Eosinophilic esophagitis: Pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a multifactorial esophageal inflammation, with a genetic predisposition, which combines a deficient esophageal mucosal barrier, an abnormal immune reaction to environmental allergens mediated by Th2 interleukins, immediate esophageal lesions and dysmotility, with secondary remodeling and fibrosis. Symptoms include reflux, abdominal pain, and food impaction, with a variation according to age. Fibroscopy shows major and minor endoscopic and histologic criteria, with a mucosal count≥15 eosinophils/high power field (Eo/hpf).

Longitudinal coherence measurements of a transient collisional x-ray laser.

We present what is to our knowledge the first longitudinal coherence measurement of a transient inversion collisional x-ray laser. We investigated the picosecond output of a Ni-like Pd x-ray laser at 14.68 nm generated by the COMET laser facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Soft-x-ray laser scheme in a plasma created by optical-field-induced ionization of nitrogen.

An x-ray laser scheme based on the recombination of a fully stripped nitrogen plasma is presented. Plasma is assumed to be created by the optical-field ionization of a nitrogen gas jet of 10(19) cm-3 atomic density by an ultrashort (60 fs), high-intensity (3 x 10(19) W/cm2) Ti:sapphire laser. Results of two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, modeling laser-plasma interaction, parametric heating, and ponderomotive effects are presented.

Dielectronic Spectra for Ne-like Ions from F-like Low-Lying States.

Energy levels, radiative decay, and Auger rates have been calculated for dielectronic recombination of seven Ne-like ions, ranging from Fel7+ to Ag38+, from the n = 2 F-like shell into the n = 3 one, by use of the multiconfiguration AUTOLSJ code in intermediate coupling. Rate coefficients have then been computed versus the electronic temperature, the nuclear charge of the involved element, the final Ne-like state, and the population distribution among the initial 3 F-like levels. Dielectronic spectra have also been obtained.