Investigation of in vivo measurement of cerebral cytochrome-c-oxidase redox changes using near-infrared spectroscopy in patients with orthostatic hypotension

We have previously used a continuous four wavelength near infrared spectrometer to measure changes in the cerebral concentrations of oxy- (Δ[HbO2] and deoxy- haemoglobin (Δ[HHb]) during head-up tilt in patients with primary autonomic failure. The measured changes in light attenuation also allow calculation of changes in the concentration of oxidised cytochrome c oxidase (Δ[oxCCO]), and this paper analyses the Δ[oxCCO] during the severe episodes of orthostatic hypotension produced by this experimental protocol. We studied 12 patients during a passive change in position from supine to a 60º head-up tilt. The challenge caused a reduction in mean blood pressure of 59.93 (±26.12) mmHg (Mean (±SD), p<0.0001), which was associated with a reduction in the total concentration of haemoglobin (Δ[HbT]= Δ[HbO2]+Δ[HHb]) of 5.02 (±3.81) μM (p<0.0001) and a reduction in the haemoglobin difference concentration (Δ[Hbdiff]= Δ[HbO2]-Δ[HHb]) of 14.4 (±6.73) μM (p<0.0001). We observed a wide range of responses in Δ[oxCCO]. 6 patients demonstrated a drop in Δ[oxCCO] (0.17 ±0.15μM ); 4 patients demonstrated no change (0.01 ±0.12 μM ) and 2 patients showed an increase in Δ[oxCCO] (0.21 ±0.01 μM ). Investigation of the association between the changes in concentrations of haemoglobin species and the Δ[oxCCO] for each patient show a range of relationships. This suggests that a simple mechanism for crosstalk, which might produce artefactual changes in [oxCCO], is not present between the haemoglobin and the oxCCO NIRS signals. Further investigation is required to determine the clinical significance of the changes in [oxCCO]

Magnetic catalysis and anisotropic confinement in QCD

The expressions for dynamical masses of quarks in the chiral limit in QCD in a strong magnetic field are obtained. A low energy effective action for the corresponding Nambu-Goldstone bosons is derived and the values of their decay constants as well as the velocities are calculated. The existence of a threshold value of the number of colors $N^{thr}_c$, dividing the theories with essentially different dynamics, is established. For the number of colors $N_c \ll N^{thr}_c$, an anisotropic dynamics of confinement with the confinement scale much less than $\Lambda_{QCD}$ and a rich spectrum of light glueballs is realized. For $N_c$ of order $N^{thr}_c$ or larger, a conventional confinement dynamics takes place. It is found that the threshold value $N^{thr}_c$ grows rapidly with the magnetic field [$N^{thr}_c \gtrsim 100$ for $|eB| \gtrsim (1{GeV})^2$]. In contrast to QCD with a nonzero baryon density, there are no principal obstacles for checking these results and predictions in lattice computer simulations.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure. REVTeX. Minor correction. To appear in Phys. Rev.

Different types of visual cells in the photoreceptor layer of the retinae of the treeshrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) as revealed by scanning microscopy

The retinae of treeshrew have never been evaluated by scanning electron microscopic studies. This work described the visual cells in the photoreceptor layer of the retinae of treeshrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) living on the high plateau of Yunnan, China, via scanning electron microscopy. Results indicated five different types of cones morphologically, in which two of those have shown oil droplet like structures in their inner segments. To our knowledge, no prior studies have reported oil droplets in the visual cells of higher mammals, only in lower vertebrate and primitive mammals. In addition, this study revealed one type of degenerative visual cell without outer segments. The findings signal the needs for additional studies to understand the physiological functions and phylogenetic relationships of the diversity of visual cells in this group of mammal

High hepatitis e seroprevalence among displaced persons in South Sudan

Large protracted outbreaks of hepatitis E virus (HEV) have been documented in displaced populations in Africa over the past decade though data are limited outside these exceptional settings. Serological studies can provide insights useful for improving surveillance and disease control. We conducted an age-stratified serological survey using samples previously collected for another research study from206 residents of an internally displaced person campin Juba, South Sudan.We tested serumfor anti-HEV antibodies (IgMand IgG) and estimated the prevalence of recent and historical exposure to the virus. Using data on individuals' serostatus, camp arrival date, and state of origin, we used catalytic transmission models to estimate the relative risk of HEV infection in the camp compared with that in the participants' home states. The age-adjusted seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgG was 71% (95% confidence interval = 63-78), and 4% had evidence of recent exposure (IgM). We estimated HEV exposure rates to be more than 2-fold (hazard ratio = 2.3, 95% credible interval = 0.3-5.8) higher in the camp than in the participants' home states, although this difference was not statistically significant. HEV transmission may be higher than previously appreciated, even in the absence of reported cases. Improved surveillance in similar settings is needed to understand the burden of disease and minimize epidemic impact through early detection and response

Magnetism in Dense Quark Matter

We review the mechanisms via which an external magnetic field can affect the ground state of cold and dense quark matter. In the absence of a magnetic field, at asymptotically high densities, cold quark matter is in the Color-Flavor-Locked (CFL) phase of color superconductivity characterized by three scales: the superconducting gap, the gluon Meissner mass, and the baryonic chemical potential. When an applied magnetic field becomes comparable with each of these scales, new phases and/or condensates may emerge. They include the magnetic CFL (MCFL) phase that becomes relevant for fields of the order of the gap scale; the paramagnetic CFL, important when the field is of the order of the Meissner mass, and a spin-one condensate associated to the magnetic moment of the Cooper pairs, significant at fields of the order of the chemical potential. We discuss the equation of state (EoS) of MCFL matter for a large range of field values and consider possible applications of the magnetic effects on dense quark matter to the astrophysics of compact stars.Comment: To appear in Lect. Notes Phys. "Strongly interacting matter in magnetic fields" (Springer), edited by D. Kharzeev, K. Landsteiner, A. Schmitt, H.-U. Ye

Vibrio cholerae O1 transmission in Bangladesh: insights from a nationally representative serosurvey

Background: Pandemic Vibrio cholerae from cholera-endemic countries around the Bay of Bengal regularly seed epidemics globally. Without reducing cholera in these countries, including Bangladesh, global cholera control might never be achieved. Little is known about the geographical distribution and magnitude of V cholerae O1 transmission nationally. We aimed to describe infection risk across Bangladesh, making use of advances in cholera seroepidemiology, therefore overcoming many of the limitations of current clinic-based surveillance. Methods: We tested serum samples from a nationally representative serosurvey in Bangladesh with eight V cholerae-specific assays. Using these data with a machine-learning model previously validated within a cohort of confirmed cholera cases and their household contacts, we estimated the proportion of the population with evidence of infection by V cholerae O1 in the previous year (annual seroincidence) and used Bayesian geostatistical models to create high-resolution national maps of infection risk. Findings: Between Oct 16, 2015, and Jan 24, 2016, we obtained and tested serum samples from 2930 participants (707 households) in 70 communities across Bangladesh. We estimated national annual seroincidence of V cholerae O1 infection of 17·3% (95% CI 10·5–24·1). Our high-resolution maps showed large heterogeneity of infection risk, with community-level annual infection risk within the sampled population ranging from 4·3% to 62·9%. Across Bangladesh, we estimated that 28·1 (95% CI 17·1–39·2) million infections occurred in the year before the survey. Despite having an annual seroincidence of V cholerae O1 infection lower than much of Bangladesh, Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh and largest city in the country) had 2·0 (95% CI 0·6–3·9) million infections during the same year, primarily because of its large population. Interpretation: Serosurveillance provides an avenue for identifying areas with high V cholerae O1 transmission and investigating key risk factors for infection across geographical scales. Serosurveillance could serve as an important method for countries to plan and monitor progress towards 2030 cholera elimination goals. Funding: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Quasinormal modes of Schwarzschild black holes in four and higher dimensions

We make a thorough investigation of the asymptotic quasinormal modes of the four and five-dimensional Schwarzschild black hole for scalar, electromagnetic and gravitational perturbations. Our numerical results give full support to all the analytical predictions by Motl and Neitzke, for the leading term. We also compute the first order corrections analytically, by extending to higher dimensions, previous work of Musiri and Siopsis, and find excellent agreement with the numerical results. For generic spacetime dimension number D the first-order corrections go as $\frac{1}{n^{(D-3)/(D-2)}}$. This means that there is a more rapid convergence to the asymptotic value for the five dimensional case than for the four dimensional case, as we also show numerically.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, RevTeX4. v2. Typos corrected, references adde

Immune Responses to an Oral Cholera Vaccine in Internally Displaced Persons in South Sudan

Despite recent large-scale cholera outbreaks, little is known about the immunogenicity of oral cholera vaccines (OCV) in African populations, particularly among those at highest cholera risk. During a 2015 preemptive OCV campaign among internally displaced persons in South Sudan, a year after a large cholera outbreak, we enrolled 37 young children (1-5 years old), 67 older children (6-17 years old) and 101 adults (≥18 years old), who received two doses of OCV (Shanchol) spaced approximately 3 weeks apart. Cholera-specific antibody responses were determined at days 0, 21 and 35 post-immunization. High baseline vibriocidal titers (&gt;80) were observed in 21% of the participants, suggesting recent cholera exposure or vaccination. Among those with titers ≤80, 90% young children, 73% older children and 72% adults seroconverted (≥4 fold titer rise) after the 1st OCV dose; with no additional seroconversion after the 2nd dose. Post-vaccination immunological endpoints did not differ across age groups. Our results indicate Shanchol was immunogenic in this vulnerable population and that a single dose alone may be sufficient to achieve similar short-term immunological responses to the currently licensed two-dose regimen. While we found no evidence of differential response by age, further immunologic and epidemiologic studies are needed

Grain Surface Models and Data for Astrochemistry

AbstractThe cross-disciplinary field of astrochemistry exists to understand the formation, destruction, and survival of molecules in astrophysical environments. Molecules in space are synthesized via a large variety of gas-phase reactions, and reactions on dust-grain surfaces, where the surface acts as a catalyst. A broad consensus has been reached in the astrochemistry community on how to suitably treat gas-phase processes in models, and also on how to present the necessary reaction data in databases; however, no such consensus has yet been reached for grain-surface processes. A team of ∼25 experts covering observational, laboratory and theoretical (astro)chemistry met in summer of 2014 at the Lorentz Center in Leiden with the aim to provide solutions for this problem and to review the current state-of-the-art of grain surface models, both in terms of technical implementation into models as well as the most up-to-date information available from experiments and chemical computations. This review builds on the results of this workshop and gives an outlook for future directions

A human ciliopathy reveals essential functions for NEK10 in airway mucociliary clearance

Mucociliary clearance, the physiological process by which mammalian conducting airways expel pathogens and unwanted surface materials from the respiratory tract, depends on the coordinated function of multiple specialized cell types, including basal stem cells, mucus-secreting goblet cells, motile ciliated cells, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-rich ionocytes, and immune cells1,2. Bronchiectasis, a syndrome of pathological airway dilation associated with impaired mucociliary clearance, may occur sporadically or as a consequence of Mendelian inheritance, for example in cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), and select immunodeficiencies3. Previous studies have identified mutations that affect ciliary structure and nucleation in PCD4, but the regulation of mucociliary transport remains incompletely understood, and therapeutic targets for its modulation are lacking. Here we identify a bronchiectasis syndrome caused by mutations that inactivate NIMA-related kinase 10 (NEK10), a protein kinase with previously unknown in vivo functions in mammals. Genetically modified primary human airway cultures establish NEK10 as a ciliated-cell-specific kinase whose activity regulates the motile ciliary proteome to promote ciliary length and mucociliary transport but which is dispensable for normal ciliary number, radial structure, and beat frequency. Together, these data identify a novel and likely targetable signaling axis that controls motile ciliary function in humans and has potential implications for other respiratory disorders that are characterized by impaired mucociliary clearance