Air-Oxidation Behavior of a Cu60Hf25Ti15 Bulk Metallic Glass at 375–520 °C

The oxidation behavior of a Cu₆₀Hf₂₅Ti₁₅ bulk metallic glass was studied over the temperature range of 375–520 °C in dry air. The oxidation kinetics of the amorphous alloy generally followed the parabolic law at all temperatures, with an oxidation rate increasing with temperature. The oxidation rates of the amorphous alloy were much higher than those of polycrystalline pure-Cu, implying that the additions of Hf and Ti accelerated the oxidation reaction. The composition of the scales formed on the amorphous alloy was strongly temperature-dependent, since they consisted mostly of Cu₄O₃ and CuO with minor amounts of HfO₂ at T ≤ 450 °C, while mostly CuO with minor amounts of HfO₂ and Cu₂TiO₃ were detected at higher temperatures. In addition, nanocrystalline Cu₅₁Hf₁₄ and Cu₃Ti₂ phases were detected on the substrate after oxidation at T ≥ 450 °C, indicating the occurrence of phase transformation.     

Presence of Epstein-Barr virus in lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the middle ear

AIM: To examine the association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with carcinoma of the ear. METHODS: Five non-keratinising squamous cell carcinomas and two undifferentiated carcinomas of the ear were examined. In situ hybridisation was used to localised EBV-encoded RNAs (EBER). Immunohistochemical methods to detect LMP-1 and EBNA2 were performed in the EBER positive cases. RESULTS: Two cases were EBER positive, including one non-keratinising and one undifferentiated carcinoma. Both showed identical morphology to those arising from the nasopharynx, with abundant lymphoid stroma. They were both negative for LMP-1 and EBNA2. CONCLUSIONS: EBV associated carcinoma with the morphology of lymphoepithelioma can also arise from the middle ear.     

The production of interleukin-1 alpha immunoreactivity by human oviductal cells in a coculture system

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the concentration of interleukin-1 alpha in human embryo culture medium with or without oviductal cell coculture and to correlate the interleukin-1 alpha levels with pregnancy. METHODS: Culture media from 32 in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer cycles were assayed for interleukin-1 alpha by immunoassay technique. Human embryos were cultured in Earles' balanced salt solution supplemented with 15% preovulatory serum (sEBSS) in 16 of these cycles, while embryos in the rest of the cycles were cocultured with human oviductal cells in sEBSS. RESULTS: Both sEBSS and spent sEBSS after embryo culture contained low or undetectable levels of interleukin-1 alpha in the pregnant and nonpregnant cycles. On the other hand, oviductal cells significantly increased the amount of interleukin-1 alpha immunoreactivity in the conventional culture medium or coculture medium (P < 0.001, Mann-Whitney rank sum test). The concentrations of interleukin-1 alpha in the spent sEBSS after oviductal cell culture and after coculture with human embryos were 1.5 +/- 1.0 and 1.3 +/- 0.9 pg/ml, respectively. There was no difference in the interleukin-1 alpha concentration between the pregnant and the nonpregnant coculture cycles. CONCLUSIONS: These data showed that human oviductal cells produced interleukin-1 alpha immunoreactivity in a coculture system. However, this production could not be used as a marker for successful embryo implantation.     

The effect of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection on clinical parameters in steady-state bronchiectasis

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection on clinical parameters in Chinese patients with noncystic fibrosis and steady-state bronchiectasis. DESIGN: Prospective, cross-sectional clinicomicrobiological study with informed consent. SETTING: Consecutive outpatient recruitment from a specialist bronchiectasis respiratory clinic. PATIENTS: Outpatients (n = 100; 62 women; 55.1+/-16.7 years old; FEV1/FVC 1.4+/-0.7/2.1+/-0.9 L), who had stable respiratory symptoms for more than 3 weeks. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Respiratory pathogens isolated from the sputum were: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (33), Haemophilus influenzae (10), Moraxella catarrhalis (2), other Gram-negative bacilli (5), Streptococcus pneumoniae (6), Staphylococcus aureus (5), mycobacteria (3), and yeast (1). Clinical parameters in patients with positive isolation of P aeruginosa were compared with those without the organism in the sputum culture (non-P aeruginosa). In the P aeruginosa group, the FEV1/FVC ratio and sputum volume were lower (p < 0.005) and higher (p < 0.0001), respectively, than those of the non-P aeruginosa group. The FEV1/FVC ratio (< 60%) and sputum volume (grading > 5) were independently associated with a positive sputum isolation of P aeruginosa with odds ratios of 3.1 (confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 8.4; p < 0.01) and 4.7 (CI 1.6 to 13.3; p < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: P aeruginosa is the predominant respiratory pathogen isolated in the sputum of Chinese patients with steady-state bronchiectasis, and its isolation is associated with high sputum output (> or = 75th quartile) and moderately severe airflow obstruction (FEV1/FVC < 60%).     

Some characteristics of a cellular receptor for virulent infectious bursal disease virus by using flow cytometry

A flow cytometric virus binding assay that directly visualizes the binding of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) to its target cells was established. The chicken B lymphoblastoid cell line, LSCC-BK3, which is permissive for IBDV infection, bound high levels of the virus. Another B lymphoblastoid cell line, LSCC-1104-B1, bound low levels of the virus, although it was nonpermissive. No virus binding was detected in nonpermissive T lymphoblastoid cell lines. In the binding assay to heterogeneous cell populations of chicken lymphocytes, IBDV (a highly virulent OKYM strain) bound to 94% cells in the lymphocytes prepared from the bursa of Fabricius, 37% cells in those prepared from the spleen, 3% cells in those prepared from the thymus, and 21% cells in those prepared from the blood. Most of the cells, which bound the virus, were surface immunoglobulin M (SIgM)-positive, but a small number of them were SIgM-negative. Additionally, the binding of IBDV to the LSCC-BK3 cells was affected by treatment of the cells with proteases and N-glycosylation inhibitors. These findings may indicate that the IBDV host range is mainly controlled by the presence of a virus receptor composed of N-glycosylated protein associated with the subtle differentiation stage of B-lymphocytes represented mostly by SIgM-bearing cells.     

New one-week, low-dose triple therapy for the treatment of duodenal ulcer with Helicobacter pylori infection

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial therapy is the recommended treatment for duodenal ulcer associated with Helicobacter pylori infection. The eradication of bismuth-based triple therapy with bismuth subcitrate, metronidazole and amoxicillin is limited by low compliance, drug resistance and side-effects. Two-week proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-based triple therapy has a higher eradication rate but is costly. This study was designed to compare the efficacy, patient compliance and cost of short-term PPI-based triple therapy with those of bismuth-based triple therapy. METHODS: Ninety patients with active duodenal ulcer disease and H pylori infection, proven with the 13C-urea breath test and CLO test (Campylobacter-like organism test) were treated randomly in three therapeutic groups: Group A, DeNol 120 mg, amoxicillin 500 mg and metronidazole 250 mg four times a day orally for 14 days; Group B, omeprazole 20 mg plus clarithromycin 500 mg twice a day and amoxicillin 500 mg four times a day for 14 days; Group C, omeprazole 20 mg, clarithromycin 250 mg and metronidazole 500 mg twice a day for seven days. Nizatidine 150 mg twice a day was given continuously following the end of anti-H pylori therapy for each group. Two months later, endoscopy, the CLO test and 13C-urea breath test were repeated to assess the eradication rate of H pylori and the ulcer-healing rate. Drug tolerance was evaluated by patients themselves by daily recording of any side-effects. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients completed the entire course of therapy and evaluation for H pylori infection. The H pylori eradication rates in Groups A, B and C were 75% (21/28), 93% (26/28) and 89% (25/28), respectively (p = 0.466). The ulcer healing rate was 86% (24/28) in Group A and 89% (25/28) in Groups B and C (p = 0.764). A total of 74 patients (88%) were free from symptoms at the end of the triple therapy. Symptom relief was faster in patients with PPI-based triple therapy (Groups B and C) (days 3 and 4) than for patients with bismuth-based triple therapy (day 5). The cost of Group C therapy was lower than that for Groups A and B. There were no major side-effects in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: One-week triple therapy with omeprazole, clarithromycin and metronidazole is highly effected for the eradication of H pylori. A therapeutic regime of one week's duration with lower cost, good compliance and mild side-effects may offer a good choice for treatment of duodenal ulcer associated with H pylori infection in clinical practice.     

The simplified two-pipette technique is more efficient than the conventional three-pipette method for blastomere biopsy in human embryos

Kell and Kx are two quantitatively minor proteins from the human erythrocyte membrane which carry blood groups antigens and are thought to be a metalloprotease and a membrane transporter, respectively. In the red cell membrane, these proteins form a complex stabilized by disulfide bond(s). Phosphorylation status of these proteins was studied, in the presence or absence of effectors of several kinases, either on intact cells incubated with [32P]-orthophosphate or on ghosts incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP. Purification of Kell-Kx complex, by immunochromatography on an immobilized human monoclonal antibody of Kell blood group specificity allowed to establish that (i) neither protein is phosphorylated on tyrosine; (ii) the Kell protein is a putative substrate for Casein Kinase II (CKII) and Casein Kinase I (CKI) but not for protein kinase C (PKC), whereas Kx protein is phosphorylated by CKII and PKC but not by CKI; (iii) Protein Kinase A neither phosphorylates the Kell nor the Kx proteins.     

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 at mouse neuromuscular synapses

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling system includes the growth factors and their cell surface receptors, along with circulating IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) that may alter and modulate the action of these neurotrophic hormones. These IGFBPs, along with IGFs and receptors, have been detected in various tissues including the brain. In this study, using polyclonal antibody to human IGFBP-1 or bovine IGFBP-2, we found that mouse muscle extracts contain similar-sized proteins that cross-react with these antibodies on Western immunoblots. After establishing that these antibodies reacted with the homologous murine IGFBPs, we performed immunocytochemistry to demonstrate the localization of IGFBP-1 at the neuromuscular junction, a model nicotinic, cholinergic synapse, as well as within intramuscular nerves. IGFBP-2, a distinct macromolecule, is present on the surface of muscle fibers and is not present within synapses or nerves.     

GaInP/GaAs HBTs for high-speed integrated circuit applications

The use of GaInP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) for integrated circuit applications is demonstrated. The discrete devices fabricated showed excellent DC characteristics with low V_ce offset voltage and very low temperature sensitivity of the current gain. For a non-self-aligned device with a 3-μm×1.4-μm emitter area, f_T was extrapolated to 45 GHz and f_max was extrapolated to 70 GHz. The measured 1/f noise level was 20 dB better than that of AlGaAs HBTs and comparable to that of low-noise silicon bipolar junction transistors, and the noise bump (Lorentzian component) was not observed. The fabricated gain block circuits showed 8.5 dB gain with a 3-dB bandwidth of 12 GHz, and static frequency dividers (divide by 4) were operable up to 8 GHz