Kinematics of charge transfer: Ar^++H2

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jcp/67/6/10.1063/1.435181.Product angular and velocity vector distributions have been measured in a crossed beam experiment for the charge transfer process Ar++H2→Ar+H2 + at relative collision energies of 0.13, 0.48, and 3.44 eV. Charge transfer was found to occur by two distinct mechanisms: (1) a simple electron‐jump mechanism which preserves the quasirectilinear trajectories of the colliding species and which selectively produces H2 + in the vibrational state most nearly resonant with the reactant ion, and (2) an intimate‐collision mechanism which results in large‐angle scattering and which produces H2 + in a broad range of vibrational states

Serodiagnosis of erythema migrans and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans by the Borrelia burgdorferi flagellum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

The diagnostic performance of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using purified Borrelia burgdorferi flagella as test antigen was compared with that of a B. burgdorferi sonic extract ELISA. We tested sera from 200 healthy controls, 107 patients with erythema migrans (EM), 50 patients with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA), and 98 patients with various dermatological disorders without clinical evidence of active Lyme borreliosis. The flagellum ELISA was significantly more sensitive than the sonic extract ELISA. With sera from patients with EM, the diagnostic sensitivity for immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody detection increased from 11.2 to 35.5% (P less than 0.001) and for IgM antibody detection it increased from 16.6 to 44.8% (P less than 0.001). In the flagellum ELISA, the number of positive tests increased significantly (P less than 0.005) when the duration of EM exceeded 1 month, but still only about 50% of patients with longstanding (1 to 12 months) untreated EM were IgG seropositive. Concomitant general symptoms did not affect the antibody level, whereas patients with multiple erythema were more frequently seropositive. All sera from patients with EM which were positive in the sonic extract ELISA were also positive in the flagellum ELISA. Not only did the overall number of positive tests increase, but the flagellum ELISA yielded a significantly better quantitative discrimination between seropositive patients and controls (P less than 0.002). IgG antibodies to the B. burgdorferi flagellum were found in all sera from patients with ACA, indicating persistence of an antiflagellum immune response in late stages of Lyme borreliosis. IgM reactivity in sera from patients with ACA was shown to be unspecific and the result IgM rheumatoid factor. A rheumatoid factor was detected in sera from 32% of patients with ACA, compared with 7.5% of patients with EM. The improved diagnostic performance, the ease of standardization of the flagellum antigen, and the lack of strain variation make the B. burgdorferi flagellum a needed reference antigen for growing routine serology in Lyme borreliosis.</jats:p

Clinical variations in bullous pemphigoid with respect to early symptoms

We report the clinical variations and the duration of prodromal symptoms in 20 patients with bullous pemphigoid. Nearly two-thirds of the patients had prodromal symptoms. THe duration of the prodromal eruptions was up to 6 weeks if papular and/or urticarial and up to 2 years if eczematous, before the blisters appeared. Evidently longer prodromal periods were found in the present study than in earlier investigations. It is not known when in the course of the disease the direct immunofluorescence will be positive. Two of our patients were immunofluorescence-positive 1 and 2 weeks respectively before the blisters appeared. A common clinical manifestation in this study was vesicles on palms and/or soles. These eruptions, particularly as an early symptom, may cause misinterpretation in patients with bullous pemphigoid.</jats:p