Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids found in breast milk and recently added to infant formulas. Their importance in infant nutrition was ...recognized by the rapid accretion of these fatty acids in the brain during the first postnatal year, reports of enhanced intellectual development in breastfed children, and recognition of the physiologic importance of DHA in visual and neural systems from studies in animal models. These considerations led to clinical trials to evaluate whether infant formulas that are supplemented with DHA or both DHA and ARA would enhance visual and cognitive development or whether conversion of linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, the essential fatty acid precursors of ARA and DHA, respectively, at the levels found in infant formulas is sufficient to support adequately visual and cognitive development. Visual and cognitive development were not different with supplementation in some studies, whereas other studies reported benefits of adding DHA or both DHA and ARA to formula. One of the first trials with term infants that were fed formula supplemented with DHA or both DHA and ARA evaluated growth, visual acuity (Visual Evoked Potential; Acuity Card Procedure), mental and motor development (Bayley Scales of Infant Development), and early language development (MacArthur Communicative Developmental Inventories). Growth, visual acuity, and mental and motor development were not different among the 3 formula groups or between the breastfed and formula-fed infants in the first year of life. At 14 months of age, infants who were fed the formula with DHA but no ARA had lower vocabulary production and comprehension scores than infants who were fed the unsupplemented control formula or who were breastfed, respectively. The present follow-up study evaluated IQ, receptive and expressive vocabulary, visual-motor function, and visual acuity of children from the original trial when they reached 39 months of age.
Infants were randomized within 1 week after birth and fed a control formula (n = 65), one containing DHA (n = 65), or one containing both ARA and DHA (n = 66) to 1 year of age. A comparison group (n = 80) was exclusively breastfed for at least 3 months after which the infants continued to be exclusively breastfed or were supplemented with and/or weaned to infant formula. At 39 months, standard tests of IQ (Stanford Binet IQ), receptive vocabulary (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised), expressive vocabulary (mean length of utterance), visual-motor function (Beery Visual-Motor Index), and visual acuity (Acuity Card Procedure) were administered. Growth, red blood cell fatty acid levels, and morbidity also were evaluated.
Results were analyzed using analysis of variance or linear regression models. The regression model for IQ, receptive and expressive language, and the visual-motor index controlled for site, birth weight, sex, maternal education, maternal age, and the child's age at testing. The regression model for visual acuity controlled for site only. A variable selection model also identified which of 22 potentially prognostic variables among different categories (feeding groups, the child and family demographics, indicators of illness since birth, and environment) were most influential for IQ and expressive vocabulary. A total of 157 (80%) of the 197 infants studied at 12 months participated in this follow-up study. Characteristics of the families were representative of US families with children up to 5 years of age, and there were no differences in the demographic or family characteristics among the randomized formula groups. As expected, the formula and breastfed groups differed in ethnicity, marital status, parental education, and the prevalence of smoking. Sex, ethnicity, gestational age at birth, and birth weight for those who participated at 39 months did not differ from those who did not. The 12-month Bayley mental and motor scores and 14-month vocabulary scores of the children who participated also were were not different from those who did not. At 39 months, IQ, receptive and expressive language, visual-motor function, and visual acuity were not different among the 3 randomized formula groups or between the breastfed and formula groups. The adjusted means for the control, ARA+DHA, DHA, and breastfed groups were as follows: IQ scores, 104, 101, 100, 106; Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, 99.2, 97.2, 95.1, 97.4; mean length of utterance, 3.64, 3.75, 3.93, 4.08; the visual-motor index, 2.26, 2.24, 2.05, 2.40; and visual acuity (cycles/degree), 30.4, 27.9, 27.5, 28.6, respectively. IQ was positively associated with female sex and maternal education and negatively associated with the number of siblings and exposure to cigarette smoking in utero and/or postnatally. Expressive language also was positively associated with maternal education and negatively associated with the average hours in child care per week and hospitalizations since birth but only when the breastfed group was included in the analysis. The associations between maternal education and child IQ scores are consistent with previous reports as are the associations between prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke and IQ and early language development. Approximately one third of the variance for IQ was explained by sex, maternal education, the number of siblings, and exposure to cigarette smoke. Growth achievement, red blood cell fatty acid levels, and morbidity did not differ among groups.
We reported previously that infants who were fed an unsupplemented formula or one with DHA or with both DHA and ARA through 12 months or were breastfed showed no differences in mental and motor development, but those who were fed DHA without ARA had lower vocabulary scores on a standardized, parent-report instrument at 14 months of age when compared with infants who were fed the unsupplemented formula or who were breastfed. When the infants were reassessed at 39 months using age-appropriate tests of receptive and expressive language as well as IQ, visual-motor function and visual acuity, no differences among the formula groups or between the formula and breastfed groups were found. The 14-month observation thus may have been a transient effect of DHA (without ARA) supplementation on early vocabulary development or may have occurred by chance. The absence of differences in growth achievement adds to the evidence that DHA with or without ARA supports normal growth in full-term infants. In conclusion, adding both DHA and ARA when supplementing infant formulas with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids supports visual and cognitive development through 39 months.
Context. A planet transiting in front of the disk of its parent star offers the opportunity to study the compositional properties of its atmosphere by means of the analysis of the stellar light that ...is filtered by the planetary atmospheric layers. Several studies have so far placed useful constraints on planetary atmospheric properties with this technique, and for the case of HD 209458b even the radial velocity of the planet during the transit event has been reconstructed. This opens up a new range of possibilities. Aims: In this contribution we highlight the importance to account for the orbital eccentricity and the longitude of periastron of the planetary orbit to accurately interpret the measured planetary radial velocity during the transit. Methods: We calculate the radial velocity of a transiting planet in an eccentric orbit. Results: Given the higher orbital speed of planets with respect to their stellar companions, even small eccentricities can result in detectable blue or redshift radial velocity offsets during the transit with respect to the systemic velocity, the exact value of which also depends on the longitude of the periastron of the planetary orbit. For a hot-jupiter planet, an eccentricity of only e = 0.01 can produce a radial velocity offset on the order of the km s-1. Conclusions: We propose an alternative interpretation of the recently claimed radial velocity blueshift (~ 2 km s-1) of the planetary spectral lines of HD 209458b, which implies that the orbit of this system is not exactly circular. In this case, the longitude of the periastron of the stellar orbit is most likely confined in the first quadrant (and that of the planet in the third quadrant). We highlight that transmission spectroscopy allows us not only to study the compositional properties of planetary atmospheres, but also to refine planetary orbital parameters, and that any conclusion regarding the presence of windflows on planetary surfaces coming from transmission spectroscopy measurements requires precisely known orbital parameters from RV.
Context. A planet transiting in front of the disk of its parent star offers the opportunity to study the compositional properties of its atmosphere by means of the analysis of the stellar light that ...is filtered by the planetary atmospheric layers. Several studies have so far placed useful constraints on planetary atmospheric properties with this technique, and for the case of HD 209458b even the radial velocity of the planet during the transit event has been reconstructed. This opens up a new range of possibilities. Aims. In this contribution we highlight the importance to account for the orbital eccentricity and the longitude of periastron of the planetary orbit to accurately interpret the measured planetary radial velocity during the transit. Methods. We calculate the radial velocity of a transiting planet in an eccentric orbit. Results. Given the higher orbital speed of planets with respect to their stellar companions, even small eccentricities can result in detectable blue or redshift radial velocity offsets during the transit with respect to the systemic velocity, the exact value of which also depends on the longitude of the periastron of the planetary orbit. For a hot-jupiter planet, an eccentricity of only e = 0.01 can produce a radial velocity offset on the order of the km s-1. Conclusions. We propose an alternative interpretation of the recently claimed radial velocity blueshift (~ 2 km s-1) of the planetary spectral lines of HD 209458b, which implies that the orbit of this system is not exactly circular. In this case, the longitude of the periastron of the stellar orbit is most likely confined in the first quadrant (and that of the planet in the third quadrant). We highlight that transmission spectroscopy allows us not only to study the compositional properties of planetary atmospheres, but also to refine planetary orbital parameters, and that any conclusion regarding the presence of windflows on planetary surfaces coming from transmission spectroscopy measurements requires precisely known orbital parameters from RV.
Aims. This work presents the first high-precision variability survey in the field of the intermediate-age, metal-rich open cluster NGC 6253. Clusters of this type are benchmarks for stellar evolution ...models. Methods. Continuous photometric monitoring of the cluster and its surrounding field was performed over a time span of ten nights using the Wide Field Imager mounted at the ESO-MPI 2.2 m telescope. High-quality timeseries, each composed of about 800 datapoints, were obtained for 250 000 stars using ISIS and DAOPHOT packages. Candidate members were selected by using the colour-magnitude diagrams and period-luminosity-colour relations. Membership probabilities based on the proper motions were also used. The membership of all the variables discovered within a radius of 8´ from the centre is discussed by comparing the incidence of the classes in the cluster direction and in the surrounding field. Results. We discovered 595 variables and we also characterized most of them providing their variability classes, periods, and amplitudes. The sample is complete for short periods: we classified 20 pulsating variables, 225 contact systems, 99 eclipsing systems (22 β Lyr type, 59 β Per type, 18 RS CVn type), and 77 rotational variables. The time-baseline hampered the precise characterization of 173 variables with periods longer than 4-5 days. Moreover, we found a cataclysmic system undergoing an outburst of about 2.5 mag. We propose a list of 35 variable stars as probable members of NGC 6253.
Several nitrofurans and nitroimidazoles have been widely used in veterinary medicine. Some of these compounds are breast carcinogens in rodents and their mechanism of action is hypothesized to be ...related to reactive metabolites generated by nitroreduction and/or via oxygen-dependent redox cycling. The present work describes the nitroreductive metabolism of nitrofurazone, nitrofurantoin, furazolidone, and metronidazole by the cytosolic and microsomal fractions of mammary tissue from female Sprague–Dawley rats. The data obtained were compared with those obtained with nifurtimox and benznidazole, two well-known rodent carcinogen/mutagens nitroheterocycles. The nitroreductase activity of pure milk xanthine-oxidoreductase (XOR) was evaluated for screening purposes. All the nitrofurans were nitroreduced either by the pure XOR or the cytosolic fraction in the presence of hypoxanthine, and these activities were inhibited by allopurinol. Furthermore, they were nitroreduced by the microsomal fraction in the presence of NADPH, except for the nitrofurazone, suggesting the participation of cytochrome P450 reductase. Nitrofurans metabolism was significantly more intense than that of NFX. No equivalent nitroreductase activity was observed in either subcellular fraction using nitroimidazolic compounds as substrates. These results suggest that the nitroreductive metabolism of nitrofurans and the subsequent redox cycling might be involved in the associated mammary tissue carcinogenic effects.
Context.Searching for planets in open clusters allows us to study the effects of dynamical environment on planet formation and evolution. Aims.Considering the strong dependence of planet frequency on ...stellar metallicity, we studied the metal rich old open cluster NGC 6791 and searched for close-in planets using the transit technique. Methods.A ten-night observational campaign was performed using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (3.6 m), the San Pedro Mártir telescope (2.1 m), and the Loiano telescope (1.5 m). To increase the transit detection probability we also made use of the Bruntt et al. (2003, A&A, 410, 323) eight-nights observational campaign. Adequate photometric precision for the detection of planetary transits was achieved. Results. Should the frequency and properties of close-in planets in NGC 6791 be similar to those orbiting field stars of similar metallicity, then detailed simulations foresee the presence of 2–3 transiting planets. Instead, we do not confirm the transit candidates proposed by Bruntt et al. (2003, A&A, 410, 323). The probability that the null detection is simply due to chance coincidence is estimated to be 3%–10%, depending on the metallicity assumed for the cluster. Conclusions.Possible explanations of the null-detection of transits include: (i) a lower frequency of close-in planets in star clusters; (ii) a smaller planetary radius for planets orbiting super metal rich stars; or (iii) limitations in the basic assumptions. More extensive photometry with 3–4 m class telescopes is required to allow conclusive inferences about the frequency of planets in NGC 6791.
Context. We present a photometric and astrometric catalog of 187 963 stars located in the field around the old super-metal-rich Galactic open cluster NGC 6253. The total field-of-view covered by the ...catalog is 34”$\times$33”. In this field, we provide CCD BVRI photometry. For a smaller region close to the cluster's center, we also provide near-infrared JHK photometry. Aims. We analyze the properties of NGC 6253 by using our new photometric data and astrometric membership. Methods. In June 2004, we targeted the cluster during a 10 day multi-site campaign, which involved the MPG/ESO 2.2 m telescope with its wide-field imager and the Anglo-Australian 3.9 m telescope, equipped with the IRIS2 near-infrared imager. Archival CCD images of NGC 6253 were used to derive relative proper motions and to calculate the cluster membership probabilities. Results. We have refined the cluster's fundamental parameters, deriving $(V_0-M_v)=11.15$, $ E(B - V) = 0.15$, $E(V - I) = 0.25$, $E(V - J) = 0.50$, and $E(V - H) = 0.55$. The color excess ratios obtained using both the optical and near infrared colors indicate a normal reddening law in the direction of NGC 6253. The age of NGC 6253 at 3.5 Gyr, determined from our best-fitting isochrone appears to be slightly older than the previous estimates. Finally, we estimated the binary fraction among the cluster members to be ~20%-30% and identified 11 blue straggler candidates.
Context. Precise stellar parameters are crucial in exoplanet research for correctly determining the planetary parameters. For stars hosting a transiting planet, determining the planetary mass and ...radius depends on the stellar mass and radius, which in turn depend on the atmospheric stellar parameters. Different methods can provide different results, which leads to different planet characteristics. Aims. In this paper, we use a uniform method to spectroscopically derive stellar atmospheric parameters, chemical abundances, stellar masses, and stellar radii for a sample of 90 transit hosts. Surface gravities are also derived photometrically using the stellar density as derived from the light curve. We study the effect of using these different surface gravities on the determination of the chemical abundances and the stellar mass and radius. Methods. A spectroscopic analysis based on Kurucz models in local thermodynamical equilibrium was performed through the MOOG code to derive the atmospheric parameters and the chemical abundances. The photometric surface gravity was determined through isochrone fitting and the use of the stellar density, directly determined from the light curve. Stellar masses and radii are determined through calibration formulae. Results. Spectroscopic and photometric surface gravities differ, but this has very little effect on the precise determination of the stellar mass in our spectroscopic analysis. The stellar radius, and hence the planetary radius, is most affected by the surface gravity discrepancies. For the chemical abundances, the difference is, as expected, only noticable for the abundances derived from analyzing lines of ionized species.
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