Color perception differentiates Alzheimer's Disease (AD) from Vascular Dementia (VaD) patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnaoutoglou, N A; Arnaoutoglou, M; Nemtsas, P; Costa, V; Baloyannis, S J; Ebmeier, K P

2017-08-01

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Vascular Dementia (VaD) are the most common causes of dementia in older people. Both diseases appear to have similar clinical symptoms, such as deficits in attention and executive function, but specific cognitive domains are affected. Current cohort studies have shown a close relationship between αβ deposits and age-related macular degeneration (Johnson et al., 2002; Ratnayaka et al., 2015). Additionally, a close link between the thinning of the retinal nerve fiber (RNFL) and AD patients has been described, while it has been proposed that AD patients suffer from a non-specific type of color blindness (Pache et al., 2003). Our study included 103 individuals divided into three groups: A healthy control group (n = 35), AD (n = 32) according to DSM-IV-TR, NINCDS-ADRDA criteria, and VaD (n = 36) based on ΝΙΝDS-AIREN, as well as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) results. The severity of patient's cognitive impairment, was measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and was classified according to the Reisberg global deterioration scale (GDS). Visual perception was examined using the Ishihara plates: "Ishihara Color Vision Test - 38 Plate." The three groups were not statistically different for demographic data (age, gender, and education). The Ishihara color blindness test has a sensitivity of 80.6% and a specificity of 87.5% to discriminate AD and VaD patients when an optimal (32.5) cut-off value of performance is used. Ishihara Color Vision Test - 38 Plate is a promising potential method as an easy and not time-consuming screening test for the differential diagnosis of dementia between AD and VaD.

Distinct clinical and metabolic deficits in PCA and AD are not related to amyloid distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenbloom, M H; Alkalay, A; Agarwal, N; Baker, S L; O'Neil, J P; Janabi, M; Yen, I V; Growdon, M; Jang, J; Madison, C; Mormino, E C; Rosen, H J; Gorno-Tempini, M L; Weiner, M W; Miller, B L; Jagust, W J; Rabinovici, G D

2011-05-24

Patients with posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) often have Alzheimer disease (AD) at autopsy, yet are cognitively and anatomically distinct from patients with clinical AD. We sought to compare the distribution of β-amyloid and glucose metabolism in PCA and AD in vivo using Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) and FDG-PET. Patients with PCA (n = 12, age 57.5 ± 7.4, Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] 22.2 ± 5.1), AD (n = 14, age 58.8 ± 9.6, MMSE 23.8 ± 6.7), and cognitively normal controls (NC, n = 30, age 73.6 ± 6.4) underwent PiB and FDG-PET. Group differences in PiB distribution volume ratios (DVR, cerebellar reference) and FDG uptake (pons-averaged) were assessed on a voxel-wise basis and by comparing binding in regions of interest (ROIs). Compared to NC, both patients with AD and patients with PCA showed diffuse PiB uptake throughout frontal, temporoparietal, and occipital cortex (p PCA and AD even after correcting for atrophy. FDG patterns in PCA and AD were distinct: while both groups showed hypometabolism compared to NC in temporoparietal cortex and precuneus/posterior cingulate, patients with PCA further showed hypometabolism in inferior occipitotemporal cortex compared to both NC and patients with AD (p PCA. Fibrillar amyloid deposition in PCA is diffuse and similar to AD, while glucose hypometabolism extends more posteriorly into occipital cortex. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms of selective network degeneration in focal variants of AD.

Long-term follow-up of the AdVance®/AdVanceXP® sling. What are the surgeons' impressions? What are the patients'?

Science.gov (United States)

Romero Hoyuela, A; Reina Alcaina, L; Izquierdo Morejon, E; Rosino Sanchez, A; Carrillo George, C; Rivero Guerra, A; Barcelo Bayonas, I; Pardo Martinez, A; Muñoz Guillermo, V; Pietricica, B; Fernandez Aparicio, T; Hita Villaplana, G; Miñana Lopez, B

2018-04-01

To analyse the safety, efficacy and quality of life of patients with male stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy treated with the AdVance ® and AdvanceXP ® slings. The study included 92 patients with stress urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy treated with the AdVance ® and AdVanceXP ® sling between May 2008 and December 2015. A perineal repositioning test was performed in all cases with sphincter coaptation of≥1.5cm. Mild stress urinary incontinence was defined as the use of 1-2 absorbers/24h; moderate was defined as 3-5 absorbers/24h; and severe was defined as more than 5 absorbers/24h. Healing was defined as the total absence of using pads; improvement was defined as a reduction>50% in the number of pads; and failure was defined as a reduction<50, no improvement or worsened incontinence. Check-ups were conducted at 3, 12 and 36 months after the surgery. We employed the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) for the quality of life index. The complications are listed according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. The degree of preoperative incontinence was mild in 23.9%, moderate in 67.4% and severe in 8.7% of the patients. The mean use of preoperative pads was 3.1 (range 1-6, 95% CI). The mean preoperative ICIQ-SF score was 16.5 (15-20). Sphincter coaptation≥1.5cm using the perineal repositioning test was present in 87 patients (94.6%). The mean follow-up from insertion of the sling was 42.1 months. Some 89.1% of the patients were healed at 3 months, 70.7% were healed at 12 months, and 70.4% were healed at 36 months. The ICIQ-SF score at 3, 12 and 36 months showed significant improvement (P<.001) compared with the preoperative score. The Advance ® and AdvanceXP ® system are effective over time in terms of urinary continence and patient satisfaction. Copyright © 2017 AEU. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Characteristic pattern of cerebral perfusion in patients with the early stage of subcortical vascular dementia compared with Alzheimer's disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Young Jin; Kang, Do Young; Park, Kyung Won; Cheon, Sang Myung; Kim, Jong Kuk; Kim, Jae Woo [Dong-A University School of Medicine, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2004-07-01

Brain perfusion SPECT has been commonly used to evaluate several different types of dementia. The aim of this study is to assess the specific patterns of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with the early stage of subcortical vascular dementia (SVD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT, and to compare the differences between the two conditions. Sixteen SVD (mean age; 68.0{+-}7.0 years, educational period; 6.3{+-}5.6 years, CDR; 0.80{+-}0.26). 46 AD (mean age; 69.9{+-}7.4 years, educational period; 5.4{+-}4.7 years, CDR; 0.86{+-}0.23) and 12 normal control subjects (mean age; 67.1{+-}7.7 years, educational period; 6.2{+-}4.2 years) participated in this study. We included the patients with SVD and AD according to NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable AD and NINDS-AIREN criteria for probable or possible VD. They were all matched for age, education and clinical dementia scale scores. SPM analysis of the SPECT image showed significant perfusion deficits on the right temporal region and right thalamus, left insula and superior temporal gyrus, both cingulate gyri and frontal subgyral regions in patients with SVD and on the left supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal lobule, right fugiform gyrus and both cingulate gyri in patients with AD compared with control subjects (uncorrected p<0.01). SVD patients revealed significant hypoperfusion in the right parahippocampal gyrus, right cingulated gyrus, left insula, and both frontal subgyral regions compared with AD patients (uncorrected p<0.01). SVD patients revealed significant hyperperfusion in right superior frontal gyrus, left pre- and postcentral gyri, left paracentral lobule, left precuneus and both medial frontal gyri compared with AD patients (uncorrected p<0.01). Our study shows characteristic and different pattern of perfusion deficits in patients with SVD and AD, and these results may be helpful to discriminate the two conditions in the

Patient education with or without manual therapy compared to a control group in patients with osteoarthritis of the hip. A proof-of-principle three-arm parallel group randomized clinical trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, E; Hartvigsen, J; Christensen, H W

2013-01-01

To investigate the effectiveness of a patient education (PE) program with or without the added effect of manual therapy (MT) compared to a minimal control intervention (MCI).......To investigate the effectiveness of a patient education (PE) program with or without the added effect of manual therapy (MT) compared to a minimal control intervention (MCI)....

A small effect of adding antiviral agents in treating patients with severe Bell palsy.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Veen, Erwin L; Rovers, Maroeska M; de Ru, J Alexander; van der Heijden, Geert J

2012-03-01

In this evidence-based case report, the authors studied the following clinical question: What is the effect of adding antiviral agents to corticosteroids in the treatment of patients with severe or complete Bell palsy? The search yielded 250 original research articles. The 6 randomized trials of these that could be used all reported low-quality data for answering the clinical question; apart from apparent flaws, they did not primarily include patients with severe or complete Bell palsy. Complete functional facial nerve recovery was seen in 75% of the patients receiving prednisolone only and in 83% with additional antiviral treatment. The pooled risk difference of 7% (95% confidence interval, -1% to 15%) results in a number needed to treat of 14 (ie, slightly favors adding an antiviral agent). The authors conclude that although a strong recommendation for adding antiviral agents to corticosteroids to further improve the recovery of patients with severe Bell palsy is precluded by the lack of robust evidence, it should be discussed with the patient.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Addison's Disease: A Comparative Study of South African and Swedish Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Ian Louis; Bergthorsdottir, Ragnhildur; Levitt, Naomi; Dave, Joel Alex; Schatz, Desmond; Marais, David; Johannsson, Gudmundur

2014-01-01

Background Patients with Addison's disease (AD) in Scandinavia have an increased risk for premature death due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Serum lipids are important risk factors for CVD and vascular mortality. Replacement doses of hydrocortisone have historically been higher in Sweden than South Africa. The primary aim was to study the lipid profiles in a large group of patients with AD with the hypothesis that the lipid profile in patients in Sweden would be worse than in South Africa. Methods In a cross-sectional study, 110 patients with AD (55 from South Africa, 55 from Sweden) matched for age, gender, ethnicity and BMI were studied. Anthropometric measures, blood pressure, lipids, highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and adiponectin were studied. Results All patients were Caucasian and the majority were women N = 36 (65.5%). Mean (standard deviation; SD) ages of the Swedish and South African patients were 52.9 (13.0) and 52.6 (14.4) years and BMI 25.3 (3.2) and 25.8 (4.1) kg/m2, respectively. The mean total daily hydrocortisone dose was greater in the Swedish patients than the South African patients, [33.0 (8.1) versus 24.3 (8.0) mg; p<0.0001]. South African patients had higher median (interquartilerange; IQR) triglycerides (TG) [1.59 (1.1–2.46) versus 0.96 (0.74–1.6) mmol/l; p<0.001], total cholesterol (TC) [6.02(1.50) versus 5.13 (0.87) mmol/l; p<0.001], LDL-C [4.43 (1.44) versus 2.75 (0.80) mmol/l; p<0.001] and median hs-CRP [2.15 (0.93–5.45) versus 0.99 (0.57–2.10) mg/L; p<0.003] and lower HDL-C [0.80 (0.40) versus 1.86 (0.46) mmol/l; p<0.001] than the Swedish patients. Approximately 20% of the patients in both cohorts had hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Conclusions South African patients with AD have worse lipid profiles and higher hs-CRP compared to their matched Swedish patients, despite lower doses of hydrocortisone. It is uncertain at this time whether these are due to genetic or environmental factors. PMID:24603607

Cardiovascular risk factors in patients with Addison's disease: a comparative study of South African and Swedish patients.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ian Louis Ross

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Patients with Addison's disease (AD in Scandinavia have an increased risk for premature death due to cardiovascular disease (CVD. Serum lipids are important risk factors for CVD and vascular mortality. Replacement doses of hydrocortisone have historically been higher in Sweden than South Africa. The primary aim was to study the lipid profiles in a large group of patients with AD with the hypothesis that the lipid profile in patients in Sweden would be worse than in South Africa. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 110 patients with AD (55 from South Africa, 55 from Sweden matched for age, gender, ethnicity and BMI were studied. Anthropometric measures, blood pressure, lipids, highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP and adiponectin were studied. RESULTS: All patients were Caucasian and the majority were women N = 36 (65.5%. Mean (standard deviation; SD ages of the Swedish and South African patients were 52.9 (13.0 and 52.6 (14.4 years and BMI 25.3 (3.2 and 25.8 (4.1 kg/m2, respectively. The mean total daily hydrocortisone dose was greater in the Swedish patients than the South African patients, [33.0 (8.1 versus 24.3 (8.0 mg; p<0.0001]. South African patients had higher median (interquartilerange; IQR triglycerides (TG [1.59 (1.1-2.46 versus 0.96 (0.74-1.6 mmol/l; p<0.001], total cholesterol (TC [6.02(1.50 versus 5.13 (0.87 mmol/l; p<0.001], LDL-C [4.43 (1.44 versus 2.75 (0.80 mmol/l; p<0.001] and median hs-CRP [2.15 (0.93-5.45 versus 0.99 (0.57-2.10 mg/L; p<0.003] and lower HDL-C [0.80 (0.40 versus 1.86 (0.46 mmol/l; p<0.001] than the Swedish patients. Approximately 20% of the patients in both cohorts had hypertension and diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSIONS: South African patients with AD have worse lipid profiles and higher hs-CRP compared to their matched Swedish patients, despite lower doses of hydrocortisone. It is uncertain at this time whether these are due to genetic or environmental factors.

Cognitive and Emotional Empathy in Alcohol-Dependent Patients (ADs): a Review of the Literature

OpenAIRE

Dethier, Marie; Douws, Laetitia; Blairy, Sylvie

2011-01-01

The purpose of this article is to assert the current state of the scientific literature on the issues regarding empathy in alcohol-dependents patients (ADs). We will first explain what the term « empathy » covers and the distinction made between cognitive and emotional empathy. We will describe then the different studies that got interested in the capacities for empathy in ADs patients. These studies concern predominantly one precise aspect of cognitive empathy: the capacity to infer an emoti...

Prevalence of Comorbidity in Patients With Young-Onset Alzheimer Disease Compared With Late-Onset: A Comparative Cohort Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gerritsen, A.A.J.; Bakker, C.; Verhey, F.R.J.; Vugt, M.E. de; Melis, R.J.; Koopmans, R.T.

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: With the lack of a cure for Alzheimer disease (AD), the identification of comorbidity is important to reduce the possibility of excess disability. Although comorbidity in patients with late-onset AD (LO-AD) is common, for people with young-onset AD (YO-AD), it is unclear how often

Cost-utility analysis of memantine extended release added to cholinesterase inhibitors compared to cholinesterase inhibitor monotherapy for the treatment of moderate-to-severe dementia of the Alzheimer's type in the US.

Science.gov (United States)

Saint-Laurent Thibault, Catherine; Özer Stillman, Ipek; Chen, Stephanie; Getsios, Denis; Proskorovsky, Irina; Hernandez, Luis; Dixit, Shailja

2015-01-01

This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness of memantine extended release (ER) as an add-on therapy to acetylcholinesterase inhibitor (AChEI) [combination therapy] for treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) from both a healthcare payer and a societal perspective over 3 years when compared to AChEI monotherapy in the US. A phase III trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of memantine ER for treatment of AD patients taking an AChEI. The analysis assessed the long-term costs and health outcomes using an individual patient simulation in which AD progression is modeled in terms of cognition, behavior, and functioning changes. Input parameters are based on patient-level trial data, published literature, and publicly available data sources. Changes in anti-psychotic medication use are incorporated based on a published retrospective cohort study. Costs include drug acquisition and monitoring, total AD-related medical care, and informal care associated with caregiver time. Incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR), life years, care time for caregiver, time in community and institution, time on anti-psychotics, time by disease severity, and time without severe symptoms are reported. Costs and health outcomes are discounted at 3% per annum. Considering a societal perspective over 3 years, this analysis shows that memantine ER combined with an AChEI provides better clinical outcomes and lower costs than AChEI monotherapy. Discounted average savings were estimated at $18,355 and $20,947 per patient and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) increased by an average of 0.12 and 0.13 from a societal and healthcare payer perspective, respectively. Patients on combination therapy spent an average of 4 months longer living at home and spend less time in moderate-severe and severe stages of the disease. Combination therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe AD is a cost-effective treatment compared to AChEI monotherapy in the US.

Added value of ovarian reserve testing on patient characteristics in the prediction of ovarian response and ongoing pregnancy: an individual patient data approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broer, S.L.; Disseldorp, J. van; Broeze, K.A.; Dolleman, M.; Opmeer, B.C.; Bossuyt, P.; Eijkemans, M.J.; Mol, B.W.; Broekmans, F.J.; Anderson, R.A.; Ashrafi, M.; Bancsi, L.F.; Caroppo, E.; Copperman, A.; Ebner, T.; Eldar Geva, M.; Erdem, M.; Greenblatt, E.M.; Jayaprakasan, K.; Fenning, R.; Klinkert, E.R.; Kwee, J.; Lambalk, C.B.; La Marca, A.; McIlveen, M.; Merce, L.T.; Muttukrishna, S.; Nelson, S.M.; Ng, H.Y.; Popovic-Todorovic, B.; Smeenk, J.M.J.; Tomas, C.; Linden, P.J. van der; Rooij, I.A. van; et al.,

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND Although ovarian reserve tests (ORTs) are frequently used prior to IVF treatment for outcome prediction, their added predictive value is unclear. We assessed the added value of ORTs to patient characteristics in the prediction of IVF outcome. METHODS An individual patient data (IPD)

Added value of involving patients in the first step of multidisciplinary guideline development: a qualitative interview study among infertile patients.

Science.gov (United States)

den Breejen, Elvira M E; Hermens, Rosella P M G; Galama, Wienke H; Willemsen, Wim N P; Kremer, Jan A M; Nelen, Willianne L D M

2016-06-01

Patient involvement in scoping the guideline is emphasized, but published initiatives actively involving patients are generally limited to the writing and reviewing phase. To assess patients' added value to the scoping phase of a multidisciplinary guideline on infertility. Qualitative interview study. We conducted interviews among 12 infertile couples and 17 professionals. We listed and compared the couples' and professionals' key clinical issues (=care aspects that need improvement) to be addressed in the guideline according to four domains: current guidelines, professionals, patients and organization of care. Main key clinical issues suggested by more than three quarters of the infertile couples and/or at least two professionals were identified and compared. Overall, we identified 32 key clinical issues among infertile couples and 23 among professionals. Of the defined main key clinical issues, infertile couples mentioned eight issues that were not mentioned by the professionals. These main key clinical issues mainly concerned patient-centred (e.g. poor information provision and poor alignment of care) aspects of care on the professional and organizational domain. Both groups mentioned two main key clinical issues collectively that were interpreted differently: the lack of emotional support and respect for patients' values. Including patients from the first phase of the guideline development process leads to valuable additional main key clinical issues for the next step of a multidisciplinary guideline development process and broadens the scope of the guideline, particularly regarding patient-centredness and organizational issues from a patients' perspective. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care; all rights reserved.

Guardian ad litem, a potentially expensive invitation to either the mismanagement or management of patients with cognitive disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Edlich, Richard F

2010-01-01

The children of a multiple sclerosis (MS) patient filed a guardian ad litem case to be brought against the patient. The basis for the petition was that the MS patient had a significant reduction is his mental competence. The children were not aware that hyperthermia could adversely affect the brain of MS patients. The patient's urologist recommended he have a suprapubic cystostomy done in a hospital. Passage of the two channel Foley catheter into his bladder immediately resolved his urinary tract infection, fever, and difficulty in communicating. Despite this dramatic improvement in his health from the urologic treatment, he was now faced with resolving his children's petition for a guardian ad litem that would allow them to control his estate including his residence and financial retirement assets. A judge supported this petition by requesting that the patient with MS pay for his children's attorney fees, 24 hour nursing home services that duplicated his own hired personal care assistants, the salary of the guardian ad litem, the attorney fees for the guardian ad litem, and payment for a psychological evaluation. The state law should be changed to require that the petitioner have adequate income to pay for his/her attorney as well as the salary of the guardian ad litem to prevent mismanagement of patients with cognitive disorders. In addition, the guardian ad litem should be an attorney or a registered nurse. The care of disabled individuals subjected to litigation should be coordinated by an attorney or registered nurse.

Early-onset Alzheimer's disease: nonamnestic subtypes and type 2 AD.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendez, Mario F

2012-11-01

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative dementia, are usually elderly; however, ∼4-5% develop early-onset AD (EOAD) with onset before age 65. Most EOAD is sporadic, but about 5% of patients with EOAD have an autosomal dominant mutation such as Presenilin 1, Presenilin 2, or alterations in the Amyloid Precursor Protein gene. Although most Alzheimer's research has concentrated on older, late-onset AD (LOAD), there is much recent interest and research in EOAD. These recent studies indicate that EOAD is a heterogeneous disorder with significant differences from LOAD. From 22-64% of EOAD patients have a predominant nonamnestic syndrome presenting with deficits in language, visuospatial abilities, praxis, or other non-memory cognition. These nonamnestic patients may differ in several ways from the usual memory or amnestic patients. Patients with nonamnestic EOAD compared to typical amnestic AD have a more aggressive course, lack the apolipoprotein Eɛ4 (APOE ɛ4) susceptibility gene for AD, and have a focus and early involvement of non-hippocampal areas of brain, particularly parietal neocortex. These differences in the EOAD subtypes indicate differences in the underlying amyloid cascade, the prevailing pathophysiological theory for the development of AD. Together the results of recent studies suggest that nonamnestic subtypes of EOAD constitute a Type 2 AD distinct from the usual, typical disorder. In sum, the study of EOAD can reveal much about the clinical heterogeneity, predisposing factors, and neurobiology of this disease. Copyright © 2012 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The cervical spinal cord in neuromyelitis optica patients: A comparative study with multiple sclerosis using diffusion tensor imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pessôa, Fernanda Miraldi Clemente, E-mail: fernandamiraldi@hotmail.com [Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Medical Student, Rua Rodolpho Paulo Rocco, 255, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Lopes, Fernanda Cristina Rueda, E-mail: frueda81@hotmail.com [Department of Radiology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida das Américas, 4666 sl 325, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Costa, João Victor Altamiro, E-mail: victoraltamiro@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Rodolpho Paulo Rocco, 255, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Leon, Soniza Vieira Alves, E-mail: sonizavleon@globo.com [Department of Neurology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rua Rodolpho Paulo Rocco, 255, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Domingues, Romeu Côrtes, E-mail: romeu@CDPi.com.br [CDPI – Clínica de Diagnóstico Por Imagem, Avenida das Américas, 4666 sl 325, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Gasparetto, Emerson Leandro, E-mail: egasparetto@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida das Américas, 4666 sl 325, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); CDPI – Clínica de Diagnóstico Por Imagem, Avenida das Américas, 4666 sl 325, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2012-10-15

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate “in vivo” the integrity of the normal-appearing spinal cord in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), using diffusion tensor MR imaging, comparing to controls and patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Materials and methods: We studied 8 patients with NMO and 17 without any neurologic disorder. Also, 32 MS patients were selected. Fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD) and mean diffusivity (MD) were calculated within regions of interest at C2 and C7 levels in the four columns of the spinal cord. Results: At C2, the FA value was decreased in NMO patients compared to MS and controls in the anterior column. Also in this column, RD value showed increase in NMO compared to MS and to controls. The FA value of the posterior column was decreased in NMO in comparison to controls. At C7, AD value was higher in NMO than in MS in the right column. At the same column, MD values were increased in NMO compared to MS and to controls. Conclusions: There is extensive NASC damage in NMO patients, including peripheral areas of the cervical spinal cord, affecting the white matter, mainly caused by demyelination. This suggests a new spinal cord lesion pattern in NMO in comparison to MS.

The cervical spinal cord in neuromyelitis optica patients: A comparative study with multiple sclerosis using diffusion tensor imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pessôa, Fernanda Miraldi Clemente; Lopes, Fernanda Cristina Rueda; Costa, João Victor Altamiro; Leon, Soniza Vieira Alves; Domingues, Romeu Côrtes; Gasparetto, Emerson Leandro

2012-01-01

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate “in vivo” the integrity of the normal-appearing spinal cord in patients with neuromyelitis optica (NMO), using diffusion tensor MR imaging, comparing to controls and patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Materials and methods: We studied 8 patients with NMO and 17 without any neurologic disorder. Also, 32 MS patients were selected. Fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD) and mean diffusivity (MD) were calculated within regions of interest at C2 and C7 levels in the four columns of the spinal cord. Results: At C2, the FA value was decreased in NMO patients compared to MS and controls in the anterior column. Also in this column, RD value showed increase in NMO compared to MS and to controls. The FA value of the posterior column was decreased in NMO in comparison to controls. At C7, AD value was higher in NMO than in MS in the right column. At the same column, MD values were increased in NMO compared to MS and to controls. Conclusions: There is extensive NASC damage in NMO patients, including peripheral areas of the cervical spinal cord, affecting the white matter, mainly caused by demyelination. This suggests a new spinal cord lesion pattern in NMO in comparison to MS

Guardian ad litem, a potentially expensive invitation to either the mismanagement or management of patients with cognitive disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard F Edlich

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Richard F EdlichBiomedical Engineering and Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USAAbstract: The children of a multiple sclerosis (MS patient filed a guardian ad litem case to be brought against the patient. The basis for the petition was that the MS patient had a significant reduction is his mental competence. The children were not aware that hyperthermia could adversely affect the brain of MS patients. The patient's urologist recommended he have a suprapubic cystostomy done in a hospital. Passage of the two channel Foley catheter into his bladder immediately resolved his urinary tract infection, fever, and difficulty in communicating. Despite this dramatic improvement in his health from the urologic treatment, he was now faced with resolving his children's petition for a guardian ad litem that would allow them to control his estate including his residence and financial retirement assets. A judge supported this petition by requesting that the patient with MS pay for his children's attorney fees, 24 hour nursing home services that duplicated his own hired personal care assistants, the salary of the guardian ad litem, the attorney fees for the guardian ad litem, and payment for a psychological evaluation. The state law should be changed to require that the petitioner have adequate income to pay for his/her attorney as well as the salary of the guardian ad litem to prevent mismanagement of patients with cognitive disorders. In addition, the guardian ad litem should be an attorney or a registered nurse. The care of disabled individuals subjected to litigation should be coordinated by an attorney or registered nurse.Keywords: multiple sclerosis, infection control, law, nurse 

Comparative efficacy and safety of antidiabetic drug regimens added to metformin monotherapy in patients with type 2 diabetes: a network meta-analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth S Mearns

Full Text Available When first line therapy with metformin is insufficient for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D, the optimal adjunctive therapy is unclear. We assessed the efficacy and safety of adjunctive antidiabetic agents in patients with inadequately controlled T2D on metformin alone.A search of MEDLINE and CENTRAL, clinicaltrials.gov, regulatory websites was performed. We included randomized controlled trials of 3-12 months duration, evaluating Food and Drug Administration or European Union approved agents (noninsulin and long acting, once daily basal insulins in patients experiencing inadequate glycemic control with metformin monotherapy (≥ 1500 mg daily or maximally tolerated dose for ≥ 4 weeks. Random-effects network meta-analyses were used to compare the weighted mean difference for changes from baseline in HbA1c, body weight (BW and systolic blood pressure (SBP, and the risk of developing hypoglycemia, urinary (UTI and genital tract infection (GTI.Sixty-two trials evaluating 25 agents were included. All agents significantly reduced HbA1c vs. placebo; albeit not to the same extent (range, 0.43% for miglitol to 1.29% for glibenclamide. Glargine, sulfonylureas (SUs and nateglinide were associated with increased hypoglycemia risk vs. placebo (range, 4.00-11.67. Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2 inhibitors, glucagon-like peptide-1 analogs, miglitol and empagliflozin/linagliptin significantly reduced BW (range, 1.15-2.26 kg whereas SUs, thiazolindinediones, glargine and alogliptin/pioglitazone caused weight gain (range, 1.19-2.44 kg. SGLT2 inhibitors, empagliflozin/linagliptin, liraglutide and sitagliptin decreased SBP (range, 1.88-5.43 mmHg. No therapy increased UTI risk vs. placebo; however, SGLT2 inhibitors were associated with an increased risk of GTI (range, 2.16-8.03.Adding different AHAs to metformin was associated with varying effects on HbA1c, BW, SBP, hypoglycemia, UTI and GTI which should impact clinician choice when selecting adjunctive

Does adding ketamine to morphine patient-controlled analgesia safely improve post-thoracotomy pain?

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, Timothy J; Churchhouse, Antonia M D; Housden, Tessa; Dunning, Joel

2012-02-01

A best evidence topic in thoracic surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was 'is the addition of ketamine to morphine patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) following thoracic surgery superior to morphine alone'. Altogether 201 papers were found using the reported search, of which nine represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The authors, journal, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes and results of these papers are tabulated. This consisted of one systematic review of PCA morphine with ketamine (PCA-MK) trials, one meta-analysis of PCA-MK trials, four randomized controlled trials of PCA-MK, one meta-analysis of trials using a variety of peri-operative ketamine regimes and two cohort studies of PCA-MK. Main outcomes measured included pain score rated on visual analogue scale, morphine consumption and incidence of psychotomimetic side effects/hallucination. Two papers reported the measurements of respiratory function. This evidence shows that adding ketamine to morphine PCA is safe, with a reported incidence of hallucination requiring intervention of 2.9%, and a meta-analysis finding an incidence of all central nervous system side effects of 18% compared with 15% with morphine alone, P = 0.31, RR 1.27 with 95% CI (0.8-2.01). All randomized controlled trials of its use following thoracic surgery found no hallucination or psychological side effect. All five studies in thoracic surgery (n = 243) found reduced morphine requirements with PCA-MK. Pain scores were significantly lower in PCA-MK patients in thoracic surgery papers, with one paper additionally reporting increased patient satisfaction. However, no significant improvement was found in a meta-analysis of five papers studying PCA-MK in a variety of surgical settings. Both papers reporting respiratory outcomes found improved oxygen saturations and PaCO(2) levels in PCA-MK patients following thoracic surgery

Adding A Dietician to the Liaison-Team after Discharge of Geriatric Patients at Nutritional Risk May Save Health Care Costs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pohju, Anne; Belqaid, Kerstin; Brandt, Christopher

2016-01-01

with (intervention group, IG) or without a dietitian (control group, CG). The IG received three home visits by the dietitian during a 12-week period. Data included in the economic analysis was time spent by the dietitian, use of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) and number of hospitalization days. Results......: Of the 71 included patients, 34 were in the IG, 30 patients received all three dietitian visits. Cumulated number of hospitalization days was 172 in the IG and 415 in the CG. Use of ONS was 48 % in the IG and 17% in the CG (P=0.001). Estimated cost for the dietitian and ONS combined in the IG was €9......,416 compared to €1,150 (ONS only) in the CG. For hospitalizations, estimated cost was €92,020 in the IG and €220,025 in the CG. Cost savings added up to €3,048 per patient in the IG. Conclusion: Adding a dietitian to a Danish geriatric discharge Liaison-Team decreased health care costs...

Impaired cognition in depression and Alzheimer (AD: a gradient from depression to depression in AD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Narahyana Bom de Araujo

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Objective To assess cognition in major depressed (MD, Alzheimer's disease (AD, and depression in AD elderly. Method Subjects were evaluated by Mini Mental, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Rey Complex Figure, Digit Span, Similarities, Trail Making A/B, Verbal Fluency and Stroop. One-way ANOVA and multivariate models were used to compare the performance of each group on neuropsychological tests. Results We evaluated 212 subjects. Compared to MD, attention, working memory, processing speed and recall showed significantly better in controls. Controls showed significantly higher performance in all cognitive measures, except in attention compared to AD. Verbal fluency, memory, processing speed and abstract reasoning in MD was significantly higher compared to AD. AD was significantly better in general cognitive state than depression in AD. All other cognitive domains were similar. Conclusion A decreasing gradient in cognition appeared from the control to depression in AD, with MD and AD in an intermediate position.

Predicting AD conversion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Yawu; Mattila, Jussi; Ruiz, Miguel �ngel Mu�oz

2013-01-01

To compare the accuracies of predicting AD conversion by using a decision support system (PredictAD tool) and current research criteria of prodromal AD as identified by combinations of episodic memory impairment of hippocampal type and visual assessment of medial temporal lobe atrophy (MTA) on MRI...

Electroencephalogram (EEG spectral features discriminate between Alzheimer’s (AD and Vascular dementia (VaD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emanuel eNeto

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Alzheimer’s disease (AD and vascular dementia (VaD present with similar clinical symptoms of cognitive decline, but the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms differ. To determine whether clinical electroencephalography (EEG can provide information relevant to discriminate between these diagnoses, we used quantitative EEG analysis to compare the spectra between non-medicated patients with AD (n=77 and VaD (n=77 and healthy elderly normal controls (NC (n=77. We use curve-fitting with a combination of a power loss and Gaussian function to model the averaged resting-state spectra of each EEG channel extracting six parameters. We assessed the performance of our model and tested the extracted parameters for group differentiation. We performed regression analysis in a MANCOVA with group, age, gender, and number of epochs as predictors and further explored the topographical group differences with pair-wise contrasts. Significant topographical differences between the groups were found in several of the extracted features. Both AD and VaD groups showed increased delta power when compared to NC, whereas the AD patients showed a decrease in alpha power for occipital and temporal regions when compared with NC. The VaD patients had higher alpha power than NC and AD. The AD and VaD groups showed slowing of the alpha rhythm. Variability of the alpha frequency was wider for both AD and VaD groups. There was a general decrease in beta power for both AD and VaD. The proposed model is a useful to parameterize spectra which allowed extracting relevant clinical EEG key features that move towards simple and interpretable diagnostic criteria.

18F-FDG PET diagnostic and prognostic patterns do not overlap in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients at the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morbelli, Silvia; Bauckneht, Matteo; Buschiazzo, Ambra; Nieri, Alberto; Sambuceti, Gianmario; Pagani, Marco; De Carli, Fabrizio

2017-01-01

We aimed to identify the cortical regions where hypometabolism can predict the speed of conversion to dementia in mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD). We selected from the clinical database of our tertiary center memory clinic, eighty-two consecutive MCI-AD that underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET at baseline during the first diagnostic work-up and were followed up at least until their clinical conversion to AD dementia. The whole group of MCI-AD was compared in SPM8 with a group of age-matched healthy controls (CTR) to verify the presence of AD diagnostic-pattern; then the correlation between conversion time and brain metabolism was assessed to identify the prognostic-pattern. Significance threshold was set at p < 0.05 False-Discovery-Rate (FDR) corrected at peak and at cluster level. Each MCI-AD was then compared with CTR by means of a SPM single-subject analysis and grouped according to presence of AD diagnostic-pattern and prognostic-pattern. Kaplan-Meier-analysis was used to evaluate if diagnostic- and/or prognostic-patterns can predict speed of conversion to dementia. Diagnostic-pattern corresponded to typical posterior hypometabolism (BA 7, 18, 19, 30, 31 and 40) and did not correlate with time to conversion, which was instead correlated with metabolic levels in right middle and inferior temporal gyri as well as in the fusiform gyrus (prognostic-pattern, BA 20, 21 and 38). At Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with hypometabolism in the prognostic pattern converted to AD-dementia significantly earlier than patients not showing significant hypometabolism in the right middle and inferior temporal cortex (9 versus 19 months; Log rank p < 0.02, Breslow test: p < 0.003, Tarone-Ware test: p < 0.007). The present findings support the role of FDG PET as a robust progression biomarker even in a naturalist population of MCI-AD. However, not the AD-typical diagnostic-pattern in posterior regions but the middle and inferior temporal

18F-FDG PET diagnostic and prognostic patterns do not overlap in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients at the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage

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Morbelli, Silvia; Bauckneht, Matteo; Buschiazzo, Ambra; Nieri, Alberto; Sambuceti, Gianmario [Genoa Univ. (Italy). Dept. of Health Sciences; IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genoa (Italy). Nuclear Medicine Unit; Arnaldi, Dario; Picco, Agnese; Pardini, Matteo; Brugnolo, Andrea; Girtler, Nicola; Nobili, Flavio [Genoa Univ. (Italy). Clinical Neurology, Department of Neuroscience (DINOGMI); IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Genoa (Italy); Pagani, Marco [Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Rome (Italy); Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm (Sweden). Department of Nuclear Medicine; Chincarini, Andrea [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Genoa (Italy); De Carli, Fabrizio [National Research Council, Genoa (Italy). Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology

2017-11-15

We aimed to identify the cortical regions where hypometabolism can predict the speed of conversion to dementia in mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's disease (MCI-AD). We selected from the clinical database of our tertiary center memory clinic, eighty-two consecutive MCI-AD that underwent 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET at baseline during the first diagnostic work-up and were followed up at least until their clinical conversion to AD dementia. The whole group of MCI-AD was compared in SPM8 with a group of age-matched healthy controls (CTR) to verify the presence of AD diagnostic-pattern; then the correlation between conversion time and brain metabolism was assessed to identify the prognostic-pattern. Significance threshold was set at p < 0.05 False-Discovery-Rate (FDR) corrected at peak and at cluster level. Each MCI-AD was then compared with CTR by means of a SPM single-subject analysis and grouped according to presence of AD diagnostic-pattern and prognostic-pattern. Kaplan-Meier-analysis was used to evaluate if diagnostic- and/or prognostic-patterns can predict speed of conversion to dementia. Diagnostic-pattern corresponded to typical posterior hypometabolism (BA 7, 18, 19, 30, 31 and 40) and did not correlate with time to conversion, which was instead correlated with metabolic levels in right middle and inferior temporal gyri as well as in the fusiform gyrus (prognostic-pattern, BA 20, 21 and 38). At Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with hypometabolism in the prognostic pattern converted to AD-dementia significantly earlier than patients not showing significant hypometabolism in the right middle and inferior temporal cortex (9 versus 19 months; Log rank p < 0.02, Breslow test: p < 0.003, Tarone-Ware test: p < 0.007). The present findings support the role of FDG PET as a robust progression biomarker even in a naturalist population of MCI-AD. However, not the AD-typical diagnostic-pattern in posterior regions but the middle and inferior temporal

Comparative safety and effectiveness of cognitive enhancers for Alzheimer's dementia: protocol for a systematic review and individual patient data network meta-analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Veroniki, Areti Angeliki; Straus, Sharon E; Ashoor, Huda M; Hamid, Jemila S; Hemmelgarn, Brenda R; Holroyd-Leduc, Jayna; Majumdar, Sumit R; McAuley, Glenn; Tricco, Andrea C

2016-01-01

Introduction Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, and several organisations, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, suggest that management of patients with AD should be tailored to their needs. To date, little research has been conducted on the treatment effect in different subgroups of patients with AD. The aim of this study is to examine the comparative effectiveness and safety of cognitive enhancers for different patient characteristics. Methods and analysis We will update our previous literature search from January 2015 forward, using the same terms and electronic databases (eg, MEDLINE) from our previous review. We will additionally search grey literature and scan the reference lists of the included studies. Randomised clinical trials of any duration conducted at any time comparing cognitive enhancers alone or in any combination against other cognitive enhancers, or placebo in adults with AD will be eligible. The outcomes of interest are cognition according to the Mini-Mental State Examination, and overall serious adverse events. For each outcome and treatment comparison, we will perform a Bayesian hierarchical random-effects meta-analysis combining the individual patient data (IPD) from each eligible study. If the identified treatment comparisons form a connected network diagram, we will perform an IPD network meta-analysis (NMA) to estimate subgroup effects for patients with different characteristics, such as AD severity and sex. We will combine aggregated data from studies that we will not be able to obtain IPD, with the IPD provided by the original authors, in a single model. We will use the PRISMA-IPD and PRISMA-NMA statements to report our findings. Ethics and dissemination The findings of this study will be of interest to stakeholders, including decision makers, guideline developers, clinicians, methodologists and patients, and they will help to improve guidelines for the management of patients with AD

The PredictAD project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Antila, Kari; Lötjönen, Jyrki; Thurfjell, Lennart

2013-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia affecting 36 million people worldwide. As the demographic transition in the developed countries progresses towards older population, the worsening ratio of workers per retirees and the growing number of patients with age-related illnes...... candidates and implement the framework in software. The results are currently used in several research projects, licensed to commercial use and being tested for clinical use in several trials....... objective of the PredictAD project was to find and integrate efficient biomarkers from heterogeneous patient data to make early diagnosis and to monitor the progress of AD in a more efficient, reliable and objective manner. The project focused on discovering biomarkers from biomolecular data...

Critical gravity on AdS2 spacetimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myung, Yun Soo; Kim, Yong-Wan; Park, Young-Jai

2011-01-01

We study the critical gravity in two-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS 2 ) spacetimes, which was obtained from the cosmological topologically massive gravity (TMG Λ ) in three dimensions by using the Kaluza-Klein dimensional reduction. We perform the perturbation analysis around AdS 2 , which may correspond to the near-horizon geometry of the extremal Banados, Teitelboim, and Zanelli (BTZ) black hole obtained from the TMG Λ with identification upon uplifting three dimensions. A massive propagating scalar mode δF satisfies the second-order differential equation away from the critical point of K=l, whose solution is given by the Bessel functions. On the other hand, δF satisfies the fourth-order equation at the critical point. We exactly solve the fourth-order equation, and compare it with the log gravity in two dimensions. Consequently, the critical gravity in two dimensions could not be described by a massless scalar δF ml and its logarithmic partner δF log 4th .

Supersymmetric AdS3, AdS2 and bubble solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauntlett, Jerome P.; Waldram, Daniel; Kim, Nakwoo

2007-01-01

We present new supersymmetric AdS 3 solutions of type IIB supergravity and AdS 2 solutions of D = 11 supergravity. The former are dual to conformal field theories in two dimensions with N = (0, 2) supersymmetry while the latter are dual to conformal quantum mechanics with two supercharges. Our construction also includes AdS 2 solutions of D = 11 supergravity that have non-compact internal spaces which are dual to three-dimensional N = 2 superconformal field theories coupled to point-like defects. We also present some new bubble-type solutions, corresponding to BPS states in conformal theories, that preserve four supersymmetries

Added Diagnostic Value of Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers for Differential Dementia Diagnosis in an Autopsy-Confirmed Cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Niemantsverdriet, Ellis; Feyen, Bart F E; Le Bastard, Nathalie; Martin, Jean-Jacques; Goeman, Johan; De Deyn, Peter Paul; Bjerke, Maria; Engelborghs, Sebastiaan

2018-01-01

Differential dementia diagnosis remains a challenge due to overlap of clinical profiles, which often results in diagnostic doubt. Determine the added diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for differential dementia diagnosis as compared to autopsy-confirmed diagnosis. Seventy-one dementia patients with autopsy-confirmed diagnoses were included in this study. All neuropathological diagnoses were established according to standard neuropathological criteria and consisted of Alzheimer's disease (AD) or other dementias (NONAD). CSF levels of Aβ1 - 42, T-tau, and P-tau181 were determined and interpreted based on the IWG-2 and NIA-AA criteria, separately. A panel of three neurologists experienced with dementia made clinical consensus dementia diagnoses. Clinical and CSF biomarker diagnoses were compared to the autopsy-confirmed diagnoses. Forty-two patients (59%) had autopsy-confirmed AD, whereas 29 patients (41%) had autopsy-confirmed NONAD. Of the 24 patients with an ambiguous clinical dementia diagnosis, a correct diagnosis would have been established in 67% of the cases applying CSF biomarkers in the context of the IWG-2 or the NIA-AA criteria respectively. AD CSF biomarkers have an added diagnostic value in differential dementia diagnosis and can help establishing a correct dementia diagnosis in case of ambiguous clinical dementia diagnoses.

HOMA-AD in Assessing Insulin Resistance in Lean Noncirrhotic HCV Outpatients.

Science.gov (United States)

Michalczuk, Matheus Truccolo; Kappel, Camila Rippol; Birkhan, Oscar; Bragança, Ana Carolina; Alvares-da-Silva, Mário Reis

2012-01-01

Introduction. There is an association between HCV and insulin resistance (IR), which is currently assessed by HOMA-IR. There is evidence that HOMA-adiponectin (HOMA-AD) is more accurate, but its role in HCV patients is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate IR in an HCV sample and controls, in order to compare the accuracy of HOMA-IR and HOMA-AD. Methods. Ninety-four HCV outpatients aged IR was estimated by HOMA-IR and HOMA-AD. Results. The groups were similar regarding sex and BMI, but the HCV patients were older. The median insulin level was higher in the HCV group (8.6 mU/mL (6.5-13.7) versus 6.5 (4.3-10.7), P = 0.004), as was median HOMA-IR (1.94 (1.51 to 3.48) versus 1.40 (1.02 to 2.36), P = 0.002) and the prevalence of IR (38.3% versus 10.3% (P = 0.009)). No differences were found in adiponectin levels (P = 0.294) and HOMA-AD (P = 0.393). Conclusion. IR is highly prevalent even in low-risk HCV outpatients. Adiponectin is not influenced by the presence of HCV. HOMA-AD does not seem to be useful in assessing IR in HCV patients.

Comparing the Effects of Four Instructional Treatments on EFL Students' Achievement in Writing Classified Ads

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Khodabandeh, Farzaneh

2016-01-01

The current study set out to compare the effect of traditional and non-traditional instructional treatments; i.e. explicit, implicit, task-based and no-instruction approaches on students' abilities to learn how to write classified ads. 72 junior students who have all taken a course in Reading Journalistic Texts at the Payame-Noor University…

Exploring the bulk in AdS /CFT : A covariant approach

Science.gov (United States)

Engelhardt, Netta

2017-03-01

I propose a general, covariant way of defining when one region is "deeper in the bulk" than another. This definition is formulated outside of an event horizon (or in the absence thereof) in generic geometries; it may be applied to both points and surfaces, and it may be used to compare the depth of bulk points or surfaces relative to a particular boundary subregion or relative to the entire boundary. Using the recently proposed "light-cone cut" formalism, the comparative depth between two bulk points can be determined from the singularity structure of Lorentzian correlators in the dual field theory. I prove that, by this definition, causal wedges of progressively larger regions probe monotonically deeper in the bulk. The definition furthermore matches expectations in pure AdS and in static AdS black holes with isotropic spatial slices, where a well-defined holographic coordinate exists. In terms of holographic renormalization group flow, this new definition of bulk depth makes contact with coarse graining over both large distances and long time scales.

Adding methylphenidate to prism-adaptation improves outcome in neglect patients. A randomized clinical trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Luauté, Jacques; Villeneuve, Laurent; Roux, Adeline; Nash, Stuart; Bar, Jean-Yves; Chabanat, Eric; Cotton, François; Ciancia, Sophie; Sancho, Pierre-Olivier; Hovantruc, Patrick; Quelard, François; Sarraf, Thierry; Cojan, Yann; Hadj-Bouziane, Fadila; Farné, Alessandro; Janoly-Dumenil, Audrey; Boisson, Dominique; Jacquin-Courtois, Sophie; Rode, Gilles; Rossetti, Yves

2018-04-04

Spatial neglect is one of the main predictors of poor functional recovery after stroke. Many therapeutic interventions have been developed to alleviate this condition, but to date the evidence of their effectiveness is still scarce. The purpose of this study was to test whether combining prism adaptation (PA) and methylphenidate (MP) could enhance the recovery of neglect patients at a functional level. RITAPRISM is a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study comparing PA plus placebo (control) versus PA plus MP. 24 patients were prospectively enrolled (10 in the placebo group and 14 in the MP group). The main result is a long-term functional improvement (on the functional independence measure (FIM) and on Bergego's scale) induced by MP combined with PA. No serious adverse event occurred. The long-term benefit on activities of daily living (ADL) obtained in this randomized controlled trial set this intervention apart from previous attempts and supports with a high level of evidence the value of combining PA and MP in order to improve the autonomy of neglect patients. Further studies will be needed to clarify the mechanism of this improvement. Although not specifically assessed at this stage, a part of the improvement in ADL might be related to the collateral effect of MP on mood, executive functions or fatigue, and/or the combined effect of PA and MP on motor intentional bias of neglect patients. This study provides Class I evidence that adding MP to PA improves the functional outcome of neglect patients. EUCTR2008-000325-20-FR. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A small effect of adding antiviral agents in treating patients with severe Bell palsy.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veen, E.L. van der; Rovers, M.M.; Ru, J.A. de; Heijden, G.J. van der

2012-01-01

In this evidence-based case report, the authors studied the following clinical question: What is the effect of adding antiviral agents to corticosteroids in the treatment of patients with severe or complete Bell palsy? The search yielded 250 original research articles. The 6 randomized trials of

The efficacy of adding dexketoprofen trometamol to tramadol with patient controlled analgesia technique in post-laparoscopic cholecystectomy pain treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekmekçi, Perihan; Kazak Bengisun, Züleyha; Kazbek, Baturay Kansu; Öziş, Salih Erpulat; Taştan, Huri; Süer, Arif Hikmet

2012-01-01

Pain treatment in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is performed in increasing numbers as an ambulatory procedure, is an important issue.Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is regarded as an ambulatory procedure, patients are often hospitalized due to pain and this increases opioid consumption and side effects caused by opioids. This study aims at evaluating the efficacy of adding dexketoprofen trometamol to tramadol with patient controlled analgesia (PCA) in postlaparoscopic cholecystectomy pain treatment. 40 patients in ASA I-II risk groups aged between 18-65 years were enrolled in the study and were randomized using closed envelope method. In Group TD 600 mg tramadol and 100 mg dexketoprofen trometamol, in Group T 600 mg tramadol was added to 100 ml 0.9% normal saline for PCA. 8 mg lornoxicam iv was given if VAS >40 in the postoperative period. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of adverse effects (hypotension, bradycardia, sedation) but in Group T 4 patients complained of nausea and 3 complained of vomiting. Opioid consumption was lower and patient satisfaction was higher in group TD. This study has shown that adding dexketoprofen trometamol to tramadol in patient controlled analgesia following laparoscopic cholecystectomy lowers VAS scores, increases patient satisfaction and decreases opioid consumption.

Memory for Emotional Pictures in Patients with Alzheimer's Dementia: Comparing Picture-Location Binding and Subsequent Recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marloes J. Huijbers

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Emotional content typically facilitates subsequent memory, known as the emotional enhancement effect. We investigated whether emotional content facilitates spatial and item memory in patients with Alzheimer's dementia (AD. Twenty-three AD patients, twenty-three healthy elderly, and twenty-three young adults performed a picture relocation task and a delayed recognition task with positive, negative, and neutral stimuli. AD patients showed a benefit in immediate spatial memory for positive pictures, while healthy young and older participants did not benefit from emotional content. No emotional enhancement effects on delayed item recognition were seen. We conclude that AD patients may have a memory bias for positive information in spatial memory. Discrepancies between our findings and earlier studies are discussed.

Comparing Clinical Profiles in Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease Dementia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin R. Farlow

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Greater understanding of differences in baseline impairment and disease progression in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD may improve the interpretation of drug effects and the design of future studies. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of three randomized, double-blind rivastigmine databases (one in PDD, two in AD. Impairment on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog, Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL scale, 10-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-10 and the ADCS-Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC was compared [standardized difference (Cohen's d, similar if Results: Patients with AD or PDD had similar levels of impairment on the ADAS-cog and NPI-10. Scores on the ADCS-ADL scale (standardized difference = 0.47 and the ADAS-cog memory domain (total, 0.33; items, 0.10-0.58 were higher in AD; PDD patients were more impaired in the language (0.23 and praxis (0.34 domains. AD patients receiving placebo showed greater deterioration on the ADAS-cog (0.14 and improvement on the NPI-10 (0.11 compared with patients with PDD. Conclusion: Differing patterns of impairment occur in AD and PDD.

Comparing clinical profiles in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Farlow, Martin R; Schmitt, Frederick; Aarsland, Dag; Grossberg, George T; Somogyi, Monique; Meng, Xiangyi

2013-01-01

Greater understanding of differences in baseline impairment and disease progression in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) may improve the interpretation of drug effects and the design of future studies. This was a retrospective analysis of three randomized, double-blind rivastigmine databases (one in PDD, two in AD). Impairment on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL) scale, 10-item Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-10) and the ADCS-Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC) was compared [standardized difference (Cohen's d), similar if <0.1]. Patients with AD or PDD had similar levels of impairment on the ADAS-cog and NPI-10. Scores on the ADCS-ADL scale (standardized difference = 0.47) and the ADAS-cog memory domain (total, 0.33; items, 0.10-0.58) were higher in AD; PDD patients were more impaired in the language (0.23) and praxis (0.34) domains. AD patients receiving placebo showed greater deterioration on the ADAS-cog (0.14) and improvement on the NPI-10 (0.11) compared with patients with PDD. Differing patterns of impairment occur in AD and PDD.

Application of the PredictAD Software Tool to Predict Progression in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Anja H; Mattila, Jussi; Hejl, Anne-Mette

2012-01-01

of incremental data presentation using the software tool. A 5th phase was done with all available patient data presented on paper charts. Classifications by the clinical raters were compared to the clinical diagnoses made by the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative investigators. Results: A statistical...... significant trend (p classification accuracy (from 62.6 to 70.0%) was found when using the PredictAD tool during the stepwise procedure. When the same data were presented on paper, classification accuracy of the raters dropped significantly from 70.0 to 63.2%. Conclusion: Best...... classification accuracy was achieved by the clinical raters when using the tool for decision support, suggesting that the tool can add value in diagnostic classification when large amounts of heterogeneous data are presented....

Dupilumab therapy provides clinically meaningful improvement in patient-reported outcomes (PROs): A phase IIb, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial in adult patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD).

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, Eric L; Gadkari, Abhijit; Worm, Margitta; Soong, Weily; Blauvelt, Andrew; Eckert, Laurent; Wu, Richard; Ardeleanu, Marius; Graham, Neil M H; Pirozzi, Gianluca; Sutherland, E Rand; Mastey, Vera

2016-09-01

Moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) is associated with substantial patient burden despite current therapies. We sought to evaluate dupilumab treatment on patient-reported outcomes in adults with moderate to severe AD. Adults (N = 380) with moderate to severe AD inadequately controlled by topical medications were randomized to 16 weeks of double-blind, subcutaneous treatment with dupilumab 100 mg every 4 weeks, 200 mg every 2 weeks, 300 mg every 2 weeks, 300 mg once weekly, or placebo. Patient-reported outcomes included pruritus numeric rating scale; patient-reported sleep item on Scoring AD scale; Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Dermatology Life Quality Index; and 5-dimension 3-level EuroQol. Dupilumab reduced peak itch at 16 weeks relative to placebo by 1.1 to 3.2 points on numeric rating scale (P health-related quality of life on Dermatology Life Quality Index and 5-dimension 3-level EuroQol (P mental health, and health-related quality of life; the two 300-mg dose regimens resulted in greatest benefits. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The added value of assessing the 'most troublesome' symptom among patients with cancer in the palliative phase.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoekstra, J.; Vernooij-Dassen, M.J.F.J.; Vos, R.; Bindels, P.J.

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE: In this study among patients with cancer in the palliative phase, we analysed whether assessing the symptom, which is causing the most trouble in the patient's every day life ('most troublesome' symptom) had added value apart from the presence and severity of symptoms, which are most

The added value of assessing the 'most troublesome' symptom among patients with cancer in the palliative phase

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoekstra, Johanna; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra J. F. J.; de Vos, Rien; Bindels, Patrick J. E.

2007-01-01

OBJECTIVE: In this study among patients with cancer in the palliative phase, we analysed whether assessing the symptom, which is causing the most trouble in the patient's every day life ('most troublesome' symptom) had added value apart from the presence and severity of symptoms, which are most

Adding ketamine to morphine for intravenous patient-controlled analgesia for acute postoperative pain

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carstensen, M; Møller, A M

2010-01-01

In experimental trials, ketamine has been shown to reduce hyperalgesia, prevent opioid tolerance, and lower morphine consumption. Clinical trials have found contradictory results. We performed a review of randomized, double-blinded clinical trials of ketamine added to opioid in i.v. patient-contr...... heterogeneity of studies and small sample sizes, larger double-blinded randomized studies showing greater degree of homogeneity are required to confirm these findings...

Added value of CT perfusion compared to CT angiography in predicting clinical outcomes of stroke patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsogkas, Ioannis; Knauth, Michael; Schregel, Katharina; Behme, Daniel; Psychogios, Marios Nikos [University Medicine Goettingen, Department of Neuroradiology, Goettingen (Germany); Wasser, Katrin; Maier, Ilko; Liman, Jan [University Medicine Goettingen, Department of Neurology, Goettingen (Germany)

2016-11-15

CTP images analyzed with the Alberta stroke program early CT scale (ASPECTS) have been shown to be optimal predictors of clinical outcome. In this study we compared two biomarkers, the cerebral blood volume (CBV)-ASPECTS and the CTA-ASPECTS as predictors of clinical outcome after thrombectomy. Stroke patients with thrombosis of the M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery were included in our study. All patients underwent initial multimodal CT with CTP and CTA on a modern CT scanner. Treatment consisted of full dose intravenous tissue plasminogen activator, when applicable, and mechanical thrombectomy. Three neuroradiologists separately scored CTP and CTA images with the ASPECTS score. Sixty-five patients were included. Median baseline CBV-ASPECTS and CTA-ASPECTS for patients with favourable clinical outcome at follow-up were 8 [interquartile range (IQR) 8-9 and 7-9 respectively]. Patients with poor clinical outcome showed a median baseline CBV-ASPECTS of 6 (IQR 5-8, P < 0.0001) and a median baseline CTA-ASPECTS of 7 (IQR 7-8, P = 0.18). Using CBV-ASPECTS and CTA-ASPECTS raters predicted futile reperfusions in 96 % and 56 % of the cases, respectively. CBV-ASPECTS is a significant predictor of clinical outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with mechanical thrombectomy. (orig.)

MR-angiogram-added surface anatomy scanning of superficial cerebral arteriovenous malformations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsuchiya, Kazuhiro; Katase, Shichiro; Yoshino, Ayako; Hachiya, Junichi [Department of Radiology, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8611 (Japan); Shiokawa, Yoshiaki [Department of Neurosurgery, Kyorin University School of Medicine, 6-20-2, Shinkawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8611 (Japan)

2002-09-01

Our purpose was to evaluate the utility of surface anatomy scanning (SAS) of the brain with superimposition of MR angiograms in the diagnosis and presurgical planning of superficial cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). We performed SAS in 15 patients with superficial cerebral AVMs. Two-dimensional phase-contrast MR angiograms were then obtained in the same section and superimposed on the SAS images. The images were assessed regarding the visualization of each AVM component using a four-point grading scale (3=excellent to 0=poor). In 13 of the patients, the assessment was made comparing with conventional angiograms. The images were also compared with the surgical findings in 5 patients. The added images agreed well with the angiographic findings and demonstrated the relationships between the AVM components and the adjacent brain surface. The average scores of the feeder(s), nidus, and drainer(s) were 2.27, 2.33, and 2.67, respectively. The surgical findings also correlated well with the added images. Our technique can noninvasively demonstrate superficial AVMs along with the brain surface and provide information useful for planning surgery. (orig.)

MR-angiogram-added surface anatomy scanning of superficial cerebral arteriovenous malformations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsuchiya, Kazuhiro; Katase, Shichiro; Yoshino, Ayako; Hachiya, Junichi; Shiokawa, Yoshiaki

2002-01-01

Our purpose was to evaluate the utility of surface anatomy scanning (SAS) of the brain with superimposition of MR angiograms in the diagnosis and presurgical planning of superficial cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). We performed SAS in 15 patients with superficial cerebral AVMs. Two-dimensional phase-contrast MR angiograms were then obtained in the same section and superimposed on the SAS images. The images were assessed regarding the visualization of each AVM component using a four-point grading scale (3=excellent to 0=poor). In 13 of the patients, the assessment was made comparing with conventional angiograms. The images were also compared with the surgical findings in 5 patients. The added images agreed well with the angiographic findings and demonstrated the relationships between the AVM components and the adjacent brain surface. The average scores of the feeder(s), nidus, and drainer(s) were 2.27, 2.33, and 2.67, respectively. The surgical findings also correlated well with the added images. Our technique can noninvasively demonstrate superficial AVMs along with the brain surface and provide information useful for planning surgery. (orig.)

Impaired activity of CCA-adding enzyme TRNT1 impacts OXPHOS complexes and cellular respiration in SIFD patient-derived fibroblasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Liwak-Muir, Urszula; Mamady, Hapsatou; Naas, Turaya; Wylie, Quinlan; McBride, Skye; Lines, Matthew; Michaud, Jean; Baird, Stephen D; Chakraborty, Pranesh K; Holcik, Martin

2016-06-18

SIFD (Sideroblastic anemia with B-cell immunodeficiency, periodic fevers, and developmental delay) is a novel form of congenital sideroblastic anemia associated with B-cell immunodeficiency, periodic fevers, and developmental delay caused by mutations in the CCA-adding enzyme TRNT1, but the precise molecular pathophysiology is not known. We show that the disease causing mutations in patient-derived fibroblasts do not affect subcellular localization of TRNT1 and show no gross morphological differences when compared to control cells. Analysis of cellular respiration and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) complexes demonstrates that both basal and maximal respiration rates are decreased in patient cells, which may be attributed to an observed decrease in the abundance of select proteins of the OXPHOS complexes. Our data provides further insight into cellular pathophysiology of SIFD.

Comparative analysis of ADS gene promoter in seven Artemisia ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

... were more in the high artemisinin producer species, A. annua, than the other species. We have reported that the light-responsive elements, W-box, CAAT-box, 5′-UTR py-rich stretch, TATA-box sequence and tandem repeat sequences have been identified as important factors in the increased expression of ADS gene.

Comparison of TIVA and Desflurane Added to a Subanaesthetic Dose of Propofol in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: Evaluation of Haemodynamic and Stress Hormone Changes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Didem Onk

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Increased levels of stress hormones are associated with mortality in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG. Aim. To compare total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA and desflurane added to a subanaesthetic dose of propofol. Material and Methods. Fifty patients were enrolled in this study. Fentanyl (3–5 mcg/kg/h was started in both groups. Patients were divided into two groups. The PD group (n=25 received 1 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC desflurane anaesthesia in addition to propofol infusion (2-3 mg/kg/h, while P group (n=25 received propofol infusion (5-6 mg/kg/h only. Biochemical data, cortisol, and insulin levels were measured preoperatively (T0, after initiation of CPB but before cross-clamping the aorta (T1, after removal of the cross-clamp (T2, and at the 24th postoperative hour (T3. Results. Systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure levels were significantly higher in PD group than those in P group in T1 and T2 measurements (p≤0.05. CK-MB showed a significant decrease in group P (p≤0.05. When we compared both groups, cortisol levels were significantly higher in PD group than P group (p≤0.05. Conclusion. Stress and haemodynamic responses were better controlled using TIVA than desflurane inhalation added to a subanaesthetic dose of propofol in patients undergoing CABG.

The BRST quantization and the no-ghost theorem for AdS3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asano, Masako; Natsuume, Makoto

2003-01-01

In our previous papers, we prove the no-ghost theorem without light-cone directions. We point out that our results are valid for more general backgrounds. In particular, we prove the no-ghost theorem for AdS 3 in the context of the BRST quantization (with the standard restriction on the spin). We compare our BRST proof with the OCQ proof and establish the BRST-OCQ equivalence for AdS 3 . The key in both approaches lies in the certain structure of the matter Hilbert space as a product of two Verma modules. We also present the no-ghost theorem in the most general form. (author)

Integrating a health-related-quality-of-life module within electronic health records: a comparative case study assessing value added

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shea Christopher M

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Health information technology (HIT applications that incorporate point-of-care use of health-related quality of life (HRQL assessments are believed to promote patient-centered interactions between seriously ill patients and physicians. However, it is unclear how willing primary care providers are to use such HRQL HIT applications. The specific aim of this study was to explore factors that providers consider when assessing the value added of an HRQL application for their geriatric patients. Methods Three case studies were developed using the following data sources: baseline surveys with providers and staff, observations of staff and patients, audio recordings of patient-provider interactions, and semi-structured interviews with providers and staff. Results The primary factors providers considered when assessing value added were whether the HRQL information from the module was (1 duplicative of information gathered via other means during the encounter; (2 specific enough to be useful and/or acted upon, and; (3 useful for enough patients to warrant time spent reviewing it for all geriatric patients. Secondary considerations included level of integration of the HRQL and EHR, impact on nursing workflow, and patient reluctance to provide HRQL information. Conclusions Health-related quality of life modules within electronic health record systems offer the potential benefit of improving patient centeredness and quality of care. However, the modules must provide benefits that are substantial and prominent in order for physicians to decide that they are worthwhile and sustainable. Implications of this study for future research include the identification of perceived "costs" as well as a foundation for operationalizing the concept of "usefulness" in the context of such modules. Finally, developers of these modules may need to make their products customizable for practices to account for variation in EHR capabilities and practice

Assessment of PET & ASL metabolism in the hippocampal subfields of MCI and AD using simultaneous PET-MR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goubran, Maged; Douglas, David; Chao, Steven; Quon, Andrew; Tripathi, Pragya; Holley, Dawn; Vasanawala, Minal; Zaharchuk, Greg; Zeineh, Michael [Stanford University (United States)

2015-05-18

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been reported to show decreased metabolic activity in the hippocampus using FDG PET-MR. Histological data suggests that the hippocampal subfields are selectively affected in AD. Given the simultaneous imaging nature of integrated PET-MR scanners and the multimodal capabilities of PET-MR, our purpose here is to assess FDG activity, as well as ASL perfusion in the subfields of MCI and AD patients. 10 consecutive subjects were recruited for this study 3 MCI, 3 AD patients and 4 age-matched controls. The scanning was performed on a simultaneous 3T PET/MR scanner. To delineate the hippocampal subfields, automatic segmentation of hippocampal subfields (ASHS) was employed. Static FDG-PET series were reconstructed for analysis at 45-75 min for all subjects. All imaging sequences were automatically registered to the oblique coronal T2-weighted images (segmentation space). PET standardized uptake values (SUV) in the hippocampal subfields were normalized by the pons. FDG PET metabolism was reduced significantly in AD, as well as MCI patients as compared to controls, with the highest effect demonstrated in the CA3/DG and CA1/2 (p = 0.047, subfields. Patients (MCI and AD combined) had decreased metabolism as compared to controls in CA1/2 and significantly smaller volumes the Subiculum. When assessing CBF across groups, a significant decrease in CBF was found in the Subiculum. Our preliminary results demonstrate that PET-MRI may potentially be a sensitive biomarker and tool for early diagnosis of AD. They also confirm the importance of assessing metabolic and structural changes of neurodegenerative diseases at the subfield level.

Uncertain added value of Global Trigger Tool for monitoring of patient safety in cancer care

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lipczak, Henriette; Neckelmann, Kirsten; Steding-Jessen, Marianne

2011-01-01

Monitoring patient safety is a challenging task. The lack of a golden standard has contributed to the recommendation and introduction of several methods. In 2000 the Danish Lung Cancer Registry (DLCR) was established to monitor the clinical management of lung cancer. In 2008 the Global Trigger Tool...... (GTT) was recommended in Denmark as a tool for the monitoring of patient safety. Ideally, the recommendation of a new tool should be preceded by a critical assessment of its added value....

Supergravity one-loop corrections on AdS7 and AdS3, higher spins and AdS/CFT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matteo Beccaria

2015-03-01

Full Text Available As was shown earlier, the one-loop correction in 10d supergravity on AdS5×S5 corresponds to the contributions to the vacuum energy and 4d boundary conformal anomaly which are minus the values for one N=4 Maxwell supermultiplet, thus reproducing the subleading term in the N2−1 coefficient in the dual SU(N SYM theory. We perform similar one-loop computations in 11d supergravity on AdS7×S4 and 10d supergravity on AdS3×S3×T4. In the AdS7 case we find that the corrections to the 6d conformal anomaly a-coefficient and the vacuum energy are again minus the ones for one (2,0 tensor multiplet, suggesting that the total a-anomaly coefficient for the dual (2,0 theory is 4N3−9/4N−7/4 and thus vanishes for N=1. In the AdS3 case the one-loop correction to the vacuum energy or 2d central charge turns out to be equal to that of one free (4,4 scalar multiplet, i.e. is c=+6. This reproduces the subleading term in the central charge c=6(Q1Q5+1 of the dual 2d CFT describing decoupling limit of D5–D1 system. We also present the expressions for the 6d a-anomaly coefficient and vacuum energy contributions of general-symmetry higher spin field in AdS7 and consider their application to tests of vectorial AdS/CFT with the boundary conformal 6d theory represented by free scalars, spinors or rank-2 antisymmetric tensors.

Added value of dedicated axillary hybrid 18F-FDG PET/MRI for improved axillary nodal staging in clinically node-positive breast cancer patients. A feasibility study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nijnatten, Thiemo J.A. van; Goorts, B. [Maastricht University Medical Center+, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (Netherlands); Maastricht University Medical Center+, Department of Surgery, Maastricht (Netherlands); Maastricht University Medical Center+, GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht (Netherlands); Voeoe, S.; Wildberger, J.E. [Maastricht University Medical Center+, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (Netherlands); Boer, M. de [Maastricht University Medical Center+, GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht (Netherlands); Maastricht University Medical Center+, Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Medical Oncology, Maastricht (Netherlands); Kooreman, L.F.S. [Maastricht University Medical Center+, GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht (Netherlands); Maastricht University Medical Center+, Department of Pathology, Maastricht (Netherlands); Heuts, E.M. [Maastricht University Medical Center+, Department of Surgery, Maastricht (Netherlands); Mottaghy, F.M. [Maastricht University Medical Center+, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (Netherlands); RWTH Aachen University, Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital, Aachen (Germany); Lobbes, M.B.I. [Maastricht University Medical Center+, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (Netherlands); Maastricht University Medical Center+, GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht (Netherlands); Smidt, M.L. [Maastricht University Medical Center+, Department of Surgery, Maastricht (Netherlands); Maastricht University Medical Center+, GROW - School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht (Netherlands)

2018-02-15

To investigate the feasibility and potential added value of dedicated axillary 18F-FDG hybrid PET/MRI, compared to standard imaging modalities (i.e. ultrasound [US], MRI and PET/CT), for axillary nodal staging in clinically node-positive breast cancer. Twelve patients with clinically node-positive breast cancer underwent axillary US and dedicated axillary hybrid 18F-FDG PET/MRI. Nine of the 12 patients also underwent whole-body PET/CT. Maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) were measured for the primary breast tumor and the most FDG-avid axillary lymph node. A positive axillary lymph node on dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI was defined as a moderate to very intense FDG-avid lymph node. The diagnostic performance of dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI was calculated by comparing quantitative and its qualitative measurements to results of axillary US, MRI and PET/CT. The number of suspicious axillary lymph nodes was subdivided as follows: N0 (0 nodes), N1 (1-3 nodes), N2 (4-9 nodes) and N3 (≥ 10 nodes). According to dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI findings, seven patients were diagnosed with N1, four with N2 and one with N3. With regard to mean SUVmax, there was no significant difference in the primary tumor (9.0 [±5.0] vs. 8.6 [±5.7], p = 0.678) or the most FDG-avid axillary lymph node (7.8 [±5.3] vs. 7.7 [±4.3], p = 0.767) between dedicated axillary PET/MRI and PET/CT. Compared to standard imaging modalities, dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI resulted in changes in nodal status as follows: 40% compared to US, 75% compared to T2-weighted MRI, 40% compared to contrast-enhanced MRI, and 22% compared to PET/CT. Adding dedicated axillary 18F-FDG hybrid PET/MRI to diagnostic work-up may improve the diagnostic performance of axillary nodal staging in clinically node-positive breast cancer patients. (orig.)

Added value of dedicated axillary hybrid 18F-FDG PET/MRI for improved axillary nodal staging in clinically node-positive breast cancer patients. A feasibility study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nijnatten, Thiemo J.A. van; Goorts, B.; Voeoe, S.; Wildberger, J.E.; Boer, M. de; Kooreman, L.F.S.; Heuts, E.M.; Mottaghy, F.M.; Lobbes, M.B.I.; Smidt, M.L.

2018-01-01

To investigate the feasibility and potential added value of dedicated axillary 18F-FDG hybrid PET/MRI, compared to standard imaging modalities (i.e. ultrasound [US], MRI and PET/CT), for axillary nodal staging in clinically node-positive breast cancer. Twelve patients with clinically node-positive breast cancer underwent axillary US and dedicated axillary hybrid 18F-FDG PET/MRI. Nine of the 12 patients also underwent whole-body PET/CT. Maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) were measured for the primary breast tumor and the most FDG-avid axillary lymph node. A positive axillary lymph node on dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI was defined as a moderate to very intense FDG-avid lymph node. The diagnostic performance of dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI was calculated by comparing quantitative and its qualitative measurements to results of axillary US, MRI and PET/CT. The number of suspicious axillary lymph nodes was subdivided as follows: N0 (0 nodes), N1 (1-3 nodes), N2 (4-9 nodes) and N3 (≥ 10 nodes). According to dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI findings, seven patients were diagnosed with N1, four with N2 and one with N3. With regard to mean SUVmax, there was no significant difference in the primary tumor (9.0 [±5.0] vs. 8.6 [±5.7], p = 0.678) or the most FDG-avid axillary lymph node (7.8 [±5.3] vs. 7.7 [±4.3], p = 0.767) between dedicated axillary PET/MRI and PET/CT. Compared to standard imaging modalities, dedicated axillary hybrid PET/MRI resulted in changes in nodal status as follows: 40% compared to US, 75% compared to T2-weighted MRI, 40% compared to contrast-enhanced MRI, and 22% compared to PET/CT. Adding dedicated axillary 18F-FDG hybrid PET/MRI to diagnostic work-up may improve the diagnostic performance of axillary nodal staging in clinically node-positive breast cancer patients. (orig.)

Labetalol compared with propranolol in the treatment of black hypertensive patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Saunders, E; Curry, C; Hinds, J; Kong, B W; Medakovic, M; Poland, M; Roper, K

1987-09-01

A double-blind parallel group study was conducted to examine the effects of oral labetalol, in doses from 100 to 800 mg BID, and propranolol, 40 to 320 mg, in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. The doses of labetalol (n = 74) and propranolol (n = 79) were titrated weekly to achieve a sitting diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of less than 90 mmHg or at least a 10-mmHg decrease from placebo baseline on two consecutive visits. A 2-month fixed-dose maintenance phase followed in which a diuretic could be added if the sitting DBP was greater than or equal to 100 mmHg on maximum doses of either drug. BP and heart rate were measured 8-12 hours after a dose in the sitting and standing positions. Labetalol was significantly more effective at the end of monotherapy than propranolol was in lowering both the sitting (p less than .05) and standing (p less than .04) DBP. The reduction in the systolic, although more pronounced for those on labetalol, was not significantly different; 53% of patients had a "good" response to labetalol compared with 30% of the propranolol group. Propranolol significantly (p less than 0.01) lowered heart rate compared with labetalol. Nine patients in the labetalol group and 10 in the propranolol group required a diuretic. The decrease in BP after the addition of a diuretic was comparable. Changes in plasma lipids were not significant, but HDL increased 9% with labetalol and decreased 2% with propranolol. Triglycerides increased 25% with labetalol and 31% with propranolol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

There are no differences in IL-6, CRP and homocystein concentrations between women whose mothers had AD and women whose mothers did not have AD.

Science.gov (United States)

Devčić, Sanja; Glamuzina, Ljubomir; Ruljancic, Nedjeljka; Mihanovic, Mate

2014-12-30

A wide range of recent studies have detected inflammation as one of the most influent factors in the appearance and spreading of neurodegenerative brain diseases. We aimed to understand the influence of Interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine (Hcy) on patients suffering from Alzheimer׳s disease (AD) and on their descendants. Three groups of subjects were analyzed: 55 patients suffering from AD, 51 middle-aged daughters of the patients of the first group, and 53 subjects without positive family history of AD. The results of the conducted research are in accordance with the present scientific knowledge, namely a statistically significant difference for examined parameters has been determined between women suffering from AD and their daughters and control group examinees. No difference was found in serum concentrations of IL-6, highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and Hcy between the groups of the middle-aged descendants of patients with AD and healthy controls without family history of AD. This finding supports the hypothesis that these markers may not play causal role in the development of AD. This is supported by the obtained positive correlation between IL-6 and hsCRP and IL-6 and Hcy in AD patients while there is no such correlation between female subjects with or without a family history of AD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hairy AdS solitons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anabalón, Andrés; Astefanesei, Dumitru; Choque, David

2016-01-01

We construct exact hairy AdS soliton solutions in Einstein-dilaton gravity theory. We examine their thermodynamic properties and discuss the role of these solutions for the existence of first order phase transitions for hairy black holes. The negative energy density associated to hairy AdS solitons can be interpreted as the Casimir energy that is generated in the dual filed theory when the fermions are antiperiodic on the compact coordinate.

Hairy AdS solitons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anabalón, Andrés, E-mail: andres.anabalon@uai.cl [Departamento de Ciencias, Facultad de Artes Liberales and Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Av. Padre Hurtado 750, Viña del Mar (Chile); Astefanesei, Dumitru, E-mail: dumitru.astefanesei@pucv.cl [Instituto de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Casilla 4059, Valparaíso (Chile); Choque, David, E-mail: brst1010123@gmail.com [Instituto de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Casilla 4059, Valparaíso (Chile); Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Av. España 1680, Valparaíso (Chile)

2016-11-10

We construct exact hairy AdS soliton solutions in Einstein-dilaton gravity theory. We examine their thermodynamic properties and discuss the role of these solutions for the existence of first order phase transitions for hairy black holes. The negative energy density associated to hairy AdS solitons can be interpreted as the Casimir energy that is generated in the dual filed theory when the fermions are antiperiodic on the compact coordinate.

Finite temperature effective action, AdS5 black holes, and 1/N expansion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez-Gaume, Luis; Gomez, Cesar; Liu Hong; Wadia, Spenta R.

2005-01-01

We propose a phenomenological matrix model to study string theory in AdS 5 xS 5 in the canonical ensemble. The model reproduces all the known qualitative features of the theory. In particular, it gives a simple effective potential description of Euclidean black hole nucleation and the tunneling between thermal anti-de Sitter (AdS) and the big black hole. It also has some interesting predictions. We find that there exists a critical temperature at which the Euclidean small black hole undergoes a Gross-Witten phase transition. We identify the phase transition with the Horowitz-Polchinski point where the black hole horizon size becomes comparable to the string scale. The appearance of the Hagedorn divergence of thermal AdS is due to the merger of saddle points corresponding to the Euclidean small black hole and thermal AdS. The merger can be described in terms of a cusp (A 3 ) catastrophe and divergences at the perturbative string level are smoothed out at finite string coupling using standard techniques of catastrophe theory

AdS solutions through transgression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donos, Aristomenis; Gauntlett, Jerome P.; Kim, Nakwoo

2008-01-01

We present new classes of explicit supersymmetric AdS 3 solutions of type IIB supergravity with non-vanishing five-form flux and AdS 2 solutions of D = 11 supergravity with electric four-form flux. The former are dual to two-dimensional SCFTs with (0,2) supersymmetry and the latter to supersymmetric quantum mechanics with two supercharges. We also investigate more general classes of AdS 3 solutions of type IIB supergravity and AdS 2 solutions of D = 11 supergravity which in addition have non-vanishing three-form flux and magnetic four-form flux, respectively. The construction of these more general solutions makes essential use of the Chern-Simons or 'transgression' terms in the Bianchi identity or the equation of motion of the field strengths in the supergravity theories. We construct infinite new classes of explicit examples and for some of the type IIB solutions determine the central charge of the dual SCFTs. The type IIB solutions with non-vanishing three-form flux that we construct include a two-torus, and after two T-dualities and an S-duality, we obtain new AdS 3 solutions with only the NS fields being non-trivial.

Citalopram for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease (CitAD): design and methods

Science.gov (United States)

Drye, Lea T.; Ismail, Zahinoor; Porsteinsson, Anton P.; Rosenberg, Paul B.; Weintraub, Daniel; Marano, Christopher; Pelton, Gregory; Frangakis, Constantine; Rabins, Peter V.; Munro, Cynthia A.; Meinert, Curtis L.; Devanand, D.P.; Yesavage, Jerome; Mintzer, Jacobo E.; Schneider, Lon S.; Pollock, Bruce G.; Lyketsos, Constantine G.

2012-01-01

Background Agitation is one of the most common neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and is associated with serious adverse consequences for patients and caregivers. Evidence-supported treatment options for agitation are limited. The citalopram for agitation in Alzheimer’s disease (CitAD) study was designed to evaluate the potential of citalopram to ameliorate these symptoms. Methods CitAD is a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial with two parallel treatment groups assigned in a 1:1 ratio and randomization stratified by clinical center. The study has eight recruiting clinical centers, a chair’s office and a coordinating center located in university settings in the United States and Canada. 200 people having probable Alzheimer’s disease with clinically significant agitation and without major depression are being recruited. Patients are randomized to receive citalopram (target dose of 30 mg/day) or matching placebo. Caregivers of patients in both treatment groups receive a structured psychosocial therapy. Agitation will be compared between treatment groups using the NeuroBehavioral Rating Scale and the AD Cooperative Study- Clinical Global Impression of Change which are the primary outcomes. Functional performance, cognition, caregiver distress and rates of adverse and serious adverse events will also be measured. Conclusion The authors believe the design elements in CitAD are important features to be included in trials assessing the safety and efficacy of psychotropic medications for clinically significant agitation in Alzheimer’s disease. PMID:22301195

Adding value to laboratory medicine: a professional responsibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Beastall, Graham H

2013-01-01

Laboratory medicine is a medical specialty at the centre of healthcare. When used optimally laboratory medicine generates knowledge that can facilitate patient safety, improve patient outcomes, shorten patient journeys and lead to more cost-effective healthcare. Optimal use of laboratory medicine relies on dynamic and authoritative leadership outside as well as inside the laboratory. The first responsibility of the head of a clinical laboratory is to ensure the provision of a high quality service across a wide range of parameters culminating in laboratory accreditation against an international standard, such as ISO 15189. From that essential baseline the leadership of laboratory medicine at local, national and international level needs to 'add value' to ensure the optimal delivery, use, development and evaluation of the services provided for individuals and for groups of patients. A convenient tool to illustrate added value is use of the mnemonic 'SCIENCE'. This tool allows added value to be considered in seven domains: standardisation and harmonisation; clinical effectiveness; innovation; evidence-based practice; novel applications; cost-effectiveness; and education of others. The assessment of added value in laboratory medicine may be considered against a framework that comprises three dimensions: operational efficiency; patient management; and patient behaviours. The profession and the patient will benefit from sharing examples of adding value to laboratory medicine.

Adding ketamine to morphine for intravenous patient-controlled analgesia for acute postoperative pain: a qualitative review of randomized trials

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carstensen, M; Møller, A M

2010-01-01

In experimental trials, ketamine has been shown to reduce hyperalgesia, prevent opioid tolerance, and lower morphine consumption. Clinical trials have found contradictory results. We performed a review of randomized, double-blinded clinical trials of ketamine added to opioid in i.v. patient......-controlled analgesia (PCA) for postoperative pain in order to clarify this controversy. Our primary aim was to compare the effectiveness and safety of postoperative administered ketamine in addition to opioid for i.v. PCA compared with i.v. PCA with opioid alone. Studies were identified from the Cochrane Library 2003...... of 4.5. Pain was assessed using visual analogue scales or verbal rating scales. Six studies showed significant improved postoperative analgesia with the addition of ketamine to opioids. Five studies showed no significant clinical improvement. For thoracic surgery, the addition of ketamine to opioid...

LWR [Light Water Reactor] power plant simulations using the AD10 and AD100 systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wulff, W.; Cheng, H.S.; Chien, C.J.; Jang, J.Y.; Lin, H.C.; Mallen, A.N.; Wang, S.J.

1989-01-01

Boiling (BWR) and Pressurized (PWR) Water Reactor Power Plants are being simulated at BNL with the AD10 and AD100 Peripheral Processor Systems. The AD10 system has been used for BWR simulations since 1984 for safety analyses, emergency training and optimization studies. BWR simulation capabilities have been implemented recently on the AD100 system and PWR simulation capabilities are currently being developed under the auspices of international cooperation. Modeling and simulation methods are presented with emphasis on the simulation of the Nuclear Steam Supply System. Results are presented for BWR simulation and performance characteristics are compared of the AD10 and AD100 systems. It will be shown that the AD100 simulates two times faster than two AD10 processors operating in parallel and that the computing capacity of one AD100 (with FMU processor) is twice as large as that of two AD10 processors. 9 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

British and German manufacturing productivity compared : A new benchmark for 1935/36 based on double deflated value added

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fremdling, Rainer; de Jong, Herman; Timmer, Marcel P.

We present a new estimate of Anglo-German manufacturing productivity levels for 1935/36. It is based on archival data on German manufacturing and published British census data. We calculate comparative levels of value added, correcting for differences in prices for outputs and inputs. This so-called

The ICTUS Study: A Prospective longitudinal observational study of 1,380 AD patients in Europe. Study design and baseline characteristics of the cohort.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reynish, E.; Cortes, F.; Andrieu, S.; Cantet, C.; Olde Rikkert, M.G.M.; Melis, R.J.F.; Froelich, L.; Frisoni, G.B.; Jonsson, L.; Visser, P.J.; Ousset, P.J.; Vellas, B.

2007-01-01

The long-term objective of the ICTUS study is to identify milestones in Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression and to develop a model to predict disease course in individual AD patients in Europe. The secondary objectives are to describe the patterns of prescribing, and the socioeconomic impact of AD

Early identification of MCI converting to AD: a FDG PET study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pagani, Marco [Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, Rome (Italy); Karolinska Hospital Stockholm, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Stockholm (Sweden); Nobili, Flavio; Arnaldi, Dario; Brugnolo, Andrea; Picco, Agnese [University of Genoa and IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Clinical Neurology, Department of Neuroscience (DINOGMI), Genoa (Italy); Morbelli, Silvia; Bauckneht, Matteo; Piva, Roberta; Sambuceti, Gianmario [University of Genoa and IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Health Science (DISSAL), Genoa (Italy); Giuliani, Alessandro [Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Environment and Health Department, Rome (Italy); Oeberg, Johanna [Karolinska Hospital, Department of Hospital Physics, Stockholm (Sweden); Girtler, Nicola [University of Genoa and IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Clinical Neurology, Department of Neuroscience (DINOGMI), Genoa (Italy); IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Clinical Psychology, Genoa (Italy); Chincarini, Andrea [National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), Genoa section, Genoa (Italy); Jonsson, Cathrine [Karolinska University Hospital, Medical Radiation Physics and Nuclear Medicine, Imaging and Physiology, Stockholm (Sweden); De Carli, Fabrizio [AOU San Martino-IST, Institute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, CNR - Genoa Unit, Genoa (Italy)

2017-11-15

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional pathological stage between normal ageing (NA) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although subjects with MCI show a decline at different rates, some individuals remain stable or even show an improvement in their cognitive level after some years. We assessed the accuracy of FDG PET in discriminating MCI patients who converted to AD from those who did not. FDG PET was performed in 42 NA subjects, 27 MCI patients who had not converted to AD at 5 years (nc-MCI; mean follow-up time 7.5 ± 1.5 years), and 95 MCI patients who converted to AD within 5 years (MCI-AD; mean conversion time 1.8 ± 1.1 years). Relative FDG uptake values in 26 meta-volumes of interest were submitted to ANCOVA and support vector machine analyses to evaluate regional differences and discrimination accuracy. The MCI-AD group showed significantly lower FDG uptake values in the temporoparietal cortex than the other two groups. FDG uptake values in the nc-MCI group were similar to those in the NA group. Support vector machine analysis discriminated nc-MCI from MCI-AD patients with an accuracy of 89% (AUC 0.91), correctly detecting 93% of the nc-MCI patients. In MCI patients not converting to AD within a minimum follow-up time of 5 years and MCI patients converting within 5 years, baseline FDG PET and volume-based analysis identified those who converted with an accuracy of 89%. However, further analysis is needed in patients with amnestic MCI who convert to a dementia other than AD. (orig.)

Early identification of MCI converting to AD: a FDG PET study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pagani, Marco; Nobili, Flavio; Arnaldi, Dario; Brugnolo, Andrea; Picco, Agnese; Morbelli, Silvia; Bauckneht, Matteo; Piva, Roberta; Sambuceti, Gianmario; Giuliani, Alessandro; Oeberg, Johanna; Girtler, Nicola; Chincarini, Andrea; Jonsson, Cathrine; De Carli, Fabrizio

2017-01-01

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a transitional pathological stage between normal ageing (NA) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although subjects with MCI show a decline at different rates, some individuals remain stable or even show an improvement in their cognitive level after some years. We assessed the accuracy of FDG PET in discriminating MCI patients who converted to AD from those who did not. FDG PET was performed in 42 NA subjects, 27 MCI patients who had not converted to AD at 5 years (nc-MCI; mean follow-up time 7.5 ± 1.5 years), and 95 MCI patients who converted to AD within 5 years (MCI-AD; mean conversion time 1.8 ± 1.1 years). Relative FDG uptake values in 26 meta-volumes of interest were submitted to ANCOVA and support vector machine analyses to evaluate regional differences and discrimination accuracy. The MCI-AD group showed significantly lower FDG uptake values in the temporoparietal cortex than the other two groups. FDG uptake values in the nc-MCI group were similar to those in the NA group. Support vector machine analysis discriminated nc-MCI from MCI-AD patients with an accuracy of 89% (AUC 0.91), correctly detecting 93% of the nc-MCI patients. In MCI patients not converting to AD within a minimum follow-up time of 5 years and MCI patients converting within 5 years, baseline FDG PET and volume-based analysis identified those who converted with an accuracy of 89%. However, further analysis is needed in patients with amnestic MCI who convert to a dementia other than AD. (orig.)

Are we comparing frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer disease patients with the right measures?

Science.gov (United States)

Deutsch, Mariel B; Liang, Li-Jung; Jimenez, Elvira E; Mather, Michelle J; Mendez, Mario F

2016-09-01

Clinical research studies of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) often use Alzheimer disease (AD) as a comparison group for control of dementia variables, using tests of cognitive function to match the groups. These two dementia syndromes, however, are very different in clinical manifestations, and the comparable severity of these dementias may not be reflected by commonly used cognitive scales such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). We evaluated different measures of dementia severity and symptoms among 20 people with bvFTD compared to 24 with early-onset AD. Despite similar ages, disease-duration, education, and cognitive performance on two tests of cognitive function, the MMSE and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the bvFTD participants, compared to the AD participants, were significantly more impaired on other measures of disease severity, including function (Functional Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ)), neuropsychiatric symptoms (Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)), and global dementia stage (Clinical Dementia Rating Scales (CDRs)). However, when we adjusted for the frontotemporal lobar degeneration-CDR (FTLD-CDR) in the analyses, the two dementia groups were comparable across all measures despite significant differences on the cognitive scales. We found tests of cognitive functions (MMSE and MoCA) to be insufficient measures for ensuring comparability between bvFTD and AD groups. In clinical studies, the FTLD-CDR, which includes additional language and behavior items, may be a better overall way to match bvFTD and AD groups on dementia severity.

Comparing AdS/CFT dipole model to HERA F2 data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LU Zhun

2010-01-01

We apply an AdS/CFT-inspired color-dipole model which contains only three free parameters to describe the HERA data for the inclusive structure function F 2 at small Bjorken-x and virtuality. We found that the saturation scale in our AdS/CFT-based parameterization varies in the range of 1-3 GeV becoming independent of energy/Bjorken-x at very small x. This leads to the prediction of x-independence of the structure functions at very small x. With the fitted parameters in our model, the predictions for F 2 , longitudinal structure function, charm structure function and total photo-production cross-sections in the kinematic regions of future experiments can be given. (authors)

The taxable events for the Value-Added Tax (VAT based on a Comparative Law approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walker Villanueva Gutiérrez

2014-07-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the definitions of the main taxable events for the Value-Added Tax (VAT based on a comparative approach to thelegislation of different countries (Spain, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Peru. In this regard, it analyzes which legislations offer definitions according to the principles of generality, fiscal neutrality and legal certainty for VAT. Moreover, it points out that the VAT systems of those countries do not require as a condition for the configuration of the taxable events that the transactions involve a «value added» or a final consumption. In the specificcase of «supplies of goods», the VAT systems have a similar definition of the taxable event, although there are a few differences. However, in the case of«supplies of services», which is the most important taxable event for VAT, there are important differences at the time each country defines it. This is not a desirable effect for the international trade of services, since the lack of harmonization produces double taxation or double non taxation.

A comparative study of the palliative care needs of heart failure and cancer patients.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

O'Leary, Norma

2012-02-01

AIMS: Studies suggest that patients with advanced heart failure (HF) have unmet palliative care (PC) needs. However, many of these studies have been retrospective or based on patients receiving poorly coordinated ad hoc care. We aimed to demonstrate whether the PC needs of patients with advanced HF receiving specialist multidisciplinary coordinated care are similar to cancer patients deemed to have specialist PC needs; thereby justifying the extension of specialist PC services to HF patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a cross-sectional comparative cohort study of 50 HF patients and 50 cancer patients, using quantitative and qualitative methods. Both patient cohorts were statistically indistinguishable in terms of symptom burden, emotional wellbeing, and quality-of-life scores. HF patients had good access to community and social support. HF patients particularly valued the close supervision, medication monitoring, ease of access to service, telephone support, and key worker provided at the HF unit. A small subset of patients had unmet PC needs. A palliative transition point is described. CONCLUSION: HF patients should not be excluded from specialist PC services. However, the majority of their needs can be met at a HF unit. Recognition of the palliative transition point may be key to ensuring that end-of-life issues are addressed. The palliative transition point needs further evaluation.

Comparative study between sugammadex and neostigmine in neurosurgical anesthesia in pediatric patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ayman A Ghoneim

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Postoperative recurarization remains a risk following the use of the conventional neuromuscular blocking agents. In addition, none of the commonly used reversal agents, such as neostigmine or edrophonium are capable of reliably reversing profound blockade. The present comparative and randomized study investigated the use of sugammadex for reversing profound neuromuscular blockade (NMB in pediatric neurosurgical patients undergone posterior fossa tumor excision. Patients and Methods: Forty pediatric patients undergoing elective craniotomy for posterior fossa tumor excision were randomly divided into either of neostigmine or sugammadex group in which muscle relaxant was reversed at the end of anesthesia either with neostigmine 0.04 mg/kg added to atropine 0.02 mg/kg or sugammadex 4 mg/kg alone, respectively. The primary endpoint was the time from the administration of sugammadex or neostigmine to recovery of the train of four (TOF ratio to 90% after rocuronium-induced neuromuscular block. Unpaired t-test was used to compare continuous variables between groups. Meanwhile, repeated ANOVA was used to detect intragroup differences. Results: Patients in sugammadex group attained a TOF ratio 90% in statistically shorter time (1.4 ± 1.2 min than those in neostigmine group (25.16 ± 6.49 min for reversal of the rocuronium. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were significantly higher in neostigmine group at 2, 5 and 10 min after administration of the reversal agents and returned nonsignificantly different after that. With no recurarization in any patient throughout the study period. Conclusion: Sugammadex rapidly and effectively reverses rocuronium-induced NMB in pediatric patients undergoing neurosurgery when administered at reappearance of T2 of TOF at dose 4 mg/kg.

Hypoglycaemia when adding sulphonylurea to metformin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Stig Ejdrup; Christensen, Mikkel

2016-01-01

AIMS: The risk of hypoglycaemia may differ among sulphonylureas (SUs), but evidence from head-to-head comparisons is sparse. Performing a network meta-analysis to use indirect evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), we compared the relative risk of hypoglycaemia with newer generation SUs...... when added to metformin. METHODS: A systematic review identified RCTs lasting 12-52 weeks and evaluating SUs added to inadequate metformin monotherapy (≥1000 mg/day) in type 2 diabetes. Adding RCTs investigating the active comparators from the identified SU trials, we established a coherent network...... of hypoglycaemia was lowest with gliclazide compared to glipizide (OR 0.22, CrI: 0.05 to 0.96), glimepiride (OR 0.40, CrI: 0.13 to 1.27), and glibenclamide (OR 0.21, CrI: 0.03 to 1.48). A major limitation is varying definitions of hypoglycaemia across studies. CONCLUSIONS: When added to metformin, gliclazide...

Warped AdS3 black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anninos, Dionysios; Li Wei; Padi, Megha; Song Wei; Strominger, Andrew

2009-01-01

Three dimensional topologically massive gravity (TMG) with a negative cosmological constant -l -2 and positive Newton constant G admits an AdS 3 vacuum solution for any value of the graviton mass μ. These are all known to be perturbatively unstable except at the recently explored chiral point μl = 1. However we show herein that for every value of μl ≠ 3 there are two other (potentially stable) vacuum solutions given by SL(2,R) x U(1)-invariant warped AdS 3 geometries, with a timelike or spacelike U(1) isometry. Critical behavior occurs at μl = 3, where the warping transitions from a stretching to a squashing, and there are a pair of warped solutions with a null U(1) isometry. For μl > 3, there are known warped black hole solutions which are asymptotic to warped AdS 3 . We show that these black holes are discrete quotients of warped AdS 3 just as BTZ black holes are discrete quotients of ordinary AdS 3 . Moreover new solutions of this type, relevant to any theory with warped AdS 3 solutions, are exhibited. Finally we note that the black hole thermodynamics is consistent with the hypothesis that, for μl > 3, the warped AdS 3 ground state of TMG is holographically dual to a 2D boundary CFT with central charges c R -formula and c L -formula.

Role of electrical stimulation added to conventional therapy in patients with idiopathic facial (Bell) palsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuncay, Figen; Borman, Pinar; Taşer, Burcu; Ünlü, İlhan; Samim, Erdal

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of electrical stimulation when added to conventional physical therapy with regard to clinical and neurophysiologic changes in patients with Bell palsy. This was a randomized controlled trial. Sixty patients diagnosed with Bell palsy (39 right sided, 21 left sided) were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two therapy groups. Group 1 received physical therapy applying hot pack, facial expression exercises, and massage to the facial muscles, whereas group 2 received electrical stimulation treatment in addition to the physical therapy, 5 days per week for a period of 3 wks. Patients were evaluated clinically and electrophysiologically before treatment (at the fourth week of the palsy) and again 3 mos later. Outcome measures included the House-Brackmann scale and Facial Disability Index scores, as well as facial nerve latencies and amplitudes of compound muscle action potentials derived from the frontalis and orbicularis oris muscles. Twenty-nine men (48.3%) and 31 women (51.7%) with Bell palsy were included in the study. In group 1, 16 (57.1%) patients had no axonal degeneration and 12 (42.9%) had axonal degeneration, compared with 17 (53.1%) and 15 (46.9%) patients in group 2, respectively. The baseline House-Brackmann and Facial Disability Index scores were similar between the groups. At 3 mos after onset, the Facial Disability Index scores were improved similarly in both groups. The classification of patients according to House-Brackmann scale revealed greater improvement in group 2 than in group 1. The mean motor nerve latencies and compound muscle action potential amplitudes of both facial muscles were statistically shorter in group 2, whereas only the mean motor latency of the frontalis muscle decreased in group 1. The addition of 3 wks of daily electrical stimulation shortly after facial palsy onset (4 wks), improved functional facial movements and electrophysiologic outcome measures at

Adenomatous-Dominant Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (AdBPH) as a Predictor for Clinical Success Following Prostate Artery Embolization: An Age-Matched Case–Control Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Little, M. W., E-mail: m.little@doctors.org.uk; Boardman, P.; Macdonald, A. C.; Taylor, N.; Macpherson, R. [Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Radiology, Churchill Hospital (United Kingdom); Crew, J. [Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Urology, Churchill Hospital (United Kingdom); Tapping, C. R., E-mail: crtapping@doctors.org.uk [Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Department of Radiology, Churchill Hospital (United Kingdom)

2017-05-15

PurposeTo investigate the clinical impact of performing prostate artery embolization (PAE) on patients with adenomatous-dominant benign prostatic hyperplasia (AdBPH).Materials and MethodsTwelve patients from the ongoing proSTatic aRtery EmbolizAtion for the treatMent of benign prostatic hyperplasia (STREAM) trial were identified as having AdBPH; defined as two or more adenomas within the central gland of ≥1 cm diameter on multi-parametric MRI (MP-MRI). These patients were age-matched with patients from the STREAM cohort, without AdBPH. Patients were followed up with repeat MP-MRI at 3 months and 1 year. International prostate symptom score (IPSS), international index for erectile function (IIEF), and quality of life assessment from the IPSS and EQ-5D-5S questionnaires were recorded pre-PAE and at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year.ResultsThe mean age of patients was 68 (61–76). All patients had PAE as a day-case procedure. The technical success in the cohort was 23/24 (96%). There was a significant reduction in prostate volume following embolization with a median reduction of 34% (30–55) in the AdBPH group, compared to a mean volume reduction of 22% (9–44) in the non-AdBPH group (p = 0.04). There was a significant reduction in IPSS in the AdBPH group following PAE when compared with the control group [AdBPH median IPSS 8 (3–15) vs. non-AdBPH median IPSS 13 (8–18), p = 0.01]. IPSS QOL scores significantly improved in the AdBPH group (p = 0.007). There was no deterioration in sexual function in either group post-PAE.ConclusionsThis is the first time that AdBPH has been identified as being a predictor of clinical success following PAE.

Adenomatous-Dominant Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (AdBPH) as a Predictor for Clinical Success Following Prostate Artery Embolization: An Age-Matched Case–Control Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Little, M. W.; Boardman, P.; Macdonald, A. C.; Taylor, N.; Macpherson, R.; Crew, J.; Tapping, C. R.

2017-01-01

PurposeTo investigate the clinical impact of performing prostate artery embolization (PAE) on patients with adenomatous-dominant benign prostatic hyperplasia (AdBPH).Materials and MethodsTwelve patients from the ongoing proSTatic aRtery EmbolizAtion for the treatMent of benign prostatic hyperplasia (STREAM) trial were identified as having AdBPH; defined as two or more adenomas within the central gland of ≥1 cm diameter on multi-parametric MRI (MP-MRI). These patients were age-matched with patients from the STREAM cohort, without AdBPH. Patients were followed up with repeat MP-MRI at 3 months and 1 year. International prostate symptom score (IPSS), international index for erectile function (IIEF), and quality of life assessment from the IPSS and EQ-5D-5S questionnaires were recorded pre-PAE and at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 1 year.ResultsThe mean age of patients was 68 (61–76). All patients had PAE as a day-case procedure. The technical success in the cohort was 23/24 (96%). There was a significant reduction in prostate volume following embolization with a median reduction of 34% (30–55) in the AdBPH group, compared to a mean volume reduction of 22% (9–44) in the non-AdBPH group (p = 0.04). There was a significant reduction in IPSS in the AdBPH group following PAE when compared with the control group [AdBPH median IPSS 8 (3–15) vs. non-AdBPH median IPSS 13 (8–18), p = 0.01]. IPSS QOL scores significantly improved in the AdBPH group (p = 0.007). There was no deterioration in sexual function in either group post-PAE.ConclusionsThis is the first time that AdBPH has been identified as being a predictor of clinical success following PAE.

Hawking radiation from AdS black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hubeny, Veronika E; Rangamani, Mukund; Marolf, Donald

2010-01-01

We study Hartle-Hawking-like states of quantum field theories on asymptotically AdS black hole backgrounds, with particular regard to the phase structure of interacting theories. By a suitable analytic continuation we show that the equilibrium dynamics of field theories on large asymptotically AdS black holes can be related to the low-temperature states of the same field theory on the AdS soliton (or pure AdS) background. This allows us to gain insight into Hartle-Hawking-like states on large-radius Schwarzschild- or rotating-AdS black holes. Furthermore, we exploit the AdS/CFT correspondence to explore the physics of strongly coupled large N theories on asymptotically AdS black holes. In particular, we exhibit a plausibly complete set of phases for the M2-brane world-volume superconformal field theory on a BTZ black hole background. Our analysis partially resolves puzzles previously raised in connection with Hawking radiation on large AdS black holes.

Retrieval of recent autobiographical memories is associated with slow-wave sleep in early AD.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Géraldine eRAUCHS

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Autobiographical memory is commonly impaired in Alzheimer’s disease (AD. However, little is known about the very recent past which is though highly important in daily life adaptation. In addition, the impact of sleep disturbances, also frequently reported in AD, on the consolidation and retrieval of autobiographical memories remains to be assessed. Using an adaptation of the TEMPau task, we investigated the neural substrates of autobiographical memory for recent events and the potential relationship with sleep in 14 patients with mild AD. On day 1, autobiographical memory was explored across 3 periods: remote (18-30 years, the last two years and the last month. After testing, sleep was recorded using polysomnography. The next day, AD patients benefited a resting state 18FDG-PET scan and a second exploration of autobiographical memory, focusing on the very recent past (today and yesterday. Total recall and episodic recall scores were obtained. In addition, for all events recalled, Remember responses justified by specific factual, spatial and temporal details were measured using the Remember/Know paradigm. Retrieval of autobiographical memories was impaired in AD, but recall of young adulthood and very recent events was relatively better compared to the two intermediate periods. Recall of recent events (experienced the day and the day preceding the assessment was correlated with brain glucose consumption in the precuneus and retrosplenial cortex, the calcarine region, the angular gyrus and lateral temporal areas. AD patients also provided more Justified Remember responses for events experienced the previous day than for those experienced the day of the assessment. Moreover, Justified Remember responses obtained for events experienced before sleep were positively correlated with the amount of slow-wave sleep. These data provide the first evidence of an association between the ability to retrieve recent autobiographical memories and sleep in mild

Does an Otolaryngology-Specific Database Have Added Value? A Comparative Feasibility Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellmunt, Angela M; Roberts, Rhonda; Lee, Walter T; Schulz, Kris; Pynnonen, Melissa A; Crowson, Matthew G; Witsell, David; Parham, Kourosh; Langman, Alan; Vambutas, Andrea; Ryan, Sheila E; Shin, Jennifer J

2016-07-01

There are multiple nationally representative databases that support epidemiologic and outcomes research, and it is unknown whether an otolaryngology-specific resource would prove indispensable or superfluous. Therefore, our objective was to determine the feasibility of analyses in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) databases as compared with the otolaryngology-specific Creating Healthcare Excellence through Education and Research (CHEER) database. Parallel analyses in 2 data sets. Ambulatory visits in the United States. To test a fixed hypothesis that could be directly compared between data sets, we focused on a condition with expected prevalence high enough to substantiate availability in both. This query also encompassed a broad span of diagnoses to sample the breadth of available information. Specifically, we compared an assessment of suspected risk factors for sensorineural hearing loss in subjects 0 to 21 years of age, according to a predetermined protocol. We also assessed the feasibility of 6 additional diagnostic queries among all age groups. In the NAMCS/NHAMCS data set, the number of measured observations was not sufficient to support reliable numeric conclusions (percentage standard error among risk factors: 38.6-92.1). Analysis of the CHEER database demonstrated that age, sex, meningitis, and cytomegalovirus were statistically significant factors associated with pediatric sensorineural hearing loss (P < .01). Among the 6 additional diagnostic queries assessed, NAMCS/NHAMCS usage was also infeasible; the CHEER database contained 1585 to 212,521 more observations per annum. An otolaryngology-specific database has added utility when compared with already available national ambulatory databases. © American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2016.

Polarised Black Holes in AdS

CERN Document Server

Costa, Miguel S.; Oliveira, Miguel; Penedones, João; Santos, Jorge E.

2016-05-03

We consider solutions in Einstein-Maxwell theory with a negative cosmological constant that asymptote to global $AdS_{4}$ with conformal boundary $S^{2}\\times\\mathbb{R}_{t}$. At the sphere at infinity we turn on a space-dependent electrostatic potential, which does not destroy the asymptotic $AdS$ behaviour. For simplicity we focus on the case of a dipolar electrostatic potential. We find two new geometries: (i) an $AdS$ soliton that includes the full backreaction of the electric field on the $AdS$ geometry; (ii) a polarised neutral black hole that is deformed by the electric field, accumulating opposite charges in each hemisphere. For both geometries we study boundary data such as the charge density and the stress tensor. For the black hole we also study the horizon charge density and area, and further verify a Smarr formula. Then we consider this system at finite temperature and compute the Gibbs free energy for both $AdS$ soliton and black hole phases. The corresponding phase diagram generalizes the Hawkin...

A comparative study of dye-sensitized solar cells added carbon nanotubes to electrolyte and counter electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uk Lee, Sung; Hong, Byungyou [School of Information and Communication Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University (Korea); Seok Choi, Won [Department of Electrical Engineering, Hanbat National University (Korea)

2010-04-15

For the purpose of increasing the energy conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were added to electrolyte and PtCl{sub 4}-treated electrode. We used two different powders containing single-wall CNT (SWCNT) and multi-wall CNT (MWCNT). We added CNTs to PtCl{sub 4}-treated electrode (called as CNT-counter electrode) or electrolyte (called as CNT-electrolyte) and then fabricated four kinds of DSSCs with SWCNT-counter electrode, MWCNT-counter electrode, SWCNT-electrolyte, and MWCNT-electrolyte. The efficiency of CNT-counter electrode DSSC was improved to 4.03% (SWCNT) and 4.36% (MWCNT), respectively. In case of CNT-electrolyte DSSC, MWCNT-electrolyte DSSC showed higher efficiency (4.2%) than SWCNT-electrolyte DSSC (3.62%). Compared with a standard DSSC without CNTs whose efficiency was 3.22%, the energy conversion efficiency increased up to about 26% and 24% for the MWCNT-electrode DSSC and the MWCNT-electrolyte DSSC, respectively. (author)

Adherence to Rivaroxaban Compared with Other Oral Anticoagulant Agents Among Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation.

Science.gov (United States)

McHorney, Colleen A; Ashton, Veronica; Laliberté, François; Germain, Guillaume; Wynant, Willy; Crivera, Concetta; Schein, Jeffrey R; Lefebvre, Patrick; Peterson, Eric D

2017-09-01

Adherence to oral anticoagulant (OAC) agents is important for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) to prevent potentially severe adverse events. To compare real-world adherence rates and time to discontinuation for rivaroxaban versus other OACs (apixaban, dabigatran, and warfarin) among patients with NVAF using claims-based data. Health care claims from the IMS Health Real-World Data Adjudicated Claims database (July 2012-June 2015) were analyzed. Adherence rate was defined as the percentage of patients with proportion of days covered (PDC) ≥ 0.80 and ≥ 0.90. Discontinuation was defined as a gap of more than 30 days between the end of a dispensing days of supply and the start date of the next fill, if any. Patients were included if they had ≥ 2 dispensings of rivaroxaban, apixaban, dabigatran, or warfarin at least 180 days apart (the first was considered the index date), had > 60 days of supply, had ≥ 6 months of pre-index eligibility, had ≥ 1 atrial fibrillation (AF) diagnosis pre-index or at index date, and had no valvular involvement. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate adherence to OAC therapy, while a Cox model was used to compare time to discontinuation; both models adjusted for baseline confounders. A total of 13,645 rivaroxaban, 6,304 apixaban, 3,360 dabigatran, and 13,366 warfarin patients were identified. A significantly higher proportion of rivaroxaban users (80.1%) was adherent to therapy (PDC ≥ 0.80 at 6 months) versus apixaban (75.8%), dabigatran (69.2%), and warfarin users (64.5%). After adjustment, the proportion of patients adherent to therapy remained significantly higher for rivaroxaban users versus apixaban (absolute difference [AD] = 5.8%), dabigatran (AD = 9.5%), and warfarin users (AD = 13.6%; all P 0.80 or > 0.90. Such differences in adherence could translate into improved patient outcomes and lower health care costs. This research was funded by Janssen Scientific Affairs. Ashton, Crivera, and Schein

Three spin string configuration in γ-Deformed AdS5xS5 background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bobev, N.; Rashkov, R.; Dimov, H.

2006-01-01

The aim of this paper is to investigate semiclassical rotating string configurations in the recently found Lunin-Maldacena background. This background is conjectured to be dual to the Leigh-Strassler β-deformation of N = 4 SYM and therefore a good laboratory for tests of the AdS/CFT correspondence beyond the well explored AdS 5 xS 5 case. We consider different multispin configurations of rotating strings by allowing the strings to move in both the AdS 5 and the deformed S 5 part of the Lunin-Maldacena background. For all of these configurations we compute the string energy in terms of the angular momenta and the string winding numbers and thus provide the possibility of reproducing our results from a computation of the anomalous dimension of the corresponding dilatation operator. This can be achieved by means of the Bethe ansatz techniques for the relevant sectors of the corresponding Yang-Mills theory. We also compare our results to those for multispin rotating strings on AdS 5 xS 5 . (authors)

Comparing the driving behaviours of individuals with frontotemporal lobar degeneration and those with Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujito, Ryoko; Kamimura, Naoto; Ikeda, Manabu; Koyama, Asuka; Shimodera, Shinji; Morinobu, Shigeru; Inoue, Shimpei

2016-01-01

Assessing driving aptitude in dementia patients is critically important for both patient and public safety. However, there have been only a few reports on the driving behaviours and accident risk of patients with dementia, especially frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Therefore, we compared the characteristics of driving behaviours in patients with FTLD and those with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The subjects were 28 FTLD and 67 AD patients who visited the Department of Psychiatry, Kochi Medical School Hospital. We conducted semi-structured interviews with their families and caregivers about traffic accident history and changes in patient driving behaviours after dementia onset and then compared the findings between the two groups. Overall changes in driving behaviours were reported in 89% (25/28) and 76% (51/67) of the FTLD and AD patients, respectively (P = 0.17). In the FTLD group, difficulty in judging inter-vehicle distances, ignoring road signs and traffic signals, and distraction were reported in 50% (14/28), 61% (17/28), and 50% (14/28) of patients, respectively, and 75% (21/28) patients had caused a traffic accident after dementia onset. The risk of causing an accident was higher in the FTLD group than in the AD group (odds ratio = 10.4, 95% confidence interval = 3.7-29.1). In addition, the mean duration between dementia onset and a traffic accident was 1.35 years in the FTLD group compared with 3.0 years in the AD group (P driving behaviours than those with AD, and the risk of causing a traffic accident may be higher in patients with FTLD from an early disease stage. © 2015 The Authors. Psychogeriatrics © 2015 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

Suicide Risk Associated with Experience of Violence and Impulsivity in Alcohol Dependent Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Khemiri, Lotfi; Jokinen, Jussi; Runeson, Bo; Jayaram-Lindström, Nitya

2016-01-19

Alcohol dependence (AD) and aggression-impulsivity are both associated with increased suicide risk. There is a need to evaluate clinical tools in order to improve suicide risk assessment of AD patients. The present study consisted of 95 individuals with a diagnosis of AD, consecutively admitted for addiction treatment, compared with 95 healthy controls. Suicidal risk was assessed together with exposure of violence and impulsivity. AD patients reported significantly higher rates of exposure to violence in childhood, as measured by the Karolinska Interpersonal Violence Scale (KIVS), compared to HC. Within the AD group, individuals with history of suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior reported higher levels of violence experience compared to AD individuals without such history. AD patients with previous suicidal ideation scored higher on self-reported impulsivity as assessed by the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). Our main finding was that experience of trauma and expression of violent behavior, coupled with increased impulsivity are associated with an elevated suicide risk in AD patients. Future longitudinal studies assessing these traits are needed to evaluate their potential role in identifying AD patients at risk of future suicide.

Impact of Adding a Pictorial Display to Enhance Recall of Cancer Patient Histories: A Randomized Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolch, Gary; Ghosh, Sunita; Boyington, Curtiss; Watanabe, Sharon M; Fainsinger, Robin; Burton-Macleod, Sarah; Thai, Vincent; Thai, JoAnn; Fassbender, Konrad

2017-01-01

Current health care delivery models have increased the need for safe and concise patient handover. Handover interventions in the literature have focused on the use of structured tools but have not evaluated their ability to facilitate retention of patient information. In this study, mock pictorial displays were generated in an attempt to create a snapshot of each patient's medical and social circumstances. These pictorial displays contained the patient's photograph and other disease- and treatment-related images. The objective of this randomized trial was to assess the ability of these snapshots to enhance delayed information recall by care providers. Participating physicians were given four advanced cancer patient histories to review, two at a time over two weeks. Pictorial image displays, referred to as the Electronic Whiteboard (EWB) were added, in a randomized manner to half of the textual histories. The impact of the EWB on information recall was tested in immediate and delayed time frames. Overall, patient information recall declined significantly over time, with or without the EWB. Still, this trial demonstrates significantly higher test scores after 24 hours with the addition of pictures to textual patient information, compared with textual information alone (P = 0.0002). A more modest improvement was seen with the addition of the EWB for questionnaires administered immediately after history review (P = 0.008). Most participants agreed that the EWB was a useful enhancement and that seeing a patient's photograph improved their ability to retain information. Most studies examining the institution of handover protocols in the health care setting have failed to harness the power of pictures and other representative images. This study demonstrates the ability of pictorial displays to improve both immediate and delayed recall of patient histories without increasing review time. These types of displays may be amenable to generation by software programs and

β-secretase inhibitor; a promising novel therapeutic drug in AD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly Willemijn Menting

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Alzheimer’s disease (AD and vascular dementia are responsible for up to 90% of dementia cases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, a staggering number of 35.6 million people are currently diagnosed with dementia. Blocking disease progression or preventing AD altogether is desirable for both social and economic reasons and recently focus has shifted to a new and promising drug: the β-secretase inhibitor. Much of AD research has investigated the amyloid cascade hypothesis, which postulates that AD is caused by changes in amyloid beta (Aβ stability and aggregation. Blocking Aβ production by inhibiting the first protease required for its generation, β-secretase/BACE1, may be the next step in blocking AD progression. In April 2012, promising phase I data on inhibitor MK-8931 was presented. This drug reduced Aβ CSF levels up to 92% and was well tolerated by patients. In March 2013 data was added from a one week trial in 32 mild to moderate AD patients, showing CSF Aβ levels decreased up to 84%. However, BACE1 inhibitors require further research. First, greatly reducing Aβ levels through BACE1 inhibition may have harmful side effects. Second, BACE1 inhibitors have yet to pass clinical trial phase II/III and no data on possible side effects on AD patients are available. And third, there remains doubt about the clinical efficacy of BACE1 inhibitors. In moderate AD patients, Aβ plaques have already been formed. BACE1 inhibitors prevent production of new Aβ plaques, but hypothetically do not influence already existing Aβ peptides. Therefore, BACE1 inhibitors are potentially better at preventing AD instead of having therapeutic use.

Comparative study of ads and Fr in advanced nuclear fuel cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wydler, P.; Van Den Durpel, L.

2001-01-01

To respond to questions raised by different governments concerning the role and viability of partitioning and transmutation (P and T) in general and the ADS-option in particular, the OECD/NEA decided in 1998 to launch a systems study. The aim was to clarify and assess: the goals for transmutation, the requirements for a completely closed fuel cycle in which all actinides are ultimately fissioned, and the advantages and drawbacks of the ADS as an actinide burner in comparison with the better known fast reactor. To perform this assessment and evaluate the implications from a technological, waste management and economic cost/benefit perspective, an expert group, composed of 38 experts from 15 countries and three international organisations, was set up and asked to report its conclusions by mid-2001. The paper will overview the work and conclusions of the expert group. (author)

String Theory on AdS Spaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Boer, J.

2000-01-01

In these notes we discuss various aspects of string theory in AdS spaces. We briefly review the formulation in terms of Green-Schwarz, NSR, and Berkovits variables, as well as the construction of exact conformal field theories with AdS backgrounds. Based on lectures given at the Kyoto YITP Workshop

Open strings on AdS2 branes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Peter; Ooguri, Hirosi.; Park, Jongwon; Tannenhauser, Jonathan

2001-01-01

We study the spectrum of open strings on AdS 2 branes in AdS 3 in an NS-NS background, using the SL(2,R) WZW model. When the brane carries no fundamental string charge, the open string spectrum is the holomorphic square root of the spectrum of closed strings in AdS 3 . It contains short and long strings, and is invariant under spectral flow. When the brane carries fundamental string charge, the open string spectrum again contains short and long strings in all winding sectors. However, branes with fundamental string charge break half the spectral flow symmetry. This has different implications for short and long strings. As the fundamental string charge increases, the brane approaches the boundary of AdS 3 . In this limit, the induced electric field on the worldvolume reaches its critical value, producing noncommutative open string theory on AdS 2

Pair of accelerated black holes in an anti-de Sitter background: The AdS C metric

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, Oscar J.C.; Lemos, Jose P.S.

2003-01-01

The anti-de Sitter C metric (AdS C metric) is characterized by a quite interesting new feature when compared with the C metric in flat or de Sitter backgrounds. Indeed, contrary to what happens in these two last exact solutions, the AdS C metric only describes a pair of accelerated black holes if the acceleration parameter satisfies A>1/l, where l is the cosmological length. The two black holes cannot interact gravitationally and their acceleration is totally provided by the pressure exerted by a strut that pushes the black holes apart. Our analysis is based on the study of the causal structure, on the description of the solution in the AdS 4-hyperboloid in a 5D Minkowski spacetime, and on the physics of the strut. We also analyze the cases A=1/l and A<1/l that represent a single accelerated black hole in the AdS background

Conical singularities in AdS space time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, Cristine Nunes

2011-01-01

Full text: In recent years, the study of conformal gauge theories from 10-D has been motivated by the AdS d+1 /CFT d correspondence, first conjectured by J. Maldacena. The aim of this work is to consider the d = 4 case by analysing the configuration of the N coincident D3 branes. In this context, the work shows that there is a duality between type IIB string theory in AdS 5 x S 5 and N = 4 SU(N) Super Yang-Mills Theory in the IR. The AdS 5 /CFT 4 correspondence brought also new approaches to the strong coupling problem in QCD. Nowadays, there is a whole line of works that focus on the low dimensional correspondence AdS 4 /CFT 3 , like the application to graphene and topological insulators, and the AdS 3 /CFT 2 correspondence, related with the entanglement entropy. In this work, we consider the vortex configuration solution to the AdS 4 and AdS 3 space-time. The most important motivation is to discuss the boundary theory resulting from these solutions. We have examined a straightforward approach to a holographic computation of the graphene and entanglement entropy in the presence of the conical singularity. After this analysis, we consider the scalar field in the bulk in the presence of this metrics and work out the compactification modes. Taking the holographic point of view, we study and discuss the resulting Green function. (author)

Suicidal thoughts/acts and clinical correlates in patients with depressive disorders in Asians: results from the REAP-AD study.

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Park, Seon-Cheol; Lee, Min-Soo; Hahn, Sang Woo; Si, Tian-Mei; Kanba, Shigenobu; Chong, Mian-Yoon; Yoon, Chee Kok; Udomratn, Pichet; Tripathi, Adarsh; Sartorius, Norman; Shinfuku, Naotaka; Maramis, Margarita M; Park, Yong Chon

2016-12-01

Using data from the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns for Antidepressants (REAP-AD) study, we aimed to present the rates and clinical correlates of suicidal thoughts/acts in patients recruited from a total of 40 centres in 10 Asian countries/areas: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Data from 1122 patients with depressive disorders in the REAP-AD study were used. The ICD-10 was employed to diagnose depressive episodes and recurrent depressive disorder. The presence or absence of suicidal thoughts/acts and profile of other depressive symptoms was established using the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for depression. Country/area differences in rates of suicidal thoughts/acts were evaluated with the χ2 test. In addition, depressive symptom profiles, other clinical characteristics, and patterns of psychotropic drug prescription in depressed patients with and without suicidal thoughts/acts were compared using analysis of covariance for continuous variables and logistic regression analysis for discrete variables to adjust the effects of covariates. The rates of suicidal thoughts/acts in 10 countries/areas varied from 12.8% in Japan to 36.3% in China. Patients with suicidal thoughts/acts presented more persistent sadness (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.64, p<0.001), loss of interest (aOR=2.33, p<0.001), fatigue (aOR=1.58, p<0.001), insomnia (aOR=1.74, p<0.001), poor concentration (aOR=1.88, p<0.001), low self-confidence (aOR=1.78, p<0.001), poor appetite (aOR=2.27, p<0.001), guilt/self-blame (aOR=3.03, p<0.001), and use of mood stabilisers (aOR=1.79, p<0.001) than those without suicidal thoughts/acts. Suicidal thoughts/acts can indicate greater severity of depression, and are associated with a poorer response to antidepressants and increased burden of illness. Hence, suicidal thoughts/acts can provide a clinical index reflecting the clinical status of depressive

Regional cerebral blood flow patterns in extremely elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirao, Kentaro; Hanyu, Haruo; Kanetaka, Hidekazu; Shimizu, Soichiro; Sato, Tomohiko; Iwamoto, Toshihiko

2008-01-01

Clinical and pathologic features in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients differ depending on the age of onset. The aim of our study was to compare the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) patterns of younger, elderly, and extremely elderly patients with AD with that of controls to characterize the rCBF patterns in extremely elderly patients with AD. Single photon emission CT (SPECT) was performed in 113 patients with probable AD, including 34 younger (<70 years), 41 elderly (70-84 years), and 38 extremely elderly (≥85 years) patients divided according to age at examination. The SPECT data were analyzed using three-dimensional stereotactic surface projection (3D-SSP). No significant differences regarding gender, duration of disease, education, and Mini-Mental State Examination score were found among the groups. As compared with controls, younger and elderly AD demonstrated significant reduction of rCBF in the temporo-parietal areas, posterior cingulate cortices and precunei, which is considered to be a characteristic rCBF pattern in AD. On the other hand, the extremely elderly AD group demonstrated significant reduction of rCBF in the frontal and medial temporal areas, in addition to the temporo-parietal areas, posterior cingulate cortices and precunei, but the reductions were milder than in those in younger and elderly AD groups. The extremely elderly patients with AD showed atypical rCBF patterns in AD compared to younger and elderly patients with AD. Our data suggest that pathological features in extremely elderly AD may be different from those in younger and elderly AD and that diseases different from AD, such as senile dementia of the neurofibrillary tangle type may be clinically diagnosed as extremely elderly AD. (author)

Added Value of Breast MRI for Preoperative Diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: Diagnostic Performance on 362 Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Petrillo, Antonella; Fusco, Roberta; Petrillo, Mario; Triunfo, Flavia; Filice, Salvatore; Vallone, Paolo; Setola, Sergio Venanzio; Rubulotta, Mariarosaria; Di Bonito, Maurizio; Rinaldo, Massimo; D'Aiuto, Massimiliano; Brunetti, Arturo

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the added value of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in preoperative diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). We reviewed our institution database of 3499 consecutive patients treated for breast cancer. A total of 362 patients with histologically proven DCIS were selected from the institutional database. Of these, 245 (67.7%) preoperatively underwent conventional imaging (CI) (mammography/ultrasonography) (CI group), and 117 (32.3%) underwent CI and dynamic MRI (CI + MRI group). The pathology of surgical specimens served as a reference standard. The Mann-Whitney U, χ 2 test, and Spearman correlation coefficient were performed. The CI + MRI group showed a sensitivity of 98.5% with an increase of 10.1% compared with the CI group to detect pure DCIS. Dynamic MRI identified 19.7% (n = 13) additional pure DCIS compared with CI. In the CI + MRI group, a single (1.5%) false negative was reported, whereas in the CI group, 11 (11.6%) false negatives were reported. Moreover, the CI + MRI group showed a sensitivity of 98.0% to detect DCIS + small invasive component. In this group, dynamic MRI identified 21.6% (n = 11) additional DCIS and a single (2.0%) false negative compared with the CI group, whereas in the CI group, 7 (4.7%) false negatives were reported. MRI and histopathologically measured lesion sizes, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System MRI assessment categories, and enhancement signal intensity curve types showed a significant correlation. The MRI detection rate of DCIS increased significantly with increasing nuclear grade. Preoperative breast MRI showed a better accuracy then CI in preoperative diagnosis for both pure DCIS and DCIS + small invasive component with a precise assessment of lesion size. This can provide a more appropriate management of DCIS patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Patients with ICD-10 disorders F3 and F4 in psychiatric and psychosomatic in-patient units - who is treated where? : Allocation features from the PfAD study].

Science.gov (United States)

Bichescu-Burian, D; Cerisier, C; Czekaj, A; Grempler, J; Hund, S; Jaeger, S; Schmid, P; Weithmann, G; Steinert, T

2017-01-01

In Germany, in-patient treatment of patients with depressive, neurotic, anxiety, and somatoform disorders (ICD-10 F3, F4) is carried out in different settings in psychiatry and psychosomatics. Which patient characteristics determine referral to one or the other specialty is a crucial question in mental health policy and is a matter of ongoing controversy. However, comparative data on patient populations are widely lacking. In the study of Treatment Pathways of Patients with Anxiety and Depression (PfAD study), a total of 320 patients with ICD-10 F3/F4 clinical diagnoses were consecutively recruited from four treatment settings (psychiatric depression ward, psychiatric crisis intervention ward, psychiatric day hospitals, or psychosomatic hospital units; 80 participants per setting) and investigated. In all treatment settings, patients with considerable severity of illness and chronicity were treated. Female gender, higher education, and higher income predicted referral to psychosomatic units; male gender, transfer from another hospital or emergency hospitalization, co-morbidity with a personality disorder, higher general psychiatric co-morbidity, and danger to self at admission predicted referral to psychiatric unit. Patients in psychosomatic units had neither more psychosomatic disorders nor more somatic problems. There is considerable overlap between the clientele of psychiatric and psychosomatic units. Referral and allocation appears to be determined by aspects of severity and social status.

A comparative analysis of two contrasting European approaches for rewarding the value added by drugs for cancer: England versus France.

Science.gov (United States)

Drummond, Michael; de Pouvourville, Gerard; Jones, Elizabeth; Haig, Jennifer; Saba, Grece; Cawston, Hélène

2014-05-01

Within Europe, contrasting approaches have emerged for rewarding the value added by new drugs. In Ireland, The Netherlands, Sweden and the UK, the price of, and access to, a new drug has to be justified by the health gain it delivers compared with current therapy, typically expressed in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained. By contrast, in France and Germany, the assessment of added benefit is expressed on an ordinal scale, based on an assessment of the clinical outcomes as compared with existing care. This assessment then influences price negotiations. The objective of this paper is to assess the pros and cons of each approach, both in terms of the assessments they produce and the efficiency and practical feasibility of the process. We reviewed the technology appraisals performed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) relating to 49 anticancer drug decisions in the UK from September 2003 to January 2012. Estimates of the QALYs gained and incremental cost per QALY gained were then compared with the assessments of the Amélioration du Service Médical Rendu (ASMR) made by the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) in France for the same drugs in the same clinical indications. We also undertook a qualitative assessment of the two approaches, considering the resources required, timeliness, transparency, stakeholder engagement, and political acceptability. In the UK, the estimates of QALYs gained ranged from 0.003 to 1.46 and estimates of incremental cost per QALY from £3,320 to £458,000. The estimate of cost per QALY gained was a good predictor of the level of restriction imposed on the use of the drug concerned. Patient access schemes, which normally imply price reductions, were proposed in 45 % of cases. In France, the distribution of ASMRs was I, 12 %; II, 18 %; III, 24 %; IV, 18 %; V, 22 %; and uncategorized/non-reimbursed, 4 %. Since ASMRs of IV and above signify minor or no improvement over existing therapy, these ratings imply that, in

Complexity of the AdS soliton

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, Alan P.; Ross, Simon F.

2018-05-01

We consider the holographic complexity conjectures in the context of the AdS soliton, which is the holographic dual of the ground state of a field theory on a torus with antiperiodic boundary conditions for fermions on one cycle. The complexity is a non-trivial function of the size of the circle with antiperiodic boundary conditions, which sets an IR scale in the dual geometry. We find qualitative differences between the calculations of complexity from spatial volume and action (CV and CA). In the CV calculation, the complexity for antiperiodic boundary conditions is smaller than for periodic, and decreases monotonically with increasing IR scale. In the CA calculation, the complexity for antiperiodic boundary conditions is larger than for periodic, and initially increases with increasing IR scale, eventually decreasing to zero as the IR scale becomes of order the UV cutoff. We compare these results to a simple calculation for free fermions on a lattice, where we find the complexity for antiperiodic boundary conditions is larger than for periodic.

Globally regular instability of AdS_3

OpenAIRE

Bizon, P.; Jałmużna, J.

2013-01-01

We consider three-dimensional AdS gravity minimally coupled to a massless scalar field and study numerically the evolution of small smooth circularly symmetric perturbations of the $AdS_3$ spacetime. As in higher dimensions, for a large class of perturbations, we observe a turbulent cascade of energy to high frequencies which entails instability of $AdS_3$. However, in contrast to higher dimensions, the cascade cannot be terminated by black hole formation because small perturbations have ener...

Differences of Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT imaging in the early stage of subcortical vascular dementia compared with Alzheimer's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Kyung Won; Kang, Do Young; Park, Min Jeong; Cheon, Sang Myung; Cha, Jae Kwan; Kim, Sang Ho; Kim, Jae Woo

2007-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the specific patterns of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with the early stage of subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT, and to compare the differences between the two conditions. Sixteen SVaD, 46 AD and 12 control subjects participated in this study. We included the patients with SVaD and AD according to NINCDS-ADRDA and NINDS-AIREN criteria. They were all matched for age, education and clinical dementia rating scores. Three groups were evaluated by Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) for measuring rCBF. The SPECT data of patients with SVaD and AD were compared with those of normal control subjects and then compared with each other. SPM analysis of the SPECT image showed significant perfusion deficits on the right temporal region and thalamus, left insula and superior temporal gyrus, both cingulate gyri and frontal subgyri in patients with SVaD and on the left supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal lobule, right fugiform gyrus and both cingulate gyri in AD compared with control subjects (uncorrected ρ < 0.01). SVaD patients revealed significant hypoperfusion in the right parahippocampal gyrus with cingulated gyrus, left insula and both frontal subgyral regions compared with AD (uncorrected ρ < 0.01). Our study shows characteristic and different pattern of perfusion deficits in patients with SVaD and AD, and these results may be helpful to discriminate the two conditions in the early stage of illness

Manifestly T-dual formulation of AdS space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatsuda, Machiko; Kamimura, Kiyoshi; Siegel, Warren

2017-01-01

We present a manifestly T-dual formulation of curved spaces such as an AdS space. For group manifolds related by the orthogonal vielbein fields the three form H=dB in the doubled space is universal at least locally. We construct an affine nondegenerate doubled bosonic AdS algebra to define the AdS space with the Ramond-Ramond flux. The non-zero commutator of the left and right momenta leads to that the left momentum is in an AdS space while the right momentum is in a dS space. Dimensional reduction constraints and the physical AdS algebra are shown to preserve all the doubled coordinates.

Manifestly T-dual formulation of AdS space

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hatsuda, Machiko [Physics Division, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University,Chiba 270-1695 (Japan); KEK Theory Center, High Energy Accelerator Research Organization,Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 (Japan); Kamimura, Kiyoshi [Physics Division, Faculty of Medicine, Juntendo University,Chiba 270-1695 (Japan); Siegel, Warren [C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stony Brook University,Stony Brook, NY 11794-3840 (United States)

2017-05-12

We present a manifestly T-dual formulation of curved spaces such as an AdS space. For group manifolds related by the orthogonal vielbein fields the three form H=dB in the doubled space is universal at least locally. We construct an affine nondegenerate doubled bosonic AdS algebra to define the AdS space with the Ramond-Ramond flux. The non-zero commutator of the left and right momenta leads to that the left momentum is in an AdS space while the right momentum is in a dS space. Dimensional reduction constraints and the physical AdS algebra are shown to preserve all the doubled coordinates.

Comparative study on optical performance and visual outcomes between two diffractive multifocal lenses: AMO Tecnis ® ZMB00 and AcrySof ® IQ ReSTOR ® Multifocal IOL SN6AD1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Augusto Pereira Dias Chaves

2016-06-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Purpose: To compare the optical performance and visual outcomes between two diffractive multifocal lenses: AMO Tecnis® ZMB00 and AcrySof® ReSTOR® SN6AD1. Methods: This prospective, non-randomized comparative study included the assessment of 74 eyes in 37 patients referred for cataract surgery and candidates for multifocal intraocular lens implants. Exclusion criteria included existence of any other eye disease, previous eye surgery, high axial myopia, preoperative corneal astigmatism of >1.00 cylindrical diopter (D, and intraoperative or postoperative complications. Ophthalmological evaluation included the measurement of uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA, distance-corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA, and distance-corrected intermediate visual acuity (DCIVA, with analysis of contrast sensitivity (CS, wavefront, and visual defocus curve. Results: Postoperative UDVA was 0.09 and 0.08 logMAR in the SN6AD1 and ZMB00 groups, respectively (p=0.868; postoperative CDVA was 0.04 and 0.02 logMAR in the SN6AD1 and ZMB00 groups, respectively (p=0.68; DCIVA was 0.17 and 0.54 logMAR in the SN6AD1 and ZMB00 groups, respectively (p=0.000; and DCNVA was 0.04 and 0.09 logMAR in the SN6AD1 and ZMB00 groups, respectively (p=0.001. In both cases, there was an improvement in the spherical equivalent and UDVA (p<0.05. Under photopic conditions, the SN6AD1 group had better CS at low frequencies without glare (p=0.04; however, the ZMB00 group achieved better sensitivity at high frequencies with glare (p=0.003. The SN6AD1 and ZMB00 lenses exhibited similar behavior for intermediate vision, according to the defocus curve; however, the ZMB00 group showed a shorter reading distance than the SN6AD1 group. There were no significant differences regarding aberrometry between the two groups. Conclusion: Both lenses promoted better quality of vision for both long and short distances and exhibited a similar behavior for

Pulmonary hypertenstion ad leading factor in patients undergoing dialysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehman, I.U.; Sumera, A.; Idrees, M.K.; Tanweer, A.

2014-01-01

Objective: To determine the frequency and leading factors of pulmonary hypertension among chronic hemodialysis patients. Study Design: Case series. Place and Duration of Study: Hemodialysis Unit, Department of Nephrology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, from September 2011 to March 2012. Methodology: Patients of either gender aged between 16 to 60 years of age undergoing hemodialysis for at least 3 months not having pre-existing valvular heart disease, chronic lung disease or connective tissue disorder were included. Pulmonary hypertension was prospectively estimated by Doppler echocardiogram on patients undergoing dialysis. Pulmonary artery pressure was calculated on the post-dialysis day and leading factors were compared between patients with and without pulmonary hypertension. Results: A total of 178 patients were included in study with male to female ratio120/58 (2.06:1). The mean age was 33.84 +- 11.9 years. The mean duration of hemodialysis was 23.85 +- 22.48 months. Pulmonary hypertension was found in 76 (42.7%) patients. Out of the studied factors, low serum albumin ( 3.4 mg/dl, p = 0.01) was found to be statistically significant in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Conclusion: Pulmonary hypertension was frequently present in dialysis population (42.7%). This subset of patients had significantly lower albumin levels in serum. More research is needed in its pathogenesis to arrest its course. (author)

THE EFFECT OF LEVERAGE AND ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED ON MARKET VALUE ADDED

OpenAIRE

Kristína Jančovičová BOGNÁROVÁ

2018-01-01

Economic value added (EVA) is a performance measure developed by Stern Stewart & Co.) that attempts to measure the true economic profit produced by a company. Such a metric is useful for investors who wish to determine how well a company has produced value for its investors, and it can be compared against the company's peers for a quick analysis of how well the company is operating in its industry. Market value added (MVA), on the other hand, is simply the difference between the c...

Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) and autoimmune disorders (AD): cause or consequence?

Science.gov (United States)

Braun, Thorsten; Fenaux, Pierre

2013-12-01

Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) and Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML) are frequently associated with clinical manifestations of autoimmune disorders (AD) and inflammatory response of the immune system. AD accompanying MDS and CMML include vasculitis, seronegative polyarthritis and neutrophilic dermatosis. Rare AD including relapsing polychondritis is strongly associated with MDS as in a high proportion of those patients MDS is diagnosed during disease course. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are frequently found among MDS patients without clinical manifestation of AD. In a subset of patients, MDS and resulting cytopenias appear to be the consequence of auto reactive immunologic activity and may respond to immunosuppressive treatment (IST). Increased release of inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor-(TNF)-α and interferon (IF)-γ triggers apoptosis of myeloid precursor cells leading to cytopenias. Impaired function of immune cells including cytotoxic, regulatory (Treg), helper (Th17) T cells and NK cells also appears to predict response to IST, outcome and occurrence of AD. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the long-term cost-effectiveness of IDegLira versus liraglutide added to basal insulin for patients with type 2 diabetes failing to achieve glycemic control on basal insulin in the USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunt, B; Mocarski, M; Valentine, W J; Langer, J

2017-07-01

IDegLira, a fixed ratio combination of insulin degludec and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide, utilizes the complementary mechanisms of action of these two agents to improve glycemic control with low risk of hypoglycemia and avoidance of weight gain. The aim of the present analysis was to assess the long-term cost-effectiveness of IDegLira vs liraglutide added to basal insulin, for patients with type 2 diabetes not achieving glycemic control on basal insulin in the US setting. Projections of lifetime costs and clinical outcomes were made using the IMS CORE Diabetes Model. Treatment effect data for patients receiving IDegLira and liraglutide added to basal insulin were modeled based on the outcomes of a published indirect comparison, as no head-to-head clinical trial data is currently available. Costs were accounted in 2015 US dollars ($) from a healthcare payer perspective. IDegLira was associated with small improvements in quality-adjusted life expectancy compared with liraglutide added to basal insulin (8.94 vs 8.91 discounted quality-adjusted life years [QALYs]). The key driver of improved clinical outcomes was the greater reduction in glycated hemoglobin associated with IDegLira. IDegLira was associated with mean costs savings of $17,687 over patient lifetimes vs liraglutide added to basal insulin, resulting from lower treatment costs and cost savings as a result of complications avoided. The present long-term modeling analysis found that IDegLira was dominant vs liraglutide added to basal insulin for patients with type 2 diabetes failing to achieve glycemic control on basal insulin in the US, improving clinical outcomes and reducing direct costs.

Mixed-symmetry fields in AdS(5), conformal fields, and AdS/CFT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metsaev, R.R. [Department of Theoretical Physics, P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute,Leninsky prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation)

2015-01-15

Mixed-symmetry arbitrary spin massive, massless, and self-dual massive fields in AdS(5) are studied. Light-cone gauge actions for such fields leading to decoupled equations of motion are constructed. Light-cone gauge formulation of mixed-symmetry anomalous conformal currents and shadows in 4d flat space is also developed. AdS/CFT correspondence for normalizable and non-normalizable modes of mixed-symmetry AdS fields and the respective boundary mixed-symmetry anomalous conformal currents and shadows is studied. We demonstrate that the light-cone gauge action for massive mixed-symmetry AdS field evaluated on solution of the Dirichlet problem amounts to the light-cone gauge 2-point vertex of mixed-symmetry anomalous shadow. Also we show that UV divergence of the action for mixed-symmetry massive AdS field with some particular value of mass parameter evaluated on the Dirichlet problem amounts to the action of long mixed-symmetry conformal field, while UV divergence of the action for mixed-symmetry massless AdS field evaluated on the Dirichlet problem amounts to the action of short mixed-symmetry conformal field. We speculate on string theory interpretation of a model which involves short low-spin conformal fields and long higher-spin conformal fields.

Lorentzian AdS, Wormholes and Holography

CERN Document Server

Arias, Raul E; Silva, Guillermo A

2011-01-01

We investigate the structure of two point functions for the QFT dual to an asymptotically Lorentzian AdS-wormhole. The bulk geometry is a solution of 5-dimensional second order Einstein Gauss Bonnet gravity and causally connects two asymptotically AdS space times. We revisit the GKPW prescription for computing two-point correlation functions for dual QFT operators O in Lorentzian signature and we propose to express the bulk fields in terms of the independent boundary values phi_0^\\pm at each of the two asymptotic AdS regions, along the way we exhibit how the ambiguity of normalizable modes in the bulk, related to initial and final states, show up in the computations. The independent boundary values are interpreted as sources for dual operators O^\\pm and we argue that, apart from the possibility of entanglement, there exists a coupling between the degrees of freedom leaving at each boundary. The AdS_(1+1) geometry is also discussed in view of its similar boundary structure. Based on the analysis, we propose a ...

Nonlinear realization of supersymmetric AdS space isometries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, T. E.; Love, S. T.

2006-01-01

The isometries of AdS 5 space and supersymmetric AdS 5 xS 1 space are nonlinearly realized on four-dimensional Minkowski space. The resultant effective actions in terms of the Nambu-Goldstone modes are constructed. The dilatonic mode governing the motion of the Minkowski space probe brane into the covolume of supersymmetric AdS 5 space is found to be unstable and the bulk of the AdS 5 space is unable to sustain the brane. No such instability appears in the nonsupersymmetric case

Early Clinical Outcomes of Tricuspid Valve Repair with a Tri-Ad Annuloplasty Ring in Comparison with the Outcomes Using an MC³ Ring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Woohyun Jung

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Background: We evaluated the early clinical outcomes of tricuspid valve annuloplasty (TAP with the Tri-Ad annuloplasty ring for functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR. Methods: From January 2015 to March 2017, 36 patients underwent TAP with a Tri-Ad ring for functional TR. To evaluate the early clinical outcomes of TAP with the Tri-Ad ring, we conducted a propensity score-matched analysis comparing the Tri-Ad and MC³ tri-cuspid annuloplasty rings (n=34 in each group. The follow-up duration was 11.0±7.07 months. Results: There was 1 case of operative mortality (2.8% and no cases of late mortality. Postoperative complications occurred in 15 patients (41%, including acute kidney injury in 6 patients (16%, bleeding requiring reoperation in 4 patients (11%, and low cardiac output syndrome in 4 patients (11%. There were no ring-related complications, such as atrioventricular block or ring dehiscence. The TR grade decreased significantly (from 2.03±1.06 to 1.18±0.92, p<0.01, as did the systolic pulmonary artery pressure (from 43.53±13.84 to 38.00±9.72 mm Hg, p=0.03. There were no cases of severe residual TR, but moderate TR was observed in 3 patients, all of whom had severe TR preoperatively. Severe preoperative TR was also associated with moderate in the univariate analysis (p<0.01. In the propensity score-matched analysis comparing the Tri-Ad and MC³ rings, there was no significant difference in early clinical outcomes. Conclusion: TAP with the Tri-Ad ring corrected functional TR effectively and provided good early clinical and echocardiographic results without ring-related complications. However, severe preoperative TR was associated with moderate or severe residual TR in the immediate postoperative period. A follow-up study is necessary to confirm the stability of this procedure.

Non-relativistic AdS branes and Newton-Hooke superalgebra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakaguchi, Makoto; Yoshida, Kentaroh

2006-01-01

We examine a non-relativistic limit of D-branes in AdS 5 x S 5 and M-branes in AdS 4/7 x S 7/4 . First, Newton-Hooke superalgebras for the AdS branes are derived from AdS x S superalgebras as Inoenue-Wigner contractions. It is shown that the directions along which the AdS-brane worldvolume extends are restricted by requiring that the isometry on the AdS-brane worldvolume and the Lorentz symmetry in the transverse space naturally extend to the super-isometry. We also derive Newton-Hooke superalgebras for pp-wave branes and show that the directions along which a brane worldvolume extends are restricted. Then the Wess-Zumino terms of the AdS branes are derived by using the Chevalley-Eilenberg cohomology on the super-AdS x S algebra, and the non-relativistic limit of the AdS-brane actions is considered. We show that the consistent limit is possible for the following branes: Dp (even,even) for p = 1 mod 4 and Dp (odd,odd) for p = 3 mod 4 in AdS 5 x S 5 , and M2 (0,3), M2 (2,1), M5 (1,5) and M5 (3,3) in AdS 4 x S 7 and S 4 x AdS 7 . We furthermore present non-relativistic actions for the AdS branes

Patients' satisfaction with healthcare: comparing general practice ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Patients' satisfaction with healthcare: comparing general practice services in a tertiary and primary healthcare settings. ... Nigerian Health Journal ... This research compared the level of patients' satisfaction with general practice care delivered at physicians-manned General Outpatient clinics at tertiary and primary health ...

Autism Disorder (AD): An Updated Review for Paediatric Dentists.

Science.gov (United States)

J, Udhya; M M, Varadharaja; J, Parthiban; Srinivasan, Ila

2014-02-01

Over the past two decades, there has been an explosion of interest in Autism Disorder (AD). Knowledge and awareness on the condition has grown exponentially at all levels among the general public, parents, health professionals, the research community and more recently, at parliamentary level. The world has begun to recognize the scope of this problem and act internationally and locally to improve the lives of the growing number of individuals and families affected by this devastating disorder. This article reviews the dental literature since 1969 and it summarizes characteristics of patients with AD, oral health status and dental management of patients with AD.

Adding liraglutide to the backbone therapy of biguanide in patients with coronary artery disease and newly diagnosed type-2 diabetes (the AddHope2 study)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anholm, Christian; Kumarathurai, Preman; Klit, Malene S

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) more than doubles the risk of death compared with otherwise matched glucose tolerant patients. The biguanide metformin is the drug of choice in treatment of T2DM and has shown to ameliorate...... cardiovascular morbidity in patients with T2DM and myocardial infarction (MI). The incretin hormone, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) improves β-cell function, insulin sensitivity and causes weight loss and has been suggested to have beneficial effects on cardiac function. The GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA......), liraglutide, is currently used for treatment of T2DM but its potential effect on cardiac function has not been investigated in detail. We hypothesised that liraglutide added to metformin backbone therapy in patients with CAD and newly diagnosed T2DM will improve β-cell function and left ventricular systolic...

An open, randomized, parallel-group study to compare the efficacy and safety profile of inhaled human insulin (Exubera) with glibenclamide as adjunctive therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes poorly controlled on metformin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barnett, AH; Dreyer, M; Lange, Peter

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety profile of adding inhaled human insulin (INH) (Exubera) or glibenclamide to metformin monotherapy in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted an open-label, parallel, 24-week multicenter trial. Patients...... associated clinical manifestations. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with type 2 diabetes poorly controlled on metformin, adding INH or glibenclamide was similarly effective in improving glycemic control, and both were well tolerated. A predefined subgroup with very high A1C (>9.5%) was more effectively treated...

A closer look at two AdS4 branes in an AdS5 bulk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thambyahpillai, Shiyamala

2005-01-01

We investigate a scenario with two AdS 4 branes in an AdS 5 bulk. In this scenario there are two gravitons and we investigate the role played by each of them for different positions of the second brane. We show that both gravitons play a significant role only when the turn-around point in the warp factor is approximately equidistant from both branes. We find that the ultralight mode becomes heavy as the second brane approaches the turn-around point, and the physics begins to resemble that of the RS model. Thus we demonstrate the crucial role played by the turn-around in the warp factor in enabling the presence of both gravitons. (author)

Comparative economic value added on Southeast Asian banking industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lintang Dewanti

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This study analyses the bank's performance comparison across countries in some ASEAN members which are listed in the stock exchange, as well as to analyse the influence of Economic Value Added (EVA and some financial ratios on the company stock return. Analysis suggests some results. In Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, the movement of EVA follows the movement of Gross Domestic Product (GDP. This study also finds that Earning per Share (EPS, only in Singapore, and Return on Equity (ROE and Return on Assets (ROA, only in the Philippines, have an influence on stock return. Only in the Philippines where EVA together with ROA has an effect on stock return.

Donepezil treatment in ethnically diverse patients with Alzheimer disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Tinklenberg, Jared R; Kraemer, Helena C; Yaffe, Kristine; O'Hara, Ruth; Ringman, John M; Ashford, John W; Yesavage, Jerome A; Taylor, Joy L

2015-04-01

To compare the outcome of donepezil treatment in ethnically diverse Alzheimer disease (AD) patients with ethnically diverse AD patients who did not receive donepezil. Patients meeting NINCDS-ADRA criteria for probable or possible AD from a consortium of California sites were systematically followed for at least 1 year in this prospective, observational study. Their treatment regimens, including prescription of donepezil, were determined by their individual physician according to his or her usual criteria. Patients self-identified their ethnicity. The 64 ethnically diverse AD patients who completed the study and received donepezil treatment had an average 1-year decline of 2.30 points (standard deviation: 3.9) on the 30-point Mini-Mental State Exam compared with a 1.70-point (standard deviation: 4.2) decline in the 74 ethnically diverse completers who received no donepezil or other anti-AD drugs during the study period. This difference was not statistically significant. The overall Cohen effect size of this treatment-associated difference was estimated at -0.15. After using propensity analyses and other techniques to assess factors that could bias prescribing decisions, the lack of benefits associated with donepezil treatment remained. The lack of donepezil benefits also remained when more traditional analyses were applied to these data. Ethnically diverse AD patients in this study apparently did not benefit from 1 year of donepezil treatment. These unpromising results are in contrast to modest benefits of donepezil treatment measured in a directly comparable California study involving white non-Latino AD patients. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Added Value of 3D Cardiac SPECT/CTA Fusion Imaging in Patients with Reversible Perfusion Defect on Myocardial Perfusion SPECT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kong, Eun Jung; Cho, Ihn Ho [Yeungnam University Hospital, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Won Jun [Yonsei University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Seong Min [Chungnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Won, Kyoung Sook [Keomyung University Dongsan Hospital, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Seok Tae [Chonbuk National University Medical School and Hospital, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Kyung Hoon [Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Byeong Il; Bom, Hee Seung [Chonnam National University Medical School and Hospital, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

2009-12-15

Integration of the functional information of myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) and the morphoanatomical information of coronary CT angiography (CTA) may provide useful additional diagnostic information of the spatial relationship between perfusion defects and coronary stenosis. We studied to know the added value of three dimensional cardiac SPECT/CTA fusion imaging (fusion image) by comparing between fusion image and MPS. Forty-eight patients (M:F=26:22, Age: 63.3{+-}10.4 years) with a reversible perfusion defect on MPS (adenosine stress/rest SPECT with Tc-99m sestamibi or tetrofosmin) and CTA were included. Fusion images were molded and compared with the findings from the MPS. Invasive coronary angiography served as a reference standard for fusion image and MPS. Total 144 coronary arteries in 48 patients were analyzed; Fusion image yielded the sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive value for the detection of hemodynamically significant stenosis per coronary artery 82.5%, 79.3%, 76.7% and 84.6%, respectively. Respective values for the MPS were 68.8%, 70.7%, 62.1% and 76.4%. And fusion image also could detect more multi-vessel disease. Fused three dimensional volume-rendered SPECT/CTA imaging provides intuitive convincing information about hemodynamic relevant lesion and could improved diagnostic accuracy.

Null-polygonal minimal surfaces in AdS4 from perturbed W minimal models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatsuda, Yasuyuki; Ito, Katsushi; Satoh, Yuji

2012-11-01

We study the null-polygonal minimal surfaces in AdS 4 , which correspond to the gluon scattering amplitudes/Wilson loops in N=4 super Yang-Mills theory at strong coupling. The area of the minimal surfaces with n cusps is characterized by the thermodynamic Bethe ansatz (TBA) integral equations or the Y-system of the homogeneous sine-Gordon model, which is regarded as the SU(n-4) 4 /U(1) n-5 generalized parafermion theory perturbed by the weight-zero adjoint operators. Based on the relation to the TBA systems of the perturbed W minimal models, we solve the TBA equations by using the conformal perturbation theory, and obtain the analytic expansion of the remainder function around the UV/regular-polygonal limit for n = 6 and 7. We compare the rescaled remainder function for n=6 with the two-loop one, to observe that they are close to each other similarly to the AdS 3 case.

Joint assessment of white matter integrity, cortical and subcortical atrophy to distinguish AD from behavioral variant FTD: A two-center study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christiane Möller

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We investigated the ability of cortical and subcortical gray matter (GM atrophy in combination with white matter (WM integrity to distinguish behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD from Alzheimer's disease (AD and from controls using voxel-based morphometry, subcortical structure segmentation, and tract-based spatial statistics. To determine which combination of MR markers differentiated the three groups with the highest accuracy, we conducted discriminant function analyses. Adjusted for age, sex and center, both types of dementia had more GM atrophy, lower fractional anisotropy (FA and higher mean (MD, axial (L1 and radial diffusivity (L23 values than controls. BvFTD patients had more GM atrophy in orbitofrontal and inferior frontal areas than AD patients. In addition, caudate nucleus and nucleus accumbens were smaller in bvFTD than in AD. FA values were lower; MD, L1 and L23 values were higher, especially in frontal areas of the brain for bvFTD compared to AD patients. The combination of cortical GM, hippocampal volume and WM integrity measurements, classified 97–100% of controls, 81–100% of AD and 67–75% of bvFTD patients correctly. Our results suggest that WM integrity measures add complementary information to measures of GM atrophy, thereby improving the classification between AD and bvFTD.

Evaporation of large black holes in AdS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rocha, Jorge V

2010-01-01

The AdS/CFT correspondence offers a new perspective on the long-standing black hole information paradox. However, to be able to use the available gauge/gravity machinery one is forced to consider so-called 'large' black holes in AdS, and these objects are thermodynamically stable - they do not evaporate. We describe a simple toy model that allows large AdS black holes to decay, by coupling the emitted radiation to an external scalar field propagating in an auxiliary space. This effectively changes the properties of the boundary of AdS, making it partly absorbing. We demonstrate that the evaporation process never ceases by explicitly presenting (a) the transmission coefficient for a wave scattering from the bulk into auxiliary space and (b) the greybody factor for a black 3-brane in an AdS background. Therefore, the model provides an interesting framework to address the information paradox using AdS/CFT techniques.

Ketamine added to morphine or hydromorphone patient-controlled analgesia for acute postoperative pain in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Li; Johnston, Bradley; Kaushal, Alka; Cheng, Davy; Zhu, Fang; Martin, Janet

2016-03-01

To determine whether ketamine added to morphine or hydromorphone patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) provides clinically relevant reductions in postoperative pain, opioid requirements, and adverse events when compared with morphine or hydromorphone PCA in adults undergoing surgery. We systematically searched six databases up to June 2, 2015 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ketamine plus morphine/hydromorphone PCA vs morphine/hydromorphone PCA for postoperative pain in adults. Thirty-six RCTs including 2,502 patients proved eligible, and 22 of these were at low risk of bias. The addition of ketamine to morphine/hydromorphone PCA decreased postoperative pain intensity at six to 72 hr when measured at rest (weighted mean difference [WMD] on a 10-cm visual analogue scale ranged from -0.4 to -1.3 cm) and during mobilization (WMD ranged from -0.4 to -0.5 cm). Adjunctive ketamine also significantly reduced cumulative morphine consumption at 24-72 hr by approximately 5-20 mg. Predefined subgroup analyses and meta-regression did not detect significant differences across subgroups, including a dose-response relationship. There was no significant difference in patient satisfaction scores at 24 and 48 hr. Nevertheless, the addition of ketamine to morphine/hydromorphone PCA significantly reduced postoperative nausea and vomiting (relative risk, 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60 to 0.85; absolute risk reduction, 8.9%; 95% CI, 4.6 to 12.2). Significant effects on other adverse events (e.g., hallucinations, vivid dreams) were not detected, though only a few studies reported on them. Adding ketamine to morphine/hydromorphone PCA provides a small improvement in postoperative analgesia while reducing opioid requirements. Adjunctive ketamine also reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting without a detected increase in other adverse effects; however, adverse events were probably underreported.

Mutagenesis at the ad-3A and ad-3B loci in haploid UV-sensitive strains of Neurospora crassa. Pt. 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuepbach, M.E.; Serres, F.J. de

1981-01-01

γ-ray-induced inactivation and induction of mutations at the ad-3A and ad-3B loci of Neurospora crassa have been compared among 6 different UV- sensitive strains and a standard wild-type strain. The 6 strains show varying degrees of sensitivy to γ-ray-induced inactivation, with the relative sensitivy at 37% survival being uvs-6 > upr-1 > uvs-2 UE uvs-3 > wild-type > uvs-5 > uvs-4. Studies on the induction of ad-3 mutants by γ-rays show that when the dose-response curves (expressed in terms of ad-3 mutants among the surving colonies) of the UV-sensitive strains are compared with wild-type, the excision-repair-deficient mutants uvs-2 and upr-1 exhibit enhanced ad-3 mutant frequencies, uvs-3 exibits reduced ad-3 mutant frequencies whereas both uvs-4 and uvs-5 show lower mutant frequencies than wild-type. (orig.)

Disease awareness and management behavior of patients with atopic dermatitis: a questionnaire survey of 313 patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung Eun; Lee, Young Bok; Lee, Ji Hyun; Kim, Hye Sung; Lee, Kyung Ho; Park, Young Min; Cho, Sang Hyun; Lee, Jun Young

2015-02-01

Patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) should be relatively well informed about the disorder to control their condition and prevent flare-ups. Thus far, there is no accurate information about the disease awareness levels and therapeutic behavior of AD patients. To collect data on patients' knowledge about AD and their behavior in relation to seeking information about the disease and its treatment. We performed a questionnaire survey on the disease awareness and self-management behavior of AD patients. A total of 313 patients and parents of patients with AD who had visited the The Catholic University of Korea, Catholic Medical Center between November 2011 and October 2012 were recruited. We compared the percentage of correct answers from all collected questionnaires according to the demographic and disease characteristics of the patients. Although dermatologists were the most frequent disease information sources and treatment providers for the AD patients, a significant proportion of participants obtained information from the Internet, which carries a huge amount of false medical information. A considerable number of participants perceived false online information as genuine, especially concerning complementary and alternative medicine treatments of AD, and the adverse effects of steroids. Some questions on AD knowledge had significantly different answers according to sex, marriage status, educational level, type of residence and living area, disease duration, disease severity, and treatment history with dermatologists. Dermatologists should pay more attention to correcting the common misunderstandings about AD to reduce unnecessary social/economic losses and improve treatment compliance.

AdS Black Hole with Phantom Scalar Field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Limei Zhang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We present an AdS black hole solution with Ricci flat horizon in Einstein-phantom scalar theory. The phantom scalar fields just depend on the transverse coordinates x and y, which are parameterized by the parameter α. We study the thermodynamics of the AdS phantom black hole. Although its horizon is a Ricci flat Euclidean space, we find that the thermodynamical properties of the black hole solution are qualitatively the same as those of AdS Schwarzschild black hole. Namely, there exists a minimal temperature and the large black hole is thermodynamically stable, while the smaller one is unstable, so there is a so-called Hawking-Page phase transition between the large black hole and the thermal gas solution in the AdS space-time in Poincare coordinates. We also calculate the entanglement entropy for a strip geometry dual to the AdS phantom black holes and find that the behavior of the entanglement entropy is qualitatively the same as that of the black hole thermodynamical entropy.

Universal regularization prescription for Lovelock AdS gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kofinas, Georgios; Olea, Rodrigo

2007-01-01

A definite form for the boundary term that produces the finiteness of both the conserved quantities and Euclidean action for any Lovelock gravity with AdS asymptotics is presented. This prescription merely tells even from odd bulk dimensions, regardless the particular theory considered, what is valid even for Einstein-Hilbert and Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet AdS gravity. The boundary term is a given polynomial of the boundary extrinsic and intrinsic curvatures (also referred to as Kounterterms series). Only the coupling constant of the boundary term changes accordingly, such that it always preserves a well-posed variational principle for boundary conditions suitable for asymptotically AdS spaces. The background-independent conserved charges associated to asymptotic symmetries are found. In odd bulk dimensions, this regularization produces a generalized formula for the vacuum energy in Lovelock AdS gravity. The standard entropy for asymptotically AdS black holes is recovered directly from the regularization of the Euclidean action, and not only from the first law of thermodynamics associated to the conserved quantities

AdS Branes from Partial Breaking of Superconformal Symmetries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, E.A.

2005-01-01

It is shown how the static-gauge world-volume superfield actions of diverse superbranes on the AdS d+1 superbackgrounds can be systematically derived from nonlinear realizations of the appropriate AdS supersymmetries. The latter are treated as superconformal symmetries of flat Minkowski superspaces of the bosonic dimension d. Examples include the N = 1 AdS 4 supermembrane, which is associated with the 1/2 partial breaking of the OSp(1|4) supersymmetry down to the N = 1, d = 3 Poincare supersymmetry, and the T-duality related L3-brane on AdS 5 and scalar 3-brane on AdS 5 x S 1 , which are associated with two different patterns of 1/2 breaking of the SU(2, 2|1) supersymmetry. Another (closely related) topic is the AdS/CFT equivalence transformation. It maps the world-volume actions of the codimension-one AdS d+1 (super)branes onto the actions of the appropriate Minkowski (super)conformal field theories in the dimension d

AdS2 models in an embedding superspace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKeon, D.G.C.; Sherry, T.N.

2003-01-01

An embedding superspace, whose bosonic part is the flat (2+1)-dimensional embedding space for AdS 2 , is introduced. Superfields and several supersymmetric models are examined in the embedded AdS 2 superspace

Added Value of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Stroke Clinical Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Katzan, Irene L; Thompson, Nicolas R; Lapin, Brittany; Uchino, Ken

2017-07-21

There is uncertainty regarding the clinical utility of the data obtained from patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for patient care. We evaluated the incremental information obtained by PROMs compared to the clinician-reported modified Rankin Scale (mRS). This was an observational study of 3283 ischemic stroke patients seen in a cerebrovascular clinic from September 14, 2012 to June 16, 2015 who completed the routinely collected PROMs: Stroke Impact Scale-16 (SIS-16), EQ-5D, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PROMIS Physical Function, and PROMIS fatigue. The amount of variation in the PROMs explained by mRS was determined using r 2 after adjustment for age and level of stroke impairment. The proportion with meaningful change was calculated for patients with ≥2 visits. Concordance with change in the other scales and the ability to discriminate changes in health state as measured by c-statistic was evaluated for mRS versus SIS-16. Correlation between PROMs and mRS was highest for SIS-16 ( r =-0.64, P measures. PROMs provide additional valuable information compared to the mRS alone in stroke patients seen in the ambulatory setting. SIS-16 may have a better ability to identify change than mRS in health status of relevance to the patient. PROMs may be a useful addition to mRS in the assessment of health status in clinical practice. © 2017 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley.

[Role of the gastroenterologist in the fate of the functional gastrointestinal patient. Comparative evaluation in 2 series of patients in the outpatient clinic of the Social Security Gastroenterology department of Barquisimeto].

Science.gov (United States)

Nazareno Pifano, F

1977-01-01

A comparative evaluation is made of patients with functional digestive diseases in an out-patient clinic of the Social Security of Barquisimeto. In the first group of patients a routine approach was followed while in the second group a brief biographic history is added adapting it to the circumstances of work that exist within this type of clinic. From the information obtained of the destiny of the patients of each group, it is evident that the total approach to the patient is of importance as the only mean possible for an adequate approximation to the patient and the proper management of the case. The problem is presented of the gastroenterologist, overwhelmed by the great technical progress, confronted by the destiny of the functional digestive patient in socialized medicine.

Does adding a dietician to the liaison team after discharge of geriatric patients improve nutritional outcome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck, Anne Marie; Tolstrup Andersen, Ulla; Leedo, Eva

2015-01-01

(70 + years and at nutritional risk) at discharge. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomly allocated to receive discharge Liaison-Team vs. discharge Liaison-Team in cooperation with a dietician. The dietician performed a total of three home visits with the aim of developing and implementing......OBJECTIVES: The objective was to test whether adding a dietician to a discharge Liaison-Team after discharge of geriatric patients improves nutritional status, muscle strength and patient relevant outcomes. DESIGN: Twelve-week randomized controlled trial. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Geriatric patients...... an individual nutritional care plan. The first visit took place at the day of discharge together with the discharge Liaison-Team while the remaining visits took place approximately three and eight weeks after discharge and were performed by a dietician alone. MAIN MEASURES: Nutritional status (weight...

AdS. Klein-Gordon equation

OpenAIRE

Bel, Ll.

2014-01-01

I propose a generalization of the Klein-Gordon equation in the framework of AdS space-time and exhibit a four parameter family of solutions among which there is a two parameter family of time-dependent bound states.

Baby Skyrmions in AdS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elliot-Ripley, Matthew; Winyard, Thomas [Department of Mathematical Sciences, Durham University,South Rd, Durham (United Kingdom)

2015-09-01

We study the baby Skyrme model in a pure AdS background without a mass term. The tail decays and scalings of massless radial solutions are demonstrated to take a similar form to those of the massive flat space model, with the AdS curvature playing a similar role to the flat space pion mass. We also numerically find minimal energy solutions for a range of higher topological charges and find that they form concentric ring-like solutions. Popcorn transitions (named in analogy with studies of toy models of holographic QCD) from an n layer to an n+1-layer configuration are observed at topological charges 9 and 27 and further popcorn transitions for higher charges are predicted. Finally, a point-particle approximation for the model is derived and used to successfully predict the ring structures and popcorn transitions for higher charge solitons.

Wess-Zumino terms for AdS D-branes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatsuda, Machiko; Kamimura, Kiyoshi

2004-01-01

We show that Wess-Zumino terms for Dp branes with p>0 in the anti-de Sitter (AdS) space are given in terms of 'left-invariant' currents on the super-AdS group or the 'expanded' super-AdS group. As a result there is no topological extension of the super-AdS algebra. In the flat limit the global Lorentz rotational charges of the AdS space turn out to be brane charges of the supertranslation algebra representing the BPS mass. We also show that a D-instanton is described by the GL(1) degree of freedom in the Roiban-Siegel formalism based on the GL(4 vertical bar 4)/[Sp(4)xGL(1)]2 coset

Modeling and Predicting AD Progression by Regression Analysis of Sequential Clinical Data

KAUST Repository

Xie, Qing

2016-02-23

Alzheimer\\'s Disease (AD) is currently attracting much attention in elders\\' care. As the increasing availability of massive clinical diagnosis data, especially the medical images of brain scan, it is highly significant to precisely identify and predict the potential AD\\'s progression based on the knowledge in the diagnosis data. In this paper, we follow a novel sequential learning framework to model the disease progression for AD patients\\' care. Different from the conventional approaches using only initial or static diagnosis data to model the disease progression for different durations, we design a score-involved approach and make use of the sequential diagnosis information in different disease stages to jointly simulate the disease progression. The actual clinical scores are utilized in progress to make the prediction more pertinent and reliable. We examined our approach by extensive experiments on the clinical data provided by the Alzheimer\\'s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). The results indicate that the proposed approach is more effective to simulate and predict the disease progression compared with the existing methods.

Comparing thrombin generation in patients with hemophilia A and patients on vitamin K antagonists.

Science.gov (United States)

de Koning, M L Y; Fischer, K; de Laat, B; Huisman, A; Ninivaggi, M; Schutgens, R E G

2017-05-01

Essentials It is unknown if hemophilia patients with atrial fibrillation need anticoagulation. Endogenous thrombin potentials (ETP) in hemophilia patients and patients on coumarins were compared. Severe hemophilia patients had comparable ETP to therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR). In non-severe hemophilia, 33% had higher ETP than therapeutic INR and may need anticoagulation. Click to hear Dr Negrier's perspective on global assays for assessing coagulation SUMMARY: Background It is unknown whether patients with hemophilia A with atrial fibrillation require treatment with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) to the same extent as the normal population. Objective To compare hemostatic potential in hemophilia patients and patients on VKAs using thrombin generation (TG). Methods In this cross-sectional study, TG, initiated with 1pM tissue factor, was measured in 133 patients with severe (FVIII hemophilia A, 97 patients on a VKA with an international normalized ratio (INR) ≥ 1.5 and healthy controls. Endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) (nm*min) was compared according to FVIII level (hemophilia patients and patients on VKAs had lower median ETPs at 304 (196-449) and 176 (100-250), respectively. ETP was quite similar in severe hemophilia patients (185 [116-307]) and patients with a therapeutic INR (156 [90-225]). Compared with patients with therapeutic INR, ETP in patients with FVIII 1-19% and patients with FVIII 20-50% was higher at 296 (203-430) and 397 (219-632), respectively. All patients with therapeutic INR had an ETP hemophilia patients, 70% of patients with FVIII 1-19% and 52% of patients with FVIII 20-50% had an ETP hemophilia patients, TG was comparable to that in patients with a therapeutic INR. In one-third of non-severe hemophilia patients, TG was higher. These results suggest that anticoagulation therapy should be considered in a substantial proportion of non-severe hemophilia patients. © 2017 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Vildagliptin added to sulfonylurea improves glycemic control without hypoglycemia and weight gain in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wenying; Xing, Xiaoping; Lv, Xiaofeng; Li, Yiming; Ma, Jianhua; Yuan, Guoyue; Sun, Feifei; Wang, Wei; Woloschak, Michael; Lukashevich, Valentina; Kozlovski, Plamen; Kothny, Wolfgang

2015-03-01

The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy and safety of vildagliptin as add-on to sulfonylurea therapy in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) inadequately controlled on sulfonylurea monotherapy. The 24-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study compared vildagliptin 50 mg, q.d., with placebo as add-on to glimepiride in T2DM patients who were inadequately controlled (HbA1c 7.5%-11.0% [58-97 mmol/mol]) on a stable dose of sulfonylurea for ≥12 weeks before study entry. In all, 279 patients were randomized to receive either vildagliptin (n = 143) or placebo (n = 136). At baseline, overall mean age was 58.5 years, body weight 68.1 kg, duration of diabetes 6.9 years and daily glimepiride dose 3.3 mg. After 24 weeks, the adjusted mean change (AMΔ) in HbA1c was -0.7% (-8 mmol/mol; baseline 8.6%, 70 mmol/mol) in the vildagliptin group and -0.2% (-2 mmol/mol; baseline 8.7%, 72 mmol/mol) in the placebo group, with a treatment difference of -0.5% (-5 mmol/mol; P vildagliptin and placebo groups reported low and comparable incidences of adverse events (14.0% vs. 17.8%) and serious adverse events (0.7% in each group). Vildagliptin 50 mg, q.d., added to sulfonylurea monotherapy is effective in Chinese patients with T2DM, without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia and weight gain. © 2014 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Score of Inattention Subscale of ADHD Rating Scale-IV is Significantly Higher for AD/HD than PDD.

OpenAIRE

Fujibayashi, Hiromi; Kitayama, Shinji; Matsuo, Masafumi

2010-01-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) must be differentiated because the respective treatments are different. However, they are difficult to distinguish because they often show similar symptoms. At our hospital, we have the rearer of a patient answer both the ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS) and the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), and use the results as an aid for the diagnosis of AD/HD or PDD. These results were compared wit...

The group approach to AdS space propagators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leonhardt, Thorsten; Manvelyan, Ruben; Ruehl, Werner

2003-01-01

We show that AdS two-point functions can be obtained by connecting two points in the interior of AdS space with one point on its boundary by a dual pair of Dobrev's boundary-to-bulk intertwiners and integrating over the boundary point

Differences of Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT imaging in the early stage of subcortical vascular dementia compared with Alzheimer's disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Kyung Won; Kang, Do Young; Park, Min Jeong; Cheon, Sang Myung; Cha, Jae Kwan; Kim, Sang Ho; Kim, Jae Woo [College of Medicine, Dong-A University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2007-12-15

The aim of this study is to assess the specific patterns of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with the early stage of subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT, and to compare the differences between the two conditions. Sixteen SVaD, 46 AD and 12 control subjects participated in this study. We included the patients with SVaD and AD according to NINCDS-ADRDA and NINDS-AIREN criteria. They were all matched for age, education and clinical dementia rating scores. Three groups were evaluated by Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) for measuring rCBF. The SPECT data of patients with SVaD and AD were compared with those of normal control subjects and then compared with each other. SPM analysis of the SPECT image showed significant perfusion deficits on the right temporal region and thalamus, left insula and superior temporal gyrus, both cingulate gyri and frontal subgyri in patients with SVaD and on the left supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal lobule, right fugiform gyrus and both cingulate gyri in AD compared with control subjects (uncorrected {rho} < 0.01). SVaD patients revealed significant hypoperfusion in the right parahippocampal gyrus with cingulated gyrus, left insula and both frontal subgyral regions compared with AD (uncorrected {rho} < 0.01). Our study shows characteristic and different pattern of perfusion deficits in patients with SVaD and AD, and these results may be helpful to discriminate the two conditions in the early stage of illness.

Post-spinal cord injury astrocyte-mediated functional recovery in rats after intraspinal injection of the recombinant adenoviral vectors Ad5-VEGF and Ad5-ANG.

Science.gov (United States)

Povysheva, Tatyana; Shmarov, Maksim; Logunov, Denis; Naroditsky, Boris; Shulman, Ilya; Ogurcov, Sergey; Kolesnikov, Pavel; Islamov, Rustem; Chelyshev, Yuri

2017-07-01

OBJECTIVE The most actively explored therapeutic strategy for overcoming spinal cord injury (SCI) is the delivery of genes encoding molecules that stimulate regeneration. In a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and in preliminary clinical trials in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the combined administration of recombinant adenoviral vectors (Ad5-VEGF+Ad5-ANG) encoding the neurotrophic/angiogenic factors vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF) and angiogenin ( ANG) was found to slow the development of neurological deficits. These results suggest that there may be positive effects of this combination of genes in posttraumatic spinal cord regeneration. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of Ad5-VEGF+Ad5-ANG combination therapy on motor function recovery and reactivity of astrocytes in a rat model of SCI. METHODS Spinal cord injury was induced in adult Wistar rats by the weight-drop method. Rats (n = 51) were divided into 2 groups: the experimental group (Ad5-VEGF+Ad5-ANG) and the control group (Ad5-GFP [green fluorescent protein]). Recovery of motor function was assessed using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scale. The duration and intensity of infectivity and gene expression from the injected vectors were assessed by immunofluorescent detection of GFP. Reactivity of glial cells was assessed by changes in the number of immunopositive cells expressing glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), S100β, aquaporin 4 (AQP4), oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2, and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4. The level of S100β mRNA expression in the spinal cord was estimated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS Partial recovery of motor function was observed 30 days after surgery in both groups. However, Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan scores were 35.9% higher in the Ad5-VEGF+Ad5-ANG group compared with the control group. Specific GFP signal was observed at distances of up to 5 mm in the rostral and caudal

Secure ADS-B authentication system and method

Science.gov (United States)

Viggiano, Marc J (Inventor); Valovage, Edward M (Inventor); Samuelson, Kenneth B (Inventor); Hall, Dana L (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A secure system for authenticating the identity of ADS-B systems, including: an authenticator, including a unique id generator and a transmitter transmitting the unique id to one or more ADS-B transmitters; one or more ADS-B transmitters, including a receiver receiving the unique id, one or more secure processing stages merging the unique id with the ADS-B transmitter's identification, data and secret key and generating a secure code identification and a transmitter transmitting a response containing the secure code and ADSB transmitter's data to the authenticator; the authenticator including means for independently determining each ADS-B transmitter's secret key, a receiver receiving each ADS-B transmitter's response, one or more secure processing stages merging the unique id, ADS-B transmitter's identification and data and generating a secure code, and comparison processing comparing the authenticator-generated secure code and the ADS-B transmitter-generated secure code and providing an authentication signal based on the comparison result.

Holographic description of AdS2 black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, Alejandra; Larsen, Finn; Grumiller, Daniel; McNees, Robert

2008-01-01

We develop the holographic renormalization of AdS 2 gravity systematically. We find that a bulk Maxwell term necessitates a boundary mass term for the gauge field and verify that this unusual term is invariant under gauge transformations that preserve the boundary conditions. We determine the energy-momentum tensor and the central charge, recovering recent results by Hartman and Strominger. We show that our expressions are consistent with dimensional reduction of the AdS 3 energy-momentum tensor and the Brown-Henneaux central charge. As an application of our results we interpret the entropy of AdS 2 black holes as the ground state entropy of a dual CFT.

Light-cone AdS/CFT-adapted approach to AdS fields/currents, shadows, and conformal fields

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metsaev, R.R. [Department of Theoretical Physics, P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Leninsky prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation)

2015-10-16

Light-cone gauge formulation of fields in AdS space and conformal field theory in flat space adapted for the study of AdS/CFT correspondence is developed. Arbitrary spin mixed-symmetry fields in AdS space and arbitrary spin mixed-symmetry currents, shadows, and conformal fields in flat space are considered on an equal footing. For the massless and massive fields in AdS and the conformal fields in flat space, simple light-cone gauge actions leading to decoupled equations of motion are found. For the currents and shadows, simple expressions for all 2-point functions are also found. We demonstrate that representation of conformal algebra generators on space of currents, shadows, and conformal fields can be built in terms of spin operators entering the light-cone gauge formulation of AdS fields. This considerably simplifies the study of AdS/CFT correspondence. Light-cone gauge actions for totally symmetric arbitrary spin long conformal fields in flat space are presented. We apply our approach to the study of totally antisymmetric (one-column) and mixed-symmetry (two-column) fields in AdS space and currents, shadows, and conformal fields in flat space.

Comparing thrombin generation in patients with hemophilia A and patients on vitamin K antagonists

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Koning, M L Y; Fischer, K; de Laat, B; Huisman, A; Ninivaggi, M; Schutgens, R E G

Essentials: It is unknown if hemophilia patients with atrial fibrillation need anticoagulation. Endogenous thrombin potentials (ETP) in hemophilia patients and patients on coumarins were compared. Severe hemophilia patients had comparable ETP to therapeutic international normalized ratio (INR). In

Central charge for AdS2 quantum gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartman, Thomas; Strominger, Andrew

2009-01-01

Two-dimensional Maxwell-dilaton quantum gravity on AdS 2 with radius l and a constant electric field E is studied. In conformal gauge, this is equivalent to a CFT on a strip. In order to maintain consistent boundary conditions, the usual conformal diffeomorphisms must be accompanied by a certain U(1) gauge transformation. The resulting conformal transformations are generated by a twisted stress tensor, which has a central charge c = 3kE 2 l 4 /4 where k is the level of the U(1) current. This is an AdS 2 analog of the Brown-Henneaux formula c = 3l/2G for the central charge of quantum gravity on AdS 3 .

THE EFFECT OF ADDING SPECIFIC HIP STRENGTHENING EXERCISES TO CONVENTIONAL KNEE EXERCISES IN PATIENTS WITH PATELLO FEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raghav Monika

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Patello femoral pain Syndrome is an over use injury and one of the commonest problems seen in adolescents who are physically active. Till date no study has been done comparing the effect of adding specific hip strengthening exercises (gluteus medius, gluteus maximus & lateral rotators to conventional exercises in patients with Patello femoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS while minimizing the effect of minimizing the activation of tensor fascia lata (TFL. Methods: 30 subjects were randomly allocated using convenience random sampling into 2 Groups Group A and Group B with 15 subjects in each group. Readings were taken for Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS, Manual Muscle Testing (MMT for hip abductors, extensors and external rotators muscles quadriceps and hamstrings, and Anterior Knee Pain Scale (AKPS on baseline and at the end of 4th week. Results: Analysis of the data collected for NPRS, AKPS and MMT of Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Hip Abductors and Hip External Rotators of 30 subjects was done by statistical analysis tests using STATA and software version 11.2. Although improvement was seen in both the groups but group B improved better compared to group A. Conclusion: Group B treatment protocol i.e. Hip specific strengthening (gluteus medius and gluteus maximus in addition to conventional treatment in patients with patello-femoral pain syndrome, was found to be effective in reducing pain, improving functional status and increasing muscle strength than Group A treatment protocol i.e. Knee strengthening and stretching.

Finite-size effect of η-deformed AdS5×S5 at strong coupling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changrim Ahn

2017-04-01

Full Text Available We compute Lüscher corrections for a giant magnon in the η-deformed (AdS5×S5η using the su(2|2q-invariant S-matrix at strong coupling and compare with the finite-size effect of the corresponding string state, derived previously. We find that these two results match and confirm that the su(2|2q-invariant S-matrix is describing world-sheet excitations of the η-deformed background.

Effects of adding dexamethasone or ketamine to bupivacaine for ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy: A prospective randomized controlled study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mona Blough El Mourad

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Aims: Pain after modified radical mastectomy (MRM has been successfully managed with thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding dexamethasone or ketamine as adjuncts to bupivacaine in TPVB on the quality of postoperative analgesia in participants undergoing MRM. Methods: This prospective randomised controlled study enrolled ninety adult females scheduled for MRM. Patients were randomised into three groups (30 each to receive ultrasound-guided TPVB before induction of general anaesthesia. Group B received bupivacaine 0.5% + 1 ml normal saline, Group D received bupivacaine 0.5% + 1 ml dexamethasone (4 mg and Group K received bupivacaine 0.5% + 1 ml ketamine (50 mg. Patients were observed for 24 h postoperatively to record time to first analgesic demand as a primary outcome, pain scores, total rescue morphine consumption and incidence of complications. Results: Group K had significantly longer time to first analgesic demand than group D and control group (18.0 ± 6.0, 10.3 ± 4.5 and 5.3 ± 3.1 hours respectively; P = 0.0001. VAS scores were significantly lower in group D and group K compared to control group at 6h and 12 h postoperative (p 0.0001 and 0.0001 respectively while group K had lower VAS at 18 hours compared to other two groups (P = 0.0001. Control group showed the highest mean 24 h opioid consumption (8.9 ± 7.9 mg compared to group D and group K (3.60 ± 6.92 and 2.63 ± 5.24 mg, P = 0.008,0.001 respectively. No serious adverse events were observed. Conclusion: Ketamine 50 mg or dexamethasone 4 mg added to bupivacaine 0.5% in TPVB for MRM prolonged the time to first analgesic request with no serious side effects.

AdS5 black holes with fermionic hair

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burrington, Benjamin A.; Liu, James T.; Sabra, W. A.

2005-01-01

The study of new Bogomol'nyi-Prasad-Sommerfield (BPS) objects in AdS 5 has led to a deeper understanding of AdS/CFT. To help complete this picture, and to fully explore the consequences of the supersymmetry algebra, it is also important to obtain new solutions with bulk fermions turned on. In this paper we construct superpartners of the 1/2 BPS black hole in AdS 5 using a natural set of fermion zero modes. We demonstrate that these superpartners, carrying fermionic hair, have conserved charges differing from the original bosonic counterpart. To do so, we find the R-charge and dipole moment of the new system, as well as the mass and angular momentum, defined through the boundary stress tensor. The complete set of superpartners fits nicely into a chiral representation of AdS 5 supersymmetry, and the spinning solutions have the expected gyromagnetic ratio, g=1

Phases of global AdS black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basu, Pallab; Krishnan, Chethan; Subramanian, P.N. Bala

2016-01-01

We study the phases of gravity coupled to a charged scalar and gauge field in an asymptotically Anti-de Sitter spacetime (AdS_4) in the grand canonical ensemble. For the conformally coupled scalar, an intricate phase diagram is charted out between the four relevant solutions: global AdS, boson star, Reissner-Nordstrom black hole and the hairy black hole. The nature of the phase diagram undergoes qualitative changes as the charge of the scalar is changed, which we discuss. We also discuss the new features that arise in the extremal limit.

Serial position effects in patients with mild cognitive impairment and early and moderate Alzheimer's disease compared with healthy comparison subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Moser, B; Deisenhammer, E A; Marksteiner, J; Papousek, I; Fink, A; Weiss, E M

2014-01-01

This study aimed to investigate whether the serial position effects in memory can differentiate patients with different subtypes of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) from healthy controls and patients with different stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The serial position effects was tested with the CERAD word list task in 184 persons (39 healthy control subjects, 15 amnestic MCI single domain subjects, 23 amnestic MCI multiple domain subjects, 31 nonamnestic MCI subjects, 45 early or mild AD patients, and 31 moderate AD patients). With progression of dementia, memory deficits increased and the impairment in the primacy effect during the learning trials advanced, whereas the recall of recent items was less impaired. The serial position profile of nonamnestic MCI patients resembled that of healthy control subjects, whereas amnestic MCI patients showed poorer performance in all 3 positions but no significant difference as a function of serial word position. Analyses of the serial position effect may be a useful complement to clinical neuropsychological measures for distinguishing amnestic MCI patients from normal aging and patients with different stages of dementia. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

New Massive Gravity and AdS4 Counterterms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jatkar, Dileep P.; Sinha, Aninda

2011-01-01

We show that the recently proposed Dirac-Born-Infeld extension of new massive gravity emerges naturally as a counterterm in four-dimensional anti-de Sitter space (AdS 4 ). The resulting on-shell Euclidean action is independent of the cutoff at zero temperature. We also find that the same choice of counterterm gives the usual area law for the AdS 4 Schwarzschild black hole entropy in a cutoff-independent manner. The parameter values of the resulting counterterm action correspond to a c=0 theory in the context of the duality between AdS 3 gravity and two-dimensional conformal field theory. We rewrite this theory in terms of the gauge field that is used to recast 3D gravity as a Chern-Simons theory.

Antismoking Ads at the Point of Sale: The Influence of Ad Type and Context on Ad Reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Annice; Nonnemaker, James; Guillory, Jamie; Shafer, Paul; Parvanta, Sarah; Holloway, John; Farrelly, Matthew

2017-06-01

Efforts are underway to educate consumers about the dangers of smoking at the point of sale (POS). Research is limited about the efficacy of POS antismoking ads to guide campaign development. This study experimentally tests whether the type of antismoking ad and the context in which ads are viewed influence people's reactions to the ads. A national convenience sample of 7,812 adult current smokers and recent quitters was randomized to 1 of 39 conditions. Participants viewed one of the four types of antismoking ads (negative health consequences-graphic, negative social consequences-intended emotive, benefits of quitting-informational, benefits of quitting-graphic) in one of the three contexts (alone, next to a cigarette ad, POS tobacco display). We assessed participants' reactions to the ads, including perceived effectiveness, negative emotion, affective dissonance, and motivational reaction. Graphic ads elicited more negative emotion and affective dissonance than benefits of quitting ads. Graphic ads elicited higher perceived effectiveness and more affective dissonance than intended emotive ads. Antismoking ads fared best when viewed alone, and graphic ads were least influenced by the context in which they were viewed. These results suggest that in developing POS campaigns, it is important to consider the competitive pro-tobacco context in which antismoking ads will be viewed.

Distinctive Resting State Network Disruptions Among Alzheimer's Disease, Subcortical Vascular Dementia, and Mixed Dementia Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hee Jin; Cha, Jungho; Lee, Jong-Min; Shin, Ji Soo; Jung, Na-Yeon; Kim, Yeo Jin; Choe, Yearn Seong; Lee, Kyung Han; Kim, Sung Tae; Kim, Jae Seung; Lee, Jae Hong; Na, Duk L; Seo, Sang Won

2016-01-01

Recent advances in resting-state functional MRI have revealed altered functional networks in Alzheimer's disease (AD), especially those of the default mode network (DMN) and central executive network (CEN). However, few studies have evaluated whether small vessel disease (SVD) or combined amyloid and SVD burdens affect the DMN or CEN. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether SVD or combined amyloid and SVD burdens affect the DMN or CEN. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the resting-state functional connectivity within DMN and CEN in 37 Pittsburgh compound-B (PiB)(+) AD, 37 PiB(-) subcortical vascular dementia (SVaD), 13 mixed dementia patients, and 65 normal controls. When the resting-state DMN of PiB(+) AD and PiB(-) SVaD patients were compared, the PiB(+) AD patients displayed lower functional connectivity in the inferior parietal lobule while the PiB(-) SVaD patients displayed lower functional connectivity in the medial frontal and superior frontal gyri. Compared to the PiB(-) SVaD or PiB(+) AD, the mixed dementia patients displayed lower functional connectivity within the DMN in the posterior cingulate gyrus. When the resting-state CEN connectivity of PiB(+) AD and PiB(-) SVaD patients were compared, the PiB(-) SVaD patients displayed lower functional connectivity in the anterior insular region. Compared to the PiB(-) SVaD or PiB(+) AD, the mixed dementia patients displayed lower functional connectivity within the CEN in the inferior frontal gyrus. Our findings suggest that in PiB(+) AD and PiB(-) SVaD, there is divergent disruptions in resting-state DMN and CEN. Furthermore, patients with combined amyloid and SVD burdens exhibited more disrupted resting-state DMN and CEN than patients with only amyloid or SVD burden.

Achalasia in the elderly patient: a comparative study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosana B. Schechter

2011-03-01

Full Text Available CONTEXT: Achalasia is a primary esophageal motor disorder secondary to the degeneration of ganglion cells of the inhibitory intramural myenteric plexus. It affects both sexes similarly and has two peaks of incidence, one in the 3rd to 4th decades of life and the other after 60 years of age. The effect of age on esophageal motility of patients with achalasia is not well known. Studies have shown that healthy older people, when compared to the young, have: a a lower number of ganglion cells in the intramural myenteric plexus; b a reduced normal relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter; and c a reduced esophageal peristalsis. Thus, as both age and achalasia can produce comparable degenerative changes in the intramural myenteric plexus, it is possible that advanced age could be an important factor in enhancing the clinical and manometric abnormalities commonly found in patients with achalasia. OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical, radiological and manometric findings in young as compared to elderly (>60 years old achalasia patients. METHODS: A retrospective study of a group of patients with untreated achalasia separated into young and elderly patients. Demographic, clinical, serology for Chagas' disease, radiological and manometric data were compared between these groups. The level of significance was P<0.05. RESULTS: The study included 105 patients, 52 young (25 M/27 F, mean age 40 years old and 53 elderly (21 M/32 F, mean age 70 years old. The elderly group had a higher prevalence of Chagas' disease (P = 0.004 and a lower pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter [26.4 mm Hg vs 31.9 mm Hg] P = 0.001, a difference that persisted when analyzed only elderly and young patients with idiopathic achalasia. Younger patients had a higher prevalence of heartburn (P = 0.001 and chest pain (P = 0.012 than the elderly. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with achalasia had a lower esophageal sphincter pressure than the young, even when we excluded patients with

Current status of AdS instability

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2016-01-01

arXiv:1403.6471 and thoroughly developed in arXiv:1407.6273. On the other hand the negative cosmological constant allows for the existence of stable, time-periodic, asymptotically AdS solutions of Einstein equations [arXiv:1303.3186].

Loops in AdS from conformal field theory

Science.gov (United States)

Aharony, Ofer; Alday, Luis F.; Bissi, Agnese; Perlmutter, Eric

2017-07-01

We propose and demonstrate a new use for conformal field theory (CFT) crossing equations in the context of AdS/CFT: the computation of loop amplitudes in AdS, dual to non-planar correlators in holographic CFTs. Loops in AdS are largely unexplored, mostly due to technical difficulties in direct calculations. We revisit this problem, and the dual 1 /N expansion of CFTs, in two independent ways. The first is to show how to explicitly solve the crossing equations to the first subleading order in 1 /N 2, given a leading order solution. This is done as a systematic expansion in inverse powers of the spin, to all orders. These expansions can be resummed, leading to the CFT data for finite values of the spin. Our second approach involves Mellin space. We show how the polar part of the four-point, loop-level Mellin amplitudes can be fully reconstructed from the leading-order data. The anomalous dimensions computed with both methods agree. In the case of ϕ 4 theory in AdS, our crossing solution reproduces a previous computation of the one-loop bubble diagram. We can go further, deriving the four-point scalar triangle diagram in AdS, which had never been computed. In the process, we show how to analytically derive anomalous dimensions from Mellin amplitudes with an infinite series of poles, and discuss applications to more complicated cases such as the N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory.

Supersymmetric warped AdS in extended topologically massive supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deger, N.S.; Kaya, A.; Samtleben, H.; Sezgin, E.

2014-01-01

We determine the most general form of off-shell N=(1,1) supergravity field configurations in three dimensions by requiring that at least one off-shell Killing spinor exists. We then impose the field equations of the topologically massive off-shell supergravity and find a class of solutions whose properties crucially depend on the norm of the auxiliary vector field. These are spacelike-squashed and timelike-stretched AdS 3 for the spacelike and timelike norms, respectively. At the transition point where the norm vanishes, the solution is null warped AdS 3 . This occurs when the coefficient of the Lorentz–Chern–Simons term is related to the AdS radius by μℓ=2. We find that the spacelike-squashed AdS 3 can be modded out by a suitable discrete subgroup of the isometry group, yielding an extremal black hole solution which avoids closed timelike curves

New supersymmetric AdS4 type II vacua

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsimpis, D.

2010-01-01

We review the supersymmetric AdS 4 x w M 6 backgrounds of type IIA/IIB supergravity constructed in[1]. In type IIA the supersymmetry is N=2, and the six-dimensional internal space is locally an S 2 bundle over a four-dimensional Kaehler-Einstein base; in IIB the internal space is the direct product of a circle and a five-dimensional squashed Sasaki-Einstein manifold. These backgrounds do not contain any sources, all fluxes (including the Romans mass in IIA) are generally non-zero, and the dilaton and warp factor are non-constant. The IIA solutions include the massive deformations of the IIA reduction of the eleven-dimensional AdS 4 x Y p,q solutions, and had been predicted to exist on the basis of the AdS 4 /CFT 3 correspondence. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Instantons from geodesics in AdS moduli spaces

Science.gov (United States)

Ruggeri, Daniele; Trigiante, Mario; Van Riet, Thomas

2018-03-01

We investigate supergravity instantons in Euclidean AdS5 × S5/ℤk. These solutions are expected to be dual to instantons of N = 2 quiver gauge theories. On the supergravity side the (extremal) instanton solutions are neatly described by the (lightlike) geodesics on the AdS moduli space for which we find the explicit expression and compute the on-shell actions in terms of the quantised charges. The lightlike geodesics fall into two categories depending on the degree of nilpotency of the Noether charge matrix carried by the geodesic: for degree 2 the instantons preserve 8 supercharges and for degree 3 they are non-SUSY. We expect that these findings should apply to more general situations in the sense that there is a map between geodesics on moduli-spaces of Euclidean AdS vacua and instantons with holographic counterparts.

Changes in free and bound water in the hippocampus of patients with Alzheimer's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asano, Tetsuichi; Hanyu, Haruo

2000-01-01

We measured the T2 relaxation time using dual spin echo MRI, and also the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) using gradient echo MRI, in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and compared these factors to those of non-Alzheimer's dementia (non-AD) patients and of control subjects. The degree of medial temporal lobe atrophy in AD patients was similar to that of non-AD patients, although atrophy was more severe in AD and non-AD patients than in the control group. MTRs in the hippocampus were significantly lower in AD patients than in non-AD patients and in the control group. No significant differences in the T2 values of the three groups were found. The change of T2 x (1-MTR/100) in the hippocampus was significantly higher in AD patients than in non-AD patients and the control group and the change of T2 x MTR/100 was significantly lower in AD patients than in non-AD patients and the control group. Significant correlations between MMSE scores and MR parameters were found in AD patients, but not in non-AD patients. These results suggest that a decrease in the MTR in the hippocampus of AD, probably due to a decrease in bound water and an increase in free water, reflects underlying pathological changes which include a loss of neurons and gliosis. (author)

Logarithmic corrections to entropy and AdS/CFT

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. We calculate the correction to the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy formula for five-dimensional AdS-Schwarzschild black holes due to thermodynamic fluctuations. The result is then compared with the boundary gauge theory entropy corrections via AdS/CFT correspondence.

Constrained supermanifolds for AdS M-theory backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fre, Pietro; Grassi, Pietro Antonio

2008-01-01

A long standing problem is the supergauge completion of AdS 4 x ({G/H}) 7 or AdS 5 x ({G/H}) 5 backgrounds which preserve less then maximal supersymmetry. In parallel with the supersolvable realization of the AdS 4 x S 7 background based on κ-symmetry, we develop a technique which amounts to solving the above-mentioned problem in a way useful for pure spinor quantization for supermembranes and superstrings. Instead of gauge fixing some of the superspace coordinates using κ-symmetry, we impose an additional constraint on them reproducing the simplifications of the supersolvable representations. The constraints are quadratic, homogeneous, Sp(4,R)-covariant, and consistent from the quantum point of view in the pure spinor approach. Here we provide the geometrical solution which, in a subsequent work, will be applied to the membrane and the superstring sigma models

Effect of adding magnesium sulphate to bupivacaine on the clinical profile of ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Elsayed Hassan

2015-01-01

Conclusion: Adding magnesium sulphate to bupivacaine in ultrasound-guided paravertebral block resulted in more efficient analgesia and opioid-sparing in female patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy.

Predicting the effectiveness of virtual reality relaxation on pain and anxiety when added to PCA morphine in patients having burns dressings changes.

Science.gov (United States)

Konstantatos, A H; Angliss, M; Costello, V; Cleland, H; Stafrace, S

2009-06-01

Pain arising in burns sufferers is often severe and protracted. The prospect of a dressing change can heighten existing pain by impacting both physically and psychologically. In this trial we examined whether pre-procedural virtual reality guided relaxation added to patient controlled analgesia with morphine reduced pain severity during awake dressings changes in burns patients. We conducted a prospective randomized clinical trial in all patients with burns necessitating admission to a tertiary burns referral centre. Eligible patients requiring awake dressings changes were randomly allocated to single use virtual reality relaxation plus intravenous morphine patient controlled analgesia (PCA) infusion or to intravenous morphine patient controlled analgesia infusion alone. Patients rated their worst pain intensity during the dressing change using a visual analogue scale. The primary outcome measure was presence of 30% or greater difference in pain intensity ratings between the groups in estimation of worst pain during the dressing change. Of 88 eligible and consenting patients having awake dressings changes, 43 were assigned to virtual reality relaxation plus intravenous morphine PCA infusion and 43 to morphine PCA infusion alone. The group receiving virtual reality relaxation plus morphine PCA infusion reported significantly higher pain intensities during the dressing change (mean=7.3) compared with patients receiving morphine PCA alone (mean=5.3) (p=0.003) (95% CI 0.6-2.8). The addition of virtual reality guided relaxation to morphine PCA infusion in burns patients resulted in a significant increase in pain experienced during awake dressings changes. In the absence of a validated predictor for responsiveness to virtual reality relaxation such a therapy cannot be recommended for general use in burns patients having awake dressings changes.

Comparison of QOL between patients with different degenerative dementias, focusing especially on positive and negative affect.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurisu, Kairi; Terada, Seishi; Oshima, Etsuko; Horiuchi, Makiko; Imai, Nao; Yabe, Mayumi; Yokota, Osamu; Ishihara, Takeshi; Yamada, Norihito

2016-08-01

Quality of life (QOL) has become an important outcome measure in the care of dementia patients. However, there have been few studies focusing on the difference in QOL between different dementias. Two-hundred seventy-nine consecutive outpatients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) were recruited. The QOL was evaluated objectively using the QOL Questionnaire for Dementia (QOL-D).The QOL-D comprises six domains: positive affect, negative affect and actions, communication, restlessness, attachment to others, and spontaneity. General cognition, daily activities, and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia were also evaluated. The scores of positive affect of QOL-D of AD patients were significantly higher than those of patients with DLB or FTD (AD 3.1 ± 0.8, DLB 2.6 ± 0.9, FTD 2.6 ± 0.7). The scores of negative affect and action of QOL-D of FTD patients were significantly higher than those of patients with AD or DLB (FTD 2.0 ± 0.8, AD 1.4 ± 0.5, DLB 1.5 ± 0.6). The apathy scores of FTD and DLB patients were significantly higher than those of patients with AD. The disinhibition scores of FTD patients were significantly higher than those of patients with AD or DLB. The apathy of FTD and DLB patients and depression of DLB patients might affect the lower positive affect of FTD and DLB patients compared to AD patients. The disinhibition of FTD patients might affect the abundance of negative affect & actions in FTD patients compared to AD and DLB patients.

Noncommutative D-branes from covariant AdS superstring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakaguchi, Makoto; Yoshida, Kentaroh

2008-01-01

We study noncommutative (NC) D-branes on AdS 5 xS 5 from κ-invariance of covariant Green-Schwarz action of an open string with a non-trivial world-volume flux. Finding boundary conditions to ensure the κ-invariance, we can see possible configurations of the NC D-branes. With this method 1/4 BPS NC D-branes are discussed. The resulting NC Dp-branes are 1/4 BPS at arbitrary position other than the p=1 case. The exceptional D-string is 1/2 BPS at the origin and 1/4 BPS outside the origin. Those are reduced to possible 1/4 BPS or 1/2 BPS AdS D-branes in the commutative limit. The same analysis is applied to an open superstring in a pp-wave and leads to 1/4 BPS configurations of NC D-branes. These D-branes are consistently obtained from AdS D-branes via the Penrose limit

Effects of bilingualism on the age of onset and progression of MCI and AD: evidence from executive function tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Bialystok, Ellen; Craik, Fergus I M; Binns, Malcolm A; Ossher, Lynn; Freedman, Morris

2014-03-01

Previous articles have reported that bilingualism is associated with a substantial delay in the onset of both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The present study reports results from 74 MCI patients and 75 AD patients; approximately half of the patients in each group were bilingual. All patients were interviewed to obtain details of their language use, onset of their condition, and lifestyle habits. Patients performed three executive function (EF) tests from the D-KEFS battery (Trails, Color-Word Interference, Verbal Fluency) on 3 occasions over a period of approximately 1 year. Results replicated the finding that bilingual patients are several years older than comparable monolinguals at both age of symptom onset and date of first clinic visit. This result could not be attributed to language group differences in such lifestyle variables as diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, or social activity. On the first testing occasion, performance on the EF tasks was generally comparable between the language groups, contesting arguments that bilinguals wait longer before attending the clinic. Finally, EF performance tended to decline over the 3 sessions, but no differences were found between monolinguals and bilinguals in the rate of decline. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Added diagnostic value of magnetoencephalography (MEG) in patients suspected for epilepsy, where previous, extensive EEG workup was unrevealing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duez, Lene; Beniczky, Sándor; Tankisi, Hatice

2016-01-01

was calculated from the cases where abnormalities were seen in MEG but not EEG. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients had the diagnosis epilepsy according to the reference standard. MEG-EEG detected abnormalities, and supported the diagnosis in nine of the 22 patients with the diagnosis epilepsy at one-year follow......OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the possible additional diagnostic yield of MEG in the workup of patients with suspected epilepsy, where repeated EEGs, including sleep-recordings failed to identify abnormalities. METHODS: Fifty-two consecutive patients with clinical suspicion of epilepsy and at least three...... normal EEGs, including sleep-EEG, were prospectively analyzed. The reference standard was inferred from the diagnosis obtained from the medical charts, after at least one-year follow-up. MEG (306-channel, whole-head) and simultaneous EEG (MEG-EEG) was recorded for one hour. The added sensitivity of MEG...

Decentralized position verification in geographic ad hoc routing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leinmüller, Tim; Schoch, Elmar; Kargl, Frank; Maihöfer, Christian

Inter-vehicle communication is regarded as one of the major applications of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). Compared to MANETs or wireless sensor networks (WSNs), these so-called vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have unique requirements on network protocols. The requirements result mainly from

Twistor description of spinning particles in AdS

Science.gov (United States)

Arvanitakis, Alex S.; Barns-Graham, Alec E.; Townsend, Paul K.

2018-01-01

The two-twistor formulation of particle mechanics in D-dimensional anti-de Sitter space for D = 4 , 5 , 7, which linearises invariance under the AdS isometry group Sp(4; K ) for K=R,C,H, is generalized to the massless N -extended "spinning particle". The twistor variables are gauge invariant with respect to the initial N local worldline supersymmetries; this simplifies aspects of the quantum theory such as implications of global gauge anomalies. We also give details of the two-supertwistor form of the superparticle, in particular the massive superparticle on AdS5.

Holography in Lovelock Chern-Simons AdS gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Cvetković, Branislav; Miskovic, Olivera; Simić, Dejan

2017-08-01

We analyze holographic field theory dual to Lovelock Chern-Simons anti-de Sitter (AdS) gravity in higher dimensions using first order formalism. We first find asymptotic symmetries in the AdS sector showing that they consist of local translations, local Lorentz rotations, dilatations and non-Abelian gauge transformations. Then, we compute 1-point functions of energy-momentum and spin currents in a dual conformal field theory and write Ward identities. We find that the holographic theory possesses Weyl anomaly and also breaks non-Abelian gauge symmetry at the quantum level.

Performance of a sample of patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and healthy elderly on a lexical decision test (LDT) as a measure of pre-morbid intelligence

OpenAIRE

Serrao, Valéria Trunkl; Brucki, Sônia Maria Dozzi; Campanholo, Kenia Repiso; Mansur, Letícia Lessa; Nitrini, Ricardo; Miotto, Eliane Correa

2015-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the performance of healthy elderly patients with aging-related pathologies (MCI) and patients with AD on a lexical decision test. Methods: The study included 38 healthy elderly subjects, 61 MCI and 26 AD patients from the Neurology Department of the Hospital das Clinicas, Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Group. The neuropsychological instruments included the episodic memory test (RAVLT), subtests from the WAIS-III (Matrix Reasoning and...

Differential Features of Cerebral Perfusion in Dementia with Lewy Bodies Compared to Alzheimer's Dementia using SPM Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Do Young; Park, Kyung Won; Kim, Jae Woo

2003-01-01

Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are most common cause of dementia in elderly people. Clinical distinction in some cases of DLB from AD may be difficult as symptom profiles overlap. Some neuropathologic overlap is also seen as beta-amyloidosis and senile plaques can be found in both disease. Both disease also share severe acetylcholine depletion. We evaluated the differences of brain perfusion between DLB and AD using statistical parametric mapping analysis. Twelve DLB (mean age ; 68.8±8.3 years, K-MMSE ; 17.3±6.1) and 51 AD patients (mean age ; 71.4±7.2 years, K-MMSE ; 16.7±4.5), which were matched for age and severity of dementia, participated in this study. Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT was performed for measuring regional cerebral blood flow. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM99) software was used for automatic and objective approach to analyze SPECT image data. The SPECT data of the patients with DLB were compared to patients with AD. Comparison of the two dementia groups (uncorrected p<0.01) revealed significant hypoperfusion in both occipital (both middle occipital gyrus, Rt B no. 18 and Lt cuneus), both parietal (Lt parietal precuneus, Lt B no. 39, Lt inferior parietal lobule and Rt supramarginal gyrus) lobes in DLB compared with AD. Significant hyperperfusion was noted in Rt frontal (sup. frontal gyrus, B no.10, middle frontal gyrus, B no. 9, B no. 11, inf. frontal gyrus), Rt putamen, Lt ant. cingulate gyrus (B no. 24), both cerebellar post. lobe (Lt tuber, Lt declive, Lt tonsil, Rt declive) in DLB compared with AD. We found a significant differences in the cerebral perfusion pattern between DLB and AD. Differential feature of cerebral perfusion in DLB was both occipital hypoperfusion and preserved Rt frontal perfusion compared to AD. Therefore in difficult case of clinical an neuro pathologic diagnosis, brain perfusion SPECT with SPM analysis may be helpful to differentiate DLB from AD

Exploring AdS waves via nonminimal coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayon-Beato, Eloy; Hassaiene, Mokhtar

2006-01-01

We consider nonminimally coupled scalar fields to explore the Siklos spacetimes in three dimensions. Their interpretation as exact gravitational waves propagating on AdS space restrict the source to behave as a pure radiation field. We show that the related pure radiation constraints single out a unique self-interaction potential depending on one coupling constant. For a vanishing coupling constant, this potential reduces to a mass term with a mass fixed in terms of the nonminimal-coupling parameter. This mass dependence allows the existence of several free cases including massless and tachyonic sources. There even exists a particular value of the nonminimal-coupling parameter for which the corresponding mass exactly compensates the contribution generated by the negative scalar curvature, producing a genuinely massless field in this curved background. The self-interacting case is studied in detail for the conformal coupling. The resulting gravitational wave is formed by the superposition of the free and the self-interaction contributions, except for a critical value of the coupling constant where a nonperturbative effect relating the strong and weak regimes of the source appears. We establish a correspondence between the scalar source supporting an AdS wave and a pp wave by showing that their respective pure radiation constraints are conformally related, while their involved backgrounds are not. Finally, we consider the AdS waves for topologically massive gravity and its limit to conformal gravity

Three dimensional nonlinear magnetic AdS solutions through topological defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendi, S.H.; Panah, B.E.; Momennia, M.; Panahiyan, S.

2015-01-01

Inspired by large applications of topological defects in describing different phenomena in physics, and considering the importance of three dimensional solutions in AdS/CFT correspondence, in this paper we obtain magnetic anti-de Sitter solutions of nonlinear electromagnetic fields. We take into account three classes of nonlinear electrodynamic models; first two classes are the well-known Born-Infeld like models including logarithmic and exponential forms and third class is known as the power Maxwell invariant nonlinear electrodynamics. We investigate the effects of these nonlinear sources on three dimensional magnetic solutions. We show that these asymptotical AdS solutions do not have any curvature singularity and horizon. We also generalize the static metric to the case of rotating solutions and find that the value of the electric charge depends on the rotation parameter. Finally, we consider the quadratic Maxwell invariant as a correction of Maxwell theory and we investigate the effects of nonlinearity as a correction. We study the behavior of the deficit angle in presence of these theories of nonlinearity and compare them with each other. We also show that some cases with negative deficit angle exists which are representing objects with different geometrical structure. We also show that in case of the static only magnetic field exists whereas by boosting the metric to rotating one, electric field appears too. (orig.)

Human figure drawing distinguishes Alzheimer's patients: a cognitive screening test study.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanzani Maserati, Michelangelo; D'Onofrio, Renato; Matacena, Corrado; Sambati, Luisa; Oppi, Federico; Poda, Roberto; De Matteis, Maddalena; Naldi, Ilaria; Liguori, Rocco; Capellari, Sabina

2018-05-01

To study human figure drawing in a group of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and compare it with a group of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and controls. We evaluated consecutive outpatients over a one-year period. Patients were classified as affected by AD or by MCI. All patients and controls underwent a simplified version of the human-figure drawing test and MMSE. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of all human figures was obtained. 112 AD, 100 MCI patients and 104 controls were enrolled. AD patients drew human figures poor in details and globally smaller than MCI patients and controls. Human figures drawn by MCI patients are intermediate in body height between those of the AD patients and the healthy subjects. The head-to-body ratio of human figures drawn by AD patients is greater than controls and MCI patients, while the human figure size-relative-to-page space index is significantly smaller. Body height is an independent predictor of cognitive impairment correlating with its severity and with the number of the figure's details. Human figures drawn by AD patients are different from those drawn by healthy subjects and MCI patients. Human figure drawing test is a useful tool for orienting cognitive impairment's diagnosis.

Asymptotically AdS spacetimes with a timelike Kasner singularity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, Jie [Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904 (Israel)

2016-07-21

Exact solutions to Einstein’s equations for holographic models are presented and studied. The IR geometry has a timelike cousin of the Kasner singularity, which is the less generic case of the BKL (Belinski-Khalatnikov-Lifshitz) singularity, and the UV is asymptotically AdS. This solution describes a holographic RG flow between them. The solution’s appearance is an interpolation between the planar AdS black hole and the AdS soliton. The causality constraint is always satisfied. The entanglement entropy and Wilson loops are discussed. The boundary condition for the current-current correlation function and the Laplacian in the IR is examined. There is no infalling wave in the IR, but instead, there is a normalizable solution in the IR. In a special case, a hyperscaling-violating geometry is obtained after a dimensional reduction.

Modeling and Predicting AD Progression by Regression Analysis of Sequential Clinical Data

KAUST Repository

Xie, Qing; Wang, Su; Zhu, Jia; Zhang, Xiangliang

2016-01-01

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is currently attracting much attention in elders' care. As the increasing availability of massive clinical diagnosis data, especially the medical images of brain scan, it is highly significant to precisely identify and predict the potential AD's progression based on the knowledge in the diagnosis data. In this paper, we follow a novel sequential learning framework to model the disease progression for AD patients' care. Different from the conventional approaches using only initial or static diagnosis data to model the disease progression for different durations, we design a score-involved approach and make use of the sequential diagnosis information in different disease stages to jointly simulate the disease progression. The actual clinical scores are utilized in progress to make the prediction more pertinent and reliable. We examined our approach by extensive experiments on the clinical data provided by the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). The results indicate that the proposed approach is more effective to simulate and predict the disease progression compared with the existing methods.

Confinement, glueballs and strings from deformed AdS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apreda, Riccardo; Crooks, David E.; Evans, Nick; Petrini, Michela

2004-01-01

We study aspects of confinement in two deformed versions of the AdS/CFT correspondence - the GPPZ dual of N = 1* Yang Mills, and the Yang Mills* N 0 dual. Both geometries describe discrete glueball spectra which we calculate numerically. The results agree at the 10% level with previous AdS/CFT computations in the Klebanov Strassler background and AdS Schwarzchild respectively. We also calculate the spectra of bound states of the massive fermions in these geometries and show that they are light, so not decoupled from the dynamics. We then study the behaviour of Wilson loops in the 10d lifts of these geometries. We find a transition from AdS-like strings in the UV to strings that interact with the unknown physics of the central singularity of the space in the IR. (author)

A Chemical-Biological-Radio-Nuclear (CBRN) Filter can be Added to the Air-Outflow Port of a Ventilator to Protect a Home Ventilated Patient From Inhalation of Toxic Industrial Compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Be'eri, Eliezer; Owen, Simon; Beeri, Maurit; Millis, Scott R; Eisenkraft, Arik

2018-02-21

Chemical-biological-radio-nuclear (CBRN) gas masks are the standard means for protecting the general population from inhalation of toxic industrial compounds (TICs), for example after industrial accidents or terrorist attacks. However, such gas masks would not protect patients on home mechanical ventilation, as ventilator airflow would bypass the CBRN filter. We therefore evaluated in vivo the safety of adding a standard-issue CBRN filter to the air-outflow port of a home ventilator, as a method for providing TIC protection to such patients. Eight adult patients were included in the study. All had been on stable, chronic ventilation via a tracheostomy for at least 3 months before the study. Each patient was ventilated for a period of 1 hour with a standard-issue CBRN filter canister attached to the air-outflow port of their ventilator. Physiological and airflow measurements were made before, during, and after using the filter, and the patients reported their subjective sensation of ventilation continuously during the trial. For all patients, and throughout the entire study, no deterioration in any of the measured physiological parameters and no changes in measured airflow parameters were detected. All patients felt no subjective difference in the sensation of ventilation with the CBRN filter canister in situ, as compared with ventilation without it. This was true even for those patients who were breathing spontaneously and thus activating the ventilator's trigger/sensitivity function. No technical malfunctions of the ventilators occurred after addition of the CBRN filter canister to the air-outflow ports of the ventilators. A CBRN filter canister can be added to the air-outflow port of chronically ventilated patients, without causing an objective or subjective deterioration in the quality of the patients' mechanical ventilation. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;page 1 of 5).

Comparison between various notions of conserved charges in asymptotically AdS spacetimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hollands, Stefan; Ishibashi, Akihiro; Marolf, Donald

2005-01-01

We derive Hamiltonian generators of asymptotic symmetries for general relativity with asymptotic AdS boundary conditions using the 'covariant phase space' method of Wald et al. We then compare our results with other definitions that have been proposed in the literature. We find that our definition agrees with that proposed by Ashtekar et al, with the spinor definition, and with the background-dependent definition of Henneaux and Teitelboim. Our definition disagrees with that obtained from the 'counterterm subtraction method', but the difference is found to consist only of a 'constant offset' that is determined entirely in terms of the boundary metric. We finally discuss and justify our boundary conditions by a linear perturbation analysis, and we comment on generalizations of our boundary conditions, as well as inclusion of matter fields

On thermodynamics of AdS black holes in M-theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belhaj, A.; Chabab, M.; Masmar, K.; El Moumni, H.; Sedra, M.B.

2016-01-01

Motivated by recent work on asymptotically AdS 4 black holes in M-theory, we investigate the thermodynamics and thermodynamical geometry of AdS black holes from M2- and M5-branes. Concretely, we consider AdS black holes in AdS p+2 x S 11-p-2 , where p = 2,5 by interpreting the number of M2- (and M5-branes) as a thermodynamical variable. More precisely, we study the corresponding phase transition to examine their stabilities by calculating and discussing various thermodynamical quantities including the chemical potential. Then we compute the thermodynamical curvatures from the Quevedo metric for M2- and M5-branes geometries to reconsider the stability of such black holes. The Quevedo metric singularities recover similar stability results provided by the phase-transition program. It has been shown that similar behaviors are also present in the limit of large N. (orig.)

A Grassmann path from AdS3 to flat space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krishnan, Chethan; Raju, Avinash; Roy, Shubho

2014-01-01

We show that interpreting the inverse AdS 3 radius 1/l as a Grassmann variable results in a formal map from gravity in AdS 3 to gravity in flat space. The underlying reason for this is the fact that ISO(2,1) is the Inonu-Wigner contraction of SO(2,2). We show how this works for the Chern-Simons actions, demonstrate how the general (Banados) solution in AdS 3 maps to the general flat space solution, and how the Killing vectors, charges and the Virasoro algebra in the Brown-Henneaux case map to the corresponding quantities in the BMS 3 case. Our results straightforwardly generalize to the higher spin case: the recently constructed flat space higher spin theories emerge automatically in this approach from their AdS counterparts. We conclude with a discussion of singularity resolution in the BMS gauge as an application

Prevalence and comorbidities in adults with psoriasis compared to atopic eczema.

Science.gov (United States)

Radtke, M A; Schäfer, I; Glaeske, G; Jacobi, A; Augustin, M

2017-01-01

Most data suggesting an association between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have come from specialized populations at either low or high risk of CVD. Atopic dermatitis (AD) has been associated with a number of modifiable risk factors, particularly obesity. There has been a recent controversy on the suggestion that associations with comorbidities in psoriasis may be due to overreporting or biased by disease severity and therefore not necessarily representative of the general psoriasis population. To evaluate the prevalence of AD and psoriasis and to compare the prevalence rates of comorbidities based on a large sample of health insurance data. Data were collected from a database of non-selected individuals from a German statutory health insurance organization that covers all geographic regions. Individuals identified by International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes applied to all outpatient and inpatient visits in the year 2009. Comorbidities were evaluated by ICD-10 diagnoses. The database consisted of 1 642 852 members of a German statutory health insurance. Of 1 349 671 data sets analyzed, 37 456 patients ≥18 years were diagnosed with psoriasis (prevalence 2.78%), and 48 140 patients ≥18 years of age were diagnosed with AD, equivalent to a prevalence of 3.67%. Patients with psoriasis showed increased rates of comorbidities in all age groups. Comorbidities related to the metabolic syndrome including arterial hypertension [prevalence ratio (PR), 1.94; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.90-1.98], hyperlipidaemia (PR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.73-1.81), obesity (PR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.69-1.79) and diabetes mellitus (PR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.83-1.94) were significantly more common among patients with psoriasis compared to AD. Diseases forming part of the metabolic syndrome showed significant lower prevalence rates in patients with AD than in patients with psoriasis. Within the limitations of secondary healthcare data, our study disproves the suggestion that

Interpolating from Bianchi attractors to Lifshitz and AdS spacetimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachru, Shamit; Kundu, Nilay; Saha, Arpan; Samanta, Rickmoy; Trivedi, Sandip P.

2014-01-01

We construct classes of smooth metrics which interpolate from Bianchi attractor geometries of Types II, III, VI and IX in the IR to Lifshitz or AdS 2 ×S 3 geometries in the UV. While we do not obtain these metrics as solutions of Einstein gravity coupled to a simple matter field theory, we show that the matter sector stress-energy required to support these geometries (via the Einstein equations) does satisfy the weak, and therefore also the null, energy condition. Since Lifshitz or AdS 2 ×S 3 geometries can in turn be connected to AdS 5 spacetime, our results show that there is no barrier, at least at the level of the energy conditions, for solutions to arise connecting these Bianchi attractor geometries to AdS 5 spacetime. The asymptotic AdS 5 spacetime has no non-normalizable metric deformation turned on, which suggests that furthermore, the Bianchi attractor geometries can be the IR geometries dual to field theories living in flat space, with the breaking of symmetries being either spontaneous or due to sources for other fields. Finally, we show that for a large class of flows which connect two Bianchi attractors, a C-function can be defined which is monotonically decreasing from the UV to the IR as long as the null energy condition is satisfied. However, except for special examples of Bianchi attractors (including AdS space), this function does not attain a finite and non-vanishing constant value at the end points

Loop effects in AdS/CFT and beyond

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gubser, Steven S.

2003-01-01

Double-trace operators which are relevant deformations of large N conformal field theories give rise to renormalization group flows that can be studied on both sides of the AdS/CFT duality. One-loop calculations in AdS can be compared successfully to results derived in field theory using the Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation. The calculations do not rely on supersymmetry, and they apply in any dimension, provided the original conformal field theory and its AdS dual are well-defined. A speculative idea is proposed for solving the cosmological constant problem based on non-gravitational strings that become light as the universe expands. This is a summary of my talk presented at the Nishinomiya-Yukawa Symposium in Nishinomiya, Japan. (author)

Receiver-Based Ad Hoc On Demand Multipath Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Nahari, Abdulaziz; Mohamad, Mohd Murtadha

2016-01-01

Decreasing the route rediscovery time process in reactive routing protocols is challenging in mobile ad hoc networks. Links between nodes are continuously established and broken because of the characteristics of the network. Finding multiple routes to increase the reliability is also important but requires a fast update, especially in high traffic load and high mobility where paths can be broken as well. The sender node keeps re-establishing path discovery to find new paths, which makes for long time delay. In this paper we propose an improved multipath routing protocol, called Receiver-based ad hoc on demand multipath routing protocol (RB-AOMDV), which takes advantage of the reliability of the state of the art ad hoc on demand multipath distance vector (AOMDV) protocol with less re-established discovery time. The receiver node assumes the role of discovering paths when finding data packets that have not been received after a period of time. Simulation results show the delay and delivery ratio performances are improved compared with AOMDV.

CURCUMIN FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE (AD) POTENTIAL TREATMENT

OpenAIRE

Sutiono, Dias Rima; Iasmartua, Steven

2017-01-01

Various studies had been conducted regarding the effect of curcumin on AD patients, thus, many of the studies had suggested that curcumin had the potential to prevent and treat AD through several molecular mechanisms including act as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, binding the Aβ plaques, metal chelation, and lowering cholesterol level. One of the prominent characteristics of this neurodegenerative disease is shown by the presence of beta amyloids plaques (Aβ) and inflammation inside the pat...

O PROCESSO AD(EOD - UM NOVO CONCEITO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiane Pedrazzi

2009-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, cooking of the wood had been investigated until kappa numbers 17 and 14 for a process kinetically modified, elimination of oxygen delignification from the fiber line, and application of AD(EOD and AD(POD techniques for pulp of kappa 17 and AD(EOD and DHT(EPODP for pulp of kappa 14 for the bleaching at 90% ISO. As references, cookings had been carried out until kappa number 17 and 14, oxygen delignification in simple stage and conventional bleaching with sequences A/D(EOD, A/D(EPOD, A/D(EODP and A/D(EPODP for the kappa number 17 pulp and oxygen delignification in simple stage and conventional bleaching sequence DHT(EPODP for pulp of kappa 14. For the pulp of kappa 17, one concluded that processes AD(EOD and AD(POD produced pulp of brightness 90% ISO with good viscosity and brightness stability, using TAC's (totally active chloro relatively low, and it's not necessary the oxygen delignification. Amongst these two processes, the first one revealed to be more attractive to reach the level of 90% ISO brightness. However, comparatively to the reference processes, with oxygen delignification, for example O-A/D(EPODP, process AD(EOD results in increase of the operational cost of the order of US$7-8/odt, including wood and reagents. For the kappa number 14 pulp, process AD(EOD also revealed to be attractive, but the sequence DHT(EPODP was the one that used lower TAC's; however, when compared with the reference (O-DHT(EPODP, it resulted in an increase of operational cost of the order of US$5/odt. Therefore, it can be concluded that the alternative process, without the deslignification with oxygen, is viable only for pulps of lower kappa number.

Mutagenesis at the ad-3A and ad-3B loci in haploid UV-sensitive strains of Neurospora crassa. Pt. 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serres, F.J. de

1980-01-01

UV-induced inactivation and induction of mutations at the ad-3A and ad-3B loci of Neurospora crassa have been compared among 7 different UV-sensitive strains and a standard wild-type strain. The 7 strains show varying degrees of sensitivity to UV-induced inactivation, with the relative sensitivity being: uvs-2 > uvs-3 > uvs-4 > uvs-6 > upr-1 > uvs-5 > uvs-1. Studies on the induction of ad-3 mutants by UV show that the 2 excision-repair deficient mutants uvs-2 and upr-1 exhibit enhanced ad-3 mutant frequencies, while uvs-4 and uvs-5 exhibit reduced ad-3 mutant frequencies, and uvs-3 completely eliminates UV mutagenesis. The ad-3 mutation-induction curves obtained with uvs-1 or uvs-6 are not significantly different from that found with the wild-type strain. (orig.)

Quantitative sensory testing and pain tolerance in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer disease compared to healthy control subjects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen-Dahm, Christina; Werner, Mads U; Dahl, Jørgen B

2014-01-01

Patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) report pain less frequently than their cognitively intact peers. It has been hypothesized that pain processing is altered in AD. The aim of this study was to investigate agreement and reliability of 3 pain sensitivity tests and to examine pain threshold...

Vacuum degeneracy and Conformal Mass in Lovelock AdS gravity

Science.gov (United States)

Arenas-Henriquez, Gabriel; Miskovic, Olivera; Olea, Rodrigo

2017-11-01

It is shown that the notion of Conformal Mass can be defined within a given anti-de Sitter (AdS) branch of a Lovelock gravity theory as long as the corresponding vacuum is not degenerate. Indeed, conserved charges obtained by the addition of Kounterterms to the bulk action turn out to be proportional to the electric part of the Weyl tensor, when the fall-off of a generic solution in that AdS branch is considered. The factor of proportionality is the degeneracy condition for the vacua in the particular Lovelock AdS theory under study. This last feature explains the obstruction to define Conformal Mass in the degenerate case.

A cost-controlling treatment strategy of adding liraglutide to insulin in type 2 diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

de Wit, H M; Vervoort, G M M; de Galan, B E; Tack, C J

2017-09-01

Addition of the GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide to insulin can reverse insulin-associated weight gain, improve HbA1c and decrease the need for insulin, but is expensive. From a cost perspective, such treatment should be discontinued when it is clear that treatment targets will not be achieved. Our aim was to find the best cost-controlling treatment strategy: the shortest possible trial period needed to discriminate successfully treated patients from those failing to achieve predefined targets of treatment success. We used data from the 'Effect of Liraglutide on insulin-associated wEight GAiN in patients with Type 2 diabetes' (ELEGANT) trial, comparing additional liraglutide (n = 47) and standard insulin therapy (n = 24) during 26 weeks, to calculate the costs associated with different trial periods. Treatment success after 26 weeks was defined by having achieved ≥ 2 of the following: ≥ 4% weight loss, HbA1c ≤ 53 mmol/mol (7%), and/or discontinuation of insulin. The additional direct costs of adding liraglutide for 26 weeks were € 699 per patient, or € 137 per 1 kg weight loss, compared with standard therapy. The best cost-controlling treatment strategy (identifying 21 of 23 responders, treating four non-responders) was to continue treatment in patients showing ≥ 3% weight loss or ≥ 60% decrease in insulin dose at 8 weeks, with a total cost of € 246 for this t rial period, saving € 453 in case of early discontinuation. An 8-week trial period of adding liraglutide to insulin in patients with insulin-associated weight gain is an effective cost-controlling treatment strategy if the liraglutide is discontinued in patients not showing an early response regarding weight loss or insulin reduction.

Investigating the Effects of Adding Fentanyl to Bupivacaine in Spinal Anesthesia of Opium-addicted Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H Satari

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Spinal anesthesia in opium-addicted patients can be associated with many complications. Hence, this study aimed to investigate sensory and motor block characteristics, duration of postoperative analgesia, hemodynamic and side effects by adding Fentanyl to bupivacaine in spinal Anesthesia of opium-addicted patients. Methods: In a double-blind randomized clinical trial, 60 American society of Anesthesiology (ASA class I and II opium-addicted patients under spinal anesthesia in lower abdominal and lower limb operations were randomly classified into two groups of spinal anesthesia with bupivacaine and bupivacaine-fentanyl. Clinical symptoms, side effects, the duration of sensory and motor block, initiation of analgesia requirement and sensory block were assessed. Results: The study results indicated no significant difference between bupivacaine and bupivacaine-fentanyl groups in regard with demographic, side effects, blood pressure and heart rate, though a significant difference was observed in respiratory rate 5min, 10min, 45min, 75min and 90 min after block. Duration of sensory (100.33 to 138.83 and motor block (93.43 to 107.66 and , initiation of analgesia requirement (165.33 to 187.76 was significantly longer in bupivacaine-fentanyl, though initiation of sensory block (8.83 to 4.93 was significantly longer in bupivacaine. Conclusion: Addition of fentanyl to bupivacaine in spinal anesthesia increases the duration of sensory and motor block and initiation of analgesia requirement in opium-addicted patients and also decreases initiation of sensory block in these patients.

No added diagnostic value of non-phosphorylated tau fraction (p-taurel) in CSF as a biomarker for differential dementia diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Goossens, Joery; Bjerke, Maria; Struyfs, Hanne; Niemantsverdriet, Ellis; Somers, Charisse; Van den Bossche, Tobi; Van Mossevelde, Sara; De Vil, Bart; Sieben, Anne; Martin, Jean-Jacques; Cras, Patrick; Goeman, Johan; De Deyn, Peter Paul; Van Broeckhoven, Christine; van der Zee, Julie; Engelborghs, Sebastiaan

2017-07-14

The Alzheimer's disease (AD) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers Aβ 1-42 , t-tau, and p-tau 181 overlap with other diseases. New tau modifications or epitopes, such as the non-phosphorylated tau fraction (p-tau rel ), may improve differential dementia diagnosis. The goal of this study is to investigate if p-tau rel can improve the diagnostic performance of the AD CSF biomarker panel for differential dementia diagnosis. The study population consisted of 45 AD, 45 frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), 45 dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and 21 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) patients, and 20 cognitively healthy controls. A substantial subset of the patients was pathology-confirmed. CSF levels of Aβ 1-42 , t-tau, p-tau 181 , and p-tau rel were determined with commercially available single-analyte enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Diagnostic performance was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses, and area under the curve (AUC) values were compared using DeLong tests. The diagnostic performance of single markers as well as biomarker ratios was determined for each pairwise comparison of different dementia groups and controls. The addition of p-tau rel to the AD biomarker panel decreased its diagnostic performance when discriminating non-AD, FTLD, and DLB from AD. As a single marker, p-tau rel increased the diagnostic performance for CJD. No significant difference was found in AUC values with the addition of p-tau rel when differentiating between AD or non-AD dementias and controls. The addition of p-tau rel to the AD CSF biomarker panel failed to improve differentiation between AD and non-AD dementias.

Adding concurrent chemotherapy to postoperative radiotherapy improves locoregional control but Not overall survival in patients with salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma—a propensity score matched study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh, Cheng-En; Lin, Chien-Yu; Lee, Li-Yu; Yang, Lan-Yan; Wang, Chun-Chieh; Wang, Hung-Ming; Chang, Joseph Tung-Chieh; Fan, Kang-Hsing; Liao, Chun-Ta; Yen, Tzu-Chen; Fang, Ku-Hao; Tsang, Yan-Ming

2016-01-01

To compare the long-term outcomes in patients with salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (SGACC) treated with post-operative chemoradiotherapy (POCRT) versus post-operative radiotherapy (PORT). We retrospectively reviewed the records of 91 SGACC patients treated with surgery followed by PORT (n = 58) or POCRT (n = 33) between 2000 and 2013. Treatment outcomes between groups were compared using propensity score matching (1:1 nearest neighbor). The median radiation dose was 66 Gy, and patients were followed up for a median of 71 months. Cisplatin-based concurrent regimens were the most commonly used chemotherapy schedules. In the entire study cohort, patients undergoing POCRT showed a trend toward higher locoregional control (LRC) rates than those treated with PORT alone at both 5 and 8 years (97 and 97 % versus 84 and 79 %, respectively; P = .066). Distant metastases were the most common form of treatment failure and occurred in 31 (34 %) patients (PORT, n = 17; POCRT, n = 14). After propensity score matching (33 pairs), patients receiving POCRT had 5- and 8 year LRC rates of 97 and 97 %, respectively, compared with 79 and 67 % for patients treated with PORT alone (P = .017). The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS). However, a significantly better opioid-requiring pain-free survival (ORPFS) was achieved in POCRT group (P = .038). Subgroup analyses revealed that patients with stage III − IV disease (P = .040 and .017), positive surgical margins (P = .011 and .050), or perineural invasion (P = .013 and .035) had significantly higher 5- and 8 year LRC and ORPFS when treated with POCRT, respectively. In SGACC patients, adding concurrent chemotherapy to PORT may increase LRC and ORPFS rates, particularly in presence of stage III − IV disease, positive surgical margins, or perineural invasion. However, no significant differences in DMFS, DFS, and OS were

Added Diagnostic Value of 11C-PiB-PET in Memory Clinic Patients with Uncertain Diagnosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K.S. Frederiksen

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The added diagnostic value of 11C-PiB-PET for the assessment of the accumulation of cortical beta-amyloid in memory clinic patients with uncertain diagnosis remains undetermined. Methods: All patients who underwent PiB-PET at the Copenhagen Memory Clinic between March 2008 and November 2011 were included in this uncontrolled, retrospective study. The standard diagnostic evaluation program included physical and neurological examination, cognitive and functional assessment, a cranial CT or MRI, functional imaging and cerebrospinal fluid sampling. Based on anonymized case reports, three experienced clinicians reached a consensus diagnosis and rated their confidence in the diagnosis before and after disclosure of PiB-PET ratings. PiB-PET scans were rated as either positive or negative. Results: A total of 57 patients (17 females, 30 males; age 65.7 years, range 44.2–82.6 were included in the study. Twenty-seven had a positive PiB-PET scan. At the first diagnostic evaluation, 16 patients were given a clinical Alheimer’s disease diagnosis (14 PiB positive. Of the 57 patients, 13 (23% were diagnostically reclassified after PiB-PET ratings were disclosed. The clinicians’ overall confidence in their diagnosis increased in 28 (49% patients. Conclusion: PiB-PET adds to the specialist clinical evaluation and other supplemental diagnostic investigations in the diagnostic classification of patients with uncertain diagnosis in a specialized memory clinic.

Age-related changes in core body temperature and activity in triple-transgenic Alzheimer's disease (3xTgAD) mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Elysse M; Brown, Timothy M; Gümüsgöz, Sarah; Smith, Jennifer C M; Waters, Elizabeth J; Allan, Stuart M; Lawrence, Catherine B

2013-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterised, not only by cognitive deficits and neuropathological changes, but also by several non-cognitive behavioural symptoms that can lead to a poorer quality of life. Circadian disturbances in core body temperature and physical activity are reported in AD patients, although the cause and consequences of these changes are unknown. We therefore characterised circadian patterns of body temperature and activity in male triple transgenic AD mice (3xTgAD) and non-transgenic (Non-Tg) control mice by remote radiotelemetry. At 4 months of age, daily temperature rhythms were phase advanced and by 6 months of age an increase in mean core body temperature and amplitude of temperature rhythms were observed in 3xTgAD mice. No differences in daily activity rhythms were seen in 4- to 9-month-old 3xTgAD mice, but by 10 months of age an increase in mean daily activity and the amplitude of activity profiles for 3xTgAD mice were detected. At all ages (4-10 months), 3xTgAD mice exhibited greater food intake compared with Non-Tg mice. The changes in temperature did not appear to be solely due to increased food intake and were not cyclooxygenase dependent because the temperature rise was not abolished by chronic ibuprofen treatment. No β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques or neurofibrillary tangles were noted in the hypothalamus of 3xTgAD mice, a key area involved in temperature regulation, although these pathological features were observed in the hippocampus and amygdala of 3xTgAD mice from 10 months of age. These data demonstrate age-dependent changes in core body temperature and activity in 3xTgAD mice that are present before significant AD-related neuropathology and are analogous to those observed in AD patients. The 3xTgAD mouse might therefore be an appropriate model for studying the underlying mechanisms involved in non-cognitive behavioural changes in AD.

Perturbative entanglement thermodynamics for AdS spacetime: renormalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mishra, Rohit; Singh, Harvendra

2015-01-01

We study the effect of charged excitations in the AdS spacetime on the first law of entanglement thermodynamics. It is found that ‘boosted’ AdS black holes give rise to a more general form of first law which includes chemical potential and charge density. To obtain this result we have to resort to a second order perturbative calculation of entanglement entropy for small size subsystems. At first order the form of entanglement law remains unchanged even in the presence of charged excitations. But the thermodynamic quantities have to be appropriately ‘renormalized’ at the second order due to the corrections. We work in the perturbative regime where T thermal ≪T E .

Health-related quality of life in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Maksimović, Nataša; Janković, Slavenka; Marinković, Jelena; Sekulović, Lidija K; Zivković, Zorica; Spirić, Vesna T

2012-01-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing condition that can have considerable effects on the patients' quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to measure the health-related QOL in patients with AD, using generic and specific instruments, to compare the scores obtained by different instruments and to verify the relationship between them. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 132 outpatients with AD. To assess the QOL, Short Form 36 (SF-36), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) were administered. In order to assess the disease severity of AD, we used the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) and physician assessment of disease severity. Stressful life events during the last 12 months were assessed with Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events. Patients with AD had inferior social functioning and mental health scores compared with the general population. The correlations between the DLQI and SF-36 were found for the mental components of the QOL. Increasing disease severity was associated with greater impairment in QOL in both, children and adults. Our study found the influence of the stressful life events on the role emotional of AD patients. These results demonstrate that AD influences health-related QOL, especially in children. This study supports the decision to use both generic and skin-specific instruments to assess the impact of AD on QOL. © 2011 Japanese Dermatological Association.

Heavy ion collisions in AdS5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovchegov, Yuri V.

2011-01-01

We study heavy ion collisions at strong 't Hooft coupling using AdS/CFT correspondence. Heavy ion collisions correspond to gravitational shock wave collisions in AdS 5 . We construct the metric in the forward light cone after the collision perturbatively through expansion of Einstein equations in graviton exchanges. We obtain an analytic expression for the metric including all-order graviton exchanges with one shock wave, while keeping the exchanges with another shock wave at the lowest order. We read off the corresponding energy-momentum tensor of the produced medium. Unfortunately this energy-momentum tensor does not correspond to ideal hydrodynamics, indicating that higher order graviton exchanges are needed to construct the full solution of the problem. We also show that shock waves must completely stop almost immediately after the collision in AdS 5 , which, on the field theory side, corresponds to complete nuclear stopping due to strong coupling effects, likely leading to Landau hydrodynamics. Finally, we perform trapped surface analysis of the shock wave collisions demonstrating that a bulk black hole, corresponding to ideal hydrodynamics on the boundary, has to be created in such collisions, thus constructing a proof of thermalization in heavy ion collisions at strong coupling.

The Added Value of a Single-photon Emission Computed Tomography-Computed Tomography in Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping in Patients with Breast Cancer and Malignant Melanoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennie, George; Vorster, Mariza; Buscombe, John; Sathekge, Mike

2015-01-01

Single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT) allows for physiological and anatomical co-registration in sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping and offers additional benefits over conventional planar imaging. However, the clinical relevance when considering added costs and radiation burden of these reported benefits remains somewhat uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the possible added value of SPECT-CT and intra-operative gamma-probe use over planar imaging alone in the South African setting. 80 patients with breast cancer or malignant melanoma underwent both planar and SPECT-CT imaging for SLN mapping. We assessed and compared the number of nodes detected on each study, false positive and negative findings, changes in surgical approach and or patient management. In all cases where a sentinel node was identified, SPECT-CT was more accurate anatomically. There was a significant change in surgical approach in 30 cases - breast cancer (n = 13; P 0.001) and malignant melanoma (n = 17; P 0.0002). In 4 cases a node not identified on planar imaging was seen on SPECT-CT. In 16 cases additional echelon nodes were identified. False positives were excluded by SPECT-CT in 12 cases. The addition of SPECT-CT and use of intra-operative gamma-probe to planar imaging offers important benefits in patients who present with breast cancer and melanoma. These benefits include increased nodal detection, elimination of false positives and negatives and improved anatomical localization that ultimately aids and expedites surgical management. This has been demonstrated in the context of industrialized country previously and has now also been confirmed in the setting of a emerging-market nation

The Added Value of a Single-photon Emission Computed Tomography-Computed Tomography in Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping in Patients with Breast Cancer and Malignant Melanoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennie, George; Vorster, Mariza; Buscombe, John; Sathekge, Mike

2015-01-01

Single-photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT) allows for physiological and anatomical co-registration in sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping and offers additional benefits over conventional planar imaging. However, the clinical relevance when considering added costs and radiation burden of these reported benefits remains somewhat uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the possible added value of SPECT-CT and intra-operative gamma-probe use over planar imaging alone in the South African setting. 80 patients with breast cancer or malignant melanoma underwent both planar and SPECT-CT imaging for SLN mapping. We assessed and compared the number of nodes detected on each study, false positive and negative findings, changes in surgical approach and or patient management. In all cases where a sentinel node was identified, SPECT-CT was more accurate anatomically. There was a significant change in surgical approach in 30 cases - breast cancer (n = 13; P 0.001) and malignant melanoma (n = 17; P 0.0002). In 4 cases a node not identified on planar imaging was seen on SPECT-CT. In 16 cases additional echelon nodes were identified. False positives were excluded by SPECT-CT in 12 cases. The addition of SPECT-CT and use of intra-operative gamma-probe to planar imaging offers important benefits in patients who present with breast cancer and melanoma. These benefits include increased nodal detection, elimination of false positives and negatives and improved anatomical localization that ultimately aids and expedites surgical management. This has been demonstrated in the context of industrialized country previously and has now also been confirmed in the setting of a emerging-market nation.

Supersymmetric giant graviton solutions in AdS3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandal, Gautam; Raju, Suvrat; Smedbaeck, Mikael

2008-01-01

We parametrize all classical probe brane configurations that preserve four supersymmetries in (a) the extremal D1-D5 geometry, (b) the extremal D1-D5-P geometry, (c) the smooth D1-D5 solutions proposed by Lunin and Mathur, and (d) global AdS 3 xS 3 xT 4 /K3. These configurations consist of D1 branes, D5 branes, and bound states of D5 and D1 branes with the property that a particular Killing vector is tangent to the brane world volume at each point. We show that the supersymmetric sector of the D5-brane world volume theory may be analyzed in an effective 1+1 dimensional framework that places it on the same footing as D1 branes. In global AdS and the corresponding Lunin-Mathur solution, the solutions we describe are ''bound'' to the center of AdS for generic parameters and cannot escape to infinity. We show that these probes only exist on the submanifold of moduli space where the background B NS field and theta angle vanish. We quantize these probes in the near-horizon region of the extremal D1-D5 geometry and obtain the theory of long strings discussed by Seiberg and Witten

Abnormal retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and macula lutea in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, LiYan; Liu, Ying; Li, XiaoHong; Bai, QuanHao; Liu, Ping

2015-01-01

We investigated possible abnormalities in the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macula lutea of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and tested for any correlation with the severity of dementia. A total of 72 subjects, comprising 25 AD patients, 26 MCI patients and 21 healthy individuals (controls) were enrolled in this study. The thickness of the RNFL and volume of the macula lutea was determined using optical coherence tomography (OCT). When compared with controls, we found statistically significant thinning of the RNFL in AD patients at all clock-hour positions except 12:00, and nasal quadrant, 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00. After adjusting several risk factors, the average thickness of the RNFL was reduced in MCI patients compared to AD patients, with specific reductions at inferior quadrant, 5:00 and 6:00. Compared to controls, MCI patients showed a significant decrease in RNFL thickness only in the temporal quadrant, 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00. We found significant reduction in the volume of the macula lutea both in AD and MCI patients. Finally, we could not establish any correlation between patient Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores (an estimation of the severity of cognitive impairment) and any OCT parameter. Retinal degeneration in AD and MCI patients results in decreased thickness of the RNFL, and reduced macular volume in AD and MCI patients. However, there seems to be no correlation between these changes and the severity of dementia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analytical study on holographic superfluid in AdS soliton background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai, Chuyu; Pan, Qiyuan; Jing, Jiliang; Wang, Yongjiu

2016-01-01

We analytically study the holographic superfluid phase transition in the AdS soliton background by using the variational method for the Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problem. By investigating the holographic s-wave and p-wave superfluid models in the probe limit, we observe that the spatial component of the gauge field will hinder the phase transition. Moreover, we note that, different from the AdS black hole spacetime, in the AdS soliton background the holographic superfluid phase transition always belongs to the second order and the critical exponent of the system takes the mean-field value in both s-wave and p-wave models. Our analytical results are found to be in good agreement with the numerical findings.

Capturing patients' needs in casemix: a systematic literature review on the value of adding functioning information in reimbursement systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopfe, Maren; Stucki, Gerold; Marshall, Ric; Twomey, Conal D; Üstün, T Bedirhan; Prodinger, Birgit

2016-02-03

Contemporary casemix systems for health services need to ensure that payment rates adequately account for actual resource consumption based on patients' needs for services. It has been argued that functioning information, as one important determinant of health service provision and resource use, should be taken into account when developing casemix systems. However, there has to date been little systematic collation of the evidence on the extent to which the addition of functioning information into existing casemix systems adds value to those systems with regard to the predictive power and resource variation explained by the groupings of these systems. Thus, the objective of this research was to examine the value of adding functioning information into casemix systems with respect to the prediction of resource use as measured by costs and length of stay. A systematic literature review was performed. Peer-reviewed studies, published before May 2014 were retrieved from CINAHL, EconLit, Embase, JSTOR, PubMed and Sociological Abstracts using keywords related to functioning ('Functioning', 'Functional status', 'Function*, 'ICF', 'International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health', 'Activities of Daily Living' or 'ADL') and casemix systems ('Casemix', 'case mix', 'Diagnosis Related Groups', 'Function Related Groups', 'Resource Utilization Groups' or 'AN-SNAP'). In addition, a hand search of reference lists of included articles was conducted. Information about study aims, design, country, setting, methods, outcome variables, study results, and information regarding the authors' discussion of results, study limitations and implications was extracted. Ten included studies provided evidence demonstrating that adding functioning information into casemix systems improves predictive ability and fosters homogeneity in casemix groups with regard to costs and length of stay. Collection and integration of functioning information varied across studies. Results suggest

Joule-Thomson expansion of the charged AdS black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oekcue, Oezguer; Aydiner, Ekrem

2017-01-01

In this paper, we study Joule-Thomson effects for charged AdS black holes. We obtain inversion temperatures and curves. We investigate similarities and differences between van der Waals fluids and charged AdS black holes for the expansion. We obtain isenthalpic curves for both systems in the T-P plane and determine the cooling-heating regions. (orig.)

Joule-Thomson expansion of the charged AdS black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oekcue, Oezguer; Aydiner, Ekrem [Istanbul University, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Vezneciler, Istanbul (Turkey)

2017-01-15

In this paper, we study Joule-Thomson effects for charged AdS black holes. We obtain inversion temperatures and curves. We investigate similarities and differences between van der Waals fluids and charged AdS black holes for the expansion. We obtain isenthalpic curves for both systems in the T-P plane and determine the cooling-heating regions. (orig.)

Added Healthcare Charges Conferred by Smoking in Outpatient Plastic Surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Sieffert, Michelle R; Johnson, R Michael; Fox, Justin P

2018-01-31

A history of smoking confers additional risk of complications following plastic surgical procedures, which may require hospital-based care to address. To determine if patients with a smoking history experience higher rates of complications leading to higher hospital-based care utilization, and therefore greater healthcare charges, after common outpatient plastic surgeries. Using ambulatory surgery data from California, Florida, Nebraska, and New York, we identified adult patients who underwent common facial, breast, or abdominal contouring procedures from January 2009 to November 2013. Our primary outcomes were hospital-based, acute care (hospital admissions and emergency department visits), serious adverse events, and cumulative healthcare charges within 30 days of discharge. Multivariable regression models were used to compare outcomes between patients with and without a smoking history. The final sample included 214,761 patients, of which 10,426 (4.9%) had a smoking history. Compared to patients without, those with a smoking history were more likely to have a hospital-based, acute care encounter (3.4% vs 7.1%; AOR = 1.36 [1.25-1.48]) or serious adverse event (0.9% vs 2.2%; AOR = 1.38 [1.18-1.60]) within 30 days. On average, these events added $1826 per patient with a smoking history. These findings were consistent when stratified by specific procedure and controlled for patient factors. Patients undergoing common outpatient plastic surgery procedures who have a history of smoking are at risk for more frequent complications, and incur higher healthcare charges than patients who are nonsmokers. © 2018 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Inc. Reprints and permission: journals.permissions@oup.com

Ad gist : Ad communication in a single eye fixation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pieters, R.; Wedel, M.

2012-01-01

Most ads in practice receive no more than a single eye fixation. This study investigates the limits of what ads can communicate under such adverse exposure conditions. We find that consumers already know at maximum levels of accuracy and with high degree of certainty whether something is an ad or is

Consumer evaluation of palatability characteristics of a beef value-added cut compared to common retail cuts.

Science.gov (United States)

Lepper-Blilie, A N; Berg, E P; Germolus, A J; Buchanan, D S; Berg, P T

2014-01-01

The objectives of this study were to educate consumers about value-added beef cuts and evaluate their palatability responses of a value cut and three traditional cuts. Three hundred and twenty-two individuals participated in the beef value cut education seminar series presented by trained beef industry educators. Seminar participants evaluated tenderness, juiciness, flavor, and overall like of four samples, bottom round, top sirloin, ribeye, and a value cut (Delmonico or Denver), on a 9-point scale. The ribeye and the value cut were found to be similar in all four attributes and differed from the top sirloin and bottom round. Correlations and regression analysis found that flavor was the largest influencing factor for overall like for the ribeye, value cut, and top sirloin. The value cut is comparable to the ribeye and can be a less expensive replacement. © 2013.

Treatment efficacy and immune stimulation by AdCD40L gene therapy of spontaneous canine malignant melanoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Westberg, Sara; Sadeghi, Arian; Svensson, Emma; Segall, Thomas; Dimopoulou, Maria; Korsgren, Olle; Hemminki, Akseli; Loskog, Angelica S I; Tötterman, Thomas H; von Euler, Henrik

2013-01-01

Malignant melanoma is a serious disease in both humans and dogs, and the high metastatic potential results in poor prognosis for many patients. Its similarities with human melanoma make spontaneous canine melanoma an excellent model for comparative studies of novel therapies and tumor biology. We report a pilot study of local adenovector CD40L (AdCD40L) immunogene treatment in 19 cases of canine melanoma (14 oral, 4 cutaneous, and 1 conjunctival). Three patients were World Health Organization stage I, 2 were stage II, 10 stage III, and 4 stage IV. One to 6 intratumoral injections of AdCD40L were given every 7 days, followed by cytoreductive surgery in 9 cases and only immunotherapy in 10 cases. Tumor tissue was infiltrated with T and B lymphocytes after treatment, suggesting immune stimulation. The best overall response included 5 complete responses, 8 partial responses, and 4 stable and 2 progressive disease statuses according to the World Health Organization response criteria. Median survival was 160 days (range, 20-1141 d), with 3 dogs still alive at submission. Our results suggest that local AdCD40L therapy is safe and could have beneficial effects in dogs, supporting further treatment development. Clinical translation to human patients is in progress.

Factorized tree-level scattering in AdS4 x CP3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalousios, Chrysostomos; Vergu, C.; Volovich, Anastasia

2009-01-01

AdS 4 /CFT 3 duality relating IIA string theory on AdS 4 x CP 3 to N = 6 superconformal Chern-Simons theory provides an arena for studying aspects of integrability in a new potentially exactly solvable system. In this paper we explore the tree-level worldsheet scattering for strings on AdS 4 x CP 3 . We compute all bosonic four-, five- and six-point amplitudes in the gauge-fixed action and demonstrate the absence of particle production.

Suicide Risk Associated with Experience of Violence and Impulsivity in Alcohol Dependent Patients

OpenAIRE

Khemiri, Lotfi; Jokinen, Jussi; Runeson, Bo; Jayaram-Lindstr?m, Nitya

2016-01-01

Alcohol dependence (AD) and aggression-impulsivity are both associated with increased suicide risk. There is a need to evaluate clinical tools in order to improve suicide risk assessment of AD patients. The present study consisted of 95 individuals with a diagnosis of AD, consecutively admitted for addiction treatment, compared with 95 healthy controls. Suicidal risk was assessed together with exposure of violence and impulsivity. AD patients reported significantly higher rates of exposure to...

Effect of Citalopram on Agitation in Alzheimer's Disease – The CitAD Randomized Controlled Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Porsteinsson, Anton P.; Drye, Lea T.; Pollock, Bruce G.; Devanand, D.P.; Frangakis, Constantine; Ismail, Zahinoor; Marano, Christopher; Meinert, Curtis L.; Mintzer, Jacobo E.; Munro, Cynthia A.; Pelton, Gregory; Rabins, Peter V.; Rosenberg, Paul B.; Schneider, Lon S.; Shade, David M.; Weintraub, Daniel; Yesavage, Jerome; Lyketsos, Constantine G.

2014-01-01

Importance Agitation is common, persistent, and associated with adverse consequences for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Pharmacological treatment options, including antipsychotics are not satisfactory. Objective The primary objective was to evaluate the efficacy of citalopram for agitation in patients with AD. Key secondary objectives examined effects of citalopram on function, caregiver distress, safety, cognitive safety, and tolerability. Design, Setting and Participants The Citalopram for Agitation in Alzheimer's Disease Study (CitAD) was a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel group trial that enrolled 186 patients with probable AD and clinically significant agitation from eight academic centers in the US and Canada from August 2009 to January 2013. Interventions Participants (n=186) were randomized to receive a psychosocial intervention plus either citalopram (n=94) or placebo (n=92) for 9 weeks. Dose began at 10 mg/d with planned titration to 30 mg/d over 3 weeks based on response and tolerability. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcome measures were the Neurobehavioral Rating Scale, agitation subscale (NBRS-A) and the modified Alzheimer Disease Cooperative Study-Clinical Global Impression of Change (mADCS-CGIC) Other outcomes were the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), activities of daily living (ADLs), caregiver distress, cognitive safety (MMSE), and adverse events. Results Participants on citalopram showed significant improvement compared to placebo on both primary outcome measures. NBRS-A estimated treatment difference at week 9 (citalopram minus placebo) was −0.93 [95% CI: −1.80 to −0.06], p = 0.036. mADCS-CGIC results showed 40% of citalopram participants having moderate or marked improvement from baseline compared to 26% on placebo, with estimated treatment effect (odds ratio of being at or better than a given CGIC category) of 2.13 [95% CI 1.23 to 3.69], p = 0

Differential Features of Cerebral Perfusion in Dementia with Lewy Bodies Compared to Alzheimer's Dementia using SPM Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Do Young; Park, Kyung Won; Kim, Jae Woo [College of Medicine, Univ. of Donga, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2003-07-01

Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are most common cause of dementia in elderly people. Clinical distinction in some cases of DLB from AD may be difficult as symptom profiles overlap. Some neuropathologic overlap is also seen as beta-amyloidosis and senile plaques can be found in both disease. Both disease also share severe acetylcholine depletion. We evaluated the differences of brain perfusion between DLB and AD using statistical parametric mapping analysis. Twelve DLB (mean age ; 68.8{+-}8.3 years, K-MMSE ; 17.3{+-}6.1) and 51 AD patients (mean age ; 71.4{+-}7.2 years, K-MMSE ; 16.7{+-}4.5), which were matched for age and severity of dementia, participated in this study. Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT was performed for measuring regional cerebral blood flow. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM99) software was used for automatic and objective approach to analyze SPECT image data. The SPECT data of the patients with DLB were compared to patients with AD. Comparison of the two dementia groups (uncorrected p<0.01) revealed significant hypoperfusion in both occipital (both middle occipital gyrus, Rt B no. 18 and Lt cuneus), both parietal (Lt parietal precuneus, Lt B no. 39, Lt inferior parietal lobule and Rt supramarginal gyrus) lobes in DLB compared with AD. Significant hyperperfusion was noted in Rt frontal (sup. frontal gyrus, B no.10, middle frontal gyrus, B no. 9, B no. 11, inf. frontal gyrus), Rt putamen, Lt ant. cingulate gyrus (B no. 24), both cerebellar post. lobe (Lt tuber, Lt declive, Lt tonsil, Rt declive) in DLB compared with AD. We found a significant differences in the cerebral perfusion pattern between DLB and AD. Differential feature of cerebral perfusion in DLB was both occipital hypoperfusion and preserved Rt frontal perfusion compared to AD. Therefore in difficult case of clinical an neuro pathologic diagnosis, brain perfusion SPECT with SPM analysis may be helpful to differentiate DLB from AD.

Wilson lines for AdS5 black strings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hristov, Kiril; Katmadas, Stefanos

2015-01-01

We describe a simple method of extending AdS 5 black string solutions of 5d gauged supergravity in a supersymmetric way by addition of Wilson lines along a circular direction in space. When this direction is chosen along the string, and due to the specific form of 5d supergravity that features Chern-Simons terms, the existence of magnetic charges automatically generates conserved electric charges in a 5d analogue of the Witten effect. Therefore we find a rather generic, model-independent way of adding electric charges to already existing solutions with no backreaction from the geometry or breaking of any symmetry. We use this method to explicitly write down more general versions of the Benini-Bobev black strings (http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.061601, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP06(2013)005) and comment on the implications for the dual field theory and the similarities with generalizations of the Cacciatori-Klemm black holes (http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP01(2010)085) in AdS 4 .

Disrupted Structural Brain Network in AD and aMCI: A Finding of Long Fiber Degeneration.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Rong; Yan, Xiao-Xiao; Wu, Zhi-Yuan; Sun, Yu; Yin, Qi-Hua; Wang, Ying; Tang, Hui-Dong; Sun, Jun-Feng; Miao, Fei; Chen, Sheng-Di

2015-01-01

Although recent evidence has emerged that Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) patients show both regional brain abnormalities and topological degeneration in brain networks, our understanding of the effects of white matter fiber aberrations on brain network topology in AD and aMCI is still rudimentary. In this study, we investigated the regional volumetric aberrations and the global topological abnormalities in AD and aMCI patients. The results showed a widely distributed atrophy in both gray and white matters in the AD and aMCI groups. In particular, AD patients had weaker connectivity with long fiber length than aMCI and normal control (NC) groups, as assessed by fractional anisotropy (FA). Furthermore, the brain networks of all three groups exhibited prominent economical small-world properties. Interestingly, the topological characteristics estimated from binary brain networks showed no significant group effect, indicating a tendency of preserving an optimal topological architecture in AD and aMCI during degeneration. However, significantly longer characteristic path length was observed in the FA weighted brain networks of AD and aMCI patients, suggesting dysfunctional global integration. Moreover, the abnormality of the characteristic path length was negatively correlated with the clinical ratings of cognitive impairment. Thus, the results therefore suggested that the topological alterations in weighted brain networks of AD are induced by the loss of connectivity with long fiber lengths. Our findings provide new insights into the alterations of the brain network in AD and may indicate the predictive value of the network metrics as biomarkers of disease development.

Financial and health literacy predict incident AD dementia and AD pathology

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Lei; Wilson, Robert S.; Schneider, Julie A.; Bennett, David A.; Boyle, Patricia A.

2017-01-01

Background Domain specific literacy is a multidimensional construct that requires multiple resources including cognitive and non-cognitive factors. Objective We test the hypothesis that domain specific literacy is associated with AD dementia and AD pathology after controlling for cognition. Methods Participants were community based older persons who completed a baseline literacy assessment, underwent annual clinical evaluations for up to 8 years and agreed to organ donation after death. Financial and health literacy was measured using 32 questions and cognition was measured using 19 tests. Annual diagnosis of AD dementia followed standard criteria. AD pathology was examined post-mortem by quantifying plaques and tangles. Cox models examined the association of literacy with incident AD dementia. Performance of model prediction for incident AD dementia was assessed using indices for integrated discrimination improvement and continuous net reclassification improvement. Linear regression models examined the independent association of literacy with AD pathology in autopsied participants. Results All 805 participants were free of dementia at baseline and 102 (12.7%) developed AD dementia during the follow-up. Lower literacy was associated with higher risk for incident AD dementia (pliteracy measure had better predictive performance than the one with demographics and cognition only. Lower literacy also was associated with higher burden of AD pathology after controlling for cognition (β=0.07, p=0.035). Conclusion Literacy predicts incident AD dementia and AD pathology in community-dwelling older persons, and the association is independent of traditional measures of cognition. PMID:28157101

Enthalpy and the mechanics of AdS black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kastor, David; Traschen, Jennie; Ray, Sourya

2009-01-01

We present geometric derivations of the Smarr formula for static AdS black holes and an expanded first law that includes variations in the cosmological constant. These two results are further related by a scaling argument based on Euler's theorem. The key new ingredient in the constructions is a two-form potential for the static Killing field. Surface integrals of the Killing potential determine the coefficient of the variation of Λ in the first law. This coefficient is proportional to a finite, effective volume for the region outside the AdS black hole horizon, which can also be interpreted as minus the volume excluded from a spatial slice by the black hole horizon. This effective volume also contributes to the Smarr formula. Since Λ is naturally thought of as a pressure, the new term in the first law has the form of effective volume times change in pressure that arises in the variation of the enthalpy in classical thermodynamics. This and related arguments suggest that the mass of an AdS black hole should be interpreted as the enthalpy of the spacetime.

Cognitive Profiles of Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia in Alzheimer's or Parkinson's Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helmut Hildebrandt

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD and Parkinson's disease (PD are associated with severe cognitive decline, but it is still unclear to what extent they become functionally more similar over time. Methods: We compared amnestic mild cognitively impaired (aMCI; n = 29 patients to mild cognitively impaired (MCI PD patients (n = 25, and patients with AD (n = 34 to patients with PD dementia (PDD; n = 15 with respect to cognitive functioning and mood. Results: aMCI patients were impaired in episodic memory, while MCI PD patients showed deficits in visuoconstruction and attention. AD and PDD patients showed comparable deficits on tests for language, attention and visuoconstruction. However, unlike PDD patients but similar to aMCI patients, AD patients showed a characteristic memory impairment, especially commission errors on recognition tasks, whereas PDD patients scored higher on the depressive mood questionnaire. Conclusions: In advanced stages of both diseases, the pattern of functional deficits associated with parietal and temporal lobe functions (attention, visuoconstruction and language is similar. However, specific differences, already present in the early stage (recognition errors in AD, associated with mediobasal temporal lobe functioning, and depressed mood in PDD, associated with non-motor basal ganglia loops, are also observed in the late stage.

Thermodynamic and classical instability of AdS black holes in fourth-order gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myung, Yun Soo; Moon, Taeyoon

2014-01-01

We study thermodynamic and classical instability of AdS black holes in fourth-order gravity. These include the BTZ black hole in new massive gravity, Schwarzschild-AdS black hole, and higher-dimensional AdS black holes in fourth-order gravity. All thermodynamic quantities which are computed using the Abbot-Deser-Tekin method are used to study thermodynamic instability of AdS black holes. On the other hand, we investigate the s-mode Gregory-Laflamme instability of the massive graviton propagating around the AdS black holes. We establish the connection between the thermodynamic instability and the GL instability of AdS black holes in fourth-order gravity. This shows that the Gubser-Mitra conjecture holds for AdS black holes found from fourth-order gravity

Winding strings and AdS3 black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Troost, Jan

2002-01-01

We start a systematic study of string theory in AdS 3 black hole backgrounds. Firstly, we analyse in detail the geodesic structure of the BTZ black hole, including spacelike geodesics. Secondly, we study the spectrum for massive and massless scalar fields, paying particular attention to the connection between Sl(2,R) subgroups, the theory of special functions and global properties of the BTZ black holes. We construct classical strings that wind the black holes. Finally, we apply the general formalism to the vacuum black hole background, and formulate the boundary spacetime Virasoro algebra in terms of worldsheet operators. We moreover establish the link between a proposal for a ghost free spectrum for Sl(2,R) string propagation and the massless black hole background, thereby claryfing aspects of the AdS 3 /CFT correspondence. (author)

AdS strings with torsion: Noncomplex heterotic compactifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frey, Andrew R.; Lippert, Matthew

2005-01-01

Combining the effects of fluxes and gaugino condensation in heterotic supergravity, we use a ten-dimensional approach to find a new class of four-dimensional supersymmetric AdS 4 compactifications on almost-Hermitian manifolds of SU(3) structure. Computation of the torsion allows a classification of the internal geometry, which for a particular combination of fluxes and condensate, is nearly Kaehler. We argue that all moduli are fixed, and we show that the Kaehler potential and superpotential proposed in the literature yield the correct AdS 4 radius. In the nearly Kaehler case, we are able to solve the H Bianchi identity using a nonstandard embedding. Finally, we point out subtleties in deriving the effective superpotential and understanding the heterotic supergravity in the presence of a gaugino condensate

Contextual advertising using Google AdWords and Google AdSense

OpenAIRE

Mihok, Radovan

2008-01-01

The thesis introduces contextual advertising on internet using Google AdWords. The paper describes individual steps of an ad campaign (product choosing, ad types, keywords), its management and success evaluation (calculation of ROI and modified ROI).

Supersymmetric black holes in AdS4 from very special geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gnecchi, Alessandra; Halmagyi, Nick

2014-01-01

Supersymmetric black holes in AdS spacetime are inherently interesting for the AdS/CFT correspondence. Within a four dimensional gauged supergravity theory coupled to vector multiplets, the only analytic solutions for regular, supersymmetric, static black holes in AdS 4 are those in the STU-model due to Cacciatori and Klemm. We study a class of U(1)-gauged supergravity theories coupled to vector multiplets which have a cubic prepotential, the scalar manifold is then a very special Kähler manifold. When the resulting very special Kähler manifold is a homogeneous space, we find analytic solutions for static, supersymmetric AdS 4 black holes with vanishing axions. The horizon geometries of our solutions are constant curvature Riemann surfaces of arbitrary genus

Elevated Angiopoietin-1 Serum Levels in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brigitte Schreitmüller

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Alzheimer's disease (AD is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. AD is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles and by massive neuronal loss in the brain. There is epidemiologic and pathologic evidence that AD is associated with vascular risk factors and vascular diseases, contributing to cerebral hypoperfusion with consecutive stimulation of angiogenesis and upregulation of proangiogenic factors such as Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1. Methods. In the present study, we measured Ang-1 serum levels in 42 patients with AD, 20 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, and in 40 healthy elderly controls by ELISA. Results. We found significantly increased Ang-1 serum levels in patients with AD compared to control subjects (P=0.003. There was no significant difference between MCI patients and healthy controls (P=0.553 or between AD and MCI patients (P=0.054. The degree of cognitive impairment as measured by the mini-mental status examination (MMSE score was significantly correlated with the Ang-1 serum levels in all patients and healthy controls. Conclusions. We found significantly increased Ang-1 serum levels in AD patients. We could also show an association between Ang-1 serum levels and the cognitive status in all patients and healthy controls. Thus, serum Ang-1 could be a potential candidate for a biomarker panel for AD diagnosis.

Thermodynamic geometry and phase transitions of AdS braneworld black holes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaturvedi, Pankaj, E-mail: cpankaj@iitk.ac.in; Sengupta, Gautam, E-mail: sengupta@iitk.ac.in

2017-02-10

The thermodynamics and phase transitions of charged RN–AdS and rotating Kerr–AdS black holes in a generalized Randall–Sundrum braneworld are investigated in the framework of thermodynamic geometry. A detailed analysis of the thermodynamics, stability and phase structures in the canonical and the grand canonical ensembles for these AdS braneworld black holes are described. The thermodynamic curvatures for both these AdS braneworld black holes are computed and studied as a function of the thermodynamic variables. Through this analysis we illustrate an interesting dependence of the phase structures on the braneworld parameter for these black holes.

Google Advertising Tools Cashing in with AdSense and AdWords

CERN Document Server

Davis, Harold

2010-01-01

With this book, you'll learn how to take full advantage of Google AdWords and AdSense, the sophisticated online advertising tools used by thousands of large and small businesses. This new edition provides a substantially updated guide to advertising on the Web, including how it works in general, and how Google's advertising programs in particular help you make money. You'll find everything you need to work with AdWords, which lets you generate text ads to accompany specific search term results, and AdSense, which automatically delivers precisely targeted text and image ads to your website.

Age-related changes in core body temperature and activity in triple-transgenic Alzheimer’s disease (3xTgAD mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elysse M. Knight

2013-01-01

Alzheimer’s disease (AD is characterised, not only by cognitive deficits and neuropathological changes, but also by several non-cognitive behavioural symptoms that can lead to a poorer quality of life. Circadian disturbances in core body temperature and physical activity are reported in AD patients, although the cause and consequences of these changes are unknown. We therefore characterised circadian patterns of body temperature and activity in male triple transgenic AD mice (3xTgAD and non-transgenic (Non-Tg control mice by remote radiotelemetry. At 4 months of age, daily temperature rhythms were phase advanced and by 6 months of age an increase in mean core body temperature and amplitude of temperature rhythms were observed in 3xTgAD mice. No differences in daily activity rhythms were seen in 4- to 9-month-old 3xTgAD mice, but by 10 months of age an increase in mean daily activity and the amplitude of activity profiles for 3xTgAD mice were detected. At all ages (4–10 months, 3xTgAD mice exhibited greater food intake compared with Non-Tg mice. The changes in temperature did not appear to be solely due to increased food intake and were not cyclooxygenase dependent because the temperature rise was not abolished by chronic ibuprofen treatment. No β-amyloid (Aβ plaques or neurofibrillary tangles were noted in the hypothalamus of 3xTgAD mice, a key area involved in temperature regulation, although these pathological features were observed in the hippocampus and amygdala of 3xTgAD mice from 10 months of age. These data demonstrate age-dependent changes in core body temperature and activity in 3xTgAD mice that are present before significant AD-related neuropathology and are analogous to those observed in AD patients. The 3xTgAD mouse might therefore be an appropriate model for studying the underlying mechanisms involved in non-cognitive behavioural changes in AD.

Age-related changes in core body temperature and activity in triple-transgenic Alzheimer’s disease (3xTgAD) mice

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Elysse M.; Brown, Timothy M.; Gümüsgöz, Sarah; Smith, Jennifer C. M.; Waters, Elizabeth J.; Allan, Stuart M.; Lawrence, Catherine B.

2013-01-01

SUMMARY Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterised, not only by cognitive deficits and neuropathological changes, but also by several non-cognitive behavioural symptoms that can lead to a poorer quality of life. Circadian disturbances in core body temperature and physical activity are reported in AD patients, although the cause and consequences of these changes are unknown. We therefore characterised circadian patterns of body temperature and activity in male triple transgenic AD mice (3xTgAD) and non-transgenic (Non-Tg) control mice by remote radiotelemetry. At 4 months of age, daily temperature rhythms were phase advanced and by 6 months of age an increase in mean core body temperature and amplitude of temperature rhythms were observed in 3xTgAD mice. No differences in daily activity rhythms were seen in 4- to 9-month-old 3xTgAD mice, but by 10 months of age an increase in mean daily activity and the amplitude of activity profiles for 3xTgAD mice were detected. At all ages (4–10 months), 3xTgAD mice exhibited greater food intake compared with Non-Tg mice. The changes in temperature did not appear to be solely due to increased food intake and were not cyclooxygenase dependent because the temperature rise was not abolished by chronic ibuprofen treatment. No β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques or neurofibrillary tangles were noted in the hypothalamus of 3xTgAD mice, a key area involved in temperature regulation, although these pathological features were observed in the hippocampus and amygdala of 3xTgAD mice from 10 months of age. These data demonstrate age-dependent changes in core body temperature and activity in 3xTgAD mice that are present before significant AD-related neuropathology and are analogous to those observed in AD patients. The 3xTgAD mouse might therefore be an appropriate model for studying the underlying mechanisms involved in non-cognitive behavioural changes in AD. PMID:22864021

Light-cone gauge formulation for AdS4 x CP3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uvarov, D.V.

2011-01-01

We review the Type IIA superstring on the AdS 4 x CP 3 background in the k-symmetry light-cone gauge characterized by the choice of the lightlike directions from the D = 3 Minkowski boundary of AdS 4 both in the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations

Penrose inequality for asymptotically AdS spaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itkin, Igor; Oz, Yaron

2012-01-01

In general relativity, the Penrose inequality relates the mass and the entropy associated with a gravitational background. If the inequality is violated by an initial Cauchy data, it suggests a creation of a naked singularity, thus providing means to consider the cosmic censorship hypothesis. We propose a general form of Penrose inequality for asymptotically locally AdS spaces.

Penrose inequality for asymptotically AdS spaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Itkin, Igor [Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978 (Israel); Oz, Yaron, E-mail: yaronoz@post.tau.ac.il [Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978 (Israel)

2012-02-28

In general relativity, the Penrose inequality relates the mass and the entropy associated with a gravitational background. If the inequality is violated by an initial Cauchy data, it suggests a creation of a naked singularity, thus providing means to consider the cosmic censorship hypothesis. We propose a general form of Penrose inequality for asymptotically locally AdS spaces.

Adding glucose to food and solutions to enhance fructose absorption is not effective in preventing fructose-induced functional gastrointestinal symptoms: randomised controlled trials in patients with fructose malabsorption.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuck, C J; Ross, L A; Gibson, P R; Barrett, J S; Muir, J G

2017-02-01

In healthy individuals, the absorption of fructose in excess of glucose in solution is enhanced by the addition of glucose. The present study aimed to assess the effects of glucose addition to fructose or fructans on absorption patterns and genesis of gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with functional bowel disorders. Randomised, blinded, cross-over studies were performed in healthy subjects and functional bowel disorder patients with fructose malabsorption. The area-under-the-curve (AUC) was determined for breath hydrogen and symptom responses to: (i) six sugar solutions (fructose in solution) (glucose; sucrose; fructose; fructose + glucose; fructan; fructan + glucose) and (ii) whole foods (fructose in foods) containing fructose in excess of glucose given with and without additional glucose. Intake of fermentable short chain carbohydrates (FODMAPs; fermentable, oligo-, di-, monosaccharides and polyols) was controlled. For the fructose in solution study, in 26 patients with functional bowel disorders, breath hydrogen was reduced after glucose was added to fructose compared to fructose alone [mean (SD) AUC 92 (107) versus 859 (980) ppm 4 h -1 , respectively; P = 0.034). Glucose had no effect on breath hydrogen response to fructans (P = 1.000). The six healthy controls showed breath hydrogen patterns similar to those with functional bowel disorders. No differences in symptoms were experienced with the addition of glucose, except more nausea when glucose was added to fructose (P = 0.049). In the fructose in foods study, glucose addition to whole foods containing fructose in excess of glucose in nine patients with functional bowel disorders and nine healthy controls had no significant effect on breath hydrogen production or symptom response. The absence of a favourable response on symptoms does not support the concomitant intake of glucose with foods high in either fructose or fructans in patients with functional bowel disorders. © 2016 The British Dietetic

Phase transition and thermodynamical geometry for Schwarzschild AdS black hole in AdS_5×S"5 spacetime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Jia-Lin; Cai, Rong-Gen; Yu, Hongwei

2015-01-01

We study the thermodynamics and thermodynamic geometry of a five-dimensional Schwarzschild AdS black hole in AdS_5×S"5 spacetime by treating the cosmological constant as the number of colors in the boundary gauge theory and its conjugate quantity as the associated chemical potential. It is found that the chemical potential is always negative in the stable branch of black hole thermodynamics and it has a chance to be positive, but appears in the unstable branch. We calculate the scalar curvatures of the thermodynamical Weinhold metric, Ruppeiner metric and Quevedo metric, respectively and we find that the scalar curvature in the Weinhold metric is always vanishing, while in the Ruppeiner metric the divergence of the scalar curvature is related to the divergence of the heat capacity with fixed chemical potential, and in the Quevedo metric the divergence of the scalar curvature is related to the divergence of the heat capacity with fixed number of colors and to the vanishing of the heat capacity with fixed chemical potential.

Minimal surfaces in AdS space and integrable systems

Science.gov (United States)

Burrington, Benjamin A.; Gao, Peng

2010-04-01

We consider the Pohlmeyer reduction for spacelike minimal area worldsheets in AdS5. The Lax pair for the reduced theory is found, and written entirely in terms of the A3 = D3 root system, generalizing the B2 affine Toda system which appears for the AdS4 string. For the B2 affine Toda system, we show that the area of the worlsheet is obtainable from the moduli space Kähler potential of a related Hitchin system. We also explore the Saveliev-Leznov construction for solutions of the B2 affine Toda system, and recover the rotationally symmetric solution associated to Painleve transcendent.

AdS5 magnetized solutions in minimal gauged supergravity

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Jose Luis Blázquez-Salcedo

2017-08-01

Full Text Available We construct a generalization of the AdS charged rotating black holes with two equal magnitude angular momenta in five-dimensional minimal gauged supergravity. In addition to the mass, electric charge and angular momentum, the new solutions possess an extra-parameter associated with a non-zero magnitude of the magnetic potential at infinity. In contrast with the known cases, these new black holes possess a non-trivial zero-horizon size limit which describes a one parameter family of spinning charged solitons. All configurations reported in this work approach asymptotically an AdS5 spacetime in global coordinates and are free of pathologies.

The efficiency and safety of trastuzumab and lapatinib added to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in Her2-positive breast cancer patients: a randomized meta-analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen ZL

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Zhe-Ling Chen, Yan-Wei Shen, Shu-Ting Li, Chun-Li Li, Ling-Xiao Zhang, Jiao Yang, Meng Lv, Ya-Yun Lin, Xin Wang, Jin Yang Department of Medical Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China Background: The addition of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2 therapies to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC during treatment of Her2-positive breast cancer has been proposed as an effective way to improve the prognosis. However, the treatment outcomes of adding trastuzumab, lapatinib, or both to NAC were not unequivocal in randomized clinical trials. Based on these data, a meta-analysis was performed. Objective: The main objective was to evaluate the efficiency and safety of trastuzumab and lapatinib added to NAC for treatment of Her2-positive breast cancer. Methods: ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed were searched for randomized clinical trials that compared trastuzumab, lapatinib, or both, added to NAC. The main endpoint was a pathologically complete response (pCR rate, in breast only or in breast and lymph nodes. The drug safety and the influence of hormone-receptor status, comparing the clinical response and the rate of breast conservation, were evaluated. Results: A total of eight publications were included in the primary analysis, designed as two or three subgroups. The cumulative cases were 2,349 and the analyses of all the clinical trials showed that the pCR rate was significantly higher in the group receiving trastuzumab than that in the group with lapatinib, either in breast only (P=0.001 or in breast and lymph nodes (P=0.0001. Similar results could be seen in comparisons of the combination versus trastuzumab group. Further studies of subgroups divided into hormone receptor-positive or-negative patients showed that the addition of trastuzumab or dual Her2-targeted therapy significantly improved the pCR rate in patients who were hormone-insensitive. Regarding the toxic

Comparison of immune reactivity profiles against various environmental allergens between adult patients with atopic dermatitis and patients with allergic respiratory diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumura, N; Aiba, S; Tanaka, M; Aoyama, H; Tabata, N; Tamura, G; Tagami, H

1997-09-01

To clarify the pathomechanisms underlying the involvement of different organs by atopic dermatitis (AD) and allergic respiratory disease (ARD), we compared the immune reactivities to various environmental allergens between 46 adult patients who suffered only from AD but were without any history of ARD and 41 patients who had only ARD, using a RAST FEIA (radioallergosorbent test/fluoroenzyme immunoassay) and a scarification patch test. We also studied 42 healthy adult subjects in a similar fashion. Total serum IgE antibody levels were found to be far higher in the AD group than in the ARD and healthy control group, and RAST revealed that the AD group was sensitized to far larger numbers of allergens such as food mix, cereal mix, fungus mix and Candida albicans than were the other groups. The ARD group displayed a high incidence in RAST, comparable to that of the AD group, only against Japanese cedar and grass pollen mix antigen. However, the most remarkable difference in the immune reactivity profiles was that the AD group showed a uniquely higher RAST score and a lower incidence of positive patch test reactions to C. albicans antigen than did the ARD group. The reactivities in the ARD group to C. albicans antigen did not differ from those in the control group. Our present data suggest that a more pronounced shift from Th1 to Th2 cells, reactive against various allergens, takes place in AD patients.

Nonlocal String Theories on AdS3 x S3 and Stable Non-Supersymmetric Backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silverstein, Eva M

2002-01-01

We exhibit a simple class of exactly marginal ''double-trace'' deformations of two dimensional CFTs which have AdS 3 duals, in which the deformation is given by a product of left and right-moving U(1) currents. In this special case the deformation on AdS 3 is generated by a local boundary term in three dimensions, which changes the physics also in the bulk via bulk-boundary propagators. However, the deformation is non-local in six dimensions and on the string worldsheet, like generic non-local string theories (NLSTs). Due to the simplicity of the deformation we can explicitly make computations in the non-local string theory and compare them to CFT computations, and we obtain precise agreement. We discuss the effect of the deformation on closed strings and on D-branes. The examples we analyze include a supersymmetry-breaking but exactly marginal ''double-trace'' deformation, which is dual to a string theory in which no destabilizing tadpoles are generated for moduli nonperturbatively in all couplings, despite the absence of supersymmetry. We explain how this cancellation works on the gravity side in string perturbation theory, and also non-perturbatively at leading order in the deformation parameter. We also discuss possible flat space limits of our construction

Accuracy of geographically targeted internet advertisements on Google AdWords for recruitment in a randomized trial.

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Jones, Ray B; Goldsmith, Lesley; Williams, Christopher J; Kamel Boulos, Maged N

2012-06-20

Google AdWords are increasingly used to recruit people into research studies and clinical services. They offer the potential to recruit from targeted control areas in cluster randomized controlled trials (RCTs), but little is known about the feasibility of accurately targeting ads by location and comparing with control areas. To examine the accuracy and contamination of control areas by a location-targeted online intervention using Google AdWords in a pilot cluster RCT. Based on previous use of online cognitive behavioral therapy for depression and population size, we purposively selected 16 of the 121 British postcode areas and randomized them to three intervention and one (do-nothing) control arms. Two intervention arms included use of location-targeted AdWords, and we compared these with the do-nothing control arm. We did not raise the visibility of our research website to normal Web searches. Users who clicked on the ad were directed to our project website, which collected the computer Internet protocol (IP) address, date, and time. Visitors were asked for their postcode area and to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire (depression). They were then offered links to several online depression resources. Google Analytics largely uses IP methods to estimate location, but AdWords uses additional information. We compared locations assessed by (1) Analytics, and (2) as self-identified by users. Ads were shown 300,523 times with 4207 click-throughs. There were few site visits except through AdWord click-throughs. Both methods of location assessment agreed there was little contamination of control areas. According to Analytics, 69.75% (2617/3752) of participants were in intervention areas, only 0% (8/3752) in control areas, but 30.04% (1127/3752) in other areas. However, according to user-stated postcodes, only 20.7% (463/2237) were in intervention areas, 1% (22/2236) in control areas, but 78.31% (1751/2236) in other areas. Both location assessments suggested most

Folded three-spin string solutions in AdS5 x S5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryang Shijong

2004-01-01

We construct a spinning closed string solution in AdS 5 x S 5 which is folded in the radial direction and has two equal spins in AdS 5 and a spin in S 5 . The energy expression of the three-spin solution specified by the folding and winding numbers for the small S 5 spin shows a logarithmic behavior and a one-third power behavior of the large total AdS 5 spin, in the long string and in the short string located near the boundary of AdS 5 respectively. It exhibits the non-regular expansion in the 't Hooft coupling constant, while it takes the regular one when the S 5 spin becomes large. (author)

Invariant differential operators and characters of the AdS4 algebra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobrev, V K

2006-01-01

The aim of this paper is to apply systematically to AdS 4 some modern tools in the representation theory of Lie algebras which are easily generalized to the supersymmetric and quantum group settings and necessary for applications to string theory and integrable models. Here we introduce the necessary representations of the AdS 4 algebra and group. We give explicitly all singular (null) vectors of the reducible AdS 4 Verma modules. These are used to obtain the AdS 4 invariant differential operators. Using this we display a new structure-a diagram involving four partially equivalent reducible representations one of which contains all finite-dimensional irreps of the AdS 4 algebra. We study in more detail the cases involving UIRs, in particular, the Di and the Rac singletons, and the massless UIRs. In the massless case, we discover the structure of sets of 2s 0 - 1 conserved currents for each spin s 0 UIR, s 0 = 1, 3/2,.... All massless cases are contained in a one-parameter subfamily of the quartet diagrams mentioned above, the parameter being the spin s 0 . Further we give the classification of the so(5,C) irreps presented in a diagrammatic way which makes easy the derivation of all character formulae. The paper concludes with a speculation on the possible applications of the character formulae to integrable models

3 T MRI of hepatocellular carcinomas in patients with cirrhosis: Does T2-weighted imaging provide added value?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, L.; Liang, C.; Yu, T.; Wang, G.; Li, N.; Sun, H.; Gao, F.; Liu, C.

2012-01-01

Aim: To assess whether T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) provides any added value for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis, especially for lesions smaller than 2 cm. Materials and methods: Sixty-five patients with cirrhosis underwent liver 3 T MRI. Images were qualitatively analysed independently by two observers in two separate sessions, including a dynamic enhanced session and a combination of dynamic and T2WI. The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the alternating free-response receiver operating characteristic. Sensitivity and positive predictive values were calculated for all HCCs and for the subgroup of HCCs that were smaller than 2 cm. Additionally, artefacts on T2WI were evaluated by two observers in consensus. Results: Ninety HCCs (>2 cm n = 36; ≤2 cm n = 54) were detected in 46 patients. For all HCCs and for lesions smaller than 2 cm, the sensitivities were significantly higher for the combined session than the dynamic session alone (p < 0.05). Conversely, for the Az and positive predictive values, there was no significant difference between the two sessions. For smaller HCC, 9% (5/54) and 7% (4/54) of the 54 HCCs were correctly interpreted by observers 1 and 2, respectively, only when T2WI was included. Three false-positive lesions (≤2 cm) were correctly diagnosed by one of the observers after combining T2WI. Conspicuity of only one large HCC was severely reduced by the artefacts from massive ascites. Conclusion: At 3 T liver imaging, combining with T2WI can improve the sensitivity of detection of HCC compared with dynamic MRI alone by increasing observer confidence, especially for lesions smaller than 2 cm. Additionally, T2 image quality was not significantly affected by artefacts.

3 T MRI of hepatocellular carcinomas in patients with cirrhosis: Does T2-weighted imaging provide added value?

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Guo, L.; Liang, C.; Yu, T.; Wang, G.; Li, N.; Sun, H.; Gao, F. [Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan (China); Liu, C., E-mail: liucheng1025@163.com [Shandong Medical Imaging Research Institute, Shandong University, Jinan (China)

2012-04-15

Aim: To assess whether T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) provides any added value for the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis, especially for lesions smaller than 2 cm. Materials and methods: Sixty-five patients with cirrhosis underwent liver 3 T MRI. Images were qualitatively analysed independently by two observers in two separate sessions, including a dynamic enhanced session and a combination of dynamic and T2WI. The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the alternating free-response receiver operating characteristic. Sensitivity and positive predictive values were calculated for all HCCs and for the subgroup of HCCs that were smaller than 2 cm. Additionally, artefacts on T2WI were evaluated by two observers in consensus. Results: Ninety HCCs (>2 cm n = 36; {<=}2 cm n = 54) were detected in 46 patients. For all HCCs and for lesions smaller than 2 cm, the sensitivities were significantly higher for the combined session than the dynamic session alone (p < 0.05). Conversely, for the Az and positive predictive values, there was no significant difference between the two sessions. For smaller HCC, 9% (5/54) and 7% (4/54) of the 54 HCCs were correctly interpreted by observers 1 and 2, respectively, only when T2WI was included. Three false-positive lesions ({<=}2 cm) were correctly diagnosed by one of the observers after combining T2WI. Conspicuity of only one large HCC was severely reduced by the artefacts from massive ascites. Conclusion: At 3 T liver imaging, combining with T2WI can improve the sensitivity of detection of HCC compared with dynamic MRI alone by increasing observer confidence, especially for lesions smaller than 2 cm. Additionally, T2 image quality was not significantly affected by artefacts.

An AdS3 dual for minimal model CFTs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaberdiel, Matthias R.; Gopakumar, Rajesh

2011-01-01

We propose a duality between the 2d W N minimal models in the large N't Hooft limit, and a family of higher spin theories on AdS 3 . The 2d conformal field theories (CFTs) can be described as Wess-Zumino-Witten coset models, and include, for N=2, the usual Virasoro unitary series. The dual bulk theory contains, in addition to the massless higher spin fields, two complex scalars (of equal mass). The mass is directly related to the 't Hooft coupling constant of the dual CFT. We give convincing evidence that the spectra of the two theories match precisely for all values of the 't Hooft coupling. We also show that the renormalization group flows in the 2d CFT agree exactly with the usual AdS/CFT prediction of the gravity theory. Our proposal is in many ways analogous to the Klebanov-Polyakov conjecture for an AdS 4 dual for the singlet sector of large N vector models.

AdS pure spinor superstring in constant backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandia, Osvaldo; Bevilaqua, L. Ibiapina; Vallilo, Brenno Carlini

2014-01-01

In this paper we study the pure spinor formulation of the superstring in AdS_5×S"5 around point particle solutions of the classical equations of motion. As a particular example we quantize the pure spinor string in the BMN background

Mitochondrial Bioenergetics Is Altered in Fibroblasts from Patients with Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease

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Pérez, María J.; Ponce, Daniela P.; Osorio-Fuentealba, Cesar; Behrens, Maria I.; Quintanilla, Rodrigo A.

2017-01-01

The identification of an early biomarker to diagnose Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains a challenge. Neuropathological studies in animal and AD patients have shown that mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of the development of the disease. Current studies suggest the use of peripheral tissues, like skin fibroblasts as a possibility to detect the early pathological alterations present in the AD brain. In this context, we studied mitochondrial function properties (bioenergetics and morphology) in cultured fibroblasts obtained from AD, aged-match and young healthy patients. We observed that AD fibroblasts presented a significant reduction in mitochondrial length with important changes in the expression of proteins that control mitochondrial fusion. Moreover, AD fibroblasts showed a distinct alteration in proteolytic processing of OPA1, a master regulator of mitochondrial fusion, compared to control fibroblasts. Complementary to these changes AD fibroblasts showed a dysfunctional mitochondrial bioenergetics profile that differentiates these cells from aged-matched and young patient fibroblasts. Our findings suggest that the human skin fibroblasts obtained from AD patients could replicate mitochondrial impairment observed in the AD brain. These promising observations suggest that the analysis of mitochondrial bioenergetics could represent a promising strategy to develop new diagnostic methods in peripheral tissues of AD patients. PMID:29056898

Smoothed transitions in higher spin AdS gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banerjee, Shamik; Shenker, Stephen; Castro, Alejandra; Hellerman, Simeon; Hijano, Eliot; Lepage-Jutier, Arnaud; Maloney, Alexander

2013-01-01

We consider CFTs conjectured to be dual to higher spin theories of gravity in AdS 3 and AdS 4 . Two-dimensional CFTs with W N symmetry are considered in the λ = 0 (k → ∞) limit where they are conjectured to be described by continuous orbifolds. The torus partition function is computed, using reasonable assumptions, and equals that of a free-field theory. We find no phase transition at temperatures of order 1; the usual Hawking–Page phase transition is removed by the highly degenerate light states associated with conical defect states in the bulk. Three-dimensional Chern–Simons matter CFTs with vector-like matter are considered on T 3 , where the dynamics is described by an effective theory for the eigenvalues of the holonomies. Likewise, we find no evidence for a Hawking–Page phase transition at a large level k. (paper)

On thermodynamics of AdS black holes in M-theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belhaj, A. [Universite Sultan Moulay Slimane, Departement de Physique, LIRST, Faculte Polydisciplinaire, Beni Mellal (Morocco); Cadi Ayyad University, High Energy Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory, FSSM, Marrakesh (Morocco); Chabab, M.; Masmar, K. [Cadi Ayyad University, High Energy Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory, FSSM, Marrakesh (Morocco); El Moumni, H. [Cadi Ayyad University, High Energy Physics and Astrophysics Laboratory, FSSM, Marrakesh (Morocco); Universite Ibn Zohr, Departement de Physique, Faculte des Sciences, Agadir (Morocco); Sedra, M.B. [Universite Ibn Tofail, Departement de Physique, LASIMO, Faculte des Sciences, Kenitra (Morocco)

2016-02-15

Motivated by recent work on asymptotically AdS{sub 4} black holes in M-theory, we investigate the thermodynamics and thermodynamical geometry of AdS black holes from M2- and M5-branes. Concretely, we consider AdS black holes in AdS{sub p+2} x S{sup 11-p-2}, where p = 2,5 by interpreting the number of M2- (and M5-branes) as a thermodynamical variable. More precisely, we study the corresponding phase transition to examine their stabilities by calculating and discussing various thermodynamical quantities including the chemical potential. Then we compute the thermodynamical curvatures from the Quevedo metric for M2- and M5-branes geometries to reconsider the stability of such black holes. The Quevedo metric singularities recover similar stability results provided by the phase-transition program. It has been shown that similar behaviors are also present in the limit of large N. (orig.)

Non-equilibrium scalar two point functions in AdS/CFT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keränen, Ville; Kleinert, Philipp

2015-01-01

In the first part of the paper, we discuss different versions of the AdS/CFT dictionary out of equilibrium. We show that the Skenderis-van Rees prescription and the “extrapolate” dictionary are equivalent at the level of “in-in” two point functions of free scalar fields in arbitrary asymptotically AdS spacetimes. In the second part of the paper, we calculate two point correlation functions in dynamical spacetimes using the “extrapolate” dictionary. These calculations are performed for conformally coupled scalar fields in examples of spacetimes undergoing gravitational collapse, the AdS 2 -Vaidya spacetime and the AdS 3 -Vaidya spacetime, which allow us to address the problem of thermalization following a quench in the boundary field theory. The computation of the correlators is formulated as an initial value problem in the bulk spacetime. Finally, we compare our results for AdS 3 -Vaidya to results in the previous literature obtained using the geodesic approximation and we find qualitative agreement.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Aβ43 Is Reduced in Early-Onset Compared to Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, But Has Similar Diagnostic Accuracy to Aβ42

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Camilla Lauridsen

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Amyloid beta 1–43 (Aβ43 may be a useful additional biomarker for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease (AD. We have investigated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF levels of Aβ43 in patients with early-onset AD in contrast to levels in late-onset AD. For comparison, in addition to the ‘core’ biomarkers, several other analytes were also determined [YKL-40, neurofilament light (NF-L, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP, and progranulin].Material and Methods: Cerebrospinal fluid samples were obtained from patients with early-onset AD (age ≤ 62, n = 66, late-onset AD (age ≥ 68, n = 25, and groups of cognitively intact individuals (age ≤ 62, n = 41, age ≥ 68, n = 39. Core CSF AD biomarkers [amyloid beta 1–42 (Aβ42, total tau, phosphorylated tau] were analyzed, as well as levels of Aβ43 and other analytes, using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Results: Cerebrospinal fluid Aβ43 was significantly reduced in early-onset AD compared to late-onset AD (14.8 ± 7.3 vs. 21.8 ± 9.4 pg/ml, respectively, whereas the levels of Aβ42 in the two AD groups were not significantly different (474.9 ± 142.0 vs. 539.6 ± 159.9 pg/ml, respectively. Aβ43 and all core biomarkers were significantly altered in patients with AD compared to corresponding controls. NF-L was significantly increased in early-onset AD compared to younger controls, an effect not found between the older groups. Relationships between the Aβ peptides and tau proteins, YKL-40, NF-L, GFAP and progranulin were also investigated without finding marked associations. However, age-associated increases in levels of tau proteins, YKL-40, NF-L and GFAP were found with respect to age in healthy controls. Results for these other analytes were similar to previously published data. Aβ43 did not improve diagnostic accuracy in either AD group compared to Aβ42. Discussion: Cerebrospinal fluid Aβ43, but not Aβ42 levels, varied significantly with age in patients with

Effects of short-acting Bronchodilators added to maintenance tiotropium therapy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kerstjens, Huib A. M.; Bantje, Theo A.; Luursema, Peter B.; Sinninghe, Henk E. J.; de Jong, Jan W.; Lee, Angela; Wijker, Stella P. C.; Cornelissen, Piet J. G.

Background: Combining bronchodilators has been shown to be beneficial in patients with COPD. The additive effects of short-acting bronchodilators added to maintenance tiotropium therapy, however, are unknown. Methods: Following 3 weeks of tiotropium pretreatment, 60 patients with COPD (FEV1 40% of

Shock wave collisions and thermalization in AdS5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovchegov, Yuri V.

2011-01-01

We study heavy ion collisions at strong 't Hooft coupling using AdS/CFT correspondence. According to the AdS/CFT dictionary heavy ion collisions correspond to gravitational shock wave collisions in AdS 5 . We construct the metric in the forward light cone after the collision perturbatively through expansion of Einstein equations in graviton exchanges. We obtain an analytic expression for the metric including all-order graviton exchanges with one shock wave, while keeping the exchanges with another shock wave at the lowest order. We read off the corresponding energy-momentum tensor of the produced medium. Unfortunately this energy-momentum tensor does not correspond to ideal hydrodynamics, indicating that higher order graviton exchanges are needed to construct the full solution of the problem. We also show that shock waves must completely stop almost immediately after the collision in AdS 5 , which, on the field theory side, corresponds to complete nuclear stopping due to strong coupling effects, likely leading to Landau hydrodynamics. Finally, we perform trapped surface analysis of the shock wave collisions demonstrating that a bulk black hole, corresponding to ideal hydrodynamics on the boundary, has to be created in such collisions, thus constructing a proof of thermalization in heavy ion collisions at strong coupling. (author)

Oncolytic adenovirus Ad657 for systemic virotherapy against prostate cancer

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Nguyen TV

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Tien V Nguyen,1,* Catherine M Crosby,2,* Gregory J Heller,3 Zachary I Mendel,3 Mary E Barry,1 Michael A Barry1,4,5 1Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, 2Virology and Gene Therapy Graduate Program, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 3Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 4Department of Immunology, 5Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Human species C adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5 is the archetype oncolytic adenovirus and has been used in the vast majority of preclinical and clinical tests. While Ad5 can be robust, species C Ad6 has lower seroprevalence, side effects, and appears to be more potent as a systemic therapy against a number of tumors than Ad5. Historically, there have only been four species C human adenoviruses: serotypes 1, 2, 5, and 6. More recently a new species C adenovirus, Ad57, was identified. Ad57 is most similar to Ad6 with virtually all variation in their capsid proteins occurring in the hypervariable regions (HVRs of their hexon proteins. Most adenovirus neutralizing antibodies target the HVRs on adenoviruses. This led us to replace the hexon HVRs in Ad6 with those from Ad57 to create a new virus called Ad657 and explore this novel species C platform’s utility as an oncolytic virus. Methods: The HVR region from Ad57 was synthesized and used to replace the Ad6 HVR region by homologous recombination in bacteria generating a new viral platform that we call Ad657. Replication-competent Ad5, Ad6, and Ad657 were compared in vitro and in vivo for liver damage and oncolytic efficacy against prostate cancers after single intravenous treatment in mice. Results: Ad5, Ad6, and Ad657 had similar in vitro oncolytic activity against human prostate cancer cells. Ad5 provoked the highest level of liver toxicity after intravenous injection and Ad657

Aberrant functional connectivity within the basal ganglia of patients with Parkinson's disease.

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Rolinski, Michal; Griffanti, Ludovica; Szewczyk-Krolikowski, Konrad; Menke, Ricarda A L; Wilcock, Gordon K; Filippini, Nicola; Zamboni, Giovanna; Hu, Michele T M; Mackay, Clare E

2015-01-01

Resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) has been previously shown to be a promising tool for the assessment of early Parkinson's disease (PD). In order to assess whether changes within the basal ganglia network (BGN) are disease specific or relate to neurodegeneration generally, BGN connectivity was assessed in 32 patients with early PD, 19 healthy controls and 31 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Voxel-wise comparisons demonstrated decreased connectivity within the basal ganglia of patients with PD, when compared to patients with AD and healthy controls. No significant changes within the BGN were seen in AD, when compared to healthy controls. Moreover, measures of functional connectivity extracted from regions within the basal ganglia were significantly lower in the PD group. Consistent with previous radiotracer studies, the greatest change when compared to the healthy control group was seen in the posterior putamen of PD subjects. When combined into a single component score, this method differentiated PD from AD and healthy control subjects, with a diagnostic accuracy of 81%. Rs-fMRI can be used to demonstrate the aberrant functional connectivity within the basal ganglia of patients with early PD. These changes are likely to be representative of patho-physiological basal ganglia dysfunction and are not associated with generalised neurodegeneration seen in AD. Further studies are necessary to ascertain whether this method is sensitive enough to detect basal ganglia dysfunction in prodromal PD, and its utility as a potential diagnostic biomarker for premotor and early motoric disease.

Willingness to pay and quality of life in patients with atopic dermatitis.

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Beikert, F C; Langenbruch, A K; Radtke, M A; Kornek, T; Purwins, S; Augustin, M

2014-04-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a frequent and burdensome disease. The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the willingness to pay (WTP) and quality of life (Qol) in AD patients and (2) to compare the results with data on other chronic skin diseases. To collect data, a non-interventional, cross-sectional nationwide postal survey on adult patients with clinically diagnosed AD was performed; socio-demographic data, clinical features/symptoms, WTP and QoL were recorded. WTP was assessed in three different approaches, including relative and absolute figures. Data from n = 384 AD patients (mean age 42.0, range 18-92, 69.8 % female) were analyzed. WTP for complete healing was on median 1,000 (average 11,884) and exceeded WTP in rosacea (median 500) but not in vitiligo (median 3,000). Mean Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was 8.5 (vitiligo 7.0; psoriasis 6.7; rosacea 4.3) and correlated with pruritus, xerosis and disturbed sleep. WTP and DLQI correlated only marginally (r s = 0.134, p = 0.01). In conclusion, AD patients show high WTP and markedly reduced QoL compared to other chronic skin diseases.

Changed adipocytokine concentrations in colorectal tumor patients and morbidly obese patients compared to healthy controls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hillenbrand, Andreas; Fassler, Juliane; Huber, Nadine; Xu, Pengfei; Henne-Bruns, Doris; Templin, Markus; Schrezenmeier, Hubert; Wolf, Anna Maria; Knippschild, Uwe

2012-01-01

Obesity has been associated with increased incidence of colorectal cancer. Adipose tissue dysfunction accompanied with alterations in the release of adipocytokines has been proposed to contribute to cancer pathogenesis and progression. The aim of this study was to analyze plasma concentrations of several adipose tissue expressed hormones in colorectal cancer patients (CRC) and morbidly obese (MO) patients and to compare these concentrations to clinicopathological parameters. Plasma concentrations of adiponectin, resistin, leptin, active plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, interleukin (IL)-1 alpha, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha were determined in 67 patients operated on for CRC (31 rectal cancers, 36 colon cancers), 37 patients operated on for morbid obesity and 60 healthy blood donors (BD). Compared to BD, leptin concentrations were lowered in CRC patients whereas those of MO patients were elevated. Adiponectin concentrations were only lowered in MO patients. Concentrations of MCP-1, PAI-1, and IL-1 alpha were elevated in both CRC and MO patients, while resistin and TNF-alpha were similarly expressed in MO and CRC patients compared to BD. Resistin concentrations positively correlated with tumor staging (p<0.002) and grading (p=0.015) of rectal tumor patients. The results suggest that both MO and CRC have low-grade inflammation as part of their etiology

Verbal fluency in bilingual Spanish/English Alzheimer's disease patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Salvatierra, Judy; Rosselli, Monica; Acevedo, Amarilis; Duara, Ranjan

2007-01-01

Studies have demonstrated that in verbal fluency tests, monolinguals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) show greater difficulties retrieving words based on semantic rather than phonemic rules. The present study aimed to determine whether this difficulty was reproduced in both languages of Spanish/English bilinguals with mild to moderate AD whose primary language was Spanish. Performance on semantic and phonemic verbal fluency of 11 bilingual AD patients was compared to the performance of 11 cognitively normal, elderly bilingual individuals matched for gender, age, level of education, and degree of bilingualism. Cognitively normal subjects retrieved significantly more items under the semantic condition compared to the phonemic, whereas the performance of AD patients was similar under both conditions, suggesting greater decline in semantic verbal fluency tests. This pattern was produced in both languages, implying a related semantic decline in both languages. Results from this study should be considered preliminary because of the small sample size.

Combination therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus: adding empagliflozin to basal insulin

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Andrew Ahmann

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM management is complex, with few patients successfully achieving recommended glycemic targets with monotherapy, most progressing to combination therapy, and many eventually requiring insulin. Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2 inhibitors are an emerging class of antidiabetes agents with an insulin-independent mechanism of action, making them suitable for use in combination with any other class of antidiabetes agents, including insulin. This review evaluates a 78-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the impact of empagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, as add-on to basal insulin in patients with inadequate glycemic control on basal insulin, with or without metformin and/or a sulfonylurea. Empagliflozin added on to basal insulin resulted in significant and sustained reductions in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c levels compared with placebo. Empagliflozin has previously been shown to induce weight loss, and was associated with sustained weight loss in this study. This combination therapy was well tolerated, with similar levels of hypoglycemic adverse events in the empagliflozin and placebo groups over the 78-week treatment period. Urinary tract infections and genital infections, side effects associated with SGLT2 inhibitors, were reported more commonly in the empagliflozin group; however, such events led to treatment discontinuation in very few patients. These findings suggest that, with their complementary mechanisms of action, empagliflozin added on to basal insulin may be a useful treatment option in patients on basal insulin who need additional glycemic control without weight gain.

An alternative path to the boundary: The CFT as the Fourier space of AdS

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Tolfree, Ian M.

2009-12-01

In this thesis we shed new light on the conjectured duality between an n + 1 dimensional theory of gravity in anti de Sitter space (AdS) and an n dimensional conformal field theory (CFT) by showing that the CFT can be interpreted as the Fourier space of AdS. We then make use of this to gain insight into the nature of black hole entropy. In the first part of this thesis, we give an introduction to the ideas of and review the basics of the AdS/CFT. In the next section we make use of well known integral geometry techniques to derive the Fourier transformation of a function on AdS and see it is a function with compact support on the boundary. Comparing this to the literature, we find that the Green's functions from the literature are actually the Fourier weights of the transformation and that the boundary values of fields appearing in the correspondence are the Fourier coefficients of the transformation. One is thus left to interpret the CFT as the quantized version of a classical theory in AdS and the dual operator as the Fourier coefficients. Group theoretic considerations are discussed in relation to the transformation and its potential use in constructing QCD like theories. In the last section, we then build upon this to study the BTZ black hole. Named after its authors, Banados, Teitelboim and Zanelli, the BTZ black hole is a three dimensional (two space plus one time dimension) black hole in anti de Sitter space. Following standard procedures for modifying Fourier Transformations to accommodate quotient spaces we arrive at a mapping in a black hole background consistent with known results that yields the exact micro-states of a scalar field in a black hole background. We find that the micro-states are the Fourier coefficients on the boundary, which transform under the principal series representation of SL(2, R). Using the knowledge of how to represent a bulk scalar field in the CFT, and knowing how a black hole interacts with a scalar field, we deduce the

Comparative Study on Adding Pioglitazone or Sitagliptin to Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Insufficiently Controlled With Metformin

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Maryam Jameshorani

2017-12-01

CONCLUSION: Sitagliptin and Pioglitazone demonstrated similar improvements in glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients whose diabetes had been inadequately controlled with metformin. Nevertheless, sitagliptin was more effective than pioglitazone regarding lipid and body weight change.

Integration and relative value of biomarkers for prediction of MCI to AD progression: Spatial patterns of brain atrophy, cognitive scores, APOE genotype and CSF biomarkers

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Xiao Da

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This study evaluates the individual, as well as relative and joint value of indices obtained from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI patterns of brain atrophy (quantified by the SPARE-AD index, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF biomarkers, APOE genotype, and cognitive performance (ADAS-Cog in progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI to Alzheimer's disease (AD within a variable follow-up period up to 6 years, using data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-1 (ADNI-1. SPARE-AD was first established as a highly sensitive and specific MRI-marker of AD vs. cognitively normal (CN subjects (AUC = 0.98. Baseline predictive values of all aforementioned indices were then compared using survival analysis on 381 MCI subjects. SPARE-AD and ADAS-Cog were found to have similar predictive value, and their combination was significantly better than their individual performance. APOE genotype did not significantly improve prediction, although the combination of SPARE-AD, ADAS-Cog and APOE ε4 provided the highest hazard ratio estimates of 17.8 (last vs. first quartile. In a subset of 192 MCI patients who also had CSF biomarkers, the addition of Aβ1–42, t-tau, and p-tau181p to the previous model did not improve predictive value significantly over SPARE-AD and ADAS-Cog combined. Importantly, in amyloid-negative patients with MCI, SPARE-AD had high predictive power of clinical progression. Our findings suggest that SPARE-AD and ADAS-Cog in combination offer the highest predictive power of conversion from MCI to AD, which is improved, albeit not significantly, by APOE genotype. The finding that SPARE-AD in amyloid-negative MCI patients was predictive of clinical progression is not expected under the amyloid hypothesis and merits further investigation.

Differences in Nutritional Status Between Very Mild Alzheimer's Disease Patients and Healthy Controls

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Olde Rikkert, M.G.M.; Verhey, F. R.; Sijben, J.W.C.; Bouwman, F.H.; Dautzenberg, P.L.J.; Lansink, M.; Sipers, W.M.W.; van Asselt, D.Z.B.; van Hees, A.M.J.; Stevens, M.; Vellas, B.; Scheltens, P.

2014-01-01

Background: Studies on the systemic availability of nutrients and nutritional status in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are widely available, but the majority included patients in a moderate stage of AD. Objective: This study compares the nutritional status between mild AD outpatients and healthy controls.

F-theory and AdS3/CFT2 (2, 0)

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Couzens, Christopher; Martelli, Dario; Schäfer-Nameki, Sakura

2018-06-01

We continue to develop the program initiated in [1] of studying supersymmetric AdS3 backgrounds of F-theory and their holographic dual 2d superconformal field theories, which are dimensional reductions of theories with varying coupling. Imposing 2d N=(0,2) supersymmetry,wederivethegeneralconditionsonthegeometryforTypeIIB AdS3 solutions with varying axio-dilaton and five-form flux. Locally the compact part of spacetime takes the form of a circle fibration over an eight-fold Y_8^{τ } , which is elliptically fibered over a base \\tilde{M}_6 . We construct two classes of solutions given in terms of a product ansatz \\tilde{M}_6}=Σ × {M}_4 , where Σ is a complex curve and \\tilde{M}_4 is locally a Kähler surface. In the first class \\tilde{M}_4 is globally a Kähler surface and we take the elliptic fibration to vary non-trivially over either of these two factors, where in both cases the metrics on the total space of the elliptic fibrations are not Ricci-flat. In the second class the metric on the total space of the elliptic fibration over either curve or surface are Ricci-flat. This results in solutions of the type AdS3 × K3 × ℳ 5 τ , dual to 2d (0, 2) SCFTs, and AdS3 × S 3/Γ × CY 3, dual to 2d (0, 4) SCFTs, respectively. In all cases we compute the charges for the dual field theories with varying coupling and find agreement with the holographic results. We also show that solutions with enhanced 2d N=(2,2) supersymmetry must have constant axio-dilaton. Allowing the internal geometry to be non-compact leads to the most general class of Type IIB AdS5 solutions with varying axio-dilaton, i.e. F-theoretic solutions, that are dual to 4d N=1 SCFTs.

AdS3/CFT2, finite-gap equations and massless modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lloyd, Thomas; Stefański, Bogdan Jr.

2014-01-01

It is known that string theory on AdS 3 ×M 7 backgrounds, where M 7 =S 3 ×S 3 ×S 1 or S 3 ×T 4 , is classically integrable. This integrability has been previously used to write down a set of integral equations, known as the finite-gap equations. These equations can be solved for the closed string spectrum of the theory. However, it has been known for some time that the finite-gap equations on these AdS 3 ×M 7 backgrounds do not capture the dynamics of the massless modes of the closed string theory. In this paper we re-examine the derivation of the AdS 3 ×M 7 finite-gap system. We find that the conditions that had previously been imposed on these integral equations in order to implement the Virasoro constraints are too strict, and are in fact not required. We identify the correct implementation of the Virasoro constraints on finite-gap equations and show that this new, less restrictive condition captures the complete closed string spectrum on AdS 3 ×M 7

Closed string tachyons on AdS orbifolds and dual Yang-Mills instantons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hikida, Y. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany); Iizuka, N. [California Univ., Santa Barbara, CA (United States). Kavli Inst. for Theoretical Physics

2007-06-15

We study the condensation of localized closed string tachyons on AdS orbifolds both from the bulk and boundary theory viewpoints. We first extend the known results for AdS{sub 5}/Z{sub k} to AdS{sub 3}/Z{sub k} case, and we proposed that the AdS{sub 3}/Z{sub k} decays into AdS{sub 3}/Z{sub k'} with k{sup '} < k. From the bulk viewpoint, we obtain a time-dependent gravity solution describing the decay of AdS orbifold numerically. From the dual gauge theory viewpoint, we calculated the Casimir energies of gauge theory vacua and it is found that their values are exactly the same as the masses of dual geometries, even though they are in different parameter regimes of 't Hooft coupling. We also consider AdS{sub 5} orbifold. The decay of AdS{sub 5}/Z{sub k} is dual to the transition between the vacua of dual gauge theory on R{sub t} x S{sup 3}/Z{sub k}. We constructed the instanton solutions describing the transitions by making use of instanton solutions on R{sub t} x S{sup 2}. (orig.)

Winding strings in AdS3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herscovich, Estanislao; Minces, Pablo; Nunez, Carmen

2006-01-01

Correlation functions of one-unit spectral flowed states in string theory on AdS 3 are considered. We present the modified Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov and null vector equations to be satisfied by amplitudes containing states in winding sector one and study their solution corresponding to the four point function including one w = 1 field. We compute the three point function involving two one-unit spectral flowed operators and find expressions for amplitudes of three w = 1 states satisfying certain particular relations among the spins of the fields. Several consistency checks are performed

Rehme correlation for spacer pressure drop compared to XT-ADS rod bundle simulations and water experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batta, A.; Class, A.; Litfin, K.; Wetzel, T.

2011-01-01

The Rehme correlation is the most common formula to estimate the pressure drop of spacers in the design phase of new bundle geometries. It is based on considerations of momentum losses and takes into account the obstruction of the flow cross section but it ignores the geometric details of the spacer design. Within the framework of accelerator driven sub-critical reactor systems (ADS), heavy-liquid-metal (HLM) cooled fuel assemblies are considered. At the KArlsruhe Liquid metal LAboratory (KALLA) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology a series of experiments to quantify both pressure losses and heat transfer in HLM-cooled rod bundles are performed. The present study compares simulation results obtained with the commercial CFD code Star-CCM to experiments and the Rehme correlation. It can be shown that the Rehme correlation, simulations and experiments all yield similar trends, but quantitative predictions can only be delivered by the CFD which takes into account the full geometric details of the spacer geometry. (orig.)

Black hole formation in AdS Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet gravity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deppe, Nils [Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science andDepartment of Physics, Cornell University,122 Sciences Drive, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Kolly, Allison [Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University,805 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Québec H3A 0B9 (Canada); Frey, Andrew R.; Kunstatter, Gabor [Department of Physics and Winnipeg Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Winnipeg,515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 (Canada)

2016-10-17

AdS spacetime has been shown numerically to be unstable against a large class of arbitrarily small perturbations. In http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.071102, the authors presented a preliminary study of the effects on stability of changing the local dynamics by adding a Gauss-Bonnet term to the Einstein action. Here we provide further details as well as new results with improved numerical methods. In particular, we elucidate new structure in Choptuik scaling plots. We also provide evidence of chaotic behavior at the transition between immediate horizon formation and horizon formation after the matter pulse reflects from the AdS conformal boundary. Finally, we present data suggesting the formation of naked singularities in spacetimes with ADM mass below the algebraic bound for black hole formation.

Internet Advertising. Google AdWords versus Facebook Ads

OpenAIRE

Paul PAŞCU

2014-01-01

This article describes how to use the applications for Internet advertising, Google AdWords and Facebook Ads. Our attempt is to present the advantages and disadvantages of each of them, the costs and benefits, a useful aspect for companies that plan to start advertising campaigns on the Internet.

The mere exposure effect in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Winograd, E; Goldstein, F C; Monarch, E S; Peluso, J P; Goldman, W P

1999-01-01

The mere exposure effect was examined in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). Twenty patients and 20 elderly controls judged the physical characteristics of faces. Implicit memory was tested later by presenting pairs of faces (old and new) and asking participants which faces they liked better. Patients and controls exhibited above chance preference for previously exposed faces. Experiment 2 evaluated whether the preserved implicit memory of patients was mediated by explicit memory. Patients and controls again judged faces but then later chose which faces they had seen before. Patients exhibited impaired recognition memory compared to controls. These findings suggest that a mere exposure effect for unfamiliar faces is present in mild to moderate AD. The results are discussed in terms of perceptual and conceptual priming and relatively spared occipital lobe functioning in early AD.

Increased inflammatory response in cytomegalovirus seropositive patients with Alzheimer's disease.

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Gabriel Westman

Full Text Available Alzheimer's disease (AD has been associated with increased local inflammation in the affected brain regions, and in some studies also with elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood. Cytomegalovirus (CMV is known to promote a more effector-oriented phenotype in the T-cell compartment, increasing with age. The aim of this study was to investigate the inflammatory response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs from AD patients and non-demented (ND controls. Using a multiplex Luminex xMAP assay targeting GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IP-10 and TNF-α, cytokine profiles from PBMCs were analysed after stimulation with anti-CD3/CD28 beads, CMV pp65 peptide mix or amyloid β (Aβ protofibrils, respectively. CMV seropositive AD subjects presented with higher IFN-γ levels after anti-CD3/CD28 and CMV pp65 but not after Aβ stimulation, compared to CMV seropositive ND controls. When analysing IFN-γ response to anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation on a subgroup level, CMV seropositive AD subjects presented with higher levels compared to both CMV seronegative AD and CMV seropositive ND subjects. Taken together, our data from patients with clinically manifest AD suggest a possible role of CMV as an inflammatory promoter in AD immunology. Further studies of AD patients at earlier stages of disease, could provide better insight into the pathophysiology.

The Nun study: clinically silent AD, neuronal hypertrophy, and linguistic skills in early life.

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Iacono, D; Markesbery, W R; Gross, M; Pletnikova, O; Rudow, G; Zandi, P; Troncoso, J C

2009-09-01

It is common to find substantial Alzheimer disease (AD) lesions, i.e., neuritic beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, in the autopsied brains of elderly subjects with normal cognition assessed shortly before death. We have termed this status asymptomatic AD (ASYMAD). We assessed the morphologic substrate of ASYMAD compared to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in subjects from the Nun Study. In addition, possible correlations between linguistic abilities in early life and the presence of AD pathology with and without clinical manifestations in late life were considered. Design-based stereology was used to measure the volumes of neuronal cell bodies, nuclei, and nucleoli in the CA1 region of hippocampus (CA1). Four groups of subjects were compared: ASYMAD (n = 10), MCI (n = 5), AD (n = 10), and age-matched controls (n = 13). Linguistic ability assessed in early life was compared among all groups. A significant hypertrophy of the cell bodies (+44.9%), nuclei (+59.7%), and nucleoli (+80.2%) in the CA1 neurons was found in ASYMAD compared with MCI. Similar differences were observed with controls. Furthermore, significant higher idea density scores in early life were observed in controls and ASYMAD group compared to MCI and AD groups. 1) Neuronal hypertrophy may constitute an early cellular response to Alzheimer disease (AD) pathology or reflect compensatory mechanisms that prevent cognitive impairment despite substantial AD lesions; 2) higher idea density scores in early life are associated with intact cognition in late life despite the presence of AD lesions.

Added value of cardiac computed tomography for evaluation of mechanical aortic valve: Emphasis on evaluation of pannus with surgical findings as standard reference.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Young Joo; Lee, Sak; Im, Dong Jin; Chang, Suyon; Hong, Yoo Jin; Lee, Hye-Jeong; Hur, Jin; Choi, Byoung Wook; Chang, Byung-Chul; Shim, Chi Young; Hong, Geu-Ru; Kim, Young Jin

2016-07-01

The added value of cardiac computed tomography (CT) with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) for evaluating mechanical aortic valve (AV) dysfunction has not yet been investigated. The purposes of this study were to investigate the added value of cardiac CT for evaluation of mechanical AVs and diagnoses of pannus compared to TEE, with surgical findings of redo-aortic valve replacement (AVR) used as a standard reference. 25 patients who underwent redo-AVR due to mechanical AV dysfunction and cardiac CT before redo-AVR were included. The presence of pannus, encroachment ratio by pannus, and limitation of motion (LOM) were evaluated on CT. The diagnostic performance of pannus detection was compared using TEE, CT, and CT+TEE, with surgical findings as a standard reference. The added value of CT for diagnosing the cause of mechanical AV dysfunction was assessed compared to TTE+TEE. In two patients, CT analysis was not feasible due to severe metallic artifacts. On CT, pannus and LOM were found in 100% (23/23) and 60.9% (14/23). TEE identified pannus in 48.0% of patients (12/25). CT, TEE, and CT+TEE correctly identified pannus with sensitivity of 92.0%, 48.0%, and 92.0%, respectively (P=0.002 for CT vs. TEE). In 11 of 13 cases (84.6%) with inconclusive or negative TEE results for pannus, CT detected the pannus. Among 13 inconclusive cases of TTE+TEE for the cause of mechanical AV dysfunction, CT suggested 6 prosthetic valve obstruction (PVO) by pannus, 4 low-flow low-gradient PVO, and one LOM without significant PVO. Cardiac CT showed added diagnostic value with TEE in the detection of pannus as the cause of mechanical AV dysfunction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hemodynamic correlates of vascular risk factors in patients with Alzheimer's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Takashi

2008-01-01

Mounting evidence from a variety of research fields has drawn attention to the participation of vascular factors in the underlying pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To clarify the influence of vascular and genetic risk factors, we investigated the relationships between cerebral blood flow images provided by single photon emission CT (SPECT) and blood pressure, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and ApoE4 phenotyping in AD patients. The present study was based on 197 patients with probable AD. All patients underwent biochemistry tests, neuropsychological evaluation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and 99m Tc ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) SPECT. The mini mental state examination (MMSE) score was correlated with the diastolic blood pressure positively, and with BNP negatively. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) revealed significant hypoperfusion in the posterior cingulate gyri, precuneus, and parieto-temporal region in those patients having ApoE4 as compared to those without ApoE4. When compared to those patients without white matter hyperintensity (WMH) on MRI, those with mild WHM demonstrated significant hypoperfusion in the anterior cingulate gyri, right superior, middle and inferior temporal gyri, and left inferior frontal gyrus, and those with marked WMH demonstrated more expansive hypoperfusion areas on SPM. Those with greater BNP levels showed significant hypoperfusion in the anterior cingulate gyri and superior frontal gyri as compared to those with smaller BNP levels. Posterior hypoperfusion as related to the presence of ApoE4 may imply a degenerative process in AD, whereas anterior hypoperfusion as related to increased BNP levels may indicate the participation of vascular factors in AD. (author)

Stability of warped AdS3 vacua of topologically massive gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anninos, Dionysios; Esole, Mboyo; Guica, Monica

2009-01-01

AdS 3 vacua of topologically massive gravity (TMG) have been shown to be perturbatively unstable for all values of the coupling constant except the chiral point μl = 1. We study the possibility that the warped vacua of TMG, which exist for all values of μ, are stable under linearized perturbations. In this paper, we show that spacelike warped AdS 3 vacua with Compere-Detournay boundary conditions are indeed stable in the range μl>3. This is precisely the range in which black hole solutions arise as discrete identifications of the warped AdS 3 vacuum. The situation somewhat resembles chiral gravity: although negative energy modes do exist, they are all excluded by the boundary conditions, and the perturbative spectrum solely consists of boundary (pure large gauge) gravitons.

Verbal behavior in Alzheimer's disease patients: Analysis of phrase repetition.

Science.gov (United States)

Cecato, Juliana Francisca; Martinellil, José Eduardo; Bartholomeu, Luana Luz; Basqueira, Ana Paula; Yassuda, Mônica Sanches; Aprahamian, Ivan

2010-01-01

Language problems in the elderly with AD are due to the fact that deterioration occurs not only in semantic memory, but in a group of cognitive factors, evidenced by a deficiency in search strategies for linguistic information. To evaluate phrase repetition in two cognitive tests, the MMSE and MoCA, in a group of Alzheimer disease patients (AD) and normal controls. A Cross-sectional study was conducted involving 20 patients who sought medical assistance at a geriatric institute in Jundiaí, São Paulo. The subjects underwent a detailed clinical examination and neuropsychometric evaluation. All subjects with AD met DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Ten patients received a diagnosis of AD and 10 were healthy subjects, forming the control group (CG). All participants correctly answered the phrase from the MMSE (phrase 1). The MoCA phrases (phrases 2 and 3) were correct in 80% and 90%, respectively in the CG and in 40% and 50%, respectively in the AD group. The MoCA test proved more effective in evaluating the echoic behavior in AD patients compared to the MMSE. The simpler phrase repetition task in the MMSE was found to be less sensitive in detecting mild language decline in AD patients.

Verbal behavior in Alzheimer disease patients: Analysis of phrase repetition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliana Francisca Cecato

Full Text Available Abstract Language problems in the elderly with AD are due to the fact that deterioration occurs not only in semantic memory, but in a group of cognitive factors, evidenced by a deficiency in search strategies for linguistic information. Objectives: To evaluate phrase repetition in two cognitive tests, the MMSE and MoCA, in a group of Alzheimer disease patients (AD and normal controls. Methods: A Cross-sectional study was conducted involving 20 patients who sought medical assistance at a geriatric institute in Jundiaí, São Paulo. The subjects underwent a detailed clinical examination and neuropsychometric evaluation. All subjects with AD met DSM-IV and NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. Ten patients received a diagnosis of AD and 10 were healthy subjects, forming the control group (CG. Results: All participants correctly answered the phrase from the MMSE (phrase 1. The MoCA phrases (phrases 2 and 3 were correct in 80% and 90%, respectively in the CG and in 40% and 50%, respectively in the AD group. Conclusions: The MoCA test proved more effective in evaluating the echoic behavior in AD patients compared to the MMSE. The simpler phrase repetition task in the MMSE was found to be less sensitive in detecting mild language decline in AD patients.

Changed adipocytokine concentrations in colorectal tumor patients and morbidly obese patients compared to healthy controls

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Hillenbrand Andreas

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Obesity has been associated with increased incidence of colorectal cancer. Adipose tissue dysfunction accompanied with alterations in the release of adipocytokines has been proposed to contribute to cancer pathogenesis and progression. The aim of this study was to analyze plasma concentrations of several adipose tissue expressed hormones in colorectal cancer patients (CRC and morbidly obese (MO patients and to compare these concentrations to clinicopathological parameters. Methods Plasma concentrations of adiponectin, resistin, leptin, active plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP-1, interleukin (IL-1 alpha, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha were determined in 67 patients operated on for CRC (31 rectal cancers, 36 colon cancers, 37 patients operated on for morbid obesity and 60 healthy blood donors (BD. Results Compared to BD, leptin concentrations were lowered in CRC patients whereas those of MO patients were elevated. Adiponectin concentrations were only lowered in MO patients. Concentrations of MCP-1, PAI-1, and IL-1 alpha were elevated in both CRC and MO patients, while resistin and TNF-alpha were similarly expressed in MO and CRC patients compared to BD. Resistin concentrations positively correlated with tumor staging (p Conclusions The results suggest that both MO and CRC have low-grade inflammation as part of their etiology.

Mortality in patients with diabetes mellitus and Addison's disease: a nationwide, matched, observational cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Chantzichristos, Dimitrios; Persson, Anders; Eliasson, Björn; Miftaraj, Mervete; Franzén, Stefan; Bergthorsdottir, Ragnhildur; Gudbjörnsdottir, Soffia; Svensson, Ann-Marie; Johannsson, Gudmundur

2017-01-01

Our hypothesis was that patients with diabetes mellitus obtain an additional risk of death if they develop Addison's disease (AD). Nationwide, matched, observational cohort study cross-referencing the Swedish National Diabetes Register with Inpatient, Cancer and Cause of Death Registers in patients with diabetes (type 1 and 2) and AD and matched controls with diabetes. Clinical characteristics at baseline, overall, and cause-specific mortality were assessed. The relative risk of death was assessed using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Between January 1996 and December 2012, 226 patients with diabetes and AD were identified and matched with 1129 controls with diabetes. Median (interquartile range) follow-up was 5.9 (2.7-8.6) years. When patients with diabetes were diagnosed with AD, they had an increased frequency of diabetes complications, but both medical history of cancer and coronary heart disease did not differ compared with controls. Sixty-four of the 226 patients with diabetes and AD (28%) died, while 112 of the 1129 controls (10%) died. The estimated relative risk increase (hazard ratio) in overall mortality in the diabetes and AD group was 3.89 (95% confidence interval 2.84-5.32) compared with controls with diabetes. The most common cause of death was cardiovascular in both groups, but patients with diabetes and AD showed an increased death rate from diabetes complications, infectious diseases and unknown causes. Patients with the rare combination of diabetes and AD showed a markedly increased mortality and died more frequently from infections and unknown causes than patients with diabetes alone. Improved strategy for the management of this combination of metabolic disorders is needed. © 2017 European Society of Endocrinology.

A Longitudinal Study of Neurocognition in Dementia with Lewy Bodies Compared to Alzheimer’s Disease

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Monica H. Breitve

2018-03-01

Full Text Available IntroductionThere are relatively few longitudinal studies on the differences in cognitive decline between Alzheimer’s disease (AD and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB, and the majority of existing studies have suboptimal designs.AimWe investigated the differences in cognitive decline in AD compared to DLB over 4 years and cognitive domain predictors of progression.MethodsIn a longitudinal study, 266 patients with first-time diagnosis of mild dementia were included and followed annually. The patients were tested annually with neuropsychological tests and screening instruments [MMSE (Mini-Mental Status Examination, Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR, the second edition of California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT-II, Trail Making Test A & B (TMT A & B, Stroop test, Controlled Oral Word Associations Test (COWAT animal naming, Boston Naming Test, Visual Object and Space Perception Battery (VOSP Cubes and Silhouettes]. Longitudinal analyses were performed with linear mixed effects (LME models and Cox regression. Both specific neuropsychological tests and cognitive domains were analyzed.ResultsThis study sample comprised 119 AD and 67 DLB patients. In TMT A, the DLB patients had a faster decline over 4 years than patients with AD (p = 0.013. No other longitudinal differences in specific neuropsychological tests were found. Higher executive domain scores at baseline were associated with a longer time to reach severe dementia (CDR = 3 or death for the total sample (p = 0.032. High or low visuospatial function at baseline was not found to be associated with cognitive decline (MMSE or progression of dementia severity (CDR over time.ConclusionOver 4 years, patients with DLB had a faster decline in TMT A than patients with AD, but this should be interpreted cautiously. Beyond this, there was little support for faster decline in DLB patients neuropsychologically than in AD patients.

Internet Advertising. Google AdWords versus Facebook Ads

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul PAŞCU

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This article describes how to use the applications for Internet advertising, Google AdWords and Facebook Ads. Our attempt is to present the advantages and disadvantages of each of them, the costs and benefits, a useful aspect for companies that plan to start advertising campaigns on the Internet.

The Abnormal Functional Connectivity between the Hypothalamus and the Temporal Gyrus Underlying Depression in Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xiaozheng; Chen, Wei; Tu, Yunhai; Hou, Hongtao; Huang, Xiaoyan; Chen, Xingli; Guo, Zhongwei; Bai, Guanghui; Chen, Wei

2018-01-01

Hypothalamic communication with the rest of the brain is critical for accomplishing a wide variety of physiological and psychological functions, including the maintenance of neuroendocrine circadian rhythms and the management of affective processes. Evidence has shown that major depressive disorder (MDD) patients exhibit increased functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Neurofibrillary tangles are also found in the hypothalamus of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, and AD patients exhibit abnormal changes in the HPA. However, little is known of how the hypothalamus interacts with other brain regions in AD patients with depression (D-AD). Functional connectivity (FC) analysis explores the connectivity between brain regions that share functional properties. Here, we used resting-state (rs) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology and the FC method to measure hypothalamic connectivity across the whole brain in 22 D-AD patients and 21 non-depressed AD patients (nD-AD). Our results showed that D-AD patients had reduced FC among the hypothalamus, the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and the right superior temporal gyrus (STG) compared with the FC of nD-AD patients, suggesting that the abnormal FC between the hypothalamus and the temporal lobe may play a key role in the pathophysiology of depression in AD patients.

What's the point? Hole-ography in Poincare AdS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Espindola, Ricardo; Gueijosa, Alberto; Landetta, Alberto; Pedraza, Juan F.

2018-01-01

In the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence, we study bulk reconstruction of the Poincare wedge of AdS 3 via hole-ography, i.e., in terms of differential entropy of the dual CFT 2 . Previous work had considered the reconstruction of closed or open spacelike curves in global AdS, and of infinitely extended spacelike curves in Poincare AdS that are subject to a periodicity condition at infinity. Working first at constant time, we find that a closed curve in Poincare is described in the CFT by a family of intervals that covers the spatial axis at least twice. We also show how to reconstruct open curves, points and distances, and obtain a CFT action whose extremization leads to bulk points. We then generalize all of these results to the case of curves that vary in time, and discover that generic curves have segments that cannot be reconstructed using the standard hole-ographic construction. This happens because, for the nonreconstructible segments, the tangent geodesics fail to be fully contained within the Poincare wedge. We show that a previously discovered variant of the hole-ographic method allows us to overcome this challenge, by reorienting the geodesics touching the bulk curve to ensure that they all remain within the wedge. Our conclusion is that all spacelike curves in Poincare AdS can be completely reconstructed with CFT data, and each curve has in fact an infinite number of representations within the CFT. (orig.)

Primary motor cortex alterations in Alzheimer disease: A study in the 3xTg-AD model.

Science.gov (United States)

Orta-Salazar, E; Feria-Velasco, A I; Díaz-Cintra, S

2017-04-19

In humans and animal models, Alzheimer disease (AD) is characterised by accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and hyperphosphorylated tau protein, neuronal degeneration, and astrocytic gliosis, especially in vulnerable brain regions (hippocampus and cortex). These alterations are associated with cognitive impairment (loss of memory) and non-cognitive impairment (motor impairment). The purpose of this study was to identify cell changes (neurons and glial cells) and aggregation of Aβ and hyperphosphorylated tau protein in the primary motor cortex (M1) in 3xTg-AD mouse models at an intermediate stage of AD. We used female 3xTg-AD mice aged 11 months and compared them to non-transgenic mice of the same age. In both groups, we assessed motor performance (open field test) and neuronal damage in M1 using specific markers: BAM10 (extracellular Aβ aggregates), tau 499 (hyperphosphorylated tau protein), GFAP (astrocytes), and Klüver-Barrera staining (neurons). Female 3xTg-AD mice in intermediate stages of the disease displayed motor and cellular alterations associated with Aβ and hyperphosphorylated tau protein deposition in M1. Patients with AD display signs and symptoms of functional impairment from early stages. According to our results, M1 cell damage in intermediate-stage AD affects motor function, which is linked to progression of the disease. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Distinguishing Depressive Pseudodementia from Alzheimer Disease: A Comparative Study of Hippocampal Volumetry and Cognitive Tests

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Sevki Sahin

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: Depressive pseudodementia (DPD is a condition which may develop secondary to depression. The aim of this study was to contribute to the differential diagnosis between Alzheimer disease (AD and DPD by comparing the neurocognitive tests and hippocampal volume. Materials and Methods: Patients who met criteria of AD/DPD were enrolled in the study. All patients were assessed using the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS, clock-drawing test, Stroop test, Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT, Boston Naming Test, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE, and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS. Hippocampal volume was measured by importing the coronal T1-weighted magnetic resonance images to the Vitrea 2 workstation. Results: A significant difference was found between the AD and DPD groups on the WMS test, clock-drawing test, Stroop test, Boston Naming Test, MMSE, GDS, and left hippocampal volume. A significant correlation between BFRT and bilateral hippocampal volumes was found in the AD group. No correlation was found among parameters in DPD patients. Conclusions: Our results suggest that evaluation of facial recognition and left hippocampal volume may provide more reliable evidence for distinguishing DPD from AD. Further investigations combined with functional imaging techniques including more patients are needed.

TNF-α and antibodies to periodontal bacteria discriminate between Alzheimer’s disease patients and normal subjects

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Kamer, Angela R.; Craig, Ronald G.; Pirraglia, Elizabeth; Dasanayake, Ananda P.; Norman, Robert G.; Boylan, Robert J.; Nehorayoff, Andrea; Glodzik, Lidia; Brys, Miroslaw; de Leon, Mony J.

2009-01-01

The associations of inflammation/immune responses with clinical presentations of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remain unclear. We hypothesized that TNF-α and elevated antibodies to periodontal bacteria would be greater in AD compared to normal controls (NL) and their combination would aid clinical diagnosis of AD. Plasma TNF-α and antibodies against periodontal bacteria were elevated in AD patients compared with NL and independently associated with AD. The number of positive IgG to periodontal bac...

FRAGMATIC: A randomised phase III clinical trial investigating the effect of fragmin® added to standard therapy in patients with lung cancer

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Macbeth Fergus R

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE occurs when blood clots in the leg, pelvic or other deep vein (deep vein thrombosis with or without transport of the thrombus into the pulmonary arterial circulation (pulmonary embolus. VTE is common in patients with cancer and is increased by surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and disease progression. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH is routinely used to treat VTE and some evidence suggests that LMWH may also have an anticancer effect, by reduction in the incidence of metastases. The FRAGMATIC trial will assess the effect of adding dalteparin (FRAGMIN, a type of LMWH, to standard treatment for patients with lung cancer. Methods/Design The study design is a randomised multicentre phase III trial comparing standard treatment and standard treatment plus daily LMWH for 24 weeks in patients with lung cancer. Patients eligible for this study must have histopathological or cytological diagnosis of primary bronchial carcinoma (small cell or non-small cell within 6 weeks of randomisation, be 18 or older, and must be willing and able to self-administer 5000 IU dalteparin by daily subcutaneous injection or have it administered to themselves or by a carer for 24 weeks. A total of 2200 patients will be recruited from all over the UK over a 3 year period and followed up for a minimum of 1 year after randomisation. Patients will be randomised to one of the two treatment groups in a 1:1 ratio, standard treatment or standard treatment plus dalteparin. The primary outcome measure of the trial is overall survival. The secondary outcome measures include venous thrombotic event (VTE free survival, serious adverse events (SAEs, metastasis-free survival, toxicity, quality of life (QoL, levels of breathlessness, anxiety and depression, cost effectiveness and cost utility. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN80812769

FRAGMATIC: A randomised phase III clinical trial investigating the effect of fragmin® added to standard therapy in patients with lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffiths, Gareth O; Burns, Sarah; Noble, Simon I; Macbeth, Fergus R; Cohen, David; Maughan, Timothy S

2009-01-01

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurs when blood clots in the leg, pelvic or other deep vein (deep vein thrombosis) with or without transport of the thrombus into the pulmonary arterial circulation (pulmonary embolus). VTE is common in patients with cancer and is increased by surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and disease progression. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is routinely used to treat VTE and some evidence suggests that LMWH may also have an anticancer effect, by reduction in the incidence of metastases. The FRAGMATIC trial will assess the effect of adding dalteparin (FRAGMIN), a type of LMWH, to standard treatment for patients with lung cancer. The study design is a randomised multicentre phase III trial comparing standard treatment and standard treatment plus daily LMWH for 24 weeks in patients with lung cancer. Patients eligible for this study must have histopathological or cytological diagnosis of primary bronchial carcinoma (small cell or non-small cell) within 6 weeks of randomisation, be 18 or older, and must be willing and able to self-administer 5000 IU dalteparin by daily subcutaneous injection or have it administered to themselves or by a carer for 24 weeks. A total of 2200 patients will be recruited from all over the UK over a 3 year period and followed up for a minimum of 1 year after randomisation. Patients will be randomised to one of the two treatment groups in a 1:1 ratio, standard treatment or standard treatment plus dalteparin. The primary outcome measure of the trial is overall survival. The secondary outcome measures include venous thrombotic event (VTE) free survival, serious adverse events (SAEs), metastasis-free survival, toxicity, quality of life (QoL), levels of breathlessness, anxiety and depression, cost effectiveness and cost utility. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN80812769

Holographic dual of de Sitter universe with AdS bubbles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanno, Sugumi; Sasaki, Misao; Soda, Jiro

2012-01-01

We study the proposal that a de Sitter (dS) universe with an Anti-de Sitter (AdS) bubble can be replaced by a dS universe with a boundary CFT. To explore this duality, we consider incident gravitons coming from the dS universe through the bubble wall into the AdS bubble in the original picture. In the dual picture, this process has to be identified with the absorption of gravitons by CFT matter. We have obtained a general formula for the absorption probability in general d+1 spacetime dimensions. The result shows the different behavior depending on whether spacetime dimensions are even or odd. We find that the absorption process of gravitons from the dS universe by CFT matter is controlled by localized gravitons (massive bound state modes in the Kaluza-Klein decomposition) in the dS universe. The absorption probability is determined by the effective degrees of freedom of the CFT matter and the effective gravitational coupling constant which encodes information of localized gravitons. We speculate that the dual of (d+1)-dimensional dS universe with an AdS bubble is also dual to a d-dimensional dS universe with CFT matter.

Infrared realization of dS2 in AdS2

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Anninos, Dionysios; Hofman, Diego M.

2018-04-01

We describe a two-dimensional geometry that smoothly interpolates between an asymptotically AdS2 geometry and the static patch of dS2. We find this ‘centaur’ geometry to be a solution of dilaton gravity with a specific class of potentials for the dilaton. We interpret the centaur geometry as a thermal state in the putative quantum mechanics dual to the AdS2 evolved with the global Hamiltonian. We compute the thermodynamic properties and observe that the centaur state has finite entropy and positive specific heat. The static patch is the infrared part of the centaur geometry. We discuss boundary observables sensitive to the static patch region.

Bubbling AdS3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martelli, Dario; Morales, Jose Francisco

2005-01-01

In the light of the recent Lin, Lunin, Maldacena (LLM) results, we investigate 1/2-BPS geometries in minimal (and next to minimal) supergravity in D = 6 dimensions. In the case of minimal supergravity, solutions are given by fibrations of a two-torus T 2 specified by two harmonic functions. For a rectangular torus the two functions are related by a non-linear equation with rare solutions: AdS 3 x S 3 , the pp-wave and the multi-center string. 'Bubbling', i.e. superpositions of droplets, is accommodated by allowing the complex structure of the T 2 to vary over the base. The analysis is repeated in the presence of a tensor multiplet and similar conclusions are reached, with generic solutions describing D1D5 (or their dual fundamental string-momentum) systems. In this framework, the profile of the dual fundamental string-momentum system is identified with the boundaries of the droplets in a two-dimensional plane. (author)

The Mixed Phase of Charged AdS Black Holes

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Piyabut Burikham

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We study the mixed phase of charged AdS black hole and radiation when the total energy is fixed below the threshold to produce a stable charged black hole branch. The coexistence conditions for the charged AdS black hole and radiation are derived for the generic case when radiation particles carry charge. The phase diagram of the mixed phase is demonstrated for both fixed potential and charge ensemble. In the dual gauge picture, they correspond to the mixed phase of quark-gluon plasma (QGP and hadron gas in the fixed chemical potential and density ensemble, respectively. In the nuclei and heavy-ion collisions at intermediate energies, the mixed phase of exotic QGP and hadron gas could be produced. The mixed phase will condense and evaporate into the hadron gas as the fireball expands.

Should we systematically test patients with clinically isolated syndrome for auto-antibodies?

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Negrotto, Laura; Tur, Carmen; Tintoré, Mar; Arrambide, Georgina; Sastre-Garriga, Jaume; Río, Jordi; Comabella, Manuel; Nos, Carlos; Galán, Ingrid; Vidal-Jordana, Angela; Simon, Eva; Castilló, Joaquín; Palavra, Filipe; Mitjana, Raquel; Auger, Cristina; Rovira, Àlex; Montalban, Xavier

2015-12-01

Several autoimmune diseases (ADs) can mimic multiple sclerosis (MS). For this reason, testing for auto-antibodies (auto-Abs) is often included in the diagnostic work-up of patients with a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). The purpose was to study how useful it was to systematically determine antinuclear-antibodies, anti-SSA and anti-SSB in a non-selected cohort of CIS patients, regarding the identification of other ADs that could represent an alternative diagnosis. From a prospective CIS cohort, we selected 772 patients in which auto-Ab levels were tested within the first year from CIS. Baseline characteristics of auto-Ab positive and negative patients were compared. A retrospective revision of clinical records was then performed in the auto-Ab positive patients to identify those who developed ADs during follow-up. One or more auto-Ab were present in 29.4% of patients. Only 1.8% of patients developed other ADs during a mean follow-up of 6.6 years. In none of these cases the concurrent AD was considered the cause of the CIS. In all cases the diagnosis of the AD resulted from the development of signs and/or symptoms suggestive of each disease. Antinuclear-antibodies, anti-SSA and anti-SSB should not be routinely determined in CIS patients but only in those presenting symptoms suggestive of other ADs. © The Author(s), 2015.

The Comparing Options for Management: Patient-centered Results for Uterine Fibroids (COMPARE-UF) Registry: Rationale and Design.

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Stewart, Elizabeth A; Lytle, Barbara L; Thomas, Laine; Wegienka, Ganesa R; Jacoby, Vanessa; Diamond, Michael P; Nicholson, Wanda K; Anchan, Raymond M; Venable, Sateria; Wallace, Kedra; Marsh, Erica E; Maxwell, George L; Borah, Bijan J; Catherino, William H; Myers, Evan R

2018-05-08

To design and establish a uterine fibroid (UF) registry based in the United States (US) to provide comparative effectiveness data regarding UF treatment. We report here the design and initial recruitment for the Comparing Options for Management: Patient-centered Results for Uterine Fibroids (COMPARE-UF) registry (Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02260752), funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in collaboration with the-Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). COMPARE-UF is designed to help answer critical questions about treatment options for women with symptomatic UF. Women undergoing a procedure for UF (hysterectomy, myomectomy [abdominal, hysteroscopic, vaginal and laparoscopic/robotic], endometrial ablation, radiofrequency fibroid ablation, uterine artery embolization, magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound or progestin-releasing intrauterine device insertion) at one of the COMPARE-UF sites are invited to participate in a prospective registry with three years follow-up for post-procedural outcomes. Enrolled participants provide annual follow-up through an online portal or through traditional phone contact. A central data abstraction center provides information obtained from imaging, operative or procedural notes and pathology reports. Women with uterine fibroids and other stakeholders are a key part of the COMPARE-UF registry and participate at all points from study design to dissemination of results. We built a network of nine clinical sites across the US with expertise in the care of women with UF to capture geographic, racial, ethnic and procedural diversity. Of the initial 2031 women enrolled in COMPARE-UF, 42% are self-identified as Black or African-American and 40% are age 40 years or younger with 16% of participants under age 35. Women undergoing myomectomy comprise the largest treatment group at 46% of all procedures with laparoscopic or robotic myomectomy comprising the largest subset of myomectomies at 19% of all

Audiology patient fall statistics and risk factors compared to non-audiology patients.

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Criter, Robin E; Honaker, Julie A

2016-10-01

To compare fall statistics (e.g. incidence, prevalence), fall risks, and characteristics of patients who seek hearing healthcare from an audiologist to individuals who have not sought such services. Case-control study. Two groups of community-dwelling older adult patients: 25 audiology patients aged 60 years or older (M age: 69.2 years, SD: 4.5, range: 61-77) and a control group (gender- and age-matched ±2 years) of 25 non-audiology patients (M age: 69.6, SD: 4.7, range: 60-77). Annual incidence of falls (most recent 12 months) was higher in audiology patients (68.0%) than non-audiology patients (28.0%; p = .005). Audiology patients reported a higher incidence of multiple recent falls (p =.025) and more chronic health conditions (p = .028) than non-audiology patients. Significantly more audiology patients fall on an annual basis than non-audiology patients, suggesting that falls are a pervasive issue in general hearing clinics. Further action on the part of healthcare professionals providing audiologic services may be necessary to identify individuals at risk for falling.

TNF-alpha and antibodies to periodontal bacteria discriminate between Alzheimer's disease patients and normal subjects.

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Kamer, Angela R; Craig, Ronald G; Pirraglia, Elizabeth; Dasanayake, Ananda P; Norman, Robert G; Boylan, Robert J; Nehorayoff, Andrea; Glodzik, Lidia; Brys, Miroslaw; de Leon, Mony J

2009-11-30

The associations of inflammation/immune responses with clinical presentations of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remain unclear. We hypothesized that TNF-alpha and elevated antibodies to periodontal bacteria would be greater in AD compared to normal controls (NL) and their combination would aid clinical diagnosis of AD. Plasma TNF-alpha and antibodies against periodontal bacteria were elevated in AD patients compared with NL and independently associated with AD. The number of positive IgG to periodontal bacteria incremented the TNF-alpha classification of clinical AD and NL. This study shows that TNF-alpha and elevated numbers of antibodies against periodontal bacteria associate with AD and contribute to the AD diagnosis.

The Effect of Adding Comorbidities to Current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Central-Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection Risk-Adjustment Methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Sarah S; Leekha, Surbhi; Magder, Laurence S; Pineles, Lisa; Anderson, Deverick J; Trick, William E; Woeltje, Keith F; Kaye, Keith S; Stafford, Kristen; Thom, Kerri; Lowe, Timothy J; Harris, Anthony D

2017-09-01

BACKGROUND Risk adjustment is needed to fairly compare central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates between hospitals. Until 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) methodology adjusted CLABSI rates only by type of intensive care unit (ICU). The 2017 CDC models also adjust for hospital size and medical school affiliation. We hypothesized that risk adjustment would be improved by including patient demographics and comorbidities from electronically available hospital discharge codes. METHODS Using a cohort design across 22 hospitals, we analyzed data from ICU patients admitted between January 2012 and December 2013. Demographics and International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) discharge codes were obtained for each patient, and CLABSIs were identified by trained infection preventionists. Models adjusting only for ICU type and for ICU type plus patient case mix were built and compared using discrimination and standardized infection ratio (SIR). Hospitals were ranked by SIR for each model to examine and compare the changes in rank. RESULTS Overall, 85,849 ICU patients were analyzed and 162 (0.2%) developed CLABSI. The significant variables added to the ICU model were coagulopathy, paralysis, renal failure, malnutrition, and age. The C statistics were 0.55 (95% CI, 0.51-0.59) for the ICU-type model and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.60-0.69) for the ICU-type plus patient case-mix model. When the hospitals were ranked by adjusted SIRs, 10 hospitals (45%) changed rank when comorbidity was added to the ICU-type model. CONCLUSIONS Our risk-adjustment model for CLABSI using electronically available comorbidities demonstrated better discrimination than did the CDC model. The CDC should strongly consider comorbidity-based risk adjustment to more accurately compare CLABSI rates across hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:1019-1024.

AdS2 holographic dictionary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cvetič, Mirjam; Papadimitriou, Ioannis

2016-01-01

We construct the holographic dictionary for both running and constant dilaton solutions of the two dimensional Einstein-Maxwell-Dilaton theory that is obtained by a circle reduction from Einstein-Hilbert gravity with negative cosmological constant in three dimensions. This specific model ensures that the dual theory has a well defined ultraviolet completion in terms of a two dimensional conformal field theory, but our results apply qualitatively to a wider class of two dimensional dilaton gravity theories. For each type of solutions we perform holographic renormalization, compute the exact renormalized one-point functions in the presence of arbitrary sources, and derive the asymptotic symmetries and the corresponding conserved charges. In both cases we find that the scalar operator dual to the dilaton plays a crucial role in the description of the dynamics. Its source gives rise to a matter conformal anomaly for the running dilaton solutions, while its expectation value is the only non trivial observable for constant dilaton solutions. The role of this operator has been largely overlooked in the literature. We further show that the only non trivial conserved charges for running dilaton solutions are the mass and the electric charge, while for constant dilaton solutions only the electric charge is non zero. However, by uplifting the solutions to three dimensions we show that constant dilaton solutions can support non trivial extended symmetry algebras, including the one found by Compère, Song and Strominger http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP05(2013)152, in agreement with the results of Castro and Song http://arxiv.org/abs/1411.1948. Finally, we demonstrate that any solution of this specific dilaton gravity model can be uplifted to a family of asymptotically AdS 2 ×S 2 or conformally AdS 2 ×S 2 solutions of the STU model in four dimensions, including non extremal black holes. The four dimensional solutions obtained by uplifting the running dilaton solutions coincide

Crystal manyfold universes in /AdS space

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Kaloper, N.

2000-02-01

We derive crystal braneworld solutions, comprising of intersecting families of parallel /n+2-branes in a /4+n-dimensional /AdS space. Each family consists of alternating positive and negative tension branes. In the simplest case of exactly orthogonal families, there arise different crystals with unbroken /4D Poincaré invariance on the intersections, where our world can reside. A crystal can be finite along some direction, either because that direction is compact, or because it ends on a segment of /AdS bulk, or infinite, where the branes continue forever. If the crystal is interlaced by connected /3-branes directed both along the intersections and orthogonal to them, it can be viewed as an example of a Manyfold universe proposed recently by Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, Dvali and the author. There are new ways for generating hierarchies, since the bulk volume of the crystal and the lattice spacing affect the /4D Planck mass. The low energy physics is sensitive to the boundary conditions in the bulk, and has to satisfy the same constraints discussed in the Manyfold universe. Phenomenological considerations favor either finite crystals, or crystals which are infinite but have broken translational invariance in the bulk. The most distinctive signature of the bulk structure is that the bulk gravitons are Bloch waves, with a band spectrum, which we explicitly construct in the case of a /5-dimensional theory.

Aberrant functional connectivity within the basal ganglia of patients with Parkinson's disease

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Michal Rolinski

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI has been previously shown to be a promising tool for the assessment of early Parkinson's disease (PD. In order to assess whether changes within the basal ganglia network (BGN are disease specific or relate to neurodegeneration generally, BGN connectivity was assessed in 32 patients with early PD, 19 healthy controls and 31 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD. Voxel-wise comparisons demonstrated decreased connectivity within the basal ganglia of patients with PD, when compared to patients with AD and healthy controls. No significant changes within the BGN were seen in AD, when compared to healthy controls. Moreover, measures of functional connectivity extracted from regions within the basal ganglia were significantly lower in the PD group. Consistent with previous radiotracer studies, the greatest change when compared to the healthy control group was seen in the posterior putamen of PD subjects. When combined into a single component score, this method differentiated PD from AD and healthy control subjects, with a diagnostic accuracy of 81%. Rs-fMRI can be used to demonstrate the aberrant functional connectivity within the basal ganglia of patients with early PD. These changes are likely to be representative of patho-physiological basal ganglia dysfunction and are not associated with generalised neurodegeneration seen in AD. Further studies are necessary to ascertain whether this method is sensitive enough to detect basal ganglia dysfunction in prodromal PD, and its utility as a potential diagnostic biomarker for premotor and early motoric disease.

3D Quantitative tumour burden analysis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma before TACE: comparing single-lesion vs. multi-lesion imaging biomarkers as predictors of patient survival

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleckenstein, Florian N.; Schernthaner, Ruediger E.; Duran, Rafael; Sohn, Jae Ho; Sahu, Sonia; Zhao, Yan; Hamm, Bernd; Gebauer, Bernhard; Lin, MingDe; Geschwind, Jean-Francois; Chapiro, Julius

2016-01-01

To compare the ability of single- vs. multi-lesion assessment on baseline MRI using 1D- and 3D-based measurements to predict overall survival (OS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). This retrospective analysis included 122 patients. A quantitative 3D analysis was performed on baseline MRI to calculate enhancing tumour volume (ETV [cm 3 ]) and enhancing tumour burden (ETB [%]) (ratio between ETV [cm 3 ] and liver volume). Furthermore, enhancing and overall tumour diameters were measured. Patients were stratified into two groups using thresholds derived from the BCLC staging system. Statistical analysis included Kaplan-Meier plots, uni- and multivariate cox proportional hazard ratios (HR) and concordances. All methods achieved good separation of the survival curves (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed an HR of 5.2 (95 % CI 3.1-8.8, p < 0.001) for ETV [cm 3 ] and HR 6.6 (95 % CI 3.7-11.5, p < 0.001) for ETB [%] vs. HR 2.6 (95 % CI 1.2-5.6, p = 0.012) for overall diameter and HR 3.0 (95 % CI 1.5-6.3, p = 0.003) for enhancing diameter. Concordances were highest for ETB [%], with no added predictive power for multi-lesion assessment (difference between concordances not significant). 3D quantitative assessment is a stronger predictor of survival as compared to diameter-based measurements. Assessing multiple lesions provides no substantial improvement in predicting OS than evaluating the dominant lesion alone. (orig.)

Supersymmetric AdS6 solutions of type IIB supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyojoong; Kim, Nakwoo; Suh, Minwoo

2015-01-01

We study the general requirement for supersymmetric AdS 6 solutions in type IIB supergravity. We employ the Killing spinor technique and study the differential and algebraic relations among various Killing spinor bilinears to find the canonical form of the solutions. Our result agrees precisely with the work of Apruzzi et al. (JHEP 1411:099, 2014), which used the pure spinor technique. Hoping to identify the geometry of the problem, we also computed four-dimensional theory through the dimensional reduction of type IIB supergravity on AdS 6 . This effective action is essentially a non-linear sigma model with five scalar fields parametrizing SL(3,ℝ)/SO(2,1), modified by a scalar potential and coupled to Einstein gravity in Euclidean signature. We argue that the scalar potential can be explained by a subgroup CSO(1,1,1) ⊂SL(3,ℝ) in a way analogous to gauged supergravity

Renormalization, averaging, conservation laws and AdS (in)stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Craps, Ben; Evnin, Oleg; Vanhoof, Joris

2015-01-01

We continue our analytic investigations of non-linear spherically symmetric perturbations around the anti-de Sitter background in gravity-scalar field systems, and focus on conservation laws restricting the (perturbatively) slow drift of energy between the different normal modes due to non-linearities. We discover two conservation laws in addition to the energy conservation previously discussed in relation to AdS instability. A similar set of three conservation laws was previously noted for a self-interacting scalar field in a non-dynamical AdS background, and we highlight the similarities of this system to the fully dynamical case of gravitational instability. The nature of these conservation laws is best understood through an appeal to averaging methods which allow one to derive an effective Lagrangian or Hamiltonian description of the slow energy transfer between the normal modes. The conservation laws in question then follow from explicit symmetries of this averaged effective theory.

Foundations of the AdS5 x S5 superstring: I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arutyunov, Gleb; Frolov, Sergey

2009-01-01

We review the recent advances towards finding the spectrum of the AdS 5 x S 5 superstring. We thoroughly explain the theoretical techniques which should be useful for the ultimate solution of the spectral problem. In certain cases our exposition is original and cannot be found in the existing literature. The present part I deals with foundations of classical string theory in AdS 5 x S 5 , light-cone perturbative quantization and the derivation of the exact light-cone world-sheet scattering matrix

The influence of strategic encoding on false memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tat, Michelle J; Soonsawat, Anothai; Nagle, Corinne B; Deason, Rebecca G; O'Connor, Maureen K; Budson, Andrew E

2016-11-01

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia exhibit high rates of memory distortions in addition to their impairments in episodic memory. Several investigations have demonstrated that when healthy individuals (young and old) engaged in an encoding strategy that emphasized the uniqueness of study items (an item-specific encoding strategy), they were able to improve their discrimination between old items and unstudied critical lure items in a false memory task. In the present study we examined if patients with AD could also improve their memory discrimination when engaging in an item-specific encoding strategy. Healthy older adult controls, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD, and patients with mild AD dementia were asked to study lists of categorized words. In the Item-Specific condition, participants were asked to provide a unique detail or personal experience with each study item. In the Relational condition, they were asked to determine how each item in the list was related to the others. To assess the influence of both strategies, recall and recognition memory tests were administered. Overall, both patient groups exhibited poorer memory in both recall and recognition tests compared to controls. In terms of recognition, healthy older controls and patients with MCI due to AD exhibited improved memory discrimination in the Item-Specific condition compared to the Relational condition, whereas patients with AD dementia did not. We speculate that patients with MCI due to AD use intact frontal networks to effectively engage in this strategy. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The effectiveness of neurofeedback on cognitive functioning in patients with Alzheimer's disease: Preliminary results.

Science.gov (United States)

Luijmes, Robin E; Pouwels, Sjaak; Boonman, Jacko

2016-06-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. In quantified EEG (qEEG), the AD patients have a greater amount of theta activity compared with normal elderly individuals. Little is known about the effect of neurofeedback in patients with dementia. The objective of this study was to examine whether neurofeedback has a positive effect on cognitive performance in patients with AD. Ten patients with qEEG meeting criteria for AD received neurofeedback training. Participants were aged between 61 and 90 years. All patients underwent the CAMCOG test designed to assess cognitive functioning pre- and post-treatment. The individual results, analyzed with a reliable change index (RCI), showed that patients who received neurofeedback treatment had stable cognitive functions. These patients showed improvement in memory after neurofeedback and other cognitive functions were stable. In addition, an improvement was observed in recall of information and recognition. Patients with AD who received neurofeedback treatment had stable or improved cognitive performance. Future research should focus on the design of high quality randomized controlled trials to assess whether neurofeedback has a place in the treatment of AD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Design of a Recommendation System for Adding Support in the Treatment of Chronic Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Torkar, Simon; Benedik, Peter; Rajkovič, Uroš; Šušteršič, Olga; Rajkovič, Vladislav

2016-01-01

Rapid growth of chronic disease cases around the world is adding pressure on healthcare providers to ensure a structured patent follow-up during chronic disease management process. In response to the increasing demand for better chronic disease management and improved health care efficiency, nursing roles have been specialized or enhanced in the primary health care setting. Nurses become key players in chronic disease management process. Study describes a system to help nurses manage the care process of patient with chronic disease. It supports focusing nurse's attention on those resources/solutions that are likely to be most relevant to their particular situation/problem in nursing domain. System is based on multi-relational property graph representing a flexible modeling construct. Graph allows modeling a nursing ontology and the indices that partition domain into an efficient, searchable space where the solution to a problem is seen as abstractly defined traversals through its vertices and edges.

Integrable systems from membranes on AdS4 x S7

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bozhilov, P.

2008-01-01

We describe how Neumann and Neumann-Rosochatius type integrable systems, as well as the continuous limit of the SU(2) integrable spin chain, can be obtained from membranes on AdS 4 x S 7 background, in the framework of AdS/CFT correspondence. (Abstract Copyright [2008], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

What's the point? Hole-ography in Poincare AdS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Espindola, Ricardo [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Departamento de Fisica de Altas Energias, Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Mexico City (Mexico); University of Southampton, Mathematical Sciences and STAG Research Centre, Southampton (United Kingdom); Gueijosa, Alberto; Landetta, Alberto [Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Departamento de Fisica de Altas Energias, Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares, Mexico City (Mexico); Pedraza, Juan F. [University of Amsterdam, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2018-01-15

In the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence, we study bulk reconstruction of the Poincare wedge of AdS{sub 3} via hole-ography, i.e., in terms of differential entropy of the dual CFT{sub 2}. Previous work had considered the reconstruction of closed or open spacelike curves in global AdS, and of infinitely extended spacelike curves in Poincare AdS that are subject to a periodicity condition at infinity. Working first at constant time, we find that a closed curve in Poincare is described in the CFT by a family of intervals that covers the spatial axis at least twice. We also show how to reconstruct open curves, points and distances, and obtain a CFT action whose extremization leads to bulk points. We then generalize all of these results to the case of curves that vary in time, and discover that generic curves have segments that cannot be reconstructed using the standard hole-ographic construction. This happens because, for the nonreconstructible segments, the tangent geodesics fail to be fully contained within the Poincare wedge. We show that a previously discovered variant of the hole-ographic method allows us to overcome this challenge, by reorienting the geodesics touching the bulk curve to ensure that they all remain within the wedge. Our conclusion is that all spacelike curves in Poincare AdS can be completely reconstructed with CFT data, and each curve has in fact an infinite number of representations within the CFT. (orig.)

Voluntary Imitation in Alzheimer’s Disease Patients

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Bisio, Ambra; Casteran, Matthieu; Ballay, Yves; Manckoundia, Patrick; Mourey, France; Pozzo, Thierry

2016-01-01

Although Alzheimer’s disease (AD) primarily manifests as cognitive deficits, the implicit sensorimotor processes that underlie social interactions, such as automatic imitation, seem to be preserved in mild and moderate stages of the disease, as is the ability to communicate with other persons. Nevertheless, when AD patients face more challenging tasks, which do not rely on automatic processes but on explicit voluntary mechanisms and require the patient to pay attention to external events, the cognitive deficits resulting from the disease might negatively affect patients’ behavior. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether voluntary motor imitation, i.e., a volitional mechanism that involves observing another person’s action and translating this perception into one’s own action, was affected in patients with AD. Further, we tested whether this ability was modulated by the nature of the observed stimulus by comparing the ability to reproduce the kinematic features of a human demonstrator with that of a computerized-stimulus. AD patients showed an intact ability to reproduce the velocity of the observed movements, particularly when the stimulus was a human agent. This result suggests that high-level cognitive processes involved in voluntary imitation might be preserved in mild and moderate stages of AD and that voluntary imitation abilities might benefit from the implicit interpersonal communication established between the patient and the human demonstrator. PMID:27014056

Scenarios for waste management involving innovative systems (ADS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tommasi, J.; Bottollier-Curtet, H.; Massara, S.; Varaine, F.; Delpech, M.

2001-01-01

The global performance of reactor park scenarios based on innovative systems (Accelerator-Driven Systems, ADS) for transmutation is studied, based either on equilibrium recycling states or on high burn-up systems. The results of these first studies are preliminary but allow to assess the main parameters of the fuel cycle (inventories, mass balances, mass flows...), to evaluate the specific contributions of ADS on the main scenario parameters, and to compare subcritical systems to critical ones. (author)

THE EFFECTS OF INTRATHECAL NEOSTIGMINE ADDED TO BUPIVACAINE ON POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIC REQUIREMENT IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING LOWER LIMB ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY.

Science.gov (United States)

Kayalha, Hamid; Mousavi, Zinat; Sadat Barikani, Ameneh; Yaghoobi, Siamak; Khezri, Marzieh Beigom

2015-06-01

Several additives have been suggested to enhance analgesic effect of local anesthetic agents to decrease the adverse effects of them and increase the degree of satisfaction. We designed this randomized double-blind controlled study to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of the neostigmine added to bupivacaine using spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing lower limb orthopedic surgery. Sixty patients 18-80 yr old American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I or II, scheduled for femur surgery under spinal anesthesia, were recruited in a prospective, double-blinded, randomized way. The patients were randomly allocated to one of two groups of 30 each. The neostigmine group (group N) received bupivacaine 20 mg combined with 25 µg neostigmine, and the placebo group (group C) received bupivacaine 20 mg combined with 0.5ml distilled water (intrathecally) 5 minutes prior to surgery. The time to the first analgesic request, analgesic requirement in the first 12 hours after surgery, the duration of sensory and motor blockade, the incidence of adverse effects such as nausea,vomiting,hypotension, ephedrine requirements, bradycardia, and hypoxemia were recorded. Patients receiving neostigmine had a significantly prolonged duration of motor block (C95% CI 30.27 to 87.65; P < 0.001) and sensory block (C95% CI 101.04 to 224.64; P < 0.001) compared to the control group. The difference of the mean time to the first analgesic request was also significantly longer in neostigmine group (C95% CI 83.139 to 208.526; P < 0.001). The total analgesic consumption during the first 12 hours after surgery was devoid of any significant difference between groups N and C (p = 0.41).The two groups were not significantly different in terms of intraoperative and postoperative side effects. Intrathecal neostigmine 25 µg with bupivacaine caused a prolonged time to the first analgesic request and its use was not associated with any side effects.

Minocycline added to subcutaneous interferon β-1a in multiple sclerosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, P S; Sellebjerg, F; Lycke, J

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Combining different therapies may improve disease control in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This study assessed the efficacy and safety of minocycline added to subcutaneous (sc) interferon (IFN) β-1a therapy. METHODS: This was a double......-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled multicentre study. Within 3 months (±1 month) of starting sc IFN β-1a 44 μg three times weekly, patients with RRMS were randomized to minocycline 100 mg twice daily or placebo, added to sc IFN β-1a, for 96 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the time to first qualifying...... were assessed. RESULTS: One hundred and forty-nine patients received minocycline and 155 received placebo; MRI data were available for 23 and 27 patients, respectively. The time to first qualifying relapse did not differ significantly for minocycline versus placebo (hazard ratio 0.85; 95% confidence...

AdVEGF-B186 and AdVEGF-DΔNΔC induce angiogenesis and increase perfusion in porcine myocardium.

Science.gov (United States)

Nurro, Jussi; Halonen, Paavo J; Kuivanen, Antti; Tarkia, Miikka; Saraste, Antti; Honkonen, Krista; Lähteenvuo, Johanna; Rissanen, Tuomas T; Knuuti, Juhani; Ylä-Herttuala, Seppo

2016-11-01

Coronary heart disease remains a significant clinical problem, and new therapies are needed especially for patients with refractory angina for whom the current therapies do not provide sufficient relief. The aim of this study was to find out if angiogenic gene therapy using new members of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family, VEGF-B 186 and VEGF-D ΔNΔC , increase myocardial perfusion as measured by the positron emission tomography (PET) 15 O-imaging, and whether there would be coronary steal effect to the contralateral side. Furthermore, safety of intramyocardial angiogenic adenoviral gene transfer was evaluated. Intramyocardial adenoviral (Ad) VEGF-B 186 or AdVEGF-D ΔNΔC gene transfers were given endovascularly into the porcine posterolateral wall of the left ventricle (n=34). Six days later, PET 15 O-imaging for myocardial perfusion and coronary angiography were performed. AdVEGF-B 186 and AdVEGF-D ΔNΔC induced angiogenesis and increased total microvascular area 1.8-fold (95% CI 0.2 to 3.5) and 2.8-fold (95% CI 1.4 to 4.3), respectively. At rest, perfusion was maintained at normal levels, but at stress, relative perfusion was increased 1.4-fold (95% CI 1.1 to 1.7) for AdVEGF-B 186 and 1.3-fold (95% CI 1.0 to 1.7) for AdVEGF-D ΔNΔC , without causing coronary steal effect in the control area. The therapy was well tolerated and did not lead to any significant changes in laboratory safety parameters. Both AdVEGF-B 186 and AdVEGF-D ΔNΔC gene transfers induced efficient angiogenesis in the myocardium resulting in an increased myocardial perfusion measured by PET. Importantly, local perfusion increase did not induce any coronary steal effect. As such, both treatments seem suitable new candidates for the induction of therapeutic angiogenesis for the treatment of refractory angina. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Demographic Characteristics of Stroke Types in Adıyaman

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Yaşar Altun

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: We aimed to investigate the etiologic, demographic, clinical features, and risk factors of patients who were hospitalized, followed up, and treated due to stroke in our hospital. Materials and Methods: In this study, the hospital records of patients diagnosed as having stroke or cerebrovascular disease (CVD between January 2013 and January 2015 in Adıyaman University Training and Research Hospital, where patients with stroke are frequently admitted or transferred, were retrospectively investigated. Results: In the past two years, 683 patients were followed-up or treated for stroke and CVD in our hospital. Stroke patients constituted 0.06% of all emergency admissions. Of these patients, 87.8% were diagnosed as having ischemic stroke and 8.6% were diagnosed as having hemorrhagic stroke. The sex distribution was almost equal (50.8% were males and 49.2% were females. Based on the results of brain scans performed during admission, radiologically, 498 (81.1% patients showed evidence of anterior system involvement and 116 (18.9% patients showed evidence of posterior system involvement. No focal areas were observed in computed tomography scans in 508 patients. However, diffusion magnetic resonance findings of these 508 patients were pathologic. Most of the patients with stroke were aged above 65 years (74.9%. The most common symptom during admission was unilateral muscle weakness (63.3%, and 58.6% of the patients were brought to the hospital by ambulance. Conclusion: As well as the results of our study being parallel to previous studies, our study also reflects the majority of stroke data in Adıyaman, Turkey, and provides significant results regarding our geographic region

Smooth causal patches for AdS black holes

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Raju, Suvrat

2017-06-01

We review the paradox of low energy excitations of a black hole in anti-de Sitter space (AdS). An appropriately chosen unitary operator in the boundary theory can create a locally strong excitation near the black hole horizon, whose global energy is small as a result of the gravitational redshift. The paradox is that this seems to violate a general rule of statistical mechanics, which states that an operator with energy parametrically smaller than k T cannot create a significant excitation in a thermal system. When we carefully examine the position dependence of the boundary unitary operator that produces the excitation and the bulk observable necessary to detect the anomalously large effect, we find that they do not both fit in a single causal patch. This follows from a remarkable property of position-space AdS correlators that we establish explicitly and resolves the paradox in a generic state of the system, since no combination of observers can both create the excitation and observe its effect. As a special case of our analysis, we show how this resolves the "Born rule" paradox of Marolf and Polchinski [J. High Energy Phys. 01 (2016) 008, 10.1007/JHEP01(2016)008] and we verify our solution using an independent calculation. We then consider boundary states that are finely tuned to display a spontaneous excitation outside the causal patch of the infalling observer, and we propose a version of causal patch complementarity in AdS/CFT that resolves the paradox for such states as well.

Carcinoembryonic antigen: assay following heat compared with perchloric acid extraction in patients with colon cancer, non-neoplastic gastrointestinal diseases, or chronic renal failure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Witherspoon, L.R.; Shuler, S.E.; Alyea, K.; Husserl, F.E.; Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation, New Orleans, LO)

1983-01-01

Heat inactivation has been proposed as an alternative to perchloric acid (PCA) precipitation for the extraction of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) from human plasma. A commercial RIA kit using heat inactivation was examined and results compared with those obtained with PCA precipitation. Adequate sensitivity (1.5 μg CEA/I plasma), satisfactory analytical recovery of CEA added to plasma, and dilutional linearity of samples found to have elevated CEA concentrations, were demonstrated for the heat-inactivation assay. Between-assay precision was better with the heat inactivation than with the PCA assay. Although the absolute concentration of CEA estimated after heat inactivation was consistently lower than that estimated after PCA extraction of plasma specimens, there was excellent correlation between results obtained with the two methods in colon cancer patients free of disease, colon cancer patients with residual or recurrent disease, patients with benign gastrointestinal disease, and in patients with chronic renal failure. The heat-inactivation assay is an excellent alternative to the PCA assay

Pregnancy outcomes in type 2 diabetic patients as compared with type 1 diabetic patients and nondiabetic controls.

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Knight, Kristin M; Thornburg, Loralei L; Pressman, Eva K

2012-01-01

To characterize the neonatal and maternal outcomes of type 2 diabetic patients as compared with type 1 diabetic patients and nondiabetic controls. We performed a retrospective cohort study reviewing perinatal outcomes of type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients and nondiabetic controls from July 2000 to August 2006. Analysis of variance, t testing and chi2 analysis were used to compare groups. Post hoc power analysis indicated 80% power was necessary to detect a 15% difference in composite poor neonatal outcomes. A total of 64 type 2 and 64 type 1 diabetic patients were compared with 256 controls. Type 1 diabetic patients had higher incidences of composite poor neonatal outcome and congenital anomalies than did type 2 diabetic and control patients. Both diabetic groups had similarly higher incidences of cesarean delivery, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, polyhydramnios and macrosomia than did controls. Type 2 diabetic patients have a decreased incidence of adverse neonatal outcomes when compared with that of type 1 diabetic patients. No difference was observed between the diabetic groups in the incidence of a majority of the adverse maternal outcomes examined, however both diabetic groups had overall worse outcomes that did nondiabetic controls.

Position space analysis of the AdS (in)stability problem

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitrakopoulos, Fotios V.; Freivogel, Ben; Lippert, Matthew; Yang, I.-Sheng

2015-08-01

We investigate whether arbitrarily small perturbations in global AdS space are generically unstable and collapse into black holes on the time scale set by gravitational interactions. We argue that current evidence, combined with our analysis, strongly suggests that a set of nonzero measure in the space of initial conditions does not collapse on this time scale. We perform an analysis in position space to study this puzzle, and our formalism allows us to directly study the vanishing-amplitude limit. We show that gravitational self-interaction leads to tidal deformations which are equally likely to focus or defocus energy, and we sketch the phase diagram accordingly. We also clarify the connection between gravitational evolution in global AdS and holographic thermalization.

Position space analysis of the AdS (in)stability problem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dimitrakopoulos, Fotios V.; Freivogel, Ben; Lippert, Matthew; Yang, I-Sheng [ITFA and GRAPPA, Universiteit van Amsterdam,Science Park 904, 1090 GL Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2015-08-17

We investigate whether arbitrarily small perturbations in global AdS space are generically unstable and collapse into black holes on the time scale set by gravitational interactions. We argue that current evidence, combined with our analysis, strongly suggests that a set of nonzero measure in the space of initial conditions does not collapse on this time scale. We perform an analysis in position space to study this puzzle, and our formalism allows us to directly study the vanishing-amplitude limit. We show that gravitational self-interaction leads to tidal deformations which are equally likely to focus or defocus energy, and we sketch the phase diagram accordingly. We also clarify the connection between gravitational evolution in global AdS and holographic thermalization.

Lifetime Increased Risk of Adult Onset Atopic Dermatitis in Adolescent and Adult Patients with Food Allergy

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Hsu-Sheng Yu

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Food allergy can result in life-threatening anaphylaxis. Atopic dermatitis (AD causes intense itching and impaired quality of life. Previous studies have shown that patients with classical early-onset AD tend to develop food allergy and that 10% of adults with food allergies have concomitant AD. However, it is not known whether late-onset food allergy leads to adult-onset AD, a recently recognized disease entity. Using an initial cohort of one-million subjects, this study retrospectively followed-up 2851 patients with food allergy (age > 12 years for 14 years and compared them with 11,404 matched controls. While 2.8% (81 of the 2851 food allergy patients developed AD, only 2.0% (227 of the 11,404 controls developed AD. Multivariate regression analysis showed that food allergy patients were more likely to develop AD (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.49, p < 0.0001. Controls had a 1.99% risk of developing AD, while food allergy patients had a significantly higher risk (7.18% and 3.46% for patients with ≥3 and <3 food allergy claims, respectively of developing adult-onset AD. This is the first study to describe the chronological and dose-dependent associations between food allergy in adolescence and the development of adult-onset AD.

A Comparative Study Of Psychiatric Morbidity In Dermatological Patients

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Sharma Neelu

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The psychiatric morbidity in five chronic and disfiguring diseases, namely psoriasis, chronic urticaria, leprosy, vitiligo and lichen simplex chronicus (LSC was assessed and compared using the standardized Hindi (Vernacular languages version of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-H. Thirty new untreated patients of each of the above skin diseases between the age group of 18-60 years were included in the study. The overall prevalence of the psychiatric morbidity was found to be 39%, depression and anxiety were present in 13% and 10.66% of the patients and suicidal ideations and somatisation in 16% and 13% of the patients respectively. Prevalence of interpersonal conflict and suicidal attempt were 10% and 2.6% respectively. On comparative analysis of psychiatric morbidity, significant difference was observed between vitiligo and other disorders (p=0.0028, i.e., chronic urticaria (p=0.0242 and psoriasis and other disorders (p=0.0028, however no significant difference could be elicited between psoriasis and leprosy or leprosy and vitiligo. Comparative analysis of anxiety revealed statistically significant difference between the patients of LSC and vitiligo (p=0.02 or vitiligo and chronic urticaria (p=0.04 but no significant difference was observed for vitiligo and leprosy of psoriasis and leprosy. The prevalence of somatic complaints showed significant difference between the patients of LSC and Leprosy.

Closed-String Tachyons and the Hagedorn Transition in AdS Space

CERN Document Server

Barbón, José L F

2002-01-01

We discuss some aspects of the behaviour of a string gas at the Hagedorn temperature from a Euclidean point of view. Using AdS space as an infrared regulator, the Hagedorn tachyon can be effectively quasi-localized and its dynamics controled by a finite energetic balance. We propose that the off-shell RG flow matches to an Euclidean AdS black hole geometry in a generalization of the string/black-hole correspondence principle. The final stage of the RG flow can be interpreted semiclassically as the growth of a cool black hole in a hotter radiation bath. The end-point of the condensation is the large Euclidan AdS black hole, and the part of spacetime behind the horizon has been removed. In the flat-space limit, holography is manifest by the system creating its own transverse screen at infinity. This leads to an argument, based on the energetics of the system, explaining why the non-supersymmetric type 0A string theory decays into the supersymmetric type IIB vacuum. We also suggest a notion of `boundary entropy'...

State Operator Correspondence and Entanglement in AdS2/CFT1

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Ashoke Sen

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Since Euclidean global AdS2 space represented as a strip has two boundaries, the state-operator correspondence in the dual CFT1 reduces to the standard map from the operators acting on a single copy of the Hilbert space to states in the tensor product of two copies of the Hilbert space. Using this picture we argue that the corresponding states in the dual string theory living on AdS2 × K are described by the twisted version of the Hartle–Hawking states, the twists being generated by a large unitary group of symmetries that this string theory must possess. This formalism makes natural the dual interpretation of the black hole entropy—as the logarithm of the degeneracy of ground states of the quantum mechanics describing the low energy dynamics of the black hole, and also as an entanglement entropy between the two copies of the same quantum theory living on the two boundaries of global AdS2 separated by the event horizon.

An open, randomized, parallel-group study to compare the efficacy and safety profile of inhaled human insulin (exubera) with meformin as adjunctive therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes poorly controlled on a sulfonylurea: response to mikhail and cope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Barnett, Anthony H.; Dreyer, Manfred; Lange, Peter

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety profile of adding inhaled human insulin (INH; Exubera) or metformin to sulfonylurea monotherapy in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed an open-label, parallel, 24-week, multicenter trial. At week -1......: In patients with type 2 diabetes poorly controlled on a sulfonylurea (A1C >9.5%), the addition of premeal INH significantly improves glycemic control compared with adjunctive metformin and is well tolerated....

Cerebrospinal liquid nerve growth factor levels in patients with Alzheimer's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mashayakhi, F.; Salehi, Z.

2006-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in the Western countries and in Japan. Numerous blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests based on the disease pathology have been proposed for early detection of AD. By comparing the CSF proteome of AD patients and controls it might be possible to identify proteins that play a role in the disease process and thus study the pathogenesis of AD. Samples of CSF from normal (n=20) and AD patients (n=20) were collected by lumbar puncture. The total concentration of proteins in the CSF of normal subjects and AD patients was determined by Bio-Rad protein assay based on the Bradford dye binding procedures. The presence and level of NGF in the CSF of normal and AD patients was measured by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), SDS-PAGE and western blot. The total protein concentration of all samples was within the normal range (0.10-0.44). a western blot analysis using anti-NGF antibody showed the presence of NGF in human CSF. By ELISA the level of NGF in the CSF of AD patients was higher than in the CSF of normal subjects (81.5+-15.03 pg/mt, P,0.0001). We suggest that the NGF level in the CSF may provide additional information in the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer disease. We also conclude that NGF could be significantly involved in the pathophysiology of AD. (author)

Categorical spatial memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer dementia: positional versus object-location recall.

Science.gov (United States)

Kessels, Roy P C; Rijken, Stefan; Joosten-Weyn Banningh, Liesbeth W A; Van Schuylenborgh-VAN Es, Nelleke; Olde Rikkert, Marcel G M

2010-01-01

Memory for object locations, as part of spatial memory function, has rarely been studied in patients with Alzheimer dementia (AD), while studies in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients are lacking altogether. The present study examined categorical spatial memory function using the Location Learning Test (LLT) in MCI patients (n = 30), AD patients (n = 30), and healthy controls (n = 40). Two scoring methods were compared, aimed at disentangling positional recall (location irrespective of object identity) and object-location binding. The results showed that AD patients performed worse than the MCI patients on the LLT, both on recall of positional information and on recall of the locations of different objects. In addition, both measures could validly discriminate between AD and MCI patients. These findings are in agreement with the notion that visual cued-recall tests may have better diagnostic value than traditional (verbal) free-recall tests in the assessment of patients with suspected MCI or AD.

Quantum spectral curve for the η-deformed AdS5 × S5 superstring

Science.gov (United States)

Klabbers, Rob; van Tongeren, Stijn J.

2017-12-01

The spectral problem for the AdS5 ×S5 superstring and its dual planar maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory can be efficiently solved through a set of functional equations known as the quantum spectral curve. We discuss how the same concepts apply to the η-deformed AdS5 ×S5 superstring, an integrable deformation of the AdS5 ×S5 superstring with quantum group symmetry. This model can be viewed as a trigonometric version of the AdS5 ×S5 superstring, like the relation between the XXZ and XXX spin chains, or the sausage and the S2 sigma models for instance. We derive the quantum spectral curve for the η-deformed string by reformulating the corresponding ground-state thermodynamic Bethe ansatz equations as an analytic Y system, and map this to an analytic T system which upon suitable gauge fixing leads to a Pμ system - the quantum spectral curve. We then discuss constraints on the asymptotics of this system to single out particular excited states. At the spectral level the η-deformed string and its quantum spectral curve interpolate between the AdS5 ×S5 superstring and a superstring on "mirror" AdS5 ×S5, reflecting a more general relationship between the spectral and thermodynamic data of the η-deformed string. In particular, the spectral problem of the mirror AdS5 ×S5 string, and the thermodynamics of the undeformed AdS5 ×S5 string, are described by a second rational limit of our trigonometric quantum spectral curve, distinct from the regular undeformed limit.

Partition functions in even dimensional AdS via quasinormal mode methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keeler, Cynthia; Ng, Gim Seng

2014-01-01

In this note, we calculate the one-loop determinant for a massive scalar (with conformal dimension Δ) in even-dimensional AdS d+1 space, using the quasinormal mode method developed in http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381/27/12/125001 by Denef, Hartnoll, and Sachdev. Working first in two dimensions on the related Euclidean hyperbolic plane H 2 , we find a series of zero modes for negative real values of Δ whose presence indicates a series of poles in the one-loop partition function Z(Δ) in the Δ complex plane; these poles contribute temperature-independent terms to the thermal AdS partition function computed in http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0264-9381/27/12/125001. Our results match those in a series of papers by Camporesi and Higuchi, as well as Gopakumar et al. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP11(2011)010 and Banerjee et al. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/JHEP03(2011)147. We additionally examine the meaning of these zero modes, finding that they Wick-rotate to quasinormal modes of the AdS 2 black hole. They are also interpretable as matrix elements of the discrete series representations of SO(2,1) in the space of smooth functions on S 1 . We generalize our results to general even dimensional AdS 2n , again finding a series of zero modes which are related to discrete series representations of SO(2n,1), the motion group of H 2n .

Survival of Alzheimer's disease patients in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Go, Seok Min; Lee, Kang Soo; Seo, Sang Won; Chin, Juhee; Kang, Sue J; Moon, So Young; Na, Duk L; Cheong, Hae-Kwan

2013-01-01

The natural history of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has rarely been studied in the Korean population. Our study on survival analyses in Korean AD patients potentially provides a basis for cross-cultural comparisons. We studied 724 consecutive patients from a memory disorder clinic in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, who were diagnosed as having AD between April 1995 and December 2005. Deaths were identified by the Statistics Korea database. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and a Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess factors related to patient survival. The overall median survival from the onset of first symptoms and from the time of diagnosis was 12.6 years (95% confidence interval 11.7-13.4) and 9.3 years (95% confidence interval 8.7-9.9), respectively. The age of onset, male gender, history of diabetes mellitus, lower Mini-Mental State Examination score, and higher Clinical Dementia Rating score were negatively associated with survival. There was a reversal of risk of AD between early-onset and later-onset AD, 9.1 years after onset. The results of our study show a different pattern of survival compared to those studies carried out with western AD populations. Mortality risk of early-onset AD varied depending on the duration of follow-up. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

AdS/CFT and Light-Front QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brodsky, S

2008-01-01

The AdS/CFT correspondence between string theory in AdS space and conformal field theories in physical space-time leads to an analytic, semi-classical model for strongly-coupled QCD which has scale invariance and dimensional counting at short distances and color confinement at large distances. The AdS/CFT correspondence also provides insights into the inherently nonperturbative aspects of QCD such as the orbital and radial spectra of hadrons and the form of hadronic wavefunctions. In particular, we show that there is an exact correspondence between the fifth-dimensional coordinate of AdS space z and a specific impact variable ζ which measures the separation of the quark and gluonic constituents within the hadron in ordinary space-time. This connection leads to AdS/CFT predictions for the analytic form of the frame-independent light-front wavefunctions (LFWFs) of mesons and baryons, the fundamental entities which encode hadron properties. The LFWFs in turn predict decay constants and spin correlations, as well as dynamical quantities such as form factors, structure functions, generalized parton distributions, and exclusive scattering amplitudes. Relativistic light-front equations in ordinary space-time are found which reproduce the results obtained using the fifth-dimensional theory and have remarkable algebraic structures and integrability properties. As specific examples we describe the behavior of the pion form factor in the space and time-like regions and determine the Dirac nucleon form factors in the space-like region. An extension to nonzero quark mass is used to determine hadronic distribution amplitudes of all mesons, heavy and light. We compare our results with the moments of the distribution amplitudes which have recently been computed from lattice gauge theory

The influence of strategic encoding on false memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease dementia

Science.gov (United States)

Tat, Michelle J.; Soonsawat, Anothai; Nagle, Corinne B.; Deason, Rebecca G.; O’Connor, Maureen K.; Budson, Andrew E.

2018-01-01

Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia exhibit high rates of memory distortions in addition to their impairments in episodic memory. Several investigations have demonstrated that when healthy individuals (young and old) engaged in an encoding strategy that emphasized the uniqueness of study items (an item-specific encoding strategy), they were able to improve their discrimination between old items and unstudied critical lure items in a false memory task. In the present study we examined if patients with AD could also improve their memory discrimination when engaging in an item-specific encoding strategy. Healthy older adult controls, patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD, and patients with mild AD dementia were asked to study lists of categorized words. In the Item-Specific condition, participants were asked to provide a unique detail or personal experience with each study item. In the Relational condition, they were asked to determine how each item in the list was related to the others. To assess the influence of both strategies, recall and recognition memory tests were administered. Overall, both patient groups exhibited poorer memory in both recall and recognition tests compared to controls. In terms of recognition, healthy older controls and patients with MCI due to AD exhibited improved memory discrimination in the Item-Specific condition compared to the Relational condition, whereas patients with AD dementia did not. We speculate that patients with MCI due to AD use intact frontal networks to effectively engage in this strategy. PMID:27643951

A radiological study of cerebral white matter lesions in patients with dementia using diffusion-weighted MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shindo, Hiroaki; Hanyu, Haruo; Kakizaki, Dai; Abe, Kimihiko; Takasaki, Masaru

1999-01-01

We investigated the changes in water diffusion in the cerebral white matter and the corpus callosum in 12 patients with Binswanger's disease (BD), and 19 patients with Alzheimer's Disease (AD), including 12 without (AD-) and 7 with periventricular hyperintensity (PVH) lesions (AD+), using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) in the anterior and posterior white matter were significantly higher in patients with BD and AD than in 12 age-matched controls. The ADCs were significantly higher in AD (+) than in AD (-) patients. Anisotropic ratios (ARs), defined as diffusion restricted perpendicular to the direction of the nerve fibers, were significantly higher in BD and AD (+) patients, and even in AD (-) patients, than in the controls. ARs in the anterior white matter were significantly higher in BD than in AD (+), while in the posterior white matter the ratios were significantly higher in AD (+) rather than BD patients. The ADCs and ARs in the genu of the corpus callosum were significantly higher in patients with BD and AD (+) compared to the control subjects, while ADCs and ARs in the splenium were significantly higher in patients with AD (+) and AD (-) than in those with BD. These results suggest that mild myelin loss occurs in AD patients even in apparently normal white matter and in the splenium of the corpus callosum. A definite loss of myelin and axons, including incomplete infarction, occurs preferentially in anterior white matter in BD, while in posterior white matter in AD (+), as seen on T2-weighted images as PVH. Studies with diffusion-weighted MRI may allow the characterization of different pathological processes and enable the demonstration of underlying white matter lesion in patients with dementia that cannot be visualized by conventional MRI. (author)

Small AdS black holes from SYM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asplund, Curtis; Berenstein, David

2009-01-01

We provide a characterization of the set of configurations in N=4 SYM theory that are dual to small AdS black holes. Our construction shows that the black hole dual states are approximately thermal on a SU(M) subset of degrees of freedom of a SU(N) gauge theory. M is determined dynamically and the black hole degrees of freedom are dynamically insulated from the rest. These states are localized on the S 5 and have dynamical processes that correspond to matter absorption that make them behave as black objects

Time-dependent AdS backgrounds from S-branes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deger, Nihat Sadik, E-mail: sadik.deger@boun.edu.tr [Department of Mathematics, Bogazici University, Bebek, 34342, Istanbul (Turkey); Feza Gursey Center for Physics and Mathematics, Bogazici University, Kandilli, 34684, Istanbul (Turkey)

2016-11-10

We construct time and radial dependent solutions that describe p-branes in chargeless S-brane backgrounds. In particular, there are some new M5- and D3-branes among our solutions which have AdS limits and contain a cosmological singularity as well. We also find a time-dependent version of the dyonic membrane configuration in 11-dimensions by applying a Lunin–Maldacena deformation to our new M5-brane solution.

Quantitation of heteroplasmy of mtDNA sequence variants identified in a population of AD patients and controls by array-based resequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Coon, Keith D; Valla, Jon; Szelinger, Szabolics; Schneider, Lonnie E; Niedzielko, Tracy L; Brown, Kevin M; Pearson, John V; Halperin, Rebecca; Dunckley, Travis; Papassotiropoulos, Andreas; Caselli, Richard J; Reiman, Eric M; Stephan, Dietrich A

2006-08-01

The role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been well documented. Though evidence for the role of mitochondria in AD seems incontrovertible, the impact of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations in AD etiology remains controversial. Though mutations in mitochondrially encoded genes have repeatedly been implicated in the pathogenesis of AD, many of these studies have been plagued by lack of replication as well as potential contamination of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial pseudogenes. To assess the role of mtDNA mutations in the pathogenesis of AD, while avoiding the pitfalls of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial pseudogenes encountered in previous investigations and showcasing the benefits of a novel resequencing technology, we sequenced the entire coding region (15,452 bp) of mtDNA from 19 extremely well-characterized AD patients and 18 age-matched, unaffected controls utilizing a new, reliable, high-throughput array-based resequencing technique, the Human MitoChip. High-throughput, array-based DNA resequencing of the entire mtDNA coding region from platelets of 37 subjects revealed the presence of 208 loci displaying a total of 917 sequence variants. There were no statistically significant differences in overall mutational burden between cases and controls, however, 265 independent sites of statistically significant change between cases and controls were identified. Changed sites were found in genes associated with complexes I (30.2%), III (3.0%), IV (33.2%), and V (9.1%) as well as tRNA (10.6%) and rRNA (14.0%). Despite their statistical significance, the subtle nature of the observed changes makes it difficult to determine whether they represent true functional variants involved in AD etiology or merely naturally occurring dissimilarity. Regardless, this study demonstrates the tremendous value of this novel mtDNA resequencing platform, which avoids the pitfalls of erroneously amplifying nuclear-encoded mtDNA pseudogenes, and

Ad hoc networks telecommunications and game theory

CERN Document Server

Benslama, Malek; Batatia, Hadj

2015-01-01

Random SALOHA and CSMA protocols that are used to access MAC in ad hoc networks are very small compared to the multiple and spontaneous use of the transmission channel. So they have low immunity to the problems of packet collisions. Indeed, the transmission time is the critical factor in the operation of such networks. The simulations demonstrate the positive impact of erasure codes on the throughput of the transmission in ad hoc networks. However, the network still suffers from the intermittency and volatility of its efficiency throughout its operation, and it switches quickly to the satura

How many items from a word list can Alzheimer's disease patients and normal controls recall? Do they recall in a similar way?

Science.gov (United States)

Chaves, Marcia Lorena Fagundes; Camozzato, Ana Luiza

2007-01-01

The serial position effect occurs when individuals are asked to recall a list of information that exceeds normal attention span. Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients show lower scores on word span recall tests when compared to healthy aging subjects, younger individuals or depressed patients. To evaluate the immediate free recall and the serial position effect of a 10-word list, emotionally neutral in tone, in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and two age-groups of healthy controls. The free word recall test was applied in a sample of 44 mild AD outpatients and 168 >50 year and 173 =50 year-old healthy controls. The span of recalled words and order of recollection of each item was recorded. Scores for serial position effect were analyzed.MMSE scores were recorded for all participants. Descriptive statistics and the ANOVA with Tukey test were performed. The controls scored significantly better than AD patients on the MMSE and word span (p=0.0001). Older controls word span mean ±SD was 5.65±1.75, younger controls was 5.99±1.27, and AD patients was 2.86±1.42. The best recalled item in all groups was the first item of the list. Primacy was observed across the three groups, although AD patients presented lower scores. Recency was diminished among AD patients compared to control groups. Primacy effect was observed in AD patients as well as in both normal control groups. Recency effect was presented by the normal control groups but was extremely poor among AD patients. The first item was universally best retrieved.

Cerebrospinal fluid markers in dementia with lewy bodies compared with Alzheimer disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Tortosa, Estrella; Gonzalo, Isabel; Fanjul, Samira; Sainz, Maria José; Cantarero, Susana; Cemillán, Carlos; Yébenes, Justo García; del Ser, Teodoro

2003-09-01

Most patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) exhibit diffuse plaque-only pathology with rare neocortical neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), as opposed to the widespread cortical neurofibrillary-tau involvement in Alzheimer disease (AD). Another pathological difference is the astrocytic and microglial inflammatory responses, including release of interleukins (ILs), around the neuritic plaques and NFTs in AD brains that are absent or much lower in DLB. We analyzed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers that reflect the pathological differences between AD and DLB. To determine CSF concentrations of tau, beta-amyloid, IL-1beta, and IL-6 as potential diagnostic clues to distinguish between AD and DLB. We measured total tau, beta-amyloid1-42, IL-1beta, and IL-6 levels in CSF samples of 33 patients with probable AD without parkinsonism, 25 patients with all the core features of DLB, and 46 age-matched controls. Patients with AD had significantly higher levels of tau protein than patients with DLB and controls (P<.001). The most efficient cutoff value provided 76% specificity to distinguish AD and DLB cases. Patients with AD and DLB had lower, but not significantly so, beta-amyloid levels than controls. The combination of tau and beta-amyloid levels provided the best sensitivity (84%) and specificity (79%) to differentiate AD vs controls but was worse than tau values alone in discriminating between AD and DLB. Beta-amyloid levels had the best correlation with disease progression in both AD and DLB (P =.01). There were no significant differences in IL-1beta levels among patients with AD, patients with DLB, and controls. Patients with AD and DLB showed slightly, but not significantly, higher IL-6 levels than controls. The tau levels in CSF may contribute to the clinical distinction between AD and DLB. Beta-amyloid CSF levels are similar in both dementia disorders and reflect disease progression better than tau levels. Interleukin CSF concentrations do not distinguish between

Mutagenesis at the ad-3A and ad-3B loci in haploid UV-sensitive strains of Neurospora crassa. Pt. 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Serres, F.J.; Inoue, H.; Schuepbach, M.E.

1983-01-01

Genetic characterization of ad-3B mutants induced in wild-type and UV-sensitive strains has revealed qualitative differences between the spectra of genetic alterations at the molecular level. Ad-3B mutants induced in the two nucleotide excision-repair-deficient strains upr-1 and uvs-2 had significantly lower frequencies of nonpolarized complementation patterns and higher frequencies of noncomplementing mutants than ad-3B mutants induced in the wild-type strain in samples induced by either UV, #betta#-rays, 4NQO or MNNG. In these same samples ad-3B mutants induced in uvs-4, uvs-5 or uvs-6 did not differ significantly from those induced in the wild-type strain. After ICR-170 treatment, ad-3B mutants induced in the UV-sensitive strains did not differ significantly from those induced in wild-type. The comparisons in the present and previous studies demonstrate that the process of mutation-induction in the ad-3 region is under the control of other loci that not only alter mutant recovery quantitatively but also qualitatively. These data have important implications for comparative chemical mutagenesis, since the spectrum of genetic alterations produced by a given agent can be modified markedly as a result of defects in DNA repair. (orig./AJ)

Prevalence of Mathematical and Visuospatial Learning Disabilities in Patients With Posterior Cortical Atrophy.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Zachary A; Rosenberg, Lynne; Santos-Santos, Miguel A; Stephens, Melanie; Allen, Isabel E; Hubbard, H Isabel; Cantwell, Averill; Mandelli, Maria Luisa; Grinberg, Lea T; Seeley, William W; Miller, Bruce L; Rabinovici, Gil D; Gorno-Tempini, Maria Luisa

2018-04-09

Increased prevalence of language-based learning disabilities (LDs) has been previously reported in patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). This study hypothesized that patients with focal neurodegenerative syndromes outside the language network, such as posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), would have a higher rate of nonlanguage LDs, congruent with their mainly visuospatial presentation. To investigate the prevalence and type of LD (language and/or mathematical and visuospatial) in a large cohort of patients with PCA compared with patients with logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA) and amnestic Alzheimer disease (AD). This case-control study reviewed 279 medical records from a university-based clinic and research center for patients with neurodegenerative diseases for LD history, including patients with PCA (n = 95), patients with lvPPA (n = 84), and a matched cohort with amnestic AD (n = 100). No records were excluded. The study compared cognitive and neuroimaging features of patients with PCA with and without LDs. A review of the records of patients presenting from March 1, 1999, to August 31, 2014, revealed 95 PCA cases and 84 lvPPA cases. Then 100 patients with amnestic AD from this same period were chosen for comparison, matching against the groups for age, sex, and disease severity. Data analysis was performed from September 8, 2013, to November 6, 2017. Prevalence of total LD history and prevalence of language and mathematical or visuospatial LD history across all cohorts. A total of 179 atypical AD cases (95 with PCA and 84 with lvPPA) and 100 disease control cases (amnestic AD) were included in the study. The groups were not statistically different for mean (SD) age at first visit (PCA, 61.9 [7.0] years; lvPPA, 65.1 [8.7] years; amnestic AD, 64.0 [12.6] years; P = .08), mean (SD) age at first symptom (PCA, 57.5 [7.0] years; lvPPA, 61.1 [9.0] years; amnestic AD, 59.6 [13.7] years; P = .06), or sex (PCA, 66.3% female; lvPPA, 56.0% female

Nursing students' experience of patient's death

OpenAIRE

Rulíková, Klára

2016-01-01

Reflections on student nurse's experience with death of a patient during their studies were collected in form of questionnaires. Theory and practice were compared and research conducted into the needs of students, who experienced patient's death during their studies. Research concluded with recommendation for widening the nursing course programme and adding opportunities for students to share their feelings and experiences after their patients death. Key terms: death, dying patient, study, te...

Comparative value of brain perfusion SPECT and [123I]MIBG myocardial scintigraphy in distinguishing between dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer's disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanyu, Haruo; Shimizu, Soichiro; Hirao, Kentaro; Kanetaka, Hidekazu; Iwamoto, Toshihiko; Chikamori, Taishiro; Usui, Yasuhiro; Yamashina, Akira; Koizumi, Kiyoshi; Abe, Kimihiko

2006-01-01

Both decreased occipital perfusion on brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and reduction in cardiac 123 I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake are characteristic features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and potentially support the clinical diagnosis of DLB. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic value of these two methods for differentiation of DLB from Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study population comprised 19 patients with probable DLB and 39 patients with probable AD who underwent both SPECT with N-isopropyl-p-[ 123 I]iodoamphetamine and MIBG myocardial scintigraphy. Objective and quantitative measurement of perfusion in the medial occipital lobe, including the cuneus and lingual gyrus, was performed by the use of three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections. Medial occipital perfusion was significantly decreased in the DLB group compared with the AD group. The mean heart/mediastinum ratios of MIBG uptake were significantly lower in the DLB group than in the AD group. Although SPECT failed to demonstrate significant hypoperfusion in the medial occipital lobe in five patients with DLB, marked reduction of MIBG uptake was found in all patients with DLB. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that MIBG myocardial scintigraphy enabled more accurate discrimination between DLB and AD than was possible with perfusion SPECT. MIBG myocardial scintigraphy may improve the sensitivity in the detection of DLB. In particular, this method may provide a powerful differential diagnostic tool when it is difficult to distinguish cases of DLB from AD using brain perfusion SPECT. (orig.)

Characteristics of Cerebral Blood Flow in Vascular Dementia using SPM Analysis Compared to Normal Control and Alzheimer's Dementia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Do Young; Park, Kyung Won; Kim, Jae Woo

2003-01-01

Cerebral perfusion pattern of vascular dementia (VD) was not well established and overlap of cerebral perfusion pattern was reported between VD and Alzheimer's dementia (AD). The aim of this study is to assess the specific patterns of SPECT finding in VD compared with normal control subjects and to disclose differences of cerebral blood flow between subjects with VD and AD were investigated using statistic parametric mapping analysis. Thirty-two VD (mean age ; 67.86.4 years, mean CDR ; 0.980.27), 51 AD (mean age ; 71.47.2 years, CDR ; 1.160.47), which were matched for age and severity of dementia, and 30 normal control subjects (mean age ; 60.17.7 years) participated in this study. The Tc-99m HMPAO brain perfusion SPECT data were analyzed by SPM99. The SPECT data of the patients with VD were compared to those of the control subjects and then compared to the patients with AD. SPM analysis of the SPECT image showed significant perfusion deficits in the both frontal (both cingulate gyrus, both inferior frontal gyrus, B no.47, right frontal rectal gyrus, left frontal subcallosal gyrus, B no.25), both temporal (right insula, B no.13, left superior temporal gyrus, left parahippocampal gyrus, B no.35), occipital (occipital lingual gyrus), right corpus callosum and right cerebellar tonsil regions in subjects with VD compared with normal control subjects (uncorrected p<0.01). Comparison of the two dementia groups (uncorrected p<0.01) revealed significant hypoperfusion in both parietal posterior central gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus (B no.47), left insula, right thalamus (ventral lateral nucleus), right claustrum and right occipital cuneus regions in VD group compared with AD. There were no typical confined regional hypoperfusion areas but scattered multiple perfusion deficits in VD compared AD. These findings may be helpful to reflect the pathophysiological mechanisms of VD and to disclose differences of cerebral blood flow between subjects with VD and AD

How Do Value-Added Indicators Compare to Other Measures of Teacher Effectiveness? What We Know Series: Value-Added Methods and Applications. Knowledge Brief 5

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Douglas N.

2012-01-01

In the recent drive to revamp teacher evaluation and accountability, measures of a teacher's value added have played the starring role. But the star of the show is not always the best actor, nor can the star succeed without a strong supporting cast. In assessing teacher performance, observations of classroom practice, portfolios of teachers' work,…

The Goldstone equivalence theorem and AdS/CFT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anand, Nikhil; Cantrell, Sean [Department of Physics & Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University,Baltimore, MD 21218 (United States)

2015-08-03

The Goldstone equivalence theorem allows one to relate scattering amplitudes of massive gauge fields to those of scalar fields in the limit of large scattering energies. We generalize this theorem under the framework of the AdS/CFT correspondence. First, we obtain an expression of the equivalence theorem in terms of correlation functions of creation and annihilation operators by using an AdS wave function approach to the AdS/CFT dictionary. It is shown that the divergence of the non-conserved conformal current dual to the bulk gauge field is approximately primary when computing correlators for theories in which the masses of all the exchanged particles are sufficiently large. The results are then generalized to higher spin fields. We then go on to generalize the theorem using conformal blocks in two and four-dimensional CFTs. We show that when the scaling dimensions of the exchanged operators are large compared to both their spins and the dimension of the current, the conformal blocks satisfy an equivalence theorem.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy in AD of liquid soap containing 12% ammonium lactate + 20% urea.

Science.gov (United States)

Amichai, B; Grunwald, M H

2009-12-01

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic skin disease, which mainly affects children. Xerosis is one of the most troublesome signs of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of liquid soap containing 12% ammonium lactate + 20% urea in patients with AD. In a randomized, double-blind study, 36 patients (both male and female patients; age range 3-40 years) with mild to moderate AD were enrolled. Patients were divided randomly into two groups, in a ratio of 2:1 (active:placebo). The prescribed soap was used on a daily basis during a shower for 3 weeks. All patients continued all other systemic or topical medication but avoided any other soap or emollients. After 3 weeks of treatment, efficacy was assessed both by clinician and patient. There were significant improvements in scaling (P liquid soap was found to be effective in patients with AD, as use of this soap in patients with stable mild to moderate AD improved the parameters studied.

Vacuum currents in braneworlds on AdS bulk with compact dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Bellucci, S.; Saharian, A. A.; Vardanyan, V.

2015-11-01

The two-point function and the vacuum expectation value (VEV) of the current density are investigated for a massive charged scalar field with arbitrary curvature coupling in the geometry of a brane on the background of AdS spacetime with partial toroidal compactification. The presence of a gauge field flux, enclosed by compact dimensions, is assumed. On the brane the field obeys Robin boundary condition and along compact dimensions periodicity conditions with general phases are imposed. There is a range in the space of the values for the coefficient in the boundary condition where the Poincaré vacuum is unstable. This range depends on the location of the brane and is different for the regions between the brane and AdS boundary and between the brane and the horizon. In models with compact dimensions the stability condition is less restrictive than that for the AdS bulk with trivial topology. The vacuum charge density and the components of the current along non-compact dimensions vanish. The VEV of the current density along compact dimensions is a periodic function of the gauge field flux with the period equal to the flux quantum. It is decomposed into the boundary-free and brane-induced contributions. The asymptotic behavior of the latter is investigated near the brane, near the AdS boundary and near the horizon. It is shown that, in contrast to the VEVs of the field squared an denergy-momentum tensor, the current density is finite on the brane and vanishes for the special case of Dirichlet boundary condition. Both the boundary-free and brane-induced contributions vanish on the AdS boundary. The brane-induced contribution vanishes on the horizon and for points near the horizon the current is dominated by the boundary-free part. In the near-horizon limit, the latter is connected to the corresponding quantity for a massless field in the Minkowski bulk by a simple conformal relation. Depending on the value of the Robin coefficient, the presence of the brane can either

A mosaic adenovirus possessing serotype Ad5 and serotype Ad3 knobs exhibits expanded tropism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takayama, Koichi; Reynolds, Paul N.; Short, Joshua J.; Kawakami, Yosuke; Adachi, Yasuo; Glasgow, Joel N.; Rots, Marianne G.; Krasnykh, Victor; Douglas, Joanne T.; Curiel, David T.

2003-01-01

The efficiency of cancer gene therapy with recombinant adenoviruses based on serotype 5 (Ad5) has been limited partly because of variable, and often low, expression by human primary cancer cells of the primary cellular-receptor which recognizes the knob domain of the fiber protein, the coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR). As a means of circumventing CAR deficiency, Ad vectors have been retargeted by utilizing chimeric fibers possessing knob domains of alternate Ad serotypes. We have reported that ovarian cancer cells possess a primary receptor for Ad3 to which the Ad3 knob binds independently of the CAR-Ad5 knob interaction. Furthermore, an Ad5-based chimeric vector, designated Ad5/3, containing a chimeric fiber proteins possessing the Ad3 knob, demonstrates CAR-independent tropism by virtue of targeting the Ad3 receptor. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that a mosaic virus possessing both the Ad5 knob and the Ad3 knob on the same virion could utilize either primary receptor, resulting in expanded tropism. In this study, we generated a dual-knob mosaic virus by coinfection of 293 cells with Ad5-based and Ad5/3-based vectors. Characterization of the resultant virions confirmed the incorporation of both Ad5 and Ad3 knobs in the same particle. Furthermore, this mosaic virus was able to utilize either receptor, CAR and the Ad3 receptor, for virus attachment to cells. Enhanced Ad infectivity with the mosaic virus was shown in a panel of cell lines, with receptor profiles ranging from CAR-dominant to Ad3 receptor-dominant. Thus, this mosaic virus strategy may offer the potential to improve Ad-based gene therapy approaches by infectivity enhancement and tropism expansion

Patient participation in clinical decision-making in nursing: A comparative study of nurses' and patients' perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Florin, Jan; Ehrenberg, Anna; Ehnfors, Margareta

2006-12-01

The aim of this study was to compare the degree of concordance between patients and Registered Nurses' perceptions of the patients' preferences for participation in clinical decision-making in nursing care. A further aim was to compare patients' experienced participation with their preferred participatory role. Patient participation in clinical decision-making is valuable and has an effect on quality of care. However, there is limited knowledge about patient preferences for participation and how nurses perceive their patients' preferences. A comparative design was adopted with a convenient sample of 80 nurse-patient dyads. A modified version of the Control Preference Scale was used in conjunction with a questionnaire developed to elicit the experienced participation of the patient. A majority of the Registered Nurses perceived that their patients preferred a higher degree of participation in decision-making than did the patients. Differences in patient preferences were found in relation to age and social status but not to gender. Patients often experienced having a different role than what was initially preferred, e.g. a more passive role concerning needs related to communication, breathing and pain and a more active role related to activity and emotions/roles. Registered Nurses are not always aware of their patients' perspective and tend to overestimate patients' willingness to assume an active role. Registered Nurses do not successfully involve patients in clinical decision-making in nursing care according to their own perceptions and not even to the patients' more moderate preferences of participation. A thorough assessment of the individual's preferences for participation in decision-making seems to be the most appropriate approach to ascertain patient's involvement to the preferred level of participation. The categorization of patients as preferring a passive role, collaborative role or active role is seen as valuable information for Registered Nurses to

Memantine for treatment of moderate or severe Alzheimer's disease patients in urban China: clinical and economic outcomes from a health economic model.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Shanlian; Yu, Xin; Chen, Shengdi; Clay, Emilie; Toumi, Mondher; Milea, Dominique

2015-01-01

To estimate the clinical and economic benefits of memantine treatment initiated in moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) in China, compared with initiation in severe AD only. A Markov model with a 5-year time horizon simulated moderate patients' progression through health states. Two groups were compared: patients receiving memantine from the moderate stage (i.e., at model entry), continuing treatment when reaching the severe stage; patients initiating memantine only when they developed severe disease. After 5 years, fewer patients receiving memantine from the moderate stage were severe (49%), dependent (59%) or aggressive (47%) compared with moderate patients who initiated treatment from severe stage only (58, 67 and 55%, respectively). Total cost of care was lower for treatment from moderate stage (67 billion RMB) when compared with treatment from severe stage (73 billion RMB). In China, AD treatment with memantine from the moderate stage could result in substantial cost savings.

Simplifying superstring and D-brane actions in AdS4 x CP3 superbackground

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grassi, Pietro Antonio; Sorokin, Dmitri; Wulff, Linus

2009-01-01

By making an appropriate choice for gauge fixing kappa-symmetry we obtain a relatively simple form of the actions for a D = 11 superparticle in AdS 4 x S 7 /Z k , and for a D0-brane, fundamental string and D2-branes in the AdS 4 x CP 3 superbackground. They can be used to study various problems of string theory and the AdS 4 /CFT 3 correspondence, especially in regions of the theory which are not reachable by the OSp(6|4)/U(3) x SO(1,3) supercoset sigma-model. In particular, we present a simple form of the gauge-fixed superstring action in AdS 4 x CP 3 and briefly discuss issues of its T-dualization.