Gamma-interferon activates a nuclear protein that binds to the gamma-interferon activation site of the thyroglobulin gene

published_or_final_versio

Characterization of thyroid-stimulating blocking antibodies that appeared during transient hypothyroidism after radioactive iodine therapy

Hypothyroidism after radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy for Graves' disease can be transient or permanent. The cause for early transient hypothyroidism is unknown. We evaluated 11 patients who developed transient hypothyroidism within 6 months of RAI and 12 who remained euthyroid after RAI. Approximately equal numbers of patients in each group had thyroid-stimulating antibody (TSAb) that increased cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with the recombinant human thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) (WT cells). Approximately equal numbers of patients from both groups had an increase in TSAb activity post-RAI. All TSAbs had their dominant functional epitope on the N-terminus of the TSHR extracellular domain, requiring residues 90-165 for activity because they, but not TSH, completely lost stimulating activity in a receptor chimera, wherein TSHR residues 90-165 were substituted by equivalent residues of the lutropin/choriogonadotropin receptor (LH/CGR). Although equal numbers of patients in both groups had thyrotropin-binding inhibiting immunoglobulin activity (TBII), as measured by radioreceptor assay before RAI, patients with transient hypothyroidism had a surge in TBII activity and all except one became positive for thyroid-stimulating blocking antibodies (TSBAb), as measured by inhibition of TSH-stimulated cAMP from WT cells. When immunoglobulin G (IgGs) were epitope-mapped using TSHR/LH-CGR chimeras with different substitutions, 8 hypothyroid subjects had TSBAbs directed against residues 90-165 of the TSHR, as well as TSHR residues 261-370. Two had functional epitopes directed at residues 9-89 as well as TSHR residues 261-370. None of the euthyroid control patients developed TSBAbs and their TBII activity decreased post-RAI. When patients with transient hypothyroidism reverted to a euthyroid state, TSAb was still detectable in 5; however, TBII was present in all and TSBAb, although decreased, was still positive in 9. In summary, RAI therapy was associated with a change in thyroid antibody characteristics in most patients. Additionally, patients with a surge in TBII and the appearance of TSBAb developed transient hypothyroidism after RAI.published_or_final_versio

A man with hypophosphataemia

Case report; A section on BMJ, 2011, v. 342, p. 715published_or_final_versio

Photovoltaic versus Micro-Hydropower for Rural Non-Grid Connected Areas of Equatorial Sarawak

There is currently a large expansion in photovoltaic installation worldwide especially in the temperate regions of the world which have tended to influence electrical power decisions in developing countries at the equator.  This research clearly justifies hydropower over photovoltaic electricity generation in non-grid connected regions of equatorial Sarawak, Malaysia.  A case study was made of photovoltaic installations versus micro-hydropower installation in these regions.  There are problems of micro-hydroelectricity especially during dry seasons but this work justifies allocating more resources in improving micro-hydroelectricity research such that eventually it will produce enough electricity even with the low water flow rate of the dry seasons.  This research can be done locally compared to photovoltaics whose research tends to be mostly imported into Malaysia.  Some comparisons are made to grid connected hydroelectric dams to depict capabilities of this technology given sufficient research allocations

Optical time-stretch confocal microscopy at 1um

published_or_final_versio

A comparative study of the quality of life of patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and terminal cancer

2005-2006 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Optically and electrically tunable graphene quantum dot–polyaniline composite films

Graphene quantum dot-polyaniline (PANI-GQD) composite films were synthesized by a chemical oxidation polymerization process. The optical properties of the PANI-GQD composite were studied by varying the mole concentration of PANI and the size of the GQDs. The Au/PANI-GQDs/ITO sandwich device was fabricated in order to investigate the transport properties of the composite. A stable hysteresis loop was observed in response to the applied voltage. By varying the PANI content and size of the GQDs, the area within the hysteresis loop and electrical conductance behavior of the device can be tuned in a controlled manner. Both the tunable luminescence and electrical hysteresis behavior are attributed to surface states of the GQDs. The PANI-GQD composite films are expected to find application in photonic devices.Department of Applied Physic

Alterations in Gastric Microbiota After H. Pylori Eradication and in Different Histological Stages of Gastric Carcinogenesis

The role of bacteria other than Helicobacter pylori (HP) in the stomach remains elusive. We characterized the gastric microbiota in individuals with different histological stages of gastric carcinogenesis and after receiving HP eradication therapy. Endoscopic gastric biopsies were obtained from subjects with HP gastritis, gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM), gastric cancer (GC) and HP negative controls. Gastric microbiota was characterized by Illumina MiSeq platform targeting the 16 S rDNA. Apart from dominant H. pylori, we observed other Proteobacteria including Haemophilus, Serratia, Neisseria and Stenotrophomonas as the major components of the human gastric microbiota. Although samples were largely converged according to the relative abundance of HP, a clear separation of GC and other samples was recovered. Whilst there was a strong inverse association between HP relative abundance and bacterial diversity, this association was weak in GC samples which tended to have lower bacterial diversity compared with other samples with similar HP levels. Eradication of HP resulted in an increase in bacterial diversity and restoration of the relative abundance of other bacteria to levels similar to individuals without HP. In conclusion, HP colonization results in alterations of gastric microbiota and reduction in bacterial diversity, which could be restored by antibiotic treatment.published_or_final_versio

High-Performance Deep Ultraviolet Photodetector Based on NiO/β-Ga2O3 Heterojunction

Ultraviolet (UV) photodetector has attracted extensive interests due to its wide-ranging applications from defense technology to optical communications. The use of wide bandgap metal oxide semiconductor materials is of great interest in the development of UV photodetector due to their unique electronic and optical properties. In this work, deep UV photodetector based on NiO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction was developed and investigated. The β-Ga2O3 layer was prepared by magnetron sputtering and exhibited selective orientation along the family of (2¯¯¯ 01) crystal plane after annealing. The photodetector demonstrated good performance with a high responsivity (R) of 27.43 AW−1 under a 245-nm illumination (27 μWcm−2) and the maximum detectivity (D*) of 3.14 × 1012 cmHz1/2 W−1, which was attributed to the p-NiO/n-β-Ga2O3 heterojunction