Violation of the Leggett-Garg Inequality in Neutrino Oscillations.

The Leggett-Garg inequality, an analogue of Bell's inequality involving correlations of measurements on a system at different times, stands as one of the hallmark tests of quantum mechanics against classical predictions. The phenomenon of neutrino oscillations should adhere to quantum-mechanical predictions and provide an observable violation of the Leggett-Garg inequality. We demonstrate how oscillation phenomena can be used to test for violations of the classical bound by performing measurements on an ensemble of neutrinos at distinct energies, as opposed to a single neutrino at distinct times. A study of the MINOS experiment's data shows a greater than 6σ violation over a distance of 735 km, representing the longest distance over which either the Leggett-Garg inequality or Bell's inequality has been tested.

Auranofin: dose-related risk to benefit.

Two separate, double-blind studies examined the most appropriate starting dose of auranofin, an orally administered gold compound, for the management of rheumatoid arthritis. One study indicated that neither of the two tested doses, 1 or 9 mg auranofin daily, was ideal; the 1 mg dose was insufficient therapeutically, whereas the 9 mg dose was associated with frequent lower gastrointestinal side effects. In the other study, which compared 2 and 6 mg auranofin daily, both doses resulted in similar clinical improvement and untoward effects, although the higher dose had greater efficacy sooner. Thus, it appears that 6 mg auranofin daily is the most appropriate starting dose.

Rheumatic diseases. 2. Therapeutic considerations.

In the management of rheumatic diseases, the use of corticosteroids should be reserved for active arthritis. Phenylbutazone (Butazolidin) is probably the drug of choice for acute gout and is also effective in ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, and psoriatic arthritis. Indomethacin (Indocin) also is useful in these conditions. Ibuprofen (Motrin) is only slightly more efficacious than aspirin. Aspirin is still the preferred treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and should be tried before ibuprofen. Osteoarthritis of the cervical or lumbar spine calls for a full program of physical therapy. Experimental procedures for total replacement of joints other than hip and knee show promise.

Rheumatic diseases. 1. Differential diagnosis.

In a case of rheumatic disease, the patient's history and a careful physical examination should yield most of the information needed to identify the specific disorder present. A convenient classification is based on four differentiating features: number of joints affected, acuteness or chronicity of disease, absence of joint involvement, and anatomic distribution.

Ankylosing spondylitis in women.

Although ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has been considered rare in women, we believe that its incidence is underestimated. In our case studies of 12 women with AS the characteristic clinical features of the disease included onset before the age of 30 (12 patients); night pain and morning stiffness (12 patients); intermittent, migratory joint pain (9 patients); and history of uveitis (2 patients). Spine mobility was decreased in all patients. Sacroiliac (SI) (8 patients) and circumthoracic (5 patients) tenderness were common findings. If these pertinent clues are present, further diagnostic studies are indicated. Histocompatibility testing for the HLA-B27 antigen, which is reported to be present in over 90% of patients with AS, is useful in detecting early and mild forms of the disease. We found the antigen in 10 of 11 patients tested. Radioisotope (RI) scanning can show early inflammation of the SI joints long before changes are evident on standard roentgenograms: In 3 cases, SI films were reported as normal but RI scans revealed abnormal uptake and ratios. Early detection of AS prevents inappropriate treatment of patients and mislabeling them as functional complainers.