Calcium and vitamin D for the reproductive female

The importance of calcium as well as its interdependence upon vitamin D is well established. Vitamin D acts via the vitamin D receptor, which is found in 37 different human tissues. Because of its rather ubiquitous localization, vitamin D is the topic of a great deal of associative research. However, caution must be exercised in interpreting these initial studies until clear evidence for causality becomes available. The purpose of this article is to review some of the known vitamin D and calcium associations as well as the current guidelines for calcium and vitamin D supplementation

Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology

The Division of General Obstetrics and Gynecology provides well-woman care for women of all ages and complete care for pregnancy and birth. We evaluate and treat gynecologic disorders. We perform office, outpatient and inpatient gynecologic surgery. We offer minimally invasive hysterectomy including total laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Our division is committed to excellence in caring for women from adolescence to maturity. We regard each patient as an individual with her own history and needs. We are all dedicated to outstanding clinical practice and teaching

Quantum Zeno effect in the Cooper-pair transport through a double-island Josephson system

Motivated by recent experiments, we analyze transport of Cooper pairs through a double-island Josephson qubit. At low bias in a certain range of gate voltages coherent superpositions of charge states play a crucial role. Analysis of the evolution of the density matrix allows us to cover a wide range of parameters, incl. situations with degenerate levels, when dissipation strongly affects the coherent eigenstates. At high noise levels the so-called Zeno effect can be observed, which slows down the transport. Our analysis explains certain features of the I-V curves, in particular the visibility and shape of resonant peaks and lines

Role of mitochondria in Parkinson disease

The cause of the selective degeneration of nigrostriatal neurons in Parkinson disease (PD) has remained largely unknown. Exceptions include rare missense mutations in the alpha-synuclein gene on chromosome 4, a potentially pathogenic mutation affecting the ubiquitin pathway, and mutations in the parkin gene on chromosome 6. However, unlike classical PD, the latter syndrome is not associated with the formation of typical Lewy bodies. In contrast, a biochemical defect of complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain has been described in a relatively large group of confirmed PD cases. Recent cybrid studies indicate that the complex I defect in PD has a genetic cause and that it may arise from mutations in the mitochondrial DNA, Sequence analysis of the mitochondrial genome supports the view that mitochondrial point mutations are involved in PD pathogenesis. However, although mitochondria function as regulators in several known forms of cell death, their exact involvement in PD has remained unresolved. This is of relevance because classical apoptosis does not appear to play a major role in the degeneration of the parkinsonian nigra

Tunable coupling of qubits: nonadiabatic corrections

We analyze the coupling of qubits mediated by a tunable and fast element beyond the adiabatic approximation. The nonadiabatic corrections are important and even dominant in parts of the relevant parameter range. As an example, we consider the tunable capacitive coupling between two charge qubits mediated by a gated Josephson junction, as suggested by Averin and Bruder. The nonadiabatic, inductive contribution persists when the capacitive coupling is tuned to zero. On the other hand, the total coupling can be turned off (in the rotating wave approximation) if the qubits are operated at symmetry points.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, accepted in Europhysics Letter

Quantum Manipulations of Small Josephson Junctions

Low-capacitance Josephson junction arrays in the parameter range where single charges can be controlled are suggested as possible physical realizations of the elements which have been considered in the context of quantum computers. We discuss single and multiple quantum bit systems. The systems are controlled by applied gate voltages, which also allow the necessary manipulation of the quantum states. We estimate that the phase coherence time is sufficiently long for experimental demonstration of the principles of quantum computation.Comment: RevTex, 15 pages,4 postscript figures, uuencoded, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett., estimates of the experimental parameters correcte

Can Bandl’s ring be recurrent?

Background: Bandl’s ring is a pathologic contraction ring of the uterus that is associated with obstructed labor. Case: A 35-year-old with an uncomplicated past medical history was found to have a Bandl’s ring in her first pregnancy during a cesarean section for failure to progress. During her subsequent pregnancy, what appeared to be a Bandl’s ring was again found during repeat cesarean section after spontaneous labor