Lipopolysaccharide primes human alveolar macrophages for enhanced release of superoxide anion and leukotriene B4: self-limitations of the priming response with protein synthesis

Human alveolar macrophages (AM) can produce potent reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) and arachidonic acid metabolites (eicosanoids), which have important roles in host defense and the pathogenesis of some diseases of the lung. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is believed to cause profound lung injury and can prime mouse peritoneal macrophages for the enhanced secretion of ROI and eicosanoids. Therefore, we investigated the effect of LPS pretreatment on the ability of AM to release superoxide anions (O2-) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4). LPS can prime AM for the enhanced secretion of O2- and LTB4, regardless of whether they are derived from nonsmokers or smokers. Moreover, judging from the time-response characteristics, this priming for LTB4 release could be inhibited in the later stages of pretreatment, when the O2(-)-releasing capacity was enhanced. The priming inhibition was prevented, at least in part, by cycloheximide, but not by SOD and/or catalase. In addition, cycloheximide also inhibited the priming for O2- release. Hence, protein synthesis might be necessary for the priming for O2- release and for inhibiting the priming for LTB4 release. This phenomenon of self-limiting the priming response with LPS seems to be very important when we consider the high oxygen tension in the lungs and the many bacterial substances inspired into alveoli.     

Construction of the plasmid PMEX8-HAK1 and random site-directed mutagenesis of human cytosolic adenylate kinase

The pMEX8-hAK1 vector was devised from the pAK plasmid (Kim J. H. et al., 1989, Protein Engineering 5, 379-386), which could directly express human adenylate kinase proteins without recombination and its single strand DNA could be withdrawn with helper phage for random site-directed mutagenesis. The conserved key residues at Lys21, Lys27, and Thr39 were engineered to obtain mutants for kinetic analysis. Three mutants were obtained as K21P, K27R, and T39S, their specific activities were strikingly reduced compared to those of wild type adenylate kinase. This pMEX8-hAK1 will be a powerful tool for site-directed mutagenesis to detect the substrate-enzyme interaction for human adenylate kinase including various other enzymes.     

Control of volatile organic compounds by an AC energizedferroelectric pellet reactor and a pulsed corona reactor

Two laboratory-scale plasma reactors, an alternating current (AC) energized ferroelectric (high dielectric ceramic) packed bed reactor and a nanosecond pulsed corona reactor, were constructed. This study was done to develop baseline engineering data to demonstrate the feasibility of the application of plasma reactors to the destruction of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at PPM levels. Complete destruction was obtained for toluene. Conversions of methylene chloride at 95% and trichlorotrifluoroethane (known as CFC-113) at 67% were achieved for the plasma reactors used. The conversion was dependent on the mean electron energy in the reactor and was also related to how strongly halogen species were bonded with carbon     

Three-dimensional pin power reconstruction for the axially heterogeneous region in BWR

A three-dimensional pin power reconstruction method was proposed and verified by applying to the axially heterogeneous region problem of the BWR core calculation. Because the production assembly calculation has been carried out by two-dimensional deterministic calculation methods like current coupling collision probability or the method of characteristics, it has been difficult to predict the detailed three-dimensional heterogeneous pin power distribution of the axially heterogeneous region. Consequently, only radial intranodal homogeneous power distributions have been considered, and axial intranodal homogeneous power distributions have not been considered in the estimation of linear-heat-generation-ratio at common BWR core calculations.     

Formation and retention of local melted films in AZ91 friction stir spot welds

The formation of local melted films during friction stir spot welding of as-cast AZ91D and thixomolded AZ91 material is investigated. The average temperatures close to the tip of the rotating pin vary from 438 to 454 °C during the dwell period in friction stir spot welding. These measured temperature values are higher than the melting temperature of α-Mg + Mg₁₇Al₁₂ eutectic (437 °C). It is suggested that the temperature in the stir zone during the dwell period is determined by the relative proportions of α-Mg and (α-Mg + Mg₁₇Al₁₂) eutectic material, which are incorporated during friction stir spot welding. Based on the stir zone temperature measurements and a detailed examination of material located at the root of the pin thread it is suggested that material is moved downwards via the pin thread and into the stir zone during the dwell period in friction stir spot welding. Evidence of local melted film formation is observed in the stir zone of AZ91 spot welds. It is suggested that melted films are retained since their dissolution rate is much slower in the high temperature stir zone than it is when melted films is formed in the stir zone during Al 7075-T6 friction stir spot welding. The spontaneous melting temperature, solute diffusion rate and the thermodynamic driving force for droplet dissolution are much higher during Al 7075-T6 friction stir spot welding.     

Non-linear current–voltage characteristics related to native defects in SrTiO3 and ZnO bicrystals

SrTiO₃ and ZnO bicrystals with various types of boundaries were fabricated in order to examine their current–voltage characteristics across single grain boundaries. Their grain boundary structures were also investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. In Nb-doped SrTiO₃, electron transport behaviors depend on the type of boundaries. Random type boundaries exhibit highly non-linear current–voltage characteristics, while low angle boundaries show a slight non-linearity. On the contrary, undoped ZnO does not exhibit non-linear current–voltage characteristics in any type of boundaries including random ones. It is suggested that the differences observed in current–voltage properties between the two systems are mainly due to the difference in the accumulation behavior of acceptor-like native defects at grain boundaries. A clear non-linearity is obtained by means of Co-doping even for the highly coherent Σ1 boundary in a ZnO bicrystal. This is considered to result from the production of acceptor-like native defects by Co-doping.     

Phase and amplitude comparison between experiment and calculation of ultrabroad-band pulses generated in a taper fiber

Using a cross-correlation frequency-resolved optical gating apparatus, the phases and amplitudes of ultrabroad-band optical pulses from a taper fiber have been measured for various input pulse peak powers. The measured waveforms have been compared with calculated waveforms using a finite-difference in the frequency domain method, in which no envelope approximations were used and the variation of the taper shape was taken into account. Excellent agreement between the measured and the calculated waveforms was obtained when the additional dispersion of a normal fiber and an objective was considered.     

Epstein-Barr virus-positive multiple early gastric cancers and dysplastic lesions: a case report

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated as a causal virus of gastric cancer with episomal monoclonality, elevated antibodies and a unique morphologic expression in the early intramucosal stage, but the infection mechanisms have not been demonstrated. EBV has been shown only in the cancerous lesions by the highly sensitive EBV-encoded small RNA in situ hybridization (EBER-ISH) method, not in the dysplastic mucosa adjacent to the cancer. A case is presented of multiple EBV-positive gastric cancer and dysplastic epithelium observed in a 52-year-old man. Serial cut sections of the gastrectomy specimen showed four small cancerous lesions, three of which were EBER-positive, and three EBER-positive, minute, non-cancerous dysplastic lesions. The three cancerous lesions were intramucosal cancer, with one having minimal submucosal invasion forming a lymphoepithelioma-like histology. All of these EBER-positive cancerous and dysplastic lesions showed intense CD8 T-lymphocytic infiltration. There was no such findings in the EBV-negative cancerous lesion. It was concluded that EBV infection may occur in the epithelial cells of atrophic gastric mucosa, and progress to cancer with monoclonal expansion through the EBV-positive dysplastic change. Cytotoxic T-lymphocytic reactions can occur even in the dysplastic lesions. Multifocal EBV infection in the gastric mucosa may occur and, if necessary, total gastrectomy is recommended in such a case.     

Intramolecular triplet energy migration in poly(2-vinylnaphthalene) and poly(naphthylalkyl methacrylate)s in solid solution: Effects of side chain length

Summary The effect of side chain length on intramolecular triplet energy migration of naphthalene containing polymers was investigated by a delayed fluorescence (DF) spectroscopy for the solid solution of the polymers. The degree of triplet energy migration depends strongly on whether the chromophores are directly attached to the main chain or not.