Fundamental and clinical evaluation of "SCC RIABEAD" kit for immuno radiometric assay of squamous cell carcinoma related antigen.

Classic vector control strategies target mosquitoes indoors as the main transmitters of malaria are indoor-biting and –resting mosquitoes. However, the intensive use of insecticide-treated bed-nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying have put selective pressure on mosquitoes to adapt in order to obtain human blood meals. Thus, early-evening and outdoor vector activity is becoming an increasing concern. This study assessed the effect of a deltamethrin-treated net (100 mg/m2) attached to a one-meter high fence around outdoor cattle enclosures on the number of mosquitoes landing on humans. Mosquitoes were collected from four cattle enclosures: Pen A – with cattle and no net; B – with cattle and protected by an untreated net; C – with cattle and protected by a deltamethrin-treated net; D – no cattle and no net. A total of 3217 culicines and 1017 anophelines were collected, of which 388 were Anopheles gambiae and 629 An. ziemanni. In the absence of cattle nearly 3 times more An. gambiae (p<0.0001) landed on humans. The deltamethrin-treated net significantly reduced (nearly three-fold, p<0.0001) culicine landings inside enclosures. The sporozoite rate of the zoophilic An. ziemanni, known to be a secondary malaria vector, was as high as that of the most competent vector An. gambiae; raising the potential of zoophilic species as secondary malaria vectors. After deployment of the ITNs a deltamethrin persistence of 9 months was observed despite exposure to African weather conditions. The outdoor use of ITNs resulted in a significant reduction of host-seeking culicines inside enclosures. Further studies investigating the effectiveness and spatial repellence of ITNs around other outdoor sites, such as bars and cooking areas, as well as their direct effect on vector-borne disease transmission are needed to evaluate its potential as an appropriate outdoor vector control tool for rural Africa

A rare case of dual origin of the left vertebral artery without convergence

A case of dual origin of the left vertebral artery was encountered in a dissection course for medical students in 2014. Two vertebral arteries were observed on the left side. One arose from the aortic arch between the origin of the left common carotid artery and the left subclavian artery, entered the transverse foramen of the 4th cervical vertebra, and coursed upward into the transverse foramen. The other arose from the left subclavian artery as expected, divided into two branches anterior to the cervical vertebrae, and entered the transverse foramina of the 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae. Both branches flowed into the anterior spinal artery. Moreover, as seen in other anomalies, 3 arterial fenestrations were observed in the cranial arteries. This case is extremely unique with respect to the following points: the 2 ipsilateral vertebral arteries did not combine to form 1 vertebral artery, the vertebral artery of subclavian artery origin entered the transverse foramen of the 7th cervical vertebra, and 3 fenestrations were observed in the intracranial arteries. This is a very suggestive case for neurosurgeons and radiologists who perform treatments involving the vertebral artery

Recovery of pure Hesperidin from Iraqi Sweet Oranges Peel and study the effect in some bacteria

Citrus fruit contain variety of flavonoids such as Hesperidin (the principal flavonoid in oranges and grapefruit). Hesperidin is found in high concentration in fruit peel of oranges and in substantially lower concentration in juice of these fruits. Hesperidin was extracted from oranges peel by treating the peels with calcium hydroxide. HPLC technique was used to determine hesperidin. Hesperidin was saperated and purified in a purity of about 90.1-95.7% and yield about 1.5 %w/w from oranges peel dry powder. Both hesperidin and oranges peel extract showed significan antibacterial activity. Sensitivity to hesperidin and oranges peel extracts were not similar for the chosen bacteriaCrude orange peel extract gave a various antimicrobial activity agents Gram-positive Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aurous, Streptococcus pyogenus sp. and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi) bacteria strains`. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values against these bacteria ranged from 45-175?g/disc.for crude orange peel extractand 175-450?g/disc for pure hesperidin In comparison to 30?g/disc reference standards ciproflaxacin and impinme.orange peel extract showed significant antimicrobial activity

Isolation and regeneration of transiently transformed protoplasts from gametophytic blades of the marine red alga Porphyra yezoensis

Despite the recent progress of transient gene expression systems in a red alga Porphyra yezoensis by particle bombardment, a stable transformation system has yet to establish in any marine red macrophytes. One of the reasons of the difficulty in genetic transformation in red algae is the lack of systems to select and isolate transformed cells from gametophytic blades. Thus, toward the establishment of the stable transformation system in P. yezoensis, we have developed a procedure by which transiently transformed gametophytic cells were prepared from particle bombarded-gametophytic blade as regeneratable protoplasts. Using mixture of marine bacterial enzymes, yield of protoplasts was high as reported elsewhere; however, these protoplasts did not develop. In contrast, protoplasts prepared from gametophytes treated with allantoin were normally developed, in which the overexpression of a \u3b2-glucuronidase reporter gene had no effect on the regeneration of protoplasts. Therefore, the use of allantoin in protoplast preparation sheds a new light on the realization of an efficient isolation and selection of study transformed cells from gametophytic blades

Hypomethylation of the MN/CA9 promoter and upregulated MN/CA9 expression in human renal cell carcinoma

MN/CA9 is a cancer-related gene, frequently activated in human renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). To reveal the activation mechanism, we investigated the relationship between methylation status of the MN/CA9 promoter region and gene expression using 13 human RCCs, and examined the effect of in vitro CpG methylation on the MN/CA9 promoter activity using a human RCC cell line (SK-RC-44), expressing MN/CA9. MN/CA9 expression was evaluated by RT-PCR and observed in 10 of 13 RCCs (77%). A total of 9 out of 10 MN/CA9-positive RCCs (90%) contained clear cell components. Methylation status of 6 CpGs in the MN/CA9 promoter region was decided by using the bisulfite genomic sequencing protocol. Out of 13 RCCs 9 (69%) showed partial hypomethylation of the CpG at −74 bp, while the other 4 RCCs and 3 normal kidney tissue samples showed complete methylation. Hypomethylation of the CpG at −74 bp was strongly correlated with MN/CA9 expression. Luciferase assay revealed that the MN/CA9 promoter activity was strongly suppressed by methylation of the CpG at −74 bp. These findings suggest that hypomethylation of the CpG at −74 bp in the MN/CA9 promoter region might play an important role in this gene activation of human RCC. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

On The Growth Of Native Oxides On Hydrogen- Terminated Silicon Surfaces In Dark And Under Illumination With Light

After a cleaning procedure, a silicon surface can be terminated by Si-OH groups which results in a high chemical activity. As it is accepted, after removing the wet-chemically grown oxide layer using an HF solution, the surface becomes terminated with Si-H groups. This results in a chemically stable surface (e.g., retarded formation of native oxide). The stability over a period of several hours is reported [1]. Low-temperature processes, including deposition of extremely thin layers, are playing an increasingly important role in modern IC manufacturing. Surface conditions prior to the film deposition can significantly influence interface properties and deposition kinetics. A low temperature results in a limited possibility to activate the surface prior to the deposition. For a stable hydrogenterminated silicon substrate, the surface activation means reducing its chemical stability caused by the Si-H groups, i.e., desorption of hydrogen from the Si-H bonds. In this work, we investigated the thickness evolution of native oxides formed on a silicon surface terminated by Si-H groups. Apart from measuring the kinetics of such native oxidation, this should reflect the surface stability over a period of time. The native oxidation in dark was compared with similar oxidation stimulated by the illumination with a 20 W Halogene lamp, having a very low UV emission. To the best of our knowledge, the systematic investigation of the kinetics of the native oxidation of p and n-type silicon, especially concerning the influence of light on this process is very limited. The native oxidation at room temperature was compared with a wet oxidation at 250 o C in an ALD reactor. The oxide thickness was measured at different exposure times to air, varying from several minutes to several days. The oxide growth on both p-type and n-type silicon wafers was compared. We used (100)-oriented silicon wafers with a resistivity of 2-5 Ω⋅cm. All the wafers were subjected to the same cleaning procedure. Cleaning started with a 10-min immersion into fuming HNO 3 at room temperature, followed by a rinse in DI water for several minutes. Then, the wafers were immersed into boiling HNO 3 (60%) for 10 min, followed by a similar rinse in DI water. Further, the wafers suffered from a 30-s dip into a 1% HF solution, resulted in a hydrophobic surface. A 2-min rinse in DI water followed by a 60-s drying using a spinner (both performed in dark) finalized the cleaning process. The oxide thickness was measured using a modified Kratos XSAM800 XPS apparatus. We used the same model as described in [2] to fit the Si 2p3/2 peak to different oxidation states of silicon. The quantitative data on oxide thickness were calculated from the peak areas. In To describe the growth kinetics of native oxides on silicon in a satisfactory manner, we continued developing the oxidation model earlier published i