Spin dependence of diffractive DIS

I review the recent progress in the theory of s-channel helicity nonconservation (SCHNC) effects in diffractive DIS including the unitarity driven demise of the Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule and strong scaling departure from the Wandzura-Wilczek relation.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, uses npb.sty (attached), a contribution to the Proceedings of DIS'99, April 99, Zeuthen, German

Intrinsic Charm in B-Meson Decays

Light cone hadron wave functions support Fock states of arbitrarily high particle number: their heavy quark content arises naturally through QCD interactions. We discuss what role c\bar c pairs, intrinsic to a hadron's structure, can play in B-meson decays. The effects can be prominent in hadronic decays for which the tree-level contributions are Cabibbo-suppressed, as in B\to \pi K decay, and they mimic ``charming penguin'' contributions.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figs, invited talk at the 5th Int'l Conf. on Hyperons, Charm and Beauty Hadrons (BEACH 2002), Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, June 25-29,2002, to appear in the proceeding

Clinical characteristics and evaluation of the incidence of cryptococcosis in Finland 2004-2018

Background Cryptococcosis is one of the major causes of mortality among HIV patients worldwide. Though most often associated with late stage HIV infection/AIDS, a significant number of cases occur in other immunocompromised patients such as solid organ transplant recipients and patients with hematological malignancies. Immunocompromised patients are a heterogeneous group and their number increases constantly. Since little is known about the incidence and the clinical features of cryptococcosis in Northern Europe, our aim was to investigate the clinical characteristics of cryptococcosis patients in Finland. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the laboratory confirmed cryptococcosis cases in Finland during 2004-2018. Only those who were treated for cryptococcosis were included in the study. Initial laboratory findings and medical records were also collected. Results A total of 22 patients with cryptococcosis were included in our study. The annual incidence of cryptococcosis was 0.03 cases per 100,000 population. Ten patients were HIV-positive and 12 out of 22 were HIV-negative. Hematological malignancy was the most common underlying condition among HIV-negative patients. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study of the clinical presentation and incidence of cryptococcosis in Finland. We demonstrate that invasive cryptococcal infection occurs not only in HIV/AIDS patients or otherwise immunocompromised patients but also in immunocompetent individuals. Even though cryptococcosis is extremely rare in Finland, its recognition is important since the prognosis depends on rapid diagnostics and early antifungal therapy.Peer reviewe

Anthropometric and Physical Profiles of English Academy Rugby Union Players.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the anthropometric and physical characteristics of English regional academy rugby union academy players by age category (under 16, under 18 and under 21s). Data were collected on 67 academy players at the beginning of the pre-season period and comprised anthropometric (height, body mass and sum of 8 skinfolds) and physical (5 m, 10 m, 20 m & 40 m sprint, acceleration, velocity & momentum; agility 505; vertical jump; yo-yo intermittent recovery test level 1; 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test; absolute and relative 3 repetition maximum (3RM) front squat, split squat, bench press, prone row and chin; and isometric mid-thigh pull). One way analysis of variance demonstrated significant increases across the three age categories (p < 0.05) for height (e.g., 16s = 178.8 ± 7.1; 18s = 183.5 ± 7.2; 21s = 186.7 ± 6.61 cm), body mass (e.g., 16s = 79.4 ± 12.8; 18s = 88.3 ± 11.9; 21s = 98.3 ± 10.4kg), countermovement jump height and peak power, sprint momentum, velocity and acceleration; absolute, relative and isometric (e.g., 16s = 2157.9 ± 309.9; 18s = 2561.3 ± 339.4; 21s = 3104.5 ± 354.0 N) strength. Momentum, maximal speed and the ability to maintain acceleration were all discriminating factors between age categories, suggesting that these variables may be more important to monitor rather than sprint times. These findings highlight that anthropometric and physical characteristics develop across age categories and provide comparative data for English academy Rugby Union players

Changes in anthropometry and performance, and their inter-relationships, across three seasons in elite youth rugby league players

This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2014, 28(11), pp. 3128-3136.This study investigated changes in anthropometry and performance, and their inter-relationships, across three consecutive seasons (under-15 to under-17 age group) in elite youth rugby league players. Each player took part in annual anthropometrical and performance assessments, comprising measurements of stature; body mass; limb lengths and circumference; skinfolds, predicted muscle cross-sectional area (CSA); 20 m speed, counter-movement jump height, vertical power and aerobic power. Lean body mass % changed (P < 0.05) between the under-15 (70.9 ± 5.9 %), under-16 (72.0 ± 5.8 %) and the under-17 age groups (74.1 ± 5.7 %). Likewise, predicted quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) also changed (P < 0.05) between each age group (under-15 = 120.9 ± 37.8 cm2; under-16 = 133.2 ± 36.0 cm2; under-17 = 154.8 ± 28.3 cm2). Concomitant changes between the under-15 and under-16 group were found for 20 m speed (3.5 ± 0.1 cf. 3.4 ± 0.2 s; P = 0.008) and predicted jumping power (3611.3 ± 327.3 W cf. 4081.5 ± 453.9 W; P = 0.003). Both lean body mass and quadriceps muscle CSA consistently, related to both 20 m sprint time and jumping power, with r-values ranging between -0.39 to –0.63 (20 m sprint time) and 0.55 to 0.75 (jumping power). Our findings demonstrate the importance of gains in lean body mass across later-adolescence that support the ability to generate horizontal speed and predicted vertical power. This information should inform the expectations and subsequent training programs of elite rugby league practitioners

Associations of Type 2 Diabetes with Common Variants in PPARD and the Modifying Effect of Vitamin D among Middle-Aged and Elderly Chinese

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have identified that variants in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor PPAR-δ (PPARD), a target gene of vitamin D, were significantly associated with fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity in European populations. This current study sought to determine (1) whether the genetic associations of PPARD variants with type 2 diabetes and its related traits could be replicated in Chinese Han population, and (2) whether the associations would be modified by the effect of vitamin D status. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We genotyped 9 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that cover the gene of PPARD (rs2267664, rs6902123, rs3798343, rs2267665, rs2267668, rs2016520, rs2299869, rs1053049, and rs9658056) and tested their associations with type 2 diabetes risk and its related traits, including fasting glucose, insulin and HbA1c in 3,210 Chinese Hans. Among the 9 PPARD tag SNPs, rs6902123 was significantly associated with risk of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio 1.75 [95%CI 1.22-2.53]; P = 0.0025) and combined type 2 diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (odds ratio 1.47 [95%CI 1.12-1.92]; P = 0.0054). The minor C allele of rs6902123 was associated with increased levels of fasting glucose (P = 0.0316) and HbA1c (P = 0.0180). In addition, we observed that vitamin D modified the effect of rs6902123 on HbA1c (P for interaction = 0.0347). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings demonstrate that common variants in PPARD contribute to the risk of type 2 diabetes in Chinese Hans, and provided suggestive evidence of interaction between 25(OH)D levels and PPARD-rs6902123 on HbA1c

Anthropometric, Sprint, and High-Intensity Running Profiles of English Academy Rugby Union Players by Position

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the anthropometric, sprint and high-intensity running profiles of English academy rugby union players by playing positions, and to investigate the relationships between anthropometric, sprint and high intensity running characteristics. Data was collected from 67 academy players following the off-season period and consisted of anthropometric (height, body mass, sum of 8 skinfolds [∑SF]), 40 m linear sprint (5, 10, 20 30 & 40 m splits), the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1(Yo-Yo IRTL-1) and the 30-15 intermittent fitness test (30-15IFT). Forwards displayed greater stature, body mass and ∑SF; sprint times and sprint momentum, with lower high-intensity running ability and sprint velocities than backs. Comparisons between age categories demonstrated body mass and sprint momentum to have the largest differences at consecutive age categories for forwards and backs; whilst 20-40 m sprint velocity was discriminate for forwards between Under 16s, 18s and 21s. Relationships between anthropometric, sprint velocity, momentum and high-intensity running ability demonstrated body mass to negatively impact upon sprint velocity (10 m; r = -0.34 to -0.46); positively affect sprint momentum (e.g., 5 m; r = 0.85 to 0.93), with large to very large negative relationships with the Yo-Yo IRTL-1 (r= -0.65 to -0.74) and 30-15IFT (r= -0.59 to -0.79). These findings suggest that there are distinct anthropometric, sprint and high-intensity running ability differences between and within positions in junior rugby union players. The development of sprint and high-intensity running ability may be impacted by continued increases in body mass as there appears to be a trade-off between momentum, velocity and the ability to complete high-intensity running

Cushing's Syndrome and Fetal Features Resurgence in Adrenal Cortex–Specific Prkar1a Knockout Mice

Carney complex (CNC) is an inherited neoplasia syndrome with endocrine overactivity. Its most frequent endocrine manifestation is primary pigmented nodular adrenocortical disease (PPNAD), a bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia causing pituitary-independent Cushing's syndrome. Inactivating mutations in PRKAR1A, a gene encoding the type 1 α-regulatory subunit (R1α) of the cAMP–dependent protein kinase (PKA) have been found in 80% of CNC patients with Cushing's syndrome. To demonstrate the implication of R1α loss in the initiation and development of PPNAD, we generated mice lacking Prkar1a specifically in the adrenal cortex (AdKO). AdKO mice develop pituitary-independent Cushing's syndrome with increased PKA activity. This leads to autonomous steroidogenic genes expression and deregulated adreno-cortical cells differentiation, increased proliferation and resistance to apoptosis. Unexpectedly, R1α loss results in improper maintenance and centrifugal expansion of cortisol-producing fetal adrenocortical cells with concomitant regression of adult cortex. Our data provide the first in vivo evidence that loss of R1α is sufficient to induce autonomous adrenal hyper-activity and bilateral hyperplasia, both observed in human PPNAD. Furthermore, this model demonstrates that deregulated PKA activity favors the emergence of a new cell population potentially arising from the fetal adrenal, giving new insight into the mechanisms leading to PPNAD