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.     

Does mixed venous desaturation during a bed bath indicate cardiopulmonary decompensation in postoperative cardiac patients?]

The bed bath procedure consists of cleansing patients' body, passive position change, changing gown and making a bed. During the procedure, mixed venous desaturation was observed consistently in postoperative cardiac patients. We investigated the cause of the phenomenon in 22 patients undergoing cardiac surgery in their first postoperative day. The patients were breathing oxygen-enriched air via a Venturi mask. Cardiac index (CI), transluminal SvO2, arterial blood gas, Hb, DO2, VO2, FIO2, A-aDO2 and Qp/Qs were measured before and during the bed bath, while the patients were in the supine and left lateral position, respectively. Mean 8.5 +/- 1.5 minutes were required to complete the bed bath. During the bed bath, SvO2 decreased from 71 +/- 7% to 59 +/- 9% (P < 0.001), and returned to the baseline 6.5 +/- 7.4 minutes after the completion of the bed bath. VO2 increased markedly from 128 +/- 27 to 194 +/- 47 ml.min-1.m-2 (P < 0.001), while DO2 increased slightly from 480 +/- 91 to 513 +/- 110 ml.min-1.m-2 (P < 0.05). Among the determinants of DO2, CI increased slightly from 3.3 +/- 0.6 to 3.6 +/- 0.8 l.min-1.m-2, Hb remained unchanged and SaO2 decreased from 98.5 +/- 0.8 to 98.0 +/- 1.1%. FIO2 also decreased, while A-aDO2 and Qp/Qs remained unchanged. There was a negative correlation between VO2 change and SvO2 change, but no correlation between DO2 change and SvO2 change. There was a positive correlation between SaO2 change and SvO2 change, as well as between FIO2 change and SaO2 change. Therefore, the major cause of mixed venous desaturation was not the decreased DO2 or cardiopulmonary decompensation but the increased VO2 due to increased activity of the skeletal muscles. However, the decrease in SaO2 due to markedly increased O2 demand and the limited increase in CI might partially contribute to the marked decline in SvO2 through the limited increase in DO2.     

A case of inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver causing elevated serum CA19-9 levels

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver is a rare lesion characterized by proliferating fibrovascular tissue admixed with inflammatory cells. A 50-yr-old Japanese man was hospitalized because of upper abdominal pain and high fever. Computed tomography revealed a poorly demarcated, low density mass in the left lobe of the liver, and abnormal laboratory findings included WBC 9340/mm3, CRP 10.5 mg/dl, and marked elevation of CA19-9 to 1167.9 U/ml. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed irregularity of the intrahepatic bile duct of the left lateral segment, and the lateral segmental branches of the portal vein were not visualized on the venous phase of abdominal angiography. Ultrasound-guided liver biopsy was performed, but malignant disease, including intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, could not be completely ruled out. The patient underwent left hepatic lobectomy with lymph node dissection. Histopathological examination yielded a definitive diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumor. The lesion was immunohistochemically stained for CA19-9 by the ABC method, and the biliary epithelium in severely inflamed portal canals was found to be positive. The markedly elevated preoperative level of CA 19-9 decreased to almost within the normal range and the patient remains well 2 yr 9 months after surgery, without any complications.     

New catalytic functions of Pd–Zn, Pd–Ga, Pd–In, Pt–Zn, Pt–Ga and Pt–In alloys in the conversions of methanol

Pd and Pt supported on ZnO, Ga₂O₃ and In₂O₃ exhibit high catalytic performance for the steam reforming of methanol, CH₃OH+H₂OCO₂+3HH₂, and the dehydrogenation of methanol to HCOOCH₃, 2CH₃OHHCOOCH₃+2HH₂. Combined results with temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and XRD method revealed that Pd–Zn, Pd–Ga, Pd–In, Pt–Zn, Pt–Ga and Pt–In alloys were produced upon reduction. Over the catalysts having the alloy phase, the reactions proceeded selectively, whereas the catalysts having metallic phase exhibited poor selectivities.     

Fibrous support for immobilization of enzymes

A poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) fiber support incorporating various aminoacetal functional groups has been developed for immobilizing enzymes. The aminated PVA fiber seems to adsorb enzymes with electrostatic force of attraction; thus the immobilization procedure is simple. By the use of this fiber having immobilized enzymes, the reaction between enzymes and substrates is nearly independent of the size of subtstrates. This newly developed type of fiber, which is formed by a mass superfine fibers (SFF), each measuring 1 μm or less in diameter, permits much more increased surface area than the conventional enzyme immobilization supports. Our studies of the properties of the fiber for immobilization of enzymes show the following results: (1) SFF has a greater ability for the immobilization of invertase than ordinary fibers; (2) dimethyl-aminated SFF has the best performance for the immobilization of invertase. From these results, it is concluded that the dimethyl-aminated SFF is an excellent support for the immobilization of invertase.     

工艺参数对陶瓷注射成型的影响与分析

本研究通过改变注射温度，注射压力，保压压力等几个主要参数，对形状，体积不同的注射成型体，试条，圆柱及子部件进行了一系列注射工艺实验。相应地对成型体的密度，弯曲强度及烧结体的密度和强度进行测量，并从陶瓷注射成型混合物的流动行为，热物理特性方面对注射这一复杂过程进行分析，探讨工艺参数对成型过程的内在影响，从而确定合理的注射工艺条件。     

Kinetic study on the first stage during thermal degradation of polystyrene

The kinetic parameters of the first stage of polystyrene degradation have been investigated to elucidate the reaction mechanisms using the flow reactor system. The decrease in molecular weight of polystyrene was recorded at minute intervals over the temperature range 310°–390°C. Generally, the first and second stages were observed by thermogravimetric analysis (t.g.a.), however in the early stage of the degradation volatile yields of at least 5% occurred. Therefore, using t.g.a. analysis it is difficult to detect this earlier stage. It became evident that the first stage in the earlier part of the reaction could be detected by g.p.c. analysis. We have observed the hidden kinetic parameters of the nature of the first stage of the polystyrene degradation. The results indicate that the main chains were degraded randomly with the small quantitative volatile groups in the first stage and the rates of decrease in molecular weight in the first stage against reaction temperatures were evaluated as log k_s = 12.0 ? 41300/RT.     

Anodic Dissolution of Uranium Mononitride in Lithium Chloride-Potassium Chloride Eutectic Melt

Uranium-plutonium nitride is a candidate fuel for fast reactors, but its major drawback is ¹⁴C formation from natural nitrogen. One would probably have to use highly ¹⁵N-enriched nitrogen. A pyrochemical process with molten-salt electroreflning has been proposed as a means to increase the nuclear proliferation resistance of the fuel cycle. Molten-salt electroreflning could also be applied to nitride fuels to make possible the recycling of ¹⁵N. The anodic dissolution behavior of UN in LiCI-KCI melt was studied to provide the basis for a feasibility study of electroreflning of irradiated nitride fuels.     

Internal fracture of notched epoxy resins

The brittle fracture of round-notched epoxy resin bars subjected to plane strain bending has been studied at varying strain rates. Observations of fracture processes and surface morphologies revealed that the internal crack was nucleated at the plastic-elastic boundary when the plastic deformation zone at the notch root reached a certain size. A slip-line field theory allows calculation of the stress components at the plastic-elastic boundary from a knowledge of the location of the internal crack. An analysis of the data concluded that the triaxial stress level ahead of the plastic zone was raised by plastic constraints to an ideal fracture stress which is considerably larger than that of glassy thermoplastics.     

Evaluation of hydrogen absorption properties of Ti–0.2 mass% Pd alloy in fluoride solutions

The hydrogen absorption properties of Ti–0.2 mass% Pd (Ti–0.2Pd) alloy in 2.0% and 0.2% acidulated phosphate fluoride (APF) and neutral 2.0% NaF solutions (25 °C) has been evaluated by hydrogen thermal desorption analysis. During the early stage of immersion (120 h) in the 2.0% APF solution, the amount of absorbed hydrogen was lower than 500 mass ppm. A thermal desorption of hydrogen primary appearing with a peak at 500–600 °C and a broad desorption ranging from 100 to 400 °C were observed. In the 0.2% APF solution, the amount of absorbed hydrogen saturated at 100–200 mass ppm; the thermal desorption of hydrogen appeared with a single peak at 550 °C. In the 2.0% NaF solution, hydrogen absorption was negligible even after 1000 h of immersion, although corrosion pits were observed. The results of the present study suggest that the hydrogen absorption of Ti–0.2Pd alloy, as compared with commercial pure titanium, is suppressed in fluoride solutions.