Use of Self-Assembly Nanofibre Biomaterials for Neural Repair After Injury

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Creating pseudo Kondo-resonances by field-induced diffusion of atomic hydrogen

In low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments a cerium adatom on Ag(100) possesses two discrete states with significantly different apparent heights. These atomic switches also exhibit a Kondo-like feature in spectroscopy experiments. By extensive theoretical simulations we find that this behavior is due to diffusion of hydrogen from the surface onto the Ce adatom in the presence of the STM tip field. The cerium adatom possesses vibrational modes of very low energy (3-4meV) and very high efficiency (> 20%), which are due to the large changes of Ce-states in the presence of hydrogen. The atomic vibrations lead to a Kondo-like feature at very low bias voltages. We predict that the same low-frequency/high-efficiency modes can also be observed at lanthanum adatoms.Comment: five pages and four figure

Development of a semi-automated method for measuring urinary iodine and its application in epidemiological studies in Brazilian schoolchildren

In this study we developed a semi-automated method for the measurement of urinary iodine using firstly ammonium persulfate for digestion of urine followed by estimation of iodine content in the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction, in which iodine acts as a catalyst for the reduction of cerium. This method was validated in the 3rd Brazilian National Survey of iodine deficiency in 1994. We studied 16,803 casual urine samples from schoolchildren of 401 cities and found 4 moderately-deficient towns (Almas, Arraias, and Parana, in the State of Tocantins, and Cocos, in the State of Bahia), and 116 mildly-deficient. This work suggests that despite the salt iodization program, there was some iodine-deficient areas in Brazil in 1994. Recent surveys, involving less cities, are indicating an excess of iodine ingestion. Therefore, in a country of continental dimensions and very heterogeneous in terms of public health, periodical evaluations are necessary to monitor the real situation of iodine nutrition in Brazil. the method developed in this paper is suitable for these surveys.Univ Estadual Maringa, Dept Med, Ctr Ciencias Saude, Maringa, Parana, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Mol Endocrinol Lab, Disciplina Endocrinol, Dept Med,Escola Paulista Med, BR-04032029 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Mol Endocrinol Lab, Disciplina Endocrinol, Dept Med,Escola Paulista Med, BR-04032029 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Genome Sequence of Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum Strain MS-1

Here, we report the genome sequence of Magnetospirillum magnetotacticum strain MS-1, which consists of of 36 contigs and 4,136 protein-coding genes

Size quantization effects in InAs self-assembled quantum dots

3 páginas, 3 figuras. PACS: 73.21.-b; 78.55.Cr; 78.66.Fd; 72.40.+w; 68.35.Ct; 73.40.KpWe study size quantization effects in InAs self-assembled quantum dots (QDs) that are embedded in GaAs. Using capacitance, photoluminescence and photovoltage spectroscopy, we correlate the measured quantized level energies with the quantum dot sizes and densities obtained from transmission electron microscopy. With increasing dot size, we observe a strong redshift of the QD features in all our data. In the capacitance spectra, a band gap renormalization of the two-dimensional wetting layer system appears when the first excited QD state crosses the wetting layer ground state. The relative size dependence and absolute energetic position of the QD transitions determined with photoluminescence provide some information about the influence of lateral confinement and height of the QD.This work was supported by QUEST, a NSF science and technology center (Grant No. DMR91-20007), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (KHS), and the Brazilian agency CNPq (GMR).Peer reviewe

Congenital leptin deficiency and thyroid function

Thyroid function is closely related to leptin's secretion by the adipose tissue. In states of leptin-deficiency, the circadian rhythm of TSH is altered, leading to central hypothyroidism in animal models. In humans, central hypothyroidism has also been described in rare cases of congenital leptin deficiency. However, the thyroid phenotype in these cases is heterogeneous, with the occurrence of central hypothyroidism in a minority of cases. Here we describe thyroid function in four leptin-deficient humans (2 males aged 5 and 27, and 2 females aged 35 and 40), before and during leptin replacement with recombinant human methionyl leptin (r-metHuLeptin). The child was evaluated for four years, and the adults, for eight years. In addition, the adults were submitted to a brief withdrawal of leptin during six weeks in the sixth year. Our results show that, regardless of leptin replacement, our leptin-deficient patients have normal thyroid function. In spite of having an important role in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroidal axis, leptin is not required for normal thyroid function

The MODY Type of Diabetes Mellitus

It is estimated that close to 5% of the individuals classified as having type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and about 10% of those considered type 1 DM (previously categorized as juvenile type) are actual carriers of a MODY mutation. In this form of DM, there is evident co-segregation of some mutations and the advent of hyperglycemia, this fact having been reproduced by the study of several families of different populations. Its main characteristic is being one of the few causes of DM in which the transmission of the genetic susceptibility is due to an autossomical dominant inheritance, making part of the group classified as monogenic DM, where the other members are very rare. Mutations occurring in MODY genes, even in the heterozygous form, lead to a profound phenotypic impact (high penetrance), in that 95% of the individual carriers of a MODY mutation will be diabetic or will have altered glicemic metabolism before the age of 55 years. In this paper we approach this form of DM, emphasizing its most relevant clinical and genetic characteristics. The systematic search for MODY mutations is beginning to take place regularly in many countries, and there is a tendency to add this diagnostic tool to the routine exams in the practice of diabetology.Estima-se que perto de 5% dos indivíduos classificados como portadores de diabetes mellitus (DM) tipo 2 e 10% daqueles considerados como tipo 1 (anteriormente classificado como juvenil) sejam, na verdade, portadores de mutações MODY. Nesta forma de DM ocorre uma co-segregação evidente de algumas mutações com a hiperglicemia, fato este reproduzido em inúmeras famílias estudadas em várias populações do mundo. Caracteriza-se por ser uma das poucas causas de DM cujo modo de transmissão da predisposição genética ocorre de uma forma autossômica-dominante, compondo o grupo chamado de DM monogênicos, onde os outros representantes têm uma prevalência bastante rara. As mutações nos genes MODY, mesmo no estado heterozigoto, apresentam um forte impacto no fenótipo (alta penetrância), sendo que 95% dos indivíduos nascidos com alguma mutação MODY serão diabéticos ou apresentarão alterações no âmbito do metabolismo glicídico antes dos 55 anos de idade. Este trabalho objetiva a discussão desta forma de DM, enfatizando suas características clínicas e genéticas mais relevantes. A pesquisa sistemática de mutações MODY começa a ser feita de forma rotineira em vários países, havendo uma tendência de se colocar este recurso diagnóstico como um exame na prática da diabetologia.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de MedicinaUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Errors in kinematic distances and our image of the Milky Way Galaxy

Errors in the kinematic distances, under the assumption of circular gas orbits, were estimated by performing synthetic observations of a model disk galaxy. It was found that the error is < 0.5 kpc for most of the disk when the measured rotation curve was used, but larger if the real rotation curve is applied. In both cases, the error is significantly larger at the positions of the spiral arms. The error structure is such that, when kinematic distances are used to develope a picture of the large scale density distribution, the most significant features of the numerical model are significantly distorted or absent, while spurious structure appears. By considering the full velocity field in the calculation of the kinematic distances, most of the original density structures can be recovered.Comment: Accepted for publication in A