Characterization of different endoscopic imaging systems in ultraviolet range for combustion applications.

Endoscopic optical diagnostics for IC engines offer the advantage of retaining the full operating range and thermal properties of the production engine. The custom-designed modular hybrid UV endoscope system is optimized for application in IC engines.; however, its hybrid refractive/diffractive relay element is expensive and has a narrow operating wavelength range. To make the endoscopic imaging more universally applicable, the hybrid relay element of the mentioned endoscope system was replaced by commercial UV camera lenses, and several combinations were characterized in terms of resolution, brightness, and chromatic aberration. With an unintensified CCD camera, endoscope systems using commercial camera lenses had better resolution at investigated magnifications of 0.5 and 1. However, with an intensified camera, the system with the hybrid relay lens had the best overall performance in its design wavelength range. Selected imaging systems were used in a spark-ignition engine to image O H ∗-chemiluminescence, with results consistent with those from bench-top characterization.

Possible light-induced superconductivity in K3C60 at high temperature.

The non-equilibrium control of emergent phenomena in solids is an important research frontier, encompassing effects such as the optical enhancement of superconductivity. Nonlinear excitation of certain phonons in bilayer copper oxides was recently shown to induce superconducting-like optical properties at temperatures far greater than the superconducting transition temperature, Tc (refs 4-6). This effect was accompanied by the disruption of competing charge-density-wave correlations, which explained some but not all of the experimental results. Here we report a similar phenomenon in a very different compound, K3C60. By exciting metallic K3C60 with mid-infrared optical pulses, we induce a large increase in carrier mobility, accompanied by the opening of a gap in the optical conductivity. These same signatures are observed at equilibrium when cooling metallic K3C60 below Tc (20 kelvin). Although optical techniques alone cannot unequivocally identify non-equilibrium high-temperature superconductivity, we propose this as a possible explanation of our results.

Simulated effects of early menopausal bone mineral density preservation on long-term fracture risk: a feasibility study.

Prevention of early menopausal bone loss may reduce the future burden of osteoporosis. In this modelling exercise, an osteoporosis prevention strategy involving 5-year infusions of zoledronic acid, beginning early in menopause, reduced long-term fracture risk and the proportion of aging women with femoral neck densitometric osteoporosis. This strategy warrants further evaluation. INTRODUCTION: Preventing early menopausal bone loss may substantially reduce the future burden of osteoporosis. We modelled the effects of infrequent zoledronic acid infusions on long-term fracture risk. METHODS: Data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos) were used to determine the expected natural history of femoral neck areal bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture risk (using FRAX®) from ages 50-80 for women with no antiresorptive drug exposures. We modelled the effects of three infusions of zoledronic acid (at ages 50, 55, 60) on long-term fracture risk, assuming this intervention would preserve BMD until age 65 years, followed by losses mirroring early menopausal BMD loss. RESULTS: At age 65, untreated women and zoledronic acid recipients had expected mean (SD) femoral neck T-scores of - 1.5(1.0) and - 0.8(1.0), 10-year major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) risks of 9.8%(5.0) and 8.0%(3.7) and hip fracture risks of 1.7%(2.4) and 0.8%(1.2), respectively. At age 80, untreated women and zoledronic acid recipients had expected femoral neck T-scores of - 1.9(0.9) and - 1.4(0.9), MOF risks of 17.9%(8.2) and 14.9%(6.4) and hip fracture risks of 6.3%(6.2) and 4.4%(4.5), respectively. The expected proportion of women with femoral neck T-score ≤ - 2.5 was 14.9% for untreated women and 3.8% for zoledronic acid recipients at age 65, increasing to 28.1% and 12.0%, respectively, at age 80. Numbers-needed-to-treat to prevent one case of densitometric osteoporosis were 9 at age 65 and 5 at age 80. CONCLUSION: Infrequent infusions of zoledronic acid, initiated early in menopause, are expected to reduce long-term fracture risk and result in a substantial reduction in the proportion of women with densitometric osteoporosis after age 65.

Testing a theoretical model of imminent fracture risk in elderly women: an observational cohort analysis of the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study.

We examined the underlying relationship between fracture risk factors and their imminent risk. Results suggested that having past year fracture, worse past year general health, worse past year physical functioning, and lower past year BMD T-score directly predicted higher imminent fracture risk. Past year falls indirectly predicted imminent risk through physical functioning and general health. INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to examine direct and indirect effects of several factors on imminent (1 year) fracture risk. METHODS: Data from women age 65 and older from population-based Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study were used. Predictors were identified from study years 5 and 10, and imminent fracture data (1-year fracture) came from years 6 and 11 (year 5 predicts year 6, year 10 predicts year 11). A structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the theoretical construct. General health and physical functioning were measured as latent variables using items from the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and bone mineral density (BMD) T-score was a latent variable based on observed site-specific BMD data (spine L1-L4, femoral neck, total hip). Observed variables were fractures and falls. Model fit was evaluated using root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), Tucker Lewis index (TLI), and comparative fit index (CFI). RESULTS: The analysis included 3298 women. Model fit tests showed that the SEM fit the data well; χ2(172) = 1122.10 < .001, RMSEA = .03, TLI = .99, CFI = .99. Results suggested that having past year fracture, worse past year general health, worse past year physical functioning, and lower past year BMD T-score directly predicted higher risk of fracture in the subsequent year (p < .001). Past year falls had a statistically significant but indirect effect on imminent fracture risk through physical functioning and general health (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: We found several direct and indirect pathways that predicted imminent fracture risk in elderly women. Future studies should extend this work by developing risk scoring methods and defining imminent risk thresholds.

Conformational dynamics of [Formula: see text]-conotoxin PnIB in complex solvent systems.

Cone snails are slow-moving animals that secure survival by injecting to their prey a concoction of highly potent and stable neurotoxic peptides called conotoxins. These small toxins (~ 10-30 AA) interact with ion channels and their diverse structures account for various variables such as the environment and the prey of preference. This study probed the conformational space of α-conotoxin PnIB from Conus pennaceus by performing all-atom molecular dynamics simulations on the conotoxin in complex solvent systems of water and octanol. Secondary structure analyses showed a uniform conformation for the pure (C100Oc, C100W) and minute (C95Oc, C5Oc) systems. In C50Oc, however, structural changes were observed. The original helices were converted to turns and were shown to happen simultaneously with the elongation of the helix and shortening of end-to-end distance. The transitions complement the orientation of the peptide at the interface. The shift to the broken helix conformation is marked by the rearrangement of solvent molecules to a framework that favors the accumulation of water molecules at residues 6-11 of the H2 region. This promotes specific protein-solvent interactions that facilitate secondary structure transitions. As PnIB has shown favorable binding toward neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, this study may provide insights on this conotoxin's therapeutic potential. Description: Structural changes in PnIB are accompanied by a simultaneous change in solvent density.

The hepatopathologist Hans Popper (1903-1988) : An early victim of National Socialism in Austria.

In 1988, the "father of modern hepatology" Hans Popper died. His medical merits are numerous and outstanding and have already been praised many times. In particular, his research on liver diseases has gained widespread recognition. Much less well known is the fact that Popper was dismissed from the University of Vienna due to his Jewish ancestry after the "Anschluss" ("annexation") of Austria to the Third Reich and subsequently emigrated to the USA.Popper's biographers, who primarily belonged to his close circle of friends and colleagues, were unquestionably aware of this central caesura in Popper's life. However, the scientific analysis and presentation of this very event has been incomplete and, moreover, feeds heavily from the personal memories of the authors, which are inevitably subjective. For precisely this reason, the present contribution focuses on Popper's role as a politically persecuted Jew and the resulting implications.The study comes to the conclusion that Popper shows all the characteristics of a Nazi victim, namely a Jewish background, the dismissal from university, the threat of persecution by the Gestapo, and the subsequent forced emigration. Popper decided against remigration after 1945 and instead earned professional recognition in the USA and later worldwide. In the 1980s, Popper was criticized for his permissive attitude towards his former academic teacher, the doctor and Nazi criminal Hans Eppinger. Even if he did not completely succeed in making his behavior in the "Eppinger Case" understandable and comprehensible, the events gradually fell into oblivion, as evidenced by several recent posthumous statements of honor in German-speaking countries.

Mortality risk reduction differs according to bisphosphonate class: a 15-year observational study.

In this prospective cohort of 6120 participants aged 50+, nitrogen-bisphosphonates but not non-nitrogen bisphosphonates were associated with a significant 34% mortality risk reduction compared to non-treated propensity score matched controls. These findings open new avenues for research into mechanistic pathways. INTRODUCTION: Emerging evidence suggests that bisphosphonates (BP), first-line treatment of osteoporosis, are associated with reduced risks for all-cause mortality. This study aimed to determine the association between different BP types and mortality risk in participants with or without a fracture. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of users of different BPs matched to non-users by propensity score (age, gender, co-morbidities, fragility fracture status) and time to starting the BP medication from the population-based Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study from nine Canadian centres followed from 1995 to 2013. Mortality risk for bisphosphonate users vs matched non-users was assessed using pairwise multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: There were 2048 women and 308 men on BP and 1970 women and 1794 men who did not receive medication for osteoporosis. The relationship between BP and mortality risk was explored in three separate 1:1 propensity score-matched cohorts of BP users and no treatment (etidronate, n = 599, alendronate, n = 498, and risedronate n = 213). Nitrogen BP (n-BP) (alendronate and risedronate) was associated with lower mortality risks [pairwise HR, 0.66 (95% CI, 0.48-0.91)] while the less potent non-n-BP, etidronate, was not [pairwise HR: 0.89 (95% CI, 0.66-1.20)]. A direct comparison between n-BP and etidronate (n = 340 pairs) also suggested a better survival for n-BP [paired HR, 0.47 (95%CI, (95% CI, 031-0.70)] for n-BP vs. etidronate]. CONCLUSION: Compared to no treatment, nitrogen but not non-nitrogen bisphosphonates appear to be associated with better survival.

[The hepatopathologist Hans Popper (1903-1988) : An early victim of National Socialism in Austria. German version]. / Der Hepatopathologe Hans Popper (1903­1988) : Ein frühes Opfer des Nationalsozialismus in Österreich.

In 1988, the "father of modern hepatology" Hans Popper died. His medical merits are numerous and outstanding and have already been praised many times. In particular, his research on liver diseases has gained widespread recognition. Much less well known is the fact that Popper was dismissed from the University of Vienna due to his Jewish ancestry after the "Anschluss" ("annexation") of Austria to the Third Reich and subsequently emigrated to the USA.Popper's biographers, who primarily belonged to his close circle of friends and colleagues, were unquestionably aware of this central caesura in Popper's life. However, the scientific analysis and presentation of this very event has been incomplete and, moreover, feeds heavily from the personal memories of the authors, which are inevitably subjective. For precisely this reason, the present contribution focuses on Popper's role as a politically persecuted Jew and the resulting implications.The study comes to the conclusion that Popper shows all the characteristics of a Nazi victim, namely a Jewish background, the dismissal from university, the threat of persecution by the Gestapo, and the subsequent forced emigration. Popper decided against remigration after 1945 and instead earned professional recognition in the USA and later worldwide. In the 1980s, Popper was criticized for his permissive attitude towards his former academic teacher, the doctor and Nazi criminal Hans Eppinger. Even if he did not completely succeed in making his behavior in the "Eppinger Case" understandable and comprehensible, the events gradually fell into oblivion, as evidenced by several recent posthumous statements of honor in German-speaking countries.

[Pathologists as victims of National Socialism : Results of a quantitative cross-sectional study]. / Pathologen als Opfer des Nationalsozialismus : Ergebnisse einer quantitativen Querschnittstudie.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: This explorative study focuses on those pathologists who became victims of the Third Reich by being dismissed, disenfranchised, persecuted, expelled, murdered, or driven to suicide. Accordingly, it examines the question of how many - and which - pathologists were oppressed in the Nazi dictatorship. It also looks at the reasons for this and the effects that repression has had on the lives of those affected - both in the Third Reich and in postwar Germany. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study is based on archival source material, which was supplemented by a systematic evaluation of the relevant research literature. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In total, the biographies of 89 pathologists could be reconstructed and evaluated. Of these, 67 persons were persecuted for "racial" or anti-Semitic reasons. Until their disenfranchisement, the majority were employed at a university. The majority of the examined pathologists fled abroad, with most immigrating to the USA and Great Britain and successfully establishing themselves there professionally. No indications of a return to their homeland could be found in the sample presented here. Reasons included a lack of career options and negative personal experiences in postwar Germany, such as in reparation proceedings. Quite a lot of those who remained in the German Reich died violently, either in concentration camps or by suicide.

Switching "on" and "off" the adhesion in stimuli-responsive elastomers.

The present work aims at the preparation of dry adhesives with switchable bonding properties by using the reversible nature of the [4πs+4πs] cycloaddition of anthracenes. Photo-responsive hydrogenated carboxylated nitrile butadiene rubber with photo-responsive pendant anthracene groups is prepared by one-pot synthesis. The formation of 3D networks relies on the photodimerization of the anthracene moieties upon UV exposure (λ > 300 nm). Controlled cleavage of the crosslink sites is achieved by either deep UV exposure (λ = 254 nm) or thermal dissociation at 70 °C. The kinetics of the optical and thermal cleavage routes are compared in thin films using UV-vis spectroscopy and their influence on the reversibility of the network is detailed. Going from thin films to free standing samples the modulation of the network structure and thermo-mechanical properties over repeated crosslinking and cleavage cycles are characterized by low-field NMR spectroscopy and dynamic mechanical analysis. The applicability of the stimuli-responsive networks as adhesives with reversible bonding properties is demonstrated. The results evidence that the reversibility of the crosslinking reaction enables a controlled switching "on" and "off" of adhesion properties. The recovery of the adhesion force amounts to 75 and 80% for photo- and thermal dissociation, respectively. Spatial control of adhesion properties is evidenced by adhesion force mapping experiments of photo-patterned films.

The association between sclerostin and incident type 2 diabetes risk: a cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether sclerostin is associated with fasting glucose, insulin levels, insulin resistance or increased risk of incident type 2 diabetes. BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetic patients have a higher risk of fractures. Recent studies suggest sclerostin, a regulator of osteoblast activity, is associated with diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sclerostin levels were obtained from 1778 individuals with no history of type 2 diabetes participating in the population-based Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos) cohort. Participants were followed until diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, death or end of the study period (31 December 2013). The relationship of sclerostin with fasting glucose, insulin levels and homoeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was studied in linear regression models. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the association of sclerostin levels and the risk of incident type 2 diabetes during a mean 7·5 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Fasting glucose, fasting insulin levels and HOMA-IR were weakly correlated with sclerostin levels (Spearman's correlation coefficient: 0·11, P < 0·05; -0·09, P < 0·05; and -0·07, P = 0·02, respectively). Multiple linear regression analyses confirmed a significant association between sclerostin and fasting insulin and HOMA-IR but no significant association with fasting glucose levels. Sclerostin levels were not found to be significantly associated with the risk of incident type 2 diabetes (HR: 1·30; 95% CI: 0·37-4·57). CONCLUSIONS: We observed an association between sclerostin levels with fasting insulin levels and HOMA-IR, but there was no clear association with type 2 diabetes risk. Further studies are needed to understand the role of sclerostin in type 2 diabetes.

Primary hyperparathyroidism: review and recommendations on evaluation, diagnosis, and management. A Canadian and international consensus.

The purpose of this review is to assess the most recent evidence in the management of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and provide updated recommendations for its evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. A Medline search of "Hyperparathyroidism. Primary" was conducted and the literature with the highest levels of evidence were reviewed and used to formulate recommendations. PHPT is a common endocrine disorder usually discovered by routine biochemical screening. PHPT is defined as hypercalcemia with increased or inappropriately normal plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH). It is most commonly seen after the age of 50 years, with women predominating by three to fourfold. In countries with routine multichannel screening, PHPT is identified earlier and may be asymptomatic. Where biochemical testing is not routine, PHPT is more likely to present with skeletal complications, or nephrolithiasis. Parathyroidectomy (PTx) is indicated for those with symptomatic disease. For asymptomatic patients, recent guidelines have recommended criteria for surgery, however PTx can also be considered in those who do not meet criteria, and prefer surgery. Non-surgical therapies are available when surgery is not appropriate. This review presents the current state of the art in the diagnosis and management of PHPT and updates the Canadian Position paper on PHPT. An overview of the impact of PHPT on the skeleton and other target organs is presented with international consensus. Differences in the international presentation of this condition are also summarized.

Characterizing selection in black-throated blue warblers using a sexual network approach.

Our understanding of trait evolution is built upon studies that examine the correlation between traits and fitness, most of which implicitly assume all individuals experience similar selective environments. However, accounting for differences in selective pressures, such as variation in the social environment, can advance our understanding of how selection shapes individual traits and subsequent fitness. In this study, we test whether variation in the social environment affects selection on individual phenotype. We apply a new sexual network framework to quantify each male's social environment as the mean body size of his primary competitors. We test for direct and social selection on male body size using a 10-year data set on black-throated blue warblers (Setophaga caerulescens), a territorial species for which body size is hypothesized to mediate competition for mates. We found that direct selection on body size was weak and nonsignificant, as was social selection via the body size of the males' competitors. Analysing both types of selection simultaneously allows us to firmly reject a role for body size in competitive interactions between males and subsequent male fitness in this population. We evaluate the application of the sexual network approach to empirical data and suggest that other phenotypic traits such as song characteristics and plumage may be more relevant than body size for male-male competition in this small passerine bird.

Determinants for persistence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in hospitals: interplay between resistance, virulence and biofilm formation.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) is one of the major bacterial pathogens causing nosocomial infections. During the past few decades, multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) lineages of Pa have emerged in hospital settings with increasing numbers. However, it remains unclear which determinants of Pa facilitated this spread. A total of 211 clinical XDR and 38 susceptible clinical Pa isolates (nonXDR), as well as 47 environmental isolates (EI), were collected at the Heidelberg University Hospital. We used RAPD PCR to identify genetic clusters. Carriage of carbapenamases (CPM) and virulence genes were analyzed by PCR, biofilm formation capacity was assessed, in vitro fitness was evaluated using competitive growth assays, and interaction with the host's immune system was analyzed using serum killing and neutrophil killing assays. XDR isolates showed significantly elevated biofilm formation (p < 0.05) and higher competitive fitness compared to nonXDR and EI isolates. Thirty percent (62/205) of the XDR isolates carried a CPM. Similarities in distribution of virulence factors, as well as biofilm formation properties, between CPM+ Pa isolates and EI and between CPM- and nonXDR isolates were detected. Molecular typing revealed two distinct genetic clusters within the XDR population, which were characterized by even higher biofilm formation. In contrast, XDR isolates were more susceptible to the immune response than nonXDR isolates. Our study provides evidence that the ability to form biofilms is an outstanding determinant for persistence and endemic spread of Pa in the hospital setting.

Comparative testing of disinfectant efficacy on planktonic bacteria and bacterial biofilms using a new assay based on kinetic analysis of metabolic activity.

AIMS: The aim of our study was to develop a new reproducible method for disinfectant efficacy testing on bacterial biofilms and to evaluate the efficacy of different disinfectants against biofilms. Clinical multidrug-resistant strains were chosen as test isolates to ensure practical relevance. METHODS AND RESULTS: We compared the standard qualitative suspension assay for disinfectant testing, which does not take into account biofilm formation, to the new biofilm viability assay that uses kinetic analysis of metabolic activity in biofilms after disinfectant exposure to evaluate disinfectant efficacy. In addition, the efficacy of four standard disinfectants to clinical isolates was tested using both methods. All tested disinfectants were effective against test isolates when in planktonic state using the standard qualitative suspension assay, while disinfectants were only weakly effective against bacteria in biofilms. CONCLUSIONS: Disinfectant efficacy testing on planktonic organisms ignores biofilms and overestimates disinfectant susceptibility of bacteria. However, biofilm forming, e.g. on medical devices or hospital surfaces, is the natural state of bacterial living and needs to be considered in disinfectant testing. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Although bacterial biofilms are the predominant manner of bacterial colonization, most standard procedures for antimicrobial susceptibility testing and efficacy testing of disinfectants are adapted for application to planktonic bacteria. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use a newly developed microplate-based biofilm test system that uses kinetic analysis of the metabolic activity in biofilms, after disinfectant exposure, to evaluate disinfectant efficacy. Our study shows that findings obtained from disinfectant efficacy testing on planktonic bacteria cannot be extrapolated to predict disinfectant efficacy on bacterial biofilms of clinically relevant multidrug-resistant organisms.

[The regional network ADAPTHERA : Rheumatology care through coordinated cooperation: comprehensive, trans-sectoral, covering all health insurance. Initial results]. / Das landesweite Netzwerk ADAPTHERA : Erste Ergebnisse einer flächendeckenden, krankenkassenübergreifenden und transsektoralen rheumatologischen Versorgung.

The aim of the rheumatology network ADAPTHERA ("risk-adapted rheumatology therapy") is to achieve a comprehensive improvement in rheumatology care by coordinating treatment in a regional, trans-sectoral network. Accompanying biomedical research projects, training concepts, and the construction of a rheumatology register (gathering data and biomaterials) should furthermore ensure the stable and sustainable optimisation of care. In the pilot phase (2012-2015) the focus of the ADAPTHERA network, required as a "regional key project" within the framework of the Initiative on Health Economy of Rheinland-Palatinate (RL-P), Germany, was placed on the optimisation of the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, where it is well-known that there is a significant care deficit.Through the intensive, stable, and coordinated cooperation of all health care partners in the field of rheumatology (registered general practitioners and orthopaedic specialists, registered core rheumatologists as well as the Association of Rheumatology of RL-P) a unique regional, comprehensive offer with verifiable care optimisation has been established in RL-P. The network is supported by outstanding collaboration with the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and the self-help organisation Rheumatology League.The aims that were established at the start of the project will be achieved by the end of the pilot phase:- significant improvement in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (an average of 23.7 days until diagnosis by rheumatologists)- access covering all health insurance (regardless of the particular scheme the patients belong to)- comprehensive (verifiable participation of general practitioners from all over RL-P)- data and biomaterials collection, established as a basis for biomarker research, and a rheumatology register for RL-P.

Optically enhanced coherent transport in YBa2Cu3O6.5 by ultrafast redistribution of interlayer coupling.

Nonlinear optical excitation of infrared active lattice vibrations has been shown to melt magnetic or orbital orders and to transform insulators into metals. In cuprates, this technique has been used to remove charge stripes and promote superconductivity, acting in a way opposite to static magnetic fields. Here, we show that excitation of large-amplitude apical oxygen distortions in the cuprate superconductor YBa2Cu3O6.5 promotes highly unconventional electronic properties. Below the superconducting transition temperature (Tc = 50 K) inter-bilayer coherence is transiently enhanced at the expense of intra-bilayer coupling. Strikingly, even above Tc a qualitatively similar effect is observed up to room temperature, with transient inter-bilayer coherence emerging from the incoherent ground state and similar transfer of spectral weight from high to low frequency. These observations are compatible with previous reports of an inhomogeneous normal state that retains important properties of a superconductor, in which light may be melting competing orders or dynamically synchronizing the interlayer phase. The transient redistribution of coherence discussed here could lead to new strategies to enhance superconductivity in steady state.

Characteristics of hyperparathyroid states in the Canadian multicentre osteoporosis study (CaMos) and relationship to skeletal markers.

CONTEXT: PTH is an essential regulator of mineral metabolism; PTH hypersecretion may result in hyperparathyroidism including normocalcaemic, primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism. OBJECTIVE: To examine the characteristics of participants with hyperparathyroid states and the relationship to bone mineral density (BMD). DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional study of 1872 community-dwelling men and women aged 35+ years (mostly Caucasian) with available serum PTH from Year 10 Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study follow-up (2005-07). PTH was determined using a second-generation chemiluminescence immunoassay. OUTCOME MEASURES: L1-L4, femoral neck and total hip BMD. RESULTS: We established a PTH reference range (2·7-10·2 pmol/l) based on healthy participants (i.e. normal serum calcium, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, kidney function and body mass index, who were nonusers of antiresorptives, glucocorticoids and diuretics and not diagnosed with diabetes or thyroid disease). Participants with PTH levels in the upper reference range (5·6-10·2 pmol/l), representing a prevalence of 10·7%, had lower femoral neck and total hip BMD, by 0·030 g/cm(2) [95% confidence interval: 0·009; 0·051] and 0·025 g/cm(2) (0·001; 0·049), respectively, than those with levels 2·7-5·6 pmol/l. Participants with normocalcaemic and secondary hyperparathyroidism also had lower total hip BMD than those with levels 2·7-5·6 pmol/l, and CaMos prevalences of normocalcaemic, primary and secondary hyperparathyroidism were 3·3%, 1·4% and 5·2%, respectively. CONCLUSION: We found reduced BMD in participants with accepted hyperparathyroid states but also a notable proportion of other participants that might benefit from having lower PTH levels.

THz-Frequency Modulation of the Hubbard U in an Organic Mott Insulator.

We use midinfrared pulses with stable carrier-envelope phase offset to drive molecular vibrations in the charge transfer salt ET-F_{2}TCNQ, a prototypical one-dimensional Mott insulator. We find that the Mott gap, which is probed resonantly with 10 fs laser pulses, oscillates with the pump field. This observation reveals that molecular excitations can coherently perturb the electronic on-site interactions (Hubbard U) by changing the local orbital wave function. The gap oscillates at twice the frequency of the vibrational mode, indicating that the molecular distortions couple quadratically to the local charge density.

Susceptibility of multidrug resistant clinical pathogens to a chlorhexidine formulation.

Multidrug resistant pathogens are a widespread problem in the hospital setting especially on intensive care units (ICU). This study evaluated the susceptibility of clinical isolates of gramnegative extensively drug resistant organisms (XDR), methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) to a proprietary chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG) formulation used in one brand of CHG-impregnated cloths. Ten isolates each of XDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa, XDR Acinetobacter baumannii, XDR Klebsiella pneumoniae, XDR Escherichia coli, MRSA, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium from our hospital were tested. All isolates were susceptible to the proprietary CHG formulation (0.5%, 1%, 2%), with 99% to 100% suppression of growth at the earliest time point in time kill assays (1 minute for gram-positive and 15 seconds for gram-negative organisms). Minimum inhibitory concentrations ranged from 1 : 4096 to 1 : 65536 for MRSA, 1 : 1024 to 1 : 2048 for VRE, 1 : 2048 to 1 : 4096 for XDR E. coli, 1 : 512 to 1 : 2048 for XDR A. baumannii, 1 : 512 to 1 : 1024 for XDR P. aeruginosa, and 1 : 512 to 1 : 1024 for XDR K. pneumoniae. Cloths impregnated with this CHG formulation provide effective protection against colonization and infection by many pathogens. This study provides in vitro evidence that the proprietary CHG formulation used in one brand of CHG-impregnated cloths is effective against XDR gram-negative organisms, MRSA, and VRE.