Abstract Purpose This study assessed the frequency, clinical significance, and risk factors for Herpes simplex virus (HSV) reactivation in immunocompetent patients with community-acquired pneumonia ...(CAP). Methods The study included adult CAP-patients who were enrolled in the CAPNETZ study between 2007 and 2017 and had a residual sputum sample available for analysis. In addition to routine diagnostics, sputum and blood samples were tested for HSV-1/2 using PCR. Demographics, comorbidities, and CRB-65 score were compared between HSV-positive and negative patients using Fisher exact or Mann Whitney test. Logistic regression analyses investigated the influence of HSV reactivation on a modified hospital recovery scale (HRS) until day 7, divided into 3 categories (no oxygen therapy, oxygen therapy, ICU admission or death). Results Among 245 patients, HSV-1 and HSV-2 were detected in 30 patients (12.2%, 95%CI 8.7–16.9) and 0 patients, respectively. All HSV-positive patients were hospitalized, had a CRB-65 severity score of 0–2 and survived the first 28 day. In the HSV-positive group, patients had a non-significantly higher median age (70.5 versus 66 years) and a higher rate of oncological comorbidities (16.7% versus 8.8%) compared to the HSV-negative group. Distribution of co-pathogens and outcome parameters did not significantly differ between both groups. In a multivariate logistic regression model, age (AOR 1.029, p = 0.012) and CRB-65 score (AOR 1.709, p = 0.048), but not HSV-1 as single or co-pathogen were independently associated with higher HRS. Conclusion Our study suggests that HSV-1 reactivation is common in CAP but might not be associated with specific risk factors or a complicated disease course.
The fabrication, characterization and application of a nanoporous Silicon Rugate Filter (pSiRF) loaded with an enzymatically degradable polymer is reported as a bare eye detection optical sensor for ...enzymes of pathogenic bacteria, which is devoid of any dyes. The nanopores of pSiRF were filled with poly(lactic acid) (PLA), which, upon enzymatic degradation, resulted in a change in the effective refractive index of the pSiRF film, leading to a readily discernible color change of the sensor. The shifts in the characteristic fringe patterns before and after the enzymatic reaction were analyzed quantitatively by Reflectometric Interference Spectroscopy (RIfS) to estimate the apparent kinetics and its dependence on enzyme concentration. A clear color change from green to blue was observed by the bare eye after PLA degradation by proteinase K. Moreover, the color change was further confirmed in measurements in bacterial suspensions of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) as well as in situ in the corresponding bacterial supernatants. This study highlights the potential of the approach in point of care bacteria detection.
Lithium−sulfur batteries are promising candidates to satisfy the growing demand for high gravimetric, as well as high volumetric energy density batteries, due to their abundant and cost‐efficient ...raw‐materials. Consequently, this cell system has become an active subject of academic and industrial research. Therefore, new records for gravimetric, as well as volumetric energy densities have been reported in recent years. To further increase the volumetric energy density of the cells, the electrodes are often densified. Hence, the influence of the cathode density on the performance of lithium−sulfur batteries is still not fully understood. Herein, dry‐processed (DRYtraec) sulfur carbon cathodes with varying electrode densities are tested with ether‐based electrolytes under lean electrolyte (5 μL mg(s)−1) conditions. The electrochemical evaluation reveals that the density does not influence the performance of the cathodes at coin‐cell level as their density is altered upon electrolyte contact due to swelling. To monitor this, dynamic swelling experiments via confocal microscopy are conducted. Subsequently, the findings are transferred to investigate the influence of cathode swelling on the volumetric energy density. The influence of cathode swelling on the volumetric energy density of pouch cells is calculated based on the cathodes investigated at coin‐cell level.
Herein, solvent‐free sulfur/carbon cathodes, manufactured via DRYtraec process, are densified to increase their volumetric energy density. Their electrochemical performance is evaluated in ether‐based electrolytes on coin‐cell level. It is found that the initial densification of these cathodes has no significant influence on their performance, due to an expansion/swelling of the cathodes. The expansion/swelling is evaluated via confocal microscopy.
In pulsed plasma thrusters (PPTs), a highly ionized plasma is created and accelerated by means of a pulsed triggered vacuum gap discharge with concurrently occurring ablation, ionization, and ...Lorentz-force-based acceleration of propellant. The plasma flow behavior during the PPT discharge is, therefore, highly dependent on time, space, and operation parameters. Experimental work is seen as the necessary key to further understand the processes involved and to determine future research needs. The application of mechanical probes to measure the Mach number of the plasma flow optically is discussed in this paper. Values of 1.6-3.2 were determined for a variation in time, space, and discharge voltage. An inclination of the PPT plasma flow toward the cathode was observed, which concurs with the previous research results.
In a former publication, we have analyzed the transient neutron star X-ray binary GRO J1008–57 using all available RXTE-, Swift-, and Suzaku-data. As we have found, the source’s spectral components, ...i.e., a power-law with high exponential cutoff and a black-body, are strongly correlated with the hard X-ray flux (15–50 keV). We update the analytical description of these dependence, including a change in the photon index behaviour from a flat to a logarithmic function. The flux, where the change occurs, is consistent with the onset of the black-body emission. Thus, a change of the accretion state always occurs in GRO J1008–57 at a particular flux level.
While Nietzsche's and Foucault's thinking belongs to the established canon of philosophical, sociological and cultural studies debates, they are only tentatively received in medical ethics and ...medical theory. However, the works of these authors offer rich reflexion especially for the consequences of modern medicine. For the very first time in the German-speaking sphere, this volume combines contributions that trace Nietzsche's and Foucault's critical discussions of the production of knowledge, objectivity, and scientific quality in medicine, and draw connections to today's medicine, and especially to neuroscience and psychiatry, but also to new developments in medicine at the beginning and at the end of life.
During glomerular inflammation mesangial cells are the major source and target of nitric oxide that pro-foundly influences proliferation, adhesion, and death of mesangial cells. The effect of nitric ...oxide on the mRNA expression pattern of cultured rat mesangial cells was therefore investigated by RNA-arbitrarily-primed polymerase chain reaction. Employing this approach, biglycan expression turned out to be down-regulated time- and dose-dependently either by interleukin-1β-stimulated endogenous nitric oxide production or by direct application of the exogenous nitric oxide donor, diethylenetriamine nitric oxide. There was a corresponding decline in the rate of biglycan biosynthesis and in the steady state level of this proteoglycan. In vivo, in a model of mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis up-regulation of inducible nitric-oxide synthase mRNA was associated with reduced expression of biglycan in isolated glomeruli. Biglycan expression could be normalized, both in vitro and in vivo, by using a specific inhibitor of the inducible nitric-oxide synthase, l-N6-(l-iminoethyl)-l-lysine dihydrochloride. Further studies showed that biglycan inhibited cell adhesion on type I collagen and fibronectin because of its binding to these substrates. More importantly, biglycan protected mesangial cells from apoptosis by decreasing caspase-3 activity, and it counteracted the proliferative effects of platelet-derived growth factor-BB. These findings indicate a signaling role of biglycan and describe a novel pathomechanism by which nitric oxide modulates the course of renal glomerular disease through regulation of biglycan expression.
Dass das Teilen in der Gesellschaft der Gegenwart einmal eine so große Rolle spielen würde, hätte bis vor kurzem wohl kaum jemand vorausgesagt. Eine globale Protestbewegung brachte ein tiefes ...Bedürfnis zum Ausdruck, alternative Wege einzuschlagen, die auf anderen Werten beruhten als jene, die allem Anschein nach zur Finanzkrise geführt hatten. Gleichzeitig sind hoch entwickelte Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien, die das Teilen erleichtern, nicht nur beinahe überall verfügbar; sie stehen auch im Zentrum des Interesses zahlreicher Menschen, die viel Zeit und Einsatz aufbringen, um mit diesen Technologien zu experimentieren und sie in die Abläufe ihres Alltagslebens eingliedern. Eine ganze Generation von medienkompetenten, radikal globalisierten Menschen wächst mit der täglichen und persönlichen Erfahrung auf, dass das Teilen von (digitalen) Gütern ein unverzichtbares Element im Aufbau gemeinschaftlicher Beziehungen verschiedenster Art ist. Heute stehen diese Erfahrungen im krassen Widerspruch zu anderen gesellschaftlichen Erfahrungen, bei denen Wettbewerb und individuelles Besitzstreben vorherrschen. Dieser Band will einen Beitrag zur kollektiven Arbeit leisten, das Teilen in der Gesellschaft neu zu denken.
Event Generation with Sherpa 2.2 Bothmann, Enrico; Gurpreet Singh Chahal; Höche, Stefan ...
arXiv.org,
09/2019
Paper, Journal Article
Odprti dostop
Sherpa is a general-purpose Monte Carlo event generator for the simulation of particle collisions in high-energy collider experiments. We summarize essential features and improvements of the Sherpa ...2.2 release series, which is heavily used for event generation in the analysis and interpretation of LHC Run 1 and Run 2 data. We highlight a decade of developments towards ever higher precision in the simulation of particle-collision events.
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