1,061 research outputs found
Histopathological diagnosis of Japanese spotted fever using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded skin biopsy specimens Usefulness of immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR analysis
AbstractJapanese spotted fever (JSF) is caused by Rickettsia japonica, and lethal cases are reported yearly in southwest Japan. We thus established the method of diagnosing JSF by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded skin biopsy specimens. Two monoclonal antibodies were used for IHC, and the 17k genus common antigen gene served as the target of RT-PCR. We collected skin biopsy (n = 61) and autopsy (n = 1) specimens from 50 patients clinically suspected of JSF. Immunohistochemically, the rickettsial antigens were localized as coarse dots in the cytoplasm of endothelial cells and macrophages. Thirty-one seropositive cases plus one autopsy case (group A) and nine seronegative cases but with positive IHC and/or RT-PCR (group B) were judged as JSF. Nine cases were regarded as non-JSF disorders based on negative serology, IHC and RT-PCR (group C). Of 50 biopsies (eschar 34, eruptions 10, and scabs 6) from groups A and B, IHC and RT-PCR positivities were 94% (32/34) and 62% (21/34) for eschar, 80% (8/10) and 30% (3/10) for eruptions, and 33% (2/6) and 50% (3/6) for scabs. For IHC, eschar was most suitable, and scabs were insufficient. Unexpectedly, 18 biopsies happened to be fixed in 100% formalin, and this lowered the detection rate by RT-PCR, but IHC was tolerant. Sequence analysis using five skin biopsy specimens confirmed a 114 bp DNA stretch homologous to that reported for the target gene of R. japonica. In 26 (84%) of the 31 seropositive patients, the diagnosis was made by IHC and/or RT-PCR earlier than serology
Quasicontinuum -decay of Zr: benchmarking indirect () cross section measurements for the -process
Nuclear level densities (NLDs) and -ray strength functions
(SFs) have been extracted from particle- coincidences of the
Zr()Zr and Zr()Zr
reactions using the Oslo method. The new Zr SF data, combined
with photonuclear cross sections, cover the whole energy range from ~MeV up to the giant dipole resonance at ~MeV. The wide-range SF data display structures at ~MeV, compatible with a superposition of the spin-flip
resonance and a pygmy resonance. Furthermore, the SF shows a
minimum at ~MeV and an increase at lower -ray
energies. The experimentally constrained NLDs and SFs are shown to
reproduce known () and Maxwellian-averaged cross sections for
Zr using the {\sf TALYS} reaction code, thus serving as a benchmark
for this indirect method of estimating () cross sections for Zr
isotopes.Comment: 10 pages and 9 figure
Predicted cross sections for photon-induced particle emission
Cross sections for the photon-induced particle-emission reactions (gamma,n),
(gamma,p), and (gamma,alpha) are given for all natural isotopes from Ti to Bi.
The target nuclei are assumed to be in their ground states, except for 180Ta
which is naturally occurring as the isomer 180mTa. The cross sections are
calculated in a statistical model (Hauser-Feshbach) approach and covering an
energy range from threshold up to 7.35 MeV above the threshold (14.7 MeV above
threshold for (gamma,alpha) reactions). The results are intended to aid
conception and analysis of experiments which can also be used to test the
methods involved in predicting astrophysical reaction rates for
nucleosynthesis.Comment: 74 pages (including three long tables), accepted for publication in
Atomic Data Nuclear Data Tables, corrected header of Table
Astrophysical reaction rate for Be by photodisintegration
We study the astrophysical reaction rate for the formation of Be
through the three body reaction . This reaction is one
of the key reactions which could bridge the mass gap at A = 8 nuclear systems
to produce intermediate-to-heavy mass elements in alpha- and neutron-rich
environments such as r-process nucleosynthesis in supernova explosions,
s-process nucleosynthesis in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, and
primordial nucleosynthesis in baryon inhomogeneous cosmological models. To
calculate the thermonuclear reaction rate in a wide range of temperatures, we
numerically integrate the thermal average of cross sections assuming a
two-steps formation through a metastable Be. Off-resonant and on-resonant
contributions from the ground state in Be are taken into account. As
input cross section, we adopt the latest experimental data by
photodisintegration of Be with laser-electron photon beams, which covers
all relevant resonances in Be. We provide the reaction rate for
Be in the temperature range from T=10
to T=10 both in the tabular form and in the analytical form. The
calculated reaction rate is compared with the reaction rates of the CF88 and
the NACRE compilations. The CF88 rate is valid at due to lack
of the off-resonant contribution. The CF88 rate differs from the present rate
by a factor of two in a temperature range . The NACRE rate,
which adopted different sources of experimental information on resonance states
in Be, is 4--12 times larger than the present rate at ,
but is consistent with the present rate to within at .Comment: 32 pages (incl 6 figures), Nucl. Phys. in pres
Pygmy dipole strength close to particle-separation energies - the case of the Mo isotopes
The distribution of electromagnetic dipole strength in 92, 98, 100 Mo has
been investigated by photon scattering using bremsstrahlung from the new ELBE
facility. The experimental data for well separated nuclear resonances indicate
a transition from a regular to a chaotic behaviour above 4 MeV of excitation
energy. As the strength distributions follow a Porter-Thomas distribution much
of the dipole strength is found in weak and in unresolved resonances appearing
as fluctuating cross section. An analysis of this quasi-continuum - here
applied to nuclear resonance fluorescence in a novel way - delivers dipole
strength functions, which are combining smoothly to those obtained from
(g,n)-data. Enhancements at 6.5 MeV and at ~9 MeV are linked to the pygmy
dipole resonances postulated to occur in heavy nuclei.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, proceedings Nuclear Physics in Astrophysics II,
May 16-20, Debrecen, Hungary. The original publication is available at
www.eurphysj.or
Subaru FOCAS Spectroscopic Observations of High-Redshift Supernovae
We present spectra of high-redshift supernovae (SNe) that were taken with the
Subaru low resolution optical spectrograph, FOCAS. These SNe were found in SN
surveys with Suprime-Cam on Subaru, the CFH12k camera on the
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), and the Advanced Camera for Surveys
(ACS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). These SN surveys specifically
targeted z>1 Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia). From the spectra of 39 candidates, we
obtain redshifts for 32 candidates and spectroscopically identify 7 active
candidates as probable SNe Ia, including one at z=1.35, which is the most
distant SN Ia to be spectroscopically confirmed with a ground-based telescope.
An additional 4 candidates are identified as likely SNe Ia from the
spectrophotometric properties of their host galaxies. Seven candidates are not
SNe Ia, either being SNe of another type or active galactic nuclei. When SNe Ia
are observed within a week of maximum light, we find that we can
spectroscopically identify most of them up to z=1.1. Beyond this redshift, very
few candidates were spectroscopically identified as SNe Ia. The current
generation of super red-sensitive, fringe-free CCDs will push this redshift
limit higher.Comment: 19 pages, 26 figures. PASJ in press. see
http://www.supernova.lbl.gov/2009ClusterSurvey/ for additional information
pertaining to the HST Cluster SN Surve
Evidence for transfer followed by breakup in 7Li + 65Cu
The observation of a large cross-section for the alpha + d channel compared
to breakup into the alpha + t channel from an exclusive measurement for the
7Li+65Cu system at 25 MeV is presented. A detailed analysis of the angular
distribution using coupled channels Born approximation calculations has
provided clear evidence that the observed alpha + d events arise from a two
step process, i.e. direct transfer to the 2.186 MeV (3+) resonance in the alpha
+ d continuum of 6Li followed by breakup, and are not due to final state
interaction effects.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, To be published in Phys. Letts.
Clinicopathological significance of EZH2 mRNA expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Enhancer of zeste homologue 2 (EZH2), a member of the polycomb group protein family, plays a crucial role in the regulation of embryonic development and has been associated with the regulation of the cell cycle. Recently, several studies have shown that EZH2 is highly expressed in aggressive tumours, including human breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphomas. We thus analysed EZH2 expression using real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, and correlated its expression status with various clinicopathological parameters in 66 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We found high expression of EZH2 in human liver cancer cell lines. Furthermore, EZH2 gene-expression levels in tumour tissue specimens (0.34±0.52) were significantly higher (P<0.0001) than those in the corresponding nontumour tissue specimens (0.07±0.09). The incidence of cancer cell invasion into the portal vein was significantly higher (P<0.001) in the high EZH2 expression group (26 of the 33, 79%) than in the low expression group (13 of the 33, 39%). However, there was no significant difference in the disease-free survival rate between the two groups. The findings of this study indicate that EZH2 mRNA expression was upregulated in human HCC and may play an important role in tumour progression, especially by facilitating portal vein invasion
Region of hadron-quark mixed phase in hybrid stars
Hadron--quark mixed phase is expected in a wide region of the inner structure
of hybrid stars. However, we show that the hadron--quark mixed phase should be
restricted to a narrower region to because of the charge screening effect. The
narrow region of the mixed phase seems to explain physical phenomena of neutron
stars such as the strong magnetic field and glitch phenomena, and it would give
a new cooling curve for the neutron star.Comment: to be published in Physical Review
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