An extremely basic monoclonal IgG in an aged apoplectic patient with prolonged bacterial infection

A case with prolonged bacterial infection accompanied by an abnormal serum protein which migrated in the post-gamma region on electrophoresis is presented. The abnormal protein was identified as IgG with gamma-type light chain moiety. The patient suffered from prolonged pneumonia and cholecystitis, Bone marrow aspiration and skeletal x-rays did not indicate multiple myeloma.</p

A case of alcaptonuria with fatal cardiovascular disturbance

A case of alcaptonuria combined with aortic insufficiency was found in a 28-year-old male. The patient was palpitating at admission. The daily excretion of homogentisic acid was 2.0-6.0 g. Electrocardiography indicated atrial fibrillation and left ventricular hypertrophy with a ST-T change and right axis deviation. Cartilage tissues in the knee-joints showed no pigmentation. Vertebral X-ray revealed no calcification. The patient's history disclosed a family intermarriage in his grandparents. The patient's mother noticed the presence of black stains on diapers in his infancy and brown pigmentation on the skin and sclera in childhood. No kin had similar symptoms.</p

Influence of friction stir welding conditions on joinability of oxide dispersion strengthened steel / F82H ferritic/martensitic steel joint

AbstractAs one of the joining methods for the reduced activation materials to realize the fusion reactors with high efficiency in the future, friction stir welding (FSW) is selected for fabricating the dissimilar butt joint between oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloy and F82H, and the effect of FSW conditions on joinability of this dissimilar joint was examined. The sound dissimilar joint can be produced under the condition that ODS plate is set on the advancing side and the FSW tool is plunged into F82H. As for the mild steel backside plate, the sound joint can be fabricated in the case of 150rpm rotational speed and 50mm/min traveling speed. On the other hand, by employing the silicon nitride backside plate, the total heat input should be decreased to obtain the sound joint, where the traveling speed is 100 or 150mm/min and rotational speed is 150rpm. In addition, the finite element heat conduction analyses indicate that the influence of traveling speed on the joinability with the mild steel backside plate seems to be smaller than that with the silicon nitride plate and the allowable range of the appropriate traveling speed for the joint becomes to be wider by employing the silicon nitride backside plate

Further studies on an eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease--clinical studies

An eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease (Yok), surviving for more than 10 years and still living showed clinical and pathological findings similar to cases described in the past. The patient was given only glucocorticosteroids, ACTH, antibiotics and gamma globulin, as specific drugs. Precipitation arcs besides the major ones formed by albumin and Fc fragment were disclosed by immunoelectrophoresis. The existence of these minor components were confirmed with antigen-antibody crossed electrophoresis and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. They did not form precipitation arcs with the other antigens available and they appeared in the same fractions of IgG on gel filtration suggesting their having higher molecular weight than the major ones. In addition to these findings, the clinical course of the patient is described.</p

Further studies on an eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease--biosynthetic studies

In vitro quantitative biosynthetic studies were carried out on bone marrow cells obtained from an eleventh case with gamma heavy chain disease. The findings indicate that neither cytoplasmic nor extracellular degradation was responsible for the presence of the gamma heavy chain fragment in serum. The absence of a covalent-bound light chain was also confirmed.</p

Further studies on an eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease--physico-chemical studies

An abnormal protein with similar antigenic properties to Fc fragments of IgG, was found in the serum and urine of an eleventh case of heavy (Hgamma1) chain disease (Yok). This protein was purified with ammonium sulfate precipitation and by column chromatography of DEAE cellulose, CM cellulose and Sephadex G-200. The purity of the protein obtained was 98.5%. It was crystallized easily, forming thin hexagonal plates of various sizes. The chemical compositions and physical properties of the protein including viscosity, partial specific volume, diffusion constant, sedimentation constant, frictional ratio, extinction coefficient and iso-ionic point are reported.</p

Support for UNRWA's survival

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides life-saving humanitarian aid for 5·4 million Palestine refugees now entering their eighth decade of statelessness and conflict. About a third of Palestine refugees still live in 58 recognised camps. UNRWA operates 702 schools and 144 health centres, some of which are affected by the ongoing humanitarian disasters in Syria and the Gaza Strip. It has dramatically reduced the prevalence of infectious diseases, mortality, and illiteracy. Its social services include rebuilding infrastructure and homes that have been destroyed by conflict and providing cash assistance and micro-finance loans for Palestinians whose rights are curtailed and who are denied the right of return to their homeland