Shwartzman reaction after human renal homotransplantation.

In three human recipients, five renal homografts were destroyed within a few minutes to hours after their revascularization in the new host. The kidneys, removed one to 54 days later, had cortical necrosis. The major vessels were patent, but the arterioles and glomeruli were the site of fibrin deposition. There was little or no fixation of host immunoglobulins in the homografts. The findings were characteristic of a generalized Shwartzman reaction. Although the cause (or causes) of the Shwartzman reaction in our patients is not known, they may have been conditioned by the bacterial contamination and hemolysis that often attend hemodialysis, by immunosuppression and by the transplantation itself. Some of the patients have preformed lymphocytotoxic antibodies. Thus, certain patients may be predisposed. High-risk patients should be recognized and treated prophylactically with anticoagulants

Investigation into the changing colonisation of skin bacteria during isotretinoin treatment for acne vulgaris

Poster presentatio

'Choosing shoes': a preliminary study into the challenges facing clinicians in assessing footwear for rheumatoid patients

Background: Footwear has been accepted as a therapeutic intervention for the foot affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Evidence relating to the objective assessment of footwear in patients with RA is limited. The aims of this study were to identify current footwear styles, footwear characteristics, and factors that influence footwear choice experienced by patients with RA. Methods: Eighty patients with RA were recruited from rheumatology clinics during the summer months. Clinical characteristics, global function, and foot impairment and disability measures were recorded. Current footwear, footwear characteristics and the factors associated with choice of footwear were identified. Suitability of footwear was recorded using pre-determined criteria for assessing footwear type, based on a previous study of foot pain. Results: The patients had longstanding RA with moderate-to severe disability and impairment. The foot and ankle assessment demonstrated a low-arch profile with both forefoot and rearfoot structural deformities. Over 50% of shoes worn by patients were opentype footwear. More than 70% of patients’ footwear was defined as being poor. Poor footwear characteristics such as heel rigidity and sole hardness were observed. Patients reported comfort (17%) and fit (14%) as important factors in choosing their own footwear. Only five percent (5%) of patients wore therapeutic footwear. Conclusions: The majority of patients with RA wear footwear that has been previously described as poor. Future work needs to aim to define and justify the specific features of footwear that may be of benefit to foot health for people with RA

Clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin): an agricultural and biological challenge worldwide

Clubroot disease and the causal microbe Plasmodiophora brassicae offer abundant challenges to agriculturists and biological scientists. This microbe is well fitted for the environments which it inhabits. Plasmodiophora brassicae exists in soil as microscopic well protected resting spores and then grows actively and reproduces while shielded inside the roots of host plants. The pathogen is active outside the host for only short periods. Consequently, scientific studies are made challenging by the biological context of the host and pathogen and the technology required to investigate and understand that relationship. Controlling clubroot disease is a challenge for farmers, crop consultants and plant pathology practitioners because of the limited options which are available. Full symptom expression happens solely in members of the Brassicaceae family. Currently, only a few genes expressing strong resistance to P. brassicae are known and readily available. Agrochemical control is similarly limited by difficulties in molecule formulation which combines efficacy with environmental acceptability. Manipulation of husbandry encouraging improvements in soil structure, texture, nutrient composition and moisture content can reduce populations of P. brassicae. Integrating such strategies with rotation and crop management will reduce but not eliminate this disease. There are indications that forms of biological competition may be mobilised as additions to integrated control strategies. The aim of this review is to chart key themes in the development of scientific biological understanding of this host-pathogen relationship by offering signposts to grapple with clubroot disease which devastates crops and their profitability. Particular attention is given to the link between soil and nutrient chemistry and activity of this microbe

Violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality with weak measurements of photons

By weakly measuring the polarization of a photon between two strong polarization measurements, we experimentally investigate the correlation between the appearance of anomalous values in quantum weak measurements, and the violation of realism and non-intrusiveness of measurements. A quantitative formulation of the latter concept is expressed in terms of a Leggett-Garg inequality for the outcomes of subsequent measurements of an individual quantum system. We experimentally violate the Leggett-Garg inequality for several measurement strengths. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate that there is a one-to-one correlation between achieving strange weak values and violating the Leggett-Garg inequality.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Hydrogen Two-Photon Continuum Emission from the Horseshoe Filament in NGC 1275

Far ultraviolet emission has been detected from a knot of Halpha emission in the Horseshoe filament, far out in the NGC 1275 nebula. The flux detected relative to the brightness of the Halpha line in the same spatial region is very close to that expected from Hydrogen two-photon continuum emission in the particle heating model of Ferland et al. (2009) if reddening internal to the filaments is taken into account. We find no need to invoke other sources of far ultraviolet emission such as hot stars or emission lines from CIV in intermediate temperature gas to explain these data.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Susceptibility functions for slow relaxation processes in supercooled liquids and the search for universal relaxation patterns

In order to describe the slow response of a glass former we discuss some distribution of correlation times, e.g., the generalized gamma distribution (GG) and an extension thereof (GGE), the latter allowing to reproduce a simple peak susceptibility such as of Cole-Davidson type as well as a susceptibility exhibiting an additional high frequency power law contribution (excess wing). Applying the GGE distribution to the dielectric spectra of glass formers exhibiting no beta-process peak (glycerol, propylene carbonate and picoline) we are able to reproduce the salient features of the slow response (1e-6 Hz - 1e9 Hz). A line shape analysis is carried out either in the time or frequency domain and in both cases an excess wing can be identified. The latter evolves in a universal way while cooling and shows up for correlation times tau_alpha > 1e-8 s. It appears that its first emergence marks the break down of the high temperature scenario of mode coupling theory. - In order to describe a glass former exhibiting a beta-process peak we have introduced a distribution function which is compatible with assuming a thermally activated process in contrast to some commonly used fit functions. Together with the GGE distribution this function allows in the frame of the Williams-Watts approach to completely interpolate the spectra, e.g. of fluoro aniline (1e-6 Hz - 1e9 Hz). The parameters obtained indicate an emergence of both the excess wing and the beta-process again at tau_alpha > 1e-8s.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figure

Madelung Disease: MR Findings

Summary: Two cases of Madelung disease (benign symmetrical lipomatosis) are presented. The MR findings in this striking condition are demonstrated. Short-repetition-time/short-echo time sequences nicely show the relationship of the cervical lipomatous accumulations to the airway and major neurovascular structures in the carotid spaces. Fat-suppression techniques add no additional information in the radiologic evaluation of these patients