1,593 research outputs found
Approximative two-flavor framework for neutrino oscillations with nonstandard interactions
In this paper, we develop approximative two-flavor neutrino oscillation
formulas including subleading nonstandard interaction effects. Especially, the
limit when the small mass-squared difference approaches zero is investigated.
The approximate formulas are also tested against numerical simulations in order
to determine their accuracy and they will probably be most useful in the GeV
energy region, which is the energy region where most upcoming neutrino
oscillation experiments will be operating. Naturally, it is important to have
analytical formulas in order to interpret the physics behind the degeneracies
between standard and nonstandard parameters.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, REVTeX4. Final version published in Phys. Rev.
Tau as a fluid biomarker of concussion and neurodegeneration
Concussion is predominant among the vast number of traumatic brain injuries that occur worldwide. Difficulties in timely identification, whether concussion led to neuronal injury or not, diagnosis and the lack of prognostic tools for adequate management could lead this type of brain injury to progressive neurodegenerative diseases. Tau has been extensively studied in recent years, particularly in repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries and sports-related concussions. Tauopathies, the group of neurodegenerative diseases, have also been studied with advanced functional imaging. Nevertheless, neurodegenerative diseases, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, are still conclusively diagnosed at autopsy. Here, we discuss the diagnostic dilemma and the relationship between concussion and neurodegenerative diseases and review the literature on tau as a promising biomarker for concussion
Performance on a pattern separation task by Alzheimer's patients shows possible links between disrupted dentate gyrus activity and apolipoprotein E ∈4 status and cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-β42 levels
This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.INTRODUCTION: Emerging evidence suggests that decreased adult hippocampal neurogenesis represents an early critical event in the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In mice, adult neurogenesis is reduced by knock-in alleles for human apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ∈4. Decreased dentate gyrus (DG) neural progenitor cells proliferation has been observed in the triple-transgenic mouse model of AD (3xTg-AD); this reduction being directly associated with the presence of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and an increase in the number of Aβ-containing neurons in the hippocampus. Cognitive tasks involving difficult pattern separations have been shown to reflect DG activity and thus potentially neurogenesis in both animals and man. This study involved the administration of a pattern separation paradigm to Alzheimer's patients to investigate relationships between task performance and both ApoE status and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ42 levels. METHODS: The CDR System pattern separation task involves the presentation of pictures that must later be discriminated from closely similar pictures. This paper presents pattern separation data from 66 mild to moderate AD patients, of which 50 were genotyped and 65 in whom CSF Aβ42 was measured. RESULTS: ApoE ∈4 homozygotes were not compromised on the easy pattern separations compared with the other patients, but they were statistically significantly poorer at the difficult separations. In all patients CSF Aβ42 correlated significantly with the ability to make the difficult discriminations, but not easier discriminations. Pattern separation speed correlated negatively with CSF Aβ42, and thus the association was not due to increased impulsivity. CONCLUSIONS: These are, to our knowledge, the first human pattern separation data to suggest a possible genetic link to poor hippocampal neurogenesis in AD, as well as a relationship to Aβ42. Therapies which target neurogenesis may thus be useful in preventing the early stages of AD, notably in ApoE ∈4 homocygotes.This study was financially supported by AstraZeneca, Sweden
EURONU WP6 2009 yearly report: Update of the physics potential of Nufact, superbeams and betabeams
Many studies in the last ten years have shown that we can measure the unknown
angle theta13, discover leptonic CP violation and determine the neutrino
hierarchy in more precise neutrino oscillation experiments, searching for the
subleading channel nue -> numu in the atmospheric range. In this first report
of WP6 activities the following new results are reviewed: (1) Re-evaluation of
the physics reach of the upcoming generation of experiments to measure theta13
and delta; (2) New tools to explore a larger parameter space as needed beyond
the standard scenario; (3) Neutrino Factory: (a) evaluation of the physics
reach of a Nufact regards sterile neutrinos; (b) evaluation of the physics
reach of a Nufact as regards non-standard interactions; (c) evaluation of the
physics reach of a Nufact as regards violation of unitarity; (d) critical
assessment on long baseline tau-detection at Nufact; (e) new physics searches
at a near detector in a Nufact; (4) Beta-beams: (a) choice of ions and location
for a gamma = 100 CERN-based beta-beam; (b) re-evaluation of atmospheric
neutrino background for the gamma = 100 beta-beam scenario; (c) study of a two
baseline beta-beam; (d) measuring absolute neutrino mass with beta-beams; (e)
progress on monochromatic beta-beams; (5) Update of the physics potential of
the SPL super-beam. Eventually, we present an updated comparison of the
sensitivity to theta13, delta and the neutrino mass hierarchy of several of the
different proposed facilities.Comment: 2009 Yearly report of the Working Package 6 (Physics) of the EUROnu
FP7 EU project. 55 pages, 21 figures
Testing matter effects in propagation of atmospheric and long-baseline neutrinos
We quantify our current knowledge of the size and flavor structure of the
matter effects in the evolution of atmospheric and long-baseline neutrinos
based solely on the analysis of the corresponding neutrino data. To this aim we
generalize the matter potential of the Standard Model by rescaling its
strength, rotating it away from the e-e sector, and rephasing it with respect
to the vacuum term. This phenomenological parametrization can be easily
translated in terms of non-standard neutrino interactions in matter. We show
that in the most general case, the strength of the potential cannot be
determined solely by atmospheric and long-baseline data. However its flavor
composition is very much constrained and the present determination of the
neutrino masses and mixing is robust under its presence. We also present an
update of the constraints arising from this analysis in the particular case in
which no potential is present in the e-mu and e-tau sectors. Finally we
quantify to what degree in this scenario it is possible to alleviate the
tension between the oscillation results for neutrinos and antineutrinos in the
MINOS experiment and show the relevance of the high energy part of the spectrum
measured at MINOS.Comment: PDFLaTeX file using JHEP3 class, 25 pages, 7 figures included.
Accepted for publication in JHE
Serum-neuroproteins, near-infrared spectroscopy, and cognitive outcome after beach-chair shoulder surgery: observational cohort study analyses
BACKGROUND: Cerebral hypoxia may occur during surgery but currently used cerebral oxygenation saturation (rSO2) monitors remain controversial with respect to improving clinical outcome. Novel neuroprotein biomarkers are potentially released into systemic circulation and combined with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) could clarify the presence of per-operative cerebral hypoxia. We investigated changes to serum-neuroprotein concentrations postsurgically, paired with NIRS and cognitive outcome, in patients operated in the beach chair position (BCP). METHODS: A prospective cohort in 28 shoulder surgery patients placed in the BCP. Blood samples were collected before induction of anaesthesia, and 2 hours and 3-5 days postoperatively. We analysed blood-levels of biomarkers including tau and neurofilament light (NFL). We post hoc assessed the cross-wise relationship between biomarker levels and postsurgical changes in cognitive function and intraoperatively monitored rSO2 from NIRS. RESULTS: Serum-NFL decreased from 24.2 pg/mL to 21.5 (P=0.02) 2 hours postoperatively, then increased to 27.7 pg/mL on day 3-5 (P=0.03). Conversely, s-tau increased from 0.77 pg/mL to 0.98 (2 h), then decreased to 0.81 on day 3-5 (P=0.08). In 14/28 patients, episodic rSO2 below 55% occurred, and the duration <55% was correlated to change in s-tau (P<0.05). The cognitive function z-score at 1 week and 3 mo. correlated to the change in tau (P=0.01), but not to NFL. CONCLUSION: Some biomarkers were significantly changed with surgery in the beach chair position. The change was at some points associated to postoperative cognitive decline, and to intraoperative low rSO2. (237)
Growth differentiation factor 15 increases in both cerebrospinal fluid and serum during pregnancy
AIM:Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) increases in serum during pregnancy to levels not seen in any other physiological state and is suggested to be involved in pregnancy-induced nausea, weight regulation and glucose metabolism. The main action of GDF15 is regulated through a receptor of the brainstem, i.e., through exposure of GDF15 in both blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The aim of the current study was to measure GDF15 in both CSF and serum during pregnancy, and to compare it longitudinally to non-pregnant levels. METHODS: Women were sampled at elective caesarean section (n = 45, BMI = 28.1±5.0) and were followed up 5 years after pregnancy (n = 25). GDF15, insulin and leptin were measured in CSF and serum. Additional measurements included plasma glucose, and serum adiponectin and Hs-CRP. RESULTS: GDF15 levels were higher during pregnancy compared with follow-up in both CSF (385±128 vs. 115±32 ng/l, P<0.001) and serum (73789±29198 vs. 404±102 ng/l, P<0.001). CSF levels correlated with serum levels during pregnancy (P<0.001), but not in the non-pregnant state (P = 0.98). Both CSF and serum GDF15 were highest in women carrying a female fetus (P<0.001). Serum GDF15 correlated with the homeostatic model assessment for beta-cell function and placental weight, and CSF GDF15 correlated inversely with CSF insulin levels. CONCLUSION: This, the first study to measure CSF GDF15 during pregnancy, demonstrated increased GDF15 levels in both serum and CSF during pregnancy. The results suggest that effects of GDF15 during pregnancy can be mediated by increases in both CSF and serum levels
Neutrino signals from electroweak bremsstrahlung in solar WIMP annihilation
Bremsstrahlung of and gauge bosons, or photons, can be an important
dark matter annihilation channel. In many popular models in which the
annihilation to a pair of light fermions is helicity suppressed, these
bremsstrahlung processes can lift the suppression and thus become the dominant
annihilation channels. The resulting dark matter annihilation products contain
a large, energetic, neutrino component. We consider solar WIMP annihilation in
the case where electroweak bremsstrahlung dominates, and calculate the
resulting neutrino spectra. The flux consists of primary neutrinos produced in
processes such as and , and secondary neutrinos produced via the decays of gauge
bosons and charged leptons. After dealing with the neutrino propagation and
flavour evolution in the Sun, we consider the prospects for detection in
neutrino experiments on Earth. By comparing our signal with that for
annihilation to , we show that the detection prospects for the
bremsstrahlung annihilation channel are favourable.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures. Discussion expanded; matches published versio
Shared CSF Biomarker Profile in Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus and Subcortical Small Vessel Disease
Introduction: In this study, we examine similarities and differences between 52 patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and 17 patients with subcortical small vessel disease (SSVD), in comparison to 28 healthy controls (HCs) by a panel of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers. Methods: We analyzed soluble amyloid precursor protein alpha (sAPPα) and beta (sAPPβ), Aβ isoforms −38, −40, and −42, neurofilament light protein (NFL), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), myelin basic protein (MBP), matrix metalloproteinases (MMP −1, −2, −3, −9, and −10), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1). Radiological signs of white matter damage were scored using the age-related white matter changes (ARWMC) scale. Results: All amyloid fragments were reduced in iNPH and SSVD (p < 0.05), although more in iNPH than in SSVD in comparison to HC. iNPH and SSVD showed comparable elevations of NFL, MBP, and GFAP (p < 0.05). MMPs were similar in all three groups except for MMP-10, which was increased in iNPH and SSVD. Patients with iNPH had larger ventricles and fewer WMCs than patients with SSVD. Conclusion: The results indicate that patients with iNPH and SSVD share common features of subcortical neuronal degeneration, demyelination, and astroglial response. The reduction in all APP-derived proteins characterizing iNPH patients is also present, indicating that SSVD encompasses similar pathophysiological phenomena as iNPH
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