[Herpes zoster : vaccination and management of satellite lesions in immunocompromised patients].

Shingles, also termed herpes zoster (HZ), is due to the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV) in a dorsal root nerve ganglion with an intra-axonal passage of the virus to a predetermined dermatome. The risk of HZ increases with age, as well as the morbidity risks. The most feared complication is post-herpetic neuralgia, defined as persisting pain sensations three months after the resolution of the skin lesions.

Clinical Outcomes of Third-Generation Cephalosporin Definitive Therapy for Bloodstream Infections Due to Enterobacterales with Potential AmpC Induction: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

The recommended therapy for severe infections caused by AmpC-inducible Enterobacterales (AmpC-E) typically involves cefepime or carbapenems. In an era of emerging resistance to these antimicrobials, we aim to assess the impact of third-generation cephalosporins (3GCs) vs. alternative antibiotics on clinical outcomes in bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to AmpC-E.

Site-specific Ga-labeled nanobody for PET imaging of CD70 expression in preclinical tumor models.

Background: CD70-CD27 is a costimulatory ligand-receptor pair in the tumor necrosis factor receptor family. With only limited expression in normal tissues, CD70 is constitutively expressed in a variety of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, facilitating immunosuppression through CD27 signaling in the tumor microenvironment by enhanced survival of regulatory T cells, induction of T cell apoptosis, and T cell exhaustion. Consequently, CD70 is an increasingly recognized target for developing antibody-based therapies, but its expression patterns vary among different tumor types in spatial distribution, magnitude of expression and percentage of positive cells.

Complement inhibition prevents glial nodal membrane injury in a GM1 antibody-mediated mouse model.

The involvement of the complement pathway in Guillain-Barré syndrome pathogenesis has been demonstrated in both patient biosamples and animal models. One proposed mechanism is that anti-ganglioside antibodies mediate neural membrane injury through the activation of complement and the formation of membrane attack complex pores, thereby allowing the uncontrolled influx of ions, including calcium, intracellularly. Calcium influx activates the calcium-dependent protease calpain, leading to the cleavage of neural cytoskeletal and transmembrane proteins and contributing to subsequent functional failure.

Cusatuzumab for treatment of CD70-positive relapsed or refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Background: The clinical benefit of cusatuzumab, a CD70-directed monoclonal antibody with enhanced effector functions, was investigated in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL).

Methods: In this cohort expansion of the ARGX-110-1201 study, 27 patients with R/R CTCL received cusatuzumab at 1 (n = 11) or 5 mg/kg (n = 16) once every 3 weeks to investigate its safety, dose, and exploratory efficacy. The pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, CD70 expression, and CD70/CD27 biology were also assessed.

An open-label, nonrandomized, phase Ib feasibility study of cusatuzumab in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

CD70 is expressed in up to 80% of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cases. Cusatuzumab is a humanized anti-CD70 monoclonal antibody, with dual action mechanisms: induction of cytotoxicity against CD70 tumor cells and reduction in CD70-CD27 signaling mediated immune evasion. The aim of this study was to assess the safety, pharmacokinetic profile, immunogenicity, pharmacodynamic profile, and preliminary activity of cusatuzumab in advanced NPC.

Electrochemical assessments of droplet contents in microfluidic channels. Application to the titration of heterogeneous droplets.

Series of aqueous droplets containing redox species were generated on-demand in a microfluidic channel and detected downstream by an electrochemical cell. Depending on the cell geometry, amperometric detections were performed to simultaneously determine the velocity, volume and content of circulating droplets in oil. Volumes and velocities were estimated from specific transition times on the chronoamperometric responses, while charge were evaluated from current integration.

Quantitative Precipitation of Uranyl or Plutonyl Nitrate with N-(1-Adamantyl)acetamide in Nitric Acid Aqueous Solution.

The reactivity of the N-(1-adamantyl)acetamide ligand (L = ) has been evaluated as precipitating agent for the hexavalent uranyl cation ([U] = 20-60 g L) in concentrated nitric acid aqueous solution (0.5-5 M). It results in the formation of a crystalline complex (UO)()(NO)·2() (), in which the uranyl center is 8-fold coordinated to two chelating nitrate groups and two N-(1-adamantyl)acetamide (= ) ligands through the oxygen atom of the amide function.

Targeting CD70 with cusatuzumab eliminates acute myeloid leukemia stem cells in patients treated with hypomethylating agents.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is driven by leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that resist conventional chemotherapy and are the major cause of relapse. Hypomethylating agents (HMAs) are the standard of care in the treatment of older or unfit patients with AML, but responses are modest and not durable. Here we demonstrate that LSCs upregulate the tumor necrosis factor family ligand CD70 in response to HMA treatment resulting in increased CD70/CD27 signaling.

A global view of isotopic effects on ro-vibrational spectra of six-atomic molecules: a case study of eleven ethylene species.

In this work, we present a global view of the impact of isotopic substitutions on the spectra of eleven ethylene isotopologues obtained from variational calculations using accurate ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces. This may lead to some important changes in the molecular spectra due to symmetry breaking effects lowering the initial D symmetry of CH ([triple bond, length as m-dash]CHCH) to C, C or C. For the very first time, we report ab initio predictions for CD ([triple bond, length as m-dash]CDCD) and three C species: CHDCH, CHDCH and CHD ([triple bond, length as m-dash]CDCHD).

AFLP markers show low levels of clonal propagation and high genotypic diversity in the rare, southernmost populations of Linnaea borealis L. (Caprifoliaceae) in the Western Alps.

In plants, clonal propagation is a common reproductive strategy in parallel to sexual reproduction. It has both advantages and drawbacks, and the potential complete loss of sexual reproduction causes serious conservation concerns, especially because population maintenance then only relies on adult survival and low genetic diversity leads to decreased adaptive potential. We investigated the rare, southernmost populations of the mostly circumboreal twinflower Linnaea borealis, located in the Western Alps.

Evidence of Trivalent Am Substitution into UO.

UO is considered to be the most stable phase for uranium oxide. Its structural properties must be accurately understood to foresee and manage aspects such as its leaching behavior when spent nuclear fuel is stored in an oxidative environment. Moreover, as fuel irradiation causes the formation of fission products and activation products such as plutonium and minor actinides, it is probable that UO will be mixed with other chemical elements under real conditions of oxidation.

Precise methane absorption measurements in the 1.64 μm spectral region for the MERLIN mission.

In this article we describe a high-precision laboratory measurement targeting the R(6) manifold of the 2 band of CH. Accurate physical models of this absorption spectrum will be required by the Franco-German, Methane Remote Sensing LIDAR (MERLIN) space mission for retrievals of atmospheric methane. The analysis uses the Hartmann-Tran profile for modeling line shape and also includes line-mixing effects.

Multiscale structural characterizations of mixed U(iv)-An(iii) oxalates (An(iii) = Pu or Am) combining XAS and XRD measurements.

Mixed actinide(III,IV) oxalates of the general formula M2.2UAn(C2O4)5·nH2O (An = Pu or Am and M = H3O(+) and N2H5(+)) have been quantitatively precipitated by oxalic precipitation in nitric acid medium (yield >99%). Thorough multiscale structural characterization using XRD and XAS measurements confirmed the existence of mixed actinide oxalate solid solutions.

Peculiar Behavior of (U,Am)O(2-δ) Compounds for High Americium Contents Evidenced by XRD, XAS, and Raman Spectroscopy.

In U(1-x)Am(x)O(2±δ) compounds with low americium content (x ≤ 20 atom %) and oxygen-to-metal (O/M) ratios close to 2.0, Am(III+) cations are charge-balanced by an equivalent amount of U(V+) cations while the fluorite structure of pure U(IV+)O2 is maintained. Up to now, it is unknown whether this observation also holds for higher americium contents.

In situ characterization of uranium and americium oxide solid solution formation for CRMP process: first combination of in situ XRD and XANES measurements.

Transmutation of americium in heterogeneous mode through the use of U1-xAmxO2±δ ceramic pellets, also known as Americium Bearing Blankets (AmBB), has become a major research axis. Nevertheless, in order to consider future large-scale deployment, the processes involved in AmBB fabrication have to minimize fine particle dissemination, due to the presence of americium, which considerably increases the risk of contamination. New synthesis routes avoiding the use of pulverulent precursors are thus currently under development, such as the Calcined Resin Microsphere Pelletization (CRMP) process.

A new accurate ground-state potential energy surface of ethylene and predictions for rotational and vibrational energy levels.

In this paper we report a new ground state potential energy surface for ethylene (ethene) C2H4 obtained from extended ab initio calculations. The coupled-cluster approach with the perturbative inclusion of the connected triple excitations CCSD(T) and correlation consistent polarized valence basis set cc-pVQZ was employed for computations of electronic ground state energies. The fit of the surface included 82,542 nuclear configurations using sixth order expansion in curvilinear symmetry-adapted coordinates involving 2236 parameters.

New insight into self-irradiation effects on local and long-range structure of uranium-americium mixed oxides (through XAS and XRD).

Uranium-americium mixed oxides could be used as transmutation targets to lower Am inventory in spent nuclear fuels. Due to (241)Am activity, these materials are subjected to α-self-irradiation which provokes crystallographic disorder. Previous studies on U-Am mixed oxides gave first insight into α-radiation tolerance of these compounds, but have never been carried out for more than a year, whereas these compounds might be stored up to a few years between fabrication and irradiation.

XRD monitoring of α self-irradiation in uranium-americium mixed oxides.

The structural evolution under (241)Am self-irradiation of U(1-x)Am(x)O(2±δ) transmutation fuels (with x ≤ 0.5) was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Samples first underwent a preliminary heat treatment performed under a reducing atmosphere (Ar/H2(4%)) aiming to recover the previously accumulated structural defects.

Accurate spectroscopic models for methane polyads derived from a potential energy surface using high-order contact transformations.

A new spectroscopic model is developed for theoretical predictions of vibration-rotation line positions and line intensities of the methane molecule. Resonance coupling parameters of the effective polyad Hamiltionians were obtained via high-order contact transformations (CT) from ab initio potential energy surface. This allows converging vibrational and rotational levels to the accuracy of best variational calculations.

In situ study of the solid-state formation of U(1-x)Am(x)O(2±δ) solid solution.

In order to reduce the nuclear waste inventory and radiotoxicity, U(1-x)Am(x)O(2±δ) materials are promising fuels for heterogeneous transmutation. In this context, they are generally fabricated from UO(2+δ) and AmO(2-δ) dioxide powders. In the subsequent solid solution, americium is assumed to be trivalent whereas uranium exhibits a mixed-valence (+IV/+V) state.

Can the morphology of γ-ray emission distinguish annihilating from decaying dark matter?

Recent results from the PAMELA, ATIC, FERMI and HESS experiments have focused attention on the possible existence of high energy cosmic rays e+ e- that may originate from dark matter annihilations or decays in the Milky Way. Here we examine the morphology of the associated γ-ray emission after propagation of the electrons generated by both annihilating and decaying dark matter models. We focus on photon energies of 1, 10, and 50 GeV (relevant for the FERMI satellite) and consider different propagation parameters.

Constraints on WIMP dark matter from the high energy PAMELA p/p data.

A new calculation of the p[over ]/p ratio in cosmic rays is compared to the recent PAMELA data. The good match up to 100 GeV allows us to set constraints on exotic contributions from thermal weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter candidates. We derive stringent limits on possible enhancements of the WIMP p flux: a mWIMP=100 GeV (1 TeV) signal cannot be increased by more than a factor of 6 (40) without overrunning PAMELA data.

Uterine artery pseudo-aneurysm: diagnosis and therapy during pregnancy.

Arterial aneurysms and pseudo-aneurysms are a rare but recognized cause of obstetric hemorrhage. Diagnosis during pregnancy, prior to rupture, is exceptional. We report the first case of diagnosis and treatment of an uterine artery pseudo-aneurysm during pregnancy.