Impaired GH Secretion in Patients with SHOX Deficiency and Efficacy of Recombinant Human GH Therapy.

Background/Aims: Mutations of the short stature homeobox-containing (SHOX) gene on the pseudoautosomal region of the sex chromosomes cause short stature. GH treatment has been recently proposed to improve height in short patients with SHOX deficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate GH secretion and analyze growth and safety of recombinant human GH (rhGH) therapy in short children and adolescents with SHOX deficiency. Patients and Design: We studied 16 patients (10 females; 9.7 ± 2.9 years old; height -2.46 ± 0.82 standard deviation score, SDS) with SHOX deficiency. All subjects underwent auxological evaluations, biochemical investigations, and were treated with rhGH (0.273 ± 0.053 mg/kg/week). Results: Impaired GH secretion was present in 37.5% of the studied subjects. Comparing baseline data with those at the last visit, we found that rhGH treatment improved growth velocity SDS (from -1.03 ± 1.44 to 2.77 ± 1.95; p = 0.001), height SDS (from -2.41 ± 0.71 to -1.81 ± 0.87; p < 0.001), and IGF-1 values (from -0.57 ± 1.23 to 0.63 ± 1.63 SDS, p = 0.010) without affecting body mass index SDS. Height SDS measured at the last visit was significantly correlated with chronological age (r = -0.618, p = 0.032), bone age (r = -0.582, p = 0.047) and height SDS (r = 0.938, p < 0.001) at the beginning of treatment. No adverse events were reported on rhGH therapy which was never discontinued. Conclusion: These data showed that impaired GH secretion is not uncommon in SHOX deficiency subjects, and that rhGH therapy may be effective in increasing height in most of these patients independent of their GH secretory status, without causing any adverse events of concern

Self-activated ultrahigh chemosensitivity of oxide thin film nanostructures for transparent sensors

One of the top design priorities for semiconductor chemical sensors is developing simple, low-cost, sensitive and reliable sensors to be built in handheld devices. However, the need to implement heating elements in sensor devices, and the resulting high power consumption, remains a major obstacle for the realization of miniaturized and integrated chemoresistive thin film sensors based on metal oxides. Here we demonstrate structurally simple but extremely efficient all oxide chemoresistive sensors with similar to 90% transmittance at visible wavelengths. Highly effective self-activation in anisotropically self-assembled nanocolumnar tungsten oxide thin films on glass substrate with indium-tin oxide electrodes enables ultrahigh response to nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds with detection limits down to parts per trillion levels and power consumption less than 0.2 microwatts. Beyond the sensing performance, high transparency at visible wavelengths creates opportunities for their use in transparent electronic circuitry and optoelectronic devices with avenues for further functional convergence.open181

Novel facultative Methylocella strains are active methane consumers at terrestrial natural gas seeps

Natural gas seeps contribute to global climate change by releasing substantial amounts of the potent greenhouse gas methane and other climate-active gases including ethane and propane to the atmosphere. However, methanotrophs, bacteria capable of utilising methane as the sole source of carbon and energy, play a significant role in reducing the emissions of methane from many environments. Methylocella-like facultative methanotrophs are a unique group of bacteria that grow on other components of natural gas (i.e. ethane and propane) in addition to methane but a little is known about the distribution and activity of Methylocella in the environment. The purposes of this study were to identify bacteria involved in cycling methane emitted from natural gas seeps and, most importantly, to investigate if Methylocella-like facultative methanotrophs were active utilisers of natural gas at seep sites

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

Resuscitation Endpoints in Trauma

Fluid and blood resuscitation is the mainstay of therapy for the treatment of hemorrhagic shock, whether due to trauma or other etiology. Cessation of hemorrhage with rapid hemostatic techniques is the first priority in the treatment of traumatic hemorrhagic shock, with concomitant fluid resuscitation with blood and crystalloids to maintain perfusion and organ function. “Hypotensive” or “low-volume” resuscitation has become increasingly accepted in the prehospital resuscitation phase of trauma, prior to definitive hemorrhage control, since aggressive fluid resuscitation may increase bleeding. Resuscitation after hemorrhage control is focused on restoration of tissue oxygenation. Efforts to optimize resuscitation have used “resuscitation endpoints” as markers of adequacy of resuscitation. The resuscitation endpoints that have been evaluated include both global (restoration of blood pressure, heart rate and urine output, lactate, base deficit, mixed venous oxygen saturation, ventricular end-diastolic volume) and regional (gastric tonometry, near-infrared spectroscopy for measurement of muscle tissue oxygen saturation) measures. This review critically evaluates the evidence regarding the use of resuscitation endpoints in trauma.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/75386/1/j.1778-428X.2005.tb00127.x.pd

Short-Lived Trace Gases in the Surface Ocean and the Atmosphere

The two-way exchange of trace gases between the ocean and the atmosphere is important for both the chemistry and physics of the atmosphere and the biogeochemistry of the oceans, including the global cycling of elements. Here we review these exchanges and their importance for a range of gases whose lifetimes are generally short compared to the main greenhouse gases and which are, in most cases, more reactive than them. Gases considered include sulphur and related compounds, organohalogens, non-methane hydrocarbons, ozone, ammonia and related compounds, hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Finally, we stress the interactivity of the system, the importance of process understanding for modeling, the need for more extensive field measurements and their better seasonal coverage, the importance of inter-calibration exercises and finally the need to show the importance of air-sea exchanges for global cycling and how the field fits into the broader context of Earth System Science

Cooling quasiparticles in A(3)C(60) fullerides by excitonic mid-infrared absorption

Long after its discovery, superconductivity in alkali fullerides A(3)C(60) still challenges conventional wisdom. The freshest inroad in such ever-surprising physics is the behaviour under intense infrared excitation. Signatures attributable to a transient superconducting state extending up to temperatures ten times higher than the equilibrium T-c similar to 20 K have been discovered in K3C60 after ultra-short pulsed infrared irradiation-an effect which still appears as remarkable as mysterious. Motivated by the observation that the phenomenon is observed in a broad pumping frequency range that coincides with the mid-infrared electronic absorption peak still of unclear origin, rather than to transverse optical phonons as has been proposed, we advance here a radically new mechanism. First, we argue that this broad absorption peak represents a 'super-exciton' involving the promotion of one electron from the t(1u) half-filled state to a higher-energy empty t(1g) state, dramatically lowered in energy by the large dipole-dipole interaction acting in conjunction with the Jahn-Teller effect within the enormously degenerate manifold of (t(1u))(2)(t(1g))(1) states. Both long-lived and entropy-rich because they are triplets, the infrared-induced excitons act as a sort of cooling mechanism that permits transient superconductive signals to persist up to much higher temperatures