Theoretical and experimental studies of the underlying processes and techniques of low pressure measurement Progress report, 1 Jun. 1966 - 31 May 1967

Construction, testing, and refining of vacuum gauges - ionization gauge cross section ratio

Theoretical and experimental studies of the underlying processes and techniques of low pressure measurement Letter report, 1 Jul. 1967 - 31 May 1968

Ionization gage behavior in various gas mixtures and atmospheric composition

Definitions and outcome measures for bullous pemphigoid: Recommendations by an international panel of experts

Our scientific knowledge of bullous pemphigoid (BP) has dramatically progressed in recent years. However, despite the availability of various therapeutic options for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, only a few multicenter controlled trials have helped to define effective therapies in BP. A major obstacle in sharing multicenter-based evidences for therapeutic efforts is the lack of generally accepted definitions for the clinical evaluation of patients with BP. Common terms and end points of BP are needed so that experts in the field can accurately measure and assess disease extent, activity, severity, and therapeutic response, and thus facilitate and advance clinical trials. These recommendations from the International Pemphigoid Committee represent 2 years of collaborative efforts to attain mutually acceptable common definitions for BP and proposes a disease extent score, the BP Disease Area Index. These items should assist in the development of consistent reporting of outcomes in future BP reports and studies. © 2011 by the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc

Phenotypic Characterization of Autoreactive B Cells—Checkpoints of B Cell Tolerance in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

DNA-reactive B cells play a central role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); DNA antibodies precede clinical disease and in established disease correlate with renal inflammation and contribute to dendritic cell activation and high levels of type 1 interferon. A number of central and peripheral B cell tolerance mechanisms designed to control the survival, differentiation and activation of autoreactive B cells are thought to be disturbed in patients with SLE. The characterization of DNA-reactive B cells has, however, been limited by their low frequency in peripheral blood. Using a tetrameric configuration of a peptide mimetope of DNA bound by pathogenic anti-DNA antibodies, we can identify B cells producing potentially pathogenic DNA-reactive antibodies. We, therefore, characterized the maturation and differentiation states of peptide, (ds) double stranded DNA cross-reactive B cells in the peripheral blood of lupus patients and correlated these with clinical disease activity. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of tetramer-binding B cells in SLE patients compared to healthy controls. We demonstrated the existence of a novel tolerance checkpoint at the transition of antigen-naïve to antigen-experienced. We further demonstrate that patients with moderately active disease have more autoreactive B cells in both the antigen-naïve and antigen-experienced compartments consistent with greater impairment in B cell tolerance in both early and late checkpoints in these patients than in patients with quiescent disease. This methodology enables us to gain insight into the development and fate of DNA-reactive B cells in individual patients with SLE and paves the way ultimately to permit better and more customized therapies

Die Gewahrleistung eines fairen Verfahrens durch den Beistnad des Anwalts und des Dolmetschers -die Diskussion um Art.6 EMRK <Articles>

Since tissue oxygen levels are believed to play a pivotal role in new vessel growth in several situations, we studied the effect of several oxygen concentrations (0, 10, 21, 50, 75, or 100%) on corneal vascularization induced in the rat by chemical cautery. We achieved this by perfusing known concentrations of oxygen through goggles fitted over both eyes of the rat after corneal cauterization. Neovascularization was measured in flat corneal preparations with India ink-filled vessels 4 days postcautery using computerized image analysis. The angiogenic response of rats whose eyes were continuously exposed to 0-75% oxygen were not significantly different from each other. The mean response in corneas exposed to 100% oxygen was 10-21% lower than all of the other groups, and this difference was statistically significant when compared to oxygen concentrations of 0, 21 and 75%. The reason for the inhibitory effect of 100% oxygen remains to be determined, but it may represent a toxic effect of oxygen free radicals on the vascular endothelium

The riddle of the dual expression of IgM and IgD

Signalling through the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) is required for peripheral B lymphocyte maturation, maintenance, activation and silencing. In mature B cells, the antigen receptor normally consists of two isotypes, membrane IgM and IgD (mIgM, mIgD). Although the signals initiated from both isotypes differ in kinetics and intensity, in vivo, the BCR of either isotype seems to be able to compensate for the loss of the other, reflected by the mild phenotypes of mice deficient for mIgM or mIgD. Thus, it is still unclear why mature B cells need expression of mIgD in addition to mIgM. In the current review we suggest that the view that IgD has a simpIy definable function centred around the basic signalling function should be replaced by the assumption that IgD fine tunes humoral responses, modulates B cell selection and homeostasis and thus shapes the B cell repertoire, defining IgD to be a key modulator of the humoral immune response