Alteration of phospholipid at various growth phases of Escherichia coli

By inoculating E. coli B into the semisynthetic medium we conducted shaking culture, and observed alterations of the total phospholipid contents and the amounts of individual phospholipid components in various stages of growth. The results are briefly summarized as follows. 1. The total phospholipid content has been found to be greater during early culture period, while it decreases as the growth age advances. 2. Phosphatidyl ethanolamine gradually increase as the culture period approaches the stationary phase. 3. Phosphatidic acid and phosphatidyl glycerol decrease precipitously as growth age advances. 4. Cardiolipin shows the maximum content in the middle log phase when the growth rate is most speedy.</p

Significantly Sensitized Ternary Blend Polymer Solar Cells with a Very Small Content of the Narrow-Band Gap Third Component That Utilizes Optical Interference

光干渉効果を利用し、低コストで有機薄膜太陽電池を飛躍的に高効率化することに成功. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2020-12-02.Increasing photon harvest is an essential issue in improving the efficiency of organic photovoltaics. Here, we study ternary blend polymer solar cells that are composed of a thiazolothiazole-based crystalline semiconducting polymer and a fullerene derivative as the host binary system and a very small content of a series of narrow-band gap non-fullerene acceptors as the third-component sensitizer that is selectively located at the interface between the host donor and acceptor. Surprisingly, the cells give an external quantum efficiency in the sensitizer absorption range that is as high as that in the polymer absorption range despite the fact that the optimal sensitizer content is only 6 wt %, which is far smaller than the host polymer contents. This leads to significantly improved photocurrents and, in turn, high power conversion efficiencies relative to the binary blend cell. Such pronounced sensitization is found to originate in the markedly amplified sensitizer absorption owing to the optical interference effect of more than 300 nm-thick photoactive layers. In parallel, the ternary blend system realizes markedly reduced photon energy loss, which is also important for the power conversion efficiency improvement, and high thermal stability. With such excellent features, we believe that the sensitized ternary blend cells have exceptional possibilities and that exploring more well-matched material combinations would improve the performance further

Morphological studies of Gross virus-induced lymphoblasts by scanning electron microscopy

The surface of Gross virus-induced murine lymphoblasts and C-type virus particles budding from these cells were investigated under the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The cells appeared spindle-shaped or roughly-rounded with extensive surface features consisting of microvilli, blebs and ruffled membranes. C-type virus particles were detected on the cell membrane as small spherical particles, distinguishable from the microvilli. Clustered virions were observed in some cases. However, the distribution of virions appeared to be random. The surface of the virion was smooth and had no globular units at high magnification. These morphological observations were confirmed in ultrathin sections.</p

Comparative studies of MRI and operative findings in rotator cuff tear.

A prospective study was performed to determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared with operative findings in the evaluation of patients associated with rotator cuff tears. Fifty-four of 60 shoulders (58 patients) examined by MRI were confirmed as full-thickness tears and 6 as partial-thickness tears at the time of surgery. The oblique coronal, oblique sagittal, and axial planes of T2-weighted images with the 0.5 tesla MRI system were obtained preoperatively and compared with operative findings. MRI correctly identified 46 of 54 full-thickness rotator cuff tears and 5 of 6 partial-thickness tears. A comparison of MRI and operative findings in full-thickness cuff tears showed a sensitivity of 85%, a specificity of 83%, and a positive prospective value (PPV) of 99%. A comparison of partial-thickness tears showed a sensitivity of 83%, a specificity of 85%, and PPV of 39%. Linear regression analysis showed an excellent correlation between the MRI assessment and measurement at the time of surgery (r = 0.90, P &#60; 0.01). MRI was useful in evaluating large and medium-sized rotator cuff tears, but less useful in distinguishing small full-thickness tears from partial-thickness tears.</p

Factors responsible for elevated plasma B-type natriuretic peptide levels in severe aortic stenosis: Comparison between elderly and younger patients

AbstractBackgroundElevated plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a predictor of outcome and helpful for risk stratification in aortic stenosis (AS). However, left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction progresses with aging and may also influence plasma BNP levels in elderly patients. We hypothesized that plasma BNP levels may be influenced by age in severe AS, and that factors that affect the elevation of plasma BNP levels may be different between elderly and younger patients with AS.MethodsWe performed echocardiography in 341 patients with severe AS [aortic valve area (AVA)<1.0cm2] and classified them into two groups by age (elderly ≥75 years old, n=201; younger patients <75 years old, n=140). We used multivariate linear regression analysis to assess the factors that determine plasma BNP levels in both groups.ResultsAge was found to be one of the independent determinants of plasma BNP levels in all patients (β=0.135, p=0.005). Although AVA was similar in the two groups, plasma BNP levels and E/e′ were significantly higher in elderly than younger patients [133.0 (IQR, 73.3–329.7)pg/dl vs 92.8 (IQR, 40.6–171.8)pg/dl, p<0.01; 20±8 vs 16±6, p<0.01, respectively). In multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis, AVA index, LV ejection fraction, mass index, E/e′, estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure (eSPAS), and the presence of atrial fibrillation were independent determinants of plasma BNP levels in younger patients. In contrast, the independent determinants of plasma BNP levels in elderly patients were LV ejection fraction, mass index, E/e′, eSPAS, the presence of atrial fibrillation, age, and hemoglobin levels, but not AVA index.ConclusionsThere may be differences in the factors that influence plasma BNP levels between elderly and younger patients with severe AS. In elderly patients, plasma BNP levels may be influenced more by these factors than AS severity compared with younger patients

Gene expression profiling of the anti-glioma effect of Cilengitide

Cilengitide (EMD121974), an inhibitor of the adhesive function of integrins, demonstrated preclinical efficacy against malignant glioma. It is speculated that cilengitide can inhibit tumor growth, invasion, and angiogenesis. However, the effects of cilengitide on these processes have not been sufficiently examined. In this study, we investigated the anti-glioma effect of cilengitide using DNA microarray analysis. U87ΔEGFR cells (human malignant glioma cell line) were used for this experiment. The cells were harvested after 16 h of cilengitide treatment, and mRNA was extracted. Gene expression and pathway analyses were performed using a DNA microarray (CodeLink™Human Whole Genome Bioarray). The expression of 265 genes was changed with cilengitide treatment. The expression of 214 genes was up-regulated by more than 4-fold and the expression of 51 genes was down-regulated by more than 4-fold compared to the controls. In pathway analysis, "apoptotic cleavage of cellular proteins" and "TNF receptor signaling pathway" were over-represented. Apoptotic-associated genes such as caspase 8 were up-regulated. Gene expression profiling revealed more detailed mechanism of the anti-glioma effect of cilengitide. Genes associated with apoptosis were over-represented following cilengitide treatment

Enhanced Merge Sort- A New Approach to the Merging Process

AbstractOne of the major fundamental issues of Computer Science is arrangement of elements in the database. The efficiency of the sorting algorithms is to optimize the importance of other sorting algorithms11. The optimality of these sorting algorithms is judged while calculating their time and space complexities12. The idea behind this paper is to modify the conventional Merge Sort Algorithm and to present a new method with reduced execution time. The newly proposed algorithm is faster than the conventional Merge Sort algorithm having a time complexity of O(n log2 n). The proposed algorithm has been tested, implemented, compared and the experimental results are promising

Cevimeline enhances the excitability of rat superior salivatory neurons

Cevimeline, a therapeutic drug for xerostomia, is an agonist of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs), and directly stimulates the peripheral mAChRs of the salivary glands. Since cevimeline is distributed in the brain after its oral administration, it is possible that it affects the central nervous system. However, it is unknown how cevimeline affects the superior salivatory (SS) neurons, which control submandibular salivation. In the present study, we examined the effects of cevimeline on the SS neurons using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique in brain slices. In Wistar rats (6-10 days), the SS neurons were retrogradely labeled by Texas Red applied to the chorda-lingual nerve. Two days after injection, whole-cell recordings were obtained from the labeled cells, and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) were examined. Cevimeline induced the inward currents dose-dependently and increased the frequency of mEPSCs. Therefore, it is suggested that cevimeline enhances the excitability via post- and presynaptic muscarinic receptors in the rat SS neurons. In conclusion, cevimeline may enhance the excitability of the SS neurons