The γ -strength functions and level densities in the quasicontinuum of 147 , 149 Sm isotopes have been extracted from particle- γ coincidences using the Oslo method. The nuclei of interest were ...populated via (p,d) reactions on pure 148 , 150 Sm targets and the reaction products were recorded by the Hyperion array. An upbend in the low-energy region of the γ SF has been observed. The systematic analysis of the γ SF for a range of Sm isotopes highlights the interplay between scissors mode and the upbend. Shell-model calculations show reasonable agreement with the experimental γ SFs and confirm the correspondence between the upbend and scissors mode.
The interpretation of observations of cooling neutron star crusts in quasipersistent x-ray transients is affected by predictions of the strength of neutrino cooling via crust Urca processes. The ...strength of crust Urca neutrino cooling depends sensitively on the electron-capture and β-decay ground-state-to-ground-state transition strengths of neutron-rich rare isotopes. Nuclei with a mass number of A = 61 are predicted to be among the most abundant in accreted crusts, and the last remaining experimentally undetermined ground-state-to-ground-state transition strength was the β decay of 61 V . This Letter reports the first experimental determination of this transition strength, a ground-state branching of 8.1+4.0−3.1% , corresponding to a log f t value of 5.5+0.2−0.2 . This result was achieved through the measurement of the β -delayed γ rays using the total absorption spectrometer SuN and the measurement of the β -delayed neutron branch using the neutron long counter system NERO at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University. This method helps to mitigate the impact of the pandemonium effect in extremely neutron-rich nuclei on experimental results. The result implies that A = 61 nuclei do not provide the strongest cooling in accreted neutron star crusts as expected by some predictions, but that their cooling is still larger compared to most other mass numbers. Only nuclei with mass numbers 31, 33, and 55 are predicted to be cooling more strongly. However, the theoretical predictions for the transition strengths of these nuclei are not consistently accurate enough to draw conclusions on crust cooling. With the experimental approach developed in this work, all relevant transitions are within reach to be studied in the future.
Given the high mortality rate for patients with end-stage kidney disease receiving dialysis and the efficacy and safety of hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatments, discarded kidneys from HCV-infected ...donors may be a neglected public health resource.
To determine the tolerability and feasibility of using direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) as prophylaxis before and after kidney transplantation from HCV-infected donors to non-HCV-infected recipients (that is, HCV D+/R- transplantation).
Open-label nonrandomized trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02781649).
Single center.
10 HCV D+/R- kidney transplant candidates older than 50 years with no available living donors.
Transplantation of kidneys from deceased donors aged 13 to 50 years with positive HCV RNA and HCV antibody test results. All recipients received a dose of grazoprevir (GZR), 100 mg, and elbasvir (EBR), 50 mg, immediately before transplantation. Recipients of kidneys from donors with genotype 1 infection continued receiving GZR-EBR for 12 weeks after transplantation; those receiving organs from donors with genotype 2 or 3 infection had sofosbuvir, 400 mg, added to GZR-EBR for 12 weeks of triple therapy.
The primary safety outcome was the incidence of adverse events related to GZR-EBR treatment. The primary efficacy outcome was the proportion of recipients with an HCV RNA level below the lower limit of quantification 12 weeks after prophylaxis.
Among 10 HCV D+/R- transplant recipients, no treatment-related adverse events occurred, and HCV RNA was not detected in any recipient 12 weeks after treatment.
Nonrandomized study design and a small number of patients.
Pre- and posttransplantation HCV treatment was safe and prevented chronic HCV infection in HCV D+/R- kidney transplant recipients. If confirmed in larger studies, this strategy should markedly expand organ options and reduce mortality for kidney transplant candidates without HCV infection.
Merck Sharp & Dohme.
Therapeutic vaccines have promise as adjunctive treatment for tuberculosis (TB) or as preventives against TB relapse. An important development challenge is the limited understanding of T helper (Th) ...cell roles during these stages of disease. A murine model of TB relapse was used to identify changes in Th populations and cytokine microenvironment. Active TB promoted expansion of Th1, Th2, Th17, and Th22 cells and cytokines in the lung. Following drug therapy, pulmonary Th17 and Th22 cells contracted, Th1 cells remained elevated, while Th cells producing IL-4 or IL-10 expanded. At relapse, Th22 cells failed to re-expand in the lung despite a moderate re-expansion of Th1 and Th17 cells and an increase in Th cytokine polyfunctionality. The dynamics of Th populations further differed by tissue compartment and disease presentation. These outcomes identify immune bias by Th subpopulations during TB relapse as candidate mechanisms for pathogenesis and targets for therapeutic vaccination.
Precise measurements of the lifetimes of the first excited 2+ states in the stable even-A Sn isotopes 112–124Sn have been performed using the Doppler shift attenuation technique. For the isotopes ...112Sn, 114Sn and 116Sn the E2 transition strengths deduced from the measured lifetimes are in disagreement with the previously reported values and indicate a shallow minimum at N=66. The observed deviation from a maximum at mid-shell is attributed to the obstructive effect of the s1/2 neutron orbital in generating collectivity when near the Fermi level.
Heterologous vaccine regimens could extend waning protection in the global population immunized with Mycobacterium bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). We demonstrate that pulmonary delivery of ...peptide nanofibers (PNFs) bearing an Ag85B CD4
T cell epitope increased the frequency of antigen-specific T cells in BCG-primed mice, including heterogenous populations with tissue resident memory (Trm) and effector memory (Tem) phenotype, and functional cytokine recall. Adoptive transfer of dendritic cells pulsed with Ag85B-bearing PNFs further expanded the frequency and functional repertoire of memory CD4
T cells. Transcriptomic analysis suggested that the adjuvanticity of peptide nanofibers is, in part, due to the release of damage-associated molecular patterns. A single boost with monovalent Ag85B PNF in BCG-primed mice did not reduce lung bacterial burden compared to BCG alone following aerosol Mtb challenge. These findings support the need for novel BCG booster strategies that activate pools of Trm cells with potentially diverse localization, trafficking, and immune function.
Tuberculosis relapse following drug treatment of active disease is an important global public health problem due to the poorer clinical outcomes and increased risk of drug resistance development. ...Concurrent infection with HIV, including in those receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART), is an important risk factor for relapse and expansion of drug resistant
(
) isolates. A greater understanding of the HIV-associated factors driving TB relapse is important for development of interventions that support immune containment and complement drug therapy. We employed the humanized mouse to develop a new model of post-chemotherapy TB relapse in the setting of HIV infection. Paucibacillary TB infection was observed following treatment with Rifampin and Isoniazid and subsequent infection with HIV-1 was associated with increased
burden in the post-drug phase. Organized granulomas were observed during development of acute TB and appeared to resolve following TB drug therapy. At relapse, granulomatous pathology in the lung was infrequent and mycobacteria were most often observed in the interstitium and at sites of diffuse inflammation. Compared to animals with HIV mono-infection, higher viral replication was observed in the lung and liver, but not in the periphery, of animals with post-drug TB relapse. The results demonstrate a potential role for the humanized mouse as an experimental model of TB relapse in the setting of HIV. Long term, the model could facilitate discovery of disease mechanisms and development of clinical interventions.
.
Proper understanding of the stellar nucleosynthesis processes requires information on a variety of capture reaction cross sections. Since these cross sections are typically very low, they require ...efficient measurement techniques. The High Efficiency Total Absorption Spectrometer (HECTOR) was designed to measure capture cross sections relevant for astrophysical processes. HECTOR is a
γ
-summing detector comprised of 16 separate NaI(Tl) segments. The detector design is presented, as well as a detailed study of the detector's summing efficiency and analysis procedure. The results of the commissioning of HECTOR are presented. The resonance strengths of the well-known resonances in the
27
Al
(
p
,
γ
)
28
Si reaction measured with HECTOR are compared with the literature values.
Coughing is a dynamic physiological process resulting from input of vagal sensory neurons innervating the airways and perceived airway irritation. Although cough serves to protect and clear the ...airways, it can also be exploited by respiratory pathogens to facilitate disease transmission. Microbial components or infection-induced inflammatory mediators can directly interact with sensory nerve receptors to induce a cough response. Analysis of cough-generated aerosols and transmission studies have further demonstrated how infectious disease is spread through coughing. This review summarizes the neurophysiology of cough, cough induction by respiratory pathogens and inflammation, and cough-mediated disease transmission.
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