Search for ultra high energy gamma-rays from various sources

The hypothesis that there exists an excess of showers from the Galactic plane on the level 1 to 2% at energies just above 10 to the 16th power eV is explored. The excess shower from the Galactic plane seems to be very similar in properties to excess showers from the point sources/flat spectrum, deficit of low energy muons. Those facts suggest that the excess from the Galactic plane are probably due to summing up of the contribution from individual point sources. That in turn suggest that those sources are rather numerous

The European Renal Association - European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Registry Annual Report 2016 : a summary

Background. This article summarizes the ERA-EDTA Registry's 2016 Annual Report, by describing the epidemiology of renal replacement therapy (RRT) for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in 2016 within 36 countries. Methods. In 2017 and 2018, the ERA-EDTA Registry received data on patients undergoing RRT for ESRD in 2016 from 52 national or regional renal registries. In all, 32 registries provided individual patient data and 20 provided aggregated data. The incidence and prevalence of RRT and the survival probabilities of these patients were determined. Results. In 2016, the incidence of RRT for ESRD was 121 per million population (pmp), ranging from 29 pmp in Ukraine to 251 pmp in Greece. Almost two-thirds of patients were men, over half were aged >= 65 years and almost a quarter had diabetes mellitus as their primary renal diagnosis. Treatment modality at the start of RRT was haemodialysis for 84% of patients. On 31 December 2016, the prevalence of RRT was 823 pmp, ranging from 188 pmp in Ukraine to 1906 pmp in Portugal. In 2016, the transplant rate was 32 pmp, varying from 3 pmp in Ukraine to 94 pmp in the Spanish region of Catalonia. For patients commencing RRT during 2007-11, the 5-year unadjusted patient survival probability on all RRT modalities combined was 50.5%. For 2016, the incidence and prevalence of RRT were higher among men (187 and 1381 pmp) than women (101 and 827 pmp), and men had a higher rate of kidney transplantation (59 pmp) compared with women (33 pmp). For patients starting dialysis and for patients receiving a kidney transplant during 2007-11, the adjusted patient survival probabilities appeared to be higher for women than for men.Peer reviewe

The ERA-EDTA Registry Annual Report 2017 : a summary

Background. This article presents a summary of the 2017 Annual Report of the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA) Registry and describes the epidemiology of renal replacement therapy (RRT) for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in 37 countries. Methods. The ERA-EDTA Registry received individual patient data on patients undergoing RRT for ESRD in 2017 from 32 national or regional renal registries and aggregated data from 21 registries. The incidence and prevalence of RRT, kidney transplantation activity and survival probabilities of these patients were calculated. Results. In 2017, the ERA-EDTA Registry covered a general population of 694 million people. The incidence of RRT for ESRD was 127 per million population (pmp), ranging from 37 pmp in Ukraine to 252 pmp in Greece. A total of 62% of patients were men, 52% were >= 65 years of age and 23% had diabetes mellitus as the primary renal disease. The treatment modality at the onset of RRT was haemodialysis for 85% of patients. On 31 December 2017, the prevalence of RRT was 854 pmp, ranging from 210 pmp in Ukraine to 1965 pmp in Portugal. The transplant rate in 2017 was 33 pmp, ranging from 3 pmp in Ukraine to 103 pmp in the Spanish region of Catalonia. For patients commencing RRT during 2008-12, the unadjusted 5-year patient survival probability for all RRT modalities combined was 50.8%.Peer reviewe

Measurements of the Obersteiner-Redlich zone of the vagus nerve and their possible clinical applications

The aim of our study was to describe anatomical variability of the root entry zone (REZ), also called the Ohersteiner--Redlich zone, that represents the "junction zone" of glia and Schwann sheath of the cranial nerves. This zone has some clinical implications. The pulsatile compression of REZ by a vessel may produce clinical symptoms, such us trigeminal neuralgia, hemifacial spasm, glossopharyngeal neuralgia torticollis spasmodicus or even symptoms of essential hypertension when a vascular crross compression of REZ of a left vagus nerve is present. The vessel - cranial nerve contact in the skull base cysterns may be visualized in radiologic examinations, most accurately in magnetic resonance imaging. Because, we cannot distinguish the REZ from the rest of the vagus nerve in radiologic examinations we decided to measure the lenght of its REZ. The microanatomical study of the lenght of REZ zone of the vagus nerve was performed on 2l nerves taken from 17 human brain stems (12 men, 5 women, 14 left, 7 right), fixed with 8% buffered, formalin solution. Paraffin embedded tissue was cut into 1O-um-thick sections pararellel to the nerve longitudinal axis and stained with hematoxilin & eosin. Each of the nerves showed the presence of a zone of oligodendrocyte myelination, mean lenght 2 ą 0.3 mm. In 17 nerves the transitional zone formred a cone-like process, in 4 nerves was shaped irregularly. The length of REZ (oligodendrocyte myelination plus "glial dome") had the mean length 3.5 ą 0,9 mm

Compensated ionization chamber for (n,α) reaction measurements at a spallation neutron source

The new spallation neutron facility n_TOF (neutron time-of-flight) at CERN opens wide possibilities in measurements of neutron induced reaction cross sections. The facility with its excellent energy resolution of neutrons, low repetition rate and most important – with a very high instantaneous luminosity, makes up an extra challenge for experimenters faced by doing measurements at a high peak intensity spallation source. Our proposition is directed to the use of a compensated ionization chamber for the (n, alpha) reaction cross section measurements we plan to carry out in a wide range of neutron energy. First experience gained with using such a kind of detector at ORELA (the Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator) neutron source (ORNL) was very optimistic