The very large n2EDM magnetically shielded room with an exceptional performance for fundamental physics measurements

We present the magnetically shielded room (MSR) for the n2EDM experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute, which features an interior cubic volume with each side of length 2.92 m, thus providing an accessible space of 25 m³. The MSR has 87 openings of diameter up to 220 mm for operating the experimental apparatus inside and an intermediate space between the layers for housing sensitive signal processing electronics. The characterization measurements show a remanent magnetic field in the central 1 m³ below 100 pT and a field below 600 pT in the entire inner volume, up to 4 cm to the walls. The quasi-static shielding factor at 0.01 Hz measured with a sinusoidal 2 μT peak-to-peak signal is about 100 000 in all three spatial directions and increases rapidly with frequency to reach 10⁸ above 1 Hz.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy associated with progressive deterioration in heart rate variability

We describe a patient with severe epilepsy who underwent serial measurements of heart rate variability (HRV) prior to his death from autopsy-confirmed sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). The significance of low HRV is discussed in relation to SUDEP risk. Progressive deterioration in HRV may be a risk factor for SUDEP.

[Exposure to radioactivity in the perinatal period following the reactor accident in Chernobyl]

After the Chernobyl nuclear accident on 26 April 1986 Europe experienced increased radioactive radiation by contamination of the atmospheric aerosol and the soil. Foods emanating radioactive radiation were ingested by the population to an increased extent via the food chain. This proportion of radioactive radiation accounted for about 80% of the total irradiation exposure and prompted us to examine mother's milk, amniotic fluid and placenta of newborn in respect of their concentrations of radionuclides I-131, Cs-134 and Cs-137. Due to the short half-life of I-131 an increased concentration of this substance was seen only during the first eight weeks after the nuclear accident. On the other hand, however, there was a clear increase in Cs-134 and Cs-137 from this time onward, the highest concentration of these two nuclides being measured only after one year after the accident. Despite the enhanced exposure to radioactivity of mother's milk and amniotic fluid, the guideline values laid down by Federal German legislation were not exceeded.

Glomerular basement membrane turnover in young, old, and streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Diabetic and senile glomerulosclerosis consists of thickening of the glomerular basement membranes (GBM) and augmentation of the mesangial matrix. The pathogenesis of these alterations is still controversial. Therefore, an in vivo study of the metabolism and the chemical composition of the GBM in streptozotocin-diabetic and old rats reported here was conducted: The turnover rate of the GBM, determined by the incorporation of labeled hydroxyproline, is prolonged in preparations from diabetic and aging rats. This can be explained by the decreased synthesis and delayed degradation of the GBM material found in both experimental groups. The biochemical analyses of the GBM revealed a higher content of hydroxylated amino acids, especially OH-lys, in the old and diabetic animals. The findings suggest that diabetic and senile glomerulosclerosis results from a prolonged turnover of the GBM and GBM-like material under the altered metabolic conditions investigated in this study.