Effect on cardiovascular risk of high density lipoprotein targeted drug treatments niacin, fibrates, and CETP inhibitors: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials including 117 411 patients

Objective To investigate the effects on cardiovascular outcomes of drug interventions that increase high density lipoprotein levels. Design Meta-analysis. Studies reviewed Therapeutic benefit of niacin, fibrates, and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors on cardiovascular events (all cause mortality, coronary heart disease mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and stroke). Results 117 411 patients were randomised in a total of 39 trials. All interventions increased the levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol. No significant effect was seen on all cause mortality for niacin (odds ratio 1.03, 95% confidence interval 0.92 to 1.15, P=0.59), fibrates (0.98, 0.89 to 1.08, P=0.66), or CETP inhibitors (1.16, 0.93 to 1.44, P=0.19); on coronary heart disease mortality for niacin (0.93, 0.76 to 1.12, P=0.44), fibrates (0.92, 0.81 to 1.04, P=0.19), or CETP inhibitors (1.00, 0.80 to 1.24, P=0.99); or on stroke outcomes for niacin (0.96, 0.75 to 1.22, P=0.72), fibrates (1.01, 0.90 to 1.13, P=0.84), or CETP inhibitors (1.14, 0.90 to 1.45, P=0.29). In studies with patients not receiving statins (before the statin era), niacin was associated with a significant reduction in non-fatal myocardial infarction (0.69, 0.56 to 0.85, P=0.0004). However, in studies where statins were already being taken, niacin showed no significant effect (0.96, 0.85 to 1.09, P=0.52). A significant difference was seen between these subgroups (P=0.007). A similar trend relating to non-fatal myocardial infarction was seen with fibrates: without statin treatment (0.78, 0.71 to 0.86, P<0.001) and with all or some patients taking statins (0.83, 0.69 to 1.01, P=0.07); P=0.58 for difference. Conclusions Neither niacin, fibrates, nor CETP inhibitors, three highly effective agents for increasing high density lipoprotein levels, reduced all cause mortality, coronary heart disease mortality, myocardial infarction, or stroke in patients treated with statins. Although observational studies might suggest a simplistic hypothesis for high density lipoprotein cholesterol, that increasing the levels pharmacologically would generally reduce cardiovascular events, in the current era of widespread use of statins in dyslipidaemia, substantial trials of these three agents do not support this concept

The global dynamics of RNA stability orchestrates responses to cellular activation

Transcriptomics is used to quantify changes in accumulated levels of mRNAs following cellular activation. These changes arise from the opposing fluxes of transcription and mRNA decay, both of which affect the functional dynamics of global gene expression. A study published recently in BMC Genomics focuses on the contribution made by mRNA stability in shaping the kinetics of gene responses in mammalian cells

Statistical Properties of Line Centroid Velocity Increments in the rho Ophiuchi Cloud

We present a comparison of histograms of CO (2-1) line centroid velocity increments in the rho Ophiuchi molecular cloud with those computed for spectra synthesized from a three-dimensional, compressible, but non-starforming and non-gravitating hydrodynamic simulation. Histograms of centroid velocity increments in the rho Ophiuchi cloud show clearly non-Gaussian wings, similar to those found in histograms of velocity increments and derivatives in experimental studies of laboratory and atmospheric flows, as well as numerical simulations of turbulence. The magnitude of these wings increases monotonically with decreasing separation, down to the angular resolution of the data. This behavior is consistent with that found in the phase of the simulation which has most of the properties of incompressible turbulence. The time evolution of the magnitude of the non-Gaussian wings in the histograms of centroid velocity increments in the simulation is consistent with the evolution of the vorticity in the flow. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that the wings are associated with the shock interaction regions. Moreover, in an active starforming region like the rho Ophiuchi cloud, the effects of shocks may be more important than in the simulation. However, being able to identify shock interaction regions in the interstellar medium is also important, since numerical simulations show that vorticity is generated in shock interactions

Managing Frost Damaged Alfalfa Stands

Wide fluctuations in springtime temperature are common in Kentucky. Late freezing temperatures in the spring can cause damage to alfalfa depending on how far along it is in breaking dormancy. This publication provides information on the effect of low spring temperatures on both established and new alfalfa stands that have begun growth, as well as a method of predicting sensitivity to late frosts or freezes

Spitzer Observations of Centaurus A: Infrared Synchrotron Emission from the Northern Lobe

We present measurements obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope in five bands from 3.6-24 microns of the northern inner radio lobe of Centaurus A, the nearest powerful radio galaxy. We show that this emission is synchrotron in origin. Comparison with ultraviolet observations from GALEX shows that diffuse ultraviolet emission exists in a smaller region than the infrared but also coincides with the radio jet. We discuss the possibility, that synchrotron emission is responsible for the ultraviolet emission and conclude that further data are required to confirm this.Comment: 4 pages, accepted by ApJ

Molecular excitation in the Eagle nebula's fingers

Context: The M16 nebula is a relatively nearby Hii region, powered by O stars from the open cluster NGC 6611, which borders to a Giant Molecular Cloud. Radiation from these hot stars has sculpted columns of dense obscuring material on a few arcmin scales. The interface between these pillars and the hot ionised medium provides a textbook example of a Photodissociation Region (PDR). Aims: To constrain the physical conditions of the atomic and molecular material with submillimeter spectroscopic observations. Methods: We used the APEX submillimeter telescope to map a ~3'x3' region in the CO J=3-2, 4-3 and 7-6 rotational lines, and a subregion in atomic carbon lines. We also observed C18O(3-2) and CO(7-6) with longer integrations on five peaks found in the CO(3-2) map. The large scale structure of the pillars is derived from the molecular lines' emission distribution. We estimate the magnitude of the velocity gradient at the tips of the pillars and use LVG modelling to constrain their densities and temperatures. Excitation temperatures and carbon column densities are derived from the atomic carbon lines. Results: The atomic carbon lines are optically thin and excitation temperatures are of order 60 K to 100 K, well consistent with observations of other Hii region-molecular cloud interfaces. We derive somewhat lower temperatures from the CO line ratios, of order 40 K. The Ci/CO ratio is around 0.1 at the fingers tips.Comment: 4 pages, APEX A&A special issue, accepte

Discovery of a 500 pc shell in the nucleus of Centaurus A

Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared images of the radio galaxy Centaurus A reveal a shell-like, bipolar, structure 500 pc to the north and south of the nucleus. This shell is seen in 5.8, 8.0 and 24 micron broad-band images. Such a remarkable shell has not been previously detected in a radio galaxy and is the first extragalactic nuclear shell detected at mid-infrared wavelengths. We estimate that the shell is a few million years old and has a mass of order million solar masses. A conservative estimate for the mechanical energy in the wind driven bubble is 10^53 erg. The shell could have created by a small few thousand solar mass nuclear burst of star formation. Alternatively, the bolometric luminosity of the active nucleus is sufficiently large that it could power the shell. Constraints on the shell's velocity are lacking. However, if the shell is moving at 1000 km/s then the required mechanical energy would be 100 times larger.Comment: submitted to ApJ Letter