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In vivo and in vitro assessment of mirtazapine pharmacokinetics in cats with liver disease.
BackgroundLiver disease (LD) prolongs mirtazapine half-life in humans, but it is unknown if this occurs in cats with LD and healthy cats.Hypothesis/objectivesTo determine pharmacokinetics of administered orally mirtazapine in vivo and in vitro (liver microsomes) in cats with LD and healthy cats.AnimalsEleven LD and 11 age-matched control cats.MethodsCase-control study. Serum was obtained 1 and 4 hours (22 cats) and 24 hours (14 cats) after oral administration of 1.88 mg mirtazapine. Mirtazapine concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Drug exposure and half-life were predicted using limited sampling modeling and estimated using noncompartmental methods. in vitro mirtazapine pharmacokinetics were assessed using liver microsomes from 3 LD cats and 4 cats without LD.ResultsThere was a significant difference in time to maximum serum concentration between LD cats and control cats (median [range]: 4 [1-4] hours versus 1 [1-4] hours; P = .03). The calculated half-life of LD cats was significantly prolonged compared to controls (median [range]: 13.8 [7.9-61.4] hours versus 7.4 [6.7-9.1] hours; P < .002). Mirtazapine half-life was correlated with ALT (P = .002; r = .76), ALP (P < .0001; r = .89), and total bilirubin (P = .0008; r = .81). The rate of loss of mirtazapine was significantly different between microsomes of LD cats (-0.0022 min-1 , CI: -0.0050 to 0.00054 min-1 ) and cats without LD (0.01849 min-1 , CI: -0.025 to -0.012 min-1 ; P = .002).Conclusions and clinical importanceCats with LD might require less frequent administration of mirtazapine than normal cats
SN 2010jl in UGC 5189: Yet another luminous type IIn supernova in a metal-poor galaxy
We present ASAS data starting 25 days before the discovery of the recent type
IIn SN 2010jl, and we compare its light curve to other luminous IIn SNe,
showing that it is a luminous (M_I ~ -20.5) event. Its host galaxy, UGC 5189,
has a low gas-phase oxygen abundance (12 + log(O/H) = 8.2), which reinforces
the emerging trend that over-luminous core-collapse supernovae are found in the
low-metallicity tail of the galaxy distribution, similar to the known trend for
the hosts of long GRBs. We compile oxygen abundances from the literature and
from our own observations of UGC 5189, and we present an unpublished spectrum
of the luminous type Ic SN 2010gx that we use to estimate its host metallicity.
We discuss these in the context of host metallicity trends for different
classes of core-collapse objects. The earliest generations of stars are known
to be enhanced in [O/Fe] relative to the Solar mixture; it is therefore likely
that the stellar progenitors of these overluminous supernovae are even more
iron-poor than they are oxygen-poor. A number of mechanisms and massive star
progenitor systems have been proposed to explain the most luminous
core-collapse supernovae; any successful theory will need to include the
emerging trend that points towards low-metallicity for the massive progenitor
stars. This trend for very luminous supernovae to strongly prefer
low-metallicity galaxies should be taken into account when considering various
aspects of the evolution of the metal-poor early universe. (abridged)Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
SN2012ab: A Peculiar Type IIn Supernova with Aspherical Circumstellar Material
We present photometry, spectra, and spectropolarimetry of supernova (SN)
2012ab, mostly obtained over the course of days after discovery. SN
2012ab was a Type IIn (SN IIn) event discovered near the nucleus of spiral
galaxy 2MASXJ12224762+0536247. While its light curve resembles that of SN
1998S, its spectral evolution does not. We see indications of CSM interaction
in the strong intermediate-width emission features, the high luminosity (peak
at absolute magnitude ), and the lack of broad absorption features in
the spectrum. The H emission undergoes a peculiar transition. At early
times it shows a broad blue emission wing out to km
and a truncated red wing. Then at late times (
100days) it shows a truncated blue wing and a very broad red emission wing
out to roughly km . This late-time broad red wing
probably arises in the reverse shock. Spectra also show an asymmetric
intermediate-width H component with stronger emission on the red side
at late times. The evolution of the asymmetric profiles requires a density
structure in the distant CSM that is highly aspherical. Our spectropolarimetric
data also suggest asphericity with a strong continuum polarization of % and depolarization in the H line, indicating asphericity in the
CSM at a level comparable to that in other SNe IIn. We estimate a mass-loss
rate of for km extending back at least 75yr prior to the
SN. The strong departure from axisymmetry in the CSM of SN 2012ab may suggest
that the progenitor was an eccentric binary system undergoing eruptive mass
loss.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figure
Optical and Near-Infrared Observations of the Highly Reddened, Rapidly Expanding Type Ia Supernova 2006X in M100
We present extensive optical (UBVRI), near-infrared (JK) light curves and
optical spectroscopy of the Type Ia supernova (SN) 2006X in the nearby galaxy
NGC 4321 (M100). Our observations suggest that either SN 2006X has an
intrinsically peculiar color evolution, or it is highly reddened [E(B -
V)_{host} = 1.42+/-0.04 mag] with R_V = 1.48+/-0.06, much lower than the
canonical value of 3.1 for the average Galactic dust. SN 2006X also has one of
the highest expansion velocities ever published for a SN Ia. Compared with the
other SNe Ia we analyzed, SN 2006X has a broader light curve in the U band, a
more prominent bump/shoulder feature in the V and R bands, a more pronounced
secondary maximum in the I and near-infrared bands, and a remarkably smaller
late-time decline rate in the B band. The B - V color evolution shows an
obvious deviation from the Lira-Phillips relation at 1 to 3 months after
maximum brightness. At early times, optical spectra of SN 2006X displayed
strong, high-velocity features of both intermediate-mass elements (Si, Ca, and
S) and iron-peak elements, while at late times they showed a relatively blue
continuum, consistent with the blue U-B and B-V colors at similar epochs. A
light echo and/or the interaction of the SN ejecta and its circumstellar
material may provide a plausible explanation for its late-time photometric and
spectroscopic behavior. Using the Cepheid distance of M100, we derive a Hubble
constant of 72.7+/-8.2 km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1}(statistical) from the normalized
dereddened luminosity of SN 2006X. We briefly discuss whether abnormal dust is
a universal signature for all SNe Ia, and whether the most rapidly expanding
objects form a subclass with distinct photometric and spectroscopic properties.Comment: 48 pages, 20 figures and 11 tables. Accepted Version (ApJ, 2008,
March issue
SN 2003du: Signatures of the Circumstellar Environment in a Normal Type Ia Supernova?
We present observations of the Type Ia supernova 2003du and report the
detectionof an unusual, high-velocity component in the Ca II infrared triplet,
similar tofeatures previously observed in SN 2000cx and SN 2001el. This feature
exhibits a large expansion velocity (~18,000 km/s) which is nearly constant
between -7 and +2 days relative to maximum light, and disappears shortly
thereafter. Otherthan this feature, the spectral evolution and light curve
resemble those of a normal SN Ia.
We find that the Ca II feature can plausibly be caused by a dense shell
formed when circumstellar material of solar abundance is overrun by the rapidly
expanding outermost layers of the SN ejecta. Model calculations show that the
optical and infrared spectra are remarkably unaffected by the circumstellar
interaction. In particular, no hydrogen lines are detectable in either
absorption or emission. The only qualitatively different features are the
strong, high-velocity feature in the Ca II IR-triplet, and a somewhat weaker O
I feature near 7,300 AA. The morphology and time evolution of these features
provide an estimate for the amount of accumulated matter and an indication of
the mixing in the dense shell. We apply these diagnostic tools to SN 2003du and
infer that about 2 x 10^{-2} M_sun of solar abundance material may have
accumulated in a circumstellar shell prior to the observations. Furthermore,
the early light curve data imply that the circumstellar material was originally
very close to the progenitor system, perhaps from an accretion disk, Roche lobe
or common envelope.Comment: 35 Pages, 11 Figures, to appear in ApJ. Resubmission includes
expanded discussion & new figures to match with accepted journal versio
Hydrogen-poor superluminous stellar explosions
Supernovae (SNe) are stellar explosions driven by gravitational or
thermonuclear energy, observed as electromagnetic radiation emitted over weeks
or more. In all known SNe, this radiation comes from internal energy deposited
in the outflowing ejecta by either radioactive decay of freshly-synthesized
elements (typically 56Ni), stored heat deposited by the explosion shock in the
envelope of a supergiant star, or interaction between the SN debris and
slowly-moving, hydrogen-rich circumstellar material. Here we report on a new
class of luminous SNe whose observed properties cannot be explained by any of
these known processes. These include four new SNe we have discovered, and two
previously unexplained events (SN 2005ap; SCP 06F6) that we can now identify as
members. These SNe are all ~10 times brighter than SNe Ia, do not show any
trace of hydrogen, emit significant ultra-violet (UV) flux for extended periods
of time, and have late-time decay rates which are inconsistent with
radioactivity. Our data require that the observed radiation is emitted by
hydrogen-free material distributed over a large radius (~10^15 cm) and
expanding at high velocities (>10^4 km s^-1). These long-lived, UV-luminous
events can be observed out to redshifts z>4 and offer an excellent opportunity
to study star formation in, and the interstellar medium of, primitive distant
galaxies.Comment: Accepted to Nature. Press embargoed until 2011 June 8, 18:00 U
Social support for and through exercise and sport in a sample of men with serious mental illness.
Social support is important for people experiencing serious mental illness and is also important during the initiation and maintenance of exercise. In this article we draw on interpretive research into the experiences of 11 men with serious mental illness to explore four dimensions of social support both for and through exercise. Our findings suggest that informational, tangible, esteem, and emotional support were both provided for and given by participants through exercise. We conclude that experiences of both receiving and giving diverse forms of support in this way are significant for some people living with and recovering from serious mental illness
SN2007ax : An Extremely Faint Type Ia Supernova
We present multi-band photometric and optical spectroscopic observations of
SN2007ax, the faintest and reddest Type Ia supernova (SNIa) yet observed. With
M_B = -15.9 and (B-V)max = 1.2, this SN is over half a magnitude fainter at
maximum light than any other SNIa. Similar to subluminous SN2005ke, SN2007ax
also appears to show excess in UV emission at late time. Traditionally,
Delta-m_15(B) has been used to parameterize the decline rate for SNeIa.
However, the B-band transition from fast to slow decline occurs sooner than 15
days for faint SNeIa. Therefore we suggest that a more physically motivated
parameter, the time of intersection of the two slopes, be used instead. Only by
explaining the faintest (and the brightest) supernovae, we can thoroughly
understand the physics of thermonuclear explosions. We suggest that future
surveys should carefully design their cadence, depth, pointings and follow-up
to find an unbiased sample of extremely faint members of this subclass of faint
SNeIa.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ
The Palomar Transient Factory photometric catalog 1.0
We construct a photometrically calibrated catalog of non-variable sources
from the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) observations. The first version of
this catalog presented here, the PTF photometric catalog 1.0, contains
calibrated R_PTF-filter magnitudes for about 21 million sources brighter than
magnitude 19, over an area of about 11233 deg^2. The magnitudes are provided in
the PTF photometric system, and the color of a source is required in order to
convert these magnitudes into other magnitude systems. We estimate that the
magnitudes in this catalog have typical accuracy of about 0.02 mag with respect
to magnitudes from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The median repeatability of
our catalog's magnitudes for stars between 15 and 16 mag, is about 0.01 mag,
and it is better than 0.03 mag for 95% of the sources in this magnitude range.
The main goal of this catalog is to provide reference magnitudes for
photometric calibration of visible light observations. Subsequent versions of
this catalog, which will be published incrementally online, will be extended to
a larger sky area and will also include g_PTF-filter magnitudes, as well as
variability and proper motion information.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, PASP in pres
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