125 research outputs found
Risk stratification in mild and moderate aortic stenosis by assessment of aortic valve calcification
The Yellow and Red Supergiants of M33
Yellow and red supergiants are evolved massive stars whose numbers and
locations on the HR diagram can provide a stringent test for models of massive
star evolution. Previous studies have found large discrepancies between the
relative number of yellow supergiants observed as a function of mass and those
predicted by evolutionary models, while a disagreement between the predicted
and observed locations of red supergiants on the HR diagram was only recently
resolved. Here we extend these studies by examining the yellow and red
supergiant populations of M33. Unfortunately, identifying these stars is
difficult as this portion of the color-magnitude diagram is heavily
contaminated by foreground dwarfs. We identify the red supergiants through a
combination of radial velocities and a two-color surface gravity discriminant
and, after re-characterizing the rotation curve of M33 with our newly selected
red supergiants, we identify the yellow supergiants through a combination of
radial velocities and the strength of the OI 7774 triplet. We examine
~1300 spectra in total and identify 121 yellow supergiants (a sample which is
unbiased in luminosity above log(L/L\odot) ~ 4.8) and 189 red supergiants.
After placing these objects on the HR diagram, we find that the latest
generation of Geneva evolutionary tracks show excellent agreement with the
observed locations of our red and yellow supergiants, the observed relative
number of yellow supergiants with mass and the observed red supergiant upper
mass limit. These models therefore represent a drastic improvement over
previous generations.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Extending the applicability of in ovo and ex ovo chicken chorioallantoic membrane assays to study cytostatic activity in neuroblastoma cells
Purpose The chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay can provide an alternative versatile, cost-effective, and ethically less controversial in vivo model for reliable screening of drugs. In the presented work, we demonstrate that CAM assay (in ovo and ex ovo) can be simply employed to delineate the effects of cisplatin (CDDP) and ellipticine (Elli) on neuroblastoma (Nbl) cells in terms of their growth and metastatic potential. Methods The Nbl UKF-NB-4 cell line was established from recurrent bone marrow metastases of high-risk Nbl (stage IV, MYCN amplification, 7q21 gain). Ex ovo and in ovo CAM assays were optimized to evaluate the antimetastatic activity of CDDP and Elli. Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and DNA isolation were performed. Results Ex ovo CAM assay was employed to study whether CDDP and Elli exhibit any inhibitory effects on growth of Nbl xenograft in ex ovo CAM assay. Under the optimal conditions, Elli and CDDP exhibited significant inhibition of the size of the primary tumor. To study the efficiency of CDDP and Elli to inhibit primary Nbl tumor growth, intravasation, and extravasation in the organs, we adapted the in ovo CAM assay protocol. In in ovo CAM assay, both studied compounds (CDDP and Elli) exhibited significant (p < 0.001) inhibitory activity against extravasation to all investigated organs including distal CAM. Conclusions Taken together, CAM assay could be a helpful and highly efficient in vivo approach for high-throughput screening of libraries of compounds with expected anticancer activities
Static and dynamic 68Ga-FAPI PET/CT for the detection of malignant transformation of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia of the pancreas.
Purpose: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) may arise from intraductal papillary-mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) with malignant transformation, but a significant portion of IPMN remains to show benign behavior. Therefore, it is important to differentiate between benign IPMN and IPMN lesions undergoing malignant transformation. However, non-operative differentiation by ultrasound, CT, MRI and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) is still unsatisfactory. Here, we assessed the clinical feasibility of additional assessment of malignancy by positron emission tomography using 68Gallium-labeled Fibroblast Activation Protein Inhibitors (68Ga-FAPI-PET) in 25 patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - or computed tomography (CT) - proven cystic pancreatic lesions. Methods: 25 patients with cystic pancreatic lesions who were followed up in the European Pancreas Center of Heidelberg University hospital and who were led to surgical resection or fine needle aspiration (FNA) due to suspicious clinical, laboratory chemistry or radiological findings were examined by static (all patients) and dynamic (20 patients) 68Ga-FAPI-PET. Cystic pancreatic lesions were delineated and maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax / SUVmean) were determined. Time activity curves and dynamic parameters (time to peak, K1, k2, K3, k4) were extracted from dynamic PET data. Receiver operating curves (ROC) of static and dynamic PET parameters were calculated. Results: 11 of the patients suffered from menacing IPMN (high grade IPMN with (6 cases) or without (5 cases) progression into PDAC) and 11 from low grade IPMN, 3 patients from other benign entities. Menacing IMPN showed significantly elevated 68Ga-FAPI uptake compared to low grade IPMN and other benign cystic lesions. In dynamic imaging, menacing IPMN showed increasing time activity curves (TAC) followed by slow decrease afterwards, TAC of low grade IPMN showed an immediate peak followed by rapid decrease for about 10 minutes and slower decrease for the rest of the time. ROC curves showed high sensitivity and specificity (area under the curve (AUC) greater than 80%) of static and dynamic PET parameters for the differentiation of IPMN subtypes. Conclusion: 68Ga-FAPI-PET is a helpful new tool for the differentiation of menacing and low grade IPMN and shows the potential to avoid unnecessary surgery for non-malignant pancreatic IPMN
Тепловой поток и геотермические условия генерации нефти на территории Рыбального месторождения
Classification of cancer cell lines using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and statistical analysis
Over the past decade, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time‑of‑flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‑TOF MS) has been established as a valuable platform for microbial identification, and it is also frequently applied in biology and clinical studies to identify new markers expressed in pathological conditions. The aim of the present study was to assess the potential of using this approach for the classification of cancer cell lines as a quantifiable method for the proteomic profiling of cellular organelles. Intact protein extracts isolated from different tumor cell lines (human and murine) were analyzed using MALDI‑TOF MS and the obtained mass lists were processed using principle component analysis (PCA) within Bruker Biotyper® software. Furthermore, reference spectra were created for each cell line and were used for classification. Based on the intact protein profiles, we were able to differentiate and classify six cancer cell lines: two murine melanoma (B16‑F0 and B164A5), one human melanoma (A375), two human breast carcinoma (MCF7 and MDA‑MB‑231) and one human liver carcinoma (HepG2). The cell lines were classified according to cancer type and the species they originated from, as well as by their metastatic potential, offering the possibility to differentiate non‑invasive from invasive cells. The obtained results pave the way for developing a broad‑based strategy for the identification and classification of cancer cell
Classification of cancer cell lines using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and statistical analysis
Over the past decade, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time‑of‑flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‑TOF MS) has been established as a valuable platform for microbial identification, and it is also frequently applied in biology and clinical studies to identify new markers expressed in pathological conditions. The aim of the present study was to assess the potential of using this approach for the classification of cancer cell lines as a quantifiable method for the proteomic profiling of cellular organelles. Intact protein extracts isolated from different tumor cell lines (human and murine) were analyzed using MALDI‑TOF MS and the obtained mass lists were processed using principle component analysis (PCA) within Bruker Biotyper® software. Furthermore, reference spectra were created for each cell line and were used for classification. Based on the intact protein profiles, we were able to differentiate and classify six cancer cell lines: two murine melanoma (B16‑F0 and B164A5), one human melanoma (A375), two human breast carcinoma (MCF7 and MDA‑MB‑231) and one human liver carcinoma (HepG2). The cell lines were classified according to cancer type and the species they originated from, as well as by their metastatic potential, offering the possibility to differentiate non‑invasive from invasive cells. The obtained results pave the way for developing a broad‑based strategy for the identification and classification of cancer cell
The Type IIb Supernova 2011dh from a Supergiant Progenitor
A set of hydrodynamical models based on stellar evolutionary progenitors is
used to study the nature of SN 2011dh. Our modeling suggests that a large
progenitor star ---with R ~200 Rsun---, is needed to reproduce the early light
curve of SN 2011dh. This is consistent with the suggestion that the yellow
super-giant star detected at the location of the SN in deep pre-explosion
images is the progenitor star. From the main peak of the bolometric light curve
and expansion velocities we constrain the mass of the ejecta to be ~2 Msun, the
explosion energy to be E= 6-10 x 10^50 erg, and the 56Ni mass to be
approximately 0.06 Msun. The progenitor star was composed of a helium core of 3
to 4 Msun and a thin hydrogen-rich envelope of ~0.1 M_sun with a main sequence
mass estimated to be in the range of 12--15 Msun. Our models rule out
progenitors with helium-core masses larger than 8 Msun, which correspond to
M_ZAMS > 25 Msun. This suggests that a single star evolutionary scenario for SN
2011dh is unlikely.Comment: 20 pages with 12 figures. Submitted to The Astrophysical Journal on
24 May 2012 and accepted on 17 July 201
Catching Element Formation In The Act
Gamma-ray astronomy explores the most energetic photons in nature to address
some of the most pressing puzzles in contemporary astrophysics. It encompasses
a wide range of objects and phenomena: stars, supernovae, novae, neutron stars,
stellar-mass black holes, nucleosynthesis, the interstellar medium, cosmic rays
and relativistic-particle acceleration, and the evolution of galaxies. MeV
gamma-rays provide a unique probe of nuclear processes in astronomy, directly
measuring radioactive decay, nuclear de-excitation, and positron annihilation.
The substantial information carried by gamma-ray photons allows us to see
deeper into these objects, the bulk of the power is often emitted at gamma-ray
energies, and radioactivity provides a natural physical clock that adds unique
information. New science will be driven by time-domain population studies at
gamma-ray energies. This science is enabled by next-generation gamma-ray
instruments with one to two orders of magnitude better sensitivity, larger sky
coverage, and faster cadence than all previous gamma-ray instruments. This
transformative capability permits: (a) the accurate identification of the
gamma-ray emitting objects and correlations with observations taken at other
wavelengths and with other messengers; (b) construction of new gamma-ray maps
of the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies where extended regions are
distinguished from point sources; and (c) considerable serendipitous science of
scarce events -- nearby neutron star mergers, for example. Advances in
technology push the performance of new gamma-ray instruments to address a wide
set of astrophysical questions.Comment: 14 pages including 3 figure
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