Using in vitro, in vivo and patient-based approaches, we investigated the potential of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) as surrogate biomarkers of myocardial steatosis, a hallmark of diabetic ...cardiomyopathy. We analysed the cardiomyocyte-enriched miRNA signature in serum from patients with well-controlled type 2 diabetes and with verified absence of structural heart disease or inducible ischemia, and control volunteers of the same age range and BMI (N = 86), in serum from a high-fat diet-fed murine model, and in exosomes from lipid-loaded HL-1 cardiomyocytes. Circulating miR-1 and miR-133a levels were robustly associated with myocardial steatosis in type 2 diabetes patients, independently of confounding factors in both linear and logistic regression analyses (P < 0.050 for all models). Similar to myocardial steatosis, miR-133a levels were increased in type 2 diabetes patients as compared with healthy subjects (P < 0.050). Circulating miR-1 and miR-133a levels were significantly elevated in high-fat diet-fed mice (P < 0.050), which showed higher myocardial steatosis, as compared with control animals. miR-1 and miR-133a levels were higher in exosomes released from lipid-loaded HL-1 cardiomyocytes (P < 0.050). Circulating miR-1 and miR-133a are independent predictors of myocardial steatosis. Our results highlight the value of circulating miRNAs as diagnostic tools for subclinical diabetic cardiomyopathy.
.
The article describes the main achievements of the NUMEN project together with an updated and detailed overview of the related R&D activities and theoretical developments. NUMEN proposes an ...innovative technique to access the nuclear matrix elements entering the expression of the lifetime of the double beta decay by cross section measurements of heavy-ion induced Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reactions. Despite the fact that the two processes, namely neutrinoless double beta decay and DCE reactions, are triggered by the weak and strong interaction respectively, important analogies are suggested. The basic point is the coincidence of the initial and final state many-body wave functions in the two types of processes and the formal similarity of the transition operators. First experimental results obtained at the INFN-LNS laboratory for the
40
Ca(
18
O,
18
Ne)
40
Ar reaction at 270MeV give an encouraging indication on the capability of the proposed technique to access relevant quantitative information. The main experimental tools for this project are the K800 Superconducting Cyclotron and MAGNEX spectrometer. The former is used for the acceleration of the required high resolution and low emittance heavy-ion beams and the latter is the large acceptance magnetic spectrometer for the detection of the ejectiles. The use of the high-order trajectory reconstruction technique, implemented in MAGNEX, allows to reach the experimental resolution and sensitivity required for the accurate measurement of the DCE cross sections at forward angles. However, the tiny values of such cross sections and the resolution requirements demand beam intensities much larger than those manageable with the present facility. The on-going upgrade of the INFN-LNS facilities in this perspective is part of the NUMEN project and will be discussed in the article.
The explosive activity of the 2021 Tajogaite eruption eludes pigeonholing into well‐defined eruption styles, with a variety of pyroclast ejection modes occurring both alternately and simultaneously ...at multiple vents. Visually, we defined four endmembers of explosive activity, referred to as fountaining, spattering, ash‐poor jets and ash‐rich jets. To capture the physical parameters of these activities, we deployed a camera array including one high‐speed camera and three high‐definition cameras in two field campaigns. Transitions between and fluctuations within activity occurred at the time scale of minutes to hours, likely driven by the same shallow conduit and vent processes controlling Strombolian activity at other volcanoes, but at higher gas and magma fluxes. From a physical standpoint, mean pyroclast rise velocity ranged 5–50 m/s, maximum ejection velocity 10–220 m/s, and sub‐second mass flux of lapilli to bomb‐sized pyroclasts at the vent 0.2–200 × 103 kg/s. The largest mass flux occurred during fountaining, which contributed by far more than other activities to cone building. All explosive activity exhibited well‐defined pyroclast ejection pulses, and we found a positive correlation between the occurrence rate of ejection pulses and maximum pyroclast ejection velocity. Despite orders of magnitude variations, physical parameters shift gradually with no boundary from one activity endmember to another. As such, attributing this explosive activity specifically to any currently defined style variations is arbitrary and potentially misleading. The highly variable explosive activity of the Tajogaite eruption recalls previous definitions of violent Strombolian eruptions, an eruption style whose pyroclast ejection dynamics, however, were so far largely undefined.
Plain Language Summary
The 2021 Tajogaite volcanic eruption offered a rare opportunity to study in detail the physical properties and the controlling factors of explosive activity driven by basaltic magmas. The activity lasted almost uninterrupted for almost 3 months and had visually different manifestations occurring simultaneously and alternating at different volcanic vents. To study the explosive activity, we used one high‐speed camera, taking short, slow motion videos, and three commercial grade high‐definition camcorders recording for many hours. We found that the activity changed in features and intensity at the time scale of minutes to hours, largely controlled by changes in the size and debris cover of the vent, magma viscosity, and magma flux and gas content. The ejection velocity of large volcanic particles ranged 5–220 m/s, with mean values around 10–50 m/s. The mass flux of particles erupted reached peaks of 200 metric tons per second. Particle ejection was never steady but always proceeded in pulses, which were more frequent if the ejection velocity was higher. Our measurements show that the current classification schemes for explosive eruptions of basaltic magmas do not adequately describe the activity of the Tajogaite eruption, which represents a type of eruption that was not yet measured in detail.
Key Points
High‐definition and high‐speed imaging record the velocity, size, and mass flux of pyroclasts
Activity shifted in location, nature and vigor at the time scale of hours and progressed in ejection pulses at the time scale of seconds
Physical parameters of explosive activity vary gradually between apparently different activity styles, without any clear boundary
Antibiotic stewardship for reptiles Hedley, J.; Whitehead, M. L.; Munns, C. ...
Journal of small animal practice,
October 2021, 2021-10-00, 20211001, Volume:
62, Issue:
10
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
This review discusses the general principles underlying responsible antibiotic usage in reptiles. Very little evidence underlies antibiotic usage in reptiles, and there are no published guidelines ...for responsible antibiotic usage. A literature search was performed to review the evidence for bacterial involvement in the pathology of selected common diseases of reptiles, allowing the development of recommendations for responsible antibiotic treatment of those diseases.
Contractile dysfunction is underdiagnosed in early stages of diabetic cardiomyopathy. We evaluated the potential of circulating long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as biomarkers of subclinical cardiac ...abnormalities in type 2 diabetes. Forty-eight men with well-controlled type 2 diabetes and 12 healthy age-matched volunteers were enrolled in the study. Left ventricular (LV) parameters were measured by magnetic resonance imaging. A panel of lncRNAs was quantified in serum by RT-qPCR. No differences in expression levels of lncRNAs were observed between type 2 diabetes patients and healthy volunteers. In patients with type 2 diabetes, long intergenic non-coding RNA predicting cardiac remodeling (LIPCAR) was inversely associated with diastolic function, measured as E/A peak flow (P < 0.050 for all linear models). LIPCAR was positively associated with grade I diastolic dysfunction (P < 0.050 for all logistic models). Myocardial infarction-associated transcript (MIAT) and smooth muscle and endothelial cell-enriched migration/differentiation-associated long noncoding RNA (SENCR) were directly associated with LV mass to LV end-diastolic volume ratio, a marker of cardiac remodelling (P < 0.050 for all linear models). These findings were validated in a sample of 30 patients with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. LncRNAs are independent predictors of diastolic function and remodelling in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Aims.
Our goal is to explore the chemical pattern of early-type stars with planets, searching for a possible signature of planet formation. In particular, we study a likely relation between the
λ
...Boötis chemical pattern and the presence of giant planets.
Methods.
We performed a detailed abundance determination in a sample of early-type stars with and without planets via spectral synthesis. Fundamental parameters were initially estimated using Strömgren photometry or literature values and then refined by requiring excitation and ionization balances of Fe lines. We derived chemical abundances for 23 different species by fitting observed spectra with an iterative process. Synthetic spectra were calculated using the program SYNTHE together with local thermodynamic equilibrium ATLAS12 model atmospheres. We used specific opacities calculated for each star, depending on the individual composition and microturbulence velocity
v
micro
through the opacity sampling method. The complete chemical pattern of the stars were then compared to those of
λ
Boötis stars and other chemically peculiar stars.
Results.
We compared the chemical pattern of the stars in our sample (13 stars with planets and 24 stars without detected planets) with those of
λ
Boötis and other chemically peculiar stars. We have found four
λ
Boötis stars in our sample, two of which present planets and circumstellar disks (HR 8799 and HD 169142) and one without planets detected (HD 110058). We have also identified the first
λ
Boötis star orbited by a brown dwarf (
ζ
Del). This interesting pair, the
λ
Boötis star and brown dwarf, could help to test stellar formation scenarios. We found no unique chemical pattern for the group of early-type stars bearing giant planets. However, our results support, in principle, a suggested scenario in which giant planets orbiting pre-main-sequence stars possibly block the dust of the disk and result in a
λ
Boötis-like pattern. On the other hand, we do not find a
λ
Boötis pattern in different hot-Jupiter planet host stars, which does not support the idea of possible accretion from the winds of hot-Jupiters, recently proposed in the literature. As a result, other mechanisms should account for the presence of the
λ
Boötis pattern between main-sequence stars. Finally, we suggest that the formation of planets around
λ
Boötis stars, such as HR 8799 and HD 169142, is also possible through the core accretion process and not only gravitational instability.
Titanium dioxide (TD) and graphene oxide (GO) were synthesized by sol-gel and improved Hummers method, respectively. This study shows the results of the incorporation through four different ...conditions (sol-gel, sol-gel and ultrasonic, annealed, and UV radiation, C1 to C4, respectively). It was observed that a homogeneous incorporation of TD on sheets of GO was obtained satisfactorily. The composites of TiO2/GO were characterized using different techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The photocatalytic activity of the composites was determined from the degradation of the dye azo tartrazine using UV and solar radiation. The best incorporation of TD nanoparticles on GO was obtained with condition C3 (thermal incorporation method) at a temperature of 65°C. This shows a uniformity in the size and shape of the TD as well as an excellent adherence to the sheet of GO. This addition is accomplished by ionic bonding in the presence of electrostatic Coulomb forces. The C3 composite degraded the tartrazine dye using UV radiation and sunlight. With the latter, the degradation time was three times faster than using UV light.
Context.
There is very little information to be found in the literature regarding the detection of planets orbiting chemically peculiar stars.
Aims.
Our aim is to determine the detailed chemical ...composition of the remarkable planet host star KELT-17. This object hosts a hot-Jupiter planet with 1.31
M
Jup
detected by transits, and it is one of the more massive and rapidly rotating planet hosts seen to date. We set out to derive a complete chemical pattern for this star, in order to compare it with those of chemically peculiar stars.
Methods.
We carried out a detailed abundance determination in the planet host star KELT-17 via spectral synthesis. Stellar parameters were estimated iteratively by fitting Balmer line profiles and imposing the Fe ionization balance using the SYNTHE program together with plane-parallel ATLAS12 model atmospheres. Specific opacities for an arbitrary composition and microturbulence velocity
v
micro
were calculated through the opacity sampling (OS) method. The abundances were determined iteratively by fitting synthetic spectra to metallic lines of 16 different chemical species using SYNTHE. The complete chemical pattern of KELT-17 was compared to the recently published average pattern of Am stars. We estimated the stellar radius using two methods: a) comparing the synthetic spectral energy distribution with the available photometric data and the
Gaia
parallax, and b) using a Bayesian estimation of stellar parameters using stellar isochrones.
Results.
We found over-abundances of Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, Sr, Y, Zr, and Ba, together with subsolar values of Ca and Sc. Notably, the chemical pattern agrees with those recently published for Am stars, making KELT-17 the first exoplanet host whose complete chemical pattern is unambiguously identified with this class. The stellar radius derived by two different methods agrees to each other and with those previously obtained in the literature.
Hispanic/Latino communities have suffered a disproportionate burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Puerto Rico has one of the highest COVID-19 primary series vaccination rates nationwide, this ...estimate contrasts with the reported booster doses' low uptake. This study aimed to assess health belief correlates of COVID-19 vaccine booster uptake. Using a convenience sampling approach, the Puerto Rico-Community Engagement Alliance (PR-CEAL) conducted a cross-sectional study where 787 participants were recruited using online and in-person strategies between December 2021 and February 2022. Participants were adults 18 years or older, Spanish-speaking, and residents of Puerto Rico. The Health Belief Model was used to evaluate attitudes and beliefs. A total of 784 participants were used in this analysis. Adjusted Poisson regression models were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of booster refusal. Overall, 22% of participants refused the vaccine booster or had not gotten it yet. Adjusted models showed that (i) participants who disagreed that getting the booster dose either made them feel less worried about COVID-19 or (ii) felt that the vaccine decreased their chances of getting COVID-19 presented higher booster-refusal prevalence ratios (PR = 4.20, 95% CI: 3.00, 5.90; PR = 3.70, 95% CI: 2.64, 5.18). Moreover, participants that (iii) reported having concerns for booster side effects PR = 2.47; 95% CI = 1.73, 3.51, (iv) booster efficacy PR = 2.50; 95% CI = 1.75, 3.58, and (v) booster safety PR = 2.80; 95% CI = 1.96, 3.99 were significantly more likely to refuse the booster. In conclusion, booster vaccination refusal was associated with lower perceived vaccine benefits and greater barriers among adults in Puerto Rico. These results informed the development of PR-CEAL's targeted community outreach strategies and public health campaigns to increase booster vaccine uptake.
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