Analysis of the DNA content in Bowen''s disease

Marketing of medicinal plants and phytotherapeutic products is spreading all over the world. In order to assess the commercialization of medicinal plants and phytotherapeutic products in the State of Minas Gerais, we identified and tested for the presence of adulterants and active ingredients in 27 samples of chamomile. All the samples consisted of Matricaria recutita flowers, but they were badly fragmented, a result of excessive handling and poor preservation. All samples contained contaminants, and insects were observed in 63% of the samples sold in drugstores. Only 50% of the samples in each group had the essential oils needed to produce antiinflammatory activity. Flavonoids and other phenolic constituents with a spasmolytic effect were detected in only 20% of the samples from each group. Results with chamomile indicated the poor quality with which medicinal plants and phytotherapeutic products are marketed and confirm the need for surveillance of such products in Brazil.     

Munich dark matter search

We plan a dark matter search using cryogenic calorimetric detectors with superconducting phase transition thermometers. We discuss such an experiment, compare its estimated sensitivity range with other dark matter searches, and discuss its planned realization.     

Routine molecular genotyping of HLA-B27 in spondyloarthropathies overcomes the obstacles of serological typing and reveals an increased B *2702 frequency in ankylosing spondylitis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reproducibility and reliability of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in HLA-B27 typing compared to the conventionally used microlymphocytotoxicity test (MLCT). To determine the HLA-B27 subtype frequencies (B*2701-B*2709) in patients with HLA-B27 associated disease and healthy persons using sequence specific oligonucleotides (SSO). METHODS: 398 consecutive patients were HLA-B27 typed by MLCT and PCR. Subtyping by SSO was performed in 142 patients with HLA-B27 associated disease [ankylosing spondylitis (AS) n = 38, reactive arthritis 44, undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy (uSpA) 45, psoriatic arthritis 15] and 125 healthy HLA-B27 controls. RESULTS: MLCT identified 61 HLA-B27 positive patients (15.3%); PCR identified 78 positive patients (19.6%). MLCT gave false negative results for 8 patients (2.0%) and false positives for a further 7 (1.8%). Only subtypes B*2702 and B*2705 were present in patients and controls. Overall frequencies of B*2702 in patients and controls were 14.1 and 9.6%, respectively. The B*2702 frequency was significantly (pcorr. < 0.04) higher in AS (23.7%) and lower in uSpA (6.7%) patients. CONCLUSION: HLA-B27 typing by PCR is reliable and reproducible and therefore recommended for routine typing. It overcomes the obstacles of serological typing, i.e., equivocal results and cross-reactivity. In addition, subtype frequencies (B*2702 and B*2705) are equally distributed among patients and controls, although subtype B*2702 seems to be more frequent in AS and less so in uSpA.     

Immunohistochemical analysis of p27/kip1 expression in thyroid carcinoma

Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, including the protein product of the p27/kip1 gene, play an important role in cell-cycle regulation. Loss of p27 expression was reported in a number of neoplasms and shown to be an independent prognostic factor in colorectal, lung, and breast carcinoma By immunohistochemical analysis, we investigated p27/kip1 expression, using a polyclonal antibody, in a series of 87 benign and malignant thyroid neoplasms. We correlated its expression with the Ki-67 labeling index and other prognostic factors. All of the thyroid neoplasms examined exhibited significantly lower p27 expression than did normal thyroid tissue (P < .001). Poorly differentiated carcinomas had the lowest p27 staining frequency of all carcinomas examined. p27 staining frequency of the papillary carcinomas was significantly lower than that of the follicular carcinomas (P < .001). This difference could not be attributed solely to the inverse correlation between the staining patterns of p27 and Ki-67, which was reported for other neoplasms, because there was no significant difference between the Ki-67 labeling indices of these two groups. The follicular variant of papillary carcinoma had a significantly higher p27 staining frequency (P = .05) than did classical papillary carcinoma. We saw no significant difference in the p27 staining frequencies between minimally and widely invasive follicular carcinomas nor between localized and nonlocalized papillary carcinoma. In summary, the p27 immunostaining pattern of thyroid neoplasms is related to neoplastic transformation and varies according to tumor phenotype. It seems, however, to have limited routine diagnostic or prognostic significance in thyroid neoplasia.     

70-90 GHz balanced resistive PHFET mixer MMIC

A balanced resistive GaAs high electron mobility transistor mixer monolithic microwave integrated circuit has been designed and fabricated in a production oriented technology. The design is based on a specialised large signal model for linear transistor operation. The conversion loss was 8-10 dB for 70-90 GHz and the noise figure at 100 kHz was 31 dB, which is 11 dB lower than that obtained with diode mixers     

Case study: Treatment of herpes genitalis phobia and agoraphobia with panic attacks.

A 25-yr-old woman with incapacitating hypochondriasis (disease phobia and conviction of being infected with herpes genitalis) for 4 yrs and agoraphobia with panic attacks for 2 yrs was well after 6 mo of treatment and at 14-mo follow-up. Agoraphobia was treated with a combination of desensitization in imagery, aided by relaxation training using electromyogram (EMG) and skin temperature biofeedback, followed by exposure in vivo. Hypochondriasis was treated by psychotherapeutic techniques and presentation of medical facts. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microwave field-effect transistors from sulphur-implanted GaAs

Sulphur implanation into semi-insulating Cr doped GaAs has been used to fabricate MESFETs with 1.5 μm gatelength showing microwave gain equivalent to epitaxial FETs (MAG = 9 dB at 10 GHz) but higher noise. Room temperature implantation of S at an energy of 30 keV and a dose of 5 × 10¹² cm^?2, sputtered SiO₂ and Si₃N₄ as encapsulants and heat treatments from 820 to 900°C have been used. Electrical activation was found to depend critically on the substrate material. Si₃N₄-encapsulation gave slightly higher electrical activation than SiO₂.     

Fourier transform infrared detection in miniaturized total analysis systems for sucrose analysis

In this work, a flow system containing a micromachined lamella-type porous silicon reactor and a novel mid-IR fiber-optic flow cell were used for the enzymatic determination of sucrose in aqueous solution. The method relies on the enzymatic hydrolysis of sucrose to fructose and glucose catalyzed by β-fructosidase and on the acquisition of FT-IR spectra before and after complete reaction. β-Fructosidase was covalently bound to the porous silicon surface of the channels in the microreactor. The porous silicon was achieved by anodization of the silicon reactor in a HF/ethanol mixture. For the measurement of small amounts of aqueous solution, a miniaturized flow cell was developed which consisted of two AgCl(x)Br(1)(-)(x) fiber tips (diameter, 0.75 mm) coaxially mounted in a PTFE block at a distance of 23 μm. The flowing stream was directed through the gap of the two fiber tips which served to define the optical path length and to bring the focused mid-IR radiation to the place of measurement. Using this construction, a probed volume of ～10 nL was obtained. The calibration curve was linear between 10 and 100 mmol/L sucrose. Furthermore, the potential of this method was demonstrated by the analysis of binary sucrose/glucose mixtures showing no interference from glucose and by the successful determination of sucrose in real samples.     

Data workflow to incorporate thermodynamic energies from Calphad databases into grand-potential-based phase-field models

Journal of Materials Science - In order to approximate Gibbs energy functions, a semi-automated framework is introduced for binary and ternary material systems, using Calphad databases. To generate...