2,936 research outputs found
The Fermi blazars' divide based on the diagnostic of the SEDs peak frequencies
We have studied the quasi-simultaneous Spectral Energy Distributions (SED) of
48 LBAS blazars, detected within the three months of the LAT Bright AGN Sample
(LBAS) data taking period, combining Fermi and Swift data with radio
NIR-Optical and hard-X/gamma-ray data. Using these quasi-simultaneous SEDs,
sampling both the low and the high energy peak of the blazars broad band
emission, we were able to apply a diagnostic tool based on the estimate of the
peak frequencies of the synchrotron (S) and Inverse Compton (IC) components.
Our analysis shows a Fermi blazars' divide based on the peak frequencies of the
SED. The robust result is that the Synchrotron Self Compton (SSC) region
divides in two the plane were we plot the peak frequency of the synchrotron SED
vs the typical Lorentz factor of the electrons most contributing to the
synchrotron emission and to the inverse Compton process. Objects within or
below this region, radiating likely via the SSC process, are
high-frequency-peaked BL Lac object (HBL), or low/intermediate-frequency peaked
BL Lac object (LBL/IBL). All of the IBLs/LBLs within or below the SSC region
are not Compton dominated. The objects lying above the SSC region, radiating
likely via the External radiation Compton (ERC) process, are Flat Spectrum
Radio Quasars and IBLs/LBLs. All of the IBLs/LBLs in the ERC region show a
significant Compton dominance.Comment: Contribution to the Workshop SciNeGHe 2009/Gamma-ray Physics in the
LHC era (Assisi - Italy, Oct. 7-9 2009
The Embedding of Schwarzschild in Braneworld
The braneworlds models were inspired partly by Kaluza-Klein's theory, where
both the gravitational and the gauge fields are obtained from the geometry of a
higher dimensional space. The positive aspects of these models consist in
perspectives of modifications it could bring in to particle physics, such as:
unification in a TeV scale, quantum gravity in this scale and deviation of
Newton's law for small distances. One of the principles of these models is to
suppose that all space-times can be embedded in a bulk of higher dimension. The
main result in these notes is a theorem showing a mathematical inconsistency of
the Randall-Sundrum braneworld model, namely that the Schwarzschild space-time
cannot be embedded locally and isometrically in a five dimensional bulk with
constant curvature,(for example AdS-5). From the point of view of
semi-Riemannian geometry this last result represents a serious restriction to
the Randall-Sundrum's braneworld model.Comment: Published in the Int. J. Theor. Phys, 200
Measurement of the effect of Non Ionising Energy Losses on the leakage current of Silicon Drift Detector prototypes for the LOFT satellite
The silicon drift detectors are at the basis of the instrumentation aboard
the Large Observatory For x-ray Timing (LOFT) satellite mission, which
underwent a three year assessment phase within the "Cosmic Vision 2015 - 2025"
long-term science plan of the European Space Agency. Silicon detectors are
especially sensitive to the displacement damage, produced by the non ionising
energy losses of charged and neutral particles, leading to an increase of the
device leakage current and thus worsening the spectral resolution.
During the LOFT assessment phase, we irradiated two silicon drift detectors
with a proton beam at the Proton Irradiation Facility in the accelerator of the
Paul Scherrer Institute and we measured the increase in leakage current. In
this paper we report the results of the irradiation and we discuss the impact
of the radiation damage on the LOFT scientific performance.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication by Journal of
Instrumentation (JINST
The accuracy of sentinel lymph-node biopsy in breast cancer after previous excisional biopsy
Scopo: La biopsia del linfonodo sentinella (BLS) nel carcinoma della mammella con linfonodi
ascellari clinicamente negativi \ue8 considerato la migliore scelta per stadiare il cavo ascellare. Inizialmente una
precedente biopsia escissionale del carcinoma era considerata una controindicazione. Esaminiamo il tasso di
successo della BLS e la incidenza della recidiva a livello ascellare in pazienti con carcinoma della mammella
precedentemente sottoposti a biopsia escissionale del tumore. Pazienti e metodi: 858 pazienti con carcinoma
della mammella sono stati sottoposti a BLS e i pazienti con linfonodi sentinella metastatici a svuotamento
del cavo ascellare; 82 pazienti erano stati sottoposti precedentemente a biopsia escissionale del tumore. Risultati:
Il linfonodo sentinella \ue8 stato identificato nel 100% dei casi, \ue8 risultato indenne nel 74,4% e metastatico
nel 23,1%. La dissezione del cavo ascellare \ue8 stata effettuata in tutti i casi con linfonodi sentinella metastatici
e nel 74% dei casi non si sono ritrovati altri linfonodi ascellari metastatici. Il follow-up mediano \ue8
stato di 63,5 mesi e non si sono osservate recidive ascellari. Conclusioni: L\u2019accuratezza del BLS in pazienti con
carcinoma della mammella sottoposte precedentemente a biopsia escissionale \ue8 uguale a quella dei pazienti
non sottoposti a biopsia.Aim: Sentinel node biopsy (SLNB) is considered to be the standard of care for staging the axilla
in clinically node-negative women with breast cancer. A previous breast excisional biopsy has been considered
a contraindication to the use of SLNB.We examined the success rate of SLN localization and then the
evaluation of the incidence of axillary relapse in patients with breast cancer undergoing excisional biopsy.
Patients and Methods: 858 patients with breast carcinoma underwent a SLNB and only positive sentinel
nodes were submitted to axillary dissection; 82 patients had undergone an excisional biopsy before. Results:
The sentinel node was identified in 100% of cases, it was negative in 74.4% and positive in 23.1%. Complete
axillary dissection was performed in all positive cases, and in 74% of cases no other positive nodes were
found. The follow-up median was 63.5 months and no axillary recurrence was observed. Conclusions: SLNB
accuracy in breast cancer patients who have previously undergone excisional biopsy is comparable with that
in patients undergoing no excisional biopsy, so that it may be considered a standard procedure
Phenex: Ontological Annotation of Phenotypic Diversity
Phenex is a platform-independent desktop application designed to facilitate efficient and consistent annotation of phenotypic variation using Entity-Quality syntax, drawing on terms from community ontologies for anatomical entities, phenotypic qualities, and taxonomic names. Despite the centrality of the phenotype to so much of biology, traditions for communicating information about phenotypes are idiosyncratic to different disciplines. Phenotypes seem to elude standardized descriptions due to the variety of traits that compose them and the difficulty of capturing the complex forms and subtle differences among organisms that we can readily observe. Consequently, phenotypes are refractory to attempts at data integration that would allow computational analyses across studies and study systems. Phenex addresses this problem by allowing scientists to employ standard ontologies and syntax to link computable phenotype annotations to evolutionary character matrices, as well as to link taxa and specimens to ontological identifiers. Ontologies have become a foundational technology for establishing shared semantics, and, more generally, for capturing and computing with biological knowledge
Radiation tests of the Silicon Drift Detectors for LOFT
During the three years long assessment phase of the LOFT mission, candidate
to the M3 launch opportunity of the ESA Cosmic Vision programme, we estimated
and measured the radiation damage of the silicon drift detectors (SDDs) of the
satellite instrumentation. In particular, we irradiated the detectors with
protons (of 0.8 and 11 MeV energy) to study the increment of leakage current
and the variation of the charge collection efficiency produced by the
displacement damage, and we "bombarded" the detectors with hypervelocity dust
grains to measure the effect of the debris impacts. In this paper we describe
the measurements and discuss the results in the context of the LOFT mission.Comment: Proc. SPIE 9144, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014:
Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 91446
Immunoglobulin A response against Gardnerella vaginalis hemolysin and sialidase activity in bacterial vaginosis
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the immunoglobulin A immune response to Gardnerella vaginalis hemolysin and sialidase activity in vaginal fluids from patients with bacterial vaginosis.
STUDY DESIGN:
Nonpregnant women who were examined at a gynecologic clinic, in an age range of 18 to 62 years, were enrolled. The study population comprised 131 healthy volunteers, 32 women with bacterial vaginosis that was positive for immunoglobulin A to Gardnerella vaginalis hemolysin, 40 women with bacterial vaginosis that was negative for immunoglobulin A to Gardnerella vaginalis hemolysin, and 19 women with Candida vaginitis. Bacterial vaginosis was diagnosed by clinical criteria and Gram stain.
RESULTS:
Sialidase activity was present in 75% (54/72) of patients with bacterial vaginosis. Women having bacterial vaginosis and lacking a specific immunoglobulin A response had a significantly higher level of sialidase activity than patients who had an immune response against Gardnerella vaginalis hemolysin. Sialidase activity was detected in 87% (35/40) of the former subgroup of patients with bacterial vaginosis and in 59% (19/32) of women of the latter subgroup. No sialidase activity was measured in patients with candidiasis. Specificity of the assay for healthy controls was 95% (124/131 women without sialidase activity).
CONCLUSIONS:
Sialidases produced by Prevotella bivia and other microorganisms present in the microflora of patients with bacterial vaginosis are very likely a virulence factor not only by destroying the mucins and enhancing adherence of bacteria but also by impairing a specific immunoglobulin A immune response against other virulence factors such as cytotoxin from Gardnerella vaginalis
Improving the Management and Follow-up of Atopic Dermatitis: A Delphi Process Report of Consensus Between Hospital Dermatologists and Pharmacists
[spa]
El control de la dermatitis atópica (DA), una de las dermatosis más frecuentes, es en muchas ocasiones un reto terapéutico. En el presente estudio se ha utilizado la metodologÃa Delphi con el objetivo de poner en común las perspectivas del dermatólogo y del farmacéutico hospitalario ante el manejo de la DA y establecer una serie de recomendaciones de actuación adaptadas a las diferentes situaciones que plantea la enfermedad. El cuestionario Delphi ha sido definido por un comité cientÃfico y se ha dividido en 2 bloques: (1) valoración de la respuesta al tratamiento del paciente con DA y (2) cooperación entre DermatologÃa y Farmacia Hospitalaria (FH). Como resultado del estudio, se ha alcanzado un consenso total del 86%. Se concluye que el dermatólogo y el farmacéutico hospitalario deben tener una buena comunicación y trabajar coordinados para conseguir optimizar el manejo del paciente con DA y su respuesta al tratamiento.[eng]
Managing atopic dermatitis, one of the most common dermatologic conditions, is often challenging. To establish consensus on recommendations for responding to various situations that arise when treating atopic dermatitis, a group of hospital pharmacists and dermatologists used the Delphi process. A scientific committee developed a Delphi survey with 2 blocks of questions to explore the group's views on 1) evaluating response to treatment in the patient with atopic dermatitis and 2) cooperation between the dermatology department and the hospital pharmacy service. The experts achieved an overall rate of consensus of 86% during the process. Conclusions were that dermatologists and hospital pharmacists must maintain good communication and coordinate their interventions to optimize the management of atopic dermatitis and patients' responses to treatment
Interleukin-2 inhalation therapy in renal cell cancer: a case report and review of the literature
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignancy of the kidney. One third of RCC presents metastatic disease at the time of diagnosis, usually leading to a fatal outcome. Small response rates were seen with most cytotoxic agents including gemcitabine and vinorelbine, whereas systemic therapy with high doses of interleukin 2 (IL-2) has been shown to provide durable complete remissions. However, in consideration of its severe toxicity, IL-2 immunotherapy is restricted to selected patients. Aerosol IL-2 has been introduced as an alternative therapy in cancer patients. However, only very few data are available on its use in patients with pulmonary metastatic RCC. This paper briefly summarizes current clinical experience with the use of inhaled IL-2 therapy, either as a single therapy or in combination with other treatments. In addition, we report on a male patient with pulmonary metastasized RCC who achieved a durable complete response to combined gemcitabine/vinorelbine and interleukin-2 inhalation therapy
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