Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neuromuscular disease characterized by severe muscle weakness mainly due to degeneration and death of motor neurons. A peculiarity of the ...neurodegenerative processes is the variable susceptibility among distinct neuronal populations, exemplified by the contrasting resilience of motor neurons innervating the ocular motor system and the more vulnerable facial and hypoglossal motor neurons. The crucial role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a neuroprotective factor in the nervous system is well-established since a deficit of VEGF has been related to motoneuronal degeneration. In this study, we investigated the survival of ocular, facial, and hypoglossal motor neurons utilizing the murine SOD1G93A ALS model at various stages of the disease. Our primary objective was to determine whether the survival of the different brainstem motor neurons was linked to disparate VEGF expression levels in resilient and susceptible motor neurons throughout neurodegeneration. Our findings revealed a selective loss of motor neurons exclusively within the vulnerable nuclei. Furthermore, a significantly higher level of VEGF was detected in the more resistant motor neurons, the extraocular ones. We also examined whether TDP-43 dynamics in the brainstem motor neuron of SOD mice was altered. Our data suggests that the increased VEGF levels observed in extraocular motor neurons may potentially underlie their resistance during the neurodegenerative processes in ALS in a TDP-43-independent manner. Our work might help to better understand the underlying mechanisms of selective vulnerability of motor neurons in ALS.
Display omitted
Based on the full BABAR data sample, we report improved measurements of the ratios R(D(*))=B(B̄→D(*)τ⁻ν¯τ)/B(B̄→D(*)ll¯ν¯l), where l is either e or μ. These ratios are sensitive to new physics ...contributions in the form of a charged Higgs boson. We measure R(D)=0.440±0.058±0.042 and R(D*)=0.332±0.024±0.018, which exceed the standard model expectations by 2.0σ and 2.7σ, respectively. Taken together, our results disagree with these expectations at the 3.4σ level. This excess cannot be explained by a charged Higgs boson in the type II two-Higgs-doublet model.
A precise measurement of the cross section of the process $e^+e^-\to\pi^+\pi^-(\gamma)$ from threshold to an energy of 3GeV is obtained with the initial-state radiation (ISR) method using $232\invfb$ ...of data collected with the BaBar detector at $e^+e^-$ center-of-mass energies near 10.6GeV. The ISR luminosity is determined from a study of the leptonic process $e^+e^-\to\mu^+\mu^-(\gamma)\gamma_{\rm ISR}$, which is found to agree with the next-to-leading-order QED prediction to within 1.1%. The cross section for the process $e^+e^-\to\pi^+\pi^-(\gamma)$ is obtained with a systematic uncertainty of 0.5% in the dominant $\rho$ resonance region. The leading-order hadronic contribution to the muon magnetic anomaly calculated using the measured $\pi\pi$ cross section from threshold to 1.8GeV is $(514.1 \pm 2.2({\rm stat}) \pm 3.1({\rm syst}))\times 10^{-10}$.
New copper complexes have been prepared from benzilbisthiosemicarbazone (L
1H
6) and from the cyclic 6-methoxi-1,6-diphenyl-4-thio-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2,3,5-triazine (L
2H
2). The complexes were ...characterized by mass spectrometry, IR, electronic and electron paramagnetic resonance spectra. Complexes from L
1H
6 (
1–
5) present 1:1 stoichiometry and show different characteristics with a variable grade of deprotonation in the ligand, depending on the salt used (chloride, nitrate or sulfate) and the presence of acid in the medium. A macrocyclic Schiff base, 3,4,9,10-tetraphenyl-1,2,5,6,8,11-hexaazacyclododeca-7,12-dithione-3,4,9,10-tetraene (L
3H
2), containing thiosemicarbazone moieties is readily prepared and characterized for the first time, with fairly good yield, from the mesocycle (L
2H
2) in methanol with copper chloride as template. Near quantitative synthesis of the precursor, L
2H
2, which is a potential chemotherapeutic agent against cancer, has been achieved by reacting benzil and thiosemicarbazide in the absence of metal salt and using a high dilution technique. Macrocyclic complexes
6 and
7 containing thiosemicarbazone moieties were obtained from L
2H
2 and copper nitrate and sulfate. Direct reaction between the copper salt and the macrocyclic thiosemicarbazone (L
3H
2) gave similar complexes but with a lower grade of purity. Macrocyclic complexes
6 and
7 present metal–ligand ratios of 1:2 and 1:1 and the ligand is in a deprotonated form. The redox behaviour was explored by cyclic voltammetry. L
1H
6 complexes show Cu(II)/Cu(I) couples and quasireversible waves associated with the Cu(III)/Cu(II) process. The reduction/oxidation potential depends on the structure and conformation of the central atom in the coordination compounds.
We use 429 fb$^{-1}$ of $e^+e^-$ collision data collected at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance with the BABAR detector to measure the radiative transition rate of $b\rightarrow s\gamma$ with a sum of 38 ...exclusive final states. The inclusive branching fraction with a minimum photon energy of 1.9 GeV is found to be $\mathcal{B}(\bar B \rightarrow X_{s}\gamma)=(3.29\pm 0.19\pm 0.48)\times 10^{-4}$ where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. We also measure the first and second moments of the photon energy spectrum and extract the best fit values for the heavy-quark parameters, $m_{b}$ and $\mu_{\pi}^{2}$, in the kinetic and shape function models.
We present a search for the decay B + → τ + ν using 467.8 × 10 6 B ¯¯¯ B pairs collected at the Υ ( 4 S ) resonance with the BABAR detector at the SLAC PEP-II B -Factory. We select a sample of events ...with one completely reconstructed B − in the hadronic decay mode ( B − → D ( * ) 0 X − and B − → J / ψ X − ). We examine the rest of the event to search for a B + → τ + ν decay. We identify the τ + lepton in the following modes: τ + → e + ν ¯ ν , τ + → μ + ν ¯ ν , τ + → π + ¯ ν and τ + → ρ + ¯ ν . We find an excess of events with respect to the expected background, which excludes the null signal hypothesis at the level of 3.8 σ (including systematic uncertainties) and corresponds to a branching fraction value of B ( B + → τ + ν ) = ( 1.83 + 0.53 − 0.49 ( stat ) ± 0.24 ( syst ) ) × 10 − 4 .
We describe a measurement of the time-integrated luminosity of the data collected by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+e- collider at the Upsilon(4S), Upsilon(3S), and ...Upsilon(2S) resonances and in a continuum region below each resonance. We measure the time-integrated luminosity by counting e+e- --> e+e- and (for the Upsilon(4S) only) e+e- --> mu+mu- candidate events, allowing additional photons in the final state. We use data-corrected simulation to determine the cross sections and reconstruction efficiencies for these processes, as well as the major backgrounds. Due to the large cross sections of e+e- --> e+e- and +e- --> mu+mu-, the statistical uncertainties of the measurement are substantially smaller than the systematic uncertainties. The dominant systematic uncertainties are due to observed differences between data and simulation, as well as uncertainties on the cross sections. For data collected on the Upsilon(3S) and Upsilon(2S) resonances, an additional uncertainty arises due to Upsilon --> e+e- background. For data collected off the Upsilon resonances, we estimate an additional uncertainty due to the time-dependent efficiency variations, which can affect the short off-resonance runs.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare neuromuscular disease characterized by severe muscle weakness mainly due to degeneration and death of motor neurons. A peculiarity of the ...neurodegenerative processes is the variable susceptibility among distinct neuronal populations, exemplified by the contrasting resilience of motor neurons innervating the ocular motor system and the more vulnerable facial and hypoglossal motor neurons. The crucial role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a neuroprotective factor in the nervous system is well-established since a deficit of VEGF has been related to motoneuronal degeneration. In this study, we investigated the survival of ocular, facial, and hypoglossal motor neurons utilizing the murine SOD1
ALS model at various stages of the disease. Our primary objective was to determine whether the survival of the different brainstem motor neurons was linked to disparate VEGF expression levels in resilient and susceptible motor neurons throughout neurodegeneration. Our findings revealed a selective loss of motor neurons exclusively within the vulnerable nuclei. Furthermore, a significantly higher level of VEGF was detected in the more resistant motor neurons, the extraocular ones. We also examined whether TDP-43 dynamics in the brainstem motor neuron of SOD mice was altered. Our data suggests that the increased VEGF levels observed in extraocular motor neurons may potentially underlie their resistance during the neurodegenerative processes in ALS in a TDP-43-independent manner. Our work might help to better understand the underlying mechanisms of selective vulnerability of motor neurons in ALS.
We study the process $e^+e^-\to J/\psi\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ with initial-state-radiation events produced at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy collider. The data were recorded with the BaBar detector at ...center-of-mass energies 10.58 and 10.54 GeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 454 $\mathrm{fb^{-1}}$. We investigate the $J/\psi \pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ mass distribution in the region from 3.5 to 5.5 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$. Below 3.7 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$ the $\psi(2S)$ signal dominates, and above 4 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$ there is a significant peak due to the Y(4260). A fit to the data in the range 3.74 -- 5.50 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$ yields a mass value $4244 \pm 5$ (stat) $ \pm 4$ (syst)$\mathrm{MeV/c^{2}}$ and a width value $114 ^{+16}_{-15}$ (stat)$ \pm 7$(syst)$\mathrm{MeV}$ for this state. We do not confirm the report from the Belle collaboration of a broad structure at 4.01 $\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}$. In addition, we investigate the $\pi^{+}\pi^{-}$ system which results from Y(4260) decay.
PDF
