An experiment to search for light sterile neutrinos is conducted at a reactor with a thermal power of 2.8 GW located at the Hanbit nuclear power complex. The search is done with a detector consisting ...of a ton of Gd-loaded liquid scintillator in a tendon gallery approximately 24 m from the reactor core. The measured antineutrino event rate is 1976 per day with a signal to background ratio of about 22. The shape of the antineutrino energy spectrum obtained from the eight-month data-taking period is compared with a hypothesis of oscillations due to active-sterile antineutrino mixing. No strong evidence of 3+1 neutrino oscillation is found. An excess around the 5 MeV prompt energy range is observed as seen in existing longer-baseline experiments. The mixing parameter sin^{2}2θ_{14} is limited up to less than 0.1 for Δm_{41}^{2} ranging from 0.2 to 2.3 eV^{2} with a 90% confidence level.
Summary
Effects of anti-osteoporosis medications such as anti-resorptive and anabolic agents on healing of osteoporotic spinal fracture were retrospectively investigated. The use of anabolic agent ...significantly enhanced fracture healing, reduced progressive collapse, and presented good pain relief. These findings suggest that proper selection of medication could improve initial management of acute osteoporotic spinal fractures (OSFs).
Introduction
Although anti-osteoporosis medications have beneficial effects on prevention of osteoporotic spinal fractures (OSFs), few studies have compared effects of medications on fracture healing following OSFs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of different anti-osteoporosis medications on radiological and clinical outcomes after acute OSFs.
Methods
A total of 132 patients diagnosed with acute OSFs were enrolled and allocated into three groups group I (
n
= 39, no anti-osteoporosis medication), group II (
n
= 66, bisphosphonate), and group III (
n
= 27, parathyroid hormone (PTH). Radiological parameters including magnetic resonance (MR) classification, occurrence of intravertebral cleft (IVC), and clinical outcomes such as numerical rating scale (NRS) and Oswestry disability index were assessed. Risk analyses for IVC and progressive collapse were done along the related factors and medication type.
Results
IVC sign was observed in 30 patients. The rate of IVC sign was lower in group III (7.4%) than that in group I (20.5%) or group II (30.3%), although the difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, the degree of NRS improvement was better in group III than that in group I or group II (5.7 vs. 3.1 vs. 3.5,
p
< 0.001). On multiple regression analysis, mid-portion type fracture in MR classification was a significant risk factor for progressive OSFs. The use of PTH showed significant lower incidences of occurrence of IVC (odds ratio (OR) = 0.160) and increase in height loss (OR = 0.325).
Conclusions
Different anti-osteoporosis medications presented different clinical and radiological results after acute OSFs. The use of anabolic agent significantly enhanced fracture healing, reduced progressive collapse, and presented better clinical outcomes. Proper selection of medication might improve initial management of acute OSFs.
Summary
We aimed to investigate the effect of the analgesia nociception index on postoperative pain. We randomly allocated 170 women scheduled for gynaecological laparotomy and analysed results from ...159: in 80 women, remifentanil was infused to maintain analgesia nociception indices 50–70; and in 79 women, remifentanil was infused to maintain systolic blood pressure < 120% of baseline values. The primary outcome was the proportion of women with pain scores ≥ 5 (scale 0–10) within 40 min of admission to recovery. The proportion of women with pain scores ≥ 5 was 62/80 (78%) vs. 64/79 (81%), p = 0.73. Mean (SD) doses of fentanyl in recovery were 53.6 (26.9) μg vs. 54.8 (20.8) μg, p = 0.74. Intra‐operative remifentanil doses were 0.124 (0.050) μg.kg−1.min−1 vs. 0.129 (0.044) μg.kg−1.min−1, p = 0.55.
Galactic cosmic rays consist of protons, electrons and ions, most of which are believed to be accelerated to relativistic speeds in supernova remnants. All components of the cosmic rays show an ...intensity that decreases as a power law with increasing energy (for example as E-2.7). Electrons in particular lose energy rapidly through synchrotron and inverse Compton processes, resulting in a relatively short lifetime (about 105 years) and a rapidly falling intensity, which raises the possibility of seeing the contribution from individual nearby sources (less than one kiloparsec away). Here we report an excess of galactic cosmic-ray electrons at energies of ∼300-800 GeV, which indicates a nearby source of energetic electrons. Such a source could be an unseen astrophysical object (such as a pulsar or micro-quasar) that accelerates electrons to those energies, or the electrons could arise from the annihilation of dark matter particles (such as a Kaluza-Klein particle with a mass of about 620 GeV).
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
Serotonin (5‐hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) is involved in hypothalamic regulation of energy consumption. Also, the gut microbiome can influence neuronal signaling to the brain through vagal ...afferent neurons. Therefore, serotonin concentrations in the central nervous system and the composition of the microbiota can be related to obesity.
Objective
To examine adipokine, and, serotonin concentrations, and the gut microbiota in lean dogs and dogs with experimentally induced obesity.
Animals
Fourteen healthy Beagle dogs were used in this study.
Methods
Seven Beagle dogs in the obese group were fed commercial food ad libitum, over a period of 6 months to increase their weight and seven Beagle dogs in lean group were fed a restricted amount of the same diet to maintain optimal body condition over a period of 6 months. Peripheral leptin, adiponectin, 5HT, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF‐5HT) levels were measured by ELISA. Fecal samples were collected in lean and obese groups 6 months after obesity was induced. Targeted pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was performed using a Genome Sequencer FLX plus system.
Results
Leptin concentrations were higher in the obese group (1.98 ± 1.00) compared to those of the lean group (1.12 ± 0.07, P = .025). Adiponectin and 5‐hydroytryptamine of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF‐5HT) concentrations were higher in the lean group (27.1 ± 7.28) than in the obese group (14.4 ± 5.40, P = .018). Analysis of the microbiome revealed that the diversity of the microbial community was lower in the obese group. Microbes from the phylum Firmicutes (85%) were predominant group in the gut microbiota of lean dogs. However, bacteria from the phylum Proteobacteria (76%) were the predominant group in the gut microbiota of dogs in the obese group.
Conclusions and Clinical Importance
Decreased 5HT levels in obese group might increase the risk of obesity because of increased appetite. Microflora enriched with gram‐negative might be related with chronic inflammation status in obese dogs.
The incorporation of CeO2 and Dy2O3 to ZnO leads to a marked increase in the electrical conductivity. The absolute values of the Seebeck coefficients of Zn1−xCexO and Zn1−xDyxO increase with CeO2 and ...Dy2O3 contents up to x = 0.003 and 0.005, respectively, and then decrease with further increases of their concentrations. The highest power factor (4.46 × 10−4 Wm−1 K−2 at 800 °C) is attained for Zn0.995Dy0.005O. The power factor is approximately 56 times larger than that of ZnO (0.08 × 10−4 Wm−1 K−2 at 800 °C). The introduction of a small amount of Dy2O3 is highly effective for improving the thermoelectric properties of ZnO.
•The introduction of CeO2 and Dy2O3 to ZnO increases the electrical conductivity.•Maximal power factor (4.46 × 10−4 Wm-1 K−2 at 800 °C) is attained for Zn0.995Dy0.005O.•Addition of Dy2O3 is effective for improving the thermoelectric properties of ZnO.
Objectives: Histone deacetylase (HDAC) is an important therapeutic target in cancer. Two of the main anticancer mechanisms of HDAC inhibitors are induction of terminal differentiation and inhibition ...of cell proliferation. To investigate the role of HDAC in maintenance of self‐renewal and cell proliferation, we treated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that originated from adipose tissue or umbilical cord blood with valproic acid (VPA) and sodium butyrate (NaBu).
Materials and methods: Human MSCs were isolated from mammary fat tissue and cord blood. We performed MTT assay and flow cytometry‐based cell cycle analysis to assess self‐renewal of MSCs. In vitro differentiation assays into osteogenic, adipogenic, neurogenic and chondrogenic lineages were conducted to investigate MSC multipotency. Immunocytochemistry, Western blot and reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction were used to interrogate molecular pathways.
Results: VPA and NaBu flattened the morphology of MSCs and inhibited their growth. VPA and NaBu activated the transcription of p21CIP1/WAF1 by increasing the acetylation of histone H3 and H4 and eventually blocked the cell cycle at G2/M phase. The expression level of p16INK4A, a cdk inhibitor that is closely related to cellular senescence, was not changed by HDAC inhibitor treatment. We performed controlled differentiation into bone, fat, cartilage and nervous tissue to elucidate the role of HDAC in the pluripotency of MSC to differentiate into functional tissues. VPA and NaBu decreased the efficiency of adipogenic, chondrogenic, and neurogenic differentiation as visualized by specific staining and reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. In contrast, osteogenic differentiation was elevated by HDAC inhibitor treatment.
Conclusion: HDAC activity is essential for maintaining the self‐renewal and pluripotency of MSCs.
Background and purpose
We analyzed the incidence and causes of oral anticoagulant (OAC) cessation and subsequent stroke after OAC withdrawal in a cohort of Korean stroke patients with atrial ...fibrillation.
Methods
The Korean Atrial Fibrillation Evaluation Registry in Ischemic Stroke patients (K‐ATTENTION) is a multicenter cohort study, merging stroke registries from 11 tertiary centers in Korea. The number of OAC interruption episodes and the reasons were reviewed from hospital records. Stroke after OAC withdrawal was defined when a patient experienced ischaemic stroke within 31 days after OAC withdrawal. Clinical variables were compared between patients who experienced stroke recurrence during OAC interruption and those who did not experience recurrence.
Results
Among 3213 stroke patients with atrial fibrillation, a total of 329 episodes of OAC interruption were detected in 229 patients after index stroke (mean age 72.9 ± 8.3 years, 113 female patients). The most frequent reason for OAC withdrawal was poor compliance 103 episodes (31.3%) followed by extracranial bleeding 96 episodes (29.2%). Stroke after OAC withdrawal was noted in 13 patients. Mean age, vascular risk factor profile and mean CHA2DS2‐VASc score were not significantly different between patients with and without recurrent stroke.
Conclusions
A considerable number of stroke patients with atrial fibrillation experienced temporary interruption of OAC after index stroke, which was associated with stroke recurrence of 4.0 cases per 100 interruption episodes.
Recent studies have suggested potential roles of the microbiome in cervicovaginal diseases. However, there has been no report on the cervical microbiome in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). ...We aimed to identify the cervical microbiota of Korean women and assess the association between the cervical microbiota and CIN, and to determine the combined effect of the microbiota and human papillomavirus (HPV) on the risk of CIN. The cervical microbiota of 70 women with CIN and 50 control women was analysed using pyrosequencing based on the 16S rRNA gene. The associations between specific microbial patterns or abundance of specific microbiota and CIN risk were assessed using multivariate logistic regression, and the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and the synergy index (S) were calculated. The phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Tenericutes, Fusobacteria and TM7 were predominant in the microbiota and four distinct community types were observed in all women. A high score of the pattern characterized by predominance of Atopobium vaginae, Gardnerella vaginalis and Lactobacillus iners with a minority of Lactobacillus crispatus had a higher CIN risk (OR 5.80, 95% CI 1.73‒19.4) and abundance of A. vaginae had a higher CIN risk (OR 6.63, 95% CI 1.61‒27.2). The synergistic effect of a high score of this microbial pattern and oncogenic HPV was observed (OR 34.1, 95% CI 4.95‒284.5; RERI/S, 15.9/1.93). A predominance of A. vaginae, G. vaginalis and L. iners with a concomitant paucity of L. crispatus in the cervical microbiota was associated with CIN risk, suggesting that bacterial dysbiosis and its combination with oncogenic HPV may be a risk factor for cervical neoplasia.
PDF
