Distinct patterns of expression of fibroblast growth factors and their receptors in human atheroma and nonatherosclerotic arteries. Association of acidic FGF with plaque microvessels and macrophages

Because fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) modulate important functions of endothelial cells (EC) and smooth muscle cells (SMC), we studied FGF expression in human vascular cells and control or atherosclerotic arteries. All cells and arteries contained acidic (a) FGF and basic (b) FGF mRNA. Northern analysis detected aFGF mRNA only in one of five control arteries but in all five atheroma tested, while levels of bFGF mRNA did not differ among control (n = 3) vs. plaque specimens (n = 6). Immunolocalization revealed abundant bFGF protein in control vessels (n = 10), but little in plaques (n = 14). In contrast, atheroma (n = 14), but not control arteries (n = 10), consistently exhibited immunoreactive aFGF, notably in neovascularized and macrophage-rich regions of plaque. Because macrophages colocalized with aFGF, we tested human monocytoid THP-1 cells and demonstrated accumulation of aFGF mRNA during PMA-induced differentiation. We also examined the expression of mRNA encoding FGF receptors (FGFRs). All cells and arteries contained FGFR-1 mRNA. Only SMC and control vessels had FGFR-2 mRNA, while EC and some arteries contained FGFR-4 mRNA. The relative lack of bFGF in plaques vs. normal arteries suggests that this growth factor may not contribute to cell proliferation in advanced atherosclerosis. However, aFGF produced by plaque macrophages may stimulate the growth of microvessels during human atherogenesis

The impact of population-based faecal occult blood test screening on colorectal cancer mortality:a matched cohort study

BACKGROUND: Randomised trials show reduced colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality with faecal occult blood testing (FOBT). This outcome is now examined in a routine, population-based, screening programme. METHODS: Three biennial rounds of the UK CRC screening pilot were completed in Scotland (2000–2007) before the roll out of a national programme. All residents (50–69 years) in the three pilot Health Boards were invited for screening. They received a FOBT test by post to complete at home and return for analysis. Positive tests were followed up with colonoscopy. Controls, selected from non-pilot Health Boards, were matched by age, gender, and deprivation and assigned the invitation date of matched invitee. Follow-up was from invitation date to 31 December 2009 or date of death if earlier. RESULTS: There were 379 655 people in each group (median age 55.6 years, 51.6% male). Participation was 60.6%. There were 961 (0.25%) CRC deaths in invitees, 1056 (0.28%) in controls, rate ratio (RR) 0.90 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.83–0.99) overall and 0.73 (95% CI 0.65–0.82) for participants. Non-participants had increased CRC mortality compared with controls, RR 1.21 (95% CI 1.06–1.38). CONCLUSION: There was a 10% relative reduction in CRC mortality in a routine screening programme, rising to 27% in participants

Hard-scattering factorization with heavy quarks: A general treatment

A detailed proof of hard scattering factorization is given with the inclusion of heavy quark masses. Although the proof is explicitly given for deep-inelastic scattering, the methods apply more generally The power-suppressed corrections to the factorization formula are uniformly suppressed by a power of \Lambda/Q, independently of the size of heavy quark masses, M, relative to Q.Comment: 52 pages. Version as published plus correction of misprint in Eq. (45

Single-Inclusive Jet Production in Polarized pp Collisions at O(alpha_s^3)

We present a next-to-leading order QCD calculation for single-inclusive high-p_T jet production in longitudinally polarized pp collisions within the ``small-cone'' approximation. The fully analytical expressions obtained for the underlying partonic hard-scattering cross sections greatly facilitate the analysis of upcoming BNL-RHIC data on the double-spin asymmetry A_{LL}^{jet} for this process in terms of the unknown polarization of gluons in the nucleon. We simultaneously rederive the corresponding QCD corrections to unpolarized scattering and confirm the results existing in the literature. We also numerically compare to results obtained with Monte-Carlo methods and assess the range of validity of the ``small-cone'' approximation for the kinematics relevant at BNL-RHIC.Comment: 23 pages, 8 eps-figure

Improved fluid dynamics similarity, analysis and verification Annual report, 29 Jun. 1965 - 28 Jun. 1966

Fluid mechanics and dynamic reactions in liquid flow, single-phase flow, and two-phase flo

Polymeric Nanoparticle PET/MR Imaging Allows Macrophage Detection in Atherosclerotic Plaques

Author Manuscript 2013 March 02.Rationale: Myeloid cell content in atherosclerotic plaques associates with rupture and thrombosis. Thus, imaging of lesional monocytes and macrophages could serve as a biomarker of disease progression and therapeutic intervention. Objective: To noninvasively assess plaque inflammation with dextran nanoparticle (DNP)-facilitated hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI). Methods and Results: Using clinically approved building blocks, we systematically developed 13-nm polymeric nanoparticles consisting of cross-linked short chain dextrans, which were modified with desferoxamine for zirconium-89 radiolabeling ([superscript 89]Zr-DNP) and a near-infrared fluorochrome (VT680) for microscopic and cellular validation. Flow cytometry of cells isolated from excised aortas showed DNP uptake predominantly in monocytes and macrophages (76.7%) and lower signal originating from other leukocytes, such as neutrophils and lymphocytes (11.8% and 0.7%, P<0.05 versus monocytes and macrophages). DNP colocalized with the myeloid cell marker CD11b on immunohistochemistry. PET/MRI revealed high uptake of [superscript 89]Zr-DNP in the aortic root of apolipoprotein E knock out (ApoE[superscript −/−]) mice (standard uptake value, ApoE[superscript −/−] mice versus wild-type controls, 1.9±0.28 versus 1.3±0.03; P<0.05), corroborated by ex vivo scintillation counting and autoradiography. Therapeutic silencing of the monocyte-recruiting receptor C-C chemokine receptor type 2 with short-interfering RNA decreased [superscript 89]Zr-DNP plaque signal (P<0.05) and inflammatory gene expression (P<0.05). Conclusions: Hybrid PET/MRI with a 13-nm DNP enables noninvasive assessment of inflammation in experimental atherosclerotic plaques and reports on therapeutic efficacy of anti-inflammatory therapy.National Heart, Lung, and Blood InstituteNational Institutes of Health (U.S.). Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHSN268201000044C)National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Dept. of Health and Human Services (R01-HL096576)National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Dept. of Health and Human Services (R01-HL095629)National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Dept. of Health and Human Services (T32-HL094301

Quantum Computing for Fusion Energy Science Applications

This is a review of recent research exploring and extending present-day quantum computing capabilities for fusion energy science applications. We begin with a brief tutorial on both ideal and open quantum dynamics, universal quantum computation, and quantum algorithms. Then, we explore the topic of using quantum computers to simulate both linear and nonlinear dynamics in greater detail. Because quantum computers can only efficiently perform linear operations on the quantum state, it is challenging to perform nonlinear operations that are generically required to describe the nonlinear differential equations of interest. In this work, we extend previous results on embedding nonlinear systems within linear systems by explicitly deriving the connection between the Koopman evolution operator, the Perron-Frobenius evolution operator, and the Koopman-von Neumann evolution (KvN) operator. We also explicitly derive the connection between the Koopman and Carleman approaches to embedding. Extension of the KvN framework to the complex-analytic setting relevant to Carleman embedding, and the proof that different choices of complex analytic reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces depend on the choice of Hilbert space metric are covered in the appendices. Finally, we conclude with a review of recent quantum hardware implementations of algorithms on present-day quantum hardware platforms that may one day be accelerated through Hamiltonian simulation. We discuss the simulation of toy models of wave-particle interactions through the simulation of quantum maps and of wave-wave interactions important in nonlinear plasma dynamics.Comment: 42 pages; 12 figures; invited paper at the 2021-2022 International Sherwood Fusion Theory Conferenc

Antideuteron yield at the AGS and coalescence implications

We present Experiment 864's measurement of invariant antideuteron yields in 11.5A GeV/c Au + Pt collisions. The analysis includes 250 million triggers representing 14 billion 10% central interactions sampled for events with high mass candidates. We find (1/2 pi pt) d^(2)N/dydpt = 3.5 +/- 1.5 (stat.) +0.9,-0.5 (sys.) x 10^(-8) GeV^(-2)c^(2) for 1.8=0.35 GeV/c (y(cm)=1.6) and 3.7 +/- 2.7 (stat.) +1.4,-1.5 (sys.) x 10^(-8) GeV^(-2)c^(2) for 1.4=0.26 GeV/c, and a coalescence parameter B2-bar of 4.1 +/- 2.9 (stat.) +2.3,-2.4 (sys.) x 10^(-3) GeV^(2)c^(-3). Implications for the coalescence model and antimatter annihilation are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, Latex, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let