1,102 research outputs found
Cutaneous Involvement of Hodgkin Lymphoma in a Child – Case Report
Specific cutaneous involvement in Hodgkin Lymphoma is rare and has not been reported in the younger paediatric age group. We report a case of a ten year old girl who presented with specific cutaneous involvement, confirmed using immunohistochemical stains. Treatment with combination chemotherapy resulted in rapid disappearance of the lesions and contrary to the generally poor prognosis associated with most other such reported cases in adults, she has clinically remained disease free two and a half years post treatment. Obtaining an accurate pathological diagnosis is essential to ensure appropriate treatment even in resource limited settings as illustrated by this case
Parameter-free expression for superconducting Tc in cuprates
A parameter-free expression for the superconducting critical temperature of
layered cuprates is derived which allows us to express Tc in terms of
experimentally measured parameters. It yields Tc values observed in about 30
lanthanum, yttrium and mercury-based samples for different levels of doping.
This remarkable agreement with the experiment as well as the unusual critical
behaviour and the normal-state gap indicate that many cuprates are close to the
Bose-Einstein condensation regime.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Will be published in Physical Review
Theory of Luminescence Spectra of High-Density Electron-Hole Systems: Crossover from Excitonic Bose-Einstein Condenstation to Electron-Hole BCS State
We present a unified theory of luminescence spectra for highly excited
semiconductors, which is applicable both to the electron-hole BCS state and to
the exciton Bose-Einstein condensate. The crossover behavior between
electron-hole BCS state and exciton Bose-Einstein condensate clearly manifests
itself in the calculated luminescence spectra. The analysis is based on the
Bethe-Salpeter equation combined with the generalized
random-phase-approximation, which enables us to consider the multiple Coulomb
scattering and the quantum fluctuation associated with the center-of-mass
motion of electron-hole pairs. In the crossover regime, the calculated spectra
are essentially different from results obtained by the BCS-like mean-field
theory and the interacting Boson model. In particular, it is found that the
broad spectrum, arising from the recombination of electron-hole BCS state,
splits into the P- and P_2-luminescence bands with decreasing the particle
density. The dependence of these bands on the carrier density is in good
agreement with experiments for highly excited semiconductors.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, To appear in Solid State Communication
Transit timing analysis of CoRoT-1b
CoRoT, the pioneer space-based transit search, steadily provides thousands of
high-precision light curves with continuous time sampling over periods of up to
5 months. The transits of a planet perturbed by an additional object are not
strictly periodic. By studying the transit timing variations (TTVs), additional
objects can be detected in the system.
A transit timing analysis of CoRoT-1b is carried out to constrain the
existence of additional planets in the system.
We used data obtained by an improved version of the CoRoT data pipeline
(version 2.0). Individual transits were fitted to determine the mid-transit
times, and we analyzed the derived diagram. N-body integrations were used
to place limits on secondary planets.
No periodic timing variations with a period shorter than the observational
window (55 days) are found. The presence of an Earth-mass Trojan is not likely.
A planet of mass greater than Earth mass can be ruled out by the
present data if the object is in a 2:1 (exterior) mean motion resonance with
CoRoT-1b. Considering initially circular orbits: (i) super-Earths (less than 10
Earth-masses) are excluded for periods less than about 3.5 days, (ii)
Saturn-like planets can be ruled out for periods less than about 5 days, (iii)
Jupiter-like planets should have a minimum orbital period of about 6.5 days.Comment: 6 pages, accepted at A&
Rate and nature of false positives in the CoRoT exoplanet search
Context. The CoRoT satellite searches for planets by applying the transit
method, monitoring up to 12 000 stars in the galactic plane for 150 days in
each observation run. This search is contaminated by a large fraction of false
positives, caused by different binary configurations that might be confused
with a transiting planet. Aims. We evaluate the rates and nature of false
positives in the CoRoT exoplanets search and compare our results with
semiempirical predictions. Methods. We consider the detected binary and planet
candidates in the first three extended CoRoT runs, and classify the results of
the follow-up observations completed to verify their planetary nature. We group
the follow-up results into undiluted binaries, diluted binaries, and planets
and compare their abundances with predictions from the literature. Results. 83%
of the initial detections are classified as false positives using only the
CoRoT light-curves, the remaining 17% require follow-up observations. Finally,
12% of the follow-up candidates are planets. The shape of the overall
distribution of the false positive rate follows previous predictions, except
for candidates with transit depths below about 0.4%. For candidates with
transit depths in the range from 0.1 - 0.4%, CoRoT detections are nearly
complete, and this difference from predictions is probably real and dominated
by a lower than expected abundance of diluted eclipsing binaries.Comment: accepted for A&A special issue on CoRo
Etiology of Pediatric Meningitis in West Africa Using Molecular Methods in the Era of Conjugate Vaccines against Pneumococcus, Meningococcus, and Haemophilus influenzae Type b
Despite the implementation of effective conjugate vaccines against the three main bacterial pathogens that cause meningitis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A, the burden of meningitis in West Africa remains high. The relative importance of other bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens in central nervous system infections is poorly characterized. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were collected from children younger than 5 years with suspected meningitis, presenting at pediatric teaching hospitals across West Africa in five countries including Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, and Niger. Cerebrospinal fluid specimens were initially tested using bacteriologic culture and a triplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae, and H. influenzae used in routine meningitis surveillance. A custom TaqMan Array Card (TAC) assay was later used to detect 35 pathogens including 15 bacteria, 17 viruses, one fungus, and two protozoans. Among 711 CSF specimens tested, the pathogen positivity rates were 2% and 20% by the triplex real-time PCR (three pathogens) and TAC (35 pathogens), respectively. TAC detected 10 bacterial pathogens, eight viral pathogens, and Plasmodium. Overall, Escherichia coli was the most prevalent (4.8%), followed by S. pneumoniae (3.5%) and Plasmodium (3.5%). Multiple pathogens were detected in 4.4% of the specimens. Children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Plasmodium detected in CSF had high mortality. Among 220 neonates, 17% had at least one pathogen detected, dominated by gram-negative bacteria. The meningitis TAC enhanced the detection of pathogens in children with meningitis and may be useful for case-based meningitis surveillance
The arthritis-associated HLA-B*27:05 allele forms more cell surface B27 dimer and free heavy chain ligands for KIR3DL2 than HLA-B*27:09
Objectives. HLA-B*27:05 is associated with AS whereas HLA-B*27:09 is not associated. We hypothesized that different interactions with KIR immune receptors could contribute to the difference in disease association between HLA-B*27:05 and HLAB*27:09. Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the formation of β2m-free heavy chain (FHC) including B27 dimers (B272) by HLA-B*27:05 and HLA-B*27:09 and their binding to KIR immunoreceptors. Methods. We studied the formation of HLA-B*27:05 and HLA-B*27:09 heterotrimers and FHC forms including dimers in vitro and in transfected cells. We investigated HLA-B*27:05 and HLA-B*27:09 binding to KIR3DL1, KIR3DL2 and LILRB2 by FACS staining with class I tetramers and by quantifying interactions with KIR3DL2CD3ε-reporter cells and KIR3DL2-expressing NK cells. We also measured KIR expression on peripheral blood NK and CD4 T cells from 18 HLA-B*27:05 AS patients, 8 HLA-B27 negative and 12 HLA-B*27:05+ and HLA-B*27:09+ healthy controls by FACS staining. Results. HLA-B*27:09 formed less B272 and FHC than HLA-B*27:05. HLA-B*27:05-expressing cells stimulated KIR3DL2CD3ε-reporter T cells more effectively. Cells expressing HLA-B*27:05 promoted KIR3DL2+ NK cell survival more strongly than HLA-B*27:09. HLA-B*27:05 and HLA-B*27:09 dimer tetramers stained KIR3DL1, KIR3DL2 and LILRB2 equivalently. Increased proportions of NK and CD4 T cells expressed KIR3DL2 in HLA-B*27:05+ AS patients compared with HLA-B*27:05+, HLA-B*27:09+ and HLA-B27− healthy controls. Conclusion. Differences in the formation of FHC ligands for KIR3DL2 by HLA-B*27:05 and HLA-B*27:09 could contribute to the differential association of these alleles with A
Protein Pattern Formation
Protein pattern formation is essential for the spatial organization of many
intracellular processes like cell division, flagellum positioning, and
chemotaxis. A prominent example of intracellular patterns are the oscillatory
pole-to-pole oscillations of Min proteins in \textit{E. coli} whose biological
function is to ensure precise cell division. Cell polarization, a prerequisite
for processes such as stem cell differentiation and cell polarity in yeast, is
also mediated by a diffusion-reaction process. More generally, these functional
modules of cells serve as model systems for self-organization, one of the core
principles of life. Under which conditions spatio-temporal patterns emerge, and
how these patterns are regulated by biochemical and geometrical factors are
major aspects of current research. Here we review recent theoretical and
experimental advances in the field of intracellular pattern formation, focusing
on general design principles and fundamental physical mechanisms.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, review articl
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