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Skeletal deformation like genu valgum is reported to be rare in Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). The solitary adenoma or hyperplasia of the parathyroid glands are the cause in 80-85% of the cases. We report 2 cases of girls on 12 years and 15 years of age, complaining from pain and genu valgum deformation of the lower extremities before the planned orthopaedic surgical correction. The first patient had complaints for 3 years and lost ability to walk independently, the second case lost normal gate for a period of 5 months. The paraclinical screening discovered hypercalcemia, hypophosphatemia, elevated alkaline phosphatase, normal creatinine, raised parathormone. In the first case the X-rays depicted fibrocystic osteodistrophy from a hyperparathyroid type with bone cysts, giant cell "brown tumors" and pathological bone reorganization, in the second case - coarse fibrous structure of the left knee joint with genu valgum with bone cysts in the distal metaphysis of the left femur. The ultrasound of the thyroid gland found oval hypoechoic formations with suspicious origin from the parathyroid glands. These findings were confirmed from the SPECT/CT pointing active adenomas in the parathyroid glands. Skeletal deformation like genu valgum is the reason to search for the primary diagnosis in our 2 cases. Investigation of the serum calcium and parathormone are diagnostic in 100%. The imaging diagnosis has a critical role for indicating surgical treatment of the parathyroid gland adenoma. Key words: genu valgum, hypercalcemia, paediatric parathyroid adenoma, ultrasound, SPECT/CT.

The recent developments in microwave systems, put high requirements to antenna arrays for RFID and radar applications, in terms of pattern shape and side lobe specs. The presented paper discusses an inexpensive approach for amplitude distribution control of aperture-coupled microstrip patch antenna, as a building block of more complex array systems.

We continue the study of the octagon form factor which helps to evaluate a class of four-point correlation functions in $\mathcal{N}=4$ SYM theory. The octagon is characterised, besides the kinematical parameters, by a "bridge" of $\ell$ propagators connecting two non-adjacent operators. In this paper we construct an operator representation of the octagon with finite bridge as an expectation value in the Fock space of free complex fermions. The bridge $\ell$ appears as the level of filling of the Dirac sea. We obtain determinant identities relating octagons with different bridges, which we derive from the expression of the octagon in terms of discrete fermionic oscillators. The derivation is based on the existence of a previously conjectured similarity transformation, which we find here explicitly., 29 pages, no figures. Minor corrections in v2

The foamability of surfactant solutions depends strongly on the adsorption properties of the surfactants, their concentrations, and the foaming test used for foam generation. The aim of the current study is to analyse the subtle interplay between the hydrodynamic conditions and the surfactant adsorption layers formed during foaming. We compare the results from three foam tests, characterized with very different hydrodynamic conditions. The Bartsch test (fast-foaming method) is characterized by a very short time, of the order of milliseconds, allowed for surfactant adsorption before the newly generated bubbles collide with each other. The other two “slow-foaming” tests, the planetary mixer and the foam rise method, are very different from this viewpoint – the characteristic time for surfactant adsorption before the bubble collisions is much longer, of the order of seconds. Surfactants of two different types, nonionic and anionic, with different chain-lengths are compared. The obtained results reveal that the long-chain nonionic surfactants with 16 carbon atoms are unable to stabilize the foams in the fast-foaming test, even at very high surfactant concentrations (50 mM), due to their relatively slow adsorption. Interestingly, the same surfactants are excellent foam stabilizers in the slow-foaming tests. On the other hand, the medium-chain anionic surfactants with 12 carbon atoms are very suitable for stabilization of the gas bubbles in the fast-foaming test, even at relatively low concentrations, due to their rapid adsorption and inherent electrostatic repulsion. In slow-foaming tests, however, the anionic surfactants show lower foamability to the nonionic ones. All results from the foam tests are explained in a unified approach which accounts explicitly for the rate of surfactant adsorption and for the characteristic time-scales of the various foaming tests.

We construct correlators in the $W_4$ Toda 2d conformal field theory for a particular class of representations and demonstrate a relation to a $W_2$ (Virasoro) theory with different central charge. The relevance of the classical limits of the constructed 3-point functions and braiding matrices to problems in 4d conformal theories is discussed., Comment: 8 pages, contribution to the Proceedings of the International Workshop "Supersymmetries and Quantum Symmetries", Dubna, Russia, August 3-8, 2015

In this paper we study the main surface characteristics which control the foamability of solutions of various surfactants. Systematic series of experiments with anionic, cationic and nonionic surfactants with different head groups and chain lengths are performed in a wide concentration range, from 0.001 mM to 100 mM. The electrolyte (NaCl) concentration is also varied from 0 up to 100 mM. For all surfactants studied, three regions in the dependence of the foamability, VA, on the logarithm of surfactant concentration, lgCS, are observed. In Region 1, VA is very low and depends weakly on CS. In Region 2, VA increases steeply with CS. In Region 3, VA reaches a plateau. To analyse these results, the dynamic and equilibrium surface tensions of the foamed solutions are measured. A key new element in our interpretation of the foaming data is that we use the surface tension measurements to determine the dependence of the main surface properties (surfactant adsorption, surface coverage and surface elasticity) on the surface age of the bubbles. In this way we interpret the results from the foaming tests by considering the properties of the dynamic adsorption layers, formed during foaming. The performed analysis reveals a large qualitative difference between the nonionic and ionic surfactants with respect to their foaming profiles. The data for the nonionic and ionic surfactants merge around two master curves when plotted as a function of the surface coverage, the surface mobility factor, or the Gibbs elasticity of the dynamic adsorption layers. This difference between the ionic and nonionic surfactants is explained with the important contribution of the electrostatic repulsion between the foam film surfaces for the ionic surfactants which stabilizes the dynamic foam films even at moderate surface coverage and at relatively high ionic strength (up to 100 mM). In contrast, the films formed from solutions of nonionic surfactants are stabilized via steric repulsion which becomes sufficiently high to prevent bubble coalescence only at rather high surface coverage (> 90%) which corresponds to related high Gibbs elasticity (> 150 mN/m) and low surface mobility of the dynamic adsorption layers. Mechanistic explanations of all observed trends are provided and some important similarities and differences with the process of emulsification are outlined.

The computation of a certain class of four-point functions of heavily charged BPS operators boils down to the computation of a special form factor - the octagon. In this paper, which is an extended version of the short note [1], we derive a non-perturbative formula for the square of the octagon as the determinant of a semi-infinite skew-symmetric matrix. We show that perturbatively in the weak coupling limit the octagon is given by a determinant constructed from the polylogarithms evaluating ladder Feynman graphs. We also give a simple operator representation of the octagon in terms of a vacuum expectation value of massless free bosons or fermions living in the rapidity plane., 22 pages, 1 figure, small typos corrected

We present a closed expression for the octagon form factor which appears as a building block in a class of four-point correlation functions in N=4 supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory considered recently by Coronado. The octagon form factor is expressed, to all loop orders, as the determinant of a semi-infinite matrix. We find that perturbatively at weak coupling the entries of this matrix are linear combinations of ladder functions with simple rational coefficients.

We construct a class of 3-point constants in the $sl(4)$ Toda conformal theory $W_4$, extending the examples in Fateev and Litvinov. Their knowledge allows to determine the braiding/fusing matrix transforming 4-point conformal blocks of one fundamental, labelled by the 6-dimensional $sl(4)$ representation, and three partially degenerate vertex operators. It is a $3 \times 3$ submatrix of the generic $6 \times 6$ fusing matrix consistent with the fusion rules for the particular class of representations. We check a braiding relation which has wider applications to conformal models with $sl(4)$ symmetry. The 3-point constants in dual regions of central charge are compared in preparation for a BPS like relation in the $\hat{sl}(4)$ WZW model., Comment: 27 pages, TeX with harvmac; v2: Content substantially extended, new references added

Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope is an underground detector located at the Northern Caucasus (Russia). The BUST can detect an astrophysical flux of neutrinos from Galactic sources as an excess of cosmic ray muon neutrinos arriving from the source direction. The search performed using 38 years (live time = 30.9) of the BUST dataset to look for a statistically significant excess of events arriving within a solid angle. No significant excess of events produced by astrophysical sources is found. Since the number of detected events is compatible with the number of expected background events upper limit on the muon neutrino flux is determined.

The thermal conversion of fifteen vacuum residual oils (VROs) having different properties was investigated in a modified high-temperature–high-pressure batch autoclave reactor. It was found that the sediment level (toluene insoluble) in the unconverted residual oil demonstrated a behavior typical for presence of induction period. The sediment level at the end of the induction period was mostly influenced by feedstock colloidal stability. The rate of sediment formation after the induction period was mostly influenced by VRO resin content. The results in this study do not support the assumption that the more aromatic VROs generate more coke-like sediments during thermal conversion. The higher density and aromatic VROs generated less sediment. The addition of high aromatic fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) slurry oil to a VRO decreased the thermal reactor surface deposit. The effect of this coke-like reactor sediment reduction is attributed to improvement in VRO asphaltene solubility by the high aromatic FCC slurry oil and a possible hydrogen donating properties of this gas oil. The use of a synthetic dispersant was found to improve the asphaltene solubility limit and extend the period of conversion without forming coke-like deposit in the thermal cracking reactor. The FCC slurry demonstrated a stronger inhibition effect on sediment formation than the synthetic dispersant probably because it is a stronger solvent and/or because it possesses hydrogen donating properties.

Areview of the notion, properties and the use of topological defects in 2d conformal field theories is presented. An emphasis is made on the recent interpretation of such operators in non-rational theories, as describing Wilson-’t Hooft loop operators of N = 2 supersymmetric 4d topological theories.

To better characterize aging in mice, the Jackson Aging Center carried out a lifespan study of 31 genetically-diverse inbred mouse strains housed in a specific pathogen-free facility. Clinical assessments were carried out every 6 months, measuring multiple age-related phenotypes including neuromuscular, kidney and heart function, body composition, bone density, hematology, hormonal levels, and immune system parameters. In a concurrent cross-sectional study of the same 31 strains at 6, 12, and 20 months, more invasive measurements were carried out followed by necropsy to assess apoptosis, DNA repair, chromosome fragility, and histopathology. In this report, which is the initial paper of a series, the study design, median lifespans, and circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) levels at 6, 12, and 18 months are described for the first cohort of 32 females and 32 males of each strain. Survival curves varied dramatically among strains with the median lifespans ranging from 251 to 964 days. Plasma IGF1 levels, which also varied considerably at each time point, showed an inverse correlation with a median lifespan at 6 months (R = -0.33, P = 0.01). This correlation became stronger if the short-lived strains with a median lifespan < 600 days were removed from the analysis (R = -0.53, P < 0.01). These results support the hypothesis that the IGF1 pathway plays a key role in regulating longevity in mice and indicates that common genetic mechanisms may exist for regulating IGF1 levels and lifespan.

Il prelievo polmonare, che inizia con l’accettazione dell’organo e termina immediatamente prima dell’impianto nel ricevente, implica una successione di tappe ciascuna delle quali gioca un ruolo importante nell’ottica del successo del trapianto sia a breve sia a lungo termine. I prelievi sono soprattutto da donatori cadaveri ma, in qualche caso molto selezionato, sono possibili prelievi lobari da donatori viventi. Altre branche di ricerca si orientano attualmente verso donatori a cuore non battente, permettendo di sperare in un maggior numero di innesti. L’appaiamento tra donatore e ricevente, che si fonda essenzialmente su parametri quali la compatibilita immunologica e il grado di urgenza, comprende anche la qualita dell’organo scelto, che puo essere ottimale o meno quando prelevati da donatori limite. L’equipe che si occupa del prelievo gioca un ruolo essenziale nell’accettazione definitiva dell’organo mediante esame in situ del polmone, nella coordinazione con l’equipe che effettuera il trapianto e per l’aspetto tecnico chirurgico del prelievo (preservazione e dissezione del mediastino). La qualita della conservazione e legata a una ipotermia stabile che inizia con la perfusione di soluzione elettrolitica extracellulare raffreddata, un’insufflazione moderata dell’organo senza iperossia e un breve periodo di ischemia fredda che consentono di ridurre il rischio di edema da riperfusione e alcune disfunzioni primarie dell’organo. La collaborazione delle equipe che lavorano sul donatore ha in questo tutta la sua importanza.

Inbred mouse strains are routinely used as genetically defined animal models for studying a wide assortment of biological and pathological processes, including immune system function. However, no studies have presented large-scale data on the immune cell populations among the inbred strains in physiological conditions. Here we present a systematic, quantitative analysis of peripheral blood cell phenotypes of 30 mouse strains assessed by flow cytometry. This cohort of mice represents a wide range of genetic origins and includes most of the strains used in genetic, physiological, and immunological studies. We evaluated the relative percentages of peripheral blood leukocyte subtypes (lymphocytes, granulocytes, and monocytes) and lymphocyte subpopulations (CD4+ T, CD8+ T, B220+ B, and natural killer cells) of mature (6-mo-old) mice. Our comprehensive study demonstrated: 1) marked differences in the relative proportions of blood cell populations among the strains at this age, 2) considerable variation of each immune trait with more than twofold difference between strains with the highest and the lowest trait values, and 3) haplotype analysis revealed a strong correlation between eosinophil percentage and a single region on chromosome 14 containing two candidate genes. The strain differences described here provide important information for researchers applying immunophenotyping of peripheral blood in immunological and genetic studies. The data from this study are available as part of the Mouse Phenome Database at http://www.jax.org/phenome .

Twenty-two crude oils around the world, from which 19 are processed in the LUKOIL Neftohim Burgas (LNB) refinery, were characterized in the LNB research laboratory by measuring 67 properties. These 22 crude oils included light low sulfur, light sulfur, intermediate low sulfur, intermediate sulfur, intermediate high sulfur, heavy high sulfur, and extra heavy extra high sulfur crudes. A new mathematical approach—the intercriteria analysis—was employed to study the relations between the petroleum properties. It was found that the petroleum properties, density, and sulfur content, along with the crude oil simulated distillation, seem to be capable of providing the same information as that from the full assay of a crude oil. Crude oils containing insoluble asphaltenes (self-incompatible oils) were found to have a high content of low aromaticity naphtha and kerosene. It was found that the asphaltene solubility correlated with the asphaltene hydrogen content. The oil solubility power was found to correlate with ...

The liver is an important target of Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Infection of CD-1 mice with T. cruzi (Brazil strain) resulted in parasitism of the liver, primarily in sinusoidal and Kupffer cells. Immunoblot analysis revealed activation of extra cellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) during the acute and subacute period of infection, but p38 mitogen activated kinase (MAPK) and JNK were not activated. The activity of important cell cycle regulatory genes was also examined in the liver following infection. There was increased expression of cyclin D1, cyclin E and cyclin A as well as proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) at 45, 60 and 215 days post infection. In addition, the levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p27(KIP1), p21(WAF1) and the tumor suppressor p53 were increased in the livers obtained from infected mice. Quantitative PCR revealed increased abundance of mRNA for cyclins A, D1 and E. Interestingly, cyclin A and E are ordinarily not found in the adult liver. Thus infection caused a reversion to a fetal/neonatal phenotype. These data provide a molecular basis for cell proliferation in the liver following T. cruzi infection.

We report on the use of centerline analysis of cardiac-gated magnetic resonance images to measure wall motion abnormalities in mice infected with Trypanosoma cruzi. To our knowledge, this is the first report of segmental wall motion abnormalities in an animal model of Chagas' disease. Chagas' disease patients with severe cardiac involvement exhibit mild hypokinesis in an extensive region of the left ventricle and dyskinesis in the apical region. We observed dyskinetic segments in a similar region of the hearts of infected wild-type mice. Dyskinesis was not observed in infected mice lacking macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha, a chemokine that may play an important role in the cardiac remodeling that is normally observed in mouse models of Chagas' disease and in human patients. This study aimed to demonstrate the utility of cardiac-gated magnetic resonance imaging and centerline analysis as a straightforward method for monitoring regional left ventricular wall motion in transgenic and/or diseased mice.

The MHC class I-like Fc receptor FcRn plays an essential role in extending the half-life (t(1/2)) of IgG antibodies and IgG-Fc-based therapeutics in the circulation. The goal of this study was to analyze the effect of human IgG1 (hIgG1) antibodies with enhanced in vitro binding to FcRn on their in vivo t(1/2) in mice expressing human FcRn (hFcRn). Mutants of the humanized monoclonal Herceptin antibody (Hu4D5-IgG1), directed against human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (p185 (HER2)), show altered pH-dependent binding to hFcRn in vitro. Two engineered IgG1 mutants (N434A and T307A/E380A/N434A) showed a considerably extended t(1/2) in vivo compared with wild-type antibody in mice expressing an hFcRn transgene (Tg) but not in mice expressing the endogenous mouse FcRn. The efficiency of hFcRn-mediated protection was dependent on hFcRn Tg copy number. Moreover, when injected into FcRn-humanized mice at a concentration sufficient to partially saturate hFcRn, the engineered IgG1 mutants with an extended serum t(1/2) were most effective in reducing the t(1/2) of a tracer hIgG1 antibody. Finally, administration of mutant with high binding to hFcRn ameliorated arthritis induced by passive transfer with human pathogenic plasma. These results indicate that Fc regions modified for high binding affinity to hFcRn increases serum persistence of therapeutic antibodies, that the same approach can be exploited as an anti-autoimmune therapy to promote the clearance of endogenous pathogenic IgG and that FcRn-humanized mice are a promising surrogate for hIgG therapeutic development.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex autoimmune disease with a poorly understood pathogenesis. The disease is associated with polyclonal B cell activation and the production of autoantibodies (autoAbs), but there is a longstanding controversy as to whether such Abs contribute to, or are secondary to, the pathogenesis of RA. To address the potential pathogenicity of human RA–associated Abs, we developed a passive transfer model involving mice deficient in the low-affinity inhibitory Fc receptor, FcγRIIB. We report that plasma or serum from patients with active RA can induce inflammation and histological lesions in FcγRIIB−/− mice consistent with arthritis, and that this pathogenic activity is caused by the immunoglobulin G–rich fraction. Our results suggest that humoral autoimmunity can contribute directly to autoimmune arthritis, and that FcγRIIB−/− mice are a promising model to evaluate the arthritogenic potential of human autoAbs.

Trypanosoma cruzi infection causes cardiomyopathy and vasculopathy. We examined the consequence of this infection for the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, which regulate cell proliferation in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. Infection of these cells resulted in activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1and 2 (ERK1/2) but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase or p38 MAPK. Treatment of these cells with the MAPK kinase inhibitor PD98059 prior to infection blocked the increase in phosphorylated ERK1/2 seen with infection. Heat-killed parasites did not activate ERK1/2, indicating that activation of ERK1/2 was dependent on infection of these cells by live parasites. Furthermore, transfection with dominant-negative Raf(301) or Ras(N17) constructs reduced the infection-associated levels of phospho-ERK1/2, indicating that the activation of ERK1/2 involved the Ras-Raf-ERK pathway. Infection also resulted in an increase in activator protein 1 (AP-1) activity, which was inhibited by transfection with a dominant-negative Raf(301) construct. T. cruzi -infected endothelial cells secreted endothelin-1 and interleukin-1β, which activated ERK1/2 and induced cyclin D1 expression in uninfected smooth muscle cells. These data suggest a possible molecular paradigm for the pathogenesis of the vasculopathy and the cardiovascular remodeling associated with T. cruzi infection.

The MHC class I family-like Fc receptor, FcRn, is normally responsible for extending the life span of serum IgG Ab's, but whether this molecule contributes to autoimmune pathogenesis remains speculative. To determine directly whether this function contributes to humoral autoimmune disease, we examined whether a deficiency in the FcRn heavy chain influences autoimmune arthritis in the K/BxN mouse model. FcRn deficiency conferred either partial or complete protection in the arthritogenic serum transfer and the more aggressive genetically determined K/BxN autoimmune arthritis models. The protective effects of an FcRn deficiency could be overridden with excessive amounts of pathogenic IgG Ab's. The therapeutic saturation of FcRn by high-dose intravenous IgG (IVIg) also ameliorated arthritis, directly implicating FcRn blockade as a significant mechanism of IVIg's anti-inflammatory action. The results suggest that FcRn is a potential therapeutic target that links the initiation and effector phases of humoral autoimmune disease.

In the spirit of the quantum Hamiltonian reduction we establish a relation between the chiral $n$-point functions, as well as the equations governing them, of the $A_1^{(1)}$ WZNW conformal theory and the corresponding Virasoro minimal models. The WZNW correlators are described as solutions of the Knizhnik - Zamolodchikov equations with rational levels and isospins. The technical tool exploited are certain relations in twisted cohomology. The results extend to arbitrary level $k+2 \neq 0$ and isospin values of the type $J=j-j'(k+2)$, $ \ 2j, 2j' \in Z\!\!\!Z_+$., Comment: 40 pages

Abs of the IgG isotype are efficiently transported from mother to neonate and have an extended serum t1/2 compared with Abs of other isotypes. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the MHC class I-related protein, the neonatal FcR (FcRn), is the FcR responsible for both in vivo functions. To understand the phenotypes imposed by FcRn, we produced and analyzed mice with a defective FcRn gene. The results provide direct evidence that perinatal IgG transport and protection of IgG from catabolism are mediated by FcRn, and that the latter function is key to IgG homeostasis, essential for generating a potent IgG response to foreign Ags, and the basis of enhanced efficacy of Fc-IgG-based therapeutics. FcRn is therefore a promising therapeutic target for enhancing protective humoral immunity, treating autoimmune disease, and improving drug efficacy.

Chagas' disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important cause of cardiomyopathy. Microvascular spasm and matrix dissolution, modulated by endothelin-1 (ET-1), is implicated in the pathogenesis of chagasic heart disease. To further elucidate the role of ET-1 in murine chagasic heart disease, C57BL/6×129sv mice were infected with T. cruzi (103 trypomastigotes of the Brazil strain). These mice are resistant to death during the acute phase but progress to chronic cardiomyopathy. Infected mice were compared with infected mice treated with phosphoramidon, a non-specific metalloprotease inhibitor that is also a potent inhibitor of endothelin-converting enzyme, at a dose of 10mg/kg. Mice were treated with phosphoramidon for the initial 15 days post infection (PI). All mice were evaluated 200 days PI. Examination of infected, untreated mice revealed marked inflammation, vasculitis and fibrosis. The hearts of infected treated mice had significantly less pathology. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed that right ventricular internal diameter (RVID) was significantly greater (P

Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi causes a generalised vasculitis of several vascular beds. This vasculopathy is manifested by vasospasm, reduced blood flow, focal ischaemia, platelet thrombi, increased platelet aggregation and elevated plasma levels of thromboxane A(2) and endothelin-1. In the myocardium of infected mice, myonecrosis and a vasculitis of the aorta, coronary artery, smaller myocardial vessels and the endocardial endothelium are observed. Immunohistochemistry studies employing anti-endothelin-1 antibody revealed increased expression of endothelin-1, most intense in the endocardial and vascular endothelium. Elevated levels of mRNA for prepro endothelin-1, endothelin converting enzyme and endothelin-1 were observed in the infected myocardium. When T. cruzi-infected mice were treated with phosphoramidon, an inhibitor of endothelin converting enzyme, there was a decrease in heart size and severity of pathology. Mitogen-activated protein kinases and the transcription factor activator-protein-1 regulate the expression of endothelin-1. Therefore, we examined the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases in the myocardium by T. cruzi. Western blot demonstrated an extracellular signal regulated kinase. In addition, the activator-protein-1 DNA binding activity, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay, was increased. Increased expression of cyclins A and cyclin D1 was observed in the myocardium, and immunohistochemistry studies revealed that interstitial cells and vascular and endocardial endothelial cells stained intensely with antibodies to these cyclins. These data demonstrate that T. cruzi infection of the myocardium activates extracellular signal regulated kinase, activator-protein-1, endothelin-1, and cyclins. The activation of these pathways is likely to contribute to the pathogenesis of chagasic heart disease. These experimental observations suggest that the vasculature plays a role in the pathogenesis of chagasic cardiomyopathy. Additionally, the identification of these pathways provides possible targets for therapeutic interventions to ameliorate or prevent the development of cardiomyopathy during T. cruzi infection.

Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important cause of myocarditis and chronic cardiomyopathy and is accompanied by microvascular spasm and myocardial ischemia. We reported previously that infection of cultured endothelial cells with T. cruzi increased the synthesis of biologically active endothlein-1 (ET-1). In the present study, we examined the role of ET-1 in the cardiovascular system of CD1 mice infected with the Brazil strain of T. cruzi and C57BL/6 mice infected with the Tulahuen strain during acute infection. In the myocardium of infected mice myonecrosis and multiple pseudocysts were observed. There was also an intense vasculitis of the aorta, coronary artery, smaller myocardial vessels and the endocardial endothelium. Immunohistochemistry studies employing anti-ET-1 antibody revealed increased expression of ET-1 that was most intense in the endocardial and vascular endothelium. Elevated levels of mRNA for preproET-1, endothelin converting enzyme and ET-1 were observed in the same myocardial samples. Plasma ET-1 levels were significantly elevated in infected CD1 mice 10-15 days post infection. These observations suggest that increased levels of ET-1 are a consequence of the initial invasion of the cardiovascular system and provide a mechanism for infection-associated myocardial dysfunction.

We find the solution of the $\hat{sl}(3)_k$ singular vector decoupling equations on 3-point functions for the particular case when one of the fields is of weight $w_0\cdot k\Lambda_0$. The result is a function with non-trivial singularities in the flag variables, namely a linear combination of 2F1 hypergeometric functions. This calculation fills in a gap in [1] and confirms the $\hat{sl}(3)_k$ fusion rules determined there both for generic $\kappa \not \in \IQ$ and fractional levels. We have also analysed the fusion in $\hat{sl}(3)_k$ using algebraic methods generalising those of Feigin and Fuchs and again find agreement with [1]. In the process we clarify some details of previous treatments of the fusion of $\hat{sl}(2)_k$ fractional level admissible representations.

The classification of rational conformal field theories is reconsidered from the standpoint of boundary conditions. Solving Cardy's equation expressing the consistency condition on a cylinder is equivalent to finding integer valued representations of the fusion algebra. A complete solution not only yields the admissible boundary conditions but also gives valuable information on the bulk properties., Comment: 7 pages, LaTeX; minor corrections

The effects of the β-adrenoceptor blocker pindolol and the calcium antagonist verapamil administered alone or in combination on retention in step-down- and shuttle-box-trained rats and on the biogenic monoamine levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus were examined. The chronic oral treatment with pindolol impaired retention in step-down- and shuttle-box-trained rats, decreasing the dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) levels and increasing the serotonin (5-HT) levels in the cortex and hippocampus. Verapamil did not influence retention in step-down- and shuttle-box avoidance situation and the biogenic monoamine levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. It should, however, be noted that the chronic oral treatment with verapamil completely abolished the retention-impairing effect of pindolol, restoring to normal DA, NA and 5-HT levels. These findings might be of interest to clinical practice and suggest the necessity for using a combination of β-blockers with Ca2+ antagonists in case of prolonged treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

In this paper, we pursue the discussion of the connections between rational conformal field theories (CFT) and graphs. We generalize our recent work on the relations of operator product algebra (OPA) structure constants of $sl(2)\,$ theories with the Pasquier algebra attached to the graph. We show that in a variety of CFT built on $sl(n)\,$ -- typically conformal embeddings and orbifolds, similar considerations enable one to write a linear system satisfied by the matrix elements of the Pasquier algebra in terms of conformal data -- quantum dimensions and fusion coefficients. In some cases, this provides a sufficient information for the determination of all the eigenvectors of an adjacency matrix, and hence of a graph., 44 pages, 6 postscript figures, the whole uuencoded. TEX file, macros used : harvmac.tex , epsf.tex. Optionally, AMS fonts in amssym.def and amssym.tex

We reconsider the problem of determining the semiclassical three-point function in the Euclidean ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{3}$ model. Exploiting the affine symmetry of the model, we use solutions of the classical Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation to compute the saddle point of the action in the presence of three vertex operators. This alternative derivation reproduces the ``heavy charge'' classical limit of the quantum three-point correlator. It is different from the recently proposed expression obtained by the generalized Pohlmeyer reduction in ${\mathrm{AdS}}_{2}$.

The BRST quantisation of the Drinfeld - Sokolov reduction applied to the case of $A^{(1)}_2\,$ is explored to construct in an unified and systematic way the general singular vectors in ${\cal W}_3$ and ${\cal W}_3^{(2)}$ Verma modules. The construction relies on the use of proper quantum analogues of the classical DS gauge fixing transformations. Furthermore the stability groups $\overline W^{(\eta)}\,$ of the highest weights of the ${\cal W}\,$ - Verma modules play an important role in the proof of the BRST equivalence of the Malikov-Feigin-Fuks singular vectors and the ${\cal W}$ algebra ones. The resulting singular vectors are essentially classified by the affine Weyl group $W\, $ modulo $\overline W^{(\eta)}\,$. This is a detailed presentation of the results announced in a recent paper of the authors (Phys. Lett. B318 (1993) 85).

The construction of the fusion ring of a quasi-rational CFT based on $\hat{sl}(3)_k$ at generic level $k\not \in {\Bbb Q}$ is reviewed. It is a commutative ring generated by formal characters, elements in the group ring ${\Bbb Z}[\tilde{W}]$ of the extended affine Weyl group $\tilde{W}$ of $\hat{sl}(3)_k$. Some partial results towards the $\hat{sl}(4)_k$ generalisation of this character ring are presented., Comment: 13 pages; two figures. Talk at ``Lie Theory and Its Applications in Physics III'', Clausthal, 11-14 July, 1999, to appear in the Proceedings, eds. H.-D. Doebner et al

The problem of describing the singular vectors of $\cW_3$ and $\cW_3^{(2)}$ Verma modules is addressed, viewing these algebras as BRST quantized Drinfeld-Sokolov (DS) reductions of $A^{(1)}_2\,$. Singular vectors of an $A^{(1)}_2\,$ Verma module are mapped into $\W$ algebra singular vectors and are shown to differ from the latter by terms trivial in the BRST cohomology. These maps are realized by quantum versions of the highest weight DS gauge transformations.

Chagas' disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important cause of heart disease. Previous studies from this laboratory revealed that microvascular spasm and myocardial ischemia were observed in infected mice. Infection of endothelial cells with this parasite increased the synthesis of biologically active endothelin-1 (ET-1). Therefore. in the myocardium of T. cruzi-infected mice, we examined ET-1 expression and the p42/44-mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK)-AP-1 pathway that regulates the expression of ET-1. There was parasitism and myonecrosis in the myocardium of infected C57BL/6 mice. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis revealed elevated mRNA expression of transcription factor AP-1 (c-jun and c-fos) and increased AP-1 DNA binding activity as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Western blot analysis demonstrated an increase in the phosphorylated forms of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2). ET-1 mRNA was upregulated in the myocardium of infected mice. Immunohistochemical and immunoelectron microscopy using anti-ET-1 antibody detected increased expression in cardiac myocytes and endothelium of these mice. These data suggest that ET-1 contributes to chagasic cardiomyopathy and that the mechanism of the increased expression of ET-1 is a result of the activation of the MAPK pathway by T. cruzi infection.

To better characterize aging in mice, the Jackson Aging Center carried out a lifespan study of 31 genetically-diverse inbred mouse strains housed in a specific pathogen-free facility. Clinical assessments were carried out every 6 months, measuring multiple age-related phenotypes including neuromuscular, kidney and heart function, body composition, bone density, hematology, hormonal levels, and immune system parameters. In a concurrent cross-sectional study of the same 31 strains at 6, 12, and 20 months, more invasive measurements were carried out followed by necropsy to assess apoptosis, DNA repair, chromosome fragility, and histopathology. In this report, which is the initial paper of a series, the study design, median lifespans, and circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) levels at 6, 12, and 18 months are described for the first cohort of 32 females and 32 males of each strain. Survival curves varied dramatically among strains with the median lifespans ranging from 251 to 964 days. Plasma IGF1 levels, which also varied considerably at each time point, showed an inverse correlation with a median lifespan at 6 months (R = -0.33, P = 0.01). This correlation became stronger if the short-lived strains with a median lifespan600 days were removed from the analysis (R = -0.53, P0.01). These results support the hypothesis that the IGF1 pathway plays a key role in regulating longevity in mice and indicates that common genetic mechanisms may exist for regulating IGF1 levels and lifespan.

We derive pentagon type relations for the 3-point boundary tachyon correlation functions in the non-critical open string theory with generic c_{matter} < 1 and study their solutions in the case of FZZ branes. A new general formula for the Liouville 3-point factor is derived., 18 pages, harvmac; misprints corrected, section 3.2 extended, a new general formula for the Liouville 3-point factor added

We construct explicitly the correlation functions on the plane of the rational spin and level A1(1) WZNW conformal model. The corresponding Virasoro minimal correlations are recovered in the limit when isospin sl(2, C ) variables xi approach the coordinates zi. The Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation reduces to a differential equation for the minimal conformal blocks, reflecting the decoupling of the Virasoro null vectors.

The existence of U q (sl(2)) invariant operators for q P = 1 leads to relations for the quantum Clebsch - Gordan kernels and for the quantum 6j-symbols (= fusion matrices). These relations effectively reduce some equalities, inherited from the generic q case, and imply, in particular, that the polynomial identities for the quantum 6 j -symbols are consistent with the minimal theories chiral fusion rules.