[Incidence and management of infusion reactions to infliximab in 186 italian patients with rheumatoid arthritis: the Padua experience].

Objective: We report the incidence and treatment of infusion reactions to infliximab, a chimeric monoclonal IgG1 antibody against tumor necrosis factor a, in a large cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients and methods: One hundred eighty six patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with infliximab for a total of 216.6 patient years were retrospectively evaluated. Patients received 2160 infliximab infusions at the Division of Rheumatology at the University Hospital of Padua from May, 2000 to April, 2004. Specific treatment protocols for initial and subsequent acute infusion reactions were followed and the outcomes documented. Results: The overall incidence of infusion reactions to infliximab was 0.8% (19 out of 2160 of infusions), affecting 10.2% of patients (19 out of 186). Mild, moderate, or severe acute reactions occurred in 0.1% (3 of 2160), 0.6% (13 of 2160), and 0.04% (1 of 2160) of infliximab infusions, respectively. Delayed infusion reactions occurred in 0.09% (2 of 2160) of infusions. Use of specific treatment protocols resulted in rapid resolution of all acute reactions to infliximab. With a prophylaxis protocol, all patients who experienced an initial mild acute reaction were able to receive additional infusions. Conclusions: Using appropriate treatment protocols, infliximab infusion reactions were effectively treated and prevented in patients with mild acute reactions upon retreatment. In the case of moderate to severe infusion reactions, the risks and the benefits of the continuation of infliximab therapy need to be carefully considered

MonitorNet: studio italiano osservazionale multicentrico per la valutazione del profilo rischio-beneficio dei farmaci biologici nella pratica clinica reumatologica

Over the last decade, several new biologic agents have become available for the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriasis (Ps). In contrast to conventional disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), these biological agents have rapid onset of action and pronounced disease reducing activity when administered as monotherapy or in combination with MTX. Pre-registration randomised clinical trials have compared biological agents against placebo over a limited time span (1-3). Wider use of biologics has resulted in reports of a wide range of adverse events (4), including evidence of reactivation of latent tuberculosis, increased incidence..

Control of field quality for the production of the main LHC dipoles

We review the warm magnetic measurements of the first four main dipole prototypes (8 apertures) and their agreement with nominal design. We then estimate the order of magnitude of the corrections that may be needed to re-center the low-order normal harmonics around the nominal values for the forthcoming series production. Correction strategies that provide the minumum impact on production schedule and costs are analysed. For the case of b3 and b5 two possibilities are considered: a variation of the shims to optimize the azimuthal length of the two coil layers, and a variation of the copper wedges of the inner layer, leaving unchanged the azimuthal coil size. For optimizing b2 and b4, we consider modifications of the shape of the ferromagnetic insert, that is placed between the collars and the yoke. Comparison between measurements and simulations of the implemented insert modifications are given and a final design is proposed. Intrinsic limits to the control of field quality during the production are discussed

Analysis of Warm Magnetic Measurements in a LHC Main Dipole Prototype

The data relative to the magnetic measurements at room temperature of the MBP2N1 prototype of the LHC dipole are presented. The measured field harmonics are compared to the results of the numerical model of the dipole cross section. The contribution from different effects are evaluated and compared to experimental data. Relevant quantities on the mechanical structure and on the expected field quality are worked out

Status Report on Field Quality in the Main LHC Dipoles

We give the present status of the field quality in the main LHC dipoles. Special emphasis is given to the collared coil data: a few tens of coils have been built, allowing a first analysis of the variability between producers, and estimates of the random part. Effects of the corrective actions implemented to fine tune the systematics components of low-order multipoles are presented. Correlations of collared coil data to the magnetic field measurements in operational conditions are discussed. Comparison to specifications imposed by beam dynamics allows to pin out the most critical requirements that will have to be met during the LHC dipole production

Impact of the First Powering Cycles on the LHC Superconducting Dipole Coil Geometry

The impact of the first powering cycles on the LHC superconducting dipoles coil geometry has been investigated. Dedicated magnetic measurements have been performed to estimate the changes in the geometric component of the harmonics, caused by the last highest Lorentz force the coil has ever experienced. Several magnets have been powered at increasing current steps while the field quality has been measured to quantify the changes in geometry. The effect of the thermal cycles has been also considered as well as the systematic differences between measurements before and after the quench training. The reconstruction of the coil geometry variations is discussed in terms of continuous modes of deformation as well as single block displacements

An Estimate of Multipolar Errors in the LHC Dipoles

Magnetic measurements of 60 collared coils and of 14 cryomagnets are available for the LHC dipoles. These data are used to work out an estimate of the systematic and random components of the field harmonics, in the hypothesis of a complete mixing of the manufacturers

Optimization of the Even Normal Multipole Components in the Main Dipole of the Large Hadron Collider

In this paper we discuss even multipolar components of the Large Hadron Collider dipole in relation to the manufacturing features and target values required by beam dynamics. Due to the two-in-one collar geometry, systematic components are induced by the mutual influence of the two apertures and are strongly affected by the shape of the magnetic iron yoke. In order to optimize the normal quadrupole and octupole harmonics, a new design was chosen for the ferromagnetic insert between the iron yoke and the collars. Three different insert shapes were selected and installed in a full scale prototype. The measured dependence of the even multipoles on the insert shape shows a good agreement with simulations based on a magnetostatic code. A final design of the insert has been worked out and implemented in pre-series magnets. Data relative to even multipoles in pre-series magnets are presented, both at room temperature and at the operational temperature of 1.9 K. Comparison with target values required by beam dynamics is discussed

Mimicry technology : a versatile tool for small RNA suppression

A decade ago the discovery of the target mimicry regulatory process on the activity of a mature microRNA (miRNA) enabled for the first time the customized attenuation of miRNA activity in plants. That powerful technology was named MIMIC and was based on engineering the IPS1 long noncoding transcript to become complementary to the miRNA under study. In order to avoid IPS1 degradation, the predicted miRNA-mediated cleavage site was interrupted by three additional nucleotides giving rise to the so-called MIMIC decoy. Since then, MIMIC technology has been used in several plant species and in basic and translational research. We here provide a detailed guide to produce custom-designed MIMIC decoys to facilitate the study of sRNA functions in plants