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Purpose: Subretinal (SR) injection in porcine models is a promising avenue for preclinical evaluation of cell and gene therapies. Targeting of the subretinal fluid compartment (bleb) is critical to the procedure, especially if treatment of the cone-rich area centralis is required (i.e., visual streak [VS] in pigs). To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the influence of injection site placement on VS involvement in the pig eye., Methods: We performed 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy followed by SR injection in 41 eyes of 21 animals (Sus scrofa domesticus). In 27 eyes (65.9%), the injection site was placed superior to the VS, and in 14 eyes (34.1%) it was placed inferior to it. Using intraoperative imaging, blebs were classified based on their propagation behavior relative to the VS., Results: In 79% of cases, blebs from inferior injection sites developed away from the VS, exhibiting a mean ± SEM vertical anisotropy (AP) of 0.67 ± 0.11. In contrast, blebs from superior injection sites tended to develop toward the VS with an AP of 1.27 ± 0.18 (P = 0.0070). Blebs developed away from the VS in only 41% of injections (P = 0.0212). Inferior blebs were orientated close to 0° (horizontal), whereas superior blebs displayed varied orientations with a mean angle of 56° (P = 0.0008)., Conclusions: Bleb propagation was anisotropic (i.e., directionally biased) and dependent on injection site placement. Superior injection sites led to superior VS detachment. Morphological analysis suggested increased adhesion forces at the VS and superior vascular arcades. This study will aid the planning of surgeries for targeted subretinal delivery in pig models.

Gravitational-wave emission can lead to the coalescence of close pairs of compact objects orbiting each other 1,2 . In the case of neutron stars, such mergers may yield masses above the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit (2 to 2.7 solar masses) 3 , leading to the formation of black holes 4 . For white dwarfs, the mass of the merger product may exceed the Chandrasekhar limit, leading either to a thermonuclear explosion as a type Ia supernova 5,6 or to a collapse forming a neutron star 7,8 . The latter case is expected to result in a hydrogen- and helium-free circumstellar nebula and a hot, luminous, rapidly rotating and highly magnetized central star with a lifetime of about 10,000 years 9,10 . Here we report observations of a hot star with a spectrum dominated by emission lines, which is located at the centre of a circular mid-infrared nebula. The widths of the emission lines imply that wind material leaves the star with an outflow velocity of 16,000 kilometres per second and that rapid stellar rotation and a strong magnetic field aid the wind acceleration. Given that hydrogen and helium are probably absent from the star and nebula, we conclude that both objects formed recently from the merger of two massive white dwarfs. Our stellar-atmosphere and wind models indicate a stellar surface temperature of about 200,000 kelvin and a luminosity of about 10 4.6 solar luminosities. The properties of the star and nebula agree with models of the post-merger evolution of super-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs 9 , which predict a bright optical and high-energy transient upon collapse of the star 11 within the next few thousand years. Our observations indicate that super-Chandrasekhar-mass white-dwarf mergers can avoid thermonuclear explosion as type Ia supernovae, and provide evidence of the generation of magnetic fields in stellar mergers.

Subluminous Type Ia supernovae, such as the Type Iax-class prototype SN 2002cx, are described by a variety of models such as the failed detonation and partial deflagration of an accreting carbon-oxygen white dwarf star or the explosion of an accreting, hybrid carbon-oxygen-neon core. These models predict that bound remnants survive such events with, according to some simulations, a high kick velocity. We report the discovery of a high proper motion, low-mass white dwarf (LP 40-365) that travels at a velocity greater than the Galactic escape velocity and whose peculiar atmosphere is dominated by intermediate-mass elements. Strong evidence indicates that this partially burnt remnant was ejected following a subluminous Type Ia supernova event. This supports the viability of single-degenerate supernova progenitors., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)

Polyhydroxyalkanoic acids (PHAs) are natural polyesters that can be used to produce bioplastics which are biodegradable. Numerous microorganisms accumulate PHAs as energy reserves. Combinations of different PHAs monomers lead to the production of bioplastics with very different properties. In the present work, we show the capability of strains belonging to various phylogenetic lineages within the genus Mesorhizobium, isolated from Lotus corniculatus nodules, to produce different PHA monomers. Among our strains, we found the production of 3-hydroxybutyrate, 3-hydroxyvalerate, 3-hydroxydodecanoate, and 3-hydroxyhexadecanoate. Most of the PHA-positive strains were phylogenetically related to the species M. jarvisii. However, our findings suggest that the ability to produce different monomers forming PHAs is strain-dependent.