104 research outputs found
First observation of two hyperfine transitions in antiprotonic He-3
We report on the first experimental results for microwave spectroscopy of the
hyperfine structure of antiprotonic He-3. Due to the helium nuclear spin,
antiprotonic He-3 has a more complex hyperfine structure than antiprotonic He-4
which has already been studied before. Thus a comparison between theoretical
calculations and the experimental results will provide a more stringent test of
the three-body quantum electrodynamics (QED) theory. Two out of four
super-super-hyperfine (SSHF) transition lines of the (n,L)=(36,34) state were
observed. The measured frequencies of the individual transitions are
11.12559(14) GHz and 11.15839(18) GHz, less than 1 MHz higher than the current
theoretical values, but still within their estimated errors. Although the
experimental uncertainty for the difference of these frequencies is still very
large as compared to that of theory, its measured value agrees with theoretical
calculations. This difference is crucial to be determined because it is
proportional to the magnetic moment of the antiproton.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, just published (online so far) in Physics Letters
Spectroscopy Apparatus for the Measurement of The Hyperfine Structure of Antihydrogen
The ASACUSA CUSP collaboration at the Antiproton Decelerator (AD) of CERN is
planning to measure the ground-state hyperfine splitting of antihydrogen using
an atomic spectroscopy beamline. We describe here the latest developments on
the spectroscopy apparatus developed to be coupled to the antihydrogen
production setup (CUSP).Comment: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Low Energy
Antiproton Physics (LEAP 2013) held in Uppsala, Sweden, 10 to 15 June, 201
Estrogen Prevents Oxidative Damage to the Mitochondria in Friedreich's Ataxia Skin Fibroblasts
Estrogen and estrogen-related compounds have been shown to have very potent cytoprotective properties in a wide range of disease models, including an in vitro model of Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA). This study describes a potential estrogen receptor (ER)-independent mechanism by which estrogens act to protect human FRDA skin fibroblasts from a BSO-induced oxidative insult resulting from inhibition of de novo glutathione (GSH) synthesis. We demonstrate that phenolic estrogens, independent of any known ER, are able to prevent lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) collapse, maintain ATP at near control levels, increase oxidative phosphorylation and maintain activity of aconitase. Estrogens did not, however, prevent BSO from depleting GSH or induce an increased expression level of GSH. The cytoprotective effects of estrogen appear to be due to a direct overall reduction in oxidative damage to the mitochondria, enabling the FRDA fibroblast mitochondria to generate sufficient ATP for energy requirements and better survive oxidative stress. These data support the hypothesis that phenol ring containing estrogens are possible candidate drugs for the delay and/or prevention of FRDA symptoms
Acromegaly and gigantism in the medical literature. Case descriptions in the era before and the early years after the initial publication of Pierre Marie (1886)
In 1886 Pierre Marie used the term “acromegaly” for the first time and gave a full description of the characteristic clinical picture. However several others had already given clear clinical descriptions before him and sometimes had given the disease other names. After 1886, it gradually became clear that pituitary enlargement (caused by a pituitary adenoma) was the cause and not the consequence of acromegaly, as initially thought. Pituitary adenomas could be found in the great majority of cases. It also became clear that acromegaly and gigantism were the same disease but occurring at different stages of life and not different diseases as initially thought. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century most information was derived from case descriptions and post-mortem examinations of patients with acromegaly or (famous) patients with gigantism. The stage was set for further research into the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy of acromegaly and gigantism
A new era for understanding amyloid structures and disease
The aggregation of proteins into amyloid fibrils and their deposition into plaques and intracellular inclusions is the hallmark of amyloid disease. The accumulation and deposition of amyloid fibrils, collectively known as amyloidosis, is associated with many pathological conditions that can be associated with ageing, such as Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, type II diabetes and dialysis-related amyloidosis. However, elucidation of the atomic structure of amyloid fibrils formed from their intact protein precursors and how fibril formation relates to disease has remained elusive. Recent advances in structural biology techniques, including cryo-electron microscopy and solid-state NMR spectroscopy, have finally broken this impasse. The first near-atomic-resolution structures of amyloid fibrils formed in vitro, seeded from plaque material and analysed directly ex vivo are now available. The results reveal cross-β structures that are far more intricate than anticipated. Here, we describe these structures, highlighting their similarities and differences, and the basis for their toxicity. We discuss how amyloid structure may affect the ability of fibrils to spread to different sites in the cell and between organisms in a prion-like manner, along with their roles in disease. These molecular insights will aid in understanding the development and spread of amyloid diseases and are inspiring new strategies for therapeutic intervention
Liquid helium-free cryostat and hermetically sealed cryogenic microwave cavity for hyperfine spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium
The design and properties of a new cryogenic set-up for laser–microwave–laser hyperfine structure spectroscopy of antiprotonic helium – an experiment performed at the CERN-Antiproton Decelerator (AD), Geneva, Switzerland – are described. Similar experiments for 4He have been performed at the AD for several years. Due to the usage of a liquid helium operated cryostat and therefore necessary refilling of coolants, a loss of up to 10% beamtime occurred. The decision was made to change the cooling system to a closed-circuit cryocooler. New hermetically sealed target cells with minimised 3He gas volume and different dimensions of the microwave resonator for measuring the 3He transitions were needed. A new set-up has been designed and tested at Stefan Meyer Institute in Vienna before being used for the 2009 and 2010 beamtimes at the AD
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