Reinterpretation of the Starobinsky model

The Starobinsky model of inflation, consistent with Planck 2015, has a peculiar form of the action, which contains the leading Einstein term $R$, the $R^2$ term with a huge coefficient, and negligible higher-order terms. We propose an explanation of this form based on compactification of extra dimensions. Once tuning of order $10^{-4}$ is accepted to suppress the linear term $R$, we no longer have to suppress higher-oder terms, which give nontrivial corrections to the Starobinsky model. We show our predictions of the spectral index, its runnings, and the tensor-to-scalar ratio. Finally, we discuss a possibility that quantum gravity may appear at the scale $\Lambda \gtrsim 5 \times 10^{15}$ GeV.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures; published version, references and discussion on the uncertainties of the predictions adde

Cellular Leiomyoma of the Nasal Cavity: Report of a Case and Review of Literature

We report a rare case of cellular leiomyoma in the nasal cavity. A 72-year-old Japanese woman was admitted to a hospital. A tumoral lesion was revealed in the left nasal cavity. Angiography showed tumor staining, and the tumor was endoscopically resected after the embolizaion of the feeding artery. At gross inspection, the tumor measured 1.0 × 1.5 × 2.0 cm. Microscopically, the tumor consisted of many spindled cells with blunt ended nuclei. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that the tumor cells were positive for vimentin, alpha smooth muscle actin. We diagnosed this case as cellular leiomyoma. To the best of our knowledge, there have been only 23 reported cases of nasal leiomyoma in English medical literature. We made a brief literature review of the occurrence of this tumor in the nasal cavity

Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist attenuates the severity of spinal cord ischemic injury in rabbits

ObjectiveThoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery is sometimes complicated by subacute or delayed paraplegia. Pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 (IL-1) β has been implicated in extensive inflammation and progressive neurodegeneration after ischemia. Using a rabbit model, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) in a temporal fashion.MethodsSpinal cord ischemia was induced by aortic cross-clamping in New Zealand White rabbits. The animals were assigned to three groups. Group C (n = 20) received saline (0.2-mL) and Group I (n = 20) received IL-1ra (200-μg/0.2-mL) intrathecally just after reperfusion. Group S (n = 3) underwent sham operation without aortic occlusion. We assessed the neuroprotective effects of IL-1ra by evaluating neurological function, histopathological changes, and in-situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL staining). We also measured the levels of Nitric Oxide (NO) and S100β in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Each evaluation was performed sequentially within 120 hours after reperfusion.ResultsGroup C showed progressive deterioration of motor function which became statistically significant from 48 hours after the onset of reperfusion (P < .05, P < .01, P < .001, P < .001 at 48, 72, 96, and 120 hours, respectively). Compared to Group C, a higher number of viable neurons was observed with less severe spinal cord injury in Group I (P < .01, .05 and .05 at 24, 72, and 120 hours, respectively). TUNEL-positive neurons were also significantly reduced by the administration of IL-1ra (P <.01 and .05 at 24, and 120 hours, respectively). The difference between Group C and Group I with regard to NO was significant at 72 and 120 hours (P < .05), while that in terms of S100β was significant only at 24 hours (P < .05).ConclusionsAdministration of IL-1ra attenuates spinal cord ischemic-reperfusion injury as evidenced by reducing both neuronal necrosis and apoptosis.Clinical RelevanceThe present study explores the possibility of reducing subacute or delayed paraplegia after thoracoabdominal aortic surgery using a pharmacological agent that is already available for clinical use. IL-1 mediated inflammatory reaction after ischemic insult can be thought as one of the mechanisms responsible for delayed infarct expansion leading to subacute or delayed paraplegia. IL-1ra has known anti-inflammatory properties and was therefore expected to suppress such post-ischemic inflammatory reaction, if given at an appropriate time. The results of the present study indicate that IL-1-targetted anti-cytokine therapy can be a potentially useful strategy for the attenuation of neurological injury after spinal cord ischemia

Morphological and molecular phylogenetic studies of a red alga, Halymenia durvillei, (Halymeniaceae, Halymeniales) from Indo-Pacific

Morphological and molecular phylogenetic studies were made on recently collected Halymenia plants widely from Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Although the external morphology (branching pattern, blade width, or degree of dentation) was very variable, no special differences were found in their vegetative and reproductive structures. The features are close to Halymenia durvillei. Our rbcL gene sequence analysis has shown that the branched Halymenia plants are all included in a distinct, monophyletic clade, separate from those including the foliose plants. The branched plants studied here are, therefore, concluded to belong in a single species, Halymenia durvillei, irrespective of their great external variations. As Halymenia microcarpa clearly fall within the range of external variations of H. durvillei, it was concluded to be synonymous with H. durvillei. The taxonomic interrelationship among the four varieties (var. formosa, var. ceylanica, var. denudata and var. edentata) remained unresolved, although apprently encompassed within the morphological range of H. durvillei

Patient affect and caregiver burden in dementia

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies focusing on the burden of caregivers of dementia patients have been published. However, there have been few studies focusing on positive affect as an important factor affecting the caregiver burden, and only a few studies comparing the caregiver burden between different dementia diseases have been reported. METHODS: Three hundred and thirty-seven consecutive caregivers of people with dementia participated in this study. The caregiver burden was evaluated by the short version of the Japanese version of the Zarit Burden Interview. RESULTS: Positive affect scores had a significant relationship with the scores of the short version of the Zarit Burden Interview. Caregivers for patients with dementia with Lewy bodies or frontotemporal dementia suffered from a greater burden than those for patients with Alzheimer's disease dementia. CONCLUSIONS: The caregiver burden differed between people caring for patients with different dementia diseases. Positive affect of dementia patients has a significant relationship with caregiver burden, independently from neuropsychiatric symptoms of patients