Gas morphology and energetics at the surface of PDRs: new insights with Herschel observations of NGC 7023

We investigate the physics and chemistry of the gas and dust in dense photon-dominated regions (PDRs), along with their dependence on the illuminating UV field. Using Herschel-HIFI observations, we study the gas energetics in NGC 7023 in relation to the morphology of this nebula. NGC 7023 is the prototype of a PDR illuminated by a B2V star and is one of the key targets of Herschel. Our approach consists in determining the energetics of the region by combining the information carried by the mid-IR spectrum (extinction by classical grains, emission from very small dust particles) with that of the main gas coolant lines. In this letter, we discuss more specifically the intensity and line profile of the 158 micron (1901 GHz) [CII] line measured by HIFI and provide information on the emitting gas. We show that both the [CII] emission and the mid-IR emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) arise from the regions located in the transition zone between atomic and molecular gas. Using the Meudon PDR code and a simple transfer model, we find good agreement between the calculated and observed [CII] intensities. HIFI observations of NGC 7023 provide the opportunity to constrain the energetics at the surface of PDRs. Future work will include analysis of the main coolant line [OI] and use of a new PDR model that includes PAH-related species.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters (Herschel HIFI special issue), 5 pages, 5 figure

The origin of the [C II] emission in the S140 PDRs - new insights from HIFI

Using Herschel's HIFI instrument we have observed [C II] along a cut through S140 and high-J transitions of CO and HCO+ at two positions on the cut, corresponding to the externally irradiated ionization front and the embedded massive star forming core IRS1. The HIFI data were combined with available ground-based observations and modeled using the KOSMA-tau model for photon dominated regions. Here we derive the physical conditions in S140 and in particular the origin of [C II] emission around IRS1. We identify three distinct regions of [C II] emission from the cut, one close to the embedded source IRS1, one associated with the ionization front and one further into the cloud. The line emission can be understood in terms of a clumpy model of photon-dominated regions. At the position of IRS1, we identify at least two distinct components contributing to the [C II] emission, one of them a small, hot component, which can possibly be identified with the irradiated outflow walls. This is consistent with the fact that the [C II] peak at IRS1 coincides with shocked H2 emission at the edges of the outflow cavity. We note that previously available observations of IRS1 can be well reproduced by a single-component KOSMA-tau model. Thus it is HIFI's unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution, as well as its sensitivity which has allowed us to uncover an additional hot gas component in the S140 region.Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (HIFI special issue

cis-analysis of the wound-inducible promoter wun1 in transgenic tobacco plants and histochemical localization of its expression.

The 5' region of the wound-inducible gene wun1, derived from potato, has been sequenced and analyzed for cis-acting elements important in controlling gene expression in transgenic tobacco plants. Different 5' deletion fragments were linked to the reporter gene beta-glucuronidase (GUS) as transcriptional fusions, and the expression of these chimeric genes was analyzed in leaf tissue. Sequences 111 base pairs upstream of the transcriptional start site were not able to drive the GUS expression over background levels, whereas sequences between -111 and -571 showed a slightly higher activity with equal levels of transcription in wounded and nonwounded tissue. The addition of further upstream sequences (-571 to -1022) enhanced the level of expression by a factor between 13 and 370. The expression driven by this fragment was inducible by a factor of twofold to ninefold by wounding. Histochemical analysis of different tissue from transgenic plants that contain wun1-GUS fusions demonstrates wound-inducible and cell-specific wun1 promoter activity in plants containing the -1022-base pair fragment. The location of GUS activity appears to be cell-specific, being highest in epidermal cells of leaves and stems and lower in vascular cells. Activity was reduced to levels that could not be detected by histochemical staining in leaves, stems, and roots of plants containing the deleted promoter fragments. Plants that contain the different deletion constructs and plants that carry the -1022-base pair fragment show high expression in anthers and pollen grains that could not be stimulated by wounding

Manuelle Medizin versus PMR in der Therapie hyperfunktioneller Dysphonien - erster Vergleich der Soforteffekte

Einleitung: Manuelle Behandlungsverfahren gewinnen zunehmend stimmtherapeutisches Interesse. Dazu vorliegende Studien sind ganz überwiegend von geringer methodischer Qualität. Untersuchungen mit Kontrollgruppen fehlen nahezu vollständig. Wir präsentieren vorläufige Ergebnisse einer Studie die zeigt, dass die Effekte manueller Behandlungsverfahren auf funktionelle Stimmstörungen prospektiv und verblindet untersucht und bestätigt werden können. Als Kontrolle wurden die Patientinnen zweitzeitig mit einem allgemeinen Entspannungsverfahren (PMR nach Jacobson) behandelt.Methode: 6 Patientinnen mit hyperfunktioneller Dysphonie wurden im Abstand von einer Woche mit einer manualmedizinisch-osteopathischen Behandlung und mit PMR behandelt. Die Reihenfolge der Behandlungsmodi war randomisiert. Es wurde jeweils vor und nach der Behandlung ein Stimmstatus erhoben wobei die Untersucherin verblindet war.Ergebnisse: Die Patientinnen erfuhren durch beide Behandlungsmodi eine allgemeine Entspannung. Sowohl die manualmedizinische Behandlung wie auch die PMR zeigen signifikant positive Auswirkungen auf eine Vielzahl von Stimmgüteparametern. Im Trend deutet sich eine Überlegenheit der manualmedizinisch-osteopathischen Behandlung hinsichtlich der stroboskopischen Befunde und der vocal tract discomfort scale an.Schlussfolgerungen: Wir haben erstmals die Durchführbarkeit einer einseitig verblindeten, prospektiven, randomisierten und kontrollierten Untersuchung von Kurzzeiteffekten der Behandlungsverfahren gezeigt. Die gewonnenen Daten erlauben eine Fallzahlschätzung für Folgestudien. Allgemeine Entspannung spielt auch bei den Effekten der manuellen Behandlung eine große Rolle die bisher in der Literatur unzureichend berücksichtigt wir

Entspannung als Wirkfaktor in der manuellen Stimmbehandlung

Hintergrund: Verschiedene Studien sprechen für eine Wirksamkeit der Manuellen Therapien (z. B. Osteopathie) nicht nur bei der sog. "Zervikogenen Dysphonie", sondern auch bei hyperfunktionellen Dysphonien. Unsere klinische Erfahrung zeigt, dass Patienten eine manuelle Behandlung der HWS als sehr entspannend empfinden. Uns sind keine Arbeiten bekannt, die den Anteil dieser allgemeinen Entspannung am Behandlungserfolg der Manuellen Therapien untersuchen. Wir stellen eine erste Studie zum Vergleich der Wirksamkeit einer osteopathischen und der einer Entspannungsmethode (Progressive Muskelrelaxation (PMR)) vor.Material und Methoden: 8 Patientinnen mit hyperfunktioneller Dysphonie wurden im Abstand von einer Woche 2x behandelt. Einmal mit PMR, einmal osteopathisch über je 45 Min. Vorher und nachher wurde die Stimme verblindet beurteilt und eine Stimmlippenstroboskopie wurde verblindet ausgewertet. Die Patientinnen füllten Fragebögen zu Missempfindungen im Vokaltrakt aus und gaben das durch die Behandlungen erzielte Maß an Entspannung auf einer Visuellen Analogskala an.Ergebnisse: Entspannung wurde durch die Osteopathie stärker als durch die PMR erreicht (p=0,04). Unangenehme Empfindungen im Vokaltrakt nahmen durch Osteopathie stärker ab als durch PMR (p=0,02). Im Stroboskopiescore wurde durch die Osteopathie eine signifikant höhere Verbesserung erreicht (p<0,001). Diskussion: Wir konnten zeigen, dass allgemeine Entspannung eine wesentliche Größe in der Manuellen Stimmtherapie darstellt. Sie darf in Studien nicht weiter vernachlässigt werden. Trotz unserer kleinen Fallzahl war die osteopathische einer reinen Entspannungstherapie in verschiedener Hinsicht überlegen. Dies ermutigt zu einer weiteren Untersuchung dieser Verfahren in größeren Studien

Expression of glypican-4 in haematopoietic-progenitor and bone-marrow-stromal cells.

Heparan sulphate proteoglycans and the extracellular matrix of bone-marrow-stromal cells are important components of the microenvironment of haematopoietic tissues and are involved in the interaction of haematopoietic stem and stromal cells. Previous studies have emphasized the role of heparan sulphate proteoglycan synthesis by bone-marrow-stromal cells. In the present study we describe the expression of glypican-4 (GPC-4), belonging to the glypican family, in bone-marrow-stromal cells and haematopoietic-progenitor cells of human and murine origin. Expression of GPC-4 was shown on the mRNA-level by reverse transcription-PCR and Northern blot analysis. Amplification products were cloned and sequenced, to confirm these results. To analyze the expression of GPC-4 on the protein level, polyclonal antibodies against selected peptides were raised in rabbits. Western blot analysis showed expression of GPC-4 as a heparan sulphate proteoglycan in the human haematopoietic-progenitor cell line TF-1 and normal human bone marrow. These results were confirmed by FACS analysis of TF-1 cells. Furthermore, GPC-4-positive progenitor cells and stromal cells were enriched from normal human bone marrow by magnetic-cell sorting and analysed by confocal laser-scanning microscopy

Heparan sulfate proteoglycan expression is induced during early erythroid differentiation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells.

Heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans of bone marrow (BM) stromal cells and their extracellular matrix are important components of the microenvironment of hematopoietic tissues and are involved in the interaction of hematopoietic stem and stromal cells. Although previous studies have emphasized the role of HS proteoglycan synthesis by BM stromal cells, we have recently shown that the human hematopoietic progenitor cell line TF-1 also expressed an HS proteoglycan. Immunochemical, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Northern blot analysis of this HS proteoglycan showed that it was not related to the syndecan family of HS proteoglycans or to glypican. To answer the question of whether the expression of HS proteoglycans is associated with the differentiation state of hematopoietic progenitor cells, we have analyzed the proteoglycan synthesis of several murine and human hematopoietic progenitor cell lines. Proteoglycans were isolated from metabolically labeled cells and purified by several chromatographic steps. Isolation and characterization of proteoglycans from the cell lines HEL and ELM-D, which like TF-1 cells have an immature erythroid phenotype, showed that these cells synthesize the same HS proteoglycan, previously detected in TF-1 cells, as a major proteoglycan. In contrast, cell lines of the myeloid lineage, like the myeloblastic/promyelocytic cell lines B1 and B2, do not express HS proteoglycans. Taken together, our data strongly suggest that expression of this HS proteoglycan in hematopoietic progenitor cell lines is associated with the erythroid lineage. To prove this association we have analyzed the proteoglycan expression in the nonleukemic multipotent stem cell line FDCP-Mix-A4 after induction of erythroid or granulocytic differentiation. Our data show that HS proteoglycan expression is induced during early erythroid differentiation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells. In contrast, during granulocytic differentiation, no expression of HS proteoglycans was observed