A unique method for reducing losses of bends in dielectric optical wave guide

The dielectric optical wave guide is finding growing attention at millimeter wave frequencies. However the dielectric optical waveguide radiates at bends and thus transmission loss increases. These radiations are in the outword direction of bends. This output radiation at output bends arises due to change in phase velocities of the propagating wave at the centre of the dielectric guide and the phase velocity at the outer surface of the dielectric guide. A unique methiod is suggested to avoid these radiation losses.Experimental results are also shown at microwave frequencies.     

Carriers for precipitating nucleic acids

One hundred and forty nine patients underwent thyroid and parathyroid surgery over a nine year period. The most common indications for surgery were the presence of a solitary thyroid nodule (56%) or the onset of pressure symptoms (30%). Carcinoma was found in 7.4% of cases. Wound complications occurred in 5%. The permanent nerve injury rate was 0.67%. The incidence of permanent hypothyroidism after surgery was 4%. No patients developed permanent hypoparathyroidism.     

Thorn apple poisoning

A 20-year-old man presented with signs of thornapple intoxication: restlessness, disorientation, hallucinations, euphoria, and furthermore dry and red skin and symmetrical dilation of the pupils. Thornapple intoxication mimics atropine intoxication. Thorn apples (Datura stramonium) are seemingly becoming popular as a hallucinogenic drug. When the symptoms are mild gastric lavage leaving active charcoal in the stomach afterwards will suffice. In case of severe symptoms treatment with physostigmine is indicated.     

Clinical course of isolated ventricular septal defect: an Indian experience

To define the clinical course of ventricular septal defect, 410 consecutive patients with isolated ventricular septal defect were evaluated over a period of 13 years. Their age ranged from 12 days to 24 years at the time of first visit to the hospital. Patients with less than 2 years follow-up period were excluded. One hundred and fifty seven patients were one year of age or less. The left to right shunt size remained the same in 52.4% of cases. In 34.4% the shunt size decreased, with complete closure of ventricular septal defect in 8.8%. Closure of ventricular septal defect was observed even in patients who had initially presented with large left to right flow, and congestive heart failure in infancy. Right ventricular outflow tract obstruction developed in 8.5% of patients usually between 2 and 10 years of age. Murmur of aortic regurgitation appeared in 8.9% on follow-up. Infective endocarditis developed in 6 cases. The unfortunate complication of Eisemenger's complex was seen in 3 patients; they had not returned for follow up for a long period of time. Hence, our data show that the left to right shunt across the ventricular septal defect decreases in about one-third of patients. However, a regular follow up is essential to prevent development of Eisenmenger's complex and for early detection of other complications like aortic regurgitation and right ventricular outflow tract obstruction.     

Fetal and maternal lipoprotein metabolism in human pregnancy complicated by type I diabetes mellitus

Serum lipid, apolipoprotein concentration, and lipoprotein composition were determined in maternal and umbilical venous cord blood at delivery by elective Cesarean section (CS) in 10 singleton, full-term pregnancies with maternal insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type I DM), which predated pregnancy, and in 22 nondiabetic pregnancies. The objectives of the study were to determine the influence of maternal type I DM, and hence potential fetal overnutrition on fetal lipid metabolism. There were no significant differences in gestational age, fetal weight, or fetal serum insulin concentration between the type I DM group and those with nondiabetic pregnancies, although fetal venous cord blood glucose was 3.4 mmol/L (3.0-4.5 mmol/L) (median and 25th-75th percentiles) and 2.9 mmol/L (2.0-3.4 mmol/L), respectively, and maternal Hemoglobin A1c [9.6% (8.2-10.7%) and 6.8% (6.3-7.8%), respectively], was significantly greater in the type I DM subjects (P < 0.02 and 0.002 respectively). Plasma nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations were lower in the type I DM mothers [0.85 mmol/L (0.56-2.31 mmol/L) compared with 1.14 mmol/L (0.88-1.24 mmol/L] in nondiabetic pregnancies; P < 0.0001). Serum high-density lipoprotein phospholipids (HDL-PL) were increased in type I DM mothers because of elevated HDL2 phospholipid [0.39 mmol/L (0.27-0.48 mmol/L) compared with 0.12 mmol/L (0.06-0.21 mmol/L), respectively, P < 0.01). The maternal HDL cholesterol (C) concentration was not significantly different in the uncomplicated and type I DM pregnancies. However, in the umbilical venous cord blood, serum levels of NEFA [0.49 mmol/L (0.33-1.29 mmol/L) in type I DM compared with 0.13 mmol/L (0.06-0.33 mmol/L) in nondiabetics; P < 0.02)], total cholesterol (TC) [2.87 mmol/L (1.65-4.86 mmol/L) in type I DM compared with 1.65 mmol/L (1.46-1.87 mmol/L) in nondiabetics; P < 0.02]; free cholesterol (FC) [0.97 mmol/L (0.60-1.26 mmol/L) in type I DM compared with 0.62 mmol/L (0.37-0.75 mmol/L) in nondiabetics; P < 0.05), and cholesteryl ester (CE) [1.90 mmol/L (1.44-3.33 mmol/L) in type I DM compared with 1.01 mmol/L (0.83-1.24 mmol/L) in nondiabetics; P < 0.02), triglyceride (TG) (1.06 [0.50-1.91) mmol/L in type I DM compared with 0.29 [0.25-0.36] mmol/l in nondiabetics; P < 0.001), phospholipid (PL) (2.52 [1.73-3.03) mmol/L in type I DM compared with 1.34 [1.27-1.48] mmol/L in nondiabetics; P < 0.01], and the apolipoproteins A-I and B had significantly higher concentrations in type I DM. In umbilical venous cord blood, ratios of HDL-TC and HDL-PL to apo AI, reflecting the lipid content of HDL, were reduced when the mother had type I DM during pregnancy (P < 0.02 and P < 0.0001, respectively). These results indicate that maternal type I DM may lead to a fetal serum lipoprotein composition more closely resembling that seen in the adult. In type I DM, maternal TG and PL and fetal TC, TG, PL, CE, and FC were correlated to NEFA levels (P < 0.05), but not to glucose, insulin secretion, or maternal control of type I DM. These data suggest that the enhanced supply of NEFA to the fetus in type I DM pregnancies may drive the synthesis of cholesterol as well as TGs and PLs.     

cDNA sequence and gene locus of the human retinal phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase-C beta 4 (PLCB4)

Defects in the Drosophila norpA (no receptor potential A) gene encoding a phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) block invertebrate phototransduction and lead to retinal degeneration. The mammalian homolog, PLCB4, is expressed in rat brain, bovine cerebellum, and the bovine retina in several splice variants. To determine a possible role of PLCB4 gene defects in human disease, we isolated several overlapping cDNA clones from a human retina library. The composite cDNA sequence predicts a human PLC beta 4 polypeptide of 1022 amino acid residues (MW 117,000). This PLC beta 4 variant lacks a 165-amino-acid N-terminal domain characteristic for the rat brain isoforms, but has a distinct putative exon 1 unique for human and bovine retina isoforms. A PLC beta 4 monospecific antibody detected a major (130 kDa) and a minor (160 kDa) isoform in retina homogenates. Somatic cell hybrids and deletion panels were used to localize the PCLB4 gene to the short arm of chromosome 20. The gene was further sublocalized to 20p12 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.     

Fine specificity of anti-V3 antibodies induced in chimpanzees by HIV candidate vaccines

The fine specificity of the anti-V3 antibody responses induced in chimpanzees immunized by various human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) candidate vaccines and challenged by heterologous strains of HIV-1 was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Pepscan epitope mapping. Two chimpanzees immunized with the recombinant canarypox virus ALVAC-HIV (vCP125) expressing gp160MN and boosted with purified gp160MN/LAI alone, then with both immunogens in combination, were not protected against challenge with HIV-1 SF2. Their sera mainly recognized one epitope of the V3 loop, located in the NH2-terminal half. By contrast, immunization of two other chimpanzees with purified gp160MN/LAI and boosting with a synthetic V3MN peptide elicited a strong anti-V3 antibody response with a broader specificity directed against multiple epitopes all along the V3 loop. These chimpanzees were protected against infection by HIV-1 SF2. However, when these two chimpanzees were challenged later with a HIV-1 clade E strain virus, they became infected. We failed to detect any reactivity with the peptide of the ectodomain of gp41 of sera harvested after immunization with the various immunogens or after challenge with HIV-1 SF2 or HIV-1 90CR402. These results demonstrated that anti-V3 antibodies with a restricted fine specificity were induced in chimpanzees immunized with gp160 purified or expressed by recombinant canarypox confirming our previous results obtained in three different species (human, guinea pig and, macaque). In contrast, a boost with the V3 peptide broadened antibody responses, suggesting that the mode of presentation of the V3 loop to the immune system strongly influences the epitope specificity of the resulting antibody response.