D-Tagatose-Based Compositions and Methods for Preventing and Treating Atherosclerosis, Metabolic Syndrome, and Symptoms Thereof

Pharmaceutical compositions including D-tagatose along with a stilbene or stilbenoid component, or a salt or derivative thereof. Methods of prophylaxis and therapy by administering to a mammal a pharmaceutically effective amount of D-tagatose, optionally in combination with a stilbene or stilbenoid component, or a salt or derivative thereof to prevent or treat atherosclerosis, the metabolic syndrome, obesity, or diabetes

Apparatus and Method for Multiple Wavelength of Tissue

An apparatus for analyzing the chemical composition of tissue includes a near infrared light source, a fiber-optic probe, a mechanism for directing the light from the light source onto the tissue and detectors for detecting light reflected by the tissue. The light source transmits an incident beam having a wavelength ranging from 1000 to 2500 nm. A compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) is connected to a distal end of the fiber optic probe to focus or concentrate the wavelengths of light simultaneously and in parallel on a particular spot of tissue. Alternatively, an inverted, substantially conical reflector is positioned to scatter the incident light across the tissue. The method includes the steps of (1) focusing light onto the tissue to be analyzed; (2) detecting light reflected by the tissue; and (3) analyzing the resulting spectra across the full wavelength of the originally focused light. A color image is then produced for subsequent study

Resultados y complicaciones en alargamientos óseos con alargadores uniplanares

Se realizaron 186 procedimientos en 167 pacientes con discrepancia en la longitud de las extremidades, realizando osteotomías metafisarias y metadiafisiarias proximales o distales. El ritmo de distracción fue 1 mm por día, iniciando al décimo día postoperatorio, con 114 fémures y 69 tibias, 1 húmero, 1 cúbito y 1 peroné. El promedio de alargamiento de 54,4 mm y un porcentaje de alargamiento del 15,9%. El índice de consolidación fue de 42,8 días/cm para fémur y 50,3 días/cm para tibia. La etiología se dividió en grupos que comprendieron: secuelas de poliomielitis, 33,4%; congénitos, 22,5%; infecciosos, 11,4%; estatura corta, 10,5%; secuelas postraumáticas, 7%; displasias óseas, 7%; displasia del desarrollo de la cadera, 6,1%, y metabólicas, 2,6%. Las complicaciones se dividieron en 4 grupos, encontrando que los grupos que mayores complicaciones presentaron fueron el de pacientes con secuelas de poliomielitis y el de problemas congénitos. En nuestro estudio la complicación más frecuente encontrada fue la de contractura, seguida de infecciones del trayecto de los clavos.We performed 186 procedures in 167 patients with leg length discrepancy. Proximal and distal methaphyseal corticotomy was utilized. The rate of distraction was 1 mm per day. The distraction started 10 days postop. We treated 114 femora and 69 tibiae, one humerus, one ulna and one fibula. The average of lengthening was 54.4 mm and 15.9 percent of lengthening for the bone. The healing index was 46.5 days/cm with 42.8 days/cm for femur and 50.3 days/cm for tibiae. The etiology was divided in groups: poliomyelitis sequelae, 33.4%; congenital, 22.5%; infections, 11.4%; short stature, 10.5%; trauma, 7%; dysplasias, 7%; development dysplasia of the hip, 6.1%; metabolic, 2.6%. The complication was divided in four groups and we found that the major complication was present in the group with poliomyelitis sequelae and congenital problems. In our study, we found that contractures and pin tract infections were the most common complication

Sexual Dimorphism of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Sex is the largest nonmodifiable risk factor for the development of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in humans and experimental models. Data from several studies consistently demonstrate a higher AAA prevalence in males than in females, contributing to divergent recommendations for AAA screening in men and women. Despite a higher AAA prevalence in males, females have more rapid rates of aneurysm dilation, and aneurysms rupture at smaller sizes. Unfortunately, no therapies have been effective to retard aneurysm dilation in either sex. Results from experimental AAA models indicate a protective role for estrogen in AAA development and progression, while male testosterone has been demonstrated to markedly promote angiotensin II (AngII)‐induced AAAs. Potential mechanisms implicated in sex hormone regulation of AAAs include regulation of inflammation, matrix metalloproteinases, aromatase activity, oxidative stress, stem cells, and transforming growth factor‐beta. In addition to sex hormones, sex chromosomes have been implicated in diseases of the aorta. Turner\u27s syndrome (monosomy X) patients have a high incidence of thoracic aortic rupture. Recent studies indicate a novel approach to define the relative role of sex hormones versus sex chromosomes in experimental AAAs. Further studies are warranted to determine interactions between sex hormones and sex chromosomes in AAA development and progression

Fine-Grained Completeness for Optimization in P

We initiate the study of fine-grained completeness theorems for exact and approximate optimization in the polynomial-time regime. Inspired by the first completeness results for decision problems in P (Gao, Impagliazzo, Kolokolova, Williams, TALG 2019) as well as the classic class MaxSNP and MaxSNP-completeness for NP optimization problems (Papadimitriou, Yannakakis, JCSS 1991), we define polynomial-time analogues MaxSP and MinSP, which contain a number of natural optimization problems in P, including Maximum Inner Product, general forms of nearest neighbor search and optimization variants of the $k$-XOR problem. Specifically, we define MaxSP as the class of problems definable as $\max_{x_1,\dots,x_k} \#\{ (y_1,\dots,y_\ell) : \phi(x_1,\dots,x_k, y_1,\dots,y_\ell) \}$, where $\phi$ is a quantifier-free first-order property over a given relational structure (with MinSP defined analogously). On $m$-sized structures, we can solve each such problem in time $O(m^{k+\ell-1})$. Our results are: - We determine (a sparse variant of) the Maximum/Minimum Inner Product problem as complete under *deterministic* fine-grained reductions: A strongly subquadratic algorithm for Maximum/Minimum Inner Product would beat the baseline running time of $O(m^{k+\ell-1})$ for *all* problems in MaxSP/MinSP by a polynomial factor. - This completeness transfers to approximation: Maximum/Minimum Inner Product is also complete in the sense that a strongly subquadratic $c$-approximation would give a $(c+\varepsilon)$-approximation for all MaxSP/MinSP problems in time $O(m^{k+\ell-1-\delta})$, where $\varepsilon > 0$ can be chosen arbitrarily small. Combining our completeness with~(Chen, Williams, SODA 2019), we obtain the perhaps surprising consequence that refuting the OV Hypothesis is *equivalent* to giving a $O(1)$-approximation for all MinSP problems in faster-than-$O(m^{k+\ell-1})$ time