Correlation tuned cross-over between thermal and nonthermal states following ultrafast transient pumping

We examine electron-electron mediated relaxation following excitation of a correlated system by an ultrafast electric field pump pulse. The results reveal a dichotomy in the temporal evolution as one tunes through a Mott metal-to-insulator transition: in the metallic regime relaxation can be characterized by evolution toward a steady-state electronic distribution well described by Fermi-Dirac statistics with an increased effective temperature; however, in the insulating regime this quasithermal paradigm breaks down with relaxation toward a nonthermal state with a more complicated electronic distribution that does not vary monotonically as a function of energy. We characterize the behavior by studying changes in the energy, photoemission response, and electronic distribution as functions of time. Qualitatively these results should be observable on short enough time scales that the electrons behave like an isolated system not in contact with additional degrees of freedom which can act as a thermal bath. Importantly, proper modeling used to analyze experimental findings should account for this behavior, especially when using strong driving fields or studying materials whose physics may manifest the effects of strong correlations.Comment: Main Text: 5 pages, 4 figures; Supplementary Material: 3 pages, 5 figure

A dual role for GRP in cardiovascular disease

Management and prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents one of the major health challenges worldwide. CVD is the leading cause of death globally despite all research efforts on last decades regarding the molecular mechanisms and processes involved on its development and progression. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is an independent risk factor and promotor of CVD events, representing a considerable economic cost for the health system. CVD is the leading cause of death in all CKD stages, accounting for half the number of deaths in this population.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

THE MEANING OF HEIRS IN WILLSA SUGGESTION IN LEGAL METHOD

A major task of the lawyer is the prediction of judicial action. No less than a quarter of a century ago Justice Holmes referred to the law as a body of systematized prediction. Today legal scholars are not content to base their predictions solely upon the body of rules announced in judicial opinions. By means of elaborate fact studies they have sought to ascertain how rules of law actually function in society. Not only have these studies dealt with problems of procedure and the administration of courts, they have also invaded the fields of commercial and property law. Among such studies may be named those of Moore and Sussman in banking practices, those of Powell and Looker in decedents\u27 estates, and those of Douglas in bankruptcy

Vitamin K as a powerful micronutrient in aging and age-related diseases: pros and cons from clinical studies

Vitamin K is a multifunctional micronutrient implicated in age-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Although vitamin K-dependent proteins (VKDPs) are described to have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of these diseases, novel roles have emerged for vitamin K, independently of its role in VKDPs carboxylation. Vitamin K has been shown to act as an anti-inflammatory by suppressing nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signal transduction and to exert a protective effect against oxidative stress by blocking the generation of reactive oxygen species. Available clinical evidences indicate that a high vitamin K status can exert a protective role in the inflammatory and mineralization processes associated with the onset and progression of age-related diseases. Also, vitamin K involvement as a protective super-micronutrient in aging and 'inflammaging' is arising, highlighting its future use in clinical practice. In this review we summarize current knowledge regarding clinical data on vitamin K in skeletal and cardiovascular health, and discuss the potential of vitamin K supplementation as a health benefit. We describe the clinical evidence and explore molecular aspects of vitamin K protective role in aging and age-related diseases, and its involvement as a modulator in the interplay between pathological calcification and inflammation processes.Agência financiadora Portuguese Society of Nephrology (SPN) Portuguese national funds from FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology UID/Multi/04326/2019info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Time-Resolved Photoemission of Correlated Electrons Driven Out of Equilibrium

We describe the temporal evolution of the time-resolved photoemission response of the spinless Falicov-Kimball model driven out of equilibrium by strong, applied fields. The model is one of the few possessing a metal-insulator transition and admitting an exact solution in the time domain. The nonequilibrium dynamics, evaluated using an extension of dynamical mean-field theory, show how the driven system differs from two common viewpoints - a quasi-equilibrium system at an elevated, effective temperature (the 'hot' electron model) or a rapid interaction quench ('melting' of the Mott gap) - due to the rearrangement of electronic states and redistribution of spectral weight. The results demonstrate the inherent trade-off between energy and time resolution accompanying the finite width probe-pulses, characteristic of those employed in pump-probe, time-domain experiments, which can be used to focus attention on different aspects of the dynamics near the transition

Gla-rich protein is involved in the cross-talk between calcification and inflammation in osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a whole-joint disease characterized by articular cartilage loss, tissue inflammation, abnormal bone formation and extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization. Disease-modifying treatments are not yet available and a better understanding of osteoarthritis pathophysiology should lead to the discovery of more effective treatments. Gla-rich protein (GRP) has been proposed to act as a mineralization inhibitor and was recently shown to be associated with OA in vivo. Here, we further investigated the association of GRP with OA mineralization-inflammation processes. Using a synoviocyte and chondrocyte OA cell system, we showed that GRP expression was up-regulated following cell differentiation throughout ECM calcification, and that inflammatory stimulation with IL-1 beta results in an increased expression of COX2 and MMP13 and up-regulation of GRP. Importantly, while treatment of articular cells with gamma-carboxylated GRP inhibited ECM calcification, treatment with either GRP or GRP-coated basic calcium phosphate (BCP) crystals resulted in the down-regulation of inflammatory cytokines and mediators of inflammation, independently of its gamma-carboxylation status. Our results strengthen the calcification inhibitory function of GRP and strongly suggest GRP as a novel anti-inflammatory agent, with potential beneficial effects on the main processes responsible for osteoarthritis progression. In conclusion, GRP is a strong candidate target to develop new therapeutic approaches

Acción de la terapia láser sobre la actividad enzimática mitocondrial en un modelo de miopatía experimental.

Las hipótesis sobre el mecanismo de acción del láser de baja intensidad (LLLT: Low Level Laser Teraphy), Helio-Neón (He-Ne) y Arseniuro de Galio (As.Ga), se centran en la mitocondria. Se evaluó el efecto de LLLT en miopatía experimental, valorando la actividad de: citrato sintasa (CI) y los complejos I-IV de la cadena respiratoria mitocondrial (CRM). Se utilizaron 70 ratashembras, cepa Wistar, distribuidas en 7 grupos: A) control, B) injuriado y sacrificado a las 24 hs., C) injuriado y sacrificado a los 10 días, D) injuriado + láser de He-Ne, E) injuriado + láser de As.Ga, F) láser de He-Ne y G) láser de As.Ga. La miopatía se indujo con carragenina, inyectada en un miembro posterior. Las variables fueron determinadas por espectrofotometría. LLLT se realizó durante 10 días consecutivos (9,5 J/cm2).El análisis estadístico se realizó aplicando ANOVA-test de Fisher (p<0.05). El láser de He.Ne por si solo aumentó significativamente (p < 0.05) la actividad de CI y disminuyó la actividad del complejo IV de la CRM (p < 0.05). El láser por si solo aumentó la actividad de CI y disminuyó los complejos II (p<0.001) y IV (0.05). LLLT en miopatía inflamatoria tuvo efecto normo-regulador de la actividad enzimática mitocondrial.Action of laser therapy on mitochondrial enzyme activity in amodel of experimental myopathy.AbstractHypotheses about the mechanism of action of low level laser (LLLT: Low Level Laser therapy), Helium-Neon (He-Ne) and gallium arsenide (As.Ga) focus in the mitochondria. The effect of LLLT in experimental myopathy, evaluating the activity: citrate synthase (CI) and complex I-IV of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (CRM). We used 70 female rats, Wistar strain, divided into 7 groups: A) control, B) injured and sacrificed at 24 hours, C) injured and sacrificed at 10 days, D) injured + He-Ne laser, E) As. Ga injured + laser, F) He-Ne laser and G) laser As.Ga. Myopathy was induced by carrageenan injected into the left hind foot. The variables were determined by spectrophotometry. LLLT was performed for 10 consecutive days (9.5 J/cm2).Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA-Fisher test (p <0.05). He.Ne laser alone was significantly increased (p <0.05) CI activity and decreased activity of complex IV of the MCA (p <0.05). The laser alone increased CI and decreased activity ofcomplex II (p <0.001) and IV (0.05). LLLT was effective in inflammatory myopathy normal-regulating mitochondrial enzyme activityKey words: Myopathy; Helium Neon laser; Gallium Arsenide laser; Mitochondrial respiratory chai

Long-term cardiovascular risks and statin treatment impact on socioeconomic inequalities: microsimulation model

Background: UK cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality have declined in recent decades but socioeconomic inequalities persist. Aims: We present a new CVD model and project health outcomes and impact of guideline-recommended statin treatment across quintiles of socioeconomic deprivation in UK. Design and Setting: Lifetime microsimulation model developed using 117,896 participants in 16 statin trials and 501,854 UK Biobank (UKB) participants and quality of life data from national health surveys. Method: We developed a CVD microsimulation model using risk equations for myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularisation, cancer, vascular and nonvascular death, estimated using trial data. We calibrated and further developed this model in the UKB cohort, including further characteristics and a diabetes risk equation, and validated the model in UKB and Whitehall II cohorts. We used the model to predict CVD incidence, life expectancy, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and impact of UK guideline-recommended statin treatment across quintiles of socioeconomic deprivation. Results: Age, sex, socioeconomic deprivation, smoking, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular events were key CVD risk determinants. Model-predicted event rates corresponded well to observed rates across participant categories. The model projected strong gradients in remaining life expectancy, with 4-to-5 years (5-to-8 QALYs) gaps between the least and most socioeconomically deprived quintiles. Guideline-recommended statin treatment was projected to increase QALYs with larger gains in quintiles of higher deprivation. Conclusions: The study demonstrated the potential of guideline-recommended statin treatment to reduce socioeconomic inequalities. This CVD model is a novel resource for individualised long-term projections of health outcomes and effects of CVD treatments

Systematic review and network meta-analysis with individual participant data on cord management at preterm birth (iCOMP): study protocol

Introduction Timing of cord clamping and other cord management strategies may improve outcomes at preterm birth. However, it is unclear whether benefits apply to all preterm subgroups. Previous and current trials compare various policies, including time-based or physiology-based deferred cord clamping, and cord milking. Individual participant data (IPD) enable exploration of different strategies within subgroups. Network meta-analysis (NMA) enables comparison and ranking of all available interventions using a combination of direct and indirect comparisons. Objectives (1) To evaluate the effectiveness of cord management strategies for preterm infants on neonatal mortality and morbidity overall and for different participant characteristics using IPD meta-analysis. (2) To evaluate and rank the effect of different cord management strategies for preterm births on mortality and other key outcomes using NMA. Methods and analysis Systematic searches of Medline, Embase, clinical trial registries, and other sources for all ongoing and completed randomised controlled trials comparing cord management strategies at preterm birth (before 37 weeks’ gestation) have been completed up to 13 February 2019, but will be updated regularly to include additional trials. IPD will be sought for all trials; aggregate summary data will be included where IPD are unavailable. First, deferred clamping and cord milking will be compared with immediate clamping in pairwise IPD meta-analyses. The primary outcome will be death prior to hospital discharge. Effect differences will be explored for prespecified participant subgroups. Second, all identified cord management strategies will be compared and ranked in an IPD NMA for the primary outcome and the key secondary outcomes. Treatment effect differences by participant characteristics will be identified. Inconsistency and heterogeneity will be explored. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval for this project has been granted by the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee (2018/886). Results will be relevant to clinicians, guideline developers and policy-makers, and will be disseminated via publications, presentations and media releases

Gla Rich Protein (GRP) is associated to osteoarthritis being highly accumulated in the joint tissues and synovial fluid

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