High-fat diet-induced obesity ablates gastric vagal afferent circadian rhythms

Rats with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity increase daytime eating, suggesting an alteration in circadian food intake mechanisms. Gastric vagal afferents (GVAs) respond to mechanical stimuli to initiate satiety. These signals are dampened in HFD mice and exhibit circadian variations inversely with food intake in lean mice. Furthermore, leptin shows circadian variation in its circulating level and is able to modulate GVA mechanosensitivity. However, whether leptin's ability to modulate GVAs occurs in a circadian manner is unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether changes in the circadian intake of food in HFD-induced obesity is associated with a disruption in GVA circadian rhythms. Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed a standard laboratory diet (SLD) or a HFD for 12 weeks. A subgroup of SLD and HFD mice were housed in metabolic cages. After 12 weeks, ex vivo GVA recordings were taken at 3 h intervals starting at zeitgeber time 0 (ZT0) and stomach content was measured. After 12 weeks, HFD mice consumed more food during the light phase through larger and more frequent meals compared with SLD mice. SLD mice exhibited circadian fluctuation in stomach content, which peaked at ZT18 and reached a nadir at ZT9. At these time points, both tension and mucosal receptor mechanosensitivity were the lowest and highest, respectively. HFD mice exhibited little circadian variation in stomach content or GVA mechanosensitivity. Leptin potentiated mucosal receptor mechanosensitivity only in SLD mice and with reduced potency during the dark phase. In conclusion, loss of circadian variation in GVA signaling may underpin changes in eating behavior in HFD-induced obesityStephen J. Kentish, Andrew D. Vincent, David J. Kennaway, Gary A. Wittert, and Amanda J. Pag

Clinical and Angiographic Factors Associated With Asymptomatic Restenosis After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND: Angiographic restenosis after percutaneous coronary interventional procedures is more common than recurrent angina. Clinical and angiographic factors associated with asymptomatic versus symptomatic restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention were compared. METHODS AND RESULTS: All patients with angiographic restenosis from the BENESTENT I, BENESTENT II pilot, BENESTENT II, MUSIC, WEST 1, DUET, FINESS 2, FLARE, SOPHOS, and ROSE studies were analyzed. Multivariate analysis evaluated 46 clinical and angiographic variables, comparing those with and without angina. The 10 studies recruited 2690 patients who underwent percutaneous revascularization and 6-month follow-up angiography (86% of those eligible). Restenosis (>/=50% diameter stenosis) occurred in 607 patients and was clinically silent in 335 (55%). Male sex (P=0.008), absence of antianginal therapy with nitrates (P=0.0002) and calcium channel blockers (P=0.02) at 6 months, greater reference diameter after the procedure (P=0.04), greater reference diameter at follow-up (P=0.004), and lesser lesion severity (percent stenosis) at 6 months (P=0.0004) were univariate predictors of asymptomatic restenosis. By multivariate analysis, only male sex (P=0.04), greater reference diameter at follow-up (P=0.002), and lesser lesion severity at 6 months (P=0.0001) were associated with restenosis without angina. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of patients with angiographic restenosis have no symptoms. The only multivariate predictors of silent restenosis at 6 months were male sex, greater reference diameter at follow-up, and lesser lesion severity on follow-up angiography

Effect of depression on health service utilisation in men: a prospective cohort study of Australian men aged 35 to 80 years

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between depression burden, health service utilisation and depression diagnosis in community-based men. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Community-based. PARTICIPANTS: Men aged 35-80 years at recruitment (2002-2005), randomly selected from the northern and western suburbs of Adelaide, Australia, without depression at baseline, who attended follow-up visits (2007-2010) (n=1464). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Depression symptoms were categorised into high burden (total score of ≥13 for the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) or ≥10 for the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) or low burden (<13 for the BDI or <10 for the CES-D). Diagnosed depression was determined by patient-reported physician diagnosis. Frequent general practitioner (GP) visits were those occurring 5+ times over the preceding year. Use of national medical and prescription services (Medicare Benefit Schedule and Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme; MBS and PBS) was assessed through data linkage. RESULTS: Frequent attendance and depression diagnosis was more common in men with a high than low burden of depression symptoms (45.9% vs 29.3%-18.7% vs 1.9%, p<0.001). Depression diagnoses were also more common in frequent GP attenders compared with low-average attenders (5.1% vs 2.2%, p<0.001). Among men with high burden of symptoms, there was no age-adjusted or multi-adjusted difference for likelihood of depression diagnosis between non-regular and frequent GP attenders. Annualised MBS and PBS expenditure was highest for men with undiagnosed depression. CONCLUSIONS: Men with a high burden of depression symptoms have commensurate use of health services when compared with those with a low burden, but only half report a physician diagnosis of depression. Undiagnosed depression led to a higher usage of medical and prescription services.Sean Martin, Ian Zajac, Andrew Vincent, Robert J Adams, Sarah Appleton, Gary A Witter

Submm/FIR astronomy in Antarctica: Potential for a large telescope facility

20International audiencePreliminary site testing datasets suggest that Dome C in Antarctica is one of the best sites on Earth for astronomical observations in the 200 to 500 micron regime, i.e. for far-infrared (FIR) and submillimetre (submm) astronomy. We present an overview of potential science cases that could be addressed with a large telescope facility at Dome C. This paper also includes a presentation of the current knowledge about the site characterics in terms of atmospheric transmission, stability, sky noise and polar constraints on telescopes. Current and future site testing campaigns are finally described

Health behaviours of Australian men and the likelihood of attending a dedicated men's health service

Background: Redesigning primary health services may enhance timely and effective uptake by men. The primary aim of this study was to assess the likelihood of Australian men attending a dedicated men's health service (DMHS). The further aims were to better understand the reasons for their preferences and determine how health behaviours influence likelihood. Methods: A survey on health service use and preferences, health help-seeking behaviours, and the likelihood of attending a DMHS was administered by telephone to 1506 randomly selected men (median age 56 years, range 19-95). Likelihood of attending a DMHS was rated using a single item Likert scale where 0 was not at all likely and 10 highly likely. Respondents were classified by age ( = 65 years) and health status. Principal component analyses were used to define health behaviours, specifically help-seeking and delay/avoidance regarding visiting a doctor. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses were used to examine predictors of likelihood of attending a DMHS. Results: The mean likelihood of attending a DMHS was 5.8 (SD 3.3, median 6, moderate likelihood) and 21%, 26% and 23% of men rated likelihood as moderate, high and very high respectively. Being happy with their existing doctor was the most common reason (52%) for being less likely to attend a DMHS. In unadjusted analyses, younger men reported being more likely to attend a DMHS (p < 0.001) with older-sick men reporting being least likely (p < 0.001). Younger men were more likely than older men to score higher on delay/avoidance and were more likely to self-monitor. In the full model, men with current health concerns (p ≤ 0.01), who scored higher on delay/avoidance (p ≤ 0.0006), who were more likely to be information-seekers (p < 0.0001) and/or were motivated to change their health (p ≤ 0.0001) reported a higher likelihood of attending a DMHS irrespective of age and health status. Conclusions: Seventy percent of men reported a moderate or higher likelihood of attending a DMHS. As young healthy men are more likely than older men to display health behaviours that are associated with a higher likelihood of attending a DHMS, such as delay/avoidance, marketing a DMHS to such men may be of value.Andrew D. Vincent, Phoebe G. Drioli-Phillips, Jana Le, Lynette Cusack, Timothy J. Schultz, Margaret A. McGee, Deborah A. Turnbull, and Gary A. Witter

Single-Particle and Collective Motion for Proton-Rich Nuclei on the Astrophysical rp-Process Path

Based on available experimental data, a new set of Nilsson parameters is proposed for proton-rich nuclei with proton or neutron numbers $28\leq N\leq 40$. The resulting single-particle spectra are compared with those from relativistic and non-relativistic mean field theories. Collective excitations in some even--even proton-rich nuclei in the upper $pf$ shell are investigated using the Projected Shell Model with the new Nilsson basis. It is found that the regular bands are sharply disturbed by band crossings involving $1g_{9/2}$ neutrons and protons. Physical quantities for exploring the nature of the band disturbance and the role of the $1g_{9/2}$ single-particle are predicted, which may be tested by new experiments with radioactive beams.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev. C, Rapid Communicatio

Measurement of the polarisation of W bosons produced with large transverse momentum in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment

This paper describes an analysis of the angular distribution of W->enu and W->munu decays, using data from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2010, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of about 35 pb^-1. Using the decay lepton transverse momentum and the missing transverse energy, the W decay angular distribution projected onto the transverse plane is obtained and analysed in terms of helicity fractions f0, fL and fR over two ranges of W transverse momentum (ptw): 35 < ptw < 50 GeV and ptw > 50 GeV. Good agreement is found with theoretical predictions. For ptw > 50 GeV, the values of f0 and fL-fR, averaged over charge and lepton flavour, are measured to be : f0 = 0.127 +/- 0.030 +/- 0.108 and fL-fR = 0.252 +/- 0.017 +/- 0.030, where the first uncertainties are statistical, and the second include all systematic effects.Comment: 19 pages plus author list (34 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables, revised author list, matches European Journal of Physics C versio

Observation of a new chi_b state in radiative transitions to Upsilon(1S) and Upsilon(2S) at ATLAS

The chi_b(nP) quarkonium states are produced in proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4 fb^-1, these states are reconstructed through their radiative decays to Upsilon(1S,2S) with Upsilon->mu+mu-. In addition to the mass peaks corresponding to the decay modes chi_b(1P,2P)->Upsilon(1S)gamma, a new structure centered at a mass of 10.530+/-0.005 (stat.)+/-0.009 (syst.) GeV is also observed, in both the Upsilon(1S)gamma and Upsilon(2S)gamma decay modes. This is interpreted as the chi_b(3P) system.Comment: 5 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 1 table, corrected author list, matches final version in Physical Review Letter

Search for displaced vertices arising from decays of new heavy particles in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

We present the results of a search for new, heavy particles that decay at a significant distance from their production point into a final state containing charged hadrons in association with a high-momentum muon. The search is conducted in a pp-collision data sample with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 33 pb^-1 collected in 2010 by the ATLAS detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Production of such particles is expected in various scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. We observe no signal and place limits on the production cross-section of supersymmetric particles in an R-parity-violating scenario as a function of the neutralino lifetime. Limits are presented for different squark and neutralino masses, enabling extension of the limits to a variety of other models.Comment: 8 pages plus author list (20 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final version to appear in Physics Letters

Measurement of the inclusive isolated prompt photon cross-section in pp collisions at sqrt(s)= 7 TeV using 35 pb-1 of ATLAS data

A measurement of the differential cross-section for the inclusive production of isolated prompt photons in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy sqrt(s) = 7 TeV is presented. The measurement covers the pseudorapidity ranges |eta|<1.37 and 1.52<=|eta|<2.37 in the transverse energy range 45<=E_T<400GeV. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 35 pb-1, collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The yields of the signal photons are measured using a data-driven technique, based on the observed distribution of the hadronic energy in a narrow cone around the photon candidate and the photon selection criteria. The results are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations and found to be in good agreement over four orders of magnitude in cross-section.Comment: 7 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 4 tables, final version published in Physics Letters