingly, three E. faecium clones were shared among four dogs suggesting their nosocomial origin. Furthermore, multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) of nine representative MLVA types revealed that six sequence types (STs) originating from five dogs were identical or closely related to STs of human clinical isolates and isolates from hospital outbreaks. It is recommended to restrict close physical contact between pets released from the ICU and their owners to avoid potential health risks

Children’s and adolescents’ rising animal-source food intakes in 1990–2018 were impacted by age, region, parental education and urbanicity

Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. Here, we use data from the Global Dietary Database and Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify global, regional and national ASF intakes between 1990 and 2018 by age group across 185 countries, representing 93% of the world’s child population. Mean ASF intake was 1.9 servings per day, representing 16% of children consuming at least three daily servings. Intake was similar between boys and girls, but higher among urban children with educated parents. Consumption varied by age from 0.6 at <1 year to 2.5 servings per day at 15–19 years. Between 1990 and 2018, mean ASF intake increased by 0.5 servings per week, with increases in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, total ASF consumption was highest in Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, and lowest in Uganda, India, Kenya and Bangladesh. These findings can inform policy to address malnutrition through targeted ASF consumption programmes.publishedVersio