The Drake Passage opening from an experimental fluid dynamics point of view.

Pronounced global cooling around the Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT) was a pivotal event in Earth's climate history, controversially associated with the opening of the Drake Passage. Using a physical laboratory model we revisit the fluid dynamics of this marked reorganization of ocean circulation. Here we show, seemingly contradicting paleoclimate records, that in our experiments opening the pathway yields higher values of mean water surface temperature than the "closed" configuration. This mismatch points to the importance of the role ice albedo feedback plays in the investigated EOT-like transition, a component that is not captured in the laboratory model. Our conclusion is supported by numerical simulations performed in a global climate model (GCM) of intermediate complexity, where both "closed" and "open" configurations were explored, with and without active sea ice dynamics. The GCM results indicate that sea surface temperatures would change in the opposite direction following an opening event in the two sea ice dynamics settings, and the results are therefore consistent both with the laboratory experiment (slight warming after opening) and the paleoclimatic data (pronounced cooling after opening). It follows that in the hypothetical case of an initially ice-free Antarctica the continent could have become even warmer after the opening, a scenario not indicated by paleotemperature reconstructions.

TESS DISCOVERY OF A TRANSITING SUPER-EARTH IN THE π MENSAE SYSTEM.

We report the detection of a transiting planet around π Men (HD 39091), using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The solar-type host star is unusually bright (V = 5.7) and was already known to host a Jovian planet on a highly eccentric, 5.7-year orbit. The newly discovered planet has a size of 2.04 ± 0.05 R ⊕ and an orbital period of 6.27 days. Radial-velocity data from the HARPS and AAT/UCLES archives also displays a 6.27-day periodicity, confirming the existence of the planet and leading to a mass determination of 4.82±0.85 M ⊕. The star's proximity and brightness will facilitate further investigations, such as atmospheric spectroscopy, asteroseismology, the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect, astrometry, and direct imaging.

Serum levels of platelet released CD40 ligand are increased in early onset occlusive carotid artery disease.

OBJECTIVE: Soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) has been suggested as a key mediator between inflammation and atherosclerosis, and the CD40-CD40L interaction has a role in atherosclerotic lesion progression. We evaluated if platelet released serum sCD40L and sCD40 levels differ between patients with early onset occlusive carotid artery disease and age-matched controls. METHODS: sCD40L and sCD40 levels were measured in serum samples of 60 patients with occlusive carotid artery disease and 30 age-matched controls using ELISA. Degree of stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA), and intima-media thickness (IMT) in the common carotid artery were measured by high resolution ultrasound. Values are given as mean +/- SD. RESULTS: Mean age was 50.9 +/- 3.5 and 50.1 +/- 3.5 years in the patient and control groups. IMT was significantly thicker in patients than in controls (0.89 +/- 0.14 vs. 0.78 +/-0.12 mm, p=0.0003). Serum levels of sCD40L were significantly higher (6.9 +/- 5 vs. 4.5 +/- 3.0 ng/mL, p=0.038) in patients, whereas sCD40 did not differ significantly between patients and controls (85 +/- 56.9 vs. 79.3 +/- 18.7 pg/mL, p=0.34). IMT did not correlate with sCD40L or sCD40 levels (R=-0.03, p=0.77; and R=0.109, p=0.308, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: sCD40L but not sCD40 levels are significantly higher in patients with occlusive carotid artery disease. Platelet derived sCD40L may be a key mediator among inflammation, thrombosis and atherosclerosis.

[Microcirculatory changes in patients with chronic venous and lymphatic insufficiency and heavy leg symptoms before and after therapy with procyanidol oligomers (laser-Doppler study)]. / Krónikus vénás-lymphás elégtelenség következtében kialakult "nehéz láb" tünetegyüttesben szenvedo betegek mikrocirkulációjának változása flavonoid-származékkal (procyanidol oligomerek) végzett kezelés hatására (lézer-Doppler módszer alkalmazása).

INTRODUCTION: To study the efficacy of venotonica and medicaments having anti-edema effect is very actual. AIMS: Patients suffering from venous-lymphatic insufficiency were treated with procyanidol oligomers in an open, prospective study. The effective substance of this medication protects the fibrous connective tissue protein, thus improving the function of the venous and lymphatic capillaries. METHODS: For three months, the daily dose was 2 x 150 mg 30 patients were included into the study. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by statistical methods analysing the changes of the clinical symptoms and the satisfaction of the patients. For the first time, laser-Doppler method was used to determine the pathological condition of the dermal microcirculation before and after 3 months of treatment. The laser-Doppler tests used as indicators of the functional changing of the microcirculations were as follows: venoarterial response, reactive hyperemic response, and thermal stimulation response. The authors established the standard values and compared the measurement scores to those. According to the resulting scores, the status before and after the treatment can be compared by statistic analysis. Subjective complaints of the patients such as pain, heaviness of the leg, nightly muscle cramps were estimated by a visual analog scale. RESULTS: The treatment (procyanidol oligomers) significantly reduced lymphedema (p < 0.001) in the "heavy leg" syndrome. Symptoms as pain, heaviness of the leg, muscle cramps, improved significantly (p < 0.001) after treatment. The microcirculatory status was pathologic before treatment. After treatment, there was no significant improvement in the laser-Doppler results. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that in venous-lymphatic insufficiency, the arterial-capillary system is also damaged. The authors bring to attention that the disorder of the dermal arteries playing a role in the pathogenesis of venous-lymphatic insufficiency first detected in this study needs to be further investigated.