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- Schael, S, et al.
(författare)
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Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
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Ingår i: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report on the final electroweak measurements performed with data taken at the Z resonance by the experiments operating at the electron-positron colliders SLC and LEP. The data consist of 17 million Z decays accumulated by the ALEPH, DELPHI, L3 and OPAL experiments at LEP, and 600 thousand Z decays by the SLID experiment using a polarised beam at SLC. The measurements include cross-sections, forward-backward asymmetries and polarised asymmetries. The mass and width of the Z boson, m(Z) and Gamma(Z), and its couplings to fermions, for example the p parameter and the effective electroweak mixing angle for leptons, are precisely measured: m(Z) = 91.1875 +/- 0.0021 GeV, Gamma(Z) = 2.4952 +/- 0.0023 GeV, rho(l) = 1.0050 +/- 0.0010, sin(2)theta(eff)(lept) = 0.23153 +/- 0.00016. The number of light neutrino species is determined to be 2.9840 +/- 0.0082, in agreement with the three observed generations of fundamental fermions. The results are compared to the predictions of the Standard Model (SM). At the Z-pole, electroweak radiative corrections beyond the running of the QED and QCD coupling constants are observed with a significance of five standard deviations, and in agreement with the Standard Model. Of the many Z-pole measurements, the forward-backward asymmetry in b-quark production shows the largest difference with respect to its SM expectation, at the level of 2.8 standard deviations. Through radiative corrections evaluated in the framework of the Standard Model, the Z-pole data are also used to predict the mass of the top quark, m(t) = 173(+10)(+13) GeV, and the mass of the W boson, m(W) = 80.363 +/- 0.032 GeV. These indirect constraints are compared to the direct measurements, providing a stringent test of the SM. Using in addition the direct measurements of m(t) and m(W), the mass of the as yet unobserved SM Higgs boson is predicted with a relative uncertainty of about 50% and found to be less than 285 GeV at 95% confidence level. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Cao, RH, et al.
(författare)
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Hepatocyte growth factor is a lymphangiogenic factor with an indirect mechanism of action
- 2006
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Ingår i: Blood. - : American Society of Hematology. - 0006-4971 .- 1528-0020. ; 107:9, s. 3531-3536
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has previously been reported to act as a hemangiogenic factor, as well as a mitogenic factor for a variety of tumor cells. Here, we demonstrate that HGF is a lymphangiogenic factor, which may contribute to lymphatic metastasis when overexpressed in tumors. In a mouse corneal lymphangiogenesis model, implantation of HGF induces sprouting and growth of new lymphatic vessel expressing the lymphatic vessel endothelial specific marker hyaluronan receptor-1 (Lyve-1). Unlike blood vessels, the Lyve-1–positive structures consist of blunt-ended vessels of large diameters that generally lack expression of CD31. The growth of HGF-induced lymphatic vessels can be partially blocked by a soluble VEGFR-3, suggesting that HGF may stimulate lymphatic vessel growth through an indirect mechanism. Consistent with this finding, the HGF receptor (c-Met) is only localized on corneal blood vessels but is absent on lymphatic vessels in a mouse corneal assay. In a transgenic mouse model that expresses HGF under the control of the whey acidic protein (WAP) gene promoter, transgenic females develop tumors in the mammary glands after several pregnancies. Interestingly, dilated Lyve-1–positive lymphatic vessels accumulate in the peritumoral area and occasionally penetrate into the tumor tissue. Our findings indicate that HGF may play a critical role in lymphangiogenesis and potentially contribute to lymphatic metastasis.
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| 4. |
- Gram, DX, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma calcitonin gene-related peptide is increased prior to obesity, and sensory nerve desensitization by capsaicin improves oral glucose tolerance in obese Zucker rats
- 2005
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Ingår i: European Journal of Endocrinology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1479-683X .- 0804-4643. ; 153:6, s. 963-969
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: It has earlier been demonstrated that capsaicin-induced desensitization improves insulin sensitivity in normal rats. However, whether increased capsaicin-sensitive nerve activity precedes the onset of insulin resistance in diet-induced obesity - and therefore might be involved in the pathophysiology - is not known. Further, it is of relevance to investigate whether capsaicin desensitization improves glycaemic control even in obese individuals and we therefore chose the obese Zucker rats to test this. Design and methods: Plasma levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP; a marker of sensory nerve activity) was assessed in 8-week-old Zucker rats. To investigate whether capsaicin desensitization (100 mg/kg at 9 weeks of age) would also ameliorate glycaemia in this non-diabetic model, we assessed oral glucose tolerance at 7 weeks after capsaicin. Results: It was found that plasma CGRP levels were elevated in obese Zucker rats prior to the onset of obesity (16.1 +/- 3.4 pmol/l in pre-obese Zucker rats vs 6.9 +/- 1.1 pmol/l in lean littermates; P = 0.015) despite similar body weights. Furthermore, capsaicin desensitization reduced both fasting blood glucose (4.3 +/- 0.2 mmol/l vs 5.1 +/- 0.2 mmol/l in controls; P = 0.050) as well as the mean blood glucose level during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) (6.8 +/- 0.3 mmol/l vs 8.6 +/- 0.5 mmol/l in control obese rats; P = 0.024) whereas the plasma insulin levels during the OGTT were unchanged. However this did not lead to an improvement in insulin resistance or to a reduction of tissue triglyceride accumulation in muscle or liver. Conclusion: We concluded that capsaicin-induced sensory nerve desensitization improves glucose tolerance in Zucker rats. Since, in this study, plasma CGRP levels, a marker of sensory nerve activity, were increased in the pre-obese rats, our data support the hypothesis that increased activity of sensory nerves precedes the development of obesity and insulin resistance in Zucker rats.
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| 5. |
- Gram, DX, et al.
(författare)
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Sensory nerve desensitization by resiniferatoxin improves glucose tolerance and increases insulin secretion in Zucker diabetic fatty rats and is associated with reduced plasma activity of dipeptidyl peptidase IV
- 2005
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Ingår i: European Journal of Pharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-0712 .- 0014-2999. ; 509:2-3, s. 211-217
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sensory nerve desensitization by capsaicin has been shown to improve the diabetic condition in Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats. However, administration of capsaicin to adult rats is associated with an increased mortality. Therefore, in this experiment, we examined the influence of resiniferatoxin, a tolerable analogue of capsaicin suitable for in vivo use, on the diabetic condition of Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats. A single subcutaneous injection of resiniferatoxin (0.01 mg/kg) to these rats was tolerable, with no mortality. When administered to early diabetic rats at 15 weeks of age, the further deterioration of glucose homeostasis was prevented by resiniferatoxin. Further, when administered to overtly diabetic rats at 19 weeks of age, resiniferatoxin markedly improved glucose tolerance at two weeks after administration and this was accompanied by an increased insulin response to oral glucose as well as a reduction in the plasma levels of dipeptidyl peptidase IV. Therefore, resiniferatoxin is a safe alternative to capsaicin for further investigations of the role of the sensory nerves in experimental diabetes.
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