309 research outputs found
PILOT STUDY ON ACID BURNS OF THE OESOPHAGUS IN GUINEA PIGS
Correct time determination for beginning of the first bougienage in cases with Stomatoesophagitis corrosiva is probably the most important step for successful outcome of treatment procedures. The aim of this study was to describe patterns of acid burns of the oesophagus in Guinea pigs. We tested 20 animals (mean initial weight of 520 g on average) divided into two groups: Group 1 (subjected to 98% H2S04) and Group 2 (15% H2S04). Changes in weight, pathohistological findings (biopsy), time and cause of death (after International Classification of Diseases - 9th revision) were analysed. The results revealed that animals from Group 1 died about the day 6 from ingestion of the acid with mean decrease of weight of 9.83% as the difference with the initial one was statistically significant (p<0.05) Peritonitis (ICD9 Dx:567) was the cause of death with highest frequency. During the study period of 1 month, Peritonitis and Mediastinids acuta (Dx:518) were pathohistological diagnoses with highest frequency. Only 3 animals from Group 2 died during the period of observation while the rest (n=7) survived afterwards. The relative risk of dying up to the day 9 included after ingestion of 98% against 15% H2SO4 was 9 (p<0.05). The histological analysis on the day 10 from ingestion revealed severe necrotic changes of all layers of the oesophageal wall. Our conclusion from these preliminary results was to sustain the idea to refrain from early bougienage in cases with massive damage of the oesophagus by concentrated acids. Above results might be found useful in planning larger experimental studies on acid burns of the oesophagus in the future
Hausdorff dimension of three-period orbits in Birkhoff billiards
We prove that the Hausdorff dimension of the set of three-period orbits in
classical billiards is at most one. Moreover, if the set of three-period orbits
has Hausdorff dimension one, then it has a tangent line at almost every point.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur
Clinical and functional characterisation of a novel TNFRSF1A c.605T > A/V173D cleavage site mutation associated with tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic fever syndrome (TRAPS), cardiovascular complications and excellent response to etanercept treatment.
Objectives: To study the clinical outcome, treatment
response, T-cell subsets and functional consequences of a
novel tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor type 1
(TNFRSF1A) mutation affecting the receptor
cleavage site.
Methods: Patients with symptoms suggestive of tumour
necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome
(TRAPS) and 22 healthy controls (HC) were screened for
mutations in the TNFRSF1A gene. Soluble TNFRSF1A and
inflammatory cytokines were measured by ELISAs.
TNFRSF1A shedding was examined by stimulation of
peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with phorbol
12-myristate 13-acetate followed by flow cytometric
analysis (FACS). Apoptosis of PBMCs was studied by
stimulation with TNFa in the presence of cycloheximide
and annexin V staining. T cell phenotypes were monitored
by FACS.
Results: TNFRSF1A sequencing disclosed a novel V173D/
p.Val202Asp substitution encoded by exon 6 in one
family, the c.194–14G.A splice variant in another and
the R92Q/p.Arg121Gln substitution in two families.
Cardiovascular complications (lethal heart attack and
peripheral arterial thrombosis) developed in two V173D
patients. Subsequent etanercept treatment of the V173D
carriers was highly effective over an 18-month follow-up
period. Serum TNFRSF1A levels did not differ between
TRAPS patients and HC, while TNFRSF1A cleavage from
monocytes was significantly reduced in V173D and R92Q
patients. TNFa-induced apoptosis of PBMCs and T-cell
senescence were comparable between V173D patients
and HC.
Conclusions: The TNFRSF1A V173D cleavage site
mutation may be associated with an increased risk for
cardiovascular complications and shows a strong
response to etanercept. T-cell senescence does not seem
to have a pathogenetic role in affected patients
Relativistic three-body bound states and the reduction from four to three dimensions
Beginning with an effective field theory based upon meson exchange, the
Bethe-Salpeter equation for the three-particle propagator (six-point function)
is obtained. Using the one-boson-exchange form of the kernel, this equation is
then analyzed using time-ordered perturbation theory, and a three-dimensional
equation for the propagator is developed. The propagator consists of a
pre-factor in which the relative energies are fixed by the initial state of the
particles, an intermediate part in which only global propagation of the
particles occurs, and a post-factor in which relative energies are fixed by the
final state of the particles. The pre- and post-factors are necessary in order
to account for the transition from states where particles are off their mass
shell to states described by the global propagator with all of the particle
energies on shell. The pole structure of the intermediate part of the
propagator is used to determine the equation for the three-body bound state: a
Schr{\"o}dinger-like relativistic equation with a single, global Green's
function. The role of the pre- and post-factors in the relativistic dynamics is
to incorporate the poles of the breakup channels in the initial and final
states. The derivation of this equation by integrating over the relative times
rather than via a constraint on relative momenta allows the inclusion of
retardation and dynamical boost corrections without introducing unphysical
singularities.Comment: REVTeX, 21 pages, 4 figures, epsf.st
Symmetry Breaking in Few Layer Graphene Films
Recently, it was demonstrated that the quasiparticle dynamics, the
layer-dependent charge and potential, and the c-axis screening coefficient
could be extracted from measurements of the spectral function of few layer
graphene films grown epitaxially on SiC using angle-resolved photoemission
spectroscopy (ARPES). In this article we review these findings, and present
detailed methodology for extracting such parameters from ARPES. We also present
detailed arguments against the possibility of an energy gap at the Dirac
crossing ED.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figures, Conference Proceedings of DPG Meeting Mar 2007
Regensburg Submitted to New Journal of Physic
Minimal change nephrotic syndrome in an 82 year old patient following a tetanus-diphteria-poliomyelitis-vaccination
Abstract Background The most common cause of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in children and younger adults is the minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS). In the elderly MCNS is relatively uncommon. Over the last decade some reports suggest a rare but possible association with the administration of various vaccines. Case presentation A 82-year old Caucasian female presented with pronounced nephrotic syndrome (proteinuria of 7.1 g/d, hypoproteinemia of 47 g/l). About six weeks prior to admission, she had received a combination vaccination for tetanus, diphtheria and poliomyelitis as a booster-vaccination from her general practitioner. The renal biopsy revealed typical minimal change lesions. She responded well to the initiated steroid treatment. As through physical examination as well as extensive laboratory and imaging studies did neither find any evidence for malignancies nor infections we suggest that the minimal change nephrotic syndrome in this patient might be related to the activation of the immune system triggered by the vaccination. Conclusion Our case as well as previous anecdotal reports suggests that vaccination and the resulting stimulations of the immune system might cause MCNS and other severe immune-reactions. Increased awareness in that regard might help to expand the database of those cases.</p
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