Роль нарушений идиотип-антиидиотипических взаимодействий в формировании замедления негативации серологических реакций у пациентов с ранними формами сифилиса, получавших специфическую терапию

Goal. To study the humoral immunity state in patients with the slowed down achievement of negative serologic reactions after the treatment of early onset forms of syphilis by means of examining the blood serum level of idiotypic and anti-idiotypic antibodies to cardiolipin and p17 Treponema Pallidum antigenic protein. Materials and methods. The study involved 324 patients (39.5% male and 60.5% female) with the slowed down achievement of negative serologic reactions. Primary (idiotypic) antibodies to cardiolipin and p17 protein were obtained using immunochromatographic assays with the help of the Bio Logik LP system. Purified antibodies were concentrated using the ultrafiltration technique with the aid of the XM-100А membrane. To obtain the rabbit antiserum to p17 Treponema Pallidum protein, chinchilla rabbits were immunized using the commercial recombinant p17 protein. To determine anti-cardiolipin idiotypic antibodies in the blood serum, the ELISa method optimized for detecting anti-cardiolipin antibodies was applied. To determine anti-cardiolipin anti-idiotypic antibodies as well as idiotypic and anti-idiotypic antibodies to p17 Treponema Pallidum protein, the standard ELISA method was applied. The following antigens were used to process the pads: F(ab)2 fragments of anti-cardiolipin antibodies (5 μg/mL), recombinant р17 T. pallidum protein (5 μg/mL) and F(ab)2 fragments of antibodies to р17 T. pallidum protein (10 μg/mL). The level of antibodies was assessed based on the absorbancy and expressed in conventional activity units using the K coefficient being the absorbancy of the serum under examination to the mean absorbancy of control serums ratio. The K value exceeding 1.5 conventional units indicated the increased level of antibodies. Results. Patients with the slowed down achievement of negative serologic reactions demonstrated a selective increase in the level of anti-idiotypic antibodies (AIAB) relative to T. pallidum antigens, cardiolipin and p17 protein, vs. first-order antibodies, which points at abnormal mutual regulation between idiotypic antibodies (IAB) and AIAB; the discovered phenomenon lays the immunochemical basis for the formation of a self-sustaining “vicious circle” contributing to the induction of high levels of antibodies to treponema antigens even when the pathogen was destroyed.Цель. Исследование состояния гуморального иммунитета у пациентов с замедлением негативации серологических реакций после лечения ранних форм сифилиса путем изучения содержания в сыворотке крови идиотипических (ИАТ) и антиидиотипических антител (АИАТ) к кардиолипину и р17 антигенному белку Treponema pallidum. Материал и методы. Обследованы 324 пациента (39,5% мужчин, 60,5% женщин) с замедлением негативации серологических реакций. Первичные (идиотипические) антитела к кардиолипину и белку р17 получали с помощью иммуноаффинной хроматографии с использованием системы Bio Logik LP. Очищение антитела концентрировали методом ультрафильтрации на мембране ХМ-100А. Для получения кроличьей антисыворотки к белку р17 T. pallidum проводили иммунизацию кроликов породы шиншилла коммерческим рекомбинантным белком р17. Для определения ИАТ к кардиолипину в сыворотке крови использовали методику иммуноферментного анализа (ИФА), оптимизированную для определения кардиолипиновых антител. Для определения АИАТ к кардиолипину, ИАТ и АИАТ к антигенному белку р17 T. pallidum применяли стандартную методику постановки ИФА. Для обработки планшет использовали следующие антигены: F(ab)2-фрагменты антител к кардиолипину (5 мкг/мл), рекомбинантный белок р17 T. pallidum (5 мкг/мл) и F(ab)2-фрагменты антител к белку р17 T. pallidum (10 мкг/мл). Уровень антител оценивали по оптической плотности (ОП) и выражали в условных единицах активности (усл. ед.) коэффициентом К, представляющим собой отношение значения ОП исследуемой сыворотки к среднему значению ОП контрольных сывороток. О наличии повышенного уровня антител свидетельствовало значение К, превышающее 1,5 усл. ед. Результаты. У пациентов с замедлением негативации серологических реакций показано избирательное повышение уровня АИАТ к антигенам T. pallidum - кардиолипину и белку р17 - по сравнению с антителами первого порядка, что является показателем нарушения взаимной регуляции между ИАТ и АИАТ; выявленный феномен является иммунохимической основой формирования самоподдерживающегося «порочного круга», способствующего индукции высокого уровня антител к антигенам трепонемы даже после устранения возбудителя

Universality classes in nonequilibrium lattice systems

This work is designed to overview our present knowledge about universality classes occurring in nonequilibrium systems defined on regular lattices. In the first section I summarize the most important critical exponents, relations and the field theoretical formalism used in the text. In the second section I briefly address the question of scaling behavior at first order phase transitions. In section three I review dynamical extensions of basic static classes, show the effect of mixing dynamics and the percolation behavior. The main body of this work is given in section four where genuine, dynamical universality classes specific to nonequilibrium systems are introduced. In section five I continue overviewing such nonequilibrium classes but in coupled, multi-component systems. Most of the known nonequilibrium transition classes are explored in low dimensions between active and absorbing states of reaction-diffusion type of systems. However by mapping they can be related to universal behavior of interface growth models, which I overview in section six. Finally in section seven I summarize families of absorbing state system classes, mean-field classes and give an outlook for further directions of research.Comment: Updated comprehensive review, 62 pages (two column), 29 figs included. Scheduled for publication in Reviews of Modern Physics in April 200

Matrix model eigenvalue integrals and twist fields in the su(2)-WZW model

We propose a formula for the eigenvalue integral of the hermitian one matrix model with infinite well potential in terms of dressed twist fields of the su(2) level one WZW model. The expression holds for arbitrary matrix size n, and provides a suggestive interpretation for the monodromy properties of the matrix model correlators at finite n, as well as in the 1/n-expansion.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures; v2: typos corrected, reference added, version to be published in JHE

Study of Radiation Damage in Lead Tungstate Crystals Using Intense High Energy Beams

We report on the effects of radiation on the light output of lead tungstate crystals. The crystals were irradiated by pure, intense high energy electron and hadron beams as well as by a mixture of hadrons, neutrons and gammas. The crystals were manufactured in Bogoroditsk, Apatity (both Russia), and Shanghai (China). These studies were carried out at the 70-GeV proton accelerator in Protvino

A comparative study of the electrochemical properties of vitamin B-6 related compounds at physiological pH

A comparative study of vitamin B6 group and related compounds in buffered solutions using electrochemical techniques has been performed at neutral pH. Irreversible bi- or tetra-electronic processes are observed for these substances, and the electron transfer coefficient (αn) calculated. It was concluded that either the first or second electron transfer were the rate determining step of the electrode process. The diffusion coefficient of these substances was calculated and the values given follow an inverse tendency to the molecular size. For aldehydes the values obtained were corrected of the hydration reaction. It is important to remark that catalytic waves were reported for the first time for these compounds. Using a model involving the nitrogen of the basic structure the kinetic constants were calculated for most of them

Azimuthal anisotropy and correlations in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV

We present the first measurement of directed flow ($v_1$) at RHIC. $v_1$ is found to be consistent with zero at pseudorapidities $\eta$ from -1.2 to 1.2, then rises to the level of a couple of percent over the range $2.4 < |\eta| < 4$. The latter observation is similar to data from NA49 if the SPS rapidities are shifted by the difference in beam rapidity between RHIC and SPS. Back-to-back jets emitted out-of-plane are found to be suppressed more if compared to those emitted in-plane, which is consistent with {\it jet quenching}. Using the scalar product method, we systematically compared azimuthal correlations from p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions. Flow and non-flow from these three different collision systems are discussed.Comment: Quark Matter 2004 proceeding, 4 pages, 3 figure

Azimuthal anisotropy: the higher harmonics

We report the first observations of the fourth harmonic (v_4) in the azimuthal distribution of particles at RHIC. The measurement was done taking advantage of the large elliptic flow generated at RHIC. The integrated v_4 is about a factor of 10 smaller than v_2. For the sixth (v_6) and eighth (v_8) harmonics upper limits on the magnitudes are reported.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, contribution to the Quark Matter 2004 proceeding

All-optical switching and strong coupling using tunable whispering-gallery-mode microresonators

We review our recent work on tunable, ultrahigh quality factor whispering-gallery-mode bottle microresonators and highlight their applications in nonlinear optics and in quantum optics experiments. Our resonators combine ultra-high quality factors of up to Q = 3.6 \times 10^8, a small mode volume, and near-lossless fiber coupling, with a simple and customizable mode structure enabling full tunability. We study, theoretically and experimentally, nonlinear all-optical switching via the Kerr effect when the resonator is operated in an add-drop configuration. This allows us to optically route a single-wavelength cw optical signal between two fiber ports with high efficiency. Finally, we report on progress towards strong coupling of single rubidium atoms to an ultra-high Q mode of an actively stabilized bottle microresonator.Comment: 20 pages, 24 figures. Accepted for publication in Applied Physics B. Changes according to referee suggestions: minor corrections to some figures and captions, clarification of some points in the text, added references, added new paragraph with results on atom-resonator interactio

Strange Resonance Production in p+p and Au+Au Collisions at RHIC Energies

Resonance yields and spectra from elementary p+p and Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} =$ 200 GeV from the STAR experiment at RHIC are presented and discussed in terms of chemical and thermal freeze-out conditions. Thermal models do not adequately describe the yields of the resonance production in central Au+Au collisions. The approach to include elastic hadronic interactions between chemical freeze-out and thermal freeze-out suggests a time of $\Delta \tau>$5 fm/c.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, proceedings of the Quark Matter 2004, in Oakland, California, to be published in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physic