Slow sedimentation and deformability of charged lipid vesicles

The study of vesicles in suspension is important to understand the complicated dynamics exhibited by cells in vivo and in vitro. We developed a computer simulation based on the boundary-integral method to model the three dimensional gravity-driven sedimentation of charged vesicles towards a flat surface. The membrane mechanical behavior was modeled using the Helfrich Hamiltonian and near incompressibility of the membrane was enforced via a model which accounts for the thermal fluctuations of the membrane. The simulations were verified and compared to experimental data obtained using suspended vesicles labelled with a fluorescent probe, which allows visualization using fluorescence microscopy and confers the membrane with a negative surface charge. The electrostatic interaction between the vesicle and the surface was modeled using the linear Derjaguin approximation for a low ionic concentration solution. The sedimentation rate as a function of the distance of the vesicle to the surface was determined both experimentally and from the computer simulations. The gap between the vesicle and the surface, as well as the shape of the vesicle at equilibrium were also studied. It was determined that inclusion of the electrostatic interaction is fundamental to accurately predict the sedimentation rate as the vesicle approaches the surface and the size of the gap at equilibrium, we also observed that the presence of charge in the membrane increases its rigidity

Current and emerging diagnosis tools and therapeutics for giant cell arteritis

Introduction: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common large-vessel vasculitis in individuals older than 50 years from Western countries. The goal of the treatment is to achieve improvement of symptoms and clinical remission as well as decrease the risk of severe vascular complications. Areas covered: The review summarizes the main epidemiological and clinical features of GCA and discusses in depth both the classic and the new therapies used in the management of GCA. Expert commentary: Prednisone/prednisolone of 40-60 mg/day is the mainstay in GCA therapy. It yields improvement of clinical features and reduces the risk of permanent visual loss in patients with GCA. Other drugs are used in patients who experience relapses (flares of the disease) or side effects related to glucocorticoids. Methotrexate is the most common conventional immunosuppressive drug used as a glucocorticoid sparing agent. Among the new biologic agents, the most frequently used is the recombinant humanized anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, which is effective to improve clinical symptoms, decrease the cumulative prednisone dose and reduce the frequency of relapses in these patients. Anti-tumor necrosis factor-α therapy is not useful in GCA. Experience with other biologic agents, such as abatacept or ustekinumab, looks promising but it is still scarce

Cardiovascular morbidity and associated risk factors in Spanish patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases attending rheumatology clinics: Baseline data of the CARMA Project

Objective To establish the cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and associated risk factors for CV disease (CVD) in Spanish patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases (CIRD) and unexposed individuals attending rheumatology clinics. Methods Analysis of data from the baseline visit of a 10-year prospective study [CARdiovascular in rheuMAtology (CARMA) project] that includes a cohort of patients with CIRD [rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA)] and another cohort of matched individuals without CIRD attending outpatient rheumatology clinics from 67 hospitals in Spain. Prevalence of CV morbidity, CV risk factors, and systematic coronary risk evaluation (SCORE) assessment were analyzed. Results A total of 2234 patients (775 RA, 738 AS, and 721 PsA) and 677 unexposed subjects were included. Patients had low disease activity at the time of recruitment. PsA patients had more commonly classic CV risk factors and metabolic syndrome features than did the remaining individuals. The prevalence of CVD was higher in RA (10.5%) than in AS (7.6%), PsA (7.2%), and unexposed individuals (6.4%). A multivariate analysis adjusted for the presence of classic CV risk factors and disease duration revealed a positive trend for CVD in RA (OR = 1.58; 95% CI: 0.90–2.76; p = 0.10) and AS (OR = 1.77; 95% CI: 0.96–3.27; p = 0.07). Disease duration in all CIRD groups and functional capacity (HAQ) in RA were associated with an increased risk of CVD (OR = 2.15; 95% CI: 1.29–3.56; p = 0.003). Most patients had a moderate CV risk according to the SCORE charts. Conclusions Despite recent advances in the management of CIRD, incidence of CVD remains increased in Spanish subjects with CIRD attending outpatient rheumatology clinics

PaST-NoC: A Packet-Switched Superconducting Temporal NoC

Temporal computing promises to mitigate the stringent area constraints and clock distribution overheads of traditional superconducting digital computing. To design a scalable, area- and power-efficient superconducting network on chip (NoC), we propose packet-switched superconducting temporal NoC (PaST-NoC). PaST-NoC operates its control path in the temporal domain using race logic (RL), combined with bufferless deflection flow control to minimize area. Packets encode their destination using RL and carry a collection of data pulses that the receiver can interpret as pulse trains, RL, serialized binary, or other formats. We demonstrate how to scale up PaST-NoC to arbitrary topologies based on 2x2 routers and 4x4 butterflies as building blocks. As we show, if data pulses are interpreted using RL, PaST-NoC outperforms state-of-the-art superconducting binary NoCs in throughput per area by as much as 5x for long packets.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figures, 2 tables. In press in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivit