Factor analysis in the identification of dietary patterns and their predictive role in morbid and fatal events.

AbstractObjectiveThe purpose was to examine the role of dietary patterns derived from factor analysis and their association with health and disease.DesignLongitudinal population study, with measurement of diet (dietary history method), cardiovascular risk factors and a follow-up of 20 years for CHD incidence and 40 years for mortality.SettingTwo population samples in rural villages in northern and central Italy.SubjectsMen (n 1221) aged 45–64 years were examined and followed up.ResultsOne of the factors identified with factor analysis, run on seventeen food groups, was converted into a factor score (Factor 2 score) and used as a possible predictor of morbid and fatal events. High values of Factor 2 score were characterized by higher consumption of bread, cereals (pasta), potatoes, vegetables, fish and oil and by lower consumption of milk, sugar, fruit and alcoholic beverages. In multivariate analysis, Factor 2 score (mean 0·0061; sd 1·3750) was inversely and significantly associated (hazard ratio for a 1 sd increase; 95% CI) with 20-year CHD incidence (0·88; 0·73, 0·96) and 40-year mortality from CHD (0·79; 0·66, 0·95), CVD (0·87; 0·78, 0·96), cancer (0·84; 0·74, 0·96) and all causes (0·89; 0·83, 0·96), after adjustment for five other risk factors. Men in quintile 5 of Factor 2 score had a 4·1 years longer life expectancy compared with men in quintile 1.ConclusionsA dietary pattern derived from factor analysis, and resembling the characteristics of the Mediterranean diet, was protective for the occurrence of various morbid and fatal events during 40 years of follow-up

Koagulacija krvi i lipidi u serumu (Studija stanovništva)

Two population groups differing in dietary habits and physical activity were examined on blood lipids and blood coagulability. The results showed a higher lipid concentration and shorter clotting time in the physically less active group, having a higher fat and caloric intake.Dvije populacione grupe, koje se razlikuju po svojoj prehrani, a osobito po povećanoj potrošnji masnoća i smanjenom fizičkom aktivitetu, ispitivane su s obzirom na nivo krvnih lipida i na koagulabilitet krvi. Rezultati pokazuju, da prehrana, osobito povećana potrošnja animalnih masnoća, te smanjena psihička aktivnost utječu na povećanje nivoa krvnih lipida i bržeg koagulabiliteta krvi mjerenog kao vrijeme zgrušavanja i protrombinsko vrijeme. Ti rezultati potvrđuju već ranija zapažanja autora o povećanom koagulabilitetu krvi u populacionim grupama, koje se istovremeno razlikuju i u koncentraciji krvnih lipida i u učestalosti koronarnih bolesti

A complete O(alpha_S^2) calculation of the signal-background interference for the Higgs diphoton decay channel

We present the full {\cal O}(\as^2) computation of the interference effects between the Higgs diphoton signal and the continuum background at the LHC. While the main contribution to the interference originates on the $gg$ partonic subprocess, we find that the corrections from the $qg$ and $q\bar{q}$ channels amount up to 35% of it. We discuss the effect of these new subprocesses in the shift of the diphoton invariant mass peak recently reported by S. Martin in Ref.\cite{Martin:2012xc}.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Transverse-momentum resummation for the signal-background interference in the H →γγ channel at the LHC

We present an upgraded calculation of the effects of resonance-continuum interference for the Higgs boson decaying to two photons at the Large Hadron Collider, at next-to-leading order in the strong coupling αS, O(αS3), and including transverse-momentum (qT) resummation at next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy. We study the importance of the interference contribution in different transverse-momentum regions, with a particular focus on the low-qT region qT2 Q2 (with Q2 being the invariant diphoton mass) where resummation becomes essential for a reliable calculation

Seiberg-Witten-type Maps for Currents and Energy-Momentum Tensors in Noncommutative Gauge Theories

We derive maps relating the currents and energy-momentum tensors in noncommutative (NC) gauge theories with their commutative equivalents. Some uses of these maps are discussed. Especially, in NC electrodynamics, we obtain a generalization of the Lorentz force law. Also, the same map for anomalous currents relates the Adler-Bell-Jackiw type NC covariant anomaly with the standard commutative-theory anomaly. For the particular case of two dimensions, we discuss the implications of these maps for the Sugawara-type energy-momentum tensor.Comment: 14 pages, JHEP styl

Interference effects in the H(→ γγ) + 2 jets channel at the LHC

We compute the interference between the resonant process pp → H(→ γγ) + 2 jets and the corresponding continuum background at leading order in QCD. For the Higgs signal, we include gluon fusion (GF) and vector boson fusion (VBF) production channels, while for the background we consider all tree-level contributions, including pure EW effects (O(α 4 QED)) and QCD contributions (O(α 2 QEDα 2 s )), plus the loopinduced gluon-initiated process. After convolution with the experimental mass resolution, the main effect of the interference is to shift the position of the mass peak, as in the inclusive GF case studied previously. The apparent mass shift is small in magnitude but strongly dependent on the Higgs width, potentially allowing for a measurement of, or bound on, the width itself. In the H(→ γγ) + 2 jets channel, the VBF and GF contributions generate shifts of opposite signs which largely cancel, depending on the sets of cuts used, to as little as 5 MeV (toward a lower Higgs mass). The small magnitude of the shift makes this channel a good reference mass for measuring the inclusive mass shift of around 60 MeV in the Standard Model.Fil: Coradeschi, F.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina. Università degli Studi di Firenze; ItaliaFil: de Florian, Daniel Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Dixon, L. J.. University of Stanford; Estados Unidos. Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics; Estados UnidosFil: Fidanza Romani, Nerina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaFil: Höche, S.. University of Stanford; Estados UnidosFil: Ita, H.. Albert Ludwigs Universität Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: Li, Y.. University of Stanford; Estados UnidosFil: Mazzitelli, Javier Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentin

Food Guides

Consumers are often confused by the information and advice continuously offered by the various sources on nutrition and healthy lifestyles, sometimes even by the details on food labels about the composition of nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals). The information is based on historical moments that affect food availability and messages that accompany the sale, as for example the current trend to consume gluten-free products by people suffering from celiac disease and people consuming gluten-free products by fad. Conversely, in the Italian post-war period, many advertising posters offered gluten-added pasta to help balance a low-nutrient diet. Nowadays, this poster (Fig. 1) may seem paradoxical but it was the result of an Italian historical era, with a completely different food availability. Just remember that, according to the first data available from FAO in 1961, the Kcal per capita daily available amounted to 2958 and the protein availability were equal to 82.54 grams per day per person. In 2013 the Kcal availability rose to 3579 registering an increase of 21% and protein availability increased to 108.51 grams per day per person, registering a 31% increase attesting a greater distribution of both availabilities among the population in order to ensure the extinction of structural and contingent forms of hunger

Emergent Gravity from Noncommutative Spacetime

We showed before that self-dual electromagnetism in noncommutative (NC) spacetime is equivalent to self-dual Einstein gravity. This result implies a striking picture about gravity: Gravity can emerge from electromagnetism in NC spacetime. Gravity is then a collective phenomenon emerging from gauge fields living in fuzzy spacetime. We elucidate in some detail why electromagnetism in NC spacetime should be a theory of gravity. In particular, we show that NC electromagnetism is realized through the Darboux theorem as a diffeomorphism symmetry G which is spontaneously broken to symplectomorphism H due to a background symplectic two-form $B_{\mu\nu}=(1/\theta)_{\mu\nu}$, giving rise to NC spacetime. This leads to a natural speculation that the emergent gravity from NC electromagnetism corresponds to a nonlinear realization G/H of the diffeomorphism group, more generally its NC deformation. We also find some evidences that the emergent gravity contains the structure of generalized complex geometry and NC gravity. To illuminate the emergent gravity, we illustrate how self-dual NC electromagnetism nicely fits with the twistor space describing curved self-dual spacetime. We also discuss derivative corrections of Seiberg-Witten map which give rise to higher order gravity.Comment: 50 pages; Cosmetic revision and updated reference

FHIT gene therapy prevents tumor development in Fhit-deficient mice

The tumor suppressor gene FHIT spans a common fragile site and is highly susceptible to environmental carcinogens. FHIT inactivation and loss of expression is found in a large fraction of premaligant and malignant lesions. In this study, we were able to inhibit tumor development by oral gene transfer, using adenoviral or adenoassociated viral vectors expressing the human FHIT gene, in heterozygous Fhit+/- knockout mice, that are prone to tumor development after carcinogen exposure. We therefore suggest that FHIT gene therapy could be a novel clinical approach not only in treatment of early stages of cancer, but also in prevention of human cancer

A primary cutaneous adenoid-cystic carcinoma in a young woman. Differential diagnosis and clinical implications

Primary cutaneous adenoid-cystic carcinoma (PCACC) is a rare slow-growing neoplasm of disputed histogenesis characterized by a cribriform pattern at histology and local aggressive behaviour. Up to date about 60 cases of PCACC have been reported in the literature. This tumour is most common in the scalp, affects middle-aged and older individuals (mean age 59) and has predilection for women. We describe an unexpected case of PCACC in a 32-years-old woman referred to our clinic for a subcutaneous nodule in the scalp showing a slow growth and indolent course. The differential diagnosis and the clinical management of this PCACC patient, successfully treated with a wide local excision, are presented and discussed