Consistent massive truncations of IIB supergravity on Sasaki-Einstein manifolds

Recent work on holographic superconductivity and gravitational duals of systems with non-relativistic conformal symmetry have made use of consistent truncations of D=10 and D=11 supergravity retaining some massive modes in the Kaluza-Klein tower. In this paper we focus on reductions of IIB supergravity to five dimensions on a Sasaki-Einstein manifold, and extend these previous truncations to encompass the entire bosonic sector of gauged D=5, N=2 supergravity coupled to massive multiplets up to the second Kaluza-Klein level. We conjecture that a necessary condition for the consistency of massive truncations is to only retain the lowest modes in the massive trajectories of the Kaluza-Klein mode decomposition of the original fields. This is an extension of the well-known result that consistent truncations may be obtained by restricting to the singlet sector of the internal symmetry group.Comment: 27 pages, typos corrected and references adde

Polymerase Chain Reaction and Its Application in the Diagnosis of Infectious Keratitis

PCR involves a repeating cycle of replication to amplify small segments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). A novel application of this technique is microbial identification in infectious keratitis, one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. PCR is more sensitive than biological stains and culture, which are considered the current gold standards for diagnosing infectious keratitis. The diagnosis and treatment of infectious keratitis cost the United States millions of dollars in health expenditure. PCR may help offset that cost by allowing for individualized disease management and screening for multiple antibiotic-resistant genes. While beneficial, PCR demonstrates lower specificity rates compared to culture and stain, indicating its shortcomings; this can be overcome by performing PCR after narrowing the pool of potential microorganisms. This article examines the clinical utility of PCR in cases of infectious keratitis by evaluating its reliability, validity, associated costs, and indications

Biological Staining and Culturing in Infectious Keratitis: Controversy in Clinical Utility

Infectious keratitis causes significant, financial burden and is only increasing in frequency with contact lens use. Despite this, no retrospective studies, prospective studies, or clinical trials have evaluated the diagnostic validity of clinical guidelines in cases of infectious keratitis. Currently, standard of care recommends that corneal samples be obtained for staining and culturing in select patients showing evidence of corneal ulceration. Ideally, diagnostic information from corneal sampling is thought to help guide therapeutic interventions, prevent disease progression, reduce antibiotic resistance, and decrease overall expenditures for the management and treatment of infectious keratitis. However, current staining and culturing methods are limited by poor sensitivity in non-bacterial cases (i.e. fungal, viral) and lengthy turnaround times, and these methods do not frequently change clinical decision making. Newer fluoroquinolones and broad-spectrum antibiotics resolve the vast majority of cases of infectious keratitis, rendering cultures less essential for management. We studied the clinical utility of obtaining corneal samples for culturing and staining and the need for future research to establish superior diagnostic guidelines for their use in infectious keratitis

Deciphering Human Heat Shock Transcription Factor 1 Regulation via Post-Translational Modification in Yeast

Heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) plays an important role in the cellular response to proteotoxic stresses. Under normal growth conditions HSF1 is repressed as an inactive monomer in part through post-translation modifications that include protein acetylation, sumoylation and phosphorylation. Upon exposure to stress HSF1 homotrimerizes, accumulates in nucleus, binds DNA, becomes hyper-phosphorylated and activates the expression of stress response genes. While HSF1 and the mechanisms that regulate its activity have been studied for over two decades, our understanding of HSF1 regulation remains incomplete. As previous studies have shown that HSF1 and the heat shock response promoter element (HSE) are generally structurally conserved from yeast to metazoans, we have made use of the genetically tractable budding yeast as a facile assay system to further understand the mechanisms that regulate human HSF1 through phosphorylation of serine 303. We show that when human HSF1 is expressed in yeast its phosphorylation at S303 is promoted by the MAP-kinase Slt2 independent of a priming event at S307 previously believed to be a prerequisite. Furthermore, we show that phosphorylation at S303 in yeast and mammalian cells occurs independent of GSK3, the kinase primarily thought to be responsible for S303 phosphorylation. Lastly, while previous studies have suggested that S303 phosphorylation represses HSF1-dependent transactivation, we now show that S303 phosphorylation also represses HSF1 multimerization in both yeast and mammalian cells. Taken together, these studies suggest that yeast cells will be a powerful experimental tool for deciphering aspects of human HSF1 regulation by post-translational modifications

Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defects: A Review Article

Persistent corneal epithelial defects (PEDs or PCEDs) result from the failure of rapid re-epithelialization and closure within 10-14 days after a corneal injury, even with standard supportive treatment. Disruptions in the protective epithelial and stromal layers of the cornea can render the eye susceptible to infection, stromal ulceration, perforation, scarring, and significant vision loss. Although several therapies exist and an increasing number of novel approaches are emerging, treatment of PEDs can still be quite challenging. It is important to treat the underlying causative condition, which may include an infection, limbal stem cell deficiency, or diabetes, in order to facilitate wound healing. Standard treatments, such as bandage contact lenses (BCLs) and artificial tears (ATs), aim to provide barrier protection to the epithelial layer. Recently-developed medical treatments can target the re-epithelialization process by facilitating access to growth factors and anti-inflammatory agents, and novel surgical techniques can provide re-innervation to the cornea. PEDs should be treated within 7-10 days to avoid secondary complications. These interventions, along with a step-wise approach to management, can be useful in patients with PEDs that are refractory to standard medical treatment. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, current and novel management, and prognosis of persistent epithelial defects

Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defects: A Review Article

Persistent corneal epithelial defects (PEDs or PCEDs) result from the failure of rapid re-epithelialization and closure within 10-14 days after a corneal injury, even with standard supportive treatment. Disruptions in the protective epithelial and stromal layers of the cornea can render the eye susceptible to infection, stromal ulceration, perforation, scarring, and significant vision loss. Although several therapies exist and an increasing number of novel approaches are emerging, treatment of PEDs can still be quite challenging. It is important to treat the underlying causative condition, which may include an infection, limbal stem cell deficiency, or diabetes, in order to facilitate wound healing. Standard treatments, such as bandage contact lenses (BCLs) and artificial tears (ATs), aim to provide barrier protection to the epithelial layer. Recently-developed medical treatments can target the re-epithelialization process by facilitating access to growth factors and anti-inflammatory agents, and novel surgical techniques can provide re-innervation to the cornea. PEDs should be treated within 7-10 days to avoid secondary complications. These interventions, along with a step-wise approach to management, can be useful in patients with PEDs that are refractory to standard medical treatment. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, current and novel management, and prognosis of persistent epithelial defects

Special Care in Lichen Planus Patients Undergoing LASIK: A Review Article

Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is a common surgery for the correction of refractive errors. The majority of patients who undergo this procedure often have excellent results. However, uncontrolled autoimmune disorders and dry eye have both been listed as contraindications to this surgery. Lichen planus (LP) is an autoimmune, inflammatory disorder that characteristically affects mucocutaneous membranes. The etiology is unknown, but it most commonly affects middle-aged adults and presents with bilateral, purple papules. Clinical presentation is used to diagnose the condition, and a punch biopsy is confirmatory. LP may present with multiple different symptoms depending on the type, with ocular manifestations being rare. Multiple viruses and autoimmune conditions have been associated with the disorder, and physicians should take care when gathering a full history of the patient. Exacerbation of symptoms may happen if mood disorders such as depression and anxiety are not well controlled. There are several additional factors physicians must carefully consider before recommending LASIK to patients with LP. These include lichenoid reactions, current medications, and past or present ocular lesions. LASIK may be carefully considered in patients with well-controlled LP in the absence of ocular manifestations. Patients with ocular LP are not candidates for LASIK

The ion-induced charge-exchange X-ray emission of the Jovian Auroras: Magnetospheric or solar wind origin?

A new and more comprehensive model of charge-exchange induced X-ray emission, due to ions precipitating into the Jovian atmosphere near the poles, has been used to analyze spectral observations made by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The model includes for the first time carbon ions, in addition to the oxygen and sulfur ions previously considered, in order to account for possible ion origins from both the solar wind and the Jovian magnetosphere. By comparing the model spectra with newly reprocessed Chandra observations, we conclude that carbon ion emission provides a negligible contribution, suggesting that solar wind ions are not responsible for the observed polar X-rays. In addition, results of the model fits to observations support the previously estimated seeding kinetic energies of the precipitating ions (~0.7-2 MeV/u), but infer a different relative sulfur to oxygen abundance ratio for these Chandra observations.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, submitted to ApJ Lette

Use of a pressure sensing sheath: comparison with standard means of blood pressure monitoring in catheterization procedures

PURPOSE: Monitoring of blood pressure (BP) during procedures is variable, depending on multiple factors. Common methods include sphygmomanometer (BP cuff), separate radial artery catheterization, and side port monitoring of an indwelling sheath. Each means of monitoring has disadvantages, including time consumption, added risk, and signal dampening due to multiple factors. We sought an alternative approach to monitoring during procedures in the catheterization laboratory. METHODS: A new technology involving a 330 microm fiberoptic sensor embedded in the wall of a sheath structure was tested against both radial artery catheter and sphygmomanometer readings obtained simultaneous with readings recorded from the pressure sensing system (PSS). Correlations and Bland-Altman analysis were used to determine whether use of the PSS could substitute for these standard techniques. RESULTS: The results indicated highly significant correlations in systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures (MAP) when compared against radial artery catheterization (p \u3c 0.0001), and MAP means differed by \u3c 4%. Bland-Altman analysis of the data suggested that the sheath measurements can replace a separate radial artery catheter. While less striking, significant correlations were seen when PSS readings were compared against BP cuff readings. CONCLUSIONS: The PSS has competitive functionality to that seen with a dedicated radial artery catheter for BP monitoring and is available immediately on sheath insertion without the added risk of radial catheterization. The sensor is structurally separated from the primary sheath lumen and readings are unaffected by device introduction through the primary lumen. Time delays and potential complications from radial artery catheterization are avoided