2,125 research outputs found
Infection with and carriage of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children
"Atypical" pneumonia was described as a distinct and mild form of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) already before Mycoplasma pneumoniae had been discovered and recognized as its cause. M. pneumoniae is detected in CAP patients most frequently among school-aged children from 5 to 15 years of age, with a decline after adolescence and tapering off in adulthood. Detection rates by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or serology in children with CAP admitted to the hospital amount 4-39%. Although the infection is generally mild and self-limiting, patients of every age can develo
Chronic HCV Infection Affects the NK Cell Phenotype in the Blood More than in the Liver
Although epidemiological and functional studies have implicated NK cells in protection and early clearance of HCV, the mechanism by which they may contribute to viral control is poorly understood, particularly at the site of infection, the liver. We hypothesized that a unique immunophenotypic/functional NK cell signature exists in the liver that may provide insights into the contribution of NK cells to viral control. Intrahepatic and blood NK cells were profiled from chronically infected HCV-positive and HCV-negative individuals. Baseline expression of activating and inhibitory receptors was assessed, as well as functional responses following stimulation through classic NK cell pathways. Independent of HCV infection, the liver was enriched for the immunoregulatory CD56bright NK cell population, which produced less IFNγ and CD107a but comparable levels of MIP1β, and was immunophenotypically distinct from their blood counterparts. This profile was mostly unaltered in chronic HCV infection, though different expression levels of NKp46 and NKG2D were associated with different grades of fibrosis. In contrast to the liver, chronic HCV infection associated with an enrichment of CD161lowperforinhigh NK cells in the blood correlated with increased AST and 2B4 expression. However, the association of relatively discrete changes in the NK cell phenotype in the liver with the fibrosis stage nevertheless suggests an important role for the NK response. Overall these data suggest that tissue localization has a more pervasive effect on NK cells than the presence of chronic viral infection, during which these cells might be mostly attuned to limiting immunopathology. It will be important to characterize NK cells during early HCV infection, when they should have a critical role in limiting infection
Circulating Antibody-Secreting Cell Response During Mycoplasma pneumoniae Childhood Pneumonia
Background. We recently demonstrated that the measurement of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp)-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)
M antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) improved diagnosis o
Link between supercurrent diode and anomalous Josephson effect revealed by gate-controlled interferometry
In Josephson diodes the asymmetry between positive and negative current
branch of the current-phase relation leads to a polarity-dependent critical
current and Josephson inductance. The supercurrent nonreciprocity can be
described as a consequence of the anomalous Josephson effect -- a
-shift of the current-phase relation -- in multichannel ballistic
junctions with strong spin-orbit interaction. In this work, we simultaneously
investigate -shift and supercurrent diode efficiency on the same
Josephson junction by means of a superconducting quantum interferometer. By
electrostatic gating, we reveal a direct link between -shift and
diode effect. Our findings show that the supercurrent diode effect mainly
results from magnetochiral anisotropy induced by spin-orbit interaction in
combination with a Zeeman field.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure
Sign reversal of the AC and DC supercurrent diode effect and 0--like transitions in ballistic Josephson junctions
The recent discovery of intrinsic supercurrent diode effect, and its prompt
observation in a rich variety of systems, has shown that nonreciprocal
supercurrents naturally emerge when both space- and time-inversion symmetries
are broken. In Josephson junctions, nonreciprocal supercurrent can be
conveniently described in terms of spin-split Andreev states. Here, we
demonstrate a sign reversal of the supercurrent diode effect, in both its AC
and DC manifestations. In particular, the AC diode effect -- i.e., the
asymmetry of the Josephson inductance as a function of the supercurrent --
allows us to probe the current-phase relation near equilibrium. Using a minimal
theoretical model, we can then link the sign reversal of the AC diode effect to
the so-called 0--like transition, a predicted, but still elusive feature
of multi-channel junctions. Our results demonstrate the potential of inductance
measurements as sensitive probes of the fundamental properties of
unconventional Josephson junctions.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Outbreak investigation including molecular characterization of community associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a primary and secondary school in Eastern Switzerland
At our tertiary children's hospital, infections with newly detected methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among children attending primary (age 6-12 years) and secondary school (age 13-16 years) nearly doubled in 2018 compared to previous years. This observation initiated an epidemiological outbreak investigation including phenotypic (susceptibility testing) and genotypic (whole genome sequencing) characterization of the isolates. In addition, a cross-sectional study was conducted to determine source of the outbreak, colonization frequency and to identify risk factors for transmission using a questionnaire. As a result, 49 individuals were detected with 57 corresponding isolates. Based on the case definition combined with whole genome sequencing, a core cluster was identified that shared common genetic features and a similar antimicrobial susceptibility pattern (efflux-mediated macrolide resistance, tetracycline susceptibility along with presence of Panton-Valentine leukocidin). Epidemiologic evaluation identified a distinct school as a common risk factor. However, the source of the clustered infections within that school could not be further specified. No further cases could be detected after decolonization of infected and colonized children
The role of immune checkpoint inhibitors in clinical practice: an analysis of the treatment patterns, survival and toxicity rates by sex.
PURPOSE
Our aim is to describe the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in clinical practice by providing the patient and tumor characteristics as well as survival and toxicity rates by sex.
METHODS
We used electronic health records to identify patients treated at the Cancer Center of the University Hospital Bern, Switzerland between January 1, 2017 and June 16, 2021.
RESULTS
We identified 5109 patients, 689 of whom (13.5%) received at least one dose of ICI. The fraction of patients who were prescribed ICI increased from 8.6% in 2017 to 22.9% in 2021. ICI represented 13.2% of the anticancer treatments in 2017 and increased to 28.2% in 2021. The majority of patients were male (68.7%), who were older than the female patients (median age 67 vs. 61 years). Over time, adjuvant and first line treatments increased for both sexes. Lung cancer and melanoma were the most common cancer types in males and females. The incidence of irAEs was higher among females (38.4% vs. 28.1%) and lead more often to treatment discontination in females than in males (21.1% vs. 16.8%). Independent of sex, the occurrence of irAEs was associated with greater median overall survival (OS, not reached vs. 1.1 years). Female patients had a longer median OS than males (1.9 vs. 1.5 years).
CONCLUSIONS
ICI play an increasingly important role in oncology. irAEs are more frequent in female patients and are associated with a longer OS. More research is needed to understand the association between patient sex and toxicity and survival
Mach's principle: Exact frame-dragging via gravitomagnetism in perturbed Friedmann-Robertson-Walker universes with
We show that the dragging of the axis directions of local inertial frames by
a weighted average of the energy currents in the universe is exact for all
linear perturbations of any Friedmann-Robertson-Walker (FRW) universe with K =
(+1, -1, 0) and of Einstein's static closed universe. This includes FRW
universes which are arbitrarily close to the Milne Universe, which is empty,
and to the de Sitter universe. Hence the postulate formulated by E. Mach about
the physical cause for the time-evolution of the axis directions of inertial
frames is shown to hold in cosmological General Relativity for linear
perturbations. The time-evolution of axis directions of local inertial frames
(relative to given local fiducial axes) is given experimentally by the
precession angular velocity of gyroscopes, which in turn is given by the
operational definition of the gravitomagnetic field. The gravitomagnetic field
is caused by cosmological energy currents via the momentum constraint. This
equation for cosmological gravitomagnetism is analogous to Ampere's law, but it
holds also for time-dependent situtations. In the solution for an open universe
the 1/r^2-force of Ampere is replaced by a Yukawa force which is of identical
form for FRW backgrounds with The scale of the exponential
cutoff is the H-dot radius, where H is the Hubble rate, and dot is the
derivative with respect to cosmic time. Analogous results hold for energy
currents in a closed FRW universe, K = +1, and in Einstein's closed static
universe.Comment: 23 pages, no figures. Final published version. Additional material in
Secs. I.A, I.J, III, V.H. Additional reference
Relevance of field observations as boundary conditions for understanding ice-sheet-ocean interactions
The direct contact of warm ocean water with the front and base of ice shelves is the main driver for accelerated mass loss of the
Antarctic ice sheet. We present a compilation of observations from various projects and methodological approaches applied
over the last decade along the Dronning Maud Land coast and highlight their importance for understanding the ice-ocean
interactions. With a focus on the Ekström ice shelf, these include spatially continuous seismic observations in combination with
airborne gravity inversion to yield sub-shelf bathymetry and geomorphological evidence of past ice-flow activity; ice-dynamic
numerical modelling to investigate the role of seafloor/subglacial substrate characteristics to enhance or reduce ice-sheet
extent and advance/retreat rates; sub-shelf CTD measurements to determine ocean properties driving basal melting; satellitebased
remote sensing to determine ice-shelf height changes and spatially-distributed basal melting; and point measurements of
basal melt with surface-based phase-sensitive radar to determine ocean-driven melt and validate remote-sensing products. As
the Dronning Maud Land coast plays a critical role in preconditioning the water mass of the coastal current before it enters the
Filcher ice-shelf cavity, we argue that a coordinated inter- and transdisciplinary observational network is required to facilitate
monitoring a potential ice-sheet mass loss in this part of Antarctica
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