Formation of two-ion crystals by injection from a Paul-trap source into a high-magnetic-field Penning trap

Two-ion crystals constitute a platform for investigations of quantum nature that can be extended to any ion species or charged particle provided one of the ions in the crystal can be directly laser cooled and manipulated with laser radiation. This paper presents the formation of two-ion crystals for quantum metrology in a 7-tesla open-ring Penning trap. 40Ca+ ions are produced either internally by photoionization or externally in a (Paul-trap) source, transported through the strong magnetic field gradient of the superconducting solenoid, and captured in-flight with a mean kinetic energy of a few electronvolts with respect to the minimum of the Penning-trap potential well. Laser cooling of the two-ion crystal in a strong magnetic field towards reaching the quantum regime is also presented, with particular emphasis on the cooling of the radial modes.Spanish Government PID2019-104093GB-I00/AEI/10.013 39/501100011033Andalusian Government P18FR-3432 PTA2018-016573-IFondo Operativo FEDER A-FQM-425-UGR18Spanish Government FPU17/02596University of Granada "Plan Propio -Programa de Intensificacion de la Investigacion" PP2017-PRI.I-04Laboratorios Singulares 2020European Research Council (ERC) European Commission 278648TRAPSENSOR MICINN/FEDER/UGR FPA2015-67694-P FPA2012-32076 UNGR10-1E501 UNGR13-1E-1830 EQC2018-005130-PJunta de AndaluciaEuropean Commission IE-5713 IE2017-5513Spanish MICINN ("Beatriz Galindo" Fellowship) BEAGAL18/00078German Research Foundation (DFG)European Commission SFB/CRC 122

Long-term effect of intravitreal triamcinolone in the nonproliferative stage of type II idiopathic parafoveal telangiectasia

PURPOSE: To report the visual outcomes and ocular complications of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) in the treatment of the nonproliferative stage of type II idiopathic parafoveal telangiectasia (IPT). METHODS: Retrospective, multicenter, uncontrolled interventional case series of 19 eyes of 14 consecutive patients with the nonproliferative stage of IPT that had undergone at least one intravitreal injection of 4 mg of triamcinolone acetonide. Demographic, medical, and ocular data were obtained through chart review. The main outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity at several timepoints of follow up and ocular complications. RESULTS: At baseline the mean logMAR visual acuity was 0.83 ± 0.41 (Snellen 20/135, range 0.3-2). After an average follow-up of 21.2 months (range 6-44 months), the mean logMAR visual acuity remained essentially unchanged from baseline. At 3 months, the logMAR visual acuity was 0.86 ± 0.44 (Snellen 20/145, P = 0.8378), at 6 months 0.86 ± 0.42 (Snellen 20/145, P = 0.8149), at 12 months 0.87 ± 0.46 (Snellen 20/148, P > 0.9999), at 18 months 0.84 ± 0.35 (Snellen 20/138, P = 0.8385), and at the last follow-up 0.82 ± 0.44 (Snellen 20/132, P = 0.9301). Seven eyes were reinjected once. Ten of 19 eyes (53%) developed cataract (3 eyes underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation) and 7 of 19 eyes (37%) had an elevated intraocular pressure, none of which required surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: IVTA does not seem to improve visual acuity in most eyes with the nonproliferative stage of IPT. © The Ophthalmic Communications Society, Inc

The TRAPSENSOR facility: an open-ring 7 tesla Penning trap for laserbased precision experiments

APenning-trap facility for high-precision mass spectrometry based on a novel detection method has been built. This method consists in measuring motional frequencies of singly-charged ions trapped in strong magnetic fields through the fluorescence photons from laser-cooled 40Ca+ ions, to overcome limitations faced in electronic single-ion detection techniques. The key element of this facility is an open-ring Penning trap coupled upstream to a preparation Penning trap similar to those used at Radioactive Ion Beam facilities. Here we present a full characterization of the trap and demonstrate motional frequency measurements of trapped ions stored by applying external radiofrequency fields in resonance with the ions’ eigenmotions, in combination with time-of-flight identification. The infrastructure developed to observe the fluorescence photons from 40Ca+, comprising the 12 laser beams and the optical system to register the image in a high-sensitive CCD sensor, has been proved by taking images of the trapped and cooled 40Ca+ ions. This demonstrates the functionality of the proposed laser-based mass-spectrometry technique, providing a unique platform for precision experiments with implications in different fields of physics.This work was supported by the European Research Council (contract no. 278648-TRAPSENSOR), from the SpanishMINECO/ FEDER (project nos. FPA2012-32076, FPA2015-67694-P, FIS2015-69983-P, UNGR10-1E- 501, UNGR13-1E-1830), Ramón y Cajal Grant RYC-2012-11391, Juan de la Cierva grant IJCI-2015-26091, Centro Nacional de Partículas, Astropartículas y Nuclear CPAN13-TM01, and ‘Sistema Nacional de Garantía Juvenil y del Programa Operativo de Empleo Juvenil’; from the SpanishMECD(PhD grant nos. FPU15-04679 and FPU17/02596); from Junta de Andalucía/FEDER (project no. IE-57131) and ‘Programa de Empleo Juvenil; from Basque Government (PhD grant no. PRE-2015-1-0394) and (project no. IT986-16), and from the University of Granada ‘Plan propio-Programa de Intensificación de la Investigación PP2017-PRI.I-04’. I.A, L.L. and E.S acknowledge also support from projects OpenSuperQ (820363) and QMiCS (820505) of the EUFlagship on Quantum Technologies

Serum CD26 is related to histopathological polyp traits and behaves as a marker for colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Serum CD26 (sCD26) levels were previously found diminished in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients compared to healthy donors, suggesting its potential utility for early diagnosis. Therefore we aimed to estimate the utility of the sCD26 as a biomarker for CRC and advanced adenomas in a high-risk group of patients. The relationship of this molecule with polyp characteristics was also addressed.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>sCD26 levels were measured by ELISA in 299 symptomatic and asymptomatic patients who had undergone a colonoscopy. Patients were diagnosed as having no colorectal pathology, non-inflammatory or inflammatory bowel disease, polyps (hyperplastic, non-advanced and advanced adenomas) or CRC.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At a 460 ng/mL cut-off, the sCD26 has a sensitivity and specificity of 81.8% (95% CI, 64.5-93.0%) and 72.3% (95% CI, 65.0-77.2%) for CRC regarding no or benign colorectal pathology. Clinicopathological analysis of polyps showed a relationship between the sCD26 and the grade of dysplasia and the presence of advanced adenomas. Hence, a 58.0% (95% CI, 46.5-68.9%) sensitivity detecting CRC and advanced adenomas was obtained, with a specificity of 75.5% (95% CI, 68.5-81.0%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our preliminary results show that measurement of the sCD26 is a non-invasive and reasonably sensitive assay, which could be combined with others such as the faecal occult blood test for the early diagnosis and screening of CRC and advanced adenomas. Additional comparative studies in average-risk populations are necessary.</p

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Seguimiento de las guías españolas para el manejo del asma por el médico de atención primaria: un estudio observacional ambispectivo

Objetivo Evaluar el grado de seguimiento de las recomendaciones de las versiones de la Guía española para el manejo del asma (GEMA 2009 y 2015) y su repercusión en el control de la enfermedad. Material y métodos Estudio observacional y ambispectivo realizado entre septiembre del 2015 y abril del 2016, en el que participaron 314 médicos de atención primaria y 2.864 pacientes. Resultados Utilizando datos retrospectivos, 81 de los 314 médicos (25, 8% [IC del 95%, 21, 3 a 30, 9]) comunicaron seguir las recomendaciones de la GEMA 2009. Al inicio del estudio, 88 de los 314 médicos (28, 0% [IC del 95%, 23, 4 a 33, 2]) seguían las recomendaciones de la GEMA 2015. El tener un asma mal controlada (OR 0, 19, IC del 95%, 0, 13 a 0, 28) y presentar un asma persistente grave al inicio del estudio (OR 0, 20, IC del 95%, 0, 12 a 0, 34) se asociaron negativamente con tener un asma bien controlada al final del seguimiento. Por el contrario, el seguimiento de las recomendaciones de la GEMA 2015 se asoció de manera positiva con una mayor posibilidad de que el paciente tuviera un asma bien controlada al final del periodo de seguimiento (OR 1, 70, IC del 95%, 1, 40 a 2, 06). Conclusiones El escaso seguimiento de las guías clínicas para el manejo del asma constituye un problema común entre los médicos de atención primaria. Un seguimiento de estas guías se asocia con un control mejor del asma. Existe la necesidad de actuaciones que puedan mejorar el seguimiento por parte de los médicos de atención primaria de las guías para el manejo del asma. Objective: To assess the degree of compliance with the recommendations of the 2009 and 2015 versions of the Spanish guidelines for managing asthma (Guía Española para el Manejo del Asma [GEMA]) and the effect of this compliance on controlling the disease. Material and methods: We conducted an observational ambispective study between September 2015 and April 2016 in which 314 primary care physicians and 2864 patients participated. Results: Using retrospective data, we found that 81 of the 314 physicians (25.8%; 95% CI 21.3–30.9) stated that they complied with the GEMA2009 recommendations. At the start of the study, 88 of the 314 physicians (28.0%; 95% CI 23.4–33.2) complied with the GEMA2015 recommendations. Poorly controlled asthma (OR, 0.19; 95% CI 0.13–0.28) and persistent severe asthma at the start of the study (OR, 0.20; 95% CI 0.12–0.34) were negatively associated with having well-controlled asthma by the end of the follow-up. In contrast, compliance with the GEMA2015 recommendations was positively associated with a greater likelihood that the patient would have well-controlled asthma by the end of the follow-up (OR, 1.70; 95% CI 1.40–2.06). Conclusions: Low compliance with the clinical guidelines for managing asthma is a common problem among primary care physicians. Compliance with these guidelines is associated with better asthma control. Actions need to be taken to improve primary care physician compliance with the asthma management guidelines

Soluble CD26 Levels and Its Association to Epidemiologic Parameters in a Sample Population

Introduction: Previous studies have suggested the use of soluble CD26 (sCD26) as a tumour marker for the detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) and advanced adenomas. The aim of this study was to assess the sCD26 concentration in a large cohort to evaluate its association to epidemiologic parameters and CRC-related symptoms/pathologies. Subjects and methods: Serum samples were collected from 2,754 putatively healthy individuals with ages ranging from 30–65 years, and with personal or familial history of polyps, CRC and/or CR symptoms. sCD26 levels were measured by ELISA. Results: No association was found between the sCD26 concentration and age (< 50 and 50), the personal or familial history of polyps or CRC, rectal bleeding, haemorrhoids or diverticula. However, sCD26 was related to non-inflammatory benign pathologies (excluding rectal bleeding, changes in bowel habits, haemorrhoids, diverticula) and to inflammatory benign pathologies. Discussion: Our results confirm that the sCD26 can be easily offered and evaluated in a large cohort. Additionally, the validation of sCD26 as a tumour marker for screening and case-finding purposes requires a further comparison with an established non-invasive test like the faecal occult blood.S

Penning-trap eigenfrequency measurements with optical radiofrequency detectors

We use an electric-dipole laser-driven transition to precisely measure the cyclotron-frequency ratios of the pairs 42Ca+−40Ca+, 44Ca+−40Ca+, and 48Ca+−40Ca+ in a 7-tesla Penning trap. A single laser-cooled (T≈1 mK) ion serves, together with photon-counting and photon-imaging units, as a radiofrequency detector covering a broadband frequency spectrum, in the present case from kHz to a few MHz. Such detectors (40,42,44,48Ca+) allow measuring extremely small forces increasing the sensitivity in Penning-trap mass spectrometry. The direct determination of the ions' amplitudes makes a cyclotron-frequency measurement process more robust against inhomogeneities of the magnetic field and/or deviations of the electric quadrupole field due to mechanical imperfections of the trap.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades through Grant No. PID2022-141496NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF A way of making Europe, and Grant No. PID2019-104093GB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033FEDER/Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación through Project No. P18-FR-3432Spanish Ministry of Education through Ph.D. fellowship FPU17/02596University of Granada “Laboratorios Singulares 2020”European Research Council (Contract No. 278648-TRAPSENSOR)Projects No. FPA2015-67694-P (funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF A way of making Europe) and No. FPA2012-32076 (MCIN/FEDER)Infrastructure Projects No. UNGR10-1E-501, and No. UNGR13-1E-1830 (MCIN/FEDER/UGR), and No. EQC2018-005130-P (funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF A way of making Europe)Infrastructure Projects No. INF-2011-57131 and No. IE2017-5513 (funded by Junta de Andalucía/FEDER)European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 899354 (SuperQuLAN

Preoperative serum CA 72.4 as prognostic factor of recurrence and death, especially at TNM stage II, for colorectal cancer

This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.[Background]: Nowadays, evaluation of colorectal cancer prognosis and decision-making for treatment continues to be based primarily on TNM tumour stage. Administration of adjuvant chemotherapy is especially challenging for stage II patients that can have very different disease-related outcomes. Therefore, more reliable prognostic markers need to be developed to improve the selection of stage II patients at high risk for recurrence. Our purpose is to assess the prognostic value of preoperative serum CA 72.4 to improve the risk stratification of CRC patients. [Methods]: Preoperative sera collected from 71 unselected patients between January 1994 and February 1997 was assayed for CA 72.4 and CEA levels. Patients were followed-up for at least 30 months or until relapse. Survival curves were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and the prognostic value was determined using Log-Rank test and Cox regression analysis. [Results]: Preoperative CA 72.4 levels above 7 U/mL correlate with a worse prognosis, with associated recurrence and death percentages exceeding the displayed by CEA. In a multivariate analysis, its combination with CEA proved the most important independent factor predicting survival. Remarkably, at stage II CA 72.4 also discriminates better than CEA those patients that will relapse or die from those with a favourable prognosis; however, CEA has not a negligible effect on survival. [Conclusions]: The most outstanding finding of the present work is the correct classification of nearly every patient with bad prognosis (relapse or death) at TNM stage II when CEA and CA 72.4 are used altogether. This could improve the decision-making involved in the treatment of stage II colon cancer. Certainly further large-scale studies must be performed to determine whether CA 72.4 can be effectively used in the clinical setting.The authors thank M. Butrón, G. de Castro, A. López Saco and C. Valverde from “Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Vigo”, for kindly providing the sera and information on patients. Sonia Blanco is supported by a fellowship from the Programa Nacional de Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación).Peer Reviewe

Non-equilibrium coupling of a quartz resonator to ions for Penning-trap fast resonant detection

The coherent coupling between a quartz electro-mechanical resonator at room temperature and trapped ions in a 7-tesla Penning trap has been demonstrated for the first time. The signals arising from the coupling remain for integration times in the orders of seconds. From the measurements carried out, we demonstrate that the coupling allows detecting the reduced-cyclotron frequency ($\nu_+$) within times below 10~ms and with an improved resolution compared to conventional electronic detection schemes. A resolving power $\nu_+/\Delta \nu_+=2.4\times10^{7}$ has been reached in single measurements. In this publication we present the first results, emphasizing the novel features of the quartz resonator as fast non-destructive ion-trap detector together with different ways to analyze the data and considering aspects like precision, resolution and sensitivity.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure