| 1. |
- Schael, S, et al.
(författare)
-
Precision electroweak measurements on the Z resonance
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Physics Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 0370-1573 .- 1873-6270. ; 427:5-6, s. 257-454
-
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.
|
|
| 2. |
- Danesh, John, et al.
(författare)
-
Plasma fibrinogen level and the risk of major cardiovascular diseases and nonvascular mortality: an individual participant meta-analysis
- 2005
-
Ingår i: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 1538-3598 .- 0098-7484. ; 294:14, s. 1799-1809
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- CONTEXT: Plasma fibrinogen levels may be associated with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationships of fibrinogen levels with risk of major vascular and with risk of nonvascular outcomes based on individual participant data. DATA SOURCES: Relevant studies were identified by computer-assisted searches, hand searches of reference lists, and personal communication with relevant investigators. STUDY SELECTION: All identified prospective studies were included with information available on baseline fibrinogen levels and details of subsequent major vascular morbidity and/or cause-specific mortality during at least 1 year of follow-up. Studies were excluded if they recruited participants on the basis of having had a previous history of cardiovascular disease; participants with known preexisting CHD or stroke were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION: Individual records were provided on each of 154,211 participants in 31 prospective studies. During 1.38 million person-years of follow-up, there were 6944 first nonfatal myocardial infarctions or stroke events and 13,210 deaths. Cause-specific mortality was generally available. Analyses involved proportional hazards modeling with adjustment for confounding by known cardiovascular risk factors and for regression dilution bias. DATA SYNTHESIS: Within each age group considered (40-59, 60-69, and > or =70 years), there was an approximately log-linear association with usual fibrinogen level for the risk of any CHD, any stroke, other vascular (eg, non-CHD, nonstroke) mortality, and nonvascular mortality. There was no evidence of a threshold within the range of usual fibrinogen level studied at any age. The age- and sex- adjusted hazard ratio per 1-g/L increase in usual fibrinogen level for CHD was 2.42 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.24-2.60); stroke, 2.06 (95% CI, 1.83-2.33); other vascular mortality, 2.76 (95% CI, 2.28-3.35); and nonvascular mortality, 2.03 (95% CI, 1.90-2.18). The hazard ratios for CHD and stroke were reduced to about 1.8 after further adjustment for measured values of several established vascular risk factors. In a subset of 7011 participants with available C-reactive protein values, the findings for CHD were essentially unchanged following additional adjustment for C-reactive protein. The associations of fibrinogen level with CHD or stroke did not differ substantially according to sex, smoking, blood pressure, blood lipid levels, or several features of study design. CONCLUSIONS: In this large individual participant meta-analysis, moderately strong associations were found between usual plasma fibrinogen level and the risks of CHD, stroke, other vascular mortality, and nonvascular mortality in a wide range of circumstances in healthy middle-aged adults. Assessment of any causal relevance of elevated fibrinogen levels to disease requires additional research.
|
|
| 3. |
- Stevens, H Y, et al.
(författare)
-
COX-2 is necessary for venous ligation-mediated bone adaptation in mice
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Bone. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-2763 .- 8756-3282. ; 38:1, s. 93-104
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In osteoblasts, cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) is the major isozyme responsible for production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are local mediators of bone resorption and formation and are known to be involved in bone's adaptive response to fluid shear stress (FSS). We have previously described a model of trabecular bone loss in hindlimb-suspended mice and rats and demonstrated partial protection from osteopenia by ligation of the femoral vein. The increased FSS resulting from this ligation drove bone adaptation in the absence of mechanical loading. In this study, we investigated the role of COX-2 in this adaptive response to FSS by use of COX-2 knockout mice. COX-2 knockout ("KO"), COX-2 heterozygote ("HET"), and COX-2 wild-type ("WT") animals all lost comparable amounts of trabecular bone from sham-operated limbs as a result of suspension. In WT mice, loss of trabecular BMD in the venous-ligated limb was significantly less than that of the sham-operated limb; this effect, however, was not seen in KO or HET mice. Percentage gain in femoral periosteal circumference was greater in the ligated limb than the sham-operated limb for WT mice. KO and HET mice already possess femora of larger periosteal circumference than their WT littermates and ligation in these bones did not result in an increase in perimeter relative to sham. Histomorphometry on embedded bones revealed thinner cortices and less mineralizing perimeter in KO femora than controls. In conclusion, this is the first in vivo study to show that fluid-flow-mediated bone adaptation, independent of mechanical strain, is COX-2 dependent.
|
|
| 4. |
- Yang, P., et al.
(författare)
-
TIM-4 Expressed by Mucosal Dendritic Cells Plays a Critical Role in Food Antigen-Specific Th2 Differentiation and Intestinal Allergy
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Gastroenterology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0016-5085 .- 1528-0012. ; 133:5, s. 1522-1533
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background & Aims: Food allergy accounts for significant morbidity. The etiology and immune mechanisms of food allergy, however, have remained poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of T-cell immunoglobulin-domain and mucin-domain (TIM)-4, a recently identified member of cell surface molecules, in the pathogenesis of intestinal allergy in a murine model. Methods: We report that TIM-4 as well as costimulatory molecules were up-regulated in intestinal mucosal dendritic cells by in vitro or in vivo exposure to Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB). SEB-conditioned intestinal dendritic cells loaded with a food macromolecule ovalbumin (OVA) induced potent OVA-specific T-helper (Th)2 lymphocyte responses in vitro and such Th2 responses were inhibited completely by TIM-4 blockade. Results: In vivo exposure to both SEB and OVA resulted in OVA-specific Th2 differentiation and intestinal allergic responses including increased serum immunoglobulin E and Th2 cytokine levels, activation of OVA-specific Th2 cells detected both ex vivo and in situ, and mast cell degranulation. Of importance, in vivo abrogation of TIM-4 or its cognate ligand TIM-1 by using a polyclonal antibody remarkably dampened Th2 differentiation and intestinal allergy. Conclusions: Our study thus identifies TIM-4 as a novel molecule critically required for the development of intestinal allergy. © 2007 AGA Institute.
|
|
