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- Gylling, H., et al.
(author)
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Plant sterols and plant stanols in the management of dyslipidaemia and prevention of cardiovascular disease
- 2014
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In: Atherosclerosis. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9150. ; 232:2, s. 346-360
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: This EAS Consensus Panel critically appraised evidence relevant to the benefit to risk relationship of functional foods with added plant sterols and/or plant stanols, as components of a healthy lifestyle, to reduce plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, and thereby lower cardiovascular risk. Methods and results: Plant sterols/stanols (when taken at 2g/day) cause significant inhibition of cholesterol absorption and lower LDL-C levels by between 8 and 10%. The relative proportions of cholesterol versus sterol/stanol levels are similar in both plasma and tissue, with levels of sterols/stanols being 500-/10,000-fold lower than those of cholesterol, suggesting they are handled similarly to cholesterol in most cells. Despite possible atherogenicity of marked elevations in circulating levels of plant sterols/stanols, protective effects have been observed in some animal models of atherosclerosis. Higher plasma levels of plant sterols/stanols associated with intakes of 2g/day in man have not been linked to adverse effects on health in long-term human studies. Importantly, at this dose, plant sterol/stanol-mediated LDL-C lowering is additive to that of statins in dyslipidaemic subjects, equivalent to doubling the dose of statin. The reported 6-9% lowering of plasma triglyceride by 2g/day in hypertriglyceridaemic patients warrants further evaluation. Conclusion: Based on LDL-C lowering and the absence of adverse signals, this EAS Consensus Panel concludes that functional foods with plant sterols/stanols may be considered 1) in individuals with high cholesterol levels at intermediate or low global cardiovascular risk who do not qualify for pharmacotherapy, 2) as an adjunct to pharmacologic therapy in high and very high risk patients who fail to achieve LDL-C targets on statins or are statin- intolerant, 3) and in adults and children (>6 years) with familial hypercholesterolaemia, in line with current guidance. However, it must be acknowledged that there are no randomised, controlled clinical trial data with hard end-points to establish clinical benefit from the use of plant sterols or plant stanols. © 2013 The Authors.
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- James, Bethan L., et al.
(author)
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CLASSY. II. A Technical Overview of the COS Legacy Archive Spectroscopic Survey
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 262:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The COS Legacy Archive Spectroscopic SurveY (CLASSY) is designed to provide the community with a spectral atlas of 45 nearby star-forming galaxies that were chosen to cover similar properties to those seen at high z (z > 6). The prime high-level science product of CLASSY is accurately coadded UV spectra, ranging from ∼1000 to 2000 Å, derived from a combination of archival and new data obtained with HST's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS). This paper details the multistage technical processes of creating this prime data product and the methodologies involved in extracting, reducing, aligning, and coadding far-ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectra. We provide guidelines on how to successfully utilize COS observations of extended sources, despite COS being optimized for point sources, and best-practice recommendations for the coaddition of UV spectra in general. Moreover, we discuss the effects of our reduction and coaddition techniques in the scientific application of the CLASSY data. In particular, we find that accurately accounting for flux calibration offsets can affect the derived properties of the stellar populations, while customized extractions of NUV spectra for extended sources are essential for correctly diagnosing the metallicity of galaxies via C iii] nebular emission. Despite changes in spectral resolution of up to ∼25% between individual data sets (due to changes in the COS line-spread function), no adverse affects were observed on the difference in velocity width and outflow velocities of isolated absorption lines when measured in the final combined data products, owing in part to our signal-to-noise regime of S/N < 20.
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- Furtak, Lukas J., et al.
(author)
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A variable active galactic nucleus at z = 2.06 triply-imaged by the galaxy cluster MACS J0035.4−2015
- 2023
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In: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 522:4, s. 5142-5151
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the discovery of a triply imaged active galactic nucleus (AGN), lensed by the galaxy cluster MACS J0035.4−2015 (z d = 0.352). The object is detected in Hubble Space Telescope imaging taken for the RELICS program. It appears to have a quasi-stellar nucleus consistent with a point-source, with a de-magnified radius of re ≲ 100 pc. The object is spectroscopically confirmed to be an AGN at z spec = 2.063 ± 0.005 showing broad rest-frame UV emission lines, and detected in both X-ray observations with Chandra and in ALCS ALMA band 6 (1.2 mm) imaging. It has a relatively faint rest-frame UV luminosity for a quasar-like object, MUV, 1450 = −19.7 ± 0.2. The object adds to just a few quasars or other X-ray sources known to be multiply lensed by a galaxy cluster. Some diffuse emission from the host galaxy is faintly seen around the nucleus, and there is a faint object nearby sharing the same multiple-imaging symmetry and geometric redshift, possibly an interacting galaxy or a star-forming knot in the host. We present an accompanying lens model, calculate the magnifications and time delays, and infer the physical properties of the source. We find the rest-frame UV continuum and emission lines to be dominated by the AGN, and the optical emission to be dominated by the host galaxy of modest stellar mass M✶ ≃ 109.2 M⊙. We also observe some variation in the AGN emission with time, which may suggest that the AGN used to be more active. This object adds a low-redshift counterpart to several relatively faint AGN recently uncovered at high redshifts with HST and JWST.
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5. |
- Mingozzi, Matilde, et al.
(author)
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CLASSY. VIII. Exploring the Source of Ionization with UV Interstellar Medium Diagnostics in Local High-z Analogs
- 2024
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 962:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the current JWST era, rest-frame UV spectra play a crucial role in enhancing our understanding of the interstellar medium (ISM) and stellar properties of the first galaxies in the epoch of reionization (z > 6). Here, we compare well-known and reliable optical diagrams sensitive to the main ionization source (i.e., star formation, SF; active galactic nuclei, AGN; and shocks) to UV counterparts proposed in the literature—the so-called "UV–BPT diagrams"—using the HST COS Legacy Archive Spectroscopic SurveY (CLASSY), which is the largest high-quality, high-resolution, and broad-wavelength range atlas of far-UV spectra for 45 local star-forming galaxies. In particular, we explore where CLASSY UV line ratios are located in the different UV diagnostic plots, taking into account state-of-the-art photoionization and shock models, and, for the first time, the measured ISM and stellar properties (e.g., gas-phase metallicity, ionization parameter, carbon abundance, and stellar age). We find that the combination of C iii] λλ1907,9 He iiλ1640 and O iii] λ1666 can be a powerful tool to separate between SF, shocks, and AGN at subsolar metallicities. We also confirm that alternative diagrams without O iii] λ1666 still allow us to define an SF-locus, with some caveats. Diagrams including C ivλλ1548,51 should be taken with caution given the complexity of this doublet profile. Finally, we present a discussion detailing the ISM conditions required to detect UV emission lines, visible only in low gas-phase metallicity (12 + log(O/H) ≲ 8.3) and high ionization parameter (log(U) ≳ −2.5) environments. Overall, CLASSY and our UV toolkit will be crucial in interpreting the spectra of the earliest galaxies that JWST is currently revealing.
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6. |
- Berg, Danielle A., et al.
(author)
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The COS Legacy Archive Spectroscopy Survey (CLASSY) Treasury Atlas
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0067-0049 .- 1538-4365. ; 261:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Far-ultraviolet (FUV; ∼1200–2000 Å) spectra are fundamental to our understanding of star-forming galaxies, providing a unique window on massive stellar populations, chemical evolution, feedback processes, and reionization. The launch of the James Webb Space Telescope will soon usher in a new era, pushing the UV spectroscopic frontier to higher redshifts than ever before; however, its success hinges on a comprehensive understanding of the massive star populations and gas conditions that power the observed UV spectral features. This requires a level of detail that is only possible with a combination of ample wavelength coverage, signal-to-noise, spectral-resolution, and sample diversity that has not yet been achieved by any FUV spectral database. We present the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph Legacy Spectroscopic Survey (CLASSY) treasury and its first high-level science product, the CLASSY atlas. CLASSY builds on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) archive to construct the first high-quality (S/N1500 Å ≳ 5/resel), high-resolution (R ∼ 15,000) FUV spectral database of 45 nearby (0.002 < z < 0.182) star-forming galaxies. The CLASSY atlas, available to the public via the CLASSY website, is the result of optimally extracting and coadding 170 archival+new spectra from 312 orbits of HST observations. The CLASSY sample covers a broad range of properties including stellar mass (6.2 < log M⋆(M⊙) < 10.1), star formation rate (−2.0 < log SFR (M⊙ yr−1) < +1.6), direct gas-phase metallicity (7.0 < 12+log(O/H) < 8.8), ionization (0.5 < O32 < 38.0), reddening (0.02 < E(B − V) < 0.67), and nebular density (10 < ne (cm−3) < 1120). CLASSY is biased to UV-bright star-forming galaxies, resulting in a sample that is consistent with the z ∼ 0 mass–metallicity relationship, but is offset to higher star formation rates by roughly 2 dex, similar to z ≳ 2 galaxies. This unique set of properties makes the CLASSY atlas the benchmark training set for star-forming galaxies across cosmic time.
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7. |
- De Jong, A, et al.
(author)
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Effects of plant sterol and stanol ester consumption on lipid metabolism, antioxidant status and markers of oxidative stress, endothelial function and low-grade inflammation in patients on current statin treatment
- 2008
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In: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0954-3007 .- 1476-5640. ; 62:2, s. 263-73
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: The present study was designed to examine for the first time, side-by-side, the effects of plant sterol and stanol consumption on lipid metabolism and markers of antioxidant status, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and low-grade inflammation in subjects on stable statin-treatment. Design: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, intervention trial. Setting: University. Subjects: Forty-five patients on current statin treatment were recruited via newspaper advertisements. Data of 41 patients were used in statistical analysis. Intervention: Subjects consumed margarine with no added plant sterols or stanols for 4 weeks and were then divided into three groups of 15 subjects. For the next 16 weeks, one group continued with the control margarine and the other two groups with either a plant sterol- or stanol (2.5 g/day)-enriched margarine. Blood was sampled at the end of the run-in and intervention periods. Results: Plant sterol and stanol consumption significantly (P = 0.026) reduced low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 0.34 mmol/l (95% confidence interval (CI), -0.67 to -0.04 mmol/l). No effects were shown on enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and markers of oxidative modification of lipids and DNA. In addition, no effect was found on soluble adhesion molecules, C-reactive protein and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 concentrations. Conclusions: We conclude that 16 weeks of plant sterol or stanol consumption did not affect markers of antioxidant status, oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and low-grade inflammation in patients on stable statin treatment, despite a significant reduction of LDL cholesterol.
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8. |
- Ramakers, Julian D., et al.
(author)
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Fecal water from ileostomic patients consuming oat beta-glucan enhances immune responses in enterocytes
- 2007
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In: Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. - : Wiley. - 1613-4133 .- 1613-4125. ; 51:2, s. 211-220
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Yeast, fungal, and dietary beta-glucans have immune-modulating effects in vitro and in vivo, as thought, mainly by affecting leukocytes; however, effects of oat beta-glucan on enterocytes have never been studied. As recognized, supplying oat beta-glucans as such to cells in culture directly is difficult because of solubility problems. Therefore, six ileostomic patients consumed, in random order, a control diet or an oat beta-glucan enriched diet (5 g) and from the collected ileostomic content, fecal water was prepared and added to two small intestinal cell lines (INT407, Caco-2) and two colon cell lines (HT29, T84) together with a cytokine cocktail (IL-IP + 1NF gamma + TNF alpha). Several parameters reflecting immune-modulation were measured. As compared to placebo fecal water, P-glucan enriched fecal water significantly increased IL-8 production in HT29 (5.0%; p = 0.046) and INT407 cells (22.0%; p=0.028). Intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1 expression increased in T84 (11.0%; p = 0.028) and Caco-2 cells (20.4%; p = 0.075). These immune-stimulating effects were confirmed by enhancement of inflammatory expression profiles, as determined with an antibody array. Our findings show immune enhancement by fecal water from ileostomic patients consuming oat P-glucan both in small intestinal and colon cell lines after stimulation, which is in agreement with documented effects in leukocytes. Whether these immune-stimulating effects on enterocytes contribute to the enhanced protection of the host against invading pathogens as observed both in animals and in humans, as well as the underlying mechanism, needs further evaluation.
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