Preclinical atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome increase cardio- and cerebrovascular events rate: a 20-year follow up

BACKGROUND: Intima-media thickness (IMT) is a validated marker of preclinical atherosclerosis and a predictor of cardiovascular events. PATIENTS: We studied a population of 529 asymptomatic patients (age 62\u2009\ub1\u200912.8 years), divided into two groups of subjects with and without Metabolic Syndrome (MetS). METHODS: All patients, at baseline, have had a carotid ultrasound evaluation and classified in two subgroups: the first one without atherosclerotic lesions and the second one with preclinical atherosclerosis (increased IMT or asymptomatic carotid plaque). Cardiovascular endpoints were investigated in a 20-years follow-up. RESULTS: There were 242 cardiovascular events: 144 among patients with MetS and 98 among in healthy controls (57.4% vs. 35.2%; P\u2009<\u20090.0001). 63 events occurred in patients with normal carotid arteries, while 179 events occurred in patients with preclinical atherosclerosis (31.8% vs. 54.1%; P\u2009<\u20090.0001). Of the 144 total events occurred in patients with MetS, 36 happened in the subgroup with normal carotid arteries and 108 in the subgroup with preclinical atherosclerosis (45% vs. 63.15%; P\u2009=\u20090.009). 98 events occurred in patients without MetS, of which 27 in the subgroup with normal carotid arteries and 71 in the subgroup with preclinical atherosclerosis (22.88% vs. 44.37%; P\u2009=\u20090.0003). In addition, considering the 63 total events occurred in patients without atherosclerotic lesions, 36 events were recorded in the subgroup with MetS and 27 events in the subgroup without MetS (45% vs. 22.88%; P\u2009=\u20090.0019). Finally, in 179 total events recorded in patients with preclinical carotid atherosclerosis, 108 happened in the subgroup with MetS and 71 happened in the subgroup without MetS (63.15% vs. 44.37%; P\u2009=\u20090.0009). The Kaplan-Meier function showed an improved survival in patients without atherosclerotic lesions compared with patients with carotid ultrasound alterations (P\u2009=\u20090.01, HR: 0.7366, CI: 0.5479 to 0.9904). CONCLUSIONS: Preclinical atherosclerosis leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular events, especially if it is associated with MetS

Entanglement of two atomic samples by quantum non-demolition measurements

This paper presents simulations of the state vector dynamics for a pair of atomic samples which are being probed by phase shift measurements on an optical beam passing through both samples. We show how measurements, which are sensitive to different atomic components, serve to prepare states which are close to being maximally entangled.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, REVTeX

Chemotherapy cardiotoxicity: cardioprotective drugs and early identification of cardiac dysfunction.

Background: Chemotherapy cardiotoxicity is an emerging problem and it is very important to prevent cardiac dysfunction caused by anticancer drugs. The aim of this study was to assess the alterations of the cardiac function induced by chemotherapy in a follow-up of 2 years and to evaluate the cardioprotective role of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) in the prevention of cardiac dysfunction. Methods: A prospective study was carried out using patients with breast cancer (85 women; median age 57W12years) and other inclusion and exclusion criteria. On the basis of treatment, patients were divided into six groups: fluorouracil-epirubicincyclophosphamide, FEC (group A); FEC and trastuzumab (B); trastuzumab (C); FEC and taxotere (D); FEC, paclitaxel and trastuzumab (E); and chemotherapy and cardioprotective drugs (F). Cardiological evaluation including electrocardiogram and conventional echocardiogram with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) was carried out at T0 (before starting chemotherapy), T1 (after 6months from the start of chemotherapy) and T2 (2 years after the end of chemotherapy). Results: Significant changes in the TDI parameters of systolic and diastolic function were observed at T1 and T2 in all patients. A significant reduction of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was observed only at T2. In the patients treated with ACEI (F), these changes were less significant than in other groups and they do not have significant changes in the indices of diastolic function. Conclusion: TDI is more sensitive than conventional echocardiogram in the early diagnosis of cardiac dysfunction and ACEIs seem to have an important role in the prevention of cardiotoxicity

Update on neutrino mixing in the early Universe

From the current cosmological observations of CMB and nuclear abundances we show, with an analytic procedure, that the total effective number of extra neutrino species $\Delta N_{\nu}^{\rm tot}< 0.3$. We also describe the possible signatures of non standard effects that could be revealed in future CMB observations. This cosmological information is then applied to neutrino mixing models. Taking into account the recent results from the SNO and SuperKamiokande experiments, disfavouring pure active to sterile neutrino oscillations, we show that all 4 neutrino mixing models, both of 2+2 and 3+1 type, lead to a full thermalization of the sterile neutrino flavor. Moreover such a sterile neutrino production excludes the possibility of an electron neutrino asymmetry generation and we conclude that $\Delta N_{\nu}^{\rm tot}\simeq 1$, in disagreement with the cosmological bound. This result is valid under the assumption that the initial neutrino asymmetries are small. We suggest the existence of a second sterile neutrino flavor, with mixing properties such to generate a large electron neutrino asymmetry, as a possible way out.Comment: 29 pages, 3 figures; to appear on Phys.Rev.D; added discussion (at page 19) and references; typos correcte

The infrared supernova rate in starburst galaxies

We report the results of our ongoing search for extincted supernovae (SNe) at near-infrared wavelengths. We have monitored at 2.2 micron a sample of 46 Luminous Infrared Galaxies and detected 4 SNe. The number of detections is still small but sufficient to provide the first estimate of supernova rate at near-infrared wavelengths. We measure a SN rate ofv 7.6+/-3.8 SNu which is an order of magnitude larger than observed in quiescent galaxies. On the other hand, the observed near-infrared rate is still a factor 3-10 smaller than that estimated from the far-infrared luminosity of the galaxies. Among various possibilities, the most likely scenario is that dust extinction is so high (Av>30) to obscure most SNe even in the near-IR. The role of type Ia SNe is also discussed within this context. We derive the type Ia SN rate as a function of the stellar mass of the galaxy and find a sharp increase toward galaxies with higher activity of star formation. This suggests that a significant fraction of type Ia SNe are associated with young stellar populations. Finally, as a by-product, we give the average K-band light curve of core-collapse SNe based on all the existing data, and review the relation between SN rate and far-infrared luminosity.Comment: A&A, in press, 13 page

Neutrino Oscillations and the Early Universe

The observational and theoretical status of neutrino oscillations in connection with solar and atmospheric neutrino anomalies is presented in brief. The effect of neutrino oscillations on the early Universe evolution is discussed in detail. A short review is given of the standard Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the influence of resonant and nonresonant neutrino oscillations on active neutrinos and on primordial nucleosynthesis of He-4. BBN cosmological constraints on neutrino oscillation parameters are discussed.Comment: 21 p., 6 figures, a review based on raview talk at NCYA Conference and a presentation at CAPP200

Developing cardiac and skeletal muscle share fast-skeletal myosin heavy chain and cardiac troponin-I expression

Skeletal muscle derived stem cells (MDSCs) transplanted into injured myocardium can differentiate into fast skeletal muscle specific myosin heavy chain (sk-fMHC) and cardiac specific troponin-I (cTn-I) positive cells sustaining recipient myocardial function. We have recently found that MDSCs differentiate into a cardiomyocyte phenotype within a three-dimensional gel bioreactor. It is generally accepted that terminally differentiated myocardium or skeletal muscle only express cTn-I or sk-fMHC, respectively. Studies have shown the presence of non-cardiac muscle proteins in the developing myocardium or cardiac proteins in pathological skeletal muscle. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that normal developing myocardium and skeletal muscle transiently share both sk-fMHC and cTn-I proteins. Immunohistochemistry, western blot, and RT-PCR analyses were carried out in embryonic day 13 (ED13) and 20 (ED20), neonatal day 0 (ND0) and 4 (ND4), postnatal day 10 (PND10), and 8 week-old adult female Lewis rat ventricular myocardium and gastrocnemius muscle. Confocal laser microscopy revealed that sk-fMHC was expressed as a typical striated muscle pattern within ED13 ventricular myocardium, and the striated sk-fMHC expression was lost by ND4 and became negative in adult myocardium. cTn-I was not expressed as a typical striated muscle pattern throughout the myocardium until PND10. Western blot and RT-PCR analyses revealed that gene and protein expression patterns of cardiac and skeletal muscle transcription factors and sk-fMHC within ventricular myocardium and skeletal muscle were similar at ED20, and the expression patterns became cardiac or skeletal muscle specific during postnatal development. These findings provide new insight into cardiac muscle development and highlight previously unknown common developmental features of cardiac and skeletal muscle. © 2012 Clause et al

Early-universe constraints on a time-varying fine structure constant

Higher-dimensional theories have the remarkable feature of predicting a time (and hence redshift) dependence of the `fundamental' four dimensional constants on cosmological timescales. In this paper we update the bounds on a possible variation of the fine structure constant alpha at the time of BBN (z =10^10) and CMB (z=10^3). Using the recently-released high-resolution CMB anisotropy data and the latest estimates of primordial abundances of 4He and D, we do not find evidence for a varying alpha at more than one-sigma level at either epoch.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, minor misprints corrected, references added. The analysis has been updated using new BOOMERanG and DASI data on CMB anisotrop

Damping of supernova neutrino transitions in stochastic shock-wave density profiles

Supernova neutrino flavor transitions during the shock wave propagation are known to encode relevant information not only about the matter density profile but also about unknown neutrino properties, such as the mass hierarchy (normal or inverted) and the mixing angle theta_13. While previous studies have focussed on "deterministic" density profiles, we investigate the effect of possible stochastic matter density fluctuations in the wake of supernova shock waves. In particular, we study the impact of small-scale fluctuations on the electron (anti)neutrino survival probability, and on the observable spectra of inverse-beta-decay events in future water-Cherenkov detectors. We find that such fluctuations, even with relatively small amplitudes, can have significant damping effects on the flavor transition pattern, and can partly erase the shock-wave imprint on the observable time spectra, especially for sin^2(theta_13) > O(10^-3).Comment: v2 (23 pages, including 6 eps figures). Typos removed, references updated, matches the published versio

Height and timing of growth spurt during puberty in young people living with vertically acquired HIV in Europe and Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe growth during puberty in young people with vertically acquired HIV. DESIGN: Pooled data from 12 paediatric HIV cohorts in Europe and Thailand. METHODS: One thousand and ninety-four children initiating a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor or boosted protease inhibitor based regimen aged 1-10 years were included. Super Imposition by Translation And Rotation (SITAR) models described growth from age 8 years using three parameters (average height, timing and shape of the growth spurt), dependent on age and height-for-age z-score (HAZ) (WHO references) at antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. Multivariate regression explored characteristics associated with these three parameters. RESULTS: At ART initiation, median age and HAZ was 6.4 [interquartile range (IQR): 2.8, 9.0] years and -1.2 (IQR: -2.3 to -0.2), respectively. Median follow-up was 9.1 (IQR: 6.9, 11.4) years. In girls, older age and lower HAZ at ART initiation were independently associated with a growth spurt which occurred 0.41 (95% confidence interval 0.20-0.62) years later in children starting ART age 6 to 10 years compared with 1 to 2 years and 1.50 (1.21-1.78) years later in those starting with HAZ less than -3 compared with HAZ at least -1. Later growth spurts in girls resulted in continued height growth into later adolescence. In boys starting ART with HAZ less than -1, growth spurts were later in children starting ART in the oldest age group, but for HAZ at least -1, there was no association with age. Girls and boys who initiated ART with HAZ at least -1 maintained a similar height to the WHO reference mean. CONCLUSION: Stunting at ART initiation was associated with later growth spurts in girls. Children with HAZ at least -1 at ART initiation grew in height at the level expected in HIV negative children of a comparable age