3,004 research outputs found
The effect of the systemic inflammatory response on plasma vitamin 25 (OH) D concentrations adjusted for albumin
<b>Aim</b><p></p>
To examine the relationship between plasma 25(OH)D, CRP and albumin concentrations in two patient cohorts.<p></p>
<b>Methods</b><p></p>
5327 patients referred for nutritional assessment and 117 patients with critical illness were examined. Plasma 25 (OH) D concentrations were measured using standard methods. Intra and between assay imprecision was <10%.<p></p>
<b>Result</b><p></p>
In the large cohort, plasma 25 (OH) D was significantly associated with CRP (rs = â0.113, p<0.001) and albumin (rs = 0.192, p<0.001). 3711 patients had CRP concentrations â€10 mg/L; with decreasing albumin concentrations â„35, 25â34 and <25 g/l, median concentrations of 25 (OH) D were significantly lower from 35 to 28 to 14 nmol/l (p<0.001). This decrease was significant when albumin concentrations were reduced between 25â34 g/L (p<0.001) and when albumin <25 g/L (p<0.001). 1271 patients had CRP concentrations between 11â80 mg/L; with decreasing albumin concentrations â„35, 25â34 and <25 g/l, median concentrations of 25 (OH) D were significantly lower from 31 to 24 to 19 nmol/l (p<0.001). This decrease was significant when albumin concentration were 25â34 g/L (p<0.001) and when albumin <25 g/L (p<0.001). 345 patients had CRP concentrations >80 mg/L; with decreasing albumin concentrations â„35, 25â34 and <25 g/l, median concentrations of 25 (OH) D were not significantly altered varying from 19 to 23 to 23 nmol/l. Similar relationships were also obtained in the cohort of patients with critical illness.<p></p>
<b>Conclusion</b><p></p>
Plasma concentrations of 25(OH) D were independently associated with both CRP and albumin and consistent with the systemic inflammatory response as a major confounding factor in determining vitamin D status.<p></p>
Pronghorn Habitat Suitability in the Texas Panhandle
Habitat quality is an important factor that can greatly affect wildlife populations. Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) habitat in the Texas Panhandle, USA has been lost through growth of human settlements and agricultural lands. We determined the most pertinent environmental variables affecting habitat selection using multiple methods, including a search of peer-reviewed literature, expert opinion ranking, and habitat suitability modeling. We determined quality and extent of pronghorn habitat in the Texas Panhandle using the MAXENT modeling environment to build a presence-only habitat suitability model based on global positioning system (GPS) locations collected via aerial surveys. Our habitat suitability model indicated that woodlands, agricultural land, and summer precipitation had the greatest contributions to the overall model. Areas with greatest habitat suitability are associated with high pronghorn population densities, particularly in the northwestern corner of the Panhandle. This probabilistic model may serve as a useful tool for pronghorn conservation primarily because it provides insight into what factors are most predictive of their presence, which areas are most suitable for pronghorn, and as a simple, replicable process to identify and evaluate pronghorn habitat
A Sino-German 6 cm polarization survey of the Galactic plane II. The region from 129 degree to 230 degree longitude
Linearly polarized Galactic synchrotron emission provides valuable
information about the properties of the Galactic magnetic field and the
interstellar magneto-ionic medium, when Faraday rotation along the line of
sight is properly taken into account. We aim to survey the Galactic plane at 6
cm including linear polarization. At such a short wavelength Faraday rotation
effects are in general small and the Galactic magnetic field properties can be
probed to larger distances than at long wavelengths. The Urumqi 25-m telescope
is used for a sensitive 6 cm survey in total and polarized intensities. WMAP
K-band (22.8 GHz) polarization data are used to restore the absolute zero-level
of the Urumqi U and Q maps by extrapolation. Total intensity and polarization
maps are presented for a Galactic plane region of 129 degree < l < 230 degree
and |b| < 5 degree in the anti-centre with an angular resolution of 9'5 and an
average sensitivity of 0.6 mK and 0.4 mK Tb in total and polarized intensity,
respectively. We briefly discuss the properties of some extended Faraday
Screens detected in the 6 cm polarization maps. The Sino-German 6 cm
polarization survey provides new information about the properties of the
magnetic ISM. The survey also adds valuable information for discrete Galactic
objects and is in particular suited to detect extended Faraday Screens with
large rotation measures hosting strong regular magnetic fields.Comment: 17 pages, 20 figures, accepted by A&A. Resolutions of the figures
have been significantly reduced. For version with full resolution, see
http://159.226.88.6/zmtt/6cm/papers/gao.paper2.pd
The Molonglo Galactic Plane Survey: I. Overview and Images
The first epoch Molonglo Galactic Plane Survey (MGPS1) is a radio continuum
survey made using the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) at 843
MHz with a resolution of 43" X 43" cosec |delta|. The region surveyed is 245
deg < l < 355 deg, |b| < 1.5 deg. The thirteen 9 deg X 3 deg mosaic images
presented here are the superposition of over 450 complete synthesis
observations, each taking 12 h and covering 70' X 70' cosec |delta|. The
root-mean-square sensitivity over much of the mosaiced survey is 1-2 mJy/beam
(1 sigma), and the positional accuracy is approximately 1" X 1" cosec |delta|
for sources brighter than 20 mJy. The dynamic range is no better than 250:1,
and this also constrains the sensitivity in some parts of the images. The
survey area of 330 sq deg contains well over 12,000 unresolved or barely
resolved objects, almost all of which are extra-galactic sources lying in the
Zone of Avoidance. In addition a significant fraction of this area is covered
by extended, diffuse emission associated with thermal complexes, discrete H II
regions, supernova remnants, and other structures in the Galactic interstellar
medium.Comment: Paper with 3 figures and 1 table + Table 2 + 7 jpg grayscales for Fig
4. Astrophysical Journal Supplement (in press) see also
http://www.astrop.physics.usyd.edu.au/MGP
Quality of life and metabolic status in mildly depressed patients with type 2 diabetes treated with paroxetine: A double-blind randomised placebo controlled 6-month trial
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Depression is prevalent in people with type 2 diabetes and affects both glycaemic control and overall quality of life. The aim of this investigator-initiated trial was to evaluate the effect of the antidepressant paroxetine on quality of life, metabolic control, and mental well-being in mildly depressed diabetics aged 50â70 years.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We randomised 49 mildly depressed primary care outpatients with non-optimally controlled diabetes to a 6-month double-blind treatment with either paroxetine 20 mg per day or matching placebo. Primary efficacy measurements were quality of life and glycaemic control. The primary global outcome of the study was defined as a 10 points improvement in the SF-36 quality of life score. The primary metabolic outcome of the study was defined as a 0.8%-units decrease in glycosylated haemoglobin A<sub>1c</sub>(GHbA<sub>1c</sub>). Psychiatric symptoms were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six patients withdrew their consent before starting medication and six dropped out later in the study. We performed analysis of covariance with the baseline value as a covariate. Quality of life and glycaemic control as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety improved in both groups over the 6-month study period. After three months of treatment we found a statistically significant difference between the two treatment groups in GHbA<sub>1c </sub>(mean difference = 0.59%-units, p = 0.018) and in SF-36 score (mean difference = 11.0 points, p = 0.039). However, at the end of the study, no statistically significant differences between the treatment groups were observed. No severe adverse events occurred.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This pragmatic study of primary care patients did not confirm earlier preliminary findings indicating a beneficial effect of paroxetine on glycaemic control. The study indicates that in pragmatic circumstances any possible benefit from administration of paroxetine in diabetic patients with sub-threshold depression is likely to be modest and of short duration. Routine antidepressant prescription for patients with diabetes and sub-threshold depressive symptoms is not indicated.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current controlled trials ISRCTN55819922</p
Heavy-light Mesons and Baryons with b quarks
We present lattice results for the spectrum of mesons containing one heavy
quark and of baryons containing one or two heavy quarks. The calculation is
done in the quenched approximation using the NRQCD formalism for the heavy
quark. We analyze the dependence of the mass splittings on both the heavy and
the light quark masses. Meson P-state fine structure and baryon hyperfine
splittings are resolved for the first time. We fix the b quark mass using both
M_B and M_{\Lambda_b}, and our best estimate is m_b^\MSbar(m_b^\MSbar) =
4.35(10)({}^{-3}_{+2})(10) GeV. The spectrum, obtained by interpolation to m_b,
is compared with the experimental data.Comment: 34 pages, LaTeX, 13 postscript figures, version as publish in Phys.
Rev.
Discovery of a weak magnetic field in the photosphere of the single giant Pollux
Aims: We observe the nearby, weakly-active single giant, Pollux, in order to
directly study and infer the nature of its magnetic field. Methods: We used the
new generation spectropolarimeters ESPaDOnS and NARVAL to observe and detect
circular polarization within the photospheric absorption lines of Pollux. Our
observations span 18 months from 2007-2009. We treated the spectropolarimetric
data using the Least-Squares Deconvolution method to create high
signal-to-noise ratio mean Stokes V profiles. We also measured the classical
activity indicator S-index for the Ca H&K lines, and the stellar radial
velocity (RV). Results: We have unambiguously detected a weak Stokes V signal
in the spectral lines of Pollux, and measured the related surface-averaged
longitudinal magnetic field Bl. The longitudinal field averaged over the span
of the observations is below one gauss. Our data suggest variations of the
longitudinal magnetic field, but no significant variation of the S-index. We
observe variations of RV which are qualitatively consistent with the published
ephemeris for a proposed exoplanet orbiting Pollux. The observed variations of
Bl appear to mimic those of RV, but additional data for this relationship to be
established. Using evolutionary models including the effects of rotation, we
derive the mass of Pollux and we discuss its evolutionary status and the origin
of its magnetic field. Conclusions: This work presents the first direct
detection of the magnetic field of Pollux, and demonstrates that ESPaDOnS and
NARVAL are capable of obtaining sub-G measurements of the surface-averaged
longitudinal magnetic field of giant stars, and of directly studying the
relationships between magnetic activity, stellar evolution and planet hosting
of these stars.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Structure in the polarized Galactic synchrotron emission, in particular `depolarization canals'
The polarized component of the diffuse radio synchrotron emission of our
Galaxy shows structure, which is apparently unrelated to the structure in total
intensity, on many scales. The structure in the polarized emission can be due
to several processes or mechanisms. Some of those are related to the
observational setup, such as beam depolarization -- the vector combination and
(partial) cancellation of polarization vectors within a synthesized beam --, or
the insensitivity of a synthesis telescope to structure on large scales, also
known as the 'missing short spacings problem'. Other causes for structure in
the polarization maps are intrinsic to the radiative transfer of the emission
in the warm ISM, which induces Faraday rotation and depolarization.
We use data obtained with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope at 5
frequencies near 350 MHz to estimate the importance of the various mechanisms
in producing structure in the linearly polarized emission. In the two regions
studied here, which are both at positive latitudes in the second Galactic
quadrant, the effect of 'missing short spacings' is not important. The
properties of the narrow depolarization 'canals' that are observed in abundance
lead us to conclude that they are mostly due to beam depolarization, and that
they separate regions with different rotation measures. As beam depolarization
only creates structure on the scale of the synthesized beam, most of the
structure on larger scales must be due to depth depolarization. We do not
discuss that aspect of the observations here, but in a companion paper we
derive information about the properties of the ISM from the structure of the
polarized emission.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication by A&
Cognitive decline and quality of life in incident Parkinson's disease: The role of attention.
INTRODUCTION: Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) is associated with poorer quality of life (QoL). Prior to the onset of PDD, many patients experience progressive cognitive impairment. There is a paucity of longitudinal studies investigating the effects of cognitive decline on QoL. This study aimed to determine the longitudinal impact of cognitive change on QoL in an incident PD cohort. METHODS: Recently diagnosed patients with PD (n = 212) completed a schedule of neuropsychological assessments and QoL measures; these were repeated after 18 (n = 190) and 36 months (n = 158). Mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) was classified with reference to the Movement Disorder Society criteria. Principal component analysis was used to reduce 10 neuropsychological tests to three cognitive factors: attention, memory/executive function, and global cognition. RESULTS: Baseline PD-MCI was a significant contributor to QoL (ÎČ = 0.2, p < 0.01). For those subjects (9%) who developed dementia, cognitive function had a much greater impact on QoL (ÎČ = 10.3, p < 0.05). Multivariate modelling showed attentional deficits had the strongest predictive power (ÎČ = -2.3, p < 0.01); brief global tests only modestly predicted decline in QoL (ÎČ = -0.4, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: PD-MCI was associated with poorer QoL over three years follow up. Cognitive impairment had a greater impact on QoL in individuals who developed dementia over follow-up. Impaired attention was a significant determinant of QoL in PD. Interventions which improve concentration and attention in those with PD could potentially improve QoL
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