The flux ratio of the [OIII] 5007,4959 lines in AGN: Comparison with theoretical calculations

By taking into account relativistic corrections to the magnetic dipole operator, the theoretical [OIII] 5006.843/4958.511 line intensity ratio of 2.98 is obtained. In order to check this new value using AGN spectra we present the measurements of the flux ratio of the [OIII] 4959,5007 emission lines for a sample of 62 AGN, obtained from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Database and from published observations. We select only high signal-to-noise ratio spectra for which the line shapes of the [OIII] 4959,5007 lines are the same. We obtained an averaged flux ratio of 2.993 +/- 0.014, which is in a good agreement with the theoretical one.Comment: Accepted for publication in the MNRA

SINTA - SImulations of climate chaNge in the mediTerranean Area - Final scientific report

This SINTA Project establish a scientific cooperation between the Italian Scientific Institution INGV (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) and the Serbian Scientific Institutions such as the Republic HydroMeteorological Service (RHMSS) and the University of Belgrade (UB). INGV contributes the global models, University of Belgrade and RHMSS contribute their expertise on regional models, parameterization ofphysical processes and numerical schemes. In particular, the main objectives of this Project are: 1) Perform a set of global simulations with a Global Climate Model (GCM) available at INGV; 2) Perform a set of regional simulations with the UB Regional Climate Model (RCM) forced by boundary conditions from the GCM simulations; 3) Test the convection parameterization developed at UB in the INGV global model; 4) Training and visit exchanges of Serbian scientists in Italy

Near complete response after single dose of nivolumab in patient with advanced heavily pre-treated KRAS mutant pulmonary adenocarcinoma

The programmed death 1 (PD-1) receptor is expressed by activated T-cells and engaged by ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 normally expressed by infiltrating immune cells in response to viral infection. The PD-1/PD-L1 axis is a negative inhibitory pathway that down-regulates T-cells but is also used by tumors to evade anti-tumor immunity. Antibodies targeting PD-1/PD-L1 axis are capable of restoring functional anti-tumor immunity and have demonstrated efficacy in a broad range of tumor types including non-small cell lung cancer in both squamous and adenocarcinoma histologies. Ongoing issues affecting clinical development of these agents include assessment of response, optimal duration of therapy in excellent responders, predictive biomarkers and mechanisms of resistance. In this report, we describe a patient with advanced KRAS mutant heavily pretreated pulmonary adenocarcinoma who developed an excellent response after a single-dose of nivolumab. Pre-treatment tumor was found to have moderate CD3 and PD-L1 positivity by immunohistochemical staining. Evaluation of exceptional responders and non-responders are critical to furthering our understanding of the mechanisms of action (and resistance) to these agents

Time dependent partial waves and vortex rings in the dynamics of wave packets

We have found a new class of time dependent partial waves which are solutions of time dependent Schr\"odinger equation for three dimensional harmonic oscillator. We also showed the decomposition of coherent states of harmonic oscillator into these partial waves. This decomposition appears perticularly convenient for a description of the dynamics of a wave packet representing a particle with spin when the spin--orbit interaction is present in the hamiltonian. An example of an evolution of a localized wave packet into a torus and backwards, for a particular initial conditions is analysed in analytical terms and shown with a computer graphics.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 6 postscript figures, submitted to J. Phys. A: Math. Ge

The HLA class II allele DRB1*1501 is over-represented in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and medically refractory lung disease with a grim prognosis. Although the etiology of IPF remains perplexing, abnormal adaptive immune responses are evident in many afflicted patients. We hypothesized that perturbations of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele frequencies, which are often seen among patients with immunologic diseases, may also be present in IPF patients. Methods/Principal Findings: HLA alleles were determined in subpopulations of IPF and normal subjects using molecular typing methods. HLA-DRB1*15 was over-represented in a discovery cohort of 79 Caucasian IPF subjects who had lung transplantations at the University of Pittsburgh (36.7%) compared to normal reference populations. These findings were prospectively replicated in a validation cohort of 196 additional IPF subjects from four other U.S. medical centers that included both ambulatory patients and lung transplantation recipients. High-resolution typing was used to further define specific HLA-DRB1*15 alleles. DRB1*1501 prevalence in IPF subjects was similar among the 143 ambulatory patients and 132 transplant recipients (31.5% and 34.8%, respectively, p = 0.55). The aggregate prevalence of DRB1*1501 in IPF patients was significantly greater than among 285 healthy controls (33.1% vs. 20.0%, respectively, OR 2.0; 95%CI 1.3-2.9, p = 0.0004). IPF patients with DRB1*1501 (n = 91) tended to have decreased diffusing capacities for carbon monoxide (DLCO) compared to the 184 disease subjects who lacked this allele (37.8±1.7% vs. 42.8±1.4%, p = 0.036). Conclusions/Significance: DRB1*1501 is more prevalent among IPF patients than normal subjects, and may be associated with greater impairment of gas exchange. These data are novel evidence that immunogenetic processes can play a role in the susceptibility to and/or manifestations of IPF. Findings here of a disease association at the HLA-DR locus have broad pathogenic implications, illustrate a specific chromosomal area for incremental, targeted genomic study, and may identify a distinct clinical phenotype among patients with this enigmatic, morbid lung disease

Difficulties in establishing a timely diagnosis of pulmonary artery sarcoma misdiagnosed as chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary disease: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Pulmonary artery sarcomas are rare neoplasms that are often confused with chronic thrombo-embolic disease, as both can have similar clinical and imaging presentation.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>In this report, we present a case of a 50-year-old man initially diagnosed with chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary disease, but who was later found to have pulmonary artery sarcoma with poor survival prognosis. We review the clinical and imaging characteristics of the two diseases and discuss the difficulties in establishing a timely diagnosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Similar clinical features and imaging presentation of pulmonary artery sarcoma and chronic thrombo-embolic pulmonary disease make definitive diagnosis difficult. This case report also illustrates and emphasizes that in any case with no predisposition factors for embolism, no evidence of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary emboli, and inadequate relief of symptoms with anticoagulation, an alternative diagnosis of pulmonary artery sarcoma should be considered. If pulmonary artery sarcoma is diagnosed late in the course of the disease, there is usually a poor survival outcome.</p

An internal ribosome entry site in the 5′ untranslated region of epidermal growth factor receptor allows hypoxic expression

The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ERBB1/HER1) is implicated in the progress of numerous cancers, a feature that has been exploited in the development of EGFR antibodies and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors as anti-cancer drugs. However, EGFR also has important normal cellular functions, leading to serious side effects when EGFR is inhibited. One damaging characteristic of many oncogenes is the ability to be expressed in the hypoxic conditions associated with the tumour interior. It has previously been demonstrated that expression of EGFR is maintained in hypoxic conditions via an unknown mechanism of translational control, despite global translation rates generally being attenuated under hypoxic conditions. In this report, we demonstrate that the human EGFR 5′ untranslated region (UTR) sequence can initiate the expression of a downstream open reading frame via an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). We show that this effect is not due to either cryptic promoter activity or splicing events. We have investigated the requirement of the EGFR IRES for eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A), which is an RNA helicase responsible for processing RNA secondary structure as part of translation initiation. Treatment with hippuristanol (a potent inhibitor of eIF4A) caused a decrease in EGFR 5′ UTR-driven reporter activity and also a reduction in EGFR protein level. Importantly, we show that expression of a reporter gene under the control of the EGFR IRES is maintained under hypoxic conditions despite a fall in global translation rates