Invasive group A streptococcal disease in Taiwan is not associated with the presence of streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin genes

We reviewed the clinical features of 44 patients with invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) disease who were treated at two teaching hospitals in southern Taiwan from 1991 to 1994. Genes encoding streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin types A (speA), B (speB), C (speC), and F (speF) and serotypes of M1, M6, and M12 were determined by polymerase chain reaction to target specific sequences in the 44 isolates recovered from these patients and in 28 isolates recovered from upper respiratory sites in 28 additional patients during the study period. The protease activity of these isolates was tested by using the casein plate method. Of the 44 patients with invasive diseases, 25 (57%) had no obvious underlying diseases, and 14 (32%) had preexisting neoplastic diseases or had previously used steroids. Twenty-five patients (57%) presented with cellulitis or necrotizing fasciitis, 24 (55%) had bacteremia, and eight (18%) had streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). Eight patients (18%) died of invasive GAS disease; seven had STSS, and seven had underlying diseases. All eight patients died within 48 hours after hospitalization. The presence of speA, speC, or speF was not implicated in any particular clinical syndrome in patients with invasive GAS disease. High-level protease activity and the M1 serotype of the isolates were significantly associated with the clinical signs of STSS and with mortality. M1 serotype and protease activity, as well as host immune status, might play significant roles in the pathogenesis of invasive GAS disease in Taiwan.     

A novel integration approach for combining the components to minimize a micro-fuel cell

This work employs porous silicon as a gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a micro-fuel cell. Pt catalyst is deposited on the surface of, and inside, the porous silicon by the physical vapor deposition (PVD) method, to improve the porous silicon conductivity. Porous silicon with Pt catalyst replaces traditional GDL, and the Pt metal that remains on the rib is used to form a micro-thermal sensor in a single lithographic process.     

Effect of Y2O3 Content on Microstructure of Gradient Bioceramic Composite Coating Produced by Wide-Band Laser Cladding

Hydroxyapatite (HA) ,a kind of bioactive materi-al , has wide application prospect in hard tissue re-placemen and repairment due to its si milar chemicalcomposition and crystallographic structure to that ofbone mineral[1 ,2]. Since HA has lowstrength (50 …     

Cardiovascular, renal, and neurohumoral responses to single large-volume paracentesis in patients with cirrhosis and diuretic-resistant ascites

OBJECTIVE: Large volume paracentesis is an effective treatment for refractory ascites, but the need for routine infusion of albumin or other volume expanders remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the short term effects of a single 5-L paracentesis without albumin replacement on total central blood volume, systemic and renal hemodynamics, sodium homeostasis, and neurohumoral factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twelve patients with biopsy-proven cirrhosis and tense, diuretic-resistant ascites were studied before and 48 h after a single 5-L paracentesis without albumin infusion. Systemic hemodynamics and total central blood volume were assessed using radionuclide angiography. Glomerular filtration rate and effective renal plasma flow were measured by inulin and para-aminohippurate clearances, respectively. Lithium clearance was used as an index of proximal tubular reabsorption of sodium. In addition, plasma concentrations of neurohumoral factors were determined. RESULTS: Total central blood volume was 2.41 +/- 0.33 L/m2 (mean +/- SEM) before and 2.34 +/- 0.18 L/m2 48 h after large volume paracentesis (p = 0.76). Similarly, no differences were detected in the cardiac index, glomerular filtration rate, effective renal plasma flow, urinary sodium excretion, hematocrit, plasma renin activity, or concentrations of plasma aldosterone, norepinephrine, or atrial natriuretic factor. CONCLUSIONS: A single large volume paracentesis without albumin replacement causes no disturbances in systemic and renal hemodynamics 48 h after the procedure. These results suggest that a single 5-L paracentesis without albumin infusion is a safe and satisfactory short term option for the management of patients with cirrhosis and tense, diuretic-resistant ascites.     

"Even", integral indicators in systemic mathematical analysis of fatigue

The article considers 3 different points of view on systemic mathematical analysis of human fatigue process. In this case, the same physiologic information is processed according to various algorithms for integral and digital estimates of lowered performance and energy expenditure, as well as indirect characteristics of inhibition and excitation processes in the brain cortex. The mathematical results are applied in computer forecasting of individual occupational risk at the specific workplace.     

Adherence clustering: an efficient method for mining market-basket clusters

We explore in this paper the efficient clustering of market-basket data. Different from those of the traditional data, the features of market-basket data are known to be of high dimensionality and sparsity. Without explicitly considering the presence of the taxonomy, most prior efforts on clustering market-basket data can be viewed as dealing with items in the leaf level of the taxonomy tree. Clustering transactions across different levels of the taxonomy is of great importance for marketing strategies as well as for the result representation of the clustering techniques for market-basket data. In view of the features of market-basket data, we devise in this paper a novel measurement, called the category-based adherence, and utilize this measurement to perform the clustering. With this category-based adherence measurement, we develop an efficient clustering algorithm, called algorithm k-todes, for market-basket data with the objective to minimize the category-based adherence. The distance of an item to a given cluster is defined as the number of links between this item and its nearest tode. The category-based adherence of a transaction to a cluster is then defined as the average distance of the items in this transaction to that cluster. A validation model based on information gain is also devised to assess the quality of clustering for market-basket data. As validated by both real and synthetic datasets, it is shown by our experimental results, with the taxonomy information, algorithm k-todes devised in this paper significantly outperforms the prior works in both the execution efficiency and the clustering quality as measured by information gain, indicating the usefulness of category-based adherence in market-basket data clustering.     

A D&T roundtable: challenges for low-power and high-performancechips

Microprocessor and other lC performance continues to improve at historic rates, with no visible end in sight for the next 10 years. However, we are starting to encounter a power wall. This is true for high-performance components as well as for low-power chips with a very limited energy budget offered by batteries. We need to find ways to manage power and energy consumption on all fronts-technology, design, and architecture-without compromising performance. Otherwise, we may face discontinuation of Moore's law for the semiconductor industry in the near future. This would be triggered not by any difficulty in the scaling of process technology but by formidable barriers posed by packaging and cooling, inefficacy of power delivery, and energy constraints dictated by battery technology, which is advancing at a very lukewarm pace     

Posterodorsal amygdaloid lesions in rats: long-term effects on body weight

Bilateral lesions in the most posterodorsal aspects of the amygdala in female rats resulted in immediate and dramatic weight gains on a standard lab chow diet. The rate of weight gain returned to normal by Day 20, but the difference in body weight between animals with amygdaloid lesions and those with sham lesions was maintained for the duration of the study (60 days). Because rats with posterodorsal amygdaloid lesions have also been found to be hyperinsulinemic, it is hypothesized that the lesions result in a similar, though smaller, version of the syndrome that follows lesions of the ventromedial hypothalamus.     

Mapping the active sites of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase and glycerol kinase with monoammine chromium(III) ATP

The 12 isomers of monoammine chromium(III) ATP have been used to probe the ATP binding sites of yeast 3-phosphoglycerate kinase and glycerol kinase from Candida mycoderma. Inhibition studies of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase show a dramatic decrease in isomer binding only when the ammonia is in the Delta axial facial anti position. This suggests an open site architecture with only one strong contact point between the coordination sphere and the enzyme surface. These results agree well with the computer modeling studies of bidentate chromium ATP into the nucleotide site determined by X-ray crystallography [McPhillips, T., et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 4118-4127]. Both methods describe an open site strongly supporting the validity of the inhibition studies. Inhibition studies of glycerol kinase show significant decreases in binding for all the tested ammonia positions, suggesting a closed site architecture with many contacts between the coordination sphere and the surface of the enzyme. This is in good agreement with X-ray studies [Hurley, T., et al. (1993) Science 259, 673-677] on the Escherichia coli glycerol kinase. Inhibition studies of hexokinase previously reported [Rawlings, J., et al. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 11204-11210] more closely resemble those of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase, suggesting the surprising result that however closely hexokinase and glycerol kinase are related structurally the site around the coordination sphere in hexokinase is functionally open like that of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase.