The US government currently spends significant resources managing the legacies of the Cold War, including 300 million liters of highly radioactive wastes stored in hundreds of tanks at the Hanford ...(WA) and Savannah River (SC) sites. The materials in these tanks consist of highly radioactive slurries and sludges at very high pH and salt concentrations. The solid particles primarily consist of aluminum hydroxides and oxyhydroxides (gibbsite and boehmite), although many other materials are present. These form complex aggregates that dramatically affect the rheology of the solutions and, therefore, efforts to recover and treat these wastes. In this paper, we have used a combination of transmission and cryo-transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and X-ray and neutron small and ultrasmall-angle scattering to study the aggregation of synthetic nanoboehmite particles at pH 9 (approximately the point of zero charge) and 12, and sodium nitrate and calcium nitrate concentrations up to 1 m. Although the initial particles form individual rhombohedral platelets, once placed in solution they quickly form well-bonded stacks, primary aggregates, up to ∼1500 Å long. These are more prevalent at pH = 12. Addition of calcium nitrate or sodium nitrate has a similar effect as lowering pH, but approximately 100 times less calcium than sodium is needed to observe this effect. These aggregates have fractal dimension between 2.5 and 2.6 that are relatively unaffected by salt concentration for calcium nitrate at high pH. Larger aggregates (>∼4000 Å) are also formed, but their size distributions are discrete rather than continuous. The fractal dimensions of these aggregates are strongly pH-dependent, but only become dependent on solute at high concentrations.
ABSTRACT
We report the results of long-term reverberation mapping campaigns of the nearby active galactic nuclei (AGNs) NGC 4151, spanning from 1994 to 2022, based on archived observations of the ...FAST Spectrograph Publicly Archived Programs and our new observations with the 2.3 m telescope at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory. We reduce and calibrate all the spectra in a consistent way, and derive light curves of the broad H β line and 5100 Å continuum. Continuum light curves are also constructed using public archival photometric data to increase sampling cadences. We subtract the host galaxy contamination using Hubble Space Telescope imaging to correct fluxes of the calibrated light curves. Utilizing the long-term archival photometric data, we complete the absolute flux-calibration of the AGN continuum. We find that the H β time delays are correlated with the 5100 Å luminosities as $\tau _{\rm H\beta }\propto L_{5100}^{0.46\pm 0.16}$. This is remarkably consistent with Bentz et al. (2013)’s global size–luminosity relationship of AGNs. Moreover, the data sets for five of the seasons allow us to obtain the velocity-resolved delays of the H β line, showing diverse structures (outflows, inflows, and discs). Combining our results with previous independent measurements, we find the measured dynamics of the H β broad-line region (BLR) are possibly related to the long-term trend of the luminosity. There is also a possible additional ∼1.86 yr time lag between the variation in BLR radius and luminosity. These results suggest that dynamical changes in the BLR may be driven by the effects of radiation pressure.
Lipoxygenases are mononuclear non-heme iron enzymes that regio- and stereospecifcally convert 1,4-pentadiene subunit-containing fatty acids into alkyl peroxides. The rate-determining step is ...generally accepted to be hydrogen atom abstraction from the pentadiene subunit of the substrate by an active ferric hydroxide species to give a ferrous water species and an organic radical. Reported here are the synthesis and characterization of a ferric model complex, FeIII(PY5)(OMe)(OTf)2, that reacts with organic substrates in a manner similar to the proposed enzymatic mechanism. The ligand PY5 (2,6-bis(bis(2-pyridyl)methoxymethane)pyridine) was developed to simulate the histidine-dominated coordination sphere of mammalian lipoxygenases. The overall monoanionic coordination provided by the endogenous ligands of lipoxygenase confers a strong Lewis acidic character to the active ferric site with an accordingly positive reduction potential. Incorporation of ferrous iron into PY5 and subsequent oxidation yields a stable ferric methoxide species that structurally and chemically resembles the proposed enzymatic ferric hydroxide species. Reactivity with a number of hydrocarbons possessing weak C−H bonds, including a derivative of the enzymatic substrate linoleic acid, scales best with the substrates' bond dissociation energies, rather than pK a's, suggesting a hydrogen atom abstraction mechanism. Thermodynamic analysis of FeIII(PY5)(OMe)(OTf)2 and the ferrous end-product FeII(PY5)(MeOH)(OTf)2 estimates the strength of the O−H bond in the metal bound methanol in the latter to be 83.5 ± 2.0 kcal mol-1. The attenuation of this bond relative to free methanol is largely due to the high reduction potential of the ferric site, suggesting that the analogously high reduction potential of the ferric site in LO is what allows the enzyme to perform its unique oxidation chemistry. Comparison of FeIII(PY5)(OMe)(OTf)2 to other coordination complexes capable of hydrogen atom abstraction shows that, although a strong correlation exists between the thermodynamic driving force of reaction and the rate of reaction, other factors appear to further modulate the reactivity.
To determine the efficacy and safety of the neurokinin type 1 receptor antagonist CJ-11,974 for the control of high-dose cisplatin-induced emesis.
A double-blind, randomized, phase II design with a ...group sequential stopping rule was used in this study. Sixty-one patients with cancer who were receiving cisplatin at a dose of at least 100 mg/m2 for the first time were enrolled. All patients received granisetron 10 microg/kg and dexamethasone 20 mg intravenously 30 minutes before they were given cisplatin. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: group 1 received CJ-11,974 100 mg, and group 2 received placebo orally 30 minutes before and 12 hours after cisplatin and then twice daily on days 2 through 5 after cisplatin. The primary end point was the percentage of patients who developed delayed emesis (emesis on the second to fifth days after cisplatin).
Thirty patients were enrolled in group 1, and 31 patients were enrolled in group 2. Fifty-eight patients were assessable for efficacy. Complete control of emesis (expressed as the percentage of patients who had no emesis) was as follows: day 1, 85.7% (group 1) and 66.7% (group 2) (P = .090); days 2 through 5, 67.8% (group 1) and 36.6% (group 2) (P = .0425, adjusted); days 1 through 5, 64.3% (group 1) and 30% (group 2) (P = .009). Patients in group 1 experienced significantly less nausea than patients in group 2 on day 1 (P = .024). Treatment was well tolerated in both groups.
We conclude from this exploratory phase II trial that CJ-11,974 is superior to placebo in controlling cisplatin-induced delayed emesis and may provide additive benefit in acute emesis and nausea control when combined with a 5-hydroxytryptamine-3 receptor antagonist and dexamethasone. Additional larger trials are indicated to confirm the clinical value of CJ-11,974.
Whether the genomic rearrangement transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2):v-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog (ERG) has prognostic value in prostate cancer is unclear.
Among men with ...prostate cancer in the prospective Physicians' Health and Health Professionals Follow-Up Studies, we identified rearrangement status by immunohistochemical assessment of ERG protein expression. We used Cox models to examine associations of ERG overexpression with biochemical recurrence and lethal disease (distant metastases or cancer-specific mortality). In a meta-analysis including 47 additional studies, we used random-effects models to estimate associations between rearrangement status and outcomes.
The cohort consisted of 1,180 men treated with radical prostatectomy between 1983 and 2005. During a median follow-up of 12.6 years, 266 men experienced recurrence and 85 men developed lethal disease. We found no significant association between ERG overexpression and biochemical recurrence hazard ratio (HR), 0.99; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.78-1.26 or lethal disease (HR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.61-1.43). The meta-analysis of prostatectomy series included 5,074 men followed for biochemical recurrence (1,623 events), and 2,049 men followed for lethal disease (131 events). TMPRSS2:ERG was associated with stage at diagnosis risk ratio (RR)(≥T3 vs. T2), 1.23; 95% CI, 1.16-1.30) but not with biochemical recurrence (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.86-1.17) or lethal disease (RR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.47-2.09).
These results suggest that TMPRSS2:ERG, or ERG overexpression, is associated with tumor stage but does not strongly predict recurrence or mortality among men treated with radical prostatectomy.
This is the largest prospective cohort study to examine associations of ERG overexpression and lethal prostate cancer among men treated with radical prostatectomy.
New and Interesting Fungi. 3 Crous, P.W.; Wingfield, M.J.; Schumacher, R.K. ...
Fungal Systematics and Evolution,
12/2020, Letnik:
6, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Seven new genera, 26 new species, 10 new combinations, two epitypes, one new name, and 20 interesting new host and / or geographical records are introduced in this study. New genera are: Italiofungus ...(based on Italiofungus phillyreae) on leaves of Phillyrea latifolia
(Italy); Neolamproconium (based on Neolamproconium silvestre) on branch of Tilia sp. (Ukraine); Neosorocybe (based on Neosorocybe pini) on trunk of Pinus sylvestris (Ukraine); Nothoseptoria (based on Nothoseptoria caraganae) on leaves
of Caragana arborescens (Russia); Pruniphilomyces (based on Pruniphilomyces circumscissus) on Prunus cerasus (Russia); Vesiculozygosporium (based on Vesiculozygosporium echinosporum) on leaves of Muntingia calabura (Malaysia); Longiseptatispora
(based on Longiseptatispora curvata) on leaves of Lonicera tatarica (Russia). New species are: Barrmaelia serenoae on leaf of Serenoa repens (USA); Chaetopsina gautengina on leaves of unidentified grass (South Africa); Chloridium pini on fallen trunk
of Pinus sylvestris (Ukraine); Cadophora fallopiae on stems of Reynoutria sachalinensis (Poland); Coleophoma eucalyptigena on leaf litter of Eucalyptus sp. (Spain); Cylindrium corymbiae on leaves of Corymbia maculata (Australia); Diaporthe
tarchonanthi on leaves of Tarchonanthus littoralis (South Africa); Elsinoe eucalyptorum on leaves of Eucalyptus propinqua (Australia); Exophiala quercina on dead wood of Quercus sp., (Germany); Fusarium californicum on cambium of budwood of
Prunus dulcis (USA); Hypomyces gamsii on wood of Alnus glutinosa (Ukraine); Kalmusia araucariae on leaves of Araucaria bidwillii (USA); Lectera sambuci on leaves of Sambucus nigra (Russia); Melanomma populicola on fallen twig of Populus
canadensis (Netherlands), Neocladosporium syringae on branches of Syringa vulgarishorus (Ukraine); Paraconiothyrium iridis on leaves of Iris pseudacorus (Ukraine); Pararoussoella quercina on branch of Quercus robur (Ukraine); Phialemonium
pulveris from bore dust of deathwatch beetle (France); Polyscytalum pinicola on needles of Pinus tecunumanii (Malaysia); Acervuloseptoria fraxini on Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Russia); Roussoella arundinacea on culms of Arundo donax (Spain);
Sphaerulina neoaceris on leaves of Acer negundo (Russia); Sphaerulina salicicola on leaves of Salix fragilis (Russia); Trichomerium syzygii on leaves of Syzygium cordatum (South Africa); Uzbekistanica vitis-viniferae on dead stem of Vitis
vinifera (Ukraine); Vermiculariopsiella eucalyptigena on leaves of Eucalyptus sp. (Australia).
TMPRSS2:ERG is a hormonally regulated gene fusion present in about half of prostate tumors. We investigated whether obesity, which deregulates several hormonal pathways, interacts with TMPRSS2:ERG to ...impact prostate cancer outcomes.
The study included 1243 participants in the prospective Physicians' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1982 and 2005. ERG overexpression (a TMPRSS2:ERG marker) was assessed by immunohistochemistry of tumor tissue from radical prostatectomy or transurethral resection of the prostate. Body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, measured on average 1.3 years and 5.3 years before diagnosis, respectively, were available from questionnaires. Data on BMI at baseline was also available. We used Cox regression to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). All statistical tests were two-sided.
During a mean follow-up of 12.8 years, 119 men developed lethal disease (distant metastases or prostate cancer death). Among men with ERG-positive tumors, the multivariable hazard ratio for lethal prostate cancer was 1.48 (95% CI = 0.98 to 2.23) per 5-unit increase in BMI before diagnosis, 2.51 (95% CI = 1.26 to 4.99) per 8-inch increase in waist circumference before diagnosis, and 2.22 (95% CI = 1.35 to 3.63) per 5-unit increase in BMI at baseline. The corresponding hazard ratios among men with ERG-negative tumors were 1.10 (95% CI = 0.76 to1.59; P interaction = .24), 1.14 (95% CI = 0.62 to 2.10; P interaction = .09), and 0.78 (95% CI = 0.52 to 1.19; P interaction = .001).
These results suggest that obesity is linked with poorer prostate cancer prognosis primarily in men with tumors harboring the gene fusion TMPRSS2:ERG.
An AOAC/IUPAC collaborative study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifunctional column for the determination of aflatoxins. The test portion is extracted with acetonitrile-water (9 ...+ 1), the extract is filtered, and the filtrate is passed through the column. The aflatoxins in the eluate are determined by reversed-phase liquid chromatography after derivatization with trifluoroacetic acid. Naturally contaminated corn, almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts, and pistachio nuts spiked with total aflatoxins at 5, 10, 20, and 30 ng/g were sent to 12 collaborators in the United States, Denmark, France, Japan, and Switzerland. Eleven collaborators completed the study. Average recoveries of total aflatoxins for each spike level for the various commodities (excluding Brazil nuts at 5 ng/g) were 93, 97, 95, and 95%, respectively; the repeatability relative standard deviation (RSDr) ranged from 6.0 to 23.2% and the reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSDR) ranged from 12.0 to 69.4%. The multifunctional column coupled with a liquid chromatographic method for determination of aflatoxins in corn, almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts, and pistachio nuts has been adopted first action by AOAC INTERNATIONAL.
The proto-oncogene
is implicated in prostate cancer progression. Whether MYC tumor expression at the protein or mRNA level is associated with poorer prognosis has not been well studied.
We conducted ...a cohort study including 634 men from the Physicians' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study treated with radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in 1983-2004 and followed up for a median of 13.7 years. MYC protein expression was evaluated using IHC, and we used Cox regression to calculate HRs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of its association with lethal prostate cancer (distant metastases/prostate cancer-related death). We assessed the association between MYC mRNA expression and lethal prostate cancer in a case-control study, including 113 lethal cases and 291 indolent controls.
MYC nuclear protein expression was present in 97% of tumors. MYC protein expression was positively correlated with tumor proliferation rate (
= 0.37;
< 0.001) and negatively correlated with apoptotic count (
= -0.17;
< 0.001). There were no significant associations between MYC protein expression and stage, grade, or PSA level at diagnosis. The multivariable HR for lethal prostate cancer among men in the top versus bottom quartile of MYC protein expression was 1.09 (95% CI, 0.50-2.35). There was no significant association between MYC mRNA expression and lethal prostate cancer.
Neither MYC protein overexpression nor MYC mRNA overexpression are strong prognostic markers in men treated with radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer.
This is the largest study to examine the prognostic role of MYC protein and mRNA expression in prostate cancer.
.