32 research outputs found
Clinical patterns in asthma based on proximal and distal airway nitric oxide categories
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) signal is a marker of inflammation, and can be partitioned into proximal [J'aw<sub>NO </sub>(nl/s), maximum airway flux] and distal contributions [CA<sub>NO </sub>(ppb), distal airway/alveolar NO concentration]. We hypothesized that J'aw<sub>NO </sub>and CA<sub>NO </sub>are selectively elevated in asthmatics, permitting identification of four inflammatory categories with distinct clinical features.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 200 consecutive children with asthma, and 21 non-asthmatic, non-atopic controls, we measured baseline spirometry, bronchodilator response, asthma control and morbidity, atopic status, use of inhaled corticosteroids, and eNO at multiple flows (50, 100, and 200 ml/s) in a cross-sectional study design. A trumpet-shaped axial diffusion model of NO exchange was used to characterize J'aw<sub>NO </sub>and CA<sub>NO</sub>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>J'aw<sub>NO </sub>was not correlated with CA<sub>NO</sub>, and thus asthmatic subjects were grouped into four eNO categories based on upper limit thresholds of non-asthmatics for J'aw<sub>NO </sub>(≥ 1.5 nl/s) and CA<sub>NO </sub>(≥ 2.3 ppb): Type I (normal J'aw<sub>NO </sub>and CA<sub>NO</sub>), Type II (elevated J'aw<sub>NO </sub>and normal CA<sub>NO</sub>), Type III (elevated J'aw<sub>NO </sub>and CA<sub>NO</sub>) and Type IV (normal J'aw<sub>NO </sub>and elevated CA<sub>NO</sub>). The rate of inhaled corticosteroid use (lowest in Type III) and atopy (highest in Type II) varied significantly amongst the categories influencing J'aw<sub>NO</sub>, but was not related to CA<sub>NO</sub>, asthma control or morbidity. All categories demonstrated normal to near-normal baseline spirometry; however, only eNO categories with increased CA<sub>NO </sub>(III and IV) had significantly worse asthma control and morbidity when compared to categories I and II.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>J'aw<sub>NO </sub>and CA<sub>NO </sub>reveal inflammatory categories in children with asthma that have distinct clinical features including sensitivity to inhaled corticosteroids and atopy. Only categories with increase CA<sub>NO </sub>were related to poor asthma control and morbidity independent of baseline spirometry, bronchodilator response, atopic status, or use of inhaled corticosteroids.</p
Fire Ant Decapitating Fly Cooperative Release Programs (1994–2008): Two Pseudacteon Species, P. tricuspis and P. curvatus, Rapidly Expand Across Imported Fire Ant Populations in the Southeastern United States
Natural enemies of the imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren S. richteri Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and their hybrid, include a suite of more than 20 fire ant decapitating phorid flies from South America in the genus Pseudacteon. Over the past 12 years, many researchers and associates have cooperated in introducing several species as classical or self-sustaining biological control agents in the United States. As a result, two species of flies, Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier and P. curvatus Borgmeier (Diptera: Phoridae), are well established across large areas of the southeastern United States. Whereas many researchers have published local and state information about the establishment and spread of these flies, here distribution data from both published and unpublished sources has been compiled for the entire United States with the goal of presenting confirmed and probable distributions as of the fall of 2008. Documented rates of expansion were also used to predict the distribution of these flies three years later in the fall of 2011. In the fall of 2008, eleven years after the first successful release, we estimate that P. tricuspis covered about 50% of the fire ant quarantined area and that it will occur in almost 65% of the quarantine area by 2011. Complete coverage of the fire ant quarantined area will be delayed or limited by this species' slow rate of spread and frequent failure to establish in more northerly portions of the fire ant range and also, perhaps, by its preference for red imported fire ants (S. invicta). Eight years after the first successful release of P. curvatus, two biotypes of this species (one biotype occurring predominantly in the black and hybrid imported fire ants and the other occurring in red imported fire ants) covered almost 60% of the fire ant quarantined area. We estimate these two biotypes will cover almost 90% of the quarantine area by 2011 and 100% by 2012 or 2013. Strategic selection of several distributional gaps for future releases will accelerate complete coverage of quarantine areas. However, some gaps may be best used for the release of additional species of decapitating flies because establishment rates may be higher in areas without competing species
Single Spin Asymmetries in Charged Pion Production from Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering on a Transversely Polarized He Target
We report the first measurement of target single spin asymmetries in the
semi-inclusive reaction on a transversely polarized
target. The experiment, conducted at Jefferson Lab using a 5.9 GeV electron
beam, covers a range of 0.14 0.34 with 1.3 2.7 GeV. The
Collins and Sivers moments were extracted from the azimuthal angular dependence
of the measured asymmetries. The extracted Collins moments for He
are consistent with zero, except for the moment at , which
deviates from zero by 2.3. While the Sivers moments are
consistent with zero, the Sivers moments favor negative values. The
neutron results were extracted using the nucleon effective polarization and the
measured cross section ratio of proton to He, and are largely consistent
with the predictions of phenomenological fits and quark model calculations.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, published in PR
Beam-Target Double Spin Asymmetry A_LT in Charged Pion Production from Deep Inelastic Scattering on a Transversely Polarized He-3 Target at 1.4<Q^2<2.7 GeV^2
We report the first measurement of the double-spin asymmetry for
charged pion electroproduction in semi\nobreakdash-inclusive
deep\nobreakdash-inelastic electron scattering on a transversely polarized
He target. The kinematics focused on the valence quark region,
with . The corresponding neutron
asymmetries were extracted from the measured He asymmetries and
proton over He cross section ratios using the effective polarization
approximation. These new data probe the transverse momentum dependent parton
distribution function and therefore provide access to quark
spin-orbit correlations. Our results indicate a positive azimuthal asymmetry
for production on He and the neutron, while our
asymmetries are consistent with zero.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, 1 tables, published in PR
Investigation into the applicability of the centrifugal microfluidics development of protein-platform for the ligand binding assays incorporating enhanced green fluorescent protein as a fluorescent reporter
The incorporation of a protein-ligand binding assay into a centrifugal microfluidics platform is described. The platform itself is a disc-shaped polymer substrate, upon which a series of microfluidic channels and reservoirs have been machined. Centrifugal microfluidics platforms require no internal moving parts, and fluid propulsion is achieved solely through rotation of the disc. Fluid flow is controlled by passive valves, the opening of which is dependent on the angular frequency of the rotating platform, the channel dimensions, and the physical properties of the fluid. To evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating a protein-based assay onto the centrifugal microfluidics analytical platform, a class-selective, homogeneous assay for the detection of phenothiazine antidepressants was employed. This class of drugs is known to bind to calmodulin, a calcium binding protein. Specifically, a fusion protein between calmodulin and enhanced green fluorescent protein was utilized. Calmodulin undergoes a conformational change upon binding to phenothiazines that alters the fluorescence properties of the attached fluorescent protein, which can be correlated to the concentration of the drug present. Another important aspect of this work was to study the efficacy of the platform to perform reconstitution assays. To do this, the biological reagent was dried on the platform and rehydrated to carry out the assay. The ability to prealiquot reagents on the platform should enhance its versatility and portability. The integration of protein-based assays in this platform should be useful in the design of analytical systems for high-throughput screening of pharmaceuticals and clinical diagnostics.close474
A new method to measure the polymerization shrinkage kinetics of light cured composites
summary This study was undertaken to develop a new measurement method to determine the initial dynamic volumetric shrinkage of composite resins during polymerization, and to investigate the effect of curing light intensity on the polymerization shrinkage kinetics. The instrument was basically an electromagnetic balance that was constructed with a force transducer using a position sensitive photo detector (PSPD) and a negative feedback servo amplifier. The volumetric change of composites during polymerization was detected continuously as a buoyancy change in distilled water by means of the Archimedes' principle. Using this new instrument, the dynamic patterns of the polymerization shrinkage of seven commercial composite resins were measured. The polymerization shrinkage of the composites was 1·92∼4·05 volume %. The shrinkage of a packable composite was the lowest, and that of a flowable composite was the highest. The maximum rate of polymerization shrinkage increased with increasing light intensity but the peak shrinkage rate time decreased with increasing light intensity. A strong positive relationship was observed between the square root of the light intensity and the maximum shrinkage rate. The shrinkage rate per unit time, dVol%/dt, showed that the instrument can be a valuable research method for investigating the polymerization reaction kinetics. This new shrinkage-measuring instrument has some advantages that it was insensitive to temperature changes and could measure the dynamic volumetric shrinkage in real time without complicated processes. Therefore, it can be used to characterize the shrinkage kinetics in a wide range of commercial and experimental visible-light-cure materials in relation to their composition and chemistr