Diagnostic value of antibodies against a modified citrullinated vimentin in rheumatoid arthritis

Antibodies directed against citrullinated vimentin are members of the family of autoantibodies reactive with citrullinated proteins and are among the most specific serological markers for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study was performed to test the diagnostic value of a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies against a genetically modified citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) in comparison with a second-generation anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti-CCP2) ELISA test system. Blinded sera from 631 patients (409 consecutive out-patients and 222 randomly selected stored sera) with RA (n = 164) and non-RA (osteoarthritis [n = 120], polymyalgia rheumatica/giant cell arteritis [n = 80], spondyloarthritis [n = 36], and other inflammatory rheumatic or non-inflammatory disease [n = 67]) were tested for the presence of anti-MCV and anti-CCP2 antibodies according to the manufacturers' instructions. The diagnostic performance of the anti-MCV was comparable with the anti-CCP2 assay for the diagnosis of RA according to the calculated area under the curve (0.824; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.778–0.870 versus 0.818; 95% CI 0.767–0.869) as analysed by receiving operating characteristic curve. When categorised with a cutoff value of 20.0 U/ml (as recommended by the manufacturer), sensitivity and specificity of the anti-MCV ELISA were 69.5% (95% CI 61.9%–76.5%) and 90.8% (86.9%–93.8%), respectively, compared with 70.1% (62.5%–77.0%) and 98.7% (96.7%–99.6%) of the anti-CCP2 assay. Using the cutoff values of 19.0 U/ml and 81.5 U/ml for the anti-MCV test to obtain a sensitivity and specificity identical to the anti-CCP2 assay, showed a reduced specificity (89.8%; 85.8%–92.9%) and sensitivity (53.7%; 45.7%–61.5%), respectively, of the anti-MCV ELISA compared with the anti-CCP2 test. In conclusion, the serum ELISA testing for anti-MCV antibodies as well as the anti-CCP-2 assay perform comparably well in the diagnosis of RA. In the high-specificity range, however, the anti-CCP2 assay appears to be superior to the anti-MCV test

Reduction of CPR artifacts in the ventricular fibrillation ECG by coherent line removal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Interruption of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) impairs the perfusion of the fibrillating heart, worsening the chance for successful defibrillation. Therefore ECG-analysis <it>during ongoing chest compression </it>could provide a considerable progress in comparison with standard analysis techniques working only during "hands-off" intervals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>For the reduction of CPR-related artifacts in ventricular fibrillation ECG we use a localized version of the <it>coherent line removal </it>algorithm developed by Sintes and Schutz. This method can be used for removal of periodic signals with sufficiently coupled harmonics, and can be adapted to specific situations by optimal choice of its parameters (e.g., the number of harmonics considered for analysis and reconstruction). Our testing was done with 14 different human ventricular fibrillation (VF) ECGs, whose fibrillation band lies in a frequency range of [1 Hz, 5 Hz]. The VF-ECGs were mixed with 12 different ECG-CPR-artifacts recorded in an animal experiment during asystole. The length of each of the ECG-data was chosen to be 20 sec, and testing was done for all 168 = 14 × 12 pairs of data. VF-to-CPR ratio was chosen as -20 dB, -15 dB, -10 dB, -5 dB, 0 dB, 5 dB and 10 dB. Here -20 dB corresponds to the highest level of CPR-artifacts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For non-optimized <it>coherent line removal </it>based on signals with a VF-to-CPR ratio of -20 dB, -15 dB, -10 dB, -5 dB and 0 dB, the signal-to-noise gains (SNR-gains) were 9.3 ± 2.4 dB, 9.4 ± 2.4 dB, 9.5 ± 2.5 dB, 9.3 ± 2.5 dB and 8.0 ± 2.7 (mean ± std, <it>n </it>= 168), respectively. Characteristically, an original VF-to-CPR ratio of -10 dB, corresponds to a variance ratio <it>var</it>(VF):<it>var</it>(CPR) = 1:10. An improvement by 9.5 dB results in a restored VF-to-CPR ratio of -0.5 dB, corresponding to a variance ratio <it>var</it>(VF):<it>var</it>(CPR) = 1:1.1, the variance of the CPR in the signal being reduced by a factor of 8.9.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The <it>localized coherent line removal </it>algorithm uses the information of a single ECG channel. In contrast to multi-channel algorithms, no additional information such as thorax impedance, blood pressure, or pressure exerted on the sternum during CPR is required. Predictors of defibrillation success such as mean and median frequency of VF-ECGs containing CPR-artifacts are prone to being governed by the harmonics of the artifacts. Reduction of CPR-artifacts is therefore necessary for determining reliable values for estimators of defibrillation success.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The <it>localized coherent line removal </it>algorithm reduces CPR-artifacts in VF-ECG, but does not eliminate them. Our SNR-improvements are in the same range as offered by multichannel methods of Rheinberger et al., Husoy et al. and Aase et al. The latter two authors dealt with different ventricular rhythms (VF and VT), whereas here we dealt with VF, only. Additional developments are necessary before the algorithm can be tested in real CPR situations.</p

Policies for an Ageing Workforce Work-life balance, working conditions and equal opportunities 2019

At a time of rapid population ageing, a key means of sustaining current welfare states is to extend the length of working lives. In 2050, the share of people over the age of 75 years will be the same as the share over 65 years today. And just as not all are able to work to the age of 65 now, not everyone will be able to work to the age of 75 in 2050; even if future older workers will in all likelihood be healthier and have better working aids at their disposal. Extending average working lives by 10 years, and at the same time ensuring an adequate social safety net for those unable to work into their late 60s and 70s, is a major social policy challenge for the coming decades. And because people are much more likely to work late in life if they had stable careers before reaching 60, tackling this policy challenge means pulling on many more social policy levers than just pension policy. While being keenly aware of these issues and how they relate to the overall agenda of active ageing, Commissioner Thyssen also reminds us in her Foreword that marked increases in life expectancy – both past and in the future – represent enormous social progress. The Commissioner makes the point that older people too contribute to society. And more so with lifelong learning and investment in skills

Neutron diffraction on methane and hydrogen hydrates under high pressure

Gas hydrates are crystalline solids composed of water and gas. They have attracted considerable attention over the past decade both for their geophysical relevancy [1] and for their possible application to gas storage [2]. Pressure is a key parameter in the study of these systems as gas hydrates are believed to exist at pressure in nature and the gas content is found to increase in gas hydrates as their crystalline structure rearranges upon compression. In addition, high-pressure studies on gas hydrates offer new possibilities to explore water-gas interactions. We will present recent work on methane and hydrogen hydrates at high pressure performed by neutron diffraction in the GPa range [3]. Several issues including the gas content in the different high-pressure structures will be discussed

Electrophysiological activation by masked primes: Independence of prime-related and target-related activities

Visual stimuli that are made invisible by metacontrast masking (primes) have a marked influence on behavioral and psychophysiological measures such as reaction time (RT) and the lateralized readiness potential (LRP). 4 experiments are reported that shed light on the effects that masked primes have on the LRP. Participants had a go-nogo task in which the prime was associated with 1 of 2 responses even if the target required participants to refrain from responding. To analyze the electrophysiological responses, we computed the LRP and applied an averaging method separating the activation due to the prime and the target. The results demonstrated that (a) masked primes activate responses even in a nogo situation, (b) this prime-related activation is independent of masking, (c) and is also independent of whether prime and target require the same responses (congruent condition) or different responses (incongruent condition)

Visual masking and the dynamics of human perception, cognition, and consciousness A century of progress, a contemporary synthesis, and future directions

The 1990s, the “decade of the brain,” witnessed major advances in the study of visual perception, cognition, and consciousness. Impressive techniques in neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, neuropsychology, electrophysiology, psychophysics and brain-imaging were developed to address how the nervous system transforms and represents visual inputs. Many of these advances have dealt with the steady-state properties of processing. To complement this “steady-state approach,” more recent research emphasized the importance of dynamic aspects of visual processing. Visual masking has been a paradigm of choice for more than a century when it comes to the study of dynamic vision. A recent workshop (http://lpsy.epfl.ch/VMworkshop/), held in Delmenhorst, Germany, brought together an international group of researchers to present state-of-the-art research on dynamic visual processing with a focus on visual masking. This special issue presents peer-reviewed contributions by the workshop participants and provides a contemporary synthesis of how visual masking can inform the dynamics of human perception, cognition, and consciousness

Impact of Dual-Energy Computed Tomography (DECT) Postprocessing Protocols on Detection of Monosodium Urate (MSU) Deposits in Foot Tendons of Cadavers

Objective: To evaluate two different dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) post-processing protocols for the detection of MSU deposits in foot tendons of cadavers with verification by polarizing light microscopy as the gold standard. Material and Methods: A total of 40 embalmed cadavers (15 male; 25 female; median age, 82 years; mean, 80 years; range, 52–99; SD ± 10.9) underwent DECT to assess MSU deposits in foot tendons. Two postprocessing DECT protocols with different Hounsfield unit (HU) thresholds, 150/500 (=established) versus 120/500 (=modified). HU were applied to dual source acquisition with 80 kV for tube A and 140 kV for tube B. Six fresh cadavers (4 male; 2 female; median age, 78; mean, 78.5; range 61–95) were examined by DECT. Tendon dissection of 2/6 fresh cadavers with positive DECT 120 and negative DECT 150 studies were used to verify MSU deposits by polarizing light microscopy. Results: The tibialis anterior tendon was found positive in 57.5%/100% (DECT 150/120), the peroneus tendon in 35%/100%, the achilles tendon in 25%/90%, the flexor halluces longus tendon in 10%/100%, and the tibialis posterior tendon in 12.5%/97.5%. DECT 120 resulted in increased tendon MSU deposit detection, when DECT 150 was negative, with an overall agreement between DECT 150 and DECT 120 of 80% (p = 0.013). Polarizing light microscope confirmed MSU deposits detected only by DECT 120 in the tibialis anterior, the achilles, the flexor halluces longus, and the peroneal tendons. Conclusion: The DECT 120 protocol showed a higher sensitivity when compared to DECT 150

Extremely high conductivity observed in the triple point topological metal MoP

Weyl and Dirac fermions have created much attention in condensed matter physics and materials science. Recently, several additional distinct types of fermions have been predicted. Here, we report ultra-high electrical conductivity in MoP at low temperature, which has recently been established as a triple point Fermion material. Here we show that the electrical resistivity is 6 n-ohm cm at 2 K with a large mean free path of 11 microns. de Haas-van Alphen oscillations reveal spin splitting of the Fermi surfaces. In contrast to noble metals with similar conductivity and number of carriers, the magnetoresistance in MoP does not saturate up to 9 T at 2 K. Interestingly, the momentum relaxing time of the electrons is found to be more than 15 times larger than the quantum coherence time. This difference between the scattering scales shows that momentum conserving scattering dominates in MoP at low temperatures.Comment: Updated texts and supplementar

Temporal processes in prime–mask interaction: Assessing perceptual consequences of masked information

Visual backward masking is frequently used to study the temporal dynamics of visual perception. These dynamics may include the temporal features of conscious percepts, as suggested, for instance, by the asynchronous–updating model (Neumann, 1982) and perceptual–retouch theory ((Bachmann, 1994). These models predict that the perceptual latency of a visual backward mask is shorter than that of a like reference stimulus that was not preceded by a masked stimulus. The prediction has been confirmed by studies using temporal–order judgments: For certain asynchronies between mask and reference stimulus, temporal–order reversals are quite frequent (e.g. Scharlau, & Neumann, 2003a). However, it may be argued that these reversals were due to a response bias in favour of the mask rather than true temporal-perceptual effects. I introduce two measures for assessing latency effects that (1) are not prone to such a response bias, (2) allow to quantify the latency gain, and (3) extend the perceptual evidence from order reversals to duration/interval perception, that is, demonstrate that the perceived interval between a mask and a reference stimulus may be shortened as well as prolonged by the presence of a masked stimulus. Consequences for theories of visual masking such as asynchronous–updating, perceptual–retouch, and reentrant models are discussed