2,601 research outputs found
Bromelain and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Diabetes: An Exploratory Randomized, Placebo Controlled, Double Blind Clinical Trial
Objective: The objective of this trial was to assess whether the dietary supplement (bromelain) had the potential to reduce plasma fibrinogen and other Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) risk factors in patients with diabetes. Methods: This randomized placebo controlled, double blind, parallel design, efficacy study was carried out in China and investigated the effect of 12 weeks of bromelain (1.05g/day) on plasma fibrinogen . This randomized controlled trial (RCT) recruited 68 Chinese diabetic patients (32 males and 36 females; Han origin, mean age of 61.26 years (Standard Deviation, 12.62 years)) with at least one CVD risk factor. Patients were randomized into either bromelain or placebo group. While bromelain group received bromelain capsule, the placebo group received placebo capsule which consisted inert ingredient and has no treatment effect. Patients and researcher were blinded and did not know whether they received bromelain or placebo capsules. Plasma fibrinogen, CVD risk factors and anthropometric indicators were determined at baseline and at 12 weeks. Results: The change in the fibrinogen level in the placebo group at the end of the study showed a mean reduction of 0.36g/L (Standard Deviation (SD) 0.96g/L) compared with the mean reduction of 0.13g/L (SD 0.86g/L) for the bromelain group. However, there was no significant difference in the mean change in fibrinogen between the placebo and bromelain groups (mean difference=0.23g/L (SD 0.22g/L), p=0.291). Similarly, the difference in mean change in other CVD risk factors (blood lipids, blood pressure), blood glucose, C - reactive protein (CRP) and anthropometric measures between the bromelain and placebo groups was also not statistically significant. Conclusions: This RCT failed to show a beneficial effect in reducing fibrinogen or influencing other selected CVD risk factors but suggests other avenues for subsEquent research on bromelain
Paid work, household work, or leisure? Time allocation pathways among women following a cancer diagnosis
NG is funded by the Aberdeen-Curtin Joint Studentship (University of Aberdeen Development Trust) and the Elphinstone Scholarship Scheme.Peer reviewedPostprin
CO2 Laser-Induced Growth of Epitaxial Graphene on 6H-SiC(0001)
The thermal decomposition of SiC surface provides, perhaps, the most
promising method for the epitaxial growth of graphene on a material useful in
the electronics platform. Currently, efforts are focused on a reliable method
for the growth of large-area, low-strain epitaxial graphene that is still
lacking. We report here a novel method for the fast, single-step epitaxial
growth of large-area homogeneous graphene film on the surface of SiC(0001)
using an infrared CO2 laser (10.6 {\mu}m) as the heating source. Apart from
enabling extreme heating and cooling rates, which can control the stacking
order of epitaxial graphene, this method is cost-effective in that it does not
necessitate SiC pre-treatment and/or high vacuum, it operates at low
temperature and proceeds in the second time scale, thus providing a green
solution to EG fabrication and a means to engineering graphene patterns on SiC
by focused laser beams. Uniform, low-strain graphene film is demonstrated by
scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron, secondary ion mass, and
Raman spectroscopies. Scalability to industrial level of the method described
here appears to be realistic, in view of the high rate of CO2-laser induced
graphene growth and the lack of strict sample-environment conditions.Comment: 32 pages, 5 figures, includes Supporting Informatio
Probing Mechanical Properties of Graphene with Raman Spectroscopy
The use of Raman scattering techniques to study the mechanical properties of
graphene films is reviewed here. The determination of Gruneisen parameters of
suspended graphene sheets under uni- and bi-axial strain is discussed and the
values are compared to theoretical predictions. The effects of the
graphene-substrate interaction on strain and to the temperature evolution of
the graphene Raman spectra are discussed. Finally, the relation between
mechanical and thermal properties is presented along with the characterization
of thermal properties of graphene with Raman spectroscopy.Comment: To appear in the Journal of Materials Scienc
A complete characterisation of local existence for semilinear heat equations in Lebesgue spaces
We consider the scalar semilinear heat equation ut−Δu=f(u), where f:[0,∞)→[0,∞) is continuous and non-decreasing but need not be convex. We completely characterise those functions f for which the equation has a local solution bounded in Lq(Ω) for all non-negative initial data u0∈Lq(Ω), when Ω⊂Rd is a bounded domain with Dirichlet boundary conditions. For q∈(1,∞) this holds if and only if limsups→∞s−(1+2q/d)f(s
2-(Benzo[d]thiazol-2-ylsulfonyl)-1-(4-bromophenyl)ethanone
In the title molecule, C15H10BrNO3S2, the dihedral angle between the benzothiazole ring system and the benzene ring is 67.57 (12)°. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak intermolecular C—H⋯O interactions. In addition, there is an intermolecular Br⋯C [3.379 (3) Å] contact which is shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii of these atoms
New insights into the role of androgen and oestrogen receptors in molecular apocrine breast tumours
Two recent studies on a rare androgen-dependent form of breast cancer have shed light on the biology of luminal tumours and reinforced the view that interfering with androgen signalling may have a place in the therapy of some forms of breast cancer
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