Formas y funciones de la poesía religiosa de Antonio Geraldini escrita en la época fernandina

En el presente artículo se muestra la obra religiosa del poeta neolatino Antonio Geraldini († 1488). Trabajando como funcionario real en la Corte de Aragón, el humanista de Umbría escribió tres obras poéticas de carácter espiritual. La estructura y el contenido de esas obras se analizan dentro del marco de la tradición y de la actualidad literarias. El legado espiritual de Antonio Geraldini resulta ser una literatura refinada, estimulada por su propósito docente. Situadas en un contexto histórico-cultural hispánico e impresas en Roma, dichas poesías formaron parte de la orquestación publicitaria de la familia real en la Europa católica.The present article deals with the religious works of the Neo-Latin poet Antonio Geraldini (†1488). During his time as a royal official at the Court of Aragón, Geraldini wrote three major pieces of religious poetry. The structure and content of these works are analyzed in regard to the literary tradition and present. Geraldini’s religious legacy proves to be sophisticated literature, stimulated by his didactic intentions. Situated in a Hispanic historical and cultural context and printed in Rome, these poems also play a part in the orchestration of propaganda conducted by the Royal Family in Catholic Europe

Characterization of a novel chicken γδ TCR-specific marker

Chickens are a species with a high number of γδ T cells in various tissues. Despite their abundance, γδ T cells are poorly characterized in chickens, partially due to a lack of specific reagents to characterize these cells. Up until now, the TCR1 clone has been the only γδ T cell-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) in chickens and additional reagents for γδ T cell subsets are needed. In order to address this issue, new mAb were generated in our laboratory by immunizing mice with in vitro cultured γδ T cells. In an initial flow cytometric screen a new mAb, clone “8D2”, displayed an interesting staining pattern that mirrored γδ TCR up- and downregulation in the γδ T cell line D4 over time, prompting us to characterize this antibody further. We compared the expression of the unknown 8D2 epitope in combination with TCR1 staining across various primary cells. In splenocytes, peripheral blood lymphocytes and intestinal epithelial cells, 8D2 consistently labeled a subset of TCR1+ cells. To determine, whether specific γδ T cell receptors were recognized by 8D2, we sorted γδ T cells according to their 8D2 and TCR1 expression and analyzed their TCR V(D)J gene usage by TCR profiling. Strikingly, sorted 8D2+ cells preferentially expressed Vγ3 genes, whereas the TCR Vγ genes used by TCR1+ 8D2- cells were more variable. γδ TCR in 8D2+ cells were most frequently comprised of gamma chain VJ genes TRGV3-8 and TRGJ3, and delta chain VDJ genes TRDV1-2, TRDD2, TRDJ1. To confirm binding of 8D2 to specific γδ TCR, the preferentially utilized combination of TRG and TRD was expressed in HEK293 cells in combination with CD3, demonstrating surface binding of the 8D2 mAb to this Vγ3 γδ TCR-expressing cell line. Conversely, HEK293 cells expressing either Vγ1 or Vγ2 TCR did not react with 8D2. In conclusion, 8D2 is a novel tool for identifying specific Vγ3 bearing γδ T cells

Progressive brain metastases in an EGFR mutated adenocarcinoma of the lung: Response to gefitinib after progression on erlotinib

AbstractWe report a case of a 59-year-old woman with brain metastases from an EGFR mutated adenocarcinoma of the lung. She was initially treated with erlotinib and two times whole brain radiation therapy. After a second relapse within the CNS the therapy was switched to gefitinib and a partial remission of the brain metastases could be achieved. Our case demonstrates that patients can respond to a switch of the EGFR TKI also within the CNS despite heavy pre-treatment. The article reviews the literature regarding the efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in brain metastases from lung cancers

Isotopic (δ13C, Δ14C) Analysis of Organic Acids in Marine Samples Using Wet Chemical Oxidation

We present a method for the isolation and off-line isotope analysis of formate and acetate in marine samples. Organic acids are separated by high performance liquid chromatography and collected in glass Exetainer® screw-capped vials that have been prespiked with an oxidant and flushed with helium. The vials are subsequently heated to convert the organic compounds to CO2 for radiocarbon and δ13C analysis. Small aliquots are sampled for measurement of δ13C by isotope ratio mass spectrometry, whereas the majority of the CO2 is saved for radiocarbon analysis by accelerator mass spectrometry using a gas ion source. Accurate δ13C and radiocarbon values were obtained for formate and acetate standards spiked into deep seawater and saline Milli-Q water at concentrations of 25 to 1000 µM C. The process blank associated with the isolation of formate for radiocarbon analysis was ~1.5 µg C and stable over time. Accurate results could be obtained for marine samples with only 25 µM formate. The radiocarbon analysis of acetate showed significantly higher and more variable extraneous carbon contributions, particularly for samples spiked into seawater. Potential improvements that may make the method appropriate for the radiocarbon analysis of acetate in seawater are discussed. The blanks associated with the wet chemical oxidation were assessed independently and found to be small and consistent (\u3c0.3 µg C), potentially making this approach feasible for a broader set of compounds separated by HPLC for radiocarbon analysis

Addition of cetuximab to first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a cost-utility analysis

Background: Adding cetuximab to standard chemotherapy results in a moderate increase of overall survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the cost-effectiveness is unknown. Materials and methods: A Markov model was constructed based on the results of the First-Line ErbituX in lung cancer randomized trial, adding cetuximab to cisplatin-vinorelbine first-line chemotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC. The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of adding cetuximab, expressed as cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained, and relative to a willingness-to-pay threshold of €60 000/QALY. The impact of cetuximab intermittent dosing schedules on the ICER was also evaluated. Results: Adding cetuximab to standard chemotherapy leads to a gain of 0.07 QALYs per patient at an additional cost of €26 088. The ICER for adding cetuximab to chemotherapy was €376 205 per QALY gained. Intermittent cetuximab dosing schedules resulted in ICERs per QALY gained between €31 300 and €83 100, under the assumption of equal efficacy. Conclusions: From a health economic perspective, the addition of cetuximab to standard first-line chemotherapy in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-expressing advanced NSCLC cannot be recommended to date, due to a high ICER compared with other health care interventions. Treatment schedules resulting in more favorable cost-utility ratios should be evaluate

Can data from native mosquitoes support determining invasive species habitats? Modelling the climatic niche of Aedes japonicus japonicus (Diptera, Culicidae) in Germany

Invasive mosquito species and the pathogens they transmit represent a serious health risk to both humans and animals. Thus, predictions on their potential geographic distribution are urgently needed. In the case of a recently invaded region, only a small number of occurrence data is typically available for analysis, and absence data are not reliable. To overcome this problem, we have tested whether it is possible to determine the climatic ecological niche of an invasive mosquito species by using both the occurrence data of other, native species and machine learning. The approach is based on a support vector machine and in this scenario applied to the Asian bush mosquito (Aedes japonicus japonicus) in Germany. Presence data for this species (recorded in the Germany since 2008) as well as for three native mosquito species were used to model the potential distribution of the invasive species. We trained the model with data collected from 2011 to 2014 and compared our predicted occurrence probabilities for 2015 with observations found in the field throughout 2015 to evaluate our approach. The prediction map showed a high degree of concordance with the field data. We applied the model to medium climate conditions at an early stage of the invasion (2011–2015), and developed an explanation for declining population densities in an area in northern Germany. In addition to the already known distribution areas, our model also indicates a possible spread to Saarland, southwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and in 2015 to southern Bavaria, where the species is now being increasingly detected. However, there is also evidence that the possible distribution area under the mean climate conditions was underestimated

Replacement of soybean cake by Hermetia illucens meal in diets for layers

Insects will likely play an important role as protein sources for livestock in the future. Many insect species are able to convert materials not suitable for human nutrition – or even waste – into valuable protein with a favourable amino acid composition for poultry and other livestock. A feeding trial with partly de-fatted meal of dried Hermetia illucens larvae (Hermetia meal) reared on vegetarian by-products of the pasta and convenience food industry was carried out in small groups of Lohmann Selected Leghorn laying hens (four rounds, 10 hens/round). Experimental diets H12 and H24 contained 12 and 24 g/100 g Hermetia meal replacing 50 or 100% of soybean cake used in the control feed, respectively. After three weeks of feeding experimental diets, there were no significant differences between feeding groups with regard to performance (egg production, feed intake). There was a tendency (P=0.06) for lower albumen weight in the H24 group; yolk and shell weights did not differ. No mortality and no sign of health disorders occurred. Plumage as well as wound scores remained stable during the feeding period and did not differ between treatments. Dry matter of faeces increased with increasing proportions of Hermetia meal in the diet, with a significant difference between H24 and the control (P=0.03). An increase of black faecal pads was observed in the H12 and H24 groups. Overall, these results suggest Hermetia meal can be a valuable component of layer diets. However, insect meal production still has to become economically more viable through upscaling production and, especially, legislative issues have to be solved

The urban land use in the COSMO-CLM model: A comparison of three parameterizations for Berlin

The regional non-hydrostatic climate model COSMO-CLM is increasingly being used on fine spatial scales of 1–5 km. Such applications require a detailed differentiation between the parameterization for natural and urban land uses. Since 2010, three parameterizations for urban land use have been incorporated into COSMO-CLM. These parameterizations vary in their complexity, required city parameters and their computational cost. We perform model simulations with the COSMO-CLM coupled to these three parameterizations for urban land in the same model domain of Berlin on a 1-km grid and compare results with available temperature observations. While all models capture the urban heat island, they differ in spatial detail, magnitude and the diurnal variation