Constraining heavy colored resonances from top-antitop quark events

Recent measurements of the top quark charge asymmetry at Tevatron disfavor the existence of flavor universal axigluons and colorons at 2 sigmas. In this letter we explore the possibility to reconcile the data with these models and use the charge asymmetry and the invariant mass distribution of top-antitop quark pair events to constrain the mass and couplings of massive color-octet gauge bosons decaying to top quarks.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. References added, final version to appear in Phys.Rev.

Massive color-octet bosons and the charge asymmetries of top quarks at hadron colliders

Several models predict the existence of heavy colored resonances decaying to top quarks in the TeV energy range that might be discovered at the LHC. In some of those models, moreover, a sizable charge asymmetry of top versus antitop quarks might be generated. The detection of these exotic resonances, however, requires selecting data samples where the top and the antitop quarks are highly boosted, which is experimentally very challenging. We asses that the measurement of the top quark charge asymmetry at the LHC is very sensitive to the existence of excited states of the gluon with axial-vector couplings to quarks. We use a toy model with general flavour independent couplings, and show that a signal can be detected with relatively not too energetic top and antitop quarks. We also compare the results with the asymmetry predicted by QCD, and show that its highest statistical significance is achieved with data samples of top-antitop quark pairs of low invariant masses.Comment: 20 page

Charge asymmetries of top quarks: a window to new physics at hadron colliders

With the next start of LHC, a huge production of top quarks is expected. There are several models that predict the existence of heavy colored resonances decaying to top quarks in the TeV energy range. A peak in the differential cross section could reveal the existence of such a resonance, but this is experimentally challenging, because it requires selecting data samples where top and antitop quarks are highly boosted. Nonetheless, the production of such resonances might generate a sizable charge asymmetry of top versus antitop quarks. We consider a toy model with general flavour independent couplings of the resonance to quarks, of both vector and axial-vector kind. The charge asymmetry turns out to be a more powerful observable to detect new physics than the differential cross section, because its highest statistical significance is achieved with data samples of top-antitop quark pairs of low invariant masses

Role of enhanced glomerular synthesis of thromboxane A2 in progressive kidney disease

Role of enhanced glomerular synthesis of thromboxane A2 in progressive kidney disease. Normotensive rats of the Milan strain (MNS) spontaneously develop focal glomerulosclerosis. In order to explore the contribution of glomerular thromboxane (TX) A2 synthesis to the development of the disease, we have characterized the time course of renal functional and biochemical changes, and their modification by long-term treatment with a TX-synthase inhibitor. Oral administration (150mg · kg-1 from 1 to 14 months of age) of FCE 22178 suppressed enhanced glomerular TXB2 production at all experimental times (mean inhibition 80%) and proteinuria (varying between 27.1 and 73.0%) while preserving renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate. These effects of TX-synthase inhibition were seen in the absence of any statistically significant changes in systemic blood pressure. Moreover, FCE 22178 had no antihypertensive effects in hypertensive rats of the Milan strain (MHS) nor in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Treatment also prevented the age-related hypoalbuminemia and hyperlipidemia observed in control MNS and significantly (P < 0.01) reduced glomerular histologic damage, as demonstrated by light microscopy studies and measurement of sclerotic area. We conclude that: 1) MNS rats provide an animal model of long-lasting proteinuria characterized by an age-related increase in glomerular TXB2 production paralleled by progressive loss of renal structural integrity and function and by a secondary dyslipidemia; 2) pharmacological inhibition of glomerular TX-synthase attenuates the structural as well as the functional expression of kidney disease, without a primary effect on systemic blood pressure. These data are suggestive of an important modulating role of TXA2 in the progression of MNS renal disease

Perspective: a conceptual framework for adaptive personalized nutrition advice systems (APNASs)

Nearly all approaches to personalized nutrition (PN) use information such as the gene variants of individuals to deliver advice that is more beneficial than a generic one-size-fits-all recommendation. Despite great enthusiasm and the increased availability of commercial services, thus far, scientific studies have only revealed small to negligible effects on the efficacy and effectiveness of personalized dietary recommendations, even when using genetic or other individual information. In addition, from a public health perspective, scholars are critical of PN because it primarily targets socially privileged groups rather than the general population, thereby potentially widening health inequality. Therefore, in this perspective, we propose to extend current PN approaches by creating adaptive personalized nutrition advice systems (APNASs) that are tailored to the type and timing of personalized advice for individual needs, capacities, and receptivity in real-life food environments. These systems encompass a broadening of current PN goals (i.e., what should be achieved) to incorporate individual goal preferences beyond currently advocated biomedical targets (e.g., making sustainable food choices). Moreover, they cover the personalization processes of behavior change by providing in situ, just-in-time information in real-life environments (how and when to change), which accounts for individual capacities and constraints (e.g., economic resources). Finally, they are concerned with a participatory dialogue between individuals and experts (e.g., actual or virtual dieticians, nutritionists, and advisors), when setting goals and deriving measures of adaption. Within this framework, emerging digital nutrition ecosystems enable continuous, real-time monitoring, advice, and support in food environments from exposure to consumption. We present this vision of a novel PN framework along with scenarios and arguments that describe its potential to efficiently address individual and population needs and target groups that would benefit most from its implementation

Nutrimetabolomics: An Integrative Action for Metabolomic Analyses in Human Nutritional Studies

The life sciences are currently being transformed by an unprecedented wave of developments in molecular analysis, which include important advances in instrumental analysis as well as biocomputing. In light of the central role played by metabolism in nutrition, metabolomics is rapidly being established as a key analytical tool in human nutritional studies. Consequently, an increasing number of nutritionists integrate metabolomics into their study designs. Within this dynamic landscape, the potential of nutritional metabolomics (nutrimetabolomics) to be translated into a science, which can impact on health policies, still needs to be realized. A key element to reach this goal is the ability of the research community to join, to collectively make the best use of the potential offered by nutritional metabolomics. This article, therefore, provides a methodological description of nutritional metabolomics that reflects on the state‐of‐the‐art techniques used in the laboratories of the Food Biomarker Alliance (funded by the European Joint Programming Initiative "A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life" (JPI HDHL)) as well as points of reflections to harmonize this field. It is not intended to be exhaustive but rather to present a pragmatic guidance on metabolomic methodologies, providing readers with useful "tips and tricks" along the analytical workflow

Association of Mild Anemia with Cognitive, Functional, Mood and Quality of Life Outcomes in the Elderly: The “Health and Anemia” Study

BACKGROUND: In the elderly persons, hemoglobin concentrations slightly below the lower limit of normal are common, but scant evidence is available on their relationship with significant health indicators. The objective of the present study was to cross-sectionally investigate the association of mild grade anemia with cognitive, functional, mood, and quality of life (QoL) variables in community-dwelling elderly persons. METHODS: Among the 4,068 eligible individuals aged 65-84 years, all persons with mild anemia (n = 170) and a randomly selected sample of non-anemic controls (n = 547) were included in the study. Anemia was defined according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria and mild grade anemia was defined as a hemoglobin concentration between 10.0 and 11.9 g/dL in women and between 10.0 and 12.9 g/dL in men. Cognition and functional status were assessed using measures of selective attention, episodic memory, cognitive flexibility and instrumental and basic activities of daily living. Mood and QoL were evaluated by means of the Geriatric Depression Scale-10, the Short-Form health survey (SF-12), and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Anemia. RESULTS: In univariate analyses, mild anemic elderly persons had significantly worse results on almost all cognitive, functional, mood, and QoL measures. In multivariable logistic regressions, after adjustment for a large number of demographic and clinical confounders, mild anemia remained significantly associated with measures of selective attention and disease-specific QoL (all fully adjusted p<.046). When the lower limit of normal hemoglobin concentration according to WHO criteria was raised to define anemia (+0.2 g/dL), differences between mild anemic and non anemic elderly persons tended to increase on almost every variable. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-sectionally, mild grade anemia was independently associated with worse selective attention performance and disease-specific QoL ratings

Socioeconomic Status Is Not Related with Facial Fluctuating Asymmetry: Evidence from Latin-American Populations

The expression of facial asymmetries has been recurrently related with poverty and/or disadvantaged socioeconomic status. Departing from the developmental instability theory, previous approaches attempted to test the statistical relationship between the stress experienced by individuals grown in poor conditions and an increase in facial and corporal asymmetry. Here we aim to further evaluate such hypothesis on a large sample of admixed Latin Americans individuals by exploring if low socioeconomic status individuals tend to exhibit greater facial fluctuating asymmetry values. To do so, we implement Procrustes analysis of variance and Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) to estimate potential associations between facial fluctuating asymmetry values and socioeconomic status. We report significant relationships between facial fluctuating asymmetry values and age, sex, and genetic ancestry, while socioeconomic status failed to exhibit any strong statistical relationship with facial asymmetry. These results are persistent after the effect of heterozygosity (a proxy for genetic ancestry) is controlled in the model. Our results indicate that, at least on the studied sample, there is no relationship between socioeconomic stress (as intended as low socioeconomic status) and facial asymmetries