Ion-exchanged waveguide add/drop filter

An add/drop filter is fabricated using ion-exchanged waveguides and photowritten Bragg gratings. The device exhibits 20 dB extinction ratios and 3 dB bandwidths of 0.4 nm (100 GHz)

Grating formation in BGG31 glass by UV exposure

A three-dimensional index variation grating in bulk BGG31 glass written using neither hydrogen loading nor germanium doping is demonstrated. This material is useful for fabricating ion-exchanged waveguides, and its photosensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) radiation at 248nm has not been previously explored. Intensity measurements of the Bragg diffracted spots indicated a maximum index variation (Delta n) of similar to 4 x 10(-5)

Gratings photowritten in ion-exchanged glass channel waveguides

Gratings are photowritten in ion-exchanged glass channel waveguides. The transmission of these waveguides shows a rejection dip of almost 20dB. The polarisation dependence of these waveguide gratings is measured and discussed

Polarisation-independent Bragg gratings in ion-exchanged glass channel waveguides

The polarisation dependence of Bragg gratings photowritten in ion-exchanged glass waveguides is characterised for waveguides with different mask-opening widths and burial depths. It is found that polarisation-independent gratings can be written in waveguides with a wide variation in fabrication parameters

Surfactant protein A and D polymorphisms and methylprednisolone pharmacogenetics in donor lungs

Objective: Surfactant proteins A and D are important molecules involved in lung allograft innate immunity. Genetic polymorphisms of surfactant proteins A and D are associated with various lung diseases. In this study, surfactant protein A and D expression responses were investigated during pharmacogenetics upon methylprednisolone treatment as observed during lung transplantation. Methods: A human cell line (NCI-H441) and precision-cut lung slices from 16 human donors were incubated with methylprednisolone, and surfactant protein A1, surfactant protein A2, and surfactant protein D messenger RNA and surfactant protein A protein expression were assayed. Surfactant protein A1, A2, and D polymorphisms and surfactant protein A gene and protein expressions were determined. Results: In NCI-H441 cells, methylprednisolone treatment at 10−5 M and 10−6 M reduced surfactant protein A1 and surfactant protein A2 messenger RNA and surfactant protein A protein expression (P <.05). A pharmacogenetic relationship was observed in human donor precision-cut lung slices between the surfactant protein A2 (1Ax) variants: Surfactant protein A1, A2, and D messenger RNA expression were greater for 1A0 versus 1A1 (P <.05); surfactant protein A1/surfactant protein A2 genotype 6A26A2/1A01A0 (n = 5) showed greater surfactant protein A1, A2, and D messenger RNA expression and surfactant protein A protein expression compared with the other surfactant protein A1/surfactant protein A2 genotypes (n = 11) (P <.05). Conclusions: The surfactant protein A genotype and methylprednisolone stimuli influence donor lung surfactant protein A and D expression. Lungs carrying the surfactant protein A2 variant 1A0 have a greater expression of surfactant protein A when treated with methylprednisolone. Surfactant protein A polymorphisms could be used to personalize immunosuppressive regimens

Increased Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMPs) Levels Do Not Predict Disease Severity or Progression in Emphysema

Rationale: Though matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are critical in the pathogenesis of COPD, their utility as a disease biomarker remains uncertain. This study aimed to determine whether bronchoalveolar lavage (BALF) or plasma MMP measurements correlated with disease severity or functional decline in emphysema. Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and luminex assays measured MMP-1, -9, -12 and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 in the BALF and plasma of non-smokers, smokers with normal lung function and moderate-to-severe emphysema subjects. In the cohort of 101 emphysema subjects correlative analyses were done to determine if MMP or TIMP-1 levels were associated with key disease parameters or change in lung function over an 18-month time period. Main Results: Compared to non-smoking controls, MMP and TIMP-1 BALF levels were significantly elevated in the emphysema cohort. Though MMP-1 was elevated in both the normal smoker and emphysema groups, collagenase activity was only increased in the emphysema subjects. In contrast to BALF, plasma MMP-9 and TIMP-1 levels were actually decreased in the emphysema cohort compared to the control groups. Both in the BALF and plasma, MMP and TIMP-1 measurements in the emphysema subjects did not correlate with important disease parameters and were not predictive of subsequent functional decline. Conclusions: MMPs are altered in the BALF and plasma of emphysema; however, the changes in MMPs correlate poorly with parameters of disease intensity or progression. Though MMPs are pivotal in the pathogenesis of COPD, these findings suggest that measuring MMPs will have limited utility as a prognostic marker in this disease. © 2013 D'Armiento et al

The association between the maternal diet and the maternal and infant gut microbiome: A systematic review

During pregnancy, changes occur to influence the maternal gut microbiome, and potentially the fetal microbiome. Diet has been shown to impact the gut microbiome. Little research has been conducted examining diet during pregnancy with respect to the gut microbiome. To meet inclusion criteria, dietary analyses must have been conducted as part of the primary aim. The primary outcome was the composition of the gut microbiome (infant or maternal), as assessed using culture-independent sequencing techniques. This review identified seven studies for inclusion, five examining the maternal gut microbiome and two examining the fetal gut microbiome. Microbial data were attained through analysis of stool samples by 16S rRNA gene-based microbiota assessment. Studies found an association between the maternal diet and gut microbiome. High-fat diets (% fat of total energy), fat-soluble vitamins (mg/day) and fibre (g/day) were the most significant nutrients associated with the gut microbiota composition of both neonates and mothers. High-fat diets were significantly associated with a reduction in microbial diversity. High-fat diets may reduce microbial diversity, while fibre intake may be positively associated with microbial diversity. The results of this review must be interpreted with caution. The number of studies was low, and the risk of observational bias and heterogeneity across the studies must be considered. However, these results show promise for dietary intervention and microbial manipulation in order to favour an increase of health-associated taxa in the gut of the mother and her offspring

Impairments in Site-Specific AS160 Phosphorylation and Effects of Exercise Training

The purpose of this study was to determine if site-specific phosphorylation at the level of Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160) is altered in skeletal muscle from sedentary humans across a wide range of the adult life span (18–84 years of age) and if endurance- and/or strength-oriented exercise training could rescue decrements in insulin action and skeletal muscle AS160 phosphorylation. A euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp and skeletal muscle biopsies were performed in 73 individuals encompassing a wide age range (18–84 years of age), and insulin-stimulated AS160 phosphorylation was determined. Decrements in whole-body insulin action were associated with impairments in insulin-induced phosphorylation of skeletal muscle AS160 on sites Ser-588, Thr-642, Ser-666, and phospho-Akt substrate, but not Ser-318 or Ser-751. Twelve weeks of endurance- or strength-oriented exercise training increased whole-body insulin action and reversed impairments in AS160 phosphorylation evident in insulin-resistant aged individuals. These findings suggest that a dampening of insulin-induced phosphorylation of AS160 on specific sites in skeletal muscle contributes to the insulin resistance evident in a sedentary aging population and that exercise training is an effective intervention for treating these impairments

Different Patterns of Evolution in the Centromeric and Telomeric Regions of Group A and B Haplotypes of the Human Killer Cell Ig-Like Receptor Locus

The fast evolving human KIR gene family encodes variable lymphocyte receptors specific for polymorphic HLA class I determinants. Nucleotide sequences for 24 representative human KIR haplotypes were determined. With three previously defined haplotypes, this gave a set of 12 group A and 15 group B haplotypes for assessment of KIR variation. The seven gene-content haplotypes are all combinations of four centromeric and two telomeric motifs. 2DL5, 2DS5 and 2DS3 can be present in centromeric and telomeric locations. With one exception, haplotypes having identical gene content differed in their combinations of KIR alleles. Sequence diversity varied between haplotype groups and between centromeric and telomeric halves of the KIR locus. The most variable A haplotype genes are in the telomeric half, whereas the most variable genes characterizing B haplotypes are in the centromeric half. Of the highly polymorphic genes, only the 3DL3 framework gene exhibits a similar diversity when carried by A and B haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis and divergence time estimates, point to the centromeric gene-content motifs that distinguish A and B haplotypes having emerged ∼6 million years ago, contemporaneously with the separation of human and chimpanzee ancestors. In contrast, the telomeric motifs that distinguish A and B haplotypes emerged more recently, ∼1.7 million years ago, before the emergence of Homo sapiens. Thus the centromeric and telomeric motifs that typify A and B haplotypes have likely been present throughout human evolution. The results suggest the common ancestor of A and B haplotypes combined a B-like centromeric region with an A-like telomeric region