Background: Excessive fructose intake causes metabolic syndrome in animals and can be partially prevented by lowering the uric acid level. We tested the hypothesis that fructose might induce features ...of metabolic syndrome in adult men and whether this is protected by allopurinol. Methods: A randomized, controlled trial of 74 adult men who were administered 200 g fructose daily for 2 weeks with or without allopurinol. Primary measures included changes in ambulatory blood pressure (BP), fasting lipids, glucose and insulin, homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) index, body mass index and criteria for metabolic syndrome. Results: The ingestion of fructose resulted in an increase in ambulatory BP (7±2 and 5±2 mm Hg for systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP), P<0.004 and P<0.007, respectively). Mean fasting triglycerides increased by 0.62±0.23 mmol l−1 (55±20 mg per 100 ml), whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased by 0.06±0.02 mmol l−1 (2.5±0.7 mg per 100 ml), P<0.002 and P<0.001, respectively. Fasting insulin and HOMA indices increased significantly, whereas plasma glucose level did not change. All liver function tests showed an increase in values. The metabolic syndrome increased by 25–33% depending on the criteria. Allopurinol lowered the serum uric acid level (P<0.0001) and prevented the increase in 24-h ambulatory DBP and daytime SBP and DBP. Allopurinol treatment did not reduce HOMA or fasting plasma triglyceride levels, but lowered low-density lipoprotein cholesterol relative to control (P<0.02) and also prevented the increase in newly diagnosed metabolic syndrome (0–2%, P=0.009). Conclusions: High doses of fructose raise the BP and cause the features of metabolic syndrome. Lowering the uric acid level prevents the increase in mean arterial blood pressure. Excessive intake of fructose may have a role in the current epidemics of obesity and diabetes.
Context. The evolution of lithium abundance over a star’s lifetime is indicative of transport processes operating in the stellar interior. Aims. We revisit the relationship between lithium content ...and rotation rate previously reported for cool dwarfs in the Pleiades cluster. Methods. We derive new LiI 670.8 nm equivalent width measurements from high-resolution spectra obtained for low-mass Pleiades members. We combine these new measurements with previously published ones, and use the Kepler K2 rotational periods recently derived for Pleiades cool dwarfs to investigate the lithium-rotation connection in this 125 Myr-old cluster. Results. The new data confirm the correlation between lithium equivalent width and stellar spin rate for a sample of 51 early K-type members of the cluster, where fast rotating stars are systematically lithium-rich compared to slowly rotating ones. The correlation is valid for all stars over the (J–Ks) color range 0.50–0.70 mag, corresponding to a mass range from about 0.75 to 0.90 M⊙, and may extend down to lower masses. Conclusions. We argue that the dispersion in lithium equivalent widths observed for cool dwarfs in the Pleiades cluster reflects an intrinsic scatter in lithium abundances, and suggest that the physical origin of the lithium dispersion pattern is to be found in the pre-main sequence rotational history of solar-type stars.
Objective
To describe the surgical management and outcome of dogs undergoing laparoscopic pancreatic mass resection (LPMR).
Study design
Retrospective study.
Animals
Twelve client‐owned dogs.
Methods
...Data collected from medical records of dogs that underwent LPMR between 2012 and 2023 included signalment, clinical signs, mass location within pancreas, preoperative diagnostic imaging, laparoscopic approach, number of portals and device type used for LPMR, operating time, complications and clinical outcome.
Results
Pancreatic tumors were located in the left lobe (7), in the right lobe (4) and in the body of the pancreas (1). A 3‐ or 4‐port technique was used in nine and three dogs, respectively. LPMR was performed with the Ligasure in nine dogs, a harmonic scalpel in two dogs and an endoscopic stapler in one dog. The procedure was performed successfully, with no conversion to open laparotomy, in all cases with a median operating time of 69 min. Postoperative complications occurred in four dogs, which resolved with medical treatments. All dogs survived the surgical procedure, were discharged from the hospital and alive a minimum of 90 days postoperatively. The final follow‐up time ranged between 105 and 245 days (median 147). Histopathological diagnosis included insulinoma (9) and pancreatic carcinoma (3).
Conclusion
LPMR was performed successfully using a 3‐ or 4‐port technique and was associated with a low complication rate and a good clinical outcome.
Clinical significance
LPMR may be considered as an alternative to open celiotomy in dogs, particularly for small tumors located in the distal aspect of the pancreatic lobes.
Co-orbital planets have not yet been discovered, although they constitute a frequent by-product of planetary formation and evolution models. This lack may be due to observational biases, since the ...main detection methods are unable to spot co-orbital companions when they are small or near the Lagrangian equilibrium points. However, for a system with one known transiting planet (with mass m1), we can detect a co-orbital companion (with mass m2) by combining the time of mid-transit with the radial-velocity data of the star. Here, we propose a simple method that allows the detection of co-orbital companions, valid for eccentric orbits, that relies on a single parameter α, which is proportional to the mass ratio m2/m1. Therefore, when α is statistically different from zero, we have a strong candidate to harbour a co-orbital companion. We also discuss the relevance of false positives generated by different planetary configurations.
Background
Indocyanine green has been widely employed as a secure and easy technique for sentinel lymph node mapping in different types of cancer. Nonetheless, the usage of Indocyanine green has not ...been fully implemented due to the heterogeneous results found in published studies. Thus, the objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the overall performance of Indocyanine green for sentinel lymph node mapping and node metastasis in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery.
Methods
An extensive systematic search was performed to identify relevant studies in English and Spanish with no time limit restrictions. For the meta-analysis, a hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve (HSROCs) was constructed, and quantitative data synthesis was performed using random effects models. Specificity, sensitivity, positive, and negative likelihood ratios were obtained from the corresponding HSROC. Between-study heterogeneity was visually evaluated using Galbraith plot, and publication bias was quantified using Deeks’ method.
Results
A total of 11 studies were included for analysis. The pooled detection rate for sentinel lymph node mapping was 91% (80–98%). Covariates significantly influencing the pooled detection rate were having colon cancer (estimate: 1.3001; 1.114 to 1.486;
p
< 0.001) and the usage of a laparoscopic approach (estimate: 1.3495; 1.1029 to 1.5961;
p
< 0.001). The performance of Indocyanine green for the detection of metastatic lymph nodes yielded an area under the roc curve of 66.5%, sensitivity of 64.3% (51–76%), and specificity of 65% (36–85%).
Conclusions
Indocyanine green for the detection of sentinel lymph node mapping demonstrates better accuracy when used in colonic cancer and by a laparoscopic approach. Nevertheless, its overall performance for the detection of lymph node metastasis is poor.
The aim of this study was to investigate the national prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in Spain and its association with various clinical, environmental, and demographic variables.
The study ...included 4554 subjects (42.4% men) with a mean age of 50 years (range 18-93 years), who were participants in a national, cross-sectional, population-based survey conducted in 2009-2010. Data gathered included clinical and demographic characteristics, physical examination, and blood sampling. Thyrotropin, free thyroxine, free triiodothyronine, and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) concentrations were analyzed by electrochemiluminescence. Urinary iodine (UI) levels were measured in an isolated urine sample.
The prevalence of treated hypothyroidism, untreated subclinical hypothyroidism, and untreated clinical hypothyroidism was 4.2% confidence interval (CI) 3.6-4.9%, 4.6% CI 4.0-5.2%, and 0.3% CI 0.1-0.5%, respectively. The prevalence of total hypothyroidism (including all fractions) was 9.1% CI 8.2-10.0%. The prevalence of total hyperthyroidism was 0.8% CI 0.6-1.1. A total of 7.5% CI 6.7-8.3% of the population tested positive for TPOAbs (≥50 IU/mL). In multivariate logistic regression models, TPOAbs were strongly associated with both hypothyroidism (p < 0.001) and hyperthyroidism (p = 0.005), whereas high UI levels (>200 μg/g creatinine) were associated with hypothyroidism (p < 0.001). The positive association between UI and hypothyroidism remained for both treated (p < 0.001) and untreated (p < 0.05) hypothyroidism, whereas it was especially significant for non-autoimmune (TPOAbs negative) forms (p < 0.001). At UI levels ≥200 μg/g, there was a positive correlation between UI and thyrotropin levels (β = 0.152, p < 0.001) and a negative correlation between UI and free triiodothyronine levels (β = -0.134, p = 0.001).
According to the data, a large proportion (10%) of the Spanish population has some evidence of thyroid dysfunction. High TPOAb concentrations were associated with both hypo- and hyperthyroidism, whereas high UI concentrations were associated with hypothyroidism.
We present here CAFE, the Calar Alto Fiber-fed Échelle spectrograph, a new instrument built at the Centro Astronomico Hispano Alemán (CAHA). CAFE is a single-fiber, high-resolution (R ~ 70 000) ...spectrograph, covering the wavelength range between 3650−9800 Å. It was built on the basis of the common design for Échelle spectrographs. Its main aim is to measure radial velocities of stellar objects up to V ~ 13−14 mag with a precision as good as a few tens of m s-1. To achieve this goal the design was simplified at maximum, removing all possible movable components, the central wavelength is fixed, as is the wavelength coverage; there is no filter wheel, etc. Particular care was taken with the thermal and mechanical stability. The instrument is fully operational and publically accessible at the 2.2 m telescope of the Calar Alto Observatory. In this article we describe (i) the design, summarizing its manufacturing phase; (ii) characterize the main properties of the instrument; (iii) describe the reduction pipeline; and (iv) show the results from the first light and commissioning runs. The preliminar results indicate that the instrument fulfills the specifications and can achieve the planned goals. In particular, the results show that the instrument is more efficient than anticipated, reaching a signal-to-noise of ~20 for a stellar object as faint as V ~ 14.5 mag in ~2700 s integration time. The instrument is a wonderful machine for exoplanetary research (by studying large samples of possible systems cotaining massive planets), galactic dynamics (highly precise radial velocities in moving groups or stellar associations), or astrochemistry.
ABSTRACT
CAFE is a high-resolution spectrograph with high-precision radial velocity capabilities mounted at the 2.2 m telescope of Calar Alto Observatory. It suffered from strong degradation after ...4 yr of operations and it has now been upgraded. The upgrades of the instrument (now named CAFE2) aimed at recovering the throughput and improving the stability due to the installation of a new grating, an active temperature control in the isolated coudé room, and a new scrambling system. In this paper, we present the results of the new commissioning of the instrument and a new pipeline (CAFExtractor) that provides the user with fully reduced data including radial velocity measurements of FGK dwarf stars. The commissioning results show a clear improvement in the instrument performance. The room temperature is now stabilized down to 5 mK during one night and below 50 mK over two months. CAFE2 now provides 3 m s−1 precision on the reference ThAr frames and the on-sky tests provide a radial velocity precision of 8 m s−1 during one night (for S/N > 50). The throughput of the instrument is now back to nominal values with an efficiency of around 15 per cent at 550 nm. The limiting magnitude of the instrument for a 1 h exposure and S/N = 20 is V = 15. With all these properties, CAFE enters into the small family of high-resolution spectrographs at 2–4 m telescopes capable of reaching radial velocity precisions below 10 m s−1.
ABSTRACT
We present the first results of K2-OjOS, a collaborative project between professional and amateur astronomers primarily aimed to detect, characterize, and validate new extrasolar planets. ...For this work, 10 amateur astronomers looked for planetary signals by visually inspecting the 20 427 light curves of K2 campaign 18 (C18). They found 42 planet candidates, of which 18 are new detections and 24 had been detected in the overlapping C5 by previous works. We used archival photometric and spectroscopic observations, as well as new high-spatial resolution images in order to carry out a complete analysis of the candidates found, including a homogeneous characterization of the host stars, transit modelling, search for transit timing variations and statistical validation. As a result, we report four new planets (K2-355 b, K2-356 b, K2-357 b, and K2-358 b) and 14 planet candidates. Besides, we refine the transit ephemeris of the previously published planets and candidates by modelling C5, C16 (when available) and C18 photometric data jointly, largely improving the period and mid-transit time precision. Regarding individual systems, we highlight the new planet K2-356 b and candidate EPIC 211537087.02 being near a 2:1 period commensurability, the detection of significant TTVs in the bright star K2-184 (V = 10.35), the location of K2-103 b inside the habitable zone according to optimistic models, the detection of a new single transit in the known system K2-274, and the disposition reassignment of K2-120 b, which we consider as a planet candidate as the origin of the signal cannot be ascertained.
We report the discovery of the exoplanet K2-110 b (previously EPIC212521166b) from K2 photometry orbiting in a 13.8637d period around an old, metal-poor K3 dwarf star. With a V-band magnitude of ...11.9, K2-110 is particularly amenable to RV follow-up. A joint analysis of K2 photometry and high-precision RVs from 28 HARPS and HARPS-N spectra reveal it to have a radius of 2.6 ± 0.1R⊕ and a mass of 16.7 ± 3.2M⊕, hence a density of 5.2 ± 1.2 g cm-3, making it one of the most massive planets yet to be found with a sub-Neptune radius. When accounting for compression, the resulting Earth-like density is best fitted by a 0.2M⊕ hydrogen atmosphere over an 16.5M⊕ Earth-like interior, although the planet could also have significant water content. At 0.1 AU, even taking into account the old stellar age of 8 ± 3 Gyr, the planet is unlikely to have been significantly affected by EUV evaporation. However the planet likelydisc-migrated to its current position making the lack of a thick H2 atmosphere puzzling. This analysis has made K2-110 b one of the best-characterised mini-Neptunes with density constrained to less than 30%.
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