Diagnosis and management of connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease in Australia and New Zealand: a position statement from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand

Pulmonary complications in CTD are common and can involve the interstitium, airways, pleura and pulmonary vasculature. ILD can occur in all CTD (CTD-ILD), and mayvaryfromlimited,non-progressive lung involvemen to fulminant, life-threatening disease. Given the potential for major adverse outcomes in CTD-ILD, accurate diagnosis, assessment and careful consideration of therapeutic intervention are a priority. Limited data are available to guide management decisions in CTD-ILD. Autoimmune- mediated pulmonary inflammation is considered a key pathobiological pathway in these disorders, and immuno- suppressive therapy is generally regarded the cornerstone of treatment for severe and/or progressive CTD-ILD. How- ever, the natural history of CTD-ILD in individual patients can be difficult to predict, and deciding who to treat, when and with what agent can be challenging. Establishing realistic therapeutic goals from both the patient and clinician perspective requires considerable expertise. The document aims to provide a framework for clinicians to aid in the assessment and management of ILD in the major CTD. A suggested approach to diagnosis and monitoring of CTD-ILD and, where available, evidence-based, disease- specific approaches to treatment have been providedAdelle S. Jee, Robert Sheehy, Peter Hopkins, Tamera J. Corte, Christopher Grainge, Lauren K. Troy … et al

Ion distribution preferences in ternary crystals Zn xCd 1−x Te, Zn 1−x Hg xTe and Cd 1−x Hg xTe

Similar ternary semiconductors are sometimes associated with widely different structures characterized by different site occupation preferences. We have used far-infrared (FIR) spectra to determine the site occupation preference coefficients for three ternary semiconductor alloys: ZnCdTe, ZnHgTe and CdHgTe and, in the case of ZnHgTe, have validated it by X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis. While ZnCdTe spectra exhibit the canonical configuration with eight phonon lines free of vibrational defect lines and only a slight departure from a random ion distribution, CdHgTe spectra show the eight canonical phonon modes plus an additional vibrational defect line and constant preference coefficients. In contrast, two defect lines and only four modes characterize ZnHgTe spectra, as extreme preferences prevent the formation of two of the five expected tetrahedral configuration arrangements. Moreover, for this system, comparison with EXAFS data points out the vibrational nature of both the extra lines. The analysis clearly shows that assuming a Bernoulli distribution of the component configurations of semiconductors may lead to wrong assessments of the evolution of its properties with relative content.JRC.D.5-Food Safety and Qualit