Nodular regenerative hyperplasia associated with primary antiphospholipid syndrome

Nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver is characterized by diffuse nodularity of the hepatic parenchyma without fibrotic septa. It may be related to venous or arterial obstruction in the portal tract. We report a case of primary antiphospholipid syndrome associated with nodular regenerative hyperplasia in a 45-year old woman. The patient had an ischemic stroke, associated with an acute arterial ischemia of the left leg. She had high titers of serum anticardiolipin antibodies. Nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver was histologically confirmed and was associated with anicteric cholestasis. This case provides additional evidence that a thrombotic mechanism may play a role in the pathogenesis of nodular regenerative hyperplasia of the liver.     

Characterization of CdTe Films Deposited at Various Bath Temperatures and Concentrations Using Electrophoretic Deposition

CdTe film was deposited using the electrophoretic deposition technique onto an ITO glass at various bath temperatures. Four batch film compositions were used by mixing 1 to 4 wt% concentration of CdTe powder with 10 mL of a solution of methanol and toluene. X-ray Diffraction analysis showed that the films exhibited polycrystalline nature of zinc-blende structure with the (111) orientation as the most prominent peak. From the Atomic Force Microscopy, the thickness and surface roughness of the CdTe film increased with the increase of CdTe concentration. The optical energy band gap of film decreased with the increase of CdTe concentration, and with the increase of isothermal bath temperature. The film thickness increased with respect to the increase of CdTe concentration and bath temperature, and following, the numerical expression for the film thickness with respect to these two variables has been established.     

Application of MPN-PCR in biosafety of Bacillus cereus s.l. for ready-to-eat cereals

Since Bacillus cereus is one of the important foodborne pathogens, it is interesting to investigate the biosafety of Bacillus spp. and B. cereus in ready-to-eat cereals marketed local supermarkets. For this investigation, the prevalence and enumeration of Bacillus spp. and B. cereus were assayed using MPN-PCR method. Results showed that 78% of the processed cereal products intended for direct consumption were positive for the presence of B. cereus with concentrations ranging from as low as 30 MPN/g to more than 24,000 MPN/g. The concentration obtained from this study also reflects on the differences in the contamination level between the infant food, raw cereals, cereal bars, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and pre-mixed drinks examined. Hence, application of the MPN-PCR method was found to be useful to address the biosafety concerns of B. cereus in ready-to-eat cereals.     

Constructing a Thin Disordered Self-Protective Layer on the LiNiO2 Primary Particles Against Oxygen Release

One of the major challenges facing the application of layered LiNiO₂ (LNO) cathode materials is the oxygen release upon electrochemical cycling. Here it is shown that tailoring the provided lithium content during synthesis process can create a disordered layered Li_1-xNi_1+xO₂ phase at the primary particle surface. The disordered surface, which serves as a self-protective layer to alleviate the oxygen loss, possesses the same layered rhombohedral structure (R$\overline{3}$m) as the inner core of primary particles of the Li_1-xNi_1+xO₂ (x ≈ 0). With advanced synchrotron-based x-ray 3D imaging and spectroscopic techniques, a macroporous architecture within the agglomerates of LNO with ordered surface (LNO-OS) is revealed after only 40 cycles, concomitant with the reduction of nickel on the primary particle surface throughout the whole secondary particles. Such chemomechanical degradation accelerates the deterioration of LNO-OS cathodes. Comparably, there are only slight changes in the nickel valence state and interior architecture of LNO with a thin disordered surface layer (LNO-DS) after cycling, mainly arising from an improved robustness of the oxygen framework on the surface. More importantly, the disordered surface can suppress the detrimental H2 ⇋ H3 phase transition upon cycling compared to the ordered one.