Ultrastructural characteristics of the vascular wall components of ruptured atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm

The aim of this study was to determine the ultrastructural characteristics of cell populations and extracellular matrix components in the wall of ruptured atherosclerotic abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We analyzed 20 samples of ruptured AAA. For orientation to the light microscopy, we used routine histochemical techniques by standard procedures. For ultrastructural analysis, we applied transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our results have shown that ruptured AAA is characterized by the remains of an advanced atherosclerotic lesion in the intima followed by a complete absence of endothelial cells, the disruption of basal membrane and disruption of internal elastic lamina. On plaque margins as well as in the inner media we observed smooth muscle cells (SMCs) that posses a euchromatic nucleus, a well-developed granulated endoplasmic reticulum around the nucleus and reduced myofilaments. The remains of the ruptured lipid core were acellular in all samples; however, on the lateral sides of ruptured plaque we observed a presence of two types of foam cells (FCs), spindle- and star-shaped. Fusiform FCs possess a well-differentiated basal lamina, caveolae and electron dense bodies, followed by a small number of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm. Star-shaped FCs contain a large number of lipid droplets and do not possess basal lamina. On the inner margins of the plaque, we observed a large number of cells undergoing apoptosis and necrosis, extracellular lipid droplets as well as a large number of lymphocytes. The media was thinned out with disorganized elastic lamellas, while the adventitia exhibited leukocyte infiltration. The presented results suggest that atherosclerotic plaque in ruptured AAA contains vascular SMC synthetic phenotype and two different types of FCs: some were derived from monocyte/macrophage lineage, while others were derived from SMCs of synthetic phenotype. The striking plaque hypocellularity was the result of apoptosis and necrosis of different cell populations

Coexistence of Single and Double-Quantum Vortex Lines

We discuss the configurations in which singly and doubly quantized vortex lines may coexist in a rotating superfluid. General principles of energy minimization lead to the conclusion that in equilibrium the two vortex species segregate within a cylindrical vortex cluster in two coaxial domains where the singly quantized lines are in the outer annular region. This is confirmed with simulation calculations on discrete vortex lines. Experimentally the coexistence can be studied in rotating superfluid $^3$He-A. With cw NMR techniques we find the radial distribution of the two vortex species to depend on how the cluster is prepared: (i) By cooling through $T_c$ in rotation, coexistence in the minimum energy configuration is confirmed. (ii) A glassy agglomerate is formed if one starts with an equilibrium cluster of single-quantum vortex lines and adds to it sequentially double-quantum lines, by increasing the rotation velocity in the superfluid state. This proves that the energy barriers, which separate different cluster configurations, are too high for metastabilities to anneal.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures; Changed content, 15 pages, 14 figure

Calculation of NMR Properties of Solitons in Superfluid 3He-A

Superfluid 3He-A has domain-wall-like structures, which are called solitons. We calculate numerically the structure of a splay soliton. We study the effect of solitons on the nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectrum by calculating the frequency shifts and the amplitudes of the soliton peaks for both longitudinal and transverse oscillations of magnetization. The effect of dissipation caused by normal-superfluid conversion and spin diffusion is calculated. The calculations are in good agreement with experiments, except a problem in the transverse resonance frequency of the splay soliton or in magnetic-field dependence of reduced resonance frequencies.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, updated to the published versio

Periodic Vortex Structures in Superfluid 3He-A

We discuss the general properties of periodic vortex arrangements in rotating superfluids. The different possible structures are classified according to the symmetry space-groups and the circulation number. We calculate numerically several types of vortex structures in superfluid 3He-A. The calculations are done in the Ginzburg-Landau region, but the method is applicable at all temperatures. A phase diagram of vortices is constructed in the plane formed by the magnetic field and the rotation velocity. The characteristics of the six equilibrium vortex solutions are discussed. One of these, the locked vortex 3, has not been considered in the literature before. The vortex sheet forms the equilibrium state of rotating 3He-A at rotation velocities exceeding 2.6 rad/s. The results are in qualitative agreement with experiments.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, http://boojum.hut.fi/research/theory/diagram.htm

Vortices in Rotating Superfluid He3

For about a century now, physicists have been working hard to extend the temperature range accessible to experimental investigations closer and closer to absolute zero. This endeavor has been amply rewarded by new and fundamentally important discoveries. Completely novel continuous vortices in He3‐A and spontaneously magnetized singular vortices in He3‐B are just two of the many interesting peculiarities of rotating superfluid He3.Peer reviewe