Investigations on the interaction between the low energy heavy ion beams and hydrogen plasma

The investigations on the interaction between ion beam and matter is one of the most important topics in atomic physics and nuclear physics. It is indeed a requirement for a deeper understanding of the interaction processes. Especially the energy deposition by an intense heavy ion beam with the low energy impinging into a degenerate matter, which is related to the topics of warm dense matter, fast ignition process and helium ions selfheating in the fusion process..

Energy Deposition and Excitation of Wakefield in Case of 100keV/u Ion Beam Passing through a Plasma Target

Recently our team investigated the energy deposition and excitation of wakefield in case of hundreds keV proton/helium ion beams passing a gas-discharged plasma target..

КОНВЕКТИВНЫЕ МЕТОДИКИ В ПРАКТИКЕ ПРОГРАММНОГО ГЕМОДИАЛИЗА ФНЦ ТРАНСПЛАНТОЛОГИИ И ИСКУССТВЕННЫХ ОРГАНОВ ИМЕНИ АКАДЕМИКА В.И. ШУМАКОВА: ИСТОРИЯ И СОВРЕМЕННОСТЬ

The experience of the introduction of convective methods since the eighties of the 20th century is described.Aim: to evaluate the infl uence of convective transport supplementation on renal replacement therapy results. Methods and results. The number of convective procedures was applied: hemodiafi ltration with commercial substituted fl uid, paired fi ltration dialysis, acetate-free biofi ltration, original hybrid methods, online hemodiafi ltration. Themain trend was the magnifi cation of substituted volume. In the long run after switching from conventional dialysis to convective therapy the increase of Kt/V, the decline of phosphate, the rise of serum albumin, the decrease of CRP level and ESA consumption, QOL improvement and the drop in severity of intradialysis complications were observed. Over last six years online hemodiafi ltration has become the standard of dialysis therapy in our Center.Conclusion. The undoubted advantages of convective modalities and accessibility of online hemodiafi ltration make these methods the gold standard of dialysis therapy.Описан опыт внедрения в практику программного гемодиализа конвективных методов с 80-х годов про-шлого столетия по настоящее время.Цель: оценить влияние конвективного переноса, прежде всего в рамках гемодиафильтрации «онлайн», на результаты заместительной терапии.Методы и результаты.Применены различные конвективные методики: гемодиафильтрация с использованием коммерческого замещающего раствора, парные фильтрация-диализ, безацетатная биофильтрация, оригинальные гибридные методики, гемодиафильтрация «онлайн». Основной тенденцией при этом было увеличение объема замещения за процедуру. При наблюдении в длительной перспективе после перевода со стандартного гемодиализа при использовании конвективных методик отмечалось увеличение эффективности лечения по индексу Kt/V, снижение фосфатемии, повышение концентрации альбумина, уменьшение уровня С-реактивного белка и потребности в эритропоэзтимулирующих препаратах, повышение качества жизни и снижение выраженности интрадиализной симптоматики. В течение последних 6 лет гемодиафильтрация «онлайн» стала стандартом диализного лечения в нашем учреждении.Заключение. Несомненные преимущества конвективных методик и доступность практически неограниченного объема замещающей жидкости, характеризующая гемодиафильтрацию «онлайн», делают этот метод «золотым» стандартом диализной терапии

The cytoskeleton in cell-autonomous immunity: structural determinants of host defence

Host cells use antimicrobial proteins, pathogen-restrictive compartmentalization and cell death in their defence against intracellular pathogens. Recent work has revealed that four components of the cytoskeleton — actin, microtubules, intermediate filaments and septins, which are well known for their roles in cell division, shape and movement — have important functions in innate immunity and cellular self-defence. Investigations using cellular and animal models have shown that these cytoskeletal proteins are crucial for sensing bacteria and for mobilizing effector mechanisms to eliminate them. In this Review, we highlight the emerging roles of the cytoskeleton as a structural determinant of cell-autonomous host defence

Thyroid cancer risk in Belarus among children and adolescents exposed to radioiodine after the Chornobyl accident

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed an increased risk of thyroid cancer among children and adolescents exposed to radioactive iodines released after the Chornobyl (Chernobyl) accident, but the effects of screening, iodine deficiency, age at exposure and other factors on the dose-response are poorly understood. METHODS: We screened 11 970 individuals in Belarus aged 18 years or younger at the time of the accident who had estimated (131)I thyroid doses based on individual thyroid activity measurements and dosimetric data from questionnaires. The excess odds ratio per gray (EOR/Gy) was modelled using linear and linear-exponential functions. RESULTS: For thyroid doses \u3c5 \u3eGy, the dose-response was linear (n=85; EOR/Gy=2.15, 95% confidence interval: 0.81-5.47), but at higher doses the excess risk fell. The EOR/Gy was significantly increased among those with prior or screening-detected diffuse goiter, and larger for men than women, and for persons exposed before age 5 than those exposed between 5 and 18 years, although not statistically significant. A somewhat higher EOR/Gy was estimated for validated pre-screening cases. CONCLUSION: 10-15 years after the Chornobyl accident, thyroid cancer risk was significantly increased among individuals exposed to fallout as children or adolescents, but the risk appeared to be lower than in other Chornobyl studies and studies of childhood external irradiation

Childhood exposure due to the Chernobyl accident and thyroid cancer risk in contaminated areas of Belarus and Russia

The thyroid dose due to 131I releases during the Chernobyl accident was reconstructed for children and adolescents in two cities and 2122 settlements in Belarus, and in one city and 607 settlements in the Bryansk district of the Russian Federation. In this area, which covers the two high contamination spots in the two countries following the accident, data on thyroid cancer incidence during the period 1991-1995 were analysed in the light of possible increased thyroid surveillance. Two methods of risk analysis were applied: Poisson regression with results for the single settlements and Monte Carlo (MC) calculations for results in larger areas or sub-populations. Best estimates of both methods agreed well. Poisson regression estimates of 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were considerably smaller than the MC results, which allow for extra-Poisson uncertainties due to reconstructed doses and the background thyroid cancer incidence. The excess absolute risk per unit thyroid dose (EARPD) for the birth cohort 1971-1985 by the MC analysis was 2.1 (95% CI 1.0-4.5) cases per 10(4) person-year Gy. The point estimate is lower by a factor of two than that observed in a pooled study of thyroid cancer risk after external exposures. The excess relative risk per unit thyroid dose was 23 (95% CI 8.6-82) Gy(-1). No significant differences between countries or cities and rural areas were found. In the lowest dose group of the settlements with an average thyroid dose of 0.05 Gy the risk was statistically significantly elevated. Dependencies of risks on age-at-exposure and on gender are consistent with findings after external exposures

Missense Mutations in the MEFV Gene Are Associated with Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Correlate with Elevated IL-1β Plasma Levels

BACKGROUND:Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), a common, chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain disorder found in 2% of the general population and with a preponderance of 85% in females, has both genetic and environmental contributions. Patients and their parents have high plasma levels of the chemokines MCP-1 and eotaxin, providing evidence for both a genetic and an immunological/inflammatory origin for the syndrome (Zhang et al., 2008, Exp. Biol. Med. 233: 1171-1180). METHODS AND FINDINGS:In a search for a candidate gene affecting inflammatory pathways, among five screened in our patient samples (100 probands with FMS and their parents), we found 10 rare and one common alleles for MEFV, a gene in which various compound heterozygous mutations lead to Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF). A total of 2.63 megabases of genomic sequence of the MEFV gene were scanned by direct sequencing. The collection of rare missense mutations (all heterozygotes and tested in the aggregate) had a significant elevated frequency of transmission to affecteds (p = 0.0085, one-sided, exact binomial test). Our data provide evidence that rare missense variants of the MEFV gene are, collectively, associated with risk of FMS and are present in a subset of 15% of FMS patients. This subset had, on average, high levels of plasma IL-1beta (p = 0.019) compared to FMS patients without rare variants, unaffected family members with or without rare variants, and unrelated controls of unknown genotype. IL-1beta is a cytokine associated with the function of the MEFV gene and thought to be responsible for its symptoms of fever and muscle aches. CONCLUSIONS:Since misregulation of IL-1beta expression has been predicted for patients with mutations in the MEFV gene, we conclude that patients heterozygous for rare missense variants of this gene may be predisposed to FMS, possibly triggered by environmental factors

Activation of an NLRP3 Inflammasome Restricts Mycobacterium kansasii Infection

Mycobacterium kansasii has emerged as an important nontuberculous mycobacterium pathogen, whose incidence and prevalence have been increasing in the last decade. M. kansasii can cause pulmonary tuberculosis clinically and radiographically indistinguishable from that caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Unlike the widely-studied M. tuberculosis, little is known about the innate immune response against M. kansasii infection. Although inflammasome activation plays an important role in host defense against bacterial infection, its role against atypical mycobacteria remains poorly understood. In this report, the role of inflammasome activity in THP-1 macrophages against M. kansasii infection was studied. Results indicated that viable, but not heat-killed, M. kansasii induced caspase-1-dependent IL-1β secretion in macrophages. The underlying mechanism was found to be through activation of an inflammasome containing the NLR (Nod-like receptor) family member NLRP3 and the adaptor protein ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD). Further, potassium efflux, lysosomal acidification, ROS production and cathepsin B release played a role in M. kansasii-induced inflammasome activation. Finally, the secreted IL-1β derived from caspase-1 activation was shown to restrict intracellular M. kansasii. These findings demonstrate a biological role for the NLRP3 inflammasome in host defense against M. kansasii