This study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among people aged 65 years and older and assess the value of a postal survey in obtaining this information. A ...questionnaire was sent to 2011 subjects (957 men) drawn by age-stratified random sampling from the age-sex registers of four New Forest group practices (1:3.3 sample). A total of 1803 replied, a 96.2% response after excluding 136 who had died or moved from the area. The accuracy of replies was verified for 355 (20%) randomly selected subjects. Forty per cent had no respiratory symptoms. Exertional breathlessness was common (38%), increasing in prevalence with age but not with smoking history, and was the only symptom reported by 10% of subjects. Only 14.2% were current smokers; more of the subjects aged 85 years and over were lifelong non-smokers. Two hundred and ninety-six (16.4%) had chronic bronchitis, which was more common among smokers; 151 (8.4%) gave a history of asthma, of whom half (76) had active asthma, which was slightly less common among the very elderly subjects. Only 489 (27.1%) of subjects had seen their doctors with chest symptoms during the preceding 2 years.
L’instauration d’un traitement antifongique azolé chez les patients atteints de mucoviscidose reste en débat : indications imprécises voire contestées, mais aussi plusieurs expériences positives en ...cas d’aspergillose bronchopulmonaire allergique. Les données de la littérature disponibles sont basées sur des études de cohorte avec des suivis de centaines de patients mais à des stades différents d’une cohorte à l’autre. Le projet Antifungal Therapy during Cystic Fibrosis (ATCF) a suivi 11 patients présentant une colonisation chronique à Aspergillus fumigatus randomisés pour recevoir un traitement antifongique azolé précoce. Six patients ont été inclus dans le bras itraconazole (bras ITRA) et 5 dans le bras voriconazole (bras VORI). La mutation Delta F508 était présente chez 91 % des patients et le VEMS prédit moyen était de 50,39 %±18,01 (44,22 %±14,71 dans le bras ITRA et 57,79 %±20,36 dans le bras VORI).
Quatre patients ont arrêté prématurément leur traitement pour événement indésirable : 1 ITRA et 3 VORI. Sept patients sur 7 évaluables étaient en succès (100 %) avec une négativation des expectorations après 4 ou 6 mois de traitement (5/5 ITRA et 2/2 VORI). L’amélioration du VEMS prédit était observée dès 4 semaines de traitement pour 6/9 patients, passant d’une moyenne de 50,39 %±18,01 à 63,30 %±30,21. Les VEMS prédits moyens étaient pour le bras ITRA de 44,22 %±14,71 à j0 et de 45,94 %±17,32 à semaine 4. Dans le bras VORI, le VEMS prédit moyen est passé de 57,79 %±20,36 à 85,00 %±30,07. En parallèle, une épargne importante du nombre de cures antibiotiques a été observée. Le nombre de patients ne recevant pas de cure d’antibiotiques était de 18,2 % à j0 pour passer à 82 % et 89 % à S2 et S4. Le recours aux cures de corticostéroïdes était limité dans cette étude, puisque 10 patients sur 11 n’en recevait pas. Le seul patient qui recevait 1 cure de corticostéroïdes à j0 n’en a plus reçu sous traitement azolé. Sur le plan de la réponse anticorps, la décroissance des titres d’IgG anti-aspergillaires et d’IgE totales sous traitement étaient importantes, plus rapides dans le bras ITRA. Lors du suivi 2 mois après l’arrêt du traitement, les différents indicateurs sont revenus à la ligne de base du départ.
Ces données mettent en évidence l’intérêt de rationnaliser la prescription des azolés au cours de la mucoviscidose en mesurant bien le rapport bénéfice/risque. Lorsque le besoin est objectivé et incite à la prescription précoce notamment en cas de colonisation chronique, l’efficacité est rapide à la fois sur les marqueurs cliniques et biologiques. Cette efficacité n’est toutefois pas pérenne et incite donc à privilégier des cures courtes pour éviter la iatrogénie et reprendre une cure en cas de besoin. Ces données seront complétées par des études plus fondamentales en cours d’investigation : l’évolution du microbiome et de l’inflammasome des patients atteints de mucoviscidose sous traitement azolé.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
We present a simultaneous extraction of the moments of \(F_2\) and \(F_L\) structure functions of the proton for a range of photon virtuality, \(Q^2\). This is achieved by computing the forward ...Compton amplitude on the lattice utilizing the second-order Feynman-Hellmann theorem. Our calculations are performed on configurations with two different lattice spacings and volumes, all at the \(SU(3)\) symmetric point. We find the moments of \(F_{2}\) and \(F_{L}\) in good agreement with experiment. Power corrections turn out to be significant. This is the first time the \(Q^2\) dependence of the lowest moment of \(F_2\) has been quantified.
The standard method for determining matrix elements in lattice QCD requires the computation of three-point correlation functions. This has the disadvantage of requiring two large time separations: ...one between the hadron source and operator and the other from the operator to the hadron sink. Here we consider an alternative formalism, based on the Dyson expansion leading to the Feynman-Hellmann theorem, which only requires the computation of two-point correlation functions. Both the cases of degenerate energy levels and quasi-degenerate energy levels which correspond to diagonal and transition matrix elements respectively can be considered in this formalism. As an example numerical results for the Sigma to Nucleon vector transition matrix element are presented.
Probing nucleon structure on the lattice Göckeler, M.; Hägler, Ph; Horsley, R. ...
The European physical journal. A, Hadrons and nuclei,
6/2007, Volume:
32, Issue:
4
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
We have investigated the surface and near-surface bulk chemical properties of differently stressed (Au/Cu/)CdTe/CdS thin-film solar cells. The employed Au/Cu contact design created unique samples in ...which both the back contact surface/interface and the (back) surface of the CdTe absorber were exposed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and soft x-ray emission spectroscopy were employed to determine the chemical composition of the surface and near-surface bulk of both the exposed CdTe surface and the Au/Cu back contact surface of each sample. Sulfur is observed to have migrated (from the CdS) into the CdTe bulk, forming Au 2 S and Cu 2−x S compounds under the back contact. Chlorine is found at the surface and in the near-surface bulk of both the back contact and the exposed CdTe absorber. Under the back contact, Cl is observed to form Cu-Cl bonds only in the samples that were heat stressed under AM 1.5 illumination.
This paper describes interface circuits for a multiphase disk-shaped piezoelectric generator. By using quarter-circle shaped electrodes, similar to an ultrasonic motor, multiple output voltage phases ...are obtained from a single resonating disk. A lumped circuit model for the piezoelectric transducer is derived, which is accurate for the traveling wave excitation. Interface circuits that take advantage of the multiple output phases have been designed, implemented, and tested. A time-interleaved AC-DC converter with low output voltage ripple serves as an example of these interface circuits. In addition, a new energy recycling technique, which exploits the relative phase difference between adjacent electrodes, is explored. Measured results show a greater than 10% increase in total energy harvesting ability with the use of the proposed energy recycling technique.
The ATP-sensitive K-channel plays a central role in insulin release from pancreatic β-cells. We report here the cloning of the gene (KCNJ6) encoding a putative subunit of a human ATP-sensitive ...K-channel expressed in brain and β-cells, and characterisation of its exon-intron structure. Screening of a somatic cell mapping panel and fluorescent in situ hybridization place the gene on chromosome 21 (21q22.1–22.2). Analysis of single-stranded conformational polymorphisms revealed the presence of two silent polymorphisms (Pro-149: CC
G
-CC
A
and Asp328: GA
C
-GA
T
) with similar frequencies in normal and non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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