Discriminating active from latent tuberculosis in patients presenting to community clinics.

BACKGROUND: Because of the high global prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI), a key challenge in endemic settings is distinguishing patients with active TB from patients with overlapping clinical symptoms without active TB but with co-existing LTBI. Current methods are insufficiently accurate. Plasma proteomic fingerprinting can resolve this difficulty by providing a molecular snapshot defining disease state that can be used to develop point-of-care diagnostics. METHODS: Plasma and clinical data were obtained prospectively from patients attending community TB clinics in Peru and from household contacts. Plasma was subjected to high-throughput proteomic profiling by mass spectrometry. Statistical pattern recognition methods were used to define mass spectral patterns that distinguished patients with active TB from symptomatic controls with or without LTBI. RESULTS: 156 patients with active TB and 110 symptomatic controls (patients with respiratory symptoms without active TB) were investigated. Active TB patients were distinguishable from undifferentiated symptomatic controls with accuracy of 87% (sensitivity 84%, specificity 90%), from symptomatic controls with LTBI (accuracy of 87%, sensitivity 89%, specificity 82%) and from symptomatic controls without LTBI (accuracy 90%, sensitivity 90%, specificity 92%). CONCLUSIONS: We show that active TB can be distinguished accurately from LTBI in symptomatic clinic attenders using a plasma proteomic fingerprint. Translation of biomarkers derived from this study into a robust and affordable point-of-care format will have significant implications for recognition and control of active TB in high prevalence settings

Unidirectional heterologous receptor desensitization between both the fMLP and C5a receptor and the IL‐8 receptor

During inflammation neutrophils receive multiple signals that are integrated, allowing a single modified response. One mechanism for this discrimination is receptor desensitization, a process whereby ligand‐receptor binding is disassociated from cell activation. We examined the effect of heterologous receptor desensitization on neutrophil Chemotaxis, calcium mobilization, and arachidonic acid production, using interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), C5a, and N‐formyl‐methionyl‐leucyl‐phenylalanine (fMLP). We observed reciprocal inhibition with respect to Chemotaxis. We demonstrated that homologous desensitization, with respect to the mobilization of intracellular calcium stores, lasted approximately 15 min. Heterologous desensitization between the fMLP receptor and the C5a receptor was reciprocal; either stimulant would diminish the cells9 response to stimulation by the other for approximately 3–5 min. However, we observed a unidirectional heterologous desensitization of the IL‐8 receptor by both the fMLP and the C5a receptor. This unidirectional heterologous desensitization was observed with respect to both calcium mobilization and arachidonic acid production (i.e., prestimulation of the IL‐8 receptor had no effect on subsequent stimulation by either fMLP or C5a).Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141009/1/jlb0088.pd

A Phase Transition between Small and Large Field Models of Inflation

We show that models of inflection point inflation exhibit a phase transition from a region in parameter space where they are of large field type to a region where they are of small field type. The phase transition is between a universal behavior, with respect to the initial condition, at the large field region and non-universal behavior at the small field region. The order parameter is the number of e-foldings. We find integer critical exponents at the transition between the two phases.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure

Isoflavones in Legumes as Functional Forages and Feeds in Ruminant Grazing Systems

Legumes are often utilized in livestock grazing systems to improve diet quality, diversity, and consequently animal performance. In addition to their nutritional utility, legumes contain phytoestrogenic isoflavones that have selective antimicrobial activity in the rumen and once absorbed can cause arterial vasodilation. These added bioactive functions of isoflavones suggest that legumes could be strategically utilized in grazing systems as functional forages to improve ruminant performance and health. The objective of this presentation will be to discuss past and current research on the application of isoflavones via legumes as an antimicrobial for growth promotion and as a mitigation strategy for fescue toxicosis in grazing ruminants

Boron-10 ABUNCL Models of Fuel Testing

The Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Safeguards and Security (NA-241) is supporting the project Coincidence Counting With Boron-Based Alternative Neutron Detection Technology at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the development of a 3He proportional counter alternative neutron coincidence counter. The goal of this project is to design, build and demonstrate a system based upon 10B-lined proportional tubes in a configuration typical for 3He-based coincidence counter applications. This report provides results from MCNP simulations of the General Electric Reuter-Stokes Alternative Boron-Based Uranium Neutron Coincidence Collar (ABUNCL) active configuration model with fuel pins previously measured at Los Alamos National Laboratory. A comparison of the GE-ABUNCL simulations and simulations of 3He based UNCL-II active counter (the system for which the GE-ABUNCL was targeted to replace) with the same fuel pin assemblies is also provided

Boron-10 ABUNCL Prototype Initial Testing

The Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Safeguards and Security (NA-241) is supporting the project Coincidence Counting With Boron-Based Alternative Neutron Detection Technology at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the development of a 3He proportional counter alternative neutron coincidence counter. The goal of this project is to design, build and demonstrate a system based upon 10B-lined proportional tubes in a configuration typical for 3He-based coincidence counter applications. This report provides results of initial testing of an Alternative Boron-Based Uranium Neutron Coincidence Collar (ABUNCL) design built by General Electric Reuter-Stokes. Several configurations of the ABUNCL models, which use 10B-lined proportional counters in place of 3He proportional counters for the neutron detection elements, were previously reported. The ABUNCL tested is of a different design than previously modeled. Initial experimental testing of the as-delivered passive ABUNCL was performed, and modeling will be conducted. Testing of the system reconfigured for active testing will be performed in the near future, followed by testing with nuclear fuel

Motion of a vortex sheet on a sphere with pole vortices

We cons i der the motion of a vortex sheet on the surface of a unit sphere in the presence of point vortices xed on north and south poles.Analytic and numerical research revealed that a vortex sheet in two-dimensional space has the following three properties.First,the vortex sheet is linearly unstable due to Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.Second,the curvature of the vortex sheet diverges in nite time.Last,the vortex sheet evolves into a rolling-up doubly branched spiral,when the equation of motion is regularized by the vortex method.The purpose of this article is to investigate how the curvature of the sphere and the presence of the pole vortices

The puzzling case of the radio-loud QSO 3C 186: a gravitational wave recoiling black hole in a young radio source?

Context. Radio-loud AGNs with powerful relativistic jets are thought to be associated with rapidly spinning black holes (BHs). BH spin-up may result from a number of processes, including accretion of matter onto the BH itself, and catastrophic events such as BH-BH mergers. Aims. We study the intriguing properties of the powerful (L_bol ~ 10^47 erg s^-1) radio-loud quasar 3C 186. This object shows peculiar features both in the images and in the spectra. Methods. We utilize near-IR Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images to study the properties of the host galaxy, and HST UV and Sloan Digital Sky Survey optical spectra to study the kinematics of the source. Chandra X-ray data are also used to better constrain the physical interpretation. Results. HST imaging shows that the active nucleus is offset by 1.3 +- 0.1 arcsec (i.e. ~11 kpc) with respect to the center of the host galaxy. Spectroscopic data show that the broad emission lines are offset by -2140 +-390 km/s with respect to the narrow lines. Velocity shifts are often seen in QSO spectra, in particular in high-ionization broad emission lines. The host galaxy of the quasar displays a distorted morphology with possible tidal features that are typical of the late stages of a galaxy merger. Conclusions. A number of scenarios can be envisaged to account for the observed features. While the presence of a peculiar outflow cannot be completely ruled out, all of the observed features are consistent with those expected if the QSO is associated with a gravitational wave (GW) recoiling BH. Future detailed studies of this object will allow us to confirm this type of scenario and will enable a better understanding of both the physics of BH-BH mergers and the phenomena associated with the emission of GW from astrophysical sources.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. New appendix adde