Kaposi's sarcoma in a patient with erythroblastopenia and thymoma: Reactivation after topical corticosteroids

We report a 69-year-old female with erythroblastopenia and thymoma who developed lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) after thymectomy, 2 months after the initiation of therapy with methylprednisolone. Control of mucocutaneous KS lesions was obtained with radiotherapy, interferon alfa-2b and withdrawal of systemic immunosuppressive therapy. Erosive oral lichen planus appeared later, and after therapy with topical corticosteroids a new lesion of KS developed that regressed after withdrawal of topical corticosteroids. The detection of HHV-8 only in lesional skin supports the hypothesis that this virus can trigger the development of KS lesions

A sex difference in the response of the rodent postsynaptic density to synGAP haploinsufficiency

SynGAP is a postsynaptic density (PSD) protein that binds to PDZ domains of the scaffold protein PSD-95. We previously reported that heterozygous deletion of Syngap1 in mice is correlated with increased steady-state levels of other key PSD proteins that bind PSD-95, although the level of PSD-95 remains constant (Walkup et al., 2016). For example, the ratio to PSD-95 of Transmembrane AMPA-Receptor-associated Proteins (TARPs), which mediate binding of AMPA-type glutamate receptors to PSD-95, was increased in young Syngap1+/- mice. Here we show that only females and not males show a highly significant correlation between an increase in TARP and a decrease in synGAP in the PSDs of Syngap1+/- rodents. The data reveal a sex difference in the adaptation of the PSD scaffold to synGAP haploinsufficiency

First and Second Order Perturbations of Hypersurfaces

In this paper we find the first and second order perturbations of the induced metric and the extrinsic curvature of a non-degenerate hypersurface $\Sigma$ in a spacetime $(M,g)$, when the metric $g$ is perturbed arbitrarily to second order and the hypersurface itself is allowed to change perturbatively (i.e. to move within spacetime) also to second order. The results are fully general and hold in arbitrary dimensions and signature. An application of these results for the perturbed matching theory between spacetimes is presented.Comment: 31 pages, no figures. To be published in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Detector Control System of the ATLAS Insertable B-Layer

soumis à publicationTo improve tracking robustness and precision of the ATLAS inner tracker an additional fourth pixel layer is foreseen, called Insertable B-Layer (IBL). It will be installed between the innermost present Pixel layer and a new smaller beam pipe and is presently under construction. As, once installed into the experiment, no access is available, a highly reliable control system is required. It has to supply the detector with all entities required for operation and protect it at all times. Design constraints are the high power density inside the detector volume, the sensitivity of the sensors against heatups, and the protection of the front end electronics against transients. We present the architecture of the control system with an emphasis on the CO2 cooling system, the power supply system and protection strategies. As we aim for a common operation of pixel and IBL detector, the integration of the IBL control system into the Pixel one will be discussed as well

EQ-5D-Y-5L: developing a revised EQ-5D-Y with increased response categories

Purpose EQ-5D-Y is a generic measure of health status for children and adolescents aged 8–15 years. Originally, it has three levels of severity in each dimension (3L). This study aimed to develop a descriptive system of EQ-5D-Y with an increased number of severity levels and to test comprehensibility and feasibility. Methods The study was conducted in Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK. In Phase 1, a review of existing instruments and focus group interviews were carried out to create a pool of possible labels for a modified severity classification. Participants aged 8–15 rated the severity of the identified labels in individual sorting and response scaling interviews. In Phase 2, preliminary 4L and 5L versions were constructed for further testing in cognitive interviews with healthy participants aged 8–15 years and children receiving treatment for a health condition. Results In Phase 1, a total of 233 labels was generated, ranging from 37 (UK) to 79 labels (Germany). Out of these, 7 to 16 possible labels for each dimension in the different languages were rated in 255 sorting and response scaling interviews. Labels covered an appropriate range of severity on the health continuum in all countries. In Phase 2, the 5L version was generally preferred (by 68–88% of the participants per country) over the 4L version. Conclusions This multinational study has provided a version of the EQ-5D-Y with 5 severity levels in each dimension. This extended version (EQ-5D-Y-5L) requires testing its psychometric properties and its performance compared to that of the original EQ-5D-Y-3L

Mitochondrial genomes of giant deers suggest their late survival in Central Europe

The giant deer Megaloceros giganteus is among the most fascinating Late Pleistocene Eurasian megafauna that became extinct at the end of the last ice age. Important questions persist regarding its phylogenetic relationship to contemporary taxa and the reasons for its extinction. We analyzed two large ancient cervid bone fragments recovered from cave sites in the Swabian Jura (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) dated to 12,000 years ago. Using hybridization capture in combination with next generation sequencing, we were able to reconstruct nearly complete mitochondrial genomes from both specimens. Both mtDNAs cluster phylogenetically with fallow deer and show high similarity to previously studied partial Megaloceros giganteus DNA from Kamyshlov in western Siberia and Killavullen in Ireland. The unexpected presence of Megaloceros giganteus in Southern Germany after the Ice Age suggests a later survival in Central Europe than previously proposed. The complete mtDNAs provide strong phylogenetic support for a Dama-Megaloceros clade. Furthermore, isotope analyses support an increasing competition between giant deer, red deer, and reindeer after the Last Glacial Maximum, which might have contributed to the extinction of Megaloceros in Central Europe