Dynamics of defect formation

A dynamic symmetry-breaking transition with noise and inertia is analyzed. Exact solution of the linearized equation that describes the critical region allows precise calculation (exponent and prefactor) of the number of defects produced as a function of the rate of increase of the critical parameter. The procedure is valid in both the overdamped and underdamped limits. In one space dimension, we perform quantitative comparison with numerical simulations of the nonlinear nonautonomous stochastic partial differential equation and report on signatures of underdamped dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX, 4 figures. Submitted to Physical Revie

Anti-a alpha B-crystallin immunoreactivity in inflammatory nervous system diseases

alphaB-Crystallin, a small heat shock protein, is an immunodominant antigen with increased tissue expression in demyelination. To investigate the humoral response against alphaB-crystallin, the sera and CSF samples of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), neuro-Behcet's disease (NBD) and other non-inflammatory neurological diseases (NIND) were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for anti-alphaB-crystallin IgG and IgM antibodies. Serum and CSF IgG antibody responses to alphaB-crystallin were significantly elevated only in NBD patients (serum IgG, NBD 1.29+/-0.49 vs. NIND 0.95+/-0.39, P=0.01; CSF IgG, NBD 1.22+/-0.64 vs. NIND 0.81+/-0.35, P=0.01). Similarly, high serum IgM antibody titres were also detected in NBD (1.83+/-0.72 vs. 1.16+/-0.49, P=0.0005) and in MS (1.57+/-1.07, P=0.046), whereas elevated CSF IgM responses were observed only in GBS (2.09+/-1.09 vs. 1.41+/-0.7, P=0.007). Humoral responses against alphaB-crystallin are increased in NBD and GBS, which may implicate this central nervous system antigen in the causation and pathogenesis of these inflammatory nervous system disorders

Management of a Benign Phyllodes Tumor in a 13-Year-Old Girl with Trans-position of the Nipple Areola Complex and Breast Reconstruction.

Phyllodes tumor is a rare primary tumor of the breast. In children and adolescents, it is even rarer with only 20 cases, treatment of which vary in the literature. Herein we report the case of a 13-year-old female patient with a giant benign phyllodes tumor eroding the bottom of the breast skin and causing nipple retraction. We performed breast conservative surgery by mobilizing the areola, using skin flaps and inserting an implant

Ultrasound-Guided Bilateral Thoracic Paravertebral Blocks as an Adjunct to General Anesthesia in Patients Undergoing Reduction Mammaplasty: A Historical Cohort Study

Background: This study investigates whether ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral blocks would improve postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing bilateral reduction mammaplasty