1,021 research outputs found
Influence of peptidylarginine deiminase type 4 genotype and shared epitope on clinical characteristics and autoantibody profile of rheumatoid arthritis.
Background: Recent evidence suggests that distinction
of subsets of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) depending on anticyclic
citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP) status may
be helpful in distinguishing distinct aetiopathologies and in
predicting the course of disease. HLA-DRB1 shared
epitope (SE) and peptidylarginine deiminase type 4
(PADI4) genotype, both of which have been implicated in
anti-CCP generation, are assumed to be associated with
RA.
Objectives: To elucidate whether PADI4 affects the
clinical characteristics of RA, and whether it would
modulate the effect of anti-CCPs on clinical course. The
combined effect of SE and PADI4 on autoantibody profile
was also analysed.
Methods: 373 patients with RA were studied. SE,
padi4_94C.T, rheumatoid factor, anti-CCPs and antinuclear
antibodies (ANAs) were determined. Disease
severity was characterised by cumulative therapy
intensity classified into ordinal categories (CTI-1 to CTI-3)
and by Steinbrocker score.
Results: CTI was significantly associated with disease
duration, erosive disease, disease activity score (DAS) 28
and anti-CCPs. The association of anti-CCPs with CTI was
considerably influenced by padi4_94C.T genotype (C/C:
ORadj=0.93, padj=0.92; C/T: ORadj=2.92,
padj=0.093; T/T: ORadj=15.3, padj=0.002). Carriage of
padi4_94T exhibited a significant trend towards higher
Steinbrocker scores in univariate and multivariate
analyses. An association of padi4_94C.T with ANAs
was observed, with noteworthy differences depending on
SE status (SE2: ORadj=6.20, padj,0.04; SE+:
ORadj=0.36, padj=0.02) and significant heterogeneity
between the two SE strata (p=0.006).
Conclusions: PADI4 genotype in combination with anti-
CCPs and SE modulates clinical and serological characteristics
of RA
Quantum interference in laser-induced nonsequential double ionization in diatomic molecules: the role of alignment and orbital symmetry
We address the influence of the orbital symmetry and of the molecular
alignment with respect to the laser-field polarization on laser-induced
nonsequential double ionization of diatomic molecules, in the length and
velocity gauges. We work within the strong-field approximation and assume that
the second electron is dislodged by electron-impact ionization, and also
consider the classical limit of this model. We show that the electron-momentum
distributions exhibit interference maxima and minima due to the electron
emission at spatially separated centers. The interference patterns survive the
integration over the transverse momenta for a small range of alignment angles,
and are sharpest for parallel-aligned molecules. Due to the contributions of
transverse-momentum components, these patterns become less defined as the
alignment angle increases, until they disappear for perpendicular alignment.
This behavior influences the shapes and the peaks of the electron momentum
distributions.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures; some discussions have been extended and some
figures slightly modifie
Broadening of hot-spot response spectrum of superconducting NbN nanowire single-photon detector with reduced nitrogen content
The spectral detection efficiency and the dark count rate of superconducting
nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPD) has been studied systematically on
detectors made from thin NbN films with different chemical compositions.
Reduction of the nitrogen content in the 4 nm thick NbN films results in a more
than two orders of magnitude decrease of the dark count rates and in a red
shift of the cut-off wavelength of the hot-spot SNSPD response. The observed
phenomena are explained by an improvement of uniformity of NbN films that has
been confirmed by a decrease of resistivity and an increase of the ratio of the
measured critical current to the depairing current. The latter factor is
considered as the most crucial for both the cut-off wavelength and the dark
count rates of SNSPD. Based on our results we propose a set of criteria for
material properties to optimize SNSPD in the infrared spectral region.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure
Abrupt Rise of the Longitudinal Recoil Ion Momentum Distribution for Ionizing Collisions
We report on the experimental observation of an abrupt rise in the longitudinal momentum distribution of recoil ions created in proton helium collision. The details of this structure can be related to electrons traveling with the velocity of the projectile [electron capture to the continuum (ECC)]. The longitudinal as well as the transverse distribution of the recoil ions can be explained as a continuation of the momentum distribution from ions resulting from electron capture illustrating the smooth transition from the capture to bound states of the projectile to the ECC.Fil: Weber, Th.. Institut fĂĽr Kernphysik; AlemaniaFil: Khayyat, Kh.. Institut fĂĽr Kernphysik; AlemaniaFil: Dörner, R.. Universität Freiburg; AlemaniaFil: RodrĂguez Chariarse, Vladimir Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de FĂsica de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de FĂsica de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Mergel, V.. Institut fĂĽr Kernphysik; AlemaniaFil: Jagutzk, O.. Institut fĂĽr Kernphysik; AlemaniaFil: Schmidt, L.. Institut fĂĽr Kernphysik,; AlemaniaFil: MĂĽller, K. A.. Institut fĂĽr Kernphysik; AlemaniaFil: Afaneh, F.. Institut fĂĽr Kernphysik; AlemaniaFil: Gonzalez, A.. ComisiĂłn Nacional de EnergĂa AtĂłmica. Centro AtĂłmico Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Schmidt-Böcking, H.. Institut fĂĽr Kernphysik; Alemani
Breakdown of the Two-Step Model in K-Shell Photoemission and Subsequent Decay Probed by the Molecular-Frame Photoelectron Angular Distributions of CO_2
We report results of measurements and of Hartree-Fock level calculations of molecular-frame photoelectron angular distributions (MFPADs) for C 1s photoemission from CO2. The agreement between the measured and calculated MFPADs is on average reasonable. The measured MFPADs display a weak but definite asymmetry with respect to the O+ and CO+ fragment ions at certain energies, providing evidence for an overlap of gerade and ungerade final ionic states giving rise to a partial breakdown of the two-step model of core-level photoionization and its subsequent Auger decay
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