514 research outputs found
Of mice and men...and viruses!
Beyond the main factors of infectious disease emergence, it is crucial to understand mechanisms of
the host-parasite relationships through several significant models. We studied here the bank vole-
Puumala hantavirus system, which constitutes a model for emerging zoonoses as Puumala is the agent
of a human nephropathy. Studies used mathematical modeling based on field data. We present a hierarchical
questioning and the associated scenarios are explored. They deal with host and virus ecology
and dynamics. Human cases appear in a limited range of the host geographic distribution. Indirect
transmission through the contaminated litter and the viral shedding dynamics appeared crucial for
the virus spread and persistence. The human contamination may also depend on a synergy in bank
vole and virus dynamics. The endemic area of the nephropathy is likely to extend geographically under
the effect of the environmental modificationsAu delĂ des grands facteurs dâĂ©mergence des infections, il faut comprendre les mĂ©canismes de la relation
hĂŽte-parasite qui mĂšnent Ă lâĂ©pidĂ©mie. Lâassociation campagnol roussĂątre-Hantavirus Puumala
est un modÚle de nombreuses zoonoses émergentes car ce virus cause une néphropathie humaine.
Il est étudié ici par la modélisation mathématique basée sur des suivis de terrain. Les questions sont
hiérarchisées et abordées progressivement à travers les scénarios associés ayant trait à l'écologie des
acteurs et aux dynamiques rĂ©sultantes. Les cas humains nâont lieu que dans certaines parties de l'aire
de répartition du réservoir. La transmission par le sol apparaßt décisive dans la propagation du virus
tout comme la dynamique d'excrétion qui, en synergie avec la dynamique du réservoir, pourrait conduire
à une concentration élevé de virus dans le milieu. Les observations révÚlent que la maladie est susceptible
de sâĂ©tendre gĂ©ographiquement sous lâeffet des modifications environnementales, des dynamiques
du réservoir et du viru
The Spatial Distribution of Dust and Stellar Emission of the Magellanic Clouds
We study the emission by dust and stars in the Large and Small Magellanic
Clouds, a pair of low-metallicity nearby galaxies, as traced by their spatially
resolved spectral energy distributions (SEDs). This project combines Herschel
Space Observatory PACS and SPIRE far-infrared photometry with other data at
infrared and optical wavelengths. We build maps of dust and stellar luminosity
and mass of both Magellanic Clouds, and analyze the spatial distribution of
dust/stellar luminosity and mass ratios. These ratios vary considerably
throughout the galaxies, generally between the range and .
We observe that the dust/stellar ratios depend on the interstellar medium (ISM)
environment, such as the distance from currently or previously star-forming
regions, and on the intensity of the interstellar radiation field (ISRF). In
addition, we construct star formation rate (SFR) maps, and find that the SFR is
correlated with the dust/stellar luminosity and dust temperature in both
galaxies, demonstrating the relation between star formation, dust emission and
heating, though these correlations exhibit substantial scatter.Comment: 15 pages, 18 figures; ApJ, in press; version published in the journal
will have higher-resolution figure
Dust and Gas in the Magellanic Clouds from the HERITAGE Herschel Key Project. II. Gas-to-Dust Ratio Variations across ISM Phases
The spatial variations of the gas-to-dust ratio (GDR) provide constraints on
the chemical evolution and lifecycle of dust in galaxies. We examine the
relation between dust and gas at 10-50 pc resolution in the Large and Small
Magellanic Clouds (LMC and SMC) based on Herschel far-infrared (FIR), H I 21
cm, CO, and Halpha observations. In the diffuse atomic ISM, we derive the
gas-to-dust ratio as the slope of the dust-gas relation and find gas-to-dust
ratios of 380+250-130 in the LMC, and 1200+1600-420 in the SMC, not including
helium. The atomic-to-molecular transition is located at dust surface densities
of 0.05 Mo pc-2 in the LMC and 0.03 Mo pc-2 in the SMC, corresponding to AV ~
0.4 and 0.2, respectively. We investigate the range of CO-to-H2 conversion
factor to best account for all the molecular gas in the beam of the
observations, and find upper limits on XCO to be 6x1020 cm-2 K-1 km-1 s in the
LMC (Z=0.5Zo) at 15 pc resolution, and 4x 1021 cm-2 K-1 km-1 s in the SMC
(Z=0.2Zo) at 45 pc resolution. In the LMC, the slope of the dust-gas relation
in the dense ISM is lower than in the diffuse ISM by a factor ~2, even after
accounting for the effects of CO-dark H2 in the translucent envelopes of
molecular clouds. Coagulation of dust grains and the subsequent dust emissivity
increase in molecular clouds, and/or accretion of gas-phase metals onto dust
grains, and the subsequent dust abundance (dust-to-gas ratio) increase in
molecular clouds could explain the observations. In the SMC, variations in the
dust-gas slope caused by coagulation or accretion are degenerate with the
effects of CO-dark H2. Within the expected 5--20 times Galactic XCO range, the
dust-gas slope can be either constant or decrease by a factor of several across
ISM phases. Further modeling and observations are required to break the
degeneracy between dust grain coagulation, accretion, and CO-dark H2
The Spitzer Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud: S3MC Imaging and Photometry in the Mid- and Far-Infrared Wavebands
We present the initial results from the Spitzer Survey of the Small
Magellanic Cloud (S3MC), which imaged the star-forming body of the Small
Magellanic Cloud (SMC) in all seven MIPS and IRAC wavebands. We find that the
F_8/F_24 ratio (an estimate of PAH abundance) has large spatial variations and
takes a wide range of values that are unrelated to metallicity but
anticorrelated with 24 um brightness and F_24/F_70 ratio. This suggests that
photodestruction is primarily responsible for the low abundance of PAHs
observed in star-forming low-metallicity galaxies. We use the S3MC images to
compile a photometric catalog of ~400,000 mid- and far-infrared point sources
in the SMC. The sources detected at the longest wavelengths fall into four main
categories: 1) bright 5.8 um sources with very faint optical counterparts and
very red mid-infrared colors ([5.8]-[8.0]>1.2), which we identify as YSOs. 2)
Bright mid-infrared sources with mildly red colors (0.16<[5.8]-[8.0]<0.6),
identified as carbon stars. 3) Bright mid-infrared sources with neutral colors
and bright optical counterparts, corresponding to oxygen-rich evolved stars.
And, 4) unreddened early B stars (B3 to O9) with a large 24 um excess. This
excess is reminiscent of debris disks, and is detected in only a small fraction
of these stars (<5%). The majority of the brightest infrared point sources in
the SMC fall into groups one to three. We use this photometric information to
produce a catalog of 282 bright YSOs in the SMC with a very low level of
contamination (~7%).Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. Given the
draconian figure file-size limits implemented in astro-ph, readers are
encouraged to download the manuscript with full quality images from
http://celestial.berkeley.edu/spitzer/publications/s3mcsurvey.pd
Recommended from our members
Targeting Superficial or Nodular Basal Cell Carcinoma with Topically Formulated Small Molecule Inhibitor of Smoothened
Purpose: Inappropriate activation of the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway in skin is critical for the development of basal cell carcinomas (BCC). We have investigated the anti-BCC efficacy of topically-applied CUR61414, an inhibitor of the Hh signal transduction molecule Smoothened.
Experimental Design: In preclinical studies, we used a depilatory model to evaluate the ability of topical formulations of CUR61414 to repress Hh responsive cells found at the base of hair follicles in normal skin. We also tested the in vivo effects of topical CUR61414 on murine BCCs developed in K14-CreER2 p53 fl/fl mice. In a phase I clinical study, we evaluated the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of a multidose regimen of CUR61414 (0.09%, 0.35%, 1.1%, and 3.1%) applied topically to human superficial or nodular BCCs for up to 28 days.
Results: In mice, topical CUR61414 significantly inhibited skin Hh signaling, blocked the induction of hair follicle anagen, and shrank existing BCCs. However, we observed no clinical activity of this formulation in human superficial or nodular BCCs in a phase I clinical study.
Conclusions: Our data highlight some of the challenges of translating preclinical experience into successful human results for a topical anticancer agent.Stem Cell and Regenerative Biolog
Complete Genome and Phylogeny of Puumala Hantavirus Isolates Circulating in France
Puumala virus (PUUV) is the agent of nephropathia epidemica (NE), a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Europe. NE incidence presents a high spatial variation throughout France, while the geographical distribution of the wild reservoir of PUUV, the bank vole, is rather continuous. A missing piece of the puzzle is the current distribution and the genetic variation of PUUV in France, which has been overlooked until now and remains poorly understood. During a population survey, from 2008 to 2011, bank voles were trapped in eight different forests of France located in areas known to be endemic for NE or in area from where no NE case has been reported until now. Bank voles were tested for immunoglobulin (Ig)G ELISA serology and two seropositive animals for each of three different areas (Ardennes, Jura and Orleans) were then subjected to laboratory analyses in order to sequence the whole S, M and L segments of PUUV. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that French PUUV isolates globally belong to the central European (CE) lineage although isolates from Ardennes are clearly distinct from those in Jura and Orleans, suggesting a different evolutionary history and origin of PUUV introduction in France. Sequence analyses revealed specific amino acid signatures along the N protein, including in PUUV from the Orleans region from where NE in humans has never been reported. The relevance of these mutations in term of pathophysiology is discussed.Peer reviewe
Validity and limitations of simple reaction kinetics to calculate concentrations of organic compounds from ion counts in PTR-MS
In September 2017, we conducted a proton-transfer-reaction mass-spectrometry (PTR-MS) intercomparison campaign at the CESAR observatory, a rural site in the central Netherlands near the village of Cabauw. Nine research groups deployed a total of 11 instruments covering a wide range of instrument types and performance. We applied a new calibration method based on fast injection of a gas standard through a sample loop. This approach allows calibrations on timescales of seconds, and within a few minutes an automated sequence can be run allowing one to retrieve diagnostic parameters that indicate the performance status. We developed a method to retrieve the mass-dependent transmission from the fast calibrations, which is an essential characteristic of PTR-MS instruments, limiting the potential to calculate concentrations based on counting statistics and simple reaction kinetics in the reactor/drift tube. Our measurements show that PTR-MS instruments follow the simple reaction kinetics if operated in the standard range for pressures and temperature of the reaction chamber (i.e. 1-4 mbar, 30-120 degrees, respectively), as well as a reduced field strength E/N in the range of 100-160 Td. If artefacts can be ruled out, it becomes possible to quantify the signals of uncalibrated organics with accuracies better than +/- 30 %. The simple reaction kinetics approach produces less accurate results at E/N levels below 100 Td, because significant fractions of primary ions form water hydronium clusters. Deprotonation through reactive collisions of protonated organics with water molecules needs to be considered when the collision energy is a substantial fraction of the exoergicity of the proton transfer reaction and/or if protonated organics undergo many collisions with water molecules.Peer reviewe
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