Objectives Neck adipose tissue (NAT) volume increases with general adiposity, with fat accumulating in different neck tissue compartments. In patients with certain malignant/benign tumours, the... Show moreObjectives Neck adipose tissue (NAT) volume increases with general adiposity, with fat accumulating in different neck tissue compartments. In patients with certain malignant/benign tumours, the accumulation of NAT, and certain NAT distributions, have been associated with cardiometabolic risk (CMR). However, it is unknown whether the same relationships exist in healthy people, and whether NAT accumulation and distribution are related to the inflammatory status. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 139 young healthy adults (68% women) underwent a computed tomography scan to quantify the volume of compartmental (i.e., subcutaneous, intermuscular and perivertebral) and total NAT at the height of vertebra C5. Anthropometric indicators were measured, and body composition determined using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Information on CMR factors (i.e., blood glycaemic and lipid markers, blood pressure and physical fitness) was also gathered, and a CMR score calculated. Several plasma cytokines and serum components of the innate immune system were measured to determine the inflammatory status. Results Compartmental and total NAT volumes were directly related to body mass index (BMI), and lean, fat, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) masses (all, P <= 0.05). Larger compartmental (especially intermuscular) and total NAT volumes were directly associated with the CMR score, several CMR factors (i.e., glycaemic and lipid markers and blood pressure), and the C3, C4 and leptin concentrations. They were, however, inversely correlated with the CMR factors high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and physical fitness, and with the adiponectin concentration (all P <= 0.05). Several of these associations remained statistically significant (P <= 0.05) after adjustment for BMI, body fat percentage or VAT mass. Overall, results did not change after applying false discovery rate correction. Conclusions NAT volume and its distribution among different tissue compartments is associated with the CMR and inflammatory profile of young healthy adults. Total NAT volume appears to be as valuable as VAT mass in terms of predicting CMR and inflammatory status. Show less
Context. This is the first of a series of investigations into far-IR characteristics of 11 planetary nebulae (PNe) under the Herschel Space Observatory open time 1 program, Herschel Planetary... Show moreContext. This is the first of a series of investigations into far-IR characteristics of 11 planetary nebulae (PNe) under the Herschel Space Observatory open time 1 program, Herschel Planetary Nebula Survey (HerPlaNS).Aims: Using the HerPlaNS data set, we look into the PN energetics and variations of the physical conditions within the target nebulae. In the present work, we provide an overview of the survey, data acquisition and processing, and resulting data products.Methods: We performed (1) PACS/SPIRE broadband imaging to determine the spatial distribution of the cold dust component in the target PNe and (2) PACS/SPIRE spectral-energy-distribution and line spectroscopy to determine the spatial distribution of the gas component in the target PNe.Results: For the case ofNGC 6781, the broadband maps confirm the nearly pole-on barrel structure of the amorphous carbon-rich dust shell and the surrounding halo having temperatures of 26-40 K. The PACS/SPIRE multiposition spectra show spatial variations of far-IR lines that reflect the physical stratification of the nebula. We demonstrate that spatially resolved far-IR line diagnostics yield the (Te, ne) profiles, from which distributions of ionized, atomic, and molecular gases can be determined. Direct comparison of the dust and gas column mass maps constrained by the HerPlaNS data allows to construct an empirical gas-to-dust mass ratio map, which shows a range of ratios with the median of 195 ± 110. The present analysis yields estimates of the total mass of the shell to be 0.86 M⊙, consisting of 0.54 M⊙ of ionized gas, 0.12 M⊙ of atomic gas, 0.2 M⊙ of molecular gas, and 4 × 10-3M⊙ of dust grains. These estimates also suggest that the central star of about 1.5 M⊙ initial mass is terminating its PN evolution onto the white dwarf cooling track. Conclusions: The HerPlaNS data provide various diagnostics for both the dust and gas components in a spatially resolved manner. In the forthcoming papers of the HerPlaNS series we will explore the HerPlaNS data set fully for the entire sample of 11 PNe. Show less
Isern, J.; Martin-Antonio, B.; Ghazanfari, R.; Martin, A.M.; Lopez, J.A.; Toro, R. del; ... ; Mendez-Ferrer, S. 2013
