The magnetar emission in the IR band: the role of magnetospheric currents

There is a general consensus about the fact that the magnetar scenario provides a convincing explanation for several of the observed properties of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars and the Soft Gamma Repeaters. However, the origin of the emission observed at low energies is still an open issue. We present a quantitative model for the emission in the optical/infrared band produced by curvature radiation from magnetospheric charges, and compare results with current magnetars observations.Comment: 6 Pages, 2 Figures. Astrophysics and Space Science, in press. Proceedings of the ICREA Workshop on The High-Energy Emission from Pulsars and their Systems, Sant Cugat, April 12-16 201

Phase I and pharmacokinetic (PK) study of MAG-CPT (PNU 166148): a polymeric derivative of camptothecin (CPT)

Polymeric cytotoxic conjugates are being developed with the aim of preferential delivery of the anticancer agent to tumour. MAG-CPT comprises the topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin linked to a water-soluble polymeric backbone methacryloylglycynamide ( average molecular weight 18 kDa, 10% CPT by weight). It was administered as a 30-min infusion once every 4 weeks to patients with advanced solid malignancies. The objectives of our study were to determine the maximum tolerated dose, dose-limiting toxicities, and the plasma and urine pharmacokinetics of MAG-CPT, and to document responses to this treatment. The starting dose was 30 mgm(-2) (dose expressed as mg equivalent camptothecin). In total, 23 patients received 47 courses at six dose levels, with a maximum dose of 240 mgm(-2). Dose-limiting toxicities were myelosuppression, neutropaenic sepsis, and diarrhoea. One patient died after cycle 1 MAG-CPT at the maximum dose. The maximum tolerated dose and dose recommended for further clinical study was 200 mgm(-2). The half-lives of both MAG-CPT and released CPT were prolonged (46 days) and measurable levels of MAG-CPT were retrieved from plasma and urine 4 weeks after treatment. However, subsequent pharmacodynamic studies of this agent have led to its withdrawal from clinical development

Demographic and circumstantial accounts of burn mortality in Cape Town, South Africa, 2001-2004: An observational register based study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Burns are a persisting public health problem in low- and middle-income countries; however, epidemiologic data for these settings is scarce. South Africa is no exception although there is an emerging knowledge base, especially for paediatric burns. The current study describes the epidemiology of burn mortality across the lifespan in Cape Town (2.9 million inhabitants in 2001), one of the six South African metropolitan centres.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The distribution of burn mortality across socio-demographic groups and also their circumstances of occurrence were investigated using four year (2001 to 2004) surveillance data from the National Injury Mortality Surveillance System (n = 1024 cases).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Burn mortality occurred at a rate of 7.9 per 100 000 person-years (95% CI: 7.3-8.3). Males sustained fatal rates 2.2 times more than that for females (p < 0.001), with rates significantly higher in the 25 to 38 and 39 to 50 age groups than at other ages (p < 0.001). The greatest difference between male and female deaths was observed in the 25 to 38 year age group, when almost three male deaths occurred for every female one. The vast majority of fatal burns were registered as accidental and occurred in the home, either over the cold and wet months or during recreational periods over weekends and across the year. Alcohol intoxication was reported for the majority of those adults whose alcohol blood levels were tested (i.e. 52.6% of cases aged 16+ years).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Besides paediatric burns, the high prevalence and circumstances of occurrence of burns among middle age men are a source of concern. There are reasons to believe that this over-representation is a reflection of detrimental living conditions, life-style and poor socio-economic status. It is recommended that there be greater prioritisation of prevention activities that involve the control or management of kerosene heat sources, the provision of alternatives to flammable housing materials, and the implementation of strategies to reduce harmful drinking practices.</p

Enemies with benefits: parasitic endoliths protect mussels against heat stress

Positive and negative aspects of species interactions can be context dependant and strongly affected by environmental conditions. We tested the hypothesis that, during periods of intense heat stress, parasitic phototrophic endoliths that fatally degrade mollusc shells can benefit their mussel hosts. Endolithic infestation significantly reduced body temperatures of sun-exposed mussels and, during unusually extreme heat stress, parasitised individuals suffered lower mortality rates than nonparasitised hosts. This beneficial effect was related to the white discolouration caused by the excavation activity of endoliths. Under climate warming, species relationships may be drastically realigned and conditional benefits of phototrophic endolithic parasites may become more important than the costs of infestation

Long-term outcome in biopsy-proven acute interstitial nephritis treated with steroids

BACKGROUND: There are no prospective randomized controlled trials describing the outcome of acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) treated with steroids, and retrospective studies are limited. METHODS: We identified adult patients with a diagnosis of AIN without glomerular pathology over a 14-year period. Treated patients all received oral prednisolone and three also recieved IV methylprednisolone. Data were collected retrospectively on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), change in eGFR from time of biopsy, dependence on renal replacement therapy (RRT) and mortality, and outcomes were analysed according to the treatment prescribed. RESULTS: A total of 187 eligible patients with AIN were identified and 158 were treated with steroids. There was no difference in median eGFR or dependence on RRT at the time of biopsy. Steroid-treated patients had significantly higher eGFR at all time points post-biopsy up to 24 months, when median eGFR was 43 mL/min in the steroid-treated group and 24 mL/min in the untreated group (P  =  0.01). Fewer patients in the steroid-treated group were dialysis dependent by 6 months (3.2% versus 20.6%, P  =  0.0022) and 24 months (5.1% versus 24.1%, P  =  0.0019). CONCLUSIONS: This large retrospective study suggests a benefit of steroids in treatment of AIN with greater improvement in eGFR and fewer patients progressing to end-stage renal disease

The Molecular Clockwork of the Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta

This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication

Anonymisation of geographical distance matrices via Lipschitz embedding

BACKGROUND: Anonymisation of spatially referenced data has received increasing attention in recent years. Whereas the research focus has been on the anonymisation of point locations, the disclosure risk arising from the publishing of inter-point distances and corresponding anonymisation methods have not been studied systematically. METHODS: We propose a new anonymisation method for the release of geographical distances between records of a microdata file-for example patients in a medical database. We discuss a data release scheme in which microdata without coordinates and an additional distance matrix between the corresponding rows of the microdata set are released. In contrast to most other approaches this method preserves small distances better than larger distances. The distances are modified by a variant of Lipschitz embedding. RESULTS: The effects of the embedding parameters on the risk of data disclosure are evaluated by linkage experiments using simulated data. The results indicate small disclosure risks for appropriate embedding parameters. CONCLUSION: The proposed method is useful if published distance information might be misused for the re-identification of records. The method can be used for publishing scientific-use-files and as an additional tool for record-linkage studies

Effectiveness of an Ultrasound Training Module for Internal Medicine Residents

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few internal medicine residency programs provide formal ultrasound training. This study sought to assess the feasibility of simulation based ultrasound training among first year internal medicine residents and measure their comfort at effectively using ultrasound to perform invasive procedures before and after this innovative model of ultrasound training.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A simulation based ultrasound training module was implemented during intern orientation that incorporated didactic and practical experiences in a simulation and cadaver laboratory. Participants completed anonymous pre and post surveys in which they reported their level of confidence in the use of ultrasound technology and their comfort in identifying anatomic structures including: lung, pleural effusion, bowel, peritoneal cavity, ascites, thyroid, and internal jugular vein. Survey items were structured on a 5-point Likert scales (1 = extremely unconfident, 5 = extremely confident).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventy-five out of seventy-six interns completed the pre-intervention survey and 55 completed the post-survey. The mean confidence score (SD) increased to 4.00 (0.47) (p < 0.0001). The mean (SD) comfort ranged from 3.61 (0.84) for peritoneal cavity to 4.48 (0.62) for internal jugular vein. Confidence in identifying all anatomic structures showed an increase over the pre-intervention means (p < 0.002).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A simulation based ultrasound learning module can improve the self-reported confidence with which residents identify structures important in performing invasive ultrasound guided procedures. Incorporating an ultrasound module into residents' education may address perceived need for ultrasound training, improve procedural skills, and enhance patient safety.</p

The role of the right temporoparietal junction in perceptual conflict: detection or resolution?

The right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is a polysensory cortical area that plays a key role in perception and awareness. Neuroimaging evidence shows activation of rTPJ in intersensory and sensorimotor conflict situations, but it remains unclear whether this activity reflects detection or resolution of such conflicts. To address this question, we manipulated the relationship between touch and vision using the so-called mirror-box illusion. Participants' hands lay on either side of a mirror, which occluded their left hand and reflected their right hand, but created the illusion that they were looking directly at their left hand. The experimenter simultaneously touched either the middle (D3) or the ring finger (D4) of each hand. Participants judged, which finger was touched on their occluded left hand. The visual stimulus corresponding to the touch on the right hand was therefore either congruent (same finger as touch) or incongruent (different finger from touch) with the task-relevant touch on the left hand. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was delivered to the rTPJ immediately after touch. Accuracy in localizing the left touch was worse for D4 than for D3, particularly when visual stimulation was incongruent. However, following TMS, accuracy improved selectively for D4 in incongruent trials, suggesting that the effects of the conflicting visual information were reduced. These findings suggest a role of rTPJ in detecting, rather than resolving, intersensory conflict

The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization

Background: The shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. Primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. Bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. High-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. Results: We report the high quality draft genome sequences of Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens, two ecologically dominant bumblebees and widely utilized study species. Comparing these new genomes to those of the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera and other Hymenoptera, we identify deeply conserved similarities, as well as novelties key to the biology of these organisms. Some honeybee genome features thought to underpin advanced eusociality are also present in bumblebees, indicating an earlier evolution in the bee lineage. Xenobiotic detoxification and immune genes are similarly depauperate in bumblebees and honeybees, and multiple categories of genes linked to social organization, including development and behavior, show high conservation. Key differences identified include a bias in bumblebee chemoreception towards gustation from olfaction, and striking differences in microRNAs, potentially responsible for gene regulation underlying social and other traits. Conclusions: These two bumblebee genomes provide a foundation for post-genomic research on these key pollinators and insect societies. Overall, gene repertoires suggest that the route to advanced eusociality in bees was mediated by many small changes in many genes and processes, and not by notable expansion or depauperation