High-precision mass measurements for the isobaric multiplet mass equation at A=52

Masses of Co-52, (52)Com, Fe-52, Fe-52(m), and Mn-52 have been measured with the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap mass spectrometer. The isobaric multiplet mass equation for the T = 2 quintet at A = 52 has been studied employing the new mass values. No significant breakdown (beyond the 3 sigma level) of the quadratic form of the IMME was observed (chi(2)/n = 2.4). The cubic coefficient was 6.0(32) keV (chi(2)/n = 1.1). The excitation energies for the isomer and the T = 2 isobaric analog state in Co-52 have been determined to be 374(13) keV and 2922(13) keV, respectively. The measured mass values for Co-52 and (52)Com are 29(10) keV and 16(15) keV higher, respectively, than obtained in a recent storage-ring experiment, and significantly lower than predicted by extrapolations. Consequently, this has an impact on the proton separation energies for Co-52 and Ni-53 relevant for the astrophysical rapid proton capture process. The Q value for the proton decay from the 19/2(-) isomer in Co-53 has been determined with an unprecedented precision, Q(p) = 1558.8(17) keV.Peer reviewe

Polymorphism screening and haplotype analysis of the tryptophan hydroxylase gene (TPH1) and association with bipolar affective disorder in Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Disturbances in serotonin neurotransmission are implicated in the etiology of many psychiatric disorders, including bipolar affective disorder (BPD). The tryptophan hydroxylase gene (TPH), which codes for the enzyme catalyzing the rate-limiting step in serotonin biosynthetic pathway, is one of the leading candidate genes for psychiatric and behavioral disorders. In a preliminary study, we found that TPH1 intron7 A218C polymorphism was associated with BPD. This study was designed to investigate sequence variants of the TPH1 gene in Taiwanese and to test whether the TPH1 gene is a susceptibility factor for the BPD. METHODS: Using a systematic approach, we have searched the exons and promoter region of the TPH1 gene for sequence variants in Taiwanese Han and have identified five variants, A-1067G, G-347T, T3804A, C27224T, and A27237G. These five variants plus another five taken from the literature and a public database were examined for an association in 108 BPD patients and 103 controls; no association was detected for any of the 10 variants. RESULTS: Haplotype constructions using these 10 SNPs showed that the 3 most common haplotypes in both patients and controls were identical. One of the fourth common haplotype in the patient group (i.e. GGGAGACCCA) was unique and showed a trend of significance with the disease (P = 0.028). However, the significance was abolished after Bonferroni correction thus suggesting the association is weak. In addition, three haplotype-tagged SNPs (htSNPs) were selected to represent all haplotypes with frequencies larger than 2% in the Taiwanese Han population. The defined TPH1 htSNPs significantly reduce the marker number for haplotype analysis thus provides useful information for future association studies in our population. CONCLUSION: Results of this study did not support the role of TPH1 gene in BPD etiology. As the current studies found the TPH1 gene under investigation belongs to the peripheral serotonin system and may link to a cardiac dysfunction phenotype, a second TPH gene that functions predominantly in the brain (i.e., nTPH or TPH2) should be the target for the future association study

The role of proteomics in depression research

Depression is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder affecting approximately 10% of the world population. Despite this, the molecular mechanisms underlying the disorder are still not understood. Novel technologies such as proteomic-based platforms are beginning to offer new insights into this devastating illness, beyond those provided by the standard targeted methodologies. Here, we will show the potential of proteome analyses as a tool to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms of depression as well as the discovery of potential diagnostic, therapeutic and disease course biomarkers

Presence Of A Congenitally Bicuspid Aortic Valve Among Patients Having Combined Mitral And Aortic Valve Replacement

Although bicuspid aortic valve occurs in an estimated 1% of adults and mitral valve prolapse in an estimated 5% of adults, occurrence of the 2 in the same patient is infrequent. During examination of operatively excised aortic and mitral valves because of dysfunction (stenosis and/or regurgitation), we encountered 16 patients who had congenitally bicuspid aortic valves associated with various types of dysfunctioning mitral valves. Eleven of the 16 patients had aortic stenosis (AS): 5 of them also had mitral stenosis, of rheumatic origin in 4 and secondary to mitral annular calcium in 1; the other 6 with aortic stenosis had pure mitral regurgitation (MR) secondary to mitral valve prolapse in 3, to ischemia in 2, and to unclear origin in 1. Of the 5 patients with pure aortic regurgitation, each also had pure mitral regurgitation: in 1 secondary to mitral valve prolapse and in 4 secondary to infective endocarditis. In conclusion, various types of mitral dysfunction severe enough to warrant mitral valve replacement occur in patients with bicuspid aortic valves. A proper search for mitral valve dysfunction in patients with bicuspid aortic valves appears warranted. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (Am J Cardiol 2012;109:263-271)Integrative Biolog

Analysis of the Response of AGATA Detectors at GSI

In 2012 and 2014 the gamma-ray tracking spectrometer AGATA was operated at the SIS/FRS facility at GSI in Darmstadt, Germany. The performance of the array is discussed, outlining some important aspects of the offline data processing and analysis. Relying on the data obtained from measurements with standard gamma-ray sources, a first estimate of the photopeak efficiency and peak-to-total (P/T) is presented