Studies of oxide/ZnO near-interfacial defects by photoluminescence and deep level transient spectroscopy

The evolution of near-interfacial defects from Al2 O3 ZnO and MgOZnO upon thermal annealing has been studied by photoluminescence, deep level transient spectroscopy, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. We find that all the results are strongly connected and that they point to the direction that Zn outdiffuses from ZnO to the oxide layer during annealing and creates deep level defects near the interfacial region. These defects reduce the band-edge emission and increase the deep level emission at 2.37 eV. Our study shows that the oxide/ZnO interface is relatively fragile and caution must be taken for making metal-oxide-ZnO based transistors and light emitting diodes. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Hydrogen peroxide treatment induced rectifying behavior of Aun-ZnO contact

Conversion of the Aun-ZnO contact from Ohmic to rectifying with H2 O2 pretreatment was studied systematically using I-V measurements, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, positron annihilation spectroscopy, and deep level transient spectroscopy. H2 O2 treatment did not affect the carbon surface contamination or the EC -0.31 eV deep level, but it resulted in a significant decrease of the surface OH contamination and the formation of vacancy-type defects (Zn vacancy or vacancy cluster) close to the surface. The formation of a rectifying contact can be attributed to the reduced conductivity of the surface region due to the removal of OH and the formation of vacancy-type defects. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Zenker's Diverticulum: Can Protocolised Measurements with Barium SWALLOW Predict Severity and Treatment Outcomes? The "Zen-Rad" Study

Although barium swallow imaging is established in the investigation of Zenker's diverticulum (ZD), no agreed measurement protocol exists. We developed a protocol for measuring ZD dimensions and aimed to correlate measurements with symptoms and post-operative outcomes. This prospective study included patients with confirmed ZD who underwent flexible endoscopic septal division (FESD) between 2014 and 2018. ZD was confirmed on barium radiology with measurements reviewed by two consultant radiologists. Symptom severity pre- and post-FESD was measured using the Dysphagia, Regurgitation, Complications (DRC) scale. Regression analyses were conducted to identify dimensions associated with therapeutic success, defined as remission (DRC score ≤ 1) 6 months after index FESD. In total, 67 patients (mean age 74.3) were included. Interobserver reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients-ICCs) was greatest for pouch width (0.981) and pouch depth (0.934), but not oesophageal depth (0.018). Male gender (60.9%) was associated with larger pouch height (P = 0.008) and width (P = 0.004). A positive correlation was identified between baseline DRC score and pouch depth (ρ 0.326, P = 0.011), particularly the regurgitation subset score (ρ 0.330, P = 0.020). The index pouch depth was associated with FESD procedure time (rho 0.358, P = 0.041). Therapeutic success was achieved in 64.2% and was associated with shorter pouch height (median 14.5 mm vs. 19.0 mm, P = 0.030), pouch width (median 19.9 mm vs. 28.8 mm, P = 0.34) and cricopharyngeal length (median 20.2 mm vs. 26.3 mm, P = 0.036). ZD dimensions may be feasible and were evaluated using Barium radiology. Specific parameters appear to correlate with severity and post-FESD outcomes, which aid with pre-procedural planning

Non-detection of Chlamydia species in carotid atheroma using generic primers by nested PCR in a population with a high prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae antibody

BACKGROUND: The association of Chlamydia pneumoniae with atherosclerosis is controversial. We investigated the presence of C. pneumoniae and other Chlamydia spp. in atheromatous carotid artery tissue. METHODS: Forty elective carotid endarterectomy patients were recruited (27 males, mean age 65 and 13 females mean age 68), 4 had bilateral carotid endarterectomies (n= 44 endarterectomy specimens). Control specimens were taken from macroscopically normal carotid artery adjacent to the atheromatous lesions (internal controls), except in 8 cases where normal carotid arteries from post mortem (external controls) were used. Three case-control pairs were excluded when the HLA DRB gene failed to amplify from the DNA. Genus specific primers to the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) gene were used in a nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) in 41 atheromatous carotid specimens and paired controls. PCR inhibition was monitored by spiking with target C. trachomatis. Atheroma severity was graded histologically. Plasma samples were tested by microimmunofluorescence (MIF) for antibodies to C. pneumoniae, C. trachomatis and C. psittaci and the corresponding white cells were tested for Chlamydia spp. by nPCR. RESULTS: C. pneumoniae was not detected in any carotid specimen. Twenty-five of 38 (66%) plasma specimens were positive for C. pneumoniae IgG, 2/38 (5%) for C. trachomatis IgG and 1/38 (3%) for C. psittaci IgG. CONCLUSIONS: We were unable to show an association between the presence of Chlamydia spp. and atheroma in carotid arteries in the presence of a high seroprevalence of C. pneumoniae antibodies in Northern Ireland

2019 international consensus on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care science with treatment recommendations : summary from the basic life support; advanced life support; pediatric life support; neonatal life support; education, implementation, and teams; and first aid task forces

The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation has initiated a continuous review of new, peer-reviewed, published cardiopulmonary resuscitation science. This is the third annual summary of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation International Consensus on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations. It addresses the most recent published resuscitation evidence reviewed by International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Task Force science experts. This summary addresses the role of cardiac arrest centers and dispatcher-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the role of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adults and children, vasopressors in adults, advanced airway interventions in adults and children, targeted temperature management in children after cardiac arrest, initial oxygen concentration during resuscitation of newborns, and interventions for presyncope by first aid providers. Members from 6 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation task forces have assessed, discussed, and debated the certainty of the evidence on the basis of the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria, and their statements include consensus treatment recommendations. Insights into the deliberations of the task forces are provided in the Justification and Evidence to Decision Framework Highlights sections. The task forces also listed priority knowledge gaps for further research

Cell-selective labeling using amino acid precursors for proteomic studies of multicellular environments.

We report a technique to selectively and continuously label the proteomes of individual cell types in coculture, named cell type-specific labeling using amino acid precursors (CTAP). Through transgenic expression of exogenous amino acid biosynthesis enzymes, vertebrate cells overcome their dependence on supplemented essential amino acids and can be selectively labeled through metabolic incorporation of amino acids produced from heavy isotope-labeled precursors. When testing CTAP in several human and mouse cell lines, we could differentially label the proteomes of distinct cell populations in coculture and determine the relative expression of proteins by quantitative mass spectrometry. In addition, using CTAP we identified the cell of origin of extracellular proteins secreted from cells in coculture. We believe that this method, which allows linking of proteins to their cell source, will be useful in studies of cell-cell communication and potentially for discovery of biomarkers

Evaluation of the combined use of adiponectin and C-reactive protein levels as biomarkers for predicting the deterioration in glycaemia after a median of 5.4 years

Aims/hypothesis: Hypoadiponectinaemia and raised C-reactive protein (CRP) level are obesity-related biomarkers associated with glucose dysregulation. We evaluated the combined use of these two biomarkers in predicting the deterioration of glycaemia in a prospective study after a median of 5.4 years. Methods: In total 1,288 non-diabetic participants from the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study-2, with high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) and total adiponectin levels measured were included. OGTT was performed in all participants. Two hundred and six participants had deterioration of glycaemia at follow-up, whereas 1,082 participants did not. Results: Baseline age, hsCRP and adiponectin levels were significant independent predictors of the deterioration of glycaemia in a Cox regression analysis after adjusting for baseline age, sex, BMI, hypertension, triacylglycerols, 2 h post-OGTT glucose and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (all p < 0.01). The introduction of hsCRP or adiponectin level to a regression model including the other biomarker improved the prediction of glycaemic progression significantly in all participants, especially in women (all p < 0.01). The combined inclusion of the two biomarkers resulted in a modest improvement in model discrimination, compared with the inclusion of either one alone. Among participants with impaired fasting glucose/impaired glucose tolerance (IFG/IGT) at baseline, hsCRP and adiponectin levels were not predictive of progression or improvement of glycaemic status. Conclusions/interpretation: Adiponectin and hsCRP levels are independent factors in predicting the deterioration of glycaemia, supporting the role of adiposity-related inflammation in the development of type 2 diabetes. Their combined use as predictive biomarkers is especially useful in women, but not in participants with IFG/IGT. © 2011 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Stable Isotope Metabolic Labeling with a Novel 15N-Enriched Bacteria Diet for Improved Proteomic Analyses of Mouse Models for Psychopathologies

The identification of differentially regulated proteins in animal models of psychiatric diseases is essential for a comprehensive analysis of associated psychopathological processes. Mass spectrometry is the most relevant method for analyzing differences in protein expression of tissue and body fluid proteomes. However, standardization of sample handling and sample-to-sample variability are problematic. Stable isotope metabolic labeling of a proteome represents the gold standard for quantitative mass spectrometry analysis. The simultaneous processing of a mixture of labeled and unlabeled samples allows a sensitive and accurate comparative analysis between the respective proteomes. Here, we describe a cost-effective feeding protocol based on a newly developed 15N bacteria diet based on Ralstonia eutropha protein, which was applied to a mouse model for trait anxiety. Tissue from 15N-labeled vs. 14N-unlabeled mice was examined by mass spectrometry and differences in the expression of glyoxalase-1 (GLO1) and histidine triad nucleotide binding protein 2 (Hint2) proteins were correlated with the animals' psychopathological behaviors for methodological validation and proof of concept, respectively. Additionally, phenotyping unraveled an antidepressant-like effect of the incorporation of the stable isotope 15N into the proteome of highly anxious mice. This novel phenomenon is of considerable relevance to the metabolic labeling method and could provide an opportunity for the discovery of candidate proteins involved in depression-like behavior. The newly developed 15N bacteria diet provides researchers a novel tool to discover disease-relevant protein expression differences in mouse models using quantitative mass spectrometry