Superhard Phases of Simple Substances and Binary Compounds of the B-C-N-O System: from Diamond to the Latest Results (a Review)

The basic known and hypothetic one- and two-element phases of the B-C-N-O system (both superhard phases having diamond and boron structures and precursors to synthesize them) are described. The attention has been given to the structure, basic mechanical properties, and methods to identify and characterize the materials. For some phases that have been recently described in the literature the synthesis conditions at high pressures and temperatures are indicated.Comment: Review on superhard B-C-N-O phase

Measurement of the Bottom-Strange Meson Mixing Phase in the Full CDF Data Set

We report a measurement of the bottom-strange meson mixing phase \beta_s using the time evolution of B0_s -> J/\psi (->\mu+\mu-) \phi (-> K+ K-) decays in which the quark-flavor content of the bottom-strange meson is identified at production. This measurement uses the full data set of proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt(s)= 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron, corresponding to 9.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. We report confidence regions in the two-dimensional space of \beta_s and the B0_s decay-width difference \Delta\Gamma_s, and measure \beta_s in [-\pi/2, -1.51] U [-0.06, 0.30] U [1.26, \pi/2] at the 68% confidence level, in agreement with the standard model expectation. Assuming the standard model value of \beta_s, we also determine \Delta\Gamma_s = 0.068 +- 0.026 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps-1 and the mean B0_s lifetime, \tau_s = 1.528 +- 0.019 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps, which are consistent and competitive with determinations by other experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett 109, 171802 (2012

Multi-ancestry transcriptome-wide association analyses yield insights into tobacco use biology and drug repurposing

Most transcriptome-wide association studies (TWASs) so far focus on European ancestry and lack diversity. To overcome this limitation, we aggregated genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics, whole-genome sequences and expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) data from diverse ancestries. We developed a new approach, TESLA (multi-ancestry integrative study using an optimal linear combination of association statistics), to integrate an eQTL dataset with a multi-ancestry GWAS. By exploiting shared phenotypic effects between ancestries and accommodating potential effect heterogeneities, TESLA improves power over other TWAS methods. When applied to tobacco use phenotypes, TESLA identified 273 new genes, up to 55% more compared with alternative TWAS methods. These hits and subsequent fine mapping using TESLA point to target genes with biological relevance. In silico drug-repurposing analyses highlight several drugs with known efficacy, including dextromethorphan and galantamine, and new drugs such as muscle relaxants that may be repurposed for treating nicotine addiction

Vascular Remodeling in Health and Disease

The term vascular remodeling is commonly used to define the structural changes in blood vessel geometry that occur in response to long-term physiologic alterations in blood flow or in response to vessel wall injury brought about by trauma or underlying cardiovascular diseases.1, 2, 3, 4 The process of remodeling, which begins as an adaptive response to long-term hemodynamic alterations such as elevated shear stress or increased intravascular pressure, may eventually become maladaptive, leading to impaired vascular function. The vascular endothelium, owing to its location lining the lumen of blood vessels, plays a pivotal role in regulation of all aspects of vascular function and homeostasis.5 Thus, not surprisingly, endothelial dysfunction has been recognized as the harbinger of all major cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes.6, 7, 8 The endothelium elaborates a variety of substances that influence vascular tone and protect the vessel wall against inflammatory cell adhesion, thrombus formation, and vascular cell proliferation.8, 9, 10 Among the primary biologic mediators emanating from the endothelium is nitric oxide (NO) and the arachidonic acid metabolite prostacyclin [prostaglandin I2 (PGI2)], which exert powerful vasodilatory, antiadhesive, and antiproliferative effects in the vessel wall

Combination of searches for heavy spin-1 resonances using 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collision data at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A combination of searches for new heavy spin-1 resonances decaying into diferent pairings of W, Z, or Higgs bosons, as well as directly into leptons or quarks, is presented. The data sample used corresponds to 139 fb−1 of proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV collected during 2015–2018 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. Analyses selecting quark pairs (qq, bb, tt¯, and tb) or third-generation leptons (τν and τ τ ) are included in this kind of combination for the frst time. A simplifed model predicting a spin-1 heavy vector-boson triplet is used. Cross-section limits are set at the 95% confdence level and are compared with predictions for the benchmark model. These limits are also expressed in terms of constraints on couplings of the heavy vector-boson triplet to quarks, leptons, and the Higgs boson. The complementarity of the various analyses increases the sensitivity to new physics, and the resulting constraints are stronger than those from any individual analysis considered. The data exclude a heavy vector-boson triplet with mass below 5.8 TeV in a weakly coupled scenario, below 4.4 TeV in a strongly coupled scenario, and up to 1.5 TeV in the case of production via vector-boson fusion

Social and psychological characteristics of Kuwaiti children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that may have an impact on children's psychosocial adjustment. This study aimed to investigate the psychosocial characteristics of Kuwaiti children with type 1 diabetes as compared to healthy children without diabetes, and assess the impact of glycaemic control on psychosocial variables. A total of 349 school children aged 6-18 years with type 1 diabetes, and 409 children without diabetes having comparable age, gender, and social class were included in the study. Data were obtained by interviewing children and parents using a questionnaire. Psychological distress was measured by the Hopkins symptoms checklist-25 scale including anxiety and depression. Glycaemic control was assessed by glycosylated haemoglobin, HbAIC level. Glycaemic control was considered 'good to excellent' at HbAIC 10.0%. Median scores of anxiety, depression, and total distress were significantly higher in children with diabetes indicating worse psychological adjustment. There was also significant difference between children with diabetes and those without diabetes in social aspects and school absence days. There was significant positive correlation between HbAIC concentration and scores of the psychological functioning indices. Children with poor glycaemic control had worse psychological adjustment. After controlling the variance accounted by gender and age, stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that girls, older children, children in need of emotional support, and those with higher HbAIC were at higher risk for psychological maladjustment. These variables explained 47.9% of the variation in total distress. In conclusion, the study supported our hypotheses. Children with diabetes had worse psychological adjustment, and distress was related to glycaemic control. Since psychological distress increases the risk for future complications due to its relation with glycaemic control, longitudinal studies are recommended to identify children with diabetes having distress at an early stage when preventive interventions are effective.Psychological distress Social correlates Type 1 diabetes Children Glycaemic control Kuwait

Mutations conférant la résistance aux antipaludiques chez les enfants en crise du paludisme au Benin: implication sur la reponse immunitaire ?

L’émergence de la résistance aux antipaludiques était associée á l’accroissement dramatique de la mortalité due au paludisme dans certaines régions endémiques. Au Bénin, le paludisme est primairement causé par Plasmodium falciparum, l’une des espèces qui infectent l’homme. Le changement dans la politique de contrôle et de traitement du paludisme survenu courant 2005 - 2008, doit affecter aussi la recrudescence de la résistance aux antipaludiques retirés á l’utilisation dans le groupe cible. Dans la présente étude, les mutations conférant la résistance á certains antipaludiques ont été détectées et leur prévalence déterminée au sein d’une cohorte de 80 enfants vivant au Bénin, et souffrant du paludisme. Grâce á la PCR et au RFLP, nous avons déterminé les codons polymorphiques des gènes de la Dihydrofolate réductase (pfdhfr), codons 51, 59, et 108, de l’hydroptérase (pfdhps), codons 437, 540 associés á la résistance aux sulfadoxine et pyriméthamine, puis les gènes transporteur de résistance á la chloroquine (pfcrt), et de résistance multiple aux médicaments (pfmdr1), codons 76 et 86 de la résistance á la chloroquine. Pris individuellement, les taux de mutations étaient élevés, par exemple, codons pfcrt 76 ou pfdhfr 108, mais les combinaisons de mutations représentatives des résistances aux antipaludiques sont plutôt faibles, 33.75% pour la chloroquine, 9.25% pour la pyriméthamine et 6,5% pour la sulfadoxine. Nous concluons que les résistances aux antipaludiques étaient plus faibles et pouvaient décroitre davantage avec le maintien des mesures.Mots clés: Paludisme, mutations de résistance, PCR, RFLPEnglish AbstractThe emergence and spread of drug resistance in malaria has been associated with a dramatic increase in malaria mortality in some endemic regions. In Benin, malaria is primarily caused by Plasmodium falciparum, one of the species that infect humans. The change in malaria control strategies, although with remarkable results, has not stop resistance to some drugs that were used before the change in drug policy happened 2005 - 2008 in Benin. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of mutations involved in resistance to some anti-malaria drugs among 80 symptomatic children undergoing malaria episodes in Benin. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assays, we assessed polymorphic codons on the plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (pfdhfr) gene (51, 59, 108) and dihydropterase (pfdhps) gene (437, 540) associated with resistance to sulfadoxinepyrimethamine, and the chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) gene (76), and multidrug resistance (pfmdr1) gene (86), mutations conferring chloroquine resistance. Although mutations were high at single gene codon levels, e.g. Pfcrt 76 or pfdhfr 108, combined resistance mutations were low, 33.75% for chloroquine, 9.25% for  pyriméthamine and 6,5% for sulfadoxine résisitance. We conclude that drug resistance genes were lower that before and speculate that it will continue decreasing at least in this population to zero as control measures will be maintained.Keywords: malaria, drug resistance, PCR, RFL