2,066 research outputs found
Implications of the obesity epidemic for lipid-lowering therapy: Non-HDL cholesterol should replace LDL cholesterol as the primary therapeutic target
Obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes are conditions with increasing prevalence around the world. Cardiovascular risk in diabetics is often so high as to overlap with event rates observed in those with established coronary disease and this has lead to diabetes being classified as a coronary risk equivalent. However, despite the elevated risk of cardiovascular events associated with diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, these patients often have normal low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol despite frequent increases in apolipoprotein B, triglycerides and nonhigh density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. In contrast to LDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol represents cardiovascular risk across all patient populations but is currently only recommended as a secondary target of therapy by the ATP III report for patients with hypertriglyceridemia. This article provides an overview of the studies that shown non-HDL cholesterol to be superior to LDL cholesterol in predicting cardiovascular events and presents the case for non-HDL cholesterol being the more appropriate primary target of therapy in the context of the obesity pandemic. Adopting non-HDL cholesterol as the primary therapeutic target for all patients will conceivably lead to an appropriate intensification of therapy for high risk patients with low LDL cholesterol
MRI sagittal abdominal diameter is a stronger predictor of metabolic syndrome than visceral fat area or waist circumference in a high-risk vascular cohort
Objective: To determine whether sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) is associated with the metabolic syndrome independently of visceral fat area (VFA) and waist circumference (WC). Methods: Forty-three high-risk vascular patients were evaluated for metabolic syndrome criteria and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to quantify SAD and VFA at the L4-L5 disc. Comparisons: 1. Baseline differences in patients with and without the metabolic syndrome 2. Forward binary logistic regression analysis of predictors of the metabolic syndrome with SAD, VFA and WC as independents 3. Correlates of SAD. Results: Patients with metabolic syndrome had greater SAD, VFA and WC than patients without the metabolic syndrome (P 22.7 cm SAD threshold identified metabolic syndrome with a 91% sensitivity and 80% specificity. SAD correlated with waist circumference (r = 0.918), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (r = -0.363), triglyceride (r = 0.401), fasting glucose (r = 0.428) and the QUICK index of insulin sensitivity (r = -0.667) (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: MRI-measured SAD is associated with the metabolic syndrome and renders the current gold standard of VFA redundant. This measure of obesity-related cardiovascular risk requires validation and evaluation in a prospective cohort
Magneto-chemical studies with a new ultrasensitive superconducting quantum magnetometer
A magnetometer utilizing quantum superconductivity
as the basis for the flux sensor element
has been designed and used for biochemical susceptibility
measurements in the temperature range
from 1.5°K to 300°K. The sensitivity and reproducibility
of this instrument have been tested by
measurements on small amounts of material of well-known
susceptibilities. Using this instrument the
temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibilities
of oxy- and metaquohemerythrin have been
measured and for the first time their anti-ferromagnetic
components have been unambigiously resolved.
From this data the exchange coupling
constants between the two high-spin iron (III)
atoms in each subunit have been determined to be
-77 and -134 cm^(-1) respectively
A Gillnet Survey of Charlotte Harbor, Summer 2014
We conducted a gillnet survey from May through September 2014, at two locations in Charlotte Harbor, Florida: Long Point (LP) and Pine Island (PI). Elasmobranchs and teleosts were sampled using two different methodologies: 1) the same methodology as a previous survey conducted by Mote Marine Laboratory from 1995 to 2004 and in 2013; and 2) the methodology used in the NMFS-coordinated Gulf of Mexico Shark Pupping and Nursery (GULFSPAN) program. The goals of our study were to characterize changes in abundance and species composition of coastal sharks between the two survey periods (1995-2004 vs. 2013-2014); evaluate the potential of the fishery-independent survey to monitor trends in abundance of other fish species found in the area; compare the selectivity of the historical single panel net used by Mote with the selectivity of the multi-panel net used in GULFSPAN projects; and estimate seasonal growth patterns for juvenile blacktip sharks
Survival of Juvenile Lemon Sharks at Bimini, Bahamas, Estimated by Mark–Depletion Experiments
Low density lipoprotein cholesterol is inversely correlated with abdominal visceral fat area: a magnetic resonance imaging study
Background: Visceral Fat Area (VFA) is an independent predictor of coronary disease. While low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is used to determine risk and guide therapy, its accuracy fails in obese patients who may have low LDL-C despite high VFA. Objective: We sought to describe the relationship between VFA, LDL-C and to describe shifting cholesterol metabolism with increasing VFA
Near-Infrared Polarimetric Adaptive Optics Observations of NGC 1068: A torus created by a hydromagnetic outflow wind
We present J' and K' imaging linear polarimetric adaptive optics observations
of NGC 1068 using MMT-Pol on the 6.5-m MMT. These observations allow us to
study the torus from a magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) framework. In a 0.5" (30 pc)
aperture at K', we find that polarisation arising from the passage of radiation
from the inner edge of the torus through magnetically aligned dust grains in
the clumps is the dominant polarisation mechanism, with an intrinsic
polarisation of 7.0%2.2%. This result yields a torus magnetic field
strength in the range of 482 mG through paramagnetic alignment, and
139 mG through the Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. The measured
position angle (P.A.) of polarisation at K is found to be similar to the
P.A. of the obscuring dusty component at few parsec scales using infrared
interferometric techniques. We show that the constant component of the magnetic
field is responsible for the alignment of the dust grains, and aligned with the
torus axis onto the plane of the sky. Adopting this magnetic field
configuration and the physical conditions of the clumps in the MHD outflow wind
model, we estimate a mass outflow rate 0.17 M yr at 0.4
pc from the central engine for those clumps showing near-infrared dichroism.
The models used were able to create the torus in a timescale of 10
yr with a rotational velocity of 1228 km s at 0.4 pc. We conclude
that the evolution, morphology and kinematics of the torus in NGC 1068 can be
explained within a MHD framework.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, Accepted by MNRA
Anomalous Periodicity of the Current-Phase Relationship of Grain-Boundary Josephson Junctions in High-Tc Superconductors
The current-phase relation (CPR) for asymmetric 45 degree Josephson junctions
between two d-wave superconductors has been predicted to exhibit an anomalous
periodicity. We have used the single-junction interferometer to investigate the
CPR for this kind of junctions in YBCO thin films. Half-fluxon periodicity has
been experimentally found, providing a novel source of evidence for the d-wave
symmetry of the pairing state of the cuprates.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
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