55 research outputs found
Numerical study of circulation on the inner Amazon Shelf
Author Posting. © Springer, 2008. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Ocean Dynamics 58 (2008): 187-198, doi:10.1007/s10236-008-0139-4.We studied the circulation on the coastal
domain of the Amazon Shelf by applying the hydrodynamic
module of the Estuarine and Coastal Ocean
Model and Sediment Transport - ECOMSED. The first
barotropic experiment aimed to explain the major bathymetric
effects on tides and those generated by anisotropy
in sediment distribution. We analyzed the continental
shelf response of barotropic tides under realistic bottom
stress parametrization (Cd), considering sediment granulometry
obtained from a faciologic map, where river
mud deposits and reworked sediments areas are well distinguished,
among others classes of sediments. Very low
Cd values were set in the fluid mud regions off the Amapa
coast (1.0 10-4 ), in contrast to values around 3:5 10-3
for coarser sediment regions off the Para coast. Three-dimensional
experiments represented the Amazon River
discharge and trade winds, combined to barotropic tide
influences and induced vertical mixing. The quasi-resonant
response of the Amazon Shelf to the M2 tide act on
the local hydrodynamics by increasing tidal admittance,
along with tidal forcing at the shelf break and extensive
fluid mud regions. Harmonic analysis of modeled
currents agreed well with analysis of the AMASSEDS
observational data set. Tidal-induced vertical shear provided
strong homogenization of threshold waters, which
are subject to a kind of hydraulic control due to the topographic
steepness. Ahead of the hydraulic jump, the
low-salinity plume is disconnected from the bottom and
acquires negative vorticity, turning southeastward. Tides
act as a generator mechanism and topography, via hydraulic
control, as a maintainer mechanism for the low-salinity
frontal zone positioning. Tidally induced southeastward
plume fate is overwhelmed by northwestward
trade winds so that, along with background circulation,
probably play the most important role on the plume fate
and variability over the Amazon Shelf
Proportional lumbar spine inter-vertebral motion patterns: a comparison of patients with chronic, non-specific low back pain and healthy controls
Introduction: Identifying biomechanical subgroups in chronic, non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) populations from inter-vertebral displacements has proven elusive. Quantitative fluoroscopy (QF) has excellent repeatability and provides continuous standardised inter-vertebral kinematic data from fluoroscopic sequences allowing assessment of mid-range motion. The aim of this study was to determine whether proportional continuous IV rotational patterns were different in patients and controls. A secondary aim was to update the repeatability of QF measurement of range of motion (RoM) for inter-vertebral (IV) rotation
Single cell analysis of kynurenine and System L amino acid transport in T cells
Acknowledgements We thank Cantrell group members for their critical discussion of the data, the Biological Resources unit, Sarah Thomson (for rLM work) and the Flow Cytometry facility (A. Whigham and R. Clarke) at the University of Dundee. This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (Principal Research Fellowship to D.A.C. 097418/Z/11/Z and 205023/Z/16/Z, and Wellcome Trust Equipment Award 202950/Z/16/Z).Peer reviewedPublisher PD
The interplay between functioning problems and symptoms in first episode of psychosis: an approach from network analysis
The relationship between psychotic symptoms and global measures of functioning has been widely studied. No previous study has assessed so far the interplay between specific clinical symptoms and particular areas of functioning in first-episode psychosis (FEP) using network analysis methods. A total of 191 patients with FEP (age 24.45 ± 6.28 years, 64.9% male) participating in an observational and longitudinal study (AGES-CM) comprised the study sample. Functioning problems were assessed with the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS), whereas the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess symptom severity. Network analysis were conducted with the aim of analysing the patterns of relationships between the different dimensions of functioning and PANSS symptoms and factors at baseline. According to our results, the most important nodes were âconceptual disorganizationâ, âemotional withdrawalâ, âlack of spontaneity and flow of conversationâ, âdelusionsâ, âunusual thought contentâ, âdealing with strangersâ and âpoor rapportâ. Our findings suggest that these symptoms and functioning dimensions should be prioritized in the clinical assessment and management of patients with FEP. These areas may also become targets of future early intervention strategies, so as to improve quality of life in this populationThis work was supported by the Madrid Regional Government (R&D
activities in Biomedicine (grant number S2017/BMD-3740 - AGES-CM
2-CM)) and Structural Funds of the European Union. Ana Izquierdoâs
work is supported by the PFIS predoctoral program (FI17/00138) from
the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain) and co-funded by the European
Union (ERDF/ESF, "A way to make Europeâ/ âInvesting in your futureâ)
and The Biomedical Research Foundation of La Princesa University Hospital.
Angela IbÂŽaËnez thanks the support of CIBERSAM and of the Spanish
Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Instituto de Salud
Carlos III (PI16/00834 and PI19/01295) co-financed by ERDF Funds
from the European Commission. Covadonga M. DĂaz-Caneja holds a
Juan RodÂŽes Grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (JR19/00024). Celso
Arango was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.
Instituto de Salud Carlos III (SAM16PE07CP1, PI16/02012, PI19/
024), co-financed by ERDF Funds from the European Commission, âA
way of making Europeâ, CIBERSAM. Madrid Regional Government
(B2017/BMD-3740 AGES-CM-2), European Union Structural Funds.
European Union Seventh Framework Program under grant agreements
FP7-4-HEALTH-2009-2.2.1-2-241909 (Project EU-GEI), FP7- HEALTH-
2013-2.2.1-2-603196 (Project PSYSCAN) and FP7- HEALTH-2013-
2.2.1-2-602478 (Project METSY); and European Union H2020 Program
under the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking
(grant agreement No 115916, Project PRISM, and grant agreement No
777394, Project AIMS-2-TRIALS), FundaciÂŽon Familia Alonso, FundaciÂŽon
Alicia Koplowitz and FundaciÂŽon Mutua MadrileËn
Intra-subject repeatability of in vivo intervertebral motion parameters using quantitative fluoroscopy.
Purpose: In vivo quantification of intervertebral motion through imaging has progressed to a point where biomarkers for low back pain are emerging. This makes possible deeper study of the conditionâs biometrics. However, the measurement of change over time involves error. The purpose of this prospective investigation is to determine the intra-subject repeatability of six in vivo intervertebral motion parameters using quantitative fluoroscopy. Methods: Intra-subject reliability (ICC) and minimal detectable change (MDC) of baseline to 6-week follow-up measurements were calculated for 6 lumbar spine intervertebral motion parameters in 109 healthy volunteers. A standardised quantitative fluoroscopy (QF) protocol was used to provide measurements in the coronal and sagittal planes using both passive recumbent and active weight bearing motion. Parameters were: intervertebral range of motion (IV-RoM), laxity, motion sharing inequality (MSI), motion sharing variability (MSV), flexion translation, and anterior disc height change during flexion. Results: The best overall intra subject reliability (ICC) and agreement (MDT) were for disc height (ICC 0.89, MDC 43%) and IV-RoM (ICC 0.96, MDC 60%) and the worst for MSV (ICC 0.04, MCD 408%). Laxity, MSI and translation had acceptable reliability (most ICCs >0.60), but not agreement (MDC >85%). Conclusion: Disc height and IV-RoM measurement using QF could be considered for randomised trials while laxity, MSI and translation could be considered for moderators, correlates or mediators of patient reported outcomes. MSV had both poor reliability and agreement over 6 weeks
An in-vivo study exploring correlations between early-to-moderate disc degeneration and flexion mobility in the lumbar spine
Purpose: Early disc degeneration (DD) has been thought to be associated with loss of spine 6 stability. However, before this can be understood in relation to back pain, it is necessary to 7 know the relationship between DD and intervertebral motion in people without pain. This 8 study aimed to find out if early to moderate DD is associated with intervertebral motion in 9 people without back pain. 10 Methods: Ten pain free adults, aged 51-71 received recumbent and weight bearing MRI 11 scans and quantitative fluoroscopy (QF) screenings during recumbent and upright lumbar 12 flexion. Forty individual level and 10 composite (L2-S1) radiographic and MRI DD gradings 13 were recorded and correlated with intervertebral flexion ROM, translation, laxity, and 14 motion sharing inequality and variability for both positions. 15 Results: Kinematic values were similar to previous control studies. DD was evidenced up to 16 moderate levels by both radiographic and MRI grading. Disc height loss correlated slightly, 17 but negatively with flexion during weight bearing flexion (R=-0.356, p=0.0.025). Composite 18 MRI DD and T2 signal loss evidenced similar relationships (R= -0.305, R= -0.267) but did not 19 reach statistical significance (p=0.056, p=0.096). No significant relationships between any 20 other kinematic variables and DD were found. 21 Conclusion: This study found only small, indefinite associations between early-to-moderate 22 DD and intervertebral motion in healthy controls. Motion sharing in the absence of pain 23 was also not related to early DD, consistent with previous control studies. Further research 24 is needed to investigate these relationships in patients. 25 Key words: back pain, disc degeneration, instability, imagin
A subset of dendritic cells express joining chain (J-chain) protein
Joining chain (J-chain) is well known as an integrated component of dimeric immunoglobulin A (IgA) and pentameric IgM. We show here that the J-chain protein is also expressed in a subset of CD11c+ dendritic cells (DC) in C57BL/6 mice. J-chain knockout mice (Jâ/â mice) had a reduced fraction of CD4â/CD8α+ and mPDCA-1+ DC in the spleen. Jâ/â mice also had reduced levels of RNA for the immunoregulatory enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in the spleen. Furthermore, in lymph nodes from C57BL/6 mice the majority of J-chain-expressing CD11c+ cells also expressed IDO, while the number of IDO-expressing cells in lymph nodes and the amount of IDO protein in splenic CD11c+ cells were reduced in Jâ/â mice. Also, Jâ/â mice had a lower ratio of kynurenine/tryptophan in serum compared to C57BL/6 mice, indicating a lower overall IDO activity in Jâ/â mice. We also show that Jâ/â mice are less susceptible to tolerance induction than C57BL/6 mice. In conclusion, our data show that J-chain protein is expressed outside the B-cell compartment in a subset of immunoregulatory DC that are compromised in animals that cannot express J-chain
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