154 research outputs found
Unveiling optical signatures of outflows in accreting white dwarfs
Accreting white dwarfs are known to show signatures of wind-type outflows in
the ultraviolet. At optical wavelengths, however, wind detections have only
been reported for a few sources. We present GTC-10.4m optical spectroscopy of
four accreting white dwarfs (BZ Cam, V751 Cyg, MV Lyr, and V425 Cas) observed
during luminous epochs, when their optical emission is expected to be dominated
by the accretion disc. We focused the analysis on four emission lines:
H and He I 5876, 6678, 7065. Line profiles
are complex and variable on short (minutes) and long (days to weeks) time
scales, with transient absorption and emission components. Among them, we
detect strong blue-shifted absorptions at km s. These
high-velocity components, present only in the blue wing of the emission lines,
are observed in all four sources and could be associated with accretion disc
winds. For MV Lyr and V425 Cas, these would represent the first detection of
optical outflows in these objects, while in the case of BZ Cam and V751 Cyg,
the presence of outflows has been previously reported. This study suggests
that, in addition to ultraviolet winds, optical outflows might be also common
in accreting white dwarfs. We discuss the observational properties of these
winds and their possible similarity to those detected in accreting black holes
and neutrons stars.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Optical and near-infrared spectroscopy of the black hole transient 4U 1543-47 during its 2021 ultra-luminous state
We present simultaneous optical and near-infrared spectra obtained during the
2021 outburst of the black hole transient 4U 1543-47. The X-ray
hardness-intensity diagram and the comparison with similar systems reveal a
luminous outburst, probably reaching the Eddington luminosity, as well as a
long-lasting excursion to the so-called ultra-luminous state. VLT/X-shooter
spectra were taken in two epochs 14 days apart during the early and brightest
part of the outburst, while the source was in this ultra-luminous accretion
state. The data show strong H and HeI emission lines, as well as
high-excitation HeII and OIII transitions. Most lines are single-peaked in both
spectra, except for the OIII lines that exhibit evident double-peaked profiles
during the second epoch. The Balmer lines are embedded in broad absorption
wings that we believe are mainly produced by the contribution of the A2V donor
to the optical flux, which we estimate to be in the range of 11 to 14 per cent
in the band during our observations. Although no conspicuous outflow
features are found, we observe some wind-related line profiles, particularly in
the near-infrared. Such lines include broad emission line wings and skewed red
profiles, suggesting the presence of a cold (i.e. low ionisation) outflow with
similar observational properties to those found in other low-inclination black
hole transients.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
A novel gene, MDS2, is fused to ETV6/TEL in a t(1;12)(p36.1;p13) in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome
ETV6/TEL is the first transcription factor identified that is specifically required for hematopoiesis within the bone marrow. This gene has been found to have multiple fusion partners of which 16 have been cloned. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) revealed a t(1;12)(p36;p13) involving ETV6, with the breakpoint in this gene between exon 2 and exon 3. We report here the cloning of a novel ETV6 partner located on 1p36.1, involved in the t(1;12). 3' RACE-PCR from RNA identified a novel sequence fused to exon 2 of ETV6. Database searches localized this sequence in a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) mapped to 1p36 by fingerprint analysis. This result was confirmed by FISH using this BAC as probe. 5' and 3' RACE experiments with primers from this novel sequence were carried out on RNA from a healthy donor and identified a novel full-length mRNA, which we named MDS2 (myelodysplastic syndrome 2). RT-PCR experiments were performed on a panel of human cDNAs to analyze the expression pattern of this gene and they revealed four splicing variants. RT-PCR analysis showed that ETV6-MDS2, but not the reciprocal MDS2-ETV6 fusion transcript, was expressed in the bone marrow of the patient. The product of the ETV6-MDS2 fusion transcript predicts a short ETV6 protein containing the first 54 amino acids of ETV6 plus four novel amino acids, lacking both the PTN and the DNA-binding domains. Possible mechanisms to account for the development of MDS in this patient are discussed
Imatinib inhibits proliferation of Ewing tumor cells mediated by the stem cell factor/KIT receptor pathway, and sensitizes cells to vincristine and doxorubicin-induced apoptosis
Purpose and Experimental Design: The stem cell factor/
KIT receptor loop may represent a novel target for molecular-
based therapies of Ewing tumor. We analyzed the in
vitro impact of KIT blockade by imatinib in Ewing tumor
cell lines.
Results: KIT expression was detected in 4 of 4 Ewing
tumor cell lines and in 49 of 110 patient samples (44.5%) by
immunohistochemistry and/or Western blot analysis. KIT
expression was stronger in Ewing tumors showing EWSFLI1
nontype 1 fusions. Despite absence of c-kit mutations,
constitutive and ligand-inducible phosphorylation of KIT
was found in all tumor cell lines, indicating an active receptor.
Treatment with KIT tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib
(0.5–20 M) induced down-regulation of KIT phosphorylation
and dose response inhibition of cell proliferation (IC50,
12–15 M). However, imatinib administered alone at doses
close to IC50 for growth inhibition (10 M) did not induce a
significant increase in apoptosis. We then analyzed if blockade
of KIT loop through imatinib (10 M) was able to
increase the antitumor in vitro effect of doxorubicin (DXR)and vincristine (VCR), drugs usually used in Ewing tumor
treatment. Addition of imatinib decreased in 15–20 and
15–36% of the proliferative rate of Ewing tumor cells exposed
to DXR and VCR, respectively, and increased in 15
and 30% of the apoptotic rate of Ewing tumor cells exposed
to the same drugs.
Conclusions: Inhibition of Ewing tumor cell proliferation
by imatinib is mediated through blockade of KIT receptor
signaling. Inhibition of KIT increases sensitivity of
these cells to DXR and VCR. This study supports a potential
role for imatinib in the treatment of Ewing tumor
Metástasis ganglionares de osteosarcomas
En este artículo presentamos dos pa
cientes con osteosarcoma osteoblástico de tercio
distal de fémur que cursaron con afectación ganglionar loco
-
regional. En el primer caso,
el paciente presentó dos metástasis ganglionares en re
gión inguinal y pél
vica dos años
después del diagnóstico del tumor pri
mario. Actualmente tres meses después de la
linfadenectomía se encuentra libre de enfermedad. En el segundo caso, durante el
estudio de extensión del tu
mor primario, se observaron imá
genes nodulares de alta
densidad en zona inguinal derecha, que corres
pondieron a metástasis del tumor
primari
Safety of switching from intravenous to subcutaneous rituximab during first-line treatment of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma: the Spanish population of the MabRella study
Rituximab is a standard treatment for non-Hodgkin diffuse large B-cell
(DLBCL) and follicular (FL) lymphomas. A subcutaneous formulation was
developed to improve the resource use of intravenous rituximab, with comparable efficacy and safety profiles except for increased administration-related reactions (ARRs). MabRella was a phase IIIb trial to assess the safety
of switching from intravenous to subcutaneous administration of rituximab
during first-line induction/maintenance for DLBCL or FL, focusing on
ARRs. Efficacy, satisfaction and quality of life were also assessed. Patients
received subcutaneous rituximab plus standard induction chemotherapy for
DLBCL or FL for 4–7 cycles, and/or every 2 months maintenance
monotherapy for FL for 6–12 cycles. The study included 140 patients:
DLBCL, n = 29; FL, n = 111. Ninety-five percent of patients experienced
adverse events, reaching grade ≥3 in 38 6% and were serious in 30 0%.
AARs occurred in 48 6%, mostly (84 9%) at the injection site, with only
2 1% of patients reaching grade 3. The end-of-induction complete/unconfirmed complete response rate was 69 6%. After a median follow-up of
33 5 months, median disease-/event-/progression-free and overall survivals
were not attained. The Rituximab Administration Satisfaction Questionnaire showed improvements in overall satisfaction and the EuroQoL-5D a
good quality-of-life perception at induction/maintenance end. Therefore,
switching to subcutaneous rituximab showed no new safety issues and
maintained efficacy with improved satisfaction and quality of life
Discovery of optical outflows and inflows in the black hole candidate GRS 1716-249
We present optical spectroscopy obtained with the GTC, VLT and SALT
telescopes during the decline of the 2016-2017 outburst of the black hole
candidate GRS 1716-249 (Nova Oph 1993). Our 18-epoch data set spans 6 months
and reveals that the observational properties of the main emission lines are
very variable, even on time scales of a few hours. Several epochs are
characterised by P-Cyg (as well as flat-top and asymmetric) profiles in the
H, H and He II (4686) emission lines, implying the
presence of an accretion disc wind, which is likely hot and dense. The wind's
terminal velocity (2000 km s) is similar to that observed in other
black hole X-ray transients. These lines also show transient and sharp
red-shifted absorptions, taking the form of inverted P-Cyg profiles. We argue
that these profiles can be explained by the presence of infalling material at
1300 km s. We propose a failed wind scenario to explain this
inflow and discuss other alternatives, such as obscuration produced by an
accretion-related structure (e.g. the gas stream) in a high inclination system.Comment: Published in MNRAS main journa
A comparison between percutaneous and surgical transplantation of autologous skeletal myoblasts in a swine model of chronic myocardial infarction
Role of Klotho and AGE/RAGE-Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway on the development of cardiac and renal fibrosis in diabetes
Fibrosis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of long-term diabetic complications and contributes to the development of cardiac and renal dysfunction. The aim of this experimental study, performed in a long-term rat model, which resembles type 1 diabetes mellitus, was to investigate the role of soluble Klotho (sKlotho), advanced glycation end products (AGEs)/receptor for AGEs (RAGE), fibrotic Wnt/β-catenin pathway, and pro-fibrotic pathways in kidney and heart. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin. Glycaemia was maintained by insulin administration for 24 weeks. Serum and urine sKlotho, AGEs, soluble RAGE (sRAGE) and biochemical markers were studied. The levels of Klotho, RAGEs, ADAM10, markers of fibrosis (collagen deposition, fibronectin, TGF-β1, and Wnt/β-catenin pathway), hypertrophy of the kidney and/or heart were analysed. At the end of study, diabetic rats showed higher levels of urinary sKlotho, AGEs and sRAGE and lower serum sKlotho compared with controls without differences in the renal Klotho expression. A significant positive correlation was found between urinary sKlotho and AGEs and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (uACR). Fibrosis and RAGE levels were significantly higher in the heart without differences in the kidney of diabetic rats compared to controls. The results also suggest the increase in sKlotho and sRAGE excretion may be due to polyuria in the diabetic rats
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