Magnetic field and unstable accretion during AM Herculis low states

A study of AM Her low states in September 1990 and 1991 and June-July 1997 is reported from a coordinated campaign with observations obtained at the Haute-Provence observatory, at the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory and at the 2.6m and 1.25m telescopes of the Crimean observatory. Spectra obtained at different dates when the source was in low states at a comparable V magnitude, show the presence of strong Zeeman absorption features and marked changes in emission lines with a day-to-day reappearance of the HeII (4686\AA) emission lines in 1991. Despite this variability, the magnetic field inferred from the fitting of the absorption spectrum with Zeeman hydrogen splitting, is remarkably constant with a best value of (12.5$\pm$0.5)MG. Detailed analysis of the UBVRI light curves shows the presence of repetitive moderate amplitude ($\sim$ 0.3-0.5 mag) flares predominantly red in colour. These flares are attributed to small accretion events and are compared to the large ($\sim$ 2 mag.) blue flare reported by Shakhovskoy et al. (1993). We suggest that the general flaring activity observed during the low states is generated by accretion events. The different characteristics of the flares (colour and polarization) are the results of different shock geometries depending on the net mass accretion flux.Comment: accepted in Astronomy & Astrophysics (Main Journal), 10 pages, 6 Figures, Late

Epidemiological features of whooping cough in a large area of Yekaterinburg

The purpose of the study is to study the epidemiological features of pertussis infection at the present stage to determine the key directions for improving the epidemiological surveillance system.Цель исследования – изучить эпидемиологические особенности коклюшной инфекции на современном этапе для определения ключевых направлений совершенствования системы эпидемиологического надзора

High dietary salt does not significantly affect plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of Sprague Dawley rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Dahl salt-sensitive rat, but not the Dahl salt-resistant rat, develops hypertension and hypovitaminosis D when fed a high salt diet. Since the salt-sensitive rat and salt-resistant rat were bred from the Sprague Dawley rat, the aim of this research was to test the hypothesis that salt-resistant and Sprague Dawley rats would be similar in their vitamin D endocrine system response to high salt intake.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Sprague Dawley, salt-sensitive, and salt-resistant rats were fed high (80 g/kg, 8%) or low (3 g/kg, 3%) salt diets for three weeks. The blood pressure of Sprague Dawley rats increased from baseline to week 3 during both high and low salt intake and the mean blood pressure at week 3 of high salt intake was higher than that at week 3 of low salt intake (<it>P </it>< 0.05). Mean plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations (marker of vitamin D status) of Sprague Dawley, salt-sensitive, and salt-resistant rats were similar at week 3 of low salt intake. Mean plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of Sprague Dawley and salt-resistant rats were unaffected by high salt intake, whereas the mean plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration of salt-sensitive rats at week 3 of high salt intake was only 20% of that at week 3 of low salt intake.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data indicate that the effect of high salt intake on the vitamin D endocrine system of Sprague Dawley rats at week 3 was similar to that of salt-resistant rats. The salt-sensitive rat, thus, appears to be a more appropriate model than the Sprague Dawley rat for assessing possible effects of salt-sensitivity on vitamin D status of humans.</p

Analysis of the incidence of tick-borne viral encephalitis in the Chkalovsky district of Yekaterinburg for the period 2012-2022

The purpose of the study is to study the epidemiological features of the incidence of tick–borne viral encephalitis in the territory of the Chkalovsky district of Yekaterinburg for the period 2012-2022.Цель исследования – изучить эпидемиологические особенности заболеваемости КВЭ на территории Чкаловского района г. Екатеринбурга за период 2012-2022 гг

Idling Magnetic White Dwarf in the Synchronizing Polar BY Cam. The Noah-2 Project

Results of a multi-color study of the variability of the magnetic cataclysmic variable BY Cam are presented. The observations were obtained at the Korean 1.8m and Ukrainian 2.6m, 1.2m and 38-cm telescopes in 2003-2005, 56 observational runs cover 189 hours. The variations of the mean brightness in different colors are correlated with a slope dR/dV=1.29(4), where the number in brackets denotes the error estimates in the last digits. For individual runs, this slope is much smaller ranging from 0.98(3) to 1.24(3), with a mean value of 1.11(1). Near the maximum, the slope becomes smaller for some nights, indicating more blue spectral energy distribution, whereas the night-to-night variability has an infrared character. For the simultaneous UBVRI photometry, the slopes increase with wavelength from dU/dR=0.23(1) to dI/dR=1.18(1). Such wavelength dependence is opposite to that observed in non-magnetic cataclysmic variables, in an agreement to the model of cyclotron emission. The principal component analysis shows two (with a third at the limit of detection) components of variablitity with different spectral energy distribution, which possibly correspond to different regions of emission. The scalegram analysis shows a highest peak corresponding to the 200-min spin variability, its quarter and to the 30-min and 8-min QPOs. The amplitudes of all these components are dependent on wavelength and luminosity state. The light curves were fitted by a statistically optimal trigonometrical polynomial (up to 4-th order) to take into account a 4-hump structure. The dependences of these parameters on the phase of the beat period and on mean brightness are discussed. The amplitude of spin variations increases with an increasing wavelength and with decreasing brightnessComment: 30pages, 11figures, accepted in Cent.Eur.J.Phy

Stent-assisted coiling of acute ruptured cerebral aneurysms

The necessity of quick surgical treatment of acute ruptured cerebral aneurysms was demonstrated in large studies by the ISAT and ISUIA, which also proved the advantage of the endovascular method over the surgical one. Ballonassistence is widely used in treatment of aneurysms with wide neck and unfavorable vascular anatomy, but the radicality of the treatment is insufficient. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of stent-assisted embolization of «acute» cerebral aneurysms. Material and methods. A retrospective analysis of the treatment of 234 patients with «acute» cerebral aneurysms was carried out. Results. Only coils were used in 40.6 % of cases (n = 95), balloon-assistance, in 40.2 % of cases (n = 94), and stent-assistance, in 19.2 % of cases (n = 45). There were 11.5 % (n = 27) clinically significant complications. Total aneurysm occlusion (Raymond-Roy I) was achieved in 187 cases (79.9 %); the radicality at the control examination was 67.1 % (157 patients). Discussion. The radicality of the treatment with stents was slightly higher then with balloons and coils at the end of operation (84.4 %, n = 38 and 78.8 %, n = 149, p &gt; 0.05), but it was significantly higher at the control examination (80.0 %, n = 36 and 60.8 %, n = 115, respectively, p &lt;0.05). Also, we had no statistically significant difference of the complication rate in the «stent» and «no stent» groups; therefore, the clinical outcomes of endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms did not depend on the choice of treatment method. Conclusions. Intracranial stents allow achieving good results of the embolization of complex aneurysms in the acute period of intracranial hemorrhage without increasing the risk of surgical treatment

The Association between Hypertension and Depression and Anxiety Disorders: Results from a Nationally-Representative Sample of South African Adults

OBJECTIVE:Growing evidence suggests high levels of comorbidity between hypertension and mental illness but there are few data from low- and middle-income countries. We examined the association between hypertension and depression and anxiety in South Africa. METHODS:Data come from a nationally-representative survey of adults (n = 4351). The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to measure DSM-IV mental disorders during the previous 12-months. The relationships between self-reported hypertension and anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and comorbid anxiety-depression were assessed after adjustment for participant characteristics including experience of trauma and other chronic physical conditions. RESULTS:Overall 16.7% reported a previous medical diagnosis of hypertension, and 8.1% and 4.9% were found to have a 12-month anxiety or depressive disorder, respectively. In adjusted analyses, hypertension diagnosis was associated with 12-month anxiety disorders [Odds ratio (OR) = 1.55, 95% Confidence interval (CI) = 1.10-2.18] but not 12-month depressive disorders or 12-month comorbid anxiety-depression. Hypertension in the absence of other chronic physical conditions was not associated with any of the 12-month mental health outcomes (p-values all <0.05), while being diagnosed with both hypertension and another chronic physical condition were associated with 12-month anxiety disorders (OR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.46-3.45), but not 12-month depressive disorders or comorbid anxiety-depression. CONCLUSIONS:These are the first population-based estimates to demonstrate an association between hypertension and mental disorders in sub-Saharan Africa. Further investigation is needed into role of traumatic life events in the aetiology of hypertension as well as the temporality of the association between hypertension and mental disorders

Analyzing factors that influence the folk use and phytonomy of 18 medicinal plants in Navarra

BACKGROUND: This article analyzes whether the distribution or area of use of 18 medicinal plants is influenced by ecological and cultural factors which might account for their traditional use and/or phytonymy in Navarra. This discussion may be helpful for comparative studies, touching as it does on other ethnopharmacological issues: a) which cultural and ecological factors affect the selection of medicinal plants; b) substitutions of medicinal plants in popular medicine; c) the relation between local nomenclature and uses. To analyze these questions, this paper presents an example of a species used for digestive disorders (tea and camomile: Jasonia glutinosa, J. tuberosa, Sideritis hyssopifolia, Bidens aurea, Chamaemelum nobile, Santolina chamaecyparissus...), high blood pressure (Rhamnus alaternus, Olea europaea...) or skin diseases (Hylotelephium maximum, H. telephium, Anagallis arvensis, A. foemina). METHODS: Fieldwork began on January 2004 and continued until December 2006. During that time we interviewed 505 informants in 218 locations in Navarra. Information was collected using semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews, and we subsequently made maps using Arc-View 8.0 program to determine the area of use of each taxon. Each map was then compared with the bioclimatic and linguistic map of Navarra, using the soil and ethnographic data for the region, and with other ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies carried out in Europe. RESULTS: The results clearly show that ecological and cultural factors influence the selection of medicinal plants in this region. Climate and substrate are the most important ecological factors that influence the distribution and abundance of plants, which are the biological factors that affect medicinal plant selection. CONCLUSION: The study of edaphological and climatological factors, on the one hand, and culture, on the other, can help us to understand why a plant is replaced by another one for the same purposes, either in the same or in a different area. In many cases, the cultural factor means that the use of a species is more widespread than its ecological distribution. This may also explain the presence of synonyms and polysemies which are useful for discussing ethnopharmacological data

Impact of phenolic-rich olive leaf extract on blood pressure, plasma lipids and inflammatory markers: a randomised controlled trial

Purpose Dietary polyphenols have been demonstrated to favourably modify a number of cardiovascular risk markers such as blood pressure (BP), endothelial function and plasma lipids. We conducted a randomised, double-blind, controlled, crossover trial to investigate the effects of a phenolic-rich olive leaf extract (OLE) on BP and a number of associated vascular and metabolic measures. Methods A total of 60 pre-hypertensive [systolic blood pressure (SBP): 121–140 mmHg; diastolic blood pressure (DBP): 81–90 mmHg] males [mean age 45 (±SD 12.7 years, BMI 26.7 (±3.21) kg/m2] consumed either OLE (136 mg oleuropein; 6 mg hydroxytyrosol) or a polyphenol-free control daily for 6 weeks before switching to the alternate arm after a 4-week washout. Results Daytime [−3.95 (±SD 11.48) mmHg, p = 0.027] and 24-h SBP [−3.33 (±SD 10.81) mmHg, p = 0.045] and daytime and 24-h DBP [−3.00 (±SD 8.54) mmHg, p = 0.025; −2.42 (±SD 7.61) mmHg, p = 0.039] were all significantly lower following OLE intake, relative to the control. Reductions in plasma total cholesterol [−0.32 (±SD 0.70) mmol/L, p = 0.002], LDL cholesterol [−0.19 (±SD 0.56) mmol/L, p = 0.017] and triglycerides [−0.18 (±SD 0.48), p = 0.008] were also induced by OLE compared to control, whilst a reduction in interleukin-8 [−0.63 (±SD 1.13) pg/ml; p = 0.026] was also detected. Other markers of inflammation, vascular function and glucose metabolism were not affected. Conclusion Our data support previous research, suggesting that OLE intake engenders hypotensive and lipid-lowering effects in vivo