Search

Objective: To examine the frequency of distribution of allelic polymorphisms of the α2-adrenoceptor gene in normotensive and hypertensive humans.

Research comparing hormone therapy (HT) doses, regimens, and routes of delivery in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes has been limited. This study directly compared different estrogen doses, routes of delivery, and HT formulations in postmenopausal women in relation to the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, CVD mortality, total CVD, and all-cause mortality.

Abstract: Global communication requirements and load imbalance of some parallel data mining algorithms are the major obstacles to exploit the computational power of large-scale systems. This work investigates how non-uniform data distributions can be exploited to remove the global communication requirement and to reduce the communication cost in parallel data mining algorithms and, in particular, in the k-means algorithm for cluster analysis. In the straightforward parallel formulation of the k-means algorithm, data and computation loads are uniformly distributed over the processing nodes. This approach has excellent load balancing characteristics that may suggest it could scale up to large and extreme-scale parallel computing systems. However, at each iteration step the algorithm requires a global reduction operation which hinders the scalability of the approach. This work studies a different parallel formulation of the algorithm where the requirement of global communication is removed, while maintaining the same deterministic nature of the centralised algorithm. The proposed approach exploits a non-uniform data distribution which can be either found in real-world distributed applications or can be induced by means of multi-dimensional binary search trees. The approach can also be extended to accommodate an approximation error which allows a further reduction of the communication costs. The effectiveness of the exact and approximate methods has been tested in a parallel computing system with 64 processors and in simulations with 1024 processing elements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although joint symptoms are commonly reported after menopause, observational studies examining exogenous estrogen’s influence on joint symptoms provide mixed results. Against this background, estrogen-alone effects on joint symptoms were examined in post hoc analyses in the Women’s Health Initiative randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial.

Immunotherapy that facilitates endogenous T-cell activity has the potential to target therapy-resistant tumor clones. In vitro studies have demonstrated that lenalidomide repairs the T-cell immunologic synapse defect in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Pentostatin, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab (PCR) in CLL is clinically active with modest toxicity, indicating suitability of this chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) platform for combination with immunotherapy. Here we report on a trial of PCR followed by lenalidomide consolidation. Of 34 patients who received lenalidomide, 24% improved their quality of response and 4 patients converted to minimal residual disease negative status. Retrospective comparison to a historical PCR trial indicated that lenalidomide consolidation extends time to progression requiring salvage therapy. Longitudinal analysis showed that antitumor T-cell immune synapse activity improved post-PCR and was further enhanced after lenalidomide consolidation. These novel data showing repair of T-cell defects provide proof-of-principle that lenalidomide-based consolidation after CIT could have a beneficial clinical and immunologic role in CLL.

The article describes how the economic performance in Ireland changed and explains why the country is on the verge of default. It states that the Irish economy grew rapidly in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s when the country benefited from membership in the European Union. At the same time, Ireland entered into a deep recession, where unemployment rose and the gross domestic product (GDP) fell, forcing the government to borrow 35 percent of the GDP in 2010.

The article examines the effects of spending cuts in Great Britain's economy in 2011. The government believes that cutting the spending will regulate a rising debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio and will unburden the next generation from paying off the public debt. Those opposing the spending cuts believe that the cuts will harm the economy further especially because infrastructure plans are the first ones affected. Spending cuts effects on social equality, unemployment rate and the possibility of another recession are included.

Surgical menopause has been associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease events. In this study, we aimed to determine the associations between coronary artery calcium (CAC) and hysterectomy, oophorectomy, and hormone therapy use with a focus on the duration of menopause for which there was no hormone therapy use.

To study the effects of postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT) on the incidence and severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).The Women's Health Initiative randomized controlled trials evaluated the effects of unopposed estrogen (E‐alone) and estrogen plus progestin (E+P) compared with placebo on a diverse set of health outcomes over 7.1 and 5.6 years, respectively. RA cases were identified using historical and medication data. The hazard of developing RA was estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Disease symptom severity was estimated using the Short Form 36 (SF‐36) and self‐reported joint pain scores at baseline and after 1 year. Mean changes in severity were compared using linear regression models.Of the 27,347 participants, 63 prevalent cases and 105 incident cases of RA were identified. A nonsignificant reduction in the risk of developing RA (hazard ratio 0.74; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.51, 1.10) was noted with PHT use. PHT use led to improved SF‐36 scores in unadjusted analyses (percent change 12.5%; 95% CI −24.45, −0.57) but not after adjustment for relevant covariates (P = 0.33). Nonsignificant improvements in joint pain scores were seen with PHT use (odds ratio [OR] 4.10; 95% CI 0.83, 20.20). PHT did not improve swelling (OR 1.27; 95% CI 0.08, 19.63) or prevent new joint pains (OR 0.72; 95% CI 0.11, 4.68) in RA participants.There were no statistically significant differences in the risk of developing RA or the severity of RA between the PHT and placebo groups.

This paper addresses the neglect of consumption in studies of aesthetic labour by theorising the gendered material cultures of work and consumption. Firstly, it argues that aesthetic labourers influence the consumption of others by working on the desirability of commodities, what Callon refers to as the 'qualification' of economic value. The paper argues this relies on gendered practices of consumption and work, and that it differs between fields of consumer-facing work. Secondly, it discusses how aesthetic labour relies on the consumption practices of workers, with engagement with consumer culture essential to the successful enactment of work roles.

The analysis of single molecules instead of a molecular ensemble provides a more detailed insight into molecular states and environment. Surface- and also tip-enhanced (resonance) Raman spectroscopy are becoming an interesting alternative to, in this respect, commonly employed fluorescence spectroscopy because of the much richer spectral information that is obtained from unmodified, label-free species. However, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the target molecule and contamination or decomposition of the sample, and unfortunately, it is not always ensured that the observed Raman features actually stem from the investigated species. The important question that arises in enhanced Raman studies addressed here is how to distinguish between the target molecule and the carbonaceous species.

Background:Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) cause significant morbidity and mortality each year in the United States. Treatment options for these infections are often limited, in part due to carbapenemases, which are mobile β-lactam-hydrolyzing enzymes that confer multidrug resistance in CRE. As part of the CDC’s Containment Strategy for Emerging Resistance, public health laboratories (PHLs) in the CDC Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network (AR Lab Network) have worked to characterize clinical isolates of CRE for rapid identification of carbapenemase genes. These data are then used by public health and healthcare partners to promote patient safety by decreasing the spread of resistance. We summarize carbapenemase gene profiles in CRE, by genus and geography, using data collected through the AR Lab Network from January 2018 through August 2019. Methods:CRE isolates were submitted to 55 PHLs, including those of all 50 states, 4 large cities, and Puerto Rico, in accordance with each jurisdiction’s reporting laws. PHLs performed phenotypic and molecular testing on isolates to detect targeted, emerging carbapenemase genes and reported results to submitters. Carbapenemase-positive (CP) isolates were defined as PCR positive for ≥1 carbapenemase gene tested: blaKPC, blaNDM, blaVIM, blaIMP, blaOXA-48–LIKE. PHLs submitted results to CDC monthly. Genera other than Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Escherichia coliare categorized as other genera in this analysis. Data were compiled and analyzed using SAS v 9.4 software. Results:From January 2018 to August 2019, the AR Lab Network tested 25,705 CRE isolates; 8,864 of 25,705 CRE (34%) were CP. Klebsiellaspp represented the largest proportion of CP-CRE at 68% (n = 6,063), followed by E. coli(12%, n = 1,052), Enterobacterspp (11%, n = 981), and other genera (9%, n = 768). Figure 1a shows the composition of CP-CRE carbapenemase genes by genus. The most common carbapenemase and genus profiles were blaKPC in Klebsiella(74%; 5,562 of 7,561 blaKPC-positive) blaNDM in E. coli(43%; 372 of 868 blaNDM-positive) blaVIM in Enterobacterspp (35%; 25 of 72 blaVIM-positive), and blaIMP among other genera (90%; 92 of 102 blaIMP-positive). Common CP-CRE genes and genera also varied by geography (Fig. 1b). Conclusions:The AR Lab Network has greatly enhanced our nation’s ability to detect and characterize CP-CRE. Our data provide a snapshot of the organisms and regions where mobile carbapenemase genes are most often detected in CRE. Geographic variation in CP gene profiles provides actionable data to inform local priorities for detection and infection control and provide clinicians with situational awareness of the genes and organisms that are circulating in their region.Funding:NoneDisclosures:In this presentation, the authors discuss the drug combination aztreonam-avibactam and acknowledge that this drug combination is not currently FDA-approved.

Breast cancer diagnosis and treatment may put women at higher risk for osteoporosis in later life.In a subgroup of participants in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, authors of the current study investigated differences in bone mineral density (BMD, measured by dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry) between breast cancer survivors (n = 209) and a noncancer reference group (n = 5759).In comparison to the reference group, breast cancer survivors had significantly lower total body BMD value (0.989 vs. 1.013 g/cm2, P = 0.001) and total hip BMD value (0.823 vs. 0.845 g/cm2, P = 0.02) at baseline after adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, years since menopause, and clinical center. These lower BMD levels were largely explained by lower usage of hormone therapy (HT) among survivors: after additional statistical adjustment for HT, hip BMD values were 0.834 versus 0.844 g/cm2 (P = 0.26), and total body values were 1.005 versus 1.013 g/cm2 (P = 0.33) for survivors and reference women, respectively. More than 77% of survivors with osteoporosis were undiagnosed by their healthcare providers, and this was similar to the undiagnosed rate in the reference group (85.7%). Longitudinally, breast cancer survivors in this study did not demonstrate an accelerated rate of bone loss compared with the reference population.Associated with lower HT usage, postmenopausal survivors of breast cancer were more likely to have low BMD in comparison to other women of the same age; and many of these survivors with osteoporosis were undiagnosed. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.

No Abstract

No Abstract

Hydroxide adsorption on the (111), (110), and (100) faces of silver electrodes from mixed NaOH/NaF solution is studied using cyclic voltammetry and in situ second harmonic generation (SHG). Cyclic voltammograms for the three low index silver planes in alkaline electrolytes are for the first time compared. They show two pairs of anodic and cathodic peaks in the potential interval below the equilibrium Ag/Ag2O potential. These are attributed to the specific adsorption of hydroxide ions followed by submonolayer oxide formation. The differences in the cyclic voltammograms for the (111), (110), and (100) planes are attributed to different (i) work functions, (ii) surface atomic densities, and (iii) corrugation potentials for these surfaces. Ex situ low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) show that disordered adlayers are formed on Ag(111) and Ag(100), in contrast to Ag(110), where ordered structures are produced in the region of the first pair of current peaks. In the region of the second pair of peaks, LEED indicates disordered oxide phases on each crystal plane and RHEED shows the presence of small islands of c(2 × 2) structure at some potentials on (110) and (100). SHG measurements were performed (i) in the potential scan mode at constant rotational angle and (ii) at constant potential as a function of the rotational angle. The isotropic (for the (111), (110), and (100) planes) and anisotropic (for the (110) and (111) planes) contributions to the SHG intensity were calculated by fitting the experimental data and are discussed in terms of their dependence on the charge density at the interface, on hydroxide adsorption, and on submonolayer oxide formation.

Hydroxide (OH−) adsorption at Ag(111)/alkaline electrolyte interfaces is the initial step leading to the formation of surface oxide. We investigate how OH−anion adsorption is influenced by co-adsorption of supporting electrolyte anions (F−). Pure NaF and NaOH as well as mixed electrolytes ranging from pH=5.8 to 14 are investigated. The rotational anisotropy of the second harmonic generation (SHG) signal is measured to distinguish adsorptive processes from structural changes on the Ag surface. Our results clearly show a cross-over from F−-dominated to OH−-dominated adsorption, while both species remain charged upon adsorption. At more positive potentials, but below the reversible potential of bulk oxide growth, OH is discharged leading to sub-monolayer oxide build-up, whereas in acidic electrolyte, Ag is dissolved. At intermediate pH, the formation of a structured OH−/F−co-adsorbed layer is proposed.

The strong electromagnetic field enhancement, occurring at illuminated metal structures with sub-wavelength dimensions, is exploited to develop Raman spectroscopy with exceedingly high sensitivity and lateral resolution, possibly down to single molecule detection. After reviewing Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) on single crystalline surfaces and colloids we present recent results on the Tip Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (TERS) approach, where a metal tip is used as an external enhancing unit. In this way the electromagnetic and chemical surface enhancement are physically separated: the former is confined to the tip, the latter to the metal-adsorbate system. So far, TERS has been reported only for a few molecules exhibiting large Raman cross sections, such as sulphur or dye molecules. Here, we present combined SERS and TERS studies for the CN^- ions and TERS for Brilliant Cresyl Blue adsorbed at smooth thin gold films.

In situ subtractively normalized interfacial Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (SNIFTIRS) has been employed to study the adsorption of pyridine at the Au(110) electrode surface. The IR spectra provide direct spectroscopic evidence that pyridine molecules adsorb, bonded through the nitrogen atom to the Au(110) surface, in the whole range of electrode potentials. IR spectroscopy was further used to study the effect of the electrode potential on the tilt angle (angle between the C 2 axis of the molecule and the direction normal to the surface) of the adsorbed molecules. The IR data consistently show that the tilt angle decreases progressively with increasing electrode potential (charge on the metal). The change of the tilt angle may be described in terms of the electric field-dipole interaction and is caused by the dielectric saturation phenomenon. At low charge density, where the field is small, the film of N-bonded pyridine molecules is less rigid and the molecules exhibit a waving motion. This motion is restrained significantly in the presence of a large electrostatic field (high charge density at the metal). The monolayer of adsorbed molecules can be considered as being effectively frozen at sufficiently high charge densities.

By application of 20 fs laser pulses, vibrational wave packets of low-energy modes (mainly 357 and 421 cm^-1) were generated in the perylene chromophore that gave rise to periodic beats that lasted longer than 1 ps in transient absorption signals. Electron transfer from the excited singlet state of the perylene chromophore, attached as molecule DTB−Pe via the −CH2−phosphonic acid group to anatase TiO2, was measured in ultrahigh vacuum with a time constant of 75 fs. The vibrational wave packet that was generated in the donor state continued its motion for several hundred femtoseconds in the product state of the reaction, i.e., in the ionized chromophore. This is direct proof for electron transfer occurring from a nonrelaxed vibrational population that was created by the short laser pulse in the donor molecule. The rise of the product state showed a staircase-like time dependence. The steps are attributed to electron transfer that occurs preferentially each time the vibrational wave packet (frequency 480 cm^-1) reaches a crossing point for the potential curves of reactant and product state. Such wave-packet modulation of heterogeneous electron transfer can arise if the density of electronic acceptor states in the electrode is changing strongly over an energy range on the order of the reorganization energy below the excited molecular donor orbital.

Background.Amid current changes in health care access across the United States, the importance of health insurance status and insurance type relative to demographic, actual, and perceived health variables as determinants of screening for breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer is uncertain. This analysis evaluates the hypothesis that health insurance independently predicts cancer screening in the Women's Health Initia tive Observational Study cohort.

Measurement of N‐telopeptides of type I bone collagen (NTX) provides a specific indicator of the current level of bone resorption. The biological intrasubject variability of NTX in urine and serum was studied in 277 postmenopausal women, mean age, 63.6 years ± 10.2 (±SD) years. Second‐morning void urine and serum specimens were collected at baseline and for two consecutive days to determine short‐term variability (%CV). Long‐term variability was determined by comparing NTX results at baseline and two consecutive months. Subjects were instructed to maintain current diet, lifestyle, and medications during the study. The median short‐term %CV was 13.1% for urine NTX. This compared with 6.3% for serum NTX. Calculation of long‐term %CV showed similar trends, with the %CV for NTX measured in serum (7.5%) lower than when measured in urine (15.6%). Using the least significant change (LSC) calculation, our data show that to be 90% confident that a decrease in NTX after initiation of antiresorptive therapy in an individual patient is not caused by variability alone, a 31% decrease in urine NTX and a 14% decrease in serum NTX is required. As reported changes in NTX caused by antiresorptive therapy are greater than these calculations; our results support the use of either specimen to measure NTX to monitor the effect of therapy.

Background Studies have reported high levels of plasma homocyst(e)ine as an independent risk factor for arterial occlusive disease. The Cholesterol Lowering Atherosclerosis Study reported an increase in plasma homocyst(e)ine levels in patients receiving both colestipol and niacin compared with placebo. Thus the objective of this study was to examine the effect of niacin treatment on plasma homocyst(e)ine levels. Methods The Arterial Disease Multiple Intervention Trial, a multicenter randomized, placebo-controlled trial, examined the effect of niacin compared with placebo on homocyst(e)ine in a subset of 52 participants with peripheral arterial disease. Results During the screening phase, titration of niacin dose from 100 mg to 1000 mg daily resulted in a 17% increase in mean plasma homocyst(e)ine level from 13.1 +/- 4.4 @mmol/L to 15.3 +/- 5.6 @mmol/L (P < .0001). At 18 weeks after randomization, there was an absolute 55% increase from baseline in mean plasma homocyst(e)ine levels in the niacin group and a 7% decrease in the placebo group (P = .0001). This difference remained statistically significant at the end of follow-up at 48 weeks. Conclusions Niacin substantially increased plasma homocyst(e)ine levels, which could potentially reduce the expected benefits of niacin associated with lipoprotein modification. However, plasma homocyst(e)ine levels can be decreased by folic acid supplementation. Thus further studies are needed to determine whether B vitamin supplementation to patients undergoing long-term niacin treatment would be beneficial. (Am Heart J 1999;138:1082-7.)

The coadsorption of NO and O2on Ag(110) surface has been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and in situ Raman spectroscopy. The existence of oxygen enhances the adsorption of NO by forming the NOx species, that is, NO2and NO3, and the NO in turn as a promotor facilitates the cleavage of the dioxygen bond, forming the surface atomic oxygen species having the same spectral characteristics as those produced using oxygen at high pressure. The oxygen species generated by the interaction is composed of two parts. One is produced directly by the decomposition of surface NO–O2complex at ca 625K, which raised an O1s feature at 530.5eV and is absent at ca 800K, while the another with an O1s binding energy of 529.2eV emerges at higher temperatures and shows similar properties as the reported γ-state oxygen which bound tightly on restructured silver surface. The exposure to NO and O2causes noticeable changes in the morphology of the Ag(110) surface and the flat terraces superseded by small (ca 0.1μm) pits, and particles with typical diameters of a few micrometres were formed at elevated temperatures.

A confocal fluorescence imaging study of the potential-induced adsorption/desorption of octadecanol onto/from a Au(111) electrode is presented. Octadecanol is known to adsorb onto the electrode surface from the air−water interface, and at a sufficiently negative potential, the surfactant is desorbed. The carbocyanine dye, DiIC18(5) was mixed with the octadecanol at 3 mol % concentration allowed the use of fluorescence imaging techniques for characterization of the influence of potential on the physical characteristics of the molecules near or on the electrode surface. Images at potentials characteristic of the adsorption and desorption process as well as intermediate potentials were measured. The observation of fluorescence from surfactant aggregates at the desorption potential indicated that these aggregates were separated from the electrode surface. Readsorption of the desorbed surfactants was observed revealed by the gradual disappearance of fluorescence due to quenching by the gold surface. The influence of the initial deposition conditions was also investigated. Significant differences were observed in the overall intensity, the size, and structure of the desorbed surfactants with the amount of surfactant deposited onto the electrode surface. J-aggregates were observed for the higher coverage layers indicating dye aggregation. At intermediate potentials between the adsorption and desorption limits, evidence of adsorbed intermediate structures was observed. The desorbed surfactants were observed to exist as a diffuse collection away from the electrode surface. These are preliminary results, and further work is planned for measuring the size distribution of aggregates and its dependence on potential.

Extremely intense Raman signals from pyridine adsorbed on single crystals with (111) and (100) orientation and polycrystalline silver electrodes are reported. To obtain these intense Raman signals with an enhancement factor of 105only one carefully controlled oxidation/reduction cycle is necessary. This does not lead to an increase in surface roughness nor to a change in crystalline surface orientation. Different orientations of the silver electrode give characteristic surface adsorption Raman spectra. These differences appear in frequency positions, relative intensities and halfwidths of the Raman bands, as well as in the potential dependences of these spectroscopic data. The observed spectrum is assumed to be the sum over the spectra for the different adsorption sites.

In our attempt to find an anesthetic agent which did not influence the renin-angiotensin system in the rat, the effect of widely used injectable and gaseous anesthetics and narcotic agents on renin release was characterized. All of the agents studied induced dose- and time-related increases in serum renin activity when administered in anesthetic doses. Preliminary experiments indicated that cardiovascular effects were highly variable, giving little insight into the relationship between renin release and cardiovascular changes. Propranolol impaired most of the anesthesia-induced renin release and impaired aldosterone release with the one agent (urethane) studied.Renin release by two anesthetic agents (ketamine and urethane) appeared to be mediated primarily through the beta-adrener-gic receptor mechanism, but equivocal results were obtained with other agents (pento-barbital and morphine). It is possible that other anesthetics, as with urethane, may induce aldosterone release by way of renin release. This anesthesia-induced renin release and the extensive biologic activities of angio-tensin and aldosterone suggest a potential for influencing many investigations, particularly those involving cardiovascular and endocrine systems.The antibody used in radioimmunoassay of aldosterone was a gift of the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases.This work was supported by grants from the American Heart Association, Hoffman-La Roche Fdn., TheMerck Fdn. and Institutional Grant No. 5-S01-RR-05426-10.William A. Pettinger, M.D., is a Burroughs-Well-come Scholar in Clinical Pharmacology.