The Ottoman "Profesional Prisoners" on the Western Borders of the Empire in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (tran. Filip Šimunjak)

U ovome radu autor na temelju neobjavljene građe iz arhiva obitelji Batthyány daje prilog proučavanju procesa razmjene i otkupa zarobljenika na habsburško-osmanskom pograničju tijekom 16. i 17. stoljeća. Glavna teza rada jest da se tijekom ovog perioda javlja skupina pojedinaca koji su poslovali kao „profesionalni zarobljenici“ i ostvarivali profit kao posrednici tijekom procesa otkupa. Na kraju rada autor donosi nekoliko dokumenata koji govore o procesu otkupa, ali i o teškim kaznama koje su čekale jamce ako se njihov sakupljač nikada ne bi vratio.This paper, based on unpublished material from the archives of the Batthyány family, aims to contribute to the study of the process of exchange and ransom of prisoners on the Habsburg-Ottoman border during the 16th and 17th centuries. The main thesis of the paper is that during this period there was a special group of people who operated as "professional prisoners" and who made a profit as intermediaries during the process of ransom. At the end of the paper, the author presents several documents dealing with the process of ransom, that also show the severe penalties that awaited the guarantors if their collector would never return

The Ottoman "Profesional Prisoners" on the Western Borders of the Empire in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (tran. Filip Šimunjak)

U ovome radu autor na temelju neobjavljene građe iz arhiva obitelji Batthyány daje prilog proučavanju procesa razmjene i otkupa zarobljenika na habsburško-osmanskom pograničju tijekom 16. i 17. stoljeća. Glavna teza rada jest da se tijekom ovog perioda javlja skupina pojedinaca koji su poslovali kao „profesionalni zarobljenici“ i ostvarivali profit kao posrednici tijekom procesa otkupa. Na kraju rada autor donosi nekoliko dokumenata koji govore o procesu otkupa, ali i o teškim kaznama koje su čekale jamce ako se njihov sakupljač nikada ne bi vratio.This paper, based on unpublished material from the archives of the Batthyány family, aims to contribute to the study of the process of exchange and ransom of prisoners on the Habsburg-Ottoman border during the 16th and 17th centuries. The main thesis of the paper is that during this period there was a special group of people who operated as "professional prisoners" and who made a profit as intermediaries during the process of ransom. At the end of the paper, the author presents several documents dealing with the process of ransom, that also show the severe penalties that awaited the guarantors if their collector would never return

Lattice results for the decay constant of heavy-light vector mesons

We compute the leptonic decay constants of heavy-light vector mesons in the quenched approximation. The reliability of lattice computations for heavy quarks is checked by comparing the ratio of vector to pseudoscalar decay constant with the prediction of Heavy Quark Effective Theory in the limit of infinitely heavy quark mass. Good agreement is found. We then calculate the decay constant ratio for B mesons: $f_{B^*}/f_B= 1.01(0.01)(^{+0.04}_{-0.01})$. We also quote quenched $f_{B^*}=177(6)(17)$ MeV.Comment: 11 pages, 3 postscript figs., revtex; two references adde

QED self-energy contribution to highly-excited atomic states

We present numerical values for the self-energy shifts predicted by QED (Quantum Electrodynamics) for hydrogenlike ions (nuclear charge $60 \le Z \le 110$) with an electron in an $n=3$, 4 or 5 level with high angular momentum ($5/2\le j \le 9/2$). Applications include predictions of precision transition energies and studies of the outer-shell structure of atoms and ions.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure

Phase 2 study of vismodegib, a hedgehog inhibitor, combined with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in patients with untreated metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Background: The Hedgehog (Hh) signalling pathway is overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). Preclinical studies have shown that Hh inhibitors reduce pancreatic cancer stem cells (pCSC), stroma and Hh signalling. Methods: Patients with previously untreated metastatic PDA were treated with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel. Vismodegib was added starting on the second cycle. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) as compared with historical controls. Tumour biopsies to assess pCSC, stroma and Hh signalling were obtained before treatment and after cycle 1 (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel) or after cycle 2 (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel plus vismodegib). Results: Seventy-one patients were enrolled. Median PFS and overall survival (OS) were 5.42 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.37–6.97) and 9.79 months (95% CI: 7.85–10.97), respectively. Of the 67 patients evaluable for response, 27 (40%) had a response: 26 (38.8%) partial responses and 1 complete response. In the tumour samples, there were no significant changes in ALDH + pCSC following treatment. Conclusions: Adding vismodegib to chemotherapy did not improve efficacy as compared with historical rates observed with chemotherapy alone in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic pancreatic cancer. This study does not support the further evaluation of Hh inhibitors in this patient population. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01088815

Variability in MRI vs. ultrasound measures of prostate volume and its impact on treatment recommendations for favorable-risk prostate cancer patients: a case series

Background: Prostate volume can affect whether patients qualify for brachytherapy (desired size ≥20 mL and ≤60 mL) and/or active surveillance (desired PSA density ≤0.15 for very low risk disease). This study examines variability in prostate volume measurements depending on imaging modality used (ultrasound versus MRI) and volume calculation technique (contouring versus ellipsoid) and quantifies the impact of this variability on treatment recommendations for men with favorable-risk prostate cancer. Methods: We examined 70 patients who presented consecutively for consideration of brachytherapy for favorable-risk prostate cancer who had volume estimates by three methods: contoured axial ultrasound slices, ultrasound ellipsoid (height × width × length × 0.523) calculation, and endorectal coil MRI (erMRI) ellipsoid calculation. Results: Average gland size by the contoured ultrasound, ellipsoid ultrasound, and erMRI methods were 33.99, 37.16, and 39.62 mLs, respectively. All pairwise comparisons between methods were statistically significant (all p < 0.015). Of the 66 patients who volumetrically qualified for brachytherapy on ellipsoid ultrasound measures, 22 (33.33%) did not qualify on ellipsoid erMRI or contoured ultrasound measures. 38 patients (54.28%) had PSA density ≤0.15 ng/dl as calculated using ellipsoid ultrasound volumes, compared to 34 (48.57%) and 38 patients (54.28%) using contoured ultrasound and ellipsoid erMRI volumes, respectively. Conclusions: The ultrasound ellipsoid and erMRI ellipsoid methods appeared to overestimate ultrasound contoured volume by an average of 9.34% and 16.57% respectively. 33.33% of those who qualified for brachytherapy based on ellipsoid ultrasound volume would be disqualified based on ultrasound contoured and/or erMRI ellipsoid volume. As treatment recommendations increasingly rely on estimates of prostate size, clinicians must consider method of volume estimation

Development of cordycepin formulations for preclinical and clinical studies

There is extensive literature on in vivo studies with cordycepin but these studies were generally conducted without validation of the various formulations, especially in terms of the solubility of cordycepin in the dosing vehicles used. Cordycepin is a promising drug candidate in multiple therapeutic areas and there is a growing interest in studies aimed at assessing the pharmacological activity of this compound in relevant animal disease models. It is likely that many reported in vivo studies used formulations in which cordycepin was incompletely soluble. This can potentially confound the interpretation of pharmacokinetics and efficacy results. Furthermore, the presence of particles in intravenously administered suspension can cause adverse effects and should be avoided. Here we present the results from our development of simple and readily applicable formulations of cordycepin based on quantitative solubility assessment. Homogeneous solutions of cordycepin were prepared in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at different pH levels, suitable as formulations for both intravenously and oral administration. For the purpose of high-dose oral administration we also developed propylene glycol (PPG)-based vehicles in which cordycepin is completely soluble. The stability of the newly developed formulations was also assessed, as well the feasibility of their sterilisation by filtration. Additionally, an HPLC-UV method for the determination of cordycepin in the formulations, which may also be useful for other purposes, was developed and validated. Our study could provide useful information for improvement of future preclinical and clinical studies involving cordycepin

Hadron Spectrum and Matrix Elements in QCD with Dynamical Wilson Fermions at 6/g^2=5.3

We present results of a lattice simulation of quantum chromodynamics with two degenerate flavors of dynamic Wilson fermions at $6/g^2=5.3$ at each of two dynamical fermion hopping parameters, $\kappa=0.1670$ and 0.1675, corresponding to pion masses in lattice units of about 0.45 and 0.31. The simulations include three other values of valence quark mass, in addition to the dynamical quarks. We present calculations of masses and of the decay constants of vector mesons and of pseudoscalars, including the D-meson decay constant. The effects of sea quarks on matrix elements and spectroscopy are small.Comment: COLO-HEP-321, FSU-SCRI-93-110, uuencoded 51 page mss with some missing figure

Mapping genomic loci implicates genes and synaptic biology in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia has a heritability of 60-80%1, much of which is attributable to common risk alleles. Here, in a two-stage genome-wide association study of up to 76,755 individuals with schizophrenia and 243,649 control individuals, we report common variant associations at 287 distinct genomic loci. Associations were concentrated in genes that are expressed in excitatory and inhibitory neurons of the central nervous system, but not in other tissues or cell types. Using fine-mapping and functional genomic data, we identify 120 genes (106 protein-coding) that are likely to underpin associations at some of these loci, including 16 genes with credible causal non-synonymous or untranslated region variation. We also implicate fundamental processes related to neuronal function, including synaptic organization, differentiation and transmission. Fine-mapped candidates were enriched for genes associated with rare disruptive coding variants in people with schizophrenia, including the glutamate receptor subunit GRIN2A and transcription factor SP4, and were also enriched for genes implicated by such variants in neurodevelopmental disorders. We identify biological processes relevant to schizophrenia pathophysiology; show convergence of common and rare variant associations in schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental disorders; and provide a resource of prioritized genes and variants to advance mechanistic studies