Low-Power Complementary Inverter Based on Graphene/Carbon-Nanotube and Graphene/MoS₂ Barristors

The recent report of a p-type graphene(Gr)/carbon-nanotube(CNT) barristor facilitates the application of graphene barristors in the fabrication of complementary logic devices. Here, a complementary inverter is presented that combines a p-type Gr/CNT barristor with a n-type Gr/MoS2 barristor, and its characteristics are reported. A sub-nW (~0.2 nW) low-power inverter is demonstrated with a moderate gain of 2.5 at an equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of ~15 nm. Compared to inverters based on field-effect transistors, the sub-nW power consumption was achieved at a much larger EOT, which was attributed to the excellent switching characteristics of Gr barristors

Refractory Duodenal Crohn's Disease Successfully Treated with Infliximab

Crohn's disease (CD) may involve any part of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. Approximately >90% of cases occur in the small bowel and colon. Upper gastrointestinal involvement, especially duodenal manifestation, is relatively rare. Therefore, adequate medical treatment for duodenal CD has not yet been established. We report a case of CD with duodenal involvement. A 46-year-old man with Crohn's ileocolitis presented to our hospital with right upper quadrant pain. An endoscopy showed a deep excavated ulcer with deformity at the duodenal bulb, and he was initially treated with azathioprine (1 mg/kg), Pentasa (3.0 g/day), and a proton pump inhibitor for 1 year. However, the deep ulcer did not heal. Therefore, infliximab infusion therapy was initiated, and the duodenal lesion completely resolved on follow-up esophagogastroduodenoscopy. We report a case of duodenal CD that completely resolved following infliximab infusion, with a review of the literature

Occupational Asthma and Rhinitis Induced by a Herbal Medicine, Wonji (Polygala tenuifolia)

Occupational asthma is induced by many agents, including herbal materials, that are exposed in working places. Although there are a few case reports for occupational allergy induced by herbal materials, there is none for that induced by Wonji (Polygala tenuifolia). This study was conducted to evaluate clinical characteristics and immunologic mechanism of Wonji-induced asthma in a exposed-worker. A patient who complained of asthma and rhinitis symptoms, and who had worked in a herbal manufacturing factory for 8 yr, underwent a skin prick test with crude extract of Wonji under the impression of occupational asthma induced by the agent. The patient had a strong positive response to the extract on the skin prick test. Allergen bronchial challenge to the extract demonstrated a typical dual response. Serum specific IgE level to the extract was higher in the patient than in healthy controls, and ELISA inhibition test revealed complete inhibition of IgE binding with the extract, but no inhibition with Der p 2 or mugwort extracts. Six IgE binding components to the extract (10, 25, 28, 36, 50, and 90 kDa) were detected using SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis. These findings suggest that Polygala tenuifolia, a herbal material, can induce IgE-mediated bronchoconstriction in exposed workers

Korean Ginseng-Induced Occupational Asthma and Determination of IgE Binding Components

A number of case reports on occupational asthma caused by herbal medicines have been issued, for example, on Sanyak, Chunkung, Banha, and Brazilian ginseng. Recently, cases of occupational asthma induced by Sanyak and Korean ginseng have been reported, but the pathogenic mechanisms involved are unknown. This study was carried out to evaluate the immunologic mechanism underlying Korean ginseng-induced occupational asthma. A patient engaged in Korean ginseng wholesale was referred for recurrent dyspnea, wheezing, and nasal symptoms, which were aggravated at work. Allergen bronchial provocation testing to Korean ginseng extract showed a typical immediate response, and skin prick testing to Korean ginseng extract also showed a strong positive response. Moreover, serum-specific IgE levels to Korean ginseng extract were significantly higher than in controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) inhibition tests showed a dose-dependent inhibition by Korean ginseng, but not by Dermatophagoides farinae, wheat flour, or Chinese balloon flower. Sodium dodecylsulfate-poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting revealed four specific Immunoglobulin E (IgE) binding components at 26, 30, 47, and 60 kDa, which were not bound by control sera. These results strongly suggest that occupation asthma induced by Korean ginseng is induced via an IgE-mediated mechanism

Random telegraph noise in metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes

We have investigated random telegraph noise (RTN) observed in individual metallic carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Mean lifetimes in high- and low-current states, shigh and slow, have been studied as a function of bias-voltage and gate-voltage as well as temperature. By analyzing the statistics and features of the RTN, we suggest that this noise is due to the random transition of defects between two metastable states, activated by inelastic scattering with conduction electrons. Our results indicate an important role of defect motions in the 1=f noise in CNTs.Comment: 4 page

Generation of PLZF+ CD4+ T cells via MHC class II–dependent thymocyte–thymocyte interaction is a physiological process in humans

Human thymocytes, unlike mouse thymocytes, express major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules on their surface, especially during the fetal and perinatal stages. Based on this observation, we previously identified a novel developmental pathway for the generation of CD4+ T cells via interactions between MHC class II–expressing thymocytes (thymocyte–thymocyte [T–T] interactions) with a transgenic mouse system. However, the developmental dissection of this T–T interaction in humans has not been possible because of the lack of known cellular molecules specific for T–T CD4+ T cells. We show that promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein (PLZF) is a useful marker for the identification of T–T CD4+ T cells. With this analysis, we determined that a substantial number of fetal thymocytes and splenocytes express PLZF and acquire innate characteristics during their development in humans. Although these characteristics are quite similar to invariant NKT (iNKT) cells, they clearly differ from iNKT cells in that they have a diverse T cell receptor repertoire and are restricted by MHC class II molecules. These findings define a novel human CD4+ T cell subset that develops via an MHC class II–dependent T–T interaction