33.8 GHz CCS Survey of Molecular Cores in Dark Clouds

We have conducted a survey of the CCS $J_N = 3_2-2_1$ line toward 11 dark clouds and star-forming regions at 30 arcsec spatial resolution and 0.054 km/s velocity resolution. CCS was only detected in quiescent clouds, not in active star-forming regions. The CCS distribution shows remarkable clumpy structure, and 25 clumps are identified in 7 clouds. Seven clumps with extremely narrow nonthermal linewidths < 0.1 km/s are among the most quiescent clumps ever found. The CCS clumps tend to exist around the higher density regions traced by NH_3 emission or submillimeter continuum sources, and the distribution is not spherically symmetric. Variation of the CCS abundance was suggested as an indicator of the evolutionary status of star formation. However, we can only find a weak correlation between N(CCS) and $n_{H_2,vir}$. The velocity distributions of CCS clouds reveal that a systematic velocity pattern generally exists. The most striking feature in our data is a ring structure in the position-velocity diagram of L1544 with an well-resolved inner hole of 0.04 pc x 0.13 km/s and an outer boundary of 0.16 pc x 0.55 km/s. This position-velocity structure clearly indicates an edge-on disk or ring geometry, and it can be interpreted as a collapsing disk with an infall velocity $\gtrsim$ 0.1 km/s and a rotational velocity less than our velocity resolution. Nonthermal linewidth distribution is generally coherent in CCS clouds, which could be evidence for the termination of Larson's Law at small scales, $\sim$ 0.1 pc.Comment: 21 pages, 25 ostscript figures, accepted for publication in the Supplement Series of the Astrophysical Journal (May 2000

Nuanced Interactions between AKAP79 and STIM1 with Orai1 Ca 2+ Channels at Endoplasmic Reticulum-Plasma Membrane Junctions Sustain NFAT Activation

A-kinase anchoring protein 79 (AKAP79) is a human scaffolding protein that organizes Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin, calmodulin, cAMP-dependent protein kinase, protein kinase C, and the transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT1) into a signalosome at the plasma membrane. Upon Ca2+ store depletion, AKAP79 interacts with the N-terminus of STIM1-gated Orai1 Ca2+ channels, enabling Ca2+ nanodomains to stimulate calcineurin. Calcineurin then dephosphorylates and activates NFAT1, which then translocates to the nucleus. A fundamental question is how signalosomes maintain long-term signaling when key effectors are released and therefore removed beyond the reach of the activating signal. Here, we show that the AKAP79-Orai1 interaction is considerably more transient than that of STIM1-Orai1. Free AKAP79, with calcineurin and NFAT1 in tow, is able to replace rapidly AKAP79 devoid of NFAT1 on Orai1, in the presence of continuous Ca2+ entry. We also show that Ca2+ nanodomains near Orai1 channels activate almost the entire cytosolic pool of NFAT1. Recycling of inactive NFAT1 from the cytoplasm to AKAP79 in the plasma membrane, coupled with the relatively weak interaction between AKAP79 and Orai1, maintain excitation-transcription coupling. By measuring rates for AKAP79-NFAT interaction, we formulate a mathematical model that simulates NFAT dynamics at the plasma membrane

High-Resolution Molecular Line Observations of the Environment of the Class 0 Source B1-IRS

In this work we present VLA observations of the NH3, CCS, and H2O maser emission at 1 cm from the star forming region B1-IRS (IRAS 03301+3057) with ~ 5" (=1750 AU) of angular resolution. CCS emission is distributed in three clumps around the central source. These clumps exhibit a velocity gradient from red- to blueshifted velocities toward B1-IRS, probably due to an interaction with the outflow from an embedded protostar. The outflow and its powering source are traced by a reflection nebula and an associated infrared point source detected in a 2MASS K-band image. We find that this infrared point source is associated with water maser emission distributed in an elongated structure (~ 450 AU size) along the major axis of the reflection nebula and tracing the base of the outflow of the region. Ammonia emission is extended and spatially anticorrelated with CCS. This is the first time that this kind of anticorrelation is observed in a star forming region with such a high angular resolution, and illustrates the importance of time-dependent chemistry on small spatial scales. The relatively large abundance of CCS with respect to ammonia, compared with other star forming regions, suggests an extreme youth for the B1-IRS object (<10E+5 yr). We suggest the possibility that CCS abundance is enhanced via shock-induced chemistry.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by The Astrophysical Journa

A sensitive survey for water maser emission towards Bok globules using the Robledo 70m antenna

We report the most sensitive water maser survey towards Bok globules to date, using NASA's 70m antenna in Robledo de Chavela (Spain). We observed 207 positions within the CB catalog with a higher probability of harboring a young star, using as selection criteria the presence of radio continuum emission (from submillimeter to centimeter wavelengths), geometrical centers of molecular outflows, peaks in maps of high-density gas tracers (NH3 or CS), and IRAS point sources. We have obtained 7 maser detections, 6 of which (in CB 34, CB 54, CB 65, CB 101, CB 199, and CB 232) are reported for the first time here. Most of the water masers we detected are likely to be associated with young stellar objects (YSOs), except for CB 101 (probably an evolved object) and CB 65 (uncertain nature). The water maser in CB 199 shows a relatively high shift (~30 km/s) of its velocity centroid with respect to the cloud velocity, which is unusual for low-mass YSOs. We speculate that high-velocity masers in this kind of object could be related with episodes of energetic mass-loss in close binaries. Alternatively, the maser in CB 199 could be pumped by a protoplanetary or a young planetary nebula. CB 232 is the smallest Bok globule (~0.6 pc) known to be associated with water maser emission, although it would be superseded by the cases of CB 65 (~0.3 pc) and CB 199 (~0.5 pc) if their association with YSOs is confirmed. All our selection criteria have statistically compatible detection rates, except for IRAS sources, which tend to be a somewhat worse predictor for the presence of maser emission.Comment: 42 pages, 7 figures. Accepted by The Astronomical Journal. Corrected typos in Tables 1 &

High resolution optical spectroscopy of an LBV-candidate inside the CygOB2 association

For the first time, we obtained the high-resolution (R=15000 and 60000) optical spectra for the extremely luminous star No.12, associated with the IR-source IRAS20308+4104, a member of the CygOB2 association. We have found about 200 spectral features in range 4552-7939AA, including the interstellar NaI, KI lines and numerous DIBs, which are the strongest absorption lines in the spectrum, along with the HeI, CII, and SiII lines. A two-dimensional spectral classification indicates that the spectral type is B5+/-0.5 Ia+. Our analysis of the Vr data shows the presence of a Vr gradient in the stellar atmosphere, caused by the infall of matter onto the star. The strong Halpha emission displays broad Thompson wings and time-variable core absorption, providing evidence that the stellar wind is inhomogeneous, and a slightly blue-shifted PCyg type absorption profile. We concluded that the wind is variable in time.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Incidence, treatment and outcome of central nervous system relapse in adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients treated front-line with paediatric-inspired regimens: A retrospective multicentre Campus ALL study

Within the Campus ALL network we analyzed the incidence, characteristics, treatment and outcome of a central nervous system (CNS) relapse in 1035 consecutive adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients treated frontline with pediatric-inspired protocols between 2009 and 2020. Seventy-one patients (6.8%) experienced a CNS recurrence, more frequently in T- (28/278; 10%) than in B-ALL (43/757; 5.7%) (p&nbsp;= 0.017). An early CNS relapse—&lt; 12 months from diagnosis—was observed in 41 patients. In multivariate analysis, risk factors for early CNS relapse included T-cell phenotype (p&nbsp;=&nbsp;&lt;0.001), hyperleucocytosis &gt;100 × 109/L (p&lt;0.001) and male gender (p&nbsp;= 0.015). Treatment was heterogeneous, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, intrathecal therapy and novel agents. A complete remission (CR) was obtained in 39 patients (55%) with no differences among strategies. After CR, 26 patients underwent an allogenic transplant, with a significant overall survival benefit compared to non-transplanted patients (p&nbsp;= 0.012). After a median observation of 8 months from CNS relapse, 23 patients (32%) were alive. In multivariate analysis, the time to CNS relapse was the strongest predictor of a lower 2-year post-relapse survival (p&lt;0.001). In conclusion, in adult ALL the outcome after a CNS relapse remains very poor. Effective CNS prophylaxis remains the best approach and allogenic transplant should be pursued when possible

High-resolution observations of water masers in Bok globules

We present Very Large Array observations at 1.3 cm of several water maser detections obtained by previous single-dish studies of Bok globules in the Clemens & Barvainis (1988; CB) catalog. We report water maser emission in CB 3 (CB3-mm), CB 54 (IRAS 07020-1618), CB 101 (IRAS 17503-0833), and CB 232 (IRAS 21352+4307), and non-detection towards CB 65 (IRAS 16277-2332) and CB 205 (IRAS 19433+2743). These are the first reported interferometric observations of water masers in Bok globules of the CB catalog. We also present single-dish observations of millimeter and centimeter spectral lines towards CB 101 (IRAS 17503-0833) and CB 65 (IRAS 16277-2332). All the maser emission seems to be associated with star forming regions hosting bipolar molecular outflows, except IRAS 17503-0833 in CB 101, which we suggest to be a possible Mira evolved star, and IRAS 16277-2332 in CB 65, of unknown nature. We have used the precise position of the maser emission to derive information about the powering source of the masers. By analyzing the spatio-kinematical distribution of the water masers, we confirm the millimeter source CB 3-mm as the most likely powering source of the CB 3 masers. We propose the near-IR source CB 232 YC1-I as the best candidate for pumping the maser emission observed in CB 232, while in CB 54, we suggest that the pumping source of the masers could be located at the position of an elongated feature observed in near-infrared maps.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figures. Accepted by The Astronomical Journa

CPX-351 treatment in secondary acute myeloblastic leukemia is effective and improves the feasibility of allogeneic stem cell transplantation: results of the Italian compassionate use program

Secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) poorly responds to conventional treatments and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We evaluated toxicity and efficacy of CPX-351 in 71 elderly patients (median age 66 years) with sAML enrolled in the Italian Named (Compassionate) Use Program. Sixty days treatment-related mortality was 7% (5/71). The response rate at the end of treatment was: CR/CRi in 50/71 patients (70.4%), PR in 6/71 (8.5%), and NR in 10/71 (19.7%). After a median follow-up of 11 months relapse was observed in 10/50 patients (20%) and 12 months cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was 23.6%. Median duration of response was not reached. In competing risk analysis, CIR was reduced when HSCT was performed in first CR (12 months CIR of 5% and 37.4%, respectively, for patients receiving (=20) or not (=30) HSCT, p = 0.012). Twelve-months OS was 68.6% (median not reached). In landmark analysis, HSCT in CR1 was the only significant predictor of longer survival (12 months OS of 100 and 70.5%, for patients undergoing or not HSCT in CR1, respectively, p = 0.011). In conclusion, we extend to a real-life setting, the notion that CPX is an effective regimen for high risk AML patients and may improve the results of HSCT

The 9.7 and 18 um silicate absorption profiles towards diffuse and molecular cloud lines-of-sight

Studying the composition of dust in the interstellar medium (ISM) is crucial in understanding the cycle of dust in our galaxy. The mid-infrared spectral signature of amorphous silicates, the most abundant dust species in the ISM, is studied in different lines-of-sight through the Galactic plane, thus probing different conditions in the ISM. We have analysed 10 spectra from the Spitzer archive, of which 6 lines-of-sight probe diffuse interstellar medium material and 4 probe molecular cloud material. The 9.7 um silicate absorption features in 7 of these spectra were studied in terms of their shape and strength. In addition, the shape of the 18 um silicate absorption features in 4 of the diffuse sightline spectra were analysed. The 9.7 um silicate absorption bands in the diffuse sightlines show a strikingly similar band shape. This is also the case for all but one of the 18 um silicate absorption bands observed in diffuse lines-of-sight. The 9.7 um bands in the 4 molecular sightlines show small variations in shape. These modest variations in the band shape are inconsistent with the interpretation of the large variations in {\tau}_9.7/E(J-K) between diffuse and molecular sightlines in terms of silicate grain growth. Instead, we suggest that the large changes in {\tau}_9.7 / E(J-K) must be due to changes in E(J-K).Comment: 14 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in A&