678 research outputs found
Association between plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and cardiac disease hospitalizations and deaths in older women
Background Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin ( NGAL ) or lipocalin 2 may promote atherosclerosis and plaque instability leading to increased risk of cardiac events. We investigated the relationships between plasma NGAL , cardiovascular disease biomarkers, and long-term cardiac events. Methods and Results The study population consisted of 1131 ambulant older white women (mean age 75 years) without clinical coronary heart disease ( CHD ) and measures of plasma NGAL in the Perth Longitudinal Study of Ageing Women with 14.5-year CHD and heart failure hospitalizations or death (events) captured using linked records. Over 14.5 years, 256 women had CHD events, while 118 had heart failure events. Per SD increase in log-transformed NGAL there was a 35% to 37% increase in relative hazards for CHD and heart failure events in unadjusted analyses, which remained significant after adjustment for conventional risk factors for CHD events (hazard ratio 1.29, 95% CI 1.13-1.48, P0.05). Women in the highest 2 quartiles of NGAL had higher relative hazards for CHD events compared with women in the lowest quartile hazard ratio 1.61, 95% CI 1.08-2.39, P=0.019 and hazard ratio 1.97, 95% CI 1.33-3.93, P=0.001, respectively. These associations were independent of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I, homocysteine, and estimated renal function. NGAL correctly reclassified 1 in 4 women who sustained a CHD event up in risk and 1 in 10 women without CHD events down in risk. Conclusions NGAL was associated with increased risk of long-term CHD events, independent of conventional risk factors and biomarkers. These findings provide mechanistic insight into the role of NGAL with cardiac events
E.U. paediatric MOG consortium consensus: Part 4 – Outcome of paediatric myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disorders
There is increasing knowledge on the role of antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein
(MOG-abs) in acquired demyelinating syndromes and autoimmune encephalitis in children. Better understanding and prediction of outcome is essential to guide treatment protocol decisions. Therefore, this
part of the Paediatric European Collaborative Consensus provides an oversight of existing knowledge of
clinical outcome assessment in paediatric MOG-ab-associated disorders (MOGAD). The large heterogeneity in disease phenotype, disease course, treatment and follow-up protocols is a major obstacle for
reliable prediction of outcome. However, the clinical phenotype of MOGAD appears to be the main
determinant of outcome. Patients with a transverse myelitis phenotype in particular are at high r
DNA methylation is required to maintain both DNA replication timing precision and 3D genome organization integrity
DNA replication timing and three-dimensional (3D) genome organization are associated with distinct epigenome patterns across large domains. However, whether alterations in the epigenome, in particular cancer-related DNA hypomethylation, affects higher-order levels of genome architecture is still unclear. Here, using Repli-Seq, single-cell Repli-Seq, and Hi-C, we show that genome-wide methylation loss is associated with both concordant loss of replication timing precision and deregulation of 3D genome organization. Notably, we find distinct disruption in 3D genome compartmentalization, striking gains in cell-to-cell replication timing heterogeneity and loss of allelic replication timing in cancer hypomethylation models, potentially through the gene deregulation of DNA replication and genome organization pathways. Finally, we identify ectopic H3K4me3-H3K9me3 domains from across large hypomethylated domains, where late replication is maintained, which we purport serves to protect against catastrophic genome reorganization and aberrant gene transcription. Our results highlight a potential role for the methylome in the maintenance of 3D genome regulation
The dusty SF history of high-z galaxies, modelling tools and future prospects
We summarize recent advances in the determination of the cosmic history of
star formation and other properties of high-z galaxies, and the relevance of
this information in our understanding of the formation of structures. We
emphasize the importance of dust reprocessing in the high--z universe, as
demonstrated in particular by IR and sub-mm data. This demand a panchromatic
approach to observations and suitable modelling tools. We spend also some words
on expectations from future instruments.Comment: 8 pages, to be published in "The link between stars and cosmology",
26-30 March, 2001, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, by Kluwer, eds. M. Chavez, A.
Bressan, A. Buzzoni, and D. Mayy
Precipitate Redistribution During Creep of Alloy 617
Nickel-based superalloys are being considered for applications within advanced nuclear power generation systems due to their high temperature strength and corrosion resistance. Alloy 617, a candidate for use in heat exchangers, derives its strength from both solid solution strengthening and the precipitation of carbide particles. However, during creep, carbides that are supposed to retard grain boundary motion are found to dissolve and re-precipitate on boundaries in tension. To quantify the redistribution, we have used electron backscatter diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy to analyze the microstructure of 617 after creep testing at 900 and 1000°C. The data were analyzed with respect to location of the carbides (e.g., intergranular vs. intragranular), grain boundary character, and precipitate type (i.e., Cr-rich or Mo-rich). We find that grain boundary character is the most important factor in carbide distribution; some evidence of preferential distribution to boundaries in tension is also observed at higher applied stresses. Finally, the results suggest that the observed redistribution is due to the migration of carbides to the boundaries and not the migration of boundaries to the precipitates
The Similarity Hypothesis in General Relativity
Self-similar models are important in general relativity and other fundamental
theories. In this paper we shall discuss the ``similarity hypothesis'', which
asserts that under a variety of physical circumstances solutions of these
theories will naturally evolve to a self-similar form. We will find there is
good evidence for this in the context of both spatially homogenous and
inhomogeneous cosmological models, although in some cases the self-similar
model is only an intermediate attractor. There are also a wide variety of
situations, including critical pheneomena, in which spherically symmetric
models tend towards self-similarity. However, this does not happen in all cases
and it is it is important to understand the prerequisites for the conjecture.Comment: to be submitted to Gen. Rel. Gra
Proximity effect at superconducting Sn-Bi2Se3 interface
We have investigated the conductance spectra of Sn-Bi2Se3 interface junctions
down to 250 mK and in different magnetic fields. A number of conductance
anomalies were observed below the superconducting transition temperature of Sn,
including a small gap different from that of Sn, and a zero-bias conductance
peak growing up at lower temperatures. We discussed the possible origins of the
smaller gap and the zero-bias conductance peak. These phenomena support that a
proximity-effect-induced chiral superconducting phase is formed at the
interface between the superconducting Sn and the strong spin-orbit coupling
material Bi2Se3.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
Centrality Dependence of the High p_T Charged Hadron Suppression in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 130 GeV
PHENIX has measured the centrality dependence of charged hadron p_T spectra
from central Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=130 GeV. The truncated mean p_T
decreases with centrality for p_T > 2 GeV/c, indicating an apparent reduction
of the contribution from hard scattering to high p_T hadron production. For
central collisions the yield at high p_T is shown to be suppressed compared to
binary nucleon-nucleon collision scaling of p+p data. This suppression is
monotonically increasing with centrality, but most of the change occurs below
30% centrality, i.e. for collisions with less than about 140 participating
nucleons. The observed p_T and centrality dependence is consistent with the
particle production predicted by models including hard scattering and
subsequent energy loss of the scattered partons in the dense matter created in
the collisions.Comment: 7 pages text, LaTeX, 6 figures, 2 tables, 307 authors, resubmitted to
Phys. Lett. B. Revised to address referee concerns. Plain text data tables
for the points plotted in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications
are publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/phenix/WWW/run/phenix/papers.htm
Heavy Quarks and Heavy Quarkonia as Tests of Thermalization
We present here a brief summary of new results on heavy quarks and heavy
quarkonia from the PHENIX experiment as presented at the "Quark Gluon Plasma
Thermalization" Workshop in Vienna, Austria in August 2005, directly following
the International Quark Matter Conference in Hungary.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Quark Gluon Plasma Thermalization Workshop
(Vienna August 2005) Proceeding
Probing exotic phenomena at the interface of nuclear and particle physics with the electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms: A unique window to hadronic and semi-leptonic CP violation
The current status of electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms which
involves the synergy between atomic experiments and three different theoretical
areas -- particle, nuclear and atomic is reviewed. Various models of particle
physics that predict CP violation, which is necessary for the existence of such
electric dipole moments, are presented. These include the standard model of
particle physics and various extensions of it. Effective hadron level combined
charge conjugation (C) and parity (P) symmetry violating interactions are
derived taking into consideration different ways in which a nucleon interacts
with other nucleons as well as with electrons. Nuclear structure calculations
of the CP-odd nuclear Schiff moment are discussed using the shell model and
other theoretical approaches. Results of the calculations of atomic electric
dipole moments due to the interaction of the nuclear Schiff moment with the
electrons and the P and time-reversal (T) symmetry violating
tensor-pseudotensor electron-nucleus are elucidated using different
relativistic many-body theories. The principles of the measurement of the
electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms are outlined. Upper limits for the
nuclear Schiff moment and tensor-pseudotensor coupling constant are obtained
combining the results of atomic experiments and relativistic many-body
theories. The coefficients for the different sources of CP violation have been
estimated at the elementary particle level for all the diamagnetic atoms of
current experimental interest and their implications for physics beyond the
standard model is discussed. Possible improvements of the current results of
the measurements as well as quantum chromodynamics, nuclear and atomic
calculations are suggested.Comment: 46 pages, 19 tables and 16 figures. A review article accepted for
EPJ
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