437 research outputs found
Lead and Cadmium Levels and Balance and Vestibular Dysfunction among Adult Participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2004
Background: Few studies have been conducted to identify risk factors for balance and vestibular dysfunction in general populations, but previous studies have reported evidence of adverse effects of lead and cadmium on balance control in high-risk groups
Neurogenesis Drives Stimulus Decorrelation in a Model of the Olfactory Bulb
The reshaping and decorrelation of similar activity patterns by neuronal
networks can enhance their discriminability, storage, and retrieval. How can
such networks learn to decorrelate new complex patterns, as they arise in the
olfactory system? Using a computational network model for the dominant neural
populations of the olfactory bulb we show that fundamental aspects of the adult
neurogenesis observed in the olfactory bulb -- the persistent addition of new
inhibitory granule cells to the network, their activity-dependent survival, and
the reciprocal character of their synapses with the principal mitral cells --
are sufficient to restructure the network and to alter its encoding of odor
stimuli adaptively so as to reduce the correlations between the bulbar
representations of similar stimuli. The decorrelation is quite robust with
respect to various types of perturbations of the reciprocity. The model
parsimoniously captures the experimentally observed role of neurogenesis in
perceptual learning and the enhanced response of young granule cells to novel
stimuli. Moreover, it makes specific predictions for the type of odor
enrichment that should be effective in enhancing the ability of animals to
discriminate similar odor mixtures
Three People Can Synchronize as Coupled Oscillators during Sports Activities
We experimentally investigated the synchronized patterns of three people during sports activities and found that the activity corresponded to spatiotemporal patterns in rings of coupled biological oscillators derived from symmetric Hopf bifurcation theory, which is based on group theory. This theory can provide catalogs of possible generic spatiotemporal patterns irrespective of their internal models. Instead, they are simply based on the geometrical symmetries of the systems. We predicted the synchronization patterns of rings of three coupled oscillators as trajectories on the phase plane. The interactions among three people during a 3 vs. 1 ball possession task were plotted on the phase plane. We then demonstrated that two patterns conformed to two of the three patterns predicted by the theory. One of these patterns was a rotation pattern (R) in which phase differences between adjacent oscillators were almost 2π/3. The other was a partial anti-phase pattern (PA) in which the two oscillators were anti-phase and the third oscillator frequency was dead. These results suggested that symmetric Hopf bifurcation theory could be used to understand synchronization phenomena among three people who communicate via perceptual information, not just physically connected systems such as slime molds, chemical reactions, and animal gaits. In addition, the skill level in human synchronization may play the role of the bifurcation parameter
WNT signalling in prostate cancer
Genome sequencing and gene expression analyses of prostate tumours have highlighted the potential importance of genetic and epigenetic changes observed in WNT signalling pathway components in prostate tumours-particularly in the development of castration-resistant prostate cancer. WNT signalling is also important in the prostate tumour microenvironment, in which WNT proteins secreted by the tumour stroma promote resistance to therapy, and in prostate cancer stem or progenitor cells, in which WNT-β-catenin signals promote self-renewal or expansion. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the potential of inhibitors that target WNT receptor complexes at the cell membrane or that block the interaction of β-catenin with lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1 and the androgen receptor, in preventing prostate cancer progression. Some WNT signalling inhibitors are in phase I trials, but they have yet to be tested in patients with prostate cancer
Association between SNPs within candidate genes and compounds related to boar taint and reproduction
Properties of Graphene: A Theoretical Perspective
In this review, we provide an in-depth description of the physics of
monolayer and bilayer graphene from a theorist's perspective. We discuss the
physical properties of graphene in an external magnetic field, reflecting the
chiral nature of the quasiparticles near the Dirac point with a Landau level at
zero energy. We address the unique integer quantum Hall effects, the role of
electron correlations, and the recent observation of the fractional quantum
Hall effect in the monolayer graphene. The quantum Hall effect in bilayer
graphene is fundamentally different from that of a monolayer, reflecting the
unique band structure of this system. The theory of transport in the absence of
an external magnetic field is discussed in detail, along with the role of
disorder studied in various theoretical models. We highlight the differences
and similarities between monolayer and bilayer graphene, and focus on
thermodynamic properties such as the compressibility, the plasmon spectra, the
weak localization correction, quantum Hall effect, and optical properties.
Confinement of electrons in graphene is nontrivial due to Klein tunneling. We
review various theoretical and experimental studies of quantum confined
structures made from graphene. The band structure of graphene nanoribbons and
the role of the sublattice symmetry, edge geometry and the size of the
nanoribbon on the electronic and magnetic properties are very active areas of
research, and a detailed review of these topics is presented. Also, the effects
of substrate interactions, adsorbed atoms, lattice defects and doping on the
band structure of finite-sized graphene systems are discussed. We also include
a brief description of graphane -- gapped material obtained from graphene by
attaching hydrogen atoms to each carbon atom in the lattice.Comment: 189 pages. submitted in Advances in Physic
Coexistence of a colon carcinoma with two distinct renal cell carcinomas: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>We present the case of a patient with two tumors in his left kidney and a synchronous colon cancer. While coexisting tumors have been previously described in the same kidney or the kidney and other organs, or the colon and other organs, to the best of our knowledge no such concurrency of three primary tumors has been reported in the literature to date.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 72-year-old man of Greek nationality presenting with pain in the right hypochondrium underwent a series of examinations that revealed gallstones, a tumor in the hepatic flexure of the colon and an additional tumor in the upper pole of the left kidney. He was subjected to a right hemicolectomy, left nephrectomy and cholecystectomy, and his postoperative course was uneventful. Histopathology examinations showed a mucinous colon adenocarcinoma, plus two tumors in the left kidney, a papillary renal cell carcinoma and a chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This case underlines the need to routinely scan patients pre-operatively in order to exclude coexisting tumors, especially asymptomatic renal tumors in patients with colorectal cancer, and additionally to screen concurrent tumors genetically in order to detect putative common genetic alterations.</p
Using dissolved H<sub>2</sub>O in rhyolitic glasses to estimate palaeo-ice thickness during a subglacial eruption at Bláhnúkur(Torfajökull, Iceland)
The last decade has seen the refinement of a technique for reconstructing palaeo-ice thicknesses based on using the retained H2O and CO2 content in glassy eruptive deposits to infer quenching pressures and therefore ice thicknesses. The method is here applied to Bláhnúkur, a subglacially erupted rhyolitic edifice in Iceland. A decrease in water content from ~0.7 wt.% at the base to ~0.3 wt.% at the top of the edifice suggests that the ice was 400 m thick at the time of the eruption. As Bláhnúkur rises 350 m above the surrounding terrain, this implies that the eruption occurred entirely within ice, which corroborates evidence obtained from earlier lithofacies studies. This paper presents the largest data set (40 samples) so far obtained for the retained volatile contents of deposits from a subglacial eruption. An important consequence is that it enables subtle but significant variations in water content to become evident. In particular, there are anomalous samples which are either water-rich (up to 1 wt.%) or water-poor (~0.2 wt.%), with the former being interpreted as forming intrusively within hyaloclastite and the latter representing batches of magma that were volatile-poor prior to eruption. The large data set also provides further insights into the strengths and weaknesses of using volatiles to infer palaeo-ice thicknesses and highlights many of the uncertainties involved. By using examples from Bláhnúkur, the quantitative use of this technique is evaluated. However, the relative pressure conditions which have shed light on Bláhnúkur’s eruption mechanisms and syn-eruptive glacier response show that, despite uncertainties in absolute values, the volatile approach can provide useful insight into the mechanisms of subglacial rhyolitic eruptions, which have never been observed
Factors associated with good self-rated health of non-disabled elderly living alone in Japan: a cross-sectional study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Self-rated health (SRH) is reported as a reliable predictor of disability and mortality in the aged population and has been studied worldwide to enhance the quality of life of the elderly. Nowadays, the elderly living alone, a particular population at great risk of suffering physical and mental health problems, is increasing rapidly in Japan and could potentially make up the majority of the aged population. However, few data are available pertaining to SRH of this population. Given the fact that sufficient healthcare is provided to the disabled elderly whereas there is little support for non-disabled elderly, we designed this population-based survey to investigate SRH of non-disabled elderly living alone and to identify the factors associated with good SRH with the purpose of aiding health promotion for the elderly.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted in a metropolitan suburb in Japan. Questionnaires pertaining to SRH and physical conditions, lifestyle factors, psychological status, and social activities, were distributed in October 2005 to individuals aged ≥ 65 years and living alone. Response rate was 75.1%. Among these respondents, a total of 600 male and 2587 female respondents were identified as non-disabled elderly living alone and became our subjects. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with good SRH and sex-specific effect was tested by stepwise logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Good SRH was reported by 69.8% of men and 73.8% of women. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that good SRH correlated with, in odds ratio sequence, "can go out alone to distant places", no depression, no weight loss, absence of self-rated chronic disease, good chewing ability, and good visual ability in men; whereas with "can go out alone to distant places", absence of self-rated chronic disease, no weight loss, no depression, no risk of falling, independent IADL, good chewing ability, good visual ability, and social integration (attend) in women.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>For the non-disabled elderly living alone, sex-appropriate support should be considered by health promotion systems from the view point of SRH. Overall, the ability to go out alone to distant places is crucial to SRH of both men and women.</p
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