Balloon observations of hard X-rays from NGC 4151 and an X-ray transient source

An X-ray telescope consisting of 400 sq cm phoswich detectors (NaI(Tl)/CsI(Na)) was flown from Hyderabad (India) on 31 October 1980; the field of view was 11 deg x 1 deg FWHM. During a five hour observation at 5 millibars two X-ray sources were seen: (1) the variable Seyfert Galaxy NGC 4151; and (2) a transident of approximately 8 minutes duration in the vicinity of the variable source 4U1444 43 which may be associated with the galaxy NGC 5608. X-ray fluxes and spectra in 18-120 keV X-rays are presented

Balloon observations of hard X-rays from some galactic X-ray sources

An X-ray telescope consisting of 400 cm phoswich detectors (NaI(T1)/CsI(Na)) was flown from Hyderabad (India) on 18 December 1984. The field of view was 5 deg x 5 deg FWHM. In a 10 hour float at 4 MB several galactic X-ray sources were tracked by the telescope using an on-board microprocessor. Fluxes and spectra in 18-120 keV X-rays for SCO X-1, GX 1+4, Gx 5-1, GX 17+2, SCT X-1, CYC X-1 an CYG X-3 will be presented

Structural Olfactory Nerve Changes in Patients Suffering from Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension

BACKGROUND: Complications of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) are usually caused by elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). In a similar way as in the optic nerve, elevated ICP could also compromise the olfactory nerve system. On the other side, there is growing evidence that an extensive lymphatic network system around the olfactory nerves could be disturbed in cerebrospinal fluid disorders like IIH. The hypothesis that patients with IIH suffer from hyposmia has been suggested in the past. However, this has not been proven in clinical studies yet. This pilot study investigates whether structural changes of the olfactory nerve system can be detected in patients with IIH. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Twenty-three patients with IIH and 23 matched controls were included. Olfactory bulb volume (OBV) and sulcus olfactorius (OS) depth were calculated by magnetic resonance techniques. While mean values of total OBV (128.7±38.4 vs. 130.0±32.6 mm(3), p=0.90) and mean OS depth (8.5±1.2 vs. 8.6±1.1 mm, p=0.91) were similar in both groups, Pearson correlation showed that patients with a shorter medical history IIH revealed a smaller OBV (r=0.53, p<0.01). In untreated symptomatic patients (n=7), the effect was greater (r=0.76, p<0.05). Patients who suffered from IIH for less than one year (n=8), total OBV was significantly smaller than in matched controls (116.6±24.3 vs. 149.3±22.2 mm(3), p=0.01). IIH patients with visual disturbances (n=21) revealed a lower OS depth than patients without (8.3±0.9 vs. 10.8±1.0 mm, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results suggest that morphological changes of the olfactory nerve system could be present in IIH patients at an early stage of disease

Characterising the phenotypic diversity of Papilio dardanus wing patterns using an extensive museum collection

The history of 20th Century evolutionary biology can be followed through the study of mimetic butterflies. From the initial findings of discontinuous polymorphism through the debates regarding the evolution of mimicry and the step-size of evolutionary change, to the studies on supergene evolution and molecular characterisation of butterfly genomes, mimetic butterflies have been at the heart of evolutionary thought for over 100 years. During this time, few species have received as much attention and in-depth study as Papilio dardanus. To assist all aspects of mimicry research, we present a complete data-derived overview of the extent of polymorphism within this species. Using historical samples permanently held by the NHM London, we document the extent of phenotypic variation and characterise the diversity present in each of the subspecies and how it varies across Africa. We also demonstrate an association between “imperfect” mimetic forms and the transitional race formed in the area where Eastern and Western African populations meet around Lake Victoria. We present a novel portal for access to this collection, www.mimeticbutterflies.org, allowing remote access to this unique repository. It is hoped that this online resource can act as a nucleus for the sharing and dissemination of other collections databases and imagery connected with mimetic butterflies

Phylogenomics Reveals Ancient Gene Tree Discordance in the Amphibian Tree of Life

Molecular phylogenies have yielded strong support for many parts of the amphibian Tree of Life, but poor support for the resolution of deeper nodes, including relationships among families and orders. To clarify these relationships, we provide a phylogenomic perspective on amphibian relationships by developing a taxon-specific Anchored Hybrid Enrichment protocol targeting hundreds of conserved exons which are effective across the class. After obtaining data from 220 loci for 286 species (representing 94% of the families and 44% of the genera), we estimate a phylogeny for extant amphibians and identify gene tree–species tree conflict across the deepest branches of the amphibian phylogeny. We perform locus-by-locus genealogical interrogation of alternative topological hypotheses for amphibian monophyly, focusing on interordinal relationships. We find that phylogenetic signal deep in the amphibian phylogeny varies greatly across loci in a manner that is consistent with incomplete lineage sorting in the ancestral lineage of extant amphibians. Our results overwhelmingly support amphibian monophyly and a sister relationship between frogs and salamanders, consistent with the Batrachia hypothesis. Species tree analyses converge on a small set of topological hypotheses for the relationships among extant amphibian families. These results clarify several contentious portions of the amphibian Tree of Life, which in conjunction with a set of vetted fossil calibrations, support a surprisingly younger timescale for crown and ordinal amphibian diversification than previously reported. More broadly, our study provides insight into the sources, magnitudes, and heterogeneity of support across loci in phylogenomic data sets

Protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor 22 and C-Src tyrosine kinase genes are down-regulated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Several protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor 22 (PTPN22) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been significantly related with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) susceptibility. Nevertheless, its potential influence on PTPN22 expression in RA has not been completely elucidated. Furthermore, PTPN22 binds to C-Src tyrosine kinase (CSK) forming a key complex in autoimmunity. However, the information of CSK gene in RA is scarce. In this study, we analyzed the relative PTPN22 and CSK expression in peripheral blood from 89 RA patients and 43 controls to determine if the most relevant PTPN22 (rs2488457, rs2476601 and rs33996649) and CSK (rs34933034 and rs1378942) polymorphisms may influence on PTPN22 and CSK expression in RA. The association between PTPN22 and CSK expression in RA patients and their clinical characteristics was also evaluated. Our study shows for the first time a marked down-regulation of PTPN22 expression in RA patients carrying the risk alleles of PTPN22 rs2488457 and rs2476601 compared to controls (p?=?0.004 and p?=?0.007, respectively). Furthermore, CSK expression was significantly lower in RA patients than in controls (p?<?0.0001). Interestingly, a reduced PTPN22 expression was disclosed in RA patients with ischemic heart disease (p?=?0.009). The transcriptional suppression of this PTPN22/CSK complex may have a noteworthy clinical relevance in RA patients

Primula vulgaris (primrose) genome assembly, annotation and gene expression, with comparative genomics on the heterostyly supergene

Primula vulgaris (primrose) exhibits heterostyly: plants produce self-incompatible pin- or thrum-form flowers, with anthers and stigma at reciprocal heights. Darwin concluded that this arrangement promotes insect-mediated cross-pollination; later studies revealed control by a cluster of genes, or supergene, known as the S (Style length) locus. The P. vulgaris S locus is absent from pin plants and hemizygous in thrum plants (thrum-specific); mutation of S locus genes produces self-fertile homostyle flowers with anthers and stigma at equal heights. Here, we present a 411 Mb P. vulgaris genome assembly of a homozygous inbred long homostyle, representing ~87% of the genome. We annotate over 24,000 P. vulgaris genes, and reveal more genes up-regulated in thrum than pin flowers. We show reduced genomic read coverage across the S locus in other Primula species, including P. veris, where we define the conserved structure and expression of the S locus genes in thrum. Further analysis reveals the S locus has elevated repeat content (64%) compared to the wider genome (37%). Our studies suggest conservation of S locus genetic architecture in Primula, and provide a platform for identification and evolutionary analysis of the S locus and downstream targets that regulate heterostyly in diverse heterostylous species

Topical Polyethylene Glycol as a Novel Chemopreventive Agent for Oral Cancer via Targeting of Epidermal Growth Factor Response

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality underscoring the need for safe and effective chemopreventive strategies. Targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is attractive in that it is an early critical event in HNSCC pathogenesis. However, current agents lack efficacy or have unacceptable toxicity. Several groups have demonstrated that the over-the-counter medication, polyethylene glycol (PEG) has remarkable chemopreventive efficacy against colon carcinogenesis. Importantly, we reported that this effect is mediated through EGFR internalization/degradation. In the current study, we investigated the chemopreventive efficacy of this agent against HNSCC, using both the well validated animal model 4-NQO (4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide) rat model and cell culture with the human HNSCC cell line SCC-25. We demonstrated that daily topical application of 10% PEG-8000 in the oral cavity (tongue and cavity wall) post 4NQO initiation resulted in a significant reduction in tumor burden (both, tumor size and tumors/tumor bearing rat) without any evidence of toxicity. Immunohistochemical studies depicted decreased proliferation (number of Ki67-positive cells) and reduced expression of EGFR and its downstream effectors cyclin D1 in the tongue mucosa of 4NQO-rats treated with PEG. We showed that EGFR was also markedly downregulated in SCC-25 cells by PEG-8000 with a concomitant induction of G1-S phase cell-cycle arrest, which was potentially mediated through upregulated p21cip1/waf1. In conclusion, we demonstrate, for the first time, that PEG has promising efficacy and safety as a chemopreventive efficacy against oral carcinogenesis

Biology of moderately halophilic aerobic bacteria

The moderately halophilic heterotrophic aerobic bacteria form a diverse group of microorganisms. The property of halophilism is widespread within the bacterial domain. Bacterial halophiles are abundant in environments such as salt lakes, saline soils, and salted food products. Most species keep their intracellular ionic concentrations at low levels while synthesizing or accumulating organic solutes to provide osmotic equilibrium of the cytoplasm with the surrounding medium. Complex mechanisms of adjustment of the intracellular environments and the properties of the cytoplasmic membrane enable rapid adaptation to changes in the salt concentration of the environment. Approaches to the study of genetic processes have recently been developed for several moderate halophiles, opening the way toward an understanding of haloadaptation at the molecular level. The new information obtained is also expected to contribute to the development of novel biotechnological uses for these organisms