75 research outputs found
Equal-Spin Andreev Reflection in Junctions of Spin-Resolved Quantum Hall Bulk State and Spin-Singlet Superconductor
The recent development of superconducting spintronics has revealed the
spin-triplet superconducting proximity effect from a spin-singlet
superconductor into a spin-polarized normal metal. In addition recently
superconducting junctions using semiconductors are in demand for highly
controlled experiments to engineer topological superconductivity. Here we
report experimental observation of Andreev reflection in junctions of
spin-resolved quantum Hall (QH) states in an InAs quantum well and the
spin-singlet superconductor NbTi. The measured conductance indicates a sub-gap
feature and two peaks on the outer side of the sub-gap feature in the QH
plateau-transition regime increases. The observed structures can be explained
by considering transport with Andreev reflection from two channels, one
originating from equal-spin Andreev reflection intermediated by spin-flip
processes and second arising from normal Andreev reflection. This result
indicates the possibility to induce the superconducting proximity gap in the
the QH bulk state, and the possibility for the development of superconducting
spintronics in semiconductor devices
Half-Integer Shapiro Steps in a Short Ballistic InAs Nanowire Josephson Junction
We report on half-integer Shapiro steps observed in an InAs nanowire
Josephson junction. We observed the Shapiro steps of the short ballistic InAs
nanowire Josephson junction and found anomalous half-integer steps in addition
to the conventional integer steps. The half-integer steps disappear as the
temperature increases or transmission of the junction decreases. These
experimental results agree closely with numerical calculation of the Shapiro
response for the skewed current phase relation in a short ballistic Josephson
junction
Dominant non-local superconducting proximity effect due to electron-electron interaction in a ballistic double nanowire
Cooper pair splitting (CPS) can induce non-local correlation between two
normal conductors coupling to a superconductor. CPS into a double
one-dimensional electron gas is an appropriate platform for extracting large
amount of entangled electron pairs and one of the key ingredients for
engineering Majorana Fermions with no magnetic field. Here we study CPS using a
Josephson junction of a gate-tunable ballistic InAs double nanowire. The
measured switching current into the two nanowires significantly larger than sum
of that into the respective nanowires, indicating the inter-wire
superconductivity dominant compared to the intra-wire superconductivity. From
dependence on the number of propagating channels in the nanowires, the observed
CPS is assigned to one-dimensional electron-electron interaction. Our results
will pave the way for utilizing one-dimensional electron-electron interaction
to reveal physics of high-efficient CPS and engineer Majorana Fermions in
double nanowire systems via CPS
Oropharyngeal Group A Streptococcal Colonization Disrupts Latent Epstein-Barr Virus Infection
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects >90% of the human population within the first 2 decades of life and establishes reversible latent infection in B cells. The stimuli that lead to switching from latent to lytic EBV infection in vivo are still elusive. Group A streptococci (GAS) are a common cause of bacterial pharyngotonsillitis in children and adolescents and colonize the tonsils and pharynx of up to 20% of healthy children. Thus, concomitant presence of EBV and GAS in the same individual is frequent. Here, we show that EBV carriers who are colonized with GAS shed EBV particles in higher numbers in their saliva, compared with EBV carriers not colonized with GAS. Messenger RNA levels of the master lytic regulatory EBV gene BZLF1 were more frequently detected in tonsils from EBV carriers colonized with GAS than from EBV carriers not colonized. Heat-killed GAS, potentially mimicking GAS colonization, elicited lytic EBV in latently infected lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) partially via Toll-like receptor 2 triggering, as did purified GAS peptidoglycan. Thus, colonization by GAS might benefit EBV by increasing the EBV load in saliva and thereby enhancing the likelihood of EBV spread to other host
Inhibition of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 attenuates the toxicity of carbon tetrachloride
Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is routinely used as a model compound for eliciting centrilobular hepatotoxicity. It can be bioactivated to the trichloromethyl radical, which causes extensive lipid peroxidation and ultimately cell death by necrosis. Overactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) can rapidly reduce the levels of (ÎČ-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and adenosine triphosphate and ultimately promote necrosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether inhibition of PARP-1 could decrease CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity, as measured by degree of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation, serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), lipid peroxidation,and oxidative DNA damage. For this purpose, male ICR mice were administered intraperitoneally a hepatotoxic dose of CCl4 with or without 6(5H)-phenanthridinone, a potent inhibitor of PARP-1. Animals treated with CCl4 exhibited extensive poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in centrilobular hepatocytes, elevated serum levels of LDH, and increased lipid peroxidation. In contrast, animals treated concomitantly with CCl4 and 6(5H)-phenanthridinone showed significantly lower levels of poly(ADP-ribosyl) ation, serum LDH, and lipid peroxidation. No changes were observed in the levels of oxidative DNA damage regardless of treatment. These results demonstrated that the hepatotoxicity of CCl4is dependent on the overactivation of PARP-1 and that inhibition of this enzyme attenuates the hepatotoxicity of CCl4
Use of the index of pulmonary vascular disease for predicting long-term outcome of pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease
AimsLimited data exist on risk factors for the long-term outcome of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with congenital heart disease (CHD-PAH). We focused on the index of pulmonary vascular disease (IPVD), an assessment system for pulmonary artery pathology specimens. The IPVD classifies pulmonary vascular lesions into four categories based on severity: (1) no intimal thickening, (2) cellular thickening of the intima, (3) fibrous thickening of the intima, and (4) destruction of the tunica media, with the overall grade expressed as an additive mean of these scores. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between IPVD and the long-term outcome of CHD-PAH.MethodsThis retrospective study examined lung pathology images of 764 patients with CHD-PAH aged <20 years whose lung specimens were submitted to the Japanese Research Institute of Pulmonary Vasculature for pulmonary pathological review between 2001 and 2020. Clinical information was collected retrospectively by each attending physician. The primary endpoint was cardiovascular death.ResultsThe 5-year, 10-year, 15-year, and 20-year cardiovascular death-free survival rates for all patients were 92.0%, 90.4%, 87.3%, and 86.1%, respectively. The group with an IPVD of â„2.0 had significantly poorer survival than the group with an IPVD <2.0 (Pâ=â.037). The Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for the presence of congenital anomaly syndromes associated with pulmonary hypertension, and age at lung biopsy showed similar results (hazard ratio 4.46; 95% confidence interval: 1.45â13.73; Pâ=â.009).ConclusionsThe IPVD scoring system is useful for predicting the long-term outcome of CHD-PAH. For patients with an IPVD of â„2.0, treatment strategies, including choosing palliative procedures such as pulmonary artery banding to restrict pulmonary blood flow and postponement of intracardiac repair, should be more carefully considered
Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTICâHF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials
Aims:
The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTICâHF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTICâHF and how these compare with other contemporary trials.
Methods and Results:
Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA)ââ„âII, EF â€35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokineticâguided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50âmg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), nonâwhite (22%), mean age 65âyears] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NTâproBNP 1971âpg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTICâHF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressureâ<â100âmmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate <â30âmL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitrilâvalsartan at baseline (n = 1594).
Conclusions:
GALACTICâHF enrolled a wellâtreated, highârisk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation
APOE Gene e4 Allele Accelerates the Atrophy of the Inferior Temporal Lobe in Alzheimer's Disease (BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY-Molecular Clinical Chemistry)
The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene e4 allele is a genetic risk factor for late-onset familial and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). The change in size of the whole brain or total ventricular system did not differ significantly among APOE genotypes. The patients with e3/e4 or e4/e4 genotype (e4+ group), however, exhibited severe atrophy in the inferior temporal lobe, while those with e3/e3 genotype (e4- group) showed mild atrophy. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the cerebral cortex, particularly in the temporal lobe, was lower in the e4+ group than in the e4- group. These results indicate that possession, and thus expression, of the APOE e4 allele preferentially affects the inferior temporal lobe, encompassing the hippocampus and amygdala, in AD patients
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