ANASYSIS OF ISOMETRICITY OF THE ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT DURING KNEE FLEXION-EXTENSION FOR OPTIMAL LIGAMENT RECONSTRUCTION

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is liable to a major injury that often results in a functional impairment requiring surgical reconstruction. The success of reconstruction depends on such factors as attachment positions, initial tension of ligament and surgical methods of fixation. The purpose of this study is to find isometric area of the substitute during flexion/extension and to simulate successful ACL reconstruction position using MADYMO(MAthematical DYnamic MOdel) software

Acidic pH shock induces the expressions of a wide range of stress-response genes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Environmental signals usually enhance secondary metabolite production in <it>Streptomycetes </it>by initiating complex signal transduction system. It is known that different sigma factors respond to different types of stresses, respectively in <it>Streptomyces </it>strains, which have a number of unique signal transduction mechanisms depending on the types of environmental shock. In this study, we wanted to know how a pH shock would affect the expression of various sigma factors and shock-related proteins in <it>S. coelicolor </it>A3(2).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>According to the results of transcriptional and proteomic analyses, the major number of sigma factor genes were upregulated by an acidic pH shock. Well-studied sigma factor genes of <it>sigH </it>(heat shock), <it>sigR </it>(oxidative stress), <it>sigB </it>(osmotic shock), and <it>hrdD </it>that play a major role in the secondary metabolism, were all strongly upregulated by the pH shock. A number of heat shock proteins including the DnaK family and chaperones such as GroEL2 were also observed to be upregulated by the pH shock, while their repressor of <it>hspR </it>was strongly downregulated. Oxidative stress-related proteins such as thioredoxin, catalase, superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and osmotic shock-related protein such as vesicle synthases were also upregulated in overall.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>From these observations, an acidic pH shock was considered to be one of the strongest stresses to influence a wide range of sigma factors and shock-related proteins including general stress response proteins. The upregulation of the sigma factors and shock proteins already found to be related to actinorhodin biosynthesis was considered to have contributed to enhanced actinorhodin productivity by mediating the pH shock signal to regulators or biosynthesis genes for actinorhodin production.</p

Development of a thorium coating on an aluminium substrate by using electrodeposition method and alpha spectroscopy

A thin coating of thorium on aluminium substrates with the areal density of 110 to 130 $\mu g/cm^2$ is developed over a circular area of 22 mm diameter by using the electrodeposition method. An electrodeposition system is fabricated to consist of three components; an anode made of a platinum mesh, a cylindrical-shape vessel to contain the thorium solution, and a cathode in the form of a circular aluminium plate. The aluminium plate is mounted horizontally, and the platinum mesh is connected to an axial rod of an electric motor, mounted vertically and normal to the plane of the aluminium. The electrolyte solution is prepared by dissolving a known-weight thorium nitrate powder in 0.8 M HNO3 and isopropanol. The system is operated either in constant voltage (CV) or constant current (CC) mode. Under the electric field between the anode and cathode, thorium ions were deposited on the aluminium substrate mounted on the cathode. In the CV mode at 320, 360, and 400 V and in the CC mode at 15 mA, thorium films were formed over a circular area of the aluminium substrate. The areal density of thorium coating was measured by detecting emitted alpha particles. The areal density of thorium varied from 80 to 130 $\mu g/cm^2$ by changing the deposition time from 10 to 60 min. The results from the CV mode and CC mode are compared, and the radial dependence in the measured areal density is discussed for different modes of the electric field. The developed thorium coatings are to be used in the in-house development of particle detectors, fast neutron converters, targets for thorium fission experiments, and other purposes.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Minimally Invasive Irrigation for Lumbar Spinal Epidural Abscess using a Trans-Sacral Epiduroscopic Laser Decompression Catheter

We describe a case of a spinal epidural abscess that was successfully treated with minimally invasive irrigation using trans-sacral epiduroscopic laser decompression (SELD) catheter. A 66-year-old man experienced aggravating right leg pain and lower back pain for 1 month despite receiving several pain blocks at a local hospital. Magnetic resonance imaging scans showed annular fissure and bulging disc at the L4/5 level. Therefore, we decided to treat the L4/5 lesion using SELD. Laboratory studies demonstrated leukocytosis and elevated C-reactive protein level. However, we did not pay attention to the abnormal laboratory values before SELD. During SELD, we found a yellowish epidural abscess and pus drainage. Therefore, we irrigated the epidural abscess using an SELD catheter. His low back pain was relieved dramatically immediately after the procedure. The spinal epidural abscess completely resolved after 20 days of antibiotic treatment. Minimally invasive irrigation and drainage using a SELD catheter and intravenous antibiotic therapy are helpful for the treatment of spinal epidural abscess

Site-directed mutagenesis of the amino acid residues in β-strand III [Val30-Val36] of d-amino acid aminotransferase of Bacillus sp. YM-1

AbstractThe β-strand III formed by amino acid residues Val30-Val36 is located across the active site of the thermostable d-amino acid aminotransferase (d-AAT) from thermophilic Bacillus sp. YM-1, and the odd-numbered amino acids (Tyr31, Val33, Lys35) in the strand are revealed to be directed toward the active site. Interestingly, Glu32 is also directed toward the active site. We first investigated the involvement of these amino acid residues in catalysis by alanine scanning mutagenesis. The Y31A and E32A mutant enzymes showed a marked decrease in kcat value, retaining less than 1% of the wild-type enzyme activity. The kcat values of V33A and K35A were changed slightly, but the Km of K35A for α-ketoglutarate was increased to 35.6 mM, compared to the Km value of 2.5 mM for the wild-type enzyme. These results suggested that the positive charge at Lys35 interacted electrostatically with the negative charge at the side chain of α-ketoglutarate. Site-directed mutagenesis of the Glu32 residue was conducted to demonstrate the role of this residue in detail. From the kinetic and spectral characteristics of the Glu32-substituted enzymes, the Glu32 residue seemed to interact with the positive charge at the Schiff base formed between the aldehyde group of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP) and the ε-amino group of the Lys145 residue

Calcifying Aponeurotic Fibroma with Osseous Involvement of the Finger: a Case Report with Radiologic and US Findings

Calcifying aponeurotic fibroma is a rare soft tissue tumor that occurs in the distal extremities of children and adolescents. We report ultrasound and X-ray findings of a calcifying aponeurotic fibroma in the finger of a 36-year-old woman, associated with distal phalangeal bone involvement

Comparative Evaluation of Nanofibrous Scaffolding for Bone Regeneration in Critical-Size Calvarial Defects

In a previous study we found that nanofibrous poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffolds mimicking collagen fibers in size were superior to solid-walled scaffolds in promoting osteoblast differentiation and bone formation in vitro. In this study we used an in vivo model to confirm the biological properties of nanofibrous PLLA scaffolds and to evaluate how effectively they support bone regeneration against solid-walled scaffolds. The scaffolds were implanted in critical-size defects made on rat calvarial bones. Compared with solid-walled scaffolds, nanofibrous scaffolds supported substantially more new bone tissue formation, which was confirmed by micro-computed tomography measurement and von Kossa staining. Goldner's trichrome staining showed abundant collagen deposition in nanofibrous scaffolds but not in the control solid-walled scaffolds. The cells in these scaffolds were immuno-stained strongly for Runx2 and bone sialoprotein (BSP). In contrast, solid-walled scaffolds implanted in the defects were stained weakly with trichrome, Runx2, and BSP. These in vivo results demonstrate that nanofibrous architecture enhances osteoblast differentiation and bone formation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78127/1/ten.tea.2008.0433.pd