A TWO-DIMENSIONAL MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF THE HUMAN BLOOD GLUCOSE REGULATION MECHANISM

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Long Range Hydration Effects in Electrolytic Free Suspended Black Films

The force law within free suspended black films made of negatively charged Aerosol-OT (AOT) with added LiCl or CsCl is studied accurately using X-ray reflectivity (ca. 1{\AA}). We find an electrolyte concentration threshold above which a substantial additional repulsion is detected in the LiCl films, up to distances of 100 {\AA}. We interpret this phenomenon as an augmentation of the Debye screening length, due to the local screening of the condensed hydrophilic counterions by the primary hydration shell.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published Phys. Rev. Let

Anti-KIF20B autoantibodies are associated with cranial neuropathy in systemic lupus erythematosus

Background: Cranial neuropathies (CN) are a rare neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) manifestation. Previous studies reported that antibodies to the kinesin family member 20B (KIF20B) (anti-KIF20B) protein were associated with idiopathic ataxia and CN. We assessed anti-KIF20B as a potential biomarker for NPSLE in an international SLE inception cohort. Methods: Individuals fulfilling the revised 1997 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) SLE classification criteria were enrolled from 31 centres from 1999 to 2011 and followed annually in the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus International Collaborating Clinics inception cohort. Anti-KIF20B testing was performed on baseline (within 15 months of diagnosis or first annual visit) samples using an addressable laser bead immunoassay. Logistic regression (penalised maximum likelihood and adjusting for confounding variables) examined the association between anti-KIF20B and NPSLE manifestations (1999 ACR case definitions), including CN, occurring over the first 5 years of follow-up. Results: Of the 1827 enrolled cohort members, baseline serum and 5 years of follow-up data were available on 795 patients who were included in this study: 29.8% were anti-KIF20B-positive, 88.7% female, and 52.1% White. The frequency of anti-KIF20B positivity differed only for those with CN (n=10) versus without CN (n=785) (70.0% vs 29.3%; OR 5.2, 95% CI 1.4, 18.5). Compared with patients without CN, patients with CN were more likely to fulfil the ACR haematological (90.0% vs 66.1%; difference 23.9%, 95% CI 5.0%, 42.8%) and ANA (100% vs 95.7%; difference 4.3%, 95% CI 2.9%, 5.8%) criteria. In the multivariate analysis adjusting for age at baseline, female, White race and ethnicity, and ACR haematological and ANA criteria, anti-KIF20B positivity remained associated with CN (OR 5.2, 95% CI 1.4, 19.1). Conclusion: Anti-KIF20B is a potential biomarker for SLE-related CN. Further studies are needed to examine how autoantibodies against KIF20B, which is variably expressed in a variety of neurological cells, contribute to disease pathogenesis

Effect Of Phosphorous, Organic And Sapropel Amendments On Lead, Zinc And Cadmium Uptake By Triticale From Industrially Polluted Soils

A comparative study has been carried out on the effect of some soil amendments (phosphorus compounds, organic fertilizers and sapropel) on the quantity of the phytoaccessible forms of Pb, Zn and Cd and the accumulation of these elements by the Triticale. The effect of the used soil amendments on the mobile forms of the Pb, Zn and Cd is specific without clearly expressed tendencies. Only with the natural fertilizer there is a clear tendency for their reduction in all of the three studied elements. No direct relation between the quantity of the mobile forms and the absorption of Pb, Zn and Cd by the Triticale was established. The superphosphate and KH2PO4 are effective phytostabilizing amendments for soils contaminated with lead. In combined contamination, however, adding superphosphate is not appropriate, as it increases the content of zinc and cadmium in the overground parts of the plants, while KH2PO4 can be used successfully. The organic fertilizers are effective soil amendments for the soils, contaminated with Pb and Cd. Regarding the zinc, however, the results are not convincing enough, especially when natural fertilizer is used. The sapropel presents a great interest for the purposes of phytostabilization. The evaluation of its potential, however, requires further studying of both the physical-mechanical and chemical characteristics, as well as its effect on a wider range of agricultural crops