Ultra-Sensitive Hot-Electron Nanobolometers for Terahertz Astrophysics

The background-limited spectral imaging of the early Universe requires spaceborne terahertz (THz) detectors with the sensitivity 2-3 orders of magnitude better than that of the state-of-the-art bolometers. To realize this sensitivity without sacrificing operating speed, novel detector designs should combine an ultrasmall heat capacity of a sensor with its unique thermal isolation. Quantum effects in thermal transport at nanoscale put strong limitations on the further improvement of traditional membrane-supported bolometers. Here we demonstrate an innovative approach by developing superconducting hot-electron nanobolometers in which the electrons are cooled only due to a weak electron-phonon interaction. At T<0.1K, the electron-phonon thermal conductance in these nanodevices becomes less than one percent of the quantum of thermal conductance. The hot-electron nanobolometers, sufficiently sensitive for registering single THz photons, are very promising for submillimeter astronomy and other applications based on quantum calorimetry and photon counting.Comment: 19 pages, 3 color figure

A novel oxygen carrier 'YQ23' suppresses the liver tumor metastasis by decreasing circulating endothelial progenitor cells and regulatory T cells

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Gene expression and splicing alterations analyzed by high throughput RNA sequencing of chronic lymphocytic leukemia specimens.

BackgroundTo determine differentially expressed and spliced RNA transcripts in chronic lymphocytic leukemia specimens a high throughput RNA-sequencing (HTS RNA-seq) analysis was performed.MethodsTen CLL specimens and five normal peripheral blood CD19+ B cells were analyzed by HTS RNA-seq. The library preparation was performed with Illumina TrueSeq RNA kit and analyzed by Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing system.ResultsAn average of 48.5 million reads for B cells, and 50.6 million reads for CLL specimens were obtained with 10396 and 10448 assembled transcripts for normal B cells and primary CLL specimens respectively. With the Cuffdiff analysis, 2091 differentially expressed genes (DEG) between B cells and CLL specimens based on FPKM (fragments per kilobase of transcript per million reads and false discovery rate, FDR q &lt; 0.05, fold change &gt;2) were identified. Expression of selected DEGs (n = 32) with up regulated and down regulated expression in CLL from RNA-seq data were also analyzed by qRT-PCR in a test cohort of CLL specimens. Even though there was a variation in fold expression of DEG genes between RNA-seq and qRT-PCR; more than 90 % of analyzed genes were validated by qRT-PCR analysis. Analysis of RNA-seq data for splicing alterations in CLL and B cells was performed by Multivariate Analysis of Transcript Splicing (MATS analysis). Skipped exon was the most frequent splicing alteration in CLL specimens with 128 significant events (P-value &lt;0.05, minimum inclusion level difference &gt;0.1).ConclusionThe RNA-seq analysis of CLL specimens identifies novel DEG and alternatively spliced genes that are potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets. High level of validation by qRT-PCR for a number of DEG genes supports the accuracy of this analysis. Global comparison of transcriptomes of B cells, IGVH non-mutated CLL (U-CLL) and mutated CLL specimens (M-CLL) with multidimensional scaling analysis was able to segregate CLL and B cell transcriptomes but the M-CLL and U-CLL transcriptomes were indistinguishable. The analysis of HTS RNA-seq data to identify alternative splicing events and other genetic abnormalities specific to CLL is an added advantage of RNA-seq that is not feasible with other genome wide analysis

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Metastatic to the Mandible

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common malignancies in the head and neck region, especially among those of Chinese origin. NPC has multifactorial aetiologies including genetic susceptibility, consumption of food with high salt content, and the Epstein–Barr virus. The primary tumour usually arises from the lateral walls of the nasopharynx and is characterized by a rich sub-mucosal lymphatic structure, often leading to cervical lymph node metastasis. Distant metastasis has been recognized to be a major cause of treatment failure in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Bone, liver and lung are the most frequent sites of NPC metastases

Virtual prototyping of a semi-active transfemoral prosthetic leg

This article presents a virtual prototyping study of a semi-active lower limb prosthesis to improve the functionality of an amputee during prosthesis–environment interaction for level ground walking. Articulated ankle–foot prosthesis and a single-axis semi-active prosthetic knee with active and passive operating modes were considered. Data for level ground walking were collected using a photogrammetric method in order to develop a base-line simulation model and with the hip kinematics input to verify the proposed design. The simulated results show that the semi-active lower limb prosthesis is able to move efficiently in passive mode, and the activation time of the knee actuator can be reduced by approximately 50%. Therefore, this semi-active system has the potential to reduce the energy consumption of the actuators required during level ground walking and requires less compensation from the amputee due to lower deviation of the vertical excursion of body centre of mass

Management of venous thrombosis in fibular free osseomusculocutaneous flaps used for mandibular reconstruction: clinical techniques and treatment considerations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mandibular reconstruction by means of fibula transplants is the standard therapy for severe bone loss after subtotal mandibulectomy. Venous failure still represents the most common complication in free flap surgery. We present the injection of heparine into the arterial pedicle as modification of the revising both anastomoses in these cases and illustrate the application with a clinical case example.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Methods consist of immediate revision surgery with clot removal, heparin perfusion by direct injection in the arterial vessel of the pedicle, subsequent high dose low-molecular weight heparin therapy, and leeches. After 6 hours postoperatively, images of early flap recovery show first sings of recovery by fading livid skin color.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The application of this technique in a patient with venous thrombosis resulted in the complete recovery of the flap 60 hours postoperatively. Other cases achieved similar success without additional lysis Therapy or revision of the arterial anastomosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Rescue of fibular flaps is possible even in patients with massive thrombosis if surgical revision is done quickly.</p

Identification of Natural Bispecific Antibodies against Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide and Immunoglobulin G in Rheumatoid Arthritis

BACKGROUND: Previous studies indicate that natural bispecific antibodies can be readily produced in vivo when the body is simultaneously stimulated with 2 distinct antigens. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) usually exhibit persistent immune responses to various autoantigens, raising the possibility that natural bispecific antibodies against 2 distinct autoantigens might exist. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We identified the presence of natural bispecific antibodies against cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) in RA patients' sera by means of a double-antigen sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The spontaneous emergence of bispecific antibodies was confirmed by mixing different proportions of 1 anti-CCP-positive serum and 1 rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive serum in vitro. Among the tested samples, positive correlations were found between the presence of bispecific antibodies and both IgG4 anti-CCP antibodies and IgG4 RF (r = 0.507, p<0.001 and r = 0.249, p = 0.044, respectively), suggesting that the IgG4 subclass is associated with this phenomenon. Furthermore, bispecific antibodies were selectively generated when several anti-CCP- and RF-positive sera were mixed pairwise, indicating that factors other than the monospecific antibody titers may also contribute to the production of the natural bispecific antibodies. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We successfully identified the presence of natural bispecific antibodies. Our results suggest that these antibodies originate from anti-CCP and RF in the sera of RA patients. The natural occurrence of bispecific antibodies in human diseases may provide new insights for a better understanding of the diseases. Further investigations are needed to elucidate their precise generation mechanisms and explore their clinical significance in disease development and progression in a larger study population

Ateriovenous subclavia-shunt for head and neck reconstruction

Reconstruction of the facial hard- and soft tissues is of special concern for the rehabilitation of patients especially after ablative tumor surgery has been performed. Impaired soft and hard tissue conditions as a sequelae of extensive surgical resection and/or radiotherapy may impede common reconstruction methodes. Even free flaps may not be used without interposition of a vein graft as recipient vessels are not available as a consequence of radical neck dissection

Histological changes in intra-oral skin flaps

This review outlines the histological features of intra-oral skin flaps and their pathology as encountered in a routine head and neck diagnostic histopathology service. Problems in recognising and interpreting unfamiliar and complex appearances, and areas of diagnostic and prognostic uncertainty, are highlighted