A human lung cancer xenograft producing granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and parathyroid hormone-related protein

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to calculate the prevalence and relative risk of unruptured incidental intracranial aneurysms (IAs) among families with IA case(s) compared with the general population in one geographically defined area in East Finland and to identify the risk group that could benefit most from screening for IAs. We compared these results with our earlier study results of familial IA (FIA) cases, with two or more known IA cases in the same family. METHODS: The study groups were collected from the catchment area of the University Hospital of Kuopio in East Finland. The inclusion criteria were age 30 to 70 years and unruptured incidental IAs > or =3 mm. Patients with previous subarachnoid hemorrhage or in whom a ruptured IA was found to be the cause of death were excluded from all study groups. During routine forensic autopsies the circle of Willis was studied for IAs to estimate the number of IAs in the general population. In the families with one known IA case and in FIA families, MR angiography was used as a preliminary screening method for IAs, followed by intra-arterial angiography to verify suspected IAs. Study populations were age and sex adjusted for the statistical calculations. RESULTS: The relative risk for IAs among first-degree relatives in FIA families was 4.2 (95% confidence interval, 2.2 to 8.0) and among first-degree relatives in families with only one affected family member was 1.8 (95% confidence interval, 0.7 to 4.8) compared with the general population in East Finland. CONCLUSIONS: First-degree relatives in FIA families constitute a high-risk group for incidental IAs, and this group would benefit from screening studies for IAs. Screening for IAs in families with only one affected member or in the general population is not recommended.     

Fabrication and characterization of surface‐conduction electron emitters for SED application

Abstract— A surface‐conduction electron emitter (SCE) for next‐generation flat‐panel displays has been developed. PdO thin films (approximately 10 nm thick) produced by an ink‐jet process were used to form the surface‐conduction electron emitter. The films were electroformed and activated while a voltage was applied, and an electron emitter with good characteristics was obtained. A current density of approximately 30 mA/cm² was attained when an anode voltage of 10 kV was applied. Furthermore, a 36‐in. surface‐conduction electron‐emitter display (SED), consisting of SCEs and a phosphor screen similar to that of a CRT, was also developed.     

Preparation of a topologically linked branch polymer containing cyclodextrin

Macromolecules containing topological linkages made of α‐cyclodextrin (αCD) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were prepared by condensation of mono‐6‐O‐deoxy‐mono‐6‐amino‐α‐cyclodextrin (NH₂‐αCD) with PEG dicarboxylic acid (PEG‐diCOOH) having one carboxyl group at both chain ends. The analysis of ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectra of the condensation products showed completion of the condensation reaction between NH₂ and COOH groups, and the absence of ester linkages, thus indicating that all of the PEG chains carried one αCD molecule at both chain ends through amide linkages. Gel permeation chromatography analysis of these condensation products showed that NH₂‐αCD formed inclusion complexes with PEG‐diCOOH prior to condensation, resulting in macromolecules having topological linkages. In addition, the amount of the topological linkages increased with the increase of molecular weight of PEG‐diCOOH. This result shows that the complexation equilibrium of NH₂‐αCD with PEG‐diCOOH depends on the concentration of ethylene glycol units. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Post-translational modification and intracellular localization of a splice product of CD46 cloned from human testis: role of the intracellular domains in O-glycosylation

We obtained a unique CD46 cDNA, STc/CY4, from the human testis, the predicted amino acid sequence of which suggested the presence of a novel isoform of CD46. This message was present predominantly in the testis, and the predicted isoform possessed a short (11 amino acids) transmembrane section (TM) and an unidentified cytoplasmic tail (CY). When expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, this CD46 isoform underwent no O-glycosylation and was mostly retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. This unusual behaviour of the new isoform was due in part to the short TM and the unusual sequences of the CY. The molecular mass of this isoform was 42,000, approximately 20,000 smaller than conventional CD46. These properties of the STc/CY4 isoform were similar to those of sperm CD46. The only difference between sperm CD46 and the STc/CY4 isoform expressed on CHO cells was that only the latter possessed N-linked sugars of high mannose types. Since the STc/CY4 isoform may behave like sperm CD46 in cellular localization and post-translational modification, studies of sperm-egg interassociation were performed using hamster eggs and CHO cell clones expressing various isoforms including the STc/CY4. Rosette formation was seen most effectively between hamster eggs and STc/CY4-expressing CHO cells. These results infer that O-glycosylation perturbs CD46-mediated sperm-binding to eggs and thus sperm CD46 lacking O-linked sugars can serve as an adhesion molecule. The possible role of CD46 in fertilization and the structural differences between sperm and conventional CD46 are discussed.     

Role of free protein S and C4b binding protein in regulating the coagulant response to Escherichia coli

Previous studies showed that infusion of C4b-binding protein with sublethal Escherichia coli (E. coli) in the primate produced a consumptive coagulopathy followed by microvascular thrombosis and renal failure. The first objective of this study was to characterize the pathophysiology and mechanism of this phenomena following infusion of both these agents with emphasis on defining the role of free protein S. The second objective was to examine the relevance of this model to the hemolytic uremic syndrome. Infusion of C4b-binding protein alone reduced free protein S and decreased platelet concentration to 20% of baseline, whereas infusion of the C4b-binding protein/protein S complex did not. There was no activation of other inflammatory or coagulant factors. Infusion of sublethal E coli alone produced a transient inflammatory response with no reduction of free protein S. However, coinfusion of C4b-binding protein with sublethal E coli reduced free protein S and produced a thrombocytopenia, anemia, and a microvascular thrombotic response, whereas infusion of the C4b-binding protein/protein S complex with sublethal E coli did not. Studies comparing the effects of neutralizing (S-163) and nonneutralizing (S-145) antibodies with protein S coinfused with sublethal E coli produced similar contrasting results. Therefore, we concluded that neutralization of free protein S, and not some other property of C4b-binding protein influenced by protein S, accounted for this microvascular thrombotic response. This response is similar to the hemolytic uremic syndrome characterized by thrombocytopenia, anemia, shistocytosis, and renal glomerular thrombosis with uremia. Comparison of the respective renal histopathologic appearance supports this conclusion. This raises the possibility that inhibition of protein S activity (possibly by one of the forms of C4b-binding proteins) might be one of the factors contributing to microvascular thrombotic disorder, such as the hemolytic uremic syndrome.     

Requirement of different subdomains of calpastatin for calpain inhibition and for binding to calmodulin-like domains

Calpain requires Ca2+ for both proteolysis of its substrates and interaction with its endogenous inhibitor, calpastatin. The mechanism of inhibition of calpain by calpastatin has remained unsolved, although Nishimura and Goll [J. Biol. Chem. 266, 11842-11850 (1991)] reported that autolyzed calpain fragments containing calmodulin-like domains (CaMLDs) bound to an immobilized calpastatin column. We investigated the correlation between CaMLD-binding and calpain inhibition using immobilized columns of gene-engineered CaMLDs derived from the human mu-calpain large subunit and various recombinant calpastatin mutants. Among the four internally repetitive inhibitory domains of calpastatin, each having conserved regions A, B, and C, only domains 1 and 4 showed the binding activity. The region B deletion mutant of domain 1, retaining the CaMLD-binding ability, no longer had the calpain inhibition activity, and became susceptible to proteolysis. In contrast, a synthetic oligopeptide of region B with moderate calpain inhibition activity did not bind to the column. Domain 3 acquired the binding ability on substitution of region A with that of domain 1. These results suggest that calpain inhibition and binding to the CaMLDs are not correlated or mediated by different subdomains of calpastatin.     

A 24-b 50-ns digital image signal processor

A 50-ns digital image signal processor (DISP)-an image/video application-specific VLSI chip-is discussed. This chip integrates 538 K transistors and dissipates 1.4 W at a 40-MHz clock. It is based on a 24-b fixed-point architecture with a five-stage pipeline. The DISP features a real-time processing capability realized by an enhanced parallel architecture, video-oriented data processing functions, and an instruction cycle time that is typically 35 ns, and 50 ns at worst. This 50-ns cycle time allows the DISP to execute mor than 60-million operations per second (MOPS). High-density 1.0-μm CMOS technology allows numerous on-chip features, including specified resources optimized for image processing. This allows a flexible hardware implementation of various algorithms for picture coding. Several circuit design techniques that are intended to attain a fast instruction cycle are reviewed, including distributed instruction decoding and a hierarchical clocking circuit. The LSI has been designed by the extensive use of a cell-based design method. The processor incorporates a sophisticated testing function compatible with a cell-based design environment     

Photoelectrochemical properties of SrFeNb oxides having perovskite structure

Photoelectrochemical properties of Sr₂FeNbO₆, Sr_1.9Fe_1.1NbO_6?x and Sr₃FeNb₂O₉ having the perovskite structures were investigated using sintered pellets to determine the energy gap and the flat-band potential and to evaluate the electrochemical stability against the anodic decomposition. The energy gap determined was 1.9 eV for Sr₃FeNb₂O₉ and 2.3 eV for both Sr₂FeNbO₆ and Sr_1.9Fe_1.1NbO_6?x. The flat-band potential of these materials was found to be ca. 0.1 V positive of the reversible hydrogen electrode in measured solutions. The onset potential of anodic photocurrents did not coincide with the flat-band potential, however, being more positive than that and varied with the kind of redox electrolyte chosen. Probable causes for this phenomenon are briefly discussed.     

An analysis for design optimization of mesh-type high-speed opticalposition sensitive devices (MEPSDs)

An analysis is given for designing high-speed optical position-sensitive devices (PSDs) with mesh-type resistive layers used for reducing the junction capacitance. For the MEPSD, reduction of the capacitance is dependent on the selection of the strip width and strip distance, and they should be selected in such a way that the diffusion time of the carriers must not dominate the response time, compared with the RC time constant of the devices. This analysis includes the effect of the surface recombination velocity on the collected current, and it can be applied to the choice of the optimal parameters for designing the MEPSD. From the results it is found that MEPSD of 5×5 cm² can be designed to operate two orders of magnitude faster than the conventional-type PSD     

Specific interaction of starch and polyvinyl alcohols having long alkyl groups

Properties of aqueous solutions of blends of starch and polyvinyl alcohols (PVAs), having alkyl groups as side chains, or at one polymer chain end, were studied in terms of viscosity stability, and transparency. In the case of corn starch, PVAs having butyl, octyl, and dodecyl end groups, as well as PVA copolymers containing small amounts of vinyl versatate, together with itaconic acid, increased the stability of the blended solution. The aqueous solutions of PVA, having dodecyl end groups and oxidized starch blend, also showed good stability in viscosities and considerable increase in transparency, whereas conventional PVA and oxidized starch blend gave turbid aqueous solutions, followed by phase separation. The phenomena were assumed to arise from the interaction of the alkyl group in PVA with starch, forming a helical structure with the alkyl group in the hydrophobic internal part.