Cyclosporin in atopic dermatitis: A multicentre placebo-controlled study

The efficacy of cyclosporin (Sandimmun®) given in a daily dose of 5 mg/kg for 6 weeks in severe atopic dermatitis was confirmed in this double-blind, placebo-controlled, short-term study. Of the 46 patients included in the study, 23 were randomized to receive cyclosporin and 23 to receive placebo. Four of the 23 patients (17%) on cyclosporin, and 14 of the 23 patients (61%) who received placebo, discontinued the trial because of inefficacy. All patients who discontinued the trial were assessed following the principle the principle of ‘intention to treat’. Compared with the baseline, the mean scores for disease severity [6-area, total body severity assessment (TBSA)] improved by 55%, and the mean scores for extent of disease [rule-of-nines area assessment (RoNAA)] improved by 40%, in patients treated with cyclosporin. Nine of the patients who received cyclosporin and completed the study (n=14) had an individual reduction of disease severity (TBSA) of 75% or more, and in three patients this reduction was nearly 100%. In the placebo group, a mean worsening of disease severity (4%) and of extent of the disease (25%), compared with the baseline, was observed al week 6. Patients' and investigators' mean scores for the overall efficacy were similar, and showed a statistically significant difference in favour of cyclosporin. Two patients on cyclosporin developed hypertension during therapy, and one of these withdrew from the study. At the end of the trial, no statistically significant differences in the systolic or diastolic blood pressures were observed between the two groups. In the cyclosporin group, the increases in the values of serum creatinine and bilirubin at week 6, compared with the respective values at the baseline, were statistically significantly different from those in the placebo group, but all values normalized in the post-treatment period. Cyclosporin can be a safe and very effective treatment in episodes of severe atopic dermatitis, provided that the recommended guidelines for its administration are strictly observed

New Limits to the Drift of Fundamental Constants from Laboratory Measurements

We have remeasured the absolute $1S$-$2S$ transition frequency $\nu_{\rm {H}}$ in atomic hydrogen. A comparison with the result of the previous measurement performed in 1999 sets a limit of $(-29\pm 57)$ Hz for the drift of $\nu_{\rm {H}}$ with respect to the ground state hyperfine splitting $\nu_{{\rm {Cs}}}$ in $^{133}$Cs. Combining this result with the recently published optical transition frequency in $^{199}$Hg$^+$ against $\nu_{\rm {Cs}}$ and a microwave $^{87}$Rb and $^{133}$Cs clock comparison, we deduce separate limits on $\dot{\alpha}/\alpha = (-0.9\pm 2.9)\times 10^{-15}$ yr$^{-1}$ and the fractional time variation of the ratio of Rb and Cs nuclear magnetic moments $\mu_{\rm {Rb}}/\mu_{\rm {Cs}}$ equal to $(-0.5 \pm 1.7)\times 10^{-15}$ yr$^{-1}$. The latter provides information on the temporal behavior of the constant of strong interaction.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, LaTe

Testing the stability of fundamental constants with the 199Hg+ single-ion optical clock

Over a two-year duration, we have compared the frequency of the 199Hg+ 5d106s 2S 1/2 (F=0) 5d9 6s2 2D 5/2 (F=2) electric-quadrupole transition at 282 nm with the frequency of the ground-state hyperfine splitting in neutral 133Cs. These measurements show that any fractional time variation of the ratio nu(Cs)/nu(Hg) between the two frequencies is smaller than +/- 7 10^-15 / yr (1 sigma uncertainty). According to recent atomic structure calculations, this sets an upper limit to a possible fractional time variation of g(Cs) m_e / m_p alpha^6.0 at the same level.Comment: 4 pages with 3 figures. RevTeX 4, Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Search for Possible Variation of the Fine Structure Constant

Determination of the fine structure constant alpha and search for its possible variation are considered. We focus on a role of the fine structure constant in modern physics and discuss precision tests of quantum electrodynamics. Different methods of a search for possible variations of fundamental constants are compared and those related to optical measurements are considered in detail.Comment: An invited talk at HYPER symposium (Paris, 2002

Growth hormone treatment in growth-retarded adolescents after renal transplant

Growth failure is a psychosocial problem for many patients who have undergone renal transplantation. 18 adolescents (mean age 15 6, range 11·3-19 5) with severe growth retardation after renal transplantation were treated with biosynthetic growth hormone (GH) for 2 years. All received prednisone, administered daily or on alternate days, with azathioprine and/or cyclosporin A. 16 were blindly assigned to one of two GH doses (4 vs 8 IU per m2 per day). Growth, bone maturation, renal graft function, plasma insulin-like growth factors, serum binding proteins, and other biochemical parameters were checked regularly. Glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow were tested with 125I-Thalamate and 131I-Hippuran. Data on growth and glomerular filtration rate during GH treatment were also compared with those of matched non-GH-treated controls. Mean (standard deviation) increment in height after 2 years of GH was 15·7 (5·1) cm, significantly greater (p25% reduction in glomerular filtration rate over 2 years was not significantly higher in GH-treated patients than in non-GH-treated controls (39% vs 32%, p=0·97). Although a few patients had deterioration of graft function, we could not find a relation with GH treatment. Our results show that sustained improvement of height can be achieved with GH in severely growth-retarded adolescents after renal transplantation

Paternity and Dominance Loss in Male Breeders: The Cost of Helpers in a Cooperatively Breeding Mammal

Paternity insurance and dominance tenure length are two important components of male reproductive success, particularly in species where reproduction is highly skewed towards a few individuals. Identifying the factors affecting these two components is crucial to better understand the pattern of variation in reproductive success among males. In social species, the social context (i.e. group size and composition) is likely to influence the ability of males to secure dominance and to monopolize reproduction. Most studies have analyzed the factors affecting paternity insurance and dominance tenure separately. We use a long term data set on Alpine marmots to investigate the effect of the number of subordinate males on both paternity insurance and tenure of dominant males. We show that individuals which are unable to monopolize reproduction in their family groups in the presence of many subordinate males are likely to lose dominance the following year. We also report that dominant males lose body mass in the year they lose both paternity and dominance. Our results suggest that controlling many subordinate males is energetically costly for dominant males, and those unable to support this cost lose the control over both reproduction and dominance. A large number of subordinate males in social groups is therefore costly for dominant males in terms of fitness

Modeling global transfusion medicine education

This document provides an analysis and oversight of the necessary educational infrastructure at national level needed for successful and sustainable education programs undergraduate and post-graduate and is focused on desired outcomes needed to secure general Transfusion Medicine (TM) competence and basic skills when appointed in a professional TM position. It provides a global model framework for TM education allowing individual countries to tailor the context and contents of the institutional curriculum. Education in transfusion medicine is a complex set of intimately interrelated and interconnected components that allow student and fellow exposure to knowledge and skills, the ultimate curriculum. The extent to which knowledge and skills, professionalism and leadership principles are offered depends on the expected outcomes needed for the desired roles, tasks and functions. A model for the development and implementation of an education (teaching and training) curriculum in Transfusion Medicine aimed at medical students and doctors, nurses and midwives, and laboratory professionals should ideally include an outcomes-based component, with clear recommendations on the required roles, skills, attitudes, and knowledge of a trainee completing such a curriculum. This should correspond to the environment and scope of practice required from such a vocational or academic professional and should address deficiencies in knowledge, skills and attitudes present before the curriculum is completed, while taking into account fundamental international standards of knowledge and the needs of their working climate and environment. Therefore, it is considered more practical to provide a set of outcomes that would be useful in most contexts and settings, while equipping students, as adult learners, with the tools for advancing their educational, professional and leadership development suited to their availability and socio-economic environment. The framework or model recognizes that no one set of education or training initiatives will be appropriate in all countries or settings and should be tailored to specific settings based on the assessment of local needs and available environments

Virgo calibration and reconstruction of the gravitational wave strain during VSR1

Virgo is a kilometer-length interferometer for gravitational waves detection located near Pisa. Its first science run, VSR1, occured from May to October 2007. The aims of the calibration are to measure the detector sensitivity and to reconstruct the time series of the gravitational wave strain h(t). The absolute length calibration is based on an original non-linear reconstruction of the differential arm length variations in free swinging Michelson configurations. It uses the laser wavelength as length standard. This method is used to calibrate the frequency dependent response of the Virgo mirror actuators and derive the detector in-loop response and sensitivity within ~5%. The principle of the strain reconstruction is highlighted and the h(t) systematic errors are estimated. A photon calibrator is used to check the sign of h(t). The reconstructed h(t) during VSR1 is valid from 10 Hz up to 10 kHz with systematic errors estimated to 6% in amplitude. The phase error is estimated to be 70 mrad below 1.9 kHz and 6 micro-seconds above.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, proceedings of Amaldi 8 conference, to be published in Journal of Physics Conference Series (JPCS). Second release: correct typo

A Cross-correlation method to search for gravitational wave bursts with AURIGA and Virgo

We present a method to search for transient GWs using a network of detectors with different spectral and directional sensitivities: the interferometer Virgo and the bar detector AURIGA. The data analysis method is based on the measurements of the correlated energy in the network by means of a weighted cross-correlation. To limit the computational load, this coherent analysis step is performed around time-frequency coincident triggers selected by an excess power event trigger generator tuned at low thresholds. The final selection of GW candidates is performed by a combined cut on the correlated energy and on the significance as measured by the event trigger generator. The method has been tested on one day of data of AURIGA and Virgo during September 2005. The outcomes are compared to the results of a stand-alone time-frequency coincidence search. We discuss the advantages and the limits of this approach, in view of a possible future joint search between AURIGA and one interferometric detector.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, submitted to CQG special issue for Amaldi 7 Proceeding

Reconstruction of the gravitational wave signal h(t)h(t) during the Virgo science runs and independent validation with a photon calibrator

The Virgo detector is a kilometer-scale interferometer for gravitational wave detection located near Pisa (Italy). About 13 months of data were accumulated during four science runs (VSR1, VSR2, VSR3 and VSR4) between May 2007 and September 2011, with increasing sensitivity. In this paper, the method used to reconstruct, in the range 10 Hz-10 kHz, the gravitational wave strain time series $h(t)$ from the detector signals is described. The standard consistency checks of the reconstruction are discussed and used to estimate the systematic uncertainties of the $h(t)$ signal as a function of frequency. Finally, an independent setup, the photon calibrator, is described and used to validate the reconstructed $h(t)$ signal and the associated uncertainties. The uncertainties of the $h(t)$ time series are estimated to be 8% in amplitude. The uncertainty of the phase of $h(t)$ is 50 mrad at 10 Hz with a frequency dependence following a delay of 8 $\mu$s at high frequency. A bias lower than $4\,\mathrm{\mu s}$ and depending on the sky direction of the GW is also present.Comment: 35 pages, 16 figures. Accepted by CQ