Measurement of the Cosmic Ray Helium Energy Spectrum from 70 GeV to 80 TeV with the DAMPE Space Mission

The measurement of the energy spectrum of cosmic ray helium nuclei from 70 GeV to 80 TeV using 4.5 years of data recorded by the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is reported in this work. A hardening of the spectrum is observed at an energy of about 1.3 TeV, similar to previous observations. In addition, a spectral softening at about 34 TeV is revealed for the first time with large statistics and well controlled systematic uncertainties, with an overall significance of 4.3σ. The DAMPE spectral measurements of both cosmic protons and helium nuclei suggest a particle charge dependent softening energy, although with current uncertainties a dependence on the number of nucleons cannot be ruled out.

AB1136 THE DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF SERUM KL-6 IN CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE ASSOCIATED INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE IN THE UYGUR POPULATION OF CHINA

Background:

Connective tissue diseases are a group of inflammatory, immune mediated disorders.Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality.Currently,, scientists are still looking for serum markers to diagnose interstitial lung disease.Althought serum KL-6 level has been studied in ILD of various aetiologies and revealed to be an important serum marker for ILD,but differences in KL-6 expression related to ethnic and/or genetic variants may exist.

Objectives:

To evaluate the diagnosis of the serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) for CTD-ILD in the Uygur population of China.

Methods:

117 Patients with CTD-ILD (CTD-ILD group) and 182 patients with CTD (CTD group) who visited the department of rheumatology and immunology of People’s Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region between January, 2015 and December, 2019 were included. Serum KL-6 levels were measured by chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay kit.

Results:

The significantly higher levels of KL-6 were determined in the RA-ILD group than RA group [569(287.5,984)U/ml vs 194(152,266.5)U/ml](P<0.001)(figure 1).The optimal cutoff value of serum KL-6 for diagnosis of RA-ILD was 345.5 U/ml, and the sensitivity and specificity were71.8% and 90.1 %, respectively. Area Under the Curve (AUC) was 0.875.(figure 2)

Figure 1.

Comparison of serum KL-6 concentrations in CTD-ILD group and CTD group.

Fig 2.

Receiver-operating characteristic curve(ROC) of KL-6 for the diagnosis of CTD-ILD

Conclusion:

The serum KL-6 is a important biomarker for the diagnosis of CTD-ILD and Serum KL-6 could be a clinically useful biomarker in screening CTD-ILD in the Uygur population of China.

References:

[1]Woodhead F, Wells A U, Desai S R. Pulmonary Complications of Connective Tissue Diseases[J]. Clinics in Chest Medicine, 2008, 29(29):149–164.

Tanaka S, Hattori N, Ishikawa N, et al. Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is a progn -ostic biomarker in patients with surgically resected nonsmall cell lung cancer. Int J Cancer 2012; 130:377–87.

[2]Ogz E O, Kucuksahin O, Turgay M, et al. Association of serum KL-6 levels with interstitial lung disease in patients with connective tissue disease: a cross-sectional study. Clinical Rheumatology, 2016, 35(3):663-666.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

FRI0435 THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF SERUM AUTOANTIBODIES AND HLA-B27 MOLECULE TESTING IN UYGUR PATIENTS WITH HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS INFECTION

Background:

AIDS is a deadly infectious disease caused by the HIV. When HIV infects a host, it may induce production of autoantibodies due to the structural antigen similarity between viral proteins and selfantigens.The molecular mimicry between HIV protein and self-antigens could cause antibody cross-reactions and lead to development of autoimmune disease.

Objectives:

To explore the clinical value of serum autoantibodies and human leukocyte antigen (HLA-B27) molecular testing in Uygur patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.

Methods:

A total of 727 HIV-infected Uygur patients who visited Kuche Infectious Diseases Hospital during May 2016 to March 2017 were include in this study. The other 390 healthy people were enrolled as controls. Serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and ANA Profile, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody, and HLA-B27 molecule were tested.

Results:

Among 727 HIV-infected Uygur patients, 317 were males and 410 were females with mean age (35.52±13.44) years old. The mean duration of disease was (6.34±3.05)years. There were 697(95.87%) patients receiving Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with mean duration of treatment (6.34±3.05)years. Rheumatic manifestations were recorded in 238 (32.74%) HIV-infected Uygur patients, mainly with dry mouth and dry eye (15.41%), alopecia (9.90%), arthralgia (8.94%), ect. Compared with the health controls, positive ANA was more common in HIV infected Uygur patients (33.42%vs.17.43%,P< 0.001) with low titers (ANA titer:1:100). HIV-infected Uygur patients had higher positive anti-u1-RNP antibodies positive rate (1.10%), but lower anti-SSA antibodies positive rate (0.14%) and anti-CCP antibodies positive rate (0.28%). Patients with positive ANA in HAART group were significantly less than that in non-treatment group (38.72%vs.50.00%,P=0.049).Only one female patient was HLA-B27 positive (0.14%), which was significantly lower than that in healthy controls (3.08%) (P<0.001). Also, only one patient was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Conclusion:

Rheumatic manifestations are common in HIV-infected Uygur patients. Several autoantibodies are positive, but the coincidence of rheumatic diseases is rare. It’s noted that patients with Rheumatic manifestations and low titre positive ANA should be considered as a differential diagnosis of HIV infection.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

AB0446 CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF 484 SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS PATIENTS IN XINJIANG OF CHINA: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Background:

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. Epidemiological studies in SLE have been reported in the literature in many countries and ethnic groups. Although SLE in China has been described in the past, there has not been a detailed evaluation of SLE patients in Xinjiang of China, a largely Uygur population.

Objectives:

To describe the clinical featuresand immunological features of 484 SLE subjects.

Methods:

484 adult patients followed in the The People’s Hospital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 211 patients with Uygur SLE as welI as 273patients with Han SLE.

Results:

Of the 211 Uygur SLE patients, 195 (92.4%) were female and 16 (7.6%) were male (female:male=12.2:1),the mean age at SLE onset was 34.67±11.57 years, mean disease duration was 20.77±35.16 months.Of the 273 Han SLE patients,247(90.5%)were female and 26(9.5%) were male,the mean age at SLE onset was 36.68±14.44 years,mean disease duration was 41.64±61.89 months.(2)between the Uygur and Han SLE patients,the Raynaud phenomenon(χ2=6.066 P=0.014), Chest pain(χ2=7.906 P=0.005), headache(χ2=4.572 P=0.029)has obvious differences(table 1).(3)The anti-nuclear (χ2=8.108 P=0.004), anti-AHA (χ2=4.952 P=0.026)were higer in Uygur SLE patients than those in Han SLE patients;the Uygur SLE patients has been anemia(χ2=6.904,P=0.009), high level of immunoglobulin (χ2=8.939,P=0.003),decrease of complement(χ2=6.330 P=0.012).(table 2)

figure 1. Clinical manifestations

Clinical manifestationsUygur SLE patients(n=211)Han SLE (n=273)χ2Prash106(50.2%)157(57.5%)2.5370.111Photosensitivity40(19%)56(20.5%)0.1810.670Alopecia73(34.6%)101(37.0%)0.2980.585Oral ulcers49(23.2%)64(23.5%)0.0060.937Raynaud phenomenon28(13.3%)60(22%)6.0660.014livedo reticularis5(2.4%)7(2.6%)0.0200.866arthralgia/arthritis105(49.8%)159(58.5%)3.6230.057abnormal liver-function8(3.8%)7(2.6%)0.5970.440Chest pain28(13.3%)16(5.9%)7.9060.005Suffocation49(23.2%)52(19%)1.2560.262palpitation27(12.8%)41(15%)0.4870.485Shortness of breath24(11.4%)35(12.8%)0.2330.630Ophthalmia2(0.9%)6(2.2%)1.1540.283Visual impairment1(0.5%)3(1.1%)0.5670.457hemiplegia1(0.5%)0(0.0%)1.2970.436Mental disorder4(1.9%)11(4.0%)1.8040.179headache14(6.6%)7(2.6%)4.5720.029Lower Limb Edem36(17.1%)34(12.5%)2.0420.153pleurisy37(17.5%)43(15.8%)0.2560.613pericarditis38(18%)33(12.1%)3.2730.070pulmonary fibrosis7(3.3%)9(3.3%)0.0000.982

figure 2. immunological manifestations

manifestationsUygur SLE patients(n=211)Han SLE (n=273)χ2Pantinuclear antibodies185(87.7%)212(77.7%)8.1080.004anti-dsDNA115(54.5%)144(52.7%)0.1470.701anti-SSA101(47.9%)149(54.6%)2.1470.143anti-SSB45(21.3%)63(23.1%)0.2100.647anti-Sm44(21%)68(25%)1.0880.297ACL29(13.8%)26(9.5%)2.1610.142antiU1-RNP74(35.1%)100(36.6%)0.1260.723anti-AHA60(28.4%)54(19.8%)4.9520.026Low white blood cell46(22.1%)79(29%)2.9380.087anemia90(42.9%)85(36.3%)6.9040.009Thrombocytopenia36(17.1%)51(18.7%)0.2120.645Urine protein positive84(39.8%)114(41.9%)0.2170.641Rise of urine RBC29(13.7%)35(12.8%)0.0880.766Increased immunoglobulin82(38.9%)71(26.1%)8.9390.003Complement decline120(57.1%)124(45.6%)6.3300.012

Conclusion:

The Uygur SLE patients have their own clinical and immunological characteristics, which has guiding significance in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of SLE.

References:

[1]Martyna TS,Hanna SS, Marek F. Clinical and immunological characteristics of Polish patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Adv Clin Exp Med. 2018;27(1):57–61

[2]Maloney K C, Ferguson T S, Stewart H D, et al. Clinical and immunological characteristics of 150 systemic lupus erythematosus patients in Jamaica: A comparative analysis[J]. Lupus, 2017, 26(13):961203317707828.

[3]Ching K H, Burbelo P D, Christopher T, et al. Two Major Autoantibody Clusters in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus[J]. PLoS ONE, 2012, 7(2):e32001.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

[The clinical significance of serum autoantibodies and HLA-B(27) molecule testing in Uygur patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection]

Objective: To explore the clinical value of serum autoantibodies and human leukocyte antigen (HLA-B(27)) molecular testing in Uygur patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Method: A total of 727 HIV-infected Uygur patients who visited Kuche infectious diseases hospital during May 2016 to March 2017 were include in this study. The other 390 healthy people were enrolled as controls. Serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody, anti-extractable nuclear antigen (ENAs) antibody and HLA-B(27) molecule were tested. Result: Among 727 HIV-infected Uygur patients, 317 were males and 410 were females with mean age (35.52±13.44) years old. The mean duration of disease was (6.34±3.05) years. There were 697 (95.87%) patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) with mean duration of treatment (5.52±3.47) years. The mean CD4(+)T cell count was (520±271) cells/μl in 202 HIV-infected patients, and mean virus load was (108 139±20 498) copies/ml in 20 HIV-infected patients. Rheumatic manifestations were recorded in 238 (32.74%) HIV-infected Uygur patients, mainly with dry mouth and dry eye (15.41%) , alopecia (9.90%) , arthralgia (8.94%) , ect. Compared with the health controls, positive ANA was more common in HIV infected Uygur patients (33.43% vs. 17.43%, P<0.001) with low titers (ANA titer:1∶100) . HIV-infected Uygur patients had higher positive anti-u1-RNP antibodies positive rate (1.10%), but lower anti-SSA antibodies positive rate (0.14%) and anti-CCP antibodies positive rate (0.28%). Patients with positive ANA in HAART group were significantly less than that in non-treatment group (32.71% vs. 50.00%, P=0.049). There were no correlations between ANA and duration of HAART, CD4(+)T cell counts and virus load (r values 0.061, 0.047, 0.121, respectively. P>0.05). Only one female patient was HLA-B(27) positive (0.14%), which was significantly lower than that in healthy controls (3.08%) (P<0.001). Also, only one patient was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Conclusion: Autoimmune manifestations are common in HIV-infected Uygur patients. Several autoantibodies are positive, but the coincidence of rheumatic diseases is rare. It's noted that patients with autoimmune manifestations should be considered as a differential diagnosis of HIV infection.

[The diagnostic value of serum KL-6 in connective tissue disease associated interstitial lung disease]

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic value of the serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) for the interstitial lung disease associated with connective tissue diseases (CTD-ILD). Methods: 84 patients with CTD-ILD (CTD-ILD group) and 91 patients with connective tissue disease (CTD group) who visited the department of rheumatology and immunology of People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region between January, 2016 and December, 2017 were included. Serum KL-6 levels were measured by commercially available enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Results: The significantly higher levels of KL-6 were determined in the CTD-ILD group than CTD group [1 239 (577, 2 094) vs 152 (89, 280) U/ml] (P<0.001). The optimal cutoff value of serum KL-6 for diagnosis of CTD-ILD was 402 U/ml, and the sensitivity and specificity were 82.1% and 86.8%, respectively. Area Under the Curve (AUC) was 0.905. Logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated KL-6 and decreased Carbon monoxide diffusion capacity were independently correlated with the occurrence of CTD-ILD, the decreased of DLcoSB% (OR=0.928, 95%CI: 0.891-0.968) and increase of KL-6 level (OR=1.005, 95%CI: 1.003-1.007) was the independent risk factor for the occurrence of ILD. Conclusion: The serum KL-6 is an important biomarker for the diagnosis of CTD-ILD and when the level of KL-6 is increased, the ILD should be alert.

Measurement of the cosmic ray proton spectrum from 40 GeV to 100 TeV with the DAMPE satellite

The precise measurement of the spectrum of protons, the most abundant component of the cosmic radiation, is necessary to understand the source and acceleration of cosmic rays in the Milky Way. This work reports the measurement of the cosmic ray proton fluxes with kinetic energies from 40 GeV to 100 TeV, with 2 ¹/₂ years of data recorded by the DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE). This is the first time that an experiment directly measures the cosmic ray protons up to ~100 TeV with high statistics. The measured spectrum confirms the spectral hardening at ~300 GeV found by previous experiments and reveals a softening at ~13.6 TeV, with the spectral index changing from ~2.60 to ~2.85. Our result suggests the existence of a new spectral feature of cosmic rays at energies lower than the so-called knee and sheds new light on the origin of Galactic cosmic rays.

[Value of musculoskeletal ultrasound in assessing the disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis]

Objective: To investigate the value of musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) in assessing the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: As a retrospective study, clinical data, laboratory test results and MSUS results of 22 joints (2 wrist joints, 10 metacarpophalangeal joints, 2 thumb interphalangeal joints, 8 proximal interphalangeal joints) were collected from 403 hospitalized RA patients (including Han and Uygur patients) in the People's Hospital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from January 2016 to December 2016. Result: (1) There was a positive correlation between swollen joints count, tender joints count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reaction protein and sum scores of articular cavity effusion, Grey Scale (GS), Power Doppler (PD), tenosynovitis in RA patients; (2)there was a positive correlation between DAS28-ESR, DAS28-CRP, SDAI, CDAI and sum scores of effusion, GS, PD, tenosynovitis in RA patients. The ulnar extensor tendon of the wrist of RA patients was more susceptible to extensor tendon than other extensor tendons; (3)there was significant statistical difference between Uygur and Han RA patients in bone erosion (P<0.05), however the statistical difference between Uygur and Han RA patients in effusion, GS or PD score was not significant (P>0.05). Few Uygur RA patients achieved clinical remission and subclinical synovitis was not detected, while such subclinical synovitis was detected in Han RA patients who achieved clinical remission. Conclusion: The MUSU can assess the disease activity of RA patients, and provide a more direct and objective evidence for the rapid evaluation of disease.

Adsorptive stripping voltammetric determination of antimony

A new method is described for the determination of antimony based on the cathodic adsorptive stripping of Sb(III) complexed with 2',3,4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone(morin) at a static mercury drop electrode (SMDE). The reduction current of the adsorbed antimony complex was measured by 1.5th-order derivative linear-sweep adsorption voltammetry. The peak potential is at -0.51 V (vs. SCE). The effects of various parameters on the response are discussed. The optimized analytical conditions were found to be: supporting electrolyte, chloroacetic acid (0.04 mol/l, pH 2.3); concentration of morin, 5x10(-6) mol/l; accumulation potential, -0.25 V (vs. SCE); scan rate, 100 mV/s. The limit of detection and the linear range were 7x10(-10) mol/l and 1.0x10(-9) approximately 3.0x10(-7) mol/l Sb(III) for a 2-min accumulation time, respectively. This method has been applied to the determination of Sb(III) in steel and brass samples and satisfactory results were obtained. The adsorptive voltammetric characteristics and composition of the Sb(III)-morin complex were studied.

Effect of berbamine on T-cell mediated immunity and the prevention of rejection on skin transplants in mice

Berbamine, an ingredient of Berberis, which itself is widely utilized in Chinese folk-medicine has been used as a source of leukogenics, anti-arrhythmics and anti-hypertensives. In recent years, the immunosuppressive effects of berbamine has been demonstrated. In order to further investigate the value of berbamine as an immunosuppressive agent, the delayed type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH) response with sheep red blood cells (SRBC), the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) and a skin model of allograft rejection on mice were studied. Berbamine showed suppressive effects on DTH and MLR and significantly prolonged allograft survival compared with untreated transplanted mice. The results indicate that berbamine may be a potential agent in clinical transplantation.