Cyanide detoxification efficiency of injection and soak of hydroxocobalamin, sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate for sea water ornamental fish

The Oceanographic Museum offers interesting exhibits of several marine lives for tourist sightseeing and entertainment. These sea water ornamental fish are all caught in the wild. However, its health can be affected by cyanide poisoning during human fishing. Depending on the level of cyanide poisoning, fish can die after one and two weeks that caused economic damages for the museum. The present study is concerned with results of cyanide detoxification by using direct injection into cinnamon clownfish or soak of hydroxocobalamin, sodium nitrite and sodium thiosulfate with the aim of improving the health, survival and life time for fish, contributing to increasing economic efficiency for the Oceanographic Museum

Studying Magnetic Fields and Dust in M17 Using Polarized Thermal Dust Emission Observed by SOFIA/HAWC

We report on the highest spatial resolution measurement to date of magnetic fields (B-fields) in M17 using thermal dust polarization measurements taken by SOFIA/HAWC+ centered at a wavelength of 154 μm. Using the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method, in which the polarization angle dispersion calculated using the structure function technique is the quantity directly observed by SOFIA/HAWC+, we found the presence of strong B-fields of 980 ± 230 and 1665 ± 885 μG in the lower-density M17-N and higher-density M17-S regions, respectively. The B-field morphology in M17-N possibly mimics the fields in gravitationally collapsing molecular cores, while in M17-S the fields run perpendicular to the density structure. M17-S also displays a pillar feature and an asymmetric large-scale hourglass-shaped field. We use the mean B-field strengths to determine Alfvénic Mach numbers for both regions, finding that B-fields dominate over turbulence. We calculate the mass-to-flux ratio, λ, finding λ = 0.07 for M17-N and 0.28 for M17-S. These subcritical λ values are consistent with the lack of massive stars formed in M17. To study dust physics, we analyze the relationship between dust polarization fraction, p, emission intensity, I, gas column density, N(H2), polarization angle dispersion function, S, and dust temperature, T d. p decreases with intensity as I −α with α = 0.51. p tends to first increase with T d, but then decreases at higher T d. The latter feature, seen in M17-N at high T d when N(H2) and S decrease, is evidence of the radiative torque disruption effect

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Failure of human rhombic lip differentiation underlies medulloblastoma formation

Medulloblastoma (MB) comprises a group of heterogeneous paediatric embryonal neoplasms of the hindbrain with strong links to early development of the hindbrain 1–4. Mutations that activate Sonic hedgehog signalling lead to Sonic hedgehog MB in the upper rhombic lip (RL) granule cell lineage 5–8. By contrast, mutations that activate WNT signalling lead to WNT MB in the lower RL 9,10. However, little is known about the more commonly occurring group 4 (G4) MB, which is thought to arise in the unipolar brush cell lineage 3,4. Here we demonstrate that somatic mutations that cause G4 MB converge on the core binding factor alpha (CBFA) complex and mutually exclusive alterations that affect CBFA2T2, CBFA2T3, PRDM6, UTX and OTX2. CBFA2T2 is expressed early in the progenitor cells of the cerebellar RL subventricular zone in Homo sapiens, and G4 MB transcriptionally resembles these progenitors but are stalled in developmental time. Knockdown of OTX2 in model systems relieves this differentiation blockade, which allows MB cells to spontaneously proceed along normal developmental differentiation trajectories. The specific nature of the split human RL, which is destined to generate most of the neurons in the human brain, and its high level of susceptible EOMES +KI67 + unipolar brush cell progenitor cells probably predisposes our species to the development of G4 MB

On Planet Formation around Supermassive Black Holes and Grain Disruption Barriers by Radiative Torques

International audienceIt has recently been suggested that planets can form by dust coagulation in the tori of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with low luminosities of L bol ≲ 1042 erg s-1, constituting a new class of exoplanets orbiting supermassive black holes called blanets. However, large dust grains in the AGN torus may be rotationally disrupted by the radiative torque disruption (RATD) mechanism due to AGN radiation feedback, which would prevent blanet formation. To test this scenario, we adopt a simple smooth and a clumpy dust/gas distribution inside the torus region to study the effect of RATD on the evolution of composite dust grains in the midplane of the torus. We found that grain growth and then blanet formation are possible in the smooth torus model. However, in the clumpy torus model, grain growth will be strongly constrained by RATD, assuming the gas density distribution as adopted by Wada et al. We also found that icy grain mantles inside clumps are quickly detached from the grain cores by rotational desorption, reducing the sticking coefficient between icy grains and the coagulation efficiency. The grain rotational disruption and ice desorption occur on timescales much shorter than the growth time up to a factor of ~104, which are the new barriers that grain growth must overcome to form blanets. Further studies with more realistic AGN models are required to constrain better the effect of RATD on grain growth and blanet formation hypothesis around low-luminosity AGN

B-fields and Dust in Interstellar Filaments Using Dust Polarization (BALLAD-POL). I. The Massive Filament G11.11–0.12 Observed by SOFIA/HAWC+

We report the first measurement of polarized thermal dust emission toward the entire infrared dark cloud G11.11−0.12 taken by the polarimeter SOFIA/HAWC+ at 214 μ m. The obtained magnetic fields ( B -fields) from the polarized emission of the early-stage and massive filament tend to be perpendicular to its spine. We produce a map of B -field strengths for the center region of the filament. The strengths vary in the range of 100–600 μ G and are strongest along the filament's spine. The central region is sub-Alfvénic and mostly subcritical, meaning that B -fields dominate over turbulence and are strong enough to resist gravitational collapse. The alignment and properties of dust grains in the filament are studied using radiative torque (RAT) theory. We find the decrease of polarization degree P with emission intensity I , i.e., depolarization effect, of the form P ∝ I ^− ^α with α ∼ 0.8–0.9, implying a significant loss of grain alignment in the filament's spine. The depolarization can be explained by the decrease in RAT alignment efficiency toward the denser regions with weaker radiation field, which cannot be explained by B -field tangling. We study the effect of the enhanced magnetic relaxation by embedded iron inclusions on RAT alignment and find that the high polarization fraction P ∼ 20%–30% in the outer layer of the filament is potential evidence for the magnetically enhanced RAT alignment mechanism. This is the first time this effect is evaluated in a filament. Based on the polarization fraction and RAT alignment theory, we also find evidence for grain growth in the filament

Modeling Extinction and Reddening Effects by Circumstellar Dust in the Betelgeuse Envelope in the Presence of Radiative Torque Disruption

International audienceCircumstellar dust forms and evolves within the envelope of evolved stars, including asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and red supergiant (RSG) stars. The extinction of stellar light by circumstellar dust is vital for interpreting RSG/AGB observations and determining high-mass RSG progenitors of core-collapse supernovae. However, circumstellar dust properties are not well understood. Modern understanding of dust evolution suggests that intense stellar radiation can radically change dust properties across the circumstellar envelope through the RAdiative Torque Disruption (RAT-D) mechanism. In this paper, we study the impacts of RAT-D on the grain size distribution (GSD) of circumstellar dust and model its effects on photometric observations of α Orionis (Betelgeuse). Due to the RAT-D effects, large grains formed in the dust formation zone are disrupted into smaller species of size a < 0.5 μm. Using the GSD constrained by the RAT-D effects, we model the visual extinction of background stars and Betelgeuse. We find that the extinction decreases at near-UV, optical, and IR wavelengths while increasing at far-UV wavelengths. The resulting flux potentially reproduces the observation from the near-UV to the near-IR range. Our results can be used to explain dust extinction and photometric observations of other RSG/AGB stars

Modeling Extinction and Reddening Effects by Circumstellar Dust in the Betelgeuse Envelope in the Presence of Radiative Torque Disruption

International audienceCircumstellar dust forms and evolves within the envelope of evolved stars, including asymptotic giant branch (AGB) and red supergiant (RSG) stars. The extinction of stellar light by circumstellar dust is vital for interpreting RSG/AGB observations and determining high-mass RSG progenitors of core-collapse supernovae. However, circumstellar dust properties are not well understood. Modern understanding of dust evolution suggests that intense stellar radiation can radically change dust properties across the circumstellar envelope through the RAdiative Torque Disruption (RAT-D) mechanism. In this paper, we study the impacts of RAT-D on the grain size distribution (GSD) of circumstellar dust and model its effects on photometric observations of α Orionis (Betelgeuse). Due to the RAT-D effects, large grains formed in the dust formation zone are disrupted into smaller species of size a < 0.5 μm. Using the GSD constrained by the RAT-D effects, we model the visual extinction of background stars and Betelgeuse. We find that the extinction decreases at near-UV, optical, and IR wavelengths while increasing at far-UV wavelengths. The resulting flux potentially reproduces the observation from the near-UV to the near-IR range. Our results can be used to explain dust extinction and photometric observations of other RSG/AGB stars

Preparation and Characterization of Polyamidoamine G2.0-Hematin as a Biocatalyst for Fabricating Catecholic Gelatin Hydrogel

In this study, we report that an enzyme-mimicking biocatalyst polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer G2.0-hematin (G2.0-He) was fabricated successfully. The chemical structure of G2.0-He was verified by 1H NMR and FT-IR spectroscopy. G2.0-He exhibited a size distribution from 11.6±1.7 nm to 12.5±2.9 nm and a zeta potential from 32.5 mV to 25.6 mV along with the enhancement of the hematin conjugation degree. The relative activity of G2.0-He was evaluated based on pyrogallol oxidation reactions at pH=7. The results showed that G2.0-He was more stable than horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzyme in high H2O2 concentrations. The HRP-mimic ability of G2.0-He was also confirmed by the catalyzation when preparing catecholic gelatin hydrogels under mild conditions. Moreover, our results also revealed that these hydrogels performed with excellent cytocompatibility in an in vitro study and could be used as a potential scaffold for adhesion and proliferation of fibroblast cells. The obtained results indicated that G2.0-He is a suitable platform for altering the HRP enzyme in several biomedical applications

Personalized Medicine and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease that is often under-diagnosed and under-treated in all ages. This is due to differences in morphology, diversity in clinical phenotypes, and differences in diagnosis and treatment of OSA in children and adults, even among individuals of the same age. Therefore, a personalized medicine approach to diagnosis and treatment of OSA is necessary for physicians in clinical practice. In children and adults without serious underlying medical conditions, polysomnography at sleep labs may be an inappropriate and inconvenient testing modality compared to home sleep apnea testing. In addition, the apnea–hypopnea index should not be considered as a single parameter for making treatment decisions. Thus, the treatment of OSA should be personalized and based on individual tolerance to sleep-quality-related parameters measured by the microarousal index, harmful effects of OSA on the cardiovascular system related to severe hypoxia, and patients’ comorbidities. The current treatment options for OSA include lifestyle modification, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, oral appliance, surgery, and other alternative treatments. CPAP therapy has been recommended as a cornerstone treatment for moderate-to-severe OSA in adults. However, not all patients can afford or tolerate CPAP therapy. This narrative review seeks to describe the current concepts and relevant approaches towards personalized management of patients with OSA, according to pathophysiology, cluster analysis of clinical characteristics, adequate combined therapy, and the consideration of patients’ expectations