35,418 research outputs found
Selective COX-2 inhibitors and risk of myocardial infarction
Selective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase- 2 ( COX- 2, ` coxibs') are highly effective anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs that exert their action by preventing the formation of prostanoids. Recently some coxibs, which were designed to exploit the advantageous effects of non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs while evading their side effects, have been reported to increase the risk of myocardial infarction and atherothrombotic events. This has led to the withdrawal of rofecoxib from global markets, and warnings have been issued by drug authorities about similar events during the use of celecoxib or valdecoxib/ parecoxib, bringing about questions of an inherent atherothrombotic risk of all coxibs and consequences that should be drawn by health care professionals. These questions need to be addressed in light of the known effects of selective inhibition of COX- 2 on the cardiovascular system. Although COX- 2, in contrast to the cyclooxygenase-1 ( COX- 1) isoform, is regarded as an inducible enzyme that only has a role in pathophysiological processes like pain and inflammation, experimental and clinical studies have shown that COX- 2 is constitutively expressed in tissues like the kidney or vascular endothelium, where it executes important physiological functions. COX- 2- dependent formation of prostanoids not only results in the mediation of pain or inflammatory signals but also in the maintenance of vascular integrity. Especially prostacyclin ( PGI(2)), which exerts vasodilatory and antiplatelet properties, is formed to a significant extent by COX- 2, and its levels are reduced to less than half of normal when COX- 2 is inhibited. This review outlines the rationale for the development of selective COX- 2 inhibitors and the pathophysiological consequences of selective inhibition of COX- 2 with special regard to vasoactive prostaglandins. It describes coxibs that are currently available, evaluates the current knowledge on the risk of atherothrombotic events associated with their intake and critically discusses the consequences that should be drawn from these insights. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel
Non-equilibrium fixed points of coupled Ising models
Driven-dissipative systems are expected to give rise to non-equilibrium
phenomena that are absent in their equilibrium counterparts. However, phase
transitions in these systems generically exhibit an effectively classical
equilibrium behavior in spite of their non-equilibrium origin. In this paper,
we show that multicritical points in such systems lead to a rich and genuinely
non-equilibrium behavior. Specifically, we investigate a driven-dissipative
model of interacting bosons that possesses two distinct phase transitions: one
from a high- to a low-density phase---reminiscent of a liquid-gas
transition---and another to an antiferromagnetic phase. Each phase transition
is described by the Ising universality class characterized by an (emergent or
microscopic) symmetry. They, however, coalesce at a
multicritical point, giving rise to a non-equilibrium model of coupled
Ising-like order parameters described by a
symmetry. Using a dynamical renormalization-group approach, we show that a pair
of non-equilibrium fixed points (NEFPs) emerge that govern the long-distance
critical behavior of the system. We elucidate various exotic features of these
NEFPs. In particular, we show that a generic continuous scale invariance at
criticality is reduced to a discrete scale invariance. This further results in
complex-valued critical exponents and spiraling phase boundaries, and it is
also accompanied by a complex Liouvillian gap even close to the phase
transition. As direct evidence of the non-equilibrium nature of the NEFPs, we
show that the fluctuation-dissipation relation is violated at all scales,
leading to an effective temperature that becomes "hotter" and "hotter" at
longer and longer wavelengths. Finally, we argue that this non-equilibrium
behavior can be observed in cavity arrays with cross-Kerr nonlinearities.Comment: 19+11 pages, 7+9 figure
Recommended from our members
Determination of the hydrodynamic performance of marine propellers using fibre Bragg gratings
Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only. A critical aspect in the design of marine propellers is their hydrodynamic performance which, when evaluated experimentally, requires a number of parameters to be monitored at the same time, i.e.The thrust and torque a propeller generates as well as the propeller shaft and vessel speed. In this investigation, three of those parameters are measured using Fibre Bragg Grating-based sensors, thus allowing for computationally derived performance values to be verified. For that purpose, open water tests were carried out where an instrumented propeller shaft was installed into a research vessel and measurements taken, evaluated and the results compared favorably with advanced computer-based simulations
Limitations of the heavy-baryon expansion as revealed by a pion-mass dispersion relation
The chiral expansion of nucleon properties such as mass, magnetic moment, and
magnetic polarizability are investigated in the framework of chiral
perturbation theory, with and without the heavy-baryon expansion. The analysis
makes use of a pion-mass dispersion relation, which is shown to hold in both
frameworks. The dispersion relation allows an ultraviolet cutoff to be
implemented without compromising the symmetries. After renormalization, the
leading-order heavy-baryon loops demonstrate a stronger dependence on the
cutoff scale, which results in weakened convergence of the expansion. This
conclusion is tested against the recent results of lattice quantum
chromodynamics simulations for nucleon mass and isovector magnetic moment. In
the case of the polarizability, the situation is even more dramatic as the
heavy-baryon expansion is unable to reproduce large soft contributions to this
quantity. Clearly, the heavy-baryon expansion is not suitable for every
quantity.Comment: Accepted for publication in EPJ C. Made changes based on referee
comments: clarifying sentences to conclusion 1. of Section IV, beginning of
Section V, and new footnote in Section VI, page 8. Added more detailed
explanation in paragraph 4 of Section III. Added citations of Phys.Rev. D60,
034014, and Phys.Lett. B716, 33
Applications of the AVE-Sesame data sets to mesoscale studies
Data collected by the lightning data concentrator are available for research. The Mark 3 McIDAS capability provides greater flexibility for the Marshall user community and serves as a model of future UW McIDAS to remote computer links. Techniques were investigated for the display of dynamic 3-D data sets. To date the most promising display technology is a polarized two CRT perspective display which allows both dynamic 3-D images and graphics presentations with full color capability. Algorithms were for the preparation and display of conventional and satellite based weather data in 3-D. These include gridding, contouring, and streamlining processors which operate on both real time and case study data bases. An upper air trajectory model was implemented which creates a display of air parcel trajectories in perspective 3-D. A subsystem for the generation of 3-D solid surface display with shading and hidden surface display with shading and hidden surface removal was tested and its products are currently being evaluated. Motion parallax introduced by moving the point of observation during display is an important depth cue, which, when added to the perspective parallax creates a very realistic appearing display
Specifying and Verifying Concurrent Algorithms with Histories and Subjectivity
We present a lightweight approach to Hoare-style specifications for
fine-grained concurrency, based on a notion of time-stamped histories that
abstractly capture atomic changes in the program state. Our key observation is
that histories form a partial commutative monoid, a structure fundamental for
representation of concurrent resources. This insight provides us with a
unifying mechanism that allows us to treat histories just like heaps in
separation logic. For example, both are subject to the same assertion logic and
inference rules (e.g., the frame rule). Moreover, the notion of ownership
transfer, which usually applies to heaps, has an equivalent in histories. It
can be used to formally represent helping---an important design pattern for
concurrent algorithms whereby one thread can execute code on behalf of another.
Specifications in terms of histories naturally abstract granularity, in the
sense that sophisticated fine-grained algorithms can be given the same
specifications as their simplified coarse-grained counterparts, making them
equally convenient for client-side reasoning. We illustrate our approach on a
number of examples and validate all of them in Coq.Comment: 17 page
Molecular Gas in Elliptical Galaxies: Distribution and Kinematics
I present interferometric images (approx. 7" resolution) of CO emission in
five elliptical galaxies and nondetections in two others. These data double the
number of elliptical galaxies whose CO emission has been fully mapped. The
sample galaxies have 10^8 to 5x10^9 solar masses of molecular gas distributed
in mostly symmetric rotating disks with diameters of 2 to 12 kpc. Four out of
the five molecular disks show remarkable alignment with the optical major axes
of their host galaxies. The molecular masses are a few percent of the total
dynamical masses which are implied if the gas is on circular orbits. If the
molecular gas forms stars, it will make rotationally supported stellar disks
which will be very similar in character to the stellar disks now known to be
present in many ellipticals. Comparison of stellar kinematics to gas kinematics
in NGC 4476 implies that the molecular gas did not come from internal stellar
mass loss because the specific angular momentum of the gas is about three times
larger than that of the stars.Comment: 47 pages, 6 tables, 27 figures. Accepted by AJ, scheduled for August
200
- …