492 research outputs found
Choice of activity-intensity classification thresholds impacts upon accelerometer-assessed physical activity-health relationships in children
It is unknown whether using different published thresholds (PTs) for classifying physical activity (PA) impacts upon activity-health relationships. This study explored whether relationships between PA (sedentary [SED], light PA [LPA], moderate PA [MPA], moderate-to-vigorous PA, vigorous PA [VPA]) and health markers differed in children when classified using three different PTs
Inflammatory monocytes damage the hippocampus during acute picornavirus infection of the brain
First Neutrino Observations from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory
The first neutrino observations from the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory are
presented from preliminary analyses. Based on energy, direction and location,
the data in the region of interest appear to be dominated by 8B solar
neutrinos, detected by the charged current reaction on deuterium and elastic
scattering from electrons, with very little background. Measurements of
radioactive backgrounds indicate that the measurement of all active neutrino
types via the neutral current reaction on deuterium will be possible with small
systematic uncertainties. Quantitative results for the fluxes observed with
these reactions will be provided when further calibrations have been completed.Comment: Latex, 7 pages, 10 figures, Invited paper at Neutrino 2000
Conference, Sudbury, Canada, June 16-21, 2000 to be published in the
Proceeding
The Diagnostic Potential of Fe Lines Applied to Protostellar Jets
We investigate the diagnostic capabilities of iron lines for tracing the physical conditions of shock-excited gas in jets driven by pre-main sequence stars. We have analyzed the 3000-25000 \uc5, X-shooter spectra of two jets driven by the pre-main sequence stars ESO-H\u3b1 574 and Par-Lup 3-4. Both spectra are very rich in [Fe II] lines over the whole spectral range; in addition, lines from [Fe III] are detected in the ESO-H\u3b1 574 spectrum. Non-local thermal equilibrium codes solving the equations of the statistical equilibrium along with codes for the ionization equilibrium are used to derive the gas excitation conditions of electron temperature and density and fractional ionization. An estimate of the iron gas-phase abundance is provided by comparing the iron lines emissivity with that of neutral oxygen at 6300 \uc5. The [Fe II] line analysis indicates that the jet driven by ESO-H\u3b1 574 is, on average, colder (T e 3c 9000 K), less dense (n e 3c 2
7 104 cm-3), and more ionized (x e 3c 0.7) than the Par-Lup 3-4 jet (T e 3c 13,000 K, n e 3c 6
7 104 cm-3, x e < 0.4), even if the existence of a higher density component (n e 3c 2
7 105 cm-3) is probed by the [Fe III] and [Fe II] ultra-violet lines. The physical conditions derived from the iron lines are compared with shock models suggesting that the shock at work in ESO-H\u3b1 574 is faster and likely more energetic than the Par-Lup 3-4 shock. This latter feature is confirmed by the high percentage of gas-phase iron measured in ESO-H\u3b1 574 (50%-60% of its solar abundance in comparison with less than 30% in Par-Lup 3-4), which testifies that the ESO-H\u3b1 574 shock is powerful enough to partially destroy the dust present inside the jet. This work demonstrates that a multiline Fe analysis can be effectively used to probe the excitation and ionization conditions of the gas in a jet without any assumption on ionic abundances. The main limitation on the diagnostics resides in the large uncertainties of the atomic data, which, however, can be overcome through a statistical approach involving many line
Stress-Induced Reinstatement of Drug Seeking: 20 Years of Progress
In human addicts, drug relapse and craving are often provoked by stress. Since 1995, this clinical scenario has been studied using a rat model of stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Here, we first discuss the generality of stress-induced reinstatement to different drugs of abuse, different stressors, and different behavioral procedures. We also discuss neuropharmacological mechanisms, and brain areas and circuits controlling stress-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. We conclude by discussing results from translational human laboratory studies and clinical trials that were inspired by results from rat studies on stress-induced reinstatement. Our main conclusions are (1) The phenomenon of stress-induced reinstatement, first shown with an intermittent footshock stressor in rats trained to self-administer heroin, generalizes to other abused drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, nicotine, and alcohol, and is also observed in the conditioned place preference model in rats and mice. This phenomenon, however, is stressor specific and not all stressors induce reinstatement of drug seeking. (2) Neuropharmacological studies indicate the involvement of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), noradrenaline, dopamine, glutamate, kappa/dynorphin, and several other peptide and neurotransmitter systems in stress-induced reinstatement. Neuropharmacology and circuitry studies indicate the involvement of CRF and noradrenaline transmission in bed nucleus of stria terminalis and central amygdala, and dopamine, CRF, kappa/dynorphin, and glutamate transmission in other components of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system (ventral tegmental area, medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens). (3) Translational human laboratory studies and a recent clinical trial study show the efficacy of alpha-2 adrenoceptor agonists in decreasing stress-induced drug craving and stress-induced initial heroin lapse
Comparison between Oligoryzomys nigripes and O. flavescens by RAPD and genetic diversity in O. nigripes (Rodentia, Cricetidae)
Dietary inflammatory index and inflammatory biomarkers in adolescents from LabMed physical activity study
Background/objectives The dietary inflammatory index (DII) is a tool to measure the diet’s inflammatory potential and has
been used with adults to predict low-grade inflammation. The present study aims to assess whether this dietary score predicts
low-grade inflammation in adolescents.
Subjects/methods The sample comprises 329 adolescents (55.9% girls), aged 12–18 years, from LabMed Physical Activity
Study. DII score was calculated based on a food-frequency questionnaire and categorized into tertiles. We collected blood
samples to determine the follow inflammatory biomarkers: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), complement
component 3 (C3), and 4 (C4). In addition we calculated an overall inflammatory biomarker score. Odds ratios (OR) and
95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were computed from binary logistic regression models.
Results DII score, comparing first with third tertile, was positively associated with IL-6 in crude model (OR = 1.88, 95%
CI:1.09–3.24, ptrend = 0.011) and in fully adjusted (for biological and lifestyle variables) (OR = 3.38, 95%CI:1.24–9.20,
ptrend = 0.023). Also, DII score was positively associated with C4, when fully adjusted (OR = 3.12, 95%CI:1.21–8.10, ptrend
= 0.016). DII score was negatively associated with C3 in crude model, comparing first with second but not with third tertile,
and no significant associations in fully adjusted model were observed, although a trend was found (OR = 1.71, 95%
CI:0.63–4.66, ptrend = 0.044). No significant associations were observed between DII score and CRP. However, DII score
was positively associated with the overall inflammatory biomarker score, when fully adjusted (OR = 5.61, 95%
CI:2.00–15.78, ptrend = 0.002).
Conclusions DII score can be useful to assess the diet’s inflammatory potential and its association with low-grade inflammation in adolescents.The authors gratefully acknowledged the participation
of all adolescents and their parents, teachers and schools of
the LabMed and Physical Activity Study, the cooperation of volunteer’s,
the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology (University of
Porto) for the conversion food frequency questionnaire data into
nutrients, and the Research Centre in Physical Activity, Health and
Leisure (University of Porto) for the sponsoring the LabMed and
Physical Activity Study.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Targeted LC–MS derivatization for aldehydes and carboxylic acids with a new derivatization agent 4-APEBA
Based on the template of a recently introduced derivatization reagent for aldehydes, 4-(2-(trimethylammonio)ethoxy)benzeneaminium dibromide (4-APC), a new derivatization agent was designed with additional features for the analysis and screening of biomarkers of lipid peroxidation. The new derivatization reagent, 4-(2-((4-bromophenethyl)dimethylammonio)ethoxy)benzenaminium dibromide (4-APEBA) contains a bromophenethyl group to incorporate an isotopic signature to the derivatives and to add additional fragmentation identifiers, collectively enhancing the abilities for detection and screening of unknown aldehydes. Derivatization can be achieved under mild conditions (pH 5.7, 10 °C). By changing the secondary reagent (1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide instead of sodium cyanoborohydride), 4-APEBA is also applicable to the selective derivatization of carboxylic acids. Synthesis of the new label, exploration of the derivatization conditions, characterization of the fragmentation of the aldehyde and carboxylic acid derivatives in MS/MS, and preliminary applications of the labeling strategy for the analysis of aldehydes in urine and plasma are described
Updates in non-small cell lung cancer - insights from the 2009 45th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
We have reviewed the pivotal presentations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from the 2009 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. We have discussed the scientific data, the impact on standards of care, and ongoing clinical trials
Different anthropometric adiposity measures and their association with cardiovascular disease risk factors: a meta-analysis
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