A sensor for superoxide in aqueous and organic/aqueous media based on immobilized cytochrome c on binary self-assembled monolayers

ArticleBiosensors and Bioelectronics. 23(2):241-247journal articl

Electrochemical characterization of poly(acrylamide) membrane coated on a gold disk electrode in acetonitrile

ArticleJOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. 579(1): 25-31 (2005)journal articl

In vitro callus induction and plant regeneration from mature seed embryo and young shoots in a giant sympodial bamboo, Dendrocalamus farinosus (Keng et Keng f.) Chia et H.L. Fung

The method for callus induction, adventitious shoot induction and plant regeneration derived from mature embryos of the seed and young shoots in Dendrocalamus farinosus was examined. For young shoots, the lowest callus induction frequency (21.0 to 29.7%) was obtained and the induced callus became brown and perished after two weeks. For mature embryos of the seed, an efficient protocol for callus induction, adventitious shoot induction and plant regeneration was developed. The best callus induction medium for mature embryos was observed to be Murashige and Skoog (MS) supplemented with 2.0 mg l-1 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) in combination with 0.2 mg l-1 kinetin (Kn) plus 0.4 mg l-1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Callus induction frequency was 95%. The highest adventitious shoot induction frequency (91.2 ± 2.18%) was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 2.5 mg l-1 kn plus 0.5 mg l-1 indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The regenerated adventitious shoots were rooted in vitro on MS medium with 0.4 mg l-1 IBA plus 0.25 mg l-1 IAA. Rooted plantlets successfully acclimatized to the greenhouse and 90.1% survived after being transplanted to plastic pots (measuring 30 cm in  diameter) with garden soil.Key words: Callus culture, plant regeneration, making-pulp use, Dendrocalamus farinosus

Analyzing Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Low CAC Scores by 64-Slice MDCT

Purpose. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) scores are widely used to determine risk for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). A CAC score does not have the diagnostic accuracy needed for CAD. This work uses a novel efficient approach to predict CAD in patients with low CAC scores. Materials and Methods. The study group comprised 86 subjects who underwent a screening health examination, including laboratory testing, CAC scanning, and cardiac angiography by 64-slice multidetector computed tomographic angiography. Eleven physiological variables and three personal parameters were investigated in proposed model. Logistic regression was applied to assess the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of when using individual variables and CAC score. Meta-analysis combined physiological and personal parameters by logistic regression. Results. The diagnostic sensitivity of the CAC score was 14.3% when the CAC score was ≤30. Sensitivity increased to 57.13% using the proposed model. The statistically significant variables, based on beta values and P values, were family history, LDL-c, blood pressure, HDL-c, age, triglyceride, and cholesterol. Conclusions. The CAC score has low negative predictive value for CAD. This work applied a novel prediction method that uses patient information, including physiological and society parameters. The proposed method increases the accuracy of CAC score for predicting CAD

Therapeutic Lung Lavage with Diluted Surfactant in Neonates with Severe Meconium Aspiration Syndrome

Meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) may result in considerable morbidity and mortality in newborn infants. The current standard treatment is still in need of improvement for the most severe patients. We report 3 cases with devastating MAS that was successfully treated with therapeutic lung lavage. These cases were all delivered in local obstetrics clinics or hospitals with meconium-stained amniotic fluid and non-vigorous appearance at birth. However, no endotracheal suction was performed when they were born. All of them suffered from severe hypoxia and unstable vital signs despite there being high ventilatory settings when they were transferred to the tertiary medical center. Therapeutic lung lavage with diluted surfactant (Survanta, 5 mg/mL, 30 mL/kg in 2 aliquots) was performed within 24 hours of age. Bloody fluid (about 40–50% of total lavage amount) was recovered in all 3 cases. Although brief desaturation and bradycardia were observed during the procedures, 2 of them tolerated the procedures well and improved soon after lavage. The other patient received lung lavage in a relatively unstable condition and needed chest tapping to relieve bilateral pleural effusion. Their respiratory condition improved after the procedures, and they were all discharged within 1 month without major respiratory complications. These successful experiences are compatible with previous animal studies and other case reports with different lavage protocols. We conclude that therapeutic lung lavage may improve the outcome in newborn infants with severe MAS, and there were no significant adverse side effects observed. Before performing lung lavage, stabilization and optimal support may prevent unexpected results during and after lavage

Hyperbilirubinemia with urinary tract infection in infants younger than eight weeks old

AbstractBackgroundHyperbilirubinemia is one of the most common causes for hospital admission in neonatal infants. Previous studies have found that jaundice may be one of the initial symptoms related to urinary tract infection (UTI) in infants. This study is to evaluate the incidence and related factors of neonatal infants with the initial presentation of hyperbilirubinemia and final diagnosis of UTI in a tertiary teaching hospital.MethodsWe retrospectively investigated the medical records of admitted infants younger than 8 weeks old with hyperbilirubinemia between January and December 2008. The jaundiced infants having tests of urinalysis were enrolled into our study and grouped into UTI or no UTI group according to the findings of urinary culture.ResultsA total of 217 neonatal jaundiced infants were enrolled. Among them, 12 cases (5.5%) were grouped into the UTI group, and the most common cultured bacterium from their urine was Escherichia coli. There was no significant difference in the babies’ birth weight, maternal conditions, or total bilirubin levels between the two groups. There was also no significant difference between the two groups in their admission age (9.7 ± 13.5 days vs. 6.1 ± 6.7 days in UTI and no UTI groups, respectively) or the ratio of outpatients (50% vs. 25% in UTI and no UTI groups, respectively) (p > 0.05). The cases of UTI group had significantly lower hemoglobin (15.2 ± 2.7 g/dL vs. 17.2 ± 2.3 g/dL, respectively) and higher formula feeding rate (8.3% vs. 2.9%, respectively) than the no UTI group (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe incidence of UTI in the admitted infants with hyperbilirubinemia was as high as approximately 5.5%. The most common cultured bacterium in urine was E coli. Therefore, performing urinary tests to exclude the possibility of coincidental UTI may be necessary for admitted jaundiced infants younger than 8 weeks old

An Innovative Technique for Evaluating the Integrity and Durability of Wind Turbine Blade Composites - Final Project Report

To build increasingly larger, lightweight, and robust wind turbine blades for improved power output and cost efficiency, durability of the blade, largely resulting from its structural composites selection and aerodynamic shape design, is of paramount concern. The safe/reliable operation of structural components depends critically on the selection of materials that are resistant to damage and failure in the expected service environment. An effective surveillance program is also necessary to monitor the degradation of the materials in the course of service. Composite materials having high specific strength/stiffness are desirable for the construction of wind turbines. However, most high-strength materials tend to exhibit low fracture toughness. That is why the fracture toughness of the composite materials under consideration for the manufacture of the next generation of wind turbines deserves special attention. In order to achieve the above we have proposed to develop an innovative technology, based on spiral notch torsion test (SNTT) methodology, to effectively investigate the material performance of turbine blade composites. SNTT approach was successfully demonstrated and extended to both epoxy and glass fiber composite materials for wind turbine blades during the performance period. In addition to typical Mode I failure mechanism, the mixed-mode failure mechanism induced by the wind turbine service environments and/or the material mismatch of the composite materials was also effectively investigated using SNTT approach. The SNTT results indicate that the proposed protocol not only provides significant advance in understanding the composite failure mechanism, but also can be readily utilized to assist the development of new turbine blade composites

The Rearing and Biology of the Desert Beetle, Microdera punctipennis, Under Laboratory Conditions

Microdera punctipennis Kasz (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is a unique species that lives in the desert region of Central Asia and has adopted a nocturnal habit to survive the desert environment. Female adults are larger in size than male adults. The female/male ratio was 1.04:1. A rearing method using reused plastic bottles was used. The rearing conditions were 30 ± 0.5°C, 30 ± 6% relative humidity (RH), and 16:8 L:D photoperiod. Cabbage was provided as food. Cannibalism was avoided by rearing one larva in a bottle. A complete life cycle was obtained under these conditions. The viability of eggs, larvae, prepupae, pupae, and teneral adults was 93.54%, 83.71%, 84.76%, 87.64%, and 93.59%, respectively. Embryogenesis took 7.35 days on average. The larval duration in each instar was 2.25 days. The mean duration of the larvae, prepupae, pupae, and teneral adult was 49.27, 7.05, 9.95, and 10.12 days, respectively. The coloration of each developmental stage gradually changed from creamy white to light brownish or black. Females commenced oviposition when their body color became black. On average, each female produced 568 eggs

Frequent Heterogeneous Missense Mutations of GGAP2 in Prostate Cancer: Implications for Tumor Biology, Clonality and Mutation Analysis

Prostate cancer is the most common visceral malignancy in Western men and a major cause of cancer deaths. Increased activation of the AKT and NFkB pathways have been identified as critical steps in prostate cancer initiation and progression. GGAP2 (GTP-binding and GTPase activating protein 2) is a multidomain protein that contains an N-terminal Ras homology domain (GTPase), followed by a PH domain, a C-terminal GAP domain and an ankyrin repeat domain. GGAP2 can directly activate signaling via both the AKT and NFkB pathways and acts as a node of crosstalk between these pathways. Increased GGAP2 expression is present in three quarters of prostate cancers. Mutations of GGAP2 have been reported in cell lines from other malignancies. We therefore analyzed 84 prostate cancer tissues and 43 benign prostate tissues for somatic mutations in GGAP2 by direct sequencing of individual clones derived from the GAP and GTPase domains of normal and tumor tissue. Overall, half of cancers contained mutant GAP domain clones and in 20% of cancers, 30% or more of clones were mutant in the GAP domain. Surprisingly, the mutations were heterogeneous and nonclonal, with multiple different mutations being present in many tumors. Similar findings were observed in the analysis of the GTPase domain. Mutant GGAP2 proteins had significantly higher transcriptional activity using AP-1 responsive reporter constructs when compared to wild-type protein. Furthermore, the presence of these mutations was associated with aggressive clinical behavior. The presence of high frequency nonclonal mutations of a single gene is novel and represents a new mode of genetic alteration that can promote tumor progression. Analysis of mutations in cancer has been used to predict outcome and guide therapeutic target identification but such analysis has focused on clonal mutations. Our studies indicate that in some cases high frequency nonclonal mutations may need to be assessed as well