In vivo characterization of early-stage radiation skin injury in a mouse model by two-photon microscopy

Ionizing radiation (IR) injury is tissue damage caused by high energy electromagnetic waves such as X-ray and gamma ray. Diagnosis and treatment of IR injury are difficult due to its characteristics of clinically latent post-irradiation periods and the following successive and unpredictable inflammatory bursts. Skin is one of the many sensitive organs to IR and bears local injury upon exposure. Early-stage diagnosis of IR skin injury is essential in order to maximize treatment efficiency and to prevent the aggravation of IR injury. In this study, early-stage changes of the IR injured skin at the cellular level were characterized in an in vivo mouse model by two-photon microscopy (TPM). Various IR doses were applied to the mouse hind limbs and the injured skin regions were imaged daily for 6 days after IR irradiation. Changes in the morphology and distribution of the epidermal cells and damage of the sebaceous glands were observed before clinical symptoms. These results showed that TPM is sensitive to early-stage changes of IR skin injury and may be useful for its diagnosis.1194Ysciescopu

A Paclitaxel-Eluting Stent for the Prevention of Coronary Restenosis

Background Intimal hyperplasia and resulting restenosis limit the efficacy of coronary stenting. We studied a coronary stent coated with the antiproliferative agent paclitaxel as a means of preventing restenosis. Methods We conducted a multicenter, randomized, controlled, triple-blind study to evaluate the ability of a paclitaxel-eluting stent to inhibit restenosis. At three centers, 177 patients with discrete coronary lesions (<15 mm in length, 2.25 to 3.5 mm in diameter) underwent implantation of paclitaxel-eluting stents (low dose, 1.3 µg per square millimeter, or high dose, 3.1 µg per square millimeter) or control stents. Antiplatelet therapies included aspirin with ticlopidine (120 patients), clopidogrel (18 patients), or cilostazol (37 patients). Clinical follow-up was performed at one month and four to six months, and angiographic follow-up at four to six months. Results Technical success was achieved in 99 percent of the patients (176 of 177). At follow-up, the high-dose group, as compared with the control group, had significantly better results for the degree of stenosis (mean [±SD], 14±21 percent vs. 39±27 percent; P<0.001), late loss of luminal diameter (0.29±0.72 mm vs. 1.04±0.83 mm, P<0.001), and restenosis of more than 50 percent (4 percent vs. 27 percent, P<0.001). Intravascular ultrasound analysis demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in the volume of intimal hyperplasia (31, 18, and 13 mm3, in the high-dose, low-dose, and control groups, respectively). There was a higher rate of major cardiac events in patients receiving cilostazol than in those receiving ticlopidine or clopidogrel. Among patients receiving ticlopidine or clopidogrel, event-free survival was 98 percent and 100 percent in the high-dose and control groups, respectively, at one month, and 96 percent in both at four to six months. Conclusions Paclitaxel-eluting stents used with conventional antiplatelet therapy effectively inhibit restenosis and neointimal hyperplasia, with a safety profile similar to that of standard stents.published_or_final_versio

Mesophyll photosynthesis and guard cell metabolism impacts on stomatal behaviour

Stomata control gaseous fluxes between the internal leaf air spaces and the external atmosphere. Guard cells determine stomatal aperture and must operate to ensure an appropriate balance between CO2 uptake for photosynthesis (A) and water loss, and ultimately plant water use efficiency (WUE). A strong correlation between A and stomatal conductance (gs) is well documented and often observed, but the underlying mechanisms, possible signals and metabolites that promote this relationship are currently unknown. In this review we evaluate the current literature on mesophyll-driven signals that may coordinate stomatal behaviour with mesophyll carbon assimilation. We explore a possible role of various metabolites including sucrose and malate (from several potential sources; including guard cell photosynthesis) and new evidence that improvements in WUE have been made by manipulating sucrose metabolism within the guard cells. Finally we discuss the new tools and techniques available for potentially manipulating cell-specific metabolism, including guard and mesophyll cells, in order to elucidate mesophyll-derived signals that coordinate mesophyll CO2 demands with stomatal behaviour, in order to provide a mechanistic understanding of these processes as this may identify potential targets for manipulations in order to improve plant WUE and crop yield. © 2014 New Phytologist Trust

Fabrication of Si1-xGex alloy nanowire field-effect transistors

The authors present the demonstration of nanowire field-effect transistors incorporating group IV alloy nanowires, Si1-xGex. Single-crystalline Si1-xGex alloy nanowires were grown by a Au catalyst-assisted chemical vapor synthesis using SiH4 and GeH4 precursors, and the alloy composition was reproducibly controlled in the whole composition range by controlling the kinetics of catalytic decomposition of precursors. Complementary in situ doping of Si1-xGex nanowires was achieved by PH3 and B2H6 incorporation during the synthesis for n- and p-type field-effect transistors. The availability of both n- and p-type Si1-xGex nanowire circuit components suggests implications for group IV semiconductor nanowire electronics and optoelectronics. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.X114125Nsciescopu

Analysis of the functional repertoire of a mutant form of survivin, K129E, which has been linked to lung cancer

Background Survivin is a protein that is normally present only in G2 and M-phases in somatic cells, however, in cancer cells, it is expressed throughout the cell cycle. A prosurvival factor, survivin is both an inhibitor of apoptosis and an essential mitotic protein, thus it has attracted much attention as a target for new oncotherapies. Despite its prevalence in cancer, reports of survivin mutations have mostly been restricted to loci within its promoter, which increase the abundance of the protein. To date the only published mutation within the coding sequence is an adenine > guanine substitution in exon 4. This polymorphism, which was found in a cohort of Korean lung cancer patients, causes a lysine > glutamic acid mutation (K129E) in the protein. However, whether it plays a causative role in cancer has not been addressed. Methods Using site directed mutagenesis we recapitulate K129E expression in cultured human cells and assess its anti-apoptotic and mitotic activities. Results K129E retains its anti-apoptotic activity, but causes errors in mitosis and cytokinesis, which may be linked to its reduced affinity for borealin. Conclusion K129E expression can induce genomic instability by introducing mitotic aberrations, thus it may play a causative role in cancer

Approaching the ideal elastic limit of metallic glasses

The ideal elastic limit is the upper bound to the stress and elastic strain a material can withstand. This intrinsic property has been widely studied for crystalline metals, both theoretically and experimentally. For metallic glasses, however, the ideal elastic limit remains poorly characterized and understood. Here we show that the elastic strain limit and the corresponding strength of submicron-sized metallic glass specimens are about twice as high as the already impressive elastic limit observed in bulk metallic glass samples, in line with model predictions of the ideal elastic limit of metallic glasses. We achieve this by employing an in situ transmission electron microscope tensile deformation technique. Furthermore, we propose an alternative mechanism for the apparent 'work hardening' behaviour observed in the tensile stress–strain curves

Clinical significance of hypoalbuminemia in outcome of patients with scrub typhus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study was designed to investigate the clinical significance of hypoalbuminemia as a marker of severity and mortality in patients with Scrub typhus.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The patients with scrub typhus were divided into two groups based on the serum albumin levels; Group I (serum albumin <3.0 g/dL) and Group II (serum albumin ≥3.0 g/dL). The outcome of patients with hypoalbuminemia was compared with that of normoalbuminemia.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the total 246 patients who underwent the study, 84 patients (34.1%) were categorized as Group I and 162 patients were (65.9%) as Group II. Group I showed significantly higher incidence of confusion (24.6% vs. 5.3%, <it>p </it>< 0.001), pulmonary edema (15.8% vs. 3.2%, <it>p </it>= 0.002), pleural effusion (22.8% vs. 11.1%, <it>p </it>= 0.03), arrhythmia (12.3% vs. 2.6%, <it>p </it>= 0.008) and non-oliguric acute renal failure (40.4% vs. 11.1%, <it>p </it>< 0.001) compared to group II. Hypoalbuminemic group had a higher APACHE II score (11.37 ± 5.0 vs. 6.94 ± 4.2, <it>p </it>< 0.001), longer hospital stay (19.9 ± 42.1 days vs 7.5 ± 13.8 days, <it>p </it>= 0.012), and higher hospital cost compared to Group II.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study showed hypoalbuminemia in scrub typhus was closely related to the frequency of various complication, longer hospital stay, consequently the higher medical cost, necessitating more efficient management of patients, including medical resources.</p

Signaling Role of Fructose Mediated by FINS1/FBP in Arabidopsis thaliana

Sugars are evolutionarily conserved signaling molecules that regulate the growth and development of both unicellular and multicellular organisms. As sugar-producing photosynthetic organisms, plants utilize glucose as one of their major signaling molecules. However, the details of other sugar signaling molecules and their regulatory factors have remained elusive, due to the complexity of the metabolite and hormone interactions that control physiological and developmental programs in plants. We combined information from a gain-of-function cell-based screen and a loss-of-function reverse-genetic analysis to demonstrate that fructose acts as a signaling molecule in Arabidopsis thaliana. Fructose signaling induced seedling developmental arrest and interacted with plant stress hormone signaling in a manner similar to that of glucose. For fructose signaling responses, the plant glucose sensor HEXOKINASE1 (HXK1) was dispensable, while FRUCTOSE INSENSITIVE1 (FINS1), a putative FRUCTOSE-1,6-BISPHOSPHATASE, played a crucial role. Interestingly, FINS1 function in fructose signaling appeared to be independent of its catalytic activity in sugar metabolism. Genetic analysis further indicated that FINS1–dependent fructose signaling may act downstream of the abscisic acid pathway, in spite of the fact that HXK1–dependent glucose signaling works upstream of hormone synthesis. Our findings revealed that multiple layers of controls by fructose, glucose, and abscisic acid finely tune the plant autotrophic transition and modulate early seedling establishment after seed germination