In vivo and in vitro proinflammatory effects of particulate air pollution (PM10).

Epidemiologic studies have reported associations between fine particulate air pollution, especially particles less than 10 mm in diameter (PM10), and the development of exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, the mechanism is unknown. We tested our hypothesis that PM10 induces oxidant stress, causing inflammation and injury to airway epithelium. We assessed the effects of intratracheal instillation of PM10 in rat lungs. The influx of inflammatory cells was measured in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Airspace epithelial permeability was assessed as total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in vivo. The oxidant properties of PM10 were determined by their ability to cause changes in reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG). We also compared the effects of PM10 with those of fine (CB) and ultrafine (ufCB) carbon black particles. Six hours after intratracheal instillation of PM10, we noted an influx of neutrophils (up to 15% of total BAL cells) in the alveolar space, increased epithelial permeability, an increase in total protein in BALF from 0.39 +/- 0.01 to 0.62 +/- 0.01 mg/ml (mean +/- SEM) and increased lactate dehydrogenase concentrations in BALF. An even greater inflammatory response was observed after intratracheal instillation of ufCB, but not after CB instillation. PM10 had oxidant activity in vivo, as shown by decreased GSH in BALF (from 0.36 +/- 0.05 to 0.25 +/- 0.01 nmol/ml) after instillation. BAL leukocytes from rats treated with PM10 produced greater amounts of nitric oxide, measured as nitrite (control 3.07 +/- 0.33, treated 4.45 +/- 0.23 mM/1 x 10(6) cells) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (control 21.0 +/- 3.1, treated 179.2 +/- 29.4 unit/1 x 10(6) cells) in culture than BAL leukocytes obtained from control animals. These studies provide evidence that PM10 has free radical activity and causes lung inflammation and epithelial injury. These data support our hypothesis concerning the mechanism for the adverse effects of particulate air pollution on patients with airway diseases

Virtual Compton Scattering and Neutral Pion Electroproduction in the Resonance Region up to the Deep Inelastic Region at Backward Angles

We have made the first measurements of the virtual Compton scattering (VCS) process via the H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ exclusive reaction in the nucleon resonance region, at backward angles. Results are presented for the $W$-dependence at fixed $Q^2=1$ GeV$^2$, and for the $Q^2$-dependence at fixed $W$ near 1.5 GeV. The VCS data show resonant structures in the first and second resonance regions. The observed $Q^2$-dependence is smooth. The measured ratio of H$(e,e'p)\gamma$ to H$(e,e'p)\pi^0$ cross sections emphasizes the different sensitivity of these two reactions to the various nucleon resonances. Finally, when compared to Real Compton Scattering (RCS) at high energy and large angles, our VCS data at the highest $W$ (1.8-1.9 GeV) show a striking $Q^2$- independence, which may suggest a transition to a perturbative scattering mechanism at the quark level.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures. To appear in Phys.Rev.

Prospects for e+e- physics at Frascati between the phi and the psi

We present a detailed study, done in the framework of the INFN 2006 Roadmap, of the prospects for e+e- physics at the Frascati National Laboratories. The physics case for an e+e- collider running at high luminosity at the phi resonance energy and also reaching a maximum center of mass energy of 2.5 GeV is discussed, together with the specific aspects of a very high luminosity tau-charm factory. Subjects connected to Kaon decay physics are not discussed here, being part of another INFN Roadmap working group. The significance of the project and the impact on INFN are also discussed. All the documentation related to the activities of the working group can be found in http://www.roma1.infn.it/people/bini/roadmap.html.Comment: INFN Roadmap Report: 86 pages, 25 figures, 9 table

Multicenter study on reproducibility of sperm morphology assessments

Sperm morphology has always been considered an important tool in evaluating a man's fertilizing potential. The objective of this multicentric study was to evaluate intra- and interindividual variability and between- laboratory variation using the same or different criteria of sperm morphology assessment. Semen samples were obtained from 20 males and 32 smears were made of all samples. Eighty coded smears (4 per patient) were sent to 8 laboratories for morphology assessment. The centers applied different classification systems (strict criteria, WHO 1987, Dusseldorf criteria) and participants were asked to analyze the 80 smears twice, with an interval of 1 week between each participant's two analyses. Intraclass correlations between repeats showed that sperm morphology can be assessed with acceptable within observer reproducibility. Expected increases in imprecision were observed up to coefficients of variation of >30% with decreasing morphology scores, regardless of the classification system used. Agreement in correct classification of samples as normal/abnormal was obtained in 80% of cases. Differences in reproducibility between slides may reflect an important source of heterogeneity due to smear preparation. These results emphasize the importance of external quality control systems to improve the value of sperm morphology assessments in the investigation of the male partner in a subfertile couple.Articl

Impact of Sleep and Circadian Disruption on Energy Balance and Diabetes: A Summary of Workshop Discussions.

A workshop was held at the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases with a focus on the impact of sleep and circadian disruption on energy balance and diabetes. The workshop identified a number of key principles for research in this area and a number of specific opportunities. Studies in this area would be facilitated by active collaboration between investigators in sleep/circadian research and investigators in metabolism/diabetes. There is a need to translate the elegant findings from basic research into improving the metabolic health of the American public. There is also a need for investigators studying the impact of sleep/circadian disruption in humans to move beyond measurements of insulin and glucose and conduct more in-depth phenotyping. There is also a need for the assessments of sleep and circadian rhythms as well as assessments for sleep-disordered breathing to be incorporated into all ongoing cohort studies related to diabetes risk. Studies in humans need to complement the elegant short-term laboratory-based human studies of simulated short sleep and shift work etc. with studies in subjects in the general population with these disorders. It is conceivable that chronic adaptations occur, and if so, the mechanisms by which they occur needs to be identified and understood. Particular areas of opportunity that are ready for translation are studies to address whether CPAP treatment of patients with pre-diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) prevents or delays the onset of diabetes and whether temporal restricted feeding has the same impact on obesity rates in humans as it does in mice

Measurements of the deuteron elastic structure function A(Q2)A(Q^2) for 0.7≤Q2≤6.00.7\leq Q^2\leq 6.0 (GeV/c)2^2 at Jefferson Laboratory

The deuteron elastic structure function A(Q^2) has been extracted in the Q^2 range 0.7 to 6.0 (GeV/c)^2 from cross section measurements of elastic electron-deuteron scattering in coincidence using the Hall A Facility of Jefferson Laboratory. The data are compared to theoretical models based on the impulse approximation with inclusion of meson-exchange currents, and to predictions of quark dimensional scaling and perturbative quantum chromodynamic

Measurement of the generalized polarizabilities of the proton in virtual compton scattering at Q2=0.92and1.76GeV2Q^2=0.92 and 1.76 GeV^2: I. Low energy expansion analysis

PHAS

Virtual compton scattering in the resonance region up to the deep inelastic region at backward angles and momentum transfer squared of Q2Q^2 = 1.0 GeV2GeV^2

PHASEInternational audienceWe have made the first measurements of the virtual Compton scattering process via the e p -> e p gamma exclusive reaction at Q**2 = 1 GeV**2 in the nucleon resonance region. The cross section is obtained at center of mass (CM) backward angle, theta_gamma_gamma*, in a range of total (gamma* p) CM energy W from the proton mass up to W = 1.91 GeV. The data show resonant structures in the first and second resonance regions, and are well reproduced at higher W by the Bethe-Heitler+Born cross section, including t-channel pi0-exchange. At high W, our data, together with existing real photon data, show a striking Q**2 independence. Our measurement of the ratio of H(e,e'p)gamma to H(e,e'p)pi0 cross sections is presented and compared to model predictions