Systematic review of fatty acid composition of human milk from mothers of preterm compared to full-term infants

Background: Fatty acid composition of human milk serves as guidance for the composition of infant formulae. The aim of the study was to systematically review data on the fatty acid composition of human milk of mothers of preterm compared to full-term infants. Methods: An electronic literature search was performed in English (Medline and Medscape) and German (SpringerLink) databases and via the Google utility. Fatty acid compositional data for preterm and fullterm human milk were converted to differences between means and 95% confidence intervals. Results: We identified five relevant studies publishing direct comparison of fatty acid composition of preterm versus full-term human milk. There were no significant differences between the values of the principal saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. In three independent studies covering three different time points of lactation, however, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) values were significantly higher in milk of mothers of preterm as compared to those of full-term infants, with an extent of difference considered nutritionally relevant. Conclusion: Higher DHA values in preterm than in full-term human milk underlines the importance of using own mother's milk for feeding preterm babies and raises the question whether DHA contents in preterm formulae should be higher than in formulae for full-term infants. Copyright (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Effective action of three-dimensional extended supersymmetric matter on gauge superfield background

We study the low-energy effective actions for gauge superfields induced by quantum N=2 and N=4 supersymmetric matter fields in three-dimensional Minkowski space. Analyzing the superconformal invariants in the N=2 superspace we propose a general form of the N=2 gauge invariant and superconformal effective action. The leading terms in this action are fixed by the symmetry up to the coefficients while the higher order terms with respect to the Maxwell field strength are found up to one arbitrary function of quasi-primary N=2 superfields constructed from the superfield strength and its covariant spinor derivatives. Then we find this function and the coefficients by direct quantum computations in the N=2 superspace. The effective action of N=4 gauge multiplet is obtained by generalizing the N=2 effective action.Comment: 1+27 pages; v2: minor corrections, references adde

The Bregman chord divergence

Distances are fundamental primitives whose choice significantly impacts the performances of algorithms in machine learning and signal processing. However selecting the most appropriate distance for a given task is an endeavor. Instead of testing one by one the entries of an ever-expanding dictionary of {\em ad hoc} distances, one rather prefers to consider parametric classes of distances that are exhaustively characterized by axioms derived from first principles. Bregman divergences are such a class. However fine-tuning a Bregman divergence is delicate since it requires to smoothly adjust a functional generator. In this work, we propose an extension of Bregman divergences called the Bregman chord divergences. This new class of distances does not require gradient calculations, uses two scalar parameters that can be easily tailored in applications, and generalizes asymptotically Bregman divergences.Comment: 10 page

<i>Lrig1</i> expression identifies airway basal cells with high proliferative capacity and restricts lung squamous cell carcinoma growth

Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) accounts for a significant proportion of cancer deaths worldwide, and is preceded by the appearance of progressively disorganised pre-invasive lesions in the airway epithelium. Yet the biological mechanisms underlying progression of pre-invasive lesions into invasive LUSC are not fully understood. LRIG1 is downregulated in pre-invasive airway lesions and invasive LUSC tumours and this correlates with decreased lung cancer patient survival.Using an Lrig1 knock-in reporter mouse and human airway epithelial cells collected at bronchoscopy, we show that during homeostasis LRIG1 is heterogeneously expressed in the airway epithelium. In basal airway epithelial cells, the suspected cell of origin of LUSC, LRIG1 identifies a subpopulation of progenitor cells with higher in vitro proliferative and self-renewal potential in both the mouse and human. Using the N-nitroso-tris-chloroethylurea (NTCU)-induced murine model of LUSC, we find that Lrig1 loss-of-function leads to abnormally high cell proliferation during the earliest stages of pre-invasive disease and to the formation of significantly larger invasive tumours, suggesting accelerated disease progression.Together, our findings identify LRIG1 as a marker of basal airway progenitor cells with high proliferative potential and as a regulator of pre-invasive lung cancer progression. This work highlights the clinical relevance of LRIG1 and the potential of the NTCU-induced LUSC model for functional assessment of candidate tumour suppressors and oncogenes

Can spacetime curvature induced corrections to Lamb shift be observable?

The Lamb shift results from the coupling of an atom to vacuum fluctuations of quantum fields, so corrections are expected to arise when the spacetime is curved since the vacuum fluctuations are modified by the presence of spacetime curvature. Here, we calculate the curvature-induced correction to the Lamb shift outside a spherically symmetric object and demonstrate that this correction can be remarkably significant outside a compact massive astrophysical body. For instance, for a neutron star or a stellar mass black hole, the correction is $\sim$ 25% at a radial distance of $4GM/c^2$, $\sim$ 16% at $10GM/c^2$ and as large as $\sim$ 1.6% even at $100GM/c^2$, where $M$ is the mass of the object, $G$ the Newtonian constant, and $c$ the speed of light. In principle, we can look at the spectra from a distant compact super-massive body to find such corrections. Therefore, our results suggest a possible way of detecting fundamental quantum effects in astronomical observations.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, slight title change, clarifications and more discussions added, version to be published in JHE

Evaluation of the effectiveness of a novel brain-computer interface neuromodulative intervention to relieve neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury: Protocol for a single-case experimental design with multiple baselines

Background: Neuropathic pain is a debilitating secondary condition for many individuals with spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injury neuropathic pain often is poorly responsive to existing pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments. A growing body of evidence supports the potential for brain-computer interface systems to reduce spinal cord injury neuropathic pain via electroencephalographic neurofeedback. However, further studies are needed to provide more definitive evidence regarding the effectiveness of this intervention. Objective: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multiday course of a brain-computer interface neuromodulative intervention in a gaming environment to provide pain relief for individuals with neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury. Methods: We have developed a novel brain-computer interface-based neuromodulative intervention for spinal cord injury neuropathic pain. Our brain-computer interface neuromodulative treatment includes an interactive gaming interface, and a neuromodulation protocol targeted to suppress theta (4-8 Hz) and high beta (20-30 Hz) frequency powers, and enhance alpha (9-12 Hz) power. We will use a single-case experimental design with multiple baselines to examine the effectiveness of our self-developed brain-computer interface neuromodulative intervention for the treatment of spinal cord injury neuropathic pain. We will recruit 3 participants with spinal cord injury neuropathic pain. Each participant will be randomly allocated to a different baseline phase (ie, 7, 10, or 14 days), which will then be followed by 20 sessions of a 30-minute brain-computer interface neuromodulative intervention over a 4-week period. The visual analog scale assessing average pain intensity will serve as the primary outcome measure. We will also assess pain interference as a secondary outcome domain. Generalization measures will assess quality of life, sleep quality, and anxiety and depressive symptoms, as well as resting-state electroencephalography and thalamic γ-aminobutyric acid concentration. Results: This study was approved by the Human Research Committees of the University of New South Wales in July 2019 and the University of Technology Sydney in January 2020. We plan to begin the trial in October 2020 and expect to publish the results by the end of 2021. Conclusions: This clinical trial using single-case experimental design methodology has been designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel brain-computer interface neuromodulative treatment for people with neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury. Single-case experimental designs are considered a viable alternative approach to randomized clinical trials to identify evidence-based practices in the field of technology-based health interventions when recruitment of large samples is not feasible

Obstetric and Perinatal Outcomes in Type 1 Diabetic Pregnancies: A large, population-based study

The aim of this epidemiological study was to elucidate whether in recent years, obstetric and perinatal outcomes in pregnancies complicated by type 1 diabetes (T1DM) have improved or not. The objective was also to identify possible risk factors for adverse outcome for the mother, fetus and the newborn. All studies (Ι-ΙV) included in this thesis were based on national data from the Swedish Medical Birth Registry, during the time period 1991-2007. In 5,089 type 1 diabetic pregnancies and 1.2 million controls we found significantly increased risks of all adverse outcomes in women with T1DM: adjusted odds ratios: severe preeclampsia: 4.47 (3.77-5.31), Caesarean delivery: 5.31 (4.97-5.69), stillbirth: 3.34 (2.46- 4.55), perinatal mortality: 3.29 (2.50-4.33), major malformations: 2.50 (2.13-2.94) and large for gestational age: LGA (birth weight ≥ +2 SD): 11.45 (10.61-12.36) (study Ι). The markedly elevated odds of an LGA outcome inspired us to characterize in more detail the distribution of birth size in a large national cohort of T1DM offspring (study ΙΙ n=3,705) and to investigate if disproportionate body composition was associated with increased risk of perinatal complications (study ΙΙΙ n=3,517). Percentiles for birth weight (BW), birth length (BL) and head circumference (HC) were formed based on data from non-diabetic pregnancies and standard deviation scores (SDS) were calculated for BW, BL and HC. The ponderal index (PI: BW in grams/(BL in cm) ³ was used as a proxy for body proportionality and fat mass and we defined disproportionate/overweight LGA as infants with a BW and PI ≥90th percentile for gestational age and gender. The distributions of BW, BL and HC were all unimodal but significantly shifted to the right of the normal reference. The distribution for BW was most markedly shifted to the right. 47% were LGA with a BW ≥90th adjusted percentile. The mean ponderal index (PI) was significantly increased and 46% of LGA infants were disproportionate with a PI ≥90th percentile and thus overweight at birth. A novel and unexpected finding was that fetal macrosomia was more pronounced in preterm and female infants (study ΙΙ). Surprisingly, neonatal outcome was independent of body proportionality in appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and LGA infants. The risk of adverse outcome was significantly increased in LGA compared with AGA infants born at term (study ΙΙΙ). There was a significant interaction between gestational age and body weight with prematurity overriding LGA as a risk factor for neonatal morbidity in moderately preterm infants. In study ΙV, we examined the risk of adverse outcome in relation to pre-pregnancy body mass index in a national cohort of 3,457 T1DM pregnancies compared to 764,498 non-diabetic pregnancies. Maternal overweight/obesity increases the risk of adverse outcome in both women with and without T1DM. Within the T1DM cohort, obesity was associated with increased odds of major malformations adjusted OR: 1.77 (1.18-2.65) and preeclampsia adjusted OR: 1.74 (1.35-2.25). T1DM was a significant effect modifier of the association between BMI and major malformations, preeclampsia, LGA and neonatal overweight. Conclusion: In spite of major improvements in the management of type 1 diabetic pregnancies over the years, the present findings clearly demonstrate that T1DM pregnancies still are associated with significantly increased risk of adverse outcomes. An important observation is the rising incidence of LGA infants, which partly can be attributed to a concomitant increase in maternal BMI. This development is worrying as LGA infants face an excess risk of both perinatal and future complications as compared to normal sized infants. The novel and unexpected finding of a gender difference in fetal macrosomia requires further investigations

Distances from Surface Brightness Fluctuations

The practice of measuring galaxy distances from their spatial fluctuations in surface brightness is now a decade old. While several past articles have included some review material, this is the first intended as a comprehensive review of the surface brightness fluctuation (SBF) method. The method is conceptually quite simple, the basic idea being that nearby (but unresolved) star clusters and galaxies appear "bumpy", while more distant ones appear smooth. This is quantified via a measurement of the amplitude of the Poisson fluctuations in the number of unresolved stars encompassed by a CCD pixel (usually in an image of an elliptical galaxy). Here, we describe the technical details and difficulties involved in making SBF measurements, discuss theoretical and empirical calibrations of the method, and review the numerous applications of the method from the ground and space, in the optical and near-infrared. We include discussions of stellar population effects and the "universality" of the SBF standard candle. A final section considers the future of the method.Comment: Invited review article to appear in: `Post-Hipparcos Cosmic Candles', A. Heck & F. Caputo (Eds), Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht, in press. 22 pages, including 3 postscript figures; uses Kluwer's crckapb.sty LaTex macro file, enclose