Development of effective detection method for Coxiella burnetii in mayonnaise by real-time PCR and investigation of C. burnetii contamination in commercial mayonnaise in Tokyo

A PCR method for the effective detection of Coxiella burnetii in commercially available mayonnaise was developed. Sample preparations were isolated from 50 g portions of each mayonnaise product by four successive extraction steps in phosphate buffer with 2.0 M NaCl. These extracts were then centrifuged at 20,000 x g for 60 min. DNA was isolated from the solution containing the precipitate with a commercial kit, and amplified quantitatively using real-time PCR that targeted the com1 region of C. burnetii. The recoveries of C. burnetii from 2 kinds of commercial mayonnaise specimens, with a baseline control of 1 x 10(7) particles of the Nine Mile phase II strain, were 85.0 +/- 6.0% and 72.0 +/- 0.4%, respectively. The determination limit of this method was 500 C. burnetii particles per 50 g of mayonnaise. The DNA specimens isolated from 50 different commercial mayonnaise samples sold in Tokyo using this method were amplified using both nested PCR and real-time PCR. No contamination by C. burnetii was detected in any of the mayonnaise samples.     

Rain attenuation from log-normal and Weibull raindrop-size distributions

The rain attenuation from 1 to 1000 GHz was calculated by using both log-normal and Weibull distributions for raindrop size. The results were compared with the recent microwave measurements from 8.4 to 312.5 GHz at the rain rateR = 50mm/h. The log-normal distribution leads to a higher estimate of attenuation than both the Weibull distribution and the experimental data.     

Amplitude Statistics of Sea-Ice Clutter Using a Millimeter Wave Radar

Sea-ice clutter was measured using a millimeter wave radar with frequency of 34.86GHz and pulse length of 30ns. To determine the sea-ice clutter amplitude statistics, we investigated the log-normal, Weibull, log-Weibull and K-distributions using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), which is more rigorous fit of the distribution to the data than the least-squares method. It is shown that the amplitude of sea-ice clutter obeys almost a log-Weibull distribution.     

A study on AIDS awareness and knowledge. Report II. Investigation of clinical technician, nurse and office staff

After ingestion of an unknown dose of detajmium, a 14-year-old female collapsed with asystolia. Resuscitation efforts were not successful. A medicolegal autopsy was carried out, and blood, liver and gastric content were extracted and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). After derivatization with acetic anhydride, detajmium and twelve of its derivatives and metabolites were identified. The main metabolic pathways include hydroxylation and subsequent O-methylation of the indol ring, and oxidation as well as reduction of the C-21 hydroxyl function. Cleavage of the N-alkyl side-chain is a further, possibly non-enzymatic degradation pathway. Artifact formation induced by acetylation included dehydratation of the hydroxyl function of C-21 and the N-alkyl side-chain. The detajmium concentration in blood of the decreased was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection (12 micrograms/ml).     

Microsatellite instability and frameshift mutations in the Bax gene in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma

Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) are at higher risk for cancer. Risk factors are duration of disease, extent of colitis, associated primary sclerosing cholangitis and possibly early onset of UC in childhood. Epithelial dysplasias are considered as precursors of colorectal cancer within the concept of an inflammation-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence. Dysplasia originates multifocally and is difficult to identify by colonoscopy. Histomorphological diagnosis can also be problematical. Surveillance programs utilize colonoscopy with random biopsies to diagnose dysplasia in patients with risk factors. The efficiency of these programs can be markedly increased when certain rules are applied. The ultimate aim must be to perform a proctocolectomy in patients at higher risk before invasive cancer develops. With only a few exceptions, colorectal cancer in UC can be treated by restorative proctocolectomy. Partial resection of the colon should be avoided because of the high frequency of occult carcinomas and multifocal carcinogenesis. There are first results that indicate a higher risk for malignant deterioration in the terminal ileum. After an ileoanal pouch procedure patients with chronic pouchitis seem to have a higher risk for dysplasia. At the moment the risk for malignancy cannot be calculated because of the relatively short follow-up time after ileoanal pouch procedures. However, it is recommended that after restorative proctocolectomy patients be followed by endoscopy and random biopsies for the rest of their lives.     

Influence of an insulated circular hole on thermal stress singularities at tips of a crack

On the basis of the steady-state two-dimensional theory of thermoelasticity, the influence of an insulated circular hole on the thermal stress singularities at the tips of a line crack, whose surface is cooled, is discussed. The crack is located arbitrarily in an infinite matrix. The method of continuous distribution of dislocations is extended by newly introducing a continuous distribution of quasi-Volterra dislocations corresponding to line heat sources. Replacing the crack by the continuous distributions of quasi-Volterra dislocations and edge dislocations, we obtain a set of simultaneous singular integral equations for dislocation density functions. By means of this method, the thermal stress singularities at the crack tips are estimated exactly and the stress intensity factors can be readily evaluated. The variations of the stress intensity factors and the initial direction of crack extension with the distance of the crack from the insulated circular hole and the angle of inclination of the crack are shown graphically.

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Résumé Sur la base d'une théorie bidimensionnelle en état statique de la thermoélasticité, on discute l'influence d'un trou circulaire sur les singularités des contraintes thermiques aux extrémités d'une fissure linéaire dont la surface est refroidie. La fissure est localisée arbitrairement dans une matrice infinie. La méthode de distribution continue des dislocations est généralisée par l'introduction d'une distribution continue de dislocations du type quasi Volterra correspondant à des sources de chaleur en ligne. En remplaçant la fissure par des distributions continues de dislocations du type quasi Volterra et par des dislocations-coin, on obtient une série d'intégrales singulières simultanées correspondant aux fonctions de densité de dislocations. Par cette méthode, les singularités de contraintes thermiques aux extrémités d'une fissure sont estimées de façon exacte et les facteurs d'intensité de contraintes peuvent être évaluées aisément. Les variations des facteurs d'intensité des contraintes ainsi que la direction initiale de l'extension de la fissure suivant la distance de la fissure à partir d'un trou circulaire isolé et l'angle d'inclinaison de la fissure sont exprimés graphiquement.

     

Angiomyolipoma of the lung

Extrarenal angiomyolipomas are rare tumors that have been reported in several organs, including the liver, reproductive organs, skin, and retroperitoneum. In this report, we present the clinicopathologic findings of an angiomyolipoma of the lung in a 67-year-old man with no history of tuberous sclerosis or lymphangioleiomyomatosis. To our knowledge, this is the second reported case of pulmonary angiomyolipoma. The tumor was coincidentally found in the left lower lung in association with a hemothorax. Our case was histologically identical to angiomyolipoma occurring in the kidney, but immunohistologic staining for HMB-45 was negative, similar to the first reported case.