11,048 research outputs found
Maternal glucose and fatty acid kinetics and infant birth weight in obese women with type 2 diabetes
The objectives of this study were 1) to describe maternal glucose and lipid kinetics and 2) to examine the relationships with infant birth weight in obese women with pregestational type 2 diabetes during late pregnancy. Using stable isotope tracer methodology and mass spectrometry, maternal glucose and lipid kinetic rates during the basal condition were compared in three groups: lean women without diabetes (Lean, n = 25), obese women without diabetes (OB, n = 26), and obese women with pregestational type 2 diabetes (OB+DM, n = 28; total n = 79). Glucose and lipid kinetics during hyperinsulinemia were also measured in a subset of participants (n = 56). Relationships between maternal glucose and lipid kinetics during both conditions and infant birth weight were examined. Maternal endogenous glucose production (EGP) rate was higher in OB+DM than OB and Lean during hyperinsulinemia. Maternal insulin value at 50% palmitate R(a) suppression (IC50) for palmitate suppression with insulinemia was higher in OB+DM than OB and Lean. Maternal EGP per unit insulin and plasma free fatty acid concentration during hyperinsulinemia most strongly predicted infant birth weight. Our findings suggest maternal fatty acid and glucose kinetics are altered during late pregnancy and might suggest a mechanism for higher birth weight in obese women with pregestational diabetes
Gaussian approximation and single-spin measurement in OSCAR MRFM with spin noise
A promising technique for measuring single electron spins is magnetic
resonance force microscopy (MRFM), in which a microcantilever with a permanent
magnetic tip is resonantly driven by a single oscillating spin. If the quality
factor of the cantilever is high enough, this signal will be amplified over
time to the point that it can be detected by optical or other techniques. An
important requirement, however, is that this measurement process occur on a
time scale short compared to any noise which disturbs the orientation of the
measured spin. We describe a model of spin noise for the MRFM system, and show
how this noise is transformed to become time-dependent in going to the usual
rotating frame. We simplify the description of the cantilever-spin system by
approximating the cantilever wavefunction as a Gaussian wavepacket, and show
that the resulting approximation closely matches the full quantum behavior. We
then examine the problem of detecting the signal for a cantilever with thermal
noise and spin with spin noise, deriving a condition for this to be a useful
measurement.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures in EPS format, RevTeX 4.
Damped Lyman-alpha absorption from a nearby Low Surface Brightness galaxy
Ground-based & HST images of the nearby galaxy SBS 1543+593 (z=0.009) show it
to be a Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxy with a central surface brightness
of mu_B(0)=23.2 mag/arcsec-2 and scale length 0.9 h-1 kpc, values typical for
the local LSB galaxy population. The galaxy lies directly in front of the QSO
HS 1543+5921 (z=0.807); an HST STIS spectrum of the quasar reveals a damped
Lyman-alpha (DLA) line at the redshift of the interloper with an HI column
density of log N(HI) = 20.35, as well as several low-ionization metal lines
with strengths similar to those found in the Milky Way interstellar medium. Our
data show that LSB galaxies are certainly able to produce the DLA lines seen at
higher redshift, and fuels the speculation that LSB galaxies are a major
contributor to that population of absorbers.Comment: Submitted to A
Clinical surveillance of thrombotic microangiopathies in Scotland, 2003-2005
The prevalence, incidence and outcomes of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura (TTP) are not well established in adults or children from prospective studies. We sought to identify both outcomes and current management strategies using prospective, national surveillance of HUS and TTP, from 2003 to 2005 inclusive. We also investigated the links between these disorders and factors implicated in the aetiology of HUS and TTP including infections, chemotherapy, and immunosuppression. Most cases of HUS were caused by verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC), of which serotype O157 predominated, although other serotypes were identified. The list of predisposing factors for TTP was more varied although use of immunosuppressive agents and severe sepsis, were the most frequent precipitants. The study demonstrates that while differentiating between HUS and TTP is sometimes difficult, in most cases the two syndromes have quite different predisposing factors and clinical parameters, enabling clinical and epidemiological profiling for these disorders
Random matrices, non-backtracking walks, and orthogonal polynomials
Several well-known results from the random matrix theory, such as Wigner's
law and the Marchenko--Pastur law, can be interpreted (and proved) in terms of
non-backtracking walks on a certain graph. Orthogonal polynomials with respect
to the limiting spectral measure play a role in this approach.Comment: (more) minor change
Intensity modulated radiation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva: Treatment technique and outcomes
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