The influence of Galactic aberration on precession parameters determined from VLBI observations

The influence of proper motions of sources due to Galactic aberration on precession models based on VLBI data is determined. Comparisons of the linear trends in the coordinates of the celestial pole obtained with and without taking into account Galactic aberration indicate that this effect can reach 20 $\mu$as per century, which is important for modern precession models. It is also shown that correcting for Galactic aberration influences the derived parameters of low-frequency nutation terms. It is therefore necessary to correct for Galactic aberration in the reduction of modern astrometric observations

Morphine withdrawal recruits lateral habenula cytokine signaling to reduce synaptic excitation and sociability.

The lateral habenula encodes aversive stimuli contributing to negative emotional states during drug withdrawal. Here we report that morphine withdrawal in mice leads to microglia adaptations and diminishes glutamatergic transmission onto raphe-projecting lateral habenula neurons. Chemogenetic inhibition of this circuit promotes morphine withdrawal-like social deficits. Morphine withdrawal-driven synaptic plasticity and reduced sociability require tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) release and neuronal TNF receptor 1 activation. Hence, habenular cytokines control synaptic and behavioral adaptations during drug withdrawal

Interstellar Grains -- The 75th Anniversary

The year of 2005 marks the 75th anniversary since Trumpler (1930) provided the first definitive proof of interstellar grains by demonstrating the existence of general absorption and reddening of starlight in the galactic plane. This article reviews our progressive understanding of the nature of interstellar dust.Comment: invited review article for the "Light, Dust and Chemical Evolution" conference (Gerace, Italy, 26--30 September 2004), edited by F. Borghese and R. Saija, 2005, in pres

Evaluating the incidence of pathological complete response in current international rectal cancer practice

The mainstay of management for locally advanced rectal cancer is chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection. Following chemoradiotherapy, a complete response may be detected clinically and radiologically (cCR) prior to surgery or pathologically after surgery (pCR). We aim to report the overall complete pathological response (pCR) rate and the reliability of detecting a cCR by conventional pre-operative imaging.A pre-planned analysis of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) 2017 audit was performed. Patients treated by elective rectal resection were included. A pCR was defined as a ypT0 N0 EMVI negative primary tumour; a partial response represented any regression from baseline staging following chemoradiotherapy. The primary endpoint was the pCR rate. The secondary endpoint was agreement between post-treatment MRI restaging (yMRI) and final pathological staging.Of 2572 patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery in 277 participating centres across 44 countries, 673 (26.2%) underwent chemoradiotherapy and surgery. The pCR rate was 10.3% (67/649), with a partial response in 35.9% (233/649) patients. Comparison of AJCC stage determined by post-treatment yMRI with final pathology showed understaging in 13% (55/429) and overstaging in 34% (148/429). Agreement between yMRI and final pathology for T-stage, N-stage, or AJCC status were each graded as 'fair' only (n = 429, Kappa 0.25, 0.26 and 0.35 respectively).The reported pCR rate of 10% highlights the potential for non-operative management in selected cases. The limited strength of agreement between basic conventional post-chemoradiotherapy imaging assessment techniques and pathology suggest alternative markers of response should be considered, in the context of controlled clinical trials