Dependence of band structure and carrier concentration of metallic (13, 13) and semiconducting (13, 0) single wall carbon nanotube on temperature

The electronic band structure, density of states (DOS) and carrier concentration of a (13,13) metallic and a (13,0) semiconducting Single Wall Carbon Nanotube (SWCNT) have been estimated and simulated by using the Fermi-Dirac distribution function. The energy dispersion E(k) relation for metallic SWCNT near the minimum energy is linear and the Fermi level was independent of temperature (T). On the other hand for semiconducting SWCNT the E(k) relation is parabolic. The normalized Fermi-Energy (EF – EC) in the nondegenerate regime is a weak (logarithmic) function of carrier concentration and varies linearly with T. In the degenerate condition, the Fermi level was independent of T and was a strong function of carrier concentration

Gravity/CFT correspondence for three dimensional Einstein gravity with a conformal scalar field

We study the three dimensional Einstein gravity conformally coupled to a scalar field. Solutions of this theory are geometries with vanishing scalar curvature. We consider solutions with a constant scalar field which corresponds to an infinite Newton's constant. There is a class of solutions with possible curvature singularities which asymptotic symmetries are given by two copies of the Virasoro algebra. We argue that the central charge of the corresponding CFT is infinite. Furthermore, we construct a family of Schwarzschild solutions which can be conformally mapped to the Martinez-Zanelli solution of Einstein's equations with a negative cosmological constant coupled to conformal scalar field.Comment: 27 pages, to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Monogenic Primary Immunodeficiency Disorder Associated with Common Variable Immunodeficiency and Autoimmunity

Background: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequent primary immunodeficiency disorder mainly characterized by recurrent bacterial infections besides other immunological defects including loss of or dysfunction of B cells and decreased immunoglobulin levels. In this study, our aim is to evaluate clinical, immunological, and molecular data of patients with a primary clinical diagnosis of CVID and autoimmune phenotype with a confirmed genetic diagnosis. Methods: Among 297 patients with CVID, who were registered in the Iranian Primary Immunodeficiency Registry at Children's Medical Center Hospital in Iran, 83 patients have been genetically examined and 27 patients with autoimmunity and confirmed genetic mutations were selected for analysis. Whole-exome sequencing and confirmatory Sanger sequencing methods were used for the study population. A questionnaire was retrospectively filled for all patients to evaluate demographic, laboratory, clinical, and genetic data. Results: In the 27 studied patients, 11 different genetic defects were identified, and the most common mutated gene was LRBA, reported in 17 (63.0) patients. Two patients (7.7) showed autoimmune complications as the first presentation of immunodeficiency. Eleven patients (40.7) developed one type of autoimmunity, and 16 patients (59.3) progressed to poly-autoimmunity. Most of the patients with mono-autoimmunity (n = 9, 90.0) primarily developed infectious complications, while in patients with poly-autoimmunity, the most common first presentation was enteropathy (n = 6, 37.6). In 13 patients (61.9), the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders preceded the diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency. The most frequent autoimmune manifestations were hematologic (40.7), gastrointestinal (48.1), rheumatologic (25.9), and dermatologic (22.2) disorders. Patients with poly-autoimmunity had lower regulatory T cells than patients with mono-autoimmunity. Conclusion: In our cohort, the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders preceded the diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency in most patients. This association highlights the fact that patients referring with autoimmune manifestations should be evaluated for humoral immunity. © 2020 Georg Thieme Verlag. All rights reserved

Evaluation of respiratory complications in patients with X-linked and autosomal recessive agammaglobulinemia

Background: Congenital agammaglobulinemia is the first primary immunodeficiency disorder characterized by a defect in B lymphocyte development and subsequently decreased immunoglobulin levels. These patients are prone to suffer from recurrent infections mostly involving the respiratory tract. In this study, we aimed to describe in detail respiratory tract complications as the most prominent clinical feature among agammaglobulinemic patients. Methods: A total number of 115 patients were included. Demographic, clinical, and genetic data were collected from the patients� medical records. Among the available patients, pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and/or high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) were performed. Results: Respiratory tract complications (85.2) especially pneumonia (62.6) were the most prominent clinical features in our cohort. Among patients with abnormal PFT results (N = 19), a mixed respiratory pattern was observed in 36.8. HRCT was carried out in 29 patients; Bhalla scoring-based evaluation of these patients indicated excellent (44.8), followed by good (34.5) and mild (20.7) results. Bronchiectasis was found in 13 patients undergoing HRCT (44.8). We found significant inverse correlations between the Bhalla score and incidence rate of pneumonia, as well as the presence of bronchiectasis. Patients with abnormal PFT results had statistically significant higher bronchiectasis frequency and lower Bhalla scores compared to those with normal results. Forty-one patients were deceased, and here, respiratory failure was the most common cause of death (45.5). Conclusion: High prevalence of respiratory tract infections among agammaglobulinemic patients and subsequent progression to permanent lung damage highlights the importance of implementing respiratory evaluation as part of routine follow-up program of agammaglobulinemic patients. Physicians should be aware of this and regularly monitor the respiratory function of these patients to allow for timely diagnosis and treatment initiation aiming to improve patients� prognosis and quality of life. © 2020 EAACI and John Wiley and Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Fourth Update on the Iranian National Registry of Primary Immunodeficiencies: Integration of Molecular Diagnosis

Abstract Background The number of inherited diseases and the spectrum of clinical manifestations of primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs) are ever-expanding. Molecular diagnosis using genomic approaches should be performed for all PID patients since it provides a resource to improve the management and to estimate the prognosis of patients with these rare immune disorders. Method The current update of Iranian PID registry (IPIDR) contains the clinical phenotype of newly registered patients during last 5 years (2013–2018) and the result of molecular diagnosis in patients enrolled for targeted and next-generation sequencing. Results Considering the newly diagnosed patients (n = 1395), the total number of registered PID patients reached 3056 (1852 male and 1204 female) from 31 medical centers. The predominantly antibody deficiency was the most common subcategory of PID (29.5%). The putative causative genetic defect was identified in 1014 patients (33.1%) and an autosomal recessive pattern was found in 79.3% of these patients. Among the genetically different categories of PID patients, the diagnostic rate was highest in defects in immune dysregulation and lowest in predominantly antibody deficiencies and mutations in the MEFV gene were the most frequent genetic disorder in our cohort. Conclusions During a 20-year registration of Iranian PID patients, significant changes have been observed by increasing the awareness of the medical community, national PID network establishment, improving therapeutic facilities, and recently by inclusion of the molecular diagnosis. The current collective study of PID phenotypes and genotypes provides a major source for ethnic surveillance, newborn screening, and genetic consultation for prenatal and preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Keywords Epidemiology Iran primary immunodeficiency molecular diagnosi