54,335 research outputs found
The IPHAS catalogue of H alpha emission-line sources in the northern Galactic plane
No full textWe present a catalogue of point-source H alpha emission-line objects selected from the INT/WFC Photometric Ha Survey (IPHAS) of the northern Galactic plane. The catalogue covers the magnitude range 13 <= r' <= 19.5 and includes Northern hemisphere sources in the Galactic latitude range -5 degrees < b < 5 degrees. It is derived from similar to 1500 deg(2) worth of imaging data, which represents 80 per cent of the final IPHAS survey area. The electronic version of the catalogue will be updated once the full survey data become available. In total, the present catalogue contains 4853 point sources that exhibit strong photometric evidence for Ha emission. We have so far analysed spectra for similar to 300 of these sources, confirming more than 95 per cent of them as genuine emission-line stars. A wide range of stellar populations are represented in the catalogue, including early-type emission-line stars, active late-type stars, interacting binaries, young stellar objects and compact nebulae.
The spatial distribution of catalogue objects shows overdensities near sites of recent or current star formation, as well as possible evidence for the warp of the Galactic plane. Photometrically, the incidence of Ha emission is bimodally distributed in (r' - i'). The blue peak is made up mostly of early-type emission-line stars, whereas the red peak may signal an increasing contribution from other objects, such as young/active low-mass stars. We have cross-matched our H alpha-excess catalogue against the emission-line star catalogue of Kohoutek & Wehmeyer, as well as against sources in SIMBAD. We find that fewer than 10 per cent of our sources can be matched to known objects of any type. Thus IPHAS is uncovering an order of magnitude more faint (r' > 13) emission-line objects than were previously known in the Milky Way
Should we be giving enhanced vitamin D intakes to all?
No full textIt is widely established that vitamin D is critical for bone health. There is also an increasing body of evidence from observational studies that low levels of vitamin D are associated with a range of other disorders, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. People in temperate climates are often deficient in vitamin D, particularly in wintertime. The key question is whether there is sufficient evidence to justify supplementing vitamin D intakes for all. In this 'Controversy in Medicine', two international experts argue the case 'for' and 'against' universal vitamin D supplementation
Interventions to achieve long-term weight loss in obese older people
No full textThis is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Age and Ageing following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Witham, M. & Avenell, A. (2010). 'Interventions to achieve long-term weight loss in obese older people.' Age and Ageing 39(2) pp. 176-184 is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afp251.Peer reviewe
Does oral sodium bicarbonate therapy improve function and quality of life in older patients with chronic kidney disease and low-grade acidosis (the BiCARB trial)? : Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
No full textDate of acceptance: 01/07/2015 © 2015 Witham et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Acknowledgements UK NIHR HTA grant 10/71/01. We acknowledge the financial support of NHS Research Scotland in conducting this trial.Peer reviewe
Effect of vitamin D supplementation on blood pressure:a systematic review and meta-analysis incorporating individual patient data
No full textImportance Low levels of vitamin D are associated with elevated blood pressure (BP) and future cardiovascular events. Whether vitamin D supplementation reduces BP and which patient characteristics predict a response remain unclear.Objective To systematically review whether supplementation with vitamin D or its analogues reduce BP.Data Sources We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and http://www.ClinicalTrials.com augmented by a hand search of references from the included articles and previous reviews. Google was searched for gray literature (ie, material not published in recognized scientific journals). No language restrictions were applied. The search period spanned January 1, 1966, through March 31, 2014.Study Selection We included randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials that used vitamin D supplementation for a minimum of 4 weeks for any indication and reported BP data. Studies were included if they used active or inactive forms of vitamin D or vitamin D analogues. Cointerventions were permitted if identical in all treatment arms.Data Extraction and Synthesis We extracted data on baseline demographics, 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP), and change in BP from baseline to the final follow-up. Individual patient data on age, sex, medication use, diabetes mellitus, baseline and follow-up BP, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were requested from the authors of the included studies. For trial-level data, between-group differences in BP change were combined in a random-effects model. For individual patient data, between-group differences in BP at the final follow up, adjusted for baseline BP, were calculated before combining in a random-effects model.Main Outcomes and Measures Difference in SBP and DBP measured in an office setting.Results We included 46 trials (4541 participants) in the trial-level meta-analysis. Individual patient data were obtained for 27 trials (3092 participants). At the trial level, no effect of vitamin D supplementation was seen on SBP (effect size, 0.0 [95% CI, −0.8 to 0.8] mm Hg; P = .97; I2 = 21%) or DBP (effect size, −0.1 [95% CI, −0.6 to 0.5] mm Hg; P = .84; I2 = 20%). Similar results were found analyzing individual patient data for SBP (effect size, −0.5 [95% CI, −1.3 to 0.4] mm Hg; P = .27; I2 = 0%) and DBP (effect size, 0.2 [95% CI, −0.3 to 0.7] mm Hg; P = .38; I2 = 0%). Subgroup analysis did not reveal any baseline factor predictive of a better response to therapy.Conclusions and Relevance Vitamin D supplementation is ineffective as an agent for lowering BP and thus should not be used as an antihypertensive agent.<br/
Can vitamin D deficiency cause diabetes and cardiovascular diseases? Present evidence and future perspectives
No full textSeveral studies have shown that vitamin D may play a role in many biochemical mechanisms in addition to bone and calcium metabolism. Recently, vitamin D has sparked widespread interest because of its involvement in the homeostasis of the cardiovascular system. Hypovitaminosis D has been associated with obesity, related to trapping in adipose tissue due to its lipophilic structure. In addition, vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and this may be due to the relationship between low vitamin D levels and obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidaemia, endothelial dysfunction and hypertension. However, although vitamin D has been identified as a potentially important marker of CVD, the mechanisms through which it might modulate cardiovascular risk are not fully understood. Given this background, in this work we summarise clinical retrospective and prospective observational studies linking vitamin D levels with cardio-metabolic risk factors and vascular outcome. Moreover, we review various randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of vitamin D supplementation on surrogate markers of cardiovascular risk. Considering the high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D among patients with high cardiovascular risk, vitamin D replacement therapy in this population may be warranted; however, further RCTs are urgently needed to establish when to begin vitamin D therapy, as well as to determine the dose and route and duration of administration. © 2011 Elsevier B.V
1ST MEASUREMENT OF GAMMA(D(S)(+)-]MU+NU)/GAMMA(D(S)(+)-]PHI-PI+)
No full textComplete Author List:
ACOSTA D, ATHANAS M, MASEK G, PAAR H, BEAN A, GRONBERG J, KUTSCHKE R, MENARY S, MORRISON RJ, NAKANISHI S, NELSON HN, NELSON TK, RICHMAN JD, RYD A, TAJIMA H, SCHMIDT D, SPERKA D, WITHERELL MS, PROCARIO M, YANG S, BALEST R, CHO K, DAOUDI M, FORD WT, JOHNSON DR, LINGEL K, LOHNER M, RANKIN P, SMITH JG, ALEXANDER JP, BEBEK C, BERKELMAN K, BESSON D, BROWDER TE, CASSEL DG, CHO HA, COFFMAN DM, DRELL PS, EHRLICH R, GALIK RS, GARCIASCIVERES M, GEISER B, GITTELMAN B, GRAY SW, HARTILL DL, HELTSLEY BK, JONES CD, JONES SL, KANDASWAMY J, KATAYAMA N, KIM PC, KREINICK DL, LUDWIG GS, MASUI J, MEVISSEN J, MISTRY NB, NG CR, NORDBERG E, OGG M, PATTERSON JR, PETERSON D, RILEY D, SALMAN S, SAPPER M, WORDEN H, WURTHWEIN F, AVERY P, FREYBERGER A, RODRIGUEZ J, STEPHENS R, YELTON J, CINABRO D, HENDERSON S, KINOSHITA K, LIU T, SAULNIER M, SHEN F, WILSON R, YAMAMOTO H, ONG B, SELEN M, SADOFF AJ, AMMAR R, BALL S, BARINGER P, COPPAGE D, COPTY N, DAVIS R, HANCOCK N, KELLY M, KWAK N, LAM H, KUBOTA Y, LATTERY M, NELSON JK, PATTON S, PERTICONE D, POLING R, SAVINOV V, SCHRENK S, WANG R, ALAM MS, KIM IJ, NEMATI B, ONEILL JJ, SEVERINI H, SUN CR, ZOELLER MM, CRAWFORD G, DAUBENMIER CM, FULTON R, FUJINO D, GAN KK, HONSCHEID K, KAGAN H, KASS R, LEE J, MALCHOW R, MORROW F, SKOVPEN Y, SUNG M, WHITE C, WHITMORE J, WILSON P, BUTLER F, FU X, KALBFLEISCH G, LAMBRECHT M, ROSS WR, SKUBIC P, SNOW J, WANG PL, WOOD M, BORTOLETTO D, BROWN DN, FAST J, MCILWAIN RL, MIAO T, MILLER DH, MODESITT M, SCHAFFNER SF, SHIBATA EI, SHIPSEY IPJ, WANG PN, BATTLE M, ERNST J, KROHA H, ROBERTS S, SPARKS K, THORNDIKE EH, WANG CH, DOMINICK J, SANGHERA S, SHELKOV V, SKWARNICKI T, STROYNOWSKI R, VOLOBOUEV I, ZADOROZHNY P, ARTUSO M, HE D, GOLDBERG M, HORWITZ N, KENNETT R, MONETI GC, MUHEIM F, MUKHIN Y, PLAYFER S, ROZEN Y, STONE S, THULASIDAS M, VASSEUR G, ZHU G, BARTELT J, CSORNA SE, EGYED Z, JAIN V, SHELDON P, AKERIB DS, BARISH B, CHADHA M, CHAN S, COWEN DF, EIGEN G, MILLER JS, OGRADY C, URHEIM J, WEINSTEIN A
A 2 h periodic variation in the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1
No full textSpectroscopy of the low-mass X-ray binary Ser X-1 using the Gran Telescopio Canarias have revealed a ?2 h periodic variability that is present in the three strongest emission lines. We tentatively interpret this variability as due to orbital motion, making it the first indication of the orbital period of Ser X-1. Together with the fact that the emission lines are remarkably narrow, but still resolved, we show that a main-sequence K dwarf together with a canonical 1.4 M? neutron star gives a good description of the system. In this scenario, the most likely place for the emission lines to arise is the accretion disc, instead of a localized region in the binary (such as the irradiated surface or the stream-impact point), and their narrowness is due instead to the low inclination (?10°) of Ser X-1
Vitamin D and the cardiovascular system
No full textVitamin D, a secosteroid hormone, affects multiple biological pathways via both genomic and nongenomic signalling. Several pathways have potential benefit to cardiovascular health, including effects on parathyroid hormone, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, vascular endothelial growth factor and cytokine production, as well as direct effects on endothelial cell function and myocyte calcium influx. Observational data supports a link between low vitamin D metabolite levels and cardiovascular health. Cross-sectional data shows associations between low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and stroke, myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and heart failure. Longitudinal data also suggests a relationship with incident hypertension and new cardiovascular events. However, these associations are potentially confounded by reverse causality and by the effects that other cardiovascular risk factors have on vitamin D metabolite levels. Intervention studies to date suggest a modest antihypertensive effect of vitamin D, no effect on serum lipids, a small positive effect on insulin resistance and fasting glucose, and equivocal actions on arterial stiffness and endothelial function. Analysis of cardiovascular event data collected from osteoporosis trials does not currently show a clear signal for reduced cardiovascular events with vitamin D supplementation, but results may be confounded by the coadministration of calcium, and by the secondary nature of the analyses. Despite mechanistic and observational data that suggest a protective role for vitamin D in cardiovascular disease, intervention studies to date are less promising. Large trials using cardiovascular events as a primary outcome are needed before vitamin D can be recommended as a therapy for cardiovascular disease
Exclusive and inclusive semileptonic decays of B mesons to D mesons
No full textcomplete author list: Fulton R.; Jensen T.; Johnson D.; Kagan H.; Kass R.; Morrow F.; Whitmore J.; Wilson P.; Bortoletto D.; Chen W.; Dominick J.; McIlwain R.; Miller D.; Ng C.; Schaffner S.; Shibata E.; Shipsey I.; Yao W.; Battle M.; Sparks K.; Thorndike E.; Wang C.; Alam M.; Kim I.; Li W.; Romero V.; Sun C.; Wang P.; Zoeller M.; Goldberg M.; Haupt T.; Horwitz N.; Jain V.; Mestayer M.; Moneti G.; Rozen Y.; Rubin P.; Sharma V.; Skwarnicki T.; Thulasidas M.; Zhu G.; Csorna S.; Letson T.; Alexander J.; Artuso M.; Bebek C.; Berkelman K.; Browder T.; Cassel D.; Cheu E.; Coffman D.; Crawford G.; Dewire J.; Drell P.; Ehrlich R.; Galik R.; Garcia-Sciveres M.; Geiser B.; Gittelman B.; Gray S.; Halling A.; Hartill D.; Heltsley B.; Honscheid K.; Kandaswamy J.; Katayama N.; Kreinick D.; Lewis J.; Ludwig G.; Masui J.; Mevissen J.; Mistry N.; Nandi S.; Nordberg E.; O'Grady C.; Peterson D.; Pisharody M.; Riley D.; Sapper M.; Selen M.; Silverman A.; Stone S.; Worden H.; Worris M.; Sadoff A.; Avery P.; Besson D.; Garren L.; Yelton J.; Kinoshita K.; Pipkin F.; Procario M.; Wilson R.; Wolinski J.; Xiao D.; Zhu Y.; Ammar R.; Baringer P.; Coppage D.; Davis R.; Haas P.; Kwak N.; Lam H.; Ro S.; Kubota Y.; Nelson J.; Perticone D.; Poling R.; Fulton R.; Poling R.; Perticone D.; Nelson J.; Fulton R.</p
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