Diabetes mellitus and bell's palsy in Iranian population

During last decades many researchers have focused on the conditions associated with Bell's palsy including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and viral infections. This study was performed to evaluate correlation of diabetes mellitus and Bell's palsy and some relevant features not discussed in the literature in an Iranian population. The presence of diabetes mellitus was evaluated in a total number of 275 subjects (75 patients with Bell's palsy and 200 control subjects). Diabetes mellitus was noted in 10 (13.3) patients with Bell's palsy among which 6 case were diagnosed as new cases of diabetes. Previous history of Bell's palsy was present in 10.67 of the subjects with Bell's palsy. This study confirms the correlation of diabetes mellitus and Bell's palsy for the first time in an Iranian population. We suggest screening tests for diabetes mellitus to be a routine part in the management of patients with Bell's palsy, especially in developing countries. © 2008 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Pimecrolimus cream in repigmentation of vitiligo

Background: Vitiligo is a chronic disease that mostly affects children and young adults. Nowadays many treatment options are available; however, most of them have limited efficacy and in most cases would result in undesirable complications. Objective: To determine the extent of repigmentation according to the location of the lesions after applying topical cream pimecrolimus 1 in vitiligo patients. Materials and Methods: Thirty consecutive patients with vitiligo lesions affecting less than 20 of body surface area without any previous history of spontaneous repigmentation were treated with pimecrolimus cream 1 twice daily for 12 weeks. The extent of repigmentation in vitiligo lesions was determined in each patient after 6 and 12 weeks. Results: Moderate to excellent response (repigmentation >26) was observed in 6.6 and 25.9 of vitiligo lesions 6 and 12 weeks after treatment, respectively. More responsive lesions were located on the trunk, face and elbow (85.7, 75 and 70). Conclusion: Pimecrolimus cream 1 results in repigmentation in vitiligo in different extents according to the location of the lesion; however, to clearly prove its efficacy as monotherapy or in combination with other available treatment options, double-blind placebo-controlled studies are essential. Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG

Magnetohydrodynamic Fast Sausage Waves in the Solar Corona

Characterized by cyclic axisymmetric perturbations to both the magnetic and fluid parameters, magnetohydrodynamic fast sausage modes (FSMs) have proven useful for solar coronal seismology given their strong dispersion. This review starts by summarizing the dispersive properties of the FSMs in the canonical configuration where the equilibrium quantities are transversely structured in a step fashion. With this preparation we then review the recent theoretical studies on coronal FSMs, showing that the canonical dispersion features have been better understood physically, and further exploited seismologically. In addition, we show that departures from the canonical equilibrium configuration have led to qualitatively different dispersion features, thereby substantially broadening the range of observations that FSMs can be invoked to account for. We also summarize the advances in forward modeling studies, emphasizing the intricacies in interpreting observed oscillatory signals in terms of FSMs. All these advances notwithstanding, we offer a list of aspects that remain to be better addressed, with the physical connection of coronal FSMs to the quasi-periodic pulsations in solar flares particularly noteworthy

Observations of quasi-periodic phenomena associated with a large blowout solar jet

A variety of periodic phenomena have been observed in conjunction with large solar jets. We aim to find further evidence for {(quasi-)}periodic behaviour in solar jets and determine what the periodic behaviour can tell us about the excitation mechanism and formation process of the large solar jet. Using the 304 {\AA} (He-II), 171 {\AA} (Fe IX), 193 {\AA} (Fe XII/XXIV) and 131 {\AA} (Fe VIII/XXI) filters on-board the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), we investigate the intensity oscillations associated with a solar jet. Evidence is provided for multiple magnetic reconnection events occurring between a pre-twisted, closed field and open field lines. Components of the jet are seen in multiple SDO/AIA filters covering a wide range of temperatures, suggesting the jet can be classified as a blowout jet. Two bright, elongated features are observed to be co-spatial with the large jet, appearing at the jet's footpoints. Investigation of these features reveal they are defined by multiple plasma ejections. The ejecta display (quasi-)periodic behaviour on timescales of 50 s and have rise velocities of 40-150 km\,s$^{-1}$ along the open field lines. Due to the suggestion that the large jet is reconnection-driven and the observed properties of the ejecta, we further propose that these ejecta events are similar to type-II spicules. The bright features also display (quasi)-periodic intensity perturbations on the timescale of 300 s. Possible explanations for the existence of the (quasi-)periodic perturbations in terms of jet dynamics and the response of the transition region are discussed.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics - In Prin

On-disk coronal rain

Small and elongated, cool and dense blob-like structures are being reported with high resolution telescopes in physically different regions throughout the solar atmosphere. Their detection and the understanding of their formation, morphology and thermodynamical characteristics can provide important information on their hosting environment, especially concerning the magnetic field, whose understanding constitutes a major problem in solar physics. An example of such blobs is coronal rain, a phenomenon of thermal non- equilibrium observed in active region loops, which consists of cool and dense chromospheric blobs falling along loop-like paths from coronal heights. So far, only off-limb coronal rain has been observed and few reports on the phenomenon exist. In the present work, several datasets of on-disk H{\alpha} observations with the CRisp Imaging SpectroPolarimeter (CRISP) at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) are analyzed. A special family of on-disk blobs is selected for each dataset and a statistical analysis is carried out on their dynamics, morphology and temperatures. All characteristics present distributions which are very similar to reported coronal rain statistics. We discuss possible interpretations considering other similar blob-like structures reported so far and show that a coronal rain interpretation is the most likely one. Their chromospheric nature and the projection effects (which eliminate all direct possibility of height estimation) on one side, and their small sizes, fast dynamics, and especially, their faint character (offering low contrast with the background intensity) on the other side, are found as the main causes for the absence until now of the detection of this on-disk coronal rain counterpart.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for Solar Physic

Resonant Absorption of Axisymmetric Modes in Twisted Magnetic Flux Tubes

It has been shown recently that magnetic twist and axisymmetric MHD modes are ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere, and therefore the study of resonant absorption for these modes has become a pressing issue because it can have important consequences for heating magnetic flux tubes in the solar atmosphere and the observed damping. In this investigation, for the first time, we calculate the damping rate for axisymmetric MHD waves in weakly twisted magnetic flux tubes. Our aim is to investigate the impact of resonant damping of these modes for solar atmospheric conditions. This analytical study is based on an idealized configuration of a straight magnetic flux tube with a weak magnetic twist inside as well as outside the tube. By implementing the conservation laws derived by Sakurai et al. and the analytic solutions for weakly twisted flux tubes obtained recently by Giagkiozis et al. we derive a dispersion relation for resonantly damped axisymmetric modes in the spectrum of the Alfvén continuum. We also obtain an insightful analytical expression for the damping rate in the long wavelength limit. Furthermore, it is shown that both the longitudinal magnetic field and the density, which are allowed to vary continuously in the inhomogeneous layer, have a significant impact on the damping time. Given the conditions in the solar atmosphere, resonantly damped axisymmetric modes are highly likely to be ubiquitous and play an important role in energy dissipation. We also suggest that, given the character of these waves, it is likely that they have already been observed in the guise of Alfvén waves

Torsional Alfven waves in stratified and expanding magnetic flux tubes

The effects of both density stratification and magnetic field expansion on torsional Alfven waves in magnetic flux tubes are studied. The frequencies, the period ratio P1/P2 of the fundamental and its first-overtone, and eigenfunctions of torsional Alfven modes are obtained. Our numerical results show that the density stratification and magnetic field expansion have opposite effects on the oscillating properties of torsional Alfven waves.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

The Antibody Targeting the E314 Peptide of Human Kv1.3 Pore Region Serves as a Novel, Potent and Specific Channel Blocker

Selective blockade of Kv1.3 channels in effector memory T (TEM) cells was validated to ameliorate autoimmune or autoimmune-associated diseases. We generated the antibody directed against one peptide of human Kv1.3 (hKv1.3) extracellular loop as a novel and possible Kv1.3 blocker. One peptide of hKv1.3 extracellular loop E3 containing 14 amino acids (E314) was chosen as an antigenic determinant to generate the E314 antibody. The E314 antibody specifically recognized 63.8KD protein stably expressed in hKv1.3-HEK 293 cell lines, whereas it did not recognize or cross-react to human Kv1.1(hKv1.1), Kv1.2(hKv1.2), Kv1.4(hKv1.4), Kv1.5(hKv1.5), KCa3.1(hKCa3.1), HERG, hKCNQ1/hKCNE1, Nav1.5 and Cav1.2 proteins stably expressed in HEK 293 cell lines or in human atrial or ventricular myocytes by Western blotting analysis and immunostaining detection. By the technique of whole-cell patch clamp, the E314 antibody was shown to have a directly inhibitory effect on hKv1.3 currents expressed in HEK 293 or Jurkat T cells and the inhibition showed a concentration-dependence. However, it exerted no significant difference on hKv1.1, hKv1.2, hKv1.4, hKv1.5, hKCa3.1, HERG, hKCNQ1/hKCNE1, L-type Ca2+ or voltage-gated Na+ currents. The present study demonstrates that the antibody targeting the E314 peptide of hKv1.3 pore region could be a novel, potent and specific hKv1.3 blocker without affecting a variety of closely related Kv1 channels, KCa3.1 channels and functional cardiac ion channels underlying central nervous systerm (CNS) disorders or drug-acquired arrhythmias, which is required as a safe clinic-promising channel blocker