A 2:1 cocrystal of 6,13-dihydropentacene and pentacene

6,13-Dihydropentacene and pentacene cocrystallize in a ratio of 2:1, i.e. C22H16·0.5C22H14, during vapour transport of commercial pentacene in a gas flow. The crystal structure is monoclinic, space group P21/n, and contains one dihydropentacene molecule and half a pentacene molecule in the asymmetric unit.

Activated prothrombin complex in the management of direct thrombin inhibitor-associated intracerebral haemorrhage.

Intracerebral haematoma expansion independently predicts poor functional outcome and mortality. Therefore, it is important to act quickly to arrest this expansion. Whilst a direct antidote to dabigatran remains in development, the use of factor VIII inhibitor bypassing activity may offer a practical strategy for arresting haemorrhage in individuals taking direct thrombin inhibitors.NRE is supported by a Research Training Fellowship from The Dunhill Medical Trust [grant number RTF44/0114].This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Oxford University Press at http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcv219

Broad physiological tolerances of the invasive clam Nuttallia obscurata

Nuttallia obscurata, or the purple varnish clam, is a non-native species that has spread recently and rapidly in the coastal Northeastern Pacific. Attempts at commercial marketing have largely failed. This is in contrast to Venerupis philippinarum, the Manila clam, which was accidentally introduced to the region in the 1930s but is now very important to commercial shellfish industry. Finally, Leukoma staminea is the local littleneck clam, another popular edible bivalve. These three ecologically important species were studied and their physiological tolerances were compared to help determine why N. obscurata is succeeding as an invasive species. To study physiological tolerances, specimens collected from multiple field sites were used in controlled experiments with altered seawater temperature and salinity levels. Gill tissue tolerance was used as a correlate for whole organism tolerance; thus, time to tissue death was evaluated for each species under different conditions. Regressions were used to interpolate specific temperatures at which each species survived for 60 minutes: 41.1 °C for N. obscurata, 40.6 °C for V. philippinarum and 36.1 °C for L. staminea, with N. obscurata having the highest overall tolerance to high temperatures. Nuttallia obscurata also tolerated significantly lower salinities than the other two clams, with the native L. staminea having the least tolerance to decreased salinities. In addition, excised gill tissue of N. obscurata survived in a wide range of salinities far longer than did V. philippinarum and L. staminea. Tissue of V. philippinarum and L. staminea did not survive for more than 48 hours, while all N. obscurata tissue survived for 2+ weeks, even at extremely low salinities. The higher abiotic tolerances of N. obscurata may well contribute to its success as an invasive species

A dose-dependent plasma signature of the safety and immunogenicity of the rVSV-Ebola vaccine in Europe and Africa.

The 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic affected several African countries, claiming more than 11,000 lives and leaving thousands with ongoing sequelae. Safe and effective vaccines could prevent or limit future outbreaks. The recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored Zaire Ebola (rVSV-ZEBOV) vaccine has shown marked immunogenicity and efficacy in humans but is reactogenic at higher doses. To understand its effects, we examined plasma samples from 115 healthy volunteers from Geneva who received low-dose (LD) or high-dose (HD) vaccine or placebo. Fifteen plasma chemokines/cytokines were assessed at baseline and on days 1, 2 to 3, and 7 after injection. Significant increases in monocyte-mediated MCP-1/CCL2, MIP-1β/CCL4, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1Ra, and IL-10 occurred on day 1. A signature explaining 68% of cytokine/chemokine vaccine-response variability was identified. Its score was higher in HD versus LD vaccinees and was associated positively with vaccine viremia and negatively with cytopenia. It was higher in vaccinees with injection-site pain, fever, myalgia, chills, and headache; higher scores reflected increasing severity. In contrast, HD vaccinees who subsequently developed arthritis had lower day 1 scores than other HD vaccinees. Vaccine dose did not influence the signature despite its influence on specific outcomes. The Geneva-derived signature associated strongly (ρ = 0.97) with that of a cohort of 75 vaccinees from a parallel trial in Lambaréné, Gabon. Its score in Geneva HD vaccinees with subsequent arthritis was significantly lower than that in Lambaréné HD vaccinees, none of whom experienced arthritis. This signature, which reveals monocytes' critical role in rVSV-ZEBOV immunogenicity and safety across doses and continents, should prove useful in assessments of other vaccines

Magnetic Phase Diagram of GdNi2B2C: Two-ion Magnetoelasticity and Anisotropic Exchange Couplings

Extensive magnetization and magnetostriction measurements were carried out on a single crystal of GdNi2B2C along the main tetragonal axes. Within the paramagnetic phase, the magnetic and strain susceptibilities revealed a weak anisotropy in the exchange couplings and two-ion tetragonal-preserving alpha-strain modes. Within the ordered phase, magnetization and magnetostriction revealed a relatively strong orthorhombic distortion mode and rich field-temperature phase diagrams. For H//(100) phase diagram, three field-induced transformations were observed, namely, at: Hd(T), related to the domain alignment; Hr(T), associated with reorientation of the moment towards the c-axis; and Hs(T), defining the saturation process wherein the exchange field is completely counterbalanced. On the other hand, For H//(001) phase diagram, only two field-induced transformations were observed, namely at: Hr(T) and Hs(T). For both phase diagrams, Hs(T) follows the relation Hs[1-(T/Tn)^2]^(1/2)kOe with Hs(T-->0)=128.5(5) kOe and Tn(H=0)=19.5 K. In contrast, the thermal evolution of Hr(T) along the c-axis (much simpler than along the a-axis) follows the relation Hr[1-T/Tr]^(1/3) kOe where Hr(T-->0)=33.5(5) kOe and Tr(H=0)=13.5 K. It is emphasized that the magnetoelastic interaction and the anisotropic exchange coupling are important perturbations and therefore should be explicitly considered if a complete analysis of the magnetic properties of the borocarbides is desired