Slip pulse and resonance of the Kathmandu basin during the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal.

Detailed geodetic imaging of earthquake ruptures enhances our understanding of earthquake physics and associated ground shaking. The 25 April 2015 moment magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Gorkha, Nepal was the first large continental megathrust rupture to have occurred beneath a high-rate (5-hertz) Global Positioning System (GPS) network. We used GPS and interferometric synthetic aperture radar data to model the earthquake rupture as a slip pulse ~20 kilometers in width, ~6 seconds in duration, and with a peak sliding velocity of 1.1 meters per second, which propagated toward the Kathmandu basin at ~3.3 kilometers per second over ~140 kilometers. The smooth slip onset, indicating a large (~5-meter) slip-weakening distance, caused moderate ground shaking at high frequencies (>1 hertz; peak ground acceleration, ~16% of Earth's gravity) and minimized damage to vernacular dwellings. Whole-basin resonance at a period of 4 to 5 seconds caused the collapse of tall structures, including cultural artifacts.

Effect of histamine on the spontaneous rosette formation.

Eight persons with clinically diagnosed hay fever were examined. The control group consisted of ten subjects without any signs of allergy. T lymphocyte subpopulation was evaluated by E rosette test. The effect of histamine was studied adding various concentrations of histamine (from 10(-9) to 10(-4) M) to the suspension of lymphocytes. A proportional drop in the percentage of the formed E rosettes could be seen at histamine concentrations ranging between 2 x 10(-9) and 2 x 10(-6) M. At 10(-6) up to 10(-4) M there was both an increase and further reduction in the percentage of the E rosette formation. A question arises whether there exists any correlation between the decreased number of T lymphocytes and elevated content of histamine in atopic persons?

Effect of histamine on the spontaneous E rosette formation after blockade of histamine H2 receptors with cimetidine.

Thirteen patients with clinical diagnosis of hay fever, were examined. T lymphocytes subpopulation was determined by the E rosette test. The present study is concerned with the effect of histamine on the ability of T lymphocytes for E rosette formation after blockade of the histamine H2 receptor with its inhibitor cimetidine. It has been found that histamine effect is expressed by the histamine H2 receptor, as its blockade with cimetidine leads to the failure of histamine to inhibit rosette formation by T lymphocytes.

Histamine binding proteins identified in healthy subjects and asthmatic patients.

Histamine-binding proteins have been isolated from healthy subjects and patients with endogenous bronchial asthma. Histaminopectic properties were exhibited mainly by IgA, IgG, IgM immunoglobulins, orosomucoid, albumin and ceruloplasmin. Quantitative determination of the identified proteins showed that in the control group immunoglobulins bound histamine in 97.5%, whereas in asthmatics the corresponding percentage (about 81%) was statistically significantly lower.

The behavior of T and B lymphocyte subpopulations in infectious and atopic bronchial asthma.

In 40 patients with infectious bronchial asthma and in 40 patients with atopic form of the disease, the behavior of T and B lymphocyte populations was studied by the E and EAC rosette tests. The control group consisted of 20 students unaffected by allergic diseases. A significant decrease in the percentage of E rosette forming T lymphocytes was found in the group of patients with atopic bronchial asthma, as compared with the control and infectious bronchial asthma groups (p less than 0.001). The proportions of EAC forming B lymphocytes showed no significant differences in all groups under examination.

T and B lymphocytes in patients with hay fever.

In 20 patients with hay fever and 19 control subjects the rosette formation test was carried out to determine T and B lymphocyte subpopulations. T and B lymphocyte subpopulations are expressed by the percentage of E, EA and EAC rosettes, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed a significant reduction in the number of E rosettes (p < 0.001), and a slight, but statistically significant decrease in the number of EAC rosettes (p < 0.05) in hay fever patients.

[Endothelin concentration in sera of patients with atopic bronchial asthma]. / Stezenia endoteliny w surowicy chorych na astme oskrzelowa atopowa.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is an effective vasoconstrictor and has bronchoconstricting property. Recent findings in vivo and in vitro indicate the influence of ET-1 on bronchial smooth muscle tone. ET-1 concentration was detected in BAL-Fluid in patients with bronchial asthma. Previous studies indicated an increase in ET-1 serum concentrations in the course of exacerbation of asthma. The purpose of our study was to compare ET-1 concentrations in sera of asthmatics during the asymptomatic period and after metacholine provocation. The study was performed in a group of 16 patients with mild bronchial asthma and in 11 healthy subjects. ET-1 concentrations in sera were evaluated by Elisa method (kit R&D USA). Bronchial provocation with metacholine was performed in asthmatics using Bronchoscreen. The result was considered as positive with FEV1, decrease of at least 20%. Airway responsiveness to metacholine was expressed as PC20. The results were analyzed statistically by means of the Student's test. The baseline ET-1 levels in sera of healthy donors were lower then in asthmatics group (x1' = 4.72 +/- 1.01, x1 = 11.53 +/- 3.68 pg/ml, p < 0.001). We found a statistically significant increase of ET1-1 concentration in sera after inhalation of metacholine (x1 = 11.55 +/- 3.68; x2 = 24.08 +/- 4.09 pg/ml, p < 0.001). The results indicate that ET-1 may play a role in bronchospasm in asthmatics.