G345.45+1.50: An expanding ring-like structure with massive star formation

Ring-like structures in the ISM are commonly associated with high-mass stars. Kinematic studies of large structures in GMCs toward these ring-like structures may help us to understand how massive stars form. The origin and properties of the ring-like structure G345.45+1.50 is investigated through observations of the 13CO(3-2) line. The aim of the observations is to determine the kinematics in the region and to compare physical characteristics estimated from gas emission with those previously determined using dust continuum emission. The 13CO(3-2) line was mapped toward the whole ring using the APEX telescope. The ring is found to be expanding with a velocity of 1.0 km/s, containing a total mass of 6.9e3 Msun, which agrees well with that determined using 1.2 mm dust continuum emission. An expansion timescale of 3e6 yr and a total energy of 7e46 erg are estimated. The origin of the ring might have been a supernova explosion, since a 35.5 cm source, J165920-400424, is located at the center of the ring without an infrared counterpart. The ring is fragmented, and 104 clumps were identified with diameters of between 0.3 and 1.6 pc, masses of between 2.3 and 7.5e2 Msun, and densities of between 1.0e2 and 1.0e4 cm^-3. At least 18% of the clumps are forming stars, as is shown in infrared images. Assuming that the clumps can be modeled as Bonnor-Ebert spheres, 13 clumps are collapsing, and the rest of them are in hydrostatic equilibrium with an external pressure with a median value of 4e4 K cm^-3. In the region, the molecular outflow IRAS 16562-3959 is identified, with a velocity range of 38.4 km/s, total mass of 13 Msun, and kinematic energy of 7e45 erg. Finally, five filamentary structures were found at the edge of the ring with an average size of 3 pc, a width of 0.6 pc, a mass of 2e2 Msun, and a column density of 6e21 cm^-2

First detection of methanol towards a post-AGB object, HD101584

The circumstellar environments of objects on the asymptotic giant branch and beyond are rich in molecular species. Nevertheless, methanol has never been detected in such an object, and is therefore often taken as a clear signpost for a young stellar object. However, we report the first detection of CH3OH in a post-AGB object, HD101584, using ALMA. Its emission, together with emissions from CO, SiO, SO, CS, and H2CO, comes from two extreme velocity spots on either side of the object where a high-velocity outflow appears to interact with the surrounding medium. We have derived molecular abundances, and propose that the detected molecular species are the effect of a post-shock chemistry where circumstellar grains play a role. We further provide evidence that HD101584 was a low-mass, M-type AGB star

Insomnia Symptoms, Sleep Duration, and Disability Pensions: a Prospective Study of Swedish Workers.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have found insomnia and long sleep duration to be independently associated with subsequent disability pension (DP). However, the issue of a possible gender-based pattern in this context has received little attention. PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the impact of insomnia symptoms and sleep duration on the DP rates among Swedish women and men during a 12-year follow-up period. METHOD: The participants, from the general population of Malmö, Sweden, were enrolled from 1992 to 1994 (n = 4,319; participation rate 41 %), aged 45-64, healthy, and employed ≥30 h per week. Baseline inquiry data concerning psychosocial circumstances and self-reported sleep habits were compared with official register-based DP rates. RESULTS: Five hundred and nine persons were granted a DP. Insomnia symptoms, affirmed by 33 % of the men and 41 % of the women, were associated with receiving a DP; the hazard ratios in the fully adjusted model were 1.4 for both men [95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.1, 1.9] and women (95 % CI 1.1, 1.7). The fully adjusted hazard ratio for women sleeping ≥9 h was 7.8 (95 % CI 3.7, 16.6) for DP due to a mental disorder. In the age-adjusted analyses, the sub-domain "difficulties falling asleep" was related to DP due to mental disorders in men and DP due to cardiovascular diseases in women. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that preventing and treating insomnia symptoms could reduce DP and that disease mechanisms linking sleep disturbances to DP may differ by gender

Can high psychological job demands, low decision latitude, and high job strain predict disability pensions? A 12-year follow-up of middle-aged Swedish workers.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether job strain, psychological demands, and decision latitude are independent determinants of disability pension rates over a 12-year follow-up period. METHODS: We studied 3,181 men and 3,359 women, all middle-aged and working at least 30 h per week, recruited from the general population of Malmö, Sweden, in 1992. The participation rate was 41 %. Baseline data include sociodemographics, the Job Content Questionnaire, lifestyle, and health-related variables. Disability pension information was obtained through record linkage from the National Health Insurance Register. RESULTS: Nearly 20 % of the women and 15 % of the men were granted a disability pension during the follow-up period. The highest quartile of psychological job demands and the lowest quartile of decision latitude were associated with disability pensions when controlling for age, socioeconomic position, and health risk behaviours. In the final model, with adjustment also for health indicators and stress from outside the workplace, the hazard ratios for high strain jobs (i.e. high psychological demands in combination with low decision latitude) were 1.5 in men (95 % CI, 1.04-2.0) and 1.7 in women (95 % CI, 1.3-2.2). Stratifying for health at baseline showed that high strain tended to affect healthy but not unhealthy men, while this pattern was reversed in women. CONCLUSIONS: High psychological demands, low decision latitude, and job strain were all confirmed as independent risk factors for subsequent disability pensions. In order to increase chances of individuals remaining in the work force, interventions against these adverse psychosocial factors appear worthwhile

Endovascular repair of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms: an early experience with intermediate-term follow-up

AbstractPurpose: The purpose of this study was to report an initial experience with the endovascular repair of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm. Complications and intermediate-term morphologic changes were identified with the intent of altering patient selection and device design. Methods: Endografts were placed into 25 patients at high-risk for conventional surgical repair over a 3 ½–year period. Devices were customized on the basis of preoperative imaging information. Follow-up computed tomography scans were obtained at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and yearly thereafter. Additional interventions occurred in the setting of endoleaks, migration, and aneurysm growth. Results: The overall 30-day mortality rate was 20% (12.5% for elective cases; 33% for emergent cases). There were 3 conversions to open repair. Neurologic deficits developed in 3 patients; 1 insult resulted in permanent paraplegia. Neurologic deficits were associated with longer endografts (P = .019). Three endoleaks required treatment, and 1 fatal rupture of the thoracic aneurysm treated occurred 6 months after the initial repair. Migrations were detected in 4 patients. The maximal aneurysm size decreased yearly by 9.15% (P = .01) or by 13.5% (P = .0005) if patients with endoleaks (n = 3 patients) were excluded. Both the proximal and distal neck dilated slightly over the course of follow-up (P = .019 and P = .001, respectively). The length of the proximal neck was a significant predictor of the risk for endoleakage (P = .02). Conclusion: The treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms with an endovascular approach is feasible and may, in some patients, offer the best means of therapy. Early complications were primarily related to device design and patient selection. All aneurysms without endoleaks decreased in size after treatment. Late complications were associated with changing aneurysm morphologic features and device migration. The morphologic changes remain somewhat unpredictable; however, alterations in device design may result in improved fixation and more durable aneurysm exclusion. (J Vasc Surg 2000;31:147-56.

Prospective registration of symptoms and times to diagnosis in children and adolescents with central nervous system tumors: A study of the Swedish Childhood Cancer Registry

Background: The elapsed time taken to diagnose tumors of the central nervous system in children and adolescents varies widely. The aim of the present study was to investigate such diagnostic time intervals at a national level in Sweden as they correlate with clinical features. Methods: Data prospectively accumulated over a 4-year period in the Swedish Childhood Cancer Registry from patients aged 0-18 years were pooled, and diagnostic time intervals were analyzed considering tumor location, tumor type, patient age and sex, initial symptoms, and clinical timelines. All six pediatric oncology centers in Sweden contributed to collection of data. Time points for calculating the total diagnostic interval (TDI) defined as the time from symptom onset to diagnosis were reported in 257 of 319 patients (81%). Results: The time from symptom onset to the first healthcare consultation, median 2.6 weeks, did not vary significantly between patients categorized according to tumor type or location. The median TDI was 8.3 weeks for the 4-year study period. Patients with optic pathway glioma (TDI 26.6 weeks), those with tumors of the spinal cord (TDI 25.9 weeks), and those with midline tumors (TDI 24.6 weeks) had the longest lead times. Additionally, older age, too few initial symptoms, and seeking initial redress outside an emergency ward were factors associated with a longer time to diagnosis. Conclusion: This study identified several factors associated with delayed diagnosis of central nervous system tumors among Swedish children and adolescents. These novel data ought to help direct future efforts toward clinical improvement.</p

Septin 7 reduces nonmuscle myosin IIA activity in the SNAP23 complex and hinders GLUT4 storage vesicle docking and fusion

Glomerular epithelial cells, podocytes, are insulin responsive and can develop insulin resistance. Here, we demonstrate that the small GTPase septin 7 forms a complex with nonmuscle myosin heavy chain HA (NMHC-HA; encoded by MYH9), a component of the nonmuscle myosin HA (NM-IIA) hexameric complex. We observed that knockdown of NMHC-IIA decreases insulin-stimulated glucose uptake into podocytes. Both septin 7 and NM-IIA associate with SNAP23, a SNARE protein involved in GLUT4 storage vesicle (GSV) docking and fusion with the plasma membrane. We observed that insulin decreases the level of septin 7 and increases the activity of NM-IIA in the SNAP23 complex, as visualized by increased phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain. Also knockdown of septin 7 increases the activity of NM-IIA in the complex. The activity of NM-IIA is increased in diabetic rat glomeruli and cultured human podocytes exposed to macroalbuminuric sera from patients with type 1 diabetes. Collectively, the data suggest that the activity of NM-IIA in the SNAP23 complex plays a key role in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake into podocytes. Furthermore, we observed that septin 7 reduces the activity of NM-IIA in the SNAP23 complex and thereby hinders GSV docking and fusion with the plasma membrane.Peer reviewe

Оптимизация энергопотребления электроплавильных печей с использованием технологий предварительного подогрева шихты

Материалы ХI Международной науч.-техн. конф. студентов, магистрантов и аспирантов [28-29 апреля 2011 г., г. Гомель]. - Гомель, 2011

Standardization of serum creatinine is essential for accurate use of unbiased estimated GFR equations: evidence from three cohorts matched on renal function

peer reviewedABSTRACT Background Differences in the performance of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations have been attributed to the mathematical form of the equations and to differences between patient demographics and measurement methods. We evaluated differences in serum creatinine (SCr) and eGFR in cohorts matched for age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and measured GFR (mGFR). Methods White North Americans from Minnesota (n = 1093) and the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) (n = 1548) and White subjects from the European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) cohort (n = 7727) were matched for demographic patient characteristics (sex, age ± 3 years, BMI ± 2.5 kg/m2) and renal function (mGFR ± 3 ml/min/1.73 m2). SCr was measured with isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS)-traceable assays in the Minnesota and EKFC cohorts and with non-standardized SCr assays recalculated to IDMS in the CRIC. The Minnesota cohort and CRIC shared a common method to measure GFR (renal clearance of iothalamate), while the EKFC cohort used a variety of exogenous markers and methods, all with recognized sufficient accuracy. We compared the SCr levels and eGFR predictions [for Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) and EKFC equations] of patients fulfilling these matching criteria. Results For 305 matched individuals, mean SCr (mg/dL) was not different between the Minnesota and EKFC cohorts (females 0.83 ± 0.20 versus 0.86 ± 0.23, males 1.06 ± 0.23 versus 1.12 ± 0.37; P &gt; .05) but significantly different from the CRIC [females 1.13 ± 0.23 (P &lt; .0001), males 1.42 ± 0.31 (P &lt; .0001)]. The CKD-EPI equations performed better than the EKFC equation in the CRIC, while the opposite was true in the Minnesota and EKFC cohorts. Conclusion Significant differences in SCr concentrations between the Minnesota and EKFC cohorts versus CRIC were observed in subjects with the same level of mGFR and equal demographic characteristics and can be explained by the difference in SCr calibration