Acute cardiovascular responses to resistance exercise in anabolic steroids users: A preliminary investigation

Objectives: Anabolic steroid (AS) use has increased in recent years, but the cardiovascular consequences for users is not fully understood. Equipment and Methods: Resistance trained males (AS = 7, age = 29 ± 5; NAS = 6, age = 25 ± 1 yrs) undertook a resistance exercise session with echocardiographic measures and cardiac biomarkers taken pre and post exercise (cTnI, NT-proBNP). Results: A significant decrease in early diastolic tissue velocity (E’) (AS = 13 ± 1 vs 11 ± 3, NAS = 13 ± 2 vs12 ± 1 cm.s−1), late diastolic tissue velocity (A’) (AS = 9 ± 2 vs 8 ± 1, NAS = 8 ± 1 vs 8 ± 1 cm.s−1), E’:A’ (AS = 1.63 vs 1.21, NAS = 1.71 vs 1.62) and E:A (AS = 1.61 vs 1.19, NAS = 1.63 vs 1.29) with an increase in late dia < stolic filling velocity (A) (AS = 53 ± 8 vs 65 ± 11, NAS = 51 ± 3 vs 57 ± 9 cm.s−1) were seen in both groups post-exercise. A significant decrease in left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV) (AS = 48 ± 16 vs 45 ± 12, NAS = 51 ± 9 vs 43 ± 11 ml) was seen post-exercise with maintenance of ejection fraction (EF). There was a significant group effect on diastolic blood pressure (BP) (AS = 74 ± 11 vs 66 ± 7, NAS = 68 ± 6 vs 58 ± 2 mmHg) and basal systolic rotation rate (AS = −61.69 ± 18.38 vs −86.65 ± 17.99, NAS = −63.69 ± 14.72 vs −56.50 ± 2.15.s−1). Conclusion: Despite significant reductions in diastolic measures, with maintenance of systolic function, there was no altered cardiovascular response in the AS users following resistance exercise. © 2018 Elsevier Masson SA

Study of the three-dimensional shape and dynamics of coronal loops observed by Hinode/EIS

We study plasma flows along selected coronal loops in NOAA Active Region 10926, observed on 3 December 2006 with Hinode's EUV Imaging Spectrograph (EIS). From the shape of the loops traced on intensity images and the Doppler shifts measured along their length we compute their three-dimensional (3D) shape and plasma flow velocity using a simple geometrical model. This calculation was performed for loops visible in the Fe VIII 185 Ang., Fe X 184 Ang., Fe XII 195 Ang., Fe XIII 202 Ang., and Fe XV 284 Ang. spectral lines. In most cases the flow is unidirectional from one footpoint to the other but there are also cases of draining motions from the top of the loops to their footpoints. Our results indicate that the same loop may show different flow patterns when observed in different spectral lines, suggesting a dynamically complex rather than a monolithic structure. We have also carried out magnetic extrapolations in the linear force-free field approximation using SOHO/MDI magnetograms, aiming toward a first-order identification of extrapolated magnetic field lines corresponding to the reconstructed loops. In all cases, the best-fit extrapolated lines exhibit left-handed twist (alpha < 0), in agreement with the dominant twist of the region.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

Effect of Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Supplementation of Preterm Infants on Growth, Body Composition, and Blood Pressure at 7-Years Corrected Age: Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Aim: To determine if supplementation of infants born 0.1). High-DHA group infants were more likely to be classified as obese (relative risk 1.6 (95% CI 1.0, 2.6); p = 0.05). Conclusions: DHA supplementation of premature infants did not affect growth, body composition, or blood pressure at 7-year CA overall by sex and birthweight strata. The finding of a higher risk of obesity in children who receive high-DHA needs to be interpreted with caution due to the small number of children classified as obese.Karen P. Best, Thomas R. Sullivan, Anoja W. Gunaratne, Jacqueline F. Gould, Robert A. Gibson, Carmel T. Collins, Maria Makrides, and Tim J. Gree

Effect of Intralipid infusion on peripheral blood T cells and plasma cytokines in women undergoing assisted reproduction treatment

Objectives: Intravenous infusion of Intralipid is an adjunct therapy in assisted reproduction treatment (ART) when immune-associated infertility is suspected. Here, we evaluated the effect of Intralipid infusion on regulatory T cells (Treg cells), effector T cells and plasma cytokines in peripheral blood of women undertaking IVF. Methods: This prospective, observational pilot study assessed Intralipid infusion in 14 women exhibiting recurrent implantation failure, a clinical sign of immune-associated infertility. Peripheral blood was collected immediately prior to and 7 days after intravenous administration of Intralipid. Plasma cytokines were measured by Luminex, and T-cell subsets were analysed by flow cytometry. Results: A small increase in conventional CD8+ T cells occurred after Intralipid infusion, but no change was seen in CD4+ Treg cells, or naïve, memory or effector memory T cells. Proliferation marker Ki67, transcription factors Tbet and RORγt, and markers of suppressive capacity CTLA4 and HLA-DR were unchanged. Dimensionality-reduction analysis using the tSNE algorithm confirmed no phenotype shift within Treg cells or other T cells. Intralipid infusion increased plasma CCL2, CCL3, CXCL8, GM-CSF, G-CSF, IL-6, IL-21, TNF and VEGF. Conclusion: Intralipid infusion elicited elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, and a minor increase in CD8+ T cells, but no change in pro-tolerogenic Treg cells. Notwithstanding the limitation of no placebo control, the results do not support Intralipid as a candidate intervention to attenuate the Treg cell response in women undergoing ART. Future placebo-controlled studies are needed to confirm the potential efficacy and clinical significance of Intralipid in attenuating cytokine induction and circulating CD8+ T cells.Kerrie L Foyle, David J Sharkey, Lachlan M Moldenhauer, Ella S Green, Jasmine J Wilson, Cassandra J Roccisano ... et al

The Q2Q^2-dependence of the generalised Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral for the deuteron, proton and neutron

The Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule connects the anomalous contribution to the magnetic moment of the target nucleus with an energy-weighted integral of the difference of the helicity-dependent photoabsorption cross sections. The data collected by HERMES with a deuterium target are presented together with a re-analysis of previous measurements on the proton. This provides a measurement of the generalised GDH integral covering simultaneously the nucleon-resonance and the deep inelastic scattering regions. The contribution of the nucleon-resonance region is seen to decrease rapidly with increasing $Q^2$. The DIS contribution is sizeable over the full measured range, even down to the lowest measured $Q^2$. As expected, at higher $Q^2$ the data are found to be in agreement with previous measurements of the first moment of $g_1$. From data on the deuteron and proton, the GDH integral for the neutron has been derived and the proton--neutron difference evaluated. This difference is found to satisfy the fundamental Bjorken sum rule at $Q^2 = 5$ GeV$^2$.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Measurement of the Proton Spin Structure Function g1p with a Pure Hydrogen Target

A measurement of the proton spin structure function g1p(x,Q^2) in deep-inelastic scattering is presented. The data were taken with the 27.6 GeV longitudinally polarised positron beam at HERA incident on a longitudinally polarised pure hydrogen gas target internal to the storage ring. The kinematic range is 0.021<x<0.85 and 0.8 GeV^2<Q^2<20 GeV^2. The integral Int_{0.021}^{0.85} g1p(x)dx evaluated at Q0^2 of 2.5 GeV^2 is 0.122+/-0.003(stat.)+/-0.010(syst.).Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, RevTeX late

Determination of the Deep Inelastic Contribution to the Generalised Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn Integral for the Proton and Neutron

The virtual photon absorption cross section differences [sigma_1/2-sigma_3/2] for the proton and neutron have been determined from measurements of polarised cross section asymmetries in deep inelastic scattering of 27.5 GeV longitudinally polarised positrons from polarised 1H and 3He internal gas targets. The data were collected in the region above the nucleon resonances in the kinematic range nu < 23.5 GeV and 0.8 GeV**2 < Q**2 < 12 GeV**2. For the proton the contribution to the generalised Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn integral was found to be substantial and must be included for an accurate determination of the full integral. Furthermore the data are consistent with a QCD next-to-leading order fit based on previous deep inelastic scattering data. Therefore higher twist effects do not appear significant.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, revte

Observation of a Coherence Length Effect in Exclusive Rho^0 Electroproduction

Exclusive incoherent electroproduction of the rho^0(770) meson from 1H, 2H, 3He, and 14N targets has been studied by the HERMES experiment at squared four-momentum transfer Q**2>0.4 GeV**2 and positron energy loss nu from 9 to 20 GeV. The ratio of the 14N to 1H cross sections per nucleon, known as the nuclear transparency, was found to decrease with increasing coherence length of quark-antiquark fluctuations of the virtual photon. The data provide clear evidence of the interaction of the quark- antiquark fluctuations with the nuclear medium.Comment: RevTeX, 5 pages, 3 figure

Double-Spin Asymmetry in the Cross Section for Exclusive rho^0 Production in Lepton-Proton Scattering

Evidence for a positive longitudinal double-spin asymmetry = 0.24 +-0.11 (stat) +-0.02 (syst) in the cross section for exclusive diffractive rho^0(770) vector meson production in polarised lepton-proton scattering was observed by the HERMES experiment. The longitudinally polarised 27.56 GeV HERA positron beam was scattered off a longitudinally polarised pure hydrogen gas target. The average invariant mass of the photon-proton system has a value of = 4.9 GeV, while the average negative squared four-momentum of the virtual photon is = 1.7 GeV^2. The ratio of the present result to the corresponding spin asymmetry in inclusive deep-inelastic scattering is in agreement with an early theoretical prediction based on the generalised vector meson dominance model.Comment: 10 pages, 4 embedded figures, LaTe