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Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) causes a broad range of infections. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 senses the S. aureus lipoproteins in S. aureus infections. Aging raises the risk of infection. Our aim was to understand how aging and TLR2 affect the clinical outcomes of S. aureus bacteremia. Four groups of mice (wild type/young, wild type/old, TLR2−/−/young, and TLR2−/−/old) were intravenously infected with S. aureus , and the infection course was followed. Both TLR2 deficiency and aging enhanced the susceptibility to disease. Increased age was the main contributing factor for increased mortality rates and changes in spleen weight, whereas other clinical parameters, such as weight loss and kidney abscess formation, were more TLR2 dependent. Importantly, aging increased mortality rates without relying on TLR2. In vitro, both aging and TLR2 deficiency down-regulated cytokine/chemokine production of immune cells with distinct patterns. In summary, we demonstrate that aging and TLR2 deficiency impair the immune response to S. aureus bacteremia in distinct ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence to date suggests that high sodium intake affects health adversely, yet the role of a population-level strategy to reduce sodium intake is often contested. This review focuses on current available evidence on regional sodium intake levels, health implications of sodium intake, and population-level strategies implemented worldwide. The limitations in evidence, the difficulties in implementing population-wide strategies to reduce sodium intake, and the need for such strategies are critically reviewed. Evidence clearly shows that sodium has an adverse effect on blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. However, whether reduced sodium intake benefits all individuals or only hypertensive individuals is still unclear. Methodological issues and publication bias in current evidence are other matters of concern in sodium-related research. While it is essential to continue working toward the World Health Organization's target of 30% reduction in sodium intake, due consideration should be given to improving the quality of research, reducing bias in publications, and reviewing evidence more critically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the Kozai–Lidov mechanism in a hierarchical triple system in detail by the direct integration of the first-order post-Newtonian equations of motion. We analyse a variety of models with a pulsar to evaluate the cumulative shift of the periastron time of a binary pulsar caused by the gravitational wave emission in a hierarchical triple system with Kozai–Lidov mechanism. We compare our results with those by the double-averaging method. The deviation in the eccentricity, even if small, is important in the evaluation of the emission of the gravitational waves. We also calculate the cumulative shift of the periastron time by using obtained osculating orbital elements. If Kozai–Lidov oscillations occur, the cumulative shift curve will bend differently from that of the isolated binary. If such a bending is detected through the radio observation, it will be the first indirect observation of gravitational waves from a triple system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a hierarchical triple system with the Kozai–Lidov mechanism, and analyse the cumulative shift of periastron time of a binary pulsar by the emission of gravitational waves. Time evolution of the osculating orbital elements of the triple system is calculated by directly integrating the first-order post-Newtonian equations of motion. The Kozai–Lidov mechanism will bend the evolution curve of the cumulative shift when the eccentricity becomes large. We also investigate the parameter range of mass and semimajor axis of the third companion with which the bending of the cumulative-shift curve could occur within 100 yr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]