The Fermi level effect in III-V intermixing: The final nail in the coffin?

Copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. This article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics 81, 2179 (1997) and may be found at

Granulomatous gastritis: a diagnostic dilemma?

Granulomatous inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract is an uncommon entity, an aetiopathogenic diagnosis can be reached only by combining the morphological examination with clinical and laboratory investigations. We report two cases of granulomatous gastritis: a 27-year-old woman presenting with weight loss and a 55-year-old woman presenting with epigastric pain and vomiting. Upper oesophagastroduodenoscopy in these cases showed antral hyperaemia and histopathology showed non-caseating gastric granulomatous inflammation. Both the cases were extensively worked-up for possible tuberculosis (TB) as the Patients lived in an endemic area, before starting steroids for the possibility of Crohn\u27s disease (CD). The first Patient improved but the second Patient had a flare of underlying undiagnosed TB. Granulomatous gastritis present a diagnostic challenge for treating physicians because of similar clinical, laboratory and endoscopical features between CD and intestinal TB

Korelasi Kuat Tekan Dengan Kuat Geser Pada Tanah Lempung Yang Didistribusi Dengan Variasi Campuran Pasir

This research aims to determine the compressive strength and shear strength on clay which issubstituted with a mixture of sand variations. Soil tested in this study is derived from clay ofBelimbing Sari Village, Jabung District, East Lampung. This is done because if you set up astructure on top of the clay will cause some problems, among others, the small value ofcompressive strength and shear strength of the soil.To determine the effect of mixing clay with sand on the compressive strength and shear strength, itis done by varying the mixing of sand by 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%. From the test results it is obtainedthat the increase in shear strength to a maximum of 0.7534 kg / cm2 and a decrease in cohesionvalue of 0.10 kg / cm2 at mixing the sand as much as 40%. In the compressive strength reaches amaximum value at 30% of the mixing done 4 variation is equal to 0.4996 kg / cm3. The greater thelevel of sand were added then the lesser the value of the soil cohesion, friction angle and thecompressive strength will increase although the maximum compressive strength value in mixing30% sand

Risk factors associated with Helicobacter pylori infection treatment failure in a high prevalence area

Triple therapy is commonly used for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. We determined risk factors associated with its failure in compliant Patients focusing on H. pylori density, virulence marker and 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) point mutations associated with clarithromycin resistance. H. pylori infection was diagnosed by (14)C urea breath test ((14)C UBT) and rapid urease test or histology. Triple therapy with esomeprazole 20 mg b.i.d., amoxicillin 1 g b.i.d. and clarithromycin 500 mg b.i.d. was prescribed for 10 days. 14C UBT was repeated 4 weeks after treatment. In total, 111 Patients [69 (62%) males] with a mean age of 46 +/- 16 years were enrolled. The mean age of treatment failure was 39 +/- 14 years compared to 48 +/- 16 years with eradication (P=0.002). Treatment failure was associated with younger mean age, point mutations in the 23S rRNA gene of H. pylori and vacA s1a and m1 when associated with cagA negativity

Comparison of the virulence markers of helicobacter pylori and their associated diseases in patients from Pakistan and Afghanistan

BACKGROUND/AIM: Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacteria, which is associated with development of gastroduodenal diseases. The prevalence of H. pylori and the virulence markers cytotoxin-associated gene A and E (cagA, cagE) and vacuolating-associated cytotoxin gene (vacA) alleles varies in different parts of the world. H. pylori virulence markers cagA, cagE, and vacA alleles in local and Afghan nationals with H. pylori-associated gastroduodenal diseases were studied. PATIENTS AND METHODS:Two hundred and ten patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms and positive for H. pylori by the urease test and histology were included. One hundred and nineteen were local nationals and 91 were Afghans. The cagA, cagE, and vacA allelic status was determined by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS:The nonulcer dyspepsia (NUD) was common in the Afghan patients (P = 0.025). In Afghan H. pylori strains, cagA was positive in 14 (82%) with gastric carcinoma (GC) compared with 29 (45%) with NUD (P = 0.006), whereas cagE was positive in 11 (65%) with GC and 4 (67%) with duodenal ulcer (DU) compared with 12 (18%) with NUD (P \u3c 0.001 and 0.021, respectively). The vacA s1a/b1was positive in 10 (59%) of GC compared with 20 (31%) in NUD (P = 0.033). In Pakistani strains, cagE was positive in 12 (60%) with GC, 7 (58%) with GU, 12 (60%) with DU compared with 11 (16%) with NUD (P \u3c 0.001, 0.004, and \u3c 0.001, respectively). In Pakistani strains, cagA/s1a/m1 was 39 (33%) compared with Afghans in 17 (19%) (P = 0.022). Moderate to severe mucosal inflammation was present in 51 (43%) Pakistani patients compared with 26 (28%) (P = 0.033) in Afghans. It was also associated with grade 1 lymphoid aggregate development in Pakistani patients 67 (56%) compared with 36 (40%) (P = 0.016) in Afghans. CONCLUSION: Distribution of H. pylori virulence marker cagE with DU was similar in Afghan and Pakistan H. pylori strains. Chronic active inflammation was significantly associated with Pakistani H. pylori strains

A multiscale hybrid model for pro-angiogenic calcium signals in a vascular endothelial cell

Cytosolic calcium machinery is one of the principal signaling mechanisms by which endothelial cells (ECs) respond to external stimuli during several biological processes, including vascular progression in both physiological and pathological conditions. Low concentrations of angiogenic factors (such as VEGF) activate in fact complex pathways involving, among others, second messengers arachidonic acid (AA) and nitric oxide (NO), which in turn control the activity of plasma membrane calcium channels. The subsequent increase in the intracellular level of the ion regulates fundamental biophysical properties of ECs (such as elasticity, intrinsic motility, and chemical strength), enhancing their migratory capacity. Previously, a number of continuous models have represented cytosolic calcium dynamics, while EC migration in angiogenesis has been separately approached with discrete, lattice-based techniques. These two components are here integrated and interfaced to provide a multiscale and hybrid Cellular Potts Model (CPM), where the phenomenology of a motile EC is realistically mediated by its calcium-dependent subcellular events. The model, based on a realistic 3-D cell morphology with a nuclear and a cytosolic region, is set with known biochemical and electrophysiological data. In particular, the resulting simulations are able to reproduce and describe the polarization process, typical of stimulated vascular cells, in various experimental conditions.Moreover, by analyzing the mutual interactions between multilevel biochemical and biomechanical aspects, our study investigates ways to inhibit cell migration: such strategies have in fact the potential to result in pharmacological interventions useful to disrupt malignant vascular progressio

Thymosin alpha 1 in combination with interferon alpha and ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C patients who are non-responders or relapsers to interferon alpha plus ribavirin

Objective: Interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) with or without ribavirin is an approved therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C. However, a sustained response is achieved in less than 40% of all treated cases. Retreatment of relapsers or non-responders usually fails. Thymosin alpha 1 (Ta-1) is a polypeptide with immunomodulatory properties that has been suggested to increase response rates in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The aim of present study was to evaluate the efficacy of a novel triple regimen which includes Ta-1 for relapsers and non-responders to the combination of TA-1 and ribavirin.Methods: In the present study, 11 patients who relapsed (n=5) or did not respond (n=6) to previous INF-alpha-based therapy were retreated with combination Ta-1, INF-alpha and ribavirin for 12 months, and followed up for a further six months.Results: Four out of five relapsers had a sustained response. One of the non-responders cleared the HCV RNA during the post-treatment follow-up. Minor adverse effects were observed during treatment with this combination therapy and no dose reduction or discontinuations were needed.CONCLUSION: This data suggests that thymosin alpha 1 may add to the efficacy of INF-alpha plus ribavirin in the retreatment of relapsers or non-responders to previous INF-alpha-based hepatitis C therapy