CfA3: 185 Type Ia Supernova Light Curves from the CfA

We present multi-band photometry of 185 type-Ia supernovae (SN Ia), with over 11500 observations. These were acquired between 2001 and 2008 at the F. L. Whipple Observatory of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). This sample contains the largest number of homogeneously-observed and reduced nearby SN Ia (z < 0.08) published to date. It more than doubles the nearby sample, bringing SN Ia cosmology to the point where systematic uncertainties dominate. Our natural system photometry has a precision of 0.02 mag or better in BVRIr'i' and roughly 0.04 mag in U for points brighter than 17.5 mag. We also estimate a systematic uncertainty of 0.03 mag in our SN Ia standard system BVRIr'i' photometry and 0.07 mag for U. Comparisons of our standard system photometry with published SN Ia light curves and comparison stars, where available for the same SN, reveal agreement at the level of a few hundredths mag in most cases. We find that 1991bg-like SN Ia are sufficiently distinct from other SN Ia in their color and light-curve-shape/luminosity relation that they should be treated separately in light-curve/distance fitter training samples. The CfA3 sample will contribute to the development of better light-curve/distance fitters, particularly in the few dozen cases where near-infrared photometry has been obtained and, together, can help disentangle host-galaxy reddening from intrinsic supernova color, reducing the systematic uncertainty in SN Ia distances due to dust.Comment: Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal. Minor changes from last version. Light curves, comparison star photometry, and passband tables are available at http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/supernova/CfA3

4E-BP1 is a target of Smad4 essential for TGFβ-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation

Assembly of the multi-subunit eukaryotic translation initiation factor-4F (eIF4F) is critical for protein synthesis and cell growth and proliferation. eIF4F formation is regulated by the translation-inhibitory protein 4E-BP1. While proliferation factors and intracellular pathways that impinge upon 4E-BP1 phosphorylation have been extensively studied, how they control 4E-BP1 expression remains unknown. Here, we show that Smad4, a transcription factor normally required for TGFβ-mediated inhibition of normal cell proliferation, enhances 4E-BP1 gene-promoter activity through binding to a conserved element. 4E-BP1 expression is specifically modulated by treatment with TGFβ and by manipulations of the natural Smad4 regulators (co-Smads) in cells isolated from Smad4+/+ human tumours, whereas no response is observed in cells isolated from Smad4−/− human tumours or in cells where Smad4 has been knocked down by specific siRNAs. In addition, cells where 4E-BP1 has been knocked down (inducible shRNAs in human pancreatic cancer cells or siRNAs in non-malignant human keratinocytes) or has been knocked out (mouse embryonic fibroblasts isolated from 4E-BP1−/− mice) proliferate faster and are resistant to the antiproliferative effect of TGFβ. Thus, 4E-BP1 gene appears critical for TGFβ/Smad4-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation

NAD(P)H Quinone-Oxydoreductase 1 Protects Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 4GI from Degradation by the Proteasome ▿

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4GI (eIF4GI) serves as a central adapter in cap-binding complex assembly. Although eIF4GI has been shown to be sensitive to proteasomal degradation, how the eIF4GI steady-state level is controlled remains unknown. Here, we show that eIF4GI exists in a complex with NAD(P)H quinone-oxydoreductase 1 (NQO1) in cell extracts. Treatment of cells with dicumarol (dicoumarol), a pharmacological inhibitor of NQO1 known to preclude NQO1 binding to its protein partners, provokes eIF4GI degradation by the proteasome. Consistently, the eIF4GI steady-state level also diminishes upon the silencing of NQO1 (by transfection with small interfering RNA), while eIF4GI accumulates upon the overexpression of NQO1 (by transfection with cDNA). We further reveal that treatment of cells with dicumarol frees eIF4GI from mRNA translation initiation complexes due to strong activation of its natural competitor, the translational repressor 4E-BP1. As a consequence of cap-binding complex dissociation and eIF4GI degradation, protein synthesis is dramatically inhibited. Finally, we show that the regulation of eIF4GI stability by the proteasome may be prominent under oxidative stress. Our findings assign NQO1 an original role in the regulation of mRNA translation via the control of eIF4GI stability by the proteasome

Consistent response of weeds according to Grime's CSR strategies along disturbance and resource gradients in Bordeaux vineyards

International audienceVineyards are an appropriate model for testing the filtering effect of management practices on weed communities, as a wide range of practices (tillage, herbicides and mowing) is implemented. The aim of this study is to highlight which trait values are selected by each practice in different environmental conditions, with special references to Grime's CSR strategies. A combination of a multivariate analysis (RLQ) and the fourth-corner analysis was used to analyse 400 floristic samples belonging to 100 vineyards in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux (France). The main structure of vineyard weed communities was shaped by the opposition between mowing, favouring hemicryptophytes with a competitive strategy, and soil tillage, favouring therophytes and nutrient-demanding species with a ruderal strategy. Secondly, the vineyard weed communities differed according to the trophic status of the soil. Vineyards on acidic, sandy soils with low organic matter were characterised by small-seeded annuals with a stress-tolerant strategy whereas vineyards with clayey, calcareous soils rich in organic matter, harboured larger perennial nitrophilous species with large seeds and a competitive strategy. Our study is the first to show that weed species responded consistently to two independent gradients with specific traits associated with disturbance (life cycle and SLA) and soil resources (plant height and seed mass) gradients. Based on knowledge of the soil characteristics, it becomes possible to predict which type of weeds will develop according to the combination of practices applied on the vineyard rows and inter-rows

Diagnostic Accuracy of Procalcitonin upon Emergency Department Admission during SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Introduction: Procalcitonin is a marker for bacterial diseases and has been used to guide antibiotic prescription. Procalcitonin accuracy, measured at admission, in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), is unknown in the current severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin to assess the need for antibiotic treatment in patients with CAP presenting to the emergency department during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods: We performed a real-world diagnostic retrospective accuracy study of procalcitonin in patients admitted to the emergency department. Measures of diagnostic accuracy were calculated based on procalcitonin results compared to the reference standard of combined microbiological and radiological analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and area under (AUC) the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve were calculated in two analyses: first assessing procalcitonin ability to differentiate microbiologically proven bacteria from viral CAP and then clinically diagnosed bacterial CAP from viral CAP. Results: When using a procalcitonin threshold of 0.5 ng/mL to identify bacterial etiology within patients with CAP, we observed sensitivity and specificity of 50% and 64.1%, and 43% and 82.6%, respectively, in the two analyses. The positive and negative predictive values of a procalcitonin threshold of 0.5 ng/mL to identify patients for whom antibiotics should be advised were 46.4% and 79.7%, and 48.9% and 79% in the two analyses, respectively. The AUC for the two analyses was 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52–0.68) and 0.62 (95% CI, 0.55–0.69). Conclusions: Procalcitonin measured upon admission during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic should not guide antibiotic treatment in patients with CAP

Une étude randomisée de phase III comparant une radio-chimiothérapie d’induction versus un traitement de consolidation chez les patients atteints d’un cancer bronchique non à petites cellules localement avancé non résécable

Congrès de Pneumologie de Langue Française Lyon 16-19 janvier 2009info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

FAK activity in cancer-associated fibroblasts is a prognostic marker and a druggable key metastatic player in pancreatic cancer

International audienceCancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are considered the most abundant type of stromal cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), playing a critical role in tumour progression and chemoresistance; however, a druggable target on CAFs has not yet been identified. Here we report that focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activity (evaluated based on 397 tyrosine phosphorylation level) in CAFs is highly increased compared to its activity in fibroblasts from healthy pancreas. Fibroblastic FAK activity is an independent prognostic marker for disease-free and overall survival of PDAC patients (cohort of 120 PDAC samples). Genetic inactivation of FAK within fibroblasts (FAK kinase-dead, KD) reduces fibrosis and immunosuppressive cell number within primary tumours and dramatically decreases tumour spread. FAK pharmacologic or genetic inactivation reduces fibroblast migration/invasion, decreases extracellular matrix (ECM) expression and deposition by CAFs, modifies ECM track generation and negatively impacts M2 macrophage polarization and migration. Thus, FAK activity within CAFs appears as an independent PDAC prognostic marker and a druggable driver of tumour cell invasion

Traitement des cancers bronchiques non à petites cellules: Maladies avancées (métastatiques). Les recommandations de pratique clinique de l'European Lung Cancer Working Party

SCOPUS: re.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe