4,172 research outputs found
Hospitalized poisonings after renal transplantation in the United States
BACKGROUND: The national incidence of and risk factors for hospitalized poisonings in renal transplant recipients has not been reported. METHODS: Historical cohort study of 39,628 renal transplant recipients in the United States Renal Data System between 1 July 1994 and 30 June 1998. Associations with time to hospitalizations for a primary diagnosis of poisonings (ICD-9 codes 960.x-989.x) within three years after renal transplant were assessed by Cox Regression. RESULTS: The incidence of hospitalized poisonings was 2.3 patients per 1000 person years. The most frequent causes of poisonings were immunosuppressive agents (25.3%), analgesics/antipyretics (14.1%), psychotropic agents (10.0%), and insulin/antidiabetic agents (7.1%). In Cox Regression analysis, low body mass index (BMI, <21.6 vs. >28.3 kg/m(2), adjusted hazard ratio (AHR), 3.02, 95% CI, 1.45â6.28, and allograft rejection, AHR 1.83, 95% CI, 1.15â2.89, were the only factors independently associated with hospitalized poisonings. Hospitalized poisonings were independently associated with increased mortality (AHR, 1.54, 95% CI 1.22â1.92, p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized poisonings were associated with increased mortality after renal transplantation. However, almost all reported poisonings in renal transplant recipients were due to the use of prescribed medications. Allograft rejection and low BMI were the only independent risk factors for poisonings identified in this population
The AdS(5)xS(5) Semi-Symmetric Space Sine-Gordon Theory
The generalized symmetric space sine-Gordon theories are a series of
1+1-integrable field theories that are classically equivalent to superstrings
on symmetric space spacetimes F/G. They are formulated in terms of a
semi-symmetric space as a gauged WZW model with fermions and a potential term
to deform it away from the conformal fixed point. We consider in particular the
case of PSU(2,2|4)/Sp(2,2)xSp(4) which corresponds to AdS(5)xS(5). We argue
that the infinite tower of conserved charges of these theories includes an
exotic N=(8,8) supersymmetry that is realized in a mildy non-local way at the
Lagrangian level. The supersymmetry is associated to a double central extension
of the superalgebra psu(2|2)+psu(2|2) and includes a non-trivial R symmetry
algebra corresponding to global gauge transformations, as well as 2-dimensional
spacetime translations. We then explicitly construct soliton solutions and show
that they carry an internal moduli superspace CP(2|1)xCP(2|1) with both bosonic
and Grassmann collective coordinates. We show how to semi-classical quantize
the solitons by writing an effective quantum mechanical system on the moduli
space which takes the form of a co-adjoint orbit of SU(2|2)xSU(2|2). The
spectrum consists of a tower of massive states in the short, or atypical,
symmetric representations, just as the giant magnon states of the string world
sheet theory, although here the tower is truncated.Comment: 39 pages, references adde
Mindfulness-based stress reduction in Parkinsonâs disease: a systematic review
Background:
Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) is increasingly being used to improve outcomes such as stress and depression in a range of long-term conditions (LTCs). While systematic reviews on MBSR have taken place for a number of conditions there remains limited information on its impact on individuals with Parkinsonâs disease (PD).
Methods:
Medline, Central, Embase, Amed, CINAHAL were searched in March 2016. These databases were searched using a combination of MeSH subject headings where available and keywords in the title and abstracts. We also searched the reference lists of related reviews. Study quality was assessed based on questions from the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool.
Results:
Two interventions and three papers with a total of 66 participants were included. The interventions were undertaken in Belgium (n = 27) and the USA (n = 39). One study reported significantly increased grey matter density (GMD) in the brains of the MBSR group compared to the usual care group. Significant improvements were reported in one study for a number of outcomes including PD outcomes, depression, mindfulness, and quality of life indicators. Only one intervention was of reasonable quality and both interventions failed to control for potential confounders in the analysis. Adverse events and reasons for drop-outs were not reported. There was also no reporting on the costs/benefits of the intervention or how they affected health service utilisation.
Conclusion:
This systematic review found limited and inconclusive evidence of the effectiveness of MBSR for PD patients. Both of the included interventions claimed positive effects for PD patients but significant outcomes were often contradicted by other results. Further trials with larger sample sizes, control groups and longer follow-ups are needed before the evidence for MBSR in PD can be conclusively judged
Uptake and metabolism of sulphated steroids by the blood-brain barrier in the adult male rat
Little is known about the origin of the neuroactive steroids dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and pregnenolone sulphate (PregS) in the brain or of their subsequent metabolism. Using rat brain perfusion in situ, we have found (3) H-PregS to enter more rapidly than (3) H-DHEAS and both to undergo extensive (>50%) desulphation within 0.5 min of uptake. Enzyme activity for the steroid sulphatase catalysing this deconjugation was enriched in the capillary fraction of the blood-brain barrier and its mRNA expressed in cultures of rat brain endothelial cells and astrocytes. Although permeability measurements suggested a net efflux, addition of the efflux inhibitors GF120918 and/or MK571 to the perfusate reduced rather than enhanced the uptake of (3) H-DHEAS and (3) H-PregS; a further reduction was seen upon the addition of unlabelled steroid sulphate, suggesting a saturable uptake transporter. Analysis of brain fractions after 0.5 min perfusion with the (3) H-steroid sulphates showed no further metabolism of PregS beyond the liberation of free steroid pregnenolone. By contrast, DHEAS underwent 17-hydroxylation to form androstenediol in both the steroid sulphate and the free steroid fractions, with some additional formation of androstenedione in the latter. Our results indicate a gain of free steroid from circulating steroid sulphates as hormone precursors at the blood-brain barrier, with implications for ageing, neurogenesis, neuronal survival, learning and memory. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Quantum nondemolition measurement of mechanical motion quanta
The fields of opto- and electromechanics have facilitated numerous advances
in the areas of precision measurement and sensing, ultimately driving the
studies of mechanical systems into the quantum regime. To date, however, the
quantization of the mechanical motion and the associated quantum jumps between
phonon states remains elusive. For optomechanical systems, the coupling to the
environment was shown to preclude the detection of the mechanical mode
occupation, unless strong single photon optomechanical coupling is achieved.
Here, we propose and analyse an electromechanical setup, which allows to
overcome this limitation and resolve the energy levels of a mechanical
oscillator. We find that the heating of the membrane, caused by the interaction
with the environment and unwanted couplings, can be suppressed for carefully
designed electromechanical systems. The results suggest that phonon number
measurement is within reach for modern electromechanical setups.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures plus 24 pages, 11 figures supplemental materia
Classical integrability and quantum aspects of the AdS(3) x S(3) x S(3) x S(1) superstring
In this paper we continue the investigation of aspects of integrability of
the type IIA AdS(3) x S(3) x S(3) x S(1) and AdS(3) x S(3) x T(4) superstrings.
By constructing a one parameter family of flat connections we prove that the
Green-Schwarz string is classically integrable, at least to quadratic order in
fermions, without fixing the kappa-symmetry. We then compare the quantum
dispersion relation, fixed by integrability up to an unknown interpolating
function h(lambda), to explicit one-loop calculations on the string worldsheet.
For AdS(3) x S(3) x S(3) x S(1) the spectrum contains heavy, as well as light
and massless modes, and we find that the one-loop contribution differs
depending on how we treat these modes showing that similar regularization
ambiguities as appeared in AdS(4)/CFT(3) occur also here.Comment: 29 pages; v2: updated references and acknowledgmen
Scattering of Giant Magnons in CP^3
We study classical scattering phase of CP^2 dyonic giant magnons in R_t x
CP^3. We construct two-soliton solutions explicitly by the dressing method.
Using these solutions, we compute the classical time delays for the scattering
of giant magnons, and compare them to boundstate S-matrix elements derived from
the conjectured AdS_4/CFT_3 S-matrix by Ahn and Nepomechie in the strong
coupling limit. Our result is consistent with the conjectured S-matrix. The
dyonic solutions play an essential role in revealing the polarization
dependence of scattering phase.Comment: 29 pages; v2: minor corrections; v3: minor corrections, references
added ; v4: minor corrections ; v5: minor corrections based on the published
versio
Techniques for Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Inoculum Reduction
It is well established that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can play a significant role in sustainable crop production and environmental conservation. With the increasing awareness of the ecological significance of mycorrhizas and their diversity, research needs to be directed away from simple records of their occurrence or casual speculation of their function (Smith and Read 1997). Rather, the need is for empirical studies and investigations of the quantitative aspects of the distribution of different types and their contribution to the function of ecosystems.
There is no such thing as a fungal effect or a plant effect, but there is an interaction between both symbionts. This results from the AM fungi and plant community size and structure, soil and climatic conditions, and the interplay between all these factors (Kahiluoto et al. 2000). Consequently, it is readily understood that it is the problems associated with methodology that limit our understanding of the functioning and effects of AM fungi within field communities.
Given the ubiquous presence of AM fungi, a major constraint to the evaluation of the activity of AM colonisation has been the need to account for the indigenous soil native inoculum. This has to be controlled (i.e. reduced or eliminated) if we are to obtain a true control treatment for analysis of arbuscular mycorrhizas in natural substrates. There are various procedures possible for achieving such an objective, and the purpose of this chapter is to provide details of a number of techniques and present some evaluation of their advantages and disadvantages.
Although there have been a large number of experiments to investigated the effectiveness of different sterilization procedures for reducing pathogenic soil fungi, little information is available on their impact on beneficial organisms such as AM fungi. Furthermore, some of the techniques have been shown to affect physical and chemical soil characteristics as well as eliminate soil microorganisms that can interfere with the development of mycorrhizas, and this creates difficulties in the interpretation of results simply in terms of possible mycorrhizal activity.
An important subject is the differentiation of methods that involve sterilization from those focussed on indigenous inoculum reduction. Soil sterilization aims to destroy or eliminate microbial cells while maintaining the existing chemical and physical characteristics of the soil (Wolf and Skipper 1994). Consequently, it is often used for experiments focussed on specific AM fungi, or to establish a negative control in some other types of study. In contrast, the purpose of inoculum reduction techniques is to create a perturbation that will interfere with mycorrhizal formation, although not necessarily eliminating any component group within the inoculum. Such an approach allows the establishment of different degrees of mycorrhizal formation between treatments and the study of relative effects.
Frequently the basic techniques used to achieve complete sterilization or just an inoculum reduction may be similar but the desired outcome is accomplished by adjustments of the dosage or intensity of the treatment. The ultimate choice of methodology for establishing an adequate non-mycorrhizal control depends on the design of the particular experiments, the facilities available and the amount of soil requiring treatment
A New Classification System for the Actions of IRS Chemicals Traditionally Used For Malaria Control
Knowledge of how mosquitoes respond to insecticides is of paramount importance in understanding how an insecticide functions to prevent disease transmission. A suite of laboratory assays was used to quantitatively characterize mosquito responses to toxic, contact irritant, and non-contact spatial repellent actions of standard insecticides. Highly replicated tests of these compounds over a range of concentrations proved that all were toxic, some were contact irritants, and even fewer were non-contact repellents. Of many chemicals tested, three were selected for testing in experimental huts to confirm that chemical actions documented in laboratory tests are also expressed in the field. The laboratory tests showed the primary action of DDT is repellent, alphacypermethrin is irritant, and dieldrin is only toxic. These tests were followed with hut studies in Thailand against marked-released populations. DDT exhibited a highly protective level of repellency that kept mosquitoes outside of huts. Alphacypermethrin did not keep mosquitoes out, but its strong irritant action caused them to prematurely exit the treated house. Dieldrin was highly toxic but showed no irritant or repellent action. Based on the combination of laboratory and confirmatory field data, we propose a new paradigm for classifying chemicals used for vector control according to how the chemicals actually function to prevent disease transmission inside houses. The new classification scheme will characterize chemicals on the basis of spatial repellent, contact irritant and toxic actions
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