Objectives. To estimate endothelial dysfunction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of short duration in relation to disease activity based on the assessment of 28 joints (DAS28). Methods. We ...studied 29 patients (22 women, mean age 41 (SD, 9) years) with RA of short duration and 29 healthy controls. The RA subjects were divided into those with low (DAS28: 2.6–5.1, n=18) or high (DAS28>5.1, n=11) disease activity. Exclusion criteria included clinically overt atherosclerosis and other coexistent diseases. Biochemical markers of inflammatory activation and endothelial dysfunction were measured. Results. There were no significant intergroup differences in the majority of classical cardiovascular risk factors. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6 were increased in RA subjects. Compared to the controls, levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, von Willebrand factor, and pentraxin-3 were significantly elevated in RA subjects with low disease activity, exhibiting no further significant rises in those with high disease activity. Asymmetric dimethyl-L-arginine, soluble E-selectin, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and osteoprotegerin were increased only in RA patients with high disease activity. Conclusions. Our findings might suggest a dissociation of pathways governing generalized and joint-specific inflammatory reactions from those involved in endothelial activation and inflammation within the vascular wall.
Objectives. To evaluate blood monocyte subsets and functional monocyte properties in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of short duration in the context of cardiovascular (CV) risk and disease ...activity. Methods. We studied conventional markers of CV risk, intima media thickness (IMT), and blood monocyte subsets in 27 patients aged 41 ± 10 years with RA of short duration (median 12 months) and 22 healthy controls. The RA subjects were divided into low (DAS28: 2.6–5.1) and high (DAS28 > 5.1) disease activity. Results. RA patients exhibited increased levels of intermediate (CD14++CD16+) monocytes with decreased CD45RA expression compared to controls, increased counts of classical (CD14++CD16−) monocytes, and decreased percentages of nonclassical (CD14+CD16++) monocytes. Patients with high disease activity had lower HLA DR expression on classical monocytes compared to low disease activity patients. There were no differences in monocyte subsets between subjects with DAS > 5.1 and DAS ≤ 5.1. There were no significant intergroup differences in IMT and the majority of classical CV risk factors. Conclusions. Patients with RA of short duration show alteration in peripheral blood monocyte subsets despite the fact that there is no evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis. Disease activity assessed with DAS28 was associated with impaired functional properties but not with a shift in monocyte subpopulations.
MCORD - MPD Cosmic Ray Detector a new features Bielewicz, M.; Milewicz-Zalewska, M.; Grodzicka-Kobylka, M. ...
EPJ Web of Conferences,
2019, Letnik:
204
Journal Article, Conference Proceeding
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The main detector system at the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) located in Dubna, Russia is the Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD). For better calibration reason, the MPD needs an additional ...trigger system for an off-beam calibration of MPD sub-detectors and for rejection (veto) of cosmic muons. The system should also be useful for practical astrophysics observations of cosmic showers. The consortium NICA-PL group defines goals and basic assumptions for the MPD Cosmic Ray Detector (MCORD). This article describes the conceptual design and simulation plans of the MCORD detector based on plastic scintillators with SiPM photodetectors and electronic digital system based on the MicroTCA crate.
Characterization of CsI:Tl at a wide temperature range (−40°C to +22°C) Grodzicka, M.; Moszyński, M.; Szczęśniak, T. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
04/2013, Letnik:
707
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The aim of this work is the characterization of a ∅ 9×9mm CsI:Tl scintillator at a wide temperature range of −40°C to +22°C. A tested crystal with dimensions of ∅ 9×9mm was coupled to a 16mm diameter ...large area Avalanche photodiode (LAAPD). The crystal and the LAAPD were cooled down in a cryostat with a built-in Peltier element. Properties such as the number of electron–hole pairs per 1MeV, the nonproportionality, the energy resolution and the intrinsic resolution were inspected with eight different peaking times – i.e., 0.6μs, 1.2μs, 2.4μs, 4.8μs, 7.2μs, 9μs, 14.4μs, 28.8μs – and discussed in terms of the light pulse shapes measured by a single photon method.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is associated with excessive cardiovascular (CV) morbidity. Interactions between activated endothelium and monocytes precede atherosclerotic plaques. Our aim was to ...quantify blood monocyte subsets in relation to endothelial activation and inflammatory activity in subjects with AS who were free of clinical atherosclerotic CV disease.
Markers of inflammation and endothelial activation were measured in 47 patients with AS receiving no disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, and 22 healthy controls. Exclusion criteria included atherosclerotic CV disease and traditional risk factors. Flow cytometry was used to identify monocyte subsets: classical CD14(++)CD16(-), intermediate CD14(++)CD16(+), and nonclassical CD14(+)CD16(++) monocytes and to evaluate their expression of CD11b and CD11c.
Traditional risk factors were comparable among the groups, except for lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in AS (p = 0.007). Relative to controls, in subjects with AS counts of classical monocytes were higher (84.3 ± 5.4 vs 78.9 ± 5.3% of blood monocytes, p < 0.001) and nonclassical monocytes lower (2.9 ± 2.2 vs 5.5 ± 2.3%, p < 0.001). In AS we observed increased soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 251 (224-293) vs 202 (187-230) ng/ml, p = 0.002, an endothelial ligand for monocytic β2-integrin CD11b/CD18. CD11b expression on all 3 monocyte subsets was elevated in 21 AS subjects with a Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index score ≥ 4 versus the remaining patients (p = 0.005-0.03). C-reactive protein, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and pentraxin-3 were increased in AS, in contrast to tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-18. IL-6 correlated with classical monocytes numbers in AS (r = 0.56, p < 0.0001) but not in the controls (r = 0.10, p = 0.65).
Our findings suggest a contribution of immune dysregulation to enhanced monocyte-endothelial interactions in AS, especially in patients with active disease, which possibly can accelerate atherogenesis on a longterm basis.
To evaluate the relationship between systemic inflammation and skin microcirculation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
We assessed skin microcirculation flux ...(laser Doppler flowmetry), classical cardiovascular risk factors, inflammatory markers and disease activity (Disease Activity Score 28, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index) in 75 patients with arthritis with a median disease duration of 4 years, and in 26 healthy subjects.
In patients with arthritis inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, interleukin 6, fibrinogen) were increased, peak flux velocity after the occlusion at the temperature of 36.6°C and maximal heat flux velocity after the heating were significantly lower. These findings were accompanied by the slower increase in the flux rate during local heating. There were positive correlations between inflammatory markers and microcirculation parameters in patients with RA and AS, but only for RA patients between peak flux velocity and disease activity. There were no significant intergroup differences when the classical cardiovascular risk factors were compared except for the lower HDL cholesterol in arthritis patients.
Patients with chronic systemic inflammatory arthritis presented altered microvascular function and reduced vasodilator capacity of the forearm skin microcirculation.
In this paper, five detectors (EJ-270 — single plastic scintillator, EJ-309B5 — single liquid scintillator, and 3 phoswich detectors: EJ-276+GS20, GS20+EJ-276, EJ-309+GS20) were studied in terms of ...simultaneous detection of gamma-rays and slow and fast neutrons. The measurements were carried out in a mixed field of neutron and gamma radiation from an intense (∼106 neutrons/s/4π) PuBe source. The PuBe neutron source was placed in an 18 cm diameter paraffin ball in order to increase the number of slow neutron detections. This paper covers the measurements of the neutron/gamma discrimination, photoelectron yield and analysis of the light pulse shapes originating from events related to gamma-rays, slow neutrons and fast neutrons. Sensitivity to slow neutrons is also briefly discussed. A comparison of n/γ discrimination for all of the tested detectors shows excellent performance of all phoswich detectors. Phoswich configurations tested within the scope of this study allow unambiguously resolve all three types of radiation and show superior performance in comparison with single loaded plastic or liquid scintillators.
This article reports a detailed description of the integration tests of the first Rapidly Relocatable Tagged Neutron Inspection System (RRTNIS) carried out at the European Commission’s Joint Research ...Centre in Ispra (Italy). This technology allows the detection and identification of suspicious or illicit materials (such as narcotics, explosives, contraband goods, etc.) inside a cargo container using active neutron interrogation, with the so-called associated particle technique. The method is based on the measurement of the gamma photons emitted by the de-excitation of nuclei that undergo, mainly, inelastic scatterings with incident fast neutrons (En∼ 14 MeV). A set of scintillation detectors (NaI:Tl and LaBr3:Ce) is employed to perform gamma spectroscopy. The data acquisition system is based on fast signal digitizers and customized data acquisition software. A general technical description of the detection module and an outline of the data acquisition system (DAQ) are given. Also, we present the results of the integration tests, in particular, some examples of the performance of the system in the laboratory are shown, specifically, when using no target (background measurement) and when using mono-elemental and an explosive simulant target. Obtained results suggest that all technical requirements are achieved, and the next step will be the field trials.
BACKGROUNDAdult survivors of childhood malignancy are predisposed to late cardiovascular (CV) complications. Our aim was to estimate plasma levels of the endogenous nitric oxide formation inhibitor ...asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), in long-term survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with only chemotherapy. METHODSADMA and its isomer symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) were measured in 25 former ALL patients (aged 18-28 years) who had survived without recurrent disease ≥ 5 years from completing chemotherapy without cranial irradiation, and in 20 healthy controls (aged 20-31 years). RESULTSCharacteristics of the both groups were similar, except for lower high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (HDL-C) in ALL survivors. Compared to controls, the former ALL patients exhibited significant, albeit small, rises in levels of ADMA (0.63 ± 0.09 SD vs. 0.57 ± 0.07 μmol/L; p=0.016), but not SDMA, with a consequently increased ADMA to SDMA ratio (1.08 ± 0.22 vs. 0.91 ± 0.16; p=0.004). The effect of former ALL on ADMA was attenuated (intergroup p=0.10 ANCOVA) upon adjustment for HDL-C (ADMA vs. HDL-C regression coefficient: -0.065 ± 0.030 SEM; p=0.03). CONCLUSIONSADMA is elevated in adult childhood ALL survivors, which can reflect late detrimental chemotherapy effects, partially related to minor lipid profile changes. Whether these subtle ADMA elevations might herald future CV morbidity, remains to be elucidated.
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