Pediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology Practice Patterns in Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis: A Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium Study

Objective. To assess practice pattern similarities and differences amongst pediatric rheumatologists and nephrologists in the management of pediatric Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA). Methods. A voluntary survey was distributed to the Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium Group (MWPNC) and an international pediatric rheumatology email listserv in 2016-2017. Data were collected on general practice characteristics and preferences for induction management under three clinical scenarios (A-C): newly diagnosed GPA with glomerulonephritis, GPA with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, and GPA with pulmonary hemorrhage. In addition, individual preferences for GPA maintenance medications, disease monitoring, and management of GPA with end-stage renal disease were ascertained. Results. There was a 68% response rate from the MWPNC membership and equal numbers of rheumatology respondents. Survey results revealed Rituximab plus Cyclophosphamide is a more common induction choice for rheumatologists than nephrologists in induction Scenarios A and B, whereas Cyclophosphamide is more commonly chosen by nephrologists in Scenario A. Plasmapheresis rates increased for Scenarios A, B, and C for both specialties, but were overall low. There was no clear consensus on the duration of maintenance therapy nor diagnostic work-up. Rheumatologists more frequently chose Rituximab for maintenance and induction compared to nephrologists. There was also a higher than expected proportion of Mycophenolate Mofetil use for both specialties. Conclusion. This survey has revealed important differences in the way that rheumatologists and nephrologists manage this disease. It highlights the need for well-designed clinical trials in pediatric GPA patients and reveals that both specialties must be represented during consensus-building and clinical trial design efforts

Fully Gapped Single-Particle Excitations in the Lightly Doped Cuprates

The low-energy excitations of the lightly doped cuprates were studied by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. A finite gap was measured over the entire Brillouin zone, including along the d_{x^2 - y^2} nodal line. This effect was observed to be generic to the normal states of numerous cuprates, including hole-doped La_{2-x}Sr_{x}CuO_{4} and Ca_{2-x}Na_{x}CuO_{2}Cl_{2} and electron-doped Nd_{2-x}Ce_{x}CuO_{4}. In all compounds, the gap appears to close with increasing carrier doping. We consider various scenarios to explain our results, including the possible effects of chemical disorder, electronic inhomogeneity, and a competing phase.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

Bulk Electronic structure of Na0.35_{0.35}CoO2_{2}.1.3H2_{2}O

High-energy (h$\nu$ = 5.95 keV) synchrotron Photoemission spectroscopy (PES) is used to study bulk electronic structure of Na$_{0.35}$CoO$_{2}$.1.3H$_{2}$O, the layered superconductor. In contrast to 3-dimensional doped Co oxides, Co $\it{2p}$ core level spectra show well-separated Co$^{3+}$ and Co$^{4+}$ ions. Cluster calculations suggest low spin Co$^{3+}$ and Co$^{4+}$ character, and a moderate on-site Coulomb correlation energy U$_{dd}\sim$3-5.5 eV. Photon dependent valence band PES identifies Co $\it{3d}$ and O $\it{2p}$ derived states, in near agreement with band structure calculations.Comment: 4 pages 4 figures Revised text added referenc

Experimental study of C 13 (α,n) O 16 reactions in the Majorana Demonstrator calibration data

Neutron captures and delayed decays of reaction products are common sources of backgrounds in ultrarare event searches. In this work, we studied C13(α,n)O16 reactions induced by α particles emitted within the calibration sources of the Majorana Demonstrator. These sources are thorium-based calibration standards enclosed in carbon-rich materials. The reaction rate was estimated by using the 6129-keV γ rays emitted from the excited O16 states that are populated when the incoming α particles exceed the reaction Q value. Thanks to the excellent energy performance of the Demonstrator's germanium detectors, these characteristic photons can be clearly observed in the calibration data. Facilitated by Geant4 simulations, a comparison between the observed 6129-keV photon rates and predictions by a talys-based software was performed. The measurements and predictions were found to be consistent, albeit with large statistical uncertainties. This agreement provides support for background projections from (α,n) reactions in future double-beta decay search efforts

The 30-year cardiovascular risk profile of South Africans with diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, pre-diabetes or normoglycaemia: The Bellville, South Africa pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to assess the 30-year risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the South Africa population of mixed-ancestry in individuals with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, and undiagnosed and self-reported diabetes. Participants were drawn from an urban community of the Bellville South suburb of Cape Town. In total, 583 subjects without a history of CVD were eligible for lifetime CVD risk estimation. Gender-specific prediction for CVD risk was calculated using the 30-year CVD interactive risk calculator. High CVD risk (> 20%) was evident in normoglycaemic and younger subjects (under 35 years). The significant predictors of CVD were sibling history of diabetes, and triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and glycated haemoglobin levels (p < 0.001). The high lifetime risk in normoglycaemic and younger subjects may be considered a warning that CVD might take on epidemic proportions in the near future in this country. We recommend the inclusion of education on CVD in school and university curricula