46 research outputs found
Magnetic ground state of the Ising-like antiferromagnet DyScO
We report the low temperature magnetic properties of the DyScO
perovskite, which were characterized by means of single crystal and powder
neutron scattering, and by magnetization measurements. Below
K, Dy moments form an antiferromagnetic structure
with an easy axis of magnetization lying in the -plane. The magnetic
moments are inclined at an angle of to the -axis. We
show that the ground state Kramers doublet of Dy is made up of primarily
eigenvectors and well separated by crystal field from the
first excited state at meV. This leads to an extreme Ising
single-ion anisotropy, . The transverse magnetic
fluctuations, which are proportional to , are
suppressed and only moment fluctuations along the local Ising direction are
allowed. We also found that the Dy-Dy dipolar interactions along the
crystallographic -axis are 2-4 times larger than in-plane interactions.Comment: 9 pages and 6 figures; to be published in Phys. Rev.
Pinning Enhancement by Heterovalent Substitution in YREBaCuO
The intragrain pinning in high- superconductor compounds
YREBaCuO with low concentration of RE
(La, Ce, Pr) was investigated. Magnetic and transport measurements reveal that
the pinning is maximal for the concentration of heterovalent RE such that the
average distance between the impurity ions in the plane of rare-earth elements
close to the diameter of Abrikosov vortices in YBCO.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, will be published in SUS
Neuroendocrine Tumours: a Literature Review
Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are a heterogeneous group of malignant neoplasms with diverse morphology and nomenclature. Well-differentiated NETs were historically termed carcinoid tumours, which entailed abundant confusion and misclassification. Cross body-localised NETs have been described from the central nervous system, respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, larynx, thyroid, skin, breast and urogenital system. The evidence on NET prevalence is diverse, with selected sources estimating a 0.5% rate among total malignancies diagnosed. Carcinoid syndrome is a known important associate of NETs. Its presence resulting from the amine and peptide hypersecretion often facilitates the NET diagnosis, and curative surgery becomes a treatment of choice, if technically feasible. Adjuvant therapy is ambiguous. When surgery is impractical due to a usually advanced NET at diagnosis, drug therapy is adopted to relief symptoms and control the disease
Probiotic Bacteria Produce Conjugated Linoleic Acid Locally in the Gut That Targets Macrophage PPAR Ξ³ to Suppress Colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therapies are modestly successful and associated with significant side effects. Thus, the investigation of novel approaches to prevent colitis is important. Probiotic bacteria can produce immunoregulatory metabolites in vitro such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a polyunsaturated fatty acid with potent anti-inflammatory effects. This study aimed to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-inflammatory efficacy of probiotic bacteria using a mouse model of colitis. The immune modulatory mechanisms of VSL#3 probiotic bacteria and CLA were investigated in a mouse model of DSS colitis. Colonic specimens were collected for histopathology, gene expression and flow cytometry analyses. Immune cell subsets in the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), spleen, blood and colonic lamina propria cells were phenotypically and functionally characterized. Fecal samples and colonic contents were collected to determine the effect of VSL#3 and CLA on gut microbial diversity and CLA production. CLA and VSL#3 treatment ameliorated colitis and decreased colonic bacterial diversity, a finding that correlated with decreased gut pathology. Colonic CLA concentrations were increased in response to probiotic bacterial treatment, but without systemic distribution in blood. VSL#3 and CLA decreased macrophage accumulation in the MLN of mice with DSS colitis. The loss of PPAR Ξ³ in myeloid cells abrogated the protective effect of probiotic bacteria and CLA in mice with DSS colitis. Probiotic bacteria modulate gut microbial diversity and favor local production of CLA in the colon that targets myeloid cell PPAR Ξ³ to suppress colitis
A Global Metabolic Shift Is Linked to Salmonella Multicellular Development
Bacteria can elaborate complex patterns of development that are dictated by temporally ordered patterns of gene expression, typically under the control of a master regulatory pathway. For some processes, such as biofilm development, regulators that initiate the process have been identified but subsequent phenotypic changes such as stress tolerance do not seem to be under the control of these same regulators. A hallmark feature of biofilms is growth within a self-produced extracellular matrix. In this study we used metabolomics to compare Salmonella cells in rdar colony biofilms to isogenic csgD deletion mutants that do not produce an extracellular matrix. The two populations show distinct metabolite profiles. Even though CsgD controls only extracellular matrix production, metabolite signatures associated with cellular adaptations associated with stress tolerances were present in the wild type but not the mutant cells. To further explore these differences we examine the temporal gene expression of genes implicated in biofilm development and stress adaptations. In wild type cells, genes involved in a metabolic shift to gluconeogenesis and various stress-resistance pathways exhibited an ordered expression profile timed with multicellular development even though they are not CsgD regulated. In csgD mutant cells, the ordered expression was lost. We conclude that the induction of these pathways results from production of, and growth within, a self produced matrix rather than elaboration of a defined genetic program. These results predict that common physiological properties of biofilms are induced independently of regulatory pathways that initiate biofilm formation