Fine-Structure Qubit Encoded in Metastable Strontium Trapped in an Optical Lattice.

We demonstrate coherent control of the fine-structure qubit in neutral strontium atoms. This qubit is encoded in the metastable ^{3}P_{2} and ^{3}P_{0} states, coupled by a Raman transition. Using a magnetic quadrupole transition, we demonstrate coherent state initialization of this THz qubit. We show Rabi oscillations with more than 60 coherent cycles and single-qubit rotations on the µs scale. With spin echo, we demonstrate coherence times of tens of ms. Our results pave the way for fast quantum information processors and highly tunable quantum simulators with two-electron atoms.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dental-maxillofacial emergency service of a German university hospital in the year 2020.

OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 is considered one of the most serious pandemic in history and has posed major challenges to the world's health care. Dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery (CMFS) are particularly affected due to direct exposure to the respiratory tract, as the reservoir of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, the impact of the COVID-19-pandemic on a dental and CMFS emergency services in Germany in 2020 was first time investigated and correlated with governmental restriction measures in public life. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Epidemiological data of a German University Hospital were analysed from a total of 8386 patients in 2019 and 2020. Parameters included information on demographics, time, weekday and reason for presentation, as well as diagnosis and therapy performed. Data from 2020 were compared with those from 2019, taking into account the nationwide periods of public life restrictions. RESULTS: In 2020, 22% fewer patients presented via dental and CMFS emergency service. In a monthly comparison, there were negative peaks of up to - 41% in November, but also a plus of 26% in July. The largest decreases were recorded during the lockdown periods in spring (- 33%) and winter (- 39%). Further, a threefold increase in actual emergencies and inpatient admissions revealed during these time periods (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the dental and CMFS emergency service in 2020 resulting in more severe cases. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study underlines the importance of maintaining an emergency service system and basic outpatient care in these specialities, which requires uniform recommendations from the medical-dental societies and politics.

State-Dependent Optical Lattices for the Strontium Optical Qubit.

We demonstrate state-dependent optical lattices for the Sr optical qubit at the tune-out wavelength for its ground state. We tightly trap excited state atoms while suppressing the effect of the lattice on ground state atoms by more than 4 orders of magnitude. This highly independent control over the qubit states removes inelastic excited state collisions as the main obstacle for quantum simulation and computation schemes based on the Sr optical qubit. Our results also reveal large discrepancies in the atomic data used to calibrate the largest systematic effect of Sr optical lattice clocks.

The influence of geranylgeraniol on microvessel sprouting after bisphosphonate substitution in an in vitro 3D-angiogenesis assay.

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies focused on angiogenesis in the pathophysiology of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaws (BP-ONJ) and identified geranylgeraniol (GGOH) as a feasible option for BP-ONJ therapy. This study investigated the influence of GGOH on microvessel sprouting after BP-incubation in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten experimental set-ups were randomly designed in an in vitro 3D-angiogenesis assay. Two groups included HUVEC cell spheroids with and without (±) GGOH substitution as controls and eight groups pairwise contained either clodronate or the nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates (N-BP) ibandronate, pamidronate, and zoledronate ± GGOH. The size of the cell spheroids including the outbranching sprouts (SpS) as well as the density (SpD) and length of the sprouts (SpL) were analyzed by a grid system after 0, 24, 48, and 72 h. RESULTS: For controls and NN-BP clodronate, no significant differences at any tested parameter and any point of measurement could be detected within the experimental set-ups ± GGOH (p each ≥0.05). For N-BP ibandronate, the experimental set-ups +GGOH showed a significantly increased SpS, SpD, and SpL after 48 and 72 h (p each ≤0.002) compared to the experimental set-ups -GGOH. For N-BPs pamidronate and zoledronate, the experimental set-ups + GGOH demonstrated a significantly increased SpS, SpD, and SpL after 24, 48, and 72 h (p each ≤0.001) compared to the experimental set-ups -GGOH. CONCLUSIONS: The strong negative influence of N-BPs on microvessel sprouting could be significantly reversed by GGOH. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Since supportive therapeutic options for BP-ONJ are lacking, GGOH might be a promising substitute for BP-ONJ prevention and therapy.

Measurement of optical Feshbach resonances in an ideal gas.

Using a narrow intercombination line in alkaline earth atoms to mitigate large inelastic losses, we explore the optical Feshbach resonance effect in an ultracold gas of bosonic (88)Sr. A systematic measurement of three resonances allows precise determinations of the optical Feshbach resonance strength and scaling law, in agreement with coupled-channel theory. Resonant enhancement of the complex scattering length leads to thermalization mediated by elastic and inelastic collisions in an otherwise ideal gas. Optical Feshbach resonance could be used to control atomic interactions with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Restoration of HIV-specific cell-mediated immune responses by interleukin-12 in vitro.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from many asymptomatic individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus-type 1 (HIV) are unresponsive as measured by in vitro T cell proliferation and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production to influenza virus and synthetic peptides of HIV envelope (Env). Strong influenza virus- and Env-stimulated IL-2 responses and T cell proliferation were restored when cultures were stimulated in the presence of IL-12. Interferon-gamma production by PBMCs from HIV seropositive (HIV+) patients was also restored with IL-12. Furthermore, in vitro antigen-specific production of IL-2 and proliferation of PBMCs from HIV- donors were suppressed by antibody to IL-12, but were not enhanced by addition of exogenous IL-12. Thus, IL-12 may be limiting in PBMCs from HIV+ but not HIV- individuals. These findings demonstrate that IL-12 can restore HIV-specific cell-mediated immunity in vitro in HIV-infected individuals and suggest a potential use of IL-12 in augmenting the diminished immunologic functions associated with HIV infection.

Implementation of a stable, high-power optical lattice for quantum gas microscopy.

We describe the design and implementation of a stable high-power 1064 nm laser system to generate optical lattices for experiments with ultracold quantum gases. The system is based on a low-noise laser amplified by an array of four heavily modified, high-power fiber amplifiers. The beam intensity is stabilized and controlled with a nonlinear feedback loop. Using real-time monitoring of the resulting optical lattice, we find the stability of the lattice site positions to be well below the lattice spacing over the course of hours. The position of the harmonic trap produced by the Gaussian envelope of the lattice beams is stable to about one lattice spacing and the long-term (six-month) relative root-mean-square stability of the lattice spacing itself is 0.5%.

Evaluation of methods for detection and identification of Mycobacterium species in patients suspected of having pulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis control is a priority for the Ministry of Health policies in Brazil. In the present work, the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was standardized, and the laboratory diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis was evaluated comparing baciloscopy, culture and PCR tests. The study was carried out with 117 sputum samples from different patients suspected of having pulmonary tuberculosis, for whom physicians had ordered a baciloscopy test. Baciloscopy was performed using the Ziehl-Neelsen method, and culture was performed by incubation of treated samples in Lowenstein-Jensen's medium at 37°C for eight weeks. For PCR, DNA was amplified with a specific pair of primers to the M. tuberculosis complex, with a resulting product of 123 bp from the insertion element IS6110. Three (2.56%) samples presented a positive baciloscopy result and a positive PCR result (100% agreement), and nine (7.69%) presented Mycobacterium sp. growth in culture (P= 0.1384). Among six samples with positive results in culture, one was identified by PCR-RFLP as belonging to the M. tuberculosis complex and one was identified as a non-tuberculosis mycobacteria. Sensitivity and specificity of PCR compared to culture were 33.3% and 100%, respectively.

Changes in interleukin-2 and interleukin-4 production in asymptomatic, human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive individuals.

Infection with HIV results in an incremental loss of T helper cell (TH) function, which can occur years before CD4 cell numbers are critically reduced and AIDS is diagnosed. All TH function is not affected, however, because B cell activation and hypergammaglobulinema are also characteristic of this period. Recently, in a murine model of AIDS an early loss in production of the CD4 cytokines IL-2 and IFN-gamma was correlated with an increase in the B cell stimulatory cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10. We therefore assessed the production of IL-4 generated by PBL from HIV-seropositive (HIV+) individuals who did not have AIDS, yet who exhibited different TH functional categories based on their IL-2 production profiles. We observed that the decreases in recall antigen-stimulated IL-2 production were accompanied by an increase in IL-4 production. The loss of recall antigen-stimulated responses in HIV+ individuals could be reversed in vitro by anti-IL-4 antibody. Our results suggest that the TH functions assessed by IL-4 production replace the normally dominant TH function of antigen-stimulated IL-2 production in the progression toward AIDS, and raise the possibility of cytokine cross-regulation in AIDS therapy.

Role of interleukin-10 in T helper cell dysfunction in asymptomatic individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

The loss of T helper cell (TH) function in asymptomatic HIV type 1-infected individuals occurs before the decline in CD4+ T cells. At least part of the loss in TH function results from changes in immunoregulatory cytokine profiles. To investigate the role of IL-10 in such dysregulation, we tested whether: (a) expression of IL-10-specific mRNA would be upregulated in PBMC from asymptomatic, HIV-infected (HIV+) individuals; (b) PBMC from these same individuals would produce increased levels of IL-10 when stimulated in vitro with phytohemagglutinin; and (c) defective antigen-specific TH function could be restored by anti-IL-10 antibody. We observed that IL-10-specific mRNA was marginally upregulated, and increased levels of IL-10 were produced by PBMC from HIV+ individuals compared with PBMC from uninfected individuals. Those individuals whose TH function was more severely compromised produced higher levels of IL-10. Additionally, defective antigen-specific TH function in vitro could be reversed by anti-IL-10 antibody, including the response to HIV envelope synthetic peptides. Furthermore, the antigen-specific TH responses of HIV-uninfected PBMC could be reduced with IL-10, a process reversed by anti-IL-10. These results confirm that the early loss of TH function in HIV+ individuals is due at least in part to cytokine-induced immune dysregulation, and support the hypothesis of a switch from a predominant type 1 state to a predominant type 2 condition in HIV infection.

Rates of p24 antigenemia and viral isolation in comparable white and black HIV-infected subjects. Military Medical Consortium for Applied Retroviral Research.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative frequencies of HIV-1 p24 antigen and culture positivity in white and black patients. DESIGN: Volunteers in the US military's HIV natural history study were 46% white, 44% black, 7% Hispanic and 3% other. Focusing on the comparable groups of whites and blacks, a retrospective analysis was performed of the results of virologic assays collected over a 2-year period. METHODS: p24 antigen was quantitated in sera with and without immune complex dissociation (ICD); viral isolation was performed by coculture of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. RESULTS: Results of the two virologic assays were very similar in the two racial groups, both overall and after stratification by CD4 cell count. As reported previously, the concentration of serum immunoglobulin G was found to be greater in black than white subjects. In contrast to results with ICD, sera tested without ICD resulted in differing (higher) rates of antigenemia in whites than blacks (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The frequencies of p24 antigen and culture positivity were found to be independent of race. Previously observed racial differences in antigen positivity were likely to be due to more extensive antibody binding in blacks than in whites.

Antigen-stimulated apoptotic T-cell death in HIV infection is selective for CD4+ T cells, modulated by cytokines and effected by lymphotoxin.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the mechanism of in vitro antigen-induced apoptotic T-cell death in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of HIV-1-infected individuals. DESIGN AND METHODS: PBMC from HIV-1 infected and uninfected individuals were unstimulated or stimulated with HIV-1 envelope synthetic peptides (Env) or influenza A virus to determine the extent of antigen-stimulated apoptotic T-cell death, whether this death was limited to the CD4+ subset, and the effects of cytokines on T-cell death. Death was assessed by apoptotic nuclear morphology after 7 days of culture by fluorescence microscopy using a DNA-specific dye. Transwell cultures and supernatant transfers were utilized to test whether a soluble factor produced by HIV-positive PBMC induced death of HIV-negative T cells. Exogenous cytokines [interleukin (IL)-12, interferon (IFN)-gamma, IL-4 and IL-10], as well as antibodies against endogenously produced cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, and lymphotoxin) were tested for their ability to modulate death. RESULTS: Antigenic stimulation induced death in PBMC from HIV-positive donors, but not in PBMC from HIV-negative donors. Antigen-stimulated death was seen in CD4+ but not CD8+ T-cell subset from the HIV-positive patients. Apoptotic death was blocked by IL-12, IFN-gamma, anti-IL-4, anti-IL-10, and anti-lymphotoxin, but not by anti-IL-12. Transwell and supernatant transfer experiment indicated that antigen-stimulated HIV-positive PBMC produced a factor that killed T-cell blasts. The factor was inhibited by anti-lymphotoxin, but not by anti-IL-10. CONCLUSIONS: Stimulation of HIV-positive PBMC with CD4-dependent antigens results in selective death of CD4+ T cells that is modulated by cytokines. Our results suggest that apoptotic death is not limited to HIV-infected or HIV-specific T cells, but occurs in bystander cells. Lymphotoxin is a mediator of antigen-stimulated T-cell death in this in vitro model.

Critique of the Danish-American studies of the biological and adoptive relatives of adoptees who became schizophrenic.

The authors present various reasons why their analysis of the data provided by the Danish-American studies of the relatives of adoptees who became schizophrenic demonstrates that the data do not support the investigators' claims that their studies provide conclusive evidence of a significant genetic factor in the etiology of schizophrenia. When taken together with the authors' earlier demonstration that the investigators' more direct study of the adopted-away offspring of schizophrenic parents failed to provide statistically significant evidence of a genetic influence, these adoption studies indicate that although genetic factors may play some role in the etiology of chronic schizophrenic disorders, such findings are far from definite or proven.

Critique of the Danish-American studies of the adopted-away offspring of schizophrenic parents.

Studies of the adopted-away children of schizophrenic parents that have claimed to have shown a strong genetic factor in the etiology of schizophrenia have had a great impact on psychiatry, including effects on the direction and support of research. An examination of these studies, however, controverts these conclusions. The authors demonstrate that without the inclusion of parents with manic-depressive and indefinite diagnoses in the index group, there is no statistically significant difference between the number of offspring with schizophrenic spectrum diagnoses in the index and control groups.

Nosocomial Legionnaires' disease: aspiration as a primary mode of disease acquisition.

PURPOSE: Nosocomial Legionnaires' disease remains a significant problem with many unresolved questions regarding transmission of legionella organisms to patients. We performed a case-control and environmental study to identify risk factors and modes of transmission of Legionella infection during an outbreak of nosocomial Legionnaires' disease in a military medical center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: During the calendar year 1989, 14 cases of nosocomial Legionnaires' disease were identified by active surveillance following the discovery of 2 culture-proven cases among organ transplant recipients. Four control patients were matched to each case by age, sex, and date of admission. Cases and controls were compared with respect to past medical history and hospital exposure variables. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for matched variables. Environmental culturing of air and water supplies in and around the medical center was also performed. RESULTS: The case-control study revealed the following significant risk factors for the acquisition of nosocomial Legionnaires' disease: immunosuppressive therapy (OR = 32.7, CI = 4.5 to 302.6), nasogastric tube use (OR = 18.4, CI = 2.6 to 166.2), bedbathing (OR = 10.7, CI = 2.2 to 59.0), and antibiotic therapy (OR = 14.6, CI = 2.9 to 84.4). Shower use (OR = 0.1, CI = 0 to 0.4) appeared to be a negative risk factor. Water cultures revealed Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, monoclonal antibody subtype Philadelphia (identical to all patient isolates) in the ground-water supply to the hospital, 1 hot-water tank, and 15% of 85 potable water sites tested. Air sampling of cooling towers, hospital air intakes, and medical air and oxygen supplies were negative for Legionella organisms. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the importance of potable water in transmitting nosocomial Legionnaires' disease and suggests that the organism gains access to the hospital via external water supplies. The risk factors identified in this case-control study provide evidence that Legionnaires' disease may act as a superinfection in a nosocomial setting and is likely acquired by aspiration, similar to other nosocomial pneumonias.

Diagnostic utility of lower extremity radiographs of young children with gait disturbance.

The diagnostic utility of lower extremity radiographs was evaluated using 84 outpatients 1 to 5 years of age with gait disturbance whose lower extremities appeared physically normal. Chief complaints included limp (65 children [77%]), refusal to walk or stand (37 children [44%]), and frequent falling (6 children [7%]). A total of 43 children (51%) had more than one complaint. The mean age of patients was 26 months and the median duration of symptoms was 1 day. Trauma was reported in 43 (51%) cases and fever in 14 (17%). Results of radiographical studies appeared normal in 81 children (96%), demonstrated soft tissue swelling in 2 children, and revealed a bony island in 1 child. In 1 patient admitted to the hospital for failure to thrive and irritability, and whose radiographic results appeared normal, findings consistent with osteomyelitis later developed. Of the remaining children, 68 (81%) were available for follow-up observation 4 to 28 months after the initial visit and all reported spontaneous resolution of the initial complaint. It was concluded that in a well-appearing child with an otherwise normal physical examination results, an acute gait disturbance is likely to be a self-limiting condition and radiographs are unlikely to contribute to the diagnosis.

Impact of perfectionism and need for approval on the brief treatment of depression: the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program revisited.

Patients in the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program (TDCRP) were administered at intake with the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS; A. N. Weissman & A. T. Beck, 1978). Factor analyses of the DAS in the TDCRP data as well as in several independent samples reveal two primary factors: an interpersonal factor, Need for Approval, and a self-critical factor, Perfectionism. This study explored the hypotheses that these factors, assessed prior to treatment, would have differential interactions with the two forms of psychotherapy evaluated in the TDCRP as well as differential relationships to various outcome measures (depression, clinical functioning, and social adjustment). DAS Perfectionism had consistently significant negative relationships with all the outcome measures in all four treatment conditions. Contrary to expectations, however, there were no significant interactions between the two DAS factors and the four types of brief treatment (cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, imipramine, and placebo).

Interpersonal factors in brief treatment of depression: further analyses of the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program.

Previous analyses of data from the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program indicate minimal differences in therapeutic outcome among 3 brief treatments for depression, but patients' pretreatment level of perfectionism had a significant negative relationship with residualized measures of clinical improvement. The present analyses indicate that the quality of the therapeutic relationship reported by patients early in treatment contributed significantly to the prediction of therapeutic change. The quality of the therapeutic relationship was only marginally predictive of therapeutic gain at low and high levels of perfectionism, but significantly predicted therapeutic gain at moderate levels of perfectionism. These findings suggest that the extensive efforts to compare different manual-directed treatments need to be balanced by commensurate attention to interpersonal dimensions of the therapeutic process.

Characteristics of effective therapists: further analyses of data from the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program.

Analyses of the data of the National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program have primarily examined the effects of types of treatment and patient characteristics on outcome, but scant attention has been directed toward evaluating the contributions of the therapist. With an aggregate of residualized therapeutic change scores of the 5 primary outcome measures for each patient at termination as an overall measure of improvement, an average therapeutic effectiveness measure was derived for each of the 28 therapists based on the outcome of the patients they saw in active treatment. The distribution of the therapists was divided into thirds, and comparisons indicate that more effective therapists are more psychological minded, eschew biological interventions (i.e., medication and electroconvulsive therapy) in their ordinary clinical practice, and expect outpatient treatment of depression to take longer than did moderately and less effective therapists.

When and how perfectionism impedes the brief treatment of depression: further analyses of the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program.

Perfectionism has previously been identified as having a significant negative impact on therapeutic outcome at termination in the brief (16-week) treatment of depression (S. J. Blatt, D. M. Quinlan, P. A. Pilkonis, & T. Shea, 1995) as measured by the 5 primary outcome measures used in the National Institute of Mental Health Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program (TDCRP). The present analyses of other data from the TDCRP indicated that this impact of perfectionism on therapeutic outcome was also found in ratings by therapists, independent clinical evaluators, and the patients and that this effect persisted 18 months after termination. In addition, analyses of comprehensive, independent assessments made during the treatment process indicated that perfectionism began to impede therapeutic gain in approximately 2/3 of the sample, in the latter half of treatment, between the 9th and 12th sessions. Implications of these findings are discussed, including the possibility that more perfectionistic patients may be negatively impacted by anticipation of an arbitrary, externally imposed termination date.