Gravity with extra dimensions and dark matter interpretation: Phenomenological example via Miyamoto-Nagai galaxy

A configuration whose density profile coincides with the Newtonian potential for spiral galaxies is constructed from a 4D isotropic metric plus extra dimensional components. A Miyamoto-Nagai ansatz is used to solve Einstein equations. The stable rotation curves of such system are computed and, without fitting techniques, we recover with accuracy the observational data for flat or not asymptotically flat galaxy rotation curves. The density profiles are reconstructed and compared to that obtained from the Newtonian potential.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Brazilian Journal of Physic

Ultraviolet asymptotics of scalar and pseudoscalar correlators in hot Yang-Mills theory

Inspired by recent lattice measurements, we determine the short-distance (a > omega >> pi T) asymptotics of scalar (trace anomaly) and pseudoscalar (topological charge density) correlators at 2-loop order in hot Yang-Mills theory. The results are expressed in the form of an Operator Product Expansion. We confirm and refine the determination of a number of Wilson coefficients; however some discrepancies with recent literature are detected as well, and employing the correct values might help, on the qualitative level, to understand some of the features observed in the lattice measurements. On the other hand, the Wilson coefficients show slow convergence and it appears uncertain whether this approach can lead to quantitative comparisons with lattice data. Nevertheless, as we outline, our general results might serve as theoretical starting points for a number of perhaps phenomenologically more successful lines of investigation.Comment: 27 pages. v2: minor improvements, published versio

Opportunities and Challenges: Hepatitis C Testing and Treatment Access Experiences Among People in Methadone and Buprenorphine Treatment During COVID-19, Arizona, 2021

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to characterize hepatitis C virus screening and treatment access experiences among people in treatment for opioid use disorder in Arizona during COVID-19. Methods: Arizonans receiving treatment for opioid use disorder from methadone clinics and buprenorphine providers during COVID-19 were interviewed about hepatitis C virus testing, curative treatment, and knowledge about screening recommendations. Interviews were conducted with 121 people from August 4, 2021 to October 10, 2021. Qualitative data were coded using the categories of hepatitis C virus testing, knowledge of screening recommendations, diagnosis, and experiences seeking curative treatment. Data were also quantitated for bivariate testing with outcome variables of last hepatitis C virus test, diagnosis, and curative treatment process. Findings were arrayed along an adapted hepatitis C virus cascade framework to inform program and policy improvements. Results: Just over half of the sample reported ever having tested for hepatitis C virus (51.2%, n=62) and of this group, 58.1% were tested in the past 12 months. Among those who were ever tested, 54.8% reported a hepatitis C virus diagnosis and 16.1% reported either being in treatment or having been declared cured of the hepatitis C virus. Among those who were diagnosed with hepatitis C, 14.7% indicated that they unsuccessfully tried to access curative treatment and would not attempt to again. Reasons cited for not accessing or receiving curative treatment included beliefs about treatment safety, barriers created by access requirements, natural resolution of the infection, and issues with healthcare coverage and authorization. Conclusions: Structural barriers continue to prevent curative hepatitis C virus treatment access. Given that methadone and buprenorphine treatment providers serve patients who are largely undiagnosed or treated for hepatitis C virus, opportunities exist for them to screen their patients regularly and provide support for and/or navigation to hepatitis C virus curative treatment

System analysis and robustness

Software is increasingly embedded in a variety of physical contexts. This imposes new requirements on tools that support the design and analysis of systems. For instance, modeling embedded and cyberphysical systems needs to blend discrete mathematics, which is suitable for modeling digital components, with continuous mathematics, used for modeling physical components. This blending of continuous and discrete creates challenges that are absent when the discrete or the continuous setting are considered in isolation. We consider robustness, that is, the ability of an analysis of a model to cope with small amounts of imprecision in the model. Formally, we identify analyses with monotonic maps between complete lattices (a mathematical framework used for abstract interpretation and static analysis) and define robustness for monotonic maps between complete lattices of closed subsets of a metric space.</p

't Hooft Operators in Gauge Theory from Toda CFT

We construct loop operators in two dimensional Toda CFT and calculate with them the exact expectation value of certain supersymmetric 't Hooft and dyonic loop operators in four dimensional \Ncal=2 gauge theories with SU(N) gauge group. Explicit formulae for 't Hooft and dyonic operators in \Ncal=2^* and \Ncal=2 conformal SQCD with SU(N) gauge group are presented. We also briefly speculate on the Toda CFT realization of arbitrary loop operators in these gauge theories in terms of topological web operators in Toda CFT.Comment: 49 pages, LaTeX. Typos fixed, references adde

Changes observed in radionuclide bone scans during and after teriparatide treatment for osteoporosis

# The Author(s) 2011. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Purpose Visual changes on radionuclide bone scans have been reported with teriparatide treatment. To assess this, serial studies were evaluated and quantified in ten postmenopausal women with osteoporosis treated with teriparatide (20 μg/day subcutaneous) who had 99m Tc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) bone scans (baseline, 3 and 18 months, then after 6 months off therapy). Methods Women were injected with 600 MBq 99m Tc-MDP, and diagnostic bone scan images were assessed at 3.5 h. Additional whole-body scans (10 min, 1, 2, 3 and 4 h) were analysed for 99m Tc-MDP skeletal plasma clearance (Kbone). Regional Kbone differences were obtained for the whole skeleton and six regions (calvarium, mandible, spine, pelvis, upper and lower extremities). Bone turnover markers (BTM) were also measured. Results Most subjects showed visual changes on 3- and 18month bone scan images that disappeared after 6 months off therapy. Enhanced uptake was seen predominantly in the calvarium and lower extremities. Whole skeleton Kbone displayed a median increase of 22 % (3 months, p=0.004) and 34 % (18 months, p=0.002) decreasing to 0.7% (6 months off therapy). Calvarium Kbone changes were three times larger than other sites. After 6 months off therapy, all Kbone and BTM values returned towards baseline

Fluoromycobacteriophages for rapid, specific, and sensitive antibiotic susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is of paramount importance as multiple- and extensively- drug resistant strains of M. tuberculosis emerge and spread. We describe here a virus-based assay in which fluoromycobacteriophages are used to deliver a GFP or ZsYellow fluorescent marker gene to M. tuberculosis, which can then be monitored by fluorescent detection approaches including fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry. Pre-clinical evaluations show that addition of either Rifampicin or Streptomycin at the time of phage addition obliterates fluorescence in susceptible cells but not in isogenic resistant bacteria enabling drug sensitivity determination in less than 24 hours. Detection requires no substrate addition, fewer than 100 cells can be identified, and resistant bacteria can be detected within mixed populations. Fluorescence withstands fixation by paraformaldehyde providing enhanced biosafety for testing MDR-TB and XDR-TB infections. © 2009 Piuri et al

Transgenic Rescue of the LARGEmyd Mouse: A LARGE Therapeutic Window?

LARGE is a glycosyltransferase involved in glycosylation of α-dystroglycan (α-DG). Absence of this protein in the LARGEmyd mouse results in α-DG hypoglycosylation, and is associated with central nervous system abnormalities and progressive muscular dystrophy. Up-regulation of LARGE has previously been proposed as a therapy for the secondary dystroglycanopathies: overexpression in cells compensates for defects in multiple dystroglycanopathy genes. Counterintuitively, LARGE overexpression in an FKRP-deficient mouse exacerbates pathology, suggesting that modulation of α-DG glycosylation requires further investigation. Here we demonstrate that transgenic expression of human LARGE (LARGE-LV5) in the LARGEmyd mouse restores α-DG glycosylation (with marked hyperglycosylation in muscle) and that this corrects both the muscle pathology and brain architecture. By quantitative analyses of LARGE transcripts we also here show that levels of transgenic and endogenous LARGE in the brains of transgenic animals are comparable, but that the transgene is markedly overexpressed in heart and particularly skeletal muscle (20–100 fold over endogenous). Our data suggest LARGE overexpression may only be deleterious under a forced regenerative context, such as that resulting from a reduction in FKRP: in the absence of such a defect we show that systemic expression of LARGE can indeed act therapeutically, and that even dramatic LARGE overexpression is well-tolerated in heart and skeletal muscle. Moreover, correction of LARGEmyd brain pathology with only moderate, near-physiological LARGE expression suggests a generous therapeutic window

Cost of diabetes care in out-patient clinics of Karachi, Pakistan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a growing epidemic and the cost of treating diabetes is largely increasing. The objective of this study was to estimate the cost-of-illness of DM among attendees of out-patient clinics in Karachi, Pakistan. This is the first study conducted from a societal perspective to estimate the cost of managing diabetes in Pakistan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A prevalence-based 'Cost-of-Illness' study for diabetes care was conducted in six different out-patient clinics of Karachi, Pakistan from July to September 2006. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to collect the data from 345 randomly selected persons with diabetes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The annual mean direct cost for each person with diabetes was estimated to be Pakistani rupees 11,580 (US$ 197). Medicines accounted for the largest share of direct cost (46%), followed by laboratory investigations (32%). We found that increased age, the number of complications and longer duration of the disease significantly increase the burden of cost on society (p < 0.001). Comparing cost with family income it was found that the poorest segment of society is spending 18% of total family income on diabetes care.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study concluded that substantial expenditure is incurred by people with diabetes; with the implication that resources could be saved by prevention, earlier detection and a reduction in diabetes co-morbidities and complications through improved diabetes care. Large scale and cost-effective prevention programs need to be initiated to maximise health gains and to reverse the advance of this epidemic.</p

Transition of plasmodium sporozoites into liver stage-like forms is regulated by the RNA binding protein pumilio

Many eukaryotic developmental and cell fate decisions that are effected post-transcriptionally involve RNA binding proteins as regulators of translation of key mRNAs. In malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.), the development of round, non-motile and replicating exo-erythrocytic liver stage forms from slender, motile and cell-cycle arrested sporozoites is believed to depend on environmental changes experienced during the transmission of the parasite from the mosquito vector to the vertebrate host. Here we identify a Plasmodium member of the RNA binding protein family PUF as a key regulator of this transformation. In the absence of Pumilio-2 (Puf2) sporozoites initiate EEF development inside mosquito salivary glands independently of the normal transmission-associated environmental cues. Puf2- sporozoites exhibit genome-wide transcriptional changes that result in loss of gliding motility, cell traversal ability and reduction in infectivity, and, moreover, trigger metamorphosis typical of early Plasmodium intra-hepatic development. These data demonstrate that Puf2 is a key player in regulating sporozoite developmental control, and imply that transformation of salivary gland-resident sporozoites into liver stage-like parasites is regulated by a post-transcriptional mechanism