1,644 research outputs found
Pulsar Magnetosphere : A General Relativistic Treatment
A fully general relativistic description of the pulsar magnetosphere is
provided. To be more concrete, a study of the pulsar magnetosphere is performed
in the context of general relativistic magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) employing the
so-called Grad-Shafranov approach. Not surprisingly, the resulting
Grad-Shafranov equations and all the other related general relativistic MHD
equations turn out to take essentially the same structures as those for the
(rotating) black hole magnetosphere. Other different natures between the two
cases including the structure of singular surfaces of MHD flows in each
magnetosphere are essentially encoded in the different spacetime (metric)
contents. In this way, the pulsar and the black hole magnetospheres can be
described in an unified fashion. Particularly, the direction of poloidal
currents circulating in the neutron star magnetosphere turns out to be the same
as that of currents circulating in the black hole magnetosphere which, in turn,
leads to the pulsar and the black hole spin-downs via the ``magnetic braking''.Comment: 42 pages, 3 figures, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc.(MNRAS), in pres
Effects of Corni fructus on ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation and airway hyper-responsiveness in a mouse model of allergic asthma
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to allergens, airway oedema, increased mucus secretion, excess production of T helper-2 (Th2) cytokines, and eosinophil accumulation in the lungs. Corni fructus (CF) is a fruit of <it>Cornus officinalis </it>Sieb. Et. Zucc. (Cornaceae) and has been used in traditional Korean medicine as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and diuretic agent. To investigate the anti-asthmatic effects of CF and their underlying mechanism, we examined the influence of CF on the development of pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in a mouse model of allergic asthma.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study, BALB/c mice were systemically sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) by intraperitoneal (i.p.), intratracheal (i.t.) injections and intranasal (i.n.) inhalation of OVA. We investigated the effect of CF on airway hyperresponsiveness, pulmonary eosinophilic infiltration, various immune cell phenotypes, Th2 cytokine production, and OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) production.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The CF-treated groups showed suppressed eosinophil infiltration, allergic airway inflammation, and AHR via reduced production of interleuin (IL) -5, IL-13, and OVA-specific IgE.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data suggest that the therapeutic effects of CF in asthma are mediated by reduced production of Th2 cytokines (IL-5), eotaxin, and OVA-specific IgE and reduced eosinophil infiltration.</p
Antiasthmatic Effects of Hesperidin, a Potential Th2 Cytokine Antagonist, in a Mouse Model of Allergic Asthma
Background and Objective. The features of asthma are airway inflammation, reversible airflow obstruction, and an increased sensitivity to bronchoconstricting agents, termed airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), excess production of Th2 cytokines, and eosinophil accumulation in the lungs. To investigate the antiasthmatic potential of hesperidin as well as the underlying mechanism involved, we studied the inhibitory effect and anti-inflammatory effect of hesperidin (HPN) on the production of Th2 cytokines, eotaxin, IL-17, -OVA-specific IgE in vivo asthma model mice.
Methods. In this paper, BALB/c mice were systemically sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) followed intratracheally, intraperitoneally, and by aerosol allergen challenges. We investigated the effect of HPN on airway hyperresponsiveness, pulmonary eosinophilic infiltration, various immune cell phenotypes, Th2 cytokine production and OVA-specific IgE production in a mouse model of asthma. Results. In BALB/c mice, we found that HPN-treated groups had suppressed eosinophil infiltration, allergic airway inflammation, and AHR, and these occurred by suppressing the production of IL-5, IL-17, and OVA-specific IgE. Conclusions. Our data suggest that the therapeutic mechanism by which HPN effectively treats asthma is based on reductions of Th2 cytokines (IL-5), eotaxin, OVA-specific IgE production, and eosinophil infiltration via inhibition of GATA-3 transcription factor
125 GeV Higgs as a pseudo-Goldstone boson in supersymmetry with vector-like matters
We propose a possibility of the 125 GeV Higgs being a pseudo-Goldstone boson
in supersymmetry with extra vector-like fermions. Higgs mass is obtained from
loops of top quark and vector-like fermions from the global symmetry breaking
scale f at around TeV. The mu, Bmu/mu \sim f are generated from the dynamics of
global symmetry breaking and the Higgs quartic coupling vanishes at f as tan
beta \simeq 1. The relation of msoft \sim with f \sim mu \sim m_soft
\sim TeV is obtained and large mu does not cause a fine tuning for the
electroweak symmetry breaking. The Higgs to di-photon rate can be enhanced from
the loop of uncolored vector-like matters. The stability problem of Higgs
potential with vector-like fermions can be nicely cured by the UV completion
with the Goldstone picture.Comment: 28 pages, 8 figure
Jamming transition in a highly dense granular system under vertical vibration
The dynamics of the jamming transition in a three-dimensional granular system
under vertical vibration is studied using diffusing-wave spectroscopy. When the
maximum acceleration of the external vibration is large, the granular system
behaves like a fluid, with the dynamic correlation function G(t) relaxing
rapidly. As the acceleration of vibration approaches the gravitational
acceleration g, the relaxation of G(t) slows down dramatically, and eventually
stops. Thus the system undergoes a phase transition and behaves like a solid.
Near the transition point, we find that the structural relaxation shows a
stretched exponential behavior. This behavior is analogous to the behavior of
supercooled liquids close to the glass transition.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev.
Recommended from our members
Altered expression of norepinephrine transporter and norepinephrine in human placenta cause pre-eclampsia through regulated trophoblast invasion
Objective: We investigated the norepinephrine transporter (NET) expression in normal and pre-eclamptic placentas and analyzed the invasion activity of trophoblastic cells based on norepinephrine (NE)-NET regulation. Methods: NET and NE expression levels were examined by western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Trophoblast invasion activity, depending on NE-NET regulation, was determined by NET-small interfering RNA (siRNA) and NET transfection into the human extravillous trophoblast cells with or without NE treatment and invasion rates were analyzed by zymography and an invasion assay. Results: NET mRNA was expressed at a low level in pre-eclamptic placentas compared with normal placentas and NE concentration in maternal plasma increased significantly in pre-eclamptic women compared to normal pregnant women (p<0.05). NET gene upregulation and NE treatment stimulated trophoblast cell invasion up to 2.5-fold (p<0.05) by stimulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity via the phosphoinositol-3-kinase/AKT signaling pathway, whereas NET-siRNA with NE treatment reduced invasion rates. Conclusion: NET expression is reduced by inadequate regulation of NE levels during placental development. This suggests that a complementary balance between NET and NE regulates trophoblast cell invasion activities during placental development
Complete response to FOLFOX4 therapy in a patient with advanced urothelial cancer: a case report
No standard has been established for salvage therapy in gemcitabine refractory advanced urothelial cancer. We report the complete response to FOLFOX4 therapy of a metastatic urothelial cancer patient, for whom adjuvant gemcitabine plus cisplatin combination chemotherapy had failed. A 54-year-old male patient with urothelial cancer (transitional cell carcinoma) in the right kidney underwent three rounds of adjuvant gemcitabine-cisplatin chemotherapy after extensive radical nephrectomy. However, he had new liver, lung metastases and synchronous two separate primary colon cancer. The lung metastasis lesion was confirmed as a metastatic urothelial cancer via percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB). Liver and lung metastasis lesions disappeared after the 4th cycle of FOLFOX4 chemotherapy. In addition, colon cancer also disappeared after the 8th cycle of FOLFOX4 chemotherapy. The patient was still showing a complete response after 4 months. Clinical trials using the FOLFOX regimen as salvage therapy for gemcitabine-refractory advanced urothelial cancer are warranted
- …