Quantum Acoustics with Surface Acoustic Waves

It has recently been demonstrated that surface acoustic waves (SAWs) can interact with superconducting qubits at the quantum level. SAW resonators in the GHz frequency range have also been found to have low loss at temperatures compatible with superconducting quantum circuits. These advances open up new possibilities to use the phonon degree of freedom to carry quantum information. In this paper, we give a description of the basic SAW components needed to develop quantum circuits, where propagating or localized SAW-phonons are used both to study basic physics and to manipulate quantum information. Using phonons instead of photons offers new possibilities which make these quantum acoustic circuits very interesting. We discuss general considerations for SAW experiments at the quantum level and describe experiments both with SAW resonators and with interaction between SAWs and a qubit. We also discuss several potential future developments.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figure

Jejunal Diverticular Perforation due to Enterolith

Jejunal diverticulosis is a rare entity with variable clinical and anatomical presentations. Although there is no consensus on the management of asymptomatic jejunal diverticular disease, some complications are potentially life-threatening and require early surgical treatment. Small bowel perforation secondary to jejunal diverticulitis by enteroliths is rare. The aim of this study was to report a case of small intestinal perforation caused by a large jejunal enterolith. An 86-year-old woman was admitted with signs of diffuse peritonitis. After initial fluid recovery the patient underwent emergency laparotomy. The surgery showed that she had small bowel diverticular disease, mainly localized in the proximal jejunum. The peritonitis was due to intestinal perforation caused by an enterolith 12 cm in length, localized inside one of these diverticula. The intestinal segment containing the perforated diverticulum with the enterolith was removed and an end-to-end anastomosis was done to reconstruct the intestinal transit. The patient recovered well and was discharged from hospital on the 5th postoperative day. There were no signs of abdominal pain 1 year after the surgical procedure. Although jejunal diverticular disease with its complications, such as formation of enteroliths, is difficult to suspect in patients with peritonitis, it should be considered as a possible source of abdominal infection in the elderly patient when more common diagnoses have been excluded

Interrelationship between arterial hypertension, health service costs, therapeutic treatment and physical activity

Availability of data and materials: The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Copyright © The Author(s) 2023. Background: Arterial hypertension is a high prevalence disease that increase healthcare costs and affects physical activity level. This study aimed to analyse the interrelationship between arterial hypertension, health service costs, therapeutic treatment, and physical activity in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Method: Cross-sectional study that evaluated 306 patients from a hospital in Presidente Prudente-Brazil. Based on their medical diagnosis, they were classified into multiple groups to access primary care and hospital-related costs variations. Then, using data from medical records and face to face interviews, they were examined on their treatment adherence and physical activity practice. Healthcare costs were accessed using medical records. Finally, the generalised linear model was used to analyse the interrelationship between treatment adherence, physical activity, health care costs and arterial hypertension. The data were analysed with Stata/MP4 16, and a p-value of less than 5% was used to determine statistical significance. Results: The group that adhered to the arterial hypertension treatments but were physically inactive presented higher costs with consultation (US$=24.1, 95$=56.60, 95%CI = 1.65; 111.5) and total primary health care costs (US$=71.60, 95%CI = 19.2; 123.9) even after adjusting for confounding variables, meanwhile those participants that adhered to the treatments and were physical active did not present difference in healthcare cost when compared to normotensive and physical active participants. Conclusion: To be adherent to hypertension treatment were related to higher health care costs meanwhile been physical activity were related to lower health care costs and the combination of both showed that be adherent and physical activity represent the same cost with health than those normotensive and active emphasizing the importance of adherence and physical activity in the hypertensive treatment.The Sao Paulo Research Foundation, FAPESP. Process 2018/07281-9 and 2019/11339-5

High prevalence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in São Paulo City, Brazil

Introduction: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are the subject of many studies, some of them reporting a prevalence of up to 50 percent. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with HIV neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in a cohort of HIV-1-infected patients in São Paulo city, Brazil. Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional study including 106 HIV-1-infected patients, employing direct interview and neuropsychological tests, applied by trained neuro-psychologists with expertise in the tests. Other, similar assessment tools we used were Brief Neurocognitive Questionnaire, International HIV Dementia Scale, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Social Support Scale for People with HIV/Aids, Assessment of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Questionnaire, and a complex neuropsychological assessment. Results: We included 106 patients from May 2015 to April 2018. We found a high prevalence of HAND in our patients (45%), with 27.5% presenting asymptomatic neurological impairment (ANI) and 17.5% mild neurological dysfunction (MND); only one patient presented HIV-associated dementia (HAD) (0.9%). Women were more likely to have MND (52.9%) and the only case of HAD was also female. The high prevalence of neurocognitive disorders was independent of the immunological status, use of efavirenz, or virological control. Conclusions: This study may mirror the national and international scenarios, showing a high prevalence of HAND (45%) and the prevalence of some risk factors, in special among women

A Gamma-Herpesvirus Glycoprotein Complex Manipulates Actin to Promote Viral Spread

Viruses lack self-propulsion. To move in multi-cellular hosts they must therefore manipulate infected cells. Herpesviruses provide an archetype for many aspects of host manipulation, but only for alpha-herpesviruses in is there much information about they move. Other herpesviruses are not necessarily the same. Here we show that Murine gamma-herpesvirus-68 (MHV-68) induces the outgrowth of long, branched plasma membrane fronds to create an intercellular network for virion traffic. The fronds were actin-based and RhoA-dependent. Time-lapse imaging showed that the infected cell surface became highly motile and that virions moved on the fronds. This plasma membrane remodelling was driven by the cytoplasmic tail of gp48, a MHV-68 glycoprotein previously implicated in intercellular viral spread. The MHV-68 ORF58 was also required, but its role was simply transporting gp48 to the plasma membrane, since a gp48 mutant exported without ORF58 did not require ORF58 to form membrane fronds either. Together, gp48/ORF58 were sufficient to induce fronds in transfected cells, as were the homologous BDLF2/BMRF2 of Epstein-Barr virus. Gp48/ORF58 therefore represents a conserved module by which gamma-herpesviruses rearrange cellular actin to increase intercellular contacts and thereby promote their spread

IgG Fc Receptors Provide an Alternative Infection Route for Murine Gamma-Herpesvirus-68

BACKGROUND: Herpesviruses can be neutralized in vitro but remain infectious in immune hosts. One difference between these settings is the availability of immunoglobulin Fc receptors. The question therefore arises whether a herpesvirus exposed to apparently neutralizing antibody can still infect Fc receptor(+) cells. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Immune sera blocked murine gamma-herpesvirus-68 (MHV-68) infection of fibroblasts, but failed to block and even enhanced its infection of macrophages and dendritic cells. Viral glycoprotein-specific monoclonal antibodies also enhanced infection. MHV-68 appeared to be predominantly latent in macrophages regardless of whether Fc receptors were engaged, but the infection was not abortive and new virus production soon overwhelmed infected cultures. Lytically infected macrophages down-regulated MHC class I-restricted antigen presentation, endocytosis and their response to LPS. CONCLUSIONS: IgG Fc receptors limit the neutralization of gamma-herpesviruses such as MHV-68