Interleukin-1 as a mediator of fatigue in disease: a narrative review

Fatigue is commonly reported in a variety of illnesses, and it has major impact on quality of life. Previously, it was thought that fatigue originates in the skeletal muscles, leading to cessation of activity. However, more recently, it has become clear that the brain is the central regulator of fatigue perception. It has been suggested that pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), play a prominent role in the development of central fatigue, and several studies have been performed to elucidate the connection between inflammation and these central processes.In this narrative review, mechanisms of action of IL-1 are described, with special attention to its effect on the central nervous system. In addition, we present a summary of studies that (i) investigated the relationship between circulating IL-1α and IL-1β and fatigue severity and/or (ii) evaluated the effect of inhibiting IL-1 on fatigue. We aim to improve the understanding of fatigue in both inflammatory and non-inflammatory illnesses, which could help develop strategies to treat fatigue more effectively.Reviewing the studies that have been performed, it appears that there is a limited value of measuring circulating IL-1. However, inhibiting IL-1 has a positive effect on severe fatigue in most studies that have been conducte

On the mass distribution of neutron stars in HMXBs

We present the results of a monitoring campaign of three eclipsing high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs: SMC X-1, LMC X-4 and Cen X-3). High-resolution VLT/UVES spectra are used to measure the radial velocities of these systems with high accuracy. We show that the subsequent mass determination of the neutron stars in these systems is significantly improved and discuss the implications of this result.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, To appear in the proceedings of the International Workshop "Massive Stars in Interacting Binaries" in Montrea

Breeding for a more energy efficient greenhouse tomato: past and future perspectives

Energy efficiency can be increased either by increasing the production per m2 or by reducing the energy input per m2, e.g. by reducing temperature set-points in the greenhouse. So far, in Dutch glasshouse tomatoes energy efficiency was almost exclusively raised by yield increases. To study the role of tomato breeding in this production increase, yield and underlying components of 7 cultivars released between 1950 and 2002 were studied. Furthermore, variation in temperature response between cultivars was studied. In three experiments yield and biomass production of in total 11 cultivars were evaluated at two temperature regimes (17/15°C and 21/19°C day/night temperature set-points). Breeding has resulted in a remarkable increase in production. Under current conditions, yield of modern cultivars was on average 40% higher than yield of `Moneymaker¿, released in 1950. This increase in production resulted from a higher light use efficiency. Although the fraction of assimilates partitioned to the fruits showed small differences between cultivars, this trait was not related to year of release. Furthermore, more recently introduced cultivars produced larger fruits rather than more fruits. All cultivars responded similar to both temperature regimes for all important characteristics, limiting the possibilities of using existing cultivars in a breeding program for improved yield at lower temperatures

A Study of the Coronal Plasma in RS CVn binary systems

XMM-Newton has been performing comprehensive studies of X-ray bright RS CVn binaries in its Calibration and Guaranteed Time programs. We present results from ongoing investigations in the context of a systematic study of coronal emission from RS CVns. We concentrate in this paper on coronal abundances and investigate the abundance pattern in RS CVn binaries as a function of activity and average temperature. A transition from an Inverse First Ionization Potential (FIP) effect towards an absence of a clear trend is found in intermediately active RS CVn systems. This scheme corresponds well into the long-term evolution from an IFIP to a FIP effect found in solar analogs. We further study variations in the elemental abundances during a large flare.Comment: to appear in The Twelfth Cool Stars, Stellar Systems and the Sun, eds. A. Brown, T.R. Ayres, G.M. Harper, (Boulder: Univ. of Colorado), in pres

Microbubble shape oscillations excited through ultrasonic parametric driving\ud

An air bubble driven by ultrasound can become shape-unstable through a parametric instability. We report time-resolved optical observations of shape oscillations (mode n=2 to 6) of micron-sized single air bubbles. The observed mode number n was found to be linearly related to the ambient radius of the bubble. Above the critical driving pressure threshold for shape oscillations, which is minimal at the resonance of the volumetric radial mode, the observed mode number n is independent of the forcing pressure amplitude. The microbubble shape oscillations were also analyzed numerically by introducing a small nonspherical linear perturbation to a Rayleigh-Plesset-type equation, capturing the experimental observations in detail.\ud \u

The pattern of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and its modulating agents IL-1 receptor antagonist and IL-1 soluble receptor type II in acute meningococcal infections

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