Acute Interstitial Pneumonia in Siblings: A Case Report

Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) is a rapidly progressive condition of unknown cause that occurs in a previously healthy individual and produces the histologic findings of diffuse alveolar damage. Since the term AIP was first introduced in 1986, there have been very few case reports of AIP in children. Here we present a case of AIP in a 3-yr-old girl whose other two siblings showed similar radiologic findings. The patient was confirmed to have AIP from autopsy showing histological findings of diffuse alveolar damage and proliferation of fibroblasts. Her 3-yr-old brother was also clinically and radiologically highly suspected as having AIP, and the other asymptomatic 8-yr-old sister was radiologically suspected as having AIP

Genome-Based Construction of the Metabolic Pathways of Orientia tsutsugamushi and Comparative Analysis within the Rickettsiales Order

Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus, is an obligate intracellular bacterium that belongs to the order of Rickettsiales. Recently, we have reported that O. tsutsugamushi has a unique genomic structure, consisting of highly repetitive sequences, and suggested that it may provide valuable insight into the evolution of intracellular bacteria. Here, we have used genomic information to construct the major metabolic pathways of O. tsutsugamushi and performed a comparative analysis of the metabolic genes and pathways of O. tsutsugamushi with other members of the Rickettsiales order. While O. tsutsugamushi has the largest genome among the members of this order, mainly due to the presence of repeated sequences, its metabolic pathways have been highly streamlined. Overall, the metabolic pathways of O. tsutsugamushi were similar to Rickettsia but there were notable differences in several pathways including carbohydrate metabolism, the TCA cycle, and the synthesis of cell wall components as well as in the transport systems. Our results will provide a useful guide to the postgenomic analysis of O. tsutsugamushi and lead to a better understanding of the virulence and physiology of this intracellular pathogen

Controlled manipulation of oxygen vacancies using nanoscale flexoelectricity

Oxygen vacancies, especially their distribution, are directly coupled to the electromagnetic properties of oxides and related emergent functionalities that have implication in device applications. Here using a homoepitaxial strontium titanate thin film, we demonstrate a controlled manipulation of the oxygen vacancy distribution using the mechanical force from a scanning probe microscope tip. By combining Kelvin probe force microscopy imaging and phase-field simulations, we show that oxygen vacancies can move under a stress-gradient-induced depolarisation field. When tailored, this nanoscale flexoelectric effect enables a controlled spatial modulation. In motion, the scanning probe tip thereby deterministically reconfigures the spatial distribution of vacancies. The ability to locally manipulate oxygen vacancies on-demand provides a tool for the exploration of mesoscale quantum phenomena, and engineering multifunctional oxide devices.Comment: 35 pages, Main text and the supplementary information combine

Impact of commercial cigarette smoke condensate on brain tissue co-cultured with astrocytes and blood-brain barrier endothelial cells

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of two commercial cigarette smoke condensates (CCSC) on oxidative stress and cell cytotoxicity in human brain (T98G) or astrocytes (U-373 MG) in the presence of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC). Cell viability of mono-culture of T98G or U-373 MG was markedly decreased in a concentration-dependent manner, and T98G was more susceptible than U-373 MG to CCSC exposure. Cytotoxicity was less prominent when T98G was co-cultured with HBMEC than when T98G was co-cultured with U-373 MG. Significant reduction in trans-epithelial electric resistance (TEER), a biomarker of cellular integrity was noted in HBMEC co-cultured with T98G (HBMEC-T98G co-culture) and U-373 MG co-cultured with T98G (U-373 MG-T98G co-culture) after 24 or 48 hr CCSC exposure, respectively. TEER value of U-373 MG co-cultured with T98G (79-84%) was higher than HBMEC co-cultured with T98G (62-63%) within 120-hr incubation with CCSC. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by CCSC in mono-culture of T98G and U-373 MG reached highest levels at 4 and 16 mg/ml, respectively. ROS production by T98G fell when co-cultured with HBMEC or U-373MG. These findings suggest that adverse consequences of CCSC treatment on brain cells may be protected by blood-brain barrier or astrocytes, but with chronic exposure toxicity may be worsened due to destruction of cellular integrity.

Effect of 660 nm Light-Emitting Diode on the Wound Healing in Fibroblast-Like Cell Lines

Light in the red to near-infrared (NIR) range (630–1000 nm), which is generated using low energy laser or light-emitting diode (LED) arrays, was reported to have a range of beneficial biological effects in many injury models. NIR via a LED is a well-accepted therapeutic tool for the treatment of infected, ischemic, and hypoxic wounds as well as other soft tissue injuries in humans and animals. This study examined the effects of exposure to 660 nm red LED light at intensities of 2.5, 5.5, and 8.5 mW/cm2 for 5, 10, and 20 min on wound healing and proliferation in fibroblast-like cells, such as L929 mouse fibroblasts and human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1). A photo illumination-cell culture system was designed to evaluate the cell proliferation and wound healing of fibroblast-like cells exposed to 600 nm LED light. The cell proliferation was evaluated by MTT assay, and a scratched wound assay was performed to assess the rate of migrating cells and the healing effect. Exposure to the 660 nm red LED resulted in an increase in cell proliferation and migration compared to the control, indicating its potential use as a phototherapeutic agent

Assessment of the conventional radial artery with optical coherent tomography after the snuffbox approach

Background: This study aimed to evaluate acute injuries of the radial artery (RA) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients who underwent coronary intervention via the snuffbox approach. Methods: Forty-six patients, who underwent coronary intervention and assessment of the conventional RA using OCT via the snuffbox approach, were enrolled from two university hospitals between August 2018 and August 2019. Results: The mean age of the patients was 65.1 years. In this study population, 6-French (Fr) sheaths were used. The mean diameter of the conventional RA was 2.89 ± 0.33 mm, and the mean lumen area of the conventional RA was 6.68 ± 1.56 mm2. Acute injuries of the conventional RA, after the snuffbox approach, were observed in 5 (10.9%) patients. Intimal tear was observed in the RA in 1 (2.2%) case. Intraluminal thrombi, without vessel injuries, were detected in the RA in 4 (8.7%) cases. However, medial dissection was not observed in the OCT analysis. Conclusions: This retrospective OCT-based study showed that the diameter of the conventional RA was 2.89 mm and acute vessel injury of the conventional RA was rare in patients who underwent coronary intervention via the snuffbox approach

EFFECTS OF LIQUID SWIRLING ON GAS-TO-LIQUID MASS TRANSFER IN THREE-PHASE FLUIDIZED BEDS

The swirling flow mode of liquid phase was adopted to promote the gas-to-liquid mass transfer in three-phase(gas-liquid-solid) fluidized beds. Effects of gas(0.01-0.09m/s) and liquid(0.035-0.172m/s) velocities, particle size(1.7-6.0mm) and swirling ratio of liquid phase(0-0.5) on the volumetric gas-to-liquid mass transfer coefficient in the bed were examined. The mass transfer coefficient increased up to 70% by adjusting the swirling flow of liquid phase, especially when the gas velocity is relatively low range. The value of gas-to-liquid mass transfer coefficient was well correlated in terms of dimensionless groups which were derived from the dimensional analysis on the mass transfer system