D0-D8-F1 in Massive IIA SUGRA

We present some new supersymmetric solutions of massive IIA supergravity involving D0-branes, a D8-brane and a string. For the bosonic fields we use a general ansatz with SO(8) symmetry.Comment: 7 pages, reference added, appendix included in main tex

Quantization of the complex linear superfield

The quantization of the complex linear superfield requires an infinite tower of ghosts. We use the Batalin-Vilkovisky method to obtain a gauge-fixed action. In superspace, the method brings in some novel features.Comment: 21 pages, latex, no figure

The longitudinal fivebrane and tachyon condensation in matrix theory

We study a configuration in matrix theory carying longitudinal fivebrane charge, i.e. a D0-D4 bound state. We calculate the one-loop effective potential between a D0-D4 bound state and a D0-anti-D4 bound state and compare our results to a supergravity calculation. Next, we identify the tachyonic fluctuations in the D0-D4 and D0-anti-D4 system. We analyse classically the action for these tachyons and find solutions to the equations of motion corresponding to tachyon condensation.Comment: 19 page

On The Gauge-Fixed BRST Cohomology

A crucial property of the standard antifield-BRST cohomology at non negative ghost number is that any cohomological class is completely determined by its antifield independent part. In particular, a BRST cocycle that vanishes when the antifields are set equal to zero is necessarily exact.\ \ This property, which follows from the standard theorems of homological perturbation theory, holds not only in the algebra of local functions, but also in the space of local functionals. The present paper stresses how important it is that the antifields in question be the usual antifields associated with the gauge invariant description. By means of explicit counterexamples drawn from the free Maxwell-Klein-Gordon system, we show that the property does not hold, in the case of local functionals, if one replaces the antifields of the gauge invariant description by new antifields adapted to the gauge fixation. In terms of these new antifields, it is not true that a local functional weakly annihilated by the gauge-fixed BRST generator determines a BRST cocycle; nor that a BRST cocycle which vanishes when the antifields are set equal to zero is necessarily exact.Comment: 14 pages Latex fil

Key factors in children's competence to consent to clinical research

Background: Although law is established on a strong presumption that persons younger than a certain age are not competent to consent, statutory age limits for asking children's consent to clinical research differ widely internationally. From a clinical perspective, competence is assumed to involve many factors including the developmental stage, the influence of parents and peers, and life experience. We examined potential determining factors for children's competence to consent to clinical research and to what extent they explain the variation in competence judgments. Methods: From January 1, 2012 through January 1, 2014, pediatric patients aged 6 to 18 years, eligible for clinical research studies were enrolled prospectively at various in- and outpatient pediatric departments. Children's competence to consent was assessed by MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research. Potential determining child variables included age, gender, intelligence, disease experience, ethnicity and socio-economic status (SES). We used logistic regression analysis and change in explained variance in competence judgments to quantify the contribution of a child variable to the total explained variance. Contextual factors included risk and complexity of the decision to participate, parental competence judgment and the child's or parents decision to participate. Results: Out of 209 eligible patients, 161 were included (mean age, 10.6 years, 47.2 % male). Age, SES, intelligence, ethnicity, complexity, parental competence judgment and trial participation were univariately associated with competence (P∈∈0.05). Conclusions: Age is the factor that explaines most of to the variance in children's competence to consent, followed by intelligence. Experience with disease did not affect competence in this study, nor did other variables. Clinical trial registration: Development and use of a standardized instrument for assessing children's competence to consent in drug trials: Are legally established age limits valid?, NTR3918

Epigenetics in radiotherapy: Where are we heading?

Radiotherapy is an important component of anti-cancer treatment. However, not all cancer patients respond to radiotherapy, and with current knowledge clinicians are unable to predict which patients are at high risk of recurrence after radiotherapy. There is therefore an urgent need for biomarkers to guide clinical decision-making. Although the importance of epigenetic alterations is widely accepted, their application as biomarkers in radiotherapy has not been studied extensively. In addition, it has been suggested that radiotherapy itself introduces epigenetic alterations. As epigenetic alterations can potentially be reversed by drug treatment, they are interesting candidate targets for anticancer therapy or radiotherapy sensitizers. The application of demethylating drugs or histone deacetylase inhibitors to sensitize patients for radiotherapy has been studied in vitro, in vivo as well as in clinical trials with promising results. This review describes the current knowledge on epigenetics in radiotherapy

Intraduodenal Administration of Intact Pea Protein Effectively Reduces Food Intake in Both Lean and Obese Male Subjects

BACKGROUND: Human duodenal mucosa secretes increased levels of satiety signals upon exposure to intact protein. However, after oral protein ingestion, gastric digestion leaves little intact proteins to enter the duodenum. This study investigated whether bypassing the stomach, through intraduodenal administration, affects hormone release and food-intake to a larger extent than orally administered protein in both lean and obese subjects. METHODS: Ten lean (BMI:23.0±0.7 kg/m²) and ten obese (BMI:33.4±1.4 kg/m²) healthy male subjects were included. All subjects randomly received either pea protein solutions (250 mg/kg bodyweight in 0.4 ml/kg bodyweight of water) or placebo (0.4 ml/kg bodyweight of water), either orally or intraduodenally via a naso-duodenal tube. Appetite-profile, plasma GLP-1, CCK, and PYY concentrations were determined over a 2 h period. After 2 h, subjects received an ad-libitum meal and food-intake was recorded. RESULTS: CCK levels were increased at 10(p<0.02) and 20(p<0.01) minutes after intraduodenal protein administration (IPA), in obese subjects, compared to lean subjects, but also compared to oral protein administration (OPA)(p<0.04). GLP-1 levels increased after IPA in obese subjects after 90(p<0.02) to 120(p<0.01) minutes, compared to OPA. Food-intake was reduced after IPA both in lean and obese subjects (-168.9±40 kcal (p<0.01) and -298.2±44 kcal (p<0.01), respectively), compared to placebo. Also, in obese subjects, food-intake was decreased after IPA (-132.6±42 kcal; p<0.01), compared to OPA. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention of gastric proteolysis through bypassing the stomach effectively reduces food intake, and seems to affect obese subjects to a greater extent than lean subjects. Enteric coating of intact protein supplements may provide an effective dietary strategy in the prevention/treatment of obesity

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P &lt; 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Percutaneous closure of a persistent left superior vena cava connected to the left atrium

Cerebral emboli and abscesses are common complications in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease and right-to-left shunt. Of those, a persistent left superior vena cava (LSVC) draining into the left atrium, directly or through an unroofed coronary sinus, is a rather rare finding. In order to prevent recurrent cerebral emboli and abscesses, correction of this anomaly may be recommended. We report the first case of a patient who underwent a percutaneous closure of a persistent LSVC draining into the left atrium with an Amplatzer ASD occluder.status: publishe