Spin correlations among the charge carriers in an ordered stripe phase

We have observed a diffuse component to the low-energy magnetic excitation spectrum of stripe-ordered La5/3Sr1/3NiO4 probed by neutron inelastic scattering. The diffuse scattering forms a square pattern with sides parallel and perpendicular to the stripe directions. The signal is dispersive, with a maximum energy of ~10 meV. Probed at 2 meV the scattering decreases in strength with increasing temperature, and is barely visible at 100 K. We argue that the signal originates from dynamic, quasi- one-dimensional, antiferromagnetic correlations among the stripe electrons.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. To be published in Physical Review Letter

Visualization of respiratory flows from 3D reconstructed alveolar airspaces using X-ray tomographic microscopy

A deeper knowledge of the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the pulmonary acinus has direct applications in studies on acinar fluid dynamics and aerosol kinematics. To date, however, acinar flow simulations have been often based on geometrical models inspired by morphometrical studies; limitations in the spatial resolution of lung imaging techniques have prevented the simulation of acinar flows using 3D reconstructions of such small structures. In the present study, we use high-resolution, synchrotron radiation-based X-ray tomographic microscopy (SRXTM) images of the pulmonary acinus of a mouse to reconstruct 3D alveolar airspaces and conduct computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations mimicking rhythmic breathing motion. Respiratory airflows and Lagrangian (massless) particle tracking are visualized in two examples of acinar geometries with varying size and complexity, representative of terminal sacculi including their alveoli. The present CFD simulations open the path towards future acinar flow and aerosol deposition studies in complete and anatomically realistic multi-generation acinar trees using reconstructed 3D SRXTM geometries

CD14 Deficiency Impacts Glucose Homeostasis in Mice through Altered Adrenal Tone

The toll-like receptors comprise one of the most conserved components of the innate immune system, signaling the presence of molecules of microbial origin. It has been proposed that signaling through TLR4, which requires CD14 to recognize bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), may generate low-grade inflammation and thereby affect insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. To examine the long-term influence of partial innate immune signaling disruption on glucose homeostasis, we analyzed knockout mice deficient in CD14 backcrossed into the diabetes-prone C57BL6 background at 6 or 12 months of age. CD14-ko mice, fed either normal or high-fat diets, displayed significant glucose intolerance compared to wild type controls. They also displayed elevated norepinephrine urinary excretion and increased adrenal medullary volume, as well as an enhanced norepinephrine secretory response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia. These results point out a previously unappreciated crosstalk between innate immune- and sympathoadrenal- systems, which exerts a major long-term effect on glucose homeostasis

[Interferon production in acute virus hepatitis]

Serum interferon activity was measured in 40 patients with acute viral hepatitis A, B and non-A-non-B during the acute stage of the disease and correlated with the severity, the long-term outcome and the viral etiology of the disease. Patients with alcoholic hepatitis, patients with an influenza-like illness and healthy volunteers served as controls. 80% of all patients with virus hepatitis revealed no measureable or only borderline interferon activity in their serum. No correlation was found with severity and long-term outcome of the disease, but patients with virus hepatitis A showed a stronger interferon induction than patients with hepatitis B and non-A-non-B. Further investigations of the interferon system in patients with virus hepatitis might help to improve our understanding of the different forms of the disease. The data presently available, however, do not permit as yet to define the value of interferon in the treatment of severe forms of acute virus hepatitis

Absence of detectable serum interferon in acute and chronic viral hepatitis

Amounts of interferon were measured in sera from 59 patients with acute viral hepatitis and 49 patients with chronic hepatitis B and compared to those from patients with nonviral liver disease or influenza, and from healthy controls. In all patients with acute and chronic viral hepatitis, no serum interferon could be detected, confirming data from earlier studies of acute viral hepatitis in which no circulating interferon was found. Our results disprove the view that the amounts of serum interferon, detected at the time of the acute clinical illness, may be a determinant of outcome

Chlorpromazine-induced vanishing bile duct syndrome leading to biliary cirrhosis

We describe a 33-yr-old pregnant woman in whom a primary biliary cirrhosis-like syndrome developed after 2 wk of chlorpromazine therapy. The clinical course was characterized by severe jaundice lasting 22 mo, intense pruritus, fever, steatorrhea, high alkaline phosphatase levels and hypercholesterolemia. Jaundice resolved with initiation of ursodeoxycholic acid therapy, but subclinical cholestasis and low-level inflammatory activity persisted and ultimately evolved into biliary cirrhosis. The pathological substrate of this severe and prolonged cholestatic reaction was found to be the vanishing bile duct syndrome with a marked transient pseudoxanthomatosis