Spontaneous autologous erythrocyte-rosette formation of lymphocytes from cerebrospinal fluid of a dog with canine distemper.

An adult female crossbed dog, with pyrexia, ocular, neurologic and respiratory problems suggestive of distemper, was observed for 28 days. Marked lymphopenia was present on days, 8, 12, and 245, and myoclonus of the fore- and hind-limbs was seen on day 22. At day 24, a cytopahogenic agent with paramyxovirus morphology was isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells by co-cultivation with Vero cells. On day 28, cerebrospinal fluid was found to contain 82.7% of lymphocytes and 10% monocytes. About 19% of these lymphocytes formed spontaneous autologous erythrocyte-rosettes. The demonstration of such rosettes (at 4-5 times the level normal for dogs) is unusual. It is possible that is rosette test may be specific for distemper infection. This technique must be further investigated to determine if it can be used as a specific diagnostic test for distemper in dogs

Evaluation of inter-granular coupling in stacked perpendicular recording media

AbstractThe trial for quantitative evaluation of inter-granular coupling in stacked perpendicular recording media is reported. The evaluation is realized by analyzing magnetic domain in relation with microstructure of the cap layer initial growth layer. When the thickness of cap layer is increased, the change of magnetic domain from single magnetic domain to maze magnetic domain can be observed. The critical thickness of the cap layer where the change happened was around 5.1nm. According to this analysis, when granular layer and cap layer of stacked media are assumed to be single layer, inter-granular coupling with amount of around 2.9erg/cm2 was obtained which agrees with the simulation result qualitatively

Exploring the action landscape with trial world-lines

The Hamilton action principle, also known as the principle of least action, and Lagrange equations are an integral part of advanced undergraduate mechanics. At present, substantial efforts are ongoing to suitably incorporate the action principle in introductory physics courses. Although the Hamilton principle is oft stated as "the action for any nearby trial world-line is greater than the action for the classical world-line", the landscape of action in the space of world-lines is rarely explored. Here, for three common problems in introductory physics - a free particle, a uniformly accelerating particle, and a simple harmonic oscillator - we present families of trial world-lines, characterized by a few parameters, that evolve continuously from their respective classical world-lines. With explicit analytical expressions available for the action, they permit a graphical visualization of the action landscape in the space of nearby world-lines. Although these trial world-lines form only a subset of the space of all nearby world-lines, they provide a pedagogical tool that complements the traditional Lagrange equation approach and is well-suited for advanced undergraduate students.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, significant structural revisio

A FRET analysis to unravel the role of cholesterol in Rac1 and PI 3-kinase activation in the InlB/Met signalling pathway

The signalling pathway for the hepatocyte growth factor receptor, Met/HGF-R, is hijacked by the bacterial surface protein InlB to induce Listeria monocytogenes entry into non-phagocytic cells. We previously showed that Listeria invades host cells by interacting with specialized microdomains of the host plasma membrane called lipid rafts. In this study, we analysed in living cells signalling events that are crucial for Listeria entry using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based microscopic method. Phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase activity and Rac1 signalling induced by Listeria interacting with epithelial cells were monitored as well as signalling induced by soluble InlB and the Met natural ligand HGF. We found that InlB and HGF induced similar kinetics of PI 3-kinase and Rac1 activation. PI 3-kinase activation was upstream and independent of Rac1 activation. Cholesterol-depletion experiments were performed to address the role of lipid rafts in Met signalling. The amount of 3′-phosphoinositides produced by PI 3-kinase was not affected by cholesterol depletion, while their membrane dynamic was cholesterol-dependent. Rac1 activation, downstream from PI 3-kinase, was cholesterol-dependent suggesting that the spatial distribution of 3′-phosphoinositides within membrane microdomains is critical for Rac1 activation and consequently for F-actin assembly at bacterial entry site.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74959/1/j.1462-5822.2006.00832.x.pd

Imaging in index finger radial collateral ligament injury: attention to detail really pays…

Radial collateral ligament of the index finger is a rare ligament to rupture. X-ray is generally normal, except for subtle findings of soft tissue swelling and occasionally a small fracture. With continuous advances in imaging, ultrasound and high quality MRI allow clear depiction of small structures including joint capsule and collateral ligaments of even the small joints. This helps in definitive diagnosis and determines the extent of injury, which may affect the treatment options and final outcome. We report a rare case of index finger metacarpo-phalangeal joint radial collateral ligament tear. The subtle X-ray abnormality was chased on ultrasound and the diagnosis was proposed on ultrasound and later confirmed on MRI. We also discuss the imaging findings of this rare entity

Pathogenicity of an H5N1 avian influenza virus isolated in Vietnam in 2012 and reliability of conjunctival samples for diagnosis of infection

The continued spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N1 among poultry in Vietnam poses a potential threat to animals and public health. To evaluate the pathogenicity of a 2012 H5N1 HPAIV isolate and to assess the utility of conjunctival swabs for viral detection and isolation in surveillance, an experimental infection with HPAIV subtype H5N1 was carried out in domestic ducks. Ducks were infected with 10[superscript 7.2] TCID[subscript 50] of A/duck/Vietnam/QB1207/2012 (H5N1), which was isolated from a moribund domestic duck. In the infected ducks, clinical signs of disease, including neurological disorder, were observed. Ducks started to die at 3 days-post-infection (dpi), and the study mortality reached 67%. Viruses were recovered from oropharyngeal and conjunctival swabs until 7 dpi and from cloacal swabs until 4 dpi. In the ducks that died or were sacrificed on 3, 5, or 6 dpi, viruses were recovered from lung, brain, heart, pancreas and intestine, among which the highest virus titers were in the lung, brain or heart. Results of virus titration were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. Genetic and phylogenetic analysis of the HA gene revealed that the isolate belongs to clade 2.3.2.1 similarly to the H5N1 viruses isolated in Vietnam in 2012. The present study demonstrated that this recent HPAI H5N1 virus of clade 2.3.2.1 could replicate efficiently in the systemic organs, including the brain, and cause severe disease with neurological symptoms in domestic ducks. Therefore, this HPAI H5N1 virus seems to retain the neurotrophic feature and has further developed properties of shedding virus from the oropharynx and conjunctiva in addition to the cloaca, potentially posing a higher risk of virus spread through cross-contact and/or environmental transmission. Continued surveillance and diagnostic programs using conjunctival swabs in the field would further verify the apparent reliability of conjunctival samples for the detection of AIV.Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Grant-in-Aid for Bilateral Joint Projects)Heiwa Nakajima FoundationNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.) (Contract HHSN2662007000010C

Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Severe Asthma by Different Elevated Biomarkers Classifications : patients from Spain in the ISAR Registry

Peer reviewe