Mechanisms of HIV-associated lymphocyte apoptosis: 2010

The inevitable decline of CD4T cells in untreated infection with the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is due in large part to apoptosis, one type of programmed cell death. There is accumulating evidence that the accelerated apoptosis of CD4T cells in HIV infection is multifactorial, with direct viral cytotoxicity, signaling events triggered by viral proteins and aberrant immune activation adding to normal immune defense mechanisms to contribute to this phenomenon. Current antiviral treatment strategies generally lead to reduced apoptosis, but this approach may come at the cost of preserving latent viral reservoirs. It is the purpose of this review to provide an update on the current understanding of the role and mechanisms of accelerated apoptosis of T cells in the immunopathogenesis of HIV infection, and to highlight potential ways in which this seemingly deleterious process could be harnessed to not just control, but treat HIV infection

Novel supplies for powering a sueprconducting magnet

A family of new supplies for powering superconducting magnets was developed in our institutes. As an example, two supplies are described in the paper. One of the supplies uses superconducting, another-semiconductor-based repetitive switches. Both supplies are able to generate 1 Volt at the high-current side. Magnets to be powered by the supplies are made with Nb3Sn and NbTi wires, operate at 600 and 300 Amps, have inductances of 1.2 and 1.3 Henry and generate magnetic fields of 12 and 7 Tesla, respectively. Both magnets operate art 4 Kelvin and are bath-cooled. So far the power supplies were tested at the operating temperature using a small sc magnet as a load. Expected load curves, while ramping the current of the real magnets, are also discussed. A comparison between these sc supplies and a conventional system based on a room temperature power supply with (high-Tc) current leads is made