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- Agostoni, Angelo, et al.
(författare)
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Hereditary and acquired angioedema: problems and progress: proceedings of the third C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency workshop and beyond
- 2004
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Ingår i: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1097-6825 .- 0091-6749. ; 114:3 Suppl, s. 51-131
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hereditary angioedema (HAE), a rare but life-threatening condition, manifests as acute attacks of facial, laryngeal, genital, or peripheral swelling or abdominal pain secondary to intra-abdominal edema. Resulting from mutations affecting C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH), inhibitor of the first complement system component, attacks are not histamine-mediated and do not respond to antihistamines or corticosteroids. Low awareness and resemblance to other disorders often delay diagnosis; despite availability of C1-INH replacement in some countries, no approved, safe acute attack therapy exists in the United States. The biennial C1 Esterase Inhibitor Deficiency Workshops resulted from a European initiative for better knowledge and treatment of HAE and related diseases. This supplement contains work presented at the third workshop and expanded content toward a definitive picture of angioedema in the absence of allergy. Most notably, it includes cumulative genetic investigations; multinational laboratory diagnosis recommendations; current pathogenesis hypotheses; suggested prophylaxis and acute attack treatment, including home treatment; future treatment options; and analysis of patient subpopulations, including pediatric patients and patients whose angioedema worsened during pregnancy or hormone administration. Causes and management of acquired angioedema and a new type of angioedema with normal C1-INH are also discussed. Collaborative patient and physician efforts, crucial in rare diseases, are emphasized. This supplement seeks to raise awareness and aid diagnosis of HAE, optimize treatment for all patients, and provide a platform for further research in this rare, partially understood disorder.
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- Trainer, P J, et al.
(författare)
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Treatment of acromegaly with the growth hormone-receptor antagonist pegvisomant.
- 2000
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Ingår i: The New England journal of medicine. - 0028-4793. ; 342:16, s. 1171-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Patients with acromegaly are currently treated with surgery, radiation therapy, and drugs to reduce hypersecretion of growth hormone, but the treatments may be ineffective and have adverse effects. Pegvisomant is a genetically engineered growth hormone-receptor antagonist that blocks the action of growth hormone.We conducted a 12-week, randomized, double-blind study of three daily doses of pegvisomant (10 mg, 15 mg, and 20 mg) and placebo, given subcutaneously, in 112 patients with acromegaly.The mean (+/-SD) serum concentration of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) decreased from base line by 4.0+/-16.8 percent in the placebo group, 26.7+/-27.9 percent in the group that received 10 mg of pegvisomant per day, 50.1+/-26.7 percent in the group that received 15 mg of pegvisomant per day, and 62.5+/-21.3 percent in the group that received 20 mg of pegvisomant per day (P<0.001 for the comparison of each pegvisomant group with placebo), and the concentrations became normal in 10 percent, 54 percent, 81 percent, and 89 percent of patients, respectively (P<0.001 for each comparison with placebo). Among patients treated with 15 mg or 20 mg of pegvisomant per day, there were significant decreases in ring size, soft-tissue swelling, the degree of excessive perspiration, and fatigue. The score fortotal symptoms and signs of acromegaly decreased significantly in all groups receiving pegvisomant (P< or =0.05). The incidence of adverse effects was similar in all groups.On the basis of these preliminary results, treatment of patients who have acromegaly with a growth hormone-receptor antagonist results in a reduction in serum IGF-I concentrations and in clinical improvement.
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- Carlsson, Gunnar E, 1930, et al.
(författare)
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A survey of the use of mandibular implant overdentures in 10 countries.
- 2004
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Ingår i: The International journal of prosthodontics. - 0893-2174. ; 17:2, s. 211-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: This preliminary international survey compared provision of implant-retained overdentures to fixed implant-supported prostheses for edentulous mandibles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Questionnaires based on a 2001 Swedish study were sent to prosthodontists and specialist clinics in nine additional countries. RESULTS: Response rate varied from 53% to 100% in 10 national surveys and should allow careful comparison of results. The relationship between implant overdentures and fixed implant-supported prostheses in treatment of edentulous mandibles varied much; in Sweden, the proportion of overdentures was 12%, whereas it was 93% in The Netherlands. In all countries, the most common reason for choice of the overdenture was reduced cost. In all but two countries, the majority of respondents thought that patients with implant overdentures were equally or more satisfied with overdentures as those with fixed implant-supported prostheses. CONCLUSION: There were great differences among the 10 countries in choice of implant treatment of the edentulous mandible. The relative proportion of mandibular overdentures to fixed prostheses was low in Sweden and Greece and varied from one to two thirds in the other countries, except The Netherlands.
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- Chamberlain, Aaron K, et al.
(författare)
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Ultrastructural organization of amyloid fibrils by atomic force microscopy
- 2000
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Ingår i: Biophysical Journal. - : Cell Press. - 0006-3495 .- 1542-0086. ; 79:6, s. 3282-3293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Atomic force microscopy has been employed to investigate the structural organization of amyloid fibrils produced in vitro from three very different polypeptide sequences. The systems investigated are a 10-residue peptide derived from the sequence of transthyretin, the 90-residue SH3 domain of bovine phosphatidylinositol-3'-kinase, and human wild-type lysozyme, a 130-residue protein containing four disulfide bridges. The results demonstrate distinct similarities between the structures formed by the different classes of fibrils despite the contrasting nature of the polypeptide species involved. SH3 and lysozyme fibrils consist typically of four protofilaments, exhibiting a left-handed twist along the fibril axis. The substructure of TTR(10-19) fibrils is not resolved by atomic force microscopy and their uniform appearance is suggestive of a regular self-association of very thin filaments. We propose that the exact number and orientation of protofilaments within amyloid fibrils is dictated by packing of the regions of the polypeptide chains that are not directly involved in formation of the cross-beta core of the fibrils. The results obtained for these proteins, none of which is directly associated with any human disease, are closely similar to those of disease-related amyloid fibrils, supporting the concept that amyloid is a generic structure of polypeptide chains. The detailed architecture of an individual fibril, however, depends on the manner in which the protofilaments assemble into the fibrillar structure, which in turn is dependent on the sequence of the polypeptide and the conditions under which the fibril is formed.
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| 9. |
- Danielsson, E., et al.
(författare)
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The influence of band offsets on the IV characteristics for GaN/SiC heterojunctions
- 2002
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Ingår i: Solid-State Electronics. - 0038-1101 .- 1879-2405. ; 46:6, s. 827-835
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- GaN/SiC heterojunctions can improve the performance considerably for bipolar transistors based on SiC technology. In order to fabricate such devices with a high current gain, the origin of the low turn-on voltage for the heterojunction has to be investigated, which is believed to decrease the minority carrier injection considerably. In this work heterojunction diodes are compared and characterized. For the investigated diodes, the GaN layers have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), metal organic chemical vapor deposition, and hydride vapor phase epitaxy. A diode structure fabricated with MBE is presented here, whereas others are collected from previous publications. The layers were grown either with a low temperature buffer, AIN buffer, or without buffer layer. The extracted band offsets are compared and included in a model for a recombination process assisted by tunneling, which is proposed as explanation for the low turn-on voltage. This model was implemented in a device simulator and compared to the measured structures, with good agreement for the diodes with a GaN layer grown without buffer layer. In addition the band offset has been calculated from Schottky barrier measurements, resulting in a type II band alignment with a conduction band offset in the range 0.6-0.9 eV. This range agrees well with the values extracted from capacitance-voltage measurements.
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- Edwards, N.V., et al.
(författare)
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Optical characterization of wide bandgap semiconductors
- 2000
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Ingår i: Thin Solid Films. - 0040-6090 .- 1879-2731. ; 364:1, s. 98-106
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Our work primarily concerns the characterization of wide-gap III-V nitride semiconductors, nondestructively and at variable temperature, with spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and reflectometry in the spectral range from 1.5 to 6 eV. In the case of GaN, there are three main concerns associated with such data: (a) the quantification of the dispersion of the index of refraction with energy, (b) the removal of surface overlayers in real-time, and (c) the determination of the variation of valence bands with biaxial stress and the quantification of residual stress in thin films. The SE and reflectance capabilities provide (1) broadband spectra from 1.5 to 6 eV, which yield information about (a) below the bandgap and (b) above it, and (2) high resolution spectra (less than 1 meV at 3.4 eV) in the vicinity of the gap (3.3-3.6 eV), which enables (c). Here we will discuss issues concerning the relation of (c) to GaN material and growth parameters, though similar data for other wide bandgap materials will be discussed where relevant. Specifically, optimal heterostructure design for potential valence band engineering applications will be discussed in the context of trends in residual stress as a function of film thickness, growth temperature and substrate orientation for GaN/AlN/6H-SiC heterostructures. Standard heterostructures are mostly compressive for samples less than about 0.7 µm thick, are tensile up to about 2 µm and then abruptly become less tensile with stress values near 1 kbar thereafter. Additionally, these trends can be circumvented for moderately thick (approximately 2 µm) GaN layers (normally>2 kbar, tensile) by the introduction of a `buried interface' approach, namely, a strain mediating layer (SML) above the standard high-temperature AlN buffer layer designed to yield a range of compressive stresses from 0 to 2 kbar. The strain characteristics but also the growth rates of subsequently deposited nitride layers can be modulated by changing the growth parameters of the SML. This is achieved by in situ techniques during crystal growth without degrading the optical and structural properties of the deposited layer, as confirmed by XRD, SEM, PL, and AFM data taken on the overlying GaN layers. These results are interpreted in terms of coefficient of thermal expansion data for the layers and data concerning the planarization of GaN layers and growth behavior in non-(0001) directions.
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