Botulinum toxin for neurological disorders in a movement disorders clinic in Singapore

AIM OF STUDY: This study was done to examine the usefulness of botulinum toxin A injections in treating various neurological disorders such as hemifacial spasm, blepharospasm, focal dystonia and task-specific dystonia. METHODS: This was a prospective, open-labelled trial of patients seen in a Movement Disorders Clinic with dyskinesias potentially treatable with botulinum toxin. All patients were assessed before and after injections using clinical rating scales, and those with focal and task-specific dystonias were also recorded on videotape. RESULTS: There were 102 patients with hemifacial spasm, 3 with blepharospasm, 13 with neck dystonia, 6 with writer's cramp, I with musician's cramp, and I with jaw dystonia. All patients with hemifacial spasm and blepharospasm obtained good results, while 77% of those with cervical dystonia received substantial benefit. Only half of those with writer's cramp improved. Hemifacial spasm seems more prevalent in Singapore compared with Western populations. CONCLUSION: Injections of botulinum toxin are useful in treating the various neurological disorders studied. This is an advancement in the treatment of these dyskinesias which respond poorly to oral medications.     

Structural and gas-sensing properties of nanometre tin oxide prepared by PECVD

A low-temperature plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) technique has been employed to produce ultrafine tin oxide powders. The structural features and phase transition of this material have been characterized using differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy (IR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The oxygen absorption behaviour and gassensing properties have been investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrical measurements. Thick film gas sensors made from such ultrafine SnO₂ powders yield better sensitivities than those of normal undoped SnO₂ gas sensors. A gas-sensing reaction mechanism is also proposed.     

网格生成方法在APFSDS及弹托干扰流场计算中的应用

介绍APFSDS及弹托干扰流场数值模拟中的网格生成方法及其应用。利用等比数列网格生成技术，三维弧长生成技术以及拼接技术生成计算网格。该方法具有简明、快捷的特点。在临近物面的地方具有较好的贴体性和正交性。在计算脱壳穿甲弹和弹托之间的干扰时，将弹托简化为带圆弧的楔形块，计算结果比较令人满意。     

Variants of chromosome 9 in phenotypically normal individuals

The human chromosome 9 displays the highest degree of structural variability. Four different types of variants are described including pericentric inversion, extra G-positive band in the q arm, additional G-positive band in the p arm and duplication of band 9q21-q22. It is important to demonstrate inheritance from a phenotypically normal individual in order to differentiate between a variant chromosome and an abnormal chromosome.     

Recent developments in the understanding of antinuclear autoantibodies

Cytological identification of soybean mitotic metaphase chromosomes (2n = 40) has been severely limited by their small size and uniform karyomorphology. We have developed fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), PCR-primed in situ labelling (PCR-PRINS) procedures, and molecular probes for routine cytological identification and for the physical mapping of soybean somatic chromosomes. Chromosome preparation has been achieved by modifications of previous protocols and through the preparation of root-tip protoplasts prior to chromosome spreading. Initially our probe selection focused on highly repeated DNAs that provide very intense localized hybridization signals. Repetitive gene probes that have proven valuable include the rDNA loci (5S and 45S) which are chromosome specific. We have also developed satellite DNA probes for two different sequence families: the SB92 and the STR120 satellites. Both of these are tandemly arranged at multiple chromosomal loci. By using different cloned examples of each family, we have been able to selectively label unique subsets of soybean chromosomes. Double hybridization with biotin and digoxigenin labeled probes has allowed us to determine the chromosomal overlap between different probes. In addition, we have joined portions of the metaphase chromosome painting patterns with the genetic map by single-copy FISH and PCR-PRINS detection of the RFLP loci G8.15, G17.3, and A199a and A199b. Total genomic DNA in situ hybridization (GISH) patterns were also used to characterize the soybean chromosomes.     

Compressive and tribological properties of Al2O3 fibre and hexagonal BN particle hybrid reinforced Al-Si alloys

Al₂O₃ fibre-hexagonal BN particle hybrid reinforced aluminium-silicon alloys were fabricated by centrifugal force infiltration route. Hardness test and ultimate compressive test results are reported. The wear and friction properties of hybrid MMCs was investigated by means of a block-on-ring (bearing steel) type wear rig in a dry sliding condition. It is shown that the hardness and ultimate compressive strength of hybrid MMCs was evidently decreased with the addition of hexagonal BN particles, however, the wear rate and coefficient of friction of hybrid MMCs was improved simultaneously with increase of BN particle volume fraction, especially for the higher applied loads in the test.     

利用假单胞菌天冬氨酸－β－脱羧酶高效生产L－丙氨酸

通过诱变筛选得到一株具有高活性Ｌ－Ａｓｐ－β－脱羧酶的菌株ＰｓｅｕｄｏｍｏｎａｓＮＸ－１，对该株酶形成和酶反应的条件进行了详细研究，该株可以高效地转化Ｌ－Ａｓｐ生成Ｌ－ＡＩａ，转化４～５山每Ｌ培养液可转化Ｌ－Ａｓｐ量高达１４００ｇ左右，生成Ｌ－Ａｌａ浓度高达９０％以上，摩尔转化率近１００％。     

复相陶瓷导电性与其粒径级配的关系研究

通过对无序渗流模型的修正，建立了具有不同特征尺寸的两相无序体系的导电模型，推导了相关关系式，将其结果与相复合导电陶瓷的实验结果进行了比较，结论相当一致。由此揭示了陶瓷生料的两相粒径分布对复合导电陶瓷导电性的影响。