2,948 research outputs found
Differential response of serum amyloid A to different therapies in early rheumatoid arthritis and its potential value as a disease activity biomarker
Background: The aim was to compare the effect of etanercept (ETN) and conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy on serum amyloid A (SAA) levels and to determine whether SAA reflects rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity better than C-reactive protein (CRP). Methods: We measured SAA and CRP at baseline, 24, 48, and 102 week follow-up visits in 594 patients participating in the Treatment of early RA (TEAR) study. We used Spearman correlation coefficients (rho) to evaluate the relationship between SAA and CRP and mixed effects models to determine whether ETN and methotrexate (MTX) treatment compared to triple DMARD therapy differentially lowered SAA. Akaike information criteria (AIC) were used to determine model fits. Results: SAA levels were only moderately correlated with CRP levels (rho = 0.58, p < 0.0001). There were significant differences in SAA by both visit (p = 0.0197) and treatment arm (p = 0.0130). RA patients treated with ETN plus MTX had a larger reduction in SAA than patients treated with traditional DMARD therapy. Similar results were found for serum CRP by visit (p = 0.0254) and by treatment (p < 0.0001), with a more pronounced difference than for SAA. Across all patients and time points, models of the disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28)-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) using SAA levels were better than models using CRP; the ΔAIC between the SAA and CRP models was 305. Conclusions: SAA may be a better biomarker of RA disease activity than CRP, especially during treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists. This warrants additional studies in other cohorts of patients on treatment for RA. Trial registration: (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00259610 , Date of registration: 28 November 2005
Accurate theoretical fits to laser ARPES EDCs in the normal phase of cuprate superconductors
Anderson has recently proposed a theory of the strange metal state above Tc
in the high Tc superconductors. [arXiv:cond-mat/0512471] It is based on the
idea that the unusual transport properties and spectral functions are caused by
the strong Mott- Hubbard interactions and can be computed by using the formal
apparatus of Gutzwiller projection. In ref. 1 Anderson computed only the
tunneling spectrum and the power-law exponent of the infrared conductivity. He
had calculated the energy distribution curves (EDCs) in angle resolved
photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) but was discouraged when these differed
radically from the best ARPES measurements available at the time, and did not
include them. In this letter we compare the spectral functions computed within
this model to the novel laser-ARPES data of the Dessau group.These are found to
capture the shape of the experimental EDCs with unprecedented accuracy and in
principle have only one free parameter
Turbulence and particle acceleration in collisionless supernovae remnant shocks: II- Cosmic-ray transport
Supernovae remnant shock waves could be at the origin of cosmic rays up to
energies in excess of the knee (eV) if the magnetic
field is efficiently amplified by the streaming of accelerated particles in the
shock precursor. This paper follows up on a previous paper \citep{pell05} which
derived the properties of the MHD turbulence so generated, in particular its
anisotropic character, its amplitude and its spectrum. In the present paper, we
calculate the diffusion coefficients, also accounting for compression through
the shock, and show that the predicted three-dimensional turbulence spectrum
(with and the
wavenumber components along and perpendicular to the shock normal) generally
leads to Bohm diffusion in the parallel direction. However, if the anisotropy
is constrained by a relation of the form ,
which arises when the turbulent energy cascade occurs at a constant rate
independent of scale, then the diffusion coefficient loses its Bohm scaling and
scales as in isotropic Kolmogorov turbulence. We show that these diffusion
coefficients allow to account for X-ray observations of supernova remnants.
This paper also calculates the modification of the Fermi cycle due to the
energy lost by cosmic rays in generating upstream turbulence and the
concomittant steepening of the energy spectrum. Finally we confirm that cosmic
rays can produced an amplified turbulence in young SNr during their free
expansion phase such that the maximal energy is close to the knee and the
spectral index is close to 2.3 in the warm phase of the interstellar mediumComment: 13 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysics main journa
Band-gap expansion in the surface-localized electronic structure of MoS2(0002)
The electronic band structure of MoS2 single crystals has been investigated using angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. The orbital symmetry and k dispersion of these electronic states responsible for the direct and the indirect electronic band gaps have been unambiguously determined. By experimentally probing an increase of the electronic band gap, we conclude that a MoS2 (0002) surface localized state exists just below the valence band maximum at the Gamma point. This electronic state originates from the sulfur planes within the topmost layer. Our comprehensive study addresses the surface electronic structure of MoS2 and the role of van der Waals interlayer interactions.open112625Nsciescopu
Anesthesia of Epinephelus marginatus with essential oil of Aloysia polystachya: an approach on blood parameters
This study investigated the anesthetic potential of the essential oil (EO) of Aloysia polystachya in juveniles of dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus). Fish were exposed to different concentrations of EO of A. polystachya to evaluate time of induction and recovery from anesthesia. In the second experiment, fish were divided into four groups: control, ethanol and 50 or 300 mu L L-1 EO of A. polystachya, and each group was submitted to induction for 3.5 min and recovery for 5 or 10 min. The blood gases and glucose levels showed alterations as a function of the recovery times, but Na+ and K+ levels did not show any alteration. In conclusion, the EO from leaves of A. polystachya is an effective anesthetic for dusky grouper, because anesthesia was reached within the recommended time at EO concentrations of 300 and 400 mu L L-1. However, most evaluated blood parameters showed compensatory responses due to EO exposure.Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul/Programa de Apoio a Nucleos de Excelencia (FAPERGS/PRONEX) [10/0016-8]; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) [470964/2009-0]; Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior, Brazil (CAPES)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Cosmic ray diffusion near the Bohm limit in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are believed to be the primary location of the
acceleration of Galactic cosmic rays, via diffusive shock (Fermi) acceleration.
Despite considerable theoretical work the precise details are still unknown, in
part because of the difficulty in directly observing nucleons that are
accelerated to TeV energies in, and affect the structure of, the SNR shocks.
However, for the last ten years, X-ray observatories ASCA, and more recently
Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku have made it possible to image the synchrotron
emission at keV energies produced by cosmic-ray electrons accelerated in the
SNR shocks. In this article, we describe a spatially-resolved spectroscopic
analysis of Chandra observations of the Galactic SNR Cassiopeia A to map the
cutoff frequencies of electrons accelerated in the forward shock. We set upper
limits on the electron diffusion coefficient and find locations where particles
appear to be accelerated nearly as fast as theoretically possible (the Bohm
limit).Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Nature Physics (DOI
below), final version available week of August 28, 2006 at
http://www.nature.com/nphy
Rare gallbladder adenomyomatosis presenting as atypical cholecystitis: case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gallbladder adenomyomatosis is a benign condition characterized by hyperplastic change in the gallbladder wall and overgrowth of the mucosa because of an unknown cause. Patients with gallbladder adenomyomatosis usually present with abdominal pain. However, we herein describe a case of a patient with gallbladder adenomyomatosis who did not present with abdominal pain, but with only fever.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 34-year-old man presented to our hospital with a fever. No abdominal discomfort was declared. His physical examination showed no abnormalities. Ultrasound of the abdomen revealed thickness of the gallbladder. Acute cholecystitis was diagnosed. The fever persisted even after 1 week of antibiotic therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen showed gallbladder adenomyomatosis with intramural Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses. Exploratory laparotomy with cholecystectomy was performed. The fever recovered and no residual symptoms were reported at the 3-year follow-up.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Gallbladder adenomyomatosis can present with fever as the only symptom. Although the association between gallbladder adenomyomatosis and malignancy has yet to be elucidated, previous reports have shown a strong association between gallbladder carcinoma and a subtype of gallbladder adenomyomatosis. Surgical intervention remains the first-choice treatment for patients with gallbladder adenomyomatosis.</p
Next-generation analysis of trypanosomatid genome stability and instability
No abstract available
Differential Calcium Signaling by Cone Specific Guanylate Cyclase-Activating Proteins from the Zebrafish Retina
Zebrafish express in their retina a higher number of guanylate cyclase-activating proteins (zGCAPs) than mammalians pointing to more complex guanylate cyclase signaling systems. All six zGCAP isoforms show distinct and partial overlapping expression profiles in rods and cones. We determined critical Ca2+-dependent parameters of their functional properties using purified zGCAPs after heterologous expression in E.coli. Isoforms 1–4 were strong, 5 and 7 were weak activators of membrane bound guanylate cyclase. They further displayed different Ca2+-sensitivities of guanylate cyclase activation, which is half maximal either at a free Ca2+ around 30 nM (zGCAP1, 2 and 3) or around 400 nM (zGCAP4, 5 and 7). Zebrafish GCAP isoforms showed also differences in their Ca2+/Mg2+-dependent conformational changes and in the Ca2+-dependent monomer-dimer equilibrium. Direct Ca2+-binding revealed that all zGCAPs bound at least three Ca2+. The corresponding apparent affinity constants reflect binding of Ca2+ with high (≤100 nM), medium (0.1–5 µM) and/or low (≥5 µM) affinity, but were unique for each zGCAP isoform. Our data indicate a Ca2+-sensor system in zebrafish rod and cone cells supporting a Ca2+-relay model of differential zGCAP operation in these cells
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