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The construction of an inexpensive vacuum deposition monitor made from commercially available hybrid quartz-crystal oscillator modules is described. The monitor is intended for use in odd-job vapor-plating applications. The design, however, has distinct advantages over conventional deposition monitors which suggests that it might have broader applications. Both the sensor crystal and its oscillator and the reference oscillator are placed together in the vacuum system. Thermal gradients and capacitance variations which potentially limit the sensitivity of the system are eliminated. Even without water cooling at deposition rates approaching 45 Å/s and deposition times exceeding 100 s a linear response for the monitor is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a disorder with a population prevalence of 1% to 5%. There are insufficient data in the literature on the incidence of FMS in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (SpA), with only a limited number of studies conducted., Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the presence of FMS in patients diagnosed with axial SpA and to investigate the effect of this coexistence on clinical and laboratory assessments in patients with ankylosing spondylitis., Study Design: This research involved a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data., Setting: The research took place in an outpatient rheumatology clinic., Methods: This study included 125 patients diagnosed with axial SpA according to the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society criteria. The presence of FMS was investigated according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria. Pain during activity, resting, and at night was examined using the Visual Analog Scale. Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Scores were used for assessment of disease activity, Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life Scale was used for quality of life, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index was used for functionality, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used for sleep quality., Results: Incidence of FMS was 29.6% in the study population, which consisted of patients who were all diagnosed with axial SpA. Comparison of patient groups with and without FMS revealed no statistically significant differences in age, weight, body mass index, marital status, family history, and smoking history (P > .05), with a higher rate of female patients in the group with FMS at 55% (P < .05). Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score-C-Reaktif Protein, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score-Erythyrocyte Sedimentation Rate, Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life Scale, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Visual Analog Scale pain scores were significantly higher in the group with FMS (P < .05)., Limitation: The study involved a limited number of patients., Conclusions: FMS is observed in one-third of patients with axial SpA. The presence of FMS negatively affects quality of life, functional status, sleep quality, disease activity, and pain level of patients with ankylosing spondylitis. The possibility for coexistence of FMS should be kept in mind when determining the treatment protocols for patients with axial spondyloarthritis, and adjunctive treatment should be given if necessary., Key Words: Disease activity, fibromyalgia, quality of life, spondyloarthritis, sleep quality.

Introduction: Crosstalk between bone and adipose tissues is implicated in several pathologic conditions related to bone metabolism. Omentin-1, a 34-kD protein, is released from omental adipose tissue. A few studies indicated the effect of omentin-1 on bone health and bone mineral density (BMD) and the interaction of omentin-1 with vitamin D. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between omentin-1, vitamin D, and BMD in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis compared with non-osteoporotic counterparts., Materials and Methods: Forty postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (OP), 40 counterparts without OP, and 30 premenopausal women were enrolled. Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry results, body mass index, and some demographic and biochemical data were recorded. Vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D 3 ) levels were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Serum omentin-1 was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay., Results: Omentin-1 levels tended to increase in both postmenopausal women groups compared with the control group, but this increase was significant only in women with osteoporosis. Vitamin D levels were not different between the groups. When women were categorized according to vitamin D levels, women with normal vitamin D levels had significantly higher omentin-1 levels. A positive correlation was found between omentin-1 and vitamin D levels in all groups (r=0.197, p=0.041, n=110)., Conclusion: The tendency to an increase in omentin-1 levels in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis may be due to a physiologic compensation against bone loss after menopause. The linear relationship between omentin-1 and vitamin D suggests that adipose tissue is one of the target tissues for the vitamin D effect., Competing Interests: None., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Stress-induced birefringence images of diametrically compressed semiconductor disks are examined here. The experimentally observed images are compared with computer-simulated images for (100) and (111) orientation silicon disks. For a (100) oriented sample, the stress-optic coefficient C is found to depend on the position and on the orientation of the load axis with respect to the crystal principal axes. Computed values of C for the (100) orientation silicon varied from 2.0 x 10(-12) to 3.0 x 10(-12) cm(2)/dyn for a diametrically compressed disk with the load being applied at angles of 45 degrees and 75 degrees with respect to one of the crystal principal axes. As expected from the crystal symmetry, C was observed to be a constant for the (111) oriented silicon sample having a value of 2.33 x 10(-12) cm(2)/dyn.