445 research outputs found
Bianchi Type-II String Cosmological Models in Normal Gauge for Lyra's Manifold with Constant Deceleration Parameter
The present study deals with a spatially homogeneous and anisotropic
Bianchi-II cosmological models representing massive strings in normal gauge for
Lyra's manifold by applying the variation law for generalized Hubble's
parameter that yields a constant value of deceleration parameter. The variation
law for Hubble's parameter generates two types of solutions for the average
scale factor, one is of power-law type and other is of the exponential form.
Using these two forms, Einstein's modified field equations are solved
separately that correspond to expanding singular and non-singular models of the
universe respectively. The energy-momentum tensor for such string as formulated
by Letelier (1983) is used to construct massive string cosmological models for
which we assume that the expansion () in the model is proportional to
the component of the shear tensor . This
condition leads to , where A, B and C are the metric coefficients
and m is proportionality constant. Our models are in accelerating phase which
is consistent to the recent observations. It has been found that the
displacement vector behaves like cosmological term in the
normal gauge treatment and the solutions are consistent with recent
observations of SNe Ia. It has been found that massive strings dominate in the
decelerating universe whereas strings dominate in the accelerating universe.
Some physical and geometric behaviour of these models are also discussed.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figure
Sex difference in the association of metabolic syndrome with high sensitivity C-reactive protein in a Taiwanese population
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although sex differences have been reported for associations between components of metabolic syndrome and inflammation, the question of whether there is an effect modification by sex in the association between inflammation and metabolic syndrome has not been investigated in detail. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare associations of high sensitivity C-creative protein (hs-CRP) with metabolic syndrome and its components between men and women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 1,305 subjects aged 40 years and over were recruited in 2004 in a metropolitan city in Taiwan. The biochemical indices, such as hs-CRP, fasting glucose levels, lipid profiles, urinary albumin, urinary creatinine and anthropometric indices, were measured. Metabolic syndrome was defined using the American Heart Association and the National Heart, lung and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI) definition. The relationship between metabolic syndrome and hs-CRP was examined using multivariate logistic regression analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After adjustment for age and lifestyle factors including smoking, and alcohol intake, elevated concentrations of hs-CRP showed a stronger association with metabolic syndrome in women (odds ratio comparing tertile extremes 4.80 [95% CI: 3.31-6.97]) than in men (2.30 [1.65-3.21]). The p value for the sex interaction was 0.002. All components were more strongly associated with metabolic syndrome in women than in men, and all sex interactions were significant except for hypertension.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data suggest that inflammatory processes may be of particular importance in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome in women.</p
The Association Between Self-Reported Symptoms of Recent Airway Infection and CRP Values in a General Population: The TromsĂž Study: TromsĂž 6
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a much used biomarker for respiratory tract infection; however, the influence of airway infection on the CRP level in the general population has not been well described. The study aimed to evaluate the impact of recent symptoms of airway infection on the CRP level and how the predictive power of other known CRP predictors is influenced by taking respiratory symptoms into account. A total of 6,325 participants, aged 38â87Â years, in the TromsĂž Study, a repeated population-based survey, were examined with questionnaires, measurements of height and weight, spirometry, and high-sensitivity CRP analyses. The mean CRP value was 2.86Â mg/L, and the geometric mean was 1.51Â mg/L. Geometric means above 2.0Â mg/L were found in the subgroups with the following characteristics: self-reported COPD, diabetes, recent symptoms of airway infection, forced expiratory volume in 1Â s (FEV1) <80% predicted, body mass index (BMI) â„30, and subjects treated with inhaled or oral corticosteroids. Among the subjects who reported recent airway infection, 10.5% had a CRP value of â„10Â mg/L, compared to 3.3% among the remaining participants. By multivariate analysis, BMI was the strongest independent predictor of the CRP level, followed by recent airway infection, FEV1% predicted, age, and current smoking. The study clearly demonstrates that a report of recent symptoms of airway infection strongly predicts the CRP level in the population. Such symptoms were shared rather equally between subgroups with increased CRP level, and the risk of being an important confounder in epidemiological studies is probably low. In the clinical setting, care should be taken when using the CRP level as a guide for medical prevention of chronic diseases
Common Variants in CRP and LEPR Influence High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels in North Indians
BACKGROUND: High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels are shown to be influenced by genetic variants in Europeans; however, little is explored in Indian population. METHODS: Herein, we comprehensively evaluated association of all previously reported genetic determinants of hsCRP levels, including 18 cis (proximal to CRP gene) and 73 trans-acting (distal to CRP gene) variants in 4,200 North Indians of Indo-European ethnicity. First, we evaluated association of 91 variants from 12 candidate loci with hsCRP levels in 2,115 North Indians (1,042 non-diabetic subjects and 1,073 patients with type 2 diabetes). Then, cis and trans-acting variants contributing maximally to hsCRP level variation were further replicated in an independent 2,085 North Indians (1,047 patients with type 2 diabetes and 1,038 non-diabetic subjects). RESULTS: We found association of 12 variants from CRP, LEPR, IL1A, IL6, and IL6R with hsCRP levels in non-diabetic subjects. However, only rs3093059-CRP [ÎČâ=â0.33, Pâ=â9.6Ă10â»â”] and the haplotype harboring rs3093059 risk allele [ÎČâ=â0.32 ”g/mL, Pâ=â1.4Ă10â»âŽ/P(perm)â=â9.0Ă10â»âŽ] retained significance after correcting for multiple testing. The cis-acting variant rs3093059-CRP had maximum contribution to the variance in hsCRP levels (1.14%). Among, trans-acting variants, rs1892534-LEPR was observed to contribute maximally to hsCRP level variance (0.59%). Associations of rs3093059-CRP and rs1892534-LEPR were confirmed by replication and attained higher significance after meta-analysis [ÎČ(meta)â=â0.26/0.22; P(meta)â=â4.3Ă10â»â·/7.4Ă10â»Âł and ÎČ(meta)â=â-0.15/-0.12; P(meta)â=â2.0Ă10â»â¶/1.6Ă10â»â¶ for rs3093059 and rs1892534, respectively in non-diabetic subjects and all subjects taken together]. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we identified rs3093059 in CRP and rs1892534 in LEPR as major cis and trans-acting contributor respectively, to the variance in hsCRP levels in North Indian population
Association between insulin resistance and c-reactive protein among Peruvian adults
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Insulin resistance (IR), a reduced physiological response of peripheral tissues to the action of insulin, is one of the major causes of type 2 diabetes. We sought to evaluate the relationship between serum C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, and prevalence of IR among Peruvian adults.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This population based study of 1,525 individuals (569 men and 956 women; mean age 39 years old) was conducted among residents in Lima and Callao, Peru. Fasting plasma glucose, insulin, and CRP concentrations were measured using standard approaches. Insulin resistance was assessed using the homeostasis model (HOMA-IR). Categories of CRP were defined by the following tertiles: <0.81 mg/l, 0.81-2.53 mg/l, and >2.53 mg/l. Logistic regression procedures were employed to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Elevated CRP were significantly associated with increased mean fasting insulin and mean HOMA-IR concentrations (p < 0.001). Women with CRP concentration >2.53 mg/l (upper tertile) had a 2.18-fold increased risk of IR (OR = 2.18 95% CI 1.51-3.16) as compared with those in the lowest tertile (<0.81 mg/l). Among men, those in the upper tertile had a 2.54-fold increased risk of IR (OR = 2.54 95% CI 1.54-4.20) as compared with those in the lowest tertile.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our observations among Peruvians suggest that chronic systemic inflammation, as evidenced by elevated CRP, may be of etiologic importance in insulin resistance and diabetes.</p
Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Soluble ICAM-1 Concentration Reveals Novel Associations at the NFKBIK, PNPLA3, RELA, and SH2B3 Loci
Soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) is an endothelium-derived inflammatory marker that has been associated with diverse conditions such as myocardial infarction, diabetes, stroke, and malaria. Despite evidence for a heritable component to sICAM-1 levels, few genetic loci have been identified so far. To comprehensively address this issue, we performed a genome-wide association analysis of sICAM-1 concentration in 22,435 apparently healthy women from the Women's Genome Health Study. While our results confirm the previously reported associations at the ABO and ICAM1 loci, four novel associations were identified in the vicinity of NFKBIK (rs3136642, Pâ=â5.4Ă10â9), PNPLA3 (rs738409, Pâ=â5.8Ă10â9), RELA (rs1049728, Pâ=â2.7Ă10â16), and SH2B3 (rs3184504, Pâ=â2.9Ă10â17). Two loci, NFKBIB and RELA, are involved in NFKB signaling pathway; PNPLA3 is known for its association with fatty liver disease; and SH3B2 has been associated with a multitude of traits and disease including myocardial infarction. These associations provide insights into the genetic regulation of sICAM-1 levels and implicate these loci in the regulation of endothelial function
On the Rotating and Oscillating strings in
We study rigidly rotating strings in the -deformed background. We find out two classes of solutions corresponding to the
giant magnon and single spike solutions of the string rotating in two
subspace of rotations reduced along two different isometries.
We verify that the dispersion relations reduce to the well known relation in
the limit. We further study some oscillating string
solutions in the subspace.Comment: 20 pages, clarifications added, version to appear in JHE
BMN vacua, superstars and non-abelian T-duality
Acting with non-Abelian T-duality on the inside the subspace of
with units of flux, we generate a new half-BPS solution
with symmetry that belongs to the Lin-Lunin-Maldacena class of
geometries. The analysis of the asymptotics, quantised charges and probe branes
in this geometry suggests an interpretation as the gravity dual to the
Berenstein-Maldacena-Nastase Plane Wave Matrix Model, in a particular vacuum
associated to a partition of , in which the multiplicity of each
irreducible representation is equal to its dimension. This vacuum is
interpreted in M-theory in terms of giant gravitons backreacting in the
maximally supersymmetric pp-wave geometry. Consistently with this, we show that
the non-Abelian T-dual solution exactly agrees with the Penrose limit of the
superstar solution in . This suggests an interesting global
completion of the non-Abelian T-dual solution in terms of an M5-brane geometry.Comment: 28 pages, discussion in section 5.1 improved, results unchanged,
reference added. Matches published versio
Holographic flows in non-Abelian T-dual geometries
We use non-Abelian T-duality to construct new N=1 solutions of type IIA supergravity (and their M-theory lifts) that interpolate between AdS_5 geometries. We initiate a study of the holographic interpretation of these backgrounds as RG flows between conformal fixed points. Along the way we give an elegant formulation of non-Abelian T-duality when acting on a wide class of backgrounds, including those corresponding to such flows, in terms of their SU(2) structure
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