Erythema multiforme: a review of twenty cases

AIM: Evaluation of the clinical suitability of a new analytical method for the determination of bone mineral density (BMD) by means of SEQCT as well as a comparison with the established method. METHODS: In order to verify the stability of both systems, phantom measurements were performed on a lumbal spine torso as well as on 78 patients. 44 patients were examined by means of the established method and 34 according to the new method. Parallel measurements were possible in 15 patients. RESULTS: The phantom measurements proved a high stability of both methods. Regarding the absolute BMD the new method resulted in higher BMD values. This result was confirmed by parallel measurements in 15 patients. The new method demonstrated increased suitability due to less time consuming preparations. Dose reduced scan parameters could not be achieved in all patients, so that the time saving effect could not be considered. In these cases manual settings were required. CONCLUSION: A substitution of the established method for BMD measurement by means of SEQCT with the new method seems to be possible. However, the results will have to be corrected by the percentage of deviation from the default value of the quality phantom.     

Impact of gate oxide nitridation process on 1/f noise in 0.18 μm CMOS

The aim of this paper is to study the impact of the nitridation techniques on the 1/f noise performances of dual gate 0.18 μm CMOS transistors. Nitrogen is often introduced to prevent boron penetration in ultrathin oxides especially when BF₂ is used for the PMOS junction implantation, but as a result the MOS transistor exhibits higher 1/f noise because of the increased fixed trap density. We show how the nitridation process can be improved in terms of 1/f noise characteristics, in a fully integrated technology. Projections of the 1/f noise behaviour for different technologies are also shown, to emphasise how the 1/f noise becomes an issue when other downscaling properties are considered for analog/RF CMOS applications.     

Image quality evaluation for FIB-SEM images

Focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) tomography is a serial sectioning technique where an FIB mills off slices from the material sample that is being analysed. After every slicing, an SEM image is taken showing the newly exposed layer of the sample. By combining all slices in a stack, a 3D image of the material is generated. However, specific artefacts caused by the imaging technique distort the images, hampering the morphological analysis of the structure. Typical quality problems in microscopy imaging are noise and lack of contrast or focus. Moreover, specific artefacts are caused by the FIB milling, namely, curtaining and charging artefacts. We propose quality indices for the evaluation of the quality of FIB-SEM data sets. The indices are validated on real and experimental data of different structures and materials.     

Acute leukemias after treatment with radioiodine for thyroid cancer

Leukemia is an uncommon complication of exposure to radioiodine (131I), used in treatment of thyroid cancer, because low doses are now used. We report two cases of acute myelogenous leukemia developed after the treatment of a thyroid carcinoma with a small dose of 131I.     

Normal and clonal B lineage cells can be distinguished by their differential expression of B cell antigens and adhesion molecules in peripheral blood from multiple myeloma (MM) patients--diagnostic and clinical implications

Human MM is a haematologic disorder characterized by the accumulation of malignant plasma cells (PC), primarily in the bone marrow (BM). Although these cells characteristically home to the BM, in recent years several groups have detected the presence of related malignant B cells in the peripheral blood (PB) which could be implicated in the progression and spread of the disease. However, the proportion and origin of these clonotypic circulating B cells is still controversial. In this study, using a triple-staining flow cytometric procedure and a whole blood lysis method, PB B lineage cells could be divided into two populations according to their distinct repertoires of cell adhesion molecules and B cell antigens in untreated MM patients. The results show that: (i) the percentage and the absolute number of PB CD19+ B cells were decreased in MM patients compared with controls; (ii) the quantity and percentage of B cell antigens (CD20, CD22, CD24, DR, CD138) and adhesion molecules (beta1- and beta2-integrins, CD44, CD54, CD56, CD61 and CD62L) expressed by these PB CD19+ cells of MM patients and healthy subjects were similar and all of them were virtually polyclonal cells; (iii) a very minor circulating CD19-CD38++CD45-/dim subset was also detected which expressed CD138 (B-B4) (high intensity), monoclonal cytoplasmic immunoglobulin (cIg), and was negative for pan-B antigens (CD19, CD20, CD24, DR), surface immunoglobulin (sIg) and several adhesion molecules such as CD62L, CD18 and CD11a; this CD19-CD38++CD45-/dim CD138++ subset was not found in normal blood and exhibited a phenotypic profile which was closely related to that of malignant BM plasma cells, with the exception of the CD56 antigen. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of IgH clonotypic rearrangements confirmed these results. We postulate that, in MM patients, circulating B lineage cells may be divided into two different categories: polyclonal CD19+ B cells and a very minor proportion of clonal CD138++ PC that escape from the BM.     

Sex differences in EEG in adult gonadectomized rats before and after hormonal treatment

EEG activity was recorded from the left and right parietal cortex in adult male and female Wistar rats that were gonadectomized (GNX) after puberty during 2 days without and 3 days with hormonal treatment (either testosterone propionate, 5 alpha-DHT or vehicle in males and progesterone, estradiol benzoate or vehicle in females). In contrast to EEG characteristics reported for intact rats, GNX abolished right over left parietal activation in both sexes and, sex differences in EEG interhemispheric correlation and in theta and delta relative power in the right parietal; additionally GNX males showed higher absolute power than females. Hormonal treatment reestablished interparietal asymmetry in both sexes and a lack of sex differences in absolute power, however, it was not enough to reestablish sex differences in delta and theta proportion in the right parietal nor in interhemispheric correlation. Differential effects were obtained with testosterone propionate and 5 alpha-DHT in males suggesting that activational effects of testosterone on EEG are probably exerted through testosterone or its aromatized metabolites. The results of our study indicate that the activational effects of gonadal steroids after puberty are necessary for maintaining sex differences in the EEG of the adult rat.     

Microscopic polyangiitis: a case report]

Vertebral osteomyelitis arising from an enteric fistula in patients with inflammatory bowel disease is rare. We report on a patient with Crohn's disease who developed an enteric fistula, resulting in a presacral abscess and vertebral osteomyelitis involving the L4 and L5 vertebral bodies and related disc spaces. This was managed by a defunctioning colostomy with drainage of the pre-sacral abscess. The vertebral lesion was successfully managed non-operatively.     

Field Observations of Ipanema Beach Outfall

Field observations of the Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ocean sewage outfall were obtained by adding dye tracers to the effluent and simultaneously measuring oceanographic conditions. Four experiments were performed, two during unstratified conditions, and two during stratified conditions. When stratified, the plume was trapped below the thermocline with low dilution, around 35 to 1, when unstratified, the plume surfaced and the dilution increased to more than 100 to 1. The results were compared with predictions of some commonly used near field plume mathematical models: UM3, RSB, and CORMIX. With suitable assumptions, all the models reasonably predict near field dilution. RSB predicts near field results directly; for UM3 and CORMIX, it was assumed that the end of the near field occurs when the plume reaches its terminal rise height or impacts the free surface. Different assumptions about the shape of the density profiles in CORMIX resulted in widely differing predictions of dilution. While the gross properties of the plume can be reasonably predicted by plume models, there remain many aspects which cannot be, particularly the patchy nature of the wastefield that has been observed here and in other field tests.     

Small-molecule negative modulators of adrenomedullin: design, synthesis, and 3D-QSAR study

Adrenomedullin (AM) is a peptidic hormone that was isolated in 1993, the function of which is related to several diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. Compound 1 is one of the first nonpeptidic small-molecule negative modulators of AM, identified in a high-throughput screen carried out at the National Cancer Institute. Herein we report the synthesis of a series of analogues of 1. The ability of the synthesized compounds to disrupt the binding between AM and its monoclonal antibody has been measured, together with surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based binding assays as implemented with Biacore technology. These data were used to derive a three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) model, with a q(2) (LOO) value of 0.8240. This study has allowed us to identify relevant features for effective binding to AM: the presence of a hydrogen-bond donor group and an aromatic ring. Evaluation of the ability of selected compounds to modify cAMP production in Rat2 cells showed that the presence of a free carboxylic acid is essential for negative AM modulation.