Effect of interparticle forces on the fluidization of fine particles

Report studies elucidation and description of effect of interparticle forces on feasibility of gaseous fluidization of particles below 50 microns in diameter. Interparticle forces are determined by inclined-plane method. Study indicated that fluidizability is related to the interparticle adhesive force

Stopping Light All-Optically

We show that light pulses can be stopped and stored all-optically, with a process that involves an adiabatic and reversible pulse bandwidth compression occurring entirely in the optical domain. Such a process overcomes the fundamental bandwidth-delay constraint in optics, and can generate arbitrarily small group velocities for light pulses with a given bandwidth, without the use of any coherent or resonant light-matter interactions. We exhibit this process in optical resonator systems, where the pulse bandwidth compression is accomplished only by small refractive index modulations performed at moderate speeds. (Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett. Submitted on Sept. 10th 2003)Comment: 18 pages including 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract as potential route of primary polyomavirus infection in mice

Background Detection of Polyomavirus (PyV) DNA in metropolitan rivers worldwide has led to the suggestion that primary viral infection can occur by the oral route. The aim of this study was to test this notion experimentally. Methods Mouse PyV (MPyV) was used to infect C57BL/6J mice by the nasal or intragastric route. Viral load kinetics was studied 3, 7, 10, 14, 21 and 28 days post-infection (dpi) using quantitative PCR. Results Following nasal infection, MPyV DNA was readily detected in many organs including lung, heart, aorta, colon, and stool with viral loads in the range of 103-106 copies/mg wet weight that peaked 7-10 dpi. Complete viral clearance occurred in the serum and kidney by 28 dpi, while clearance in other organs was partial with a 10-100 fold decrease in viral load. In contrast, following intragastric infection peak detection of PyV was delayed to 21 dpi, and viral loads were up to 3 logs lower. There was no detectable virus in the heart, colon, or stool. Conclusions The intragastric route of MPyV infection is successful, not as efficacious as the respiratory route, and associated with delayed viral dissemination as well as a lower peak MPyV load in individual organs

Co-existence of Phenylketonuria and Fabry disease on a 3 year-old boy: case report

Background: The co-existence of two genetically distinct metabolic disorders in the same patient has rarely been reported. Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of the metabolism resulting from a phenylalanine hydroxylase defi ciency. Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder due to a defi ciency of the enzyme alpha-galactosidase A. Case presentation: We report a case of a 3-year-old boy affected by classic PKU and FD, both confi rmed by molecular data. The FD was suspected at the age of 21 months on the presence of non-specifi c GI symptoms (severe abdominal pain and periodically appearance of not specifi c episodes of gastroenteritis) apparently non related to PKU. Conclusion: This is the fi rst report of co-existence of FD and PKU, two different congenital inborn of metabolism and in consideration of the prevalence of each disease this chance association is a very unusual event. The co-existence of these diseases made very diffi cult the correct interpretation of clinical symptoms as lack of appetite, severe abdominal pain and non-specifi c gastroenteritis episodes. Furthermore, this case report helps to defi ne the early clinical phenotype of FD

Characterization of early disease status in treatment-naive male paediatric patients with Fabry disease enrolled in a randomized clinical trial.

Trial designThis analysis characterizes the degree of early organ involvement in a cohort of oligo-symptomatic untreated young patients with Fabry disease enrolled in an ongoing randomized, open-label, parallel-group, phase 3B clinical trial.MethodsMales aged 5-18 years with complete α-galactosidase A deficiency, without symptoms of major organ damage, were enrolled in a phase 3B trial evaluating two doses of agalsidase beta. Baseline disease characteristics of 31 eligible patients (median age 12 years) were studied, including cellular globotriaosylceramide (GL-3) accumulation in skin (n = 31) and kidney biopsy (n = 6; median age 15 years; range 13-17 years), renal function, and glycolipid levels (plasma, urine).ResultsPlasma and urinary GL-3 levels were abnormal in 25 of 30 and 31 of 31 patients, respectively. Plasma lyso-GL-3 was elevated in all patients. GL-3 accumulation was documented in superficial skin capillary endothelial cells (23/31 patients) and deep vessel endothelial cells (23/29 patients). The mean glomerular filtration rate (GFR), measured by plasma disappearance of iohexol, was 118.1 mL/min/1.73 m(2) (range 90.4-161.0 mL/min/1.73 m(2)) and the median urinary albumin/creatinine ratio was 10 mg/g (range 4.0-27.0 mg/g). On electron microscopy, renal biopsy revealed GL-3 accumulation in all glomerular cell types (podocytes and parietal, endothelial, and mesangial cells), as well as in peritubular capillary and non-capillary endothelial, interstitial, vascular smooth muscle, and distal tubules/collecting duct cells. Lesions indicative of early Fabry arteriopathy and segmental effacement of podocyte foot processes were found in all 6 patients.ConclusionsThese data reveal that in this small cohort of children with Fabry disease, histological evidence of GL-3 accumulation, and cellular and vascular injury are present in renal tissues at very early stages of the disease, and are noted before onset of microalbuminuria and development of clinically significant renal events (e.g. reduced GFR). These data give additional support to the consideration of early initiation of enzyme replacement therapy, potentially improving long-term outcome.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00701415

A 15-year perspective of the fabry outcome survey

The Fabry Outcome Survey (FOS) is an international long-term observational registry sponsored by Shire for patients diagnosed with Fabry disease who are receiving or are candidates for therapy with agalsidase alfa (agala). Established in 2001, FOS provides long-term data on agala safety/efficacy and collects data on the natural history of Fabry disease, with the aim of improving clinical management. The FOS publications have helped establish prognostic and severity scores, defined the incidence of specific disease variants and implications for clinical management, described clinical manifestations in special populations, confirmed the high prevalence of cardiac morbidity, and demonstrated correlations between ocular changes and Fabry disease severity. These FOS data represent a rich resource with utility not only for description of natural history/therapeutic effects but also for exploratory hypothesis testing and generation of tools for diagnosis/management, with the potential to improve future patient outcomes

Presenting signs and patient co-variables in Gaucher disease : outcome of the Gaucher Earlier Diagnosis Consensus (GED-C) Delphi initiative

© 2018 The Authors. Internal Medicine Journal by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Royal Australasian College of Physicians.Background: Gaucher disease (GD) presents with a range of signs and symptoms. Physicians can fail to recognise the early stages of GD owing to a lack of disease awareness, which can lead to significant diagnostic delays and sometimes irreversible but avoidable morbidities. Aim: The Gaucher Earlier Diagnosis Consensus (GED-C) initiative aimed to identify signs and co-variables considered most indicative of early type 1 and type 3 GD, to help non-specialists identify ‘at-risk’ patients who may benefit from diagnostic testing. Methods: An anonymous, three-round Delphi consensus process was deployed among a global panel of 22 specialists in GD (median experience 17.5 years, collectively managing almost 3000 patients). The rounds entailed data gathering, then importance ranking and establishment of consensus, using 5-point Likert scales and scoring thresholds defined a priori. Results: For type 1 disease, seven major signs (splenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, bone-related manifestations, anaemia, hyperferritinaemia, hepatomegaly and gammopathy) and two major co-variables (family history of GD and Ashkenazi-Jewish ancestry) were identified. For type 3 disease, nine major signs (splenomegaly, oculomotor disturbances, thrombocytopenia, epilepsy, anaemia, hepatomegaly, bone pain, motor disturbances and kyphosis) and one major co-variable (family history of GD) were identified. Lack of disease awareness, overlooking mild early signs and failure to consider GD as a diagnostic differential were considered major barriers to early diagnosis. Conclusion: The signs and co-variables identified in the GED-C initiative as potentially indicative of early GD will help to guide non-specialists and raise their index of suspicion in identifying patients potentially suitable for diagnostic testing for GD.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio