Level Statistics of SU(3)↔ SU(3) Transitional Region

Level statistics oftransitional region of SU(3)↔ SU(3) bar interacting boson model is described with emphasis on the nearest neighbor spacing distributions. The energy levels of transitional Hamiltonian are calculated via the SO(6) representation of eigenstates. By employing the MLE technique, the parameter of Abul-Magd distribution is estimated which suggests less regular dynamics for transitional region as compared to dynamical symmetry limits. Also, the O(6) dynamical symmetry which is known as the critical point of this transitional region, describes a deviation to more regular dynamics

Polyunsaturated fatty acids influence offspring sex ratio in cows

Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can influence fertility in farm animals. Some evidence in mice and sheep have suggested that PUFAs may influence offspring sex ratio, which may have significant value for cattle production. To test this hypothesis, three groups of Holstein cows were supplemented with either 0%, 3% or 5% protected fat (PF) in the form of calcium salt of fatty acids (rich in omega-6) from 14–21 days pre-partum until conception. Proven-fertile frozen semen from the same ejaculate was used for insemination. Calf sex recorded at birth was 8/19 (42.1%) male offspring in the control group, increasing to 14/20 (70%, P > 0.05) and 17/20 (85%, P < 0.05) in 3% and 5% PF, respectively. To test if this effect was caused by a direct influence on the oocyte, we supplemented bovine cumulus oocyte complexes during in vitro maturation with either omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) or trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Sex ratio of the produced transferable embryos was determined using PCR of SRY gene. Similar to the in vivo results, sex ratio was skewed to the male side in the embryos derived from LA- and CLA-treated oocytes (79% and 71%) compared to control and ALA-treated oocytes (44% and 54%, respectively). These results indicate that both dietary and in vitro supplementation of omega-6 PUFAs can skew the sex ratio towards the male side in cattle. Further experiments are required to confirm this effect on a larger scale and to study the mechanisms of action that might be involved

Tissue dyslipidemia in salmonella-infected rats treatTissue dyslipidemia in salmonella-infected rats treated with amoxillin and pefloxac

Background: This study investigated the effects of salmonella infection and its chemotherapy on lipid metabolism in tissues of rats infected orally with Salmonella typhimurium and treated intraperitoneally with pefloxacin and amoxillin. Methods: Animals were infected with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain TA 98. After salmonellosis was confirmed, they were divided into 7 groups of 5 animals each. While one group served as infected control group, three groups were treated with amoxillin (7.14 mg/kg body weight, 8 hourly) and the remaining three groups with pefloxacin (5.71mg/kg body weight, 12 hourly) for 5 and 10 days respectively. Uninfected control animals received 0.1ml of vehicle. Rats were sacrificed 24h after 5 and 10 days of antibiotic treatment and 5 days after discontinuation of antibiotic treatment. Their corresponding controls were also sacrificed at the same time point. Blood and tissue lipids were then evaluated. Results: Salmonella infection resulted in dyslipidemia characterised by increased concentrations of free fatty acids (FFA) in plasma and erythrocyte, as well as enhanced cholesterogenesis, hypertriglyceridemia and phospholipidosis in plasma, low density lipoprotein-very low density lipoprotein (LDL-VLDL), erythrocytes, erythrocyte ghost and the organs. The antibiotics reversed the dyslipidemia but not totally. A significant correlation was observed between fecal bacterial load and plasma cholesterol (r=0.456, p<0.01), plasma triacyglycerols (r=0.485, p<0.01), plasma phospholipid (r=0.414, p<0.05), plasma free fatty acids (r=0.485, p<0.01), liver phospholipid (r=0.459, p<0.01) and brain phospholipid (r=0.343, p<0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that salmonella infection in rats and its therapy with pefloxacin and amoxillin perturb lipid metabolism and this perturbation is characterised by cholesterogenesis

Clinical, radiologic, pathologic, and molecular characteristics of long-term survivors of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG): a collaborative report from the International and European Society for Pediatric Oncology DIPG registries

Purpose Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a brainstem malignancy with a median survival of &lt; 1 year. The International and European Society for Pediatric Oncology DIPG Registries collaborated to compare clinical, radiologic, and histomolecular characteristics between short-term survivors (STSs) and long-term survivors (LTSs). Materials and Methods Data abstracted from registry databases included patients from North America, Australia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Croatia. Results Among 1,130 pediatric and young adults with radiographically confirmed DIPG, 122 (11%) were excluded. Of the 1,008 remaining patients, 101 (10%) were LTSs (survival ≥ 2 years). Median survival time was 11 months (interquartile range, 7.5 to 16 months), and 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year survival rates were 42.3% (95% CI, 38.1% to 44.1%), 9.6% (95% CI, 7.8% to 11.3%), 4.3% (95% CI, 3.2% to 5.8%), 3.2% (95% CI, 2.4% to 4.6%), and 2.2% (95% CI, 1.4% to 3.4%), respectively. LTSs, compared with STSs, more commonly presented at age &lt; 3 or &gt; 10 years (11% v 3% and 33% v 23%, respectively; P &lt; .001) and with longer symptom duration ( P &lt; .001). STSs, compared with LTSs, more commonly presented with cranial nerve palsy (83% v 73%, respectively; P = .008), ring enhancement (38% v 23%, respectively; P = .007), necrosis (42% v 26%, respectively; P = .009), and extrapontine extension (92% v 86%, respectively; P = .04). LTSs more commonly received systemic therapy at diagnosis (88% v 75% for STSs; P = .005). Biopsies and autopsies were performed in 299 patients (30%) and 77 patients (10%), respectively; 181 tumors (48%) were molecularly characterized. LTSs were more likely to harbor a HIST1H3B mutation (odds ratio, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.5; P = .002). Conclusion We report clinical, radiologic, and molecular factors that correlate with survival in children and young adults with DIPG, which are important for risk stratification in future clinical trials

Co-transplantation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-derived Neural Progenitors and Schwann Cells in a Rat Spinal Cord Contusion Injury Model Elicits a Distinct Neurogenesis and Functional Recovery

Co-transplantation of neural progenitors (NPs) with Schwann cells (SCs) might be a way to overcome low rate of neuronal differentiation of NPs following transplantation in spinal cord injury (SCI) and the improvement of locomotor recovery. In this study, we initially generated NPs from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and investigated their potential for neuronal differentiation and functional recovery when co-cultured with SCs in vitro and co-transplanted in a rat acute model of contused SCI. Co-cultivation results revealed that the presence of SCs provided a consistent status for hESC-NPs and recharged their neural differentiation toward a predominantly neuronal fate. Following transplantation, a significant functional recovery was observed in all engrafted groups (NPs, SCs, NPs+SCs) relative to the vehicle and control groups. We also observed that animals receiving co-transplants established a better state as assessed with the BBB functional test. Immunohistofluorescence evaluation five weeks after transplantation showed invigorated neuronal differentiation and limited proliferation in the co-transplanted group when compared to the individual hESC-NPs grafted group. These findings have demonstrated that the co-transplantation of SCs with hESC-NPs could offer a synergistic effect, promoting neuronal differentiation and functional recovery

Description of Even-Even Xe isotopes in the transitional region of IBM

Properties of Xe isotopes isotopes are studied in the U(5)O(6) transitional region of Interacting Boson Model (IBM-1). The energy levels and B(E2)transition rates are calculated via the affine SU(1,1)Lie Algebra. The agreement with the most recent experimental is acceptable. The evaluated Hamiltonian control parameters suggest a spherical to (/gamma)-soft shape transition and propose the Xe(A=130)nucleus as the best candidate for the E(5)symmetry.Comment: 15 pages,3 figures. I have received an email from the BJPH editor (Prof.Luiz Nunes de Oliveira)which order me to resubmit the final version of paper and note that, paper will appear in Volume 43 of the Brazilian Journal of Physic

Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Activity Dependent Phospho-Protein Expression in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

Modern treatment strategies have improved the prognosis of childhood ALL; however, treatment still fails in 25–30% of patients. Further improvement of treatment may depend on the development of targeted therapies. mTOR kinase, a central mediator of several signaling pathways, has recently attracted remarkable attention as a potential target in pediatric ALL. However, limited data exists about the activity of mTOR. In the present study, the amount of mTOR activity dependent phospho-proteins was characterized by ELISA in human leukemia cell lines and in lymphoblasts from childhood ALL patients (n = 49). Expression was measured before and during chemotherapy and at relapses. Leukemia cell lines exhibited increased mTOR activity, indicated by phospho-S6 ribosomal protein (p-S6) and phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 4E binding protein (p-4EBP1). Elevated p-4EBP1 protein levels were detected in ALL samples at diagnosis; efficacy of chemotherapy was followed by the decrease of mTOR activity dependent protein phosphorylation. Optical density (OD) for p-4EBP1 (ELISA) was significantly higher in patients with poor prognosis at diagnosis, and in the samples of relapsed patients. Our results suggest that measuring mTOR activity related phospho-proteins such as p-4EBP1 by ELISA may help to identify patients with poor prognosis before treatment, and to detect early relapses. Determining mTOR activity in leukemic cells may also be a useful tool for selecting patients who may benefit from future mTOR inhibitor treatments