Interleukin-31: a new cytokine involved in inflammation of the skin.

Cytokines affect immune functions involved inmotility, chemotaxis, phagocytosis, cytotoxicityand antigen presentation (1). Interleukins (IL) arepleiotropic cytokines with diverse receptorsignaling pathways whose expression is controlledat multiple levels (2). Interleukin receptors (ILR)have intrinsic roles in regulating and amplifyingthe inflammatory response (3-12).Skin is the largest organ of the body with thespecific immune defense and its inflammatoryconditions include atopic dermatitis, allergies,psoriasis etc. (13-19). Infiltrated lymphocytesproliferate in an activated state in the skin lesion inan autocrine and/or paracrine manner and produceTH2-type cytokines that might evoke immunologicabnormalities (20-23)...

"In vitro" comparative immune effects of different titanium compounds.

Exposure to Ti compounds is today an occupational and environmental health hazard. Object of this study was to determine "in vitro" effects of different Ti salts on cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) proliferation and cytokine release. 10−4 and 10−7 M Ti compounds did not modify spontaneous PBMC proliferation. Ti dioxide (a biocompatible material and sunscreen component) did not exert effects on phytoemagglutinin (PHA) stimulated PBMC proliferation and on PHA stimulated IFN-γ and TNF-α release from PBMC. On the other hand, 10−4 M Ti oxalate (with wide industrial applications) and Ti ascorbate (used mainly in agriculture) inhibited about 70 % the PHA stimulated PBMC proliferation; both these Ti compounds at 10−4 and 10−7 M concentrations significantly inhibited TNF-α release, while only Ti oxalate inhibited that of IFN-γ. Titanocene (used in chemotherapy) did not exert effects on PBMC proliferation but markedly inhibited IFN-γ and TNF-α release. On the whole, this study demonstrates that Ti dioxide is not immunotoxic; Ti oxalate shows marked immunotoxicity; titanocene exerts selective toxicity on cytokine release but not on PBMC proliferation, while Ti ascorbate affects TNF-α release from PBMC but not IFN-γ release. In conclusion, these data show that immunotoxicity of Ti depends on speciation

Schwinger-Keldysh Approach to Disordered and Interacting Electron Systems: Derivation of Finkelstein's Renormalization Group Equations

We develop a dynamical approach based on the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism to derive a field-theoretic description of disordered and interacting electron systems. We calculate within this formalism the perturbative RG equations for interacting electrons expanded around a diffusive Fermi liquid fixed point, as obtained originally by Finkelstein using replicas. The major simplifying feature of this approach, as compared to Finkelstein's is that instead of $N \to 0$ replicas, we only need to consider N=2 species. We compare the dynamical Schwinger-Keldysh approach and the replica methods, and we present a simple and pedagogical RG procedure to obtain Finkelstein's RG equations.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figure

Autoimmunity and parasites.

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Scaling Analysis of Fluctuating Strength Function

We propose a new method to analyze fluctuations in the strength function phenomena in highly excited nuclei. Extending the method of multifractal analysis to the cases where the strength fluctuations do not obey power scaling laws, we introduce a new measure of fluctuation, called the local scaling dimension, which characterizes scaling behavior of the strength fluctuation as a function of energy bin width subdividing the strength function. We discuss properties of the new measure by applying it to a model system which simulates the doorway damping mechanism of giant resonances. It is found that the local scaling dimension characterizes well fluctuations and their energy scales of fine structures in the strength function associated with the damped collective motions.Comment: 22 pages with 9 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev.

Impact of neuropeptide substance P an inflammatory compound on arachidonic acid compound generation

There is much evidence that neuropeptide substance P is involved in neurogenic inflammation and is an important neurotransmitter and neurmodulator compound. In addition, substance P plays an important role in inflammation and immunity. Macrophages can be activated by substance P which provokes the release of inflammatory compounds such as interleukins, chemokines and growth factors. Substance P is involved in the mechanism of pain through the trigeminal nerve which runs through the head, temporal and sinus cavity. Substance P also activates mast cells to release inflammatory mediators such as arachindonic acid compound, cytokines/chemokines and histamine. The release of these chemical mediators is crucial for inflammatory response. Among these mediators there are prostoglandins and leukotrines. Here we review the impact of substance P on inflammatory compounds

Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Incident Heart Failure: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Heart failure (HF) is a leading clinical and public health concern because of its high prevalence and poor prognosis. It is thus critical to identify novel risk factors for developing HF. Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN), an indirect biomarker of mitochondrial dysfunction, is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease endpoints, cardiovascular risk factors, all-cause mortality, and sudden cardiac death. The association between mtDNA-CN and the risk of incident HF, however, is unknown. We examined this association in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort

Horizontal Branch Stars: The Interplay between Observations and Theory, and Insights into the Formation of the Galaxy

We review HB stars in a broad astrophysical context, including both variable and non-variable stars. A reassessment of the Oosterhoff dichotomy is presented, which provides unprecedented detail regarding its origin and systematics. We show that the Oosterhoff dichotomy and the distribution of globular clusters (GCs) in the HB morphology-metallicity plane both exclude, with high statistical significance, the possibility that the Galactic halo may have formed from the accretion of dwarf galaxies resembling present-day Milky Way satellites such as Fornax, Sagittarius, and the LMC. A rediscussion of the second-parameter problem is presented. A technique is proposed to estimate the HB types of extragalactic GCs on the basis of integrated far-UV photometry. The relationship between the absolute V magnitude of the HB at the RR Lyrae level and metallicity, as obtained on the basis of trigonometric parallax measurements for the star RR Lyrae, is also revisited, giving a distance modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.44+/-0.11. RR Lyrae period change rates are studied. Finally, the conductive opacities used in evolutionary calculations of low-mass stars are investigated. [ABRIDGED]Comment: 56 pages, 22 figures. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Epidemiology, practice of ventilation and outcome for patients at increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications

BACKGROUND Limited information exists about the epidemiology and outcome of surgical patients at increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs), and how intraoperative ventilation was managed in these patients. OBJECTIVES To determine the incidence of surgical patients at increased risk of PPCs, and to compare the intraoperative ventilation management and postoperative outcomes with patients at low risk of PPCs. DESIGN This was a prospective international 1-week observational study using the ‘Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia risk score’ (ARISCAT score) for PPC for risk stratification. PATIENTS AND SETTING Adult patients requiring intraoperative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals across 29 countries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was the incidence of patients at increased risk of PPCs based on the ARISCAT score. Secondary outcomes included intraoperative ventilatory management and clinical outcomes. RESULTS A total of 9864 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The incidence of patients at increased risk was 28.4%. The most frequently chosen tidal volume (VT) size was 500 ml, or 7 to 9 ml kg1 predicted body weight, slightly lower in patients at increased risk of PPCs. Levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) were slightly higher in patients at increased risk of PPCs, with 14.3% receiving more than 5 cmH2O PEEP compared with 7.6% in patients at low risk of PPCs (P < 0.001). Patients with a predicted preoperative increased risk of PPCs developed PPCs more frequently: 19 versus 7%, relative risk (RR) 3.16 (95% confidence interval 2.76 to 3.61), P < 0.001) and had longer hospital stays. The only ventilatory factor associated with the occurrence of PPCs was the peak pressure. CONCLUSION The incidence of patients with a predicted increased risk of PPCs is high. A large proportion of patients receive high VT and low PEEP levels. PPCs occur frequently in patients at increased risk, with worse clinical outcome

Performance of the CMS Level-1 trigger in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV

At the start of Run 2 in 2015, the LHC delivered proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13\TeV. During Run 2 (years 2015–2018) the LHC eventually reached a luminosity of 2.1× 10$^{34}$ cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$, almost three times that reached during Run 1 (2009–2013) and a factor of two larger than the LHC design value, leading to events with up to a mean of about 50 simultaneous inelastic proton-proton collisions per bunch crossing (pileup). The CMS Level-1 trigger was upgraded prior to 2016 to improve the selection of physics events in the challenging conditions posed by the second run of the LHC. This paper describes the performance of the CMS Level-1 trigger upgrade during the data taking period of 2016–2018. The upgraded trigger implements pattern recognition and boosted decision tree regression techniques for muon reconstruction, includes pileup subtraction for jets and energy sums, and incorporates pileup-dependent isolation requirements for electrons and tau leptons. In addition, the new trigger calculates high-level quantities such as the invariant mass of pairs of reconstructed particles. The upgrade reduces the trigger rate from background processes and improves the trigger efficiency for a wide variety of physics signals