898 research outputs found
The functions of repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor in models of epileptogenesis and post-ischemia
Epilepsy is a debilitating neurological disorder characterised by recurrent seizures for which 30% of patients are refractory to current treatments. The genetic and molecular aetiologies behind epilepsy are under investigation with the goal of developing new epilepsy medications. The transcriptional repressor REST (Repressor Element 1-Silencing Transcription factor) is a focus of interest as it is consistently upregulated in epilepsy patients and following brain insult in animal models of epilepsy and ischemia. This review analyses data from different epilepsy models and discusses the contribution of REST to epileptogenesis. We propose that in healthy brains REST acts in a protective manner to homeostatically downregulate increases in excitability, to protect against seizure through downregulation of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) and its receptor, TrkB (Tropomyosin receptor kinase B). However, in epilepsy patients and post-seizure, REST may increase to a larger degree, which allows downregulation of the glutamate receptor subunit GluR2. This leads to AMPA glutamate receptors lacking GluR2 subunits, which have increased permeability to Ca2+, causing excitotoxicity, cell death and seizure. This concept highlights therapeutic potential of REST modulation through gene therapy in epilepsy patients
Properties of Light Flavour Baryons in Hypercentral quark model
The light flavour baryons are studied within the quark model using the hyper
central description of the three-body system. The confinement potential is
assumed as hypercentral coulomb plus power potential () with power
index . The masses and magnetic moments of light flavour baryons are
computed for different power index, starting from 0.5 to 1.5. The
predicted masses and magnetic moments are found to attain a saturated value
with respect to variation in beyond the power index 1.0. Further
we computed transition magnetic moments and radiative decay width of light
flavour baryons. The results are in good agreement with known experimental as
well as other theoretical models.Comment: Accepted in Pramana J. of Physic
Reading faces: differential lateral gaze bias in processing canine and human facial expressions in dogs and 4-year-old children
Sensitivity to the emotions of others provides clear biological advantages. However, in the case of heterospecific relationships, such as that existing between dogs and humans, there are additional challenges since some elements of the expression of emotions are species-specific. Given that faces provide important visual cues for communicating emotional state in both humans and dogs, and that processing of emotions is subject to brain lateralisation, we investigated lateral gaze bias in adult dogs when presented with pictures of expressive human and dog faces. Our analysis revealed clear differences in laterality of eye movements in dogs towards conspecific faces according to the emotional valence of the expressions. Differences were also found towards human faces, but to a lesser extent. For comparative purpose, a similar experiment was also run with 4-year-old children and it was observed that they showed differential processing of facial expressions compared to dogs, suggesting a species-dependent engagement of the right or left hemisphere in processing emotions
Use of manual and powered wheelchair in children with cerebral palsy: a cross-sectional study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mobility is important for the cognitive and psychosocial development of children. Almost one third of children with cerebral palsy (CP) are non-ambulant. Wheelchairs can provide independent mobility, allowing them to explore their environment. Independent mobility is vital for activity and participation and reduces the dependence on caregivers. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of manual and powered wheelchair indoors and outdoors in relation to the degree of independent wheelchair mobility or need for assistance in a total population of children with CP.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was performed including all children aged 3-18 years with CP living in southern Sweden during 2008. Data was extracted from a register and health care programme for children with CP (CPUP). There were a total of 562 children (326 boys, 236 girls) in the register. Information on the child's use of manual and powered wheelchair indoors and outdoors and the performance in self-propelling or need for assistance were analysed related to age, CP subtype and gross motor function.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Wheelchairs for mobility indoors were used by 165 (29%) of the 562 children; 61 used wheelchair for independent mobility (32 using manual only, 12 powered only, 17 both) and 104 were pushed by an adult. For outdoor mobility wheelchairs were used by 228 children (41%); 66 used a wheelchair for independent mobility (18 using manual only, 36 powered only, 12 both) and 162 were pushed. The use of wheelchair increased with age and was most frequent in the spastic bilateral and dyskinetic subtypes. Most powered wheelchairs were operated by children at GMFCS level IV.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this total population of children with CP, aged 3-18 years, 29% used a wheelchair indoors and 41% outdoors. A majority using manual wheelchairs needed adult assistance (86%) while powered wheelchairs provided independent mobility in most cases (86%). To achieve a high level of independent mobility, both manual and powered wheelchairs should be considered at an early age for children with impaired walking ability.</p
Association Between Hemoglobin Levels and Efficacy of Intravenous Ferric Carboxymaltose in Patients With Acute Heart Failure and Iron Deficiency: An AFFIRM-AHF Subgroup Analysis.
BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency, with or without anemia, is an adverse prognostic factor in heart failure (HF). In AFFIRM-AHF (a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial comparing the effect of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose on hospitalizations and mortality in iron-deficient subjects admitted for acute heart failure), intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), although having no significant effect on the primary end point, reduced the risk of HF hospitalization (hHF) and improved quality of life versus placebo in iron-deficient patients stabilized after an acute HF (AHF) episode. These prespecified AFFIRM-AHF subanalyses explored the association between hemoglobin levels and FCM treatment effects. METHODS: AFFIRM-AHF was a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of FCM in hospitalized AHF patients with iron deficiency. Patients were stratified by baseline hemoglobin level (<12 versus âĽ12 g/dL). In each subgroup, the primary composite (total hHF and cardiovascular death) and secondary (total hHF; total cardiovascular hospitalizations and cardiovascular death; time to cardiovascular death, and time to first/days lost due to hHF or cardiovascular death) outcomes were assessed with FCM versus placebo at week 52. Sensitivity analyses using the World Health Organization anemia definition (hemoglobin level <12 g/dL [women] or <13 g/dL [men]) were performed, among others. RESULTS: Of 1108 AFFIRM-AHF patients, 1107 were included in these subanalyses: 464 (FCM group, 228; placebo group, 236) had a hemoglobin level <12 g/dL, and 643 (FCM, 329; placebo, 314) had a hemoglobin level âĽ12 g/dL. Patients with a hemoglobin level <12 g/dL were older (mean, 73.7 versus 69.1 years), with more frequent previous HF (75.0% versus 68.7%), serum ferritin <100 Îźg/L (75.4% versus 68.1%), and transferrin saturation <20% (87.9% versus 81.4%). For the primary outcome, annualized event rates per 100 patient-years with FCM versus placebo were 71.1 and 73.6 (rate ratio, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.66-1.41]), respectively, and 48.5 versus 72.9 (RR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.48-0.93]) in the hemoglobin levels <12 and âĽ12 g/dL subgroups, respectively. No significant interactions between hemoglobin subgroup and treatment effect were observed for primary (Pinteraction=0.15) or secondary outcomes. Changes from baseline in hemoglobin, serum ferritin and transferrin saturation were significantly greater with FCM versus placebo in both subgroups between weeks 6 and 52. Findings were similar using the World Health Organization definition for anemia. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of intravenous FCM on outcomes in iron-deficient patients stabilized after an AHF episode, including improvements in iron parameters over time, did not differ between patients with hemoglobin levels <12 and âĽ12 g/dL. REGISTRATION: URL: https://www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov; Unique identifier: NCT02937454
Impact of ischaemic aetiology on the efficacy of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose in patients with iron deficiency and acute heart failure: insights from the AFFIRM-AHF trial.
AIMS: In AFFIRMâAHF, intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) reduced heart failure (HF) hospitalisations and improved quality of life versus placebo in ironâdeficient patients stabilised after an acute HF episode. This analysis explored the effects of FCM versus placebo in patients with ischaemic and nonâischaemic HF aetiology. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included 1082 patients from AFFIRMâAHF: 590 with ischaemic HF (defined as investigatorâreported ischaemic HF aetiology and/or prior acute myocardial infarction and/or prior coronary revascularisation) and 492 with nonâischaemic HF. The prevalences of male sex, comorbidities, and history of HF were higher in the ischaemic versus nonâischaemic HF subgroup. Annualised event rates for the primary composite outcome of total HF hospitalisations and cardiovascular death with FCM versus placebo were 65.3 versus 100.6 per 100 patientâyears in the ischaemic HF subgroup (rate ratio [RR] 0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.47â0.89, p = 0.007) and 58.3 versus 52.5 in the nonâischaemic HF subgroup (RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.75â1.66, p = 0.60) (p (interaction) = 0.039). An interaction between HF aetiology and treatment effect was also observed for the secondary outcome of total HF hospitalisations (p (interaction) = 0.038). A nominal increase in quality of life, assessed using the 12âitem Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, was observed with FCM versus placebo, within each subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: Heart failure hospitalisations and cardiovascular deaths occurred at a higher rate in patients with ishaemic versus those with nonâischaemic HF and were reduced by FCM versus placebo only in ischaemic patients. Further studies are needed to assess the role of aetiology in FCM efficacy
Precise measurement of the W-boson mass with the CDF II detector
We have measured the W-boson mass MW using data corresponding to 2.2/fb of
integrated luminosity collected in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.96 TeV
with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. Samples consisting
of 470126 W->enu candidates and 624708 W->munu candidates yield the measurement
MW = 80387 +- 12 (stat) +- 15 (syst) = 80387 +- 19 MeV. This is the most
precise measurement of the W-boson mass to date and significantly exceeds the
precision of all previous measurements combined
Performance of CMS muon reconstruction in pp collision events at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV
The performance of muon reconstruction, identification, and triggering in CMS
has been studied using 40 inverse picobarns of data collected in pp collisions
at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV at the LHC in 2010. A few benchmark sets of selection
criteria covering a wide range of physics analysis needs have been examined.
For all considered selections, the efficiency to reconstruct and identify a
muon with a transverse momentum pT larger than a few GeV is above 95% over the
whole region of pseudorapidity covered by the CMS muon system, abs(eta) < 2.4,
while the probability to misidentify a hadron as a muon is well below 1%. The
efficiency to trigger on single muons with pT above a few GeV is higher than
90% over the full eta range, and typically substantially better. The overall
momentum scale is measured to a precision of 0.2% with muons from Z decays. The
transverse momentum resolution varies from 1% to 6% depending on pseudorapidity
for muons with pT below 100 GeV and, using cosmic rays, it is shown to be
better than 10% in the central region up to pT = 1 TeV. Observed distributions
of all quantities are well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
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