October 15, 2018

Good Morning,

It appears that the center of the Milky Way is an optical illusion. Wait! What?! Scientists in Sweden believe this to be the case.

Learn about this and more interesting stories from the scientific community in today's issue.

Until Next Time,
Erin

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*-- Study explains optical illusion at the center of the Milky Way --*

Scientists in Sweden think the mysterious presence of exotic elements at the center of the Milky Way isn't a mystery at all, but an optical illusion.

The elements aren't actually there, astronomers from Lund University argue in a new paper, published this week in the Astrophysical Journal.

Last year, scientists reported observations of high levels of scandium near the black hole at the center of our galaxy. Emissions from three red giant stars revealed the surprising spectrographic signatures of three exotic elements, according to the original study.

But when scientists at Lund, in collaboration with researchers at UCLA, reexamined the spectral data, they found evidence of a cosmic magic trick.

Because red giant stars feature relatively low temperatures, electrons behave differently. In other words, the spectral signature of scandium changes depending on its temperature.

"These giant red stars have used up most of their hydrogen fuel and their temperatures are therefore only half of the sun's," Brian Thorsbro, a doctoral student in astronomy at Lund University, said in a news release.

Thorsbro and his research partners hope their findings will improve elemental mapping efforts.

Astronomers at Lund and UCLA are currently using the W. M. Keck Observatory, the world's largest telescope, located in Hawaii, to document the elements in stars throughout the center of the Milky Way.

"Our research collaboration is world-leading in terms of systematically mapping the elements contained in the huge central star cluster -- the star cluster that surrounds the black hole," said Nils Ryde, astronomer at Lund University.

To identify different elements, scientists study the spectral patterns of near-infrared light, which includes thermal radiation. Near-infrared light penetrates dust, allowing scientists to accurately measure it from several million light-years away. But near-infrared light is also affected by temperature, which can interfere with scientists' ability to accurately measure elemental concentrations.

Before astronomers can report abundances of scandium, authors of the new study argue researchers must consider alternative explanations for the unusual spectral lines.

"We argue that the strong lines are a property of the line formation process that currently escapes accurate theoretical modeling," researchers wrote in their paper.

*-- Researchers develop injectable implant to prevent, detect HIV --*

A long-acting and injectable implant is showing promise to prevent and treat HIV, according to a study with mice.

Rather than receiving a once-daily pill, patients can receive a continuous formulation of an antiretroviral medication called dolutegravir for nine months and then the implant can be removed. The drug, which was approved for use in the United States in 2013, is sold under the brand name Tivicay.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a new study Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

"Adherence to medications is essential for treatment success," Dr. J. Victor Garcia, a researcher at UNC, said in a press release. "This in clearly important for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention but also for the treatment of many other chronic conditions like mental illnesses, hypertension and diabetes where this technology might have applications."

The researchers noted adherence to a once-daily regimen can be difficult for some people.

Sustained drug release has successfully improved adherence in patients with schizophrenia and as contraceptives.

"Our study found that the formulation delivered the drug effectively, and the implants were well tolerated with little or no sign of toxicity, for five months," said Dr. Martina Kovarova, assistant professor of infectious diseases at UNC-Chapel Hill, and a member of the UNC Center for AIDS Research. "It seems to us to be the ideal drug formulation for the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS."

The injectable formulation includes a three-component mixture: an anti-HIV drug, a polymer and a solvent. The liquid solidifies into an implant once injected under the skin and as the polymer slowly degrades, the drug is released.

The implant can be quickly and safely removed with a small incision in the skin at the injection site, the researchers said. That includes with an adverse reaction or if a patient becomes pregnant.

Other long-acting injectables currently in clinical trials cannot be removed after they have been injected, according to the researchers.

"In the specific case of HIV prevention, the lack of adherence by clinical trial participants has served to highlight the urgent need for drug delivery systems capable of offering long-term protection from HIV infection," the researchers wrote.


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