Naresuan University Journal
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Kadanoff-Baym approach to flavour mixing and oscillations in resonant leptogenesis
No full textWe describe a loopwise perturbative truncation scheme for quantum transport equations in the Kadanoff–Baym formalism, which does not necessitate the use of the so-called Kadanoff–Baym or quasi-particle ansaetze for dressed propagators. This truncation scheme is used to study flavour effects in the context of Resonant Leptogenesis (RL), showing explicitly that, in the weakly-resonant regime, there exist two distinct and pertinent flavour effects in the heavy-neutrino sector: (i) the resonant mixing and (ii) the oscillations between different heavy-neutrino flavours. Moreover, we illustrate that Kadanoff–Baym and quasi-particle ansaetze, whilst appropriate for the flavour-singlet dressed charged-lepton and Higgs propagators of the RL scenario, should not be applied to the dressed heavy-neutrino propagators. The use of these approximations for the latter is shown to capture only flavour oscillations, whilst discarding the separate phenomenon of flavour mixing
Lutein supplementation leads to decreased soluble complement membrane attack complex sC5b‐9 plasma levels
No full textPURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lutein on systemic complement activation in elderly individuals. METHODS: Seventy patients with signs of early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) were included in this study. All subjects were randomly assigned to receive a 10 mg daily dose of lutein or a placebo for a time period of 1 year. EDTA blood was collected before and at various time-points during the study (0, 4, 8 and 12 months). The plasma level of the soluble complement membrane attack complex sC5b-9 was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: We found a significant 1.1 ng/ml monthly decrease in the plasma sC5b-9 concentration in the lutein group (p <0.001), resulting in a decrease from 60.3 ng/ml at baseline to 46.3 ng/ml at 12 months. For the placebo group, we found a significant 0.6 ng/ml monthly increase in plasma sC5b-9 concentration (p = 0.001), resulting in an increase from 51.6 ng/ml at baseline to 58.4 ng/ml at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Lutein supplementation inhibits the systemic activation of the complement system, which provides further functional evidence for the reported beneficial effects of this carotenoid in the management of AMD
Brand scouting: co-creation of value in the Football Manager community
No full textPrevious research has highlighted the blurred distinction between production and consumption and the diversity of ways through which consumers engage in value co-creation with companies, either at the individual or at the collective level. However, the exact process of collective value co-creation, the roles of consumers in the process and the reasons for consumer participation remain somehow unclear. The aim of this paper is to further explore how and why consumers participate in value co-creation in the context of brand-centered communities. Our study is based on a netnographic study of the Football Manager (FM) game community and interviews with key community members. The FM game is a football management simulation game. The task of gamers is to act as football managers by taking control of a football team of their choice, in any league of the world, and manage team tactics and squad selection, player transfers, and other duties associated with the football manager post (Crawford 2006). Gamers build their imaginative football management careers through the temporal progression of the game. Given its simulation character, one of the most important and fulfilling aspects of the FM game is its capacity to offer a realistic representation of the football world. To achieve this, each year the company releases a new edition of the game, containing the latest information on the football world. This information is stored in a huge database upon which the game is based. The FM Greek online community is a fan-site affiliate Greek community, but is not officially associated with the company that creates the game, namely Sports Interactive. Our findings illustrate how members of the FM community participate in the co-creation of the FM game through the concept of brand scouting. We conceptualize brand scouting as the cyclical process through which brand and/or product enthusiasts are committed, as members of a brand-centered community, to providing unpaid research work for the brand in the form of scouting undertaken within and beyond the confines of the community for the sake of enhancing their consumption experiences. We further describe how the process of brand scouting extends and goes beyond current theorizations of value co-creation
Establishing the feasibility of assessing the mental health of children displaced by the Syrian conflict
No full textBackground. In the humanitarian crisis context of conflict zones, collecting data is essential for identifying and addressing the mental health needs of refugee children to avoid mass suffering. This study tested the feasibility of recruiting refugees caring for children and using established and brief parent-report questionnaires in a challenging context to collect mental health data on refugee children displaced by Syria's conflict.Methods. Caregivers of 4–10-year olds attending primary schools run by non-governmental organisation (NGO) Generation Freedom in and near refugee camps on the Syrian–Turkish border were invited to complete the Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale (PEDS) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).Results. It was possible to reach 144 adult refugees caring for children with research participation information and use informed consent procedures. A total of 106 caregivers completed the questionnaires yielding a good return rate (74%). Eighty-two (77.4%) caregivers had complete data on the PEDS and 61 (57.5%) on the SDQ. Almost half (49%) of the children met the clinical cut-off for being anxious/withdrawn and 62% for being fearful rated using the PEDS and 45% for SDQ rated emotional symptoms. More than a third had clinical levels of behavioural problems on both scales.Conclusions. It proved feasible to collect child mental health data in challenging conditions in the context of the Syrian crisis with support from a local NGO providing humanitarian assistance. The PEDS performed better than the SDQ in this context. High levels of emotional distress and behavioural problems in children reiterate the urgent need for evidence-based psychosocial support
In vivo repopulating activity emerges at the onset of hematopoietic specification during embryonic stem cell differentiation.
No full textThe generation of in vivo repopulating hematopoietic cells from in vitro differentiating embryonic stem cells has remained a long-standing challenge. To date, hematopoietic engraftment has mostly been achieved through the enforced expression of ectopic transcription factors. Here, we describe serum-free culture conditions that allow the generation of in vivo repopulating hematopoietic cells in the absence of ectopically expressed factors. We show that repopulating activity arises immediately upon the commitment of mesodermal precursors to the blood program, within the first wave of hematopoietic specification. We establish that the formation of these progenitors is extremely transient and exquisitely sensitive to the cytokine milieu. Our findings define the precise differentiating stage at which hematopoietic repopulating activity first appears in vitro, and suggest that during embryonic stem cell differentiation, all hematopoietic programs are unraveled simultaneously from the mesoderm in the absence of cues that restrict the coordinated emergence of each lineage as is normally observed during embryogenesis
A roadmap for comparing readmission policies with application to Denmark, England, Germany and the United States
No full textUnderstanding the Cognitive Underpinnings of Functional Impairments in Early Dementia: A Review
No full textObjectives: Early dementia is marked by cognitive and functional impairments, and although studies indicate an association between these, detailed analyses exploring this relationship are rare. It is crucial to understand how specific cognitive deficits underlie functional deficits to develop successful cognitive interventions. This paper reviews the evidence of impairment in everyday functioning and in working, long-term and prospective memory in early dementia. Findings are evaluated with respect to the relationship between cognitive and functional impairments. Methods: From the literature searches, 17 studies on everyday functioning and 40 studies on memory were obtained. Studies were only included if patients had an official diagnosis and were in the early stages of dementia. Results: Complex instrumental activities of daily living were subject to greater impairment than basic activities of daily living. In particular, early dementia patients struggle with finance tasks; a deficit linked to impaired working memory. Regarding cognition, long-term memory is the earliest form of memory to decline as is well recognised. Evidence also indicates deficits in working and prospective memory, with inconsistent evidence about impairments of the former. A major limitation of the literature is a lack of studies assessing individual everyday activities and the associated error patterns that might occur. Conclusion: This review critically assesses the status of translational research for everyday activities in early dementia, an area with critical implications for cognitive-based rehabilitation. Further research is required into the detailed assessment of individual everyday activity and specific memory deficits, in order to effectively map cognitive functions onto functional performanc
Evolution pathways of IgE responses to grass and mite allergens throughout childhood
No full textBACKGROUND: Little is known about longitudinal patterns of the development of IgE to distinct allergen components. OBJECTIVE: We sought to investigate the evolution of IgE responses to allergenic components of timothy grass and dust mite during childhood. METHODS: In a population-based birth cohort (n = 1184) we measured IgE responses to 15 components from timothy grass and dust mite in children with available samples at 3 time points (ages 5, 8, and 11 years; n = 235). We designed a nested, 2-stage latent class analysis to identify cross-sectional sensitization patterns at each follow-up and their longitudinal trajectories. We then ascertained the association of longitudinal trajectories with asthma, rhinitis, eczema, and lung function in children with component data for at least 2 time points (n = 534). RESULTS: Longitudinal latent class analysis revealed 3 grass sensitization trajectories: (1) no/low sensitization; (2) early onset; and (3) late onset. The early-onset trajectory was associated with asthma and diminished lung function, and the late-onset trajectory was associated with rhinitis. Four longitudinal trajectories emerged for mite: (1) no/low sensitization; (2) group 1 allergens; (3) group 2 allergens; and (3) complete mite sensitization. Children in the complete mite sensitization trajectory had the highest odds ratios (ORs) for asthma (OR, 7.15; 95% CI, 3.80-13.44) and were the only group significantly associated with comorbid asthma, rhinitis, and eczema (OR, 5.91; 95% CI, 2.01-17.37). Among children with wheezing, those in the complete mite sensitization trajectory (but not other longitudinal mite trajectories) had significantly higher risk of severe exacerbations (OR, 3.39; 95% CI, 1.62-6.67). CONCLUSIONS: The nature of developmental longitudinal trajectories of IgE responses differed between grass and mite allergen components, with temporal differences (early vs late onset) dominant in grass and diverging patterns of IgE responses (group 1 allergens, group 2 allergens, or both) in mite. Different longitudinal patterns bear different associations with clinical outcomes, which varied by allergen
Diagnostic mutation profiling and validation of non small cell lung cancer small biopsy samples using a high throughput platform.
No full textBACKGROUND:: A single platform designed for the synchronous screening of multiple mutations can potentially enable molecular profiling in samples of limited tumor tissue. This approach is ideal for the assessment of advanced non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diagnostic specimens, which often comprise small biopsies. Therefore, we aimed in this study to validate the mass-spectrometry based Sequenom LungCarta™ panel and MassARRAY® platform using DNA extracted from a single 5 µM formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue section. METHODS:: Mutations, including those with an equivocal spectrum, detected in ninety cases of NSCLC (72 lung biopsies, 13 metastatic tissue biopsies, 3 resections, and 2 cytology samples) were validated by a combination of standard sequencing techniques, immunohistochemical staining for p53 protein, and next generation sequencing (NGS) with the TruSight Tumor™ panel. RESULTS:: Fifty-five mutations were diagnosed in 47 cases (52%) in the following genes; TP53 (22), KRAS (15), EGFR (5), MET (3), PIK3CA (3), STK11 (2), NRF-2 (2), EPHA5 (1), EPHA3 (1), and MAP2K1 (1). Of the 90 samples, one failed testing due to poor quality DNA. An additional 7 TP53 mutations were detected by NGS, which facilitated the interpretation of p53 immunohistochemistry but required 5 x 10 µM tumor sections per sample tested. CONCLUSIONS:: The LungCarta panel is a sensitive method of screening for multiple alterations (214 mutations across 26 genes) and which optimises the use of limited amounts of tumor DNA isolated from small specimens