The tan(beta) - M_H^\pm bound from inclusive semi-tauonic B-decays in the MSSM

We compute the O(alpha_s) SUSY-QCD corrections to the W and charged Higgs mediated inclusive semi-tauonic B-decay, B->tau antineutrino_tau X. Combining the SUSY contribution with the SM result obtained from the heavy quark effective field theory, plus ordinary QCD corrections, we find that the allowed region in the (tan(beta),M_H^\pm)-plane could be significantly modified by the short-distance supersymmetric effects. Since the sensitivity to the SUSY parameters other than mu (the higgsino mixing mass) is rather low, the following effective bound emerges for mu<0 at the 2 sigma level: tan(beta)~< 0.43 (M_H^\pm/GeV). Remarkably, for mu>0 there could be no bound at all. Finally, we provide a combined (tan(beta,M_H^\pm) exclusion plot using our B-meson results together with the recent data from top quark decays.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, 1 table and 3 figs included as a separate file, full postscript version avaliable at ftp://ftp.ifae.es/preprint/ft/uabft407.ps . New comments and references added. Accepted version in Phys. Lett.

Warsaw Breakage Syndrome associated DDX11 helicase resolves G-quadruplex structures to support sister chromatid cohesion

Warsaw Breakage Syndrome (WABS) is a rare disorder related to cohesinopathies and Fanconi anemia, caused by bi-allelic mutations in DDX11. Here, we report multiple compound heterozygous WABS cases, each displaying destabilized DDX11 protein and residual DDX11 function at the cellular level. Patient-derived cell lines exhibit sensitivity to topoisomerase and PARP inhibitors, defective sister chromatid cohesion and reduced DNA replication fork speed. Deleting DDX11 in RPE1-TERT cells inhibits proliferation and survival in a TP53-dependent manner and causes chromosome breaks and cohesion defects, independent of the expressed pseudogene DDX12p. Importantly, G-quadruplex (G4) stabilizing compounds induce chromosome breaks and cohesion defects which are strongly aggravated by inactivation of DDX11 but not FANCJ. The DNA helicase domain of DD

Advances in the management of testicular cancer.

Item does not contain fulltextAlthough testicular cancer is currently a rare disease, the incidence is rising. The most important risk factor remains cryptorchism and there is a variable association with testicular microlithiasis. Serum tumor markers remain important for diagnosis, and they have prognostic value and can be used to monitor therapy and follow-up. Conventional imaging can only be improved in specific categories of patients with positron emission tomography scanning. The optimal therapy after orchiectomy should be individualized based on the histology of the primary specimen, the presence or absence of metastasis, and marker levels. An optimal definition of risk factors will likely spur the development of risk-adjusted treatment modalities and subsequently lead to better results and less toxicity. Extensive research into the molecular biology of testicular cancer is ongoing and will hopefully offer new targets for the diagnosis, staging, and treatment of testicular cancer in the future

Potential for sulfate reduction in mangrove forest soils: Comparison between two dominant species of the Americas

Avicennia and Rhizophora are globally occurring mangrove genera with different traits that place them in different parts of the intertidal zone. It is generally accepted that the oxidizing capacity of Avicennia roots is larger than that of Rhizophora roots, which initiates more reduced conditions in the soil below the latter genus. We hypothesize that the more reduced conditions beneath Rhizophora stands lead to more active sulfate-reducing microbial communities compared to Avicennia stands. To test this hypothesis, we measured sulfate reduction traits in soil samples collected from neighboring Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle stands at three different locations in southern Florida. The traits measured were sulfate reduction rates (SRR) in flow-through reactors containing undisturbed soil layers in the absence and presence of easily degradable carbon compounds, copy numbers of the dsrB gene, which is specific for sulfate-reducing microorganisms, and numbers of sulfate-reducing cells that are able to grow in liquid medium on a mixture of acetate, propionate and lactate as electron donors. At the tidal locations Port of the Islands and South Hutchinson Islands, steady state SRR, dsrB gene copy numbers and numbers of culturable cells were higher at the A. germinans than at the R. mangle stands, although not significantly for the numbers at Port of the Islands. At the non-tidal location North Hutchinson Island, results are mixed with respect to these sulfate reduction traits. At all locations, the fraction of culturable cells were significantly higher at the R. mangle than at the A. germinans stands. The dynamics of the initial SRR implied a more in situ active sulfate-reducing community at the intertidal R. mangle stands. It was concluded that in agreement with our hypothesis R. mangle stands accommodate a more active sulfate-reducing community than A. germinans stands, but only at the tidal locations. The differences between R. mangle and A. germinans stands were absent at the non-tidal, impounded location