2,764 research outputs found
Gravitational wave background from neutron star phase transition for a new class of equation of state
We study the generation of a stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background
produced by a population of neutron stars (NSs) which go over a hadron-quark
phase transition in its inner shells. We obtain, for example, that the NS phase
transition, in cold dark matter scenarios, could generate a stochastic GW
background with a maximum amplitude of , in the
frequency band for stars forming at redshifts of up
to We study the possibility of detection of this isotropic GW
background by correlating signals of a pair of `advanced' LIGO observatories.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
BMN vacua, superstars and non-abelian T-duality
Acting with non-Abelian T-duality on the inside the subspace of
with units of flux, we generate a new half-BPS solution
with symmetry that belongs to the Lin-Lunin-Maldacena class of
geometries. The analysis of the asymptotics, quantised charges and probe branes
in this geometry suggests an interpretation as the gravity dual to the
Berenstein-Maldacena-Nastase Plane Wave Matrix Model, in a particular vacuum
associated to a partition of , in which the multiplicity of each
irreducible representation is equal to its dimension. This vacuum is
interpreted in M-theory in terms of giant gravitons backreacting in the
maximally supersymmetric pp-wave geometry. Consistently with this, we show that
the non-Abelian T-dual solution exactly agrees with the Penrose limit of the
superstar solution in . This suggests an interesting global
completion of the non-Abelian T-dual solution in terms of an M5-brane geometry.Comment: 28 pages, discussion in section 5.1 improved, results unchanged,
reference added. Matches published versio
Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells enhance radiotherapy-induced cell death in tumor and metastatic tumor foci
We have recently shown that radiotherapy may not only be a successful local and regional treatment
but, when combined with MSCs, may also be a novel systemic cancer therapy. This study aimed to investigate the
role of exosomes derived from irradiated MSCs in the delay of tumor growth and metastasis after treatment with
MSC + radiotherapy (RT). The tumor cell loss rates found after treatment with the combination of MSC and RT and for exclusive RT, were:
44.4% % and 12,1%, respectively. Concomitant and adjuvant use of RT and MSC, increased the mice surviving time 22,5%
in this group, with regard to the group of mice treated with exclusive RT and in a 45,3% respect control group. Moreover,
the number of metastatic foci found in the internal organs of the mice treated with MSC + RT was 60% less than the
mice group treated with RT alone. We reasoned that the exosome secreted by the MSC, could be implicated in tumor
growth delay and metastasis control after treatment. Our results show that exosomes derived form MSCs, combined with radiotherapy, are determinant in
the enhancement of radiation effects observed in the control of metastatic spread of melanoma cells and suggest that
exosome-derived factors could be involved in the bystander, and abscopal effects found after treatment of the tumors
with RT plus MSC. Radiotherapy itself may not be systemic, although it might contribute to a systemic effect when used
in combination with mesenchymal stem cells owing the ability of irradiated MSCs-derived exosomes to increase the
control of tumor growth and metastasis.This work was supported by CNPq, Conselho Nacional de
Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – Brasil, Junta de Andalucía,
project of Excellence from Junta de Andalucía P12-CTS-383 to FJO, Spanish
Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness SAF2015-70520-R to FJO and
JMRdA, RTICC RD12/0036/0026 and CIBER Cáncer ISCIII CB16/12/00421 to
FJO
Unsaturated Fatty Acids Revert Diet-Induced Hypothalamic Inflammation in Obesity
Background: In experimental models, hypothalamic inflammation is an early and determining factor in the installation and progression of obesity. Pharmacological and gene-based approaches have proven efficient in restraining inflammation and correcting the obese phenotypes. However, the role of nutrients in the modulation of hypothalamic inflammation is unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here we show that, in a mouse model of diet-induced obesity, partial substitution of the fatty acid component of the diet by flax seed oil (rich in C18:3) or olive oil (rich in C18:1) corrects hypothalamic inflammation, hypothalamic and whole body insulin resistance, and body adiposity. In addition, upon icv injection in obese rats, both v3 and v9 pure fatty acids reduce spontaneous food intake and body mass gain. These effects are accompanied by the reversal of functional and molecular hypothalamic resistance to leptin/insulin and increased POMC and CART expressions. In addition, both, v3 and v9 fatty acids inhibit the AMPK/ACC pathway and increase CPT1 and SCD1 expression in the hypothalamus. Finally, acute hypothalamic injection of v3 and v9 fatty acids activate signal transduction through the recently identified GPR120 unsaturated fatty acid receptor. Conclusions/Significance: Unsaturated fatty acids can act either as nutrients or directly in the hypothalamus, reverting dietinduced inflammation and reducing body adiposity. These data show that, in addition to pharmacological and geneti
Ruling out coronary heart disease in primary care patients with chest pain: a clinical prediction score
Chest pain raises concern for the possibility of coronary heart disease. Scoring methods have been developed to identify coronary heart disease in emergency settings, but not in primary care.
Data were collected from a multicenter Swiss clinical cohort study including 672 consecutive patients with chest pain, who had visited one of 59 family practitioners' offices. Using delayed diagnosis we derived a prediction rule to rule out coronary heart disease by means of a logistic regression model. Known cardiovascular risk factors, pain characteristics, and physical signs associated with coronary heart disease were explored to develop a clinical score. Patients diagnosed with angina or acute myocardial infarction within the year following their initial visit comprised the coronary heart disease group.
The coronary heart disease score was derived from eight variables: age, gender, duration of chest pain from 1 to 60 minutes, substernal chest pain location, pain increasing with exertion, absence of tenderness point at palpation, cardiovascular risks factors, and personal history of cardiovascular disease. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was of 0.95 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.92; 0.97. From this score, 413 patients were considered as low risk for values of percentile 5 of the coronary heart disease patients. Internal validity was confirmed by bootstrapping. External validation using data from a German cohort (Marburg, n = 774) revealed a receiver operating characteristics curve of 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.72; 0.81) with a sensitivity of 85.6% and a specificity of 47.2%.
This score, based only on history and physical examination, is a complementary tool for ruling out coronary heart disease in primary care patients complaining of chest pain
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