Fabrication of oriented hydroxyapatite film by RF magnetron sputtering

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is compatible with bone tissue and is used mainly as a bone prosthetic material, especially as the coating of implants. Oriented HAp film is expected to be a high-quality epitaxial scaffold of the neonatal bone. To fabricate highly oriented HAp thin films via the conventional plasma process, we deposited the HAp film on a Ti coated silica glass substrate using RF magnetron sputtering in low substrate temperature conditions. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the film sample consisted of an intense (002) peak, corresponding to the highly oriented HAp. The (002) peak in XRD diagrams can be attributed either to the monoclinic phase or the hexagonal phase. Pole figure analysis showed that the (002) plane grew parallel to the surface of the substrate, without inclination. Transmission Electron Microscope analysis also showed the fabrication of aligned HAp crystallites. The selected area diffraction patterns indicated the existence of monoclinic phase. The existence of hexagonal phase could not be judged. These results indicate the uniaxial films fabricated by this technique enable to be the epitaxial scaffold of the neonatal bone. This scaffold can be expected to promote connection with the surrounding bone tissue and recovery of the dynamic characteristics of the bone

Mycobacterium abscessus subspecies massiliense infection with anti-interferon-gamma autoantibodies

Background: In recent years, reports of disseminated nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections in adults with anti-interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) autoantibodies have increased, particularly in Southeast Asia. The absence of previous immunodeficiency and nonspecific initial symptoms in patients are likely to cause a diagnostic delay. Clinical symptoms, imaging findings, and culture of organ specimens are included in the diagnostic criteria; however, the cultures are not always positive. Granuloma formation is a characteristic pathology of NTM infections, assisting in the diagnosis, which is not observed in the presence of immunodeficiency. Case Report: A 69-year-old Japanese woman with no history of immunodeficiency presented with a pulmonary nodule, neutrophilic dermatosis, and pyogenic lymphadenitis. Bronchoscopy, transbronchial aspiration cytology, endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration, computed tomography-guided lung biopsy, thoracoscopic lymph node biopsy, right subclavian lymph node biopsy, skin biopsy, and blood cultures were performed. Results: While the cultures were negative, a pathological examination revealed inflammatory cell infiltrates, mainly composed of macrophages. Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense was recovered in an open biopsy of the left inguinal lymph node. Further, QuantiFERON®TB Gold Plus, a commercialized IFN-γ release assay, was inconclusive, whereas anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies were positive. Notably, eight months after symptom onset, the patient was diagnosed with disseminated M. abscessus subsp. massiliense infection associated with adult-onset immunodeficiency due to the presence of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies. Conclusion: Obtaining this definitive diagnosis was challenging owing to the delayed identification of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies, a lack of positive cultures, and an absence of granuloma formation. Thus, for early diagnosis, screening for anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies using QuantiFERON®TB Gold Plus, repeated culture examinations, and pathological studies are recommended