Comparative immunomudulating effects of five orally administrated bifidobacteria species in male albino rats

Bifidobacteria belong to effective probiotics in preventing and reducing the severity of some diseases by modulating the host immune response. Each probiotic species is unique, and thus its properties and effects have to be assessed separately. We investigate here the effects of B.infantis, B.longum, B.adolescentis, B.bifidum, B.breve and B.bifidum on immune parameters of albino rats orally administrated a yogurt fermented with one of the five bifidobacteria species for 30 days.B.adolescentis (adult-type bifidobacteria) induced a significant increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion (IL-1, IL-4, IL-12 and TNF-alpha) relative to B.breve and B.infantis (infanttypebifidobacteria). B.bifidum, B.longum and B.adolescentis induced significantly high levels of the anti-inflammatory IL-10. B.adolescentis stimulated and increased the release of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, glutathione and catalase), and also stimulated secretion of high levels of total serum Ig. All studied bifidobacteria species, particularly B. adolescentis, caused significant reduction of the number of the pathogenic bacteria. In conclusion, B. adolescentis is superior tothe other studied species of bifidobacteria in enhancing immune parameters

New mechanism of cluster-field evaporation in rf breakdown

Using a simple field evaporation model and molecular dynamics simulations of nanoscale copper tip evolution in a high electric field gradient typical for linacs, we have studied a new mechanism for rf-field evaporation. The mechanism consists of simultaneous (collective) field evaporation of a large group of tip atoms in high-gradient fields. Thus, evaporation of large clusters is energetically more favorable when compared with the conventional, ‘‘one-by-one’’ mechanism. The studied mechanism could also be considered a new mechanism for the triggering of rf-vacuum breakdown. This paper discusses the mechanism and the experimental data available for electric field evaporation of field emission microscopy tips

Numerical Study for the Behavior of Stainless-Steel Sigma Columns Under Axial Compression Load

This study investigated numerically the behavior of slender austenitic stainless-steel grade EN 1.4420 columns under compression loads. The column has a single lipped Sigma cross section. The finite element model was developed using ABAQUS software, then it was validated by comparing its results against outcomes from a previous experimental study. A parametric study conducted on pin-ended Sigma columns explores the effect of various factors on ultimate strength and failure modes, such as thickness (t) and flange width (B). Results indicate that as the thickness of the column increases, so does its ultimate load capacity. Thicker columns tend to fail due to global buckling. The ultimate capacity increases as the flange width (B) increases from 60 mm to 75 mm, remains constant as the flange width (B) increases from 75 mm to 100 mm, and starts to decrease when the flange width (B) exceeds 100 mm. Comparing carbon steel and austenitic stainless steel Sigma columns, the latter shows a 34% increase in bearing capacity

The Molecular Adsorbents Recycling System as a Liver Support System Based on Albumin Dialysis: A Summary of Preclinical Investigations, Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial, and Clinical Experience from 19 Centers

Artificial liver support aims to prolong survival time of patients with liver failure by detoxification. Albumin as a molecular adsorbent in dialysis solution is capable of attracting even tightly albumin-bound toxins from blood into the dialysate if a specific dialysis membrane is used and if the albumin's binding sites are on-line-purified by a sorbent/dialysis-based recycling system (i.e., molecular adsorbents recycling system, or MARS). The MARS technology has been shown to remove water-soluble and albumin-bound toxins and to provide renal support in case of renal failure. Fourteen centers have reported that MARS treatment improved mental status of patients with liver failure and hepatic encephalopathy. In treating liver failure and cholestasis, MARS was associated with hemodynamic stabilization, improvement of hepatic and kidney function, and disappearance of pruritus. In hepatic failure and hepatorenal syndrome, a prospective, randomized, controlled trial of MARS treatment was able to prolong survival time significantly. MARS has been used in 26 patients with acute liver failure or primary graft dysfunction. Nineteen centers reporting on 103 patients have shown that MARS treatment is safe, easy to handle, feasible, and effective.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73869/1/j.1525-1594.2002.06822.x.pd

Experimental Shear Behavior of Fiber Reinforced Composite Corrugated Plate Girders at Intermediate Supports

Bridges with corrugated steel webs have been extensivelyconstructed in different countries. A trapezoidally corrugatedsteel plate is composed of a series of longitudinal andinclined subpanels. For a steel corrugated web girder, it isassumed that the web carries merely shear forces due to theaccordion effect [1,2]. The web in such a girder was found tocarry insignificant longitudinal stresses from the primaryflexure. Consequently, the bending moment is nearly carriedby its flanges. Thus, it is worth pointing out that the shearstrength can be determined without consideration ofmoment-shear interaction. But it was found that problem inan area where intermediate supports that shear forces arecompletely carried by web, and found that the value of theshear resistance, which is a concrete slab by almost beneglected. In recent years has been the study of differenttypes of materials to increase the efficiency of concrete andincrease the shear forces at the intermediate supports. Thusin this research, the effect of adding fiber to the concrete incomposite corrugated plate girders at intermediate supportswas investigated

An update on advances in magnetic resonance imaging of multiple system atrophy

In this review, we describe how different neuroimaging tools have been used to identify novel MSA biomarkers, highlighting their advantages and limitations. First, we describe the main structural MRI changes frequently associated with MSA including the 'hot cross-bun' and 'putaminal rim' signs as well as putaminal, pontine, and middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) atrophy. We discuss the sensitivity and specificity of different supra- and infratentorial changes in differentiating MSA from other disorders, highlighting those that can improve diagnostic accuracy, including the MCP width and MCP/superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) ratio on T1-weighted imaging, raised putaminal diffusivity on diffusion-weighted imaging, and increased T2* signal in the putamen, striatum, and substantia nigra on susceptibility-weighted imaging. Second, we focus on recent advances in structural and functional MRI techniques including diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), resting-state functional MRI (fMRI), and arterial spin labelling (ASL) imaging. Finally, we discuss new approaches for MSA research such as multimodal neuroimaging strategies and how such markers may be applied in clinical trials to provide crucial data for accurately selecting patients and to act as secondary outcome measures