Polarimetric Properties of Flux-Ropes and Sheared Arcades in Coronal Prominence Cavities

The coronal magnetic field is the primary driver of solar dynamic events. Linear and circular polarization signals of certain infrared coronal emission lines contain information about the magnetic field, and to access this information, either a forward or an inversion method must be used. We study three coronal magnetic configurations that are applicable to polar-crown filament cavities by doing forward calculations to produce synthetic polarization data. We analyze these forward data to determine the distinguishing characteristics of each model. We conclude that it is possible to distinguish between cylindrical flux ropes, spheromak flux ropes, and sheared arcades using coronal polarization measurements. If one of these models is found to be consistent with observational measurements, it will mean positive identification of the magnetic morphology that surrounds certain quiescent filaments, which will lead to a greater understanding of how they form and why they erupt.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, Solar Physics topical issue: Coronal Magnetis

Adult Height in Patients with Advanced CKD Requiring Renal Replacement Therapy during Childhood.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Growth and final height are of major concern in children with ESRD. This study sought to describe the distribution of adult height of patients who started renal replacement therapy (RRT) during childhood and to identify determinants of final height in a large cohort of RRT children. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: A total of 1612 patients from 20 European countries who started RRT before 19 years of age and reached final height between 1990 and 2011 were included. Linear regression analyses were performed to calculate adjusted mean final height SD score (SDS) and to investigate its potential determinants. RESULTS: The median final height SDS was -1.65 (median of 168 cm in boys and 155 cm in girls). Fifty-five percent of patients attained an adult height within the normal range. Adjusted for age at start of RRT and primary renal diseases, final height increased significantly over time from -2.06 SDS in children who reached adulthood in 1990-1995 to -1.33 SDS among those reaching adulthood in 2006-2011. Older age at start of RRT, more recent period of start of RRT, cumulative percentage time on a functioning graft, and greater height SDS at initiation of RRT were independently associated with a higher final height SDS. Patients with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract and metabolic disorders had a lower final height than those with other primary renal diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Although final height remains suboptimal in children with ESRD, it has consistently improved over time

Gene Expression in Human Hippocampus from Cocaine Abusers Identifies Genes which Regulate Extracellular Matrix Remodeling

The chronic effects of cocaine abuse on brain structure and function are blamed for the inability of most addicts to remain abstinent. Part of the difficulty in preventing relapse is the persisting memory of the intense euphoria or cocaine “rush”. Most abused drugs and alcohol induce neuroplastic changes in brain pathways subserving emotion and cognition. Such changes may account for the consolidation and structural reconfiguration of synaptic connections with exposure to cocaine. Adaptive hippocampal plasticity could be related to specific patterns of gene expression with chronic cocaine abuse. Here, we compare gene expression profiles in the human hippocampus from cocaine addicts and age-matched drug-free control subjects. Cocaine abusers had 151 gene transcripts upregulated, while 91 gene transcripts were downregulated. Topping the list of cocaine-regulated transcripts was RECK in the human hippocampus (FC = 2.0; p<0.05). RECK is a membrane-anchored MMP inhibitor that is implicated in the coordinated regulation of extracellular matrix integrity and angiogenesis. In keeping with elevated RECK expression, active MMP9 protein levels were decreased in the hippocampus from cocaine abusers. Pathway analysis identified other genes regulated by cocaine that code for proteins involved in the remodeling of the cytomatrix and synaptic connections and the inhibition of blood vessel proliferation (PCDH8, LAMB1, ITGB6, CTGF and EphB4). The observed microarray phenotype in the human hippocampus identified RECK and other region-specific genes that may promote long-lasting structural changes with repeated cocaine abuse. Extracellular matrix remodeling in the hippocampus may be a persisting effect of chronic abuse that contributes to the compulsive and relapsing nature of cocaine addiction

Concomitant use of tamoxifen with radiotherapy enhances subcutaneous breast fibrosis in hypersensitive patients

Concomitant use of adjuvant tamoxifen (TAM) and radiation therapy (RT) is not widely accepted. We aim to assess whether this treatment is associated with an increased risk of developing subcutaneous fibrosis after conservative or radical surgery in breast cancer patients. We analysed 147 women with breast cancer treated with adjuvant RT, and who were included in the KFS 00539-9-1997/SKL 00778-2-1999 prospective study aimed at evaluating the predictive value of CD4 and CD8 T-lymphocyte apoptosis for the development of radiation-induced late effects. TAM (20 mg day(-1)) with concomitant RT was prescribed in 90 hormone receptor-positive patients. There was a statistically significant difference in terms of complication-relapse-free survival (CRFS) rates at 3 years, 48% (95% CI 37.2-57.6%) vs 66% (95% CI 49.9-78.6%) and complication-free survival (CFS) rates at 2 years, 51% (95% CI 40-61%) vs 80% (95% CI 67-89%) in the TAM and no-TAM groups, respectively. In each of these groups, the CRFS rates were significantly lower for patients with low levels of CD8 radiation-induced apoptosis, 20% (95% CI 10-31.9%), 66% (95% CI 51.1-77.6%), and 79% (95% CI 55-90.9%) for CD8 &lt;/=16, 16-24, and &gt;24%, respectively. Similar results were observed for the CFS rates. The concomitant use of TAM with RT is significantly associated with an increased incidence of grade 2 or greater subcutaneous fibrosis; therefore, caution is needed for radiosensitive patients

Micromechanical Properties of Injection-Molded Starch–Wood Particle Composites

The micromechanical properties of injection molded starch–wood particle composites were investigated as a function of particle content and humidity conditions. The composite materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The microhardness of the composites was shown to increase notably with the concentration of the wood particles. In addition,creep behavior under the indenter and temperature dependence were evaluated in terms of the independent contribution of the starch matrix and the wood microparticles to the hardness value. The influence of drying time on the density and weight uptake of the injection-molded composites was highlighted. The results revealed the role of the mechanism of water evaporation, showing that the dependence of water uptake and temperature was greater for the starch–wood composites than for the pure starch sample. Experiments performed during the drying process at 70°C indicated that the wood in the starch composites did not prevent water loss from the samples.Peer reviewe