Evidence for a companion to BM Gem, a silicate carbon star

Balmer and Paschen continuum emission as well as Balmer series lines of P Cygni-type profile from H_gamma through H_23 are revealed in the violet spectra of BM Gem, a carbon star associated with an oxygen-rich circumstellar shell (`silicate carbon star') observed with the high dispersion spectrograph (HDS) on the Subaru telescope. The blue-shifted absorption in the Balmer lines indicates the presence of an outflow, the line of sight velocity of which is at least 400 km s^-1, which is the highest outflow velocity observed to date in a carbon star. We argue that the observed unusual features in BM Gem are strong evidence for the presence of a companion, which should form an accretion disk that gives rise to both an ionized gas region and a high velocity, variable outflow. The estimated luminosity of ~0.2 (0.03-0.6) L_sun for the ionized gas can be maintained by a mass accretion rate to a dwarf companion of ~10^-8 M_sun yr^-1, while ~10^-10 M_sun yr^-1 is sufficient for accretion to a white dwarf companion. These accretion rates are feasible for some detached binary configurations on the basis of the Bond-Hoyle type accretion process. We concluded that the carbon star BM Gem is in a detached binary system with a companion of low mass and low luminosity. However, we are unable to determine whether this companion object is a dwarf or a white dwarf. The upper limits for binary separation are 210 AU and 930 AU for a dwarf and a white dwarf, respectively. We also note that the observed features of BM Gem mimic those of Mira (omi Cet), which may suggest actual similarities in their binary configurations and circumstellar structures.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Ap

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

Endovascular Embolization of an Aberrant Bronchial Artery Originating from the Internal Mammary Artery in a Patient with Hemoptysis

Massive hemoptysis is a life threatening respiratory emergency with high mortality and the bronchial artery (BA) is its most frequent source. Herein, we report a case of a 76-year-old man with recurrent hemoptysis due to an aberrant right BA arising from the right internal mammary artery (IMA), an extremely rare origin, that was clearly depicted on pretreatment computed tomography angiography (CTA). The patient was treated successfully by transcatheter bronchial artery embolization (BAE) of the aberrant BA and the hemoptysis has since been controlled for 9 months. Knowledge of the detailed BA anatomy is essential for performing BAE, especially in cases of aberrant BA. CTA is a promising tool for pretreatment planning of emergency BAE in patients with hemoptysis

Transcatheter Proximal Coil Blocking with n-Butyl-2-Cyanoacrylate Injection via the Pulmonary Artery Alone for Rasmussen’s Aneurysm

Rasmussen’s aneurysm is a peripheral pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm (PAP) within a tuberculosis cavity. Because it can be perfused from the bronchial and pulmonary arterial circulations, combined embolization via the bronchial and pulmonary arteries is sometimes required. Herein, we present case of a 51-year-old man with Rasmussen’s aneurysm that was successfully treated by proximal coil blocking with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate (NBCA) injection via the pulmonary artery alone. With proximal coil blocking, a sufficient amount of NBCA could be injected without unintended reflux of the NBCA cast to the proximal pulmonary artery. To our knowledge, there has been no report that attempted NBCA injection under proximal coil blocking for Rasmussen’s aneurysm. Our treatment approach may be safe and effective for infectious lung disease-related PAP, which has to be treated from the pulmonary artery side

Evaluation of performance of the GENECUBE assay for rapid molecular identification of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin resistance in positive blood culture medium.

Rapid identification of causative agents from positive blood culture media is a prerequisite for the timely targeted treatment of patients with sepsis. The GENECUBE (TOYOBO Co., Ltd.) is a novel, fully-automated gene analyzer that can purify DNAs and amplify target DNAs. In this study, we evaluated the ability of two newly developed GENECUBE assays to directly detect the nuc and mecA genes in blood culture medium; nuc is specific to Staphylococcus aureus, and mecA indicates methicillin resistance. We examined 263 positive blood culture samples taken at three hospitals from patients suspected of having staphylococcal bacteremia. The results were then compared with those obtained using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, antimicrobial susceptibility testing (Microscan system or Dry-plate EIKEN), and sequencing analysis. The GENECUBE assays had sensitivity and specificity of 100% in detecting both S. aureus and methicillin resistance in positive blood culture. The turnaround time of the examination was evaluated for 36 positive blood culture samples. The time between the initiation of incubation and completion of the GENECUBE examination was 23 h (interquartile range: IQR 21-37 h); the time between reporting of Gram stain examination and completion of the GENECUBE examination was 52 min (IQR 48-62 min). These findings show that the GENECUBE assays significantly reduce the assay time with no loss of sensitivity or specificity

Overview Of Materials Research And Ifmif/Eveda Under The Broader Approach Framework

In parallel to the ITER program, the Broader Approach (BA) activities with three projects are being implemented by the European Union (EU) and Japan. Five research and development (R&D) tasks, mainly on blanket-related materials, are being carried out as the DEMO R&D program in the BA to establish key technologies required for the DEMO engineering design. The DEMO R&D building was constructed in March 2010, and the installation of research equipment was completed in March 2011. As the BA DEMO R&D, fabrication technology and/or characterization of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels, SiC/SiC composites, and the advanced neutron multiplier and advanced tritium breeder have progressed in Japan and the EU. In the Inter-national Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF)/Engineering Design and Engineering Validation Activities (EVEDA) project, engineering design and validations have progressed. The injector of the IFMIF prototype accelerator produced first beam successfully in May 2011 and will be delivered to the Rokkasho BA site in 2012. The commissioning of the EVEDA lithium test loop was completed in March 2011, and a lithium flow of 25 film thick at similar to 5 m/s was obtained