Effect of intensive treatment on diabetic nephropathy in patients with type I diabetes

Effect of intensive treatment on diabetic nephropathy in patients with type I diabetes. We evaluated the long-term effect of an intensive treatment of diabetic nephropathy (anti-hypertensive drugs, low protein diet, multiple insulin injections to achieve a good metabolic control) on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albumin excretion rate (AER). Fourteen type I diabetic patients (mean age 45 ± 9.5 years, mean duration of diabetes 23.5 ± 7.3 years, 8 males/6 females) with glomerular filtration rate <70 ml/min-1/1.73 m2 and albumin excretion rate >30 µg/min were treated intensively for 36 months. This intensive treatment consisted of multiple insulin injections, antihypertensive therapy with ACE inhibitors and a low-protein diet (0.8 g/kg body wt/day.) Renal function was evaluated as GFR and AER. HbA1C mean value decreased significantly from 8.7 ± 0.8% to 6.5 ± 0.5% (P < 0.0002). GFR rose from 58 ± 12 ml/min-1/l.73 m2 to 84 µ 11 ml/min-1/l.73 m2 (P < 0.0008). AER decreased from 208 µg/min (range: 73 to 500) to 63.8 µg/min (range 15 to 180; P < 0.05). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased respectively from 144 ± 26 mm Hg to 120 ± 15 mm Hg and from 89 ± 9 mm Hg to 75 ± 8 mm Hg (P < 0.01). We obtained a rise of GFR and a reduction of proteinuria after three years of this treatment. We suggest that this intensive treatment in all patients with early stage diabetic nephropathy may be effective in slowing the progression to renal failure

Restoration of Adiponectin Pulsatility in Severely Obese Subjects After Weight Loss

Diurnal variations of adiponectin levels have been studied in normal-weight men and in diabetic and nondiabetic obese subjects, but no data have been reported in obese subjects after weight loss. We collected blood samples at 1-h intervals over 24 h from seven severely obese subjects before and after massive weight loss consequent to surgical operation (bilio-pancreatic diversion [BPD]) to measure adiponectin, insulin, glucose, and cortisol levels. Insulin sensitivity was assessed by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp (M value). Studies of diurnal variations and pulsatility of adiponectin, insulin, and cortisol were performed. The pulsatility index (PI) of adiponectin increased after BPD from 0.04 to 0.11 μg/min (P = 0.01). Insulin PI significantly increased after the operation (1.50 vs. 1.08 pmol · l–1 · min–1, P = 0.01), while cortisol PI did not significantly change. The adiponectin clearance rate changed from 0.001 ± 10−4 · min−1 before BPD to 0.004 ± 8 · 10−4 · min−1 after BPD (P = 0.03). Insulin clearance increased from 0.006 ± 6 · 10−4 · min−1 before BPD to 0.009 ± 4 · 10−4 · min−1 after BPD (P = 0.02). The M value doubled after surgery (27.08 ± 8.5 vs. 53.34 ± 9.3 μmol · kgFFM−1 · min−1; P &lt; 0.001) becoming similar to the values currently reported for normal-weight subjects. In conclusion, in formerly severely obese subjects, weight loss paired with the reversibility of insulin resistance restores homeostatic control of the adiponectin secretion, contributing to the reduction of cardiovascular risk already described in these patients

Avaliaçao do Sensor de Contratilidade Cardíaca em Sistema DDDR - Estudo Multicêntrico

Neste estudo empregou-se um sistema de estimulaçao DDDR, cujo indicador que controla o sensor é o estado contrátil do miocárdio. Foram 85 pacientes portadores de doença no sistema de conduçao cardíaca distribuídos por 15 centros de implante no Brasil. Utilizando um parâmetro do próprio controle cardíaco vascular (contratilidade cardíaca obtida pela medida da impedância intracardíaca unipolar), a adaptaçao da frequência cardíaca é realizada num sistema de malha fechada, possibilitando teoricamente um ajuste a todas as necessidades fisiológicas. O objetivo principal foi avaliar a resposta de freqüência do marcapasso em situaçoes de esforço físico e mental, tanto em ambulatório (teste de esforço e estresse mental), como em atividades diárias do paciente. A programaçao e a calibraçao do sistema foram realizadas 30 dias após o implante (tempo de maturaçao da interface coraçao-eletrodo). Além das avaliaçoes dos limiares de estimulaçao e sensibilidade atriais e ventriculares, foram realizados testes de estresse mental (matemático e de percepçao) e teste ergométrico, monitorizados com histogramas de freqüência gravados pelo próprio marcapasso. A média dos limiares agudos de estimulaçao foi de 0,76±0,40Volts e 0,52±0,35Volts, de sensibilidade foi 2,59±1,49mV e 11,79±4,92mV e a da impedância foi 567±119 Ohms e 628±139 Ohms, para átrios e ventrículos, respectivamente. A média dos limiares crônicos de estimulaçao foi 1,34±0,64Volts e 1,10±0,57Volts e a dos de sensibilidade foi 2,82±1,79mV e 6,62±1,36mV respectivamente para átrios e ventrículos. A freqüência cardíaca variou de 5 a 160% nas atividades físicas e de 3 a 79% nas atividades mentais, com elevaçao apropriada logo no início da atividade. Conclui-se pela excelente performance do sensor estudado, permitindo uma adaptaçao de freqüência muito semelhante à do sistema nervoso autonômico de indivíduos normais

Avaliaçao do Sensor de Contratilidade Cardíaca em Sistema DDDR - Estudo Multicêntrico

Neste estudo empregou-se um sistema de estimulaçao DDDR, cujo indicador que controla o sensor é o estado contrátil do miocárdio. Foram 85 pacientes portadores de doença no sistema de conduçao cardíaca distribuídos por 15 centros de implante no Brasil. Utilizando um parâmetro do próprio controle cardíaco vascular (contratilidade cardíaca obtida pela medida da impedância intracardíaca unipolar), a adaptaçao da frequência cardíaca é realizada num sistema de malha fechada, possibilitando teoricamente um ajuste a todas as necessidades fisiológicas. O objetivo principal foi avaliar a resposta de freqüência do marcapasso em situaçoes de esforço físico e mental, tanto em ambulatório (teste de esforço e estresse mental), como em atividades diárias do paciente. A programaçao e a calibraçao do sistema foram realizadas 30 dias após o implante (tempo de maturaçao da interface coraçao-eletrodo). Além das avaliaçoes dos limiares de estimulaçao e sensibilidade atriais e ventriculares, foram realizados testes de estresse mental (matemático e de percepçao) e teste ergométrico, monitorizados com histogramas de freqüência gravados pelo próprio marcapasso. A média dos limiares agudos de estimulaçao foi de 0,76±0,40Volts e 0,52±0,35Volts, de sensibilidade foi 2,59±1,49mV e 11,79±4,92mV e a da impedância foi 567±119 Ohms e 628±139 Ohms, para átrios e ventrículos, respectivamente. A média dos limiares crônicos de estimulaçao foi 1,34±0,64Volts e 1,10±0,57Volts e a dos de sensibilidade foi 2,82±1,79mV e 6,62±1,36mV respectivamente para átrios e ventrículos. A freqüência cardíaca variou de 5 a 160% nas atividades físicas e de 3 a 79% nas atividades mentais, com elevaçao apropriada logo no início da atividade. Conclui-se pela excelente performance do sensor estudado, permitindo uma adaptaçao de freqüência muito semelhante à do sistema nervoso autonômico de indivíduos normais

La renovación de la palabra en el bicentenario de la Argentina : los colores de la mirada lingüística

El libro reúne trabajos en los que se exponen resultados de investigaciones presentadas por investigadores de Argentina, Chile, Brasil, España, Italia y Alemania en el XII Congreso de la Sociedad Argentina de Lingüística (SAL), Bicentenario: la renovación de la palabra, realizado en Mendoza, Argentina, entre el 6 y el 9 de abril de 2010. Las temáticas abordadas en los 167 capítulos muestran las grandes líneas de investigación que se desarrollan fundamentalmente en nuestro país, pero también en los otros países mencionados arriba, y señalan además las áreas que recién se inician, con poca tradición en nuestro país y que deberían fomentarse. Los trabajos aquí publicados se enmarcan dentro de las siguientes disciplinas y/o campos de investigación: Fonología, Sintaxis, Semántica y Pragmática, Lingüística Cognitiva, Análisis del Discurso, Psicolingüística, Adquisición de la Lengua, Sociolingüística y Dialectología, Didáctica de la lengua, Lingüística Aplicada, Lingüística Computacional, Historia de la Lengua y la Lingüística, Lenguas Aborígenes, Filosofía del Lenguaje, Lexicología y Terminología

Search for gravitational-lensing signatures in the full third observing run of the LIGO-Virgo network

Gravitational lensing by massive objects along the line of sight to the source causes distortions of gravitational wave-signals; such distortions may reveal information about fundamental physics, cosmology and astrophysics. In this work, we have extended the search for lensing signatures to all binary black hole events from the third observing run of the LIGO--Virgo network. We search for repeated signals from strong lensing by 1) performing targeted searches for subthreshold signals, 2) calculating the degree of overlap amongst the intrinsic parameters and sky location of pairs of signals, 3) comparing the similarities of the spectrograms amongst pairs of signals, and 4) performing dual-signal Bayesian analysis that takes into account selection effects and astrophysical knowledge. We also search for distortions to the gravitational waveform caused by 1) frequency-independent phase shifts in strongly lensed images, and 2) frequency-dependent modulation of the amplitude and phase due to point masses. None of these searches yields significant evidence for lensing. Finally, we use the non-detection of gravitational-wave lensing to constrain the lensing rate based on the latest merger-rate estimates and the fraction of dark matter composed of compact objects

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M&gt;70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0&lt;e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM