344 research outputs found
Sleep disorders, depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life-a cross-sectional comparison between kidney transplant recipients and waitlisted patients on maintenance dialysis
BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation is believed to improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT). Recent studies suggested that the observed difference in HRQoL between kidney transplant recipients (Tx) vs patients treated with dialysis may reflect differences in patient characteristics. We tested if Tx patients have better HRQoL compared to waitlisted (WL) patients treated with dialysis after extensive adjustment for covariables. METHODS: Eight hundred and eighty-eight prevalent Tx patients followed at a single outpatient transplant clinic and 187 WL patients treated with maintenance dialysis in nine dialysis centres were enrolled in this observational cross-sectional study. Data about socio-demographic and clinical parameters, self-reported depressive symptoms and the most frequent sleep disorders assessed by self-reported questionnaires were collected at enrollment. HRQoL was assessed by the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire. RESULTS: Patient characteristics were similar in the Tx vs WL groups: the proportion of males (58 vs 60%), mean +/- SD age (49 +/- 13 vs 49 +/- 12) and proportion of diabetics (17 vs 18%), respectively, were all similar. Tx patients had significantly better HRQoL scores compared to the WL group both in generic (Physical function, General health perceptions, Energy/fatigue, Emotional well-being) and in kidney disease-specific domains (Symptoms/problems, Effect- and Burden of kidney disease and Sleep). In multivariate regression models adjusting for clinical and socio-demographic characteristics, sleep disorders and depressive symptoms, the modality of RRT (WL vs Tx) remained independently associated with three (General health perceptions, Effect- and Burden of kidney disease) out of the eight HRQoL dimensions analysed. CONCLUSIONS: Kidney Tx recipients have significantly better HRQoL compared to WL dialysis patients in some, but not all, dimensions of quality of life after accounting for differences in patient characteristics. Utilizing multidimensional disease-specific questionnaires will allow better understanding of treatment, disease and patient-related factors potentially affecting quality of life in patients with chronic medical conditions
Modelling the neuropathology of lysosomal storage disorders through disease-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells
Mucopolysaccharidosis II (MPS II) is a lysosomal storage disorder (LSD), caused by iduronate 2-sulphatase (IDS)
enzyme dysfunction. The neuropathology of the disease is not well understood, although the neural symptoms
are currently incurable. MPS II-patient derived iPSC lines were established and differentiated to neuronal
lineage. The disease phenotype was confirmed by IDS enzyme and glycosaminoglycan assay. MPS II neuronal
precursor cells (NPCs) showed significantly decreased self-renewal capacity, while their cortical neuronal differentiation potential was not affected. Major structural alterations in the ER and Golgi complex, accumulation
of storage vacuoles, and increased apoptosis were observed both at protein expression and ultrastructural level
in the MPS II neuronal cells, which was more pronounced in GFAP + astrocytes, with increased LAMP2 expression but unchanged in their RAB7 compartment. Based on these finding we hypothesize that lysosomal
membrane protein (LMP) carrier vesicles have an initiating role in the formation of storage vacuoles leading to impaired lysosomal function. In conclusion, a novel human MPS II disease model was established for the first
time which recapitulates the in vitro neuropathology of the disorder, providing novel information on the disease
mechanism which allows better understanding of further lysosomal storage disorders and facilitates drug testing
and gene therapy approaches
High p_T Spectra of Identified Particles Produced in Pb+Pb Collisions at 158GeV/nucleon Beam Energy
Transverse momentum spectra of pi^{+/-}, p, pbar, K^{+/-}, K^0_s and Lambda
at midrapidity were measured at high p_T in Pb+Pb collisions at 158GeV/nucleon
beam energy by the NA49 experiment. Particle yield ratios (p/pi, K/pi and
Lambda/K^0_s) show an enhancement of the baryon/meson ratio for p_T>2GeV/c. The
nuclear modification factor R_{CP} is extracted and compared to RHIC
measurements and pQCD calculations.Comment: Quark Matter 2005 parallel section proceeding
High p_T Spectra of Identified Particles Produced in Pb+Pb Collisions at 158A GeV Beam Energy
Results of the NA49 collaboration on the production of hadrons with large
transverse momentum in Pb+Pb collisions at 158A GeV beam energy are presented.
A range up to p_T = 4 GeV/c is covered. The nuclear modification factor R_CP is
extracted for pions, kaons and protons, and the baryon to meson ratios p/pi+,
pbar/pi- and Lambda/K^0_s are studied. All results are compared to other
measurements at SPS and RHIC and to theoretical calculations.Comment: Submitted to J. Phys. G (Proceedings of the 9th International
Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter, Los Angeles, USA, March 26-31,
2006). 5 pages, 3 figure
Bose-Einstein correlations of pion pairs in central Pb+Pb collisions at CERN SPS energies
Measurements of Bose-Einstein correlations of pion pairs in central Pb+Pb
collisions were performed with the NA49 detector at the CERN SPS for beam
energies of 20A, 30A, 40A, 80A, and 158A GeV. Correlation functions were
measured in the longitudinally co-moving ``out-side-long'' reference frame as a
function of rapidity and transverse momentum in the forward hemisphere of the
reaction. Radius and correlation strength parameters were obtained from fits of
a Gaussian parametrization. The results show a decrease of the radius
parameters with increasing transverse momentum characteristic of strong radial
flow in the pion source. No striking dependence on pion-pair rapidity or beam
energy is observed. Static and dynamic properties of the pion source are
obtained from simultaneous fits with a blast-wave model to radius parameters
and midrapidity transverse momentum spectra. Predictions of hydrodynamic and
microscopic models of Pb+Pb collisions are discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 23 figure
Strangeness production at SPS energies
We present a summary of measurements of strange particles performed by the
experiment NA49 in central and minimum bias Pb+Pb collisions in the beam energy
range 20A - 158A GeV. New results on Xi production in central Pb+Pb collisions
and on Lambda, Xi production in minimum bias collisions are shown. Transverse
mass spectra and rapidity distributions of strange particles at different
energies are compared. The energy dependence of the particle yields and ratios
is discussed. NA49 measurements of the Lambda and Xi enhancement factors are
shown for the first time.Comment: Submitted to J. Phys. G (Proceedings of the 9th International
Conference on Strangeness in Quark Matter, Los Angeles, USA, March 26-31,
2006). 9 pages, 9 figure
System size dependence of strange particle yields and spectra at sqrt(s)=17.3 GeV
Yields and spectra of strange hadrons (K+, K-, phi, Lambda and Antilambda) as
well as of charged pions were measured in near central C+C and Si+Si collisions
at 158 AGeV beam energy with the NA49 detector. Together with earlier data for
p+p, S+S and Pb+Pb reactions the system size dependence can be studied.
Relative strangeness production rises fast and saturates at about 60
participating nucleons; the net hyperon spectra show an increasing shift
towards midrapidity for larger colliding nuclei. An interpretation based on the
formation of coherent systems of increasing volume is proposed. The transverse
mass spectra can be described by a blast wave ansatz. Increasing flow velocity
is accompanied by decreasing temperatures for both kinetic and chemical freeze
out. The increasing gap between inelastic and elastic decoupling leaves space
for rescattering.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, Proceedings of the Hot Quarks 2004 worksho
Event-by-Event Fluctuations of Particle Ratios in Central Pb+Pb Collisions at 20 to 158 AGeV
In the vicinity of the QCD phase transition, critical fluctuations have been
predicted to lead to non-statistical fluctuations of particle ratios, depending
on the nature of the phase transition. Recent results of the NA49 energy scan
program show a sharp maximum of the ratio of K+ to Pi+ yields in central Pb+Pb
collisions at beam energies of 20-30 AGeV. This observation has been
interpreted as an indication of a phase transition at low SPS energies. We
present first results on event-by-event fluctuations of the kaon to pion and
proton to pion ratios at beam energies close to this maximum.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Quark Matter 2004 proceeding
Multiplicity fluctuations in nuclear collisions at 158 A GeV
System size dependence of multiplicity fluctuations of charged particles
produced in nuclear collisions at 158 A GeV was studied in the NA49 CERN
experiment. Results indicate a non-monotonic dependence of the scaled variance
of the multiplicity distribution with a maximum for semi-peripheral Pb+Pb
interactions with number of projectile participants of about 35. This effect is
not observed in a string-hadronic model of nuclear collision HIJING.Comment: Presented at "Focus on Multiplicity", 17-19 of June, Bari, Ital
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