Water in the terrestrial planet-forming zone of the PDS 70 disk

Terrestrial and sub-Neptune planets are expected to form in the inner (less than 10 AU) regions of protoplanetary disks1. Water plays a key role in their formation2-4, although it is yet unclear whether water molecules are formed in situ or transported from the outer disk5,6. So far Spitzer Space Telescope observations have only provided water luminosity upper limits for dust-depleted inner disks7, similar to PDS 70, the first system with direct confirmation of protoplanet presence8,9. Here we report JWST observations of PDS 70, a benchmark target to search for water in a disk hosting a large (approximately 54 AU) planet-carved gap separating an inner and outer disk10,11. Our findings show water in the inner disk of PDS 70. This implies that potential terrestrial planets forming therein have access to a water reservoir. The column densities of water vapour suggest in-situ formation via a reaction sequence involving O, H2 and/or OH, and survival through water self-shielding5. This is also supported by the presence of CO2 emission, another molecule sensitive to ultraviolet photodissociation. Dust shielding, and replenishment of both gas and small dust from the outer disk, may also play a role in sustaining the water reservoir12. Our observations also reveal a strong variability of the mid-infrared spectral energy distribution, pointing to a change of inner disk geometry.

Long-term outcome of trans-sphenoidal surgery for Cushing's disease in Indian patients

BACKGROUND

The results of trans-sphenoidal surgery (TSS) in Cushing's disease (CD) vary widely depending upon patient characteristics as well as surgical experience. Patients in India are often referred late to referral centers. We studied the rates of remission and endocrine deficiencies after TSS in patients with CD presenting to a referral hospital in India.

METHODS

Sixty consecutive patients (45 females, median age 24.5 years) who underwent TSS between 2000 and 2015 were studied. The median (range) duration of follow-up was 40 (3-138) months. Initial and long-term remission and relapse rates and pituitary hypofunction post-TSS were evaluated.

RESULTS

Eighteen (30%) patients harbored macroadenomas. Twenty-eight (47%) patients achieved remission in the immediate post-operative period (8 AM serum cortisol < 140 nmol/l), while a higher remission rate was noted at 6 months (39/54 patients, 72%). At 1 year 70% patients and at final follow-up [median duration 40 (range 3-138) months], 58% of patients were in remission. No pre- or post-surgical variables were consistently associated with remission, except for the 8-AM serum cortisol level on the fifth day after surgery. Seven (18%) patients relapsed on follow-up, including five patients who had fifth post-operative day 8 AM serum cortisol < 140 nmol/l. Twelve (25%) patients newly developed hypothyroidism and one (1.6%) patient developed amenorrhoea after TSS.

CONCLUSION

Remission rate at 6 months was higher than immediately after TSS. A significant proportion of patients relapsed, thus necessitating life-long follow-up. New-onset hypothyroidism was frequent after TSS.

Bortezomib as the first proteasome inhibitor anticancer drug: current status and future perspectives

Targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway has emerged as a rational approach in the treatment of human cancer. Based on positive preclinical and clinical studies, bortezomib was subsequently approved for the clinical use as a front-line treatment for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients and for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma, for which this drug has become the staple of treatment. The approval of bortezomib by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) represented a significant milestone as the first proteasome inhibitor to be implemented in the treatment of malignant disease. Bortezomib has shown a positive clinical benefit either alone or as a part of combination therapy to induce chemo-/radio-sensitization or overcome drug resistance. One of the major mechanisms of bortezomib associated with its anticancer activity is through upregulation of NOXA, which is a proapoptotic protein, and NOXA may interact with the anti-apoptotic proteins of Bcl-2 subfamily Bcl-X(L) and Bcl-2, and result in apoptotic cell death in malignant cells. Another important mechanism of bortezomib is through suppression of the NF-κB signaling pathway resulting in the down-regulation of its anti-apoptotic target genes. Although the majority of success achieved with bortezomib has been in hematological malignancies, its effect toward solid tumors has been less than encouraging. Additionally, the widespread clinical use of bortezomib continues to be hampered by the appearance of dose-limiting toxicities, drug-resistance and interference by some natural compounds. These findings could help guide physicians in refining the clinical use of bortezomib, and encourage basic scientists to generate next generation proteasome inhibitors that broaden the spectrum of efficacy and produce a more durable clinical response in cancer patients. Other desirable applications for the use of proteasome inhibitors include the development of inhibitors against specific E3 ligases, which act at an early step in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, and the discovery of less toxic and novel proteasome inhibitors from natural products and traditional medicines, which may provide more viable drug candidates for cancer chemoprevention and the treatment of cancer patients in the future.

Taking lessons from dendritic cells: multiple xenogeneic ligands for leukocyte integrins have the potential to stimulate anti-tumor immunity

Expression of large numbers of different costimulatory integrin ligands (CILs) attributes dendritic cells with an ability to induce primary anti-tumor immune responses. Here, we show that optimized gene transfer of the xenogeneic (human) CILs VCAM-1, MAdCAM-1 and ICAM-1 causes rapid and complete rejection of established mouse EL-4 tumors, and generates prolonged systemic anti-tumor immunity; whereas human E-cadherin weakly slows tumor growth. In each case the immune response was mediated by CD8+ T cells and NK cells, accompanied by augmented tumor-specific cytolytic T cell (CTL) activity involving both the perforin and Fas-ligand pathways. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes from cured mice rapidly cleared established tumors in recipients. The mechanism for CIL-mediated immunity is unknown, but may involve CTL-facilitated tumor lysis, since CTLs were generally twice as efficient at killing CIL-transfected tumor cells than parental tumor cells. Optimized CIL-based gene therapy may provide an approach to complement or replace conventional DC adoptive cell therapy for suppressing tumor growth.