334 research outputs found
Defects in memory B-cell and plasma cell subsets expressing different immunoglobulin-subclasses in patients with CVID and immunoglobulin subclass deficiencies
Background: Predominantly antibody deficiencies (PADs) are
the most prevalent primary immunodeficiencies, but their B-cell
defects and underlying genetic alterations remain largely
unknown.
Objective: We investigated patients with PADs for the
distribution of 41 blood B-cell and plasma cell (PC) subsets,
including subsets defined by expression of distinct
immunoglobulin heavy chain subclasses.
Methods: Blood samples from 139 patients with PADs, 61
patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), 68
patients with selective IgA deficiency (IgAdef), 10 patients with
IgG subclass deficiency with IgA deficiency, and 223 agematched control subjects were studied by using flow cytometry
with EuroFlow immunoglobulin isotype staining. Patients were
classified according to their B-cell and PC immune profile, and
the obtained patient clusters were correlated with clinical
manifestations of PADs.
Results: Decreased counts of blood PCs, memory B cells
(MBCs), or both expressing distinct IgA and IgG subclasses
were identified in all patients with PADs. In patients with
IgAdef, B-cell defects were mainly restricted to surface
membrane (sm)IgA1 PCs and MBCs, with 2 clear subgroups
showing strongly decreased numbers of smIgA1 PCs with
mild versus severe smIgA1 MBC defects and higher
frequencies of nonrespiratory tract infections, autoimmunity,
and affected family members. Patients with IgG subclass
deficiency with IgA deficiency and those with CVID showed
defects in both smIgA1 and smIgG1 MBCs and PCs.
Reduced numbers of switched PCs were systematically found
in patients with CVID (absent in 98%), with 6 different
defective MBC (and clinical) profiles: (1) profound decrease
in MBC numbers; (2) defective CD271 MBCs with almost
normal IgG3
1 MBCs; (3) absence of switched MBCs; and (4)
presence of both unswitched and switched MBCs without
and; (5) with IgG2
1 MBCs; and (6) with IgA
Estimación de la concentración media diaria de material particulado fino en la región del Complejo Industrial y Portuario de Pecém, Cearå, Brasil
A exposição ao material particulado fino (MP2,5) estĂĄ associada a inĂșmeros
desfechos Ă saĂșde. Desta forma, monitoramento da concentração ambiental
do MP2,5 Ă© importante, especialmente em ĂĄreas amplamente industrializadas,
pois abrigam potenciais emissores do MP2,5 e de substĂąncias com potencial de
aumentar a toxicidade de partĂculas jĂĄ suspensas. O objetivo desta pesquisa Ă© estimar a concentração diĂĄria do MP2,5 em trĂȘs ĂĄreas de influĂȘncia do
Complexo Industrial e Portuårio do Pecém (CIPP), Cearå, Brasil. Foi aplicado
um modelo de regressĂŁo nĂŁo linear para a estimativa do MP2,5, por meio de
dados de profundidade óptica monitorados por satélite. As estimativas foram
realizadas em trĂȘs ĂĄreas de influĂȘncia (Ai) do CIPP (SĂŁo Gonçalo do Amarante â Ai I, Paracuru e Paraipaba â Ai II e Caucaia â Ai III, no perĂodo de
2006 a 2017. As médias anuais das concentraçÔes estimadas foram inferiores
ao estabelecido pela legislação nacional em todas as Ai (8”g m-3). Em todas as
Ai, os meses referentes ao perĂodo de seca (setembro a fevereiro) apresentaram
as maiores concentraçÔes e uma predominùncia de ventos leste para oeste. Os
meses que compreendem o perĂodo de chuva (março a agosto) apresentaram as
menores concentraçÔes e ventos menos definidos. As condiçÔes meteorológicas
podem exercer um papel importante nos processos de remoção, dispersão ou
manutenção das concentraçÔes do material particulado na região. Mesmo com
baixas concentraçÔes estimadas, Ă© importante avaliar a constituição das partĂculas finas dessa regiĂŁo, bem como sua possĂvel associação a efeitos adversos Ă
saĂșde da população local.Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with numerous negative health outcomes.
Thus, monitoring the environmental concentration of PM2.5 is important, especially in heavily
industrialized areas, since they harbor potential
emitters of PM2.5 and substances with the potential
to increase the toxicity of already suspended particles. This study aims to estimate daily concentrations of PM2.5 in three areas under the influence of
the Industrial and Port Complex of Pecém (CIPP),
CearĂĄ State, Brazil. A nonlinear regression model
was applied to estimate PM2.5, using satellitemonitored optical depth data. Estimates were
performed in three areas of influence (Ai) of the
CIPP (SĂŁo Gonçalo do Amarante â AiI, Paracuru
and Paraipaba â AiII, and Caucaia â AiIII), from
2006 to 2017. Estimated mean annual concentrations were lower than established by Brazilâs national legislation in all three Ai (8”g m-Âł). In all
the Ai, the months of the dry season (September to
February) showed the highest concentrations and
a predominance of east winds, while the months
of the rainy season (March to August) showed
the lowest concentrations and less defined winds
Weather conditions can play an important role in
the removal, dispersal, or maintenance of concentrations of particulate matter in the region. Even
at low estimated concentrations, it is important
to assess the composition of fine participles in this
region and their possible association with adverse
health outcomes in the local population.La exposiciĂłn al material particulado fino (MP2,5)
estĂĄ asociada a innumerables problemas de salud.
Por ello, la supervisiĂłn de la concentraciĂłn ambiental del MP2,5 es importante, especialmente en
ĂĄreas ampliamente industrializadas, puesto que
albergan potenciales emisores de MP2,5 y de sustancias con potencial de aumentar la toxicidad
de partĂculas ya suspendidas. El objetivo de esta
investigaciĂłn es estimar la concentraciĂłn diaria
del MP2,5 en tres åreas de influencia del Complejo Industrial y Portuario de Pecém (CIPP), Cearå,
Brasil. Se aplicĂł un modelo de regresiĂłn no lineal
para la estimaciĂłn del MP2,5, mediante datos de
profundidad óptica supervisados por satélite. Las
estimaciones fueron realizadas en tres åreas de influencia (Ai) del CIPP (São Gonçalo do Amarante
â Ai I, Paracuru y Paraipaba â Ai II y Caucaia
â Ai III en el perĂodo de 2006 a 2017. Las medias
anuales de las concentraciones estimadas fueron
inferiores a lo establecido por la legislación nacional en todas las Ai (8”g m-³). En todas las Ai, los
meses referentes al perĂodo de sequĂa (de setiembre
a febrero) presentaron las mayores concentraciones y una predominancia de vientos este a oeste,
los meses que comprenden el perĂodo de lluvia
(marzo a agosto) presentaron las menores concentraciones y vientos menos definidos. Las condiciones meteorolĂłgicas pueden ejercer un papel importante en los procesos de eliminaciĂłn, dispersiĂłn o
mantenimiento de las concentraciones del material
particulado en la regiĂłn. Incluso con bajas concentraciones estimadas es importante que se evalĂșe la
constituciĂłn de las partĂculas finas de esta regiĂłn,
asĂ como su posible asociaciĂłn con efectos adversos
para la salud de la poblaciĂłn local
25 Years of Self-organized Criticality: Concepts and Controversies
Introduced by the late Per Bak and his colleagues, self-organized criticality (SOC) has been one of the most stimulating concepts to come out of statistical mechanics and condensed matter theory in the last few decades, and has played a significant role in the development of complexity science. SOC, and more generally fractals and power laws, have attracted much comment, ranging from the very positive to the polemical. The other papers (Aschwanden et al. in Space Sci. Rev., 2014, this issue; McAteer et al. in Space Sci. Rev., 2015, this issue; Sharma et al. in Space Sci. Rev. 2015, in preparation) in this special issue showcase the considerable body of observations in solar, magnetospheric and fusion plasma inspired by the SOC idea, and expose the fertile role the new paradigm has played in approaches to modeling and understanding multiscale plasma instabilities. This very broad impact, and the necessary process of adapting a scientific hypothesis to the conditions of a given physical system, has meant that SOC as studied in these fields has sometimes differed significantly from the definition originally given by its creators. In Bakâs own field of theoretical physics there are significant observational and theoretical open questions, even 25 years on (Pruessner 2012). One aim of the present review is to address the dichotomy between the great reception SOC has received in some areas, and its shortcomings, as they became manifest in the controversies it triggered. Our article tries to clear up what we think are misunderstandings of SOC in fields more remote from its origins in statistical mechanics, condensed matter and dynamical systems by revisiting Bak, Tang and Wiesenfeldâs original papers
Search for invisible decays of the Higgs boson produced via vector boson fusion in proton-proton collisions at = 13 TeV
A search for invisible decays of the Higgs boson produced via vector boson fusion (VBF) has been performed with 101ââfb of proton-proton collisions delivered by the LHC at =13ââTeV and collected by the CMS detector in 2017 and 2018. The sensitivity to the VBF production mechanism is enhanced by constructing two analysis categories, one based on missing transverse momentum and a second based on the properties of jets. In addition to control regions with Z and W boson candidate events, a highly populated control region, based on the production of a photon in association with jets, is used to constrain the dominant irreducible background from the invisible decay of a Z boson produced in association with jets. The results of this search are combined with all previous measurements in the VBF topology, based on data collected in 2012 (at =8ââTeV), 2015, and 2016, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 19.7, 2.3, and 36.3ââfb, respectively. The observed (expected) upper limit on the invisible branching fraction of the Higgs boson is found to be 0.18 (0.10) at the 95% confidence level, assuming the standard model production cross section. The results are also interpreted in the context of Higgs-portal models
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