Far-Ultraviolet Cooling Features of the Antlia Supernova Remnant

We present far-ultraviolet observations of the Antlia supernova remnant obtained with Far-ultraviolet IMaging Spectrograph (FIMS, also called SPEAR). The strongest lines observed are C IV 1548,1551 and C III 977. The C IV emission of this mixed-morphology supernova remnant shows a clumpy distribution, and the line intensity is nearly constant with radius. The C III 977 line, though too weak to be mapped over the whole remnant, is shown to vary radially. The line intensity peaks at about half the radius, and drops at the edge of the remnant. Both the clumpy distribution of C IV and the rise in the C IV to C III ratio towards the edge suggest that central emission is from evaporating cloudlets rather than thermal conduction in a more uniform, dense medium.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, will be published in ApJ December 1, 2007, v670n2 issue. see http://astro.snu.ac.kr/~jhshinn/ms.pd

The Significance of DNA Ploidy by Flow Cytometric Measurement in Pancreatic Cancer

The cellular DNA content of pancreatic cancer using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens from 37 patients whose disease had been treated with surgical resection was determined by flow cytometry. Ploidy and cell cycle parameters were analysed and correlated with clinical and pathologic findings. There were 24 (64. 9%) diploid and 13 non-diploid pancreatic cancers. The median survival of the patients with diploid tumor was 14 months and that of the patients with non-diploid tumor was 8 months, but the difference did not have statistical significance (p=O. 078). And other cytometric parameters such as Gl phase fraction (p=O. 84), S phase fraction (0. 076), G2M phase fraction (p=O. 72), and proliferative index (p=O. 81) did not show any significant prognostic value. The patients with stage I (n=15) had 27 months of median survival, the patients with stage II (n=8) 7 months of median survival, the patients with stage III (n> 15) 9 months of median survival. The differences of survival by stage were the most significant among the parameters which were studied (p=O. 0003). The group which had lymph node metastasis (n> 11) showed 7 months of median survival and the group with negative lymph node (n=26) 12 months. The difference was also significant (p=O. 046). The other clinical parameters such as sex, the size of tumor, and the location of tumor did not have any influence on the prognosis of the pancreatic cancer patients in this study. Multivariate analysis by Weibull's model was used for prediction of survival time. Diploid versus non-diploid DNA content changed to less significant factor after adjustment for stage and lymph node. But the stage of the tumor remained a highly significant prognostic factor even after adjustment for ploidy and lymph node status

Neuroprotective Activity of Sibjeondaebo-tang on Aβ Peptide-Induced Damages

Background. Sibjeondaebo-tang (SJDBT) has been used to treat diverse disorders including neuropsychiatric disabilities in traditional Korean medicine. Objective. The present study aims to investigate the potential effects of SJDBT on neuroprotection against Aβ peptide-induced damage using in vitro culture and in vivo rat brain systems. Materials and Methods. PC12 cell viability was analyzed by MTT assay, and neurite arborizations and caspase 3 protein signals in cultured PC12 cells and in vivo cortical neurons were analyzed by immunofluorescence staining. Phospho-Erk1/2 protein was analyzed by immunofluorescence staining and western blot analysis. Results. In PC12 cells, atrophied cell body and reduced neurite extension by Aβ treatment were recovered by SJDBT treatment. Caspase 3 protein signals were increased in Aβ-treated PC12 cells, but SJDBT treatment decreased apoptotic cell death. Caspase 3 activation in cortical neurons, which was induced similarly by Aβ treatment, was reduced by SJDBT treatment. Furthermore, phospho-Erk1/2 protein levels, which had been decreased by Aβ treatment, were elevated in the cortical neurons by SJDBT treatment. Conclusion. These data show that SJDBT may play a role in protecting from damages induced by Aβ in neuronal tissue and further suggest that SJDBT can be explored as the potential therapeutic target for AD treatments in human

A Small Dorsal Pontine Infarction Presenting with Total Gaze Palsy Including Vertical Saccades and Pursuit

A small localized infarction in the dorsal pontine area can cause various eye-movement disturbances, such as abducens palsy, horizontal conjugate gaze palsy, internuclear ophthalmoplegia, and one-and-a-half syndrome. However, complete loss of vertical saccades and pursuit with horizontal gaze palsy has not been reported previously in a patient with a small pontine lesion. We report a 67-year-old man with a small dorsal caudal pontine infarct who exhibited total horizontal gaze palsy as well as loss of vertical saccades and pursuit

On the Origin of Near-Infrared Extragalactic Background Light Anisotropy

Extragalactic background light (EBL) anisotropy traces variations in the total production of photons over cosmic history, and may contain faint, extended components missed in galaxy point source surveys. Infrared EBL fluctuations have been attributed to primordial galaxies and black holes at the epoch of reionization (EOR), or alternately, intra-halo light (IHL) from stars tidally stripped from their parent galaxies at low redshift. We report new EBL anisotropy measurements from a specialized sounding rocket experiment at 1.1 and 1.6 micrometers. The observed fluctuations exceed the amplitude from known galaxy populations, are inconsistent with EOR galaxies and black holes, and are largely explained by IHL emission. The measured fluctuations are associated with an EBL intensity that is comparable to the background from known galaxies measured through number counts, and therefore a substantial contribution to the energy contained in photons in the cosmos.Comment: 65 pages, 29 figures, Published in Science Nov 7 2014 (includes supplementary material