VI-Band Follow-Up Observations of Ultra-Long-Period Cepheid Candidates in M31

The ultra-long period Cepheids (ULPCs) are classical Cepheids with pulsation periods exceeding $\approx 80$ days. The intrinsic brightness of ULPCs are ~1 to ~3 mag brighter than their shorter period counterparts. This makes them attractive in future distance scale work to derive distances beyond the limit set by the shorter period Cepheids. We have initiated a program to search for ULPCs in M31, using the single-band data taken from the Palomar Transient Factory, and identified eight possible candidates. In this work, we presented the VI-band follow-up observations of these eight candidates. Based on our VI-band light curves of these candidates and their locations in the color-magnitude diagram and the Period-Wesenheit diagram, we verify two candidates as being truly ULPCs. The six other candidates are most likely other kinds of long-period variables. With the two confirmed M31 ULPCs, we tested the applicability of ULPCs in distance scale work by deriving the distance modulus of M31. It was found to be $\mu_{M31,ULPC}=24.30\pm0.76$ mag. The large error in the derived distance modulus, together with the large intrinsic dispersion of the Period-Wesenheit (PW) relation and the small number of ULPCs in a given host galaxy, means that the question of the suitability of ULPCs as standard candles is still open. Further work is needed to enlarge the sample of calibrating ULPCs and reduce the intrinsic dispersion of the PW relation before re-considering ULPCs as suitable distance indicators.Comment: 13 pages, with 14 Figures and 4 Tables (one online table). AJ accepte

Inhibition of Anchorage-Independent Proliferation and G0/G1 Cell-Cycle Regulation in Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cells by 4,7-Dimethoxy-5-Methyl-l,3-Benzodioxole Isolated from the Fruiting Body of Antrodia camphorate

In this study, 4,7-dimethoxy-5-methyl-l,3-benzodioxole (SY-1) was isolated from three different sources of dried fruiting bodies of Antrodia camphorate (AC). AC is a medicinal mushroom that grows on the inner heartwood wall of Cinnamomum kanehirai Hay (Lauraceae), an endemic species that is used in Chinese medicine for its anti-tumor and immunomodulatory properties. In this study, we demonstrated that SY-1 profoundly decreased the proliferation of human colon cancer cells (COLO 205) through G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest (50–150 μM) and induction of apoptosis (>150 μM). Cell-cycle arrest induced by SY-1 was associated with a significant increase in levels of p53, p21/Cip1 and p27/Kip1, and a decrease in cyclins D1, D3 and A. In contrast, SY-1 treatment did not induce significant changes in G0/G1 phase cell-cycle regulatory proteins in normal human colonic epithelial cells (FHC). The cells were cultured in soft agar to evaluate anchorage-independent colony formation, and we found that the number of transformed colonies was significantly reduced in the SY-1-treated COLO 205 cells. These findings demonstrate for the first time that SY-1 inhibits human colon cancer cell proliferation through inhibition of cell growth and anchorage-independent colony formation in soft agar. However, the detailed mechanisms of these processes remain unclear and will require further investigation

Hypoalbuminemia in peritoneal dialysis patients

This study aimed to determine the factors that were associated with hypoalbuminemia in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. End-stage renal disease patients who had received PD at the National Taiwan University Hospital for more than three months were included and divided into two groups. Patients who had mean serum albumin levels greater or equal to 3.5g/dL were allocated to Group 1, while those who had mean serum albumin levels less than 3.5g/dL were allocated to Group 2. Demographic characteristics, clinical parameters and laboratory data were then compared between the two groups. Logistic regression was also performed to identify the factors that were associated with hypoalbuminemia. There were 359 patients (mean age 54.3 years, male 46.5%) included. Group 2 patients (10.3%) were older (P=0.0536), had lower body mass index (P=0.0008), lower total Kt/V (P=0.0060), and lower levels of hemoglobin (P=0.0268), blood urea nitrogen (P=0.0501), creatinine (P<0.0001), triglyceride (P=0.0014), potassium (P=0.0028), phosphorus (P=0.0036), but higher levels of C-reactive protein (P=0.0194). More Group 2 patients had high or high-average peritoneal equilibration test (PET) (P=0.0199). Using logistic regression, factors that were found to be associated with hypoalbuminemia were total Kt/V (P=0.0015), hemoglobin (P=0.0019), creatinine (P<0.0001), triglyceride (P=0.0060), and potassium (P=0.0126). In conclusion, hypoalbuminemia in our PD patients was associated with total Kt/V as well as levels of hemoglobin, creatinine, triglyceride, and potassium

Tau PET With 18F-THK-5351 Taiwan Patients With Familial Alzheimer's Disease With the APP p.D678H Mutation

Background: Brain 18F-AV-45 amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) in Taiwanese patients with familial Alzheimer's disease with the amyloid precursor protein (APP) p.D678H mutation tends to involve occipital and cerebellar cortical areas. However, tau pathology in patients with this specific Taiwan mutation remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to study the Tau PET images in these patients.Methods: Clinical features, brain magnetic resonance imaging/computed tomography (MRI/CT), and brain 18F-THK-5351 PET were recorded in five patients with the APP p.D678H mutation and correlated with brain 18F-AV-45 PET images. We also compared the tau deposition patterns among five patients with familial mild cognitive impairment (fMCI), six patients with sporadic amnestic mild cognitive impairment (sMCI), nine patients with mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 12 healthy controls (HCs). All of the subjects also received brain 18F-AV-45 PET.Results: The nine patients with sAD and six patients with sMCI had a positive brain AV-45 PET scans, while the 12 HCs had negative brain AV-45 PET scans. All five patients with fMCI received a tau PET scan with the age at onset ranging from 46 to 53 years, in whom increased standard uptake value ratio (SUVR) of 18F-THK-5351 was noted in all seven brain cortical areas compared with the HCs. In addition, the SUVRs of 18F-THK-5351 were increased in the frontal, medial parietal, lateral parietal, lateral temporal, and occipital areas (P &lt; 0.001) in the patients with sAD compared with the HCs. The patients with fMCI had a significant higher SUVR of 18F-THK-5351 in the cerebellar cortex compared to the patients with sMCI. The correlations between regional SUVR and Mini-Mental State Examination score and between regional SUVR and clinical dementia rating (sum box) scores within volumes of interest of Braak stage were statistically significant.Conclusion: Tau deposition was increased in the patients with fMCI compared to the HCs. Increased regional SUVR in the cerebellar cortical area was a characteristic finding in the patients with fMCI. As compared between amyloid and tau PET, the amyloid deposition is diffuse, but tau deposition is limited to the temporal lobe in the patients with fMCI

Near-Infrared Light Device Can Improve Intravenous Cannulation in Critically Ill Children

critically ill children; intravenous cannulation; near-infrared light device Background: Vascular access in critically ill children can be a real challenge for medical staff. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of a near-infrared light vein-viewing device for critically ill children, 60 pediatric inpatients were enrolled in a randomized prospective observation trial for intravenous cannulation. Methods: The patients&apos; demographic data, mean time required to find the first available vessel, first-attempt success rate, mean number of attempts per patient, and the total time taken on the attempts per patient were compared. Results: Less time was required to find the first available vessel in the near-infrared light device group compared with the control group (126.37 vs. 383.61 seconds; p Z 0.027). In addition, the near-infrared light device group had a fewer number of attempts compared with the control group (median 1 vs. 2; p Z 0.004), and also a shorter total time of attempts per patient compared with the control group (186.16 vs. 497.23 seconds; p Z 0.014). Conclusion: The use of a near-infrared light vein-viewing device for vascular access in critically ill children can decrease the total medical time and cost