Complementary collider and astrophysical probes of multi-component Dark Matter

We study a new physics scenario with two inert and one active scalar doublets,hence a 3-Higgs Doublet Model (3HDM). We impose aZ(2)xZ ' 2(s)ymmetry onto such a 3HDM with one inert doublet odd under theZ(2) transformation and the other odd under the Z '(2)one.Such a construction leads to a two-component Dark Matter (DM) model. It has been shown that, when there is a sufficient mass difference between the two DM candidates, it is possible to probe the light DM candidate in the nuclear recoil energy in direct detection experiments and the heavy DM component in the photon flux in indirect detection experiments. With the DM masses at the electroweak scale, we show that, independently of astrophysical probes, this model feature can be tested at the Large Hadron Collider via scalar cascade decays in2l+is not an element of (T)final states. We study several observable distributions whose shapes hint at the presence of the two different DM candidatesPeer reviewe

CP violating scalar Dark Matter

We study an extension of the Standard Model (SM) in which two copies of the SM scalar SU(2) doublet which do not acquire a Vacuum Expectation Value (VEV), and hence are inert, are added to the scalar sector. We allow for CP-violation in the inert sector, where the lightest inert state is protected from decaying to SM particles through the conservation of a Z(2) symmetry. The lightest neutral particle from the inert sector, which has a mixed CP-charge due to CP-violation, is hence a Dark Matter (DM) candidate. We discuss the new regions of DM relic density opened up by CP-violation, and compare our results to the CP-conserving limit and the Inert Doublet Model (IDM). We constrain the parameter space of the CP-violating model using recent results from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and DM direct and indirect detection experiments.Peer reviewe

Poly[[{μ3-2-[4-(2-hy­droxy­eth­yl)piperazin-1-yl]ethane­sulfonato}­silver(I)] trihydrate]

Ethane­sulfonic acid-based buffers like 2-[4-(2-hy­droxy­eth­yl)­piperazin-1-yl]ethane­sulfonic acid (HEPES) are commonly used in biological experiments because of their ability to act as non-coordinating ligands towards metal ions. However, recent work has shown that some of these buffers may in fact coordinate metal ions. The title complex, {[Ag(C8H17N2O4S)]·3H2O}n, is a metal–organic framework formed from HEPES and a silver(I) ion. In this polymeric complex, each Ag atom is primarily coordinated by two N atoms in a distorted linear geometry. Weaker secondary bonding inter­actions from the hy­droxy and sulfate O atoms of HEPES complete a distorted seesaw geometry. The crystal structure is stabilized by O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding interactions

Preferential uptake of polyunsaturated fatty acids by colorectal cancer cells

Although a growing body of evidence suggests that colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with alterations of fatty acid (FA) profiles in serum and tumor tissues, available data about polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content in CRC patients are inconclusive. Our study showed that CRC tissues contained more PUFAs than normal large intestinal mucosa. However, serum levels of PUFAs in CRC patients were lower than in healthy controls. To explain the mechanism of PUFA alterations in CRC, we measured FA uptake by the colon cancer cells and normal colon cells. The levels of PUFAs in colon cancer cell culture medium decreased significantly with incubation time, while no changes were observed in the medium in which normal colon cells were incubated. Our findings suggest that the alterations in tumor and serum PUFA profiles result from preferential uptake of these FAs by cancer cells; indeed, PUFAs are essential for formation of cell membrane phospholipids during rapid proliferation of cancer cells. This observation puts into question potential benefits of PUFA supplementation in CRC patients

Presence of Chlamydophila pneumoniae DNA in blood cells is a frequent event in patients with the late stage of primary cutaneous lymphomas and with atopic dermatitis

Introduction: Microbial infection and associated super antigens have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), and many patients die from complicating bacterial infections. It has been postulated that Chlamydophila pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of Mycosis fungoides (MF) but published data are limited and controversial. Aim: To analyze the frequency of (C. pneumoniae) DNA presence in blood samples of lymphoma cases. Material and methods: Using Q-PCR method we analyzed the presence of DNA in the blood samples obtained from 57 patients with CTCL (55 - mycosis fungoides (MF)/Sezary syndrome (SS), one primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (CD30+) and one NKT cell lymphoma) and 3 patients with cutaneous B-cell lymphomas, and 120 individuals from control groups (40 patients with psoriasis, 40 patients with atopic dermatitis and 40 healthy controls). Results: Chlamydophila pneumoniae DNA was identified in 13 of 55 cases in the MF/SS group (23.6%), in 1 patient with CD30+ large cell lymphoma and in 1 of 3 patients with B-cell lymphoma. The presence of C. pneumoniae was confirmed in 1 of 40 psoriatic patients (2.5%), in 5 of 40 patients with atopic dermatitis (12.5%) and in none of 40 healthy individuals. Presence of C. pneumoniae DNA in MF patients was strongly associated with disease progression; rs = 0.756; p = 0.0123 for groups IA -> IVB, and was noted more frequently in advanced (III + IV) stages than in early (I-II) stages (p = 0.0139). There are no differences in the mean age of MF/SS patients with and without infection. Conclusions: The presence of C. pneumoniae DNA in the blood cells is a frequent event in late stages of MF/SS and may be explained by Th2 shift and suppression of the immune system during the course of the disease.Peer reviewe