Conservation laws and tachyon potentials in the sliver frame

Conservation laws have provided an elegant and efficient tool to evaluate the open string field theory interaction vertex, they have been originally implemented in the case where the string field is expanded in the Virasoro basis. In this work we derive conservation laws in the case where the string field is expanded in the so-called sliver $\mathcal{L}_0$-basis. As an application of these conservation laws derived in the sliver frame, we compute the open string field action relevant to the tachyon condensation and in order to present not only an illustration but also an additional information, we evaluate the action without imposing a gauge choice.Comment: 26 pages, some typos fixed, comments added, references adde

Relevant Deformations in Open String Field Theory: a Simple Solution for Lumps

We propose a remarkably simple solution of cubic open string field theory which describes inhomogeneous tachyon condensation. The solution is in one-to-one correspondence with the IR fixed point of the RG-flow generated in the two--dimensional world-sheet theory by integrating a relevant operator with mild enough OPE on the boundary. It is shown how the closed string overlap correctly captures the shift in the closed string one point function between the UV and the IR limits of the flow. Examples of lumps in non-compact and compact transverse directions are given.Comment: 45 pages. v2: typos and minor improvements. v3: submitted to jhe

Anorexia nervosa and cancer: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.BACKGROUND: Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a severe restriction of caloric intake, low body weight, fear of gaining weight or of becoming fat, and disturbance of body image. Pathogenesis of the disorder may include genetic predisposition, hormonal changes and a combination of environmental, psychosocial, and cultural factors. Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. At present, no systematic reviews and meta-analyses have evaluated the risk of cancer in people with anorexia nervosa. The objective of this study will be to evaluate the association between anorexia nervosa and the risk of developing or dying from cancer. METHODS/DESIGN: This study protocol is part of a systematic collection and assessment of multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses (umbrella review) evaluating the association of cancer and multiple central nervous system disorders. We designed a specific protocol for a new systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies of anorexia nervosa with risk of developing or dying from any cancer. Data sources will be PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and manual screening of references. Observational studies (case-control and cohort) in humans that examined the association between anorexia nervosa and risk of developing or dying from cancer will be sought. The primary outcomes will be cancer incidence and cancer mortality in association with anorexia nervosa. Secondary outcomes will be site-specific cancer incidence and mortality, respectively. Screening of abstracts and full texts, and data abstraction will be performed by two team members independently. Conflicts at all levels of screening and abstraction will be resolved through discussion. The quality of studies will be assessed by using the Ottawa-Newcastle scale by two team members independently. Random effects models will be conducted where appropriate. Subgroup and additional analyses will be conducted to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity. The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) criteria and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach will be used for determining the quality of evidence for cancer outcomes. DISCUSSION: Findings from this systematic review will inform an ongoing umbrella review on cancer and central nervous system disorders. Our systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies will establish the extent of the epidemiological evidence underlying the association between anorexia nervosa and cancer. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42017067462.Specific funding from the Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEOII/2015/021) and CIBERSAM/Institute of Health Carlos III was received for this work. The funders were not involved in the design of the protocol or decision to submit the protocol for publication, nor will they be involved in any aspect of the conduct of the review. BH is supported by a New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Drug Safety and Effectiveness Network. MR is partially funded by the Spanish Health Services Research on Chronic Patients Network (REDISSEC)/Institute of Health Carlos III. The views expressed in this article are the views of the authors and may not be understood or quoted as being made on behalf of, or reflecting the position of, the funder(s) or any institution

Association of anorexia nervosa with risk of cancer. A systematic review and meta-analysis

This is the final version. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.IMPORTANCE Anorexia nervosa is recognized as an important cause of morbidity in young people. However, the risk of cancer in people with anorexia nervosa remains uncertain. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of anorexia nervosa with the risk of developing or dying of cancer. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science from database inception to January 9, 2019. STUDY SELECTION Published observational studies in humans examining the risk of cancer in people with anorexia nervosa compared with the general population or those without anorexia nervosa. Studies needed to report incidence or mortality rate ratios (RRs). DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS Screening, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment were performed by at least 2 researchers independently. A random-effects model was used to synthesize individual studies. Heterogeneity (I 2 ) was assessed and 95% prediction intervals (PIs) were calculated. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES All cancer incidence and cancer mortality associated with anorexia nervosa. Secondary outcomes were site-specific cancer incidence and mortality. RESULTS Seven cohort studies published in 10 articles (42 602 participants with anorexia nervosa) were included. Anorexia nervosa was not associated with risk of developing any cancer (4 studies in women; RR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.89-1.06; P = .53; I 2 , 0%; 95% PI, 0.80-1.18; moderate confidence). Anorexia nervosa was associated with decreased breast cancer incidence (5 studies in women; RR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.50-0.80; P < .001; I 2 , 0%; 95% PI, 0.44-0.83; high confidence). Conversely, anorexia nervosa was associated with increased risk of developing lung cancer (3 studies in women; RR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.06-2.12; P = .001; I 2 , 0%; 95% PI, 0.19-16.46; low confidence) and esophageal cancer (2 studies in women; RR, 6.10; 95% CI, 2.30-16.18; P < .001; I 2 , 0%; low confidence). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among people with anorexia nervosa, risk of developing cancer did not differ compared with the general population, but a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer was observed. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these associations could have important preventive potentialGeneralitat ValencianaCarlos III Health Institut

Kestenbaum procedure with posterior fixation suture for anomalous head posture in infantile nystagmus

The purpose of this study was to report the effect of combining the Kestenbaum procedure with posterior fixation suture for infantile horizontal nystagmus with anomalous head posture (AHP) in children. Nine consecutive patients who underwent combined Kestenbaum procedure plus posterior fixation suture to the recessed muscles at the same time were retrospectively studied. All patients were orthotropic before surgery and were followed for at least 6 months. Pre- and postoperative AHP and binocular corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and ocular alignment were assessed. Mean age at surgery was 4.8 ± 1.5 years. The average follow-up was 29.7 months. The average head turn preoperatively was 27.4° and postoperatively 7.2°. The average net change in AHP was 24.8° (P = 0.008). Seven of 9 patients (78%) achieved a residual head turn of 10° or less. The average Log Mar BCVA was 0.33 preoperatively and 0.31 postoperatively (P = 0.68). Only 1 patient needed additional surgery for residual horizontal AHP. No patient developed strabismus. Combined Kestenbaum procedure with posterior fixation suture was an effective and stable procedure in reducing AHP of the range of 20° to 35° in children with infantile nystagmus

Sorsby syndrome: Report of a case representing the second reported family

Dismorfología y Genética ClínicaIn 1935, Sorsby [Br J Ophthalmol. 1935; 19:65-90] described a family with several affected individuals presenting with bilateral coloboma of macula, type B brachydactyly affecting hands and feet, and unilateral renal agenesis in one of its members. We describe a newborn girl presenting with the same pattern of congenital anomalies as the patients of the family originally described by Sorsby (OMIM 120400). However, the current case has as additional findings a single umbilical artery, and an anomaly of pulmonary vascularization consisting in: a ring in the lower right lobar artery and sequestration of the lower right lung lobe. Therefore, despite that our patient adds new clinical variability, it is not possible to disregard the diagnosis of Sorsby syndrome, because such clinical variability was also observed in the affected members of the original family described by Sorsby and some individuals of the next generations of the same family, according to the report by Thompson and Baraitser [J Med Genet. 1988; 25:313-321]. Based on the observed genealogy pattern of affected members in the only family published, it is considered that this syndrome is due to an autosomal dominant gene. The baby described here, is the first case in the family. She had a normal karyotype (~850 bands) and the subtelomeric Multi-FISH was also normal. Her father was 39 years old and, therefore, an age-related new mutation could be evaluated. The frequency of Sorsby syndrome is unknown, since only the original family has been published so far. However, as the case described here is part of the ECEMC Registry, we can estimate that its frequency is at least 1:2,750,000 newborn infants. We consider that, even in the “molecular era”, it remains important to clinically describe those extremely rare syndromes, in order to define their characteristics and clinical expressions. These aspects are essential to define the prognosis, clinical management and information to the family, and can help also to determine the gene(s) or pathogenetic pathways involved in their origin.N

An Evaluation of Putative Sympatric Speciation within Limnanthes (Limnanthaceae)

Limnanthes floccosa ssp. floccosa and L. floccosa ssp. grandiflora are two of five subspecies within Limnanthes floccosa endemic to vernal pools in southern Oregon and northern California. Three seasons of monitoring natural populations have quantified that L. floccosa ssp. grandiflora is always found growing sympatrically with L. floccosa ssp. floccosa and that their flowering times overlap considerably. Despite their subspecific rank within the same species crossing experiments have confirmed that their F1 hybrids are sterile. An analysis of twelve microsatellite markers, with unique alleles in each taxon, also shows exceedingly low levels of gene flow between populations of the two subspecies. Due to the lack of previous phylogenetic resolution among L. floccosa subspecies, we used Illumina next generation sequencing to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms from genomic DNA libraries of L. floccosa ssp. floccosa and L. floccosa ssp. grandiflora. These data were used to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms in the chloroplast, mitochondrial, and nuclear genomes. From these variable loci, a total of 2772 bp was obtained using Sanger sequencing of ten individuals representing all subspecies of L. floccosa and an outgroup. The resulting phylogenetic reconstruction was fully resolved. Our results indicate that although L. floccosa ssp. floccosa and L. floccosa ssp. grandiflora are closely related, they are not sister taxa and therefore likely did not diverge as a result of a sympatric speciation event

The expression of hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide gated (HCN) channels in the rat ovary are dependent on the type of cell and the reproductive age of the animal: a laboratory investigation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that levels of hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide gated channels 1 to 4 (HCN1-4) are linked to the reproductive age of the ovary.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Young, adult, and reproductively aged ovaries were collected from Sprague-Dawley rats. RT-PCR and western blot analysis of ovaries was performed to investigate the presence of mRNA and total protein for HCN1-4. Immunohistochemistry with semiquantitative H score analysis was performed using whole ovarian histologic sections.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>RT-PCR analysis showed the presence of mRNA for HCN1-4. Western blot analysis revealed HCN1-3 proteins in all ages of ovarian tissues. Immunohistochemistry with H score analysis demonstrated distinct age-related changes in patterns of HCN1-3 in the oocytes, granulosa cells, theca cells, and corpora lutea. HCN4 was present only in the oocytes, with declining levels during the reproduction lifespan.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The evidence presented here demonstrates cell-type and developmental age patterns of HCN1-4 channel expression in rat ovaries. Based on this, we hypothesize that HCN channels have functional significance in rat ovaries and may have changing roles in reproductive aging.</p