The baryon density of the Universe from an improved rate of deuterium burning.

Light elements were produced in the first few minutes of the Universe through a sequence of nuclear reactions known as Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN)1,2. Among the light elements produced during BBN1,2, deuterium is an excellent indicator of cosmological parameters because its abundance is highly sensitive to the primordial baryon density and also depends on the number of neutrino species permeating the early Universe. Although astronomical observations of primordial deuterium abundance have reached percent accuracy3, theoretical predictions4-6 based on BBN are hampered by large uncertainties on the cross-section of the deuterium burning D(p,γ)3He reaction. Here we show that our improved cross-sections of this reaction lead to BBN estimates of the baryon density at the 1.6 percent level, in excellent agreement with a recent analysis of the cosmic microwave background7. Improved cross-section data were obtained by exploiting the negligible cosmic-ray background deep underground at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) of the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy)8,9. We bombarded a high-purity deuterium gas target10 with an intense proton beam from the LUNA 400-kilovolt accelerator11 and detected the γ-rays from the nuclear reaction under study with a high-purity germanium detector. Our experimental results settle the most uncertain nuclear physics input to BBN calculations and substantially improve the reliability of using primordial abundances to probe the physics of the early Universe.

Implication of the Proton-Deuteron Radiative Capture for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis.

The astrophysical S factor for the radiative capture d(p,γ)^{3}He in the energy range of interest for big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is calculated using an ab initio approach. The nuclear Hamiltonian retains both two- and three-nucleon interactions-the Argonne v_{18} and the Urbana IX, respectively. Both one- and many-body contributions to the nuclear current operator are included. The former retain for the first time, besides the 1/m leading order contribution (m is the nucleon mass), also the next-to-leading order term, proportional to 1/m^{3}. The many-body currents are constructed in order to satisfy the current conservation relation with the adopted Hamiltonian model. The hyperspherical harmonics technique is applied to solve the A=3 bound and scattering states. Particular attention is paid in this second case in order to obtain, in the energy range of BBN, an uncertainty on the astrophysical S factor of the order or below ∼1%. Then, in this energy range, the S factor is found to be ∼10% larger than the currently adopted values. Part of this increase (1%-3%) is due to the 1/m^{3} one-body operator, while the remaining is due to the new more accurate scattering wave functions. We have studied the implication of this new determination for the d(p,γ)^{3}He S factor on the deuterium primordial abundance. We find that the predicted theoretical value for ^{2}H/H is in excellent agreement with its experimental determination, using the most recent determination of the baryon density of the Planck experiment, and with a standard number of relativistic degrees of freedom N_{eff}=3.046 during primordial nucleosynthesis. This calls for a more accurate measurement of the astrophysical S factor in order to confirm the present predictions.

Erratum: Implication of the Proton-Deuteron Radiative Capture for Big Bang Nucleosynthesis [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 102501 (2016)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.102501.

Strabismus and postural control: a systematic review.

The primary aim of this systematic review is to evaluate how postural balance and visual system are related in cross-eyed patients. The secondary goal is to assess the benefits of eye realignment on motor skills and body balance. Analyzing two different approaches: surgical or conservative, a systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed-Medline, Google Scholar and Cochrane Central in order to identify randomized controlled trials, case series and case-control studies which contained clinical evaluation of balance in strabismic patients as well as re-evaluation after surgery or conservative treatments via posturography to evaluate surface, length and mean speed of the center of pressure (CoP). A total of 11 studies were included in this review. The MINORS score is used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies, and its mean value was 12.8 for non-comparative studies and 17.5 for comparative studies. The postural balance was lower in strabismic patients compared with the control group, with statically higher value (p < 0.05) of surface, length and mean speed of the CoP in the study group. All patients show improvement in stability after surgery, as surface, length and mean speed of the CoP decreased after surgery in all the studies with statistical significance (p < 0.05).

[Legionella contamination in the hospital environment: monitoring of the hot water distribution systems of three hospitals in Catania (Italy)]. / La contaminazione da legionelle in ambiente ospedaliero. Risultati del monitoraggio delle reti di distribuzione dell'acqua calda in una Azienda ospedaliera.

This study evaluated the presence and extent of contamination with Legionella spp. in the hot water distribution systems of three hospitals in Catania (Italy). In total, 291 hot water samples were collected between September 2002 and August 2005 and these were examined in order to monitor the hospital distribution systems and evaluate the efficacy of decontamination measures. L. pneumophila was detected at variable concentrations up to over 10000 UFC/L at several collection sites in some hospital buildings and branches of the water distribution system while other buildings/branches were found to be free of contamination. The most frequently isolated serogroup was L. pneumophila serogroup 3, occasionally associated with serogroups 4, 5 and 6. Molecular typing of Legionella strains by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of genomic DNA restriction fragments identified four different genotypes, each recovered from a different branch of the distribution system. Decontamination procedures, including shock hyperchloration and two different thermal shock methods, performed between October 2003 and August 2005, led to only temporary reductions in contamination. In fact, previous concentrations of the same L. pneumophila serogroup were found within 3 to 8 months of decontamination. In order to prevent and monitor Legionella infections, sterilizing filters were installed in water taps of all wards with high-risk patients and urinary antigen testing was performed on all patients diagnosed with nosocomial pneumonia. No cases of Legionella pneumonia were identified in 2005.

Effect of econazole and benzydamine on sensory neurons in culture.

Econazole is an anti-mycotic agent widely used for the treatment of cutaneous fungal infections, and for the therapy of vaginal candidiasis. Topical application of this azole is generally safe, although some patients have complained of mild burning sensation/cutaneous irritation and itching, especially when administered intravaginally. The underlying mechanisms responsible of these adverse effects are poorly understood, though they suggest excitation of cutaneous nociceptor terminals. We report that exposure of primary cultures of rat nociceptors to econazole augments neuronal excitability. This effect appears mediated by increments in the intracellular Ca2+ by stimulating Ca2+ entry and release from the endoplasmic reticulum. Ca2+ entry was not due to activation of thermo transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, suggesting a different ion channel targeted by the azole. Noteworthy, econazole-evoked responses were potentiated by a pro-inflammatory agent, which resulted in an increase in neuronal excitability. Econazole-elicited action potential firing was significantly abolished by the inflammatory cytokine inhibiting drug benzydamine via blockade of voltage-gated Na+ (Nav) channels. Collectively, our results indicate that the burning sensation of econazole is due at least in part to modulation of nociceptor excitability, and such sensation is increased in the presence of pro-inflammatory stimuli and blocked by benzydamine. These findings imply that a combination of the azole with benzydamine has the potential to reduce significantly the unpleasant symptoms related to infection and to the adverse effects of topical econazole formulations.

A Novel Multi-step Virtual Screening for the Identification of Human and Mouse mPGES-1 Inhibitors.

We present here the development of a novel virtual screening protocol combining Structure-based and Ligand-based drug design approaches for the identification of mouse mPGES-1 inhibitors. We used the existing 3D structural data of the murine enzyme to hypothesize the inhibitors binding mode, which was the starting point for docking simulations, shape screening, and pharmacophore hypothesis screening. The protocol allowed the identification of 16 mouse mPGES-1 inhibitors with low micromolar activity, which, notably, also inhibit the human enzyme in the same concentration range. The inhibitors predicted binding mode is expected to be the base for the rational drug design of new potent dual species inhibitors of human and murine mPGES-1.

Radon transport: laboratory and model study.

In order to exploit radon profiles for geophysical purposes and also to estimate its entry indoors, it is necessary to study its transport through porous soils. The great number of involved parameters and processes affecting the emanation of radon from the soil grains and its transport in the source medium has led to many theoretical and/or laboratory studies. The authors report the first results of a laboratory study carried out at the Radioactivity Laboratory of the Department of Physics and Astronomy (University of Catania) by means of a facility for measuring radon concentrations in the sample pores at various depths under well-defined and controlled conditions of physical parameters. In particular, radon concentration vertical profiles extracted in low-moisture samples for different advective fluxes and temperatures were compared with expected concentrations, according to a three-phase transport model developed by Andersen (Risø National Laboratory, Denmark), showing, in general, a good agreement between measurements and model calculations.

Synthesis of digoxigenin-labeled cDNA as a test for mRNA integrity.

The nucleotide analogue digoxigenin-11-dUTP is widely used as a nonradioactive marker in a broad range of techniques including dot blots, Southern and Northern blots, colony and plaque screenings and in situ hybridizations. In this report, we describe the incorporation of this molecule into a cDNA synthesized by reverse transcriptase as a novel application for digoxigenin. This reaction can be performed as a useful control to check the integrity of a bulk mRNA preparation in the construction of a cDNA library, since the ability of mRNA to direct the synthesis of long molecules of first-strand cDNA is a sign of its integrity.

Prenatal development of the hippocampus in two strains of inbred mice.

In this paper we present some morphological observations on the morphogenesis of the hippocampus in two inbred strains of mice, C57BL/6J (C57) and DBA/2J (DBA), from day 16 (E16) to day 17 (E17) of prenatal life. At E16 some differences in the histoarchitecture of the hippocampal anlage begin to be detectable. At E17 the differences become more relevant, particularly those concerning the lamination pattern. The more relevant differences concern the differentiation of the pyramidal layer, which appears well defined in C57 mice, while in DBA mice there is no clearcut delimitation between the pyramidal layer and the intermediate zone, where numerous migrating neurons are present. These observations may be interpreted in terms of different migration rates for the neurons in the two strains.

Adenosine triphosphate affects interleukin -1beta release by T98G glioblastoma cells through a purinoceptor-independent mechanism.

T98G glioblastoma cells were previously shown to significantly increase interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) mRNA levels in response to IL-1beta stimulation. This work demonstrates that in such conditions T98G, despite possessing biologically active interleukin converting enzyme, do not release detectable amounts of IL-1beta, even in the presence of 20 mM adenosine triphosphate (ATP). IL-1beta secretion is observed only following concomitant stimulation with 1000 units/ml of IL-1beta and 20 mM ATP. ATP induces a dose-dependent depolarization of T98G plasma membrane, whereas it does not affect Ca(2+) concentration or cell membrane permeability. Our data, together with the observation that the depolarizing effects of ATP are retained after preincubation with 100 microM suramin, an antagonist of P2-purinoceptors, suggest that ATP plays a role in IL-1beta secretion by T98G but its effects do not occur through P2-purinoceptors.

A flow-cytometric method to evaluate drug antiaggregating effect on rat neutrophils.

Neutrophils are one of the first cellular populations to become involved in inflammatory processes and some features of the response to inflammatory stimuli can be partially reproduced in vitro by treatment with chemotactic peptides such as N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP). Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as indomethacin, are known to interfere in vitro with human and rat neutrophil functions and to inhibit FMLP-induced aggregation. In this article we define the scatter parameters of rat neutrophils and demonstrate that flow-cytometric analysis of these cells can be used to analyze the inhibiting action of drugs in an in vitro model of aggregation. We show, in fact, that indomethacin at 100 microM (p < 0.05) and 200 microM (p < 0.01) is able to significantly reduce rat neutrophil aggregation. These results confirm the data obtained by light transmittance aggregometry and indicate that cytometric analysis of aggregation phenomena is a technique suitable for the screening of antiaggregating drugs.

Protein synthesis in TE 671/RD (human rabdomiosarcoma) cells treated with thapsigargin and hyperthermia: impairment of HSP 70 induction.

In this study we considered the quantitative and qualitative changes of protein synthetic activity occurring in TE 671/RD cells treated with thapsigargin (TG), with hyperthermia (HT) or with a combination of both these agents. In cells treated with TG (100 nM, continuous exposure), the overall protein synthetic activity was initially inhibited but subsequently recovered to about 60% of the initial level. Chronic TG exposure was also able to induce the expression of GRP 78. The rate of synthesis of GRP 78, after a lag period of about 2 h, increased gradually to reach a maximum (9-fold induction) after 6 h of TG-treatment and was then maintained at that level up to 18 h. A weak induction of GRP 94 was observed following 6-8 h of continuous exposure to TG. In cells treated with HT (43 degrees C for 30 min), a typical heat shock response was observed: in particular, the relative rate of synthesis of HSP 70 (the major heat-inducible mammalian heat shock protein) was increased 10-fold over the constitutive level. The heat-promoted induction of HSP 70 was significantly reduced by concomitant or previous exposure to TG. When TG and HT were administred simultaneously, the increase in HSP 70 synthesis was only 4.7-fold over the control level, while in cells pre-treated for 1 h with TG before the hyperthermic challenge the rate of HSP 70 synthesis was only stimulated 2-fold. In both these conditions, by contrast, it was apparent that HT did not affect the TG-promoted induction of GRP 78. The correlations between the TG-induced mobilization of cytosolic Ca2+ and the effects on protein synthesis are discussed.

[Congenital absence of pericardium in a case of a variant of Marfan syndrome]. / Assenza congenita di pericardio in un caso di variante di sindrome di Marfan.

We describe a case of congenital absence of the pericardium of a 42 year-old patient with a variant of Marfan's Syndrome involving the skeletal and cardiovascular system. The diagnosis was formulated not only through an accurate clinical examination, but also through non-invasive tests like a standard radiography of the chest, an echocardiography M-mode and 2-D and a doppler-analysis.

The current status of pesticide resistance in Australian populations of the redlegged earth mite (Halotydeus destructor).

BACKGROUND: The redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor Tucker, is an important pest of broad-acre farming systems in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In 2006, high levels of resistance to synthetic pyrethroids were discovered in this species in Western Australia. RESULTS: Between 2007 and 2010, the authors monitored resistance in field populations and found it had spread considerably within the state of Western Australia. Twenty-six paddocks from 15 individual properties were identified with resistance, and these paddocks ranged over 480 km. To date, resistance has not been detected in any other Australian state. Resistance in H. destructor appears to be found across the entire pyrethroid group, but not to other chemical classes such as organophosphates and carbamates, or other chemistries with novel modes of action. CONCLUSION: The high levels of resistance occurring in Western Australia have caused considerable economic losses due to ineffective chemical applications and mortality of crop plants at seedling establishment. These findings highlight the need for a comprehensive resistance surveillance programme to be developed for H. destructor within Australia. Growers need to consider non-chemical approaches for pest control and should be encouraged to implement pesticide resistance management programmes for H. destructor.

Comparison between different methodologies for detecting radon in soil along an active fault: the case of the Pernicana fault system, Mt. Etna (Italy).

Three different methodologies were used to measure Radon ((222)Rn) in soil, based on both passive and active detection system. The first technique consisted of solid-state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD), CR-39 type, and allowed integrated measurements. The second one consisted of a portable device for short time measurements. The last consisted of a continuous measurement device for extended monitoring, placed in selected sites. Soil (222)Rn activity was measured together with soil Thoron ((220)Rn) and soil carbon dioxide (CO(2)) efflux, and it was compared with the content of radionuclides in the rocks. Two different soil-gas horizontal transects were investigated across the Pernicana fault system (NE flank of Mount Etna), from November 2006 to April 2007. The results obtained with the three methodologies are in a general agreement with each other and reflect the tectonic settings of the investigated study area. The lowest (222)Rn values were recorded just on the fault plane, and relatively higher values were recorded a few tens of meters from the fault axis on both of its sides. This pattern could be explained as a dilution effect resulting from high rates of soil CO(2) efflux. Time variations of (222)Rn activity were mostly linked to atmospheric influences, whereas no significant correlation with the volcanic activity was observed. In order to further investigate regional radon distributions, spot measurements were made to identify sites having high Rn emissions that could subsequently be monitored for temporal radon variations. SSNTD measurements allow for extended-duration monitoring of a relatively large number of sites, although with some loss of temporal resolution due to their long integration time. Continuous monitoring probes are optimal for detailed time monitoring, but because of their expense, they can best be used to complement the information acquired with SSNTD in a network of monitored sites.

Stellar and primordial nucleosynthesis of 7Be: measurement of 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be.

The 3He(alpha,gamma)7Be reaction presently represents the largest nuclear uncertainty in the predicted solar neutrino flux and has important implications on the big bang nucleosynthesis, i.e., the production of primordial 7Li. We present here the results of an experiment using the recoil separator ERNA (European Recoil separator for Nuclear Astrophysics) to detect directly the 7Be ejectiles. In addition, off-beam activation and coincidence gamma-ray measurements were performed at selected energies. At energies above 1 MeV a large discrepancy compared to previous results is observed both in the absolute value and in the energy dependence of the cross section. Based on the available data and models, a robust estimate of the cross section at the astrophysical relevant energies is proposed.