A feasibility study has been performed in order to investigate the performance of the HADES detector to measure the electromagnetic decays of the hyperon resonances \(\Sigma(1385)^0\), ...\(\Lambda(1405)\) and \(\Lambda{\Lambda}(1520)\) as well as the production of double strange baryon systems \(\Xi^-\) and \(\Lambda\Lambda\) in p+p reactions at a beam kinetic energy of 4.5 GeV. The existing HADES detector will be upgraded by a new Forward Detector, which extends the detector acceptance into a range of polar angles that plays a crucial role for these investigations. The analysis of each channel is preceded by a consideration of the production cross-sections. Afterwards the expected signal count rates using a target consisting of either liquid hydrogen or polyethylene are summarized.
A high-performance liquid chromatographic assay is described for dexamethasone in neonatal plasma. Samples (100 microliters) were extracted with ethyl acetate (1.0 ml) containing 50 ng of ...beclomethasone. The mobile phase of acetonitrile-0.01 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) (45:55, v/v) was pumped at a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min through an Ultrasphere ODS column (5.0 microns particles). Detection was by UV absorbance at 240 nm. Calibration plots were linear (r2 > 0.999) from 10-1000 ng/ml. Within-day and between-day precision (C.V.%, coefficient of variation) between 15-900 ng/ml was 1.21-20.6%. Inaccuracy was 7.7%, or less. The minimum quantifiable concentration (C.V. approximately 20%) was 15 ng/ml. Recovery (20-1000 ng/ml) exceeded 75%. Concomitant neonatal medication did not interfere.
The production of \(\Sigma^0\) hyperons in proton proton collisions at a beam kinetic energy of 3.5 GeV impinging on a liquid hydrogen target was investigated using data collected with the HADES ...setup. The total production cross section is found to be \(\mathrm{\sigma (pK^{+}\Sigma^{0}) \mu b = 17.7 \pm 1.7 (stat) \pm 1.6 (syst)}\). Differential cross section distributions of the exclusive channel \(\mathrm{pp \rightarrow pK^{+}\Sigma^{0}}\) were analyzed in the center-of-mass, Gottfried-Jackson and helicity reference frames for the first time at the excess energy of 556 MeV. The data support the interplay between pion and kaon exchange mechanisms and clearly demonstrate the contribution of interfering nucleon resonances decaying to \(\mathrm{K^{+}\Sigma^{0}}\). The Bonn-Gatchina partial wave analysis was employed to analyse the data. Due to the limited statistics, it was not possible to obtain an unambiguous determination of the relative contribution of intermediate nucleon resonances to the final state. However nucleon resonances with masses around 1.710 \(\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}\) (\(\mathrm{N^{*}(1710)}\)) and 1.900 \(\mathrm{GeV/c^{2}}\) (\(\mathrm{N^{*}(1900)}\) or \(\mathrm{\Delta^{*}(1900)}\)) are preferred by the fit.
DEUTSCH: Besprochen werden: Warum war die Zertifizierung ein Muss (Koordination der Ablaeufe eines Produktionssystems, eindeutige und ueberpruefbare Produktaussagen treffen), langfristige Planung und ...Organisation, Schritt fuer Schritt ans Ziel, Mitarbeiter denken mit (groessere Verantwortung).
To compare the effectiveness of mammography, breast ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for surveillance of women at increased familial risk for breast cancer (lifetime risk of 20% or ...more).
We conducted a surveillance cohort study of 529 asymptomatic women who, based on their family history and/or mutational analysis, were suspected or proven to carry a breast cancer susceptibility gene (BRCA). A total of 1,542 annual surveillance rounds were completed with a mean follow-up of 5.3 years. Diagnostic accuracies of the three imaging modalities used alone or in different combinations were compared.
Forty-three breast cancers were identified in the total cohort (34 invasive, nine ductal carcinoma-in-situ). Overall sensitivity of diagnostic imaging was 93% (40 of 43 breast cancers); overall node-positive rate was 16%, and one interval cancer occurred (one of 43 cancers, or 2%). In the analysis by modality, sensitivity was low for mammography (33%) and ultrasound (40%) or the combination of both (49%). MRI offered a significantly higher sensitivity (91%). The sensitivity of mammography in the higher risk groups was 25%, compared with 100% for MRI. Specificity of MRI (97.2%) was equivalent to that of mammography (96.8%).
Mammography alone, and also mammography combined with breast ultrasound, seems insufficient for early diagnosis of breast cancer in women who are at increased familial risk with or without documented BRCA mutation. If MRI is used for surveillance, diagnosis of intraductal and invasive familial or hereditary cancer is achieved with a significantly higher sensitivity and at a more favorable stage.
This pooled analysis evaluated the outcomes of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in 739 small-cell lung cancer (SCLC patients with stable disease (SD) or better following chemotherapy ± thoracic ...radiation therapy (TRT) to examine the potential advantage of PCI in a wider spectrum of patients than generally participate in PCI trials.
Three hundred eighteen patients with extensive SCLC (ESCLC) and 421 patients with limited SCLC (LSCLC) participated in four phase II or III trials. Four hundred fifty-nine patients received PCI (30 Gy/15 or 25 Gy/10) and 280 did not. Survival and adverse events (AEs) were compared.
PCI patients survived significantly longer than non-PCI patients {hazard ratio HR = 0.61 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.52–0.72; P < 0.0001}. The 1- and 3-year survival rates were 56% and 18% for PCI patients versus 32% and 5% for non-PCI patients. PCI was still significant after adjusting for age, performance status, gender, stage, complete response, and number of metastatic sites (HR = 0.82, P = 0.04). PCI patients had significantly more grade 3+ AEs (64%) compared with non-PCI patients (50%) (P = 0.0004). AEs associated with PCI included alopecia and lethargy. Dose fractionation could be compared only for LSCLC patients and 25 Gy/10 was associated with significantly better survival compared with 30 Gy/15 (HR = 0.67, P = 0.018).
PCI was associated with a significant survival benefit for both ESCLC and LSCLC patients who had SD or a better response to chemotherapy ± TRT. Dose fractionation appears important. PCI was associated with an increase in overall and specific grade 3+ AE rates.
To identify biological evidence for Alzheimer disease (AD) in individuals with subjective memory impairment (SMI) and unimpaired cognitive performance and to investigate the longitudinal cognitive ...course in these subjects.
¹⁸Ffluoro-2-deoxyglucose PET (FDG-PET) and structural MRI were acquired in 31 subjects with SMI and 56 controls. Cognitive follow-up testing was performed (average follow-up time: 35 months). Differences in baseline brain imaging data and in memory decline were assessed between both groups. Associations of memory decline with brain imaging data were tested.
The SMI group showed hypometabolism in the right precuneus and hypermetabolism in the right medial temporal lobe. Gray matter volume was reduced in the right hippocampus in the SMI group. At follow-up, subjects with SMI showed a poorer performance than controls on measures of episodic memory. Longitudinal memory decline in the SMI group was associated with reduced glucose metabolism in the right precuneus at baseline.
The cross-sectional difference in 2 independent neuroimaging modalities indicates early AD pathology in SMI. The poorer memory performance at follow-up and the association of reduced longitudinal memory performance with hypometabolism in the precuneus at baseline support the concept of SMI as the earliest manifestation of AD.
Peptides associated with the heat shock protein gp96 induce a specific T cell response against cells from which gp96 is isolated. Recently, we have shown that gp96 binds to a yet unknown receptor ...present on dendritic cells (DC) and that receptor‐mediated uptake is required for cross‐presentation of gp96‐associated peptides by DC. We now describe that gp96 mediates maturation of DC as determined by up‐regulation of MHC class II and CD86 molecules, secretion of the cytokines IL‐12 and TNF‐α and enhanced T cell stimulatory capacity. Heat‐denatured gp96 is not able to induce DC maturation and cytokine secretion. Furthermore, we show that mature DC are no longer able to bind gp96 molecules. Hence, the gp96 receptor is down‐regulated on mature DC, suggesting that this receptor behaves similar to other receptors involved in antigen uptake like the scavenger receptor CD36, the mannose receptor or the integrins αvβ3 and αvβ5. Together, our findings provide an additional explanation for the remarkable immunogenicity of gp96 as a cross‐priming antigen carrier and direct activator of DC.
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