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The Role of Phenytoin in the Treatment of Localization Related Epilepsy: An International Internet-Based Survey of Neurologists and Epileptologists
Phenytoin (PHT) has been the most widely used medication to treat both partial and generalized seizures. However, over the past twenty years, a variety of new compounds have been released with comparable efficacy, fewer adverse effects, and more predictable pharmacokinetic properties. We surveyed neurologists and epileptologists to determine current practice patterns relating to the use of PHT using an online survey instrument. A total of 200 responses were obtained though response rates for each survey question varied. Of the respondents, 78.1% were epilepsy specialists; 60% were adult practitioners; and the remainder saw either, only children or both adults and children. For new onset partial seizures only 10 respondents said PHT would be their first or second choice, while 45% reported that they would not consider PHT. This study shows that in the era of newer medications, the role of PHT has been placed in the category of a reserve medication in intractable epilepsy
On the Maximal Excess Charge of the Chandrasekhar-Coulomb Hamiltonian in Two Dimensions
We show that for the straightforward quantized relativistic Coulomb
Hamiltonian of a two-dimensional atom -- or the corresponding magnetic quantum
dot -- the maximal number of electrons does not exceed twice the nuclear
charge. It result is then generalized to the presence of external magnetic
fields and atomic Hamiltonians. This is based on the positivity of |\bx|
T(\bp) + T(\bp) |\bx| which -- in two dimensions -- is false for the
non-relativistic case T(\bp) = \bp^2, but is proven in this paper for T(\bp)
= |\bp|, i.e., the ultra-relativistic kinetic energy
Infrared problem for the Nelson model on static space-times
We consider the Nelson model with variable coefficients and investigate the
problem of existence of a ground state and the removal of the ultraviolet
cutoff. Nelson models with variable coefficients arise when one replaces in the
usual Nelson model the flat Minkowski metric by a static metric, allowing also
the boson mass to depend on position. A physical example is obtained by
quantizing the Klein-Gordon equation on a static space-time coupled with a
non-relativistic particle. We investigate the existence of a ground state of
the Hamiltonian in the presence of the infrared problem, i.e. assuming that the
boson mass tends to 0 at infinity
Towards a construction of inclusive collision cross-sections in the massless Nelson model
The conventional approach to the infrared problem in perturbative quantum
electrodynamics relies on the concept of inclusive collision cross-sections. A
non-perturbative variant of this notion was introduced in algebraic quantum
field theory. Relying on these insights, we take first steps towards a
non-perturbative construction of inclusive collision cross-sections in the
massless Nelson model. We show that our proposal is consistent with the
standard scattering theory in the absence of the infrared problem and discuss
its status in the infrared-singular case.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX. As appeared in Ann. Henri Poincar\'
Approach to ground state and time-independent photon bound for massless spin-boson models
It is widely believed that an atom interacting with the electromagnetic field
(with total initial energy well-below the ionization threshold) relaxes to its
ground state while its excess energy is emitted as radiation. Hence, for large
times, the state of the atom+field system should consist of the atom in its
ground state, and a few free photons that travel off to spatial infinity.
Mathematically, this picture is captured by the notion of asymptotic
completeness. Despite some recent progress on the spectral theory of such
systems, a proof of relaxation to the ground state and asymptotic completeness
was/is still missing, except in some special cases (massive photons, small
perturbations of harmonic potentials). In this paper, we partially fill this
gap by proving relaxation to an invariant state in the case where the atom is
modelled by a finite-level system. If the coupling to the field is sufficiently
infrared-regular so that the coupled system admits a ground state, then this
invariant state necessarily corresponds to the ground state. Assuming slightly
more infrared regularity, we show that the number of emitted photons remains
bounded in time. We hope that these results bring a proof of asymptotic
completeness within reach.Comment: 45 pages, published in Annales Henri Poincare. This archived version
differs from the journal version because we corrected an inconsequential
mistake in Section 3.5.1: to do this, a new paragraph was added after Lemma
3.
Developmental Symbiosis Facilitates The Multiple Origins Of Herbivory
Developmental bias toward particular evolutionary trajectories can be facilitated through symbiosis. Organisms are holobionts, consisting of zygote‐derived cells and a consortia of microbes, and the development, physiology, and immunity of animals are properties of complex interactions between the zygote‐derived cells and microbial symbionts. Such symbionts can be agents of developmental plasticity, allowing an organism to develop in particular directions. This plasticity can lead to genetic assimilation either through the incorporation of microbial genes into host genomes or through the direct maternal transmission of the microbes. Such plasticity can lead to niche construction, enabling the microbes to remodel host anatomy and/or physiology. In this article, I will focus on the ability of symbionts to bias development toward the evolution of herbivory. I will posit that the behavioral and morphological manifestations of herbivorous phenotypes must be preceded by the successful establishment of a community of symbiotic microbes that can digest cell walls and detoxify plant poisons. The ability of holobionts to digest plant materials can range from being a plastic trait, dependent on the transient incorporation of environmental microbes, to becoming a heritable trait of the holobiont organism, transmitted through the maternal propagation of symbionts or their genes
Differential Redox Regulation of ORAI Ion Channels: A Mechanism to Tune Cellular Calcium Signaling
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in many physiological and pathophysiological cellular processes.
We used lymphocytes, which are exposed to highly oxidizing environments during inflammation,
to study the influence of ROS on cellular function. Calcium ion (Ca2+) influx through Ca2+ release–activated
Ca2+ (CRAC) channels composed of proteins of the ORAI family is essential for the activation, proliferation,
and differentiation of T lymphocytes, but whether and how ROS affect ORAI channel function have
been unclear. Here, we combined Ca2+ imaging, patch-clamp recordings and measurements of cell proliferation
and cytokine secretion to determine the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on ORAI channel
activity and human T helper lymphocyte (TH cell) function. ORAI1, but not ORAI3, channels were inhibited
by oxidation by H2O2. The differential redox sensitivity of ORAI1 and ORAI3 channels depended mainly
on an extracellularly located reactive cysteine, which is absent in ORAI3. TH cells became progressively
less redox-sensitive after differentiation into effector cells, a shift that would allow them to proliferate,
differentiate, and secrete cytokines in oxidizing environments. The decreased redox sensitivity of effector
TH cells correlated with increased expression of Orai3 and increased abundance of several cytosolic antioxidants.
Knockdown of ORAI3 with small-interfering RNA rendered effector TH cells more redox-sensitive.
The differential expression of Orai isoforms between naïve and effector TH cells may tune cellular responses
under oxidative stress
Spin - or, actually: Spin and Quantum Statistics
The history of the discovery of electron spin and the Pauli principle and the
mathematics of spin and quantum statistics are reviewed. Pauli's theory of the
spinning electron and some of its many applications in mathematics and physics
are considered in more detail. The role of the fact that the tree-level
gyromagnetic factor of the electron has the value g = 2 in an analysis of
stability (and instability) of matter in arbitrary external magnetic fields is
highlighted. Radiative corrections and precision measurements of g are
reviewed. The general connection between spin and statistics, the CPT theorem
and the theory of braid statistics are described.Comment: 50 pages, no figures, seminar on "spin
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