Polarization of the Crab pulsar and nebula as observed by the Integral/IBIS telescope

Neutron stars generate powerful winds of relativistic particles that form bright synchrotron nebulae around them. Polarimetry provides a unique insight into the geometry and magnetic configuration of the wind, but high-energy measurements have failed until recently. The Integral-IBIS telescope has been used in its Compton mode to search for linearly polarized emission for energies above 200 keV from the Crab nebula. The asymmetries in the instrument response are small and we obtain evidences for a strongly polarized signal at an angle parallel to the pulsar rotation axis. This result confirms the detection recently reported by Dean et al. (2008), and extends the polarization measure for all the pulsar's phases. The hard X-ray/soft $\gamma$-ray observations therefore probe the inner jets or equatorial flow of the wind. The achieved sensitivity opens a new window for polarimetric studies at energies above 200 keV.Comment: Accepted by ApJ Letters (15 pages, 2 figures

The HU Aqr planetary system hypothesis revisited

We study the mid-egress eclipse timing data gathered for the cataclysmic binary HU Aquarii during the years 1993-2014. The (O-C) residuals were previously attributed to a single ~7 Jupiter mass companion in ~5 au orbit or to a stable 2-planet system with an unconstrained outermost orbit. We present 22 new observations gathered between June, 2011 and July, 2014 with four instruments around the world. They reveal a systematic deviation of ~60 - 120 seconds from the older ephemeris. We re-analyse the whole set of the timing data available. Our results provide an erratum to the previous HU Aqr planetary models, indicating that the hypothesis for a third and fourth body in this system is uncertain. The dynamical stability criterion and a particular geometry of orbits rule out coplanar 2-planet configurations. A putative HU Aqr planetary system may be more complex, e.g., highly non-coplanar. Indeed, we found examples of 3-planet configurations with the middle planet in a retrograde orbit, which are stable for at least 1Gyr, and consistent with the observations. The (O-C) may be also driven by oscillations of the gravitational quadrupole moment of the secondary, as predicted by the Lanza et al. modification of the Applegate mechanism. Further systematic, long-term monitoring of HU Aqr is required to interpret the (O-C) residuals.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, 4 tables, accepted to Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS

European academy of andrology guidelines on Klinefelter syndrome : endorsing organization : European Society of Endocrinology

Background Knowledge about Klinefelter syndrome (KS) has increased substantially since its first description almost 80 years ago. A variety of treatment options concerning the spectrum of symptoms associated with KS exists, also regarding aspects beyond testicular dysfunction. Nevertheless, the diagnostic rate is still low in relation to prevalence and no international guidelines are available for KS. Objective To create the first European Academy of Andrology (EAA) guidelines on KS. Methods An expert group of academicians appointed by the EAA generated a consensus guideline according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system. Results Clinical features are highly variable among patients with KS, although common characteristics are severely attenuated spermatogenesis and Leydig cell impairment, resulting in azoospermia and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. In addition, various manifestations of neurocognitive and psychosocial phenotypes have been described as well as an increased prevalence of adverse cardiovascular, metabolic and bone-related conditions which might explain the increased morbidity/mortality in KS. Moreover, compared to the general male population, a higher prevalence of dental, coagulation and autoimmune disorders is likely to exist in patients with KS. Both genetic and epigenetic effects due to the supernumerary X chromosome as well as testosterone deficiency contribute to this pathological pattern. The majority of patients with KS is diagnosed during adulthood, but symptoms can already become obvious during infancy, childhood or adolescence. The paediatric and juvenile patients with KS require specific attention regarding their development and fertility. Conclusion These guidelines provide recommendations and suggestions to care for patients with KS in various developmental stages ranging from childhood and adolescence to adulthood. This advice is based on recent research data and respective evaluations as well as validations performed by a group of experts

The Leydig cell biomarker INSL3 as a predictor of age-related morbidity: Findings from the EMAS cohort

Background: Insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) is a constitutive hormone secreted in men by the mature Leydig cells of the testes. It is an accurate biomarker for Leydig cell functional capacity, reflecting their total cell number and differentiation status. Objectives: To determine the ability of INSL3 to predict hypogonadism and age-related morbidity using the EMAS cohort of older community-dwelling men. Materials & methods: Circulating INSL3 was assessed in the EMAS cohort and its cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships to hypogonadism, here defined by testosterone (T) <10.5nmol/l, and a range of age-related morbidities determined by correlation and regression analysis. Results & discussion: While INSL3 is an accurate measure of primary hypogonadism, secondary and compensated hypogonadism also indicate reduced levels of INSL3, implying that testicular hypogonadism does not improve even when LH levels are increased, and that ageing-related hypogonadism may combine both primary and secondary features. Unadjusted, serum INSL3, like calculated free testosterone (cFT), LH, or the T/LH ratio reflects hypogonadal status and is associated with reduced sexual function, bone mineral density, and physical activity, as well as increased occurrence of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Using multiple regression analysis to adjust for a range of hormonal, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors, this relationship is lost for all morbidities, except for reduced bone mineral density, implying that INSL3 and/or its specific receptor, RXFP2, may be causally involved in promoting healthy bone metabolism. Elevated INSL3 also associates with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. When unadjusted, INSL3 in phase 1 of the EMAS study was assessed for its association with morbidity in phase 2 (mean 4.3 years later); INSL3 significantly predicts 7 out of 9 morbidity categories, behaving as well as cFT in this regard. In contrast, total T was predictive in only 3 of the 9 categories. Conclusion: Together with its low within-individual variance, these findings suggest that assessing INSL3 in men could offer important insight into the later development of disease in the elderly

Quality of life in men with Klinefelter syndrome: a multicentre study

Background: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is associated with an increased risk of lower socioeconomic status and a higher risk for morbidity and mortal ity, which may have a significant impact on quality of life (QOL). The objective of this study is to investigate QOL in a large European cohort of men with KS. Design: Cross-sectional multicentre study. Methods: Two-hundred-eighteen men with KS were recruited from 14 clinic al study centres in 6 European countries which participated in the Europ ean dsd-LIFE study. Male normative data from a healthy and a psychiatric reference population were used for comparison. The validated World Health Organization (WHO) Q OL (WHOQOL)-BREF questionnaire was used to investigate five main domains of quali ty of life (WHOQOL): global, physical, psychological, environment, and social. Results: The QOL physical domain score was lower for men with KS compar ed to the healthy reference population (KS: 66.9; s.d. 19.4, n = 193; healthy reference population: 76.5; s.d. 16.2, n = 1324, P < 0.001) but higher compared to the psychiatric reference population (54.6; s.d. 20.6; n = 77, P < 0.001). The WHOQOL-psychological domain score was lower for men with KS compared to the healthy reference pop ulation (KS: 63.6; s.d. 17.8, n = 193; healthy reference population: 67.8; s.d. 15.6, n = 1324, P < 0.05) but higher compared to the psychiatric reference population (45.9; s.d. 26.0), n = 77, P < 0.001). The social domain score on the WHOQOL questionnaire was found t o be lower in men with Klinefelter syndrome (KS) compared to the healthy referenc e population (KS: 60.0; s.d. 21.6, n = 193; healthy reference population: 68.2; s.d. 13.8, n = 1324, P < 0.001). However, this score was similar to that of the psychiatric refe rence population (61.0; s.d. 17.0, n = 77, P = 0.5). The WHO environment domain score of men with KS (70.0; s.d. 15.0, n = 193) was similar to the healthy reference population (70.5; s.d. 20.7, n = 1324) but higher compared to the psychiatric reference population (61 .9; s.d. 20.8, n = 77, P = 0.002). Experienced discrimination, less social activities, and the presence of chronic health problems were associated with significantly decreased QOL in men with KS. Conclusion: Overall QOL in European men with KS is significantly worse comp ared to a healthy European reference population. Especially, the presen ce of discrimination, less social activities, and chronic health problems is associat ed with lower physical, psychological, and social QOL. Further studies are necessary to investigate if a multidisciplinary approach may help to provide adequate counsel ling and psychosocial support to improve QOL

Autocrine androgen action is essential for Leydig cell maturation and function, and protects against late-onset Leydig cell apoptosis in both mice and men

Leydig cell number and function decline as men age, and low testosterone is associated with all “Western” cardio-metabolic disorders. However, whether perturbed androgen action within the adult Leydig cell lineage predisposes individuals to this late-onset degeneration remains unknown. To address this, we generated a novel mouse model in which androgen receptor (AR) is ablated from ∼75% of adult Leydig stem cell/cell progenitors, from fetal life onward (Leydig cell AR knockout mice), permitting interrogation of the specific roles of autocrine Leydig cell AR signaling through comparison to adjacent AR-retaining Leydig cells, testes from littermate controls, and to human testes, including from patients with complete androgen insensitivity syndrome (CAIS). This revealed that autocrine AR signaling is dispensable for the attainment of final Leydig cell number but is essential for Leydig cell maturation and regulation of steroidogenic enzymes in adulthood. Furthermore, these studies reveal that autocrine AR signaling in Leydig cells protects against late-onset degeneration of the seminiferous epithelium in mice and inhibits Leydig cell apoptosis in both adult mice and patients with CAIS, possibly via opposing aberrant estrogen signaling. We conclude that autocrine androgen action within Leydig cells is essential for the lifelong support of spermatogenesis and the development and lifelong health of Leydig cells.—O’Hara, L., McInnes, K., Simitsidellis, I., Morgan, S., Atanassova, N., Slowikowska-Hilczer, J., Kula, K., Szarras-Czapnik, M., Milne, L., Mitchell, R. T., Smith, L. B. Autocrine androgen action is essential for Leydig cell maturation and function, and protects against late-onset Leydig cell apoptosis in both mice and men

The LOFT mission concept: a status update

The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing (LOFT) is a mission concept which was proposed to ESA as M3 and M4 candidate in the framework of the Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 program. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of effective area and spectral resolution of its main instrument and the uniquely large field of view of its wide field monitor, LOFT will be able to study the behaviour of matter in extreme conditions such as the strong gravitational field in the innermost regions close to black holes and neutron stars and the supra-nuclear densities in the interiors of neutron stars. The science payload is based on a Large Area Detector (LAD, >8m2 effective area, 2-30 keV, 240 eV spectral resolution, 1 degree collimated field of view) and a Wide Field Monitor (WFM, 2-50 keV, 4 steradian field of view, 1 arcmin source location accuracy, 300 eV spectral resolution). The WFM is equipped with an on-board system for bright events (e.g., GRB) localization. The trigger time and position of these events are broadcast to the ground within 30 s from discovery. In this paper we present the current technical and programmatic status of the mission

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income&nbsp;countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was &lt;1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of&nbsp;countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified