18 research outputs found
The association between effectiveness of clinical supervision of allied health professionals and improvement in patient function in an inpatient rehabilitation setting
Glucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine as new CEST MRI agents for molecular imaging of tumors
Temporal cavity solitons in one-dimensional Kerr media as bits in an all-optical buffer
Temporal cavity solitons are packets of light persisting in a continuously driven nonlinear resonator. They are robust attracting states, readily excited through a phase-insensitive and wavelength-insensitive process. As such, they constitute an ideal support for bits in an optical buffer that would seamlessly combine three critical telecommunication functions, namely all-optical storage, all-optical reshaping and wavelength conversion. Here, with standard silica optical fibres, we report the first experimental observation of temporal cavity solitons. The cavity solitons are 4 ps long and are used to demonstrate storage of a data stream for more than a second. We also observe interactions of close cavity solitons, revealing for our set-up a potential capacity of up to 45,000 bits at 25Gbit s-1. More fundamentally, cavity solitons are localized dissipative structures. Therefore, given that silica exhibits a pure instantaneous Kerr nonlinearity, our experiment constitutes one of the simplest examples of self-organization phenomena in nonlinear optics. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe
Association between human parvovirus B19 and arthropathy in BelĂ©m, Pará, north Brazil Associação entre parvovĂrus B19 e artropatias em BelĂ©m, Pará, norte do Brasil
A total of 220 patients with arthropathy were selected in BelĂ©m, Pará between January 1994 and December 2000, and screened for the presence of human parvovirus B19 IgM and IgG antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A subgroup (n = 132) of patients with high levels of antibodies (either IgM+/IgG+ or IgM-/IgG+) were examined for the presence of DNA by polymerase chain reaction/nested PCR. Recent/active infection (detection of IgM and/or IgG-specific antibodies and presence of viral DNA) was identified in 47.7% of the 132 individuals with arthropathy. In our study, women were significantly more affected (59.7%) than men (35.4%) (P = 0.0006). The age group of 11-20 years (84.6%), among female patients, and 21-30 years (42.1%), among male, were those with the highest incidence rates. The analysis of the temporal distribution of B19-associated arthropaties showed a cyclic pattern, with peak incidence rates occuring at 3-5 year intervals. Significant diference (P = 0.01) was observed when comparing both the highest (39.0%) and the lowest (11.0%) seropositivity rates for the years of 1995 and 2000, respectively. The interfalangial joints of hands and feet were mostly affected, with 50.0% and 48.0% of cases among both women and men, respectively. In a smaller proportion, other joints such as those of knee, ankle, pulse and shoulder were affected. As for the duration, symptoms lasted 1 to 5 days in 54.0% of the individuals, whereas in 46.0% of them the disease lasted 6-10 days, if considered the subgroup (n = 63) of patients with recent/active infection by parvovirus B19. In our study, joint clinical manifestations occurred symmetrically. Our results indicate that B19 may be an important agent of arthropathies in our region, and this underscores the need for specific laboratory diagnosis when treating patients suffering from acute arthropathy, mainly pregnant women.<br>Um total de 220 indivĂduos portadores de artropatias foi selecionado em BelĂ©m, Pará, entre janeiro de 1994 e dezembro de 2000 e, posteriormente, examinado com o propĂłsito de se detectarem anticorpos IgM e IgG para o parvovĂrus B19, utilizando-se a tĂ©cnica imunoenzimática (ELISA). Um subgrupo (n = 132) de indivĂduos com amostras de soro apresentando altos nĂveis de anticorpos (IgM+/IgG+ e IgM-/IgG+) foi usado para detecção de DNA do B19 atravĂ©s da reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) e do "nested" PCR. Infecção recente/ativa (detecção de IgM e/ou IgG mais a presença de DNA viral) foi diagnosticada em 47,7% dos 132 indivĂduos apresentando comprometimento das articulações. O sexo feminino foi mais afetado (59,7%) que o masculino (35,4%), com diferença estatisticamente significativa (P = 0,0006). Os grupos etários mais atingidos foram os de 11-20 anos (84,6%), no sexo feminino, e 21-30 anos (42,1%), no masculino. A análise da distribuição temporal mostrou um padrĂŁo cĂclico, com perĂodos de maior e menor atividade viral que variam de 3 a 5 anos. Diferença estatisticamente significativa (P = 0,01) foi observada quando comparadas as freqĂĽĂŞncias de positividade mais alta (39,0%) e mais baixa (11,0%) para os anos de 1995 e 2000, respectivamente. As articulações mais atingidas foram, em ordem de freqĂĽĂŞncia, as interfalangianas de mĂŁos e pĂ©s, com 50,0% e 48,0% para o sexo feminino e masculino, respectivamente. Em menor proporção outras articulações tais como as do joelho, tornozelo, pulso e ombro foram afetadas. Quanto Ă duração das manifestações articulares, 54,0% evoluĂram por 1-5 dias, e 46,0% ao longo de 6-10 dias, considerando o subgrupo (n = 63) de indivĂduos com infecção recente/ativa para o B19 em ambos os sexos. Em nosso estudo, o comprometimento das articulações apresentou caráter simĂ©trico. Os resultados encontrados demonstraram o freqĂĽente acometimento articular associado Ă s infecções recentes/ativas por parvovĂrus B19, ressaltando a necessidade do diagnĂłstico laboratorial dessa virose, principalmente entre gestantes