Abstract It has been postulated that an early systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and a subsequent compensatory anti-inflammatory response syndrome (CARS) occur sequentially in sepsis. ...Co-existence of both is referred to as mixed antagonist response syndrome (MARS). Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production was investigated in patients with postoperative sepsis, a murine peritonitis model and in vitro to further delineate the interaction of hyper- and hypo-inflammation in sepsis. IL-6 and IL-10 were measured in serum samples from 80 patients on d1 and d2 of postoperative sepsis and were similarly determined at various time points after induction of septic peritonitis in mice. Cytokine production of RAW264 macrophages was stimulated in vitro using TLR agonists. IL-6 and IL-10 were measured in supernatants. All cytokine measurements were performed by ELISA. In patients, the initial phase of the immune response to sepsis was characterized by a concomitant elevation of serum IL-6 and IL-10 levels. IL-10 levels were correlated with IL-6 levels in an exponential manner ( p < 0.001), which could be confirmed in a mouse model of septic peritonitis. In vitro experiments revealed that the observed exponential correlation may occur as function of TLR signaling intensity. Early postoperative sepsis seems to be characterized by a primary MARS. Sepsis severity was positively correlated with a disproportionate elevation of the anti-inflammatory response relative to the pro-inflammatory response, a pattern reminiscent of TLR-driven responses. Detailed characterization of immune responses in sepsis may help to direct standard therapies and to develop effective immunomodulatory strategies.
The electromagnetic calorimeter of the PANDA detector at the future Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research is one of the central components to measure high-energy photons over a wide dynamic range ...down to a few tens of mega-electron volts. The calorimeter comprises almost 16 000 PWO-II crystals of 200 mm length with high quality standards in optical performance, light output, and radiation hardness. The running mass production has passed more than 7000 crystals. The observation of stimulated recovery even of cooled crystals by illumination with external light sources integrated into the detector modules has opened up a new design concept for PANDA and future calorimeters.
Nonuniform fields decrease the accuracy of dielectric characterization by microwave cavity perturbation. These fields are due to the slot in the cavity through which the sample is inserted and the ...boundary between the sample and the metallic walls inside of the cavity. To address this problem, we measured the natural frequency and damping ratio of a resonant cavity as a sample is inserted into the rectangular cavity. We found that for a range of cavity filling fractions, a linear regression on the natural frequency and damping ratio versus the effective volume fraction of the sample in the cavity could be used to extract the complex permittivity of the sample. We verified our technique by measuring a known quartz substrate and comparing the results to finite-element simulations. When compared to the conventional technique, we found a significant improvement in the accuracy for our samples and measurement setup. We confirmed our technique on two lossy samples: a neat stoichiometric mixture bisphenol A epoxy resin and one containing a mass fraction of 3.5% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). At the TE 103 mode (7.31 GHz), the permittivity and loss tangent of the epoxy were measured to be ε r =2.93±0.11 and tanδ = 0.028±0.002, respectively. The epoxy with a mass fraction of 3.5% MWCNTs had a permittivity of ε r =8.01±0.48 and loss tangent of tanδ = 0.137±0.010.
This article presents corrosion data and microstructural analysis data of austenitic stainless steels AISI 316L and AISI 347H exposed to supercritical water (25MPa, 550°C) with 2000ppb of dissolved ...oxygen. The corrosion tests lasted a total of 1200h but were interrupted at 600h to allow measurements to be made. The microstructural data have been collected in the grain interior and at grain boundaries of the bulk of the materials and at the superficial oxide layer developed during the corrosion exposure.
: Objective: Patients with hyperleukocytic leukaemia were graded according to the severity of symptoms possibly caused by leukostasis to evaluate the effectiveness of therapy and to test the ...relative contribution of blast type and count of blasts and promyelocytes in the development of leukostasis syndrome. Methods: Ninety‐five patients (59 male, 36 female, median age 52 yr) with hyperleukocytic leukaemia leukocytes above 50 × 109/L, 48 acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), 31 chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), 13 acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), three chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) were grouped according to the presence or absence and severity of neurologic, pulmonary and other symptoms into four categories (no, possible, probable and highly probable leukostasis syndrome). Age, white blood count (WBC), haemoglobin, blast count and total of blasts plus promyelocytes of these groups were compared by Mann–Whitney U‐test. Results: Patients with myeloid leukaemia (AML M1/M2, CML) which scored as highly probable leukostasis showed significantly higher WBC (P = 0.011), lower haemoglobin (P = 0.004), higher peripheral blast counts (P = 0.004) and higher total of peripheral blasts plus promyelocytes (P < 0.001) compared with the lower probability groups. In leukaemia involving the monocytic lineage (AML M4/M5, CMML) no significant differences were found in any of these factors between patients with highly probable leukostasis and the other patients. Conclusions: Our results show that a four‐stage clinical grading scale is a valuable tool for analysing hyperleukocytic patient populations and evaluate the effectiveness of therapy more precisely. We further demonstrate that the mechanisms of leukostasis are different in myeloid leukaemia as compared with leukaemia with involvement of the monocytic lineage.
Photoproduction of two neutral pions off the proton is studied using linearly polarized photons, and the polarization observables Is and Ic are measured for the first time. These two observables are ...unique to multi-meson final states; they characterize correlations between the linear photon polarization and the direction of outgoing single particles in photoproduction of three-body final states. The Is and Ic distributions suggest that, in the 1.8 to 2.0 GeV mass region, the N(1520)3/2−π intermediate state is reached with reaction dynamics consistent with a dominant JP=3/2+ wave. These data are included in the Bonn–Gatchina (BnGa) partial wave analysis which is based on a large variety of data; the analysis confirms a significant contribution from the reaction chain γp→N(1900)3/2+→N(1520)3/2−π0→pπ0π0.
A four-year old, 26.5 kg, Boxer bitch was presented to the Department of Reproduction in the Clinic of Dogs and Cats with a six month history of vulvar swelling and vaginal discharge. General ...gynaecological examination showed an extremely swollen, oedematous and tough-elastic highly irritable vulva. A vaginal smear revealed the presence of superficial cells and red blood cells. After repeated unsuccesful administrations of HCG and GnRH the owner of the bitch agreed to surgical treatment. An ovariohysterectomy was performed and on the left ovary a grapefruit-size structure was found. Three nodular structures were found retroperitoneally and were also dissected. Histological examination showed a disgerminoma in metastasises, mitotically active with a bad prognosis. However, at a check up twenty months subsequently the patient was still alive.
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