The Growth of Black Holes and Bulges at the Cores of Cooling Flows

Central cluster galaxies (cDs) in cooling flows are growing rapidly through gas accretion and star formation. At the same time, AGN outbursts fueled by accretion onto supermassive black holes are generating X-ray cavity systems and driving outflows that exceed those in powerful quasars. We show that the resulting bulge and black hole growth follows a trend that is roughly consistent with the slope of the local (Magorrian) relation between bulge and black hole mass for nearby quiescent ellipticals. However, a large scatter suggests that cD bulges and black holes do not always grow in lock-step. New measurements made with XMM, Chandra, and FUSE of the condensation rates in cooling flows are now approaching or are comparable to the star formation rates, alleviating the need for an invisible sink of cold matter. We show that the remaining radiation losses can be offset by AGN outbursts in more than half of the systems in our sample, indicating that the level of cooling and star formation is regulated by AGN feedback.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the proceedings of "Heating vs. Cooling in Galaxies and Clusters of Galaxies," edited by H. Boehringer, P. Schuecker, G. W. Pratt, and A. Finogueno

Hot gas flows on global and nuclear galactic scales

Since its discovery as an X-ray source with the Einstein Observatory, the hot X-ray emitting interstellar medium of early-type galaxies has been studied intensively, with observations of improving quality, and with extensive modeling by means of numerical simulations. The main features of the hot gas evolution are outlined here, focussing on the mass and energy input rates, the relationship between the hot gas flow and the main properties characterizing its host galaxy, the flow behavior on the nuclear and global galactic scales, and the sensitivity of the flow to the shape of the stellar mass distribution and the mean rotation velocity of the stars.Comment: 22 pages. Abbreviated version of chapter 2 of the book "Hot Interstellar Matter in Elliptical Galaxies", Springer 201

Racism as a determinant of health: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Despite a growing body of epidemiological evidence in recent years documenting the health impacts of racism, the cumulative evidence base has yet to be synthesized in a comprehensive meta-analysis focused specifically on racism as a determinant of health. This meta-analysis reviewed the literature focusing on the relationship between reported racism and mental and physical health outcomes. Data from 293 studies reported in 333 articles published between 1983 and 2013, and conducted predominately in the U.S., were analysed using random effects models and mean weighted effect sizes. Racism was associated with poorer mental health (negative mental health: r = -.23, 95% CI [-.24,-.21], k = 227; positive mental health: r = -.13, 95% CI [-.16,-.10], k = 113), including depression, anxiety, psychological stress and various other outcomes. Racism was also associated with poorer general health (r = -.13 (95% CI [-.18,-.09], k = 30), and poorer physical health (r = -.09, 95% CI [-.12,-.06], k = 50). Moderation effects were found for some outcomes with regard to study and exposure characteristics. Effect sizes of racism on mental health were stronger in cross-sectional compared with longitudinal data and in non-representative samples compared with representative samples. Age, sex, birthplace and education level did not moderate the effects of racism on health. Ethnicity significantly moderated the effect of racism on negative mental health and physical health: the association between racism and negative mental health was significantly stronger for Asian American and Latino(a) American participants compared with African American participants, and the association between racism and physical health was significantly stronger for Latino(a) American participants compared with African American participants.<br /

Vitamin D status, serum lipid concentrations, and vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms in familial mediterranean fever

PubMed ID: 28926322Vitamin D (VitD) is critical for the regulation of inflammatory processes, and VitD deficiency has been linked to several chronic inflammatory disorders. We aimed to investigate the concentrations of serum 25(OH)D3, lipid parameters, and three known VDR polymorphisms (BsmI, FokI, and TaqI) in patients with Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), an autosomal recessive autoinflammatory disease. The study included 123 FMF patients and 105 controls. Seventy patients had no attack (group 1), 30 had 1-2 attacks (group 2), and 23 had 3 or more attacks (group 3) within last three months. Serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations were determined using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. BsmI, FokI, and TaqI polymorphisms were analyzed by a competitive allele specific polymerase chain reaction assay (KASPar). Serum lipid parameters were measured with enzymatic colorimetric methods. 25(OH)D3 concentrations were lower in FMF patients compared to controls (p < 0.001). No difference was observed in 25(OH)D3 concentration between groups 1, 2, and 3. The distributions of FokI and TaqI genotypes were not significantly different between FMF patients and controls. There was a significant difference in the distribution of AA BsmI genotype between male FMF patients and male controls. Increased concentrations of triglycerides (p = 0.012) and decreased concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C] (p = 0.006) were found in FMF patients compared to controls. Although lower 25(OH)D3 concentrations were observed in FMF patients versus controls, no association was determined between FMF attack frequency and 25(OH)D3 concentrations. We showed that the AA genotype of BsmI polymorphism is associated with FMF in males but not in females. The effects of decreased HDL-C and increased triglyceride concentrations on cardiovascular events in FMF patients should be further investigated. © 2018 ABMSFBIH

The health of young Swedish Sami with special reference to mental health

Objectives. To investigate the health of young Sami in Sweden and the relationship between health and experience of negative societal treatment due to ethnicity, as well as socio-demographic background factors. Study design. Cross-sectional population-based questionnaire study. Methods. A total of 876 persons aged 18&#x2013;28 and involved in Sami associated activities were addressed, and 516 (59%) responded to a questionnaire investigating physical health, mental health, and stress. Data were analyzed with regard to gender, family situation, occupation, education, enculturation factors and experience of being badly treated because of ethnicity. Results. A majority of the young Sami reported feeling healthy, but close to half of the group reported often having worries, often forgetting things and often experiencing lack of time for doing needed things. Women and those living alone reported a more negative health. Furthermore, half of the group had perceived bad treatment because of Sami ethnicity, and this was negatively associated with some aspects of mental health. Conclusion. The young Sami had a rather good and possibly slightly better health than other young Swedes, except regarding worries and stress. A high degree of bad treatment due to Sami ethnicity and its negative association with health, may partly explain the high degree of some health problems

Performance of the systemic lupus erythematosus risk probability index in a cohort of undifferentiated connective tissue disease.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the performance of the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) Risk Probability Index (SLERPI) for identification of SLE in a large cohort of patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD). METHODS: The SLERPI was applied in a cohort of patients who met classification criteria for UCTD and did not fulfill any classification criteria for other defined CTD including SLE. Patients with a SLERPI score of {\textgreater} 7 were &quot;diagnosed&quot; as SLE. Patients diagnosed with SLE and those not, were compared in terms of disease characteristics and index parameters. RESULTS: A total of 422 patients with UCTD were included in the study. Median (IQR) SLERPI was 4.25 (2.5) points, while 39 (9.2\%) patients had a SLERPI score {\textgreater}7 and were diagnosed as SLE. Patients with younger age (p = 0.026) and presence of malar rash (p {\textless} 0.0001), mucosal ulcer (p {\textless} 0.0001), alopecia (p {\textless} 0.0001), ANA positivity (p {\textless} 0.0001), low C3 and C4 (p = 0.002), proteinuria{\textgreater}500 mg/24 hours (p = 0.001), thrombocytopenia (p = 0.009) or autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (p {\textless} 0.0001) were more likely to fulfill criteria for SLE by the SLERPI. CONCLUSION: SLERPI enabled a significant proportion of patients to be identified as SLE in our UCTD cohort. This new probability index may be useful for early identification of SLE among patients with signs of CTD without fulfilling any definite criteria set

AGREEMENT OF PATIENT AND PHYSICIAN GLOBAL ASSESSMENT OF DISEASE ACTIVITY IN ADULT ONSET STILL'S DISEASE

Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) -- JUN 08-11, 2016 -- London, ENGLANDWOS: 00040152310205

The prevalence of non-vascular pulmonary manifestations in Takayasu's Arteritis patients: A Retrospective multi-centred Turkish cohort study.

Objectives Takayasu's arteritis (TAK) is a rare vasculitis characterized by inflammation of intermediate- to large-size arteries. Although pulmonary artery involvement (PAI) is an expected finding in some TAK patients, data on non-vascular pulmonary involvement (NVPI) are limited. We aimed to investigate the frequency of NVPI, including parenchymal infiltration, nodules/cavities, pleural effusion, and haemorrhage, in TAK. Method We assembled a retrospective cohort of TAK patients from nine tertiary centres in Turkey. The demographics and clinical characteristics of patients were extracted from medical records and the imaging findings were evaluated for pulmonary manifestations. Results As of January 2021, 319 TAK patients (female/male 276/43; mean age 42.4 +/- 13.5 years) were recruited. Eighty-two patients had cough and/or dyspnoea and four had haemoptysis as pulmonary symptoms. On computed tomography assessment, the overall frequency of NVPI was 7.2%; parenchymal infiltrations were present in 10 (3.1%), pleural effusion in eight (2.5%), nodules/cavities in six (1.9%), and pulmonary haemorrhage in four patients (1.3%). In the whole cohort, 10.3% of patients had pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) and 5.6% had PAI. Among patients with PAH or PAI, the overall frequency of NVPI was significantly higher than in the rest of the group. Conclusions In this TAK cohort from Turkey, we observed NVPI in 7.2% of patients, with parenchymal infiltrations being the most common, followed by pleural effusion. Notably, NVPI was more frequent in patients with PAH or PAI. Although not as common as PAI, NVPI should be kept in mind, especially in TAK patients with PAH or PAI