Serum creatine kinase isoenzymes in children with osteogenesis imperfecta

This study evaluates serum creatine kinase isoenzyme activity in children with osteogenesis imperfecta to determine its usefulness as a biochemical marker during treatment with bisphosphonate. The changes of creatine kinase (CK) isoenzyme activity during and after discontinuation therapy were observed. These results could be useful in addressing over-treatment risk prevention. Introduction The brain isoenzyme of creatine kinase (CKbb) is highly expressed in mature osteoclasts during osteoclastogenesis, thus plays an important role in bone resorption. We previously identified high serum CKbb levels in 18 children with osteogenesis imperfect (OI) type 1 treated for 1 year with bisphosphonate (neridronate). In the present study, serum CK isoenzymes were evaluated in the same children with continuous versus discontinued neridronate treatment over a further 2-year follow-up period. Methods This study included 18 children with OI type 1, 12 with continued (group A) and 6 with ceased (group B) neridronate treatment. Auxological data, serum biochemical markers of bone metabolism, bone mineral density z-score, and serum total CK and isoenzyme activities were determined in both groups. Results Serum CKbb was progressively and significantly increased in group A (p < 0.004) but rapidly decreased to undetectable levels in group B. In both groups, the cardiac muscle creatine kinase isoenzyme (CKmb) showed a marked decrease, while serum C-terminal telopeptide (CTx) levels were almost unchanged. Conclusions This study provides evidence of the cumulative effect of neridronate administration in increasing serum CKbb levels and the reversible effect after its discontinuation. This approach could be employed for verifying the usefulness of serum CKbb as a biochemical marker in patients receiving prolonged bisphosphonate treatment. Moreover, the decreased serum CKmb levels suggest a systemic effect of these drugs

Measuring Propagation Speed of Coulomb Fields

The problem of gravity propagation has been subject of discussion for quite a long time: Newton, Laplace and, in relatively more modern times, Eddington pointed out that, if gravity propagated with finite velocity, planets motion around the sun would become unstable due to a torque originating from time lag of the gravitational interactions. Such an odd behavior can be found also in electromagnetism, when one computes the propagation of the electric fields generated by a set of uniformly moving charges. As a matter of fact the Li\'enard-Weichert retarded potential leads to a formula indistinguishable from the one obtained assuming that the electric field propagates with infinite velocity. Feyman explanation for this apparent paradox was based on the fact that uniform motions last indefinitely. To verify such an explanation, we performed an experiment to measure the time/space evolution of the electric field generated by an uniformely moving electron beam. The results we obtain on such a finite lifetime kinematical state seem compatible with an electric field rigidly carried by the beam itself.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figure

Numerical evaluation on performances of AHU equipped with a cross flow heat exchanger in wet and dry operation

In this paper the comparison between the performance of a cross flow heat exchanger in wet and dry operation for air handling process has been investigated. In addition, a case study of application of the component to perform indirect evaporative cooling in a AHU was studied with the software TRNSYS. Using experimental data and an appropriate analytical method, energy saving performances of the system has been evaluated through the entire cooling season for a typical Mediterranean site. Results show that high energy saving potential can be obtained if the component is operated in wet operation in term of reduction of electricity consumption

Symmetry Restoration By Acceleration

The restoration of spontaneous symmetry breaking for a scalar field theory for an accelerated observer is discussed by the one-loop effective potential calculation and by considering the effective potential for composite operators. Above a critical acceleration, corresponding to the critical restoration temperature,T_c, for a Minkowski observer by Unruh relation, i.e. a_c/2\pi=T_c, the symmetry is restored. This result confirms other recent calculations in effective field theories that symmetry restoration can occur for an observer with an acceleration larger than some critical value. From the physical point of view, a constant acceleration is locally equivalent to a gravitational field and the critical acceleration to restore the spontaneous symmetry breaking corresponds to a huge gravitational effect which, therefore, prevents boson condensation

New distinguished classes of spectral spaces: a survey

In the present survey paper, we present several new classes of Hochster's spectral spaces "occurring in nature", actually in multiplicative ideal theory, and not linked to or realized in an explicit way by prime spectra of rings. The general setting is the space of the semistar operations (of finite type), endowed with a Zariski-like topology, which turns out to be a natural topological extension of the space of the overrings of an integral domain, endowed with a topology introduced by Zariski. One of the key tool is a recent characterization of spectral spaces, based on the ultrafilter topology, given in a paper by C. Finocchiaro in Comm. Algebra 2014. Several applications are also discussed

Deep disagreements: A meta-argumentation approach

This paper examines the views of Fogelin, Woods, Johnstone, etc., concerning deep disa-greements, force-five standoffs, philosophical controversies, etc. My approach is to reconstruct their views and critiques of them as meta-arguments, and to elaborate the meta-argumentative aspects of radical disa-greements. It turns out that deep disagreements are resolvable to a greater degree than usually thought, but only by using special principles and practices, such as meta-argumentation, ad hominem argumentation (in Johnstone’s sense), Ramsey’s principle, etc

Possible mechanisms of electronic phase separation in oxide interfaces

LaAlO3/SrTiO3 ad LaTiO3/SrTiO3 interfaces are known to host a strongly inhomogeneous (nearly) two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). In this work we present three unconventional electronic mechanisms of electronic phase separation (EPS) in a 2DEG as a possible source of inhomogeneity in oxide interfaces. Common to all three mechanisms is the dependence of some (interaction) potential on the 2DEG's density. We first consider a mechanism resulting from a sizable density-dependent Rashba spin-orbit coupling. Next, we point out that an EPS may also occur in the case of a density-dependent superconducting pairing interaction. Finally, we show that the confinement of the 2DEG to the interface by a density-dependent, self-consistent electrostatic potential can by itself cause an EPS.Comment: 4 pages and 4 figures, Proceedings of the International Conference "Superstripes 2014", 25-31 July 2015, Erice, Ital

Genetic parameters for milk somatic cell score and relationships with production traits in primiparous dairy sheep

A total of 13,066 first-lactation test-day records of 2,277 Valle del Belice ewes from 17 flocks were used to estimate genetic parameters for somatic cell scores (SCS) and milk production traits, using a repeatability test-day animal model. Heritability estimates were low and ranged from 0.09 to 0.14 for milk, fat, and protein yields, and contents. For SCS, the heritability of 0.14 was relatively high. The repeatabilities were moderate and ranged from 0.29 to 0.47 for milk production traits. The repeatability for SCS was 0.36. Flock-test-day explained a large proportion of the variation for milk production traits, but it did not have a big effect on SCS. The genetic correlations of fat and protein yields with fat and protein percentages were positive and high,indicating a strong association between these traits. The genetic correlations of milk production traits with SCS were positive and ranged from 0.16 to 0.31. The results showed that SCS is a heritable trait in Valle del Belice sheep and that single-trait selection for increased milk production will also increase SCS

Some closure operations in Zariski-Riemann spaces of valuation domains: a survey

In this survey we present several results concerning various topologies that were introduced in recent years on spaces of valuation domains