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Antipeptide antibodies directed to two amino acid sequences predicted from the cDNA encoding the insulin proreceptor have been used to study the relationship between the human receptors for insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). An antibody directed to a cytoplasmic domain near the membrane spanning region of the proreceptor inhibited the protein tyrosine kinase activity of both receptors whereas an antibody directed to the C terminus of the insulin receptor showed no cross-reactivity with the IGF-I receptor. The results establish that the cloned cDNA from the human placenta encodes the insulin receptor and not the closely related IGF-I receptor, that the IGF-I and insulin receptors share a specific amino acid sequence necessary for the expression of enzymatic activity, and that the C terminus of the insulin receptor is not conserved in the IGF-I receptor.

Southwestern Europe experienced extraordinary rainy and windy conditions in March 2018, leading to the end of the most severe drought since 1970 at continental scale. This anomalous weather was linked to a persistent negative North Atlantic Oscillation pattern. Two weeks earlier a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) took place, preceded by the strongest planetary wave activity on record. In this study, we explore the connection between the SSW and the weather shift by employing a weather regime approach and flow analogues. The timing of the downward propagation of the stratospheric anomalies, the transition to and persistence of the negative North Atlantic Oscillation weather regime, and the sudden precipitation increase are all consistent with the typical tropospheric state after SSWs. Our results evidence a significant role of the 2018 SSW in the record‐breaking precipitation event. March 2018 was characterized by extraordinary heavy rain and strong winds over the Iberian Peninsula that ended the most severe drought since 1970 at continental scale. Two weeks earlier the polar stratosphere experienced anomalous conditions with a sudden rise in temperature, so‐called sudden stratospheric warming (SSW). Although SSWs are not rare events, the 2018 case was remarkable in terms of its intensity and persistence. The coincidence in time of both extreme events and the known link between SSWs and anomalous weather in the North Atlantic led the media to claim that the SSW was the main culprit of the anomalous weather of March 2018. However, this assumption is not straightforward because of the large variability in the magnitude of tropospheric responses to SSWs. Here we explore the role of the SSW in the abrupt weather shift by analyzing the downward propagation of the SSW signal and its link to the tropospheric synoptic conditions. Our results indicate an actual connection between the 2018 SSW and the record‐breaking precipitation event. Outstanding stratospheric and tropospheric conditions occurred in late winter 2018, with a persistent SSW and extreme Iberian precipitationThe rainy conditions were associated with an extremely persistent negative NAO patternThe 2018 SSW played a relevant role in the shift to and maintenance of the negative NAO event that ended the severe Iberian drought

A hybrid Erbium-Brillouin fiber laser sensor to measure the temperature along 22 km fiber is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A multi-line laser oscillation is induced by the Brillouin gain of different concatenated transducer fiber sections placed in the ring cavity. Integral temperature measurements of each fiber section are obtained through each laser line. This sensor can be used to monitor the temperature of off-shore wind energy power cables.

Background: Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) has been successfully used in infants with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN). This therapy, however, is expensive and complex and may not be available n developing countries. Sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor (PDI) type V, has been shown to selectively reduce pulmonary vascular resistance in both animal models and patients. Weather Sildenafil could be effective as an alternative to iNO therapy in PPHN, is not known.Objective: To compare the efficacy of oral Sildenafil therapy and conventional therapy in neonates with PPHN diagnosis, prospectively. DESIGN/METHODS: Term neonates with PPHN diagnosis and oxygenation index (OI) >25 were randomly assigned to placebo (n=11) or to Sildenafil at 2 mg/kg by orogastric tube every 6 h (n=13). Arterial blood gases, OI, mean airway pressure (MAWP) and mean blood pressure (BP) were periodically recorded at least up to 72 hours. Clinical management included IMV, inotropes, but no iNO.Results: Oxygenation Index was gradually and significantly decreased in both placebo and Sildenafil groups (repeated measures of ANOVA followed by Dunnett multiple comparisons test). These changes in OI were significantly (p<0.01) lower in the Sildenafil-treated patients, starting with the first hour after its administration (ANOVA followed by Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons). In both groups, PaO2 was also gradually and significantly increase and became significantly more pronounced at 72 hours with Sildenafil treatment (p<0.01). MAWP was significantly lower in the Sildenafil-traeted patients, starting 6 hours after its administration. No significant differences in PaCO2 or BP were observed.The ventilatory days were significantly lower in the Sildenafil group (p<0.01; unpaired t-test). All patients in the Sildenafil-treated patients survived, as compared to 8/11 patients in the placebo groupConclusions: Oral Sildenafil in term infants with severe PPHN improves oxygenation indices (OI; PaO2; MAWP) without decreasing systemic blood pressure.

We determined the efficacy of the combination of the topical formulation 15% paromomycin sulfate/12% methylbenzethonium chloride (MBCL) and a short course (7 days) of parenteral meglumine antimonate (pentavalent antimony [Sb]) as treatment of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombian patients. Patients were randomly assigned in unequal allocation (2:1:1:1) to group 1 (topical paromomycin/MBCL plus injectable Sb for 7 days), group 2 (topical placebo plus injectable Sb for 7 days), group 3 (topical paromomycin/MBCL plus injectable Sb for 3 days), and group 4 (injectable Sb for 20 days). Cure was defined as complete reepithelialization of all lesions without relapse. Cure rates among groups were as follows: 58% (34 of 59), group 1; 53% (16 of 30), group 2; 20% (6 of 30), group 3; and 84% (26 of 31), group 4. Seventy-one percent of the organisms identified to the species level were Leishmania braziliensis panamensis. We conclude that 10 days of therapy with paromomycin/MBCL does not augment the response of cutaneous leishmaniasis (predominately due to L. braziliensis panamensts) to a short course of treatment with meglumine antimonate.