Therapeutic vaccination with Copaxone (glatiramer acetate, Cop-1) protects motor neurons against acute and chronic degenerative conditions. In acute degeneration after facial nerve axotomy, the ...number of surviving motor neurons was almost two times higher in Cop-1-vaccinated mice than in nonvaccinated mice, or in mice injected with PBS emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant (P < 0.05). In mice that express the mutant human gene Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase G93A (SOD1), and therefore simulate the chronic human motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Cop-1 vaccination prolonged life span compared to untreated matched controls, from 211 ± 7 days (n = 15) to 263 ± 8 days (n = 14; P < 0.0001). Our studies show that vaccination significantly improved motor activity. In line with the experimentally based concept of protective autoimmunity, these findings suggest that Cop-1 vaccination boosts the local immune response needed to combat destructive self-compounds associated with motor neuron death. Its differential action in CNS autoimmune diseases and neurodegenerative disorders, depending on the regimen used, allows its use as a therapy for either condition. Daily administration of Cop-1 is an approved treatment for multiple sclerosis. The protocol for non-autoimmune neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, remains to be established by future studies.
Aim:
The present clinical study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of 5 types of mouthwash based on different active substances.
Materials and methods:
The study included 180 patients divided ...into 6 groups of 30 patients, each group rinsing with one of the following types of mouthwash based on: essential oils, combination of essential oils and 0.12% chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide (0.8%), prebiotic, 0.2% chlorhexidine, and placebo. All participants underwent professional mechanical plaque removal after which they were instructed to rinse with 15 ml mouthwash 2 times a day for 21 days. During the study period, patients were monitored at days 0, 14, and 21, examining oral hygiene index, gingival index, bleeding index, and presence of side effects.
Results:
Gingival index, bleeding index, and oral hygiene index were reduced statistically significantly in all treatment groups. Adjunctive use of mouthwashes demonstrated better clinical effectiveness compared to mechanical plaque control (and placebo mouthwash). The gingival index and the plaque index were reduced most significantly in the group using mouthwash with hydrogen peroxide. The bleeding index decrease was most significant in the group using 0.2% chlorhexidine.
Conclusions:
All tested mouthwashes demonstrated significant clinical effectiveness in different degrees in gingivitis treatment. New formulas with prebiotic and combination of essential oils and chlorhexidine indicate promising effectiveness.
Context. Asteroid spectroscopy reflects surface mineralogy. There are a few thousand asteroids whose surfaces have been observed spectrally. Determining their surface properties is important for many ...practical and scientific applications, such as developing impact deflection strategies or studying the history and evolution of the solar system and planet formation. Aims. The aim of this study is to develop a preselection method that can be used to search for asteroids of any taxonomic complex. The method could then be utilized in multiple applications, such as searching for the missing V-types or looking for primitive asteroids. Methods. We used the Bayes Naive Classifier combined with observations obtained in the course of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer surveys, as well as a database of asteroid phase curves for asteroids with a known taxonomic type. With this new classification method, we selected a number of possible V-type candidates. Some of the candidates were then spectrally observed at the Nordic Optical Telescope and South African Large Telescope. Results. We developed and tested the new preselection method. We found three asteroids in the mid-to-outer main belt that probably have differentiated types. Near-infrared observations are still required to confirm this discovery. As in other studies we found that V-type candidates cluster around the Vesta family and are rare in the mid-to-outer main belt. Conclusions. The new method shows that even largely explored large databases when combined could still be exploited further in, for example, solving the missing dunite problem.
We report the detection of high-velocity components in the wings of Hα emission line in spectra of symbiotic binary star St 2-22 obtained in 2005. This finding encouraged us to start the present ...investigation in order to show that this poorly-studied object is a jet-producing system. We have used high-resolution optical and low-resolution near-infrared spectra, as well as available optical and infrared photometry, to evaluate some physical parameters of the St 2-22 components and characteristics of the jets. We confirm that St 2-22 is a S-type symbiotic star. Our results demonstrate that an unnoticed outburst, similar to those in classical symbiotic systems, occurred in the first half of 2005. During the outburst, collimated bipolar jets were ejected by the hot component of St 2-22 with an average velocity of about 1700 km/s.
Context. V838 Mon erupted at the beginning of 2002. In the course of the outburst the object evolved to low effective temperatures and declined as a very late M-type supergiant. Among various ...scenarios proposed to explain the nature of the outburst, the most promising is a stellar merger event. Aims. We aim at studying the structure and evolution of the object in the decline from the 2002 eruption. Methods. We obtained spectroscopic observations of V838 Mon in January − March 2009 with UVES/VLT. The results are analysed and compared with similar observations obtained in October 2005 with HIRES/Keck. Results. The most striking difference between 2009 and 2005 is a complete absence of the B3 V component and of the FeII emission lines in 2009. The present spectrum displays only the spectrum of the 2002 eruption remnant. It resembles that of an ~M6 giant, although the molecular bands in V838 Mon are deeper than those in standard stellar spectra of a similar spectral class. Several atomic lines, which displayed P-Cyg profiles in 2005, are now dominated by pure absorptions. Some of these lines, however, show a narrow emission component, which, as we argue, measures the radial velocity of V838 Mon. The resulting heliocentric velocity is 71 km s-1, which very well agrees with the velocity obtained from SiO maser observations. The atomic lines and the molecular bands show very complex kinematics. In some atomic lines and high-excitation molecular bands we observe matter infalling in the object atmosphere. The infall components were already observed in 2005, but were less pronounced and present in fewer lines than in 2009. We argue that the most negative radial velocity components seen in the resonance atomic lines and in the low-excitation molecular bands were formed in the ejecta of the 2002 eruption. The B3 V companion most probably became engulfed in an opaque dusty matter of the 2002 V838 Mon ejecta.
We analyse optical photometric data of short term variability (flickering) of accreting white dwarfs in cataclysmic variables (KR Aur, MV Lyr, V794 Aql, TT Ari, V425 Cas), recurrent novae (RS Oph and ...T CrB) and jet-ejecting symbiotic stars (CH Cyg and MWC 560). We find that the amplitude–flux relationship is visible over four orders of magnitude, in the range of fluxes from 1029 to 1033 erg s−1 Å−1, as a ‘statistically perfect correlation with correlation coefficient 0.96 and p-value ∼10−28. In the above range, the amplitude of variability for any of our 9 objects is proportional to the flux level with (almost) one and the same factor of proportionality for all nine accreting white dwarfs with ΔF = 0.36(±0.05)Fav, σrms = 0.086(±0.011)Fav, and σrms/ΔF = 0.24 ± 0.02. Overall, our results indicate that the viscosity in the accretion discs is practically the same for all nine objects in our sample, in the mass accretion rate range 2 × 10−11 − 2 × 10−7 M⊙ yr−1.
We present the first spectroscopic study of an eclipsing system GT UMa. Our spectra show that the main visual component A is a triple-lined star, which consists of a close eclipsing pair and a ...farther third component. Radial velocity measurements show evidence of reflex motion. We used Hipparcos and our own R-band light curves for the analysis. These results enabled us to calculate absolute parameters of the eclipsing binary system: 1.37 M⊙ and 1.31 M⊙ and corresponding radii 2.11 R⊙ and 1.63 R⊙. Both eclipsing components are evolved. The orbital period of the eclipsing subsystem is 1.2 d and the semi-major axis - 6.5 R⊙. The wide orbit has low radial velocity amplitude and its parameters are difficult to determine. We obtained a preliminary solution which must be confirmed with future observations. The preliminary period of the wide orbit is 394 d and the lower limit for the semi-major axis - 174 R⊙ (0.81 a.u.). We estimated the mass of the third body to about 1.1 M⊙. Additionally, we investigated the visual companion B. We obtained spectra of this star and measured the radial velocity which is very close to the one of the component A. The proper motions and the parallax are also similar. These are strong arguments that component B is gravitationally bound with the main triple system A.
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