Search

Eva Santamaría,1,2 Iñaki Izquierdo,2 Marta Valle,1,3 Jan Vermeulen,4 Paul Potter5 1Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 2Clinical Development, R&D, J. Uriach y Compañía, S.A., Barcelona, Spain; 3Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Modeling and Simulation, Sant Pau Institute of Biomedical Research (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain; 4Allergic Department, Parow Research, Cape Town, South Africa; 5Allergy Diagnostic and Clinical Research Unit, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town, South Africa Background: There are few clinical trials that assess the efficacy of antihistamines in very young children. Rupatadine is a second-generation antihistamine indicated for the treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) and urticaria. In this study, AR symptoms were evaluated before and after daily 1 mg/mL rupatadine oral solution administration in 2–5-year-old children. Methods: A multicenter open-label study was carried out in 2–5-year-old children with AR. Safety assessments were collected during the study including spontaneous adverse events, vital signs, and electrocardiogram (QTc interval). Additionally, evaluations of Total Five Symptoms Score (T5SS, including: nasal congestion; sneezing; rhinorrhoea; itchy nose, mouth, throat, and/or ears; and itchy, watery, and red eyes) were analyzed. Symptoms were evaluated by parents/legal guardian before and after 4 weeks of rupatadine administration, dosed according to body weight. Results: A total of 44 children received the study treatment. Only 15 adverse events were reported. All of them were of mild intensity and considered not related to the study treatment. No patient exceeded the standard parameter of >450 ms in the last visit, for the QTc interval on their electrocardiograms. From a maximum score value of 15, T5SS values at Day 14 (6.35) and Day 28 (5.42) were both statistically significant different (p

We present an analysis of high-dispersion spectroscopic observations of the symbiotic system R Aquarii (R Aqr) obtained with the Manchester Echelle Spectrograph at the 2.1-m telescope of the San Pedro Mártir Observatory (Mexico) in conjunction with available narrow-band images. The data are interpreted by means of the shape software to disclose the morpho-kinematics of the nebulosities associated with R Aqr. The model that best reproduces narrow-band images and position–velocity diagrams consists of three structures: an outer (large) hourglass structure surrounding an inner bipolar with a spiral-like filament entwined around the latter. The expansion velocity pattern of each structure is defined by different homologous expansion laws, which correspond to kinematic ages of |$\tau _1$|  = 450 |$\pm$|  25 yr (outer hourglass), |$\tau _2$|  = 270 |$\pm$|  20 yr (inner bipolar), and |$\tau _3$|  = 285 |$\pm$|  20 yr (spiral-like filament). We suggest that the spiral-like filament is tracing the regions of the interaction of a precessing jet with the circumstellar material, which simultaneously carves the inner bipolar structure. If a similar process created the large hourglass structure, it means that the action of the jet ceased for about 170 yr. We discuss the implications for other unresolved symbiotic systems detected in X-rays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the analysis of archival Very Large Telescope (VLT) Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) and multi-epoch Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) and Wide Field Camera 3/Ultraviolet-Visible Imaging Spectrograph (WFC3/UVIS) narrow-band observations of the remnant associated with the ejecta of the mid-nineteenth century outburst of the recurrent nova T Pyx. These data sets are used to investigate its true three-dimensional (3D) physical structure and the nebular expansion patterns along the line of sight and on the plane of the sky. The VLT MUSE emission line maps and 3D visualizations based on position–position–velocity diagrams reveal T Pyx as a bipolar nebula, with a knotty toroidal structure at its waist best seen in H  |$\beta$| and two open bowl-shaped bipolar lobes (a diabolo) best revealed by the [O  iii ] emission lines. The comparison of multi-epoch HST WFPC2 and WFC3/UVIS narrow-band images and VLT MUSE emission-line maps of T Pyx reveals the angular expansion of the remnant through the proper motion of individual knots and nebular features. The angular expansion is confirmed to be homologous in the period from 1994.2 to 2007.4 before the recent 2011 outburst, but there is suggestive evidence that the inner knots have experienced a higher expansion rate since then. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a detailed study of the physical properties, history of mass loss, and chemical abundances of the planetary nebula NGC 2022. New imaging observations obtained with the OAJ/JAST80 and NOT/ALFOSC confirm the presence of a faint ∼88 arcsec halo surrounding a double-layered elliptical structure that consists of a bright 21.4 × 16.7 arcsec inner shell and a 32 arcsec diameter envelope. The long-slit high-dispersion echelle observations obtained with MES on the OAN-SPM 2.1-m telescope can be well described by a shape model with expansion velocities of 43 ± 3 and 34 ± 3 km s−1 along the major and minor axes of the elliptical inner shell, respectively. In addition, a deep long-slit high-dispersion echelle observation made with the KPNO 4-m telescope detected line-splitting in the faint halo, revealing an expansion velocity of 15.5 ± 2 km s−1. We have also used new intermediate-dispersion optical spectra with the NOT, complemented with IUE data, to study the chemical abundances of each shell. The abundances of the three shells are typical of a Type II in the Peimbert classification of PNe and do not exhibit any notable anomalies. Finally, we estimate the total mass of NGC 2022 to be ≈0.9 M⊙, which consists of 0.64 M⊙ from the CSPN and 0.1, 0.11, and 0.1 × |$f_{\mathrm{halo}}^{1/2}$| M⊙ from the ionized inner shell, outer shell, and halo, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theory predicts that the temperature of the X-ray-emitting gas (∼106 K) detected from planetary nebulae (PNe) is a consequence of mixing or thermal conduction when in contact with the ionized outer rim (∼104 K). Gas at intermediate temperatures (∼105 K) can be used to study the physics of the production of X-ray-emitting gas, via C  iv , N  v , and O  vi ions. Here, we model the stellar atmosphere of the CSPN of NGC 1501 to demonstrate that even this hot H-deficient [WO4]-type star cannot produce these emission lines by photoionization. We use the detection of the C  iv lines to assess the physical properties of the mixing region in this PNe in comparison with its X-ray-emitting gas, rendering NGC 1501 only the second PNe with such characterization. We extend our predictions to the hottest [WO1] and cooler [WC5] spectral types and demonstrate that most energetic photons are absorbed in the dense winds of [WR] CSPN and highly ionized species can be used to study the physics behind the production of hot bubbles in PNe. We found that the UV observations of NGC 2452, NGC 6751, and NGC 6905 are consistent with the presence mixing layers and hot bubbles, providing excellent candidates for future X-ray observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present GTC MEGARA high-dispersion integral field spectroscopic observations of the nova remnant QU Vul, which provide a comprehensive 3D view of this nova shell. The tomographic analysis of the H α emission reveals a complex physical structure characterized by an inhomogeneous and clumpy distribution of the material within this shell. The overall structure can be described as a prolate ellipsoid with an axial ratio of 1.4 ± 0.2, a major axis inclination with the line of sight of 12° ± 6°, and polar and equatorial expansion velocities ≈560 km s−1 and 400 ± 60 km s−1, respectively. The comparison of the expansion velocity on the plane of the sky with the angular expansion implies a distance of 1.43 ± 0.23 kpc. The ionized mass is found to be ≈2 × 10−4 M⊙, noting that the information on the 3D distribution of material within the nova shell has allowed us to reduce the uncertainty on its filling factor. The nova shell is still in its free expansion phase, which can be expected as the ejecta mass is much larger than the swept-up circumstellar medium mass. The 3D distribution and radial velocity of material within the nova shell provide an interpretation of the so-called 'castellated' line profiles observed in early optical spectra of nova shells, which can be attributed to knots and clumps moving radially along different directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Born-again planetary nebulae (PNe) are extremely rare cases in the evolution of solar-like stars. It is commonly accepted that their central stars (CSPN) experienced a very late thermal pulse (VLTP), ejecting H-deficient material inside the evolved H-rich PN. Given the short duration of this event and the fast subsequent evolution of the CSPN, details of the mass ejection are unknown. We present the first morphokinematic model of the H-deficient material surrounding a born-again PN, namely A 30. New San Pedro Mártir observations with the Manchester Echelle Spectrograph were recently obtained to map the inner region of A 30 which are interpreted by means of the software shape in conjunction with HST WFC3 images. The shape morphokinematic model that best reproduces the observations is composed by a disrupted disc tilted 37° with respect to the line of sight and a pair of orthogonal opposite bipolar ejections. We confirm previous suggestions that the structures closer to the CSPN present the highest expansion velocities, that is, the disrupted disc expands faster than the farther bipolar features. We propose that the current physical structure and abundance discrepancy of the H-deficient clumps around the CSPN of A 30 can be explained by a common envelope phase following the VLTP event. Our proposed scenario is also compared with other known born-again PNe (A 58, A 78, HuBi 1, and the Sakurai's Object). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a 3D mapping of the Wolf–Rayet (WR) nebula M 1-67 around WR 124. We obtained high-resolution San Pedro Mártir (SPM) Manchester Echelle Spectrograph (MES) observations along 17 long-slit positions covering all morphological features in M 1-67. We are able to unveil the true morphology of M 1-67 and its kinematics by interpreting the SPM MES observations by means of the 3D modelling tool for Astrophysics shape. Our shape model that best reproduces the SPM MES data includes three concentric bipolar structures composed by a hollow ellipsoidal structure and a torus. In addition, the model requires the presence of expanding jets and broken blisters in order to reproduce specific spectral features. Our results are consistent with the idea that M 1-67 and its progenitor star WR 124 have formed through a common envelope scenario that occurred 11.8 |$^{+4.6}_{-0.8}$|  kyr ago. Our bipolar model strongly questions previous suggestions of the presence of a bow shock structure surrounding M 1-67. We interpret that the bright structures detected in the spectra extracted from the central regions are produced by wind compression at the receding region of the innermost structure in M 1-67. Furthermore, WR 124 is moving through a low-density region above the Galactic plane that has negligibly affected the formation history of M 1-67. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present long-slit intermediate-dispersion spectroscopic observations and narrow-band direct imaging of four classical nova shells, namely T Aur, HR Del, DQ Her, and QU Vul, and the nova-like source CK Vul. These are used to construct models of their nebular remnants using the morphokinematic modelling tool shape to reveal their 3D shape. All these nova remnants but CK Vul can be described by prolate ellipsoidal shells with different eccentricity degree, from the spherical QU Vul to the highly elongated shell with an equatorial component HR Del. On the other hand, CK Vul shows a more complex structure, with two pairs of nested bipolar lobes. The spatiokinematic properties of the ellipsoidal nova shells derived from our models include their true axial ratios. This parameter is expected to correlate with the expansion velocity and decline time t 3 (i.e. their speed class) of a nova as the result the interaction of the ejecta with the circumstellar material and rotation speed and magnetic field of the white dwarf. We have compared these three parameters including data available in the literature for another two nova shells, V533 Her and FH Ser. There is an anticorrelation between the expansion velocity and the axial ratio and decline time t 3 for nova remnants with ellipsoidal morphology, and a correlation between their axial ratios and decline times t 3, confirming theoretical expectations that the fastest expanding novae have the smallest axial ratios. We note that the high expansion velocity of the nova shell HR Del of 615 km s−1 is inconsistent with its long decline time t 3 of 250 d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Pediatria is the property of Sociedad Mexicana de Pediatria and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We present a comprehensive infrared (IR) study of the iconic Wolf–Rayet (WR) wind-blown bubble NGC 6888 around WR 136. We use Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Spitzer IRAC, and MIPS and Herschel PACS IR images to produce a sharp view of the distribution of dust around WR 136. We complement these IR photometric observations with Spitzer IRS spectra in the 5–38-μm wavelength range. The unprecedented high-resolution IR images allowed us to produce a clean spectral energy distribution, free of contamination from material along the line of sight, to model the properties of the dust in NGC 6888. We use the spectral synthesis code cloudy to produce a model for NGC 6888 that consistently reproduces its optical and IR properties. Our best model requires a double distribution with the inner shell composed only of gas, whilst the outer shell requires a mix of gas and dust. The dust consists of two populations of grain sizes, one with small-sized grains a small  = [0.002–0.008]  |$\mu$| m and another one with large-sized grains a big  = [0.05–0.5]  |$\mu$| m. The population of big grains is similar to that reported for other red supergiants stars and dominates the total dust mass, which leads us to suggest that the current mass of NGC 6888 is purely due to material ejected from WR 136, with a negligible contribution of the swept up interstellar medium. The total mass of this model is 25.5 |$^{+4.7}_{-2.8}$|  M⊙, a dust mass of |$M_\mathrm{dust} = 0.14^{+0.03}_{-0.01}$|  M⊙, for a dust-to-gas ratio of 5.6 × 10−3. Accordingly, we suggest that the initial stellar mass of WR 136 was ≲50 M⊙, consistent with current single stellar evolution models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of archival Chandra and XMM–Newton observations of the magnetically active cataclysmic variable DQ Her and the shell around it ejected in a nova event in 1934. A careful revision of the Chandra observations confirms previous claims on the presence of extended X-ray emission around DQ Her and reveals that it actually corresponds to a bipolar jet-like structure extending ≃32 arcsec along a direction from north-east to south-west. Therefore, this X-ray emission extends beyond the optical nova shell and is perpendicular to its major axis. The XMM–Newton observations confirm the presence of the extended X-ray emission detected by Chandra , suggesting the additional presence of a diffuse X-ray emission from a hot bubble filling the nova shell. This hot bubble was very likely produced by the explosion that created the nebular shell detected in optical images. The bipolar feature can be modelled by the combination of an optically thin plasma emission component with temperature T  ≈ 2 × 106 K and a power-law component with a photon index of Γ = 1.1 ± 0.9. Its X-ray luminosity in the 0.3–5 keV energy range is L X = (2.1 ± 1.3) × 1029 erg s−1, for an electron density n e ≈ 2 cm−3 and a mass m X ≈ 3 × 10−6 M⊙. We suggest that the X-ray bipolar structure in DQ Her is a jet and interpret its non-thermal X-ray emission in terms of a magnetized jet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parallax expansion and kinematics of a nova shell can be used to assess its age and distance, and to investigate the interaction of the ejecta with the circumstellar medium. These are key to understand the expansion and dispersal of the nova ejecta in the Galaxy. Multi-epoch images and high-dispersion spectroscopic observations of the recently discovered classical nova shell IPHASX J210204.7 + 471015 around a nova-like system have been used to derive a present-day expansion rate of 0 |${^{\prime\prime}_{.}}$| 100 yr−1 and an expansion velocity of 285 km s−1. These data are combined to obtain a distance of 600 pc to the nova. The secular expansion of the nova shell place the event sometime between 1850 and 1890, yet it seems to have been missed at that time. Despite its young age, 130–170 yr, we found indications that the ejecta has already experienced a noticeable deceleration, indicating the interaction of this young nova shell with the surrounding medium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evolved stars such as asymptotic giant branch stars (AGB), post-AGB stars, proto-planetary nebulae (proto-PNe), and planetary nebulae (PNe) show rings and arcs around them and their nebular shells. We have searched for these morphological features in optical Hubble Space Telescope and mid-infrared Spitzer Space Telescope images of ~650 proto-PNe and PNe and discovered them in 29 new sources. Adding those to previous detections, we derive a frequency of occurrence ~8 per cent. All images have been processed to remove the underlying envelope emission and enhance outer faint structures to investigate the spacing between rings and arcs and their number. The averaged time lapse between consecutive rings and arcs is estimated to be in the range 500-1200 yr. The spacing between them is found to be basically constant for each source, suggesting that the mechanism responsible for the formation of these structures in the final stages of evolved stars is stable during time periods of the order of the total duration of the ejection. In our sample, this period of time spans =4500 yr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study which aims to investigate the impact of disease activity in large group of Spanish patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It states that 3658 patients had moderate to severe SLE. It mentions that disease activity has big impact in terms of need for treatment and cause of hospitalization and the effectiveness of standard therapies for reducing disease activity is insufficient.

Salmonella,an important foodborne pathogen, forms biofilms in many different environments. The composition of these biofilms differs depending on the growth conditions, and their development is highly coordinated in time. To develop efficient treatments, it is therefore essential that biofilm formation and its inhibition be understood in different environments and in a time-dependent manner. Many currently used techniques, such as transcriptomics or proteomics, are still expensive and thus limited in their application. Therefore, a GFP-promoter fusion library with 79 importantSalmonellabiofilm genes was developed (covering among other things matrix production, fimbriae and flagella synthesis, and c-di-GMP regulation). This library is a fast, inexpensive, and easy-to-use tool, and can therefore be conducted in different experimental setups in a time-dependent manner. In this paper, four possible applications are highlighted to illustrate and validate the use of this reporter fusion library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Spanish Journal of Rural Development is the property of Spanish Journal of Rural Development and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

AKT/PKB is a protein kinase that plays a key role in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Three isoforms with a similar structure but non-overlapping functions have been described: AKT1/PKBα, AKT2/PKBβ and AKT3/PKBγ. Our project studies the molecular routes of adaption to single AKT isoform silencing. We have individually silenced AKT isoforms using short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) delivered by lentivirus. A shRNA against an irrelevant gene was used as control. When cells adapted to the modification, high-throughput quantitative proteomics analyses were performed to evaluate the differentially altered molecular routes. Mitochondrial protein expression was determined by Western Blot. Mitochondrial function was evaluated using Agilent SeaHorse XF. Cancer stem-cell like phenotype was determined by CD44 and EpCAM expression. A subsequent silencing of the escape routes discovered was performed. Only cells adapted to AKT1 silencing, but not AKT2 or AKT3, exhibited a cancer stem-cell like phenotype with a sharp increase in CD44/EpCAM expression compared to the other cell lines or control (p < 0.0001). shAKT1 expressing cells presented a potentiation of mitochondrial functions determined both by quantitative proteomics, and by basal and maximal oxygen consumption rate (p < 0.0001). Double silencing of AKT1 and the mitochondrial protein TFB2M caused a prolonged cell growth arrest. When exposed to stable AKT1 inhibition, pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells adapt by switching their metabolism from glycolysis to mitochondrial respiratorion, which suggests a reversion of Warburg effect, and adopting cancer stem-cell like phenotype. Cancer stem cells have been proposed as one of the main factors favouring therapy resistance. Targeting mitochondrial metabolism might improve the efficacy of conventional treatments. Grupo de Inmunomodulación. Grupo de Inmunomodulación. All authors have declared no conflicts of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Tobacco use has been associated with more excitement and agitation symptoms, greater severity of global psychopathology as measured by the Clinical General Impression (CGI) Scale, and psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Aim To assess the effects of nicotine abstinence versus nicotine maintenance on the clinical symptoms of a sample of outpatients smokers diagnosed with schizophrenia. Methods Sample: 81 outpatients with schizophrenia [72.8% males; mean age (SD) = 43.35 (8.82)] currently smoking tobacco [no. of cigarettes (SD) = 27.96 (12.29)]. Desing: non-randomized, open-label, 6-month follow-up and multi-center study conducted at 3 sites in Spain (Oviedo, Santiago de Compostela and Orense). Instruments: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression for Schizophrenia (CGI-SCH), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Antropometric measures: Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Vital sings: heart rate. Procedure: Patients were assigned to 2 conditions: – control group = patients continuing their tobacco use; – experimental group = patients participated in vareniclina or nicotine patches treatment for smoking cessation. Patients were evaluated at baseline (all patients smoking) and after 3 and 6 months. Results No significant differences ( P >.05) were found between groups at baseline evaluation. Likewise, there were no significant differences between smokers and non-smokers after treatment (3 and 6 months follow-up) in their clinical symptomatology (according to PANSS, HDRS and CGI-SCH), anthropometric measures and heart rate. Conclusions No significant differences were found in the clinical symptoms after a period of nicotine abstinence. Therefore, clinicians should motivate and help their patients to quit smoking (CIBERSAM - FIS PI11/01891). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]