801 research outputs found
Influence of a transverse static magnetic field on the magnetic hyperthermia properties and high-frequency hysteresis loops of ferromagnetic FeCo nanoparticles
The influence of a transverse static magnetic field on the magnetic
hyperthermia properties is studied on a system of large-losses ferromagnetic
FeCo nanoparticles. The simultaneous measurement of the high-frequency
hysteresis loops and of the temperature rise provides an interesting insight
into the losses and heating mechanisms. A static magnetic field of only 40 mT
is enough to cancel the heating properties of the nanoparticles, a result
reproduced using numerical simulations of hysteresis loops. These results cast
doubt on the possibility to perform someday magnetic hyperthermia inside a
magnetic resonance imaging setup.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Primary care consultations and costs among HIV-positive individulas in UK primary care 1995-2005: a cohort study
Objectives: To investigate the role of primary care in the management of HIV and estimate primary care-associated costs at a time of rising prevalence.
Methods: Retrospective cohort study between 1995 and 2005, using data from general practices contributing data to the UK General Practice Research Database. Patterns of consultation and morbidity and associated consultation costs were analysed among all practice-registered patients for whom HIV-positive status was recorded in the general practice record.
Results: 348 practices yielded 5504 person-years (py) of follow-up for known HIV-positive patients, who consult in general practice frequently (4.2 consultations/py by men, 5.2 consultations/py by women, in 2005) for a range of conditions. Consultation rates declined in the late 1990s from 5.0 and 7.3 consultations/py in 1995 in men and women, respectively, converging to rates similar to the wider population. Costs of consultation (general practitioner and nurse, combined) reflect these changes, at £100.27 for male patients and £117.08 for female patients in 2005. Approximately one in six medications prescribed in primary care for HIV-positive individuals has the potential for major interaction with antiretroviral medications.
Conclusion: HIV-positive individuals known in general practice now consult on a similar scale to the wider population. Further research should be undertaken to explore how primary care can best contribute to improving the health outcomes of this group with chronic illness. Their substantial use of primary care suggests there may be potential to develop effective integrated care pathways
Loss to Follow-Up After Pregnancy Among Sub-Saharan Africa-Born Women Living With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Results From a Large National Cohort.
BACKGROUND: Little is known about retention in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care in HIV-positive women after pregnancy in the United Kingdom. We explored the association between loss to follow-up (LTFU) in the year after pregnancy, maternal place of birth and duration of UK residence, in HIV-positive women in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. METHODS: We analyzed combined data from 2 national data sets: the National Study of HIV in Pregnancy and Childhood; and the Survey of Prevalent HIV Infections Diagnosed, including pregnancies in 2000 to 2009 in women with diagnosed HIV. Logistic regression models were fitted with robust standard errors to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AOR). RESULTS: Overall, 902 of 7211 (12.5%) women did not access HIV care in the year after pregnancy. Factors associated with LTFU included younger age, last CD4 in pregnancy of 350 cells/μL or greater and detectable HIV viral load at the end of pregnancy (all P < 0.001). On multivariable analysis, LTFU was more likely in sub-Saharan Africa-born (SSA-born) women than white UK-born women (AOR, 2.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-3.14; P < 0.001). The SSA-born women who had migrated to the UK during pregnancy were 3 times more likely than white UK-born women to be lost to follow-up (AOR, 3.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.94-3.23; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: One in 8 HIV-positive women in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland did not return for HIV care in the year after pregnancy, with SSA-born women, especially those who migrated to the United Kingdom during pregnancy, at increased risk. Although emigration is a possible explanatory factor, disengagement from care may also play a role
Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) for choroidal metastasis secondary to breast carcinoma: short-term follow-up
Uveal metastases are the most common intraocular
malignancy. The most common primary sites of cancer
are from the breast (47%) and lung (21%).1
The treatment for choroidal metastasis depends on
many factors including location, multiplicity, and activity
of each tumour.1
Bevacizumab (Avastins) is a full-length humanized
murine monoclonal antibody against the VEGF molecule,
and inhibits angiogenesis and tumour growth.2
In this report, we describe the effect of a single
intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (4 mg) in a
patient with choroidal metastasis secondary to breast
cancerMedicin
Infectious disease testing of UK-bound refugees: a population-based, cross-sectional study
Background: The UK, like a number of other countries, has a refugee resettlement programme. External factors,
such as higher prevalence of infectious diseases in the country of origin and circumstances of travel, are likely to
increase the infectious disease risk of refugees, but published data is scarce. The International Organization for
Migration carries out and collates data on standardised pre-entry health assessments (HA), including testing for
infectious diseases, on all UK refugee applicants as part of the resettlement programme. From this data, we report
the yield of selected infectious diseases (tuberculosis (TB), HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C) and key risk
factors with the aim of informing public health policy.
Methods: We examined a large cohort of refugees (n = 18,418) who underwent a comprehensive pre-entry HA
between March 2013 and August 2017. We calculated yields of infectious diseases stratified by nationality and
compared these with published (mostly WHO) estimates. We assessed factors associated with case positivity in
univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Results: The number of refugees included in the analysis varied by disease (range 8506–9759). Overall yields were
notably high for hepatitis B (188 cases; 2.04%, 95% CI 1.77–2.35%), while yields were below 1% for active TB (9 cases;
92 per 100,000, 48–177), HIV (31 cases; 0.4%, 0.3–0.5%), syphilis (23 cases; 0.24%, 0.15–0.36%) and hepatitis C (38 cases;
0.41%, 0.30–0.57%), and varied widely by nationality. In multivariable analysis, sub-Saharan African nationality was a risk
factor for several infections (HIV: OR 51.72, 20.67–129.39; syphilis: OR 4.24, 1.21–24.82; hepatitis B: OR 4.37, 2.91–6.41).
Hepatitis B (OR 2.23, 1.05–4.76) and hepatitis C (OR 5.19, 1.70–15.88) were associated with history of blood transfusion.
Syphilis (OR 3.27, 1.07–9.95) was associated with history of torture, whereas HIV (OR 1521.54, 342.76–6754.23) and
hepatitis B (OR 7.65, 2.33–25.18) were associated with sexually transmitted infection. Syphilis was associated with HIV
(OR 10.27, 1.30–81.40).
Conclusions: Testing refugees in an overseas setting through a systematic HA identified patients with a range
of infectious diseases. Our results reflect similar patterns found in other programmes and indicate that the
yields for infectious diseases vary by region and nationality. This information may help in designing a more
targeted approach to testing, which has already started in the UK programme. Further work is needed to
refine how best to identify infections in refugees, taking these factors into account
Design and Tests of 500kW RF Windows for the ITER LHCD System
In the frame of a R\&D effort conducted by CEA toward the design and the
qualification of a 5 GHz LHCD system for the ITER tokamak, two 5 GHz 500 kW/5 s
windows have been designed, manufactured and tested at high power in
collaboration with the National Fusion Research Institute (NFRI). The window
design rely on a symmetrical pill-box concept with a cylindrical beryllium
oxide ceramic brazed on an actively water cooled copper skirt. The ceramic RF
properties have been measured on a test sample to get realistic values for
guiding the design. Low power measurements of the manufactured windows show
return losses below-32 dB and insertion losses between-0.01 dB and-0.05 dB,
with an optimum frequency shifted toward lower frequencies. High power tests
conducted at NFRI show unexpected total power loss for both windows. The
ceramic temperature during RF pulses has been found to reach unexpected high
temperature, preventing these windows to be used under CW conditions. A
post-mortem RF analysis of samples taken from one window shows that the
dielectric properties of the ceramic were not the ones measured on the
manufacturer sample, which partly explain the differences with the reference
modelling
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