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Sample records for hyper igm syndrome

  1. Hyper IgM Syndrome with low IgM and thrombocytosis: an unusual case of immunodeficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousef, Ejaz; Arshad Alvi, M

    2016-09-01

    We report a 5 years old male child with low serum IgG, IgA and IgM levels, who presented with recurrent perianal and oral ulcers, intermittent fever, and protracted diarrhea. Despite the lack of typical respiratory symptoms, low serum IgM level and persistent thrombocytosis, an X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome (X-HIGM) was considered. Laboratory investigations revealed a diagnosis of hyper-IgM syndrome caused by CD40L deficiency.

  2. Scalp Lesions in a Pediatric Patient with Hyper IgM Syndrome: Clinical and Histologic Mimicry of Cryptococcus neoformans Infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acker, Karen P; Fetch, Audrey; Schnell, Stephanie A; Hammond, Jennifer; Herrera, Christina; Niedt, George; Ratner, Adam J; Lauren, Christine T

    2018-01-01

    We report a case of cutaneous cryptococcosis due to Cryptococcus neoformans in a pediatric patient with hyper IgM syndrome with scalp lesions that resembled tinea capitis on gross examination and mimicked juvenile xanthogranuloma on histologic examination. This case highlights the importance of considering cutaneous cryptococcosis in patients with hyper IgM syndrome. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Hyper IgM Syndrome: a Report from the USIDNET Registry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leven, Emily A; Maffucci, Patrick; Ochs, Hans D; Scholl, Paul R; Buckley, Rebecca H; Fuleihan, Ramsay L; Geha, Raif S; Cunningham, Coleen K; Bonilla, Francisco A; Conley, Mary Ellen; Ferdman, Ronald M; Hernandez-Trujillo, Vivian; Puck, Jennifer M; Sullivan, Kathleen; Secord, Elizabeth A; Ramesh, Manish; Cunningham-Rundles, Charlotte

    2016-07-01

    The United States Immunodeficiency Network (USIDNET) patient registry was used to characterize the presentation, genetics, phenotypes, and treatment of patients with Hyper IgM Syndrome (HIGM). The USIDNET Registry was queried for HIGM patient data collected from October 1992 to July 2015. Data fields included demographics, criteria for diagnosis, pedigree analysis, mutations, clinical features, treatment and transplant records, laboratory findings, and mortality. Fifty-two physicians entered data from 145 patients of ages 2 months to 62 years (median 12 years); 131 were males. Using patients' age at last entry, data from 2072 patient years are included. Mutations were recorded for 85 subjects; 82 were in CD40LG. Eighteen subjects had non-X-linked HIGM. 40 % had a normal serum IgM and 15 %, normal IgA. Infections were reported for 91 %, with pulmonary, ear, and sinus infections being the most common. 42 % had Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia; 6 % had Cryptosporidium. 41 % had neutropenia. 78 % experienced non-infectious complications: chronic diarrhea (n = 22), aphthous ulcers (n = 28), and neoplasms (n = 8) including colon cancer, adrenal adenoma, liver adenocarcinoma, pancreatic carcinoid, acute myeloid leukemia, hepatoma, and, in a female with an autosomal dominant gain of function mutation in PIK3CD, an ovarian dysgerminoma. Thirteen patients had a hematopoietic marrow or stem cell transplant; three had solid organ transplants. Thirteen were known to have died (median age = 14 years). Analysis of the USIDNET Registry provides data on the common clinical features of this rare syndrome, and in contrast with previously published data, demonstrates longer survival times and reduced gastrointestinal manifestations.

  4. X-linked Hyper IgM Syndrome Presenting as Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallagher, Joel; Adams, Juan; Hintermeyer, Mary; Torgerson, Troy R; Lopez-Guisa, Jesus; Ochs, Hans D; Szabo, Sara; Salib, Mina; Verbsky, James; Routes, John

    2016-08-01

    X-linked hyper IgM syndrome (XHIGM) is a combined immunodeficiency caused by mutations in the CD40 ligand (CD40L) gene that typically results in decreased or absent CD40L expression on activated T cells, leading to defective class switching and somatic hypermutation. We describe an infant who presented with respiratory failure due to pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) with a novel damaging missense mutation in the CD40L gene. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was used to identify a mutation in the CD40L gene. CD40L expression and function were determined by flow cytometry. A 5-month-old previously-healthy male presented with respiratory failure and diffuse pulmonary ground glass opacities on CT scan of the chest. Laboratory evaluation revealed an undetectable IgG, normal IgA, and elevated IgM. A bronchoalveolar lavage demonstrated pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. WES demonstrated a c.608G > C mutation in the CD40L gene resulting in p.R203T. Flow cytometry demonstrated normal CD40L expression on activated T cells but absent binding of CD40-Ig to CD40L on activated patient T cells. The clinical manifestations of XHIGM in our patient had several unique features, including the presentation with PAP, normal serum IgA, and expression of non-functional CD40L on activated T cells. To our knowledge, this is the first published case of PAP in a patient with XHIGM.

  5. Autosomal recessive hyper IgM syndrome associated with activation-induced cytidine deaminase gene in three Turkish siblings presented with tuberculosis lymphadenitis - Case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patiroglu, Turkan; Akar, H Haluk; van der Burg, Mirjam; Unal, Ekrem

    2015-09-01

    The hyper-immunoglobulin M (HIGM) syndrome is a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders characterized by recurrent infections, decreased serum levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA, and normal/increased serum levels of IgM. Herein, we describe three Turkish siblings with HIGM syndrome who had a homozygous missense mutation (c.70C>T, p.Arg24Trp) in the activation-induced cytidine deaminase gene which results in autosomal recessive HIGM syndrome. Two of the siblings, sibling 1 and sibling 3, presented with cervical deep abscess and cervical tuberculosis lymphadenitis, respectively.

  6. Fournier gangrene associated with hyper IgE syndrome (Job syndrome).

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    Hori, Junichi; Yamaguchi, Satoshi; Watanabe, Masaki; Osanai, Hiroaki; Hori, Masako

    2008-04-01

    We report a case of a 32-year-old man with hyper IgE syndrome (Job syndrome) who developed Fournier gangrene due to infectious multiple atheromas of the scrotal skin that progressed to the right groin and thigh. The patient required surgical debridement and subsequent skin grafting. This is a rare case of Fournier gangrene associated with hyper IgE syndrome (Job syndrome). When a patient without diabetes mellitus has repeated infections and atopic-like dermatitis, Job syndrome should be considered.

  7. Tricuspid endocarditis in hyper-IgE syndrome

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    Gupta S

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Hyper-IgE syndrome is a congenitally acquired primary immune deficiency condition. We report a case of possible hyper-IgE syndrome who presented with multiple cold skin abscesses and chest infection due to Staphylococcus aureus and hyper-IgE findings. Patient also had tricuspid valve acute bacterial endocarditis with purulent pericarditis which is very rare. This case is presented to highlight that early diagnosis and treatment in such cases decreases the mortality and morbidity in phagocytic disorders.

  8. Hyper-immunoglobulin D syndrome with novel mutations in an afebrile infant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cadmus, Simi D; Green, Reid; Carrasco, Ruy; Levy, Moise L; Diaz, Lucia Z

    2018-03-30

    Hyper-immunoglobulin D syndrome is a rare autosomal-recessive autoinflammatory syndrome in which a mevalonate kinase deficiency results due to mutations of the mevalonate kinase gene. We report a case of an Asian male infant who was found to have hyper-immunoglobulin D syndrome in the absence of fever. His skin manifestations included cephalic pustulosis as well recurrent transient and fixed pink plaques and nodules on the face and extremities. Subsequent examination revealed hyper-immunoglobulin D syndrome with two novel allelic mutations in the mevalonate kinase gene: c.895G > A (p.D299N) and c.1168C > T (p.Q390). It is important for dermatologists to recognize the varied cutaneous presentations of hyper-immunoglobulin D syndrome because rapid diagnosis and treatment can significantly affect outcomes. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  9. Dynamic osseous scintigraphy in the knee hyper-pressure syndromes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laurin, J.; Jau, P.; Ferro, L.; Fouque, M.

    1997-01-01

    This retrospective study of 49 patients, carrying an internal mono-compartmental algic syndrome of the knee, determines the place of the dynamical osseous scintigraphy in three times: in comparison with the pan-goniometry (for 42 of them), in the diagnosis of the hyper-pressure syndrome and in the evaluation of its severity. The vascularization is augmented in 10 patients and the sanguinary pool in 14. Forty eight internal compartments exhibit a tracer hyper-fixation at late times. These anomalies have been classified according to their tibial or condylar localization and intensity, than compared with the pan-goniometric values of the deviation, which in case of a varus, entail an over-pressure risk. These comparisons show a good correlation between the hyper-fixation in the sub-chondral band of the internal tibial plateau and a syndrome of hyper-pressure by deviation in varus, whether this hyper-fixation was moderated and isolated or severe or associated to a condylar image; the intensity of the fixation indicates the severity. The tibial fixation intensity is always superior to that of the rest of compartment, what is essential for the differential diagnosis in case of a simple, without hyper-pressure, arthritis, or other pathology. From this exploration stem 8 osteotomies and 1 prosthesis

  10. Microangiopathic antiphospholipid antibody syndrome due to anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin complex IgM antibody.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senda, Yumi; Ohta, Kazuhide; Yokoyama, Tadafumi; Shimizu, Masaki; Furuichi, Kengo; Wada, Takashi; Yachie, Akihiro

    2017-03-01

    Herein we describe a case of microangiopathic antiphospholipid syndrome (MAPS) due to anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin complex (aPS/PT) IgM antibody successfully treated with rituximab. A significant correlation was observed between the clinical course and the aPS/PT IgM antibody titer, which can rise earlier before the appearance of clinical symptoms. Rituximab can be safely and effectively used for MAPS. Although detection of only aPS/PT IgM antibody is rare, aPS/PT IgM antibody might be associated with the pathogenesis of MAPS and might be a useful marker of disease activity. © 2017 Japan Pediatric Society.

  11. [Hyper-IgE syndrome. Lessons from function and defects of STAT-3 or DOCK-8].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcántara-Montiel, Julio César; Vega-Torres, Brittany Itzel

    2016-01-01

    In the classification of primary immunodeficiencies, hyper-IgE syndrome, identified with OMIM code # 147060 in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man catalog, belongs to the group of syndromes associated with combined immunodeficiencies. It is characterized by elevated levels of IgE, eosinophilia, recurrent skin abscesses, pneumonia, lung parenchyma lesions, recurrent infections, rashes in newborns, eczema, sinusitis, otitis, and mucocutaneous candidiasis. Hyper-IgE syndrome can be transmitted by autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive modes of inheritance. Hyper-IgE syndrome in its dominant form includes non-immunological manifestations like characteristic facies, pathological dentition, scoliosis, bone disorders, and joint hyperextensibility. The reported cause of the dominant form is the loss of function of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3, with MIM # 102582). Mutations in dedicator of cytokines 8 (DOCK-8) is the most common cause of the autosomal recessive form of hyper-IgE syndrome.

  12. Hyper-IgE syndrome. Lessons from function and defects of STAT-3 or DOCK-8

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julio César Alcántara-Montiel

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In the classification of primary immunodeficiencies, hyper-IgE syndrome, identified with OMIM code # 147060 in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man catalog, belongs to the group of syndromes associated with combined immunodeficiencies. It is characterized by elevated levels of IgE, eosinophilia, recurrent skin abscesses, pneumonia, lung parenchyma lesions, recurrent infections, rashes in newborns, eczema, sinusitis, otitis, and mucocutaneous candidiasis. Hyper-IgE syndrome can be transmitted by autosomal dominant or autosomal recessive modes of inheritance. Hyper-IgE syndrome in its dominant form includes non-immunological manifestations like characteristic facies, pathological dentition, scoliosis, bone disorders, and joint hyperextensibility. The reported cause of the dominant form is the loss of function of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3, with MIM # 102582. Mutations in dedicator of cytokines 8 (DOCK-8 is the most common cause of the autosomal recessive form of hyper-IgE syndrome.

  13. Hyper-Immunoglobulin E Syndrome

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    Gnanraj Pushpa

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available A case of hyper-IgE syndrome in a 6 year old boy with bronchial asthma is reported here with the various manifestations of multiple tender abscesses of the scalp, recurrent dermatophyte infections of his face and right thigh, eczematous lesions of his neck, shoulders and antecubital fossae, candidiasis of the tongue, angular cheilitis and total dystrophy of his right bit toe nail. Laboratory investigations revealed staphylococcus aureus infection of the scalp, Trichophyton rubrum infection of the face and the thigh and candidal onychomycosis. Immunological survey revealed markedly elevated serum lgE level.

  14. Hyper-IgD syndrome or mevalonate kinase deficiency.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stoffels, M.; Simon, A.

    2011-01-01

    PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The hyper-IgD and periodic fever syndrome (HIDS) is one of the classical monogenetic hereditary autoinflammatory disorders, and together with the more severe mevalonic aciduria it is also known as 'mevalonate kinase deficiency' (MKD). In this study, we will give an overview of the

  15. Hyper Ig E syndrome (Job syndrome, HIES) – radiological images of pulmonary complications on the basis of three cases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jończyk-Potoczna, Katarzyna; Szczawińska-Popłonyk, Aleksandra; Warzywoda, Małgorzata; Bręborowicz, Anna; Pawlak, Bogdan

    2012-01-01

    Hyperimmunoglobulinemia E syndrome (hyper-IgE syndrome, Job syndrome, HIES) is a complex immune deficiency with multiorgan clinical manifestations and diverse genetic background. The clinical triad of symptoms observed in approximately 75% of patients with HIES includes: recurrent abscesses of staphylococcal etiology, recurrent respiratory infections and elevated immunoglobulin E in serum. The paper discusses three cases of female patients presenting typical pulmonary complications of the hyper-Ig E syndrome. In the first case, the development of aspergilloma in a postinflamatory cyst was observed, in the other one, pneumonia with pleural effusion, and as a consequence of inflammatory infiltrations – fibrotic changes, giving rise to lobectomy, while in the last of these cases, the course of lung disease was complicated by formation of staphylococcal abscess. In one of the girls, bronchiectasis appeared at follow-up. Complications of pulmonary infections are the most common causes of death in hyper-Ig E syndrome. Late diagnosis significantly worsens the respiratory function and reduces the chance for normal development of a child. Introduction of comprehensive treatment, including prophylaxis, decreases the recurrences. Therefore, the important role is attributed to the radiologist in the multidisciplinary care of patients with this syndrome

  16. Recurrent Skin and Lung Infections in Autosomal Dominant Hyper IgE Syndrome with Transactivation Domain STAT3 Mutation

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    Chad J. Cooper

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Hyper IgE is a rare systemic disease characterized by the clinical triad of high serum levels of IgE (>2000 IU/mL, eczema, and recurrent staphylococcal skin and lung infections. The presentation of hyper IgE syndrome is highly variable, which makes it easy to confuse the diagnosis with that of severe atopy or other rare immunodeficiency disorders. Case Report. A 23-year-old Hispanic presented with history of frequent respiratory and gastrointestinal infections as a child and multiple episodes of skin and lung infections (abscess with Staphylococcus aureus throughout his adult life. He had multiple eczematous lesions and folliculitis over his entire body, oral/esophageal candidiasis, and retention of his primary teeth. The IgE was elevated (>5000 IU/mL. Genetic mutation analysis revealed a mutation affecting the transactivation domain of the STAT3 gene. Conclusion. The hallmark of hyper IgE syndrome is serum IgE of >2000 IU/mL. Hyper IgE syndrome is a genetic disorder that is either autosomal dominant or recessive. A definite diagnosis can be made with genetic mutation analysis, and in this case, it revealed a very rare finding of the transactivation domain STAT3 mutation. Hyper IgE syndrome is a challenge for clinicians in establishing a diagnosis in suspected cases.

  17. Autonomic hyper-vigilance in post-infective fatigue syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadota, Yumiko; Cooper, Gavin; Burton, Alexander R; Lemon, Jim; Schall, Ulrich; Lloyd, Andrew; Vollmer-Conna, Ute

    2010-09-01

    This study examined whether post-infective fatigue syndrome (PIFS) is associated with a disturbance in bidirectional autonomic signalling resulting in heightened perception of symptoms and sensations from the body in conjunction with autonomic hyper-reactivity to perceived challenges. We studied 23 patients with PIFS and 25 healthy matched control subjects. A heartbeat discrimination task and a pressure pain threshold test were used to assess interoceptive sensitivity. Cardiac response was assessed over a 4-min Stroop task. PIFS was associated with higher accuracy in heartbeat discrimination and a lower pressure pain threshold. Increased interoceptive sensitivity correlated strongly with current symptoms and potentiated differences in the cardiac response to the Stroop task, which in PIFS was characterized by insensitivity to task difficulty and lack of habituation. Our results provide the first evidence of heightened interoceptive sensitivity in PIFS. Together with the distinct pattern in cardiac responsivity these findings present a picture of physiological hyper-vigilance and response inflexibility. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. STAT3 mutations correlated with hyper-IgE syndrome lead to ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Of all the causes identified for the disease hyper-immunoglobulinemia E syndrome (HIES), a homozygous mutation in tyrosine kinase2 (TYK2) and heterozygous mutations in STAT3 are implicated the defects in Jak/STAT signalling pathway in the pathogenesis of HIES. Mutations of STAT3 have been frequently clinically ...

  19. CD40 Ligand Deficient C57BL/6 Mouse Is a Potential Surrogate Model of Human X-Linked Hyper IgM (X-HIGM Syndrome for Characterizing Immune Responses against Pathogens

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    Catalina Lopez-Saucedo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Individuals with X-HIGM syndrome fail to express functional CD40 ligand; consequently they cannot mount effective protective antibody responses against pathogenic bacteria. We evaluated, compared, and characterized the humoral immune response of wild type (WT and C57-CD40L deficient (C57-CD40L−/− mice infected with Citrobacter rodentium. Basal serum isotype levels were similar for IgM and IgG3 among mice, while total IgG and IgG2b concentrations were significantly lower in C57-CD40L−/− mice compared with WT. Essentially IgG1 and IgG2c levels were detectable only in WT mice. C57-CD40L−/− animals, orally inoculated with 2×109 CFU, presented several clinical manifestations since the second week of infection and eventually died. In contrast at this time point no clinical manifestations were observed among C57-CD40L−/− mice infected with 1×107 CFU. Infection was subclinical in WT mice inoculated with either bacterial dose. The serum samples from infected mice (1×107 CFU, collected at day 14 after infection, had similar C. rodentium-specific IgM titres. Although C57-CD40L−/− animals had lower IgG and IgG2b titres than WT mice, C57-CD40L−/− mice sera displayed complement-mediated bactericidal activity against C. rodentium. C. rodentium-infected C57-CD40L−/− mice are capable of producing antibodies that are protective. C57-CD40L−/− mouse is a useful surrogate model of X-HIGM syndrome for studying immune responses elicited against pathogens.

  20. Brain Abscess and Keratoacanthoma Suggestive of Hyper IgE Syndrome

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    Soheyla Alyasin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Hyper immunoglobulin-E (IgE syndrome is an autosomal immune deficiency disease. It is characterized by an increase in IgE and eosinophil count with both T-cell and B-cell malfunction. Here, we report an 8-year-old boy whose disease started with an unusual skin manifestation. When 6 months old he developed generalized red, nontender nodules and pathologic report of the skin lesion was unremarkable (inflammatory. Then he developed a painless, cold abscess. At the age of 4 years, he developed a seronegative polyarticular arthritis. Another skin biopsy was taken which was in favor of Keratoacanthoma. Laboratory workup for immune deficiency showed high eosinophil count and high level of immunoglobulin-E, due to some diagnostic criteria (NIH sores: 41 in 9-year-olds, he was suggestive of hyper IgE syndrome. At the age of 8, the patient developed an abscess in the left inguinal region. While in hospital, the patient developed generalized tonic colonic convulsion and fever. Brain computed tomography scan revealed an abscess in the right frontal lobe. Subsequently magnetic resonance imaging (MRI of the brain indicated expansion of the existing abscess to contralateral frontal lobe (left side. After evacuating the abscesses and administrating intravenous antibiotic, the patient’s condition improved dramatically and fever stopped.

  1. [Splenomegaly in an Eritrean refugee: the hyper-reactive malaria splenomegaly syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruijsen, M M; Reuling, I J; Keuter, M; Sauerwein, R W; van der Ven, A J; de Mast, Q

    2016-01-01

    Hyper-reactive malaria splenomegaly (HMS) is a rare and potentially severe complication of malaria. It is likely that the incidence of patients with HMS will rise in the Netherlands due to the recent increase in asylum-seekers from Sub-Saharan Africa. It can be difficult to diagnose this disease, as this case shows. A 31-year-old male from Eritrea was admitted with fever and dyspnea, caused by an influenza A-infection. The patient also presented with cachexia, pronounced hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia. Microscopic diagnostic analysis for malaria was negative. HMS was eventually diagnosed through high-sensitivity qPCR for malaria, which showed the presence of a very low level of Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia; furthermore, IgM levels were high and malaria serology was strongly positive. HMS should be considered in patients from malaria-endemic areas presenting with splenomegaly and pancytopenia. Because standard diagnostics for malaria are often negative in this population, malaria serology and sensitive qPCR play an important diagnostic role.

  2. An evaluation of the metabolic syndrome in the HyperGEN study

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    Lewis Cora E

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In 2001 the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP provided a categorical definition for metabolic syndrome (c-MetS. We studied the extent to which two ethnic groups, Blacks and Whites were affected by c-MetS. The groups were members of the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN, a part of the Family Blood Pressure Program, supported by the NHLBI. Although the c-MetS definition is of special interest in particular to the clinicians, the quantitative latent traits of the metabolic syndrome (MetS are also important in order to gain further understanding of its etiology. In this study, quantitative evaluation of the MetS latent traits (q-MetS was based on the statistical multivariate method factor analysis (FA. Results The prevalence of the c-MetS was 34% in Blacks and 39% in Whites. c-MetS showed predominance of obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Three and four factor domains were identified through FA, classified as "Obesity," "Blood pressure," "Lipids," and "Central obesity." They explained approximately 60% of the variance in the 11 original variables. Two factors classified as "Obesity" and "Central Obesity" overlapped when FA was performed without rotation. All four factors in FA with Varimax rotation were consistent between Blacks and Whites, between genders and also after excluding type 2 diabetes (T2D participants. Fasting insulin (INS associated mainly with obesity and lipids factors. Conclusions MetS in the HyperGEN study has a compound phenotype with separate domains for obesity, blood pressure, and lipids. Obesity and its relationship to lipids and insulin is clearly the dominant factor in MetS. Linkage analysis on factor scores for components of MetS, in familial studies such as HyperGEN, can assist in understanding the genetic pathways for MetS and their interactions with the environment, as a first step in identifying the underlying pathophysiological causes of this syndrome.

  3. Bone marrow glucose hyper-metabolism with 18F-F.D.G. PET in cancer patients: Para neoplastic syndrome, a lesser-known etiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Champion, L.; Huchet, V.; Kerrou, K.

    2009-01-01

    A unusual cause of medullary hyper-metabolism for patients suffering of cancer is the para neoplasm syndrome. Some times the medullary hyper-metabolism cannot be explained neither by an anemia nor an inflammatory syndrome, nor by an infection. Numerous cases of cancers producing the granulocyte colony stimulation factor (G-C.S.F.) were described. Others cases showed a correlation between the transforming growth factor--β) (T.G.F.-β) and not with the G-C.S.F. and the vascular endothelial growth factor (V.E.G.F.). The medullary hyper-metabolism could reflect the proliferation and the stimulation of T-regulatory cells playing a part in the suppression of the T cells proliferation and the auto immunity by the T.G.F.-β. In our experience, some PET done as part of a staging showed a medullary hyper-metabolism out of a question of anemia or infection, and the diagnostic of para neoplasm syndrome was evoked and confirmed by biological data. (N.C.)

  4. Rare association of hyper IgE syndrome with cervical rib and natal teeth

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    Roshan Anupama

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Hyper IgE syndrome (HIES is a rare immunodeficiency syndrome characterized by a triad of cutaneous abscesses, mostly caused by Staphylococus aureus; pneumonia; and raised IgE levels. Nonimmunological associations include course facial features, multiple bone fractures, joint hyperextensibility, and retained primary dentition. Patients require long-term antibiotic therapy. We report here a classical case of HIES with rare associations of natal teeth, bilateral cervical ribs, and conductive deafness. The patient was being treated with monteleukast and dapsone.

  5. Revisiting ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome: Towards OHSS free clinic

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    Manish Banker

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A rapid development and application of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs and ovulation-induction drugs may lead to ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS. Young age, low body mass index (BMI, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS, previous OHSS, high follicle count, and elevated serum estradiol (E2 are the certain factors that predispose women to OHSS. Many strategies have been used to reduce or avoid OHSS. Use of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG increases ovarian vascular permeability and is responsible for activating the vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF pathway and thus the entire cascade, leading to symptomatic OHSS. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH agonists are used as a replacement for hCG for final oocyte maturation in antagonist cycles. Reducing or eliminating the use of hCG and use of GnRH agonist triggered GnRH antagonist cycles and cryopreservation of oocytes or embryos is the most promising approach in making OHSS free clinic a reality.

  6. Identification of a novel STAT3 mutation in a patient with hyper-IgE syndrome

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mogensen, Trine H; Jakobsen, Marianne; Larsen, Carsten S

    2013-01-01

    Here we describe a patient with hyper-IgE syndrome presenting with recurrent staphylococcal abscesses, pneumonia, and chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, and report the identification of a novel STAT3 mutation at amino acid position 621, which has not previously been described. In addition, we...

  7. Immune Dysfunction in Rett Syndrome Patients Revealed by High Levels of Serum Anti-N(Glc IgM Antibody Fraction

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    Anna Maria Papini

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Rett syndrome (RTT, a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting exclusively (99% female infants, is associated with loss-of-function mutations in the gene encoding methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2 and, more rarely, cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5 and forkhead box protein G1 (FOXG1. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the function of the immune system by measuring serum immunoglobulins (IgG and IgM in RTT patients (n=53 and, by comparison, in age-matched children affected by non-RTT pervasive developmental disorders (non-RTT PDD (n=82 and healthy age-matched controls (n=29. To determine immunoglobulins we used both a conventional agglutination assay and a novel ELISA based on antibody recognition by a surrogate antigen probe, CSF114(Glc, a synthetic N-glucosylated peptide. Both assays provided evidence for an increase in IgM titer, but not in IgG, in RTT patients relative to both healthy controls and non-RTT PDD patients. The significant difference in IgM titers between RTT patients and healthy subjects in the CSF114(Glc assay (P=0.001 suggests that this procedure specifically detects a fraction of IgM antibodies likely to be relevant for the RTT disease. These findings offer a new insight into the mechanism underlying the Rett disease as they unveil the possible involvement of the immune system in this pathology.

  8. The occurrence of IgM and complement factors along myelin sheaths of peripheral nerves An immunohistochemical study of the Guillain-Barre syndrome : Preliminary communication

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Luijten, J.A.F.M.; Baart de la Faille-Kuyper, E.H.

    In nerve biopsies from 4 of 6 patients with the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), IgM and complement factors were found, probably localized along myelin sheaths. The possible significance of this phenomenon has been discussed. No such findings were obtained in control subjects.

  9. Evaluation of a commercial rubella IgM assay for use on oral fluid samples for diagnosis and surveillance of congenital rubella syndrome and postnatal rubella.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vijaylakshmi, P; Muthukkaruppan, V R; Rajasundari, A; Korukluoglu, G; Nigatu, W; L A Warrener; Samuel, D; Brown, D W G

    2006-12-01

    Clinical diagnosis (surveillance) of rubella is unreliable and laboratory confirmation is essential. Detection of virus specific IgM in serum is the most commonly used method. However, the use of serum necessitates the drawing of blood, either through venipuncture or finger/heel prick, which can be difficult in young babies. Oral fluid samples have proved useful as an alternative, less invasive sample for virus specific IgM detection however until recently no commercial rubella IgM tests were available, restricting the usefulness of this approach. To evaluate the performance of the Microimmune Rubella IgM capture EIA using oral fluid samples from outbreaks as well as in cases of suspected congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Paired serum and oral fluids were collected from cases during a rubella outbreak in three provinces in Turkey. Matched serum and oral fluid samples were collected from children with suspected CRS in an active surveillance programme at the Aravind Eye Hospital in South India. Serum samples were collected as part of the measles surveillance programme in Ethiopia. On serum samples the sensitivity and specificity of the Microimmune Rubella IgM capture EIA compared to Behring Enzygnost rubella IgM test was 96.9% (62/64; 95% CI 94.2-100%) and 100% (53/53; 95% CI 93.2-100%). On oral fluids compared to matched Behring results on serum the sensitivity was 95.5% (42/44; 95% CI 84.5-99.4%). The sensitivity and specificity of Microimmune Rubella IgM capture EIA on oral fluids from suspected CRS cases compared to serum results using Behring Enzygnost IgM assay was 100% (95% CI 84.5-100%) and 100% (95% CI 95.8-100.0%) respectively. Microimmune Rubella IgM capture EIA has adequate performance for diagnosis and surveillance of rubella in outbreak using either serum or oral fluid specimens.

  10. Update on Hyper IgE syndrome (HIES

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    Javad Ghaffari

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Hyper IgE Syndrome (HIES is a rare primary immunodeficiency disease. Most of HIES cases are sporadic. Autosomal dominant HIES is caused by mutation in signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3. A number of mosaicism HIES has been reported that is associated with intermediate phenotype. Autosomal recessive HIES is due to mutation in Dock-8 or cytokine sis 8 and TYK2 or tyrosine kinase 2. The common anifestations are atopic eczema, staphylococcal dermatitis, cellulitis and folliculitis (cold dermal abscesses that are not warm, painful and without redness, recurrent pneumonia and pulmonary abscesses, osteopenia and recurrent bone fracture. The diagnosis of standard HIES is based on clinical suspicion. There is no specific treatment for HIES. The treatment should be based on the prevention of developing infections. Prophylactic antibiotics such as cotrimoxazole and IVIG are administered. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was done for all types of HIES, but there is a little information and experience about the long term results of this therapy.

  11. IgM nephropathy; can we still ignore it.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanikar, Aruna

    2013-04-01

    IgM nephropathy (IgMN) is a relatively less recognized clinico-immunopathological entity in the domain of glomerulonephritis , often thought to be a bridge between minimal change disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Google Scholar, Pubmed (NLM), LISTA (EBSCO) and Web of Science has been searched. IgM nephropathy can present as nephritic syndrome or less commonly with subnephrotic proteinuria or rarely hematuria. About 30% patients respond to steroids whereas others are steroid dependent / resistant. They should be given a trial of Rituximab or stem cell therapy. IgM nephropathy (IgMN) is an important and rather neglected pathology responsible for renal morbidity in children and adults in developing countries as compared to developed nations with incidence of 2-18.5% of native biopsies. Abnormal T-cell function with hyperfunctioning suppressor T-cells are believed to be responsible for this disease entity. Approximately one third of the patients are steroid responders where as the remaining two thirds are steroid resistant or dependent. Therapeutic trials including cell therapies targeting suppressor T-cells are required.

  12. [MVK gene abnormality and new approach to treatment of hyper IgD syndrome and periodic fever syndrome].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naruto, Takuya

    2007-04-01

    Hyper IgD and periodic fever syndrome (HIDS; OMIM 260920) is one of the hereditary autoinflammatory syndromes characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and inflammation.. HIDS is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by recurrent fever attacks in early childhood. HIDS caused by mevalonate kinase (MK) mutations, also that is the gene of mevalonic aciduria (OMIM 251170). During febrile episodes, urinary mevalonate concentrations were found to be significantly elevated in patients. Diagnosis of HIDS was retrieving gene or measurement of the enzyme activity in peripheral blood lymphocyte in general. This of HIDS is an activity decline of MK, and a complete deficiency of MK becomes a mevalonic aciduria with a nervous symptom. The relation between the fever and inflammation of mevalonate or isoprenoid products are uncertain. The therapy attempt with statins, which is inhibited the next enzyme after HMG-CoA reductase, or inhibit the proinflammatory cytokines.

  13. Genetics Home Reference: X-linked hyper IgM syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... it plays a key role in T cell differentiation (the process by which cells mature to carry out specific functions). Mutations in the CD40LG gene lead to the production of an abnormal CD40 ligand or prevent production ...

  14. The Induction of IgM and IgG Antibodies against HLA or MICA after Lung Transplantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annelieke W. M. Paantjens

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The production of IgG HLA antibodies after lung transplantation (LTx is considered to be a major risk factor for the development of chronic rejection, represented by the bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS. It has recently been observed that elevated levels of IgM HLA antibodies also correlates with the development of chronic rejection in heart and kidney transplantation. This study investigates the relationship between IgM and IgG antibodies against HLA and MICA after lung transplantation. Serum was collected from 49 patients once prior to transplantation and monthly for up to 1 year after lung transplantation was analyzed by Luminex to detect IgM and IgG antibodies against HLA and MICA. The presence of either IgM or IgG HLA and/or MICA antibodies prior to or after transplantation was not related to survival, gender, primary disease, or the development of BOS. Additionally, the production of IgG alloantibodies was not preceded by an increase in levels of IgM, and IgM levels were not followed by an increase in IgG. Under current immune suppressive regimen, although the presence of IgM antibodies does not correlate with BOS after LTx, IgM high IgG low HLA class I antibody titers were observed more in patients with BOS compared to patients without BOS.

  15. The Induction of IgM and IgG Antibodies against HLA or MICA after Lung Transplantation

    OpenAIRE

    Paantjens, Annelieke W. M.; van de Graaf, Ed A.; Kwakkel-van Erp, Johanna M.; Hoefnagel, Tineke; van Ginkel, Walter G. J.; Fakhry, Farzia; van Kessel, Diana A.; van den Bosch, Jules M. M.; Otten, Henny G.

    2011-01-01

    The production of IgG HLA antibodies after lung transplantation (LTx) is considered to be a major risk factor for the development of chronic rejection, represented by the bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS). It has recently been observed that elevated levels of IgM HLA antibodies also correlates with the development of chronic rejection in heart and kidney transplantation. This study investigates the relationship between IgM and IgG antibodies against HLA and MICA after lung transplantati...

  16. Effect of inflammatory attacks in the classical type hyper-IgD syndrome on immunoglobulin D, cholesterol and parameters of the acute phase response

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Simon, A.; Bijzet, J.; Voorbij, H.A.M.; Mantovani, A.; Van Der Meer, J.W.M.; Drenth, J.P.H.

    2004-01-01

    Background. Classical type hyper-immunoglobulin D (IgD) syndrome (HTDS) is an hereditary autoinflammatory disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, lymphadenopathy, abdominal distress and a high serum concentration of IgD. It is caused by mevalonate kinase deficiency. Objective. To

  17. Effect of inflammatory attacks in the classical type hyper-IgD syndrome on immunoglobulin D, cholesterol and parameters of the acute phase response.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Simon, A.; Bijzet, J.; Voorbij, H.A.; Mantovani, A.; Meer, J.W.M. van der; Drenth, J.P.H.

    2004-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Classical type hyper-immunoglobulin D (IgD) syndrome (HIDS) is an hereditary auto-inflammatory disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, lymphadenopathy, abdominal distress and a high serum concentration of IgD. It is caused by mevalonate kinase deficiency. OBJECTIVE: To

  18. Cerebrospinal fluid anti-Epstein-Barr virus specific oligoclonal IgM and IgG bands in patients with clinically isolated and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferraro, Diana; Galli, Veronica; Simone, Anna Maria; Bedin, Roberta; Vitetta, Francesca; Merelli, Elisa; Nichelli, Paolo Frigio; Sola, Patrizia

    2017-04-01

    Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis. We aimed to assess the frequency of EBV-specific IgG and IgM oligoclonal bands (OCB) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 50 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and in 27 controls with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Furthermore, we assessed correlations between the presence of OCB and CIS patients' CSF, MRI, and clinical variables. There was no difference in the proportion of CIS and GB patients with positivity for anti-EBV-specific IgG/IgM OCB. There were no correlations between OCB and analyzed variables, nor were they predictive of a higher disability at 3 years.

  19. Fuzzy implicative hyper BCK-ideals of hyper BCK-algebras

    OpenAIRE

    Jun, Young Bae; Shim, Wook Hwan

    2002-01-01

    We consider the fuzzification of the notion of implicative hyper BCK-ideals, and then investigate several properties. Using the concept of level subsets, we give a characterization of a fuzzy implicative hyper BCK-ideal. We state a relation between a fuzzy hyper BCK-ideal and a fuzzy implicative hyper BCK-ideal. We establish a condition for a fuzzy hyper BCK-ideal to be a fuzzy implicative hyper BCK-ideal. Finally, we introduce the notion of hyper homomorphisms of hyper ...

  20. Site-Specific Gene Editing of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells for X-Linked Hyper-IgM Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline Y. Kuo

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available X-linked hyper-immunoglobulin M (hyper-IgM syndrome (XHIM is a primary immunodeficiency due to mutations in CD40 ligand that affect immunoglobulin class-switch recombination and somatic hypermutation. The disease is amenable to gene therapy using retroviral vectors, but dysregulated gene expression results in abnormal lymphoproliferation in mouse models, highlighting the need for alternative strategies. Here, we demonstrate the ability of both the transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9 platforms to efficiently drive integration of a normal copy of the CD40L cDNA delivered by Adeno-Associated Virus. Site-specific insertion of the donor sequence downstream of the endogenous CD40L promoter maintained physiologic expression of CD40L while overriding all reported downstream mutations. High levels of gene modification were achieved in primary human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs, as well as in cell lines and XHIM-patient-derived T cells. Notably, gene-corrected HSCs engrafted in immunodeficient mice at clinically relevant frequencies. These studies provide the foundation for a permanent curative therapy in XHIM.

  1. Psychosocial and Pedagogical Means of Reduction of Hyper Dynamic Manifestations Syndrome Within the Affective Personality Disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liana Novitska

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The problem of correction of affective personality disorders (for example, reducing the manifestations of hyper dynamic syndrome, analyzes the main approaches to its solution. We determined the causes and forms of attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity. To characterize the basic correction means reducing the manifestations of hyper dynamic behavior, which includes two areas with different content and psycho social and recreational components. The first direction is connected with the conduct of an individual or group psycho-correction work; the second – social and recreational include tasks aimed at providing social and psychological support to the individual. It is shown that the problem of hyperactive behavior is determined by the individual variability and natural features caused by human development. Psychological studies suggest the importance of external, social factors, primarily adequate forms of organization and communication, the influence of family relations on the manifestations of hyperactivity. It is shown that the implementation of psycho-pedagogical bases of overcoming hyperactivity leads to increased self-esteem, developing the ability to plan and predict their own behavior and, as a consequence – the disclosure of the individual adaptation possibilities.

  2. Toll-like receptor stimulation induces higher TNF-alpha secretion in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with hyper IgE syndrome

    OpenAIRE

    Yeganeh, Mehdi; Henneke, Philipp; Rezaei, Nima; Ehl, Stephan; Thiel, Doerte; Matamoros, Nuria; Pietrogrande, Cristina; Espanol, Teresa; Litzman, Jiri; Franco, Jose L.; Sanal, Ozden; Kilic, Sara S.; Breborowicz, Anna; Plebani, Alessandro; Renner, Ellen

    2008-01-01

    Hyper IgE syndromes (HIES) are primary immunodeficiency disorders of unknown pathogenesis. Patients are typically affected with `cold' abscesses of the skin, recurrent cyst-forming pneumonia, chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and other less frequent features such as progressive skeletal abnormalities. Defective signaling in the Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathways has been suggested as a responsible pathologic mechanism, however, in previous reports, 10 patients revealed no defect in inflammator...

  3. Radioimmunoassay for detection of IgM domains

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimizu, A [Osaka Univ. (Japan); Watanabe, S; Kiyotaki, C; Yamamura, Y

    1979-09-01

    IgM from two macroglobulinemia patients was digested with trypsin, and Fab monomer, Fab dimer and Fc fragments of the IgM were isolated. Using these fragments as antigens and rabbit antisera prepared against another IgM from a macroglobulinemia patient, a radioimmunoassay system for the C..mu..1, C..mu..2 and Fc..mu.. was established. This system can be used as a tool for immunochemical characterization of IgM present on the surface of lymphoid cells.

  4. Role of Natural IgM Autoantibodies (IgM-NAA) and IgM Anti-Leukocyte Antibodies (IgM-ALA) in Regulating Inflammation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lobo, Peter I

    2017-01-01

    Natural IgM autoantibodies (IgM-NAA) are rapidly produced to inhibit pathogens and abrogate inflammation mediated by invading microorganisms and host neoantigens. IgM-NAA achieve this difficult task by being polyreactive with low binding affinity but with high avidity, characteristics that allow these antibodies to bind antigenic determinants shared by pathogens and neoantigens. Hence the same clones of natural IgM can bind and mask host neoantigens as well as inhibit microorganisms. In addition, IgM-NAA regulate the inflammatory response via mechanisms involving binding of IgM to apoptotic cells to enhance their removal and binding of IgM to live leukocytes to regulate their function. Secondly, we review how natural IgM prevents autoimmune disorders arising from pathogenic IgG autoantibodies as well as by autoreactive B and T cells that have escaped tolerance mechanisms. Thirdly, using IgM knockout mice, we show that regulatory B and T cells require IgM to effectively regulate inflammation mediated by innate, adaptive and autoimmune mechanisms. It is therefore not surprising why the host positively selects such autoreactive B1 cells that generate protective IgM-NAA, which are also evolutionarily conserved. Fourthly, we show that IgM anti-leukocyte autoantibodies (IgM-ALA) levels and their repertoire can vary in normal humans and disease states and this variation may partly explain the observed differences in the inflammatory response after infection, ischemic injury or after a transplant. Finally we also show how protective IgM-NAA can be rendered pathogenic under non-physiological conditions. IgM-NAA have therapeutic potential. Polyclonal IgM infusions can be used to abrogate ongoing inflammation. Additionally, inflammation arising after ischemic kidney injury, e.g., during high-risk elective cardiac surgery or after allograft transplantation, can be prevented by pre-emptively infusing polyclonal IgM, or DC pretreated ex vivo with IgM, or by increasing in vivo IgM

  5. Follicular fluid lipid fingerprinting from women with PCOS and hyper response during IVF treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cordeiro, Fernanda Bertuccez; Cataldi, Thaís Regiani; do Vale Teixeira da Costa, Lívia; de Lima, Camila Bruna; Stevanato, Juliana; Zylbersztejn, Daniel Suslik; Ferreira, Christina Ramires; Eberlin, Marcos Nogueira; Cedenho, Agnaldo Pereira; Turco, Edson Guimarães Lo

    2015-01-01

    Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine-metabolic disorder that leads to lower natural reproductive potential and presents a challenge for assisted reproductive medicine because patients may exhibit immature oocyte retrieval and a higher risk of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. This study aimed to identify potential lipid biomarkers for women with PCOS and a hyper response to controlled ovarian stimulation. Follicular fluid samples were collected from patients who underwent IVF, including normal responder women who became pregnant (control group, n = 11), women with PCOS and a hyper response to gonadotropins (PCOS group, n = 7) and women with only hyper response to gonadotropins (HR group, n = 7). A lipidomic analysis was performed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and candidate biomarkers were analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry experiment. The lipid profiles indicated particularities related to differences in phosphatidylcholine (PCOS and HR), phosphatidylserine, phosphatydilinositol and phosphatidylglycerol (control), sphingolipids (PCOS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (control and HR). These findings contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with lipid metabolism in the PCOS-related hyper response, and strongly suggest that these lipids may be useful as biomarkers, leading to the development of more individualized treatment for pregnancy outcome.

  6. IgM rheumatoid factor removal and performance of the FTA-ABS (IgM) test in congenital syphilis.

    OpenAIRE

    Meyer, M P; Roditi, D; Louw, S

    1992-01-01

    OBJECTIVE--To determine the performance of the FTA-ABS (IgM) test in congenital syphilis after eliminating interference by IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) and preventing competitive inhibition by IgG. DESIGN--The FTA-ABS (IgM) test was carried out before and after RF removal (achieved by immunoprecipitation of the IgG) in infants with congenital syphilis and controls. SETTING--Newborns delivered in the Peninsula Maternal and Neonatal Services in Cape Town and infants presenting at Red Cross War Me...

  7. IgM rheumatoid factor removal and performance of the FTA-ABS (IgM) test in congenital syphilis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, M P; Roditi, D; Louw, S

    1992-08-01

    To determine the performance of the FTA-ABS (IgM) test in congenital syphilis after eliminating interference by IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) and preventing competitive inhibition by IgG. The FTA-ABS (IgM) test was carried out before and after RF removal (achieved by immunoprecipitation of the IgG) in infants with congenital syphilis and controls. Newborns delivered in the Peninsula Maternal and Neonatal Services in Cape Town and infants presenting at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital. Infants with congenital syphilis aged 0-4 months were divided into those with clinical signs at presentation and those who were asymptomatic at delivery. In addition, patients without congenital syphilis but with similar clinical signs at presentation were investigated as were control infants. The diagnosis of congenital syphilis was based on the criteria suggested by Kaufman et al (1977). Amongst symptomatic infants with congenital syphilis the FTA-ABS (IgM) test was positive in 34 (92%) of 37 cases prior to abolishing the RF effect and in 29 (78.4%) of 37 cases afterwards (p = 0.19). In 12 cases of congenital syphilis who were asymptomatic at birth, 10 had positive FTA-ABS (IgM) tests before RF removal and only three had positive tests afterwards (p = 0.006). False positive tests were not found amongst 15 symptomatic infants whose clinical features mimicked those of the infants with congenital syphilis. Among 51 healthy infants the test had a false-positive rate of 2% in newborns and 13% in older infants. The false positive reactions were eradicated by IgG precipitation. Following IgG and RF removal there was an improvement in the specificity of the FTA-ABS (IgM) test but this was at the expense of a loss of sensitivity, particularly in asymptomatic newborns. For newborns, if the FTA-ABS (IgM) test was positive, the patient was likely to require treatment for congenital syphilis, regardless of whether the result was due to the presence of RF or specific IgM.

  8. Alcohol-independent beneficial cardiometabolic profile of individuals with hyper-HDL cholesterolemia in Japanese men and women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wakabayashi, Ichiro; Daimon, Takashi

    2015-01-01

    There is limited information on characterization of individuals with hyper-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterolemia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cardiometabolic profile of individuals with hyper-HDL cholesterolemia in comparison with the profile of individuals with normo-HDL cholesterolemia. The subjects were Japanese men and women who had hyper-HDL cholesterolemia (≥100 mg/dL) and their control subjects who had normal HDL cholesterol levels (≥40 and hyper- and normo-HDL cholesterolemic groups. Both in men and women, body mass index, waist-to-height ratio, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1c were significantly lower in subjects with hyper-HDL cholesterolemia than in subjects with normo-HDL cholesterolemia, whereas systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were not significantly different between the 2 groups. In generalized estimating equation with adjustment for smoking and regular exercise, odds ratios of the hyper- vs normo-HDL cholesterolemic groups were significantly lower than the reference level of 1.00 for high body mass index, high waist-to-height ratio, hypertriglyceridemia, hyper-low-density lipoprotein cholesterolemia, high lipid accumulation product, and metabolic syndrome. The previously mentioned results were obtained both in age-matched analysis and in age- and alcohol intake-matched analysis, although the percentage of regular drinkers was significantly higher in the hyper-HDL cholesterolemic group than in the age-matched control group. Hyper-HDL cholesterolemia was inversely associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome in the analysis using alcohol intake-matched subject groups. Therefore, the association of hyper-HDL cholesterolemia with lower cardiometabolic risk is thought to be independent of habitual alcohol drinking. Copyright © 2015 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Bianchi type A hyper-symplectic and hyper-Kaehler metrics in 4D

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Andrés, L C; Fernández, M; Ivanov, S; Santisteban, J A; Ugarte, L; Vassilev, D

    2012-01-01

    We present a simple explicit construction of hyper-Kaehler and hyper-symplectic (also known as neutral hyper-Kaehler or hyper-para-Kaehler) metrics in 4D using the Bianchi type groups of class A. The construction underlies a correspondence between hyper-Kaehler and hyper-symplectic structures of dimension 4. (paper)

  10. New mechanism of oral immunity to mucosal candidiasis in hyper-IgE syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conti, H R; Baker, O; Freeman, A F; Jang, W S; Holland, S M; Li, R A; Edgerton, M; Gaffen, S L

    2011-07-01

    Oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC, thrush) is an opportunistic infection caused by the commensal fungus Candida albicans. An understanding of immunity to Candida has recently begun to unfold with the identification of fungal pattern-recognition receptors such as C-type lectin receptors, which trigger protective T-helper (Th)17 responses in the mucosa. Hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES/Job's syndrome) is a rare congenital immunodeficiency characterized by dominant-negative mutations in signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, which is downstream of the Th17-inductive cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-23, and hence patients with HIES exhibit dramatic Th17 deficits. HIES patients develop oral and mucocutaneous candidiasis, supporting a protective role for Th17 cells in immunity to OPC. However, the Th17-dependent mechanisms of antifungal immunity in OPC are still poorly defined. An often unappreciated aspect of oral immunity is saliva, which is rich in antimicrobial proteins (AMPs) and exerts direct antifungal activity. In this study, we show that HIES patients show significant impairment in salivary AMPs, including β-defensin 2 and Histatins. This tightly correlates with reduced candidacidal activity of saliva and concomitantly elevated colonization with Candida. Moreover, IL-17 induces histatins in cultured salivary gland cells. This is the first demonstration that HIES is associated with defective salivary activity, and provides a mechanism for the severe susceptibility of these patients to OPC.

  11. A peptide extension dictates IgM assembly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasalic, Dzana; Weber, Benedikt; Giannone, Chiara; Anelli, Tiziana; Müller, Roger; Fagioli, Claudio; Felkl, Manuel; John, Christine; Mossuto, Maria Francesca; Becker, Christian F W; Sitia, Roberto; Buchner, Johannes

    2017-10-10

    Professional secretory cells can produce large amounts of high-quality complex molecules, including IgM antibodies. Owing to their multivalency, polymeric IgM antibodies provide an efficient first-line of defense against pathogens. To decipher the mechanisms of IgM assembly, we investigated its biosynthesis in living cells and faithfully reconstituted the underlying processes in vitro. We find that a conserved peptide extension at the C-terminal end of the IgM heavy (Ig-μ) chains, termed the tailpiece, is necessary and sufficient to establish the correct geometry. Alanine scanning revealed that hydrophobic amino acids in the first half of the tailpiece contain essential information for generating the correct topology. Assembly is triggered by the formation of a disulfide bond linking two tailpieces. This induces conformational changes in the tailpiece and the adjacent domain, which drive further polymerization. Thus, the biogenesis of large and topologically challenging IgM complexes is dictated by a local conformational switch in a peptide extension.

  12. Antibodies recognizing both IgM isotypes in Atlantic salmon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hedfors, Ida Aagård; Bakke, Hege; Skjødt, Karsten

    2012-01-01

    these molecules. The present study aimed at identifying tools to separate IgM positive (IgM(+)) B cells from IgM negative (IgM(-)) non-B cell populations using flow cytometry. Several monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and one polyclonal antibody (pAb) to both rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon...... (Salmo salar) IgM, either commercially available or locally produced were tested for their recognition of Atlantic salmon IgM(+) cells. Leukocytes were isolated from peripheral blood (PB), spleen (S) and head kidney (HK) and stained with all mAbs and the pAb, to possibly verify the approximate number...... of IgM(+) cells in the respective tissues in salmon. To our surprise, this seemingly simple task did not reveal similar staining patterns for all antibodies as expected, but rather large differences in the number of positively stained cells were discovered. In short, positively stained cells by each...

  13. Bianchi type A hyper-symplectic and hyper-K\\"ahler metrics in 4D

    OpenAIRE

    de Andrés, Luis C.; Fernández, Marisa; Ivanov, Stefan; Santisteban, José A.; Ugarte, Luis; Vassilev, Dimiter

    2011-01-01

    We present a simple explicit construction of hyper-Kaehler and hyper-symplectic (also known as neutral hyper-Kaehler or hyper-parakaehler) metrics in 4D using the Bianchi type groups of class A. The construction underlies a correspondence between hyper-Kaehler and hyper-symplectic structures in dimension four.

  14. Protective roles of natural IgM antibodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline eGrönwall

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Antibodies are a vital part of the armentarium of the adaptive immune system for the fine-tuning of the recognition and response to foreign threats. However, in health there are some types of antibodies that instead recognize self-antigens for the enhancement of primitive innate functions. The repertoire of natural IgM antibodies is postulated to have been selected during immune evolution for their contributions to critical immunoregulatory and housekeeping properties. The clearance of dying cells is one of the most essential responsibilities of the immune system, which is essential to prevent uncontrolled inflammation and autoimmunity. In the murine immune system, natural IgM antibodies that recognize apoptotic cells have been shown to enhance the phagocytic clearance of dead and dying cells and to suppress innate immune signaling pathways. In the mouse, natural IgM are often the products of B-1 cell clones that arise during immune development without an absolute requirement for exogenous antigenic stimulation. In patients with systemic lupus erythemtosus, IgM autoantibodies, which bind to neo-epitopes on apoptotic cells, have been demonstrated to be present at significantly higher levels in patients with lower disease activity and with less severe organ damage. While certain specificities of IgM autoantibodies correlate with protection from lupus renal disease, others may convey protective properties from lupus-associated atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. New unexpected insights into the functional roles of IgM antibodies are still emerging, especially regarding the functions of natural antibodies. Herein, we review recent progress in our understanding of the potential roles of natural IgM autoantibodies in the regulation of immune homeostasis and for protection from autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

  15. Coexistence of IgM antihepatitis A virus and IgM antihepatitis E virus in acute viral hepatitis: a prospective, multicentre study in Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jang, J-H; Jung, Y M; Kim, J S; Lee, S H; Kim, J-W; Hwang, S G; Rim, K S; Park, S J; Park, Y M; Kang, S-K; Lee, H S; Yun, H; Kim, J-H; Jeong, S-H

    2011-10-01

    This study investigated the clinical, serological and molecular characteristics of coexistence of both immunoglobulin M (IgM) antihepatitis A virus (HAV) and IgM antihepatitis E virus (HEV) in acute viral hepatitis using a prospective, multicentre design. Among a total of 771 symptomatic cases with acute viral hepatitis enrolled in a Korean city from September 2006 to August 2008, coexistence of IgM anti-HAV and IgM anti-HEV was found in 43 patients (A+E group; 6%), while the existence of IgM anti-HAV alone was found in 595 patients (A group; 77%) and that of IgM anti-HEV alone in 14 patients (E group; 2%). Clinical data analysis and measurement of IgM and IgG anti-HEV were performed using two different commercial kits, and HAV RNA and HEV RNA were detected in available serum or stool samples. The clinical features of the A+E group were similar to those of the A group. HAV RNA detection rates in the A+E and A group were similar, while HEV RNA was detected only in the stool samples of the E group, not in the A+E group. Comparative testing of anti-HEV using two different ELISA kits showed markedly discordant results for IgM anti-HEV positivity and consistently low positivity for IgG anti-HEV in the A+E group. Coexistence of IgM anti-HEV measured by the Genelabs ELISA kit in the setting of hepatitis A appears to yield false-positive results in nonendemic areas of HEV infection. Diagnosis of hepatitis E using IgM anti-HEV should be made with caution. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  16. Case report of a young child with disseminated histoplasmosis and review of hyper immunoglobulin e syndrome (HIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robinson Wilson S

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Type 1 hyper IgE syndrome (HIES, also known as Job's Syndrome, is an autosomal dominant disorder due to defects in STAT3 signaling and Th17 differentiation. Symptoms may present during infancy but diagnosis is often made in childhood or later. HIES is characterized by immunologic and non-immunologic findings such as recurrent sinopulmonary infections, recurrent skin infections, multiple fractures, atopic dermatitis and characteristic facies. These manifestations are accompanied by elevated IgE levels and reduced IL-17 producing CD3+CD4+ T cells. Diagnosis in young children can be challenging as symptoms accumulate over time along with confounding clinical dilemmas. A NIH clinical HIES scoring system was developed in 1999, and a more recent scoring system with fewer but more pathogonomonic clinical findings was reported in 2010. These scoring systems can be used as tools to help in grading the likelihood of HIES diagnosis. We report a young child ultimately presenting with disseminated histoplasmosis and a novel STAT3 variant in the SH2 domain.

  17. Enterovirus IgM detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frisk, G.; Nilsson, E.; Diderholm, H.

    1989-01-01

    A predominantly type-specific L-capture radio-immunoassay (RIA) of IgM antibodies to Coxsackie B1-B5 (CB1-CB5) viruses was previously described. The present study is concerned with the specificity of this assay, using as antigen different strains of one serotype (CB5) and procapsids of two serotypes (CB3 and CB5). Eight strains of CB5 virions were tested against acute and/or convalescent sera from 10 patients from whom CB5 had been isolated. It is concluded that the choice of strain is important if a high frequency of homotypic titres with no or only a few heterotypic reactions is to be obtained. When procapsids were used as antigen, both homotypic and heterotypic titres were seen to a large extent. All patients with homotypic IgM against CB3 or CB5 virions showed IgM against the CB3 or the CB5 procapsids, respectively. It is concluded that the use of two or more procapsids in combination is of value for the diagnosis of a recent or current enterovirus infection (author). 18 refs.; 2 figs.; 4 tabs

  18. Mastering Hyper-V Deployment

    CERN Document Server

    Finn, Aidan

    2010-01-01

    The only book to take an in-depth look at deploying Hyper-V. Now in its second generation, the popular Hyper-V boasts technical advances that create even more dynamic systems than ever before. This unique resource serves an authoritative guide to deploying Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V comprehensively. Step-by-step instructions demonstrate how to design a Hyper-V deployment, build a Hyper-V host environment, and design a management system with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2.: Features real-world examples that show you how to design a Hyper-V deployment, build a Hyper-V host env

  19. Autoimmunity related to IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Peripheral neuropathy and connective tissue sensibilization caused by IgM M-proteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jønsson, V; Schrøder, H D; Nolsøe, C

    1988-01-01

    of them, including two siblings with a demyelinating peripheral neuropathy, the IgM was bound to the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) of peripheral nerves. One had axonal neuropathy with IgM activity against the peri- and endoneurium, while another case with post-infectious neuritis had IgM activity......In eight of 10 consecutive cases of IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), the M-protein had specificity towards various tissues as estimated by direct and indirect immunofluorescence studies of skin and/or sural nerve biopsies. Five of the cases had neuropathy. In three...

  20. On hyper BCC-algebras

    OpenAIRE

    Borzooei, R. A.; Dudek, W. A.; Koohestani, N.

    2006-01-01

    We study hyper BCC-algebras which are a common generalization of BCC-algebras and hyper BCK-algebras. In particular, we investigate different types of hyper BCC-ideals and describe the relationship among them. Next, we calculate all nonisomorphic 22 hyper BCC-algebras of order 3 of which only three are not hyper BCK-algebras.

  1. On hyper BCC-algebras

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. A. Borzooei

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available We study hyper BCC-algebras which are a common generalization of BCC-algebras and hyper BCK-algebras. In particular, we investigate different types of hyper BCC-ideals and describe the relationship among them. Next, we calculate all nonisomorphic 22 hyper BCC-algebras of order 3 of which only three are not hyper BCK-algebras.

  2. Smarandache hyper BCC-algebra

    OpenAIRE

    Ahadpanah, A.; Borumand Saeid, A.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we define the Smarandache hyper BCC-algebra, and Smarandache hyper BCC-ideals of type 1, 2, 3 and 4. We state and prove some theorems in Smarandache hyper BCC -algebras, and then we determine the relationships between these hyper ideals.

  3. Hyper-V Replica essentials

    CERN Document Server

    Krstevski, Vangel

    2013-01-01

    a in various deployment scenarios.Hyper-V Replica Essentials is for Windows Server administrators who want to improve their system availability and speed up disaster recovery. You will need experience in Hyper-V deployment because Hyper-V Replica is built in the Hyper-V platform.

  4. Nuclear imaging for the Cushing's syndrome etiological diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nocaudie, M.

    2000-01-01

    Etiologic diagnosing of a Cushing's syndrome relies upon the probabilities of the various causes of the pathologies. It takes advantage of the hormonal determinations to establish the mechanism of the hyper-secretion and of the radiological examination to detect morphological abnormalities. The scinti-scans are useful at this time only, to locate hyper-functioning tissue, to guide its resection and to suggest alternative option, either pharmaceutical or radio-metabolic. In the ACTH-independent Cushing's syndrome, noriodocholesterol scintigraphy can indicate that the adrenocortical hyper-functioning is unilateral or that it is bilateral. In the ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome, the current somatostatin radio-analogs have not proven their efficiency in pituitary ACTH-producing tumours but they are useful in the diagnosis and the management of bronchial carcinoids as of other neuro-endocrine tumors with the para-neoplastic Cushing's syndrome. (author)

  5. Type III Mixed Cryoglobulinemia and Antiphospholipid Syndrome in a Patient With Partial DiGeorge Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alice D. Chang

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available We studied a 14 year-old boy with partial DiGeorge syndrome (DGS, status post complete repair of Tetralogy of Fallot, who developed antiphospholipid syndrome (APS and type III mixed cryoglobulinemia. He presented with recurrent fever and dyspnea upon exertion secondary to right pulmonary embolus on chest computed tomography (CT. Coagulation studies revealed homozygous methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase 677TT mutations, elevated cardiolipin IgM antibodies, and elevated β2-glycoprotein I IgM antibodies. Infectious work-up revealed only positive anti-streptolysin O (ASO and anti-DNAse B titers. Autoimmune studies showed strongly positive anti-platelet IgM, elevated rheumatoid factor (RF, and positive cryocrit. Renal biopsy for evaluation of proteinuria and hematuria showed diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (DPGN with membranoproliferative features consistent with cryoglobulinemia. Immunofixation showed polyclonal bands. Our patient was treated successfully with antibiotics, prednisone, and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF. This is the first report of a patient with partial DGS presenting with APS and type III mixed cryoglobulinemia possibly due to Streptococcal infection.

  6. Talent in autism: hyper-systemizing, hyper-attention to detail and sensory hypersensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baron-Cohen, Simon; Ashwin, Emma; Ashwin, Chris; Tavassoli, Teresa; Chakrabarti, Bhismadev

    2009-05-27

    We argue that hyper-systemizing predisposes individuals to show talent, and review evidence that hyper-systemizing is part of the cognitive style of people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). We then clarify the hyper-systemizing theory, contrasting it to the weak central coherence (WCC) and executive dysfunction (ED) theories. The ED theory has difficulty explaining the existence of talent in ASC. While both hyper-systemizing and WCC theories postulate excellent attention to detail, by itself excellent attention to detail will not produce talent. By contrast, the hyper-systemizing theory argues that the excellent attention to detail is directed towards detecting 'if p, then q' rules (or [input-operation-output] reasoning). Such law-based pattern recognition systems can produce talent in systemizable domains. Finally, we argue that the excellent attention to detail in ASC is itself a consequence of sensory hypersensitivity. We review an experiment from our laboratory demonstrating sensory hypersensitivity detection thresholds in vision. We conclude that the origins of the association between autism and talent begin at the sensory level, include excellent attention to detail and end with hyper-systemizing.

  7. Kinetics of hemolytic plaque formation. IV. IgM plaque inhibition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    DeLisi, C

    1975-01-01

    An analysis of the inhibition of hemolytic plaques formed against IgM antibodies is presented. The starting point is the equations of DeLisi and Bell (1974) which describe the kinetics of plaque growth, and DeLisi and Goldstein (1975) which describe inhibition of IgG plaques. However, the physical chemical models which were used previously to describe IgG inhibition data are shown to be inadequate for describing the characteristics of IgM inhibition curves. Moreover, it is shown that the experimental results place severe restrictions on the possible choices of physical chemical models for IgM upon which to base the calculations. It is argued that in order to account even qualitatively for all the data, one must assume (1) a very restricted motion of IgMs about the Fab hinge region and (2) a very narrow secretion rate distribution of IgM by antibody secreting cells. (auth)

  8. Follicular aspiration versus coasting for ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome prevention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bushaqer, Nayla J.; Dayoub, Nawal M.; AlHattali, Khalsa K.; Ayyoub, Hisham A.; AlFaraj, Samaher S.; Hassan, Samar N.

    2018-01-01

    Objectives: To compare follicular reduction prior to human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) trigger and coasting in terms of ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS) reduction, pregnancy, and cancellation rates in in vitro fertilization/ intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles. Methods: This study was designed as a prospective study. The setting was the IVF unit at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A total of 39 patients undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles, who were at risk of OHSS, 20 were put into a coasting group and 19 had follicular reduction instead. This occurred between October 2010 and January 2011. Our main outcome was OHSS reduction. Results: Six (30%) women developed OHSS in the coasting group and 2 (10.5%) women developed OHSS in the follicular group (p-value=0.235). The pregnancy rates in the cycles were similar for both groups: 4/20 (20%) in the coasting group and 3/19 (15.8%) in the follicular group (p-value=1.000). The cancellation rate of the cycles was similar for both groups, 6/20 (30%) in the coasting group and 1/19 (5.3%) in the follicular group (p-value=0.09). The median number of punctured follicles was significantly lower in the follicular group (16 follicles, interquartile range (IQR)=21-12) compared to the coasting group (29 follicles, IQR=37.8-19.8, p-value=0.001). The retrieved, fertilized, and cleaved oocytes, as well as the number of embryos transferred, were similar amongst both groups. Conclusion: There was no difference between follicular reduction prior to HCG and coasting, in terms of OHSS reduction, pregnancy, and cancellation rates in both the IVF and ICSI cycles. PMID:29543308

  9. HYPER system design study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Won S.; Han, Seok J.; Song, Tae Y. [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Taejon (Korea)

    1999-04-01

    KAERI is developing ADS, named HYPER for the transmutation of nuclear waste. HYPER is designed to produce 1000 MWth with the subcriticality of 0.97. HYPER adopts a hollow cylinder type metal fuel and require 1.0GeV, 16mA proton beams. Pb-Bi is used as coolant and the inlet and outlet temperatures are 340 deg C, 510 deg C, respectively. In addition, Pb-Bi coolant is used as spallation target also. HYPER is expected to incinerate about 380 kg of TRU a year, which is corresponding to the support ratio 5 {approx} 6. 23 refs., 50 figs., 31 tabs. (Author)

  10. Design status of Hyper system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Won S.; Hwang, Woan; Kom, Yong G.; Tak, Nam Il; Song, Tae T.

    2000-01-01

    Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been performing accelerator driven system related research and development (Rid) called Hyper for the transmutation of nuclear waste and energy production through the transmutation process. Hyper program is within the frame work of the national mid and long-term nuclear research plan. KAERI is aiming to develop the system concept and a type of road map by the year of 2001 and complete the conceptual design of HYPER system by the year of 2006. Some major design features of HYPER system have been developed. On-power fueling concepts are employed to compensate for the rapid drop of core reactivity. In order to increase the proliferation resistance, whole TRU without any actinide separation will be transmuted in the HYPER system. The long-lived fission products such as Tc-99 and I-129 will be destroyed using the localized thermal neutrons separately in the HYPER. A hollow cylinder-type metal fuel (TRU-Zr) has been chosen because of its high compatibility with pyro-chemical process. Pb-Bi is adopted as a coolant and spallation target material. The heat removal system is designed based on 3 loop concept. 1Gev 6mA proton beam is designed to be provided for HYPER. HYPER is to transmute about 380 kg of TRU a year and produce 1000MWth power. The support ratio of HYPER is believed to be 5 - 6. (author)

  11. IgM, FcµRs, and malarial immune evasion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Czajkowsky, Daniel M; Salanti, Ali; Ditlev, Sisse B

    2010-01-01

    IgM is an ancestral Ab class found in all jawed vertebrates, from sharks to mammals. This ancient ancestry is shared by malaria parasites (genus Plasmodium) that infect all classes of terrestrial vertebrates with whom they coevolved. IgM, the least studied and most enigmatic of the vertebrate Igs...

  12. HyperCard to SPSS: improving data integrity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gostel, R

    1993-01-01

    This article describes a database design that captures responses in a HyperCard stack and moves the data to SPSS for the Macintosh without the need to rekey data. Pregnant women used an interactive computer application with a touch screen to answer questions and receive educational information about fetal alcohol syndrome. A database design was created to capture survey responses through interaction with a computer by a sample of prenatal women during formative evaluation trials. The author does not compare this method of data collection to other methods. This article simply describes the method of data collection as a useful research tool.

  13. Calorimetric features of IgM gammopathies. Implication for patient’s diagnosis and monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Krumova, Sashka; Todinova, Svetla; Danailova, Avgustina [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, 1113 Sofia (Bulgaria); Petkova, Violeta; Dimitrova, Keranka; Gartcheva, Lidia [National Specialized Hospital for Active Treating of Haematological Diseases, Sofia 1756 (Bulgaria); Taneva, Stefka G., E-mail: stefka.germanova@ehu.es [Institute of Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., bl. 21, 1113 Sofia (Bulgaria); Unidad de Biofísica (CSIC-UPV/EHU) and Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad del País Vasco, 48080 Bilbao (Spain)

    2015-09-10

    Highlights: • DSC reveals distinct calorimetric features for IgM gammopaties. • Calorimetry sets of IgM multiple myeloma and Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia patients. • DSC features correlate with the level of involved IgM heavy/light chains. • DSC and “Heavylite” are complementary methods for patients diagnostics/monitoring. - Abstract: The serum proteome of patients featuring immunoglobulin M (IgM) gammopathy and diagnosed as having IgM multiple myeloma or Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and HevyLite™ (HLC) assay. The thermodynamic properties of the thermograms and their deviation from the typical healthy thermogram were found to correlate with the monoclonal protein concentration and the level of the involved (monoclonal) IgM heavy/light chains. Patients monitoring during treatment showed that the variations in the shape of the DSC profiles corresponded to fluctuations of the IgM heavy/light chain levels verifying the two parameters as non-invasive markers for disease progression.

  14. Individualized versus standard FSH dosing in women starting IVF/ICSI: An RCT. Part 2: The predicted hyper responder

    OpenAIRE

    Oudshoorn, Simone C.; Van Tilborg, Theodora C.; Eijkemans, Marinus J. C.; Oosterhuis, G. Jur E.; Friederich, Jaap; van Hooff, Marcel H. A.; van Santbrink, Evert J. P.; Brinkhuis, Egbert A.; Smeenk, Jesper M. J.; Kwee, Janet; de Koning, Corry H.; Groen, Henk; Lambalk, Cornelis B.; Mol, Ben Willem J.; Broekmans, Frank J. M.

    2017-01-01

    STUDY QUESTION: Does a reduced FSH dose in women with a predicted hyper response, apparent from a high antral follicle count (AFC), who are scheduled for IVF/ICSI lead to a different outcome with respect to cumulative live birth rate and safety? SUMMARY ANSWER: Although in women with a predicted hyper response (AFC > 15) undergoing IVF/ICSI a reduced FSH dose (100 IU per day) results in similar cumulative live birth rates and a lower occurrence of any grade of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrom...

  15. [Hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maazoun, F; Deschamps, O; Barros-Kogel, E; Ngwem, E; Fauchet, N; Buffet, P; Froissart, A

    2015-11-01

    Hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly is a rare and severe form of chronic malaria. This condition is a common cause of splenomegaly in endemic areas. The pathophysiology of hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly involves an intense immune reaction (predominantly B cell-driven) to repeated/chronic infections with Plasmodium sp. The diagnosis may be difficult, due to a poorly specific clinical presentation (splenomegaly, fatigue, cytopenias), a long delay between residence in a malaria-endemic area and onset of symptoms, and a frequent absence of parasites on conventional thin and thick blood smears. A strongly contributive laboratory parameter is the presence of high levels of total immunoglobulin M. When the diagnostic of hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly is considered, search for anti-Plasmodium antibodies and Plasmodium nucleic acids (genus and species) by PCR is useful. Diagnosis of hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly relies on the simultaneous presence of epidemiological, clinical, biological and follow-up findings. Regression of both splenomegaly and hypersplenism following antimalarial therapy allows the differential diagnosis with splenic lymphoma, a common complication of hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly. Although rare in Western countries, hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly deserves increased medical awareness to reduce the incidence of incorrect diagnosis, to prevent progression to splenic lymphoma and to avoid splenectomy. Copyright © 2015 Société nationale française de médecine interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

  16. Mastering Hyper-V

    CERN Document Server

    Tender, Peter De

    2015-01-01

    This book is mainly targeted at the common network and system administrator who has to deal with server virtualization in their day to day job, primarily using Microsoft Hyper-V and System Center. It assumes you have some practical experience with previous versions of Hyper-V, although this is not a requirement; you don't need to be a subject matter expert.

  17. Network models predict that reduced excitatory fluctuations can give rise to hippocampal network hyper-excitability in MeCP2-null mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernest C Y Ho

    Full Text Available Rett syndrome is a severe pediatric neurological disorder caused by loss of function mutations within the gene encoding methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2. Although MeCP2 is expressed near ubiquitously, the primary pathophysiology of Rett syndrome stems from impairments of nervous system function. One alteration within different regions of the MeCP2-deficient brain is the presence of hyper-excitable network responses. In the hippocampus, such responses exist despite there being an overall decrease in spontaneous excitatory drive within the network. In this study, we generated and used mathematical, neuronal network models to resolve this apparent paradox. We did this by taking advantage of previous mathematical modelling insights that indicated that decreased excitatory fluctuations, but not mean excitatory drive, more critically explain observed changes in hippocampal network oscillations from MeCP2-null mouse slices. Importantly, reduced excitatory fluctuations could also bring about hyper-excitable responses in our network models. Therefore, these results indicate that diminished excitatory fluctuations may be responsible for the hyper-excitable state of MeCP2-deficient hippocampal circuitry.

  18. Helping Students Design HyperCard Stacks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunham, Ken

    1995-01-01

    Discusses how to teach students to design HyperCard stacks. Highlights include introducing HyperCard, developing storyboards, introducing design concepts and scripts, presenting stacks, evaluating storyboards, and continuing projects. A sidebar presents a HyperCard stack evaluation form. (AEF)

  19. IgM myeloma: A multicenter retrospective study of 134 patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castillo, Jorge J; Jurczyszyn, Artur; Brozova, Lucie; Crusoe, Edvan; Czepiel, Jacek; Davila, Julio; Dispenzieri, Angela; Eveillard, Marion; Fiala, Mark A; Ghobrial, Irene M; Gozzetti, Alessandro; Gustine, Joshua N; Hajek, Roman; Hungria, Vania; Jarkovsky, Jiri; Jayabalan, David; Laubach, Jacob P; Lewicka, Barbara; Maisnar, Vladimir; Manasanch, Elisabet E; Moreau, Philippe; Morgan, Elizabeth A; Nahi, Hareth; Niesvizky, Ruben; Paba-Prada, Claudia; Pika, Tomas; Pour, Ludek; Reagan, John L; Richardson, Paul G; Shah, Jatin; Spicka, Ivan; Vij, Ravi; Waszczuk-Gajda, Anna; Gertz, Morie A

    2017-08-01

    IgM myeloma is a rare hematologic malignancy for which the clinicopathological features and patient outcomes have not been extensively studied. We carried out a multicenter retrospective study in patients with diagnosis of IgM myeloma defined by >10% marrow involvement by monoclonal plasma cells, presence of an IgM monoclonal paraproteinemia of any size, and anemia, renal dysfunction, hypercalcemia, lytic lesions and/or t(11;14) identified by FISH. A total of 134 patients from 20 centers were included in this analysis. The median age at diagnosis was 65.5 years with a male predominance (68%). Anemia, renal dysfunction, elevated calcium and skeletal lytic lesions were found in 37, 43, 19, and 70%, respectively. The median serum IgM level was 2,895 mg dL -1 with 19% of patients presenting with levels >6,000 mg dL -1 . International Staging System (ISS) stages 1, 2, and 3 were seen in 40 (33%), 54 (44%), and 29 (24%) of patients, respectively. The malignant cells expressed CD20 (58%) and cyclin D1 (67%), and t(11;14) was the most common cytogenetic finding (39%). The median overall survival (OS) was 61 months. Higher ISS score was associated with worse survival (P = 0.02). Patients with IgM myeloma present with similar characteristics and outcomes as patients with more common myeloma subtypes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Engineering software development with HyperCard

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darko, Robert J.

    1990-01-01

    The successful and unsuccessful techniques used in the development of software using HyperCard are described. The viability of the HyperCard for engineering is evaluated and the future use of HyperCard by this particular group of developers is discussed.

  1. Platelet antibodies of the IgM class in immune thrombocytopenic purpura

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cines, D.B.; Wilson, S.B.; Tomaski, A.; Schreiber, A.D.

    1985-01-01

    The clinical course and response to therapy of patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) are not completely determined by the level of IgG present on the platelet surface. It is possible that antibodies of other immunoglobulin classes also play a role in platelet destruction in some of these patients. Therefore, the authors studied 175 patients with ITP for the presence of IgM anti-platelet antibodies using radiolabeled polyclonal or monoclonal anti-IgM. They observed that 57% of patients with clinical ITP had increased levels of IgM on their platelets, compared with normal controls and patients with thrombocytopenia who did not have ITP. They obtained similar results using either radiolabeled polyclonal or monoclonal anti-IgM, reagents whose integrity was first characterized using erythrocytes coated with defined amounts of IgM antibody. Among patients with increased platelet-IgM there was a significant correlation both with the presence of increased platelet-C3 as well as the amount of platelet-C3. The authors demonstrated the presence of warm-reacting IgM anti-platelet antibodies in the plasma of two of these patients who were further studied. These studies demonstrate the presence of warm-reacting IgM anti-platelet antibodies in some patients with ITP. They suggest that the binding of complement to platelets by IgM antibodies may initiate platelet clearance as well as enhance the effect of IgG antibodies in ITP

  2. Variability of IgM response in hepatitis C virus infection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zaaijer, H. L.; Mimms, L. T.; Cuypers, H. T.; Reesink, H. W.; van der Poel, C. L.; Taskar, S.; Lelie, P. N.

    1993-01-01

    The IgM and IgG antibody response to various hepatitis C virus (HCV) antigens was studied in 8 patients who acquired posttransfusion HCV infection. IgM anti-HCV was detectable in only 4 of these patients, coincident with (1 patient) or later than (3 patients) the IgG anti-HCV response. Seven

  3. Multimodal Hyper-connectivity Networks for MCI Classification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yang; Gao, Xinqiang; Jie, Biao; Yap, Pew-Thian; Kim, Min-Jeong; Wee, Chong-Yaw; Shen, Dinggang

    2017-09-01

    Hyper-connectivity network is a network where every edge is connected to more than two nodes, and can be naturally denoted using a hyper-graph. Hyper-connectivity brain network, either based on structural or functional interactions among the brain regions, has been used for brain disease diagnosis. However, the conventional hyper-connectivity network is constructed solely based on single modality data, ignoring potential complementary information conveyed by other modalities. The integration of complementary information from multiple modalities has been shown to provide a more comprehensive representation about the brain disruptions. In this paper, a novel multimodal hyper-network modelling method was proposed for improving the diagnostic accuracy of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Specifically, we first constructed a multimodal hyper-connectivity network by simultaneously considering information from diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. We then extracted different types of network features from the hyper-connectivity network, and further exploited a manifold regularized multi-task feature selection method to jointly select the most discriminative features. Our proposed multimodal hyper-connectivity network demonstrated a better MCI classification performance than the conventional single modality based hyper-connectivity networks.

  4. Design and analysis of HYPER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, T.Y.; Kim, Y.; Lee, B.O.; Cho, C.H.

    2007-01-01

    KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) has been developing an accelerator driven transmutation system called HYPER (hybrid power extraction reactor). It is designed to transmute long-lived TRU and fission products such as Tc-99 and I-129. HYPER is a 1000 MW th system with k eff = 0.98 which requires 17 mA proton beam for an operation at EOC (end of cycle). Pb-Bi is used as the coolant and target material at the same time. HYPER core has 186 ductless hexagonal fuel assemblies. The fuel blanket is divided into three TRU (transuranic elements) enrichment zones to flatten the radial power distribution. The core height of HYPER was compromised at 150 cm, and the power density was determined such that the average coolant speed could be about 1.64 m/s. The inlet and exit coolant temperatures are 340 and 490 o C, respectively, in the core. The cylindrical beam tube and spherical window is adopted as the basic window design of HYPER. We have also introduced an Lead-Bismuth eutectic injection tube to maximize the allowable proton beam current. A metallic alloy of U-TRU-Zr is considered as the HYPER fuel, in which pure lead is used as the bonding material. As a result, a large gas plenum is placed above the active core. TRU transmutation rate is 282 kg/yr. In the case of a FP transmutation, 28.0 kg of Tc-99 and 7.0 kg of I-129 are incinerated per year. The MACSIS-H (metal fuel performance analysis code for simulating the in-reactor behavior under steady-state conditions-HYPER) for an metallic fuel was developed as the steady-state performance computer code. The MATRA (multichannel analyzer for transient and steady-state in rod array) code was used to perform the thermal-hydraulic analysis of HYPER core

  5. Intrathecal IgM index correlates with a severe disease course in multiple sclerosis: Clinical and MRI results.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozakbas, Serkan; Cinar, Bilge Piri; Özcelik, Pinar; Baser, Hatice; Kosehasanoğullari, Gorkem

    2017-09-01

    Intrathecally synthesized IgM can be seen not only in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in infectious and inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system, but also in that of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Intrathecal IgM synthesis in MS seems to be correlated with an unfavorable disease course. In one cross-sectional study, intrathecal synthesis of IgM (IgM index) was found to be correlated with cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters. The purpose of this study was to determine the possible relationship between the IgM index and MRI and clinical parameters. Eighty-one patients with MS (58 female) undergoing lumbar puncture were included in the study. Fifty-one patients had a relapsing-remitting (RR) disease course, while 30 cases were secondary progressive MS (SPMS). IgM was detected in paired CSF and serum specimens using ELISA. The IgM index was calculated using the formula CSF IgM/serum IgM: CSF albumin/serum albumin. IgM indexes higher than 0.1 were considered "increased". All patients underwent brain and whole spinal cord MRI. The IgM index was normal in 43 of the 81 patients (53.1%) and increased in 38 (46.9%). A significant correlation was determined between the IgM index and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) (r=0.638, p=0.001). Most of the subjects with increased IgM indexes were SPMS patients, 28 having a SPMS course and 10 a RRMS course. Only two patients with SPMS courses had normal IgM indexes. EDSS scores were significantly higher in patients with increased IgM indexes (EDSS 4.3 vs EDSS 2.8, p=0.000). All patients with EDSS >3 had increased IgM indexes. All patients with IgM index values higher than 0.2 IgM had SPMS courses and EDSS >6. Time to onset of the secondary progressive phase of the disease was correlated with IgM index values (p=0.004). IgM index values were also correlated with T1 hypointense lesions (r=0.0431, p=0.008) and Gd enhancing lesions (r=0.0396, p=0.006). Patients with increased IgM indexes also had more

  6. Detection of measles IgM antibodies in children at Kaduna ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Measles virus IgM antibodies virus was assayed for in 270 sera from children aged 5 months to 8 years attending Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital, Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, using ELISA. Out of the 270 sera, 192(71.1%) tested positive to measles IgM and 78(28.9%) negative. The sample distribution was 137 from males, ...

  7. Control of hyper-chaotic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yin Xunhe; Feng Rupeng

    2000-01-01

    The approach based on the exact linearization via feedback is used for controlling Roessler hyper-chaos. A controller for hyper-chaos Roessler is designed by using the approach. The method is used to realize global stabilization and to control hyper-chaotic motion not only to any unstable equilibrium point but also to any desired periodic orbit. Simulation results presented here prove the feasibility of the method, and its robustness is analyzed numerically

  8. Human manual control performance in hyper-gravity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Torin K; Newman, Michael C; Merfeld, Daniel M; Oman, Charles M; Young, Laurence R

    2015-05-01

    Hyper-gravity provides a unique environment to study how misperceptions impact control of orientation relative to gravity. Previous studies have found that static and dynamic roll tilts are perceptually overestimated in hyper-gravity. The current investigation quantifies how this influences control of orientation. We utilized a long-radius centrifuge to study manual control performance in hyper-gravity. In the dark, subjects were tasked with nulling out a pseudo-random roll disturbance on the cab of the centrifuge using a rotational hand controller to command their roll rate in order to remain perceptually upright. The task was performed in 1, 1.5, and 2 G's of net gravito-inertial acceleration. Initial performance, in terms of root-mean-square deviation from upright, degraded in hyper-gravity relative to 1 G performance levels. In 1.5 G, initial performance degraded by 26 % and in 2 G, by 45 %. With practice, however, performance in hyper-gravity improved to near the 1 G performance level over several minutes. Finally, pre-exposure to one hyper-gravity level reduced initial performance decrements in a different, novel, hyper-gravity level. Perceptual overestimation of roll tilts in hyper-gravity leads to manual control performance errors, which are reduced both with practice and with pre-exposure to alternate hyper-gravity stimuli.

  9. Destructive arthritis in a patient with chikungunya virus infection with persistent specific IgM antibodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Receveur Marie-Catherine

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chikungunya fever is an emerging arboviral disease characterized by an algo-eruptive syndrome, inflammatory polyarthralgias, or tenosynovitis that can last for months to years. Up to now, the pathophysiology of the chronic stage is poorly understood. Case presentation We report the first case of CHIKV infection with chronic associated rheumatism in a patient who developed progressive erosive arthritis with expression of inflammatory mediators and persistence of specific IgM antibodies over 24 months following infection. Conclusions Understanding the specific features of chikungunya virus as well as how the virus interacts with its host are essential for the prevention, treatment or cure of chikungunya disease.

  10. Analysis of transition between chaos and hyper-chaos of an improved hyper-chaotic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiao-Lun, Gu; Tie-Gang, Gao

    2009-01-01

    An improved hyper-chaotic system based on the hyper-chaos generated from Chen's system is presented, and some basic dynamical properties of the system are investigated by means of Lyapunov exponent spectrum, bifurcation diagrams and characteristic equation roots. Simulations show that the new improved system evolves into hyper-chaotic, chaotic, various quasi-periodic or periodic orbits when one parameter of the system is fixed to be a certain value while the other one is variable. Some computer simulations and bifurcation analyses are given to testify the findings. (general)

  11. States and Measures on Hyper BCK-Algebras

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao-Long Xin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We define the notions of Bosbach states and inf-Bosbach states on a bounded hyper BCK-algebra (H,∘,0,e and derive some basic properties of them. We construct a quotient hyper BCK-algebra via a regular congruence relation. We also define a ∘-compatibled regular congruence relation θ and a θ-compatibled inf-Bosbach state s on (H,∘,0,e. By inducing an inf-Bosbach state s^ on the quotient structure H/[0]θ, we show that H/[0]θ is a bounded commutative BCK-algebra which is categorically equivalent to an MV-algebra. In addition, we introduce the notions of hyper measures (states/measure morphisms/state morphisms on hyper BCK-algebras, and present a relation between hyper state-morphisms and Bosbach states. Then we construct a quotient hyper BCK-algebra H/Ker(m by a reflexive hyper BCK-ideal Ker(m. Further, we prove that H/Ker(m is a bounded commutative BCK-algebra.

  12. Systematic in J-PARC/Hyper-K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minamino, Akihiro

    2015-01-01

    The Hyper-Kamiokande (Hyper-K) detector is a next generation underground water Chrenkov detector. The J-PARC to Hyper-K experiment has good potential for precision measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters and discovery reach for CP violation in the lepton sector. With a total exposure of 10 years to a neutrino beam produced by the 750 kW J-PARC proton synchrotron, it is expected that the CP phase δ can be determined to better than 18 degree for all possible values of δ if sin 2 2θ 13 > 0.03 and the mass hierarchy is known. Control of systematic uncertainties is critical to make maximum use of the Hyper-K potential. Based on learning from T2K experience, a strategy to reduce systematic uncertainties in J-PARC/Hyper-K are developed

  13. Human Secretory IgM Antibodies Activate Human Complement and Offer Protection at Mucosal Surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michaelsen, T E; Emilsen, S; Sandin, R H; Granerud, B K; Bratlie, D; Ihle, O; Sandlie, I

    2017-01-01

    IgM molecules circulate in serum as large polymers, mainly pentamers, which can be transported by the poly-Ig receptor (pIgR) across epithelial cells to mucosal surfaces and released as secretory IgM (SIgM). The mucosal SIgM molecules have non-covalently attached secretory component (SC), which is the extracellular part of pIgR which is cleaved from the epithelial cell membrane. Serum IgM antibodies do not contain SC and have previously been shown to make a conformational change from 'a star' to a 'staple' conformation upon reaction with antigens on a cell surface, enabling them to activate complement. However, it is not clear whether SIgM similarly can induce complement activation. To clarify this issue, we constructed recombinant chimeric (mouse/human) IgM antibodies against hapten 5-iodo-4-hydroxy-3-nitro-phenacetyl (NIP) and in addition studied polyclonal IgM formed after immunization with a meningococcal group B vaccine. The monoclonal and polyclonal IgM molecules were purified by affinity chromatography on a column containing human SC in order to isolate joining-chain (J-chain) containing IgM, followed by addition of excess amounts of soluble SC to create SIgM (IgM J+ SC+). These SIgM preparations were tested for complement activation ability and shown to be nearly as active as the parental IgM J+ molecules. Thus, SIgM may offer protection against pathogens at mucosal surface by complement-mediated cell lysis or by phagocytosis mediated by complement receptors present on effector cells on mucosa. © 2016 The Foundation for the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology.

  14. Intelligent tutoring using HyperCLIPS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hill, Randall W., Jr.; Pickering, Brad

    1990-01-01

    HyperCard is a popular hypertext-like system used for building user interfaces to databases and other applications, and CLIPS is a highly portable government-owned expert system shell. We developed HyperCLIPS in order to fill a gap in the U.S. Army's computer-based instruction tool set; it was conceived as a development environment for building adaptive practical exercises for subject-matter problem-solving, though it is not limited to this approach to tutoring. Once HyperCLIPS was developed, we set out to implement a practical exercise prototype using HyperCLIPS in order to demonstrate the following concepts: learning can be facilitated by doing; student performance evaluation can be done in real-time; and the problems in a practical exercise can be adapted to the individual student's knowledge.

  15. Hyper-connectivity and hyper-plasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex in the valproic Acid animal model of autism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rinaldi, Tania; Perrodin, Catherine; Markram, Henry

    2008-01-01

    of synapses. The microcircuit alterations found in the prefrontal cortex are therefore similar to the alterations previously found in the somatosensory cortex. Hyper-connectivity and hyper-plasticity in the prefrontal cortex implies hyper-functionality of one of the highest order processing regions...

  16. Evaluation of the Abbott ARCHITECT Toxo IgM assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sickinger, Eva; Braun, Hans-Bertram; Praast, Gerald; Stieler, Myriam; Gundlach, Cordelia; Birkenbach, Claudia; Prostko, John; Palafox, Mary Ann; Frias, Edwin; Hsu, Stephen; Matias, Matthew; Pucci, Dominick; Hausmann, Michael; Sagel, Ulrich; Smith, Darwin

    2009-07-01

    Development of the ARCHITECT Toxo IgM assay has been done to assist the clinician in acute Toxoplasma gondii infection detection, especially in pregnant women. Its use, in conjunction with ARCHITECT Toxo IgG and Toxo Avidity assays, will provide an array of assays particularly useful in the monitoring of pregnant females to determine the risk of maternal transmission of the parasite. Specificity results from 2 testing sites, using populations of pregnant females, hospital patients, and blood donors, demonstrated that the assay has an overall resolved relative specificity of 99.89% (confidence interval, 99.68-99.98%). Relative specificity for pregnant female specimens was 99.95% (n = 2031). Excellent seroconversion sensitivity was observed for the ARCHITECT Toxo IgM assay, which was similar to the Abbott AxSYM Toxo IgM assay (Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL). In more than 90% of the panels tested, the 1st bleed detected in the serial bleeds was the same for both assays.

  17. Metabolic syndrome in hyperprolactinemia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Marianne; Glintborg, Dorte

    2018-01-01

    The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a conglomerate of clinical findings that convey into increased morbidity and mortality from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) and cardiovascular disease. Hyperprolactinemia (hyperPRL) is associated with components of MetS, especially during pregnancy. Endogenous levels...... in patients with T2D. HyperPRL is a biomarker for decreased dopaminergic tonus in the hypothalamic-pituitary circuit. Patients with a prolactinoma, patients with schizophrenia and/or T2D often have disturbances in this balance and the finding of lower prolactin (PRL) levels in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS......) may indicate increased dopaminergic tonus. Recent studies supported that PRL levels within or above reference range may be differently related to MetS. In healthy study populations and in PCOS, PRL levels were inversely associated with metabolic risk markers. Ongoing research on PRL fragments...

  18. Emerging functions of natural IgM and its Fc receptor FCMR in immune homeostasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongsheng eWang

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Most natural IgM antibodies are encoded by germline Ig sequences and are produced in large quantities by both mice and humans in the absence of intentional immunization. Natural IgM are reactive with many conserved epitopes, including those shared by microorganisms and autoantigens. As a result, these antibodies play important roles in clearing intruding pathogens, as well as apoptotic/necrotic cells and otherwise damaged tissues. While natural IgM binds to target structures with low affinity due to a lack of significant selection by somatic hypermutation, its pentameric structure with 10 antigen binding sites enables these antibodies to bind multivalent target antigens with high avidity. Opsonization of antigen complexed with IgM is mediated by cell surface Fc receptors. While the existence of Fc alpha/mu receptor has been known for some time, only recently has the Fc receptor specific for IgM (FCMR been identified. In this review, we focus on our current understandings of how natural IgM and FCMR regulate the immune system and maintain homeostasis under physiological and pathological conditions.

  19. Microsoft Hyper-V cluster design

    CERN Document Server

    Siron, Eric

    2013-01-01

    This book is written in a friendly and practical style with numerous tutorials centred on common as well as atypical Hyper-V cluster designs. This book also features a sample cluster design throughout to help you learn how to design a Hyper-V in a real-world scenario.Microsoft Hyper-V Cluster Design is perfect for the systems administrator who has a good understanding of Windows Server in an Active Directory domain and is ready to expand into a highly available virtualized environment. It only expects that you will be familiar with basic hypervisor terminology.

  20. Amylolytic activity of IgM and IgG antibodies from patients with multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saveliev, Andrew N; Ivanen, Dina R; Kulminskaya, Anna A; Ershova, Nadezhda A; Kanyshkova, Tat'yana G; Buneva, Valentina N; Mogelnitskii, Alexander S; Doronin, Boris M; Favorova, Olga O; Nevinsky, Georgy A; Neustroev, Kirill N

    2003-05-01

    IgG and IgM antibodies from the sera of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were found to possess amylolytic activity hydrolyzing alpha-(1-->4)-glucosyl linkages of maltooligosaccharides, glycogen, and several artificial substrates. Individual IgM fractions isolated from 54 analyzed patients with the clinically definite diagnoses of MS had approximately three orders of magnitude higher specific amylolytic activity than that for healthy donors, whereas IgG from only a few patients had high amylolytic activity. Strict criteria were used to prove that the amylolytic activity of IgMs and IgGs is their intrinsic property and is not due to any enzyme contamination. Fab fragments produced from IgM and IgG fractions of the MS patients displayed the same amylolytic activity. IgMs from various patients demonstrated different modes of action in hydrolyzing maltooligosaccharides.

  1. Multimodal imaging findings in 'hyper-early' stage MEWDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cahuzac, Armelle; Wolff, Benjamin; Mathis, Thibaud; Errera, Marie-Hélène; Sahel, José-Alain; Mauget-Faÿsse, Martine

    2017-10-01

    To describe a new stage of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS), occurring at a very early phase of the disease. Retrospective analysis of clinical, angiographic and tomographic findings in four patients with 'hyper-early' stage MEWDS. In four patients seen within 1 week of the onset of symptoms, fundus analysis revealed macular granity and the classic yellow-white dots, some having no corresponding hyperautofluorescent pattern. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) showed central foveal disruption of the ellipsoid zone (EZ) and interdigitation layer with a hyper-reflective dome-shaped lesion. In two patients, fluorescein angiography (FA) revealed an intermediate hypofluorescent perimacular halo, whereas late indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) showed a hyperfluorescent halo as well as the classic MEWDS features. After a few days, the EZ disruption appeared complete on OCT and fundus autofluorescence (FAF) in all patients. Visual acuity, OCT and FAF findings had fully recovered within 3 months. We have shown a new feature of MEWDS on FAF, OCT, FA and ICGA, corresponding to a very early stage of the disease. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  2. Design progress of HYPER system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Won S.; Hwang, Woan; Kim, Yong H.; Nam-Il Tak; Song, Tae Y.

    2001-01-01

    Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been performing accelerator driven system related research and development called HYPER for the transmutation of nuclear waste and energy production through the transmutation process. HYPER program is within the framework of the national mid and long-term nuclear research plan. KAERI is aiming to develop the system concept and a type of roadmap by the year of 2001 and complete the conceptual design of HYPER system by the year 2006. Some major design features of HYPER system have been developed. Burnable poison concept is being developed to keep the core reactivity swing less than 10%. In order to increase the proliferation resistance, a pyrochemical process is employed for the separation. The trade-off studies for the fuel fabrication are being performed. A dispersion type is believed to have advantages in terms of achieving high discharge burnup. The long-lived fission products such as Tc-99 and I-129 will be destroyed using the localized thermal neutrons separately in the HYPER. A calcium hydride is employed as moderator. SSC-H(Super System Code-HYPER) is being developed to simulate the behavior of coolant systems. The thermal hydraulic properties of Pb-Bi are implemented to SSC-H. The design optimization of target and beam window is performed using FLUENT and ANSYS computer codes. In addition, beam irradiation test is performed to estimate the hardness of window material (9Cr-2WVTa) due to the proton using KeV order accelerator. Beam diameter and window thickness are optimized based on the simulation results. (author)

  3. Antibody class capture assay (ACCA) for rubella-specific IgM antibody.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isaac, M; Payne, R A

    1982-01-01

    Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for IgM antirubella were carried out on 1,546 sera, using an IgM capture method with a F (ab')2 conjugate (ACCA). Under the conditions described, sera containing IgM antirubella bound up to 15 times as much enzyme activity as negative specimens. Paired serum specimens from 27 patients, serial serum specimens from 6 patients, and single serum specimens from 15 patients who had had recent rubella were examined by the haemagglutination inhibition test (HAI) in the presence and absence of 2-mercaptoethanol following sucrose density gradient centrifugation (SDGC). ACCA confirmed all the results found with HAI following SDGC. Specimens were examined from ten patients with congenital rubella; ACCA confirmed the results found with both immunofluorescence following SDGC and radioimmunoassay. Pre- and post-vaccination specimens from 123 patients who had been vaccinated against rubella were examined. An IgM response could only be demonstrated in the 57 cases when IgG was absent in the first specimen. The specificity of the assay was confirmed by testing 31 serum specimens from rubella immune patients that also contained rheumatoid factor, 163 serum specimens from patients with acute infections other than rubella, and 12 serum specimens from infants with miscellaneous neonatal abnormalities other than congenital rubella. The ACCA proved a simple, sensitive, and specific test for IgM antirubella and the results compared favourably with those obtained by the SDGC technique.

  4. Hierarchies of hyper-AFLs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Engelfriet, Joost

    1985-01-01

    For a full semi-AFL K, B(K) is defined as the family of languages generated by all K-extended basic macro grammars, while H(K) B(K) is the smallest full hyper-AFL containing K; a full basic-AFL is a full AFL K such that B(K) = K (hence every full basic-AFL is a full hyper-AFL). For any full semi-AFL

  5. Hyper-X Program Status

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClinton, Charles R.; Reubush, David E.; Sitz, Joel; Reukauf, Paul

    2001-01-01

    This paper provides an overview of the objectives and status of the Hyper-X program, which is tailored to move hypersonic, airbreathing vehicle technology from the laboratory environment to the flight environment. The first Hyper-X research vehicle (HXRV), designated X-43, is being prepared at the Dryden Flight Research Center for flight at Mach 7. Extensive risk reduction activities for the first flight are completed, and non-recurring design activities for the Mach 10 X-43 (third flight) are nearing completion. The Mach 7 flight of the X-43, in the spring of 2001, will be the first flight of an airframe-integrated scramjet-powered vehicle. The Hyper-X program is continuing to plan follow-on activities to focus an orderly continuation of hypersonic technology development through flight research.

  6. Presence of Mycoplasma fermentans in the bloodstream of Mexican patients with rheumatoid arthritis and IgM and IgG antibodies against whole microorganism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Salinas Salvador

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Increasing evidence incriminates bacteria, especially Mycoplasma fermentans, as possible arthritogenic agents in humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate M. fermentans in the bloodstream of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Methods Two hundred and nineteen blood samples from patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, and healthy individuals were screened by bacterial culture and direct PCR in order to detect mycoplasmas; IgM and IgG against M. fermentans PG18 were also detected by ELISA and Immunoblotting assays in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy individuals. Results Blood samples from patients with antiphospholipid syndrome and healthy individuals were negative for mycoplasma by culture or direct PCR. In blood samples from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were detected by direct PCR M. fermentans in 2/50 (2%, M. hominis in 2/50 (2% and U. urealyticum in 1/50 (0.5%. In patients with RA M. fermentans was detected by culture in 13/87 blood samples and in 13/87 by direct PCR, however, there was only concordance between culture and direct PCR in six samples, so M. fermentans was detected in 20/87(23% of the blood samples from patients with RA by either culture or PCR. Antibody-specific ELISA assay to M. fermentans PG18 was done, IgM was detected in sera from 40/87 patients with RA and in sera of 7/67 control individuals, IgG was detected in sera from 48/87 RA patients and in sera from 7/67 healthy individuals. Antibody-specific immunoblotting to M. fermentans PG18 showed IgM in sera from 35/87 patients with RA and in sera from 4/67 healthy individuals, IgG was detected in sera from 34/87 patients and in sera from 5/67 healthy individuals. Conclusion Our findings show that only M. fermentans produce bacteremia in a high percentage of patients with RA. This finding is similar to those reported in the literature. IgM and IgG against M

  7. Hyper-lattice algebraic model for data warehousing

    CERN Document Server

    Sen, Soumya; Chaki, Nabendu

    2016-01-01

    This book presents Hyper-lattice, a new algebraic model for partially ordered sets, and an alternative to lattice. The authors analyze some of the shortcomings of conventional lattice structure and propose a novel algebraic structure in the form of Hyper-lattice to overcome problems with lattice. They establish how Hyper-lattice supports dynamic insertion of elements in a partial order set with a partial hierarchy between the set members. The authors present the characteristics and the different properties, showing how propositions and lemmas formalize Hyper-lattice as a new algebraic structure.

  8. Serological profile of HSV-2 in patients attending STI clinic: Evaluation of diagnostic utility of HSV-2 IgM detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Choudhry Shilpee

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective: The present study was done to evaluate the serological profile of herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2 among patients attending sexually transmitted infections (STI clinic and to determine the utility of detecting HSV-2 IgM antibodies in such patients. A correlation of HSV-2 infection with other STI including HIV has also been attempted. Materials and Methods: Hundred consecutive patients who attended STI clinic, with one or more of the complaints as enunciated by WHO in syndromic approach for the diagnosis of STI, were included as subjects. All subjects were screened for common STI by standard laboratory procedures/ commercially available kits. HSV-1 and HSV-2 IgM antibody was detected by commercially available enzyme immuno assay kit in all patient′s sera. Sera were also tested for other STI, namely HIV, Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus and Treponema pallidum. Antigen detection for Chlamydia trachomatis was done in genital swabs of all patients by Bio-Rad Chlamydia Microplate EIA 31189 (United States kit. Results: Thirty patients were found to have genital herpes. In 17/30 (56.6% patients, HSV-2 serology was found to correlate with the clinical diagnosis. The coexistence of other infection in HSV-2 seropositive patients was detected in 8/30 patients. None of the patients having concomitant infections were clinically diagnosed accurately. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of IgM antibodies for the diagnosis of genital herpes was 73.91%, 90.91%, 70.83% and 92.91% respectively. Conclusion: HSV-2 IgM detection could only be used as a supportive test for the diagnosis of genital herpes . It needs to be emphasized that the sensitivity and positive predictive value scores are pointers for further improvement in the commercial assay systems and a large sample size may determine the broader utility of such systems.

  9. Treatment of hyper-granulated limb wounds in horses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. A. Bader

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was performed to investigate the different methods of treating hyper granulation tissue on experimentally induced wounds in equine limbs. Wounds were induced by removal of a skin patch and subcutaneous tissue for about 5-7 cm width and 6-8 cm in length from the dorsal and lateral aspect of the fore and hind limbs below the carpal and tarsal joints. The wounds were left open without treatment and the animals were trained 2-2.5 hours every day for about 3-5 weeks until hyper granulation tissue was developed. The schedule for the treatment of hyper granulation was divided into five groups each contained eight wounds of hyper granulation tissue; each main group was divided into two subgroups. The subgroups of first, second, third, fourth and fifth groups were treated by the following schedules: bandage alone; copper sulphate ointment 10%; silver nitrate ointment 2%; red mercury ointment 11%; and laser therapy (at a total dose of 9.72 Joule / cm2 respectively. While the second subgroups were treated by surgical resection of the hyper granulation tissue, followed by the same treatments applied on the first subgroup. The bandage for all experimental groups was changed every 48 hours until healing was occurred. The clinical and histological observation of the first group revealed that the healing take long period comparing with other groups. The mean of wound healing were 65 days in non surgical removal of hyper granulation tissue subgroup, while 57 days in surgical removed of hyper granulation tissue subgroup. The results of the second, third, fourth groups revealed that the caustic material especially red mercury has a role in healing processes through depressing the hyper granulation tissue. The mean of wound healing of the second group was 42.25 days in non surgical removal of hyper granulation tissue subgroup while 37.25 days in surgically removed hyper granulation tissue subgroup. In the third group the mean of wound healing was 45

  10. Comparison of in-house IgM and IgG ELISAs for the serodiagnosis of melioidosis in Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hii, Shirley Yi Fen; Ali, Noor Azila; Ahmad, Norazah; Amran, Fairuz

    2017-11-01

    Melioidosis is an endemic infectious disease in Southeast Asia and northern Australia, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei. However, the incidence rate in Malaysia is not well documented. The high mortality rate and broad range of clinical presentations require rapid and accurate diagnosis for appropriate treatment. This study compared the efficacy of in-house IgM and IgG ELISA methods using a local B. pseudomallei strain. The diagnostic accuracy of the in-house IgG ELISA was better than that of the IgM ELISA: sensitivity (IgG: 84.71 %, IgM: 76.14 %) and specificity (IgG: 93.64 %, IgM: 90.17 %); positive predictive value (IgG: 86.75 %, IgM: 79.76 %) and negative predictive value (IgG: 92.57 %, IgM: 89.66 %); likelihood ratio (LR) [IgG: 13.32, IgM: 7.75 (LR+); IgG: 0.16, IgM: 0.26 (LR-)], and was supported by the observation of the absorbance value in comparisons between culture and serology sampling. In-house IgG ELISA was shown to be useful as an early diagnostic tool for melioidosis.

  11. Self-assembled tunable photonic hyper-crystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smolyaninova, Vera N; Yost, Bradley; Lahneman, David; Narimanov, Evgenii E; Smolyaninov, Igor I

    2014-07-16

    We demonstrate a novel artificial optical material, the "photonic hyper-crystal", which combines the most interesting features of hyperbolic metamaterials and photonic crystals. Similar to hyperbolic metamaterials, photonic hyper-crystals exhibit broadband divergence in their photonic density of states due to the lack of usual diffraction limit on the photon wave vector. On the other hand, similar to photonic crystals, hyperbolic dispersion law of extraordinary photons is modulated by forbidden gaps near the boundaries of photonic Brillouin zones. Three dimensional self-assembly of photonic hyper-crystals has been achieved by application of external magnetic field to a cobalt nanoparticle-based ferrofluid. Unique spectral properties of photonic hyper-crystals lead to extreme sensitivity of the material to monolayer coatings of cobalt nanoparticles, which should find numerous applications in biological and chemical sensing.

  12. Triangles, tricks and tics: Hyper-mentalizing in response to animated shapes in Tourette syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eddy, Clare M; Cavanna, Andrea E

    2015-10-01

    Tourette syndrome (TS) can feature complex tics involving socially inappropriate behaviours. Adults with TS can also demonstrate differences to healthy controls when reasoning about mental states. This study investigated spontaneous mentalizing in TS. Twenty adults with TS and twenty healthy controls completed the animations task. Participants were asked to watch short ambiguous animations involving two triangles and describe what was happening. Some animations featured random movement of the triangles, while others depicted social interactions that were simple (e.g., dancing) or more complex (e.g., one triangle tricking the other). Measures were taken of executive functions, alexithymia and clinical symptoms. Individuals with TS responded similarly to controls when viewing animations featuring simple and complex interactions, demonstrating intact mentalizing ability. However, significant group differences were apparent for the random movement animations. TS was associated with a greater tendency to attribute mental states during this condition, and to describe random movements as motivated actions guided by the intentions of the triangles. There were no group differences for the alexithymia scale, but TS was associated with mild executive deficits. No relationships were apparent between animation responses and other measures. Our findings suggest that TS is associated with a propensity to adopt the intentional stance. Hyper-mentalizing in TS could be linked to both dopamine dysfunction and altered social behaviour, whereby amplified salience of social cues could contribute to the complex interplay between environmental context and tic expression. These observations may offer further insight into the potential effects of dopamine dysfunction on social cognition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. The postpolio syndrome: no evidence for poliovirus persistence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Melchers, W.; de Visser, M.; Jongen, P.; van Loon, A.; Nibbeling, R.; Oostvogel, P.; Willemse, D.; Galama, J.

    1992-01-01

    To investigate the possibility of poliovirus persistence in patients with the postpolio syndrome, we examined skeletal muscle biopsy specimens, cerebrospinal fluid specimens, and sera for the presence of poliovirus RNA by the polymerase chain reaction, and for IgM antibodies by a poliovirus

  14. IgG/IgM antiphospholipid antibodies present in the classification criteria for the antiphospholipid syndrome: a critical review of their association with thrombosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelchtermans, H; Pelkmans, L; de Laat, B; Devreese, K M

    2016-08-01

    Essentials The clinical value of IgM antibodies in thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is debated. By review of literature, we reconsidered the clinical value of IgM antibodies in thrombotic APS. More significant correlations with thrombosis were found for the IgG compared to IgM isotype. Unavailability of paired IgG/IgM results hampers evaluating the added value of IgM positivity. Click to hear Dr de Groot's perspective on antiphospholipid syndrome Background Despite the update of the classification criteria for the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), difficulties persist in the identification of patients at risk for thrombosis. Current guidelines include assays detecting IgG/IgM anti-β2 -glycoprotein I and anti-cardiolipin antibodies, although the relevance of IgM antibodies has been debated. Objectives Through a review of the literature from 2001 to 2014, we aimed to formally establish the thrombotic risk stratification potential of IgM as compared with IgG anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPLs). Patients/methods One thousand two hundred and twenty-eight articles were selected by a computer-assisted search of the literature. Of the 177 studies that met our inclusion criteria, the clinical value of IgG/IgM aPLs was established through analysis of odds ratios for thrombosis or percentage of positives in the thrombotic population. Results/conclusions We clearly found more significant correlations with thrombosis for the IgG than for the IgM isotype. Nonetheless, in a minority of studies, significant associations with thrombosis were found for IgM but not IgG antibodies. The unavailability of paired results of IgG and IgM for each separate patient hampers evaluation of the added value of isolated IgM positivity. To fully take advantage of results obtained by future studies, we strongly encourage scientists to provide all studied information per patient. We planned a large multicenter study to investigate clinical associations of isolated/combined positivity for

  15. Kluver – Bucy Syndrome in a Nigeria Male | Aina | Nigerian ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Kluver-Bucy Syndrome, first described in monkeys as a result of bilateral ablation of their temporal lobes consists of hypermetamorphosis, visual agnosia, hyperarality and hyper-sexuality. In man, similar but not exact syndrome had been described and the symptom manifestations included placidity, apathy, bulimia, ...

  16. Diversity and repertoire of IgW and IgM VH families in the newborn nurse shark.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rumfelt, Lynn L; Lohr, Rebecca L; Dooley, Helen; Flajnik, Martin F

    2004-05-06

    Adult cartilaginous fish express three immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes, IgM, IgNAR and IgW. Newborn nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum, produce 19S (multimeric) IgM and monomeric/dimeric IgM1gj, a germline-joined, IgM-related VH, and very low amounts of 7S (monomeric) IgM and IgNAR proteins. Newborn IgNAR VH mRNAs are diverse in the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) with non-templated nucleotide (N-region) addition, which suggests that, unlike in many other vertebrates, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) expressed at birth is functional. IgW is present in the lungfish, a bony fish sharing a common ancestor with sharks 460 million years ago, implying that the IgW VH family is as old as the IgM VH family. This nurse shark study examined the IgM and IgW VH repertoire from birth through adult life, and analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of these gene families. IgM and IgW VH cDNA clones isolated from newborn nurse shark primary and secondary lymphoid tissues had highly diverse and unique CDR3 with N-region addition and VDJ gene rearrangement, implicating functional TdT and RAG gene activity. Despite the clear presence of N-region additions, newborn CDR3 were significantly shorter than those of adults. The IgM clones are all included in a conventional VH family that can be classified into five discrete groups, none of which is orthologous to IgM VH genes in other elasmobranchs. In addition, a novel divergent VH family was orthologous to a published monotypic VH horn shark family. IgW VH genes have diverged sufficiently to form three families. IgM and IgW VH serine codons using the potential somatic hypermutation hotspot sequence occur mainly in VH framework 1 (FR1) and CDR1. Phylogenetic analysis of cartilaginous fish and lungfish IgM and IgW demonstrated they form two major ancient gene groups; furthermore, these VH genes generally diversify (duplicate and diverge) within a species. As in ratfish, sandbar and horn sharks, most nurse shark IgM VH

  17. Molecular Typing of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Patients with Autosomal Dominant Hyper IgE Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Inka Sastalla

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Autosomal dominant hyper IgE syndrome (AD-HIES is a primary immunodeficiency caused by a loss-of-function mutation in the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3. This immune disorder is clinically characterized by increased susceptibility to cutaneous and sinopulmonary infections, in particular with Candida and Staphylococcus aureus. It has recently been recognized that the skin microbiome of patients with AD-HIES is altered with an overrepresentation of certain Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive staphylococci. However, these alterations have not been characterized at the species- and strain-level. Since S. aureus infections are influenced by strain-specific expression of virulence factors, information on colonizing strain characteristics may provide insights into host-pathogen interactions and help guide management strategies for treatment and prophylaxis. The aim of this study was to determine whether the immunodeficiency of AD-HIES selects for unique strains of colonizing S. aureus. Using multi-locus sequence typing (MLST, protein A (spa typing, and PCR-based detection of toxin genes, we performed a detailed analysis of the S. aureus isolates (n = 13 found on the skin of twenty-one patients with AD-HIES. We found a low diversity of sequence types, and an abundance of strains that expressed methicillin resistance, Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL, and staphylococcal enterotoxins K and Q (SEK, SEQ. Our results indicate that patients with AD-HIES may often carry antibiotic-resistant strains that harbor key virulence factors.

  18. IgM response to a human Pneumocystis carinii surface antigen in HIV-infected patients with pulmonary symptoms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundgren, Bettina; Kovacs, J A; Mathiesen, Lars Reinhardt

    1993-01-01

    We have developed an ELISA to detect IgM antibodies to a major human Pneumocystis carinii surface antigen (gp95), and investigated the IgM response in 128 HIV-infected patients who underwent bronchoscopy for evaluation of pulmonary symptoms. Only 5 (4%) patients had IgM antibodies to P. carinii gp...... response to gp95. These patients also showed an increase in IgG antibodies to gp95 and had microbiologically proven PCP. Prior to the development of the IgM response, IgG antibodies to gp95 were detectable in all 3 patients. Thus, HIV-infected patients with PCP seldom produce IgM antibodies to the major...

  19. Drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Descamps, V; Mahe, E; Houhou, N; Abramowitz, L; Rozenberg, F; Ranger-Rogez, S; Crickx, B

    2003-05-01

    Association of drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome with viral infection is debated. Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) reactivation has been the most frequently reported infection associated with this syndrome. However, a case of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection was recently described associated with anticonvulsant-induced hypersensitivity syndrome. We report a case of severe allopurinol-induced hypersensitivity syndrome with pancreatitis associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Active EBV infection was demonstrated in two consecutive serum samples by the presence of anti-EBV early antigen (EA) IgM antibodies and an increase in anti-EBV EA IgG antibodies, whereas no anti-EBV nuclear antigen IgG antibodies were detected. EBV DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Reactivation of HHV-6 was suggested only by the presence of anti-HHV-6 IgM antibodies, but HHV-6 DNA was not detected by PCR in the serum. Other viral investigations showed previous infection (CMV, rubella, measles, parvovirus B19), immunization after vaccination (hepatitis B virus), or absence of previous infection (hepatitis C virus, human immunodeficiency virus). We suggest that EBV infection may participate in some cases, as do the other herpesviruses HHV-6 or CMV, in the development of drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome.

  20. Comparison of spermatozoa parameters, fine structures, and energy-related factors among tetraploid, hyper-tetraploid, and hyper-triploid loaches (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yan; Saito, Taiju; Pšenička, Martin; Fujimoto, Takafumi; Arai, Katsutoshi

    2014-04-01

    To evaluate the influence of ploidy elevation and aneuploidy on spermatozoa in the loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, we investigated some parameters (motility, concentration, and viability), fine structures (gross morphology, head size, and flagellum length), and energy-related biochemical factors (volume of mitochondrial mass per cell and ATP content) in diploid, hyper-diploid, and hexaploid-range spermatozoa produced in natural tetraploid, hyper-tetraploid, and hyper-triploid male loaches, respectively. Diploid spermatozoa exhibited vigorous movement and sufficient duration of motility similar to those in haploid spermatozoa. They had longer flagella, higher numbers and larger volume of mitochondria, and higher ATP content than haploid spermatozoa of wild-type diploids. No differences were observed in parameters and morphological characteristics between diploid and hyper-diploid spermatozoa. In contrast, the hexaploid-range spermatozoa of hyper-triploid males exhibited poor progressive motility in spite of a higher ATP content of spermatozoa. Spermatozoa with no flagella (36.0%) or multiple flagella (18.6%) were also observed in hyper-triploids. Ratios of head to flagellum length in hexaploid-range spermatozoa were significantly different from those of haploid spermatozoa. In addition to the normal 9+2 microtubule structure of the flagellum, an abnormal 9+1 microtubule structure was also observed in the spermatozoa of hyper-triploids. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. On the physical applications of hyper-Hamiltonian dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gaeta, Giuseppe; Rodriguez, Miguel A

    2008-01-01

    An extension of Hamiltonian dynamics, defined on hyper-Kahler manifolds ('hyper-Hamiltonian dynamics') and sharing many of the attractive features of standard Hamiltonian dynamics, was introduced in previous work. In this paper, we discuss applications of the theory to physically interesting cases, dealing with the dynamics of particles with spin 1/2 in a magnetic field, i.e. the Pauli and the Dirac equations. While the free Pauli equation corresponds to a hyper-Hamiltonian flow, it turns out that the hyper-Hamiltonian description of the Dirac equation, and of the full Pauli one, is in terms of two commuting hyper-Hamiltonian flows. In this framework one can use a factorization principle discussed here (which is a special case of a general phenomenon studied by Walcher) and provide an explicit description of the resulting flow. On the other hand, by applying the familiar Foldy-Wouthuysen and Cini-Tousheck transformations (and the one recently introduced by Mulligan) which separate-in suitable limits-the Dirac equation into two equations, each of these turn out to be described by a single hyper-Hamiltonian flow. Thus the hyper-Hamiltonian construction is able to describe the fundamental dynamics for particles with spin

  2. Laboratory-confirmed Congenital Rubella Syndrome at the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Esem

    ORIGINAL ARTICLE. Laboratory-confirmed Congenital Rubella Syndrome at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka,. Zambia-Case Reports. 1,2. 3. 3. 4 ... microcephaly. Rubella Immunoglobulin M (IgM) results were positive. The third case, a girl, was seen at twelve weeks and brought in for slow growth rate. On.

  3. Truly selective primary IgM deficiency is probably very rare.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janssen, L M A; Macken, T; Creemers, M C W; Pruijt, J F M; Eijk, J J J; de Vries, E

    2018-02-01

    Isolated decreased serum-immunoglobulin (Ig)M has been associated with severe and/or recurrent infections, atopy and autoimmunity. However, the reported high prevalence of clinical problems in IgM-deficient patients may reflect the skewed tertiary centre population studied so far. Also, many papers on IgM deficiency have included patients with more abnormalities than simply IgM-deficiency. We studied truly selective primary IgM deficiency according to the diagnostic criteria of the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) (true sIgMdef) by reviewing the literature (261 patients with primary decreased serum-IgM in 46 papers) and analysing retrospectively all patients with decreased serum-IgM in a large teaching hospital in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands [1 July 2005-23 March 2016; n = 8049 IgM < 0·4 g/l; n = 2064 solitary (IgG+IgA normal/IgM < age-matched reference)]. A total of 359 of 2064 (17%) cases from our cohort had primary isolated decreased serum-IgM, proven persistent in 45 of 359 (13%) cases; their medical charts were reviewed. Our main finding is that true sIgMdef is probably very rare. Only six of 261 (2%) literature cases and three of 45 (7%) cases from our cohort fulfilled the ESID criteria completely; 63 of 261 (24%) literature cases also had other immunological abnormalities and fulfilled the criteria for unclassified antibody deficiencies (unPAD) instead. The diagnosis was often uncertain (possible sIgMdef): data on IgG subclasses and/or vaccination responses were lacking in 192 of 261 (74%) literature cases and 42 of 45 (93%) cases from our cohort. Our results also illustrate the clinical challenge of determining the relevance of a serum sample with decreased IgM; a larger cohort of true sIgMdef patients is needed to explore fully its clinical consequences. The ESID online Registry would be a useful tool for this. © 2017 British Society for Immunology.

  4. Splenectomy Associated Changes in IgM Memory B Cells in an Adult Spleen Registry Cohort

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cameron, Paul U.; Jones, Penelope; Gorniak, Malgorzata; Dunster, Kate; Paul, Eldho; Lewin, Sharon; Woolley, Ian; Spelman, Denis

    2011-01-01

    Asplenic patients have a lifelong risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection and have been reported to have low numbers of peripheral blood IgM memory B cells. The clinical value of quantitation of memory B cells as an indicator of splenic abnormality or risk of infection has been unclear. To assess changes in B cell sub-populations after splenectomy we studied patients recruited to a spleen registry (n = 591). A subset of 209 adult asplenic or hyposplenic subjects, and normal controls (n = 140) were tested for IgM memory B cells. We also determined a) changes in IgM memory B cells with time after splenectomy using the cross-sectional data from patients on the registry and b) the kinetics of changes in haematological markers associated with splenectomy(n = 45). Total B cells in splenectomy patients did not differ from controls, but memory B cells, IgM memory B cells and switched B cells were significantly (psplenectomy. Changes of asplenia in routine blood films including presence of Howell-Jolly bodies (HJB), occurred early (median 25 days) and splenectomy associated thrombocytosis and lymphocytosis peaked by 50 days. There was a more gradual decrease in IgM memory B cells reaching a stable level within 6 months after splenectomy. IgM memory B cells as proportion of B cells was the best discriminator between splenectomized patients and normal controls and at the optimal cut-off of 4.53, showed a true positive rate of 95% and false positive rate of 20%. In a survey of 152 registry patients stratified by IgM memory B cells around this cut-off there was no association with minor infections and no registry patients experienced OPSI during the study. Despite significant changes after splenectomy, conventional measures of IgM memory cells have limited clinical utility in this population. PMID:21829713

  5. New radioimmunoassay for IgM and IgG rheumatoid factors, based on a double antibody method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nordfang, O. (Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen (Denmark)); Hoeier-Madsen, M.; Lieberkind, J. (Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen (Denmark)); Halberg, P. (Medical Department, Division of Rheumatology, Hvidovre Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark)

    1981-11-30

    A new radioimmunoassay has been developed for measuring IgM and IgG rheumatoid factors. Diluted sera from donors and patients were incubated with immunoprecipitates prepared from sheep serum and rabbit anti-sheep IgG antiserum. The precipitates were washed, and radioiodinated rabbit F(ab')/sub 2/ fragments specific for human IgM or IgG were added. The precipitates were isolated by filtration and measured in a gamma counter. With this assay IgM rheumatoid factors were detected in sera from all patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and in sera from 40% of patients with seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. IgG rheumatoid factors were found in sera from 68% of the seropositive and 40% of the seronegative patients. Gel filtration experiments demonstrated that it is possible to detect monomeric IgG rheumatoid factors and IgM rheumatoid factors of molecular weight smaller than pentameric IgM. Furthermore it has been shown that IgG rheumatoid factor activity is still present after reduction of IgM rheumatoid factors with dithiotreitol.

  6. IgM MGUS associated with anti-MAG neuropathy: a single institution experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talamo, Giampaolo; Mir, Muhammad A; Pandey, Manoj K; Sivik, Jeffrey K; Raheja, Divisha

    2015-06-01

    Anti-MAG neuropathy is a very rare form of acquired polyneuropathy associated with IgM monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). We conducted a retrospective review of 194 consecutive MGUS patients seen at the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute. We identified six patients among 37 (16 %) with IgM MGUS with anti-MAG neuropathy. Interestingly, an additional patient had anti-MAG neuropathy without MGUS. Common clinical manifestations were numbness and paresthesias of the extremities and gait imbalance. All four patients treated with rituximab and none of the three untreated ones had a subjective improvement of their symptoms. We conclude that all patients with IgM MGUS and neuropathy should be screened for anti-MAG antibodies and, if positive, they should be offered treatment with rituximab.

  7. Intelligent System Design Using Hyper-Heuristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nelishia Pillay

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Determining the most appropriate search method or artificial intelligence technique to solve a problem is not always evident and usually requires implementation of the different approaches to ascertain this. In some instances a single approach may not be sufficient and hybridization of methods may be needed to find a solution. This process can be time consuming. The paper proposes the use of hyper-heuristics as a means of identifying which method or combination of approaches is needed to solve a problem. The research presented forms part of a larger initiative aimed at using hyper-heuristics to develop intelligent hybrid systems. As an initial step in this direction, this paper investigates this for classical artificial intelligence uninformed and informed search methods, namely depth first search, breadth first search, best first search, hill-climbing and the A* algorithm. The hyper-heuristic determines the search or combination of searches to use to solve the problem. An evolutionary algorithm hyper-heuristic is implemented for this purpose and its performance is evaluated in solving the 8-Puzzle, Towers of Hanoi and Blocks World problems. The hyper-heuristic employs a generational evolutionary algorithm which iteratively refines an initial population using tournament selection to select parents, which the mutation and crossover operators are applied to for regeneration. The hyper-heuristic was able to identify a search or combination of searches to produce solutions for the twenty 8-Puzzle, five Towers of Hanoi and five Blocks World problems. Furthermore, admissible solutions were produced for all problem instances.

  8. Catalytic properties of IgMs with amylolytic activity isolated from patients with multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanen, Dina R; Kulminskaya, Anna A; Shabalin, Konstantin A; Isaeva-Ivanova, Luydmila V; Ershova, Nadezhda A; Saveliev, Andrew N; Nevinsky, Gregory A; Neustroev, Kirill N

    2004-08-01

    Recently, amylolytic activity was detected in IgMs isolated from the sera of the patients with multiple sclerosis. All purified samples of IgM were electrophoretically homogenous and did not contain any co-purified a-amylase and a-glucosidase activities, in accordance with a set of criteria developed for abzymes. The amylolytic activity of abzymes was studied in the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl a-D-maltooligosaccharides with different degrees of polymerization from 1 to 8 by TLC and reverse-phase HPLC techniques. All IgM samples isolated from 54 patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis demonstrated hydrolytic activity towards the above artificial substrates. The Michaelis constant values (Km) in the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl a-D-maltoheptaoside were in the range of 10 p-nitrophenyl or p-nitrophenyl a-D-glucosides, thus indicating the presence of an a-D-glucosidase activity. For a number of the investigated samples, specific amylolytic activity increased depending on the length of substrates (from p-nitrophenyl maltopentaoside to p-nitrophenyl maltohexaoside); for other IgMs, the opposite dependence was observed. All IgMs studied did not exhibit any other glycoside hydrolase activities toward p-nitrophenyl glycoside substrates. Abzyme fractions from different donors demonstrated catalytic heterogeneity in Michaelis-Menten parameters and different modes of action in the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl maltooligosaccharides. Enzymatic properties of the IgMs tested varied from human a-amylases. All investigated abzyme samples did not show transglycosylating ability.

  9. Diversity and repertoire of IgW and IgM VH families in the newborn nurse shark

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dooley Helen

    2004-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Adult cartilaginous fish express three immunoglobulin (Ig isotypes, IgM, IgNAR and IgW. Newborn nurse sharks, Ginglymostoma cirratum, produce 19S (multimeric IgM and monomeric/dimeric IgM1gj, a germline-joined, IgM-related VH, and very low amounts of 7S (monomeric IgM and IgNAR proteins. Newborn IgNAR VH mRNAs are diverse in the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3 with non-templated nucleotide (N-region addition, which suggests that, unlike in many other vertebrates, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT expressed at birth is functional. IgW is present in the lungfish, a bony fish sharing a common ancestor with sharks 460 million years ago, implying that the IgW VH family is as old as the IgM VH family. This nurse shark study examined the IgM and IgW VH repertoire from birth through adult life, and analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of these gene families. Results IgM and IgW VH cDNA clones isolated from newborn nurse shark primary and secondary lymphoid tissues had highly diverse and unique CDR3 with N-region addition and VDJ gene rearrangement, implicating functional TdT and RAG gene activity. Despite the clear presence of N-region additions, newborn CDR3 were significantly shorter than those of adults. The IgM clones are all included in a conventional VH family that can be classified into five discrete groups, none of which is orthologous to IgM VH genes in other elasmobranchs. In addition, a novel divergent VH family was orthologous to a published monotypic VH horn shark family. IgW VH genes have diverged sufficiently to form three families. IgM and IgW VH serine codons using the potential somatic hypermutation hotspot sequence occur mainly in VH framework 1 (FR1 and CDR1. Phylogenetic analysis of cartilaginous fish and lungfish IgM and IgW demonstrated they form two major ancient gene groups; furthermore, these VH genes generally diversify (duplicate and diverge within a species. Conclusion As in ratfish

  10. N = 4 Superconformal Chern-Simons theories with hyper and twisted hyper multiplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hosomichi, Kazuo; Lee, Ki-Myeong; Lee, Sungjay; Lee, Sangmin; Park, Jaemo

    2008-01-01

    We extend the N = 4 superconformal Chern-Simons theories of Gaiotto and Witten to those with additional twisted hyper-multiplets. The new theories are generically linear quiver gauge theories with the two types of hyper-multiplets alternating between gauge groups. Our construction includes the Bagger-Lambert model of SO(4) gauge group. A family of abelian theories are identified with those proposed earlier in the context of the M-crystal model for M2-branes probing (C 2 /Z n ) 2 orbifolds. Possible extension with non-abelian BF couplings and string/M-theory realization are briefly discussed.

  11. Generation, characterization and in vivo biological activity of two distinct monoclonal anti-PEG IgMs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashimoto, Yosuke; Shimizu, Taro; Mima, Yu; Abu Lila, Amr S.; Ishida, Tatsuhiro; Kiwada, Hiroshi

    2014-01-01

    PEGylation, the attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to nanocarriers and proteins, is a widely accepted approach to improving the in vivo efficacy of the non-PEGylated products. However, both PEGylated liposomes and PEGylated proteins reportedly trigger the production of specific antibodies, mainly IgM, against the PEG moiety, which possibly leads to a reduction in safety and therapeutic efficacy of the PEGylated products. In the present study, two monoclonal anti-PEG IgMs — HIK-M09 via immunization with an intravenous injection of PEGylated liposomes (SLs) and HIK-M11 via immunization with a subcutaneous administration of PEGylated ovalbumin (PEG-OVA) were successfully generated. The generated IgMs showed efficient reactivity to mPEG 2000 conjugated to 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-ethanolamine (DSPE), PEGylated liposome (SL) and PEG-OVA. It appears that HIK-M09 recognizes ethoxy (OCH 2 CH 2 ) repeat units along with a terminal motif of PEG, while HIK-M11 recognizes only ethoxy repeat units of PEG. Such unique properties allow HIK-M09 to bind with dense PEG. In addition, their impact on the in vivo clearance of the PEGylated products was investigated. It was found that the generated ant-PEG IgMs induced a clearance of SL as they were intravenously administered with SL. Interestingly, the HIK-M11, generated by PEG-OVA, induced the clearance of both SL and PEG-OVA, while the HIK-M09, generated by SL, induced the clearance of SL only. We here revealed that the presence of serum anti-PEG IgM and the subsequent binding of anti-PEG IgM to the PEGylated products are not necessarily related to the enhanced clearance of the products. It appears that subsequent complement activation following anti-PEG IgM binding is the most important step in dictating the in vivo fate of PEGylated products. This study may have implications for the design, development and clinical application of PEGylated products and therapeutics. - Highlights: • Two monoclonal anti-PEG IgMs

  12. Generation, characterization and in vivo biological activity of two distinct monoclonal anti-PEG IgMs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hashimoto, Yosuke; Shimizu, Taro; Mima, Yu [Department of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics, Subdivision of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima, 1-78-1, Sho-machi, Tokushima 770-8505 (Japan); Abu Lila, Amr S. [Department of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics, Subdivision of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima, 1-78-1, Sho-machi, Tokushima 770-8505 (Japan); Department of Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Sharqia Governorate, Zagazig 44519 (Egypt); Ishida, Tatsuhiro, E-mail: ishida@tokushima-u.ac.jp [Department of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics, Subdivision of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima, 1-78-1, Sho-machi, Tokushima 770-8505 (Japan); Kiwada, Hiroshi [Department of Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics, Subdivision of Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima, 1-78-1, Sho-machi, Tokushima 770-8505 (Japan)

    2014-05-15

    PEGylation, the attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to nanocarriers and proteins, is a widely accepted approach to improving the in vivo efficacy of the non-PEGylated products. However, both PEGylated liposomes and PEGylated proteins reportedly trigger the production of specific antibodies, mainly IgM, against the PEG moiety, which possibly leads to a reduction in safety and therapeutic efficacy of the PEGylated products. In the present study, two monoclonal anti-PEG IgMs — HIK-M09 via immunization with an intravenous injection of PEGylated liposomes (SLs) and HIK-M11 via immunization with a subcutaneous administration of PEGylated ovalbumin (PEG-OVA) were successfully generated. The generated IgMs showed efficient reactivity to mPEG{sub 2000} conjugated to 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-ethanolamine (DSPE), PEGylated liposome (SL) and PEG-OVA. It appears that HIK-M09 recognizes ethoxy (OCH{sub 2}CH{sub 2}) repeat units along with a terminal motif of PEG, while HIK-M11 recognizes only ethoxy repeat units of PEG. Such unique properties allow HIK-M09 to bind with dense PEG. In addition, their impact on the in vivo clearance of the PEGylated products was investigated. It was found that the generated ant-PEG IgMs induced a clearance of SL as they were intravenously administered with SL. Interestingly, the HIK-M11, generated by PEG-OVA, induced the clearance of both SL and PEG-OVA, while the HIK-M09, generated by SL, induced the clearance of SL only. We here revealed that the presence of serum anti-PEG IgM and the subsequent binding of anti-PEG IgM to the PEGylated products are not necessarily related to the enhanced clearance of the products. It appears that subsequent complement activation following anti-PEG IgM binding is the most important step in dictating the in vivo fate of PEGylated products. This study may have implications for the design, development and clinical application of PEGylated products and therapeutics. - Highlights: • Two monoclonal

  13. IgM response to a human Pneumocystis carinii surface antigen in HIV-infected patients with pulmonary symptoms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundgren, Bettina; Kovacs, J A; Mathiesen, Lars Reinhardt

    1993-01-01

    We have developed an ELISA to detect IgM antibodies to a major human Pneumocystis carinii surface antigen (gp95), and investigated the IgM response in 128 HIV-infected patients who underwent bronchoscopy for evaluation of pulmonary symptoms. Only 5 (4%) patients had IgM antibodies to P. carinii g...

  14. Recognition of Porphyromonas gingivalis gingipain epitopes by natural IgM binding to malondialdehyde modified low-density lipoprotein.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Pauliina Turunen

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Increased risk for atherosclerosis is associated with infectious diseases including periodontitis. Natural IgM antibodies recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns on bacteria, and oxidized lipid and protein epitopes on low-density lipoprotein (LDL and apoptotic cells. We aimed to identify epitopes on periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis recognized by natural IgM binding to malondialdehyde (MDA modified LDL. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mouse monoclonal IgM (MDmAb specific for MDA-LDL recognized epitopes on P. gingivalis on flow cytometry and chemiluminescence immunoassays. Immunization of C57BL/6 mice with P. gingivalis induced IgM, but not IgG, immune response to MDA-LDL and apoptotic cells. Immunization of LDLR(-/- mice with P. gingivalis induced IgM, but not IgG, immune response to MDA-LDL and diminished aortic lipid deposition. On Western blot MDmAb bound to P. gingivalis fragments identified as arginine-specific gingipain (Rgp by mass spectrometry. Recombinant domains of Rgp produced in E. coli were devoid of phosphocholine epitopes but contained epitopes recognized by MDmAb and human serum IgM. Serum IgM levels to P. gingivalis were associated with anti-MDA-LDL levels in humans. CONCLUSION: Gingipain of P. gingivalis is recognized by natural IgM and shares molecular identity with epitopes on MDA-LDL. These findings suggest a role for natural antibodies in the pathogenesis of two related inflammatory diseases, atherosclerosis and periodontitis.

  15. Psychotic experiences and hyper-theory-of-mind in preadolescence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clemmensen, L; van Os, J; Drukker, M

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Knowledge on the risk mechanisms of psychotic experiences (PE) is still limited. The aim of this population-based study was to explore developmental markers of PE with a particular focus on the specificity of hyper-theory-of-mind (HyperToM) as correlate of PE as opposed to correlate...... psychiatric liability; parental mental illness during early child development; change in family composition; low family income; regulatory problems in infancy; onset of puberty; bullying; concurrent mental disorder; and HyperToM. When estimating the adjusted effects, only low family income, concurrent mental...... disorder, bullying and HyperToM remained significantly associated with PE. Further analyses of the specificity of these correlates with regard to outcome revealed that HyperToM was the only variable specifically associated with PE without concurrent mental disorder. Finally, HyperToM did not share any...

  16. Design concept of HYPER (HYbrid Power Extraction Reactor)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Won S.; Song, Tae Y.; Yu, Dong H.; Kim, Chang H.

    1999-01-01

    Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been performing accelerator driven system related research and development called HYPER for the transmutation of nuclear waste and energy production through the transmutation process. Some major design features of HYPER have been developed and employed. On-power fueling concepts are employed to keep system power constant with a minimum variation of accelerator power. A hollow cylinder-type metal fuel is designed for the on-line refueling concept. Pb-Bi is adopted as a coolant and spallation target material. 1 GeV 13 mA proton beam is designed to be provided for HYPER. HYPER is to transmute about 380 kg of TRU a year and produce 1000 MWth power. The support ratio of HYPER for LWR units producing the same power is believed to be 5 to 6. (author)

  17. HyperPeer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, R.D.; Bouvin, N.O.

    2004-01-01

    This paper presents HyperPeer, a framework for developing peer-to-peer based hypermedia. The distribution of hypermedia structures is handled through a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, allowing for highly scalable sharing between users. A central challenge of all decentralized systems is to locate...

  18. Splenectomy associated changes in IgM memory B cells in an adult spleen registry cohort.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul U Cameron

    Full Text Available Asplenic patients have a lifelong risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection and have been reported to have low numbers of peripheral blood IgM memory B cells. The clinical value of quantitation of memory B cells as an indicator of splenic abnormality or risk of infection has been unclear. To assess changes in B cell sub-populations after splenectomy we studied patients recruited to a spleen registry (n = 591. A subset of 209 adult asplenic or hyposplenic subjects, and normal controls (n = 140 were tested for IgM memory B cells. We also determined a changes in IgM memory B cells with time after splenectomy using the cross-sectional data from patients on the registry and b the kinetics of changes in haematological markers associated with splenectomy(n = 45. Total B cells in splenectomy patients did not differ from controls, but memory B cells, IgM memory B cells and switched B cells were significantly (p<0.001 reduced. The reduction was similar for different indications for splenectomy. Changes of asplenia in routine blood films including presence of Howell-Jolly bodies (HJB, occurred early (median 25 days and splenectomy associated thrombocytosis and lymphocytosis peaked by 50 days. There was a more gradual decrease in IgM memory B cells reaching a stable level within 6 months after splenectomy. IgM memory B cells as proportion of B cells was the best discriminator between splenectomized patients and normal controls and at the optimal cut-off of 4.53, showed a true positive rate of 95% and false positive rate of 20%. In a survey of 152 registry patients stratified by IgM memory B cells around this cut-off there was no association with minor infections and no registry patients experienced OPSI during the study. Despite significant changes after splenectomy, conventional measures of IgM memory cells have limited clinical utility in this population.

  19. Genome-wide scan identifies variant in TNFSF13 associated with serum IgM in a healthy Chinese male population.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming Yang

    Full Text Available IgM provides a first line of defense during microbial infections. Serum IgM levels are detected routinely in clinical practice. And IgM is a genetically complex trait. We conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS to identify genetic variants affecting serum IgM levels in a Chinese population of 3495, including 1999 unrelated subjects in the first stage and 1496 independent individuals in the second stage. Our data show that a common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, rs11552708 located in the TNFSF13 gene was significantly associated with IgM levels (p = 5.00×10(-7 in first stage, p = 1.34×10(-3 in second stage, and p = 4.22×10(-9 when combined. Besides, smoking was identified to be associated with IgM levels in both stages (P0.05. It is suggested that TNFSF13 may be a susceptibility gene affecting serum IgM levels in Chinese male population.

  20. Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome In Nigeria: Report Of Five Cases ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Five cases of secondary anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) are presented and literature reviewed. Pregnancy loss was the most common presentation but neurologic manifestations are also seen. IgG ACA was more commonly seen than IgM ACA. Although APS has been infrequently reported in black Africans, ...

  1. Core design characteristics of the hyper system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yonghee, Kim; Won-Seok, Park; Hill, R.N.

    2003-01-01

    In Korea, an accelerator-driven system (ADS) called HYPER (Hybrid Power Extraction Reactor) is being studied for the transmutation of the radioactive wastes. HYPER is a 1000 MWth lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE)-cooled ADS. In this paper, the neutronic design characteristics of HYPER are described and its transmutation performances are assessed for an equilibrium cycle. The core is loaded with a ductless fuel assembly containing transuranics (TRU) dispersion fuel pins. In HYPER, a relatively high core height, 160 cm, is adopted to maximize the multiplication efficiency of the external source. In the ductless fuel assembly, 13 non-fuel rods are used as tie rods to maintain the mechanical integrity of assembly. As the reflector material, pure lead is used to improve the neutron economy and to minimise the generation of radioactive materials. In HYPER, to minimise the burn-up reactivity swing, a B 4 C burnable absorber is employed. For efficient depletion of the B-10 absorber, the burnable absorber is loaded only in the axially-central part (92 cm long) of the 13 tie rods of each assembly. In the current design, the amount of the B 4 C absorber was determined such that the burn-up reactivity swing is about 3.0% Δk. The long-lived fission products (LLFPs) 99 Tc and 129 I are also transmuted in the HYPER core such that their supporting ratios are equal to that of the TRUs. A heterogeneous LLFP transmutation in the reflector zone has been analysed in this work. A unique feature of the HYPER system is that it has an auxiliary core shutdown system, independent of the accelerator shutdown system. It has been shown that a cylindrical B 4 C absorber between the target and fuel blanket can drastically reduce the fission power even without shutting off the accelerator power. (author)

  2. Hyper-Resolution Groundwater Modeling using MODFLOW 6

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, J. D.; Langevin, C.

    2017-12-01

    MODFLOW 6 is the latest version of the U.S. Geological Survey's modular hydrologic model. MODFLOW 6 was developed to synthesize many of the recent versions of MODFLOW into a single program, improve the way different process models are coupled, and to provide an object-oriented framework for adding new types of models and packages. The object-oriented framework and underlying numerical solver make it possible to tightly couple any number of hyper-resolution models within coarser regional models. The hyper-resolution models can be used to evaluate local-scale groundwater issues that may be affected by regional-scale forcings. In MODFLOW 6, hyper-resolution meshes can be maintained as separate model datasets, similar to MODFLOW-LGR, which simplifies the development of a coarse regional model with imbedded hyper-resolution models from a coarse regional model. For example, the South Atlantic Coastal Plain regional water availability model was converted from a MODFLOW-2000 model to a MODFLOW 6 model. The horizontal discretization of the original model is approximately 3,218 m x 3,218 m. Hyper-resolution models of the Aiken and Sumter County water budget areas in South Carolina with a horizontal discretization of approximately 322 m x 322 m were developed and were tightly coupled to a modified version of the original coarse regional model that excluded these areas. Hydraulic property and aquifer geometry data from the coarse model were mapped to the hyper-resolution models. The discretization of the hyper-resolution models is fine enough to make detailed analyses of the effect that changes in groundwater withdrawals in the production aquifers have on the water table and surface-water/groundwater interactions. The approach used in this analysis could be applied to other regional water availability models that have been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate local scale groundwater issues.

  3. Hyper-heuristics with low level parameter adaptation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Zhilei; Jiang, He; Xuan, Jifeng; Luo, Zhongxuan

    2012-01-01

    Recent years have witnessed the great success of hyper-heuristics applying to numerous real-world applications. Hyper-heuristics raise the generality of search methodologies by manipulating a set of low level heuristics (LLHs) to solve problems, and aim to automate the algorithm design process. However, those LLHs are usually parameterized, which may contradict the domain independent motivation of hyper-heuristics. In this paper, we show how to automatically maintain low level parameters (LLPs) using a hyper-heuristic with LLP adaptation (AD-HH), and exemplify the feasibility of AD-HH by adaptively maintaining the LLPs for two hyper-heuristic models. Furthermore, aiming at tackling the search space expansion due to the LLP adaptation, we apply a heuristic space reduction (SAR) mechanism to improve the AD-HH framework. The integration of the LLP adaptation and the SAR mechanism is able to explore the heuristic space more effectively and efficiently. To evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms, we choose the p-median problem as a case study. The empirical results show that with the adaptation of the LLPs and the SAR mechanism, the proposed algorithms are able to achieve competitive results over the three heterogeneous classes of benchmark instances.

  4. Micromechanics and Piezo Enhancements of HyperSizer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Steven M.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Yarrington, Phillip; Collier, Craig S.

    2006-01-01

    The commercial HyperSizer aerospace-composite-material-structure-sizing software has been enhanced by incorporating capabilities for representing coupled thermal, piezoelectric, and piezomagnetic effects on the levels of plies, laminates, and stiffened panels. This enhancement is based on a formulation similar to that of the pre-existing HyperSizer capability for representing thermal effects. As a result of this enhancement, the electric and/or magnetic response of a material or structure to a mechanical or thermal load, or its mechanical response to an applied electric or magnetic field can be predicted. In another major enhancement, a capability for representing micromechanical effects has been added by establishment of a linkage between HyperSizer and Glenn Research Center s Micromechanics Analysis Code With Generalized Method of Cells (MAC/GMC) computer program, which was described in several prior NASA Tech Briefs articles. The linkage enables Hyper- Sizer to localize to the fiber and matrix level rather than only to the ply level, making it possible to predict local failures and to predict properties of plies from those of the component fiber and matrix materials. Advanced graphical user interfaces and database structures have been developed to support the new HyperSizer micromechanics capabilities.

  5. Nitrocellulose membrane-based enzyme-linked immunoassay for dengue serotype-1 IgM detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leon, S.; Guevara, C.; Chunga, A.

    1999-01-01

    To evaluate the sensitivity and specifity of a nitrocellulose membrane-based immunoassay for dengue IgM, with respect to capture enzyme immunoassay, for the diagnosis of dengue virus infection. 101 serum samples were processed and divided into 2 groups: 53 from dengue serotype 1 (DEN1) infected patients, and 48 from healthy subjects. Both groups were tested with a nitrocellulose membrane-based IgM capture enzyme immunoassay (NMB-EIA) and also with an ELISA as referential pattern. NMB-EIA testing detected IgM anti-DEN1 in 94,34% of samples from infected patients, and in 14,58% of control samples, whereas ELISA fails to report false positive or false negative results: NMB-EIA appears to be a good alternative for dengue infection diagnosis. (authors)

  6. Hyper-resistivity produced by tearing mode turbulence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strauss, H.R.

    1986-01-01

    Tearing mode turbulence produces a hyper-resistivity or effective anomalous electron viscosity. The hyper-resistivity is calculated for the mean magnetic field quasilinearly, and for long-wavelength modes using the direct interaction approximation. The hyper-resistivity accounts for current relaxation in reversed-field pinch experiments, and gives a magnetic fluctuation sealing of S -1 /sup // 3 . It causes enhanced tearing mode growth rates in the turbulent phase of tokamak disruptions. In astrophysics, it limits magnetic energy growth due to the dynamo effect, and may explain rapid reconnection phenomena such as solar flares

  7. Transmutation of DUPIC spent fuel in the hyper system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Y.H.; Song, T.Y.

    2005-01-01

    In this paper, the transmutation of TRUs of the DUPIC (Direct Use of Spent PWR Fuel in CANDU) spent fuel has been studied with the HYPER system, which is an LBE-cooled ADS. The DUPIC concept is a synergistic combination of PWRs and CANDUs, in which PWR spent fuels are directly re-utilized in CANDU reactors after a very simple re-fabrication process. In the DUPIC-HYPER fuel cycle, TRUs are recovered by using a pyro-technology and they are incinerated in a metallic fuel form of U-TRU-Zr. The objective of this study is to investigate the TRU transmutation potential of the HYPER core for the DUPIC-HYPER fuel cycle. All the previously-developed HYPER core design concepts were retained except that fuel is composed of TRU from the DUPIC spent fuel. In order to reduce the burnup reactivity swing, a B 4 C burnable absorber is used. The HYPER core characteristics have been analyzed with the REBUS-3/DIF3D code system. (authors)

  8. Comparison between DOT EIA IgM and Widal Test as early diagnosis of typhoid fever.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Begum, Z; Hossain, M A; Musa, A K; Shamsuzzaman, A K; Mahmud, M C; Ahsan, M M; Sumona, A A; Ahmed, S; Jahan, N A; Alam, M; Begum, A

    2009-01-01

    A recently developed DOT enzyme immunoassay known as "Typhidot" for detecting IgM antibody against 50 KDa OMP antigen of Salmonella typhi, was evaluated on 100 clinically suspected typhoid fever cases and 40 age-sex matched controls, in the Department of Microbiology, Mymensingh Medical College during, the period from June 2006 to July 2007. Blood culture, Widal test, and DOT EIA for IgM test were performed in all patients. Among 100 clinically suspected typhoid fever cases, 35 were subsequently confirmed on the basis of positive blood culture for S. typhi and/or significant rising titre of Widal test. The DOT EIA IgM test could produce results within 1 hour. The result of the DOT EIA IgM test showed a good diagnostic value for typhoid fever. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of the test was found as 91.42%, 90.00%, 88.88% and 92.30% respectively. On the other hand corresponding values for Widal test were of 42.85%, 85.00%, 71.42% and 62.96% respectively. Thus, The DOT EIA IgM seems to be a practical alternative to Widal test for early diagnosis of typhoid fever.

  9. Hopkins syndrome and phantom hernia: a rare association.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elizabeth, K E; Guruprasad, C S; Sindhu, T G

    2011-06-01

    Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), other than paralytic poliomyelitis, are usually due to demyelination like Guillian Barre syndrome (GBS), transverse myelitis and traumatic neuritis. Poliomyelitis like illness, Hopkins syndrome or Post Asthmatic Amotrophy, associated with bronchial asthma and hyperIgEemia has been reported in literature. We present a two and a half year old child who developed AFP with phantom hernia following an episode of bronchial asthma.

  10. Hyper Hospital on the satellite multi-media network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamaguchi, T

    1997-01-01

    We have been developing the Hyper Hospital, a network based VR mediated medical care system. The Hyper Hospital is composed of two seamlessly integrated environments, that is, the virtual and the real worlds. Of them, its virtual environment expands the conventional medical care system using the virtual reality technology as a principal human interface and a collaboration tool, in the present study, an attempt to extend the Hyper Hospital system to various modalities of communication network is reported. A satellite communication based multi-media network using Internet protocols with the WWW interface is used. Data transmission rate and other performances were measured under various conditions and the satellite network was shown to be suitable to the Hyper Hospital network.

  11. Brain atrophy and lesion load are related to CSF lipid-specific IgM oligoclonal bands in clinically isolated syndromes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magraner, Maria Jose; Bosca, Isabel; Simo-Castello, Maria; Casanova, Bonaventura; Garcia-Marti, Gracian; Alberich-Bayarri, Angel; Marti-Bonmati, Luis; Coret, Francisco; Alvarez-Cermeno, Jose C.; Villar, Luisa M.

    2012-01-01

    The objective of this work is to study the relationship between the presence of lipid-specific oligoclonal IgM bands (LS-OCMB) in CSF, with both T2 lesion volume (T2LV) accumulation and brain atrophy (percentage change of brain volume-PCBV-and brain parenchyma fraction-BPF) in patients with clinically isolated syndromes (CIS) suggestive of demyelination. Twenty-four CIS patients were included in this prospective study. IgG oligoclonal bands (OCGB) and LS-OCMB were determined in paired serum and CSF samples within 3 months since clinical onset. Brain MRI studies were scheduled at baseline, 3 months, first and second years after CIS onset. Differences in T2LV, PCBV and BPF between CIS patients according to the type of OCB were studied. Nine patients had no OCB; 15 had only OCGB, and seven had OCGB + LS-OCMB present in the CSF. LS-OCMB were associated with greater T2LV in all scheduled MRI studies. At the end of follow-up (year 2), it was threefold higher in patients with these antibodies than in those without LS-OCMB (3.95 cm 3 vs. 1.36 cm 3 , p = 0.001). At that point, brain atrophy was also higher in patients with LS-OCMB (BPF, 0.73 in LS-OCMB+ patients vs. 0.76 in negative ones, p = 0.03). The rate in brain atrophy was higher in the first group of patients as well. Considering only patients with OCGB, the presence of LS-OCMB was also related to greater T2LV, T2LV increase and a trend towards higher atrophy rate. The presence of LS-OCMB in the first event suggestive of demyelination is related to an early increase in lesion load and brain atrophy. These data are in line with prospective studies showing the clinical prognostic value of LS-OCMB. (orig.)

  12. Charmed and beauty baryon in hyper central model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patel, Bhavin; Vinodkumar, P.C.; Rai, Ajay Kumar

    2006-01-01

    For the present study the hyper central description of the three-body problem has been employed for the baryons constituting one or more charm and beauty quarks. The confinement potential is assumed in the hyper central co-ordinates as hyper central coulomb plus power potential. The charm and beauty baryons under this potential has been studied for different power indices starting from 0.5 to 2.0. The methods and results are briefly described

  13. HyPer Family Probes: State of the Art.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilan, Dmitry S; Belousov, Vsevolod V

    2016-05-01

    Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is not only a key mediator of oxidative stress but also one of the most important cellular second messengers. This small short-lived molecule is involved in the regulation of a wide range of different biological processes, including regulation of cellular signaling pathways. Studying the role of H2O2 in living systems would be challenging without modern approaches. A genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor, HyPer, is one of the most effective tools for this purpose. HyPer has been used by many investigators of redox signaling in various models of different scales: from cytoplasmic subcompartments and single cells to tissues of whole organisms. In many studies, the results obtained using HyPer have enabled a better understanding of the roles of H2O2 in these biological processes. However, much remains to be learned. In this review, we focus on the uses of HyPer. We provide a general description of HyPer and its improved versions. Separate chapters are devoted to the results obtained by various groups who have used this biosensor for their experiments in living cells and organisms. HyPer is an effective tool for H2O2 imaging in living systems as indicated by the increasing numbers of publications each year since its development. However, this biosensor requires further improvements. In particular, much brighter and more pH-stable versions of HyPer are necessary for imaging in mammalian tissues. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 24, 731-751.

  14. Burning mouth syndrome associated with varicella zoster virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagel, Maria A; Gilden, Don

    2016-07-05

    We present two cases of burning mouth syndrome (BMS)-of 8-month duration in a 61-year-old woman and of 2-year duration in a 63-year-old woman-both associated with increased levels of antivaricella zoster virus (VZV) IgM antibodies in serum and with pain that improved with antiviral treatment. Combined with our previous finding of BMS due to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection, we recommend evaluation of patients with BMS not only for VZV or HSV-1 DNA in the saliva, but also for serum anti-VZV and anti-HSV-1 IgM antibodies. Both infections are treatable with oral antiviral agents. 2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

  15. Visualization of hyper-vapotron effect

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cattadori, G.; Celata, G.P.; Cumo, M.; Gaspari, G.P.; Mariani, A.; Zummo, G.

    1992-01-01

    Fusion reactors thermal-hydraulics requires suitable techniques for the removal of extremely high heat fluxes up to some tens of MW/square meter. Among the possible techniques to enhance the critical heat flux (CHF) in subcooled flow boiling already typically characterized by high values of CHF, the hyper-vapotron effect was studied using water flowing in a horizontal annular test section designed for visualization purposes. A full characterization of the hyper-vapotron effect as a function of geometry and fluid thermal-hydraulics conditions was accomplished by making use of a high-speed movie. The hyper-vapotron technique is suitable for the removal of high heat fluxes (up to about 30 MW/square meter) wherever high values of fluid velocity and subcooling are not allowed. In fact, it is typically occurring at low values of liquid velocity and subcooling that are, in turn, directly affecting the enhancement of CHF in subcooled flow boiling

  16. Hyper-arousal decreases human visual thresholds.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam J Woods

    Full Text Available Arousal has long been known to influence behavior and serves as an underlying component of cognition and consciousness. However, the consequences of hyper-arousal for visual perception remain unclear. The present study evaluates the impact of hyper-arousal on two aspects of visual sensitivity: visual stereoacuity and contrast thresholds. Sixty-eight participants participated in two experiments. Thirty-four participants were randomly divided into two groups in each experiment: Arousal Stimulation or Sham Control. The Arousal Stimulation group underwent a 50-second cold pressor stimulation (immersing the foot in 0-2° C water, a technique known to increase arousal. In contrast, the Sham Control group immersed their foot in room temperature water. Stereoacuity thresholds (Experiment 1 and contrast thresholds (Experiment 2 were measured before and after stimulation. The Arousal Stimulation groups demonstrated significantly lower stereoacuity and contrast thresholds following cold pressor stimulation, whereas the Sham Control groups showed no difference in thresholds. These results provide the first evidence that hyper-arousal from sensory stimulation can lower visual thresholds. Hyper-arousal's ability to decrease visual thresholds has important implications for survival, sports, and everyday life.

  17. Probable alpha and 14C cluster emission from hyper Ac nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santhosh, K.P.

    2013-01-01

    A systematic study on the probability for the emission of 4 He and 14 C cluster from hyper Λ 207-234 Ac and non-strange normal 207-234 Ac nuclei are performed for the first time using our fission model, the Coulomb and proximity potential model (CPPM). The predicted half lives show that hyper Λ 207-234 Ac nuclei are unstable against 4 He emission and 14 C emission from hyper Λ 217-228 Ac are favorable for measurement. Our study also show that hyper Λ 207-234 Ac are stable against hyper Λ 4 He and Λ 14 C emission. The role of neutron shell closure (N = 126) in hyper Λ 214 Fr daughter and role of proton/neutron shell closure (Z ∼ 82, N = 126) in hyper Λ 210 Bi daughter are also revealed. As hyper-nuclei decays to normal nuclei by mesonic/non-mesonic decay and since most of the predicted half lives for 4 He and 14 C emission from normal Ac nuclei are favourable for measurement, we presume that alpha and 14 C cluster emission from hyper Ac nuclei can be detected in laboratory in a cascade (two-step) process. (orig.)

  18. Alcohol hyper-responsiveness in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Schryver, Els; Derycke, Lara; Campo, Paloma; Gabriels, Eline; Joos, Guy F; Van Zele, Thibaut; Bachert, Claus; Hellings, Peter W; Gevaert, Philippe

    2017-02-01

    An important percentage of subjects diagnosed with chronic upper airway disease report alcohol-induced worsening of their symptoms. The prevalence and characteristics of respiratory reactions provoked by alcohol-containing drinks have not been fully investigated yet. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of alcohol hyper-responsiveness in patients with chronic airway disease and healthy controls. Furthermore, nasal inflammation was evaluated in nasal polyp patients with and without hyper-responsiveness. We evaluated the prevalence and characteristics of alcohol-induced respiratory complaints in 1281 subjects. Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) patients with and without NSAID exacerbated respiratory disease (NERD), chronic rhinosinusitis patients without nasal polyps (CRSsNP), allergic rhinitis (AR) patients and healthy controls were approached by means of a questionnaire. Inflammatory markers (eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP), IL-5, IgE, SAE-specific IgE, IL-17, TNFα and IFNγ) in tissue were then compared between alcohol hyper-responsive and non-hyper-responsive CRSwNP patients. The highest prevalence of nasal and bronchial alcohol hyper-responsiveness was observed in patients with NERD, followed by CRSwNP, and less frequent in CRSsNP, AR and healthy controls. Alcohol hyper-responsiveness is significantly more prevalent in CRSwNP patients suffering from recurrent disease and in patients with severe symptomatology. In nasal tissue of the hyper-responsive CRSwNP group, we observed significantly higher nasal levels of the eosinophilic biomarker ECP. Nasal hyper-responsiveness to alcohol is significantly more prevalent in severe eosinophilic upper airway disease. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. ¿Es necesario investigar anticuerpos IgM contra el virus de la hepatitis A cuando el enzimograma hepático es normal? Is it necessary to investigate anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV IgM antibodies when the hepatic enzymogram is normal?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Coitinho

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available La hepatitis por virus A (VHA es la más frecuente de las hepatitis virales en el mundo, especialmente en los países subdesarrollados. Donde esta enfermedad es endémica, se suelen realizar un gran número de estudios de laboratorio para confirmarla. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar la utilidad de investigar anticuerpos IgM anti hepatitis A (IgM anti-VHA para el diagnóstico de la VHA en pacientes con niveles séricos normales de aspartato y alanina aminotransferasas (AST/ALT. Todos los pacientes que concurrieron al laboratorio con solicitud de enzimograma hepático y anticuerpos IgM anti-VHA durante el período octubre 2005-marzo 2006 fueron evaluados en este estudio. Los datos clínicos más frecuentes fueron presunción de hepatitis e ictericia (27,5 y 12,7%. La determinación de IgM anti-VHA se realizó por ensayo inmunoenzimático de micropartículas (MEIA; la de enzimas hepáticas en un multianalizador. De los 158 pacientes estudiados, 84 tenían valores elevados de AST/ALT; dentro de este grupo, el 82% fue reactivo para IgM anti-VHA. Los 74 pacientes restantes mostraron niveles normales de AST/ALT y solo 7 de ellos, bajo control de evolución por VHA ya confirmada, fueron reactivos para IgM anti-VHA. El 49% de los pacientes IgM anti-VHA reactivos correspondió a menores de 10 años. De acuerdo con estas observaciones, sugerimos que los estudios de laboratorio para confirmar infección aguda por VHA deberían realizarse en forma secuencial, ya que es innecesaria la determinación de anticuerpos IgM anti-VHA cuando las aminotransferasas séricas son normales.Type A viral Hepatitis (HAV is the most frequent viral hepatitis around the world, especially in low income countries. In order to confirm this disease, a lot of laboratory tests are annually carried out where HAV is endemic. Our objective was to establish the utility of investigating anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV IgM antibodies for HAV diagnosis in patients with normal

  20. Hyper-V for VMware administrators migration, coexistence, and management

    CERN Document Server

    Posey, Brien

    2015-01-01

    Learn to deploy and support Hyper-V, building on what you know about VMware's vSphere. Whether you're looking to run both hypervisors in parallel or migrate completely, Hyper-V for VMware Administrators has everything you need to get started. The book begins with an overview of Hyper-V basics, including common management tasks such as creating a virtual machine and building a virtual network. You'll learn how to deploy a failover cluster to protect against the risk of Hyper-V becoming a single point of failure, and how to make virtual machines fault tolerant. System Center Virtual Machine Ma

  1. Hyper-Rayleigh scattering and hyper-Raman scattering of dye-adsorbed silver nanoparticles induced by a focused continuous-wave near-infrared laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itoh, Tamitake; Ozaki, Yukihiro; Yoshikawa, Hiroyuki; Ihama, Takashi; Masuhara, Hiroshi

    2006-01-01

    We report that hyper-Rayleigh scattering, surface-enhanced hyper-Raman scattering, and two-photon excited luminescence occur intermittently by focusing a continuous-wave near-infrared (cw-NIR) laser into a colloidal silver solution including rhodamine 6G (R6G) and sodium chloride (NaCl). On the other hand, continuous hyper-Rayleigh scattering is observed from colloidal silver free from R6G and NaCl, demonstrating that hyper-Raman scattering and two-photon excited luminescence are attributed to R6G and their intermittent features are dependent on the colloidal dispersion. These results suggest that the cw-NIR laser has three roles; the source of the nonlinear response, optical trapping of nanoparticles, and making nanoparticle aggregates possessing the high activity for the nonlinear response

  2. Oral-facial-digital syndrome with mesoaxial polysyndactyly, common ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Rabah M. Shawky

    2014-02-28

    Feb 28, 2014 ... Introduction. The Oral-facial-digital syndrome (OFDS) is a heterogeneous .... et al. [12] reported a common AV canal with pulmonary hyper- .... [16] Poretti A, Vitiello G, Hennekam RC, Arrigoni F, Bertini E, ... 2010;42(7):619–25.

  3. New 21 cm Power Spectrum Upper Limits From PAPER II: Constraints on IGM Properties at z = 7.7

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pober, Jonathan; Ali, Zaki; Parsons, Aaron; Paper Team

    2015-01-01

    Using a simulation-based framework, we interpret the power spectrum measurements from PAPER of Ali et al. in the context of IGM physics at z = 7.7. A cold IGM will result in strong 21 cm absorption relative to the CMB and leads to a 21 cm fluctuation power spectrum that can exceed 3000 mK^2. The new PAPER measurements allow us to rule out extreme cold IGM models, placing a lower limit on the physical temperature of the IGM. We also compare this limit with a calculation for the predicted heating from the currently observed galaxy population at z = 8.

  4. Auto-focusing accelerating hyper-geometric laser beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovalev, A A; Kotlyar, V V; Porfirev, A P

    2016-01-01

    We derive a new solution to the paraxial wave equation that defines a two-parameter family of three-dimensional structurally stable vortex annular auto-focusing hyper-geometric (AH) beams, with their complex amplitude expressed via a degenerate hyper-geometric function. The AH beams are found to carry an orbital angular momentum and be auto-focusing, propagating on an accelerating path toward a focus, where the annular intensity pattern is ‘sharply’ reduced in diameter. An explicit expression for the complex amplitude of vortex annular auto-focusing hyper-geometric-Gaussian beams is derived. The experiment has been shown to be in good agreement with theory. (paper)

  5. False positive results occurring in a radioimmunoassay for hepatitis A IgM antibody of the IgM class

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bucens, M R; Pietroboni, G R; Harnett, G B [Virus Lab., Combined Microbiology Service, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Perth, Western Australia

    1983-12-01

    The diagnosis of hepatitis A infection is usually based on the presence of hepatitis A specific IgM in a single serum sample. The fortuitous observation in one patient that this reactivity was apparently still present 19 mth after her original illness led to the discovery that the ABBOTT HAVAB-M kit method may produce false positive results. A series of patients who had previously had hepatitis A was retested and false positive results were found in 6% of this group. Control groups consisted of patients with other acute and chronic liver disorders and other acute viral diseases. No reactivity was detected in the control sera. Sucrose gradient fractionation revealed that the factor responsible for the false positive results was associated only with serum fractions containing IgA and IgG and that it could be removed by absorption of sera with staphylococcal protein A but not by absorption with streptococcus AR1 or by 2-mercaptoethanol treatment. It was concluded that following hepatitis A infection some patients produce a rheumatoid factor-like substance (not of IgM class) which is cleared from the serum in 2-3 yr. The presence of this factor may lead to a misdiagnosis in patients presenting with jaundice.

  6. Parallel Evolution of Sperm Hyper-Activation Ca2+ Channels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Jacob C; Phadnis, Nitin

    2017-07-01

    Sperm hyper-activation is a dramatic change in sperm behavior where mature sperm burst into a final sprint in the race to the egg. The mechanism of sperm hyper-activation in many metazoans, including humans, consists of a jolt of Ca2+ into the sperm flagellum via CatSper ion channels. Surprisingly, all nine CatSper genes have been independently lost in several animal lineages. In Drosophila, sperm hyper-activation is performed through the cooption of the polycystic kidney disease 2 (pkd2) Ca2+ channel. The parallels between CatSpers in primates and pkd2 in Drosophila provide a unique opportunity to examine the molecular evolution of the sperm hyper-activation machinery in two independent, nonhomologous calcium channels separated by > 500 million years of divergence. Here, we use a comprehensive phylogenomic approach to investigate the selective pressures on these sperm hyper-activation channels. First, we find that the entire CatSper complex evolves rapidly under recurrent positive selection in primates. Second, we find that pkd2 has parallel patterns of adaptive evolution in Drosophila. Third, we show that this adaptive evolution of pkd2 is driven by its role in sperm hyper-activation. These patterns of selection suggest that the evolution of the sperm hyper-activation machinery is driven by sexual conflict with antagonistic ligands that modulate channel activity. Together, our results add sperm hyper-activation channels to the class of fast evolving reproductive proteins and provide insights into the mechanisms used by the sexes to manipulate sperm behavior. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

  7. The facility location problem for hyper-rectilinear distances

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juel, Henrik; Love, Robert F.

    1985-01-01

    Hyper-rectilinear distances correspond to the l p distance function for 0 travel distances between pairs of points are generally greater than rectilinear distances. In this paper we examine the single facility location problem when hyper...

  8. Biotin IgM Antibodies in Human Blood: A Previously Unknown Factor Eliciting False Results in Biotinylation-Based Immunoassays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Tingting; Hedman, Lea; Mattila, Petri S.; Jartti, Laura; Jartti, Tuomas; Ruuskanen, Olli; Söderlund-Venermo, Maria; Hedman, Klaus

    2012-01-01

    Biotin is an essential vitamin that binds streptavidin or avidin with high affinity and specificity. As biotin is a small molecule that can be linked to proteins without affecting their biological activity, biotinylation is applied widely in biochemical assays. In our laboratory, IgM enzyme immuno assays (EIAs) of µ-capture format have been set up against many viruses, using as antigen biotinylated virus like particles (VLPs) detected by horseradish peroxidase-conjugated streptavidin. We recently encountered one serum sample reacting with the biotinylated VLP but not with the unbiotinylated one, suggesting in human sera the occurrence of biotin-reactive antibodies. In the present study, we search the general population (612 serum samples from adults and 678 from children) for IgM antibodies reactive with biotin and develop an indirect EIA for quantification of their levels and assessment of their seroprevalence. These IgM antibodies were present in 3% adults regardless of age, but were rarely found in children. The adverse effects of the biotin IgM on biotinylation-based immunoassays were assessed, including four inhouse and one commercial virus IgM EIAs, showing that biotin IgM do cause false positivities. The biotin can not bind IgM and streptavidin or avidin simultaneously, suggesting that these biotin-interactive compounds compete for the common binding site. In competitive inhibition assays, the affinities of biotin IgM antibodies ranged from 2.1×10−3 to 1.7×10−4 mol/L. This is the first report on biotin antibodies found in humans, providing new information on biotinylation-based immunoassays as well as new insights into the biomedical effects of vitamins. PMID:22879954

  9. Hyper-Activity in Children Having Behavior Disorders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Childers, A. T.

    2009-01-01

    Frequently, child guidance clinics, pediatricians, teachers, and others have brought to their attention children who manifest hyper-activity as an outstanding feature and of such a degree as to be regarded outside the bounds of normal conduct. The literature on this subject, except for hyper-activity in infancy, has mostly to do with the…

  10. Determination of Antibodies (IgG, IgM against Toxoplasma gondii in Patients with Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Pedram

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: The aim of this study was determination of antibodies (IgG, IgM against Toxoplasma in malignant patients in order to refer the patients on time to the physician for treatment.Methods: This study was carried out on 252 malignant patients and 252 healthy normal subjects (as control obtained from Shafa Hospital and Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (Iran-Zamin, in Ahwaz city. Patient's information was recorded in a questionnaire before sampling. Serum samples of patients were examined for IgG and IgM antibodies by ELISA technique using Trinity kits. Results: The results of this study revealed the presence of Toxoplasma antibodies in 114 (45.2% cases of patients who were positive for Toxoplasma IgG antibodies, and 26 (10.3% cases were confirmed to be positive for Toxoplasma IgM antibodies and also 17 (6.7% of cases had both IgG and IgM antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii. In control group 92 (36.5% cases and 15 (6% cases revealed seropositive for IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. There were no significant differences between sex, close contact with cat, living region, chemotherapy, and seropositivity rate of toxoplasmosis in patients. Comparing the age groups, the highest seropositive rate showed in the age of 51 years or higher, and their rates had tendency to increase with age in both groups. No seropositivity significant relationship was found between patients and control group.Conclusion: According to the prevalence of positive cases in these patients, it is necessary to examine the patients for toxoplasmosis before, during and after chemotherapy.

  11. A novel definition of the overall hyper-wiener index for unsaturated hydrocarbons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xinhua; Hu, Maolin; Xiao, Hongping

    2004-01-01

    By replacing the distances between pairs of vertices with the relative distances, we define a novel overall hyper-Wiener index (NOR); the novel overall hyper-Wiener index extends the usefulness of the hyper-Wiener index and the overall hyper-Wiener index to unsaturated hydrocarbons.

  12. The HyperLeda project en route to the astronomical virtual observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golev, V.; Georgiev, V.; Prugniel, Ph.

    2002-07-01

    HyperLeda (Hyper-Linked Extragalactic Databases and Archives) is aimed to study the evolution of galaxies, their kinematics and stellar populations and the structure of Local Universe. HyperLeda is involved in catalogue and software production, data-mining and massive data processing. The products are serviced to the community through web mirrors. The development of HyperLeda is distributed between different sites and is based on the background experience of the LEDA and Hypercat databases. The HyperLeda project is focused both on the European iAstro colaboration and as a unique database for studies of the physics of the extragalactic objects.

  13. Hyper-connectivity and hyper-plasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex in the valproic acid animal model of autism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tania Rinaldi

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available The prefrontal cortex has been extensively implicated in autism to explain deficits in executive and other higher-order functions related to cognition, language, sociability and emotion. The possible changes at the level of the neuronal microcircuit are however not known. We studied microcircuit alterations in the prefrontal cortex in the valproic acid rat model of autism and found that the layer 5 pyramidal neurons are connected to significantly more neighbouring neurons than in controls. These excitatory connections are more plastic displaying enhanced long-term potentiation of the strength of synapses. The microcircuit alterations found in the prefrontal cortex are therefore similar to the alterations previously found in the somatosensory cortex. Hyper-connectivity and hyper-plasticity in the prefrontal cortex implies hyper-functionality of one of the highest order processing regions in the brain, and stands in contrast to the hypo-functionality that is normally proposed in this region to explain some of the autistic symptoms. We propose that a number of deficits in autism such as sociability, attention, multi-tasking and repetitive behaviours, should be re-interpreted in the light of a hyper-functional prefrontal cortex.

  14. Prosthodontic Rehabilitation of Patient with Anterior Hyper Function Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vesna Korunoska-Stevkovska

    2017-12-01

    CONCLUSION: Anterior hyperfunction syndrome with its high incidence is a disease with the need of interdisciplinary therapy approach. Fast diagnosis, thorough clinical examination using all available diagnostic tools, and choosing the right treatment is very challenging.

  15. Malignant Hyperthermia and Idiopathic HyperCKemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pashtoon Murtaza Kasi

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Malignant hyperthermia (MH is a rare but life-threatening condition that is more frequently encountered and discussed within the anesthesia literature. Here we through a case specifically discuss the susceptibility of individuals and/or families with asymptomatic unexplained elevations of creatine kinase (CK, also frequently referred to as hyperCKemia or idiopathic hyperCKemia (IHCK in recent reports. The clinical implications would be to underscore the importance of this as a susceptibility to developing MH and highlight the importance of genetic susceptibility testing in such cases. Anesthesiologists and critical care intensivists as well as primary care physicians should keep this in mind when seeing patients with asymptomatic hyperCKemia and potentially inform them about the possibility of developing MH if exposed to triggering agents. Genetic susceptibility testing should be considered if available and family members should also receive nontriggering agents when undergoing anesthesia and wear Medic Alert tags.

  16. Persistent hyperCKemia: fourteen patients studied in retrospect

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brewster, L. M.; de Visser, M.

    1988-01-01

    Fourteen patients with persistently raised serum creatine kinase activity (hyperCKemia) were studied in retrospect. Clinical and laboratory findings did not point to any established neuromuscular disorder. In 8, manual occupation with local muscle strain apparently caused the hyperCKemia despite a

  17. Capture ELISA for IgM antibodies against Plasmodium falciparum glutamate rich protein

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dziegiel, M; Borre, Mette; Petersen, E

    1992-01-01

    This report describes a novel mu chain capture ELISA for the detection of IgM antibodies against a Plasmodium falciparum antigen. A fragment of the 220 kDa P. falciparum glutamate rich protein containing amino acid residues 489-1271 was expressed in E. coli as a recombinant chimeric beta-galactos......This report describes a novel mu chain capture ELISA for the detection of IgM antibodies against a Plasmodium falciparum antigen. A fragment of the 220 kDa P. falciparum glutamate rich protein containing amino acid residues 489-1271 was expressed in E. coli as a recombinant chimeric beta...

  18. Fuel composition effects on HYPER core characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Chi Young; Kim, Yong Nam; Kim, Jong Kyung

    2001-01-01

    At KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute), a subcritical transmutation reactor is under development, named HYPER(Hybrid Power Extraction Reactor). For the HYPER system, a pyrochemical process is being considered for fuel reprocessing. Separated from the separation process, the fuel contains not only TRU but also the considerable percentages of impurity such as uranium nuclides and lanthanides. The amount of these impurities depends on strongly the refining efficiency of the reprocessing and may change the core characteristics. This paper has analyzed fuel composition effects on th HYPER core characteristics. Assuming various recovery factors of uranium and lanthanides, some dynamic parameters have been evaluated which are the neutron spectrum, the neutron reaction balance, the reactivity coefficients, the effective delayed neutron fraction, and the effective neutron lifetime

  19. CFD analysis of the HYPER spallation target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Chungho; Tak, Nam-il; Choi, Jae-Hyuk; Lee, Yong-Bum

    2008-01-01

    KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) is developing an accelerator driven system (ADS) named HYPER (HYbrid Power Extraction Reactor) for a transmutation of long-lived nuclear wastes. One of the challenging tasks for the HYPER system is to design a large spallation target with a beam power of 15-25 MW. The paper focuses on a thermal-hydraulic analysis of the active part of the HYPER target. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed by using a commercial code CFX 5.7.1. Several advanced turbulence models with different grid structures were applied. The CFX results reveal a significant impact of the turbulence model on the window temperature. Particularly, the k-ε model predicts the lowest window temperature among the five investigated turbulence models

  20. Pitchfork bifurcation and circuit implementation of a novel Chen hyper-chaotic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong En-Zeng; Chen Zeng-Qiang; Chen Zai-Ping; Ni Jian-Yun

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, a novel four dimensional hyper-chaotic system is coined based on the Chen system, which contains two quadratic terms and five system parameters. The proposed system can generate a hyper-chaotic attractor in wide parameters regions. By using the center manifold theorem and the local bifurcation theory, a pitchfork bifurcation is demonstrated to arise at the zero equilibrium point. Numerical analysis demonstrates that the hyper-chaotic system can generate complex dynamical behaviors, e.g., a direct transition from quasi-periodic behavior to hyper-chaotic behavior. Finally, an electronic circuit is designed to implement the hyper-chaotic system, the experimental results are consist with the numerical simulations, which verifies the existence of the hyper-chaotic attractor. Due to the complex dynamic behaviors, this new hyper-chaotic system is useful in the secure communication. (general)

  1. Serum AMH Level to Predict the Hyper Response in Women with PCOS and Non-PCOS Undergoing Controlled Ovarian Stimulation in ART.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vembu, Radha; Reddy, Nellepalli Sanjeeva

    2017-01-01

    It is essential to determine the cut-off value of serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) to predict the hyper response in assisted reproductive technology (ART). There are few studies mentioning the cut-off value for the hyper response in infertile women but not specifically for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and non-PCOS groups. With this in background, this study was conducted. To determine the cut-off value of serum AMH to predict the hyper response in women with PCOS and non-PCOS undergoing a controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) in ART. To compare the outcome of stimulation in PCOS and non-PCOS groups. All 246 women enrolled for Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) fulfilling the selection criteria were recruited. On the day 3 of the cycle, the serum AMH, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), estradiol and antral follicle count (AFC) were measured. They underwent COS as per the unit protocol. They were divided into PCOS and non-PCOS groups as per the Rotterdam's criteria. The mean age, duration of infertility, Body Mass Index (BMI), Ovarian reserve markers and outcome of stimulation were compared. Using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16.0 software, the significant difference was measured by multivariate analysis, as well as a one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post-hoc test was used. Among 246 women, 31.3% were in PCOS group, and 68.7% were in non-PCOS group. Comparison of PCOS and non-PCOS groups showed a significant difference in the age with the mean age being 29.2 and 31.5 years, respectively. The mean AMH and AFC were 2-fold higher in PCOS group. The mean number of follicles, oocytes retrieved, MII and oocytes fertilised were significantly higher in PCOS group. The pregnancy rate was 52.6% in PCOS and 30.9% in non-PCOS group. In the PCOS group, 22.1% had ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS), and only 4.7% had OHSS in non-PCOS group ( P = 0.0005). Receiving Operator Curve (ROC) curve was plotted

  2. Anticardiolipin antibodies in classic pediatric hemolytic-uremic syndrome: a possible pathogenic role.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ardiles, L G; Olavarría, F; Elgueta, M; Moya, P; Mezzano, S

    1998-01-01

    Anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies have been associated with thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia and an increased risk of thrombosis in different vascular locations, even in the absence of lupus. The classic hemolytic-uremic syndrome is a postinfectious acute renal failure characterized by hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and the presence of widespread glomerular thrombosis in the kidney, with pathogenic mechanisms that remain to be identified. In order to establish the frequency of aCL antibodies in this syndrome and to identify a possible role in the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations, 17 patients were studied during the reactant phase of the disease looking for an association between the presence of aCL antibodies (isotypes IgG, IgA and IgM) and the main clinical variables of the syndrome. In 8 patients IgG aCL was present, 2 patients had IgM aCL, and 1 had IgA antibodies on the solid-phase ELISA aCL assays, but no association could be demonstrated with the clinical variables studied. Although it might correspond to an epiphenomenon related to the triggering intestinal infection, a pathogenic role cannot be discarded and additional studies should be performed.

  3. Radioimmunoassay of IgM, IgG, and IgA brucella antibodies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parrett, D.; Nielson, K.H.; White, R.G.; Payne, D.J.H.

    1977-01-01

    A radioimmunoassay (R.I.A.) has been devised to measure the serum antibody against Brucella abortus in each of the immunoglobulin classes IgM, IgG, and IgA. This test was applied to 46 sera from individuals with various clinical types of brucellosis, and the results were compared with the results of conventional direct and indirect agglutination and complement-fixation tests. The R.I.A. provided a highly sensitive primary-type assay which avoided the difficulties with blocking or non-agglutinating antibody, and thus has many advantages in the diagnosis of acute and chronic stages of brucella infection in man. The R.I.A. was successful in detection of antibody in many instances in which conventional serological tests were negative, and such antibody could (if IgM) be associated with acute or (if IgG or IgA) with chronic cases of brucellosis. One case in which B.abortus was isolated by blood culture but which failed to yield antibody by conventional tests, nevertheless showed substantial levels of IgM and IgG antibody by R.I.A. In other cases the R.I.A. test helped to eliminate the diagnosis of brucellosis by revealing absent or low antibody levels. (author)

  4. IgM repertoire biodiversity is reduced in HIV-1 infection and systemic lupus erythematosus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li eYin

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: HIV-1 infection or systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE] disrupt B cell homeostasis, reduce memory B cells, and impair function of IgG and IgM antibodies. Objective: To determine how disturbances in B cell populations producing polyclonal antibodies relate to the IgM repertoire, the IgM transcriptome in health and disease was explored at the complementarity determining region 3 [CDRH3] sequence population level. Methods: 454-deep pyrosequencing in combination with a novel analysis pipeline was applied to define populations of IGHM CDRH3 sequences based on absence or presence of somatic hypermutations [SHM] in peripheral blood B cells. Results: HIV or SLE subjects have reduced biodiversity within their IGHM transcriptome compared to healthy subjects, mainly due to a significant decrease in the number of unique combinations of alleles, although recombination machinery was intact. While major differences between sequences without or with SHM occurred among all groups, IGHD and IGHJ allele use, CDRH3 length distribution, or generation of SHM were similar among study cohorts. Antiretroviral therapy failed to normalize IGHM biodiversity in HIV-infected individuals. All subjects had a low frequency of allelic combinations within the IGHM repertoire similar to known broadly-neutralizing HIV-1 antibodies. Conclusions: Polyclonal expansion would decrease overall IgM biodiversity independent of other mechanisms for development of the B cell repertoire. Applying deep sequencing as a strategy to follow development of the IgM repertoire in health and disease provides a novel molecular assessment of multiple points along the B cell differentiation pathway that is highly sensitive for detecting perturbations within the repertoire at the population level.

  5. Hyper-spherical harmonics and anharmonics in m-dimensional space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shojaei, M.R.; Rajabi, A.A.; Hasanabadi, H.

    2008-01-01

    In quantum mechanics the hyper-spherical method is one of the most well-established and successful computational tools. The general theory of harmonic polynomials and hyper-spherical harmonics is of central importance in this paper. The interaction potential V is assumed to depend on the hyper-radius ρ only where ρ is the function of the Jacobi relative coordinate x 1 , x 2 ,…, x n which are functions of the particles' relative positions. (author)

  6. Detection of koi herpesvirus (KHV) using a monoclonal antibody against Cyprinus carpio IgM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yingying; Zheng, Shucheng; Wang, Qing; Bergmann, Sven M; Zeng, Weiwei; Wang, Yingying; Liu, Chun; Shi, Cunbin

    2017-08-01

    Koi herpesvirus disease (KHVD) is associated with high mortality in both common carp and koi carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) worldwide. The indirect detection of fish viruses based on the identification of antibodies has emerged as a practical and reliable means of diagnosis. Thus, it is important to create monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against carp IgM. By using hybridoma-monoclonal antibody technology, one hybridoma cell line secreting MAbs against IgM from carp was established. In western blot analysis, the secreted MAb from cell line A5-E10 recognized the heavy chain of IgM from common carp or koi but did not react with immunoglobulins from three different fish species: grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and Mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi). These results demonstrated that this MAb is highly specific for the IgM of carp and suggested that it can be used for monitoring the immunity level of carp, for example for indirect KHV diagnosis by antibody ELISA. We therefore established an indirect ELISA, which was tested using 200 serum samples from koi from three farms. The final results showed that 147 (73.5%) samples were confirmed to be KHV antibody negative and 53 (26.5%) were definitely positive, containing antibodies against KHV.

  7. Generation of a novel high-affinity monoclonal antibody with conformational recognition epitope on human IgM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarikhani, Sina; Mirshahi, Manouchehr; Gharaati, Mohammad Reza; Mirshahi, Tooran

    2010-11-01

    As IgM is the first isotype of antibody which appears in blood after initial exposure to a foreign antigen in the pattern of primary response, detection, and quantification of this molecule in blood seems invaluable. To approach these goals, generation, and characterization of a highly specific mAb (monoclonal antibody) against human IgM were investigated. Human IgM immunoglobulins were used to immunize Balb/c mice. Spleen cells taken from the immunized animals were fused with SP2/O myeloma cells using PEG (polyethylene glycol, MW 1450) as fusogen. The hybridomas were cultured in HAT containing medium and supernatants from the growing hybrids were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using plates coated with pure human IgM and the positive wells were then cloned at limiting dilutions. The best clone designated as MAN-1, was injected intraperitoneally to some Pristane-injected mice. Anti-IgM mAb was purified from the animals' ascitic fluid by protein-G sepharose followed by DEAE-cellulose ion exchange chromatography. MAN-1 interacted with human IgM with a very high specificity and affinity. The purity of the sample was tested by SDS-PAGE and the affinity constant was measured (K(a) = 3.5 x 10(9)M(-1). Immunoblotting and competitive ELISA were done and the results showed that the harvested antibody recognizes a conformational epitope on the mu chain of human IgM and there was no cross-reactivity with other subclasses of immunoglobulins. Furthermore, isotyping test was done and the results showed the subclass of the obtained mAb which was IgG(1)kappa.

  8. The hyper-Kaehler supersymmetric sigma-model in six dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sierra, G.; Townsend, P.K.

    1983-01-01

    The maximally supersymmetric, hyper-Kaehler, sigma-model is given in six-dimensional superfield form. The hyper-Kaehler condition follows from the requirements that the equations of motion be derivable from an action. (orig.)

  9. Design requirement on HYPER blanket fuel assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Woan; Lee, B. O.; Nam, C.; Ryu, W. S.; Lee, B. S.; Park, W. S.

    2000-07-01

    This document describes design requirements which are needed for designing the blanket assembly of the HYPER as design guidance. The blanket assembly of the HYPER consists of blanket fuel rods, mounting rail, spacer, upper nozzle with handling socket, bottom nozzle with mounting rail and skeleton structure. The blanket fuel rod consists of top end plug, bottom end plug with key way, blanket fuel slug, and cladding. In the assembly, the rods are in a triangular pitch array. This report contains functional requirements, performance and operational requirements, interfacing systems requirements, core restraint and interface requirements, design limits and strength requirements, system configuration and essential feature requirements, seismic requirements, structural requirements, environmental requirements, reliability and safety requirements, standard and codes, QA programs, and other requirements for the blanket fuel assembly of the HYPER

  10. Congenital rubella syndrome: a review of laboratory data from 2002 to 2011.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saraswathy, T S; Rozainanee, M Z; Asshikin, R Nurul; Zainah, S

    2013-05-01

    Rubella infection in pregnant women during the first trimester of pregnancy can lead to fetal anomalies, commonly known as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The objective of our study was to analyze the serological test results among infants suspected of having CRS aged Malaysia were examined for rubella specific IgM and IgG antibodies using a Axsym, automated analyzer (Abbott Laboratories). Forty-eight samples were positive for rubella specific IgM antibodies and 494 samples were positive for rubella specific IgG antibodies. These were then age stratified and their clinical history reviewed for any CRS symptoms. Fifteen of 38 rubella IgM positive infants (39.5%) aged < 3 months, had a clinical appearance compatible with CRS. However, only 1 IgM positive infant aged 3 to 6 months and one infant aged 7 to 11 months had clinical appearance compatible with CRS. The most common abnormal findings in these cases were congenital heart defects and cataracts. Forty-eight point eight percent of IgM positive cases and 53.1% of IgG positive cases, had inadequate information in the chart to determine the presence of CRS. Clinical findings and timely laboratory diagnosis to determine the presence of CRS are important in infants born with congenital defects. Physicians should also be aware of the appropriate interpretation of these findings.

  11. Hyper-curriculum: Transcending Borders of Standardization in the Cosmopolitan Classroom

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher J. Kazanjian

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The world is not just connected; it is hyper-connected. The global flow of ideas, technology, and people are at unmatched levels in history. More classrooms are becoming cosmopolitan centers composed of students with multicultural backgrounds. However, United States public education in this hyper-connected world puts emphasis on standardization and accountability. By doing so, schools driven by federal initiatives fail in helping students to become worldly citizens. Students and teachers are derived of room for creativity or new multicultural possibilities. Hence, this paper intends to develop a theoretical framework for curriculum in the hyper-connected world, aptly named “hyper-curriculum.”

  12. A novel one equilibrium hyper-chaotic system generated upon Lü attractor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong-Yan, Jia; Zeng-Qiang, Chen; Zhu-Zhi, Yuan

    2010-01-01

    By introducing an additional state feedback into a three-dimensional autonomous chaotic attractor Lü system, this paper presents a novel four-dimensional continuous autonomous hyper-chaotic system which has only one equilibrium. There are only 8 terms in all four equations of the new hyper-chaotic system, which may be less than any other four-dimensional continuous autonomous hyper-chaotic systems generated by three-dimensional (3D) continuous autonomous chaotic systems. The hyper-chaotic system undergoes Hopf bifurcation when parameter c varies, and becomes the 3D modified Lü system when parameter k varies. Although the hyper-chaotic system does not undergo Hopf bifurcation when parameter k varies, many dynamic behaviours such as periodic attractor, quasi periodic attractor, chaotic attractor and hyper-chaotic attractor can be observed. A circuit is also designed when parameter k varies and the results of the circuit experiment are in good agreement with those of simulation. (general)

  13. Hyper-functioning Thyroid Nodule with Scintigraphic Owl's Eye Appearance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Kordi, R.S.; Elgazzar, A.H.

    2006-01-01

    Hyper-functioning thyroid nodules may produce various scintigraphic appearances on thyroid scans. Autonomously hyper functioning thyroid nodules invariably demonstrate degenerative changes. These changes may give rise to central or less commonly peripheral photopenic areas on a thyroid scan within otherwise a hot nodule. In this report we present a case of hyper functioning autonomous nodule with peripheral degeneration and residual central functioning tissue giving the appearance of an owl's eye. Although rare, this pattern can be seen in a variety of benign and malignant thyroid conditions. (author)

  14. Cereal bioengineering: Amylopectin-free and hyper-phosphorylated barley starch

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carciofi, Massimiliano; Shaik, Shahnoor Sultana; Jensen, Susanne Langgård

    Barley lines producing grains with either amylopectin-free or hyper-phosphorylated starches were made by transgenic methods. Cereals producing these kind of starches have not been reported before. Amylopectin-free barley was generated by simultaneously silencing the three genes encoding the starch...... and T1) of transgenic grains was tenfold higher than from vector control and wild type grains. Amylose content was not affected in hyper-phosphorylated grains. Hyper-phosphorylated starch granules had several pores on the surfaces, similar to pores seen on enzymatically semi-degraded granules...

  15. Cereal bioengineering: Amylopectin-free and hyper-phosphorylated barley starch

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carciofi, Massimiliano; Shaik, Shahnoor Sultana; Jensen, Susanne Langgård

    2011-01-01

    Barley lines producing grains with either amylopectin-free or hyper-phosphorylated starches were made by transgenic methods. Cereals producing these kind of starches have not been reported before. Amylopectin-free barley was generated by simultaneously silencing the three genes encoding the starch...... and T1) of transgenic grains was tenfold higher than from vector control and wild type grains. Amylose content was not affected in hyper-phosphorylated grains. Hyper-phosphorylated starch granules had several pores on the surfaces, similar to pores seen on enzymatically semi-degraded granules...

  16. The Development of Hyper-MNP: Hyper-Media Navigational Performance Scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Firat, Mehmet; Yurdakul, Isil Kabakci

    2016-01-01

    The present study aimed at developing a scale to evaluate navigational performance as a whole, which is one of the factors influencing learning in hyper media. In line with this purpose, depending on the related literature, an item pool of 15 factors was prepared, and these variables were decreased to 5 based on the views of 38 field experts. In…

  17. Secretory IgM Exacerbates Tumor Progression by Inducing Accumulations of MDSCs in Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Chih-Hang Anthony; Chang, Shiun; Hashimoto, Ayumi; Chen, Yi-Ju; Kang, Chang Won; Mato, Anthony R; Del Valle, Juan R; Gabrilovich, Dmitry I; Hu, Chih-Chi Andrew

    2018-06-01

    Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells can secrete immunoglobulin M. However, it is not clear whether secretory IgM (sIgM) plays a role in disease progression. We crossed the Eμ-TCL1 mouse model of CLL, in which the expression of human TCL1 oncogene was driven by the V(H) promoter-Ig(H)-Eμ enhancer, with MD4 mice whose B cells produced B-cell receptor (membrane-bound IgM) and sIgM with specificity for hen egg lysozyme (HEL). CLL cells that developed in these MD4/Eμ-TCL1 mice reactivated a parental Ig gene allele and secreted IgM, and did not recognize HEL. The MD4/Eμ-TCL1 mice had reduced survival, increased myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), and decreased numbers of T cells. We tested whether sIgM could contribute to the accumulation of MDSCs by crossing μS -/- mice, which could not produce sIgM, with Eμ-TCL1 mice. The μS -/- /Eμ-TCL1 mice survived longer than Eμ-TCL1 mice and developed decreased numbers of MDSCs which were less able to suppress proliferation of T cells. We targeted the synthesis of sIgM by deleting the function of XBP-1s and showed that targeting XBP-1s genetically or pharmacologically could lead to decreased sIgM, accompanied by decreased numbers and reduced functions of MDSCs in MD4/Eμ-TCL1 mice. Additionally, MDSCs from μS -/- mice grafted with Lewis lung carcinoma were inefficient suppressors of T cells, resulting in slower tumor growth. These results demonstrate that sIgM produced by B cells can upregulate the functions of MDSCs in tumor-bearing mice to aggravate cancer progression. In a mouse model of CLL, production of secretory IgM led to more MDSCs, fewer T cells, and shorter survival times for the mice. Thus, secretory IgM may aggravate the progression of this cancer. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(6); 696-710. ©2018 AACR . ©2018 American Association for Cancer Research.

  18. New insights into diversification of hyper-heuristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Zhilei; Jiang, He; Xuan, Jifeng; Hu, Yan; Luo, Zhongxuan

    2014-10-01

    There has been a growing research trend of applying hyper-heuristics for problem solving, due to their ability of balancing the intensification and the diversification with low level heuristics. Traditionally, the diversification mechanism is mostly realized by perturbing the incumbent solutions to escape from local optima. In this paper, we report our attempt toward providing a new diversification mechanism, which is based on the concept of instance perturbation. In contrast to existing approaches, the proposed mechanism achieves the diversification by perturbing the instance under solving, rather than the solutions. To tackle the challenge of incorporating instance perturbation into hyper-heuristics, we also design a new hyper-heuristic framework HIP-HOP (recursive acronym of HIP-HOP is an instance perturbation-based hyper-heuristic optimization procedure), which employs a grammar guided high level strategy to manipulate the low level heuristics. With the expressive power of the grammar, the constraints, such as the feasibility of the output solution could be easily satisfied. Numerical results and statistical tests over both the Ising spin glass problem and the p -median problem instances show that HIP-HOP is able to achieve promising performances. Furthermore, runtime distribution analysis reveals that, although being relatively slow at the beginning, HIP-HOP is able to achieve competitive solutions once given sufficient time.

  19. Hyper-systolic matrix multiplication

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lippert, Th.; Petkov, N.; Palazzari, P.; Schilling, K.

    A novel parallel algorithm for matrix multiplication is presented. It is based on a 1-D hyper-systolic processor abstraction. The procedure can be implemented on all types of parallel systems. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B,V. All rights reserved.

  20. Hemophagocytic syndrome in classic dengue fever

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sayantan Ray

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available A 24-year-old previously healthy girl presented with persistent fever, headache, and jaundice. Rapid-test anti-dengue virus IgM antibody was positive but anti-dengue IgG was nonreactive, which is suggestive of primary dengue infection. There was clinical deterioration during empiric antibiotic and symptomatic therapy. Bone marrow examination demonstrated the presence of hemophagocytosis. Diagnosis of dengue fever with virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome was made according to the diagnostic criteria of the HLH 2004 protocol of the Histiocyte Society. The patient recovered with corticosteroid therapy. A review of literature revealed only a handful of case reports that showed the evidence that this syndrome is caused by dengue virus. Our patient is an interesting case of hemophagocytic syndrome associated with classic dengue fever and contributes an additional case to the existing literature on this topic. This case highlights the need for increased awareness even in infections not typically associated with hemophagocytic syndrome.

  1. Reatividade do anticorpo IgM anti-Treponema pallidum na soroconversão e na resposta sorológica ao tratamento de sífilis IgM antibody reactivity to Treponema pallidum in seroconversion and in the serologic response to syphilis treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neuza Satomi Sato

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUÇÃO: A utilidade da detecção de anticorpos da imunoglobulina da classe M (IgM no diagnóstico da sífilis tem sido discutida há tempos. OBJETIVO: No presente estudo foi analisada a ocorrência de anticorpo IgM anti-T. pallidum (Tp-IgMAc nas amostras de pacientes com sífilis recente, na fase de soroconversão e no monitoramento da resposta sorológica pós-tratamento. MÉTODOS: Amostras séricas de 11 indivíduos. RESULTADOS: Na soroconversão, o Tp-IgMAc foi detectado nas amostras de 10 indivíduos, e em um paciente a reatividade IgM ocorreu anteriormente ao Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL. A sororreversão foi evidenciada nas amostras de três pacientes com sífilis secundária tratada, e em um indivíduo com reinfecção. CONCLUSÃO: A detecção de Tp-IgMAc mostrou ser um potencial marcador diagnóstico de sífilis ativa e o desempenho do ensaio imunoenzimático de captura de IgM (ELISA-IgM para o monitoramento pós-tratamento foi similar ao da VDRL.INTRODUCTION: The appropriateness of IgM antibody detection in the diagnosis of syphilis has been extensively discussed. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at assessing the detection of anti-T. pallidum IgM antibody (TP-IgMAb in serum samples from patients with recent syphilis in seroconversion and in the monitoring of post-treatment serological response. METHODS: Serum samples from 11 individuals. RESULTS: At seroconversion, positive Tp-IgMAb was detected in 10 samples and IgM reactivity previous to Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL was detected in one sample. Seroreversion was found in samples from three treated patients with secondary syphilis and in one individual with reinfection. CONCLUSION: Tp-IgMAb detection proved to be a potential diagnostic marker for active syphilis, and IgM capture enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA-IgM performance was similar to VDRL in post-treatment monitoring.

  2. The control of an optical hyper-chaotic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Shumin; Tian Lixin; Wang Xuedi

    2007-01-01

    This paper discusses the problem of hyper-chaos control of an optical system. Based on Lyapunov stability theory, a non-autonomous feedback controller is designed. The proposed controller ensures that the hyper-chaotic system will be asymptotically stable. Numerical simulation of the original and the controlled system is provided to show the effectiveness of our method

  3. Principles for Instructional Stack Development in HyperCard.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McEneaney, John E.

    The purpose of this paper is to provide information about obtaining and using HyperCard stacks that introduce users to principles of stack development. The HyperCard stacks described are available for downloading free of charge from a server at Indiana University South Bend. Specific directions are given for stack use, with advice for beginners. A…

  4. Nummular keratopathy in a patient with Hyper-IgD Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Culican Susan M

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Purpose To report a case of recurrent nummular keratitis in a pediatric patient with Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome. Methods A retrospective chart review. Results A 14-year-old boy with Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome (HIDS presented with photophobia and ocular irritation concomitant with disease exacerbation. He was found on exam to have significant nummular keratitis, which responded to a short course of topical steroids. Despite acute response to local immunosuppression, the patient had several recurrent attacks and eventually developed a large corneal scar and decreased vision. After initiation of infliximab therapy his ocular sequelae improved dramatically and his vision returned to 20/20. Conclusion One possible form of end-organ damage associated with HIDS is vision threatening nummular keratopathy.

  5. Recent progress of push-broom infrared hyper-spectral imager in SITP

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yueming; Hu, Weida; Shu, Rong; Li, Chunlai; Yuan, Liyin; Wang, Jianyu

    2017-02-01

    In the past decades, hyper-spectral imaging technologies were well developed in SITP, CAS. Many innovations for system design and key parts of hyper-spectral imager were finished. First airborne hyper-spectral imager operating from VNIR to TIR in the world was emerged in SITP. It is well known as OMIS(Operational Modular Imaging Spectrometer). Some new technologies were introduced to improve the performance of hyper-spectral imaging system in these years. A high spatial space-borne hyper-spectral imager aboard Tiangong-1 spacecraft was launched on Sep.29, 2011. Thanks for ground motion compensation and high optical efficiency prismatic spectrometer, a large amount of hyper-spectral imagery with high sensitivity and good quality were acquired in the past years. Some important phenomena were observed. To diminish spectral distortion and expand field of view, new type of prismatic imaging spectrometer based curved prism were proposed by SITP. A prototype of hyper-spectral imager based spherical fused silica prism were manufactured, which can operate from 400nm 2500nm. We also made progress in the development of LWIR hyper-spectral imaging technology. Compact and low F number LWIR imaging spectrometer was designed, manufactured and integrated. The spectrometer operated in a cryogenically-cooled vacuum box for background radiation restraint. The system performed well during flight experiment in an airborne platform. Thanks high sensitivity FPA and high performance optics, spatial resolution and spectral resolution and SNR of system are improved enormously. However, more work should be done for high radiometric accuracy in the future.

  6. Distribution of anti-HAV IgM positivity according to age and months of a year in Van region,Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Parlak

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: In this study we investigated the anti-HAVIgM positivity rates and their distribution according to ageand season of a year in Van region of Turkey.Materials and methods: During five-year period between2006-2010, the presence of anti-HAV IgM weredetermined in the serum samples sent to our laboratorythat have prediagnosis of hepatitis A by ELISA test, usingAxSYM (Abbott Diagnostics, Germany and i2000SR Architect(Abbott Diagnostics, Germany analyzers. For statisticalanalyze of Anti-HAV IgM positivity rates, patients’age and gender and time of year when specimen wasobtain were compared.Results: The presence of anti-HAV IgM was investigatedin a total of 8851 patients, including 5303 (60% childrenand 3548 (40% adults. Anti-HAV IgM in children and adultpatients were determined as 9.8% and 2.6%, respectively,and this difference was found statistically significant (p<0.01. Anti-HAV IgM positivity rate began to rise in August,reached the highest level in November-Decemberand decreased to the initial level in January. The highestfrequency detected during the November-December periodwas statistically significantly higher than rates foundduring other months.Conclusions: The prevalence of Hepatitis A was found tobe similar with previous studies performed in our country.The prevalence of disease was significantly increased especiallybetween November and December.Key words: Anti-HAV IgM, seasonal distribution, seroprevalence,age

  7. A hyper elasticity method for interactive virtual design of hearing aids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Darkner, Sune; Erleben, Kenny

    2011-01-01

    We present a computational efficient method for isotropic hyper elasticity based on functional analysis. By selecting a class of shape functions, we arrive at a computational scheme which yields very sparse tensors. This enables fast computations of the hyper elastic energy potential and its...... derivatives. We achieve efficiency and performance through the use of shape functions that are linear in their parameters and through rotation into the eigenspace of the right Cauchy–Green strain tensor. This makes near real time evaluation of hyper elasticity of complex meshes on CPU relatively easy...... to implement. The approach does not rely on a specific shape function or material model but offers a general framework for isotropic hyper elasticity. The method is aimed at interactive and accurate non-linear hyper elastic modeling for a wide range of industrial virtual design applications, which we exemplify...

  8. The intense world syndrome - an alternative hypothesis for autism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Henry Markram

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Autism is a devastating neurodevelopmental disorder with a polygenetic predisposition that seems to be triggered by multiple environmental factors during embryonic and/or early postnatal life. While significant advances have been made in identifying the neuronal structures and cells affected, a unifying theory that could explain the manifold autistic symptoms has still not emerged. Based on recent synaptic, cellular, molecular, microcircuit, and behavioral results obtained with the valproic acid (VPA rat model of autism, we propose here a unifying hypothesis where the core pathology of the autistic brain is hyper-reactivity and hyper-plasticity of local neuronal circuits. Such excessive neuronal processing in circumscribed circuits is suggested to lead to hyper-perception, hyper-attention, and hyper-memory, which may lie at the heart of most autistic symptoms. In this view, the autistic spectrum are disorders of hyper-functionality, which turns debilitating, as opposed to disorders of hypo-functionality, as is often assumed. We discuss how excessive neuronal processing may render the world painfully intense when the neocortex is affected and even aversive when the amygdala is affected, leading to social and environmental withdrawal. Excessive neuronal learning is also hypothesized to rapidly lock down the individual into a small repertoire of secure behavioral routines that are obsessively repeated. We further discuss the key autistic neuropathologies and several of the main theories of autism and re-interpret them in the light of the hypothesized Intense World Syndrome.

  9. In vivo imaging of hydrogen peroxide with HyPer probes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilan, Dmitry; Belousov, Vsevolod

    2018-03-22

    Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a key signaling molecule involved in the regulation of both physiological and pathological cellular processes. Genetically encoded HyPer probes are currently among the most effective approaches for monitoring H2O2 dynamics in various biological systems because they can be easily targeted to specific cells and organelles. Since its development in 2006, HyPer has proved to be a robust and powerful tool in redox biology research. Recent Advances: HyPer probes were used in a variety of models to study the role of H2O2 in various redox process. HyPer has been increasingly used in the last few years for in vivo studies, which has already led to many important discoveries, for example, that H2O2 plays a key role in the regulation of signaling cascades involved in development and aging, inflammation, regeneration, photosynthetic signaling, and other biological processes. In this review, we focus on the main achievements in the field of redox biology that have been obtained from in vivo experiments using HyPer probes. Further in vivo studies of the role of H2O2 largely depend on the development of more suitable versions of HyPer for in vivo models: those having brighter fluorescence and a more stable signal in response to physiological changes in pH.

  10. Vitex agnus-castus dry extract BNO 1095 (Cyclodynon®) inhibits uterine hyper-contractions and inflammation in experimental models for primary dysmenorrhea

    OpenAIRE

    Röhrl, J.; Werz, O.; Ammendola, A.; Künstle, G.

    2017-01-01

    Background. For many women, the monthly suffering induced by menstrual “cramps” is severe enough to profoundly disrupt their quality of life. In the case of primary dysmenorrhea, a condition related to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), intense uterine contractions are thought to trigger moderate to intense pain despite the absence of an underlying infection or other medically-identifiable disease states. The associated uterine hyper-contractility is reminiscent of labor, and associated pain is lik...

  11. Schnitzler's syndrome: an unusual cause of bone pain with suggestive nuclear imaging features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raedt, N. de; Mortelmans, L.

    2009-01-01

    Schnitzler's syndrome is a rare inflammatory disorder characterised by chronic urticarial rash and monoclonal IgM gammopathy accompanied by at least two of the following features: fever, arthralgia or arthritis, bone pain, lymphadenopathy, hepato- or splenomegaly, leucocytosis and elevated sedimentation. The association of these clinical and biological features with radiographic and bone scan findings are suggestive of the disease. The case of a 37-year-old man presenting with Schnitzler's syndrome, emphasizing nuclear imaging features is reported here. (N.C.)

  12. HYPER (hybrid power extraction reactor): a system for clean nuclear energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, W.S.; Shin, U.; Han, S.-J.; Song, T.Y.; Choi, B.H.; Park, C.K.

    2000-01-01

    The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been performing accelerator driven system related research and development (RID) called HYPER (hybrid power extraction reactor) for the transmutation of nuclear waste and energy production through the transmutation process. HYPER program is within the frame work of the national mid and long-term nuclear research plan. KAERI is aiming to develop the elemental technologies for the subcritical transmutation system by the year of 2001 and build a small bench scale test facility (∝5 MW) by the year of 2006. Some major features of HYPER have been developed and employed. On-power fueling concepts are employed to keep system power constant with a minimum variation of accelerator power. A hollow cylinder-type metal fuel is designed for the on-line refueling concept. Lead-bismuth (Pb-Bi) is adopted as a coolant and spallation target material. 1 GeV 16 mA proton beam is designed to be provided for HYPER. HYPER is to transmute about 380 kg of TRU a year and produce 1000 MW of power. The support ratio of HYPER for LWR units producing the same power is believed to be 5∝6. (orig.)

  13. Biologically-inspired data decorrelation for hyper-spectral imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghita Ovidiu

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Hyper-spectral data allows the construction of more robust statistical models to sample the material properties than the standard tri-chromatic color representation. However, because of the large dimensionality and complexity of the hyper-spectral data, the extraction of robust features (image descriptors is not a trivial issue. Thus, to facilitate efficient feature extraction, decorrelation techniques are commonly applied to reduce the dimensionality of the hyper-spectral data with the aim of generating compact and highly discriminative image descriptors. Current methodologies for data decorrelation such as principal component analysis (PCA, linear discriminant analysis (LDA, wavelet decomposition (WD, or band selection methods require complex and subjective training procedures and in addition the compressed spectral information is not directly related to the physical (spectral characteristics associated with the analyzed materials. The major objective of this article is to introduce and evaluate a new data decorrelation methodology using an approach that closely emulates the human vision. The proposed data decorrelation scheme has been employed to optimally minimize the amount of redundant information contained in the highly correlated hyper-spectral bands and has been comprehensively evaluated in the context of non-ferrous material classification

  14. Designing Hyper-V solutions

    CERN Document Server

    Grover, Saurabh

    2015-01-01

    This book is aimed at IT admins, consultants, and architects alike who wish to deploy, manage, and maintain Hyper-V solutions in organizations of various sizes. You are expected to have a working knowledge of managing Windows Server and a fair understanding of networking and storage concepts.

  15. The evolution of multiple isotypic IgM heavy chain genes in the shark.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Victor; Huang, Jing Li; Lui, Ming Fai; Malecek, Karolina; Ohta, Yuko; Mooers, Arne; Hsu, Ellen

    2008-06-01

    The IgM H chain gene organization of cartilaginous fishes consists of 15-200 miniloci, each with a few gene segments (V(H)-D1-D2-J(H)) and one C gene. This is a gene arrangement ancestral to the complex IgH locus that exists in all other vertebrate classes. To understand the molecular evolution of this system, we studied the nurse shark, which has relatively fewer loci, and characterized the IgH isotypes for organization, functionality, and the somatic diversification mechanisms that act upon them. Gene numbers differ slightly between individuals ( approximately 15), but five active IgM subclasses are always present. Each gene undergoes rearrangement that is strictly confined within the minilocus; in B cells there is no interaction between adjacent loci located > or =120 kb apart. Without combinatorial events, the shark IgM H chain repertoire is based on junctional diversity and, subsequently, somatic hypermutation. We suggest that the significant contribution by junctional diversification reflects the selected novelty introduced by RAG in the early vertebrate ancestor, whereas combinatorial diversity coevolved with the complex translocon organization. Moreover, unlike other cartilaginous fishes, there are no germline-joined VDJ at any nurse shark mu locus, and we suggest that such genes, when functional, are species-specific and may have specialized roles. With an entire complement of IgM genes available for the first time, phylogenetic analyses were performed to examine how the multiple Ig loci evolved. We found that all domains changed at comparable rates, but V(H) appears to be under strong positive selection for increased amino acid sequence diversity, and surprisingly, so does Cmicro2.

  16. Nasal hyper-reactivity is a common feature in both allergic and nonallergic rhinitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Segboer, C L; Holland, C T; Reinartz, S M; Terreehorst, I; Gevorgyan, A; Hellings, P W; van Drunen, C M; Fokkens, W J

    2013-11-01

    Nasal hyper-reactivity is an increased sensitivity of the nasal mucosa to various nonspecific stimuli. Both allergic rhinitis (AR) and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) patients can elicit nasal hyper-reactivity symptoms. Differences in the prevalence or type of nasal hyper-reactivity in AR and NAR patients are largely unknown. In this study, we quantitatively and qualitatively assessed nasal hyper-reactivity in AR and NAR. In the first part, an analysis of a prospectively collected database was performed to reveal patient-reported symptoms of hyper-reactivity. In the second part, cold dry air provocation (CDA) was performed as a hyper-reactivity measure in AR and NAR patients and healthy controls, and symptoms scores, nasal secretions and peak nasal inspiratory flow were measured. Comparisons were made between AR and NAR patients in both studies. The database analysis revealed high hyper-reactivity prevalence in AR (63.4%) and NAR (66.9%). There were no differences between AR and NAR in terms of the number or type of hyper-reactivity stimuli. Hyper-reactivity to physical stimuli did not exclude a response to chemical stimuli, or vice versa. CDA provocation resulted in a significant increase in rhinitis symptoms and the amount of nasal secretions in AR and NAR patients, but not in controls. We found no quantitative or qualitative differences in nasal hyper-reactivity between AR and NAR patients. It is not possible to differentiate NAR subpopulations based on physical or chemical stimuli. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Visualization for Hyper-Heuristics: Back-End Processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simon, Luke [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2015-03-01

    Modern society is faced with increasingly complex problems, many of which can be formulated as generate-and-test optimization problems. Yet, general-purpose optimization algorithms may sometimes require too much computational time. In these instances, hyperheuristics may be used. Hyper-heuristics automate the design of algorithms to create a custom algorithm for a particular scenario, finding the solution significantly faster than its predecessor. However, it may be difficult to understand exactly how a design was derived and why it should be trusted. This project aims to address these issues by creating an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) for hyper-heuristics and an easy-to-understand scientific visualization for the produced solutions. To support the development of this GUI, my portion of the research involved developing algorithms that would allow for parsing of the data produced by the hyper-heuristics. This data would then be sent to the front-end, where it would be displayed to the end user.

  18. Solid phase radioimmunoassay for quantitation of IgM rheumatoid factor (RF). Comparison with agglutination techniques and radioimmunoprecipitation polyethylene glycol assay (RIPEGA)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herrmann, D.; Jaeger, L.; Hein, G.; Henzgen, M.; Fiebig, H.; Schlenvoigt, G.; Vogelsang, H. (Friedrich-Schiller-Universitaet, Jena (German Democratic Republic). Bereich Medizin; Karl-Marx-Universitaet, Leipzig (German Democratic Republic). Sektion Biowissenschaften)

    1985-01-01

    A solid-phase radioimmunoassay capable of detecting nanogram quantities of human IgM rheumatoid factor using a monoclonal anti-..mu..-chain antibody is described. Human IgG did not interfere with the detection of IgM RF by this method. The small nonspecific binding of nonRF IgM to the human IgG coated tubes utilized in the assay must be corrected for by assaying samples in parallel bovine serum albumin coated control tubes only in cases of deviation of IgM from normal range. 69 coded and randomly arranged sera from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), nonrheumatic joint diseases and healthy adult control subjects were investigated by this method, agglutination techniques as well as RIPEGA. A good correlation between solid-phase radioimmunoassay and agglutination techniques was found. Patients with seropositive RA had significantly higher concentrations of IgM RF than seronegative RA patients or control subjects.

  19. Cephalohematoma in a Patient with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brent M Felton

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a rarely encountered connective tissue disorder characterized by skin hyper-elasticity, joint hyper-flexibility, and vasculature fragility. We report a 41-year-old female presenting with scalp swelling following minor head trauma. The patient presented with a large cephalohematoma that despite compressive measures and Factor IX administration continued to progress, necessitating transfer for definitive surgical intervention. The patient underwent surgical evacuation of approximately 1 liter of blood, followed by drain placement and compression dressing. This case underscores the importance for emergency physicians to recognize the potential vascular catastrophes these patients may present with following even minor injury. [West J Emerg Med. 2013;14(5:419-420.

  20. Anti-GM2 gangliosides IgM paraprotein induces neuromuscular block without neuromuscular damage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santafé, Manel M; Sabaté, M Mar; Garcia, Neus; Ortiz, Nico; Lanuza, M Angel; Tomàs, Josep

    2008-11-15

    We analyzed the effect on the mouse neuromuscular synapses of a human monoclonal IgM, which binds specifically to gangliosides with the common epitope [GalNAc beta 1-4Gal(3-2 alpha NeuAc)beta 1-]. We focused on the role of the complement. Evoked neurotransmission was partially blocked by IgM both acutely (1 h) and chronically (10 days). Transmission electron microscopy shows important nerve terminal growth and retraction remodelling though axonal injury can be ruled out. Synapses did not show mouse C5b-9 immunofluorescence and were only immunolabelled when human complement was added. Therefore, the IgM-induced synaptic changes occur without complement-mediated membrane attack.

  1. Hyper-thermal neutron irradiation field for neutron capture therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Yoshinori; Kobayashi, Tooru; Kanda, Keiji

    1994-01-01

    The utilization of hyper-thermal neutrons, which have an energy spectrum of a Maxwell distribution higher than the room temperature of 300 K, has been studied in order to improve the thermal neutron flux distribution in a living body for a deep-seated tumor in neutron capture therapy (NCT). Simulation calculations using MCNP-V3 were carried out in order to investigate the characteristics of the hyper-thermal neutron irradiation field. From the results of simulation calculations, the following were confirmed: (i) The irradiation field of the hyper-thermal neutrons is feasible by using some scattering materials with high temperature, such as Be, BeO, C, SiC and ZrH 1.7 . Especially, ZrH 1.7 is thought to be the best material because of good characteristics of up-scattering for thermal neutrons. (ii) The ZrH 1.7 of 1200 K yields the hyper-thermal neutrons of a Maxwell-like distribution at about 2000 K and the treatable depth is about 1.5 cm larger comparing with the irradiation of the thermal neutrons of 300 K. (iii) The contamination by the secondary gamma-rays from the scattering materials can be sufficiently eliminated to the tolerance level for NCT through the bismuth layer, without the larger change of the energy spectrum of hyper-thermal neutrons. ((orig.))

  2. Hyper-binding only apparent under fully implicit test conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Karen L; Hasher, Lynn

    2018-02-01

    We have previously shown that older adults hyper-bind, or form more extraneous associations than younger adults. For instance, when asked to perform a 1-back task on pictures superimposed with distracting words, older adults inadvertently form associations between target-distractor pairs and implicitly transfer these associations to a later paired associate learning task (showing a boost in relearning of preserved over disrupted pairs). We have argued that younger adults are better at suppressing the distracting words and thus, do not form these extraneous associations in the first place. However, an alternative explanation is that younger adults simply fail to access these associations during relearning, possibly because of their superior ability to form boundaries between episodes or shift mental contexts between tasks. In this study, we aimed to both replicate this original implicit transfer effect in older adults and to test whether younger adults show evidence of hyper-binding when informed about the relevance of past information. Our results suggest that regardless of the test conditions, younger adults do not hyper-bind. In contrast, older adults showed hyper-binding under (standard) implicit instructions, but not when made aware of a connection between tasks. These results replicate the original hyper-binding effect and reiterate its implicit nature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. The Interplay between Anxiety and Social Functioning in Williams Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riby, Deborah M.; Hanley, Mary; Kirk, Hannah; Clark, Fiona; Little, Katie; Fleck, Ruth; Janes, Emily; Kelso, Linzi; O'Kane, Fionnuala; Cole-Fletcher, Rachel; Allday, Marianne Hvistendahl; Hocking, Darren; Cornish, Kim; Rodgers, Jacqui

    2014-01-01

    The developmental disorder Williams syndrome (WS) has been associated with an atypical social profile of hyper-sociability and heightened social sensitivity across the developmental spectrum. In addition, previous research suggests that both children and adults with WS have a predisposition towards anxiety. The current research aimed to explore…

  4. IgM but not IgG monoclonal anti-Nocardia brasiliensis antibodies confer protection against experimental actinomycetoma in BALB/c mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez-Suarez, Maria L; Salinas-Carmona, Mario C; Pérez-Rivera, Isabel

    2009-10-01

    Nocardia brasiliensis is a facultative intracellular microorganism that produces a human chronic infection known as actinomycetoma. Human and mouse anti-N. brasiliensis antibody response identify P24, P26 and P61 immunodominant antigens. In this work, we generated immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to immunodominant P61 antigen. The monoclonal IgM (NbM1) and IgG2a (NbG1) antibodies were assessed for their in vitro bactericidal activity, in vivo protective effect and ability to block catalase activity. These mAbs specifically recognized P61, but they did not inhibit its enzyme activity. The in vitro bactericidal effect of NbG1 was higher than the killing ability of the IgM mAb. In vivo experiments with a murine model of experimental infection with N. brasiliensis injected into rear footpads was used to test the effect of NbM1 and NbG1. The negative untreated group developed a chronic actinomycetoma within 4 weeks. IgM mAbs conferred protection to BALB/c mice infected with N. brasiliensis. IgG mAb lacked this protective effect. IgM mAb showed a dose-response correlation between antibody concentration and lesion size. These results demonstrate that humoral immune response mediated by antigen-specific IgM antibody protects against an intracellular bacterial infection.

  5. Genus and species-specific IgG and IgM antibodies pulmonary tuberculosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butt, T.; Abbassi, S.A.; Ahmad, R.N.; Mahmood, A.; Karamat, K.A; Malik, H.S.; Anwar, M.

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate three different enzyme immunoassays for serological diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and to compare their diagnostic accuracy in different combinations. Subjects and Methods: Sera from patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis (n=94) with sputum positive for acid fast bacilli (AFB) and sera from control group of healthy individuals (n=90) with sputum negative for AFB were tested by Pathozyme-Myco G EIA, Pathozyme-TB Complex Plus EIA and Pathozyme Myco M EIA kits for the genus-specific IgG and IgM, and the species-specific IgG antibodies against antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Results: The detection of IgG against genus-specific antigens by Pathozyme-Myco G had a sensitivity of 46% and a specificity of 93%, of IgG against species-specific antigens by Pathozyme- TB Complex Plus had a sensitivity of 64% and specificity of 97% and of IgM against genus-specific antigens by Pathozyme Myco M had a sensitivity of 67% and specificity of 98%. When the results of these immunoassays were evaluated in combination, their sensitivity improved. Combination of genus-specific IgM and species-specific IgG yielded best results with a sensitivity of 87% and specificity of 93%. Conclusion: The sensitivity of serological diagnosis of tuberculosis is low, but it can be increased by utilizing a combination of several antigens. (author)

  6. Molecular MRI based on hyper-polarized xenon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tassali, Nawal

    2012-01-01

    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has a high importance in medicine as it enables the observation of the organs inside the body without the use of radiative or invasive techniques. However it is known to suffer from poor sensitivity. To circumvent this limitation, a key solution resides in the use of hyper-polarized species. Among the entities with which we can drastically increase nuclear polarization, xenon has very specific properties through its interactions with its close environment that lead to a wide chemical shift bandwidth. The goal is thus to use it as a tracer. This PhD thesis focuses on the concept of 129 Xe MRI-based sensors for the detection of biological events. In this approach, hyper-polarized xenon is vectorized to biological targets via functionalized host systems, and then localized thanks to fast dedicated MRI sequences. The conception and set-up of a spin-exchange optical pumping device is first described. Then studies about the interaction of the hyper-polarized noble gas with new cryptophanes susceptible to constitute powerful host molecules are detailed. Also the implementation of recent MRI sequences optimized for the transient character of the hyper-polarization and taking profit of the xenon in-out exchange is described. Applications of this approach for the detection of metallic ions and cellular receptors are studied. Finally, our first in vivo results on a small animal model are presented. (author) [fr

  7. Toxoplasmosis serology: an efficient hemagglutination procedure to detect IgG and IgM antibodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.E. Camargo

    1989-08-01

    Full Text Available In search of an efficient but simple, low cost procedure for the serodiagnosis of Toxoplasmosis, especially suited for routine laboratories facing technical and budget limitations as in less developed countries, the diagnostic capability of Hematoxo® , an hemagglutination test for toxoplasmosis, was evaluated in relation to a battery of tests including IgG- and IgM-immunofluorescence tests, hemagglutination and an IgM-capture enzymatic assay. Detecting a little as 5 I.U. of IgG antitoxoplasma antibodies, Hematoxo® showed a straight agreement as to reactivity and non-reactivity for the 443 non-reactive and the 387 reactive serum samples, included in this study. In 23 cases presenting a serological pattern of acute toxoplasmosis and showing IgM antibodies, Hematoxo® could detect IgM antibodies in 18, indicated by negativation or a significant decrease in titers as a result of treating samples with 2-mercapto-ethanol. However, a neat increase in sensitivity for IgM specific antibodies could be achieved by previously removing IgG from the sample, as demonstrated in a series of acute toxoplasmosis sera. A simple procedure was developed for this purpose, by reconstituting a lyophilized suspension of Protein A - rich Staphylococcus with the lowest serum dilution to be tested. Of low cost and easy to perform, Hematoxo® affords not only a practical qualitative procedure for screening reactors and non-reactors, as in prenatal services, but also quantitative assays that permit to titrate antibodies as well as to identify IgM antibodies.

  8. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, as part of Evans' syndrome, caused by cold reactive IgG autoantibodies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jaarsma, AS; Muis, N; DeGraaf, SSN

    1996-01-01

    We describe a boy with Evans' syndrome, consisting of immune thrombocytopenic purpura at age 2 and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) at age 4. AIHA was caused by cold Ige autoantibodies. This is unusual because AIHA is generally associated with either warm IgG antibodies or cold IgM antibodies.

  9. Hyper-connectivity of functional networks for brain disease diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jie, Biao; Wee, Chong-Yaw; Shen, Dinggang; Zhang, Daoqiang

    2016-08-01

    Exploring structural and functional interactions among various brain regions enables better understanding of pathological underpinnings of neurological disorders. Brain connectivity network, as a simplified representation of those structural and functional interactions, has been widely used for diagnosis and classification of neurodegenerative diseases, especially for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its early stage - mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, the conventional functional connectivity network is usually constructed based on the pairwise correlation among different brain regions and thus ignores their higher-order relationships. Such loss of high-order information could be important for disease diagnosis, since neurologically a brain region predominantly interacts with more than one other brain regions. Accordingly, in this paper, we propose a novel framework for estimating the hyper-connectivity network of brain functions and then use this hyper-network for brain disease diagnosis. Here, the functional connectivity hyper-network denotes a network where each of its edges representing the interactions among multiple brain regions (i.e., an edge can connect with more than two brain regions), which can be naturally represented by a hyper-graph. Specifically, we first construct connectivity hyper-networks from the resting-state fMRI (R-fMRI) time series by using sparse representation. Then, we extract three sets of brain-region specific features from the connectivity hyper-networks, and further exploit a manifold regularized multi-task feature selection method to jointly select the most discriminative features. Finally, we use multi-kernel support vector machine (SVM) for classification. The experimental results on both MCI dataset and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) dataset demonstrate that, compared with the conventional connectivity network-based methods, the proposed method can not only improve the classification performance, but also help

  10. Anti-Streptococcus IgM Antibodies Induce Repetitive Stereotyped Movements: Cell Activation and Co-Localization with Fcα/μ Receptors in the Striatum and Motor Cortex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Danhui; Patel, Ankur; Zhu, Youhua; Siegel, Allan; Zalcman, Steven S.

    2012-01-01

    Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) infections are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders associated with an increased expression of repetitive stereotyped movements. Anti-streptococcus IgG presumably cross-reacts with elements on basal ganglia cells, modifies their function, and triggers symptoms. IgM may play a unique role in precipitating behavioral disturbances since variations in cortico-striatal activity occur in temporal congruity with peak IgM titers during an orchestrated immune response. We discovered in Balb/c mice that single subcutaneous injections of mouse monoclonal IgM antibodies to Streptococcus Group A bacteria induce marked dose-dependent increases in repetitive stereotyped movements, including head bobbing, sniffing, and intense grooming. Effects were antibody- and antigen-specific: anti-streptococcus IgG stimulated ambulatory activity and vertical activity but not these stereotypies, while anti-KLH IgM reduced activity. We suggest that anti-streptococcus IgM and IgG play unique roles in provoking GABHS-related behavioral disturbances. Paralleling its stereotypy-inducing effects, anti-streptococcus IgM stimulated Fos-like immunoreactivity in regions linked to cortico-striatal projections involved in motor control, including subregions of the caudate, nucleus accumbens, and motor cortex. This is the first evidence that anti-streptococcus IgM antibodies induce in vivo functional changes in these structures. Moreover, there was a striking similarity in the distributions of anti-streptococcus IgM deposits and Fos-like immunoreactivity in these regions. Of further importance, Fcα/μ receptors, which bind IgM, were present- and co-localized with anti-streptococcus IgM in these structures. We suggest that anti-streptococcus IgM-induced alterations of cell activity reflect local actions of IgM that involve Fcα/μ receptors. These findings support the use of anti-streptococcus monoclonal antibody administration in Balb/c mice to model GABHS

  11. The Hyper Tourism Academy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munar, Ana Maria

    those cultures take for granted. To do this I will introduce the identity of a contemporary super-hero 'The Hyper Tourism Researcher'. This ideal archetype will be presented to help us reflect on the questions of speed and busyness (why do we all run so much?), meaning and purpose (towards what end...

  12. CFD Analysis of the Active Part of the HYPER Spallation Target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nam-il Tak; Chungho Cho; Tae-Yung Song

    2006-01-01

    KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) is developing an accelerator driven system (ADS) named HYPER (HYbrid Power Extraction Reactor) for a transmutation of long-lived nuclear wastes. One of the challenging tasks for the HYPER system is to design a large spallation target having a beam power of 15∼25 MW. The present paper focuses on the thermal-hydraulic performance of the active part of the HYPER target. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was performed using a commercial code CFX 5.7.1. Several advanced turbulence models with different grid structures were applied. The CFX results show the significant impact of the turbulence model on the window temperature. It is concluded that experimental verifications are very important for the design of the HYPER target. (authors)

  13. Nasal hyper-reactivity is a common feature in both allergic and nonallergic rhinitis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Segboer, C. L.; Holland, C. T.; Reinartz, S. M.; Terreehorst, I.; Gevorgyan, A.; Hellings, P. W.; van Drunen, C. M.; Fokkens, W. J.

    2013-01-01

    Nasal hyper-reactivity is an increased sensitivity of the nasal mucosa to various nonspecific stimuli. Both allergic rhinitis (AR) and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) patients can elicit nasal hyper-reactivity symptoms. Differences in the prevalence or type of nasal hyper-reactivity in AR and NAR

  14. Detecção de imunoglobulinas IgG, IgM e IgA anti-Toxoplasma gondii no soro, líquor e saliva de pacientes com síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida e neurotoxoplasmose Detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgG, IgM and IgA immunoglobulins in the serum, cerebrospinal fluid and saliva of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and neurotoxoplasmosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aercio Sebastião Borges

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available Estudamos 55 pacientes com sindrome da imunodeficiência adquirida (SIDA e neurotoxoplasmose (grupo 1; 37 pacientes com SIDA e comprometimento neurológico por outra etiologia (grupo 2 e 18 indivíduos anti-HIV negativos com manifestações neurológicas (grupo 3, pesquisando IgG, IgA e IgM anti-Toxoplasma gondii, no soro, líquor e saliva, utilizando teste ELISA, para fins diagnósticos. O valor preditivo negativo do teste para o encontro de IgG no soro foi 100% e no líquor, 92,4%. Não houve diferença entre os três grupos quanto aos anticorpos IgA neste material. Para IgA, no líquor, o teste alcançou 72,7% de especificidade (pWe studied 55 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS and neurotoxoplasmosis (group 1, 37 patients with AIDS and neurological involvement due to another etiology (group 2 and 18 anti-HIV-negative individuals with neurological manifestations, by searching for anti-T. gondii IgG, IgA and IgM immunoglobulins in serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSFand saliva, using ELISA. The negative predictive value of the test for IgG in serum was 100% and in CSF, 92.4%. There was no difference among the three groups studied regarding IgA in serum. For IgA, in CSF the test reached 72.7% specificity (p<0.05. In saliva, only the detection of IgG was found to be correlated with a diagnosis of neurotoxoplasmosis. We emphasize that the absence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies in serum and CSF strongly indicates the absence of a diagnosis of neurotoxoplasmosis and that specific IgA immunoglobulins in CSF and IgG in saliva may represent two auxiliary markers for the differential diagnosis of toxoplasmic encephalitis in AIDS.

  15. A Novel de Novo Mutation in the CD40 Ligand Gene in a Patient With a Mild X-Linked Hyper-IgM Phenotype Initially Diagnosed as CVID: New Aspects of Old Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tábata T. França

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Mutations in the CD40 ligand (CD40L gene (CD40LG lead to X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome (X-HIGM, which is a primary immunodeficiency (PID characterized by decreased serum levels of IgG and IgA and normal or elevated IgM levels. Although most X-HIGM patients become symptomatic during the first or second year of life, during which they exhibit recurrent infections, some patients exhibit mild phenotypes, which are usually associated with hypomorphic mutations that do not abrogate protein expression or function. Here, we describe a 28-year-old man who initially presented with recurrent infections since the age of 7 years, when he exhibited meningitis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans. The patient had no family history of immunodeficiency, and based on clinical and laboratory presentation, he was initially diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID. In subsequent years, he displayed several sporadic episodes of infection, including pneumonia, pharyngotonsillitis, acute otitis media, rhinosinusitis, fungal dermatosis, and intestinal helminthiasis. The evaluation of CD40L expression on the surface of activated CD3+CD4+ T cells from the patient showed decreased expression of CD40L. Genetic analysis revealed a novel de novo mutation consisting of a 6-nucleotide insertion in exon 1 of CD40LG, which confirmed the diagnosis of X-HIGM. In this report, we describe a novel mutation in the CD40L gene and highlight the complexities of PID diagnosis in light of atypical phenotypes and hypomorphic mutations as well as the importance of the differential diagnosis of PIDs.

  16. Evaluation of hydraulic conductivities of bentonite and rock under hyper alkaline and nitrate conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iriya, K.; Fujii, K.; Kubo, H.

    2002-02-01

    The chemical conditions of TRU waste repository were estimated as alkaline conditions effected by cementitious materials. And, some TRU wastes include soluble nitrate salt, we have to consider the repository conditions might be high ionic strength condition leaching of nitrate salt. In this study, experimental studies were carried out to evaluate hydraulic conductivities of bentonite and rock under hyper alkaline and nitrate conditions. The followings results were obtained for bentonite. 1) In the immersion experiments of bentonite in hyper alkaline fluids with and without nitrate, the disappearance of montmorillonite of bentonite was observed and CSH formation was found after 30 days. In hyper alkaline fluid with nitrate, minerals at θ=37 nm by XRD was identified. 2) Significant effects of hyper alkaline on hydraulic conductivity of compacted bentonite were not observed. However, hydraulic conductivities of hyper alkaline fluid with nitrate and ion exchanged bentonite increased. In hyper alkaline with nitrate, more higher hydraulic conductivities of exchanged bentonite were measured. The followings results were obtained for rock. 1) In the immersion experiments of crushed tuff in hyper alkaline fluids with and without nitrate, CSH and CASH phases were observed. 2) The hydraulic conductivity of tuff in hyper alkaline fluids decreased gradually. Finally, hyper alkaline flow in tuff stopped after 2 months and hyper alkaline flow with nitrate stopped shorter than without nitrate. In the results of analysis of tuff after experiment, we could identified secondary minerals, but we couldn't find the clogging evidence of pores in tuff by secondary minerals. (author)

  17. Response properties of the genetically encoded optical H2O2 sensor HyPer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weller, Jonathan; Kizina, Kathrin M; Can, Karolina; Bao, Guobin; Müller, Michael

    2014-11-01

    Reactive oxygen species mediate cellular signaling and neuropathologies. Hence, there is tremendous interest in monitoring (sub)cellular redox conditions. We evaluated the genetically engineered redox sensor HyPer in mouse hippocampal cell cultures. Two days after lipofection, neurons and glia showed sufficient expression levels, and H2O2 reversibly and dose-dependently increased the fluorescence ratio of cytosolic HyPer. Yet, repeated H2O2 treatment caused progressively declining responses, and with millimolar doses an apparent recovery started while H2O2 was still present. Although HyPer should be H2O2 specific, it seemingly responded also to other oxidants and altered cell-endogenous superoxide production. Control experiments with the SypHer pH sensor confirmed that the HyPer ratio responds to pH changes, decreasing with acidosis and increasing during alkalosis. Anoxia/reoxygenation evoked biphasic HyPer responses reporting apparent reduction/oxidation; replacing Cl(-) exerted only negligible effects. Mitochondria-targeted HyPer readily responded to H2O2-albeit less intensely than cytosolic HyPer. With ratiometric two-photon excitation, H2O2 increased the cytosolic HyPer ratio. Time-correlated fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) revealed a monoexponential decay of HyPer fluorescence, and H2O2 decreased fluorescence lifetimes. Dithiothreitol failed to further reduce HyPer or to induce reasonable FLIM and two-photon responses. By enabling dynamic recordings, HyPer is superior to synthetic redox-sensitive dyes. Its feasibility for two-photon excitation also enables studies in more complex preparations. Based on FLIM, quantitative analyses might be possible independent of switching excitation wavelengths. Yet, because of its pronounced pH sensitivity, adaptation to repeated oxidation, and insensitivity to reducing stimuli, HyPer responses have to be interpreted carefully. For reliable data, side-by-side pH monitoring with SypHer is essential. Copyright

  18. Psychotic experiences and hyper-theory-of-mind in preadolescence--a birth cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clemmensen, L; van Os, J; Drukker, M; Munkholm, A; Rimvall, M K; Væver, M; Rask, C U; Bartels-Velthuis, A A; Skovgaard, A M; Jeppesen, P

    2016-01-01

    Knowledge on the risk mechanisms of psychotic experiences (PE) is still limited. The aim of this population-based study was to explore developmental markers of PE with a particular focus on the specificity of hyper-theory-of-mind (HyperToM) as correlate of PE as opposed to correlate of any mental disorder. We assessed 1630 children from the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 regarding PE and HyperToM at the follow-up at 11-12 years. Mental disorders were diagnosed by clinical ratings based on standardized parent-, teacher- and self-reported psychopathology. Logistic regression analyses were performed to test the correlates of PE and HyperToM, and the specificity of correlates of PE v. correlates of any Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) mental disorder. Univariate analyses showed the following correlates of PE: familial psychiatric liability; parental mental illness during early child development; change in family composition; low family income; regulatory problems in infancy; onset of puberty; bullying; concurrent mental disorder; and HyperToM. When estimating the adjusted effects, only low family income, concurrent mental disorder, bullying and HyperToM remained significantly associated with PE. Further analyses of the specificity of these correlates with regard to outcome revealed that HyperToM was the only variable specifically associated with PE without concurrent mental disorder. Finally, HyperToM did not share any of the investigated precursors with PE. HyperToM may have a specific role in the risk trajectories of PE, being specifically associated with PE in preadolescent children, independently of other family and child risk factors associated with PE and overall psychopathology at this age.

  19. Predicting RNA hyper-editing with a novel tool when unambiguous alignment is impossible.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKerrow, Wilson H; Savva, Yiannis A; Rezaei, Ali; Reenan, Robert A; Lawrence, Charles E

    2017-07-10

    Repetitive elements are now known to have relevant cellular functions, including self-complementary sequences that form double stranded (ds) RNA. There are numerous pathways that determine the fate of endogenous dsRNA, and misregulation of endogenous dsRNA is a driver of autoimmune disease, particularly in the brain. Unfortunately, the alignment of high-throughput, short-read sequences to repeat elements poses a dilemma: Such sequences may align equally well to multiple genomic locations. In order to differentiate repeat elements, current alignment methods depend on sequence variation in the reference genome. Reads are discarded when no such variations are present. However, RNA hyper-editing, a possible fate for dsRNA, introduces enough variation to distinguish between repeats that are otherwise identical. To take advantage of this variation, we developed a new algorithm, RepProfile, that simultaneously aligns reads and predicts novel variations. RepProfile accurately aligns hyper-edited reads that other methods discard. In particular we predict hyper-editing of Drosophila melanogaster repeat elements in vivo at levels previously described only in vitro, and provide validation by Sanger sequencing sixty-two individual cloned sequences. We find that hyper-editing is concentrated in genes involved in cell-cell communication at the synapse, including some that are associated with neurodegeneration. We also find that hyper-editing tends to occur in short runs. Previous studies of RNA hyper-editing discarded ambiguously aligned reads, ignoring hyper-editing in long, perfect dsRNA - the perfect substrate for hyper-editing. We provide a method that simulation and Sanger validation show accurately predicts such RNA editing, yielding a superior picture of hyper-editing.

  20. Functional Defects in Type 3 Innate Lymphoid Cells and Classical Monocytes in a Patient with Hyper-IgE Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Yuna; Kang, Sung-Yoon; Kim, Jihyun; Kang, Hye-Ryun; Kim, Hye Young

    2017-10-01

    Hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES) is a very rare primary immune deficiency characterized by elevated serum IgE levels, recurrent bacterial infections, chronic dermatitis, and connective tissue abnormalities. Autosomal dominant (AD) HIES involves a mutation in signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) that leads to an impaired T H 17 response. STAT3 signaling is also involved in the function of RORγt + type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) and RORγt + T H 17 cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of innate immune cells such as innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), granulocytes, and monocytes in a patient with HIES. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a patient with HIES and three age-matched healthy controls were obtained for the analysis of the innate and adaptive immune cells. The frequencies of ILCs in PBMCs were lower in the patient with HIES than in the controls. Moreover, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-17A produced by ILC3s in PBMCs were lower in the patient with HIES than the controls. Compared with the controls, classical monocytes (CD14 + CD16 low ), which have a high antimicrobial capability, were also lower in the patient with HIES, while non-classical monocytes (CD14 low CD16 + ) as well as intermediate monocytes (CD14 + CD16 intermediate ) were higher. Taken together, these results indicate that the impaired immune defense against pathogenic microbes in the patient with HIES might be partially explained by functional defects in ILC3s and inflammatory monocytes.

  1. A perturbative clustering hyper-heuristic framework for the Danish railway system

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    M. Pour, Shahrzad; Rasmussen, Kourosh Marjani; Burke, Edmund K.

    , we propose a perturbative clustering hyper-heuristic framework. The framework improves an initial solution by reassigning outliers (those tasks that are far away) to a better cluster choice at each iteration while taking balanced crews workloads into account. The framework introduces five lowlevel...... heuristics and employs an adaptive choice function as a robust learning mechanism. The results of adaptive clustering hyper-heuristic are compared with two exact and heuristic assignment algorithms from the literature and with the random hyper-heuristic framework on 12 datasets. In comparison with the exact...... formulation, the proposed framework could obtain promising results and solved the data instances up to 5000 number of tasks. In comparison with heuristic assignment and the random hyper-heuristic, the framework yielded approximately 11%, 27% and 10%,13% mprovement on total distance and the maximum distance...

  2. ¿Es necesario investigar anticuerpos IgM contra el virus de la hepatitis A cuando el enzimograma hepático es normal?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Coitinho

    Full Text Available La hepatitis por virus A (VHA es la más frecuente de las hepatitis virales en el mundo, especialmente en los países subdesarrollados. Donde esta enfermedad es endémica, se suelen realizar un gran número de estudios de laboratorio para confirmarla. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar la utilidad de investigar anticuerpos IgM anti hepatitis A (IgM anti-VHA para el diagnóstico de la VHA en pacientes con niveles séricos normales de aspartato y alanina aminotransferasas (AST/ALT. Todos los pacientes que concurrieron al laboratorio con solicitud de enzimograma hepático y anticuerpos IgM anti-VHA durante el período octubre 2005-marzo 2006 fueron evaluados en este estudio. Los datos clínicos más frecuentes fueron presunción de hepatitis e ictericia (27,5 y 12,7%. La determinación de IgM anti-VHA se realizó por ensayo inmunoenzimático de micropartículas (MEIA; la de enzimas hepáticas en un multianalizador. De los 158 pacientes estudiados, 84 tenían valores elevados de AST/ALT; dentro de este grupo, el 82% fue reactivo para IgM anti-VHA. Los 74 pacientes restantes mostraron niveles normales de AST/ALT y solo 7 de ellos, bajo control de evolución por VHA ya confirmada, fueron reactivos para IgM anti-VHA. El 49% de los pacientes IgM anti-VHA reactivos correspondió a menores de 10 años. De acuerdo con estas observaciones, sugerimos que los estudios de laboratorio para confirmar infección aguda por VHA deberían realizarse en forma secuencial, ya que es innecesaria la determinación de anticuerpos IgM anti-VHA cuando las aminotransferasas séricas son normales.

  3. Comparison of Rubazyme-M and MACRIA for the detection of rubella-specific IgM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Best, J.M.; Palmer, S.J.; Morgan-Capner, P.; Hodgson, J. (Saint Thomas' Hospital, London (UK))

    1984-02-01

    One hundred and eighty-six carefully selected sera were tested for rubella-specific IgM by Rubazyme-M (Abbott Diagnostics) and an M-antibody capture radioimmunoassay (MACRIA). Eleven of these sera were from cases of infectious mononucleosis, six of which gave positive results in MACRIA, while one gave a positive result in Rubazyme-M. Of the remaining 175 sera, 158 gave concordant results whilst 17 sera gave discordant results; these 17 were also tested by serum fractionation. Problems were encountered with all assay systems used. It is therefore recommended that the results of all tests for rubella-specific IgM should be interpreted with caution.

  4. Theoretical studies of surface enhanced hyper-Raman spectroscopy: The chemical enhancement mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valley, Nicholas; Jensen, Lasse; Autschbach, Jochen; Schatz, George C.

    2010-08-01

    Hyper-Raman spectra for pyridine and pyridine on the surface of a tetrahedral 20 silver atom cluster are calculated using static hyperpolarizability derivatives obtained from time dependent density functional theory. The stability of the results with respect to choice of exchange-correlation functional and basis set is verified by comparison with experiment and with Raman spectra calculated for the same systems using the same methods. Calculated Raman spectra were found to match well with experiment and previous theoretical calculations. The calculated normal and surface enhanced hyper-Raman spectra closely match experimental results. The chemical enhancement factors for hyper-Raman are generally larger than for Raman (102-104 versus 101-102). Integrated hyper-Raman chemical enhancement factors are presented for a set of substituted pyridines. A two-state model is developed to predict these chemical enhancement factors and this was found to work well for the majority of the molecules considered, providing a rationalization for the difference between hyper-Raman and Raman enhancement factors.

  5. Hyper-Echoic Rim in Thyroid Nodules: A New Ultrasonographic Feature for Malignancy Prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, YiJie; Zhan, WeiWei; Zhou, JianQiao; Song, LinLin; Ni, XiaoFeng; Zhang, BenYan

    2016-09-01

    The goal of this study was to verify the ultrasound features of hyper-echoic rims in thyroid nodules and to evaluate their diagnostic value in predicting thyroid malignancies. We retrospectively analyzed 228 pathologically proven thyroid nodules (137 malignant and 91 benign nodules). Forty-eight thyroid nodules had a hyper echogenic rim. All malignant nodules (137) were papillary carcinomas, which were studied to identify the correlation between the hyper-echoic rim (detected by ultrasound) and other histologic features. Presence of a hyper-echoic rim had high specificity (94.51%), but low sensitivity (31.39%) in predicting malignancy (p hyper-echogenic rim could be one additional ultrasound parameter in the diagnosis of thyroid lesions. Copyright © 2016 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Deterioration of lung function is associated with presence of IgM rheumatoid factor and smoking in patients with systemic sclerosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Broholm, B.; Ullman, S.; Halberg, P.

    2008-01-01

    of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) the influence of smoking and IgM RF on the lung function was calculated. One hundred fifty-five persons with SSc had vital capacity (VC) and diffusing capacity (DLco) measured at least twice with at least 1-year interval as percents of predicted values according......Smoking is a known risk factor for the development of several lung diseases, autoimmune diseases, and IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) in nonrheumatic persons. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis and IgM RF the diffusion capacity is decreased in smokers but not in nonsmokers. In the present study......M RF was found only in smokers or previous smokers, P = 0.007 and P = 0.01, respectively. These findings were confirmed by means of multiple regression analyses. The presence of IgM RF in smoking SSc patients is associated with deteriorating lung function. Whether this is a causal association...

  7. Asymptomatic hyper-creatine-kinase-emia as sole manifestation of inclusion body myositis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josef Finsterer

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM usually manifests with painless weakness of the hand, finger and hip flexors. Absence of symptoms or signs, but mild hyper-CK-emia as the sole manifestation of IBM, has not been reported. We report the case of a 73-year-old male who presented with asymptomatic recurrent hyper-CK-emia ranging from 200 to 1324 U/L (n<171 U/L, since 10 years. Clinical neurologic investigation, nerve conduction studies and EMG were non-informative. Muscle biopsy surprisingly revealed sIBM. sIBM may be asymptomatic and may manifest with hyper-CK-emia exclusively. So, it has to be included in the differential diagnoses of asymptomatic hyper-CK-emia.

  8. Hyper-and-elliptic-curve cryptography

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bernstein, D.J.; Lange, T.

    2014-01-01

    This paper introduces ‘hyper-and-elliptic-curve cryptography’, in which a single high-security group supports fast genus-2-hyperelliptic-curve formulas for variable-base-point single-scalar multiplication (for example, Diffie–Hellman shared-secret computation) and at the same time supports fast

  9. A Comparison of Genetic Programming Variants for Hyper-Heuristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Harris, Sean [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2015-03-01

    Modern society is faced with ever more complex problems, many of which can be formulated as generate-and-test optimization problems. General-purpose optimization algorithms are not well suited for real-world scenarios where many instances of the same problem class need to be repeatedly and efficiently solved, such as routing vehicles over highways with constantly changing traffic flows, because they are not targeted to a particular scenario. Hyper-heuristics automate the design of algorithms to create a custom algorithm for a particular scenario. Hyper-heuristics typically employ Genetic Programming (GP) and this project has investigated the relationship between the choice of GP and performance in Hyper-heuristics. Results are presented demonstrating the existence of problems for which there is a statistically significant performance differential between the use of different types of GP.

  10. Context-Aware Browsing for Hyper-Local News Data (CABHLND

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr. Yousef Ibrahim Daradkeh

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a new model for delivering hyper-local data to mobile subscribers. Our model uses any exiting or especially created Wi-Fi hot spot as presence sensor that can open access for some user-generated content. In our approach we can describe hyper local data as info snippets that are valid (relevant for mobile subscribers being at this moment nearby some Wi-Fi access point. And an appropriate mobile service (customized browser can discover that information to mobile users. Service builds on the fly dynamic web pages and lets mobile subscribers to browse hyper-local data only. As the possible use-cases we can mention for example delivering news and deals in malls, news feeds for office centers and campuses, Smart City projects, personal classifieds etc.

  11. Evaluation of Two Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Kits for Chikungunya Virus IgM Using Samples from Deceased Organ and Tissue Donors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altrich, Michelle L.; Nowicki, Marek J.

    2016-01-01

    The identification of nearly 3,500 cases of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection in U.S. residents returning in 2014 and 2015 from areas in which it is endemic has raised concerns within the transplant community that, should recently infected individuals become organ and/or tissue donors, CHIKV would be transmitted to transplant recipients. Thus, tests designed to detect recent CHIKV infection among U.S. organ and tissue donors may become necessary in the future. Accordingly, we evaluated 2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for CHIKV IgM readily available in the United States using 1,000 deidentified serum or plasma specimens collected from donors between November 2014 and March 2015. The Euroimmun indirect ELISA identified 38 reactive specimens; however, all 38 were negative for CHIKV IgG and IgM in immunofluorescence assays (IFAs) conducted at a reference laboratory and, thus, were falsely reactive in the Euroimmun CHIKV IgM assay. The InBios IgM-capture ELISA identified 26 reactive samples, and one was still reactive (index ≥ 1.00) when retested using the InBios kit with a background subtraction modification to identify false reactivity. This reactive specimen was CHIKV IgM negative but IgG positive by IFAs at two reference laboratories; plaque reduction neutralization testing (PRNT) demonstrated CHIKV-specific reactivity. The IgG and PRNT findings strongly suggest that the InBios CHIKV IgM-reactive result represents true reactivity, even though the IgM IFA result was negative. If testing organ/tissue donors for CHIKV IgM becomes necessary, the limitations of the currently available CHIKV IgM ELISAs and options for their optimization must be understood to avoid organ/tissue wastage due to falsely reactive results. PMID:27535838

  12. Activity of genes with functions in human Williams-Beuren Syndrome are impacted by mobile element insertions in the gray wolf genome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    vonHoldt, Bridgett M; Ji, Sarah S; Aardema, Matthew L; Stahler, Daniel; Udell, Monique A R; Sinsheimer, Janet S

    2018-06-01

    In canines, transposon dynamics have been associated with a hyper-social behavioral syndrome, although the functional mechanism has yet to be described. We investigate the epigenetic and transcriptional consequences of these behavior-associated mobile element insertions in dogs and Yellowstone wolves. We posit that the transposons themselves may not be the causative feature; rather, their transcriptional regulation may exert the functional impact. We survey four outlier transposons associated with hyper-sociability, with the expectation that they are targeted for epigenetic silencing. We predict hyper-methylation of mobile element insertions (MEIs), suggestive that the epigenetic silencing of and not the MEIs themselves may be driving dysregulation of nearby genes. We found that transposon-derived sequences are significantly hyper-methylated, regardless of their copy number or species. Further, we have assessed transcriptome sequence data and found evidence that mobile element insertions impact the expression levels of six genes (WBSCR17, LIMK1, GTF2I, WBSCR27, BAZ1B, and BCL7B), all of which have known roles in human Williams-Beuren syndrome due to changes in copy number, typically hemizygosity. Although further evidence is needed, our results suggest that a few insertions alter local expression at multiple genes, likely through a cis-regulatory mechanism that excludes proximal methylation.

  13. WikiHyperGlossary (WHG): an information literacy technology for chemistry documents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, Michael A; Berleant, Daniel; Cornell, Andrew P; Belford, Robert E

    2015-01-01

    The WikiHyperGlossary is an information literacy technology that was created to enhance reading comprehension of documents by connecting them to socially generated multimedia definitions as well as semantically relevant data. The WikiHyperGlossary enhances reading comprehension by using the lexicon of a discipline to generate dynamic links in a document to external resources that can provide implicit information the document did not explicitly provide. Currently, the most common method to acquire additional information when reading a document is to access a search engine and browse the web. This may lead to skimming of multiple documents with the novice actually never returning to the original document of interest. The WikiHyperGlossary automatically brings information to the user within the current document they are reading, enhancing the potential for deeper document understanding. The WikiHyperGlossary allows users to submit a web URL or text to be processed against a chosen lexicon, returning the document with tagged terms. The selection of a tagged term results in the appearance of the WikiHyperGlossary Portlet containing a definition, and depending on the type of word, tabs to additional information and resources. Current types of content include multimedia enhanced definitions, ChemSpider query results, 3D molecular structures, and 2D editable structures connected to ChemSpider queries. Existing glossaries can be bulk uploaded, locked for editing and associated with multiple social generated definitions. The WikiHyperGlossary leverages both social and semantic web technologies to bring relevant information to a document. This can not only aid reading comprehension, but increases the users' ability to obtain additional information within the document. We have demonstrated a molecular editor enabled knowledge framework that can result in a semantic web inductive reasoning process, and integration of the WikiHyperGlossary into other software technologies, like

  14. Split2 Protein-Ligation Generates Active IL-6-Type Hyper-Cytokines from Inactive Precursors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moll, Jens M; Wehmöller, Melanie; Frank, Nils C; Homey, Lisa; Baran, Paul; Garbers, Christoph; Lamertz, Larissa; Axelrod, Jonathan H; Galun, Eithan; Mootz, Henning D; Scheller, Jürgen

    2017-12-15

    Trans-signaling of the major pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-11 has the unique feature to virtually activate all cells of the body and is critically involved in chronic inflammation and regeneration. Hyper-IL-6 and Hyper-IL-11 are single chain designer trans-signaling cytokines, in which the cytokine and soluble receptor units are trapped in one complex via a flexible peptide linker. Albeit, Hyper-cytokines are essential tools to study trans-signaling in vitro and in vivo, the superior potency of these designer cytokines are accompanied by undesirable stress responses. To enable tailor-made generation of Hyper-cytokines, we developed inactive split-cytokine-precursors adapted for posttranslational reassembly by split-intein mediated protein trans-splicing (PTS). We identified cutting sites within IL-6 (E 134 /S 135 ) and IL-11 (G 116 /S 117 ) and obtained inactive split-Hyper-IL-6 and split-Hyper-IL-11 cytokine precursors. After fusion with split-inteins, PTS resulted in reconstitution of active Hyper-cytokines, which were efficiently secreted from transfected cells. Our strategy comprises the development of a background-free cytokine signaling system from reversibly inactivated precursor cytokines.

  15. Defective IL-10 signaling in hyper-IgE syndrome results in impaired generation of tolerogenic dendritic cells and induced regulatory T cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Masako; Nagasawa, Masayuki; Takada, Hidetoshi; Hara, Toshiro; Tsuchiya, Shigeru; Agematsu, Kazunaga; Yamada, Masafumi; Kawamura, Nobuaki; Ariga, Tadashi; Tsuge, Ikuya; Nonoyama, Shigeaki; Karasuyama, Hajime

    2011-01-01

    Hyper-IgE syndrome (HIES) is a primary immunodeficiency characterized by recurrent staphylococcal infections and atopic dermatitis associated with elevated serum IgE levels. Although defective differentiation of IL-17–producing CD4+ T cells (Th17) partly accounts for the susceptibility to staphylococcal skin abscesses and pneumonia, the pathogenesis of atopic manifestations in HIES still remains an enigma. In this study, we examined the differentiation and function of Th1, Th2, regulatory T cells (Treg cells), and dendritic cells (DCs) in HIES patients carrying either STAT3 or TYK2 mutations. Although the in vitro differentiation of Th1 and Th2 cells and the number and function of Treg cells in the peripheral blood were normal in HIES patients with STAT3 mutations, primary and monocyte-derived DCs showed defective responses to IL-10 and thus failed to become tolerogenic. When treated with IL-10, patient DCs showed impaired up-regulation of inhibitory molecules on their surface, including PD-L1 and ILT-4, compared with control DCs. Moreover, IL-10–treated DCs from patients displayed impaired ability to induce the differentiation of naive CD4+ T cells to FOXP3+ induced Treg cells (iTreg cells). These results suggest that the defective generation of IL-10–induced tolerogenic DCs and iTreg cells may contribute to inflammatory changes in HIES. PMID:21300911

  16. Knowledge discovery in hyper-heuristic using case-based reasoning on course timetabling

    OpenAIRE

    Burke, Edmund; MacCarthy, Bart L.; Petrovic, Sanja; Qu, Rong

    2002-01-01

    This paper presents a new hyper-heuristic method using Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) for solving course timetabling problems. The term Hyper-heuristics has recently been employed to refer to 'heuristics that choose heuristics' rather than heuristics that operate directly on given problems. One of the overriding motivations of hyper-heuristic methods is the attempt to develop techniques that can operate with greater generality than is currently possible. The basic idea behind this is that we main...

  17. High seroprevalence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgM in acute Q fever by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chung-Hsu Lai

    Full Text Available Q fever is serologically cross-reactive with other intracellular microorganisms. However, studies of the serological status of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae during Q fever are rare. We conducted a retrospective serological study of M. pneumoniae and C. pneumoniae by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA, a method widely used in clinical practice, in 102 cases of acute Q fever, 39 cases of scrub typhus, and 14 cases of murine typhus. The seropositive (57.8%, 7.7%, and 0%, p<0.001 and seroconversion rates (50.6%, 8.8%, and 0%, p<0.001 of M. pneumoniae IgM, but not M. pneumoniae IgG and C. pneumoniae IgG/IgM, in acute Q fever were significantly higher than in scrub typhus and murine typhus. Another ELISA kit also revealed a high seropositivity (49.5% and seroconversion rate (33.3% of M. pneumoniae IgM in acute Q fever. The temporal and age distributions of patients with positive M. pneumoniae IgM were not typical of M. pneumoniae pneumonia. Comparing acute Q fever patients who were positive for M. pneumoniae IgM (59 cases with those who were negative (43 cases, the demographic characteristics and underlying diseases were not different. In addition, the clinical manifestations associated with atypical pneumonia, including headache (71.2% vs. 81.4%, p=0.255, sore throat (8.5% vs. 16.3%, p=0.351, cough (35.6% vs. 23.3%, p=0.199, and chest x-ray suggesting pneumonia (19.3% vs. 9.5%, p=0.258, were unchanged between the two groups. Clinicians should be aware of the high seroprevalence of M. pneumoniae IgM in acute Q fever, particularly with ELISA kits, which can lead to misdiagnosis, overestimations of the prevalence of M. pneumoniae pneumonia, and underestimations of the true prevalence of Q fever pneumonia.

  18. Neuromodulation of detrusor hyper-reflexia by functional magnetic stimulation of the sacral roots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheriff, M K; Shah, P J; Fowler, C; Mundy, A R; Craggs, M D

    1996-07-01

    To investigate the acute effects of functional magnetic stimulation (FMS) on detrusor hyper-reflexia using a multi-pulse magnetic stimulator. Seven male patients with established and intractable detrusor hyper-reflexia following spinal cord injury were studied. No patient was on medication and none had had previous surgery for detrusor hyper-reflexia. After optimization of magnetic stimulation of S2-S4 sacral anterior roots by recording toe flexor electromyograms, unstable detrusor activity was provoked during cystometry by rapid infusion of fluid into the bladder. The provocation test produced consistent and predictable detrusor hyper-reflexia. On some provocations, supramaximal FMS at 20 pulses/s for 5 s was applied at detrusor pressures which were > 15 cmH2O. Following FMS there was an obvious acute suppression of detrusor hyper-reflexia. There was a profound reduction in detrusor contraction, as assessed by the area under the curves of detrusor pressure with time. Functional magnetic stimulation applied over the sacrum can profoundly suppress detrusor hyper-reflexia in man. It may provide a non-invasive method of assessing patients for implantable electrical neuromodulation devices and as a therapeutic option in its own right.

  19. A grouping hyper-heuristic framework: application on graph colouring

    OpenAIRE

    Elhag, Anas; Özcan, Ender

    2015-01-01

    Grouping problems are hard to solve combinatorial optimisation problems which require partitioning of objects into a minimum number of subsets while a given objective is simultaneously optimised. Selection hyper-heuristics are high level general purpose search methodologies that operate on a space formed by a set of low level heuristics rather than solutions. Most of the recently proposed selection hyper-heuristics are iterative and make use of two key methods which are employed successively;...

  20. Hyper-Methylated Loci Persisting from Sessile Serrated Polyps to Serrated Cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrew, Angeline S; Baron, John A; Butterly, Lynn F; Suriawinata, Arief A; Tsongalis, Gregory J; Robinson, Christina M; Amos, Christopher I

    2017-03-02

    Although serrated polyps were historically considered to pose little risk, it is now understood that progression down the serrated pathway could account for as many as 15%-35% of colorectal cancers. The sessile serrated adenoma/polyp (SSA/P) is the most prevalent pre-invasive serrated lesion. Our objective was to identify the CpG loci that are persistently hyper-methylated during serrated carcinogenesis, from the early SSA/P lesion through the later cancer phases of neoplasia development. We queried the loci hyper-methylated in serrated cancers within our rightsided SSA/Ps from the New Hampshire Colonoscopy Registry, using the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation 450 k panel to comprehensively assess the DNA methylation status. We identified CpG loci and regions consistently hyper-methylated throughout the serrated carcinogenesis spectrum, in both our SSA/P specimens and in serrated cancers. Hyper-methylated CpG loci included the known the tumor suppressor gene RET (p = 5.72 x 10-10), as well as loci in differentially methylated regions for GSG1L, MIR4493, NTNG1, MCIDAS, ZNF568, and RERG. The hyper-methylated loci that we identified help characterize the biology of SSA/P development, and could be useful as therapeutic targets, or for future identification of patients who may benefit from shorter surveillance intervals.

  1. Natural IgM antibodies that bind neoepitopes exposed as a result of spinal cord injury , drive secondary injury by activating complement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narang, Aarti; Qiao, Fei; Atkinson, Carl; Zhu, Hong; Yang, Xiaofeng; Kulik, Liudmila; Holers, V Michael; Tomlinson, Stephen

    2017-06-19

    Natural IgM antibodies (Abs) function as innate immune sensors of injury via recognition of neoepitopes expressed on damaged cells, although how this recognition systems function following spinal cord injury (SCI) exposes various neoepitopes and their precise nature remains largely unknown. Here, we investigated the role of two natural IgM monoclonal Abs (mAbs), B4 and C2, that recognize post-ischemic neoepitopes following ischemia and reperfusion in other tissues. Identification of post-SCI expressed neoepitopes was examined using previously characterized monoclonal Abs (B4 and C2 mAbs). The role of post-SCI neoepitopes and their recognition by natural IgM Abs in propagating secondary injury was examined in Ab-deficient Rag1-/- or wild type C57BL/6 mice using Ab reconstitution experiments and neoepitope-targeted therapeutic studies, respectively. Administration of B4 or C2 mAb following murine SCI increased lesion size and worsened functional outcome in otherwise protected Ab-deficient Rag1-/- mice. Injury correlated with colocalized deposition of IgM and C3d in injured spinal cords from both mAb reconstituted Rag1-/- mice and untreated wild-type mice. Depletion of peritoneal B1 B cells, a source of natural Abs, reduced circulating levels of IgM with B4 (annexin-IV) and C2 (subset of phospholipids) reactivity, reduced IgM and complement deposition in the spinal cord, and protected against SCI. We therefore investigated whether the B4 neoepitope represents a therapeutic target for complement inhibition. B4-Crry, a fusion protein consisting of a single-chain Ab derived from B4 mAb, linked to the complement inhibitor Crry, significantly protected against SCI. B4-Crry exhibited a dual function in that it inhibited both the binding of pathogenic IgM and blocked complement activation in the spinal cord. This study identifies important neoepitopes expressed within the spinal cord after injury. These neoepitopes are recognized by clonally specific natural IgM Abs that

  2. Development of hyper osmotic resistant CHO host cells for enhanced antibody production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamachi, Yasuharu; Omasa, Takeshi

    2018-04-01

    Cell culture platform processes are generally employed to shorten the duration of new product development. A fed-batch process with continuous feeding is a conventional platform process for monoclonal antibody production using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. To establish a simplified platform process, the feeding method can be changed from continuous feed to bolus feed. However, this change induces a rapid increase of osmolality by the bolus addition of nutrients. The increased osmolality suppresses cell culture growth, and the final product concentration is decreased. In this study, osmotic resistant CHO host cells were developed to attain a high product concentration. To establish hyper osmotic resistant CHO host cells, CHO-S host cells were passaged long-term in a hyper osmotic basal medium. There were marked differences in cell growth of the original and established host cells under iso- (328 mOsm/kg) or hyper-osmolality (over 450 mOsm/kg) conditions. Cell growth of the original CHO host cells was markedly decreased by the induction of osmotic stress, whereas cell growth of the hyper osmotic resistant CHO host cells was not affected. The maximum viable cell concentration of hyper osmotic resistant CHO host cells was 132% of CHO-S host cells after the induction of osmotic stress. Moreover, the hyper osmotic resistant characteristic of established CHO host cells was maintained even after seven passages in iso-osmolality basal medium. The use of hyper osmotic resistance CHO host cells to create a monoclonal antibody production cell line might be a new approach to increase final antibody concentrations with a fed-batch process. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Human anti-HIV IgM detection by the OraQuick ADVANCE® Rapid HIV 1/2 Antibody Test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guillon, Geraldine; Yearwood, Graham; Snipes, Casey; Boschi, Daniel; Reed, Michael R

    2018-01-01

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many public health jurisdictions continue to advocate for the most sensitive rapid HIV test that is available. Currently, the recommendation is to utilize tests that can detect HIV infection biomarkers within 30 days of infection, when initial immune responses are mounted. The infected patient's IgM response is often used to detect acute infection within a 20-25 days window after infection. This requirement applies to lab-based testing with automated analyzers and rapid, point of care (POC) testing used for screening in a non-clinical setting. A recent study has demonstrated that POC tests using a Protein A-based detection system can detect samples with predominantly HIV-1 IgM reactivity (Moshgabadi et al., 2015). The OraQuick ADVANCE ® Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test (OraQuick ADVANCE ®) also uses Protein A as the detection protein in the antibody-binding colloidal gold conjugate, so it is expected that the OraQuick ADVANCE ® Test will also detect samples with predominantly IgM reactivity. This report definitively demonstrates that the OraQuick ADVANCE ® Test can detect IgM antibodies during an acute infection window period of approximately 20-25 days after infection, and is therefore suitable for use in testing environments requiring adherence to current CDC recommendations.

  4. Diagnostic value of anti-annexin A5 antibodies in seropositive versus seronegative antiphospholipid syndrome patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gihan Omar

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: Current laboratory criteria for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS classification recommend testing positive for antiphospholipid (aPL antibodies. However, there appears to be a subset of patients with classical APS manifestations who test negative. Aim of the work: To analyze the potential clinical usefulness of testing for anti-annexin A5 antibodies in patients with APS and to study the effectiveness of testing for non-criteria aPLs in an attempt to increase the diagnostic yield, particularly in seronegative APS. Patients and methods: 60 APS patients were divided into two groups; 30 seropositive (SP-APS (group I and 30 age and sex matched seronegative (sN-APS testing negative for aPL antibodies. Serum assay for detection of isotypes of anti-annexin A5 antibodies (IgG and IgM were conducted. Results: The mean age of the patients was 32.9 ± 5.8 years, female:male 57:3 and disease duration in SP-APS versus sN-APS (10.17 ± 4.9 years versus 9.6 ± 5.5 years respectively. Secondary APS was present in 16(53.3% patients in group I compared to 3(10% in group II (p < 0.0001. The mean anti-AnxA5 IgG level was 10.7 ± 5.6 U/ml and IgM was 11.2 ± 7.1 U/ml and were comparable between the 2 groups. The obstetric and thrombotic morbidity had no significant differences between SP and sN-APS. The IgG and IgM levels significantly correlated with the pregnancy morbidity, venous and arterial thrombosis events and showed reasonable sensitivities in their prediction (IgG:71.2%,72.8% and 75.8%; IgM: 68%,67.8% and 71.4% respectively and specificities (IgG:75.9%,77.8% and 81.5%; IgM: 70.9%,73.1% and 73.7% respectively. Conclusion: anti-annexinA5 antibodies are promising for detecting obstetric and thrombotic morbidity in both SP- and sN-APS patients. Keywords: Antiphospholipid syndrome, Seropositive APS (SP-APS, Seronegative APS (sN-APS, Anti-annexin A5 antibodies

  5. Clinical, Molecular, and Genetic Characteristics of PAPA Syndrome: A Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Elisabeth J; Allantaz, Florence; Bennett, Lynda; Zhang, Dongping; Gao, Xiaochong; Wood, Geryl; Kastner, Daniel L; Punaro, Marilynn; Aksentijevich, Ivona; Pascual, Virginia; Wise, Carol A

    2010-01-01

    PAPA syndrome (Pyogenic Arthritis, Pyoderma gangrenosum, and Acne) is an autosomal dominant, hereditary auto-inflammatory disease arising from mutations in the PSTPIP1/CD2BP1 gene on chromosome 15q. These mutations produce a hyper-phosphorylated PSTPIP1 protein and alter its participation in activation of the “inflammasome” involved in interleukin-1 (IL-1β) production. Overproduction of IL-1β is a clear molecular feature of PAPA syndrome. Ongoing research is implicating other biochemical pathways that may be relevant to the distinct pyogenic inflammation of the skin and joints characteristic of this disease. This review summarizes the recent and rapidly accumulating knowledge on these molecular aspects of PAPA syndrome and related disorders. PMID:21532836

  6. Analytic calculations of hyper-Raman spectra from density functional theory hyperpolarizability gradients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ringholm, Magnus; Ruud, Kenneth [Centre for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø (Norway); Bast, Radovan [Theoretical Chemistry and Biology, School of Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova University Center, S-10691 Stockholm (Sweden); PDC Center for High Performance Computing, Royal Institute of Technology, S-10044 Stockholm (Sweden); Oggioni, Luca [Centre for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø (Norway); Department of Physics G. Occhialini, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della scienza 3, 20126 Milan (Italy); Ekström, Ulf [Centre for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1033 Blindern, 0315 Oslo (Norway)

    2014-10-07

    We present the first analytic calculations of the geometrical gradients of the first hyperpolarizability tensors at the density-functional theory (DFT) level. We use the analytically calculated hyperpolarizability gradients to explore the importance of electron correlation effects, as described by DFT, on hyper-Raman spectra. In particular, we calculate the hyper-Raman spectra of the all-trans and 11-cis isomers of retinal at the Hartree-Fock (HF) and density-functional levels of theory, also allowing us to explore the sensitivity of the hyper-Raman spectra on the geometrical characteristics of these structurally related molecules. We show that the HF results, using B3LYP-calculated vibrational frequencies and force fields, reproduce the experimental data for all-trans-retinal well, and that electron correlation effects are of minor importance for the hyper-Raman intensities.

  7. A comparative study on scapular static position between femaleswith and without generalized joint hyper mobility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afsun Nodehi Moghadam

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background: Generalized joint hyper mobility predisposes some individuals to a wide variety of musculoskeletal complaints. Given the critical role of scapular position in function of shoulder, the aim of this study was to compare scapular position between persons with and without general joint hyper mobility. Methods: By nonprobability sampling 30 hyper mobile persons at average of 22.86 ±2.77 years of age and 30 non hyper mobile persons (age 23.6 ± 2.73years through a case-control design participated in the study. Scapular position was assessed according to the lateral scapular slide test. Independent t test and repeated measures ANOVA were used to statistically analyze scapular position differences between groups.  Results: Compared to non hyper mobile persons, those with General joint hyper mobility demonstrated a significantly higher superior scapula slide in dependent arm position (p=0.03. However, no significant difference was found between another scores between two groups (p>0.05. Conclusion: The results suggest that altered scapular position may be an important aspect of General joint hyper mobility.

  8. Application of the Hyper-Poisson Generalized Linear Model for Analyzing Motor Vehicle Crashes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khazraee, S Hadi; Sáez-Castillo, Antonio Jose; Geedipally, Srinivas Reddy; Lord, Dominique

    2015-05-01

    The hyper-Poisson distribution can handle both over- and underdispersion, and its generalized linear model formulation allows the dispersion of the distribution to be observation-specific and dependent on model covariates. This study's objective is to examine the potential applicability of a newly proposed generalized linear model framework for the hyper-Poisson distribution in analyzing motor vehicle crash count data. The hyper-Poisson generalized linear model was first fitted to intersection crash data from Toronto, characterized by overdispersion, and then to crash data from railway-highway crossings in Korea, characterized by underdispersion. The results of this study are promising. When fitted to the Toronto data set, the goodness-of-fit measures indicated that the hyper-Poisson model with a variable dispersion parameter provided a statistical fit as good as the traditional negative binomial model. The hyper-Poisson model was also successful in handling the underdispersed data from Korea; the model performed as well as the gamma probability model and the Conway-Maxwell-Poisson model previously developed for the same data set. The advantages of the hyper-Poisson model studied in this article are noteworthy. Unlike the negative binomial model, which has difficulties in handling underdispersed data, the hyper-Poisson model can handle both over- and underdispersed crash data. Although not a major issue for the Conway-Maxwell-Poisson model, the effect of each variable on the expected mean of crashes is easily interpretable in the case of this new model. © 2014 Society for Risk Analysis.

  9. A comparison of Rubazyme-M and MACRIA for the detection of rubella-specific IgM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Best, J.M.; Palmer, S.J.; Morgan-Capner, P.; Hodgson, J.

    1984-01-01

    One hundred and eighty-six carefully selected sera were tested for rubella-specific IgM by Rubazyme-M (Abbott Diagnostics) and an M-antibody capture radioimmunoassay (MACRIA). Eleven of these sera were from cases of infectious mononucleosis, six of which gave positive results in MACRIA, while one gave a positive result in Rubazyme-M. Of the remaining 175 sera, 158 gave concordant results whilst 17 sera gave discordant results; these 17 were also tested by serum fractionation. Problems were encountered with all assay systems used. It is therefore recommended that the results of all tests for rubella-specific IgM should be interpreted with caution. (Auth.)

  10. Magnetic reconnection mediated by hyper-resistive plasmoid instability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Yi-Min; Bhattacharjee, A. [Center for Integrated Computation and Analysis of Reconnection and Turbulence, Center for Magnetic Self-Organization in Laboratory and Astrophysical Plasmas, Max Planck-Princeton Center for Plasma Physics and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey 08543 (United States); Forbes, Terry G. [Space Science Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824 (United States)

    2013-08-15

    Magnetic reconnection mediated by the hyper-resistive plasmoid instability is studied with both linear analysis and nonlinear simulations. The linear growth rate is found to scale as S{sub H}{sup 1/6} with respect to the hyper-resistive Lundquist number S{sub H}≡L{sup 3}V{sub A}/η{sub H}, where L is the system size, V{sub A} is the Alfvén velocity, and η{sub H} is the hyper-resistivity. In the nonlinear regime, reconnection rate becomes nearly independent of S{sub H}, the number of plasmoids scales as S{sub H}{sup 1/2}, and the secondary current sheet length and width both scale as S{sub H}{sup −1/2}. These scalings are consistent with a heuristic argument assuming secondary current sheets are close to marginal stability. The distribution of plasmoids as a function of the enclosed flux ψ is found to obey a ψ{sup −1} power law over an extended range, followed by a rapid fall off for large plasmoids. These results are compared with those from resistive magnetohydrodynamic studies.

  11. Parvovirus B19 induced lupus-like syndrome with nephritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georges, Elodie; Rihova, Zuzana; Cmejla, Radek; Decleire, Pierre-Yves; Langen, Corinne

    2016-12-01

    We report a case of a 65-year-old man who developed an acute illness with fever, arthralgia and nephritic syndrome. Antinuclear antibodies were slightly positive and complement levels were low. Renal biopsy showed exudative diffuse proliferative endocapillary glomerulonephritis with diffuse immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA, IgM) and complement deposition (C3d, C4d, C1q) on immunofluorescence. The patient was first treated with corticosteroids and mycophenolate mofetil for suspected lupus with WHO class IV glomerulonephritis. The diagnosis was questioned and a diagnosis of parvovirus B19-associated nephritis was made based on elevation of serum IgM antibodies for parvovirus B19 and detection of parvovirus B19 DNA on renal biopsy. The immunosuppressive treatment was stopped and progressive spontaneous regression of clinical and laboratory abnormalities was observed. We conclude that human parvovirus B19 infection should be considered as a cause of lupus-like symptomatology and acute glomerulonephritis.

  12. Two dissimilar approaches to dynamical systems on hyper MV -algebras and their information entropy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehrpooya, Adel; Ebrahimi, Mohammad; Davvaz, Bijan

    2017-09-01

    Measuring the flow of information that is related to the evolution of a system which is modeled by applying a mathematical structure is of capital significance for science and usually for mathematics itself. Regarding this fact, a major issue in concern with hyperstructures is their dynamics and the complexity of the varied possible dynamics that exist over them. Notably, the dynamics and uncertainty of hyper MV -algebras which are hyperstructures and extensions of a central tool in infinite-valued Lukasiewicz propositional calculus that models many valued logics are of primary concern. Tackling this problem, in this paper we focus on the subject of dynamical systems on hyper MV -algebras and their entropy. In this respect, we adopt two varied approaches. One is the set-based approach in which hyper MV -algebra dynamical systems are developed by employing set functions and set partitions. By the other method that is based on points and point partitions, we establish the concept of hyper injective dynamical systems on hyper MV -algebras. Next, we study the notion of entropy for both kinds of systems. Furthermore, we consider essential ergodic characteristics of those systems and their entropy. In particular, we introduce the concept of isomorphic hyper injective and hyper MV -algebra dynamical systems, and we demonstrate that isomorphic systems have the same entropy. We present a couple of theorems in order to help calculate entropy. In particular, we prove a contemporary version of addition and Kolmogorov-Sinai Theorems. Furthermore, we provide a comparison between the indispensable properties of hyper injective and semi-independent dynamical systems. Specifically, we present and prove theorems that draw comparisons between the entropies of such systems. Lastly, we discuss some possible relationships between the theories of hyper MV -algebra and MV -algebra dynamical systems.

  13. Cation exchange properties of zeolites in hyper alkaline aqueous media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Tendeloo, Leen; de Blochouse, Benny; Dom, Dirk; Vancluysen, Jacqueline; Snellings, Ruben; Martens, Johan A; Kirschhock, Christine E A; Maes, André; Breynaert, Eric

    2015-02-03

    Construction of multibarrier concrete based waste disposal sites and management of alkaline mine drainage water requires cation exchangers combining excellent sorption properties with a high stability and predictable performance in hyper alkaline media. Though highly selective organic cation exchange resins have been developed for most pollutants, they can serve as a growth medium for bacterial proliferation, impairing their long-term stability and introducing unpredictable parameters into the evolution of the system. Zeolites represent a family of inorganic cation exchangers, which naturally occur in hyper alkaline conditions and cannot serve as an electron donor or carbon source for microbial proliferation. Despite their successful application as industrial cation exchangers under near neutral conditions, their performance in hyper alkaline, saline water remains highly undocumented. Using Cs(+) as a benchmark element, this study aims to assess the long-term cation exchange performance of zeolites in concrete derived aqueous solutions. Comparison of their exchange properties in alkaline media with data obtained in near neutral solutions demonstrated that the cation exchange selectivity remains unaffected by the increased hydroxyl concentration; the cation exchange capacity did however show an unexpected increase in hyper alkaline media.

  14. Assessment of specific IgM antibodies to core antigen of hepatitis B virus in acute and chronic hepatitis B using immunoradiometric assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zichova, M.; Vodak, M.; Kostrhun, L.; Nadvornik, V.; Stransky, J.

    1986-01-01

    A group of 24 patients with acute viral hepatitis B was assessed for specific antibodies against the ''core'' antigen class IgM (HB c AB IgM) during 1st-4th week of the illness. These specific antibodies were positive in all patients, the mean titre being 10 -5 . The high content of these antibodies persisted for 1-2 months after the onset of the disease. The assessment of specific antibodies against ''core'' antigen class IgM was also made in a group of 39 patients with chronic hepatitis. In these patients positive HB c Ab IgM with a lower content were found (titre 10 -3 ) than in the group with acute viral hepatitis B. Based on the results the conclusion is made that specific antibodies HB c Ab class IgM are, in addition to the estimation of the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus (HB s Ag), one more indicator of acute viral hepatitis B. The assessment is diagnostically valuable, in particular in acute hepatitis of obscure etiology, in acute jaundice of obscure etiology for the period of low and short-term antigenemia. (author). 6 figs., 1 tab., 14 refs

  15. Playful hyper responsibility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Hanne; Andersen, Niels Åkerstrøm

    2014-01-01

    Over the past 10–15 years, state-funded schools have begun to require parents to assume an undefined and infinite personal responsibility. In this article, we investigate how schools organize responsibility games to respond to this challenge and how these games affect the concept of responsibility....... We point to a dislocation in the way parents are assigned responsibility, because the definition of responsibility is not only a question of formulating rules or providing advice. We argue that what emerges is a kind of playful hyper responsibility that identifies responsibility as the participation...

  16. Hyper-realistic face masks: a new challenge in person identification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Jet Gabrielle; Ueda, Yoshiyuki; Minemoto, Kazusa; Noyes, Eilidh; Yoshikawa, Sakiko; Jenkins, Rob

    2017-01-01

    We often identify people using face images. This is true in occupational settings such as passport control as well as in everyday social environments. Mapping between images and identities assumes that facial appearance is stable within certain bounds. For example, a person's apparent age, gender and ethnicity change slowly, if at all. It also assumes that deliberate changes beyond these bounds (i.e., disguises) would be easy to spot. Hyper-realistic face masks overturn these assumptions by allowing the wearer to look like an entirely different person. If unnoticed, these masks break the link between facial appearance and personal identity, with clear implications for applied face recognition. However, to date, no one has assessed the realism of these masks, or specified conditions under which they may be accepted as real faces. Herein, we examined incidental detection of unexpected but attended hyper-realistic masks in both photographic and live presentations. Experiment 1 (UK; n = 60) revealed no evidence for overt detection of hyper-realistic masks among real face photos, and little evidence of covert detection. Experiment 2 (Japan; n = 60) extended these findings to different masks, mask-wearers and participant pools. In Experiment 3 (UK and Japan; n = 407), passers-by failed to notice that a live confederate was wearing a hyper-realistic mask and showed limited evidence of covert detection, even at close viewing distance (5 vs. 20 m). Across all of these studies, viewers accepted hyper-realistic masks as real faces. Specific countermeasures will be required if detection rates are to be improved.

  17. Learning from Experience Case Studies of the Hyper-X Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peebles, Curtis

    2009-01-01

    The Hyper-X project (X-43A) provides a number of "lessons learned" which can be applied to other aerospace project. The specific areas examined were the selection of the goals of the Hyper-X. How the technical unknowns and assumptions were handled. The final lesson was the ambiguous nature of risk assessment, and how trying to remove a technical unknown can have unintended consequences.

  18. Hyper-alkalinization without hyper-hydration for the prevention of high-dose methotrexate acute nephrotoxicity in patients with osteosarcoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mir, Olivier; Ropert, Stanislas; Babinet, Antoine; Alexandre, Jérôme; Larousserie, Frédérique; Durand, Jean-Philippe; Enkaoua, Eric; Anract, Philippe; Goldwasser, François

    2010-11-01

    To evaluate the reliability and renal safety of an original schedule of high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) administration with hyper-alkalinization, and without hyper-hydration. Patients with osteosarcoma received HDMTX (8-12 g/m(2)) as a 4-h infusion. Hypertonic 8.4% sodium bicarbonate was infused prior to HDMTX, then once daily for 3 days. Methotrexate serum concentrations were measured at hour 4 (Cmax), hour 24, hour 48, and hour 72. Urinary pH was measured on each miction. Serum creatinine was assessed on days 1, 3, and 8. Twenty-six patients (median age: 18 years, range: 15-25) received a total of 344 cycles of HDMTX, including 16 patients treated in an outpatient basis. Urinary pH remained constantly higher than 7.5 in all patients. Grade 1 creatininemia toxicity was observed in 31 cycles (9%), and grade 2 creatinine toxicity was observed in one patient. No episode of acute severe nephrotoxicity was observed. No significant worsening was observed in serum creatinine and calculated creatinine clearance from baseline to the end of therapy (P = 0.74). The main extra-renal toxicity was alkalinization-related hypokalemia from H48. No re-hospitalization was required. Hyper-alkalinization appears an efficient and reliable method to prevent the acute renal toxicity of HDMTX and allows its safe administration in the outpatient setting.

  19. (Hyper)thermophilic Enzymes: Production and Purification

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Falcicchio, P.; Levisson, M.; Kengen, S.W.M.; Koutsopoulos, S.

    2014-01-01

    The discovery of thermophilic and hyperthermophilic microorganisms, thriving at environmental temperatures near or above 100 °C, has revolutionized our ideas about the upper temperature limit at which life can exist. The characterization of (hyper)thermostable proteins has broadened our

  20. Hyper-Theory-of-Mind in Children with Psychotic Experiences

    OpenAIRE

    Clemmensen, Lars; van Os, Jim; Skovgaard, Anne Mette; Vaever, Mette; Blijd-Hoogewys, Els M. A.; Bartels-Velthuis, Agna A.; Jeppesen, Pia

    2014-01-01

    Background: Alterations in Theory-of-Mind (ToM) are associated with psychotic disorder. In addition, studies in children have documented that alterations in ToM are associated with Psychotic Experiences (PE). Our aim was to examine associations between an exaggerated type of ToM (HyperToM) and PE in children. Children with this type of alteration in ToM infer mental states when none are obviously suggested, and predict behaviour on the basis of these erroneous beliefs. Individuals with HyperT...

  1. Modulation of natural IgM autoantibodies to oxidative stress-related neo-epitopes on apoptotic cells in newborns of mothers with anti-Ro autoimmunity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grönwall, Caroline; Clancy, Robert M; Getu, Lelise; Lloyd, Katy A; Siegel, Don L; Reed, Joanne H; Buyon, Jill P; Silverman, Gregg J

    2016-09-01

    At birth, the human immune system already contains substantial levels of polymeric IgM, that include autoantibodies to neo-epitopes on apoptotic cells (ACs) that are proposed to play homeostatic and anti-inflammatory roles. Yet the biologic origins and developmental regulation of these naturally arising antibodies remain poorly understood. Herein, we report that levels of IgM-antibodies to malondialdehyde (MDA) protein adducts, a common type of in vivo generated oxidative stress-related neoepitope, directly correlate with the relative binding of neonatal-IgM to ACs. Levels of IgM to phosphorylcholine (PC), a natural antibody prevalent in adults, were relatively scant in cord blood, while there was significantly greater relative representation of IgM anti-MDA antibodies in newborns compared to adults. To investigate the potential interrelationships between neonatal IgM with pathogenic IgG-autoantibodies, we studied 103 newborns born to autoimmune mothers with IgG anti-Ro (i.e., 70 with neonatal lupus and 33 without neonatal lupus). In these subjects the mean levels of IgM anti-Ro60 were significantly higher than in the newborns from non-autoimmune mothers. In contrast, levels of IgM anti-MDA in IgG anti-Ro exposed neonates were significantly lower than in neonates from non-autoimmune mothers. The presence or absence of neonatal lupus did not appear to influence the total levels of IgM in the anti-Ro exposed newborns. Taken together, our studies provide evidence that the immune development of the natural IgM-repertoire may be affected, and become imprinted by, the transfer of maternal IgG into the fetus. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Hyper-X Vehicle Model - Side View

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-01-01

    A side-view of an early desk-top model of NASA's X-43A 'Hyper-X,' or Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, which has been developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic

  3. Hyper-X Vehicle Model - Front View

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-01-01

    A front view of an early desk-top model of NASA's X-43A 'Hyper-X,' or Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, which has been developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic

  4. Hyper-chaos encryption using convolutional masking and model free unmasking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qi Guo-Yuan; Matondo Sandra Bazebo

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, during the masking process the encrypted message is convolved and embedded into a Qi hyper-chaotic system characterizing a high disorder degree. The masking scheme was tested using both Qi hyper-chaos and Lorenz chaos and indicated that Qi hyper-chaos based masking can resist attacks of the filtering and power spectrum analysis, while the Lorenz based scheme fails for high amplitude data. To unmask the message at the receiving end, two methods are proposed. In the first method, a model-free synchronizer, i.e. a multivariable higher-order differential feedback controller between the transmitter and receiver is employed to de-convolve the message embedded in the receiving signal. In the second method, no synchronization is required since the message is de-convolved using the information of the estimated derivative. (general)

  5. Design of hyper-thermal neutron irradiation fields for neutron capture therapy in KUR-heavy water neutron irradiation facility. Mounting of hyper-thermal neutron converter in therapeutic collimator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Y.; Kobayashi, T.

    2001-01-01

    Neutron capture therapy (NCP) using thermal neutron needs to improve of depth dose distribution in a living body. Epi-thermal neutron following moderation of fast neutron is usually used for improving of the depth dose distribution. The moderation method of fast neutron, however, gets mixed some of high energy neutron which give some of serious effects to a living body, and involves the difficulty for collimation of thermal neutron to the diseased part. Hyper-thermal neutrons, which are in an energy range of 0.1-3 eV at high temperature side of thermal neutron, are under consideration for application to the NCP. The hyper-thermal neutrons can be produced by up-scattering of thermal neutron in a high temperature material. Fast neutron components in collimator for the NCP reduce on application of the up-scattering method. Graphite at high temperature (>1000k) is used as a hyper-thermal neutron converter. The hyper-thermal neutron converter is planted to mount on therapeutic collimator which is located at the nearest side of patient for the NCP. Total neutron flux, ratio of hyper-thermal neutron to total neutron, and ratio of gamma-ray dose to neutron flux are calculated as a function of thickness of the graphite converter using monte carlo code MCNP-V4B. (M. Suetake)

  6. Niveles de inmunoglobulinas IgA e IgM en recién nacidos y correlación con infección congénita

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafael Ferrer Montoya

    1998-03-01

    Full Text Available Se realizó un estudio analítico y prospectivo en 600 recién nacidos, de los niveles sanguíneos de IgM e IgA y su relación con el riesgo de infección congénita. Se encontró elevada la IgM en 10 neonatos (1,7 % y la IgA en 18 (3 %. Se halló una buena correlación (OR y significancia estadística de IgM e IgA elevadas en los neonatos cuyas madres tuvieron líquido amniótico caliente y/o fétido, ruptura de las membranas de más de 24 horas y fiebre intraparto. También hubo una buena correlación (OR y significancia estadística de las Igs elevadas en neonatos con bronconeumonía y sepsis generalizada congénita. De los cultivos bacteriológicos existió una buena correlación (OR y significancia estadística en el hemocultivo y exudado faríngeo y las Igs elevadas y el residuo gástrico con la IgM elevada. Las bacterias grampositivas y gramnegativas aisladas en los neonatos tuvieron buena correlación (OR y significancia estadística, excepto para la IgA en las bacterias gramnegativas. Los 4 neonatos fallecidos por infección congénita tuvieron IgM elevadas.A prospective analytical study of IgM and IgA inmunoglobulin levels of 600 neonates and their correlation with congenital infection risks was made. 10 neonates (1.7 % presented a high IgM level whereas 18 (3 % had a raised IgA level. A good correlation (OR and statistical significance of raised IgA and IgM levels were found in newborns of mothers who had had hot and/or fetid amniotic fluid; ruptured membranes for over 24 hours and intralabor fever. Good correlation and statistical significance of high Igs were also present in neonates affected by bronchopneumonia and general congenital sepsis. As to the bacteriological cultures, good correlation and statistical significance was found in hemoculture and pharyngeal exudate, as well as raised Igs levels, and gastric residues with high IgM level. Gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria isolated from newborns presented good correlation

  7. Flight Control Laws for NASA's Hyper-X Research Vehicle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidson, J.; Lallman, F.; McMinn, J. D.; Martin, J.; Pahle, J.; Stephenson, M.; Selmon, J.; Bose, D.

    1999-01-01

    The goal of the Hyper-X program is to demonstrate and validate technology for design and performance predictions of hypersonic aircraft with an airframe-integrated supersonic-combustion ramjet propulsion system. Accomplishing this goal requires flight demonstration of a hydrogen-fueled scramjet powered hypersonic aircraft. A key enabling technology for this flight demonstration is flight controls. Closed-loop flight control is required to enable a successful stage separation, to achieve and maintain the design condition during the engine test, and to provide a controlled descent. Before the contract award, NASA developed preliminary flight control laws for the Hyper-X to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed scramjet test sequence and descent trajectory. After the contract award, a Boeing/NASA partnership worked to develop the current control laws. This paper presents a description of the Hyper-X Research Vehicle control law architectures with performance and robustness analyses. Assessments of simulated flight trajectories and stability margin analyses demonstrate that these control laws meet the flight test requirements.

  8. Microsoft Hyper-V PowerShell automation

    CERN Document Server

    Menon, Vinith

    2015-01-01

    This book is great for administrators who are new to automating Hyper-V administration tasks using PowerShell. If you are familiar with the PowerShell command line and have some experience with the Windows Server, this book is perfect for you.

  9. Immune Response of Multiparous Hyper-Immunized Sows against Peptides from Non-Structural and Structural Proteins of PRRSV

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edgar Rascón-Castelo

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to evaluate the humoral and cellular responses of commercial multiparous and hyper-immunized sows against peptides from non-structural (nsp and structural proteins of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV. We selected sows with different numbers of parities from a commercial farm. Management practices on this farm include the use of the MLV commercial vaccine four times per year, plus two vaccinations during the acclimation period. The humoral response was evaluated via the antibody recognition of peptides from nsp and structural proteins, and the cellular response was assessed by measuring the frequency of peptide and PRRSV-specific IFN-gamma-secreting cells (IFNγ-SC. Our results show that sows with six parities have more antibodies against peptides from structural proteins than against peptides from nsp. The analysis of the cellular response revealed that the number of immunizations did not affect the frequency of IFNγ-SC and that the response was stronger against peptides from structural proteins (M protein than against nsp (nsp2. In summary, these results demonstrate that multiparous, hyper-immunized sows have a stronger immune humoral response to PRRSV structural peptides than nsp, but no differences in IFNγ-SC against the same peptides were observed.

  10. Preliminary design concept of HYPER cooling system using Pb-Bi coolant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tak, Nam Il; Song, Tae Y.; Park, Won S.; Kim, Chang H

    2001-09-01

    The present study focuses on providing the basic concept of HYPER's cooling system based on simple and fundamental calculations. The system operating temperature was preliminarily determined as 340/510 .deg. C. The total system flow rate of HYPER is {approx} 40,000kg/sec and the flow velocity in the core is preliminarily designed to be {approx}1.5 m/sec. For hot conditions of HYPER core, the simple analytic calculation predicted that the maximum temperature of the cladding outer surface is 634 .deg. C, which is below the design limit, 650 .deg. C. However, the SLTHEN code modified for HYPER's subchannel analysis predicted that the maximum temperature of the cladding outer surface in the same conditions is higher than the design limit by 4.7 .deg. C. The comparison with the results of the analytic model and additional sensitivity calculations showed that the modified SLTHEN code can reasonably simulate the heat transfer between subchannels of the HYPER core and be used effectively for thermal hydraulic design of the HYPER core in conceptual design stage. A forced circulation is inevitable during a full power condition since natural circulation is not sufficient to cool the core with reasonable system pressure drop and reasonable system height. However, a natural circulation can be an excellent method for decay heat removal when the height difference between the core and the heat exchanger is above 10 m. In order to avoid high pressure loads on the vessel, loop configuration was chosen. The simplification of cooling system and high system efficiency were attained by removing independent target cooling system and intermediate heat transport system. A superheated rankle cycle was chosen since it is technically matured and its thermal efficiency is reasonably high.

  11. Instanton strings and hyper-Kaehler geometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dijkgraaf, Robbert

    1999-01-01

    We discuss two-dimensional sigma models on moduli spaces of instantons on K3 surfaces. These N = (4, 4) superconformal field theories describe the near-horizon dynamics of the D1-D5-brane system and are dual to string theory on AdS 3 . We derive a precise map relating the moduli of the K3 type 1113 string compactification to the moduli of these conformal field theories and the corresponding classical hyper-Kahler geometry. We conclude that in the absence of background gauge fields, the metric on the instanton moduli spaces degenerates exactly to the orbifold symmetric product of K3. Turning on a self-dual NS B-field deforms this symmetric product to a manifold that is diffeomorphic to the Hilbert scheme. We also comment on the mathematical applications of string duality to the global issues of deformations of hyper-Kaehler manifolds

  12. [IgM class antibodies against hepatitis A viruses in the differentiation of viral hepatitis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zivanović-Marinković, V; Stanković, D; Parabucki, S; Lazarov, A; Marinković, V; Krstić, L; Letica, Z

    1982-01-01

    The sera of 64 patients with acute viral hepatitis which were previously HbsAG negative by rPHA were tested by RIA methods for the presence of HBsAG and anti-HBc, by EIA method for HBc and anti-HBc and also by RIA method for the presence of IgM antibodies against hepatitis A virus. The pairs of sera were tested also for the presence of antibodies against cytomegalovirus and EB viruses. Of the total of 64 patients, markers of fresh HB viral infection were proved in 5 patients, sera positive to IgM antibodies to hepatitis A virus were found in 51 and no positive tests to any of the tested viruses were found in 8. The authors consider that they belonged to "non-A, non-B" viral hepatitis.

  13. Computational modelling of the HyperVapotron cooling technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milnes, Joseph, E-mail: Joe.Milnes@ccfe.ac.uk [Euratom/CCFE Fusion Association, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 3DB (United Kingdom); Burns, Alan [School of Process Material and Environmental Engineering, CFD Centre, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT (United Kingdom); ANSYS UK, Milton Park, Oxfordshire (United Kingdom); Drikakis, Dimitris [Department of Engineering Physics, Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL (United Kingdom)

    2012-09-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The heat transfer mechanisms within a HyperVapotron are examined. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A multiphase, CFD model is developed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Modelling choices for turbulence and wall boiling are evaluated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Considerable improvements in accuracy are found compared to standard boiling models. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The model should enable significant virtual prototyping to be performed. - Abstract: Efficient heat transfer technologies are essential for magnetically confined fusion reactors; this applies to both the current generation of experimental reactors as well as future power plants. A number of High Heat Flux devices have therefore been developed specifically for this application. One of the most promising candidates is the HyperVapotron, a water cooled device which relies on internal fins and boiling heat transfer to maximise the heat transfer capability. Over the past 30 years, numerous variations of the HyperVapotron have been built and tested at fusion research centres around the globe resulting in devices that can now sustain heat fluxes in the region of 20-30 MW/m{sup 2} in steady state. Until recently, there had been few attempts to model or understand the internal heat transfer mechanisms responsible for this exceptional performance with the result that design improvements have been traditionally sought experimentally which is both inefficient and costly. This paper presents the successful attempt to develop an engineering model of the HyperVapotron device using customisation of commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics software. To establish the most appropriate modelling choices, in-depth studies were performed examining the turbulence models (within the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes framework), near wall methods, grid resolution and boiling submodels. Comparing the CFD solutions with HyperVapotron experimental data suggests that a RANS-based, multiphase

  14. A comparative study on scapular static position between females with and without generalized joint hyper mobility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moghadam, Afsun Nodehi; Salimee, Maryam Moghadam

    2012-08-01

    Generalized joint hyper mobility predisposes some individuals to a wide variety of musculoskeletal complaints. Given the critical role of scapular position in function of shoulder, the aim of this study was to compare scapular position between persons with and without general joint hyper mobility. By nonprobability sampling 30 hyper mobile persons at average of 22.86 ±2.77 years of age and 30 non hyper mobile persons (age 23.6 ± 2.73years) through a case-control design participated in the study. Scapular position was assessed according to the lateral scapular slide test. Independent t test and repeated measures ANOVA were used to statistically analyze scapular position differences between groups. Compared to non hyper mobile persons, those with General joint hyper mobility demonstrated a significantly higher superior scapula slide in dependent arm position (p = 0.03). However, no significant difference was found between another scores between two groups (p > 0.05). The results suggest that altered scapular position may be an important aspect of General joint hyper mobility.

  15. Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM and associated risk ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM and associated risk factors among HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients in Vhembe district of South Africa. ... shown a high prevalence of T. gondii (IgG) among patients attending different HIV clinics in the Vhembe district with no current infections among pregnant women.

  16. Assessment of specific IgM antibodies to core antigen of hepatitis B virus in acute and chronic hepatitis B using immunoradiometric assay

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zichova, M; Vodak, M; Kostrhun, L; Nadvornik, V; Stransky, J

    1987-12-31

    A group of 24 patients with acute viral hepatitis B was assessed for specific antibodies against the ''core'' antigen class IgM (HB/sub c/AB IgM) during 1st-4th week of the illness. These specific antibodies were positive in all patients, the mean titre being 10/sup -5/. The high content of these antibodies persisted for 1-2 months after the onset of the disease. The assessment of specific antibodies against ''core'' antigen class IgM was also made in a group of 39 patients with chronic hepatitis. In these patients positive HB/sub c/Ab IgM with a lower content were found (titre 10/sup -3/) than in the group with acute viral hepatitis B. Based on the results the conclusion is made that specific antibodies HB/sub c/Ab class IgM are, in addition to the estimation of the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus (HB/sub s/Ag), one more indicator of acute viral hepatitis B. The assessment is diagnostically valuable, in particular in acute hepatitis of obscure etiology, in acute jaundice of obscure etiology for the period of low and short-term antigenemia. (author). 6 figs., 1 tab., 14 refs.

  17. Unique hyper-thermal composting process in Kagoshima City forms distinct bacterial community structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tashiro, Yukihiro; Tabata, Hanae; Itahara, Asuka; Shimizu, Natsuki; Tashiro, Kosuke; Sakai, Kenji

    2016-11-01

    A unique compost, Satsuma soil, is produced from three types of wastewater sludge using hyper-thermal processes at temperatures much higher than that of general thermophilic processes in Kagoshima City, Japan. We analyzed the bacterial community structures of this hyper-thermal compost sample and other sludges and composts by a high-throughput barcoded pyrosequencing method targeting the 16S rRNA gene. In total, 621,076 reads were derived from 17 samples and filtered. Artificial sequences were deleted and the reads were clustered based on the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at 97% similarity. Phylum-level analysis of the hyper-thermal compost revealed drastic changes of the sludge structures (each relative abundance) from Firmicutes (average 47.8%), Proteobacteria (average 22.3%), and Bacteroidetes (average 10.1%) to two main phyla including Firmicutes (73.6%) and Actinobacteria (25.0%) with less Proteobacteria (∼0.3%) and Bacteroidetes (∼0.1%). Furthermore, we determined the predominant species (each relative abundance) of the hyper-thermal compost including Firmicutes related to Staphylococcus cohnii (13.8%), Jeotgalicoccus coquinae (8.01%), and Staphylococcus lentus (5.96%), and Actinobacteria related to Corynebacterium stationis (6.41%), and found that these species were not predominant in wastewater sludge. In contrast, we did not observe any common structures among eight other composts produced, using the hyper-thermal composts as the inoculums, under thermophilic conditions from different materials. Principle coordinate analysis of the hyper-thermal compost indicated a large difference in bacterial community structures from material sludge and other composts. These results suggested that a distinct bacterial community structure was formed by hyper-thermal composting. Copyright © 2016 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Stress-induced Aldosterone Hyper-Secretion in a Substantial Subset of Patients With Essential Hypertension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markou, Athina; Sertedaki, Amalia; Kaltsas, Gregory; Androulakis, Ioannis I; Marakaki, Chrisanthi; Pappa, Theodora; Gouli, Aggeliki; Papanastasiou, Labrini; Fountoulakis, Stelios; Zacharoulis, Achilles; Karavidas, Apostolos; Ragkou, Despoina; Charmandari, Evangelia; Chrousos, George P; Piaditis, George P

    2015-08-01

    Aldosterone (ALD) secretion is regulated mainly by angiotensin II, K(+), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) have effectively been used for the treatment of patients with hypertension who do not have primary aldosteronism (PA). We tested whether chronic stress-related ACTH-mediated ALD hypersecretion and/or zona glomerulosa hypersensitivity could be implicated in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension (ESHT). One hundred thirteen hypertensives without PA and 61 normotensive controls underwent an ultralow-dose (0.03-μg) ACTH stimulation and a treadmill test. Patients with ALD hyper-response according to the cutoffs obtained from controls received treatment with MRAs and underwent genomic DNA testing for the presence of the CYP11B1/CYP11B2 chimeric gene and KCNJ5 gene mutations. A control group of 22 patients with simple ESHT received treatment with MRAs. Based on the cutoffs of ALD and aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) post-ACTH stimulation obtained from controls, 30 patients (27%) exhibited an ALD but not cortisol (F) hyper-response (HYPER group). This group had no difference in basal ACTH/renin (REN) concentrations compared with controls and the 83 patients with hypertension (73%) without an ALD hyper-response to ACTH stimulation. Patients in the HYPER group demonstrated significantly higher ALD concentrations, ARR, and ALD/ACTH ratio (AAR) in the treadmill test. Treatment with MRAs alone produced normalization of blood pressure in these patients whereas patients with hypertension with neither PA nor ALD hyper-response to ACTH stimulation who served as a control group failed to lower blood pressure. Also, two novel germline heterozygous KCNJ5 mutations were detected in the HYPER group. A number of patients with hypertension without PA show ACTH-dependent ALD hyper-secretion and benefit from treatment with MRAs. This could be related to chronic stress via ACTH hyper secretion and/or gene-mutations increasing the

  19. Surveying the CGM and IGM across 4 orders of magnitude in environmental density

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burchett, Joseph

    2017-08-01

    Environment matters when it comes to galaxy evolution, and the mechanisms driving this evolution are reflected in the diffuse gas residing within the large-scale structures enveloping the cosmic galaxy population. QSO absorption lines effectively probe the circumgalactic medium (CGM) and intragroup and intracluster media, and work thus far hints at profound environmental effects on the CGM. However, sample sizes remain small, and a unifying picture of the gas characteristics across diverse environments has yet to emerge. Within the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we have identified a sample volume containing a remarkable diversity in large-scale environment with an array of voids, >10,000 groups, several filaments, and 5 clusters, including the Coma Supercluster and CfA Great Wall. Leveraging the Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive (HSLA), we propose a study using >360 background QSOs probing this volume to study the effects of large-scale environment on CGM and intergalactic medium (IGM) gas. The z = 0.019-0.028 spectroscopic galaxy sample is uniformly complete to galaxies L > 0.03 L* and, with the HSLA, produces 200 galaxy/sightline pairs within 300-kpc impact parameters across a wide range of environmental densities and structures.Upon quantifying the galaxy environment and identifying/measuring the QSO absorption lines at z = 0.019-0.028, we will pursue the following primary science goals:1. Constrain the CGM/IGM physical conditions across four orders of magnitude in galaxy density2. Compare ionic abundances and ionization states in the CGM of galaxies in filaments vs. voids3. Statistically investigate the IGM/CGM gas properties from structure to structure

  20. Hyper-theory-of-mind in children with Psychotic Experiences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clemmensen, Lars; van Os, Jim; Skovgaard, Anne Mette; Væver, Mette; Blijd-Hoogewys, Els M A; Bartels-Velthuis, Agna A; Jeppesen, Pia

    2014-01-01

    Alterations in Theory-of-Mind (ToM) are associated with psychotic disorder. In addition, studies in children have documented that alterations in ToM are associated with Psychotic Experiences (PE). Our aim was to examine associations between an exaggerated type of ToM (HyperToM) and PE in children. Children with this type of alteration in ToM infer mental states when none are obviously suggested, and predict behaviour on the basis of these erroneous beliefs. Individuals with HyperToM do not appear to have a conceptual deficit (i.e. lack of representational abilities), but rather they apply their theory of the minds of others in an incorrect or biased way. Hypotheses were tested in two studies with two independent samples: (i) a general population sample of 1630 Danish children aged 11-12 years, (ii) a population-based sample of 259 Dutch children aged 12-13 years, pertaining to a case-control sampling frame of children with auditory verbal hallucinations. Multinomial regression analyses were carried out to investigate the associations between PE and ToM and HyperToM respectively. Analyses were adjusted for gender and proxy measures of general intelligence. Low ToM score was significantly associated with PE in sample I (OR = 1.6 95%CI 1.1-2.3 χ2(4) = 12.42 p = 0.010), but not in sample II (OR = 0.9 95%CI 0.5-1.8 χ2(3) = 7.13 p = 0.816). HyperToM was significantly associated with PE both in sample I (OR = 1.8, 95%CI 1.2-2.7 χ2(3) = 10.11 p = 0.006) and II (OR = 4.6, 95%CI 1.3-16.2 χ2(2) = 7.56 p = 0.018). HyperToM was associated particularly with paranoid delusions in both sample I (OR = 2.0, 95%CI: 1.1-3.7% χ2(4) = 9.93 p = 0.021) and II (OR = 6.2 95%CI: 1.7-23.6% χ2(4) = 9.90 p = 0.044). Specific alterations in ToM may be associated with specific types of psychotic experiences. HyperToM may index risk for developing psychosis and paranoid delusions in particular.

  1. Hyper-theory-of-mind in children with Psychotic Experiences.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lars Clemmensen

    Full Text Available Alterations in Theory-of-Mind (ToM are associated with psychotic disorder. In addition, studies in children have documented that alterations in ToM are associated with Psychotic Experiences (PE. Our aim was to examine associations between an exaggerated type of ToM (HyperToM and PE in children. Children with this type of alteration in ToM infer mental states when none are obviously suggested, and predict behaviour on the basis of these erroneous beliefs. Individuals with HyperToM do not appear to have a conceptual deficit (i.e. lack of representational abilities, but rather they apply their theory of the minds of others in an incorrect or biased way.Hypotheses were tested in two studies with two independent samples: (i a general population sample of 1630 Danish children aged 11-12 years, (ii a population-based sample of 259 Dutch children aged 12-13 years, pertaining to a case-control sampling frame of children with auditory verbal hallucinations. Multinomial regression analyses were carried out to investigate the associations between PE and ToM and HyperToM respectively. Analyses were adjusted for gender and proxy measures of general intelligence.Low ToM score was significantly associated with PE in sample I (OR = 1.6 95%CI 1.1-2.3 χ2(4 = 12.42 p = 0.010, but not in sample II (OR = 0.9 95%CI 0.5-1.8 χ2(3 = 7.13 p = 0.816. HyperToM was significantly associated with PE both in sample I (OR = 1.8, 95%CI 1.2-2.7 χ2(3 = 10.11 p = 0.006 and II (OR = 4.6, 95%CI 1.3-16.2 χ2(2 = 7.56 p = 0.018. HyperToM was associated particularly with paranoid delusions in both sample I (OR = 2.0, 95%CI: 1.1-3.7% χ2(4 = 9.93 p = 0.021 and II (OR = 6.2 95%CI: 1.7-23.6% χ2(4 = 9.90 p = 0.044.Specific alterations in ToM may be associated with specific types of psychotic experiences. HyperToM may index risk for developing psychosis and paranoid delusions in particular.

  2. Impact of styrenic polymer one-step hyper-cross-linking on volatile organic compound adsorption and desorption performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghafari, Mohsen; Atkinson, John D

    2018-06-05

    A novel one-step hyper-cross-linking method, using 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) and 1,6-dichlorohexane (DCH) cross-linkers, expands the micropore volume of commercial styrenic polymers. Performance of virgin and modified polymers was evaluated by measuring hexane, toluene, and methyl-ethyl-ketone (MEK) adsorption capacity, adsorption/desorption kinetics, and desorption efficiency. Hyper-cross-linked polymers have up to 128% higher adsorption capacity than virgin polymers at P/P 0  = 0.05 due to micropore volume increases up to 330%. Improvements are most pronounced with the DCE cross-linker. Hyper-cross-linking has minimal impact on hexane adsorption kinetics, but adsorption rates for toluene and MEK decrease by 6-41%. Desorption rates decreased (3-36%) for all materials after hyper-cross-linking, with larger decreases for DCE hyper-cross-linked polymers due to smaller average pore widths. For room temperature desorption, 20-220% more adsorbate remains in hyper-cross-linked polymers after regeneration compared to virgin materials. DCE hyper-cross-linked polymers have 13-92% more residual adsorbate than DCH counterparts. Higher temperatures were required for DCE hyper-cross-linked polymers to completely desorb VOCs compared to the DCH hyper-cross-linked and virgin counterparts. Results show that the one-step hyper-cross-linking method for modifying styrenic polymers improves adsorption capacity because of added micropores, but decreases adsorption/desorption kinetics and desorption efficiency for large VOCs due to a decrease in average pore width. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Novel enzyme immunoassay system for simultaneous detection of six subclasses of antiphospholipid antibodies for differential diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nojima, Junzo; Motoki, Yukari; Hara, Kazusa; Sakata, Toshiyuki; Ichihara, Kiyoshi

    2017-06-01

    : Antiphospholipid syndrome, which often complicates systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), features high occurrence of arterial and/or venous thrombosis and recurrent fetal loss. However, which antibody subclass contributes to which clinical event remains uncertain. We newly developed an up-to-date enzyme immunoassay system using the AcuStar automated analyzer (Instrumentation Laboratory, Bedford, Massachusetts, USA) for parallel detection of six subclasses of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs): anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) of IgG, IgM, and IgA and anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies (aβ2GPI) of IgG, IgM, and IgA. They were measured in 276 healthy volunteers and 138 patients with SLE: 45 with thromboembolic complications (29 arterial; 16 venous) and 93 without. Lupus anticoagulant activity in their plasma was measured according to the guidelines recommended by the Subcommittee on Lupus Anticoagulant/Phospholipid-Dependent Antibodies. aCL/β2GPI was measured with a standard ELISA kit commonly used in Japan. The positive results of IgG aCL, IgA aCL, and IgG aβ2GPI were closely associated with thromboembolic complications, whereas IgM aCL and IgM aβ2GPI were not. receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the accuracy of predicting thromboembolic complications based on the composite test results of the former three antibodies were obviously higher than by each alone. Regarding agreement with the test results of lupus anticoagulant activity, IgG aβ2GPI showed the closest match. Patients with SLE frequently possess various combinations of the six aPL subclasses, and this antibody spectrum is closely associated with thromboembolic events in these patients. This new automated enzyme immunoassay system allows simultaneous analysis of the profile of aPL subclasses for the differential diagnosis of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome in its early stage.

  4. Bonding and electron counting in hyper-closo metalloboranes and metallocarbaboranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnston, R.L

    1991-01-01

    Since the characterisation of the first hyper-or iso-closo metalloboranes and metallocarbaboranes there has been considerable debate regarding the most appropriate formal electron counting scheme for these species. While they clearly show deviations from the usual geometries as a result of a formal electron deficiency, there is some disagreement as to whether the electron deficiency should be considered on the metal centre (iso-closo) or associated with the delocalised cluster bonding (hyper-closo). We review the structural evidence and some of the theoretical contributions to the debate, and describe MO calculations which address the validity of the alternative electron counting schemes. Although we find that the hyper-closo model is more generally applicable, the structures show such a diversity of bonding characteristics that any simple attempt to generalise electron counting rules is unlikely to be applicable to all known examples. 53 refs

  5. CELLMATE: Prototype HyperCard Stack for Anatomic Pathology Quality Assurance

    OpenAIRE

    Berman, Jules J.; Moore, G. William

    1990-01-01

    Apple Macintosh HyperCardR is a hierarchical programming environment, with linkages between visual data fields. CELLMATE is a public-domain hyperCard stack containing three graphic user templates: a report template modeled on the standard U. S. Government tissue consultation form, a quality assurance template, and a statistics template that automatically compiles data retrieved from the report files according to the specific search and organization instructions contained in the statistics “bu...

  6. Hyper-spectral frequency selection for the classification of vegetation diseases

    OpenAIRE

    Dijkstra, Klaas; van de Loosdrecht, Jaap; Schomaker, Lambert; Wiering, Marco

    2017-01-01

    Reducing the use of pesticides by early visual detection of diseases in precision agriculture is important. Because of the color similarity between potato-plant diseases, narrow band hyper-spectral imaging is required. Payload constraints on unmanned aerial vehicles require reduc- tion of spectral bands. Therefore, we present a methodology for per-patch classification combined with hyper-spectral band selection. In controlled experiments performed on a set of individual leaves, we measure the...

  7. Assessment of the diagnostic performance of the IDS-iSYS tests for toxo IgG, toxo IgM and avidity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levigne, Pauline; Peyron, François; Wallon, Martine

    2016-10-01

    When acquired during pregnancy toxoplasmosis can have devastating consequences on the fetus. As maternal infection is in the majority of cases subclinical, the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis relies on serological tests for the detection of IgG, IGM and the mesure of IgG avidity. We evaluated the performance of IDS-iSYS a new automatized instrument based on chemiluminescence for the diagnosis of the disease. Our study was based on non-selected samples received in our laboratory either for the determination of serological status or for distinguishing acute from chronic infection. Seven hundred eighty three samples were enrolled in the study. Compared with Architect IgG and IgM assays, the sensitivity and specificity were respectively 99% and 99% for IgG, and 75% and 97% for IgM. We observed higher remaining titers for IDS iSYS IgG, which could reduce the proportions of patients who have to be retested because of doubtful titers. IgM detection and avidity scored equivalent performance with both methods. This automate appears to be a reliable and easy-to-use tool for diagnosing toxoplasmosis in different clinical settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Squeezing, photon bunching, photon antibunching and nonclassical photon statistics in degenerate hyper Raman processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sen, Biswajit; Mandal, Swapan

    2007-01-01

    An initially prepared coherent state coupled to a second-order nonlinear medium is responsible for stimulated and spontaneous hyper Raman processes. By using an intuitive approach based on perturbation theory, the Hamiltonian corresponding to the hyper Raman processes is analytically solved to obtain the temporal development of the field operators. It is true that these analytical solutions are valid for small coupling constants. However, the interesting part is that these solutions are valid for reasonably large time. Hence, the present analytical solutions are quite general and are fresh compared to those solutions under short-time approximations. By exploiting the analytical solutions of field operators for various modes, we investigate the squeezing, photon antibunching and nonclassical photon statistics for pure modes of the input coherent light responsible for hyper Raman processes. At least in one instance (stimulated hyper Raman processes for vibration phonon mode), we report the simultaneous appearance of classical (photon bunching) and nonclassical (squeezing) effects of the radiation field responsible for hyper Raman processes

  9. A decrease in total bilirubin predicted hyper-LDL cholesterolemia in a health screening population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oda, Eiji

    2014-08-01

    To investigate cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between serum total bilirubin (TB) and LDL cholesterol. It is a retrospective observational study. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between TB and hyper-LDL cholesterolemia were investigated in a health screening population. Odds ratios (ORs) of coexisting hyper-LDL cholesterolemia for TB were calculated in 3,866 subjects, Spearman's correlation coefficients between baseline TB and LDL cholesterol at baseline and after 4 years were calculated in 1,735 subjects who did not use antihyperlipidemic drugs and hazard ratios (HRs) of incident hyper-LDL cholesterolemia for TB were calculated in 1,992 followed subjects. The ORs (p values) of coexisting hyper-LDL cholesterolemia for each 1 SD increase in TB was 1.04 (0.998) adjusted for sex, age, smoking, LDL cholesterol and other confounders. Spearman's correlation coefficients (p values) between baseline TB and LDL cholesterol at baseline and after 4 years and changes in LDL cholesterol were -0.026 (0.271), -0.078 (0.001) and -0.062 (0.010), respectively. Among 1,992 followed subjects, 481 developed hyper-LDL cholesterolemia during 4 years (60.4 per 1,000 person-years). The HRs (95% confidence intervals; p values) of incident hyper-LDL cholesterolemia for each 1 SD increase in TB was 0.86 (0.77-0.96; 0.006) adjusted for sex, age, smoking, LDL cholesterol, body mass index, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, fasting glucose and other confounders. The quintiles of TB were significantly associated with the incident hyper-LDL cholesterolemia adjusted for the above covariates (p for trend = 0.008). A decrease in TB predicted incident hyper-LDL cholesterolemia in a health screening population. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Applications of modularized circuit designs in a new hyper-chaotic system circuit implementation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Rui; Sun Hui; Wang Jie-Zhi; Wang Lu; Wang Yan-Chao

    2015-01-01

    Modularized circuit designs for chaotic systems are introduced in this paper. Especially, a typical improved modularized design strategy is proposed and applied to a new hyper-chaotic system circuit implementation. In this paper, the detailed design procedures are described. Multisim simulations and physical experiments are conducted, and the simulation results are compared with Matlab simulation results for different system parameter pairs. These results are consistent with each other and they verify the existence of the hyper-chaotic attractor for this new hyper-chaotic system. (paper)

  11. A study on the operating characteristics by heat flow analysis of HYPER beam window

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Min Geun; Choi, Jin Ho; Ju, Eun Sun; Song, Tae Young

    2001-01-01

    A spent fuel problem has prevented the nuclear power from claiming to be a completely clean energy source. The nuclear transmutation technology to incinerate the long lived radioactive nuclides and produce energy during the incineration process is believed to be one or the best solutions. HYPER(HYbrid Power Extraction Reactor) is the accelerator driven transmutation system which is being developed by KAERI(Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute). Some major feature of HYPER have been developed and employed. On-power fueling concepts are employed to keep system power constant with minimum variation of accelerator power. A hollow cylinder-type metal fuel is designed for the on-line refueling concept. Lead-bismuth(Pb-Bi) is adopted as a coolant and Spallation target material. HYPER is a subcritical reactor which needs an external neutron source. 1GeV proton beam is irradiated to Lead-bismuth(Pb-Bi) target inside HYPER, and spallation neutrons are produced. When proton beams are irradiated, much heat is also deposited in the Pb-Bi target and beam window which separates Pb-Bi and accelerator vacuum. Therefore, an effective cooling is needed for HYPER target. In this paper, we performed the thermal-hydraulic analysis of HYPER target using FLUENT code, and also calculated thermal and mechanical stress of the beam window using ANSYS code

  12. Serum HSV-1 and 2 IgM in sexually transmitted diseases - more for screening less for diagnosis: An evaluation of clinical manifestation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dharmishtha G Tada

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2 is the cause of most genital herpes. Now, HSV-1 has become an important cause and represents even about 30% of genital herpes in some countries. So, study related to genital herpes should consider both HSV-1 and HSV-2. Aim: To examine trends in HSV-1 and 2 seroprevalence by Serum HSV-1 and 2 IgM in all type of sexually transmitted disease (STD patients and also to evaluate correlation of serum HSV-1 and 2 IgM in STD. Materials and Methods: 150 patients attending the STD clinic attached to a tertiary care hospital of Ahmedabad were included in the study. Serum HSV-1 and 2 IgM correlations with clinical manifestations of recurrent and non-recurrent type of genital herpes patients and other non-herpetic STD patients were studied. Results: The overall serum HSV-1 and 2 IgM in STD seroprevalence were 15.66%. Female has significant higher prevalence (P < 0.05. STD cases and HSV seroprevalence were specially concentrated in persons aged 21 to 30 years. Among those positive with HSV, the distribution of STD are wide spread and found in non-herpetic group at high frequency. Out of total 23 serum HSV-1 and 2 IgM positive, 12 and 11 are distributed in herpetic and non-herpetic STDs, respectively. Discussion and Conclusion: Though serum HSV-1 and 2 IgM in STDs are less diagnostic, they help to see the iceberg part of the infection among the population concerned in recent scenario or in another words, it provides recent infective burden.

  13. Antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin antibodies (aPS/PT) as potential diagnostic markers and risk predictors of venous thrombosis and obstetric complications in antiphospholipid syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Hui; Zheng, Hui; Yin, Yu-Feng; Hu, Qiong-Yi; Teng, Jia-Lin; Sun, Yue; Liu, Hong-Lei; Cheng, Xiao-Bing; Ye, Jun-Na; Su, Yu-Tong; Wu, Xin-Yao; Zhou, Jin-Feng; Norman, Gary L; Gong, Hui-Yun; Shi, Xin-Ming; Peng, Yi-Bing; Wang, Xue-Feng; Yang, Cheng-De

    2018-03-28

    The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and clinical associations of antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin antibodies (aPS/PT) with thrombosis and pregnancy loss in Chinese patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and seronegative APS (SNAPS). One hundred and eighty six Chinese patients with APS (67 primary, 119 secondary), 48 with SNAPS, 176 disease controls (79 systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE], 29 Sjogren's syndrome [SS], 30 ankylosing spondylitis [AS], 38 rheumatoid arthritis [RA]) and 90 healthy donors were examined. IgG and IgM aPS/PT, IgG/IgM/IgA anticardiolipin (aCL) and IgG/IgM/IgA anti-β2-glycoprotein I (anti-β2GPI) antibodies were tested by ELISA. One hundred and sixty (86.0%) of APS patients were positive for at least one aPS/PT isotype. One hundred and thirty five (72.6%) were positive for IgG aPS/PT, 124/186 (66.7%) positive for IgM aPS/PT and 99 (53.2%) positive for both. Approximately half of the SNAPS patients were positive for IgG and/or IgM aPS/PT. Highly significant associations between IgG aPS/PT and venous thrombotic events (odds ratio [OR]=6.72) and IgG/IgM aPS/PT and pregnancy loss (OR=9.44) were found. Levels of IgM aPS/PT were significantly different in APS patients with thrombotic manifestations and those with fetal loss (p=0.014). The association between IgG/IgM aPS/PT and lupus anticoagulant (LAC) was highly significant (pAPS was 101.6. Notably, 91.95% (80/87) of LAC-positive specimens were positive for IgG and/or IgM aPS/PT, suggesting aPS/PT is an effective option when LAC testing is not available. Anti-PS/PT antibody assays demonstrated high diagnostic performance for Chinese patients with APS, detected some APS patients negative for criteria markers and may serve as potential risk predictors for venous thrombosis and obstetric complications.

  14. Inadequacy of IgM antibody tests for diagnosis of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McQuiston, Jennifer H; Wiedeman, Caleb; Singleton, Joseph; Carpenter, L Rand; McElroy, Kristina; Mosites, Emily; Chung, Ida; Kato, Cecilia; Morris, Kevin; Moncayo, Abelardo C; Porter, Susan; Dunn, John

    2014-10-01

    Among 13 suspected Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) cases identified through an enhanced surveillance program in Tennessee, antibodies to Rickettsia rickettsii were detected in 10 (77%) patients using a standard indirect immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) assay. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies were observed for 6 of 13 patients (46%) without a corresponding development of IgG, and for 3 of 10 patients (30%) at least 1 year post-onset. However, recent infection with a spotted fever group rickettsiae could not be confirmed for any patient, based on a lack of rising antibody titers in properly timed acute and convalescent serologic specimens, and negative findings by polymerase chain reaction testing. Case definitions used in national surveillance programs lack specificity and may capture cases that do not represent current rickettsial infections. Use of IgM antibodies should be reconsidered as a basis for diagnosis and public health reporting of RMSF and other spotted fever group rickettsiae in the United States. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  15. More than ten million years of hyper-aridity recorded in the Atacama Gravels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Tao; Bao, Huiming; Reich, Martin; Hemming, Sidney R.

    2018-04-01

    The Atacama Desert's hyper-aridity is closely linked to the development of world-class copper and nitrate/iodine ores and to regional tectonics and global paleoclimate changes in the Cenozoic era. The timing when the hyper-aridity commenced remains controversial, with proposed ages ranging from Late Oligocene to Pleistocene. In this study, we provide an independent constraint on the initiation of Atacama hyper-aridity utilizing a 100-m deep profile within the Atacama Gravels and underneath porphyry copper deposit in Spence, northern Chile. The overall high concentration of sulfate (up to 10 wt%) and a multimodal distribution of water soluble salt (sulfates, chlorides and nitrates) indicate multiple generations of sedimentation and salt accumulation events under semi-arid to hyper-arid climate conditions. The multiple sulfate isotope compositions (Δ17O, δ18O, δ34S) of the upper section (-15.0 to -34.5 m) are close to those of modern hyperarid surface sulfates, while the lower section (-34.5 to -65 m) displays a depth dependent isotope trend that is best interpreted as marking a period of climate change from semi-arid to hyper-arid. When these data are combined with new chronological 40Ar/39Ar dates obtained from a volcanic ash layer at depth of -28.0 m, our results show that hyper-arid condition in the Atacama Desert was prevailing at least prior to 9.47 Ma and may go back as old as the middle Miocene.

  16. Retrospective analysis of dengue specific IgM reactive serum samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nemai Bhattacharya

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To conduct a retrospective analysis of dengue cases in Kolkata, on the basis of presence of anti-dengue IgM in their sera and presence or absence of anti-dengue IgG and dengue specific Non structural 1 (NS1 antigen in each of the serum sample. Methods: Sample was tested quantitatively employing ELISA technique, using Biorad test kits, with a view to get a more comprehensive picture of dengue in an urban endemic area and also to evaluate individual cases. Results: This reconstructed study revealed that of those 91 dengue cases, 70.3% (64 and 29.7% (27 were suffering from secondary and primary dengue respectively, showing that number of secondary dengue cases were much more than that of primary dengue cases with a possibility of emergence of DHF. A small proportion of cases 18.7% (17 were reactive for NS1. The duration of fever in NS1 antigen positive cases varied between 5 and 7 days. Of 17 NS1 reactive cases, 10 (10.9% and 7 (7.7% were suffering from secondary and primary dengue respectively. Conclusions: Early detection of primary and secondary dengue cases would be facilitated by utilizing all three parameters (NS1 antigen, anti-dengue IgM and IgG helping to evaluate, monitor and treat a dengue case effectively.

  17. Immunoglobulin classes (IgG, IgA and IgM) and acute phase ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The results indicate that USS or pregnancy changes different aspects of humoral immunity, thus the co-existence of pregnancy and S. haematobium infection may ... Résultats et conclusions: IgG, IgA et IgM étaient remarquablement élevés chez les femmes enceintes atteintes de la schistose urinaire par rapport aux femmes ...

  18. Evaluation of hydraulic conductivities of bentonite and rock under hyper alkaline and nitrate conditions. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iriya, Keishiro; Fujii, Kensuke; Kubo, Hiroshi

    2003-02-01

    Circumstance of TRU waste repository shows alkaline condition due to leaching of cementitious materials. The waste containing significant soluble nitrate may changes ground water chemistry to high ion strength. Several experimental studies have been carried out in this study in order to assess quantitatively water conductivity of bentonite which is altered by hyper alkaline and nitrate. Modeling for previous results is carried out and several requirements to be defined are proposed. The conclusion of this study is summarized as below. Secondary minerals of bentonite alteration due to hyper alkaline with nitrate: 1) CSH and CAH were observed corresponding to solving montmorillonite in AWN solution. 2) Na 2 O Al 2 O 3 1.68SiO 2 generated from 90 days in batch experiment and it was observed in 360 days. Assessment of swelling and water conductivity changing by hyper alkaline with nitrate: 1) Little changing of water conductivity of bentonite was observed by saturated Ca(OH) 2 solution and hyper alkaline solution. The conductivity significantly increased by penetrating sodium nitrate solution. 2) Water conductivity of ion exchanged bentonite by hyper alkaline solution significantly increased. It increased more by penetrating AWN solution. Modeling of tuff alteration by hyper alkaline solution: 1) Flow through test is proposed since soluble velocity to hyper alkaline solution should be defined. (author)

  19. Efficient cold outflows driven by cosmic rays in high-redshift galaxies and their global effects on the IGM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samui, Saumyadip; Subramanian, Kandaswamy; Srianand, Raghunathan

    2018-05-01

    We present semi-analytical models of galactic outflows in high-redshift galaxies driven by both hot thermal gas and non-thermal cosmic rays. Thermal pressure alone may not sustain a large-scale outflow in low-mass galaxies (i.e. M ˜ 108 M⊙), in the presence of supernovae feedback with large mass loading. We show that inclusion of cosmic ray pressure allows outflow solutions even in these galaxies. In massive galaxies for the same energy efficiency, cosmic ray-driven winds can propagate to larger distances compared to pure thermally driven winds. On an average gas in the cosmic ray-driven winds has a lower temperature which could aid detecting it through absorption lines in the spectra of background sources. Using our constrained semi-analytical models of galaxy formation (that explains the observed ultraviolet luminosity functions of galaxies), we study the influence of cosmic ray-driven winds on the properties of the intergalactic medium (IGM) at different redshifts. In particular, we study the volume filling factor, average metallicity, cosmic ray and magnetic field energy densities for models invoking atomic cooled and molecular cooled haloes. We show that the cosmic rays in the IGM could have enough energy that can be transferred to the thermal gas in presence of magnetic fields to influence the thermal history of the IGM. The significant volume filling and resulting strength of IGM magnetic fields can also account for recent γ-ray observations of blazars.

  20. Complement factor H protects mice from ischemic acute kidney injury but is not critical for controlling complement activation by glomerular IgM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goetz, Lindsey; Laskowski, Jennifer; Renner, Brandon; Pickering, Matthew C; Kulik, Liudmila; Klawitter, Jelena; Stites, Erik; Christians, Uwe; van der Vlag, Johan; Ravichandran, Kameswaran; Holers, V Michael; Thurman, Joshua M

    2018-05-01

    Natural IgM binds to glomerular epitopes in several progressive kidney diseases. Previous work has shown that IgM also binds within the glomerulus after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) but does not fully activate the complement system. Factor H is a circulating complement regulatory protein, and congenital or acquired deficiency of factor H is a strong risk factor for several types of kidney disease. We hypothesized that factor H controls complement activation by IgM in the kidney after I/R, and that heterozygous factor H deficiency would permit IgM-mediated complement activation and injury at this location. We found that mice with targeted heterozygous deletion of the gene for factor H developed more severe kidney injury after I/R than wild-type controls, as expected, but that complement activation within the glomeruli remained well controlled. Furthermore, mice that are unable to generate soluble IgM were not protected from renal I/R, even in the setting of heterozygous factor H deficiency. These results demonstrate that factor H is important for limiting injury in the kidney after I/R, but it is not critical for controlling complement activation by immunoglobulin within the glomerulus in this setting. IgM binds to glomerular epitopes after I/R, but it is not a significant source of injury. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Hyper-Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation: Experimental Manipulation of Inter-Brain Synchrony

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Caroline Szymanski

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available We walk together, we watch together, we win together: Interpersonally coordinated actions are omnipresent in everyday life, yet the associated neural mechanisms are not well understood. Available evidence suggests that the synchronization of oscillatory activity across brains may provide a mechanism for the temporal alignment of actions between two or more individuals. In an attempt to provide a direct test of this hypothesis, we applied transcranial alternating current stimulation simultaneously to two individuals (hyper-tACS who were asked to drum in synchrony at a set pace. Thirty-eight female-female dyads performed the dyadic drumming in the course of 3 weeks under three different hyper-tACS stimulation conditions: same-phase-same-frequency; different-phase-different-frequency; sham. Based on available evidence and theoretical considerations, stimulation was applied over right frontal and parietal sites in the theta frequency range. We predicted that same-phase-same-frequency stimulation would improve interpersonal action coordination, expressed as the degree of synchrony in dyadic drumming, relative to the other two conditions. Contrary to expectations, both the same-phase-same-frequency and the different-phase-different-frequency conditions were associated with greater dyadic drumming asynchrony relative to the sham condition. No influence of hyper-tACS on behavioral performance was seen when participants were asked to drum separately in synchrony to a metronome. Individual and dyad preferred drumming tempo was also unaffected by hyper-tACS. We discuss limitations of the present version of the hyper-tACS paradigm, and suggest avenues for future research.

  2. Hyper-Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation: Experimental Manipulation of Inter-Brain Synchrony.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szymanski, Caroline; Müller, Viktor; Brick, Timothy R; von Oertzen, Timo; Lindenberger, Ulman

    2017-01-01

    We walk together, we watch together, we win together: Interpersonally coordinated actions are omnipresent in everyday life, yet the associated neural mechanisms are not well understood. Available evidence suggests that the synchronization of oscillatory activity across brains may provide a mechanism for the temporal alignment of actions between two or more individuals. In an attempt to provide a direct test of this hypothesis, we applied transcranial alternating current stimulation simultaneously to two individuals (hyper-tACS) who were asked to drum in synchrony at a set pace. Thirty-eight female-female dyads performed the dyadic drumming in the course of 3 weeks under three different hyper-tACS stimulation conditions: same-phase-same-frequency; different-phase-different-frequency; sham. Based on available evidence and theoretical considerations, stimulation was applied over right frontal and parietal sites in the theta frequency range. We predicted that same-phase-same-frequency stimulation would improve interpersonal action coordination, expressed as the degree of synchrony in dyadic drumming, relative to the other two conditions. Contrary to expectations, both the same-phase-same-frequency and the different-phase-different-frequency conditions were associated with greater dyadic drumming asynchrony relative to the sham condition. No influence of hyper-tACS on behavioral performance was seen when participants were asked to drum separately in synchrony to a metronome. Individual and dyad preferred drumming tempo was also unaffected by hyper-tACS. We discuss limitations of the present version of the hyper-tACS paradigm, and suggest avenues for future research.

  3. [The semiotics of the pain and dyspeptic syndromes in motor disorders of the digestive organs in children and adolescents].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dmytriieva, S M

    1999-06-01

    Overall 304 children and adolescents with gastro-duodenal pathology were studied for some aspects of clinical manifestations of the pain and dyspeptic syndromes as related to the character of disordered gastroduodenal motility by making use of techniques of phase polygastroduodenometry. Pathogenetic interrelationship was disclosed of clinical manifestations of the pain and dyspeptic syndromes according to the variant of gastroduodenal dysmotility (dysphasic hyper- or hypomotile dyskinesia of the stomach and duodenum).

  4. Hyper-Ramsey spectroscopy with probe-laser-intensity fluctuations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beloy, K.

    2018-03-01

    We examine the influence of probe-laser-intensity fluctuations on hyper-Ramsey spectroscopy. We assume, as is appropriate for relevant cases of interest, that the probe-laser intensity I determines both the Rabi frequency (∝√{I } ) and the frequency shift to the atomic transition (∝I ) during probe-laser interactions with the atom. The spectroscopic signal depends on these two quantities that covary with fluctuations in the probe-laser intensity. Introducing a simple model for the fluctuations, we find that the signature robustness of the hyper-Ramsey method can be compromised. Taking the Yb+ electric octupole clock transition as an example, we quantify the clock error under different levels of probe-laser-intensity fluctuations.

  5. Black hole winds II: Hyper-Eddington winds and feedback

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Andrew; Muldrew, Stuart I.

    2016-01-01

    We show that black holes supplied with mass at hyper-Eddington rates drive outflows with mildly sub-relativistic velocities. These are ˜0.1-0.2c for Eddington accretion factors {dot{m}_acc}˜ 10-100, and ˜1500 km s-1 for {dot{m}_acc}˜ 10^4. Winds like this are seen in the X-ray spectra of ultraluminous sources (ULXs), strongly supporting the view that ULXs are stellar-mass compact binaries in hyper-Eddington accretion states. SS433 appears to be an extreme ULX system ({dot{m}_acc}˜ 10^4) viewed from outside the main X-ray emission cone. For less-extreme Eddington factors {dot{m}_acc}˜ 10-100 the photospheric temperatures of the winds are ˜100 eV, consistent with the picture that the ultraluminous supersoft sources (ULSs) are ULXs seen outside the medium-energy X-ray beam, unifying the ULX/ULS populations and SS433 (actually a ULS but with photospheric emission too soft to detect). For supermassive black holes (SMBHs), feedback from hyper-Eddington accretion is significantly more powerful than the usual near-Eddington (`UFO') case, and if realized in nature would imply M - σ masses noticeably smaller than observed. We suggest that the likely warping of the accretion disc in such cases may lead to much of the disc mass being expelled, severely reducing the incidence of such strong feedback. We show that hyper-Eddington feedback from bright ULXs can have major effects on their host galaxies. This is likely to have important consequences for the formation and survival of small galaxies.

  6. The prevalence of toxoplasma igG and IgM in pregnant women residing in Rawalpindi

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kausar, N.; Akhtar, S.; Ikram, A.

    2010-01-01

    Objective: To determine the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies (IgG/IgM) among pregnant women visiting Military Hospital Rawalpindi and to develop a relationship between various risk factors and disease prevalence. Methods: One thousand pregnant women reporting in out patient Gynaecology department of Military Hospital (MH) Rawalpindi from October 2008 through January 2009 for antenatal check up were included in the study. Their serum samples were tested for the presence of Toxoplasma IgM and IgG immunoglobulins. Enzyme Linked immunosorbent assay test kits for both IgG and IgM were used to detect 1: gondii immunoglobulins in serum samples. Rest of the serum was stored at -20 degree C. Results: Of the 1000 women sampled at hospital, 46 (4.6%) had evidence of past infection and were seropositive for immunoglobulins of T. gondii IgG, while none of them were seropositive for IgM immunoglobulin, suggesting absence of recent infections during pregnancy. Conclusion: In twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the sero prevalence of T. gondii IgG in pregnant women is relatively high (4.6%) as compared to other areas nearby. Consequently, the risk of, primary infection during pregnancy and the potential for congenital infection of foetus remains there as a large number of pregnant women were sero-negative for both the antibodies.

  7. HyperArchiver: an EPICS archiver prototype based on Hypertable

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giacchini, M.; Giovannini, L.; Montis, M.; Bassato, G.; Vasquez, J.A.; Prete, G.; Andrighetto, A.; Petkus, R.; Lange, R.; Kasemir, K.; Del Campo, M.; Jugo, J.

    2012-01-01

    This work started in the context of NSLS2 project at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The NSLS2 control system foresees a very high number of PV variables and has strict requirements in terms of archiving/retrieving rate: our goal was to store 10 K PV/sec and retrieve 4 K PV/sec for a group of 4 signals. The HyperArchiver is an EPICS Archiver implementation engined by Hypertable, an open source database whose internal architecture is derived from Google's Big Table. We discuss the performance of HyperArchiver and present the results of some comparative tests. (authors)

  8. Soluble IgM links apoptosis to complement activation in early alcoholic liver disease in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smathers, Rebecca L; Chiang, Dian J; McMullen, Megan R; Feldstein, Ariel E; Roychowdhury, Sanjoy; Nagy, Laura E

    2016-04-01

    Ethanol feeding in mice activates complement via C1q binding to apoptotic cells in the liver; complement contributes to ethanol-induced inflammation and injury. Despite the critical role of C1q in ethanol-induced injury, the mechanism by which ethanol activates C1q remains poorly understood. Secretory IgM (sIgM), traditionally considered to act as an anti-microbial, also has critical housekeeping functions, facilitating clearance of apoptotic cells, at least in part through activation of C1q. Therefore, we hypothesized that (1) ethanol-induced apoptosis in the liver recruits sIgM, facilitating the activation of C1q and complement and (2) C1INH (C1 esterase inhibitor), which inhibits C1 functional activity, prevents complement activation and decreases ethanol-induced liver injury. Female C57BL/6 wild-type, C1qa(-/-), BID(-/-) and sIgM(-/-) mice were fed ethanol containing liquid diets or pair-fed control diets. C1INH or vehicle was given via tail vein injection to ethanol- or pair-fed wild-type mice at 24 and 48h prior to euthanasia. Ethanol exposure increased apoptosis in the liver, as well as the accumulation of IgM in the liver. In the early stages of ethanol feeding, C1q co-localized with IgM in the peri-sinusoidal space of the liver and accumulation of IgM and C3b was dependent on ethanol-induced BID-dependent apoptosis. sIgM(-/-) mice were protected from both ethanol-induced activation of complement and early ethanol-induced liver injury when compared to wild-type mice. Treatment with C1INH also decreased hepatic C3b deposition and ethanol-induced injury. These data indicate that sIgM contributes to activation of complement and ethanol-induced increases in inflammatory cytokine expression and hepatocyte injury in the early stages of ethanol-induced liver injury. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Immune defects in active mycobacterial diseases in patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen-I Lee

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Natural human immunity to the mycobacteria group, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG or nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM, and/or Salmonella species, relies on the functional IL-12/23-IFN-γ integrity of macrophages (monocyte/dendritic cell connecting to T lymphocyte/NK cells. Patients with severe forms of primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs have more profound immune defects involving this impaired circuit in patients with severe combined immunodeficiencies (SCID including complete DiGeorge syndrome, X-linked hyper IgM syndrome (HIGM (CD40L mutation, CD40 deficiency, immunodeficiency with or without anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (NEMO and IKBA mutations, chronic granulomatous disease (CGD and hyper IgE recurrent infection syndromes (HIES. The patients with severe PIDs have broader diverse infections rather than mycobacterial infections. In contrast, patients with an isolated inborn error of the IL-12/23-IFN-γ pathway are exclusively prone to low-virulence mycobacterial infections and nontyphoid salmonella infections, known as Mendelian susceptibility to the mycobacterial disease (MSMD phenotype. Restricted defective molecules in the circuit, including IFN-γR1, IFN-γR2, IL-12p40, IL-12R-β1, STAT-1, NEMO, IKBA and the recently discovered CYBB responsible for autophagocytic vacuole and proteolysis, and interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8 for dendritic cell immunodeficiency, have been identified in around 60% of patients with the MSMD phenotype. Among all of the patients with PIDs referred for investigation since 1985, we have identified four cases with the specific defect (IFNRG1 for three and IL12RB for one, presenting as both BCG-induced diseases and NTM infections, in addition to some patients with SCID, HIGM, CGD and HIES. Furthermore, manifestations in patients with autoantibodies to IFN-γ (autoAbs-IFN-γ, which is categorized as an anticytokine autoantibody syndrome, can resemble the relatively

  10. Frequency of hyper-homocysteinaemia in ischaemic stroke patients of Karachi

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadiq, M.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To find out the frequency of hyper-homocysteinaemia in ischaemic stroke patients and its relation with other risk factors. Methods: The cross-sectional study based on convenience sampling was conducted at the Civil Hospital, Karachi, from May to July 2012. It comprised ischaemic stroke patients selected from the Out Patient Department and Emergency Department. An overnight 8-hour fasting venous blood sample (4 ml in ethylenediamminetetraacetate) was drawn for analysis. Rest of the data was collected through a structured proforma and was analysed using SPSS 17.0. Results: The mean age of the 96 patients in the study was 64.9+-10.9 years (range: 40-85).Overall, 56(58.3%) cases had hyper-homocysteinemia. The frequency was significantly high in the age 60-79 age group (p<0.007). Conclusion: Hyper-homocysteinaemia, a modifiable risk factor, is associated with a high number of ischaemic stroke patients. Hence, steps should be taken to minimise this risk factor by screening and early intervention. (author)

  11. Multiple Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 variants per genome can bind IgM via its Fc fragment Fcμ

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jeppesen, Anine; Ditlev, Sisse Bolm; Soroka, Vladyslav

    2015-01-01

    with severe clinical manifestations, such as cerebral malaria in children and placental malaria in pregnant women. PfEMP1 that can bind the Fc part of IgM (Fcμ) characterizes one such type, although the functional significance of this IgM binding to PfEMP1 remains unclear. In this study, we report...... resemble the rosette-mediating and IgM-binding PfEMP1 HB3VAR06, but none of them mediated formation of rosettes. We could map the capacity for Fc-specific IgM binding to DBLε domains near the C terminus for three of the four PfEMP1 proteins tested. Our study provides new evidence regarding Fc...

  12. Recent advances in understanding antiphospholipid syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertolaccini, Maria Laura; Sanna, Giovanni

    2016-01-01

    Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), also known as Hughes Syndrome, is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity in the presence of persistently positive antiphospholipid antibodies. A patient with APS must meet at least one of two clinical criteria (vascular thrombosis or complications of pregnancy) and at least one of two laboratory criteria including the persistent presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA), anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), and/or anti-b2 glycoprotein I (anti-b2GPI) antibodies of IgG or IgM isotype at medium to high titres in patient’s plasma. However, several other autoantibodies targeting other coagulation cascade proteins (i.e. prothrombin) or their complex with phospholipids (i.e. phosphatidylserine/prothrombin complex), or to some domains of β2GPI, have been proposed to be also relevant to APS. In fact, the value of testing for new aPL specificities in the identification of APS in thrombosis and/or pregnancy morbidity patients is currently being investigated. PMID:28105326

  13. Retrospective analysis of dengue specific IgM reactive serum samples

    OpenAIRE

    Nemai Bhattacharya; Bhaswati Bandyopadhyay; Indranil Bhattacharjee; Hiranmoy Mukherjee; Srabani Talukdar; Ruby Mondal; Netai Pramanick; Goutam Chandra; Amiya K. Hati

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To conduct a retrospective analysis of dengue cases in Kolkata, on the basis of presence of anti-dengue IgM in their sera and presence or absence of anti-dengue IgG and dengue specific Non structural 1 (NS1) antigen in each of the serum sample. Methods: Sample was tested quantitatively employing ELISA technique, using Biorad test kits, with a view to get a more comprehensive picture of dengue in an urban endemic area and also to evaluate individual cases. Results: Th...

  14. IgM and IgD B cell receptors differentially respond to endogenous antigens and control B cell fate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noviski, Mark; Mueller, James L; Satterthwaite, Anne; Garrett-Sinha, Lee Ann; Brombacher, Frank

    2018-01-01

    Naive B cells co-express two BCR isotypes, IgM and IgD, with identical antigen-binding domains but distinct constant regions. IgM but not IgD is downregulated on autoreactive B cells. Because these isotypes are presumed to be redundant, it is unknown how this could impose tolerance. We introduced the Nur77-eGFP reporter of BCR signaling into mice that express each BCR isotype alone. Despite signaling strongly in vitro, IgD is less sensitive than IgM to endogenous antigen in vivo and developmental fate decisions are skewed accordingly. IgD-only Lyn−/− B cells cannot generate autoantibodies and short-lived plasma cells (SLPCs) in vivo, a fate thought to be driven by intense BCR signaling induced by endogenous antigens. Similarly, IgD-only B cells generate normal germinal center, but impaired IgG1+ SLPC responses to T-dependent immunization. We propose a role for IgD in maintaining the quiescence of autoreactive B cells and restricting their differentiation into autoantibody secreting cells. PMID:29521626

  15. Hyper-X Vehicle Model - Top Front View

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-01-01

    A top front view of an early desk-top model of NASA's X-43A 'Hyper-X,' or Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will

  16. Hyper-X Vehicle Model - Top Rear View

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-01-01

    This aft-quarter model view of NASA's X-43A 'Hyper-X' or Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle shows its sleek, geometric design. The X-43A was developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen

  17. Enfermedad celiaca asociada a síndrome antifosfolípido Celiac disease associated with antiphospholipid syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Jorge

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Introducción: la enfermedad celiaca puede asociarse a patologías de etiología inmunológica. Presentamos su asociación con síndrome antifosfolípido. Caso 1: mujer, 26 años, diagnosticada de enfermedad celiaca. Seis meses después queda embarazada, presentando muerte fetal. Al año siguiente nuevo embarazo. Anticuerpos anticardiolipina IgG: 20 GPL U/ml (valor normal Introduction: celiac disease may be associated with pathologies of immune etiology. We present its association with antiphospholipid syndrome. Case 1: a 26-year-old female was diagnosed with celiac disease. Six months later she became pregnant, and experienced fetal death. The following year she became pregnant again. IgG anticardiolipin antibodies: 20 GPL U/ml (normal value < 11, and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies: 9 MPL U/ml (n. v. < 10. Hematological tests were otherwise uneventful. Medicated with acetylsalicylic acid she had a normal pregnancy. Case 2: a 48-year-old female diagnosed with celiac disease presented with thrombosis in her left lower limb and renal infarction. Hematological tests showed no prothrombotic alterations (antiphospholipid antibodies were not measured. A year and a half later she had thrombosis in a finger of her hand. IgG anticardiolipin antibodies: 10 GPL (n. v. < 13, and IgM anticardiolipin antibodies: 35 MPL (n. v. < 12. Case 3: a 38-year-old female was diagnosed with celiac disease. Some time later she experienced two spontaneous abortions and a transient ischemic cerebral attack. Nowadays, she is in her sixth month of pregnancy. IgM anticardiolipin antibodies: 75 MPL/ml (n. v. up to 20, and IgG anticardiolipin antibodies within normal values. Hematological tests revealed no other prothrombotic alterations. Discussion: antiphospholipid syndrome is characterized by arterial and venous thrombosis, and spontaneous fetal death. Its association with celiac disease has been described in few cases. Celiac disease is associated with spontaneous fetal

  18. Time-resolved monitoring of enzyme activity with ultrafast Hyper-CEST spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Döpfert, Jörg; Schnurr, Matthias; Kunth, Martin; Rose, Honor May; Hennig, Andreas; Schröder, Leif

    2017-12-23

    We propose a method to dynamically monitor the progress of an enzymatic reaction using NMR of hyperpolarized 129 Xe in a host-guest system. It is based on a displacement assay originally designed for fluorescence experiments that exploits the competitive binding of the enzymatic product on the one hand and a reporter dye on the other hand to a supramolecular host. Recently, this assay has been successfully transferred to NMR, using xenon as a reporter, cucurbit[6]uril as supramolecular host, and chemical exchange saturation transfer with hyperpolarized Xe (Hyper-CEST) as detection technique. Its advantage is that the enzyme acts on the unmodified substrate and that only the product is detected through immediate inclusion into the host. We here apply a method that drastically accelerates the acquisition of Hyper-CEST spectra in vitro using magnetic field gradients. This allows monitoring the dynamic progress of the conversion of lysine to cadaverine with a temporal resolution of ~30 s. Moreover, the method only requires to sample the very early onset of the reaction (Hyper-CEST results correlate with xenon T 2 measurements performed during the enzymatic reaction. This suggests that ultrafast Hyper-CEST spectroscopy can be used for dynamically monitoring enzymatic activity with NMR. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Diagnostic Accuracy of Recombinant Immunoglobulin-like Protein A-Based IgM ELISA for the Early Diagnosis of Leptospirosis in the Philippines.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emi Kitashoji

    Full Text Available Leptospirosis is an important but largely under-recognized public health problem in the tropics. Establishment of highly sensitive and specific laboratory diagnosis is essential to reveal the magnitude of problem and to improve treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a recombinant LigA protein based IgM ELISA during outbreaks in the clinical-setting of a highly endemic country.A prospective study was conducted from October 2011 to September 2013 at a national referral hospital for infectious diseases in Manila, Philippines. Patients who were hospitalized with clinically suspected leptospirosis were enrolled. Plasma and urine were collected on admission and/or at discharge and tested using the LigA-IgM ELISA and a whole cell-based IgM ELISA. Sensitivity and specificity of these tests were evaluated with cases diagnosed by microscopic agglutination test (MAT, culture and LAMP as the composite reference standard and blood bank donors as healthy controls: the mean+3 standard deviation optical density value of healthy controls was used as the cut-off limit (0.062 for the LigA-IgM ELISA and 0.691 for the whole cell-based IgM ELISA. Of 304 patients enrolled in the study, 270 (89.1% were male and the median age was 30.5 years; 167 (54.9% were laboratory confirmed. The sensitivity and ROC curve AUC for the LigA-IgM ELISA was significantly greater than the whole cell-based IgM ELISA (69.5% vs. 54.3%, p<0.01; 0.90 vs. 0.82, p<0.01 on admission, but not at discharge. The specificity of LigA-IgM ELISA and whole cell-based IgM ELISA were not significantly different (98% vs. 97%. Among 158 MAT negative patients, 53 and 28 were positive by LigA- and whole cell-based IgM ELISA, respectively; if the laboratory confirmation was re-defined by LigA-IgM ELISA and LAMP, the clinical findings were more characteristic of leptospirosis than the diagnosis based on MAT/culture/LAMP.The newly developed LigA-IgM ELISA is more sensitive than the

  20. Parameters identification and adaptive full state hybrid projective synchronization of chaotic (hyper-chaotic) systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu Manfeng; Xu Zhenyuan; Zhang Rong; Hu Aihua

    2007-01-01

    Based on the active control idea and the invariance principle of differential equations, a general scheme of adaptive full state hybrid projective synchronization (FSHPS) and parameters identification of a class of chaotic (hyper-chaotic) systems with linearly dependent uncertain parameters is proposed in this Letter. With this effective scheme parameters identification and FSHPS of chaotic and hyper-chaotic systems can be realized simultaneously. Numerical simulations on the chaotic Chen system and the hyper-chaotic Chen system are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme

  1. On the analysis of local bifurcation and topological horseshoe of a new 4D hyper-chaotic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Leilei; Chen, Zengqiang; Wang, Zhonglin; Wang, Jiezhi

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A new 4D smooth quadratic autonomous system with complex hyper-chaotic dynamics is presented. • The stability of equilibria is observed near the bifurcation points. • The Hopf bifurcation and pitchfork bifurcation are analyzed by using the center manifold theorem and bifurcation theory. • A horseshoe with two-directional expansions in the 4D hyper-chaotic system has been found, which rigorously proves the existence of hyper-chaos in theory. - Abstract: In this paper, a new four-dimensional (4D) smooth quadratic autonomous system with complex hyper-chaotic dynamics is presented and analyzed. The Lyapunov exponent (LE) spectrum, bifurcation diagram and various phase portraits of the system are provided. The stability, Hopf bifurcation and pitchfork bifurcation of equilibrium point are discussed by using the center manifold theorem and bifurcation theory. Numerical simulation results are consistent with the theoretical analysis. Besides, by combining the topological horseshoe theory with a computer-assisted method of Poincaré maps and utilizing the algorithm for finding horseshoes in 3D hyper-chaotic maps, a horseshoe with two-directional expansions in the 4D hyper-chaotic system is successfully found, which rigorously proves the existence of hyper-chaos in theory.

  2. Relevance of Eosinophilia and Hyper-IgE in Immigrant Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belhassen-García, Moncef; Pardo-Lledías, Javier; Pérez del Villar, Luis; Muro, Antonio; Velasco-Tirado, Virginia; Blázquez de Castro, Ana; Vicente, Belen; García García, Mª Inmaculada; Luis Muñoz Bellido, Juan; Cordero-Sánchez, Miguel

    2014-01-01

    Abstract Immigrants from undeveloped countries are a growing problem in Europe. Spain has become a frequent destination for immigrants (20% of whom are children) because of its geographic location and its historic and cultural links with Africa and Latin America. Eosinophilia is frequent in adult immigrants, travelers and expatriates coming from tropical areas. However, there are few studies that focus on the incidence and causes of tropical eosinophilia and hyper-IgE in immigrant children. We evaluated, prospectively, the prevalence and causes of eosinophilia and hyper-immunoglobulin E (IgE) in 362 immigrant children coming from Sub-Saharan Africa, Northern Africa and Latin America to Salamanca, Spain, between January 2007 and December 2011. Absolute eosinophilia and hyper-IgE were present in 22.9% and 56.8% of the analyzed children, respectively. The most frequent causes of absolute eosinophilia were filariasis (52.6%), strongyloidiasis (46.8%) and schistosomiasis (28.9%). Filariasis (41.9%), strongyloidiasis (29.6%) and schistosomiasis (22.2%) were the most frequent causes of increased levels of IgE. The area under the ROC curve showed similar values between eosinophil count and IgE levels in the diagnosis of helminthiasis (69% [95% confidence interval (CI) 63%–74%] vs 67% [95% CI 60%–72%], P = 0.24). Eosinophilia and hyper-IgE have a high value as biomarkers of helminthiasis in children coming from tropical and subtropical areas. PMID:25058145

  3. Variable clinical expressivity of STAT3 mutation in hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome: genetic and clinical studies of six patients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wolach, Ofir; Kuijpers, Taco; Ben-Ari, Josef; Gavrieli, Ronit; Feinstein-Goren, Neta; Alders, Marielle; Garty, Ben Zion; Wolach, Baruch

    2014-01-01

    Autosomal dominant Hyper IgE syndrome (AD-HIES) is a rare and complex primary immunodeficiency that affects multiple systems. Mutations in signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) gene cause AD-HIES. These mutations have a dominant-negative effect and the presence of such mutations

  4. Research on marine and freshwater fish identification model based on hyper-spectral imaging technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Yan; Guo, Pei-yuan; Xiang, Ling-zi; Bao, Man; Chen, Xing-hai

    2013-08-01

    With the gradually mature of hyper spectral image technology, the application of the meat nondestructive detection and recognition has become one of the current research focuses. This paper for the study of marine and freshwater fish by the pre-processing and feature extraction of the collected spectral curve data, combined with BP network structure and LVQ network structure, a predictive model of hyper spectral image data of marine and freshwater fish has been initially established and finally realized the qualitative analysis and identification of marine and freshwater fish quality. The results of this study show that hyper spectral imaging technology combined with the BP and LVQ Artificial Neural Network Model can be used for the identification of marine and freshwater fish detection. Hyper-spectral data acquisition can be carried out without any pretreatment of the samples, thus hyper-spectral imaging technique is the lossless, high- accuracy and rapid detection method for quality of fish. In this study, only 30 samples are used for the exploratory qualitative identification of research, although the ideal study results are achieved, we will further increase the sample capacity to take the analysis of quantitative identification and verify the feasibility of this theory.

  5. Psychotic experiences and hyper-theory-of-mind in preadolescence - a birth cohort study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Clemmensen, L.; van Os, J.; Drukker, M.; Munkholm, A.; Rimvall, M. K.; Vaever, M.; Rask, C. U.; Bartels-Velthuis, A. A.; Skovgaard, A. M.; Jeppesen, P.

    Background. Knowledge on the risk mechanisms of psychotic experiences (PE) is still limited. The aim of this population-based study was to explore developmental markers of PE with a particular focus on the specificity of hyper-theory-of-mind (HyperToM) as correlate of PE as opposed to correlate of

  6. Influence of Toxoplasma Gondii Infection on Symptoms and Signs of Premenstrual Syndrome: A Cross-sectional Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarado-Esquivel, Cosme; Sánchez-Anguiano, Luis Francisco; Hernández-Tinoco, Jesús; Pérez-Álamos, Alma Rosa; Rico-Almochantaf, Yazmin del Rosario; Estrada-Martínez, Sergio; Vaquera-Enriquez, Raquel; Díaz-Herrera, Arturo; Ramos-Nevarez, Agar; Sandoval-Carrillo, Ada Agustina; Salas-Pacheco, José Manuel; Cerrillo-Soto, Sandra Margarita; Antuna-Salcido, Elizabeth Irasema; Liesenfeld, Oliver; Guido-Arreola, Carlos Alberto

    2016-01-01

    Infection with Toxoplasma gondii in brain may cause some symptoms that resemble those in women with premenstrual syndrome. To determine the association of T. gondii infection with symptoms and signs of premenstrual syndrome, we examined 489 women aged 30–40 years old. Sera of participants were analyzed for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies using enzyme-linked immunoassays (EIA) and T. gondii DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies were found in 38 (7.8%) of the women studied. Anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies were found in 13 (34.2%) of the 38 IgG seropositive women. Logistic regression showed two variables associated with seropositivity to T. gondii: presence of diarrhea (odds ratio [OR] = 6.10; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.37–27.85; P = 0.01) and weight gain (OR = 2.89; 95% CI: 1.37–6.07; P = 0.005), and two variables associated with high (>150 IU/ml) levels of IgG against T. gondii: presence of diarrhea (OR = 7.40; 95% CI: 1.79–30.46; P = 0.006) and abdominal inflammation (OR = 3.38; 95% CI: 1.13–10.10; P = 0.02). Positivity to EIA IgG and PCR was positively associated with obesity and negatively associated with joint pain by bivariate analysis. Our study for the first time reveals a potential association of T. gondii infection with clinical manifestations of premenstrual syndrome. PMID:27980858

  7. Immunoglobulin deposits in peripheral nerve endings detected by skin biopsy in patients with IgM M proteins and neuropathy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jønsson, V; Jensen, T S; Friis, M L

    1987-01-01

    biopsies provide a simple effective method of detecting immunoglobulin binding to peripheral nerves in patients suspected of having an autoimmune neuropathy. In contrast to sural nerve biopsy, skin biopsy does not cause sensory loss or pain in a denervated area and can easily be repeated.......Immunofluorescence studies of sural nerve and skin biopsies from three patients with IgM M proteins and clinical neuropathy showed that IgM M protein was bound to the nerve myelin in two patients and by the peri- and endoneurium in one. It is suggested that immunohistochemical studies of skin...

  8. Design issues in the production of hyper-books and visual-books

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadia Catenazzi

    1993-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes an ongoing research project in the area of electronic books. After a brief overview of the state of the art in this field, two new forms of electronic book are presented: hyper-books and visual-books. A flexible environment allows them to be produced in a semi-automatic way starting from different sources: electronic texts (as input for hyper-books and paper books (as input for visual-books. The translation process is driven by the philosophy of preserving the book metaphor in order to guarantee that electronic information is presented in a familiar way. Another important feature of our research is that hyper-books and visual-books are conceived not as isolated objects but as entities within an electronic library, which inherits most of the features of a paper-based library but introduces a number of new properties resulting from its non-physical nature.

  9. [Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotov, S V; Lobakov, A I; Isakova, E V; Stashuk, G A; Volchenkova, T V

    To study the diagnosis and treatment of non-alcoholic Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS). Eight patients (5 men and 3 women), mean age 38,9±1,4 years, with WKS developed due to acute gastrointestinal tract (GIT) disease (3 patients), the exacerbation of chronic GIT disease with malabsorption (2 patients) and after surgery on the upper GIT (3 patients) were included in the study. The disease manifested with consciousness disturbance, symptoms of ataxia, eye movement disorders and bulbar syndrome that developed after 24-48 h. Treatment resistant tonic-clonic seizures were developed in 1 patient. MRI revealed hyper intensive signals on T2-weighted images in the hypothalamus, mamillar bodies, brain stem, hippocampus as well as contrast accumulation in the mamillar bodies. Treatment with vitamin B complex (neurobion) and thiamine exerted a positive effect. Patients with GIT disease with malabsorption are at risk of WKS. Consciousness disturbance, symptoms of ataxia, eye movement disorders indicate the necessity of treatment with thiamine that allows to prevent the development of stable cognitive deficit.

  10. Simultaneous use of serum IgG and IgM for risk scoring of suspected early Lyme borreliosis: graphical and bivariate analyses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dessau, Ram B; Ejlertsen, Tove; Hilden, Jørgen

    2010-01-01

    The laboratory diagnosis of early disseminated Lyme borreliosis (LB) rests on IgM and IgG antibodies in serum. The purpose of this study was to refine the statistical interpretation of IgM and IgG by combining the diagnostic evidence provided by the two immunoglobulins and exploiting the whole...... range of the quantitative variation in test values. ELISA assays based on purified flagella antigen were performed on sera from 815 healthy Danish blood donors as negative controls and 117 consecutive patients with confirmed neuroborreliosis (NB). A logistic regression model combining the standardized...... units of the IgM and IgG ELISA assays was constructed and the resulting disease risks graphically evaluated by receiver operating characteristic and 'predictiveness' curves. The combined model improves the discrimination between NB patients and blood donors. Hence, it is possible to report a predicted...

  11. Revealing silent vibration modes of nanomaterials by detecting anti-Stokes hyper-Raman scattering with femtosecond laser pulses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Jianhua; Chen, Lei; Dai, Qiaofeng; Lan, Sheng; Tie, Shaolong

    2016-01-21

    We proposed a scheme in which normal Raman scattering is coupled with hyper-Raman scattering for generating a strong anti-Stokes hyper-Raman scattering in nanomaterials by using femtosecond laser pulses. The proposal was experimentally demonstrated by using a single-layer MoS2 on a SiO2/Si substrate, a 17 nm-thick MoS2 on an Au/SiO2 substrate and a 9 nm-thick MoS2 on a SiO2-SnO2/Ag/SiO2 substrate which were confirmed to be highly efficient for second harmonic generation. A strong anti-Stokes hyper-Raman scattering was also observed in other nanomaterials possessing large second-order susceptibilities, such as silicon quantum dots self-assembled into "coffee" rings and tubular Cu-doped ZnO nanorods. In all the cases, many Raman inactive vibration modes were clearly revealed in the anti-Stokes hyper-Raman scattering. Apart from the strong anti-Stokes hyper-Raman scattering, Stokes hyper-Raman scattering with small Raman shifts was detected during the ablation process of thick MoS2 layers. It was also observed by slightly defocusing the excitation light. The detection of anti-Stokes hyper-Raman scattering may serve as a new technique for studying the Raman inactive vibration modes in nanomaterials.

  12. Development of a Colloidal Gold Kit for the Diagnosis of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus Infection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xianguo Wang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available It is critical to develop a cost-effective detection kit for rapid diagnosis and on-site detection of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV infection. Here, an immunochromatographic assay (ICA to detect SFTSV infection is described. The ICA uses gold nanoparticles coated with recombinant SFTSV for the simultaneous detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to SFTSV. The ICA was developed and evaluated by using positive sera samples of SFTSV infection (n=245 collected from the CDC of China. The reference laboratory diagnosis of SFTSV infection was based on the “gold standard”. The results demonstrated that the positive coincidence rate and negative coincidence rate were determined to be 98.4% and 100% for IgM and 96.7% and 98.6% for IgG, respectively. The kit showed good selectivity for detection of SFTSV-specific IgG and IgM with no interference from positive sera samples of Japanese encephalitis virus infection, Dengue virus infection, Hantavirus infection, HIV infection, HBV surface antigen, HCV antibody, Mycobacterium tuberculosis antibody, or RF. Based on these results, the ICS test developed may be a suitable tool for rapid on-site testing for SFTSV infections.

  13. High Prevalence of Hyper-Aerotolerant Campylobacter jejuni in Retail Poultry with Potential Implication in Human Infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Euna; McMullen, Lynn; Jeon, Byeonghwa

    2015-01-01

    Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of foodborne illnesses around the world. Since C. jejuni is microaerophilic and sensitive to oxygen, aerotolerance is important in the transmission of C. jejuni to humans via foods under aerobic conditions. In this study, 70 C. jejuni strains were isolated from retail raw chicken meats and were subject to multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis. In the aerotolerance testing by aerobic shaking at 200 rpm, 50 (71.4%) isolates survived after 12 h (i.e., aerotolerant), whereas 20 (28.6%) isolates did not (i.e., aerosensitive). Interestingly, further aerobic cultivation showed that 25 (35.7%) isolates still survived even after 24 h of vigorous aerobic shaking (i.e., hyper-aerotolerant). Compared to aerosensitive strains, the hyper-aerotolerant strains exhibited increased resistance to oxidative stress, both peroxide and superoxide. A mutation of ahpC in hyper-aerotolerant strains significantly impaired aerotolerance, indicating oxidative stress defense plays an important role in hyper-aerotolerance. The aerotolerant and hyper-aerotolerant strains were primarily classified into MLST clonal complexes (CCs)-21 and -45, which are known to be the major CCs implicated in human gastroenteritis. Compared to the aerosensitive strains, CC-21 was more dominant than CC-45 in aerotolerant and hyper-aerotolerant strains. The findings in this study revealed that hyper-aerotolerant C. jejuni is highly prevalent in raw chicken meats. The enhanced aerotolerance in C. jejuni would impact human infection by increasing possibilities of the foodborne transmission of C. jejuni under aerobic conditions.

  14. Synthesis and characterization of a hyper-branched water-soluble β-cyclodextrin polymer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesco Trotta

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available A new hyper-branched water-soluble polymer was synthesized by reacting β-cyclodextrin with pyromellitic dianhydride beyond the critical conditions that allow the phenomenon of gelation to occur. The molar ratio between the monomers is a crucial parameter that rules the gelation process. Nevertheless, the concentration of monomers in the solvent phase plays a key role as well. Hyper-branched β-cyclodextrin-based polymers were obtained performing the syntheses with excess of solvent and cross-linking agent, and the conditions for critical dilution were determined experimentally. A hyper-branched polymer with very high water solubility was obtained and fully characterized both as for its chemical structure and for its capability to encapsulate substances. Fluorescein was used as probe molecule to test the complexation properties of the new material.

  15. Cosmological Parameters and Hyper-Parameters: The Hubble Constant from Boomerang and Maxima

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lahav, Ofer

    Recently several studies have jointly analysed data from different cosmological probes with the motivation of estimating cosmological parameters. Here we generalise this procedure to allow freedom in the relative weights of various probes. This is done by including in the joint likelihood function a set of `Hyper-Parameters', which are dealt with using Bayesian considerations. The resulting algorithm, which assumes uniform priors on the log of the Hyper-Parameters, is very simple to implement. We illustrate the method by estimating the Hubble constant H0 from different sets of recent CMB experiments (including Saskatoon, Python V, MSAM1, TOCO, Boomerang and Maxima). The approach can be generalised for a combination of cosmic probes, and for other priors on the Hyper-Parameters. Reference: Lahav, Bridle, Hobson, Lasenby & Sodre, 2000, MNRAS, in press (astro-ph/9912105)

  16. A study on the utilization of hyper-thermal neutrons for neutron capture therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Yoshinori; Kobayashi, Tooru; Kanda, Keiji

    1993-01-01

    The utilization of hyper-thermal neutrons, which have an energy spectrum of a Maxwellian distribution of a higher temperature than the room temperature of 300 K, was studied in order to improve the thermal neutron flux distribution at the deeper part in a living body for neutron capture therapy. Simulation calculations were carried out using MCNP-V3 in order to confirm the characteristics of hyper-thermal neutrons, i.e., (1) depth dependence of neutron energy spectrum, and (2) depth distribution of the reaction rate in a water phantom for materials with 1/v neutron absorption. It is confirmed that the hyper-thermal neutron irradiation can improve the thermal neutron flux distribution in the deeper and wider area in a living body compared with the thermal neutron irradiation. Practically, by the incidence of the hyper-thermal neutrons with a 3000 K Maxwellian distribution, the thermal neutron flux at 5 cm depth can be given about four times larger than by the incidence of the thermal neutrons of 300 K. (author)

  17. Study on the relationship between DNA-PKcs and genomic instability and hyper-radiosensitivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Kang; Zhu Jiayun; Ding Nan; Li Junhong; Hu Wentao; Su Fengtao; He Jinpeng; Li Sha

    2010-01-01

    To investigate the relationship between DNA-PKcs and genome instability and hyper-radiosensitivity, human glioma cell lines M059K and M059J, as a model expressing wild-type DNA-PKcs and a model defective in DNA-PKcs activity, were exposed to low doses of X-rays. Cells survival fractions were assessed by colony-forming assay and Cytochalasin-B micronucleus assay was employed to detect the genomic instability happening in each single irradiated colony. It has been found that as the post-incubation time increased, M059K cells expressing wild-type DNA-PKcs exhibited low-dose hyper-radiosensitivity and showed a similar genomic instability after 0.2 Gy and 0.6 Gy irradiations, but the M059J cells lacking in DNA-PKcs didn't present low-dose hyper-radiosensitivity and showed a higher genomic instability of 0.6 Gy than that of 0.2 Gy. The results indicate that DNA-PKcs may act as one of the key factors that lead to low-dose hyper-radiosensitivity. (authors)

  18. Plasma exchanges for severe acute neurological deterioration in patients with IgM anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (anti-MAG) neuropathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baron, M; Lozeron, P; Harel, S; Bengoufa, D; Vignon, M; Asli, B; Malphettes, M; Parquet, N; Brignier, A; Fermand, J P; Kubis, N; Arnulf, Bertrand

    2017-06-01

    Monoclonal IgM anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) antibody-related peripheral neuropathy (anti-MAG neuropathy) is predominantly a demyelinating sensory neuropathy with ataxia and distal paresthesia. The clinical course of anti-MAG neuropathy is usually slowly progressive making difficult the identification of clear criteria to start a specific treatment. Although no consensus treatment is yet available, a rituximab-based regimen targeting the B-cell clone producing the monoclonal IgM may be proposed, alone or in combination with alkylating agents or purine analogs. However, in some rare cases, an acute and severe neurological deterioration can occur in few days leading to a rapid loss of autonomy. In these cases, a treatment rapidly removing the monoclonal IgM from the circulation might be useful before initiating a specific therapy. We report successful treatment with plasma exchanges (PE) in four patients presenting with acute neurological deterioration. PE allowed a dramatic and rapid neurological improvement in all patients. PE are safe and may be useful at the initial management of these cases of anti-MAG neuropathy.

  19. Hyper-parenting is negatively associated with physical activity among 7-12year olds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janssen, Ian

    2015-04-01

    To explore associations between helicopter, little emperor, tiger mom, and concerted cultivation hyper-parenting styles with child physical activity. 724 North American parents of 7-12 year olds completed a survey (May, 2014) that assessed their engagement in the hyper-parenting styles and the frequency that their child played outdoors, walked/bicycled, and played organized sports. Z-scores were generated for each hyper-parenting style and four groups were created: low (1 SD). Outdoor play, active transportation, and organized sport did not differ across helicopter parenting groups. Children in the low little emperor group had higher (Pparenting styles were associated with lower physical activity among 7-12 year olds. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  20. A Boy with Relentless Pruritus: Job's Syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Kamran; Wozniak, Susan E; Giannone, Anna Lucia; Abdulmassih, Maria Elena

    2016-02-21

    Job's syndrome (hyper IgE syndrome) is a very rare primary immunodeficiency disease that has an annual approximate incidence of less than 1/1,000,000. This manuscript aims to provide education regarding diagnosis and management strategies of this syndrome worldwide. A 6-year-old boy was seen at the clinic secondary to persistent pruritus interfering with sleep. At the age of 2 months, the patient developed diffuse eczematous and desquamating skin lesions. He was subsequently diagnosed with atopic dermatitis and managed conservatively. From 2 months to 7 years of age, intermittent exacerbations of dermatitis persisted despite an aggressive treatment regimen. The serum IgE level increased exponentially over a period of 7 years, with a peak value of 57,400 IU/ml. Molecular genetic testing revealed a dominant negative mutation within the SH2 domain of the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT3) gene. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with Job's syndrome. Management included proper skin care, prophylactic antibiotics, immunomodulating agents, and psychotherapy. Job's syndrome can often go unrecognized and masquerade as atopic dermatitis. Therefore, genetic testing for this condition should be obtained in all patients with treatment-refractory AD. Additionally, psychotherapy can be a successful management strategy for the grating psychological impact that can be imposed on children with excessive pruritus.

  1. Methylene blue adsorption of GMZ bentonite and the effect of hyper-alkaline solution erosion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Bao; Zhang Huixin; Zhu Chunming; Chen Ping

    2012-01-01

    The method of combining the halo method with the spectrometer method, was used to study on the Methylene blue (MB) adsorption of Gaomiaozi (GMZ) bentonite, which had been eroded by hyper-alkaline solution, to investigate the mechanism of the effect of hyper-alkaline pore water on the buffer/backfill properties of GMZ bentonite. Results present, method employed in this article is brief and feasible, and high accuracy; The total specific surface area calculated by the test of MB adsorption is more accurate than the method of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (EGIVIE). The MB adsorption of samples, which had been eroded by hyper-alkaline solution, decreases with the increase of the concentration of hyper-alkaline solution, and the change law agrees with the variation of the mass percentage of montmorillonite in bentonite tested by X- Ray diffraction (XRD). Therefore, the erosion of hyper-alkaline pore water might dissolve montmorillonite, which is the effective composition of bentonite, and destroy the tetrahedron- octahedron-tetrahedron (T-O-T) structure of montmorillonite, then lead to the decrease of cation exchange capability and the specific surface area of montmorillonite, and the the macroscopic expressions are the decrease of MB adsorption, the swelling potential and the increase of permeability. (authors)

  2. Exposing and Deposing Hyper-Economized School Science

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bencze, John Lawrence

    2010-01-01

    Despite indications of the problematic nature of "laissez faire" capitalism, such as the convictions of corporate leaders and the global financial crisis that appeared to largely stem from a de-regulated financial services industry, it seems clear that societies and environments continue to be strongly influenced by hyper-economized…

  3. Nephrotic syndrome associated with hepatointestinal schistosomiasis Síndrome nefrótica associada à esquistossomose hepatointestinal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Abensur

    1992-08-01

    Full Text Available Schistosomal nephropathy has long been related to the hepatosplenic form of schistosomiasis. In the last few years, 24 patients with hepatointestinal schistosomiasis and the nephrotic syndrome were studied. Aiming at evaluating a possible etiologic participation of schistosomiasis in the development of the nephropathy, this group was comparatively studied with a group of 37 patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. Both groups had a different distribution of the histologic lesions. In the group with schistosomiasis there was a statistically significant prevalence of proliferative mesangial glomerulonephritis (33.3%, whereas in the control group there was prevalence of membranous glomerulonephritis (32.4%. On immunofluorescence, IgM was positive in 94.4% of the patients with schistosomiasis versus 55.0% in the control group (pA nefropatia esquistossomótica está classicamente vinculada à fornia hepatoesplênica da esquistossomose. Ao longo dos últimos anos 24 casos de pacientes esquistossomóticos hepato-intestinais e portadores de síndrome nefrótica foram estudados. Com o objetivo de verificar a possível participação etiológica da esquistossomose na gênese da nefropatia, analisamos este grupo comparativamente ao grupo de 37 doentes portadores de síndrome nefrótica idiopática. Ambos os grupos apresentaram distribuição distinta dos tipos histológicos de glomerulopatia. No grupo de esquistossomóticos houve predomínio estatisticamente significante de glomerulonefrite proliferativa mesangial (33.3%, enquanto no grupo controle houve predomínio da glomerulonefrite membranosa (32.4%. A positividade para IgM à imunofluorescência foi de 94.4% nos doentes esquistossomóticos versus 55.0% no grupo controle (p<0.01. No grupo de esquistossomóticos 8 pacientes evidenciaram glomerulonefrite proliferativa mesangial e 5, glomerulonefrite membranoproliferativa. Em ambos os tipos histológicos a imunofluorescência mostrou dep

  4. Use of mep HyperCel for polishing of human serum albumin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCann, Karl B; Vucica, Yvonne; Wu, John; Bertolini, Joseph

    2014-10-15

    The manufacture of human serum albumin by chromatographic procedures involves gel filtration chromatography as a final polishing step. Despite this step being essential to remove high molecular weight impurity proteins and thus ensure a stable and safe final product, it is relatively inefficient. This paper explores the use of hydrophobic charge induction chromatographic media, MEP HyperCel as an alternative to Sephacryl S200HR gel filtration for the polishing of human serum albumin derived by ion exchange chromatographic purification of Cohn Supernatant I. The use of MEP HyperCel results in a product with a higher purity than achieved with gel filtration and in a less time consuming manner and with potential resource savings. MEP HyperCel appears to have great potential for incorporation into downstream processes in the plasma fractionation industry as an efficient means of achieving polishing of intermediates or capture of proteins of interest. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. A point-of-care test for measles diagnosis: detection of measles-specific IgM antibodies and viral nucleic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warrener, Lenesha; Slibinskas, Rimantas; Chua, Kaw Bing; Nigatu, Wondatir; Brown, Kevin E; Sasnauskas, Kestutis; Samuel, Dhanraj; Brown, David

    2011-09-01

    To evaluate the performance of a newly developed point-of-care test (POCT) for the detection of measles-specific IgM antibodies in serum and oral fluid specimens and to assess if measles virus nucleic acid could be recovered from used POCT strips. The POCT was used to test 170 serum specimens collected through measles surveillance or vaccination programmes in Ethiopia, Malaysia and the Russian Federation: 69 were positive for measles immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, 74 were positive for rubella IgM antibodies and 7 were positive for both. Also tested were 282 oral fluid specimens from the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) surveillance programme of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Microimmune measles IgM capture enzyme immunoassay was the gold standard for comparison. A panel of 24 oral fluids was used to investigate if measles virus haemagglutinin (H) and nucleocapsid (N) genes could be amplified by polymerase chain reaction directly from used POCT strips. With serum POCT showed a sensitivity and specificity of 90.8% (69/76) and 93.6% (88/94), respectively; with oral fluids, sensitivity and specificity were 90.0% (63/70) and 96.2% (200/208), respectively. Both H and N genes were reliably detected in POCT strips and the N genes could be sequenced for genotyping. Measles virus genes could be recovered from POCT strips after storage for 5 weeks at 20-25 °C. The POCT has the sensitivity and specificity required of a field-based test for measles diagnosis. However, its role in global measles control programmes requires further evaluation.

  6. Successful haploidentical donor hematopoietic stem cell transplant and restoration of STAT3 function in an adolescent with autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, N C; Gallagher, J L; Torgerson, T R; Gilman, A L

    2015-07-01

    Autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome (AD-HIES), caused by mutations in Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) is associated with defective STAT3 signaling and Th17 differentiation and recurrent bacterial and fungal infections. Most patients suffer significant morbidity and premature mortality. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been reported in a small number of cases, with mixed outcomes. We report successful haploidentical donor HSCT in a patient with AD-HIES. Evaluation of lymphocyte subsets, STAT3 signaling, and Th17 cells was performed pre- and post-HSCT. A 14-year old female with AD-HIES developed recurrent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) abscesses. Immunologic analysis showed elevated IgE (4331 kU/L), absent Th17 cells, and markedly decreased STAT3 phosphorylation in cytokine stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. She had breakthrough abscesses despite clindamycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis, and developed steroid refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia. She underwent T-cell depleted haploidentical HSCT from her father following reduced intensity conditioning. She developed one MRSA hand abscess after transplant. Twenty-four months post transplant, she had complete donor chimerism (>95 % donor), normal absolute T cell numbers, and a normal percentage of Th17 cells. IgE was normal at 25 kU/L. She remains well 42 months after transplantation off all antibacterial prophylaxis. Haploidentical HSCT led to successful bone marrow engraftment, normalization of STAT3 signaling in hematopoietic cells, normalization of IgE, and restoration of immune function in this patient with AD-HIES.

  7. Evaluation of Antigen-Specific IgM and IgG Production during an In Vitro Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Culture Assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshiko Matsuda

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The recent attention given to diseases associated with memory B-cell (mBC-produced antibodies (Abs suggests the need for a similar in vitro assay to evaluate the functions of mBCs. Here, we cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs with the intent to collect mBC-derived Abs in vitro and maintain their cell–cell contact-dependent interactions with helper T-cells. PBMCs were cultured with interleukin (IL-21, CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA, and phytohemagglutinin/leucoagglutinin (PHA-L in 24-well flat-bottom plates (5 × 105 cells/well. A culture supernatant analysis of PBMCs from healthy donors (n = 10 indicated that antigen-specific IgM Ab levels in a PBMC culture supernatant might be better able to demonstrate the antigen sensitization status in a smaller peripheral blood sample, compared to IgG because Epstein–Barr virus-specific IgM mBCs circulate peripherally at a significantly higher frequency once antiviral humoral immunity has stabilized. Thus, our in vitro assay demonstrated the potential significance of antigen-specific IgM Ab production in the culture supernatants. Furthermore, an analysis of cultured PBMCs from allograft kidney recipients (n = 16 sensitized with de novo donor-specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA-specific Abs (DSAs showed that IgM-type HLA-specific Abs were detected mainly from the culture supernatants from PBMCs of patients with stable graft function, whereas IgG isotype HLA Abs were detectable only from patients with biopsy-proven antibody-mediated rejection. In other words, these IgG isotype Abs also represented an activated humoral immune response in vivo. Additionally, IgM- and IgG-expressing mBCs from healthy donors (n = 5 were cultured with IL-21, CpG-ODN, and a supernatant produced by stimulating CD19+ B-cell-depleted PBMCs with PHA-L and PMA in 24-well flat-bottom plates (1 × 105 cells/well, and the resulting in vitro analysis provided some

  8. Hyper-Achievement, Perfection, and College Student Resilience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eells, Gregory T.

    2017-01-01

    Over the past decade, there has been considerable attention given to college students' experience of pressure to pursue perfection through hyper-achievement and the psychological and emotional toll this process takes on them. The popular press has highlighted this phenomenon and raised specific questions about some of the related consequences like…

  9. Comparison of IgM Capture Enzyme- Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) using Inhouse method and commercially available MRL kit for serological confirmation of dengue infection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hapugoda, D.M.; De Silva R, Nilanthi; Abeywickreme, W.; Gunasena, Sunethra; Prithimala, L.D.; Jayawardene, S.L.G.J.; Kumari, Thamara

    2003-01-01

    Laboratory diagnosis of dengue infection is important for the management of the patients. In this study igM capture ELISA using an inhouse method and commercially available kit (MRL diagnostics,USA) was compared to detect diagnostic capability of Inhouse IgM ELISA for provision of diagnostic facilities to the public at an affordable cost. Eighty acute and convalescent serum samples were collected from serologically confirmed dengue patients. Serological confirmation of patients were performed by Haemagglutination Inhibition (HI) assay, gold standard assay for dengue on paired serum samples. All collected acute and convalescent sera were tested by IgM ELISA using the inhouse method and MRL kit. Antigen and conjugate for the inhouse IgM method were prepared in the laboratory. A cocktail of four dengue antigens containing 25 Antigen ELISA units of each type was prepared and used as the assay antigen. Conjugate was prepared using a serum sample with high dengue Anti flavi IgG antibody titre conjugated with Horseradish peroxidase. A prospective study of both IgM ELISA assays were performed using 113 acute sera collected from dengue suspected cases. Overall results showed that 46% and 52% acute sera collected from dengue confirmed patients were positive by inhouse ELISA assay and MRL kits respectively. In the prospective study done using acute sera collected from dengue suspected patients showed that 44% and 52% were positive by inhouse ELISA assay and MRL kits. There was no significant difference in positivity between these two assays. (P=0.18). Inhouse IgM ELISA can be used for provision of laboratory diagnosis of dengue virus infection more than 5 days. The assay is 10 times less costly than using MRL kits as assay antigen and conjugate can be prepared easily in the laboratory

  10. Evasion of immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria by IgM masking of protective IgG epitopes in infected erythrocyte surface-exposed PfEMP1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barfod, Lea; Dalgaard, Michael B; Pleman, Suzan T

    2011-01-01

    1 (PfEMP1) family is central to both. Here, we present evidence of a P. falciparum evasion mechanism not previously documented: the masking of PfEMP1-specific IgG epitopes by nonspecific IgM. Nonspecific IgM binding to erythrocytes infected by parasites expressing the PfEMP1 protein VAR2CSA...

  11. Hyper-cross-linked, hybrid membranes via interfacial polymerization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Raaijmakers, Michiel

    2015-01-01

    Hyper-cross-linked, hybrid membranes consist of covalent networks of alternating organic and inorganic, or biological groups. This thesis reports on the preparation of such hybrid networks via interfacial polymerization. The structure-property relationships of the hybrid networks depend strongly on

  12. Instantons on Calabi-Yau and hyper-Kähler cones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geipel, Jakob C.; Sperling, Marcus

    2017-10-01

    The instanton equations on vector bundles over Calabi-Yau and hyper-Kähler cones can be reduced to matrix equations resembling Nahm's equations. We complement the discussion of Hermitian Yang-Mills (HYM) equations on Calabi-Yau cones, based on regular semi-simple elements, by a new set of (singular) boundary conditions which have a known instanton solution in one direction. This approach extends the classic results of Kronheimer by probing a relation between generalised Nahm's equations and nilpotent pairs/tuples. Moreover, we consider quaternionic instantons on hyper-Kähler cones over generic 3-Sasakian manifolds and study the HYM moduli spaces arising in this set-up, using the fact that their analysis can be traced back to the intersection of three Hermitian Yang-Mills conditions.

  13. Myelodysplastic syndromes: histopathology as prognostic factor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Romeo Maura

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available Bone marrow biopsy allows evaluation of cellularity, abnormal localization of immature precursors and fibrosis in myelodysplastic syndrome. It has been considered important to make diagnosis and prognosis of this disorder. The object of this study evaluated the influence of histopathological parameters, such as cellularity, erythroid/myeloid ratio, abnormal localization of immature precursors and marrow fibrosis, on survival of myelodysplastic syndrome patients. Forty-six patients, admitted from April 1985 to June 1998, and diagnosed as being myelodysplastic syndrome according to French-American-British criteria, were selected. There were 20 males and 26 females, with median age of 61 years. Forty-six bone marrow smears and 36 trephine biopsies were reviewed. Mean survival of hypocellular cases was 64.8 months and of hyper and normocellular cases was 31.8 months. Patients with predominance of erythroid hyperplasia had mean survival of 50.8 months, greater than those with predominance of myeloid hyperplasia (20.3 months. There was no statistical difference in survival of patients with or without abnormal localization of immature precursors and with or without marrow fibrosis. Bone marrow biopsy is a useful tool for the identification of parameters that influence prognosis in myelodysplastic syndrome. Hypocellularity and erythroid hyperplasia were correlated with longer survival while myeloid hyperplasia with poorer survival.

  14. Rubella associated with hemophagocytic syndrome. First report in a male and review of the literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Makram Koubaa

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available A 22-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of fever, skin rash and epistaxis. Physical examination revealed fever (39.5°C, generalized purpura, lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly. Blood tests showed pancytopenia. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy showed hemophagocytosis with no evidence of malignant cells. Anti rubella IgM antibody were positif and the IgG titers increased from 16 to 50 UI/mL in 3 days. Therefore, he was diagnosed to have rubella-associated hemophagocytic syndrome. We report herein the first case in a man and the sixth case of rubella-associated hemophagocytic syndrome in the literature by search in Pub Med till March 2012.

  15. Hyper-X Research Vehicle - Artist Concept in Flight

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-01-01

    An artist's conception of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, or 'Hyper-X' in flight. The X-43A was developed to flight test a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only fuel. By eliminating the need to carry oxygen, future hypersonic vehicles will

  16. Murine Visceral Leishmaniasis: IgM and Polyclonal B-Cell Activation Lead to Disease Exacerbation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deak, Eszter; Jayakumar, Asha; Wing Cho, Ka; Goldsmith-Pestana, Karen; Dondji, Blaise; Lambris, John D.; McMahon-Pratt, Diane

    2010-01-01

    In visceral leishmaniasis, the draining lymph node (DLN) is the initial site for colonization and establishment of infection after intradermal transmission by the sand fly vector; however, little is known about the developing immune response within this site. Using an intradermal infection model, which allows for parasite visceralization, we have examined the ongoing immune responses in the DLN of BALB/c mice infected with L. infantum. Although not unexpected, at early times post-infection there is a marked B cell expansion in the DLN, which persists throughout infection. However, the characteristics of this response were of interest; as early as day 7 post-infection, polyclonal antibodies (TNP, OVA, chromatin) were observed and the levels appeared comparable to the specific anti-leishmania response. Although B-cell-deficient JHD BALB/c mice are relatively resistant to infection, neither B-cell-derived IL-10 nor B-cell antigen presentation appear to be primarily responsible for the elevated parasitemia. However, passive transfer and reconstitution of JHD BALB/c with secretory immunoglobulins, (IgM or IgG; specific or non-specific immune complexes) results in increased susceptibility to L. infantum infection. Further, JHD BALB/c mice transgenetically reconstituted to secrete IgM demonstrated exacerbated disease in comparison to wild type BALB/c mice as early as 2 days post-infection. Evidence suggests that complement activation (generation of C5a) and signaling via the C5aR (CD88) is related to the disease exacerbation caused by IgM rather than cytokine levels (IL-10 or IFN-γ). Overall these studies indicate that polyclonal B cell activation, which is known to be associated with human visceral leishmaniasis, is an early and intrinsic characteristic of disease and may represent a target for therapeutic intervention. PMID:20213734

  17. Structural characteristics and gasification reactivity of chars prepared from K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} mixed HyperCoals and coals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Atul Sharma; Hiroyuki Kawashima; Ikuo Saito; Toshimasa Takanohashi [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ibaraki (Japan). Advanced Fuel Group

    2009-04-15

    HyperCoal is a clean coal with mineral matter content <0.05 wt %. Oaky Creek (C = 82%), and Pasir (C = 68%) coals were subjected to solvent extraction method to prepare Oaky Creek HyperCoal, and Pasir HyperCoal. Experiments were carried out to compare the gasification reactivity of HyperCoals and parent raw coals with 20, 40, 50 and 60% K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} as a catalyst at 600, 650, 700, and 775{sup o}C with steam. Gasification rates of coals and HyperCoals were strongly influenced by the temperature and catalyst loading. Catalytic steam gasification of HyperCoal chars was found to be chemical reaction controlled in the 600-700{sup o}C temperature range for all catalyst loadings. Gasification rates of HyperCoal chars were found to be always higher than parent coals at any given temperature for all catalyst loadings. However, X-ray diffraction results showed that the microstructures of chars prepared from coals and HyperCoals were similar. Results from nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy show no significant difference between the chemical compositions of the chars. Significant differences were observed from scanning electron microscopy images, which showed that the chars from HyperCoals had coral-reef like structures whereas dense chars were observed for coals. 26 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

  18. The Value of the 123 I-MIBG Scintigraphy in Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Patients with Pepper Syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davidescu, L.; Anghel, A.; Jeandot, R.; Guyot, M.; Fernandez, P.; Farid, K.; Allard, Michele; Codorean, Ioan; Marinescu, G.; Rimbu, A.; Mititelu, R.; Ghita, S.; Mazilu, C.

    2006-01-01

    Full text: Objective: The poster highlights the importance of scintigraphy with 123 I-MIBG in the complete evaluation of a patient with Pepper syndrome. Pepper syndrome is a particular form of the metastatic neuroblastoma in stage 4S (hepatic metastasis without bone involvement) with a good prognosis, which affects mainly newborns. MIBG (metaiodobenzyl-guanidine) being an analogue of norephinephrine - is captured (active mechanism) by the neuroendocrine cells and is concentrated in the medula of the adrenal glands, sympathetic paraganglia, myocardium sympathetic nervous terminations, APUD system and in the tumours originating from these structures. Materials and Methods: EN, 3 months old, feminine sex, suspected of having 4S stage neuroblastoma (Pepper syndrome) has been evaluated by a scintigraphic examination 24 hours after intravenous injection of 80 MBq 123 I-MIBG. We used a dual-head GE gamma camera, LEUHR collimator with parallels channels for low energy, with high resolution; energy window:159 keV +/- 10%. We performed static images of the cranium (anterior, posterior and lateral view), thorax, abdomen, pelvis and limbs (anterior and posterior view). Thyroid gland was blocked with Lugol. We have repeated the scintigraphic examinations at 3, 4, 6 and 7 months after the initial exam. Results and Discussions: First examination confirmed the diagnosis of Pepper syndrome putting in evidence a hyper fixation of the radio pharmaceutic in the right abdominal side corresponding with the primitive tumour of the adrenal medula; a heterogeneous hyper fixation of the liver evoking a multi nodular secondary hepatomegaly and some hyper fixations focalized to the cranial box (frontal right), to the superior epiphysis of the left tibia and to the superior extremity of the left femur (osteomedullary invasion). The next examinations have shown an amelioration of the scintigraphic imaging of the abdominal localisations but also of the osteomedullary ones. The scintigraphy has

  19. Real-Time Simulation of Aeroheating of the Hyper-X Airplane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Les

    2005-01-01

    A capability for real-time computational simulation of aeroheating has been developed in support of the Hyper-X program, which is directed toward demonstrating the feasibility of operating an air-breathing ramjet/scramjet engine at mach 5, mach 7, and mach 10. The simulation software will serve as a valuable design tool for initial trajectory studies in which aerodynamic heating is expected to exert a major influence in the design of the Hyper-X airplane; this tool will aid in the selection of materials, sizing of structural skin thicknesses, and selection of components of a thermal-protection system (TPS) for structures that must be insulated against aeroheating.

  20. Salivary anti-PGL-1 IgM may indicate active transmission of Mycobacterium leprae among young people under 16 years of age.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macedo, Alexandre Casimiro de; Cunha, José Evandro; Yaochite, Juliana Navarro Ueda; Tavares, Clodis Maria; Nagao-Dias, Aparecida Tiemi

    Considering that the main route of Mycobacterium leprae transmission is the upper respiratory tract, detection of salivary antibodies can be a useful tool for diagnosing early infection. The study aimed to analyze salivary anti-PGL-1 IgA and IgM antibodies in 169 children aged 4-16 years old, who lived nearby or inside the house of multibacillary or paucibacillary leprosy patients in two endemic cities in Alagoas State - Brazil. Salivary anti-PGL-1 antibodies were quantified by modified ELISA method. The frequency of contact and clinical form of the index case were significantly associated with salivary antibody levels. High frequency of IgM positivity strongly suggests active transmission of M. leprae in these communities. We suggest in the present work that salivary anti-PGL IgA and IgM are important biomarkers to be used for identifying communities with probable active transmission of M. leprae. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Infectologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  1. A Case Study of Controlling Crossover in a Selection Hyper-heuristic Framework Using the Multidimensional Knapsack Problem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drake, John H; Özcan, Ender; Burke, Edmund K

    2016-01-01

    Hyper-heuristics are high-level methodologies for solving complex problems that operate on a search space of heuristics. In a selection hyper-heuristic framework, a heuristic is chosen from an existing set of low-level heuristics and applied to the current solution to produce a new solution at each point in the search. The use of crossover low-level heuristics is possible in an increasing number of general-purpose hyper-heuristic tools such as HyFlex and Hyperion. However, little work has been undertaken to assess how best to utilise it. Since a single-point search hyper-heuristic operates on a single candidate solution, and two candidate solutions are required for crossover, a mechanism is required to control the choice of the other solution. The frameworks we propose maintain a list of potential solutions for use in crossover. We investigate the use of such lists at two conceptual levels. First, crossover is controlled at the hyper-heuristic level where no problem-specific information is required. Second, it is controlled at the problem domain level where problem-specific information is used to produce good-quality solutions to use in crossover. A number of selection hyper-heuristics are compared using these frameworks over three benchmark libraries with varying properties for an NP-hard optimisation problem: the multidimensional 0-1 knapsack problem. It is shown that allowing crossover to be managed at the domain level outperforms managing crossover at the hyper-heuristic level in this problem domain.

  2. Simple dipstick assay for the detection of Salmonella typhi-specific IgM antibodies and the evolution of the immune response in patients with typhoid fever

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hatta, Mochammad; Goris, Marga G. A.; Heerkens, Evy; Gooskens, Jairo; Smits, Henk L.

    2002-01-01

    Application of a dipstick assay for the detection of Salmonella typhi-specific IgM antibodies on samples collected from S. typhi or S. paratyphi culture-positive patients at the day of admission to the hospital revealed the presence of specific IgM antibodies in 43.5%, 92.9%, and 100% for samples

  3. Pesquisa de anticorpos IgM anti-Toxoplasma gondii por meio de técnica imunoenzimática reversa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Roberto Mineo

    1986-02-01

    Full Text Available Um teste imunoenzimático reverso foi padronizado utilizando-se como fase sólida, microplacas de polivinil sensibilizadas com anticorpos anti-IgM.7 Estas foram incubadas seqüencialmente com alíquotas de soros de pacientes com suspeita de toxoplasmose aguda, antígeno solúvel de Toxoplasma gondii, conjugado peroxidase F (ab'2 anti-toxoplasma e substrato enzimático. A atividade enzimática foi determinada por leitura espectrofotométrica, considerando-se como títulos dos soros a máxima diluição fornecendo valores de absorbância maiores que os obtidos com a menor diluição do soro padrão não-reativo. Em 69 amostras de soros de pacientes com toxoplasmose aguda, a média geométrica dos títulos no teste ELISA-Reverso IgM foi superior à de todos os outros testes para anticorpos IgM, não se observando resultados negativos falsos devidos a altos títulos de IgG específica. Não foi encontrada, também, reatividade cruzada em nenhuma das 104 amostras de soros de pacientes com outras patologias, inclusive em amostras contendo fator reumatóide IgM.

  4. Variant proteins stimulate more IgM+ GC B-cells revealing a mechanism of cross-reactive recognition by antibody memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burton, Bronwen R; Tennant, Richard K; Love, John; Titball, Richard W; Wraith, David C; White, Harry N

    2018-05-01

    Vaccines induce memory B-cells that provide high affinity secondary antibody responses to identical antigens. Memory B-cells can also re-instigate affinity maturation, but how this happens against antigenic variants is poorly understood despite its potential impact on driving broadly protective immunity against pathogens such as Influenza and Dengue. We immunised mice sequentially with identical or variant Dengue-virus envelope proteins and analysed antibody and germinal-centre (GC) responses. Variant protein boosts induced GC with higher proportions of IgM+ B-cells. The most variant protein re-stimulated GCs with the highest proportion of IgM+ cells with the most diverse, least mutated V-genes and with a slower but efficient serum antibody response. Recombinant antibodies from GC B-cells showed a higher affinity for the variant antigen than antibodies from a primary response, confirming a memory origin. This reveals a new process of antibody memory, that IgM memory cells with fewer mutations participate in secondary responses to variant antigens, demonstrating how the hierarchical structure of B-cell memory is used and indicating the potential and limits of cross-reactive antibody based immunity. © 2018, Burton et al.

  5. Cocoa and cocoa fibre differentially modulate IgA and IgM production at mucosal sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massot-Cladera, Malen; Franch, Àngels; Pérez-Cano, Francisco J; Castell, Margarida

    2016-05-01

    Previous studies have shown that a 10 % cocoa (C10) diet, containing polyphenols and fibre among others, modifies intestinal and systemic Ig production. The present study aimed at evaluating the impact of C10 on IgA and IgM production in the intestinal and extra-intestinal mucosal compartments, establishing the involvement of cocoa fibre (CF) in such effects. Mechanisms by which C10 intake may affect IgA synthesis in the salivary glands were also studied. To this effect, rats were fed either a standard diet, a diet containing C10, CF or inulin. Intestinal (the gut wash (GW), Peyer's patches (PP) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN)) and extra-intestinal (salivary glands) mucosal tissues and blood samples were collected for IgA and IgM quantification. The gene expressions of IgA production- and homing-related molecules were studied in the salivary glands. The C10 diet decreased intestinal IgA and IgM production. Although the CF diet decreased the GW IgA concentration, it increased PP, MLN and serum IgA concentrations. Both the C10 and the CF diets produced a down-regulatory effect on IgA secretion in the extra-intestinal tissues. The C10 diet interacted with the mechanisms involved in IgA synthesis, whereas the CF showed particular effects on the homing and transcytosis of IgA across the salivary glands. Overall, CF was able to up-regulate IgA production in the intestinal-inductor compartments, whereas it down-regulated its production at the mucosal-effector ones. Further studies must be directed to ascertain the mechanisms involved in the effect of particular cocoa components on gut-associated lymphoid tissue.

  6. Characterization of additional rabbit IgM allotypes and the effect of suppression of a VH locus allotypes on the expression of n Cμ locus allotype

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilman-Sachs, A.; Roux, K.H.; Horing, W.J.; Dray, S.

    1982-01-01

    Anti-allotype antisera were produced that identified eight rabbit IgM allotypic specificities, n80, n81, n82, n83, n84, n85, n86, and n87. The n locus Cμ genes controlling these IgM allotypic specificities are closely linked to the a (VH subgroup) locus. The genes controlling these allotypic specificities were found to be in the heavy chain chromosomal region and were assigned to 11 haplotypes present in our rabbit colony. The n locus and a locus genes appeared in the haplotypes in six combinations: a 1 n 81 , a 2 n/sup 81,n87/, a 1 n/sup 80,83/, a 2 n/sup 80,82,87/, a 3 n/sup 81,84,85/ and a 3 n/sup 80,84,86,87/. By radioprecipitation analysis, 70 to 80% of serum IgM reacts with the antiserum directed to each n locus allotypic specificity found encoded in one haplotype; thus, each allotypic specificity of the haplotype is present on the same IgM molecule. When sera from a locus allotype-suppressed homozygous rabbits were tested for expression of each n locus allotypic specificity, n80, n81, and n87 were still expressed, whereas n82, n83, n84, n85, and n86 were not. These data provide direct evidence that some IgM specificities are expressed independently of the a locus (i.e., ''true''), and other s are dependent on the expression of an a locus specificity (i.e., conformational). The expression of the ''true'' allotypic specificities probably reflects genetic control of the germline Cμ gene, and the expression of ''conformationally dependent'' allotypic specificities probably reflects the interaction of VH and Cμ gene segments. This distinction is important and must be recognized when evaluating the genetics and structure of the IgM molecule

  7. The pyloric caeca area is a major site for IgM(+ and IgT(+ B cell recruitment in response to oral vaccination in rainbow trout.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalia A Ballesteros

    Full Text Available Although previous studies have characterized some aspects of the immune response of the teleost gut in response to diverse pathogens or stimuli, most studies have focused on the posterior segments exclusively. However, there are still many details of how teleost intestinal immunity is regulated that remain unsolved, including the location of IgM(+ and IgT(+ B cells along the digestive tract and their role during the course of a local stimulus. Thus, in the current work, we have studied the B cell response in five different segments of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss digestive tract in both naïve fish and fish orally vaccinated with an alginate-encapsulated DNA vaccine against infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV. IgM(+ and IgT(+ cells were identified all along the tract with the exception of the stomach in naïve fish. While IgM(+ cells were mostly located in the lamina propria (LP, IgT(+ cells were primarily localized as intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs. Scattered IgM(+ IELs were only detected in the pyloric caeca. In response to oral vaccination, the pyloric caeca region was the area of the digestive tract in which a major recruitment of B cells was demonstrated through both real time PCR and immunohistochemistry, observing a significant increase in the number of both IgM(+ and IgT(+ IELs. Our findings demonstrate that both IgM(+ and IgT(+ respond to oral stimulation and challenge the paradigm that teleost IELs are exclusively T cells. Unexpectedly, we have also detected B cells in the fat tissue associated to the digestive tract that respond to vaccination, suggesting that these cells surrounded by adipocytes also play a role in mucosal defense.

  8. In Vivo-Expressed Proteins of Virulent Leptospira interrogans Serovar Autumnalis N2 Elicit Strong IgM Responses of Value in Conclusive Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raja, Veerapandian; Shanmughapriya, Santhanam; Kanagavel, Murugesan; Artiushin, Sergey C; Velineni, Sridhar; Timoney, John F; Natarajaseenivasan, Kalimuthusamy

    2016-01-01

    Leptospirosis is a serious zoonosis that is underdiagnosed because of limited access to laboratory facilities in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Oceania. Timely diagnosis of locally distributed serovars of high virulence is crucial for successful care and outbreak management. Using pooled patient sera, an expression gene library of a virulent Leptospira interrogans serovar Autumnalis strain N2 isolated in South India was screened. The identified genes were characterized, and the purified recombinant proteins were used as antigens in IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) either singly or in combination. Sera (n = 118) from cases of acute leptospirosis along with sera (n = 58) from healthy subjects were tested for reactivity with the identified proteins in an ELISA designed to detect specific IgM responses. We have identified nine immunoreactive proteins, ArgC, RecA, GlpF, FliD, TrmD, RplS, RnhB, Lp28.6, and Lrr44.9, which were found to be highly conserved among pathogenic leptospires. Apparently, the proteins ArgC, RecA, GlpF, FliD, TrmD, and Lrr44.9 are expressed during natural infection of the host and undetectable in in vitro cultures. Among all the recombinant proteins used as antigens in IgM ELISA, ArgC had the highest sensitivity and specificity, 89.8% and 95.5%, respectively, for the conclusive diagnosis of leptospirosis. The use of ArgC and RecA in combination for IgM ELISA increased the sensitivity and specificity to 95.7% and 94.9%, respectively. ArgC and RecA thus elicited specific IgM responses and were therefore effective in laboratory confirmation of Leptospira infection. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  9. Optimal cutoff value of basal anti-mullerian hormone in iranian infertile women for prediction of ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome and poor response to stimulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aghssa, Malek Mansour; Tarafdari, Azam Manshadi; Tehraninejad, Ensieh Shahrokh; Ezzati, Mohammad; Bagheri, Maryam; Panahi, Zahra; Mahdavi, Saeed; Abbasi, Mehrshad

    2015-09-10

    We intended to establish the threshold of Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) for detection of Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) and poor response to treatment in Iranian infertile women. Pre-stimulation menstrual cycle day-3 hormonal indices including basal AMH values were measured in 105 infertile women aged 32.5 ± 4.3 years. Patients underwent long GnRH agonist Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation (COH) in a referral infertility center (Tehran, Iran). The gonadotropin dose was determined based on the age and basal serum Follicular Stimulating Hormone (FSH) level. The IVF/ICSI cycles were followed and the clinical and sonographic data were recorded. Sixteen cases developed OHSS. The prevalence of PCOS was higher in subjects with OHSS [62.5 % (38.8-86.2) vs. 17 % (9.2-24.9)]. The patients with OHSS had higher ovarian follicular count [23.7 (3.2) vs. 9.1 (0.5); p Basal AMH level and oocyte yields (but not age, BMI, and PCOS) correlated with occurrence of OHSS; and only the AMH levels were associated with poor ovarian response (oocytes yield ≤ 4). The optimal cutoff value for the prediction of OHSS was 6.95 ng/ml (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve: 0.86; CI: 0.78-0.95; sensitivity: 75 %; specificity: 84 %; odds ratio for occurrence of OHSS: 9 and p basal AMH level > 6.95 ng/ml are at high risk of developing OHSS and those with AMH level < 1.65 ng/ml are poor responders.

  10. Identification of several circulating microRNAs from a genome-wide circulating microRNA expression profile as potential biomarkers for impaired glucose metabolism in polycystic ovarian syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Linlin; Huang, Jia; Chen, Yaxiao; Yang, Yabo; Li, Ruiqi; Li, Yu; Chen, Xiaoli; Yang, Dongzi

    2016-07-01

    This study aimed to detect serum microRNAs (miRNAs) differentially expressed between polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients with impaired glucose metabolism (IGM), PCOS patients with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), and healthy controls. A TaqMan miRNA array explored serum miRNA profiles as a pilot study, then selected miRNAs were analyzed in a validation cohort consisting of 65 PCOS women with IGM, 65 PCOS women with NGT, and 45 healthy women The relative expression of miR-122, miR-193b, and miR-194 was up-regulated in PCOS patients compared with controls, whereas that of miR-199b-5p was down-regulated. Furthermore, miR-122, miR-193b, and miR-194 were increased in the PCOS-IGM group compared with the PCOS-NGT group. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that miR-193b and body mass index contributed independently to explain 43.7 % (P ovarian follicle development pathways, including the insulin signaling pathway, the neurotrophin signaling pathway, the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, and regulation of actin cytoskeleton. This study expands our knowledge of the serum miRNA expression profiles of PCOS patients with IGM and the predicted target signal pathways involved in disease pathophysiology.

  11. Optimum design of beam window's diameter and thickness of Hyper target system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, C. H.; Tak, N. I.; Song, T. Y.; Park, W. S.

    2002-01-01

    HYPER is designed to transmute long-lived TRU and fission products such as Tc-99 and I-129. Pb-Bi is used as the coolant and spallation target material at the same time. HYPER is expected to need about 20mA proton beam to sustain a 1000MW th power level. The cylindrical beam tube and spherical window is adopted as the basic window shape of HYPER. The window diameter and the window thickness are varied to find the maximum allowable current based on the design criteria : Pb-Bi temperature < 500 .deg. C, window temperature < 600 .deg. C, Pb-Bi velocity < 2m/s and window stress < 160MPa. The LAHET code is used to simulate heat generation. CFX is also used for the thermal-hydraulics calculation. Based on our design criteria, the maximum allowable current is calculated to be about 9.2mA, which is smaller than the required current. Therefore, an upgrade of the target system design is required

  12. Autosomal Dominant STAT3 Deficiency and Hyper-IgE Syndrome Molecular, Cellular, and Clinical Features From a French National Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandesris, Marie-Olivia; Melki, Isabelle; Natividad, Angels; Puel, Anne; Fieschi, Claire; Yun, Ling; Thumerelle, Caroline; Oksenhendler, Eric; Boutboul, David; Thomas, Caroline; Hoarau, Cyrille; Lebranchu, Yvon; Stephan, Jean-Louis; Cazorla, Celine; Aladjidi, Nathalie; Micheau, Marguerite; Tron, Fran[cedil]cois; Baruchel, Andre; Barlogis, Vincent; Palenzuela, Gilles; Mathey, Catherine; Dominique, Stephane; Body, Gerard; Munzer, Martine; Fouyssac, Fanny; Jaussaud, Rolland; Bader-Meunier, Brigitte; Mahlaoui, Nizar; Blanche, Stephane; Debre, Marianne; Le Bourgeois, Muriel; Gandemer, Virginie; Lambert, Nathalie; Grandin, Virginie; Ndaga, Stephanie; Jacques, Corinne; Harre, Chantal; Forveille, Monique; Alyanakian, Marie-Alexandra; Durandy, Anne; Bodemer, Christine; Suarez, Felipe; Hermine, Olivier; Lortholary, Olivier; Casanova, Jean-Laurent; Fischer, Alain; Picard, Capucine

    2013-01-01

    Autosomal dominant deficiency of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is the main genetic etiology of hyper-immunoglobulin (Ig) E syndrome. We documented the molecular, cellular, and clinical features of 60 patients with heterozygous STAT3 mutations from 47 kindreds followed in France. We identified 11 known and 13 new mutations of STAT3. Low levels of interleukin (IL)-6-dependent phosphorylation and nuclear translocation (or accumulation) of STAT3 were observed in Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B lymphocytes (EBV-B cells) from all STAT3-deficient patients tested. The immunologic phenotype was characterized by high serum IgE levels (96% of the patients), memory B-cell lymphopenia (94.5%), and hypereosinophilia (80%). A low proportion of IL-17A-producing circulating T cells was found in 14 of the 15 patients tested. Mucocutaneous infections were the most frequent, typically caused by Staphylococcus aureus (all patients) and Candida albicans (85%). Up to 90% of the patients had pneumonia, mostly caused by Staph. aureus (31%) or Streptococcus pneumoniae (30%). Recurrent pneumonia was associated with secondary bronchiectasis and pneumatocele (67%), as well as secondary aspergillosis (22%). Up to 92% of the patients had dermatitis and connective tissue abnormalities, with facial dysmorphism (95%), retention of decidual teeth (65%), osteopenia (50%), and hyperextensibility (50%). Four patients developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The clinical outcome was favorable, with 56 patients, including 43 adults, still alive at the end of study (mean age, 21 yr; range, 1 mo to 46 yr). Only 4 patients died, 3 from severe bacterial infection (aged 1, 15, and 29 yr, respectively). Antibiotic prophylaxis (90% of patients), antifungal prophylaxis (50%), and IgG infusions (53%) improved patient health, as demonstrated by the large decrease in pneumonia recurrence. Overall, the prognosis of STAT3 deficiency may be considered good, provided that multiple prophylactic

  13. The Use of Hyper-Reference and Conventional Dictionaries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aust, Ronald; And Others

    1993-01-01

    Describes a study of 80 undergraduate foreign language learners that compared the use of a hyper-reference source incorporating an electronic dictionary and a conventional paper dictionary. Measures of consultation frequency, study time, efficiency, and comprehension are examined; bilingual and monolingual dictionary use is compared; and further…

  14. Generation and characterisation of murine monoclonal antibodies specific for cervine immunoglobulin light chain, IgM and IgG

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hibma, M.; Griffin, J.F.T.

    1992-01-01

    Monoclonal antibodies (mAb) which react with cervine immunoglobulin (Ig) light chain, IgM and IgG were produced using conventional cell fusion technology. Hybridoma supernatants were initially screened for specificity against cervine Ig using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The specificity of supernatants against size-fractionated cervine Ig was further determined. Supernatants were characterised using western blotting and autoradiographic techniques. The mAb OU1G, OU2G and OU3G were specific for cervine gamma-chain of IgG, whereas OU1L was specific for light chain of Ig. A further mAb (OU1M) bound IgM and not IgG. These mAb were found to have varying cross-reactivity against Ig from other species

  15. Utilização, em politransfundidos, da pesquisa de anticorpos igm anti-trypanosoma cruzi e anti-toxoplasma gondii para detectar infecções pós-transfusionais recentes IgM Trypanosoma cruzi and Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in the detection of recent transfusion-transmitted infections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vicente Amato Neto

    1984-04-01

    Full Text Available Consideram os Autores que a pesquisa de anticorpos IgM no soro é tática capaz de revelar recentes infecções pós-transfusionais. Por isso, decidiram usar esse tipo de mensuração relativamente a grupo constituído por 101 politrans-fundidos, tendo abordado especificamente as aquisições de doença de Chagas e toxoplasmose. Através da investigação que realizaram, só em duas oportunidades encontraram anticorpos IgM anti-Trypanosoma cruzi ou anti-Toxoplasma gondii e, portanto, não evidenciaram expressivo panorama tradutor de processos há pouco tempo contraídos, como ainda, por meio de anticorpos IgG não identificaram números expressivos de pessoas com essas protozooses. No entanto, detectaram a expressiva taxa de 4,9% de casos de doença de Chagas muito provavelmente decorrentes da hemoterapia. A despeito da relevância não acentuada dos resultados que obtiveram, julgaram os Autores ser válido estimular a efetivação de outros estudos congêneres e correlatos, aptos a contribuir para aqui-latamento de riscos pertinentes à prática hemoterápica.The Authors have regarded serum IgM antibodies titration as useful in the detection of recent transfusion-transmitted infections. For this reason a group consisting of 101 patients, who had received many blood transfusions, underwent such mensuration in order to reveal recent Chagas'disease and toxoplasmosis acquired infections. Throughout the investigation just two cases have yielded IgM trypanosomal or toxoplasmal antibodies, showing therefore that this sort of titration did not correlate with the real existence of recent acquired infections. On the other hand IgM antibodies in the same patients did not show a considerable incidence of these two protozoan infections. However an expressive rate of 4.9% of Chagas'disease probably due to hemotherapy was found. Although the results this study were not very relevant, the Authors still have in mind that further similar investigations should be

  16. A new apparatus at hyper irradiation research facility at the Atomic Research Center, University of Tokyo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shibata, Hiromi; Iwai, Takeo; Narui, Makoto; Omata, Takao

    1996-01-01

    In the hyper irradiation research facility at the Atomic Research Center, the University of Tokyo, following apparatuses were newly installed for accelerator relating apparatus on 1995 fiscal year; 1) Hyper ion microbeam analysis apparatus, 2) Fourier conversion infrared microscopy, 3) Pico second two-dimensional fluorescence measuring apparatus, 4) Femto second wave-length reversible pulse laser radiation apparatus, and others. In addition to double irradiation, pulse beam irradiation experiment and so forth characteristic in conventional hyper irradiation research apparatus, upgrading of material irradiation experiments using these new apparatuses are intended. (G.K.)

  17. A new apparatus at hyper irradiation research facility at the Atomic Research Center, University of Tokyo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shibata, Hiromi; Iwai, Takeo; Narui, Makoto; Omata, Takao [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Research Center for Nuclear Science and Technology

    1996-12-01

    In the hyper irradiation research facility at the Atomic Research Center, the University of Tokyo, following apparatuses were newly installed for accelerator relating apparatus on 1995 fiscal year; (1) Hyper ion microbeam analysis apparatus, (2) Fourier conversion infrared microscopy, (3) Pico second two-dimensional fluorescence measuring apparatus, (4) Femto second wave-length reversible pulse laser radiation apparatus, and others. In addition to double irradiation, pulse beam irradiation experiment and so forth characteristic in conventional hyper irradiation research apparatus, upgrading of material irradiation experiments using these new apparatuses are intended. (G.K.)

  18. On Amplify-and-Forward Relaying Over Hyper-Rayleigh Fading Channels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. H. Alvi

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Relayed transmission holds promise for the next generation of wireless communication systems due to the performance gains it can provide over non-cooperative systems. Recently hyper-Rayleigh fading, which represents fading conditions more severe than Rayleigh fading, has received attention in the context of many practical communication scenarios. Though power allocation for Amplify-and-Forward (AF relaying networks has been studied in the literature, a theoretical analysis of the power allocation problem for hyper-Rayleigh fading channels is a novel contribution of this work. We develop an optimal power allocation (OPA strategy for a dual-hop AF relaying network in which the relay-destination link experiences hyper-Rayleigh fading. A new closed-form expression for the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR at destination is derived and it is shown to provide a new upper-bound on the average SNR at destination, which outperforms a previously proposed upper-bound based on the well-known harmonic-geometric mean inequality. An OPA across the source and relay nodes, subject to a sum-power constraint, is proposed and it is shown to provide measurable performance gains in average SNR and SNR outage at the destination relative to the case of equal power allocation.

  19. A design study on hyper-thermal neutron irradiation field for neutron capture therapy at Kyoto University Reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Y.; Kobayashi, T.

    2000-01-01

    A study about the installation of a hyper-thermal neutron converter to a clinical collimator was performed, as a series of the design study on a hyper-thermal neutron irradiation field at the Heavy Water Neutron Irradiation Facility of Kyoto University Reactor. From the parametric-surveys by Monte Carlo calculation, it was confirmed that the practical irradiation field of hyper-thermal neutrons would be feasible by the modifications of the clinical collimator and the bismuth-layer structure. (author)

  20. HyperAuthor : una herramienta para la creación de narrativa hipertextual

    OpenAIRE

    Espinal Cruces, Diana

    2009-01-01

    HyperAuthor consiste en una herramienta de creación de ficción hipertextual cuyo principal objetivo no consiste únicamente en facilitar al autor la escritura de esta clase de literatura, sino también en producir un tipo de hipertexto narrativo que sea capaz de adoptar las principales características de esta nueva forma de escribir sin perder aquellos importantes logros de los libros e historias tradicionales, alcanzados después de muchos siglos de mejora. HyperAuthor es, por lo tanto, una her...

  1. The study of hydrogen peroxide level under cisplatin action using genetically encoded sensor hyper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belova, A. S.; Orlova, A. G.; Maslennikova, A. V.; Brilkina, A. A.; Balalaeva, I. V.; Antonova, N. O.; Mishina, N. M.; Shakhova, N. M.; Belousov, V. V.

    2014-03-01

    The aim of the work was to study the participation of hydrogen peroxide in reaction of cervical cancer cell line HeLa Kyoto on cisplatin action. Determination of hydrogen peroxide level was performed using genetically encoded fluorescent sensor HyPer2. The dependence of cell viability on cisplatin concentration was determined using MTT assay. Mechanisms of cell death as well as HyPer2 reaction was revealed by flow cytometry after 6-hours of incubation with cisplatin in different concentrations. Cisplatin used in low concentrations had no effect on hydrogen peroxide level in HeLa Kyoto cells. Increase of HyPer2 fluorescence was detected only after exposure with cisplatin in high concentration. The reaction was not the consequence of cell death.

  2. Potential prolongation of PFS in mantle cell lymphoma after R-HyperCVAD: auto-SCT consolidation or rituximab maintenance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmadi, T; McQuade, J; Porter, D; Frey, N; Loren, A W; Goldstein, S C; Svoboda, J; Stadtmauer, E; Schuster, S J; Nasta, S D

    2012-08-01

    We retrospectively analyzed 44 patients undergoing first-line treatment for mantle cell lymphoma with R-HyperCVAD, with or without rituximab (R) maintenance or auto-SCT. The primary study end point was PFS; secondary end point was overall survival.Median follow up for all patients was 3.3 years. Median age was 54 years, and 95% (n=42) were stage III or IV at diagnosis. In all, 17 patients underwent consolidative auto-SCT and 12 patients received R maintenance. The overall response rate was 95%, with 91% achieving complete response (CR). Median PFS for all patients was 3.5 years. Median PFS was 2.3 years for patients treated with R-HyperCVAD alone vs 3.9 years (P=0.02) with R-HyperCVAD+ R maintenance and 4.5 years (P=0.01) with R-HyperCVAD+ auto-SCT. For patients who did not achieve CR at interim staging, PFS for R-HyperCVAD alone was 1.4 years vs not reached for R-HyperCVAD+ consolidation (either R maintenance or auto-SCT) (P=0.02). PFS for patients with CR at interim staging was 3.3 years vs not reached (P=0.04) after consolidation. Our data suggest potential improvement in PFS when R-HyperCVAD is consolidated with either R maintenance or auto-SCT. This benefit appears particularly significant in those patients who do not achieve CR at interim restaging.

  3. Case Report: Sjogren-Larsson Syndrome: Two Cases from One Family

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parvaneh Karim-Zadeh

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Sjogren–Larsson Syndrome (SLS is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by generalized Ichthyosis, mental retardation, spastic diplegia or tetraplegia and epilepsy. This is a rare syndrome that caused by mutation in the ALDH3A2 gene, on chromosome 17p11.2. That encodes fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase (FAIDH, an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of medium – long chain aldehydes derived from lipid metabolism. Neuroimaging (MRI shows retardation of myelination and a mild myelin deficit. Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS shows the peak of lipids that accumulate because of fatty alchohols. We report two cases that they are siblings from relative parents. The Brother is 4 years old and his sister is 3 years old. , The clinical findings are developmental delay, mental retardation, spastic Tetraplegia and refractory seizure. The most important finding in these two siblings was generalized Icthyosis. MRI showed hyper signality in white matter and MRS showed the peak of accumulated lipids that confirmed the diagnosis of "Sjogren-Larsson Syndrome".

  4. Effect of the Various Steps in the Processing of Human Milk in the Concentrations of IgA, IgM, and Lactoferrin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arroyo, Gerardo; Ortiz Barrientos, Kevin Alexander; Lange, Karla; Nave, Federico; Miss Mas, Gabriela; Lam Aguilar, Pamela; Soto Galindo, Miguel Angel

    2017-09-01

    Human milk immune components are unique and important for the development of the newborn. Milk processing at the Human Milk Banks (HMB), however, causes partial destruction of immune proteins. The objective of this study was to determine the effects that heating during the milk processing procedure at the HMB had on the concentrations of IgA, IgM, and lactoferrin at three critical points in time. Fifty milk samples (150 mL) were collected from voluntary donors at the HMB at the Hospital Nacional Pedro de Bethancourt, located in Antigua Guatemala. Samples from three critical points in time during the milk processing procedure were selected for analysis: freezing/thawing I, freezing/thawing II, and pasteurization. IgA, IgM, and lactoferrin concentrations were determined during each critical point and compared with a baseline concentration. After milk processing, IgA, IgM, and lactoferrin mean concentrations were reduced by 30.0%, 36.0%, and 70.0%, respectively (p milk processing on the immune proteins that were evaluated in this study demonstrated a significant reduction.

  5. Seroprevalence of parvovirus B19 IgG and IgM antibodies among pregnant women in Oyo State, Nigeria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abiodun, Iyanda; Opaleye, Oluyinka Oladele; Ojurongbe, Olusola; Fagbami, Ademola Hezekiah

    2013-12-15

    Human parvovirus B19 causes a wide range of complications in pregnant women including abortion, severe fetal anemia, non-immune hydrops fetalis, and even intrauterine fetal death. However, there is a dearth of information on the prevalence of the virus among pregnant women in southwestern Nigeria. Blood samples were collected from 231 pregnant women and screened for antibodies to human parvovirus B19 IgM and IgG using an enzyme immunosorbent assay kits. Of the 231 women, 31 were in their first trimester, 146 were in their second trimester, and 54 were in their third trimester. Forty-five (20%) were positive for parvovirus B19 IgG antibodies, 10 (4%) were positive for parvovirus B19 IgM antibodies, and 176 (76%) had no detectable parvovirus B19 antibodies. Twenty-eight (19%) of the 146 pregnant women in their second trimester were positive for parvovirus B19 IgG antibody while three (2%) of the 146 were positive for parvovirus B19 IgM antibody. It is evident that there is a high prevalence of human parvovirus B19 among pregnant women in south-western Nigeria. This suggests that there is an active transmission of the virus in the community; it is therefore necessary to conduct more studies on the virus in pregnant women in Nigeria to ascertain its effect on the fetus.

  6. Hyper-IL-15 suppresses metastatic and autochthonous liver cancer by promoting tumour-specific CD8+ T cell responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Liang; Du, Xuexiang; Wang, Zheng; Ju, Jianqi; Jia, Mingming; Huang, Qibin; Xing, Qiao; Xu, Meng; Tan, Yi; Liu, Mingyue; Du, Peishuang; Su, Lishan; Wang, Shengdian

    2014-12-01

    Liver cancer has a very dismal prognosis due to lack of effective therapy. Here, we studied the therapeutic effects of hyper-interleukin15 (hyper-IL-15), which is composed of IL-15 and the sushi domain of the IL-15 receptor α chain, on metastatic and autochthonous liver cancers. Liver metastatic tumour models were established by intraportally injecting syngeneic mice with murine CT26 colon carcinoma cells or B16-OVA melanoma cells. Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN). A hydrodynamics-based gene delivery method was used to achieve sustained hyper-IL-15 expression in the liver. Liver gene delivery of hyper-IL-15 robustly expanded CD8(+) T and NK cells, leading to a long-term (more than 40 days) accumulation of CD8(+) T cells in vivo, especially in the liver. Hyper-IL-15 treatment exerted remarkable therapeutic effects on well-established liver metastatic tumours and even on DEN-induced autochthonous HCC, and these effects were abolished by depletion of CD8(+) T cells but not NK cells. Hyper-IL-15 triggered IL-12 and interferon-γ production and reduced the expression of co-inhibitory molecules on dendritic cells in the liver. Adoptive transfer of T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic OT-1 cells showed that hyper-IL-15 preferentially expanded tumour-specific CD8(+) T cells and promoted their interferon-γ synthesis and cytotoxicity. Liver delivery of hyper-IL-15 provides an effective therapy against well-established metastatic and autochthonous liver cancers in mouse models by preferentially expanding tumour-specific CD8(+) T cells and promoting their anti-tumour effects. Copyright © 2014 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Characterization of excited electronic states of naphthalene by resonance Raman and hyper-Raman scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonang, C.C.; Cameron, S.M.

    1992-01-01

    The first resonance Raman and hyper-Raman scattering from naphthalene are reported. Fourth harmonic of a mode-locked Nd:YAG laser is used to resonantly excite the 1 B 1u + transition, producing Raman spectra that confirm the dominance of the vibronically active ν 28 (b 3g ) mode and the Franck--Condon active a g modes, ν 5 and ν 3 . A synchronously pumped stilbene dye laser and its second harmonic are employed as the excitation sources for hyper-Raman and Raman scattering from the overlapping 1 B 2 u + and 1 A g - states. The Raman spectra indicate that the equilibrium geometry of naphthalene is distorted primarily along ν 5 , ν 8 , and ν 7 normal coordinates upon excitation to 1 B 2 u + . The hyper-Raman spectrum shows that ν 25 (b 2u ) is the mode principally responsible for vibronic coupling between the 1 A g - and 1 B 2u + states. The results demonstrate the advantageous features of resonance hyper-Raman scattering for the case of overlapping one- and two-photon allowed transitions. Calculations based on simple molecular orbital configurations are shown to qualitatively agree with the experimental results

  8. Sequential super-stereotypy of an instinctive fixed action pattern in hyper-dopaminergic mutant mice: a model of obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette's

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Houchard Kimberly R

    2005-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Excessive sequential stereotypy of behavioral patterns (sequential super-stereotypy in Tourette's syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD is thought to involve dysfunction in nigrostriatal dopamine systems. In sequential super-stereotypy, patients become trapped in overly rigid sequential patterns of action, language, or thought. Some instinctive behavioral patterns of animals, such as the syntactic grooming chain pattern of rodents, have sufficiently complex and stereotyped serial structure to detect potential production of overly-rigid sequential patterns. A syntactic grooming chain is a fixed action pattern that serially links up to 25 grooming movements into 4 predictable phases that follow 1 syntactic rule. New mutant mouse models allow gene-based manipulation of brain function relevant to sequential patterns, but no current animal model of spontaneous OCD-like behaviors has so far been reported to exhibit sequential super-stereotypy in the sense of a whole complex serial pattern that becomes stronger and excessively rigid. Here we used a hyper-dopaminergic mutant mouse to examine whether an OCD-like behavioral sequence in animals shows sequential super-stereotypy. Knockdown mutation of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT causes extracellular dopamine levels in the neostriatum of these adult mutant mice to rise to 170% of wild-type control levels. Results We found that the serial pattern of this instinctive behavioral sequence becomes strengthened as an entire entity in hyper-dopaminergic mutants, and more resistant to interruption. Hyper-dopaminergic mutant mice have stronger and more rigid syntactic grooming chain patterns than wild-type control mice. Mutants showed sequential super-stereotypy in the sense of having more stereotyped and predictable syntactic grooming sequences, and were also more likely to resist disruption of the pattern en route, by returning after a disruption to complete the pattern from the

  9. Hyper IgE in Childhood Eczema and Risk of Asthma in Chinese Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chantel Ng

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Atopic eczema is a common childhood disease associated with high IgE and eosinophilia. We characterized the clinical features associated with hyper-IgE (defined as IgE > 2000 IU/L in eczema. Methods: Nottingham Eczema Severity Score (NESS, family and personal history of atopy, skin prick test (SPT for common food and aeroallergens, highest serum IgE ever and eosinophil counts were evaluated in 330 children eczema patients. Childhood-NESS (NESS performed at <10 years of age and adolescent-NESS (NESS performed at >10 years of age were further analyzed. Results: IgE correlated with NESS (spearman coefficient 0.35, p < 0.001 and eosinophil percentage (spearman coefficient 0.56, p = 0.001. Compared with IgE ≤ 2000IU/L (n = 167, patients with hyper-IgE (n = 163 were associated with male gender (p = 0.002; paternal atopy (p = 0.026; personal history of atopic rhinitis (p = 0.016; asthma (p < 0.001; dietary avoidance (p < 0.001; use of wet wrap (p < 0.001; traditional Chinese medicine use (TCM, p < 0.001; immunomodulant use (azathioprine or cyclosporine, p < 0.001; skin prick sensitization by dust mites (p < 0.001, cats (p = 0.012, dogs (p = 0.018, food (p = 0.002; eosinophilia (p < 0.001; more severe disease during childhood (p < 0.0001 and during adolescence (p < 0.0001, but not onset age of eczema or maternal atopy. Logistic regression showed that hyper-IgE was associated with personal history of asthma (exp(B = 5.12, p = 0.002 and eczema severity during childhood and adolescence (p < 0.001. For patients <10 years of age, dust mite sensitization (p = 0.008 was associated with hyper-IgE. For patients >10years of age, food allergen sensitization was associated with hyper-IgE (p = 0.008. Conclusions: Hyper-IgE is independently associated with asthma, more severe atopy and more severe eczema during childhood and adolescence. IgE > 2000 IU/L may be a tool to aid prognostication of this chronic relapsing dermatologic disease and its

  10. Assessment of cooling performance of a diffuse plate in HYPER target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tak, N. I.; Song, T. Y.; Park, W. S.

    2001-01-01

    Major difficulties are caused by cooling problems of the beam window of the spallation target in designing of 1000 MWth HYPER (HYbrid Power Extraction Reactor). Numerical studies to improve the cooling capability of the window are on the way. In the present work, numerical analysis has been performed to assess the cooling performance of a diffuse plate in HYPER target conditions. The fluid dynamics code CFX 4 was used for the analysis. Heat depositions in the window and the target were calculated by the LAHEAT code systems and used as input data of the CFX 4 code. The diffuse plate was modeled as a porous media having three porosities. The analysis was performed for various design parameters (the porosity, the thickness of a diffuse plate, the distance between the plate and the window). The results of CFX 4 show that ∼10 .deg. C of the reduction of the maximum window temperature, which is not enough for the HYPER design, can be obtained with a diffuse plate. Therefore, another methods such as an introduction of a bypass injection have to be considered to improve the window cooling

  11. Competitive differentiation through brand extensions in the era of hyper competition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudiu-Catalin Munteanu

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available In the era of hyper competition, competitive differentiation has become increasingly important. Brand extensions are used by companies across various industries for competitive differentiation. But in the era of hyper competition, a successful differentiation strategy requires that a brand emphasizes on uniqueness rather than commoditization. In this article, we make a case for creating a meaningful differentiation strategy. We emphasize the role of brand extensions for competitive differentiation and highlight the main perils of using brand extensions as a primary differentiation strategy. By using qualitative research, we identify primary objectives for brand extensions in practice. This investigation uses in-depth interviews with 14 senior brand managers across various industries to highlight brand portfolio strategies in relation to the brand differentiation strategy. Findings reveal that for business at the base of the pyramid, in markets such as Romania, brand managers are using brand extensions to increase sales or to boost short-term revenue rather than to implement a coherent differentiation strategy. We conclude with multiple recommendations for improving brand extension usage as a strategic instrument for creating meaningful differentiation in the era of hyper competition.

  12. To tune or not to tune : recommending when to adjust SVM hyper-parameters via Meta-learning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gomes Mantovani, R.; Rossi, A.L.D.; Vanschoren, J.; Bischl, B.; Carvalho, A.C.P.L.F.

    2015-01-01

    Many classification algorithms, such as Neural Networks and Support Vector Machines, have a range of hyper-parameters that may strongly affect the predictive performance of the models induced by them. Hence, it is recommended to define the values of these hyper-parameters using optimization

  13. Polynomial Chaos Acceleration for the Bayesian Inference of Random Fields with Gaussian Priors and Uncertain Covariance Hyper-Parameters

    KAUST Repository

    Le Maitre, Olivier

    2015-01-07

    We address model dimensionality reduction in the Bayesian inference of Gaussian fields, considering prior covariance function with unknown hyper-parameters. The Karhunen-Loeve (KL) expansion of a prior Gaussian process is traditionally derived assuming fixed covariance function with pre-assigned hyperparameter values. Thus, the modes strengths of the Karhunen-Loeve expansion inferred using available observations, as well as the resulting inferred process, dependent on the pre-assigned values for the covariance hyper-parameters. Here, we seek to infer the process and its the covariance hyper-parameters in a single Bayesian inference. To this end, the uncertainty in the hyper-parameters is treated by means of a coordinate transformation, leading to a KL-type expansion on a fixed reference basis of spatial modes, but with random coordinates conditioned on the hyper-parameters. A Polynomial Chaos (PC) expansion of the model prediction is also introduced to accelerate the Bayesian inference and the sampling of the posterior distribution with MCMC method. The PC expansion of the model prediction also rely on a coordinates transformation, enabling us to avoid expanding the dependence of the prediction with respect to the covariance hyper-parameters. We demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method on a transient diffusion equation by inferring spatially-varying log-diffusivity fields from noisy data.

  14. Clinical impact of SPECT-CT in the diagnosis and surgical management of hyper-parathyroidism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tokmak, Handan; Demirkol, Mehmet Onur; Alagöl, Faruk; Tezelman, Serdar; Terzioglu, Tarik

    2014-01-01

    Hyper-functioning parathyroid glands with autonomous overproduction of PTH is the most frequent cause of hypercalcemia in outpatient populations with primary hyper-parathyroidism. It is generally caused by a solitary adenoma in 80%-90% of patients. Despite the various methodologies that are available for preoperative localization of parathyroid lesions, there is still no certain preoperative imaging algorithm to guide a surgical approach prior to the management of primary hyper-parathyroidism (P-HPT). Minimally invasive surgery has replaced the traditional bilateral neck exploration (BNE) as the initial approach in parathyroidectomy at many referral hospitals worldwide. In our study, we investigated diagnostic contributions of SPECT-CT combined with conventional planar scintigraphy in the detection of hyper-functioning parathyroid gland localization, since planar imaging has limitations. We also evaluated the efficacy of preoperative USG in adding to initial diagnostic imaging algorithms to localize a parathyroid adenoma. A total of 256 consecutive surgically naive patients with hyper-parathyroidism diagnosis were included in the following preoperative localization study. The study consisted of 256 consecutive patients with HPT, with a selected 154 patients who had neck surgery with definitive histology reports. All patients had 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) double-phase scintigraphy. The SPECT-CT procedure, combined with standard 99mTc-MIBI planar parathyroid scintigraphy with a pinhole and parallel-hole collimator to evaluate whether the SPECT-CT procedure was able to provide additional information in the localization of the pathology, caused hyper-parathyroidism in both P-HPT and S-HPT. In the 154 P-HPT patients, 168 lesions (142 adenomas including 2 intrathyroidal and 2 double adenoma, 2 carcinoma, and 22 hyperplastic glands (four patients had MEN I, each with four hyperplastic glands)), were found at surgery. SPECT-CT detected more lesions than

  15. A genetic algorithm selection perturbative hyper-heuristic for solving ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Table 1: A summary of the characteristics of the artificial school timetabling problems. ..... One of the disadvantages of hyper-heuristics is the higher runtimes as a result .... 455–464 in AI 2002: Advances in Artificial Intelligence, Springer Berlin ...

  16. Detecting settlement expansion using hyper-temporal SAR time-series

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Kleynhans, W

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The detection of new informal settlements in South Africa using time-series data derived from coarse resolution satellite imagery has recently been an active area of research. Most of the previous methods presented using hyper-temporal satellite...

  17. Planarian regeneration under micro- and hyper-gravity simulated contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Auletta, Gennaro; Van Loon, ing.. Jack J. W. A.; Adell, Teresa; Salo, Emili

    Planarians are non-parasitic flatworms of the Turbellaria class, some of which show the striking ability to regenerate any part of their body, even the head, in few days. Planarians are common to many parts of the world, living in both saltwater and freshwater, as well as in terrestrial areas. Due to their plasticity Planarians have been a classical model for the study of the mechanisms of regeneration. Currently, their cheap and easy maintenance, as well as the establishment of robust genetic tools, have converted them into an essential system in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine. The aim of our project is to study the effect that micro- and hyper- gravity could exert during the process of planarians regeneration. The reason for planarians extreme regenerative capability is the maintenance until adulthood of a population of totipotent stem cells as well as the continuous activation of the cell-cell communication molecular pathways. Our prediction is that the alteration of the forces could affect planarians regeneration at different levels: 1) To regenerate, planarians must activate both proliferative and apoptotic responses, in order to create new tissue and to remodel the pre-existing one, respectively. Both cellular processes have been reported to be altered in several models under differential gravitational forces; 2) In planarians, the main intercellular signalling pathways (Wnt, TGFb, BMP, Hh, EGF) must control the process of differentiation and determination of each cell. For instances, it has been demonstrated that the differential activity of the wnt/beta-catenin pathway specifies the posterior (tail) versus the anterior (head) identity. Those pathways rely on the distance that secreted molecules (morphogens) are able to reach. Either this mechanism consist in a passive diffusion or an active transport through phyllopodia, it could sense the magnitude of the gravitational force; 3) The epidermis of planarians is covered by cilia, which beat

  18. Haemoglobin-mediated response to hyper-thermal stress in the keystone species Daphnia magna.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuenca Cambronero, Maria; Zeis, Bettina; Orsini, Luisa

    2018-01-01

    Anthropogenic global warming has become a major geological and environmental force driving drastic changes in natural ecosystems. Due to the high thermal conductivity of water and the effects of temperature on metabolic processes, freshwater ecosystems are among the most impacted by these changes. The ability to tolerate changes in temperature may determine species long-term survival and fitness. Therefore, it is critical to identify coping mechanisms to thermal and hyper-thermal stress in aquatic organisms. A central regulatory element compensating for changes in oxygen supply and ambient temperature is the respiratory protein haemoglobin (Hb). Here, we quantify Hb plastic and evolutionary response in Daphnia magna subpopulations resurrected from the sedimentary archive of a lake with known history of increase in average temperature and recurrence of heat waves. By measuring constitutive changes in crude Hb protein content among subpopulations, we assessed evolution of the Hb gene family in response to temperature increase. To quantify the contribution of plasticity in the response of this gene family to hyper-thermal stress, we quantified changes in Hb content in all subpopulations under hyper-thermal stress as compared to nonstressful temperature. Further, we tested competitive abilities of genotypes as a function of their Hb content, constitutive and induced. We found that Hb-rich genotypes have superior competitive abilities as compared to Hb-poor genotypes under hyper-thermal stress after a period of acclimation. These findings suggest that whereas long-term adjustment to higher occurrence of heat waves may require a combination of plasticity and genetic adaptation, plasticity is most likely the coping mechanism to hyper-thermal stress in the short term. Our study suggests that with higher occurrence of heat waves, Hb-rich genotypes may be favoured with potential long-term impact on population genetic diversity.

  19. Thermal hydraulic analysis of Pb-Bi cooled HYPER fuel assemblies using SLTHEN code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tak, Nam Il; Song, Tae Y.; Park, Won S.; Kim, Chang Hyun

    2002-12-01

    In the present work, the existing SLTHEN code, which had been originally developed for subchannel analysis of sodium cooled fast reactors, was modified and applied to the Pb-Bi cooled HYPER core which consists of 237 fuel assemblies (TRU assemblies). In the analysis of single fuel assembly having chopped cosine power profile, the validation and the assessment of usefulness of the modified SLTHEN were focused. In the quantitative comparison, the results of the modified SLTHEN agreed well with those of analytical calculations and of MATRA. For the qualitative approaches, the sensitivity calculations for intra-assembly gap flow and turbulent mixing parameter were used. The sensitivity analysis results showed that the modified SLTHEN can provide reasonable simulations of subchannel thermal hydraulics. In particular, turbulent mixing parameter which is known as the most uncertain parameter in subchannel analyses did not affect largely the maximum cladding temperature. Therefore, it can be said that the results of single assembly show the usefulness of the modified SLTHEN code for thermal hydraulic analysis and design of HYPER under the conceptual design stage. In order to assess intra-assembly heat transfer, subchannel analyses were implemented for two types of 7 assemblies; 1) artificial 7 fuel assemblies to maximize intra-assembly heat transfer, 2) central 7 fuel assemblies in the HYPER reference core. The results showed that the modified SLTHEN can reasonably simulate intra-heat transfer and the amount of intra-assembly heat transfer is not so large in HYPER conditions. Particularly, intra-heat transfer did not affect the maximum coolant and the maximum cladding temperatures which are major parameters in conceptual core designs. The capability of full core thermal hydraulic analysis was confirmed by the analysis of 45 fuel assemblies in 1/6 HYPER core at the first cycle. The SLTHEN predicted that the reference design parameters are acceptable in terms of thermal

  20. Hyper-attenuating nodules on CT during arterial portography (CTAP). Analysis using single-level dynamic CTAP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nasu, Akihiro; Kita, Ryuichi; Sakamoto, Yasuaki

    2007-01-01

    Recently several cases of hyper-attenuating nodules on CT during arterial portography (CTAP) have been reported as the chance of meticulous examination has been increasing. For the study reported here, seven cases of hyper-attenuating nodules on CTAP were analyzed by means of single-level dynamic CTAP (sCTAP). Peak values of the time-density curve from the 7 cases were 110, 106, 71, 75, 65, 45, 246 Hounsfield unit (HU) for the ROIs (regions of interest) placed on the nodule, and 63, 73, 41, 35, 20, 28, 22 HU for those placed on the surrounding liver parenchyma, respectively. Average peak value in another set of 46 cases as a control, including chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and normal liver, was 55.3±17.6 HU. These results seem to indicate that portal flow shows an absolute increase in some cases of hyper-attenuating nodules on CTAP and that a decreased portal flow in the surrounding parencyma may cause the visual effect of hyper-attenuation on CTAP in some cases. (author)

  1. q-deformed charged fermion coherent states and SU(3) charged, Hyper-charged fermion coherent states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hao Sanru; Li Guanghua; Long Junyan

    1994-01-01

    By virtue of the algebra of the q-deformed fermion oscillators, the q-deformed charged fermion coherent states and SU(3) charged, hyper-charged fermion coherent states are discussed. The explicit forms of the two kinds of coherent states mentioned above are obtained by making use of the completeness of base vectors in the q-fermion Fock space. By comparing the q-deformed results with the ordinary results, it is found that the q-deformed charged fermion coherent states and SU(3) charged, hyper-charged fermion coherent states are automatically reduced to the ordinary charged fermion coherent states and SU(3) charged hyper-charged fermion coherent states if the deformed parameter q→1

  2. Effectiveness of modified hyper-CVAD chemotherapy regimen in the treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a retrospective experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jalaeikhoo, Hasan; Rajaeinejad, Mohsen; Keyhani, Manoutchehr; Zokaasadi, Mohammad; Dehghani Firoozabadi, Mohammad Mehdi

    2018-03-01

    Several chemotherapy regimens have been developed for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but relapse still presents the most common obstacles to attaining long-term survival. The hyper-CVAD (hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and prednisolone)/HD MTX and Ara-C (high-dose methotrexate and cytarabine) chemotherapy regimen was first started in the MD Anderson Cancer Center as an intensive regimen for adult patients with ALL. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a modified hyper-CVAD protocol. We used hyper-CVAD as consolidation/maintenance after remission induction with daunorubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (and cyclophosphamide for T-cell ALL only) rather than standard hyper-CVAD in order to reduce treatment complications. This study was conducted as a retrospective review of medical records of ALL patients at 501 army hospital, Tehran, Iran, from 2005 to 2015. Three hundred and one patients underwent modified hyper-CVAD chemotherapy regimen. Complete remission and overall survival (OS) rates were measured as primary endpoints. Two hundred and forty-six (81.7%) reached complete remission (CR) during the first 6 months of treatment, and 55 patients (18.3%) did not reach CR. The 5-year OS rate was 51.8% (95% CI (confidence interval): 45.1-57.8%). Modified hyper-CVAD regimen is an efficient intensive chemotherapy regimen for consolidation/maintenance of adults with newly diagnosed ALL and has an acceptable 5-year overall that is comparable to standard hyper-CVAD regimen. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. A monoclonal antibody distinguishes between two IgM heavy chain isotypes in Atlantic salmon and brown trout: protein characterization, 3D modeling and epitope mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamil, Atif; Falk, Knut; Sharma, Animesh; Raae, Arnt; Berven, Frode; Koppang, Erling Olaf; Hordvik, Ivar

    2011-09-01

    Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) possess two distinct subpopulations of IgM which can be separated by anion exchange chromatography. Accordingly, there are two isotypic μ genes in these species, related to ancestral tetraploidy. In the present work it was verified by mass spectrometry that IgM of peak 1 (subpopulation 1) have heavy chains previously designated as μB type whereas IgM of peak 2 (subpopulation 2) have heavy chains of μA type. Two adjacent cysteine residues are present near the C-terminal part of μB, in contrast to one cysteine residue in μA. Salmon IgM of both peak 1 and peak 2 contain light chains of the two most common isotypes: IgL1 and IgL3. In contrast to salmon and brown trout, IgM of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is eluted in a single peak when subjected to anion exchange chromatography. Surprisingly, a monoclonal antibody MAb4C10 against rainbow trout IgM, reacted with μA in salmon, whereas in brown trout it reacted with μB. It is plausible to assume that DNA has been exchanged between the paralogous A and B loci during evolution while maintaining the two sub-variants, with and without the extra cysteine. MAb4C10 was conjugated to magnetic beads and used to separate cells, demonstrating that μ transcripts residing from captured cells were primarily of A type in salmon and B type in brown trout. An analysis of amino acid substitutions in μA and μB of salmon and brown trout indicated that the third constant domain is essential for MAb4C10 binding. This was supported by 3D modeling and was finally verified by studies of MAb4C10 reactivity with a series of recombinant μ3 constructs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Body Mass Changes Associated With Hyper-Gravity are Independent of Adrenal Derived Hormones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wade, Charles E.; Moran, Megan M.; Wang, Tommy J.; Baer, Lisa A.; Yuan, Fang; Fung, Cyra K.; Stein, T. Peter; Dalton, Bonnie P. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    Exposure to hyper-gravity results in a number of metabolic changes associated with increases in catecholamines and corticosterone. These changes result in a loss of body and fat mass. To assess the role of hormones derived from the adrenal gland in the changes we studied sham operated (SO) and adrenalectomized (ADX) male rats exposed to hyper-gravity of 2 G for 14 days. Control groups at 1 G were also studied. Urinary epinephrine (EPI) and corticosterone (CORT) were reduced in ADX animals. In response to 2 G there was an increase in urinary EPI and CORT in SO rats, while levels were unchanged in ADX animals. Both groups of animals had similar increases in urinary norepinephrine levels. The reductions of body mass gain in response to 2 G were the same in both groups. The decrease in relative fat mass was greater in ADX. Energy intake and expenditure were not different between groups. In response of returning to 1 G for 24 hours and reexposure to hyper-gravity there were no differences between SO and ADX in the changes of food and water intake, body mass or activity. The changes in metabolism with exposure to hyper-gravity do not appear to require hormones derived from the adrenal gland. The increase in lypolysis and alterations body and fat mass appear to be modulated by sympathetically derived norepinehrine.

  5. [Would the Screening of Common Mental Disorders in Primary-Care Health Services Hyper-Frequent Patients Be Useful?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rincón-Hoyos, Hernán G; López, Mérida R Rodríguez; Ruiz, Ana María Villa; Hernández, Carlos Augusto; Ramos, Martha Lucía

    2012-12-01

    Hyper-frequentation in health services is a problem for patients, their families and the institutions. This study is aimed at determining the frequency and characteristics of common mental disorders in hyper-frequent patients showing vague symptoms and signs at a primary healthcare service during the year 2007 in the city of Cali (Colombia). Cross sectional. The most frequent mental disorders in hyper-frequent patients were detected through a telephone interview which included several modules of the PRIME MD instrument. In general, healthcare service hyper-frequenters are working women, 38,7-year old in average. Basically, the consultation is due to cephalalgia but they also exhibit a high prevalence of common mental disorders (somatization, depression and anxiety) not easily diagnosed by physicians in primary care. Expenses for additional health activities generated by these patients are attributed basically to medical consultation and required procedures. Considering hyper-frequenters in health care services as a risk group in terms of common mental disorders involves screening as an efficient strategy to prevent abuse in service use and to improve satisfaction with the attention received. Copyright © 2012 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  6. Production of (anti-)(hyper-)nuclei at LHC energies with ALICE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puccio, Maximiliano

    2018-02-01

    The ALICE experiment at the LHC has measured a variety of (anti-)(hyper-)nuclei produced in Pb-Pb collisions at = 5.02 TeV and at 2.76 TeV. In addition, a large sample of high quality data was collected in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV and 13 TeV and in p-Pb collisions at = 5.02 TeV. These data are used to study the production of different (anti-)(hyper-)nuclei in the collisions, namely (anti-)deuteron, (anti-)3He, (anti-)alpha and (anti-)3ΛH. The identification of these (anti-)(hyper-)nuclei is based on the energy loss measurement in the Time Projection Chamber and the velocity measurement in the Time-Of-Flight detector. In addition, the Inner Tracking System is used to distinguish secondary vertices originating from weak decays from the primary vertex. New results on deuteron production as a function of multiplicity in pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions will be presented, as well as the measurement of 3He in p-Pb and Pb- Pb collisions. Special emphasis will be given to the new results of the (anti-)3ΛH in its charged-two-body decay mode. The large variety of measurements at different energies and system sizes constrains the production models of light flavour baryon clusters, in particular those based on coalescence and the statistical hadronisation approaches.

  7. Characterization of Orbital Debris via Hyper-Velocity Ground-Based Tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowardin, Heather

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of the DebriSat project is to replicate a hyper-velocity fragmentation event using modern-day spacecraft materials and construction techniques to better improve the existing DoDand NASA breakup models.

  8. Generation and characterization of antibodies against Asian elephant (Elephas maximus IgG, IgM, and IgA.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alan F Humphreys

    Full Text Available Asian elephant (Elephas maximus immunity is poorly characterized and understood. This gap in knowledge is particularly concerning as Asian elephants are an endangered species threatened by a newly discovered herpesvirus known as elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV, which is the leading cause of death for captive Asian elephants born after 1980 in North America. While reliable diagnostic assays have been developed to detect EEHV DNA, serological assays to evaluate elephant anti-EEHV antibody responses are lacking and will be needed for surveillance and epidemiological studies and also for evaluating potential treatments or vaccines against lethal EEHV infection. Previous studies have shown that Asian elephants produce IgG in serum, but they failed to detect IgM and IgA, further hampering development of informative serological assays for this species. To begin to address this issue, we determined the constant region genomic sequence of Asian elephant IgM and obtained some limited protein sequence information for putative serum IgA. The information was used to generate or identify specific commercial antisera reactive against IgM and IgA isotypes. In addition, we generated a monoclonal antibody against Asian elephant IgG. These three reagents were used to demonstrate that all three immunoglobulin isotypes are found in Asian elephant serum and milk and to detect antibody responses following tetanus toxoid booster vaccination or antibodies against a putative EEHV structural protein. The results indicate that these new reagents will be useful for developing sensitive and specific assays to detect and characterize elephant antibody responses for any pathogen or vaccine, including EEHV.

  9. HLA-DQBl*0402 alleles polymorphisms detected in Javanese HIV patients with positive anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sari, Yulia; Haryati, Sri; Prasetyo, Afiono Agung; Hartono, Adnan, Zainal Arifin

    2017-02-01

    The human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQB1 gene polymorphisms may associated with the infection risk of Toxoplasma gondii in HIV patients. The HLA-DQB1*0402 in HIV-1-positive patients could be considered risk factors for developing neurological opportunistic infections, mainly Toxoplasma encephalitis. However, the HLA-DQB1*0402 gene polymorphisms status in the Javanese HIV patients is unknown. This study evaluated the prevalence of HLA-DQB*0402 alleles polymorphisms in Javanese HIV patients with positive anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM status. Since 2009 our research group performing a molecular epidemiology of blood borne viruses in Central Java Indonesia, by collecting the epidemiological and clinical data from the high risk communities. All blood samples were screened for blood borne pathogens by serological and molecular assays including for HIV and Toxoplasma gondii. The genomic DNA was isolated from the whole blood samples. Genetic polymorphisms of HLA-DQB1*0402 alleles were detected with polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSPs) technique. The genotypes were defined according to generated fragment patterns in the agarose gel electrophoresis analysis of PCR products. All of the samples were tested at least in duplicate. HLA-DQB1*0402 alleles were detected in 20.8% (16/77) patients and not detected in all HIV positive samples with negative anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM status (n= 200). The HLA-DQB1*0402 alleles polymorphisms were detected in Javanese HIV patients with positive anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM. The polymorphisms found may have association with the infection risk of Toxoplasma gondii in HIV patients.

  10. Youth and Schools' Practices in Hyper-Diverse Contexts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malsbary, Christine Brigid

    2016-01-01

    The article presents findings from a multisited ethnography in two public high schools in Los Angeles and New York City. Schools were chosen for their hyper-diverse student populations. Students came from over 40 countries, speaking 20 languages in one school and 33 languages in another. Results of analysis found that despite contrasting missions,…

  11. Bayesian `hyper-parameters' approach to joint estimation: the Hubble constant from CMB measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lahav, O.; Bridle, S. L.; Hobson, M. P.; Lasenby, A. N.; Sodré, L.

    2000-07-01

    Recently several studies have jointly analysed data from different cosmological probes with the motivation of estimating cosmological parameters. Here we generalize this procedure to allow freedom in the relative weights of various probes. This is done by including in the joint χ2 function a set of `hyper-parameters', which are dealt with using Bayesian considerations. The resulting algorithm, which assumes uniform priors on the log of the hyper-parameters, is very simple: instead of minimizing \\sum \\chi_j2 (where \\chi_j2 is per data set j) we propose to minimize \\sum Nj (\\chi_j2) (where Nj is the number of data points per data set j). We illustrate the method by estimating the Hubble constant H0 from different sets of recent cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments (including Saskatoon, Python V, MSAM1, TOCO and Boomerang). The approach can be generalized for combinations of cosmic probes, and for other priors on the hyper-parameters.

  12. Partonic transverse momenta in non-relativistic hyper-central quark potential models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diakonos, F.K.; Kaplis, N.K.; Maintas, X.N.

    2009-01-01

    We investigate the impact of three-body forces on the transverse-momentum distribution of partons inside the proton. This is achieved by considering the three-body problem in a class of hyper-central quark potential models. Solving the corresponding Schroedinger equation, we determine the quark wave function in the proton and with appropriate transformations and projections we find the transverse-momentum distribution of a single quark. In each case the parameters of the quark potentials are adjusted in order to sufficiently describe observable properties of the proton. Using a factorization ansatz, we incorporate the obtained transverse-momentum distribution in a perturbative QCD scheme for the calculation of the cross-section for prompt photon production in pp collisions. A large set of experimental data is fitted using as a single free parameter the mean partonic transverse momentum. The dependence of left angle k T right angle on the collision characteristics (initial energy and transverse momentum of the final photon) is much smoother when compared with similar results found in the literature using a Gaussian distribution for the partonic transverse momenta. Within the considered class of hyper-central quark potentials the one with the weaker dependence on the hyper-radius is preferred for the description of the data since it leads to the smoothest mean partonic transverse-momentum profile. We have repeated all the calculations using a two-body potential of the same form as the optimal (within the considered class) hyper-central potential in order to check if the presence of three-body forces is supported by the experimental data. Our analysis indicates that three-body forces influence significantly the form of the parton transverse-momentum distribution and consequently lead to an improved description of the considered data. (orig.)

  13. Hyper-dry conditions provide new insights into the cause of extreme floods after wildfire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moody, John A.; Ebel, Brian A.

    2012-01-01

    A catastrophic wildfire in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Boulder, Colorado provided a unique opportunity to investigate soil conditions immediately after a wildfire and before alteration by rainfall. Measurements of near-surface (θ; and matric suction, ψ), rainfall, and wind velocity were started 8 days after the wildfire began. These measurements established that hyper-dryconditions (θ 3 cm-3; ψ > ~ 3 x 105 cm) existed and provided an in-situ retention curve for these conditions. These conditions exacerbate the effects of water repellency (natural and fire-induced) and limit the effectiveness of capillarity and gravity driven infiltration into fire-affected soils. The important consequence is that given hyper-dryconditions, the critical rewetting process before the first rain is restricted to the diffusion–adsorption of water-vapor. This process typically has a time scale of days to weeks (especially when the hydrologic effects of the ash layer are included) that is longer than the typical time scale (minutes to hours) of some rainstorms, such that under hyper-dryconditions essentially no rain infiltrates. The existence of hyper-dryconditions provides insight into why, frequently during the first rain storm after a wildfire, nearly all rainfall becomes runoff causing extremefloods and debris flows.

  14. Evaluation of the Standard Diagnostics Leptospira IgM ELISA for diagnosis of acute leptospirosis in Lao PDR

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tanganuchitcharnchai, Ampai; Smythe, Lee; Dohnt, Michael; Hartskeerl, Rudy; Vongsouvath, Manivanh; Davong, Viengmone; Lattana, Olay; Newton, Paul N.; Blacksell, Stuart D.

    2012-01-01

    The diagnostic utility of the Standard Diagnostics Leptospira IgM ELISA for detection of acute leptospirosis was assessed in febrile adults admitted in Vientiane, Laos. Using the cut-off suggested by the manufacturer [optical density (OD) >= 0.75], the assay demonstrated limited diagnostic capacity

  15. Evaluation of the clinical relevance of anti-annexin-A5 antibodies in Chinese patients with antiphospholipid syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shulan; Wu, Ziyan; Li, Jing; Wen, Xiaoting; Li, Liubing; Zhang, Wen; Zhao, Jiuliang; Zhang, Fengchun; Li, Yongzhe

    2017-02-01

    A hallmark feature of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs). Few studies have addressed the clinical relevance of anti-annexin A5 antibodies (aANXA5) in Chinese patients with APS. In this study, we evaluated the clinical performance of aANXA5 in the diagnosis of APS. Sera from 313 subjects were tested, including 170 samples from patients with APS, 104 samples from patients with non-APS diseases as disease controls (DC), and 39 healthy controls (HC). Serum IgG and IgM aANXA5 were determined by ELISA. Overall, the levels of both IgG and IgM aANXA5 were significantly increased in patients with primary APS (PAPS) and APS associated to other diseases (APSAOD) compared with DC and HC. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for IgG and IgM aANXA5 in the diagnosis of APS were 33.5 and 15.3, 99.0 and 99.0, 98.3 and 96.3, and 47.7 and 41.7%, respectively. Significant associations between IgG aANXA5 and arterial thrombotic events (OR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.44-4.71) and between IgG aANXA5 and venous thrombotic events (OR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.55-5.06) were identified. No correlations were identified between IgG or IgM aANXA5 and obstetric complications. Our data suggest that aANXA5 could serve as a diagnosis biomarker for patients with APS. More importantly, our data highlighted a potential role of IgG aANXA5 in identifying APS patients with high risk of thrombosis.

  16. Hyper-Binding across Time: Age Differences in the Effect of Temporal Proximity on Paired-Associate Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Karen L.; Trelle, Alexandra; Hasher, Lynn

    2014-01-01

    Older adults show hyper- (or excessive) binding effects for simultaneously and sequentially presented distraction. Here, we addressed the potential role of hyper-binding in paired-associate learning. Older and younger adults learned a list of word pairs and then received an associative recognition task in which rearranged pairs were formed from…

  17. The hyper-enrichment of V and Zn in black shales of the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken Formation (USA)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Clinton T.; Slack, John F.; Kelley, Karen Duttweiler

    2017-01-01

    Black shales of the Late Devonian to Early Mississippian Bakken Formation are characterized by high concentrations of organic carbon and the hyper-enrichment (> 500 to 1000s of mg/kg) of V and Zn. Deposition of black shales resulted from shallow seafloor depths that promoted rapid development of euxinic conditions. Vanadium hyper-enrichments, which are unknown in modern environments, are likely the result of very high levels of dissolved H2S (~ 10 mM) in bottom waters or sediments. Because modern hyper-enrichments of Zn are documented only in Framvaren Fjord (Norway), it is likely that the biogeochemical trigger responsible for Zn hyper-enrichment in Framvaren Fjord was also present in the Bakken basin. With Framvaren Fjord as an analogue, we propose a causal link between the activity of phototrophic sulfide oxidizing bacteria, related to the development of photic-zone euxinia, and the hyper-enrichment of Zn in black shales of the Bakken Formation.

  18. Duration of secretory IgM and IgA antibodies to respiratory syncytial virus in a community study in Guinea-Bissau

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stensballe, L G; Kofoed, P E; Nante, E J

    2000-01-01

    phase of infection. A secondary response may be more likely in children with low IgM responses in the acute phase (RR = 2.08 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.92-4.70)). The IgA response was highest on days 28 and 42 after antigen detection, 72% having a detectable IgA response within the first 1.5 mo...... of these children had a simultaneous IgM-positive response. When 29 of the children were tested after an epidemic when they were 1-3-y-old, >80% again had high IgM (24/29, 82%) and IgA (28/29, 94%) levels. Among samples collected over a 1-y period from infants with LRI in a community morbidity surveillance...

  19. Trends in the patterns of IgM and IgG antibodies in febrile persons with suspected dengue in Barbados, an English-speaking Caribbean country, 2006–2013

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alok Kumar

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Summary: Long-term seroprevalence studies of dengue have provided a measure of the degree of endemicity and future trends in disease prevalence and severity. In this study, we describe the seroprevalence of dengue antibodies in febrile persons with suspected acute dengue in Barbados. It is a retrospective population-based study of all febrile persons with suspected dengue from 2006 to 2013. All of the cases had IgM and IgG antibodies in the blood sample drawn between days 3 and 5 of their illness. Among the 8296 cases that were tested for IgM antibodies, 3037 (36.6% had recent dengue infection. In the age groups 20 years, 23.3%, 39.6% and 35.5% had acute infection, respectively. Of the 7227 cases with documented IgG results, 5473 (75.7% were positive and had a past infection. In the age groups 20 years, 31.2%, 65.2% and 86.6%, respectively, had a past infection (IgG positive. During the first 5 years of life, 10–20% of febrile persons investigated for dengue had a positive IgM and a negative IgG titer, between 5 and 10% had a positive IgM and IgG titer, 5% had a positive IgG and a negative IgM titer, and between 45% and 65% had a negative IgM and a negative IgG titer. Throughout the study period, between 12% and 20% of febrile persons failed to show any evidence of current or previous dengue. In the age groups 20 years, 45.0%, 18.8% and 7.2%, respectively, had no evidence of recent or past dengue (both IgM and IgG negative. Between 37% and 59% of the febrile persons had serological evidence of past dengue in the absence of any current dengue. In conclusion, the pattern of IgG antibodies in this study was comparable to those in countries known to be hyperendemic for dengue. The age of infection is likely to shift to younger adults and children who are more likely to have severe dengue in the future. Keywords: Dengue, Seroprevalence, Febrile, Caribbean

  20. Circadian type, chronic fatigue, and serum IgM in the shift workers of an industrial organization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahnaz Khaleghipour

    2015-01-01

    Conclusion: The results showed that the shift workers with morningness and languidness experienced more problems during the working hours due to more tiredness,and had decreased serum concentration of IgM. Correct management of shift work may attenuate fatigue in workers and also improve many health issues experienced by the shift workers.

  1. Heterotic Hyper-Kähler flux backgrounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halmagyi, Nick; Israël, Dan; Sarkis, Matthieu; Svanes, Eirik Eik

    2017-08-01

    We study Heterotic supergravity on Hyper-Kähler manifolds in the presence of non-trivial warping and three form flux with Abelian bundles in the large charge limit. We find exact, regular solutions for multi-centered Gibbons-Hawking spaces and Atiyah-Hitchin manifolds. In the case of Atiyah-Hitchin, regularity requires that the circle at infinity is of the same order as the instanton number, which is taken to be large. Alternatively there may be a non-trivial density of smeared five branes at the bolt.

  2. Comparing Levels of Serum IgA, IgG, IgM and Cortisol in the Professional Bodybuilding Athletes and Non-Athletes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Hadi Naghib

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Bodybuilding athlete's bodies are placed under much pressure in during the exercise, which is causing changes in the immune and hormone system in the long term. The purpose of this study was to compare levels of serum immunoglobulin A (IgA, immunoglobulin G (IgG, immunoglobulin M (IgM and cortisol in the professional bodybuilding athletes (BA and the non-athletes (NA male. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive-analytic and 29 volunteer subjects in the professional BA and NA men participated. Levels of serum IgA, IgG, IgM using Single Radial Immunodiffusion (SRID and levels of serum cortisol using Radioimmunoassay (RIA were measured with blood sampling from brachial vein at rest and fasting. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U-test (p0.05, while, the levels of serum cortisol (22.10±2.60 vs. 15.41±3.44 μg/dl, U=0.001, p=0.001 significantly greater in the BA than the NA.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that participation in training and competitions bodybuilding has no effect on serum levels of IgG, IgA, IgM, but increased levels of serum cortisol.

  3. Neutrino versus antineutrino oscillation parameters at DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Gouvêa, André; Kelly, Kevin J.

    2017-11-01

    Testing, in a nontrivial, model-independent way, the hypothesis that the three-massive-neutrinos paradigm properly describes nature is among the main goals of the current and the next generation of neutrino oscillation experiments. In the coming decade, the DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande experiments will be able to study the oscillation of both neutrinos and antineutrinos with unprecedented precision. We explore the ability of these experiments, and combinations of them, to determine whether the parameters that govern these oscillations are the same for neutrinos and antineutrinos, as prescribed by the C P T -theorem. We find that both DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande will be sensitive to unexplored levels of leptonic C P T -violation. Assuming the parameters for neutrino and antineutrino oscillations are unrelated, we discuss the ability of these experiments to determine the neutrino and antineutrino mass-hierarchies, atmospheric-mixing octants, and C P -odd phases, three key milestones of the experimental neutrino physics program. Additionally, if the C P T -symmetry is violated in nature in a way that is consistent with all present neutrino and antineutrino oscillation data, we find that DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande have the potential to ultimately establish leptonic C P T -invariance violation.

  4. Analysis of Tn antigenicity with a panel of new IgM and IgG1 monoclonal antibodies raised against leukemic cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blixt, Klas Ola; Lavrova, Olga I; Mazurov, Dmitriy V

    2012-01-01

    antigenicity remain poorly understood. As a consequence, a broad variety of anti-Tn monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been generated. To further investigate the nature and complexity of the Tn antigen, we generated seven different anti-Tn mAbs of IgM and IgG classes raised against human Jurkat T cells, which...... are Tn-positive due to the low activity of T-synthase and mutation in specific chaperone Cosmc. The binding analysis of anti-Tn mAbs with the array of synthetic saccharides, glycopeptides and O-glycoproteins revealed unexpected differences in specificities of anti-Tn mAbs. IgM mAbs bound the terminal Gal...

  5. Development & standardization of an in-house IgM indirect ELISA for the detection of parvovirus B19 infections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumaran Vadivel

    2017-01-01

    Interpretation & conclusions: The in-house IgM indirect ELISA was found to be simple with high sensitivity and specificity when compared with nPCR and could be used as an alternative to expensive commercial kits in resource-poor settings.

  6. Hyper-reactive Malarial Splenomegaly: A Case Report and Review ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Hyper-reactive malarial splenomegaly is thought to represent a dysfunctional immune response to recurrent malaria infection. A 14 year old male child with hms, hypersplenism, ascites and peripheral lymphadenopathy is reported. There was initial poor response to proguanil aggravated by non compliance. He was started ...

  7. Effectiveness of random search in SVM hyper-parameter tuning

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gomes Mantovani, R.; Rossi, A.L.D.; Vanschoren, J.; Bischl, B.; de Carvalho, A.C.P.L.F.

    2015-01-01

    Classification is one of the most common machine learning tasks. SVMs have been frequently applied to this task. In general, the values chosen for the hyper-parameters of SVMs affect the performance of their induced predictive models. Several studies use optimization techniques to find a set of

  8. Synthetic positive controls for ELISA test kits for detection of IgA and IgM antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    O. Y. Galkin

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA is the most informative and versatile method of serological diagnostics. The possibility of detecting by ELISA specific antibodies of different classes allow to differentiate primary infectious process and its remission, exacerbation and chronic disease (holding of differential diagnosis. This approach is implemented in the methodology for evaluation of patients for presence of humoral immune response against the causative agent of urogenital chlamydiosis. As with other infections immediately after Chlamydia trachomatis infection the specific IgM antibodies are formed, and subsequently basic projective antibodies of IgG class are synthesized. However, at exacerbation of chronic urogenital chlamydiosis specific IgA antibodies can be synthesized. That is why comprehensive evaluation of patients for presence of humoral immune response to Ch. trachomatis involves plasma testing of specific antibodies of all three classes. The essential problem in the production of ELISA diagnostic kits is obtaining of positive control. The classic version of positive control is human blood plasma containing specific antibodies. But specific IgM- and IgA-positive sera are deficit raw materials. This fact can significantly limit the production of diagnostic kits, especially in case of large-scale manufacture. We have suggested methodological approach to use of synthetic positive controls in indirect ELISA kits based on conjugate of normal human IgM (IgA and monoclonal antibodies against major outer membrane protein of Ch. trachomatis. It was found that it’s possible to realize such task by means of NHS ester-maleimide-mediated conjugation (by sulfosuccinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethylcyclohexane-1-carboxylate and reductive amination-mediated conjugation (by sodium periodate. It was found that synthetic positive controls obtained by different methods are characterized by higher titer compared to IgM- and IgA-positive high

  9. Visualization for Hyper-Heuristics. Front-End Graphical User Interface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kroenung, Lauren [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2015-03-01

    Modern society is faced with ever more complex problems, many of which can be formulated as generate-and-test optimization problems. General-purpose optimization algorithms are not well suited for real-world scenarios where many instances of the same problem class need to be repeatedly and efficiently solved because they are not targeted to a particular scenario. Hyper-heuristics automate the design of algorithms to create a custom algorithm for a particular scenario. While such automated design has great advantages, it can often be difficult to understand exactly how a design was derived and why it should be trusted. This project aims to address these issues of usability by creating an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) for hyper-heuristics to support practitioners, as well as scientific visualization of the produced automated designs. My contributions to this project are exhibited in the user-facing portion of the developed system and the detailed scientific visualizations created from back-end data.

  10. Smartphones and hyper everyday life

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bernardo Amigo

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we present some results from our research on technological media convergence and everyday life. The results suggest that new changes would be happening on the space-temporal dimension of daily experience on people and in the way in which those give stability, structure and meaning to the intersubjective world, as a consequence of uses, appropriations and meanings about smartphones. We propose the concept of enriched everyday life or hyper everyday life in order to explain what we consider one of the principal transformations in daily life to people in the contemporary world related to the incorporation of smartphones.

  11. A pilot study of daunorubicin-augmented hyper-CVAD induction chemotherapy for adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sung-Yong; Park, Ji Hyun; Yoon, So Young; Cho, Yo-Han; Lee, Mark Hong

    2018-02-01

    Induction of complete remission (CR) is imperative for long-term survival in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients regardless of transplantation eligibility. Hyper-CVAD chemotherapy is a widely-used frontline remission induction regimen for these patients. We conducted a pilot trial of frontline remission induction using daunorubicin-augmented hyper-CVAD regimen (hyper-CVDD) in adult ALL patients (n = 15). The CR rate after this modified regimen was 100% (n = 15). Twelve patients were able to proceed to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, two patients died before transplantation due to infection, and the remaining one who was ineligible for transplant due to her age received an additional five courses of consolidation chemotherapy. Overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) of the study patients was 61.0 and 47.5% at 3 years. OS and relapse-free survival of transplanted patients was 66.8 and 55.0% at 3 years. This pilot trial demonstrates the favorable efficacy of the hyper-CVDD chemotherapy as a frontline remission induction regimen. Further clinical trials using this regimen are warranted.

  12. Involvement of immunologic and biochemical mechanisms in the pathogenesis of Tourette's syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landau, Yuval Eliahu; Steinberg, Tamar; Richmand, Brian; Leckman, James Frederick; Apter, Alan

    2014-01-01

    Tourette's syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder clinically characterized by multiple motor and phonic tics. It is likely that a neurobiological susceptibility to the disorder is established during development by the interaction of genetic, biochemical, immunological, and environmental factors. This study sought to investigate the possible correlation of several immunological and biochemical markers with Tourette's syndrome. Children with Tourette's syndrome attending a tertiary pediatric medical center from May 2008 to April 2010, and healthy age-matched control subjects underwent a comprehensive biochemical and immunological work-up. Demographic data were abstracted from the medical records. Findings were compared between the groups and analyzed statistically. Sixty-eight children with Tourette's syndrome (58 males, 85.3%) and 36 healthy children (25 males, 69.4%) were recruited. Compared with the control group, the Tourette's syndrome group had significantly higher levels of ferritin (p = 0.01) and hemoglobin (p = 0.02), a lower level of zinc (p = 0.05), and a lower percentage of non-ceruloplasmin copper (p = 0.01). Analysis of the immunological markers revealed no significant between-group differences in IgA, IgM or IgG; however, IgE and IgG-4 levels were significantly higher in the Tourette's syndrome group (p = 0.04 and p = 0.02, respectively). Children with Tourette's syndrome have high levels of biochemical indices of oxidative stress and the quantitative immunoglobulins. These findings add to the still-limited knowledge on the pathogenesis of Tourette's syndrome and may have implications for the development of novel therapeutic modalities. PMID:22139323

  13. [Detection of cerebrospinal fluid anti-enterovirus 71 IgM in children with severe hand, food and mouth disease induced by enterovirus 71 infection and its clinical significance].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yidong; Chen, Dong; Zhou, Jun; Wang, Jie; Zhao, Shiyong; Shao, Qimin; Wei, Yi

    2015-05-01

    To detect the anti-enterovirus 71 (EV71) IgM level in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of children with severe hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) induced by EV71 and then analyze the relationships among the IgM antibody levels, CSF routine examination and patients' clinical features, and thus to evaluate the clinical significance of anti-EV71 IgM as a new indicator for early diagnosis of children with severe HFMD induced by EV71. A total of 294 laboratory-confirmed cases of children with severe HFMD infected with EV71 were enrolled into the research group from March 2014 to June 2014, consisting of 53 fatal cases and 241 severe cases, and their CSF samples underwent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for anti-EV71 IgM levels, CSF routine and biochemical tests. Forty-one cases of children with severe HFMD induced by other enteroviruses were collected as antibody-testing control group during the same period. In the research group, the total positive rate of anti-EV71 IgM in 294 CSF samples of children with severe HFMD infected by EV71 was 60.2% (177/294); the positive rate of anti-EV71 IgM in the fatal HFMD subgroup was 62.3% (33/53); the positive rate of anti-EV71 IgM in the severe HFMD subgroup was 59.8% (144/241). In the control group, the results of CSF anti-EV71 IgM tests were all negative (0/41). In the research group, patients in antibody-positive subgroup (2.5±1.2) years old were younger than those in antibody-negative subgroup (2.9±1.1) years old (t=2.595, P=0.010). And within the antibody-positive subgroup, the patients ((1.9±0.7) years old) with fatal type disease were younger than those ((2.6±1.2) years old) with severe type disease (t=3.150, P=0.002). The CSF nucleated cells count and positive rates (105 (56,180) ×10(6) /L; 97.7% (173/177)) in antibody-positive subgroup were higher than those (62(30,150) ×10(6) /L; 83.8% (98/117)) in antibody-negative subgroup (Z=3.663, P=0.000; χ(2)=19.089, P=0.000). In antibody-positive subgroup, the percentage

  14. Some kinetic properties of plasma lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase in hyper-alphalipoproteinemia in man

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikiforova, A.A.; Alksnis, E.G.; Ivanova, E.M.

    1985-01-01

    The aim of this investigation was to study some kinetic properties of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) in the blood plasma of patients with hyper-alpha-lipoproteinemia, enabling the presence of LCAT isozymes in the blood to be detected. The velocity of the LCAT reaction was judged by determining labeled CHE formed from 14 C-nonesterified CH and lecithin of HDL on incubation of the latter with the enzyme. Dependence of the velocity of the LCAT reaction on concentration of substrate (nonesterified HDL cholesterol) in four subjects with hyper-alpha-lipoproteinemia is shown

  15. Evaluation of the LDBIO point of care test for the combined detection of toxoplasmic IgG and IgM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapey, Emmanuelle; Wallon, Martine; Peyron, François

    2017-01-01

    The toxoplasma ICT IgG-IgM rapid diagnostic test for the simultaneous detection of specific toxoplasmic immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgM was compared with the Architect fully automated chemiluminescence test. Four hundred sera were included, among which 248 scored negative in Architect. The cassettes were easily read with the naked eye. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 97% and 96%, respectively. The test scored 8 false-positive IgG and yielded negative results in 3 sera displaying unspecific IgM in Architect. The LDBIO appears to be a reliable first line test, although the false-positive results for IgG deserve further investigation. Such an easily performed test could be used advantageously for screening for toxoplasmosis in pregnant women. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Bit-level quantum color image encryption scheme with quantum cross-exchange operation and hyper-chaotic system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Nanrun; Chen, Weiwei; Yan, Xinyu; Wang, Yunqian

    2018-06-01

    In order to obtain higher encryption efficiency, a bit-level quantum color image encryption scheme by exploiting quantum cross-exchange operation and a 5D hyper-chaotic system is designed. Additionally, to enhance the scrambling effect, the quantum channel swapping operation is employed to swap the gray values of corresponding pixels. The proposed color image encryption algorithm has larger key space and higher security since the 5D hyper-chaotic system has more complex dynamic behavior, better randomness and unpredictability than those based on low-dimensional hyper-chaotic systems. Simulations and theoretical analyses demonstrate that the presented bit-level quantum color image encryption scheme outperforms its classical counterparts in efficiency and security.

  17. Big Memory Elegance: HyperCard Information Processing and Desktop Publishing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitter, Gary G.; Gerson, Charles W., Jr.

    1991-01-01

    Discusses hardware requirements, functions, and applications of five information processing and desktop publishing software packages for the Macintosh: HyperCard, PageMaker, Cricket Presents, Power Point, and Adobe illustrator. Benefits of these programs for schools are considered. (MES)

  18. Circuit implementation and multiform intermittency in a hyper-chaotic model extended from the Lorenz system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi-Jian, Cang; Zeng-Qiang, Chen; Wen-Juan, Wu

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a non-autonomous hyper-chaotic system, which is formed by adding a periodic driving signal to a four-dimensional chaotic model extended from the Lorenz system. The resulting non-autonomous hyper-chaotic system can display any dynamic behaviour among the periodic orbits, intermittency, chaos and hyper-chaos by controlling the frequency of the periodic signal. The phenomenon has been well demonstrated by numerical simulations, bifurcation analysis and electronic circuit realization. Moreover, the system is concrete evidence for the presence of Pomeau–Manneville Type-I intermittency and crisis-induced intermittency. The emergence of a different type of intermittency is similarly subjected to the frequency of periodic forcing. By statistical analysis, power scaling laws consisting in different intermittency are obtained for the lifetime in the laminar state between burst states

  19. CFD Study of the Active Part of the HYPER LBE Spallation Target System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Chung-ho; Tak, Nam-il; Lee, Yong-bum; Choi, Jae-Hyuk

    2007-01-01

    In an accelerator driven system (ADS), a high-energy proton beam impinges on a heavy metal target to produce spallation neutrons that are multiplied in a subcritical blanket. Therefore, the spallation target is one of the most important units of an ADS. A beam power of 15-25 MW is required for an operation of the HYPER system. But, the design of a 20 MW spallation target is very challenging because more than 60% of a beam power is deposited as heat in a small volume of a target system. LBE is preferred as the target material due to its high neutron production rate, effective heat removal, low melting point and vapor pressure, low neutron absorption and good radiation damage properties. In addition, it can be used simultaneously as a reactor coolant. Single hemi-spherical beam window is considered for the HYPER target. The beam window is a thin physical barrier to separate the vacuum space from the LBE. It is exposed to high thermal and irradiation loads, which affect its life time. The integrity of the beam window is crucial for a safe operation of the HYPER, for preventing the penetration of the radioactive spallation products into the accelerator island. Therefore, a sufficient cooling capability of the beam window is one of the key issues of the target design. In the previous study, a series of parametric thermal and mechanical studies were made for the optimization of the HYPER target. The optimized target has a 0.2 cm thick beam window with a diameter of 35 cm. Also, a 30 cm wide proton beam with a uniform beam distribution should be adopted for the spallation target of the HYPER. A dual injection tube is adopted to economize the LBE flow in the primary system. This paper presents the numerical studies on the optimized spallation target system. Several advanced turbulence models with different grid structures are investigated by using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code CFX 5.7.1

  20. Are the cutaneous manifestations in patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome a marker for predicting lung manifestations?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kontic, Milica; Stojanovich, Ljudmila; Mijailović-Ivković, Milena; Velinović, Mladen; Srnka, Jasminka; Zdravkovic, Marija

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate association between pulmonary and skin manifestations in a large group of patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) as well as their connection with antiphospholipid antibodies. Our prospective study comprises of 390 patients with primary APS. Antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) analysis included detection of aCL (IgG/IgM), ß2GPI (IgG/IgM) and LA. Distinct pulmonary and skin associations were determined, as well as their associations with aPL. In PAPS patients the presence of LA was more common in PTE (p=0.005) and in pulmonary microthrombosis (p=0.003). We revealed statistical significance considering the presence of aCL IgM and pulmonary microthrombosis (p=0.05). Skin ulcerations correlated with positive titres aCL IgM and ß2 GPI IgM (p=0.03 and 0.04, respectively), while pseudovasculitis correlated with positive titres ß2 GPI IgM (p=0.02). PAPS patients were more more likely to develop pulmonary thromboembolisam if they had livedo reticularis (p=0.005), skin ulcerations (p=0.007), pseudovasculitic lesions (p=0.01), superficial cutaneous necrosis (p=0.005), and digital gangrene (p=0.02). Patients were also more prone to pulmonary microthrombosis if they already had livedo reticularis (p=0.03), skin ulcerations (p=0.007), pseudovasculitic lesions (p=0.05), superficial cutaneous necrosis (p=0.006), and digital gangrene (p=0.02). There is strong link between some pulmonary and skin manifestations in PAPS patients, suggesting complexity and evolutionary nature of APS. The presence of skin manifestations may be a high risk factor for several types of serious pulmonary manifestations in PAPS. Certain aPL types are associated with distinct pulmonary and skin manifestation, suggesting their predictive role.

  1. Hyper-XACT, A Long-Life, High-Performance Attitude Determination & Control System

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Hyper-XACT is intended to extend the capabilities of CubeSat attitude control systems for longer duration missions with tighter performance requirements by...

  2. The Dana Farber consortium protocol (DFCP) vs. classic Hyper-CVAD for treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in patients <50 Y. Single institution experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alabdulwahab, Amal S; Elsayed, Hussein G; Sherisher, Mohamed A; Zeeneldin, Ahmed; Alghamdi, Khalofa; Elbjeirami, Wafaa M

    2017-09-01

    The use of intensive pediatric protocols for the treatment of ALL is being extended to older adults. Analysis of the efficacy and toxicity results of pediatric DFCP vs. classic Hyper-CVAD protocol for the treatment of patients with ALL Hyper-CVAD for first line treatment of patients with ALL Hyper-CVAD protocol. CR rate was 90.7% for DFCP vs. 83.7 for Hyper-CVAD (p 0.7). 3 Y Leukemia free survival was 57.4% (70.9% for DFCP vs. 41.6% Hyper-CVAD P 0.1) while 3Y OS was 62.6%% for the whole group, 72.6% DFCP vs. 48.5% Hyper-CVAD, P 0.04. Those with age Hyper-CVAD related to gall stones. Osteonecrosis affected 5 patients on DFCP. pediatric protocols are feasible in patients younger than 50 Y and they are more active than classic adult protocols. Although modifications of adult protocols may improve their results, this had to be investigated in randomized controlled trials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Heuristic space diversity management in a meta-hyper-heuristic framework

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Grobler, J

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces the concept of heuristic space diversity and investigates various strategies for the management of heuristic space diversity within the context of a meta-hyper-heuristic algorithm. Evaluation on a diverse set of floating...

  4. Automatic Evolution of Multimodal Behavior with Multi-Brain HyperNEAT

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schrum, Jacob; Lehman, Joel; Risi, Sebastian

    2016-01-01

    indirect encoding. A previous multimodal approach called situational policy geometry assumes that multiple brains benefit from being embedded within an explicit geometric space. However, this paper introduces HyperNEAT extensions for evolving many brains without assuming geometric relationships between...

  5. Heuristic space diversity control for improved meta-hyper-heuristic performance

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Grobler, J

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper expands on the concept of heuristic space diversity and investigates various strategies for the management of heuristic space diversity within the context of a meta-hyper-heuristic algorithm in search of greater performance benefits...

  6. Autonomic hyper-reflexia modulated by percutaneous epidural neurostimulation: a preliminary report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richardson, R R; Cerullo, L J; Meyer, P R

    1979-06-01

    Our clinical experience in the management of five paraplegic or quadriplegic patients with subjective complaints and objective findings of autonomic hyper-reflexia is presented. These five patients had epidural neurostimulation systems implanted percutaneously to regulate intractable spasticity. During a follow-up period varying from 2 months to almost 2 years, four of the five patients experienced no episodes of autonomic dysfunction with the use of a low frequency, low voltage, square wave pulse output. From their responses and from recent neurophysiological evidence, the potential benefit of percutaneous epidural neurostimulation in the modulation of autonomic hyper-reflexia without antihypertensive medication is suggested. Further follow-up of these patients and additional clinical research should be performed to confirm our initial clinical impressions.

  7. The M-OLAP Cube Selection Problem: A Hyper-polymorphic Algorithm Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loureiro, Jorge; Belo, Orlando

    OLAP systems depend heavily on the materialization of multidimensional structures to speed-up queries, whose appropriate selection constitutes the cube selection problem. However, the recently proposed distribution of OLAP structures emerges to answer new globalization's requirements, capturing the known advantages of distributed databases. But this hardens the search for solutions, especially due to the inherent heterogeneity, imposing an extra characteristic of the algorithm that must be used: adaptability. Here the emerging concept known as hyper-heuristic can be a solution. In fact, having an algorithm where several (meta-)heuristics may be selected under the control of a heuristic has an intrinsic adaptive behavior. This paper presents a hyper-heuristic polymorphic algorithm used to solve the extended cube selection and allocation problem generated in M-OLAP architectures.

  8. Effects of hyper- and hypothyroidism on the development and proliferation of testicular cells in prepubertal rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fadlalla, Mohamed Babo; Wei, Quanwei; Fedail, Jaafar Sulieman; Mehfooz, Asif; Mao, Dagan; Shi, Fangxiong

    2017-12-01

    Thyroid hormones are important in the development and regulation of testes. This study was conducted to determine the effects of hyper- and hypothyroidism on testicular development in prepubertal rats aged 20-70 days. Weaning male rats (20 days old) until day 70 age were randomly divided into four groups: control, hyperthyroid (hyper-T), hypothyroid (hypo-T) and hypothyroid treated with thyroxine (T4) (hypo-T+T4). The results indicated that thyroid hormones caused a significant effect in body and testis weights, and food and water consumption. In addition there were changes in serum concentrations of tri-iodothyronine, T4, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and testosterone. Histomorphology showed a significant decrease in seminiferous tubule diameter in hyper-T compared to the other groups. Leydig cell numbers showed a significant elevation in hyper-T but not in hypo-T groups. Immunostaining indicated that TSH receptor (TSHR), thyroid hormone receptors α/β (TRαβ) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) have the roles in testicular development. Our findings suggest that hyper- and hypo-thyroidism regulate testicular cell proliferation and spermatogenesis in prepubertal rats, indicating that expression of TSHR, TRαβ and PCNA may be regulated by thyroid hormones that are involved in testicular development; and that the administration of T4 to the hypo-T+T4 group leads to an improvement in the testicular condition. © 2017 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  9. Hyper-attenuating brain lesions on CT after ischemic stroke and thrombectomy are associated with final brain infarction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabral, F B; Castro-Afonso, L H; Nakiri, G S; Monsignore, L M; Fábio, Src; Dos Santos, A C; Pontes-Neto, O M; Abud, D G

    2017-12-01

    Purpose Hyper-attenuating lesions, or contrast staining, on a non-contrast brain computed tomography (NCCT) scan have been investigated as a predictor for hemorrhagic transformation after endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, the association of hyper-attenuating lesions and final ischemic areas are poorly investigated in this setting. The aim of the present study was to assess correlations between hyper-attenuating lesions and final brain infarcted areas after thrombectomy for AIS. Methods Data from patients with AIS of the anterior circulation who underwent endovascular treatment were retrospectively assessed. Images of the brain NCCT scans were analyzed in the first hours and late after treatment. The hyper-attenuating areas were compared to the final ischemic areas using the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS). Results Seventy-one of the 123 patients (65.13%) treated were included. The association between the hyper-attenuating region in the post-thrombectomy CT scan and final brain ischemic area were sensitivity (58.3% to 96.9%), specificity (42.9% to 95.6%), positive predictive values (71.4% to 97.7%), negative predictive values (53.8% to 79.5%), and accuracy values (68% to 91%). The highest sensitivity values were found for the lentiform (96.9%) and caudate nuclei (80.4%) and for the internal capsule (87.5%), and the lowest values were found for the M1 (58.3%) and M6 (66.7%) cortices. Conclusions Hyper-attenuating lesions on head NCCT scans performed after endovascular treatment of AIS may predict final brain infarcted areas. The prediction appears to be higher in the deep brain regions compared with the cortical regions.

  10. Bandwidth Controllable Tunable Filter for Hyper-/Multi-Spectral Imager, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This SBIR Phase I proposal introduces a fast speed bandwidth controllable tunable filter for hyper-/multi-spectral (HS/MS) imagers. It dynamically passes a variable...

  11. Applications of modularized circuit designs in a new hyper-chaotic system circuit implementation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Rui; Sun, Hui; Wang, Jie-Zhi; Wang, Lu; Wang, Yan-Chao

    2015-02-01

    Modularized circuit designs for chaotic systems are introduced in this paper. Especially, a typical improved modularized design strategy is proposed and applied to a new hyper-chaotic system circuit implementation. In this paper, the detailed design procedures are described. Multisim simulations and physical experiments are conducted, and the simulation results are compared with Matlab simulation results for different system parameter pairs. These results are consistent with each other and they verify the existence of the hyper-chaotic attractor for this new hyper-chaotic system. Project supported by the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61403395), the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin, China (Grant No. 13JCYBJC39000), the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, State Education Ministry of China, the Fund from the Tianjin Key Laboratory of Civil Aircraft Airworthiness and Maintenance in Civil Aviation of China (Grant No. 104003020106), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2014CB744904), and the Fund for the Scholars of Civil Aviation University of China (Grant No. 2012QD21x).

  12. Hyper IgE in Childhood Eczema and Risk of Asthma in Chinese Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Chantel; Hon, Kam Lun; Kung, Jeng Sum Charmaine; Pong, Nga Hin; Leung, Ting-Fan; Wong, Chun Kwok

    2016-06-10

    Atopic eczema is a common childhood disease associated with high IgE and eosinophilia. We characterized the clinical features associated with hyper-IgE (defined as IgE > 2000 IU/L) in eczema. Nottingham Eczema Severity Score (NESS), family and personal history of atopy, skin prick test (SPT) for common food and aeroallergens, highest serum IgE ever and eosinophil counts were evaluated in 330 children eczema patients. Childhood-NESS (NESS performed at 10 years of age) were further analyzed. IgE correlated with NESS (spearman coefficient 0.35, p asthma (p childhood (p asthma (exp(B) = 5.12, p = 0.002) and eczema severity during childhood and adolescence (p 10years of age, food allergen sensitization was associated with hyper-IgE (p = 0.008). Hyper-IgE is independently associated with asthma, more severe atopy and more severe eczema during childhood and adolescence. IgE > 2000 IU/L may be a tool to aid prognostication of this chronic relapsing dermatologic disease and its progression to asthma.

  13. Hyper-Theory-of-Mind in Children with Psychotic Experiences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Clemmensen, Lars; van Os, Jim; Skovgaard, Anne Mette; Vaever, Mette; Blijd-Hoogewys, Els M. A.; Bartels-Velthuis, Agna A.; Jeppesen, Pia

    2014-01-01

    Background: Alterations in Theory-of-Mind (ToM) are associated with psychotic disorder. In addition, studies in children have documented that alterations in ToM are associated with Psychotic Experiences (PE). Our aim was to examine associations between an exaggerated type of ToM (HyperToM) and PE in

  14. Influence of the ac Stark effect on stimulated hyper-Raman profiles in sodium vapor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moore, M.A.; Garrett, W.R.; Payne, M.G.

    1988-08-01

    When pumping near the two-photon 3d resonance in pure sodium vapor and observing the backward hyper-Raman emission to the 3p substates, an asymmetry in ratios of 3p/sub 1/2/, 3p/sub 3/2/ associated emissions was observed dependent upon the direction of the initial laser detuning from the resonance. It has been determined that this asymmetry can be attributed to the ac Stark effect induced by the hyper-Raman emission itself. 3 refs., 3 figs

  15. Segmental small bowel necrosis associated with antiphospholipid syndrome: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qun-Ying; Ye, Xiao-Hua; Ding, Jin; Wu, Xiao-Kang

    2015-04-07

    Antiphospholipid syndrome is a multi-system disease characterized by the formation of thromboembolic complications and/or pregnancy morbidity, and with persistently increased titers of antiphospholipid antibodies. We report the case of a 50-year-old, previously healthy man who presented with fever and new-onset, dull abdominal pain. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan showed segmental small bowel obstruction, for which an emergency laparotomy was performed. Histopathologic examination of resected tissues revealed multiple intestinal and mesenteric thromboses of small vessels. Laboratory tests for serum antiphospholipid (anticardiolipin IgM) and anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies were positive. Despite proactive implementation of anticoagulation, steroid, and antibiotic therapies, the patient's condition rapidly deteriorated, and he died 22 d after admission. This case highlights that antiphospholipid syndrome should be suspected in patients with unexplainable ischemic bowel and intestinal necrosis presenting with insidious clinical features that may be secondary to the disease, as early diagnosis is critical to implement timely treatments in order to ameliorate the disease course.

  16. Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies and rheumatoid factor in Sjögren's syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barcelos, Filipe; Abreu, Isabel; Patto, José Vaz; Trindade, Hélder; Teixeira, Ana

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical significance of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (anti-CCP-Abs), IgM and IgA rheumatoid factors (RFs) in primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS). We compared clinical and serological characteristics of 31 pSS and 31 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients. Both, anti-CCP-Abs and RFs (IgM, IgA) directed against Fc determinants of IgG from humans and rabbit were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We included 31 blood donors as control group for the evaluation of RFs and anti-CCP-Abs. Nine (29%) pSS patients presented arthritis, and 10 (32,3%) RA patients also had secondary Sjögren's syndrome (sSS) RESULTS: IgM and IgA RFs prevalence was similar in pSS and RA, whichever the antigene (Human or Rabbit IgG) used. However, RA patients with sSS showed a tendency to present more often RF positivity, longer disease duration and higher ESR and CRP when compared with pSS patients with arthritis. Anti-CCP-Abs were detected in 64,5% of RA patients and in only 6,9% of pSS patients (p<0,0005). Anti-CCP-Abs were more often positive in RA patients with sSS (RA/sSS) (8 patients, 80%) than in RA patients without sSS (18 patients, 58,1%), and were absent in pSS patients with arthritis. RF-positive pSS patients presented more often pulmonary involvement and higher inflammatory parameters, and less often neuropathy compared to RF-negative patients. In controls, anti-CCP-Abs were absent and RFs were negligible. Anti-CCP-Abs were detected in only a few pSS patients, none of whom presented arthritis, which contrasts with the high frequency of these antibodies in RA/sSS. These results suggest that anti-CCP-Abs could be useful in the distinction between pSS and RA with sSS. Although not useful for the differential diagnosis between RA and pSS, RFs may have a prognostic role in pSS.

  17. Role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor polymorphisms on TCDD-mediated CYP1B1 induction and IgM suppression by human B cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kovalova, Natalia, E-mail: kovalova@msu.edu [Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Manzan, Maria, E-mail: ale.manzan@gmail.com [Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Crawford, Robert, E-mail: crawfo28@msu.edu [Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Kaminski, Norbert, E-mail: kamins11@msu.edu [Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824 (United States); Institute for Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI 48824 (United States)

    2016-10-15

    Previous studies have demonstrated that most of the intraspecies variation in sensitivity to the toxic effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), including suppression of antibody responses, in murine models is due to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) gene. The underlying reason for variation in sensitivity to TCDD-induced suppression of IgM responses among humans is not well understood, but is thought, in part, to be a result of different polymorphic forms of the AhR expressed by different individuals. In this study, the functional properties of six (P517S, R554K, V570I, V570I + P517S, R554K + V570I and P517S + R554K + V570I) human AhR variants were examined in the human B cell line, SKW 6.4. TCDD-induced Cyp1B1 and Cyp1A2 mRNA expression levels and Cyp1B1-regulated reporter gene activity, used for comparative purposes, were markedly lower in SKW cells containing the R554K SNP than in SKW-AHR{sup +} (control AhR) cells. Furthermore, all AhR variants were able to mediate TCDD-induced suppression of the IgM response; however, a combined P517S + R554K + V570I variant partially reduced sensitivity to TCDD-mediated suppression of IgM secretion. Collectively, our findings show that the R554K human AhR SNP alone altered sensitivity of human B cells to TCDD-mediated induction of Cyp1B1 and Cyp1A2. By contrast, attenuation of TCDD-induced IgM suppression required a combination of all three SNPs P517S, R554K, and V570I. - Highlights: • Mouse, rat and SKW-AHR{sup +} B cells have a similar window of sensitivity to TCDD. • R554K AhR SNP alters B cell sensitivity to TCDD-mediated Cyp1B1 and Cyp1A2 induction. • Combination of P517S, R554K, and V570I SNPs attenuates TCDD-induced IgM suppression.

  18. X-43A/Hyper-X Vehicle Arrives at NASA Dryden

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-01-01

    A close-up of the X-43A Hypersonic Experimental Vehicle, or 'Hyper-X,' in its protective shipping framework as it arrives at the Dryden Flight Research Center in October 1999. The X-43A was developed to research a dual-mode ramjet/scramjet propulsion system at speeds from Mach 7 up to Mach 10 (7 to 10 times the speed of sound, which varies with temperature and altitude). Hyper-X, the flight vehicle for which is designated as X-43A, is an experimental flight-research program seeking to demonstrate airframe-integrated, 'air-breathing' engine technologies that promise to increase payload capacity for future vehicles, including hypersonic aircraft (faster than Mach 5) and reusable space launchers. This multiyear program is currently underway at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The Hyper-X schedule calls for its first flight later this year (2000). Hyper-X is a joint program, with Dryden sharing responsibility with NASA's Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia. Dryden's primary role is to fly three unpiloted X-43A research vehicles to validate engine technologies and hypersonic design tools as well as the hypersonic test facility at Langley. Langley manages the program and leads the technology development effort. The Hyper-X Program seeks to significantly expand the speed boundaries of air-breathing propulsion by being the first aircraft to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, scramjet-powered free flight. Scramjets (supersonic-combustion ramjets) are ramjet engines in which the airflow through the whole engine remains supersonic. Scramjet technology is challenging because only limited testing can be performed in ground facilities. Long duration, full-scale testing requires flight research. Scramjet engines are air-breathing, capturing their oxygen from the atmosphere. Current spacecraft, such as the Space Shuttle, are rocket powered, so they must carry both fuel and oxygen for propulsion. Scramjet technology-based vehicles need to carry only

  19. Guillain-Barré Syndrome outbreak associated with Zika virus infection in French Polynesia: a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao-Lormeau, V M; Blake, A; Mons, S; Lastere, S; Roche, C; Vanhomwegen, J; Dub, T; Baudouin, L; Teissier, A; Larre, P; Vial, A L; Decam, C; Choumet, V; Halstead, S K; Willison, H J; Musset, L; Manuguerra, J C; Despres, P; Fournier, E; Mallet, H P; Musso, D; Fontanet, A; Neil, J; Ghawché, F

    2016-04-09

    Between October, 2013, and April, 2014, French Polynesia experienced the largest Zika virus outbreak ever described at that time. During the same period, an increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome was reported, suggesting a possible association between Zika virus and Guillain-Barré syndrome. We aimed to assess the role of Zika virus and dengue virus infection in developing Guillain-Barré syndrome. In this case-control study, cases were patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosed at the Centre Hospitalier de Polynésie Française (Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia) during the outbreak period. Controls were age-matched, sex-matched, and residence-matched patients who presented at the hospital with a non-febrile illness (control group 1; n=98) and age-matched patients with acute Zika virus disease and no neurological symptoms (control group 2; n=70). Virological investigations included RT-PCR for Zika virus, and both microsphere immunofluorescent and seroneutralisation assays for Zika virus and dengue virus. Anti-glycolipid reactivity was studied in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome using both ELISA and combinatorial microarrays. 42 patients were diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome during the study period. 41 (98%) patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome had anti-Zika virus IgM or IgG, and all (100%) had neutralising antibodies against Zika virus compared with 54 (56%) of 98 in control group 1 (pZika virus IgM and 37 (88%) had experienced a transient illness in a median of 6 days (IQR 4-10) before the onset of neurological symptoms, suggesting recent Zika virus infection. Patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome had electrophysiological findings compatible with acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) type, and had rapid evolution of disease (median duration of the installation and plateau phases was 6 [IQR 4-9] and 4 days [3-10], respectively). 12 (29%) patients required respiratory assistance. No patients died. Anti-glycolipid antibody activity was found in 13

  20. A hyper-thermostable α-amylase from Pyrococcus furiosus accumulates in Nicotiana tabacum as functional aggregates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Hong; Reynolds, L Bruce; Menassa, Rima

    2017-06-19

    Alpha amylase hydrolyzes α-bonds of polysaccharides such as starch and produces malto-oligosaccharides. Its starch saccharification applications make it an essential enzyme in the textile, food and brewing industries. Commercially available α-amylase is mostly produced from Bacillus or Aspergillus. A hyper-thermostable and Ca 2++ independent α-amylase from Pyrococcus furiosus (PFA) expressed in E.coli forms insoluble inclusion bodies and thus is not feasible for industrial applications. We expressed PFA in Nicotiana tabacum and found that plant-produced PFA forms functional aggregates with an accumulation level up to 3.4 g/kg FW (fresh weight) in field conditions. The aggregates are functional without requiring refolding and therefore have potential to be applied as homogenized plant tissue without extraction or purification. PFA can also be extracted from plant tissue upon dissolution in a mild reducing buffer containing SDS. Like the enzyme produced in P. furiosus and in E. coli, plant produced PFA preserves hyper-thermophilicity and hyper-thermostability and has a long shelf life when stored in lyophilized leaf tissue. With tobacco's large biomass and high yield, hyper-thermostable α-amylase was produced at a scale of 42 kg per hectare. Tobacco may be a suitable bioreactor for industrial production of active hyperthermostable alpha amylase.

  1. Atomistic interactions of clusters on surfaces using molecular dynamics and hyper molecular dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanz-Navarro, Carlos F.

    2002-01-01

    The work presented in this thesis describes the results of Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations applied to the interaction of silver clusters with graphite surfaces and some numerical and theoretical methods concerning the extension of MD simulations to longer time scales (hyper-MD). The first part of this thesis studies the implantation of clusters at normal incidence onto a graphite surface in order to determine the scaling of the penetration depth (PD) against the impact energy. A comparison with experimental results is made with good agreement. The main physical observations of the impact process are described and analysed. It is shown that there is a threshold impact velocity above which the linear dependence on PD on impact energy changes to a linear dependence on velocity. Implantation of silver clusters at oblique incidence is also considered. The second part of this work analyses the validity and feasibility of the three minimisation methods for the hyper-MD simulation method whereby time scales of an MD simulation can be extended. A correct mathematical basis for the iterative method is derived. It is found that one of the iterative methods, upon which hyper-lD is based, is very likely to fail in high-dimensional situations because it requires a too expensive convergence. Two new approximations to the hyper-MD approach are proposed, which reduce the computational effort considerably. Both approaches, although not exact, can help to search for some of the most likely transitions in the system. Some examples are given to illustrate this. (author)

  2. Use of the microball for studies of super- and hyper-deformation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarantites, D.G.

    1995-01-01

    The study of the many fascinating aspects of the highly deformed nuclei at high spin has become possible with multidetector arrays such as Gammasphere that are coming on line. However, the issues of superdeformation in light systems and of hyper-deformation can best be addressed by augmenting Gammasphere with other auxilliary devices such as the Microball. The recent discovery and characterization of a new island of superdeformation in the Z∼38 and N∼44 region, and attempts to observe hyper deformation with Gammasphere in conjunction with the Microball, a 4π charged particle multidetector array, will be reviewed. For light compound systems (A≤120) the Microball enhances considerably the resolving power of Gammasphere using the advantages of 'total spectroscopy' which allows (a) efficient exit channel selection, thus eliminating interfering transitions, (b) dramatic improvement of the energy resolution from event-by-event determination of the recoil direction, which makes possible precise Doppler shift corrections, and (c) selection of cascades originating from high spin states by gating on excitation energy and thus suppressing competing low spin γ cascades. Recent experiments to study the continuum and the discrete line structure of hyper-deformed nuclei (major to minor axis ratio 3:1) will be discussed. These structures appear to be formed only when a proton is emitted among the evaporated particles. Possible scenarios for the role played by this proton will be discussed

  3. Applications of satellite 'hyper-sensing' in Chinese agriculture: Challenges and opportunities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onojeghuo, Alex Okiemute; Blackburn, George Alan; Huang, Jingfeng; Kindred, Daniel; Huang, Wenjiang

    2018-02-01

    Ensuring adequate food supplies to a large and increasing population continues to be the key challenge for China. Given the increasing integration of China within global markets for agricultural products, this issue is of considerable significance for global food security. Over the last 50 years, China has increased the production of its staple crops mainly by increasing yield per unit land area. However, this has largely been achieved through inappropriate agricultural practices, which have caused environmental degradation, with deleterious consequences for future agricultural productivity. Hence, there is now a pressing need to intensify agriculture in China using practices that are environmentally and economically sustainable. Given the dynamic nature of crops over space and time, the use of remote sensing technology has proven to be a valuable asset providing end-users in many countries with information to guide sustainable agricultural practices. Recently, the field has experienced considerable technological advancements reflected in the availability of 'hyper-sensing' (high spectral, spatial and temporal) satellite imagery useful for monitoring, modelling and mapping of agricultural crops. However, there still remains a significant challenge in fully exploiting such technologies for addressing agricultural problems in China. This review paper evaluates the potential contributions of satellite 'hyper-sensing' to agriculture in China and identifies the opportunities and challenges for future work. We perform a critical evaluation of current capabilities in satellite 'hyper-sensing' in agriculture with an emphasis on Chinese sensors. Our analysis draws on a series of in-depth examples based on recent and on-going projects in China that are developing 'hyper-sensing' approaches for (i) measuring crop phenology parameters and predicting yields; (ii) specifying crop fertiliser requirements; (iii) optimising management responses to abiotic and biotic stress in crops

  4. Trial production of hyper-thermal neutron generator for Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT) and its radiation properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Yoshinori; Kobayashi, Toru

    1999-01-01

    In NCT, it was at first important to give a cancer portion to radiation dose required for its recovery. By finding out that whole cross-section of water comprising of a living body decreased monotonously with increase of neutron energy from about 100 barn against thermal neutron, became about 40 barn at about 0.5 eV and kept constant to 40 barn till at about 100 eV, application of thermal neutron shifted to higher temperature side, called Hyper thermal neutron, to NCT is proposed. The Hyper thermal neutron radiation can be expected to have similar controllability to that of the thermal neutron radiation. In 1977 fiscal year, a trial Hyper thermal neutron generator was produced on a base of up-to-date investigation results. As a part of property evaluation of the generator, evaluation of energy spectra in the Hyper thermal neutron generated at LINAC by TOF was conducted to confirm shift of the spectra to high temperature side. And, a Fantom experiment at KUR heavy water neutron radiation facility was also conducted to confirm effect of improvement in deep portion dose distribution. (G.K.)

  5. Hypoperfusion Induced by Preconditioning Treadmill Training in Hyper-Early Reperfusion After Cerebral Ischemia: A Laser Speckle Imaging Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Zhijie; Lu, Hongyang; Yang, Xiaojiao; Zhang, Li; Wu, Yi; Niu, Wenxiu; Ding, Li; Wang, Guili; Tong, Shanbao; Jia, Jie

    2018-01-01

    Exercise preconditioning induces neuroprotective effects during cerebral ischemia and reperfusion, which involves the recovery of cerebral blood flow (CBF). Mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of re-established CBF following ischemia and reperfusion are unclear. The present study investigated CBF in hyper-early stage of reperfusion by laser speckle contrast imaging, a full-field high-resolution optical imaging technique. Rats with or without treadmill training were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by reperfusion. CBF in arteries, veins, and capillaries in hyper-early stage of reperfusion (1, 2, and 3 h after reperfusion) and in subacute stage (24 h after reperfusion) were measured. Neurological scoring and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining were further applied to determine the neuroprotective effects of exercise preconditioning. In hyper-early stage of reperfusion, CBF in the rats with exercise preconditioning was reduced significantly in arteries and veins, respectively, compared to rats with no exercise preconditioning. Capillary CBF remained stable in the hyper-early stage of reperfusion, though it increased significantly 24 h after reperfusion in the rats with exercise preconditioning. As a neuroprotective strategy, exercise preconditioning reduced the blood perfusion of arteries and veins in the hyper-early stage of reperfusion, which indicated intervention-induced neuroprotective hypoperfusion after reperfusion onset.

  6. Hyper-Production: A New Metric of Multifunctionality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brouder Patrick

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Multifunctionality has emerged as the dominant framework for understanding rural socioeconomic landscapes. The central claim of multifunctionality - that rural regions need to be understood as being made up of more than just traditional uses - has led to the incorporation of new rural activities into regional development plans, e.g., tourism. In some places, such post-productive activity is perceived to be slowly replacing productive uses of the land, e.g., agriculture/forestry. However, there is limited empirical evidence to support such claims. Drawing on previous research and data from the Swedish countryside this paper shows that, even as the number of persons employed within traditional activities decreases, the economic output per areal unit and per labour hour is increasing over time and traditional uses still occupy the majority of rural space. Hyper-production is introduced as a new metric for understanding multifunctional regions going forward. The complementary union of economic mainstays, such as agriculture, and newer activities with more quality-of-life benefits, such as tourism, is highlighted in terms of economic diversification, job creation and local social capital development, while the conflict-prone intersection of these two modes is also acknowledged. Understanding hyper-production as a key metric of multifunctionality is thus argued as integral to planning and developing resilient rural regions now and for the future.

  7. A case of severe osteomalacia caused by Tubulointerstitial nephritis with Fanconi syndrome in asymptomotic primary biliary cirrhosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamaguchi, Shintaro; Maruyama, Tatsuya; Wakino, Shu; Tokuyama, Hirobumi; Hashiguchi, Akinori; Tada, Shinichiro; Homma, Koichiro; Monkawa, Toshiaki; Thomas, James; Miyashita, Kazutoshi; Kurihara, Isao; Yoshida, Tadashi; Konishi, Konosuke; Hayashi, Koichi; Hayashi, Matsuhiko; Itoh, Hiroshi

    2015-11-11

    Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an immune-mediated chronic cholestatic liver disease, characterized by increased concentrations of serum IgM and the presence of circulating anti-mitochondrial antibodies. Although bone diseases such as osteoporosis or osteodystrophy are commonly associated with PBC, osteomalacia which is caused by abnormal vitamin D metabolism, mineralization defects, and phosphate deficiency has not been recognized as a complication of PBC. We report the case of a 49-year-old Japanese woman who complained of multiple fractures. Hypophosphatemic osteomalacia was diagnosed from a low serum phosphorus level, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 level, high levels of bone specific alkaline phosphatase and the findings of bone scintigraphy, although a bone biopsy was not performed. Twenty four hour urine demonstrated a low renal fractional tubular reabsorption of phosphate, increased fractional excretion of uric acid and generalized aminoaciduria. An intravenous bicarbonate loading test suggested the presence of proximal renal tubular acidosis (RTA). These biochemical data indicated Fanconi syndrome with proximal RTA. A kidney biopsy demonstrated the features of tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN). The patient was also suspected as having primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) because of high levels of alkaline phosphatase, IgM and the presence of anti-mitochondrial M2 antibody, though biochemical liver function was normal. Sequential liver biopsy was compatible with PBC and the diagnosis of PBC was definite. After administration of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3, neutral potassium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate for osteomalacia and subsequent predonizolone for TIN, symptoms of fractures were relieved and renal function including Fanconi syndrome was ameliorated. In this case, asymptomatic PBC was shown to induce TIN with Fanconi syndrome with dysregulation of electrolytes and vitamin D metabolism, which in turn led to osteomalacia with multiple fractures. Osteomalacia has not

  8. The interpretation of Charpy impact test data using hyper-logistic fitting functions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Helm, J.L.

    1996-01-01

    The hyperbolic tangent function is used almost exclusively for computer assisted curve fitting of Charpy impact test data. Unfortunately, there is no physical basis to justify the use of this function and it cannot be generalized to test data that exhibits asymmetry. Using simple physical arguments, a semi-empirical model is derived and identified as a special case of the so called hyper-logistic equation. Although one solution of this equation is the hyperbolic tangent, other more physically interpretable solutions are provided. From the mathematics of the family of functions derived from the hyper-logistic equation, several useful generalizations are made such that asymmetric and wavy Charpy data can be physically interpreted

  9. Hyper-G stress-induced hyperglycemia in rats mediated by glucoregulatory hormones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daligcon, B. C.; Oyama, J.

    1985-01-01

    The present investigation is concerned with possible relations of the hyperglycemic response of rats exposed to hyper-G stress to (1) alterations in blood levels of the glucoregulatory hormones and gluconeogenic substrates, and (2) changes in insulin response on muscle glucose uptake. Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 250-300 g were used in the study. The results of the experiments indicate that the initial rapid rise in blood glucose of rats exposed to hyper-G stress is mediated by increases in circulating catecholamines and glucagon, both potent stimulators of hepatic gluconeogenesis. Lactate, derived from epinephrine stimulation of muscle glycogenolysis, appears to be a major precursor for the initial rise in blood glucose. The inhibition of the insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by muscle tissues may be a factor in the observed sustained hyperglycemia.

  10. Autonomic neuropathy-in its many guises-as the initial manifestation of the antiphospholipid syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schofield, Jill R

    2017-04-01

    Autonomic disorders have previously been described in association with the antiphospholipid syndrome. The present study aimed to determine the clinical phenotype of patients in whom autonomic dysfunction was the initial manifestation of the antiphospholipid syndrome and to evaluate for autonomic neuropathy in these patients. This was a retrospective study of 22 patients evaluated at the University of Colorado who were found to have a disorder of the autonomic nervous system as the initial manifestation of antiphospholipid syndrome. All patients had persistent antiphospholipid antibody positivity and all patients who underwent skin biopsy were found to have reduced sweat gland nerve fiber density suggestive of an autonomic neuropathy. All patients underwent an extensive evaluation to rule out other causes for their autonomic dysfunction. Patients presented with multiple different autonomic disorders, including postural tachycardia syndrome, gastrointestinal dysmotility, and complex regional pain syndrome. Despite most having low-titer IgM antiphospholipid antibodies, 13 of the 22 patients (59%) suffered one or more thrombotic event, but pregnancy morbidity was minimal. Prothrombin-associated antibodies were helpful in confirming the diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome. We conclude that autonomic neuropathy may occur in association with antiphospholipid antibodies and may be the initial manifestation of the syndrome. Increased awareness of this association is important, because it is associated with a significant thrombotic risk and a high degree of disability. In addition, anecdotal experience has suggested that antithrombotic therapy and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy may result in significant clinical improvement in these patients.

  11. Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of IgM antibodies to Babesia bigemina in cattle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruiz Patrícia M Gonçalves

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available A crude antigenic preparation of Babesia bigemina was used to develop an ELISA for the detection of IgM antibodies. Optimal dilutions of the antigen, using positive and negative reference sera, were determined by checkerboard titrations. Negative sera from cattle imported from tick-free areas, serum samples collected from infected B. bigemina cattle were used to validate the test. The specificity was 94% and sensitivity of the Elisa 87.5%. Sera from 385 cattle deriving from areas free from tick-borne diseases, which were submitted to a preimmunization process, were screened by this technique. The Elisa detected seroconversion on the 14th day post-inoculation in animals either infested with Boophilus microplus ticks (infected with B. bigemina, or inoculated with B. bigemina infected blood. Antibody titers decreased after day 33; however, all animals remained positive until the end of the experiment (124 days. The ELISA described may prove to be an appropriate serological test for the detection of IgM antibodies against B. bigemina.

  12. GnRH Analogues in the Prevention of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alama, Pilar; Bellver, Jose; Vidal, Carmen; Giles, Juan

    2013-01-01

    The GnRH analogue (agonist and antagonist GnRH) changed ovarian stimulation. On the one hand, it improved chances of pregnancy to obtain more oocytes and better embryos. This leads to an ovarian hyper-response, which can be complicated by the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). On the other hand, the GnRH analogue can prevent the incidence of OHSS: GnRH antagonist protocols, GnRH agonist for triggering final oocyte maturation, either together or separately, coasting, and the GnRH analogue may prove useful for avoiding OHSS in high-risk patients. We review these topics in this article. PMID:23825982

  13. Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome from Acute Inhalation of Dishwasher Detergent Powder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timo J Hannu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Reactive airway dysfunction syndrome, a type of occupational asthma without a latency period, is induced by irritating vapour, fumes or smoke. The present report is the first to describe a case of reactive airway dysfunction syndrome caused by acute exposure to dishwater detergent containing sodium metasilicate and sodium dichloroisocyanurate. The diagnosis was based on exposure data, clinical symptoms and signs, as well as respiratory function tests. A 43-year-old nonatopic male apprentice cook developed respiratory symptoms immediately after exposure to a cloud of detergent powder that was made airborne by vigorous shaking of the package. In spirometry, combined obstructive and restrictive ventilatory impairment developed, and the histamine challenge test revealed bronchial hyper-responsiveness. Even routine handling of a strongly caustic detergent, such as filling a dishwasher container, is not entirely risk free and should be performed with caution.

  14. Xenon contrast CT-CBF measurements in patients with pre- and post-correction of platelet hyper-aggregability, and in the white matter lesions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujita, Shigekiyo

    2004-01-01

    About 10 years ago, the author found that, patients with headache, vertigo, dizziness and dementia, had a high prevalence (about 70%) of platelet hyper-aggregability which was especially prevalent (up to 100%) in Binswanger's dementia. Correction of the platelet hyper-aggregability in those patients led to remarkable improvement of symptoms. Based on this effective result with treatment of platelet hyper-aggregability, the author hypothesized that patients may show improvement or recovery of cerebral blood flow from the decreased blood flow by the correction of the platelet hyper-aggregability. The present report consist of two parts: 1) comparison of regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) before and after correction of platelet hyper-aggregability, 2) measurements of CBF in patients with severe white matter lesions, and the CBF within white matter lesions. The results of 1) showed CBF was decreased by about 20 to 30% before treatment and marked increase to normal CBF after correction of platelet hyper-aggregability, particularly in the thalamus and cortex. The increase was statistically significant except in bilateral frontal cortex and bilateral anterior white matter and left posterior white matter. From these results, it is confirmed that platelet hyper-aggregability is associated with decreased CBF, and after correction of platelet hyper-aggregability, CBF increases markedly. The results of 2) showed moderate to severe decreases of blood flow in all areas of the brain, and marked decreases of CBF in white matter lesions, 12.8±2.7 m1/100 g/min on average, which corresponded approximately to 60% of normal white matter CBF. (author)

  15. Detecting long-duration cloud contamination in hyper-temporal NDVI imagery

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ali, A.; de Bie, C.A.J.M.; Skidmore, A.K.

    2013-01-01

    Cloud contamination impacts on the quality of hyper-temporal NDVI imagery and its subsequent interpretation. Short-duration cloud impacts are easily removed by using quality flags and an upper envelope filter, but long-duration cloud contamination of NDVI imagery remains. In this paper, an approach

  16. The HyperCP data acquisition system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaplan, D.M.

    1997-06-01

    For the HyperCP experiment at Fermilab, we have assembled a data acquisition system that records on up to 45 Exabyte 8505 tape drives in parallel at up to 17 MB/s. During the beam spill, data are acquired from the front-end digitization systems at ∼ 60 MB/s via five parallel data paths. The front-end systems achieve typical readout deadtime of ∼ 1 micros per event, allowing operation at 75-kHz trigger rate with approx-lt 30% deadtime. Event building and tapewriting are handled by 15 Motorola MVME167 processors in 5 VME crates

  17. Approach to a child with primary immunodeficiency made simple

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dhrubajyoti Sharma

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Primary immunodeficiency disorders (PIDs are a group of disorders affecting the capability to fight against infection. These include defects in T cells and B cells affecting cell-mediated and humoral immunity, respectively, combined humoral and cell-mediated immunodeficiency, defects in phagocytosis, complement defects, and defects in cytokine or cytokine signalling pathways which are detrimental for immune function. Depending upon the type and severity, age at onset of symptoms can vary from neonatal period to late childhood. Clinically, this group of disorders can involve any organ system of an individual such as respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, skin and mucous membrane, bone and joints, endocrine organs, and nervous system. Common dermatological manifestations include eczema, warts, molluscum contagiosum, mucocutaneous candidiasis, recurrent nonhealing ulcers, skin abscesses, erythroderma, petechiae, and nail changes. The common skin manifestations of various PIDs include eczema (seen in Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome and autosomal dominant hyper IgE syndrome; erythroderma (in Omen syndrome; viral warts or molluscum contagiosum (in autosomal recessive hyper IgE syndrome; chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (in hyper IgE syndrome, autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dysplasia syndrome, Th17 cell defects; recurrent nonhealing ulcers (in leucocyte adhesion defect; skin abscesses (in antibody defects, hyper IgE syndrome, and chronic granulomatous disease; petechial or purpuric spots (in Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome.

  18. Ocular sarcoidosis masked by positive IgM for toxoplasmosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murilo Bertazzo Peres

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT We report a case of ocular sarcoidosis with positive immunoglobulin (Ig M and IgG serology for toxoplasmosis. The patient was a young female with red painful eyes, bilateral eyelid edema, and panuveitis with periphlebitis. In laboratory testing, she was IgM and IgG positive for toxoplasmosis and anergic in the tuberculin test. Topical treatment for anterior uveitis and oral antibiotics for toxoplasmosis were started, without improvement. Orbit tomography showed increased lacrimal glands bilaterally, and chest X-ray radiographic findings were consistent with pulmonary sarcoidosis, which supported the presumed ocular sarcoidosis diagnosis. The patient was treated with oral prednisone and methotrexate without antibiotics. She showed clinical and vision improvement without recurrences during the 1-year follow-up. Ocular sarcoidosis is an important differential diagnosis requiring careful anamnesis and ophthalmological examinations. Ancillary tests, such as X-ray radiography, tomography, and clinical and laboratory evaluations may help rule out other causes. Treatment mainly consists of corticosteroids and immunosuppression.

  19. Tele Hyper Virtuality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terashima, Nobuyoshi

    1994-01-01

    In the future, remote images sent over communication lines will be reproduced in virtual reality (VR). This form of virtual telecommunications, which will allow observers to engage in an activity as though it were real, is the focus of considerable attention. Taken a step further, real and unreal objects will be placed in a single space to create an extremely realistic environment. Here, imaginary and other life forms as well as people and animals in remote locations will gather via telecommunication lines that create a common environment where life forms can work and interact together. Words, gestures, diagrams and other forms of communication will be used freely in performing work. Actual construction of a system based on this new concept will not only provide people with experiences that would have been impossible in the past, but will also inspire new applications in which people will function in environments where it would have been difficult if not impossible for them to function until now. This paper describes Tele Hyper Virtuality concept, its definition, applications, the key technologies to accomplish it and future prospects.

  20. Antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin (aPS/PT) antibodies are associated with Raynaud phenomenon and migraine in primary thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopytek, M; Natorska, J; Undas, A

    2018-04-01

    Objectives Antibodies to phosphatidylserine/prothrombin complex (aPS/PT) detectable in sera of some patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) have been shown to correlate with thrombosis. However, associations of aPS/PT antibodies with APS related disorders remain unclear. Aim To evaluate whether there are any associations between aPS/PT antibodies and Raynaud phenomenon, migraine and/or valvular lesions in primary thrombotic APS (PAPS). Methods We enrolled 67 consecutive patients (56 women) with thrombotic PAPS (VTE in 80.6%), aged 46.2 ± 13.5 years. The exclusion criteria were: acute coronary syndromes or stroke within preceding 6 months, cancer, severe comorbidities and pregnancy. The IgG and IgM aPS/PT antibodies were determined by ELISA with the cut-off of 30 units. We recorded Raynaud phenomenon, migraine and valvular lesions. Results Positive IgM or/and IgG aPS/PT antibodies were observed in 29 patients (43.3%), with a higher prevalence of IgM antibodies ( n = 27, 40.3%) compared with IgG isotype ( n = 12, 17.9%, p = 0.014). aPS/PT antibodies were observed most commonly in patients with triple aPL ( n = 12, 85.7%) compared with those with double ( n = 5, 35.7%) or single aPL antibodies (n = 12, 30.8%, p = 0.03), with no association with demographics, the ANA titre, the type of thrombotic events or medications. Raynaud phenomenon, migraine and valvular lesions were observed in 15% ( n = 10), 30% ( n = 20) and 18% ( n = 12) of the patients, respectively. Raynaud phenomenon and migraine, but not valvular lesions, were markedly more frequent in PAPS patients presenting with positive aPS/PT antibodies ( n = 10, 34.5% vs. n = 0, 0%; p = 0.0001). Conclusions In PAPS patients aPS/PT antibodies are related to the occurrence of both Raynaud phenomenon and migraine.