Symptom complexes in patients with seropositive arthralgia and in patients newly diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis: a qualitative exploration of symptom development

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore symptoms and symptom development during the earliest phases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients with seropositive arthralgia and patients newly diagnosed with RA

Technique for the Dry Transfer of Epitaxial Graphene onto Arbitrary Substrates

In order to make graphene technologically viable, the transfer of graphene films to substrates appropriate for specific applications is required. We demonstrate the dry transfer of epitaxial graphene (EG) from the C-face of 4H-SiC onto SiO2, GaN and Al2O3 substrates using a thermal release tape. We further report on the impact of this process on the electrical properties of the EG films. This process enables EG films to be used in flexible electronic devices or as optically transparent contacts.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures and supplementary info regarding procedure for transfe

Correlating Raman Spectral Signatures with Carrier Mobility in Epitaxial Graphene: A Guide to Achieving High Mobility on the Wafer Scale

We report a direct correlation between carrier mobility and Raman topography of epitaxial graphene (EG) grown on silicon carbide (SiC). We show the Hall mobility of material on the Si-face of SiC [SiC(0001)] is not only highly dependent on thickness uniformity but also on monolayer strain uniformity. Only when both thickness and strain are uniform over a significant fraction (> 40%) of the device active area does the mobility exceed 1000 cm2/V-s. Additionally, we achieve high mobility epitaxial graphene (18,100 cm2/V-s at room temperature) on the C-face of SiC [SiC(000-1)] and show that carrier mobility depends strongly on the graphene layer stacking. These findings provide a means to rapidly estimate carrier mobility and provide a guide to achieve very high mobility in epitaxial graphene. Our results suggest that ultra-high mobilities (>50,000 cm2/V-s) are achievable via the controlled formation of uniform, rotationally faulted epitaxial graphene.Comment: 13 pages including supplimental material. Submitted to Nature Materials 2/23/200

Valine and Leucine at HLA-DRβ1 position 11 associate with radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis, independent of the Shared Epitope alleles but not independent of anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies.

OBJECTIVE: For decades it has been known that the HLA–DRB1 shared epitope (SE) alleles are associated with an increased risk of development and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recently, the following variations in the peptide-binding grooves of HLA molecules that predispose to RA development have been identified: Val and Leu at HLA–DRB1 position 11, Asp at HLA–B position 9, and Phe at HLA–DPB1 position 9. This study was undertaken to investigate whether these variants are also associated with radiographic progression in RA, independent of SE and anti–citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) status. METHODS: A total of 4,911 radiograph sets from 1,878 RA patients included in the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic (The Netherlands), Umeå (Sweden), Hospital Clinico San Carlos–Rheumatoid Arthritis (Spain), and National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases (US) cohorts were studied. HLA was imputed using single-nucleotide polymorphism data from an Immunochip, and the amino acids listed above were tested in relation to radiographic progression per cohort using an additive model. Results from the 4 cohorts were combined in inverse-variance weighted meta-analyses using a fixed-effects model. Analyses were conditioned on SE and ACPA status. RESULTS: Val and Leu at HLA–DRB1 position 11 were associated with more radiographic progression (meta-analysis P = 5.11 × 10(−7)); this effect was independent of SE status (meta-analysis P = 0.022) but not independent of ACPA status. Phe at HLA–DPB1 position 9 was associated with more severe radiographic progression (meta-analysis P = 0.024), though not independent of SE status. Asp at HLA–B position 9 was not associated with radiographic progression. CONCLUSION: Val and Leu at HLA–DRB1 position 11 conferred a risk of a higher rate of radiographic progression independent of SE status but not independent of ACPA status. These findings support the relevance of these amino acids at position 11