Variability of the HeI5876 A line in early type chemically peculiar stars

Chemically peculiar stars present spectral and photometric variability with a single period. In the oblique rotator model, the non homogeneous distribution of elements on the stellar surface is at the origin of the observed variations. As to helium weak stars, it has been suggested that photometric and helium line equivalent width variations are out of phase. To understand the behaviour of helium in CP stars, we have obtained time resolved spectra of the HeI5876 A line for a sample of 16 chemically peculiar stars in the spectral range B3 -- A1 and belonging to different sub-groups. The HeI5876 A line is too weak to be measured in the spectra of the stars HD 24155, HD 41269, and HD 220825. No variation of the equivalent width of the selected He line has been revealed in the stars HD 22920, HD 24587, HD 36589, HD 49606, and HD 209515. The equivalent width variation of the HeI5876 A line is in phase with the photometric variability for the stars HD 43819, HD 171247 and HD 176582. On the contrary it is out of phase for the stars HD 28843, HD 182255 and HD 223640. No clear relation has been found for the stars HD 26571 and HD 177003.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures. 1998, A&AS in pres

A Multinational Analysis of Mutations and Heterogeneity in PZase, RpsA, and PanD Associated with Pyrazinamide Resistance in M/XDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an important first-line drug in all existing and new tuberculosis (TB) treatment regimens. PZA-resistance in M. tuberculosis is increasing, especially among M/XDR cases. Noted issues with PZA Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST) have driven the search for alternative tests. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of PZA molecular diagnostics in M/XDR TB cases. A set of 296, mostly XDR, clinical M. tuberculosis isolates from four countries were subjected to DST for eight drugs, confirmatory Wayne's assay, and whole-genome sequencing. Three genes implicated in PZA resistance, pncA, rpsA, and panD were investigated. Assuming all non-synonymous mutations cause resistance, we report 90% sensitivity and 65% specificity for a pncA-based molecular test. The addition of rpsA and panD potentially provides 2% increase in sensitivity. Molecular heterogeneity in pncA was associated with resistance and should be evaluated as a diagnostic tool. Mutations near the N-terminus and C-terminus of PZase were associated with East-Asian and Euro-American lineages, respectively. Finally, Euro-American isolates are most likely to have a wild-type PZase and escape molecular detection. Overall, the 8-10% resistance without markers may point to alternative mechanisms of resistance. Confirmatory mutagenesis may improve the disconcertingly low specificity but reduce sensitivity since not all mutations may cause resistance

Kepler observations of A-F pre-main sequence stars in Upper Scorpius: Discovery of six new δ\delta~Scuti and one γ\gamma~Doradus stars

We present light curves and periodograms for 27 stars in the young Upper Scorpius association (age=$11 \pm 1$\,Myr) obtained with the Kepler spacecraft. This association is only the second stellar grouping to host several pulsating pre-main sequence (PMS) stars which have been observed from space. From an analysis of the periodograms, we identify six $\delta$~Scuti variables and one $\gamma$~Doradus star. These are most likely PMS stars or else very close to the zero-age main sequence. Four of the $\delta$~Scuti variables were observed in short-cadence mode, which allows us to resolve the entire frequency spectrum. For these four stars, we are able to infer some qualitative information concerning their ages. For the remaining two $\delta$~Scuti stars, only long-cadence data are available, which means that some of the frequencies are likely to be aliases. One of the stars appears to be a rotational variable in a hierarchical triple system. This is a particularly important object, as it allows the possibility of an accurate mass determination when radial velocity observations become available. We also report on new high-resolution echelle spectra obtained for some of the stars of our sample.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication on MNRA

A case of primary Hodgkin's lymphoma of the parotid gland. Case report and differentian diagnosis from Kuttner's Syndrom

Abstract We report a rare case of primary Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) of the submandibular gland, with initially diagnosis of Kuttner’s Syndrom. A 48 years old man was referred to our hospital foe evaluation of a submandibular mass. Although the initial Fine Needle Aspiration and subsequent cytology was highly suggestive for a cronic sialadenitis with lymphoid cells. After surgical gland removal we obtained a definitive diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in submandibular gland a seat where the most common lymphoma tipe is B

Na-O anticorrelation and HB. IX. Kinematics of the program clusters. A link between systemic rotation and HB morphology?

We use accurate radial velocities for 1981 member stars in 20 Galactic globular clusters, collected within our large survey aimed at the analysis of the Na-O anti-correlation, to study the internal kinematics of the clusters. We performed the first systematic exploration of the possible connections between cluster kinematics and the multiple populations phenomenon in GCs. We did not find any significant correlation between Na abundance and either velocity dispersion or systemic rotation. We searched for systemic rotation in the eight clusters of our sample that lack such analysis from previous works in the literature (NGC2808, NGC5904, NGC6171, NGC6254, NGC6397, NGC6388, NGC6441, and NGC6838). These clusters are found to span a large range of rotational amplitudes, from ~0.0 km/s (NGC6397) to ~13.0 km/s (NGC6441). We found a significant correlation between the ratio of rotational velocity to central velocity dispersion (V_{rot}/sigma_0) and the Horizontal Branch Morphology parameter (B-R)/(B+R+V). V_{rot}/sigma_0 is found to correlate also with metallicity, possibly hinting to a significant role of dissipation in the process of formation of globular clusters. V_{rot} is found to correlate well with (B-R)/(B+R+V), M_V, sigma_0 and [Fe/H]. All these correlations strongly suggest that systemic rotation may be intimately linked with the processes that led to the formation of globular clusters and the stellar populations they host.Comment: Accepted for publication on Astronomy & Astrophysics. Pdflatex, 16 pages, 16 pdf figures. The position angles of the rotation axes have been corrected, since the values reported in the previous version were erroneous. The results of the analysis are unchanged. The manuscript has also been processed by a language edito

Which is the most accurate diagnostic procedure in Tamoxifen treated breast cancer patients

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of bi-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS), hysterosonography (HSSG) and hysteroscopy in the detection of endometrial pathology in women treated with tamoxifen (TMX) for breast cancer. Methods: Forty-two patients, affected by breast cancer under treatment with TMX, underwent 2D-3D TVUS, HSSG and hysteroscopy completed by biopsy, after abnormal findings following a routine 2D TVUS examination. Results: 3D-TVUS was more accurate than 2D-TVUS in the detection of atrophic endometrium confirmed by biopsy and in the detection of endometrial polyps. HSSG and hysteroscopy detected atrophic endometrium and endometrial polyps significantly better than ultrasound scan. Endometrial carcinoma was detected in two cases, and in both HSSG and hysteroscopy were 100% diagnostic. Conclusion: In TMX treated breast cancer patients, HSSG and hysteroscopy provide more accurate diagnosis than 2D-3D ultrasound in the detection of treatment related endometrial lesions

CAOS spectroscopy of Am stars Kepler targets

The {\it Kepler} space mission and its {\it K2} extension provide photometric time series data with unprecedented accuracy. These data challenge our current understanding of the metallic-lined A stars (Am stars) for what concerns the onset of pulsations in their atmospheres. It turns out that the predictions of current diffusion models do not agree with observations. To understand this discrepancy, it is of crucial importance to obtain ground-based spectroscopic observations of Am stars in the {\it Kepler} and {\it K2} fields in order to determine the best estimates of the stellar parameters. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of high-resolution spectroscopic data for seven stars previously classified as Am stars. We determine the effective temperatures, surface gravities, projected rotational velocities, microturbulent velocities and chemical abundances of these stars using spectral synthesis. These spectra were obtained with {\it CAOS}, a new instrument recently installed at the observing station of the Catania Astrophysical Observatory on Mt. Etna. Three stars have already been observed during quarters Q0-Q17, namely: HD\,180347, HD\,181206, and HD\,185658, while HD\,43509 was already observed during {\it K2} C0 campaign. We confirm that HD\,43509 and HD\,180347 are Am stars, while HD 52403, HD\,50766, HD\,58246, HD\,181206 and HD\,185658 are marginal Am stars. By means of non-LTE analysis, we derived oxygen abundances from O{\sc I}$\lambda$7771--5{\AA} triplet and we also discussed the results obtained with both non-LTE and LTE approaches.Comment: accepted in MNRAS main journal 13 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1404.095