Electromagnetic wave propagation in Body Area Networks using the Finite-Difference-Time-Domain method.

A rigorous full-wave solution, via the Finite-Difference-Time-Domain (FDTD) method, is performed in an attempt to obtain realistic communication channel models for on-body wireless transmission in Body-Area-Networks (BANs), which are local data networks using the human body as a propagation medium. The problem of modeling the coupling between body mounted antennas is often not amenable to attack by hybrid techniques owing to the complex nature of the human body. For instance, the time-domain Green's function approach becomes more involved when the antennas are not conformal.

Use of human sera containing autoantibodies for an immunochemical study of some ribosomal proteins in rat, trout, mussel and fly maggot.

Sera from human subjects affected by autoimmune connective tissue diseases and containing antiribosomal autoantibodies were used to analyze by immunoblotting ribosomal proteins from trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) liver, mussel (Mytilus edulis) hepatopancreas and whole fly maggots (Calliphora vomitoria). As usual in medical analysis of autoantibodies, the reference antigen preparation was extracted from rat liver. With the used sera, six known ribosomal proteins from rat liver were characterized: P0, P1, P2, p30, p25 and p20.

IgM and IgA rheumatoid factors in canine polyarthritis.

IgM and IgA rheumatoid factor (RF) were detected by ELISA using a purified dog IgG as antigen in normal controls (N = 84), dogs with unclassified polyarthritis (N = 95), dogs with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (N = 22), dogs with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (N = 35), dogs with leishmaniasis or heart worm disease (N = 20) and dogs with pyometra (N = 16). Frequency and titre of IgM and IgA RF are low and comparable (P < 0.05) in dogs with unclassified polyarthritis or RA: respectively 24.

Discrepancies between two procedures for ds-DNA antibody detection: Farr test and indirect immunofluorescence on Crithidia luciliae.

Of the 54,911 sera routinely tested for anti-double stranded-DNA antibodies (Ab), 2,297 gave a positive reaction with both indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on Crithidia luciliae (CL) and the Farr test, or with only one of the two tests. Of the sera giving positive reactions, only 1,499 (65.3% of the positive sera) were positive with both reactions.

Complement C3 and C5 degradation products during hemodialysis treatment: study of an index of membrane bioincompatibility.

In 10 hemodialyses (HD) with cuprophan (CU) and 10 with polyacrylonitrile (PAN), signs of complement activation were investigated by following arterial and venous levels of C3a, C3d and C5a, in order to propose a marker of bioincompatibility. Despite large individual variabilities, significant increases of these molecules were detected at t 20 min, particularly with CU device in the artery and more marked in the vein except for C3d with PAN. During the later stage of HD, while C3a and C5a levels gradually declined, but remained significantly higher than t 0 in all the patients treated with CU, the C3d concentration reached a plateau suggesting a continuous complement activation throughout HD.