Skin tests are of paramount importance for the evaluation of drug hypersensitivity reactions. Drug skin tests are often not carried out because of lack of concise information on specific test ...concentrations. The diagnosis of drug allergy is often based on history alone, which is an unreliable indicator of true hypersensitivity.To promote and standardize reproducible skin testing with safe and nonirritant drug concentrations in the clinical practice, the European Network and European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Interest Group on Drug Allergy has performed a literature search on skin test drug concentration in MEDLINE and EMBASE, reviewed and evaluated the literature in five languages using the GRADE system for quality of evidence and strength of recommendation. Where the literature is poor, we have taken into consideration the collective experience of the group.We recommend drug concentration for skin testing aiming to achieve a specificity of at least 95%. It has been possible to recommend specific drug concentration for betalactam antibiotics, perioperative drugs, heparins, platinum salts and radiocontrast media. For many other drugs, there is insufficient evidence to recommend appropriate drug concentration. There is urgent need for multicentre studies designed to establish and validate drug skin test concentration using standard protocols. For most drugs, sensitivity of skin testing is higher in immediate hypersensitivity compared to nonimmediate hypersensitivity.
Abstract
We obtained 16 VLT/X-shooter observations of GX 339−4 in quiescence during the period 2016 May–September and detected absorption lines from the donor star in its NIR spectrum. This allows us ...to measure the radial velocity curve and projected rotational velocity of the donor for the first time. We confirm the 1.76 day orbital period and we find that
K
2
= 219 ± 3 km s
−1
,
γ
= 26 ± 2 km s
−1
, and
v
sin
i
= 64 ± 8 km s
−1
. From these values we compute a mass function
f
(
M
) = 1.91 ± 0.08
M
⊙
, a factor ∼3 lower than previously reported, and a mass ratio
q
= 0.18 ± 0.05. We confirm the donor is a K-type star and estimate that it contributes
∼
4
%
–
50
%
of the light in the
J
- and
H
-bands. We constrain the binary inclination to 37°
<
i
<
78° and the black hole (BH) mass to
2.3
M
⊙
<
M
BH
<
9.5
M
⊙
. GX 339−4 may therefore be the first BH to fall in the “mass-gap” of 2–5
M
⊙
.
Most current bioexposure assessments for UV filters focus on contaminants concentrations in fish from river and lake. To date there is not information available on the occurrence of UV filters in ...marine mammals. This is the first study to investigate the presence of sunscreen agents in tissue liver of Franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei), a species under special measures for conservation. Fifty six liver tissue samples were taken from dead individuals accidentally caught or found stranded along the Brazilian coastal area (six states). The extensively used octocrylene (2-ethylhexyl-2-cyano-3,3-diphenyl-2-propenoate, OCT) was frequently found in the samples investigated (21 out of 56) at concentrations in the range 89–782 ng·g–1 lipid weight. São Paulo was found to be the most polluted area (70% frequency of detection). Nevertheless, the highest concentration was observed in the dolphins from Rio Grande do Sul (42% frequency of detection within that area). These findings constitute the first data reported on the occurrence of UV filters in marine mammals worldwide.
Abstract
We use very long baseline interferometry to measure the proper motions of three black hole X-ray binaries (BHXBs). Using these results together with data from the literature and Gaia DR2 to ...collate the best available constraints on proper motion, parallax, distance, and systemic radial velocity of 16 BHXBs, we determined their three-dimensional Galactocentric orbits. We extended this analysis to estimate the probability distribution for the potential kick velocity (PKV) a BHXB system could have received on formation. Constraining the kicks imparted to BHXBs provides insight into the birth mechanism of black holes (BHs). Kicks also have a significant effect on BH–BH merger rates, merger sites, and binary evolution, and can be responsible for spin–orbit misalignment in BH binary systems. 75 per cent of our systems have potential kicks $\gt 70\, \rm {km\,s^{-1}}$. This suggests that strong kicks and hence spin–orbit misalignment might be common among BHXBs, in agreement with the observed quasi-periodic X-ray variability in their power density spectra. We used a Bayesian hierarchical methodology to analyse the PKV distribution of the BHXB population, and suggest that a unimodal Gaussian model with a mean of 107 $\pm \,\,16\, \rm {km\,s^{-1}}$ is a statistically favourable fit. Such relatively high PKVs would also reduce the number of BHs likely to be retained in globular clusters. We found no significant correlation between the BH mass and PKV, suggesting a lack of correlation between BH mass and the BH birth mechanism. Our python code allows the estimation of the PKV for any system with sufficient observational constraints.
14-3-3 proteins are a family of structurally similar phospho-binding proteins that regulate essentially every major cellular function. Decades of research on 14-3-3s have revealed a remarkable ...network of interacting proteins that demonstrate how 14-3-3s integrate and control multiple signaling pathways. In particular, these interactions place 14-3-3 at the center of the signaling hub that governs critical processes in cancer, including apoptosis, cell cycle progression, autophagy, glucose metabolism, and cell motility. Historically, the majority of 14-3-3 interactions have been identified and studied under nutrient-replete cell culture conditions, which has revealed important nutrient driven interactions. However, this underestimates the reach of 14-3-3s. Indeed, the loss of nutrients, growth factors, or changes in other environmental conditions (e.g., genotoxic stress) will not only lead to the loss of homeostatic 14-3-3 interactions, but also trigger new interactions, many of which are likely stress adaptive. This dynamic nature of the 14-3-3 interactome is beginning to come into focus as advancements in mass spectrometry are helping to probe deeper and identify context-dependent 14-3-3 interactions-providing a window into adaptive phosphorylation-driven cellular mechanisms that orchestrate the tumor cell's response to a variety of environmental conditions including hypoxia and chemotherapy. In this review, we discuss emerging 14-3-3 regulatory mechanisms with a focus on post-translational regulation of 14-3-3 and dynamic protein-protein interactions that illustrate 14-3-3's role as a stress-adaptive signaling hub in cancer.
We provide a preliminary interpretation of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) pressure data from the first 100 Martian solar days (sols) of the Mars Science Laboratory mission. The ...pressure sensor is performing well and has revealed the existence of phenomena undetected by previous missions that include possible gravity waves excited by evening downslope flows, relatively dust‐free convective vortices analogous in structure to dust devils, and signatures indicative of the circulation induced by Gale Crater and its central mound. Other more familiar phenomena are also present including the thermal tides, generated by daily insolation variations, and the CO2 cycle, driven by the condensation and sublimation of CO2 in the polar regions. The amplitude of the thermal tides is several times larger than those seen by other landers primarily because Curiosity is located where eastward and westward tidal modes constructively interfere and also because the crater circulation amplifies the tides to some extent. During the first 100 sols tidal amplitudes generally decline, which we attribute to the waning influence of the Kelvin wave. Toward the end of the 100 sol period, tidal amplitudes abruptly increased in response to a nearby regional dust storm that did not expand to global scales. Tidal phases changed abruptly during the onset of this storm suggesting a change in the interaction between eastward and westward modes. When compared to Viking Lander 2 data, the REMS daily average pressures show no evidence yet for the 1–20 Pa increase expected from the possible loss of CO2 from the south polar residual cap.
Key Points
REMS pressure sensor is operating nominally
New phenomena have been discovered
Familiar phenomena have been detected
We report on simulations of the dc conductance and quantum Hall response of a Floquet topological insulator using Floquet scattering theory. Our results reveal that laser-induced edge states lead to ...quantum Hall plateaus once imperfect matching with the nonilluminated leads is lessened. The magnitude of the Hall plateaus, however, is not directly related to the number and chirality of all the edge states at a given energy, as usual. Instead, the plateaus are dominated by those edge states adding to the time-averaged density of states. Therefore, the dc quantum Hall conductance of a Floquet topological insulator is not directly linked to topological invariants of the full Floquet bands.
We present time-resolved 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias and 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope intermediate resolution spectroscopy of the X-ray transient MAXI J1820+070 (=ASASSN-18ey) obtained during ...its decline to the quiescent state. Cross-correlation of the 21 individual spectra against late-type templates reveals a sinusoidal velocity modulation with a period of 0.68549 0.00001 day and semi-amplitude of 417.7 3.9 km s−1. We derive a mass function f(M) = 5.18 0.15 M , dynamically confirming the black hole (BH) nature of the compact object. Our analysis of the stellar absorption features supports a K3-5 spectral classification for the donor star, which contributes 20% of the total flux at 5200-6800 . The photometric 0.703 0.003 day periodicity observed during outburst is 2.6% longer than the orbital period supporting the presence of a superhump modulation in the outburst light curves. In line with this interpretation, we constrain the binary mass ratio to be q 0.12. In addition, we observe a sharp increase in the H emission line equivalent width during inferior conjunction of the donor star that we interpret as a grazing eclipse of the accretion disk and allows us to constrain the binary inclination to i 69°. On the other hand, the absence of X-ray eclipses during outburst imply i 77°. These inclination limits, together with our dynamical solution, lead to a BH mass in the range 7-8 M . We also measure a systemic velocity γ = −21.6 2.3 km s−1, which, combined with the Gaia second data release proper motion and parallax, implies a large peculiar velocity ∼100 km s−1.
To catalog the diversity and abundance of halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) accumulating in high trophic marine species from the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, tissue from bottlenose dolphins ...(Tursiops truncatus) stranded or incidentally captured along the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were analyzed by a nontargeted approach based on GC×GC/TOF-MS. A total of 158 individual HOCs from 32 different structural classes were detected in the blubber of 4 adult male T. truncatus. Nearly 90% of the detected compounds are not routinely monitored in the environment. DDT-related and mirex/dechlorane-related compounds were the most abundant classes of anthropogenic origin. Methoxy-brominated diphenyl ethers (MeO-BDEs) and chlorinated methyl- and dimethyl bipyrroles (MBPs and DMBPs) were the most abundant natural products. Reported for the first time in southwestern Atlantic cetaceans and in contrast to North American marine mammals, chlorinated MBPs and DMBPs were more abundant than their brominated and/or mixed halogenated counterparts. HOC profiles in coastal T. truncatus from Brazil and California revealed a distinct difference, with a higher abundance of MeO-BDEs, mirex/dechloranes and chlorinated bipyrroles in the Brazilian dolphins. Thirty-six percent of the detected HOCs had an unknown structure. These results suggest broad geographical differences in the patterns of bioaccumulative chemicals found in the marine environment and indicate the need to develop more complete catalogs of HOCs from various marine environments.
We present two epochs of near-infrared spectroscopy of the candidate red supergiant counterpart to RX J004722.4–252051, a ULX in NGC 253. We measure radial velocities of the object and its ...approximate spectral type by cross-correlating our spectra with those of known red supergiants. Our VLT/X-shooter spectrum is best matched by that of early M-type supergiants, confirming the red supergiant nature of the candidate counterpart. The radial velocity of the spectrum, taken on 2014 August 23, is 417 ± 4 km s−1. This is consistent with the radial velocity measured in our spectrum taken with Magellan/MMIRS on 2013 June 28, of 410 ± 70 km s−1, although the large error on the latter implies that a radial velocity shift expected for a black hole of tens of M⊙ can easily be hidden. Using nebular emission lines we find that the radial velocity due to the rotation of NGC 253 is 351 ± 4 km s−1 at the position of the ULX. Thus the radial velocity of the counterpart confirms that the source is located in NGC 253, but also shows an offset with respect to the local bulk motion of the galaxy of 66 ± 6 km s−1. We argue that the most likely origin for this displacement lies either in a SN kick, requiring a system containing a ≳ 50 M⊙ black hole, and/or in orbital radial velocity variations in the ULX binary system, requiring a ≳ 100 M⊙ black hole. We therefore conclude that RX J004722.4–252051 is a strong candidate for a ULX containing a massive stellar black hole.
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