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Oral contraceptive progestins and angiotensin-dependent control of the renal circulation in humans
Oral contraceptive (OC) use is associated with increased intra-renal renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAA System) activity and risk of nephropathy, though the contribution of progestins contained in the OC in the regulation of angiotensin-dependent control of the renal circulation has not been elucidated. Eighteen OC users (8 non-diabetic, 10 Type 1 diabetic) were studied in high salt balance, a state of maximal RAA System suppression. Progestational and androgenic activity of the progestin in each OC was standardized to that of the reference progestin norethindrone. Renal plasma flow (RPF) was measured by paraaminohippurate clearance at baseline and in response to angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibition. There was a positive correlation between OC progestational activity and the RPF response to ACE-inhibition (r=0.52, p=0.03). Similar results were noted with OC androgenic activity (r=0.54, p=0.02). On subgroup analysis, only non-diabetic subjects showed an association between progestational activity and angiotensin-dependent control of the renal circulation (r=0.71, p=0.05 non-diabetic; r=0.14, p=0.7 diabetic; p=0.07 between groups). Similar results were noted with respect to androgenic activity (r=0.88, p=0.005 non-diabetic; r=−0.33, p=0.3 diabetic; p=0.002 between groups). Our results suggest that the OC progestin component is a significant influence on the degree of angiotensin-dependent control of the renal circulation, though these findings may not apply to women with diabetes
Ecological Effects of Major Storms on Coastal Watersheds and Coastal Waters: Hurricane Bob on Cape Cod
Hurricane Bob, a category 3 storm, made landfall on Cape Cod in August 1991, and its effects on watersheds and adjoining estuaries were detected in the ongoing studies being caried out as part of the Waquoit Bay Land Margin Ecosystems Research project. On land, Bob had only minor overall effects on forests; localized wind bursts did snap and break trees in small and widely scattered forest parcels. Wind stripped up to half the leaves of deciduous trees and many herbaceous plants on the watershed, and most remaining leaves were damaged by salt, so that by the end of Aug, Cape Cod forests were defoliated. Damaged growing tips of exposed trees were evident for several growing seasons. The salt exposure was followed by a burst of growth and bloom in some plants during Sep-Oct. Forest invertebrates were disturbed by the storm. Nests of hornets and wasps, for example, were apparently destroyed and the survivors became a serious pest problem: hospital records show a ten-fold increase in cases of wasp stings just after Bob. Populations of these insects did not return to earlier abundance for several years. Birds and mammals did not appear to have suffered much damage. Leaching of salt to soils released previously-adsorbed soil ammonium. Such loss of critical nitrogen may be in part responsible for the characteristically dwarfed near-shore coastal forests, as well as adds nitrogen to groundwater that in turn transports the nitrogen to receiving waters. On the Bay, Bob thoroughly mixed the water column, but the stratification was restored within 1-2 days after passage of the storm. Short recovery times might be characteristic of shallow bays with short (2-3 d) water residence times. Bob opened a new inlet to Waquoit Bay, which remains open. The new inlet exerts only minor effects on circulation within the Bay, but did create localized damage to dune and eelgrass habitats near the new inlet. The mixing of the water column released major amounts of nutrients that were held within the macroalgal canopy and upper sediments, into the upper layers, and prompted a short-lived (2-3 d) phytoplankton bloom. Biomass of unattached macroalgae was not affected by Bob. Respiration and nitrogen content of the dominant macroalgal species were elevated after passage of the storm, but returned to normal rates after several days. Nearly all above-sediment eelgrass biomass was removed, but returned to previous biomass during the next growing season. There was no visible damage to fringing salt marsh habitats. Damage to aquatic animals appears to have been minimal. A small decrease in water temperature and increased respiration by macroalgae led to decreased total net ecosystem production and increased net ecosystem respiration, but the decreases disappeared after 2 d. The effects of Hurricane Bob seemed more intense and protracted on land than on aquatic ecosystems. Recovery from the various disturbances took hours to days in the aquatic system, but months to decades in terrestrial components. Rigid, larger organisms attached or rooted to substrates seem most subject to storm-related disturbances
Fish-Derived Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review.
BACKGROUND: The use of natural health products in prostate cancer (PrCa) is high despite a lack of evidence with respect to safety and efficacy. Fish-derived omega-3 fatty acids possess anti-inflammatory effects and preclinical data suggest a protective effect on PrCa incidence and progression; however, human studies have yielded conflicting results. METHODS: A search of OVID MEDLINE, Pre-MEDLINE, Embase, and the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) was completed for human interventional or observational data assessing the safety and efficacy of fish-derived omega-3 fatty acids in the incidence and progression of PrCa. RESULTS: Of 1776 citations screened, 54 publications reporting on 44 studies were included for review and analysis: 4 reports of 3 randomized controlled trials, 1 nonrandomized clinical trial, 20 reports of 14 cohort studies, 26 reports of 23 case-control studies, and 3 case-cohort studies. The interventional studies using fish oil supplements in patients with PrCa showed no impact on prostate-specific antigen levels; however, 2 studies showed a decrease in inflammatory or other cancer markers. A small number of mild adverse events were reported and interactions with other interventions were not assessed. Cohort and case-control studies assessing the relationship between dietary fish intake and the risk of PrCa were equivocal. Cohort studies assessing the risk of PrCa mortality suggested an association between higher intake of fish and decreased risk of prostate cancer-related death. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence is insufficient to suggest a relationship between fish-derived omega-3 fatty acid and risk of PrCa. An association between higher omega-3 intake and decreased PrCa mortality may be present but more research is needed. More intervention trials or observational studies with precisely measured exposure are needed to assess the impact of fish oil supplements and dietary fish-derived omega-3 fatty acid intake on safety, PrCa incidence, treatment, and progression
Spinors in Weyl Geometry
We consider the wave equation for spinors in -dimensional Weyl
geometry. By appropriately coupling the Weyl vector as well as
the spin connection to the spinor field, conformal
invariance can be maintained. The one loop effective action generated by the
coupling of the spinor field to an external gravitational field is computed in
two dimensions. It is found to be identical to the effective action for the
case of a scalar field propagating in two dimensions.Comment: 13 pages, REVTEX, no figure
Parity-violating Electron Deuteron Scattering and the Proton's Neutral Weak Axial Vector Form Factor
We report on a new measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in
quasielastic electron scattering from the deuteron at backward angles at Q2=
0.038 (GeV/c)2. This quantity provides a determination of the neutral weak
axial vector form factor of the nucleon, which can potentially receive large
electroweak corrections. The measured asymmetry A=-3.51 +/- 0.57(stat) +/-
0.58(sys)ppm is consistent with theoretical predictions. We also report on
updated results of the previous experiment at Q2=0.091 (GeV/c)2, which are also
consistent with theoretical predictions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Parity-violating Electron Deuteron Scattering and the Proton's Neutral Weak Axial Vector Form Factor
We report on a new measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in
quasielastic electron scattering from the deuteron at backward angles at Q2=
0.038 (GeV/c)2. This quantity provides a determination of the neutral weak
axial vector form factor of the nucleon, which can potentially receive large
electroweak corrections. The measured asymmetry A=-3.51 +/- 0.57(stat) +/-
0.58(sys)ppm is consistent with theoretical predictions. We also report on
updated results of the previous experiment at Q2=0.091 (GeV/c)2, which are also
consistent with theoretical predictions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Cross Section Measurement of Charged Pion Photoproduction from Hydrogen and Deuterium
We have measured the differential cross section for the gamma n --> pi- p and
gamma p --> pi+ n reactions at center of mass angle of 90 degree in the photon
energy range from 1.1 to 5.5 GeV at Jefferson Lab (JLab). The data at photon
energies greater than 3.3 GeV exhibit a global scaling behavior for both pi-
and pi+ photoproduction, consistent with the constituent counting rule and the
existing pi+ photoproduction data. Possible oscillations around the scaling
value are suggested by these new data The data show enhancement in the scaled
cross section at a center-of-mass energy near 2.2 GeV. The cross section ratio
of exclusive pi- to pi+ photoproduction at high energy is consistent with the
prediction based on one-hard-gluon-exchange diagrams
Cross Section Measurements of Charged Pion Photoproduction in Hydrogen and Deuterium from 1.1 to 5.5 GeV
The differential cross section for the gamma +n --> pi- + p and the gamma + p
--> pi+ n processes were measured at Jefferson Lab. The photon energies ranged
from 1.1 to 5.5 GeV, corresponding to center-of-mass energies from 1.7 to 3.4
GeV. The pion center-of-mass angles varied from 50 degree to 110 degree. The
pi- and pi+ photoproduction data both exhibit a global scaling behavior at high
energies and high transverse momenta, consistent with the constituent counting
rule prediction and the existing pi+ data. The data suggest possible
substructure of the scaling behavior, which might be oscillations around the
scaling value. The data show an enhancement in the scaled cross section at
center-of-mass energy near 2.2 GeV. The differential cross section ratios at
high energies and high transverse momenta can be described by calculations
based on one-hard-gluon-exchange diagrams.Comment: 18 pages, 19 figure
The Charge Form Factor of the Neutron at Low Momentum Transfer from the Reaction
We report new measurements of the neutron charge form factor at low momentum
transfer using quasielastic electrodisintegration of the deuteron.
Longitudinally polarized electrons at an energy of 850 MeV were scattered from
an isotopically pure, highly polarized deuterium gas target. The scattered
electrons and coincident neutrons were measured by the Bates Large Acceptance
Spectrometer Toroid (BLAST) detector. The neutron form factor ratio
was extracted from the beam-target vector asymmetry
at four-momentum transfers , 0.20, 0.29 and 0.42
(GeV/c).Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
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