3,046 research outputs found
C1 inhibitor deficiency: 2014 United Kingdom consensus document
C1 inhibitor deficiency is a rare disorder manifesting with recurrent attacks of disabling and potentially life-threatening angioedema. Here we present an updated 2014 United Kingdom consensus document for the management of C1 inhibitor-deficient patients, representing a joint venture between the United Kingdom Primary Immunodeficiency Network and Hereditary Angioedema UK. To develop the consensus, we assembled a multi-disciplinary steering group of clinicians, nurses and a patient representative. This steering group first met in 2012, developing a total of 48 recommendations across 11 themes. The statements were distributed to relevant clinicians and a representative group of patients to be scored for agreement on a Likert scale. All 48 statements achieved a high degree of consensus, indicating strong alignment of opinion. The recommendations have evolved significantly since the 2005 document, with particularly notable developments including an improved evidence base to guide dosing and indications for acute treatment, greater emphasis on home therapy for acute attacks and a strong focus on service organisation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Guide pour l'établissement des plans de prévention et de sécurité des entreprises extérieures: Travaux et prestations de catégorie 2
Ce document a été élaboré par un groupe de travail ST/DI et TIS/GS en collaboration avec un préventeur / consultant de l'APAVE. Il est destiné à servir de guide et de référence pour l'élaboration des plans de prévention au sein de la division ST
Growth hormone receptor and IGF-1 receptor immunoreactivity during orthodontic tooth movement in the prednisolone-treated rat
Bone remodeling during tooth movement is regulated by local and systemic factors. Two regulators of bone metabolism are growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1). Their effects are mediated via binding to GH receptor (GHR) and IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) in target tissues. Corticosteroids may affect the activity of these growth factors. This study examined the effect of prednisolone on GHR and IGF-IR expression in dental tissues following orthodontic tooth movement. The corti ticosteroid-treated group (N = 6) was administered prednisolone ( 1 mg/kg,) daily and the control group (N = 6) received equivalent volumes of saline. An orthodontic force (30 g) was applied to the maxillary first molar. Animals were sacrificed 12 days postappliance insertion. Sagittal sections of the first molar were stained for GHR and IGF-IR immunoreactivity. GHR and IGF-IR cell counts were elevated following appliance-treatment. Orthodontic tooth movement appeared to up-regulate GHR and IGF-IR immunoreactivity, but this up-regulation was reduced following prednisolone treatment. The suppression of GHR and IGF-I immunoreactivity in steroid-treated animals infers the mechanism whereby bone resorption and deposition, necessary for orthodontic tooth movement, may be inhibited by prednisolone. However, at 12 days postappliance insertion. no difference in orthodontic tooth movement was observed following low-dose prednisolone treatment
Metal-Insulator oscillations in a Two-dimensional Electron-Hole system
The electrical transport properties of a bipolar InAs/GaSb system have been
studied in magnetic field. The resistivity oscillates between insulating and
metallic behaviour while the quantum Hall effect shows a digital character
oscillating from 0 to 1 conducatance quantum e^2/h. The insulating behaviour is
attributed to the formation of a total energy gap in the system. A novel looped
edge state picture is proposed associated with the appearance of a voltage
between Hall probes which is symmetric on magnetic field reversal.Comment: 4 pages, 5 Postscript figures: revised versio
The resurrection of group selection as a theory of human cooperation
Two books edited by members of the MacArthur Norms and Preferences Network (an interdisciplinary group, mainly anthropologists and economists) are reviewed here. These books in large part reflect a renewed interest in group selection
that has occurred among these researchers: they promote the theory that human cooperative behavior evolved via selective processes which favored biological and/or cultural group-level adaptations as opposed to individual-level adaptations. In support of this theory, an impressive collection of cross-cultural data are presented which suggest that participants in experimental economic games often do not behave as self-interested income maximizers; this lack of self-interest is regarded as evidence of group selection. In this review, problems with these data and with the theory are discussed. On the data side, it is argued that even if a behavior seems individually-maladaptive in a game context, there is no reason to believe that it would have been that way in ancestral contexts, since the environments of experimental games do not at all resemble those in which ancestral humans would have interacted cooperatively. And on the theory side, it is argued that it is premature to invoke group selection in order to explain human cooperation, because more parsimonious individual-level theories have not yet been exhausted. In summary, these books represent ambitious interdisciplinary contributions on an important topic, and they include unique and useful data; however, they do not make a convincing case that the evolution of human cooperation required group selection
Breast cancer screening beliefs by practice location
BACKGROUND: This study examines variations in breast cancer screening among primary care clinicians by geographic location of clinical practice. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used to examine approaches to breast cancer screening among physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants involved in primary care practice. A summary index of beliefs about breast cancer screening was created by summing the total number of responses in agreement with each of four survey items; values for this summary variable ranged between zero and four. Respondents were classified into urban, rural and suburban categories based upon practise location. RESULTS: Among the 428 respondents, agreement with "correct" responses ranged from 50% to 71% for the individual survey items; overall, half agreed with three or more of the four breast cancer screening items. While no significant differences were noted by practice location, variation in responses were evident. Reported use of written breast cancer guidelines was less in both suburban (OR = 0.51) and urban areas (OR = 0.56) when compared to clinicians in rural areas. CONCLUSION: Development of an evidence-based consensus statement regarding breast cancer screening would support a single set of unambiguous guidelines for implementation in all primary care settings, thus decreasing variations in how breast cancer screening is approached across varied clinical settings
The First Very Long Baseline Interferometric SETI Experiment
The first Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) conducted with
Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is presented. By consideration of the
basic principles of interferometry, we show that VLBI is efficient at
discriminating between SETI signals and human generated radio frequency
interference (RFI). The target for this study was the star Gliese 581, thought
to have two planets within its habitable zone. On 2007 June 19, Gliese 581 was
observed for 8 hours at 1230-1544 with the Australian Long Baseline Array. The
dataset was searched for signals appearing on all interferometer baselines
above five times the noise limit. A total of 222 potential SETI signals were
detected and by using automated data analysis techniques, were ruled out as
originating from the Gliese 581 system. From our results we place an upper
limit of 7 MW/Hz on the power output of any isotropic emitter located in the
Gliese 581 system, within this frequency range. This study shows that VLBI is
ideal for targeted SETI, including follow-up observations. The techniques
presented are equally applicable to next-generation interferometers, such as
the long baselines of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA).Comment: 34 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Accepted on 25/05/2012 for publication
in The Astronomical Journa
Muonium as a hydrogen analogue in silicon and germanium; quantum effects and hyperfine parameters
We report a first-principles theoretical study of hyperfine interactions,
zero-point effects and defect energetics of muonium and hydrogen impurities in
silicon and germanium. The spin-polarized density functional method is used,
with the crystalline orbitals expanded in all-electron Gaussian basis sets. The
behaviour of hydrogen and muonium impurities at both the tetrahedral and
bond-centred sites is investigated within a supercell approximation. To
describe the zero-point motion of the impurities, a double adiabatic
approximation is employed in which the electron, muon/proton and host lattice
degrees of freedom are decoupled. Within this approximation the relaxation of
the atoms of the host lattice may differ for the muon and proton, although in
practice the difference is found to be slight. With the inclusion of zero-point
motion the tetrahedral site is energetically preferred over the bond-centred
site in both silicon and germanium. The hyperfine and superhyperfine
parameters, calculated as averages over the motion of the muon, agree
reasonably well with the available data from muon spin resonance experiments.Comment: 20 pages, including 9 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.
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