Drag force in SYM plasma with B field from AdS/CFT

We investigate drag force in a thermal plasma of N=4 super Yang-Mills theory via both fundamental and Dirichlet strings under the influence of non-zero NSNS $B$-field background. In the description of AdS/CFT correspondence the endpoint of these strings correspondes to an external monopole or quark moving with a constant electromagnetic field. We demonstrate how the configuration of string tail as well as the drag force obtains corrections in this background.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures, more discussion and reference adde

Neuropeptide Y receptors (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Neuropeptide Y Receptors [156]) are activated by the endogenous peptides neuropeptide Y, neuropeptide Y-(3-36), peptide YY, PYY-(3-36) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP). The receptor originally identified as the Y3 receptor has been identified as the CXCR4 chemokine recepter (originally named LESTR, [137]). The y6 receptor is a functional gene product in mouse, absent in rat, but contains a frame-shift mutation in primates producing a truncated non-functional gene [83]. Many of the agonists exhibit differing degrees of selectivity dependent on the species examined. For example, the potency of PP is greater at the rat Y4 receptor than at the human receptor [61]. In addition, many agonists lack selectivity for individual subtypes, but can exhibit comparable potency against pairs of NPY receptor subtypes, or have not been examined for activity at all subtypes. [125I]-PYY or [125I]-NPY can be used to label Y1, Y2, Y5 and y6 subtypes non-selectively, while [125I][cPP(1-7), NPY(19-23), Ala31, Aib32, Gln34]hPP may be used to label Y5 receptors preferentially (note that cPP denotes chicken peptide sequence and hPP is the human sequence)

Neuropeptide Y receptors in GtoPdb v.2023.1

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Neuropeptide Y Receptors [158]) are activated by the endogenous peptides neuropeptide Y, neuropeptide Y-(3-36), peptide YY, PYY-(3-36) and pancreatic polypeptide (PP). The receptor originally identified as the Y3 receptor has been identified as the CXCR4 chemokine recepter (originally named LESTR, [139]). The y6 receptor is a functional gene product in mouse, absent in rat, but contains a frame-shift mutation in primates producing a truncated non-functional gene [84]. Three-dimensional structures have been determined for subtype active receptors Y1, Y2 and Y4 [211, 114] and inactive antagonist bound Y1 and Y2 receptors [240, 210]. Many of the agonists exhibit differing degrees of selectivity dependent on the species examined. For example, the potency of PP is greater at the rat Y4 receptor than at the human receptor [62]. In addition, many agonists lack selectivity for individual subtypes, but can exhibit comparable potency against pairs of NPY receptor subtypes, or have not been examined for activity at all subtypes. [125I]-PYY or [125I]-NPY can be used to label Y1, Y2, Y5 and y6 subtypes non-selectively, while [125I][cPP(1-7), NPY(19-23), Ala31, Aib32, Gln34]hPP may be used to label Y5 receptors preferentially (note that cPP denotes chicken peptide sequence and hPP is the human sequence)

High performance of the DNA methylation-based WID-qEC test for detecting uterine cancers independent of sampling modalities

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most prevalent gynaecological cancer in high-income countries and its incidence is continuing to rise sharply. Simple and objective tools to reliably detect women with EC are urgently needed. We recently developed and validated the DNA methylation (DNAme)-based women's cancer risk identification—quantitative polymerase chain reaction test for endometrial cancer (WID-qEC) test that could address this need. Here, we demonstrate that the stability of the WID-qEC test remains consistent regardless of: (i) the cervicovaginal collection device and sample media used (Cervex brush and PreservCyt or FLOQSwab and eNAT), (ii) the collector of the specimen (gynaecologist- or patient-based), and (iii) the precise sampling site (cervical, cervicovaginal and vaginal). Furthermore, we demonstrate sample stability in eNAT medium for 7 days at room temperature, greatly facilitating the implementation of the test into diagnostic laboratory workflows. When applying FLOQSwabs (Copan) in combination with the eNAT (Copan) sample collection media, the sensitivity and specificity of the WID-qEC test to detect uterine (i.e., endometrial and cervical) cancers in gynaecologist-taken samples was 92.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 75.0%–98.8%) and 98.6% (95% CI = 91.7%–99.9%), respectively, whilst the sensitivity and specificity in patient collected self-samples was 75.0% (95% CI = 47.4%–91.7%) and 100.0% (95% CI = 93.9%–100.0%), respectively. Taken together these data confirm the robustness and clinical potential of the WID-qEC test

Susceptibilities of Nonhuman Primates to Chronic Wasting Disease

A species barrier may protect humans from this disease

Come for the looks, stay for the personality? A mixed methods investigation of reacquisition and owner recommendation of Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and Pugs

Brachycephalic breeds are proliferating internationally, with dramatic rises in popularity juxtaposed with common and severe breed-related health problems. Physical appearance is as a dominant factor attracting owners to brachycephalic breeds; however, whether these owners will choose their current breed for future ownership and develop 'breed-loyalty' in the face of health problems is not yet known. The aims of this study were (1) to quantify levels of, and explore factors associated with, brachycephalic dog owners' intentions to: (i) reacquire and/or (ii) recommend their current breed to potential first-time dog owners, and (2) to use qualitative methods to explore why brachycephalic dog owners would or would not recommend their current breed. This large mixed methods study reports on 2168 owners of brachycephalic breeds (Pugs: n = 789; French Bulldog: n = 741; Bulldogs: n = 638). Owners were highly likely to want to own their breed again in the future (93.0%) and recommend their breed to other owners (65.5%). Statistical modelling identified that first-time ownership and increased strength of the dog-owner relationship increased the likelihood of reacquisi-tion and/or recommendation. In contrast, an increased number of health problems, positive perception of their dog's health compared with the rest of their breed, and dog behaviour being worse than expected decreased the likelihood of reacquisition and/or recommendation. Thematic analyses constructed three themes describing why owners recommend their breed: positive behavioural attributes for a companion dog, breed suited to a sedentary lifestyle with limited space, and suitability for households with children. Five themes described why owners recommended against their breed: high prevalence of health problems, expense of ownership, ethical and welfare issues associated with breeding brachycephalic dogs, negative effects upon owner lifestyle and negative behavioural attributes. Understanding how breed-loyalty develops, and whether it can be attenuated, will be key to controlling the current population boom in brachycephalic breeds in the long-term

Malnutrition as assessed by nutritional risk index is associated with worse outcome in patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure: an ACAP-HF data analysis

Malnutrition is common at hospital admission and tends to worsen during hospitalization. This controlled population study aimed to determine if serum albumin or moderate and severe nutritional depletion by Nutritional Risk Index (NRI) at hospital admission are associated with increased length of hospital stay (LOS) in patients admitted with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Serum albumin levels and lymphocyte counts were retrospectively determined at hospital admission in 1740 consecutive patients admitted with primary and secondary diagnosis of ADHF. The Nutrition Risk Score (NRI) developed originally in AIDS and cancer populations was derived from the serum albumin concentration and the ratio of actual to usual weight, as follows: NRI = (1.519 × serum albumin, g/dL) + {41.7 × present weight (kg)/ideal body weight(kg)}. Patients were classified into four groups as no, mild, moderate or severe risk by NRI. Multiple logistic regressions were used to determine the association between nutritional risk category and LOS