An unusual foreign body in the rectum

This is the report of an unusual foreign body in the rectum which was a complication of the migration of an esophageal Celestin's prosthesis.     

Traumatic Stress, Perceived Global Stress, and Life Events: Prospectively Predicting Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients.

The authors investigated the relationship between stress at initial cancer diagnosis and treatment and subsequent quality of life (QoL). Women (n = 112) randomized to the assessment-only arm of a clinical trial were initially assessed after breast cancer diagnosis and surgery and then reassessed at 4 months (during adjuvant treatment) and 12 months (postadjuvant treatment). There were 3 types of stress measured: number of stressful life events (K. A. Matthews et al., 1997), cancer-related traumatic stress symptoms (M. J. Horowitz, N. Wilner, & W. Alvarez, 1979), and perceived global stress (S. Cohen, T. Kamarck, & R. Mermelstein, 1983). Using hierarchical multiple regressions, the authors found that stress predicted both psychological and physical QoL (J. E. Ware, K. K. Snow, & M. Kosinski, 2000) at the follow-ups (all ps     

Nickel phosphonate MOF as efficient water splitting photocatalyst

A novel microporous two-dimensional(2D)Ni-based phosphonate metal-organic framework(MOF;denoted as IEF-13)has been successfully synthesized by a simple and green hydrothermal method and fully characterized using a combination of experimental and computational techniques.Structure resolution by single-crystal X-ray diffraction reveals that IEF-13 crystallizes in the triclinic space group Pi having bi-octahedra nickel nodes and a photo/electroactive tritopic phosphonate ligand.Remarkably,this material exhibits coordinatively unsaturated nickel(II)sites,free-P0₃H₂and-P0₃H acidic groups,a C0₂accessible microporosity,and an exceptional thermal and chemical stability.Further,its in-deep optoelectronic characterization evidences a photoresponse suitable for photocatalysis.In this sense,the photocatalytic activity for challenging H₂generation and overall water splitting in absence of any co-catalyst using UV-Vis irradiation and simulated sunlight has been evaluated,constituting the first report for a phosphonate-MOF photocatalyst.IEF-13 is able to produce up to 2,200 fimol of H₂per gram using methanol as sacrificial agent,exhibiting stability,maintaining its crystal structure and allowing its recycling.Even more,170μmol of H₂per gram were produced using IEF-13 as photocatalyst in the absence of any co-catalyst for the overall water splitting,being this reaction limited by the 0₂reduction.The present work opens new avenues for further optimization of the photocatalytic activity in this type of multifunctional materials.     

High Power CW Wattmeter Calibration at NIST

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has established a measurement capability to support high power systems and devices. The automated wattmeter calibration system operates at power levels of 1 to 1000 W for frequencies from 1 to 30 MHz and 1 to 500 W from 30 to 400 MHz. A cascaded coupler technique is used to extend power measurements to high levels which are traccable to a 10 mW standard thermistor mount. This technique uses an arrangement of nominal 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 dB couplers with sidearm power meters. The initial step transfers the calibration of the 10 mW standard to the 10 dB coupler/power meter. The standard is then replaced with a wattmeter to be calibrated. RF power is increased 10 dB and the calibration is transferred to the adjacent 20 dB eoupler/power meter. This sequence is repeated with the remaining coupler/power meters until the wattmeter is calibrated at the desired power levels and frequencies. Power ratios calculated from simultaneous power measurements made at each transfer are used to calculate the incident power at the wattmeter. Due to nonideal components, corrections are made for nonlinearities, mismatch, and other errors. Two types of wattmeters have been evaluated at selected frequencies and power levels. Total uncertainties are based on the random and systematic components.     

Administration of recombinant human IL-7 to mice alters the composition of B-lineage cells and T cell subsets, enhances T cell function, and induces regression of established metastases

These studies investigate the effects of exogenously administered recombinant human IL-7 (rhIL-7) on mouse leukocyte subsets in vivo in normal and tumor-bearing mice. The administration of rhIL-7 to normal mice caused a pronounced leukocytosis (three- to fivefold increase over background) in the spleen and lymph nodes, with B-lineage and T cells, NK cells, and macrophages all being increased. CD8+ T cells increased disproportionately, such that the CD4 to CD8 ratio decreased dramatically. The rhIL-7-induced effects were dose-dependent, increased with duration of treatment, and were reversible after cessation of rhIL-7 administration. T cell number increases after rhIL-7 treatment were primarily a result of an expansion of the peripheral T cell population. Importantly, splenocytes from rhIL-7-treated mice have enhanced proliferative responses to various T cell stimuli in vitro and were able to potentiate an allogeneic CTL response in vivo. The rhIL-7-induced changes in T cell number and the CD4 to CD8 ratio also were observed in mice bearing early Renca renal adenocarcinoma pulmonary metastases, and these changes coincided with up to a 75% reduction in pulmonary metastases. Overall, these results demonstrate that the administration of rhIL-7 to mice profoundly increases the number of B and T cells, and reduces the number of pulmonary metastases. The results also suggest that IL-7 may be useful for restoring lymphoid subsets in immunosuppressed hosts and in enhancing T cell-mediated immune responses. Such effects may be useful in the treatment of microbial diseases and cancer.     

Nondispersive delay line at microwave frequency by magnetostatic forward volume waves

The letter describes how a magnetostatic constant delay line can be designed and practically realised by using two identical dispersive delay lines operating with forward volume waves and frequency-inverting one of the band responses.