288 research outputs found
Expectancy after the first treatment and response to acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes
Background: Evidence on the impact of expectancy on acupuncture treatment response is conflicting. Objectives: This secondary analysis of a randomized sham-controlled trial on acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes investigated whether treatment expectancy score was associated with hot flash score at end-of-treatment. Secondary analyses investigated whether there were associations between other pre-specified factors and hot flash score. Study design: Women experiencing moderately-severe hot flashes were randomized to receive 10 sessions of real or sham acupuncture over eight weeks. Hot flash score was collected using a seven-day hot flash diary, and expectancy using the modified Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire immediately after the first treatment. Linear mixed-effects models with random intercepts were used to identify associations between expectancy score and hot flash score at end-of-treatment. Regression was also used to identify associations between prespecified factors of interest and hot flash score. Because there was no difference between real and sham acupuncture for the primary outcome of hot flash score, both arms were combined in the analysis. Results: 285 women returned the Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire, and 283 women completed both expectancy measures. We found no evidence for an association between expectancy and hot flash score at end-of-treatment for individual cases in either acupuncture or sham group. Hot flash scores at end-of-treatment were 8.1 (95%CI, 3.0 to 13.2; P = 0.002) points lower in regular smokers compared to those who had never smoked, equivalent to four fewer moderate hot flashes a day. Conclusion: In our study of acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes, higher expectancy after the first treatment did not predict better treatment outcomes. Future research may focus on other determinants of outcomes in acupuncture such as therapist attention. The relationship between smoking and hot flashes is poorly understood and needs further exploration.Carolyn C. Ee, Sharmala Thuraisingam, Marie V. Pirotta, Simon D. French, Charlie C. Xue, Helena J. Teed
Translational development of an ADAMTS-5 antibody for osteoarthritis disease modification
SummaryObjective/MethodAggrecanase activity, most notably ADAMTS-5, is implicated in pathogenic cartilage degradation. Selective monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to both ADAMTS-5 and ADAMTS-4 were generated and in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo systems were utilized to assess target engagement, aggrecanase inhibition and modulation of disease-related endpoints with the intent of selecting a candidate for clinical development in osteoarthritis (OA).ResultsStructural mapping predicts the most potent mAbs employ a unique mode of inhibition by cross-linking the catalytic and disintegrin domains. In a surgical mouse model of OA, both ADAMTS-5 and ADAMTS-4-specific mAbs penetrate cartilage following systemic administration, demonstrating access to the anticipated site of action. Structural disease modification and associated alleviation of pain-related behavior were observed with ADAMTS-5 mAb treatment. Treatment of human OA cartilage demonstrated a preferential role for ADAMTS-5 inhibition over ADAMTS-4, as measured by ARGS neoepitope release in explant cultures. ADAMTS-5 mAb activity was most evident in a subset of patient-derived tissues and suppression of ARGS neoepitope release was sustained for weeks after a single treatment in human explants and in cynomolgus monkeys, consistent with high affinity target engagement and slow ADAMTS-5 turnover.ConclusionThis data supports a hypothesis set forth from knockout mouse studies that ADAMTS-5 is the major aggrecanase involved in cartilage degradation and provides a link between a biological pathway and pharmacology which translates to human tissues, non-human primate models and points to a target OA patient population. Therefore, a humanized ADAMTS-5-selective monoclonal antibody (GSK2394002) was progressed as a potential OA disease modifying therapeutic
Electrical transport studies of quench condensed Bi films at the initial stage of film growth: Structural transition and the possible formation of electron droplets
The electrical transport properties of amorphous Bi films prepared by
sequential quench deposition have been studied in situ. A
superconductor-insulator (S-I) transition was observed as the film was made
increasingly thicker, consistent with previous studies. Unexpected behavior was
found at the initial stage of film growth, a regime not explored in detail
prior to the present work. As the temperature was lowered, a positive
temperature coefficient of resistance (dR/dT > 0) emerged, with the resistance
reaching a minimum before the dR/dT became negative again. This behavior was
accompanied by a non-linear and asymmetric I-V characteristic. As the film
became thicker, conventional variable-range hopping (VRH) was recovered. We
attribute the observed crossover in the electrical transport properties to an
amorphous to granular structural transition. The positive dR/dT found in the
amorphous phase of Bi formed at the initial stage of film growth was
qualitatively explained by the formation of metallic droplets within the
electron glass.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
A first-principles approach to electrical transport in atomic-scale nanostructures
We present a first-principles numerical implementation of Landauer formalism
for electrical transport in nanostructures characterized down to the atomic
level. The novelty and interest of our method lies essentially on two facts.
First of all, it makes use of the versatile Gaussian98 code, which is widely
used within the quantum chemistry community. Secondly, it incorporates the
semi-infinite electrodes in a very generic and efficient way by means of Bethe
lattices. We name this method the Gaussian Embedded Cluster Method (GECM). In
order to make contact with other proposed implementations, we illustrate our
technique by calculating the conductance in some well-studied systems such as
metallic (Al and Au) nanocontacts and C-atom chains connected to metallic (Al
and Au) electrodes. In the case of Al nanocontacts the conductance turns out to
be quite dependent on the detailed atomic arrangement. On the contrary, the
conductance in Au nanocontacts presents quite universal features. In the case
of C chains, where the self-consistency guarantees the local charge transfer
and the correct alignment of the molecular and electrode levels, we find that
the conductance oscillates with the number of atoms in the chain regardless of
the type of electrode. However, for short chains and Al electrodes the even-odd
periodicity is reversed at equilibrium bond distances.Comment: 14 pages, two-column format, submitted to PR
The ARGO-YBJ Experiment Progresses and Future Extension
Gamma ray source detection above 30TeV is an encouraging approach for finding
galactic cosmic ray origins. All sky survey for gamma ray sources using wide
field of view detector is essential for population accumulation for various
types of sources above 100GeV. To target the goals, the ARGO-YBJ experiment has
been established. Significant progresses have been made in the experiment. A
large air shower detector array in an area of 1km2 is proposed to boost the
sensitivity. Hybrid detection with multi-techniques will allow a good
discrimination between different types of primary particles, including photons
and protons, thus enable an energy spectrum measurement for individual specie.
Fluorescence light detector array will extend the spectrum measurement above
100PeV where the second knee is located. An energy scale determined by balloon
experiments at 10TeV will be propagated to ultra high energy cosmic ray
experiments
High Altitude test of RPCs for the ARGO-YBJ experiment
A 50 m**2 RPC carpet was operated at the YangBaJing Cosmic Ray Laboratory
(Tibet) located 4300 m a.s.l. The performance of RPCs in detecting Extensive
Air Showers was studied. Efficiency and time resolution measurements at the
pressure and temperature conditions typical of high mountain laboratories, are
reported.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Nucl. Instr. Met
Direct Measurements of the Branching Fractions for and and Determinations of the Form Factors and
The absolute branching fractions for the decays and
are determined using singly
tagged sample from the data collected around 3.773 GeV with the
BES-II detector at the BEPC. In the system recoiling against the singly tagged
meson, events for and events for decays are observed. Those yield
the absolute branching fractions to be and . The
vector form factors are determined to be
and . The ratio of the two form
factors is measured to be .Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Measurements of J/psi Decays into 2(pi+pi-)eta and 3(pi+pi-)eta
Based on a sample of 5.8X 10^7 J/psi events taken with the BESII detector,
the branching fractions of J/psi--> 2(pi+pi-)eta and J/psi-->3(pi+pi-)eta are
measured for the first time to be (2.26+-0.08+-0.27)X10^{-3} and
(7.24+-0.96+-1.11)X10^{-4}, respectively.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
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