Bacteremia caused by the Bacteroides fragilis group in patients with hematologic diseases

During a 22-year period, 13 patients with hematologic diseases developed bacteremia caused by the Bacteroides fragilis group, with a frequency which remained almost unchanged. Nine patients (69%) had polymicrobial infections. Acute leukemia was the most common underlying disease. The lower intestinal tract (necrotizing enterocolitis and anorectal abscesses) was the most common source of infection. Prior antibiotic therapy was the most frequent host condition before bacteremia, followed by cancer chemotherapy, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and hypoproteinemia. Septic shock occurred only in seven patients with polymicrobial infections. Six patients, including five with shock, died within a week of onset, while the other seven survived for at least three weeks. Despite its clinical similarity to aerobic gram-negative infection, bacteremia due to the B. fragilis group may well, therefore, be suspected particularly when neutropenic patients who present with lower intestinal symptomatology develop a persistent fever unresponsive to the initial empiric antibiotic therapy.     

P-MOSFET's with ultra-shallow solid-phase-diffused drain structureproduced by diffusion from BSG gate-sidewall

A p-MOSFET structure with solid-phase diffused drain (SPDD) is proposed for future 0.1-μm and sub-0.1-μm devices. Highly doped ultrashallow p⁺ source and drain junctions have been obtained by solid-phase diffusion from a highly doped borosilicate glass (BSG) sidewall. The resulting shallow, high-concentration drain profile significantly improves short channel effects without increasing parasitic resistance. At the same time, an in situ highly-boron-doped LPCVD polysilicon gate is introduced to prevent the transconductance degradation which arises in ultrasmall p-MOSFETs with lower process temperature as a result of depletion formation in the p⁺-polysilicon gate. Excellent electrical characteristics and good hot-carrier reliability are achieved     

Prediction of spectral reflectance factor distribution of automotive paint finishes

It is necessary to determine the accurate reflectance of painted surfaces for the review of paint finishes by computer graphics (CG) before actual painting of the exterior color of automobiles, and for quality control during production and inspection processes. We have optimized a method for measuring reflectance by using a statistical technique. We have found that the reflectance of a painted surface is best measured at an incident angle of 60° and at five aspecular angles of 10°, 18°, 28°, 40°, and 90°. Our method makes it possible to accurately reproduce reflection characteristics of paint finishes containing special flake pigments, such as pearl mica. Also it was proved that our method can apply not only to solid and metallic coatings but to all painted surfaces. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 30, 275–282, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/col.20125     

New approach to environmentally benign epoxidation: the solid-phase-system using urea–H2O2 and recyclable dodecatungstate on apatite

On the basis of new concept using a solid disperse phase we have developed an efficient catalytic solid-phase-system for epoxidations of alkenes using urea–hydrogen peroxide (urea–H₂O₂) complex and cetylpyridinium dodecatungstate ((CetylPy)₁₀[H₂W₁₂O₄₂]) catalyst on fluorapatite (FAp). The recovered solid catalyst phase was reused to keep the catalytic activity after several times. In the conceptual idea it is a key point that in situ solid-phase-activation of the catalyst with urea–H₂O₂ proceeds to form microcrystals of the active species dispersed on the solid phase. The dispersion of the catalyst on FAp in the case of tungstic acid (H₂WO₄) was suggested by EPMA analysis. We proposed the peroxo type of species keeping the parent polyoxometalate framework as novel active species from FT-IR spectroscopic studies. FAp phase plays important roles of dispersing the active species on its surface to have high catalytic activity and of stabilizing the active species to lead to high reusability.     

Phenol novolac/poly(4- hydroxyphenylmaleimide) blend hardeners for DGEBA-type epoxy resin

Phenol novolac/poly (4-hydroxyphenylmaleimide) (PHPMI) blends were used as an epoxy resin hardener. The curing behavior of the above system and the thermal and mechanical properties of the cured epoxy resin were studied. It was not necessary to use a curing accelerator for this system, because PHPMI caused acceleration of the curing reaction. The curing mechanism of this system was investigated by using model compounds. Test pieces from the neat resins and the glass fiber reinforced resins were evaluated in terms of thermal and mechanical properties, respectively. It was found that heat resistance and mechanical properties were improved by increasing the amount of PHPMI in the hardener.     

Effects of glucose load on brain extracellular lactate concentration in conscious rats using a microdialysis technique

Changes in the brain lactate concentration in cerebral extracellular fluid (ECF) during intravenous infusion of glucose and local administration of glucose were investigated in adult, conscious, unrestrained rats, with a microdialysis probe in the posterior hippocampus. The rats were infused intravenously with either 25% sucrose solution or 25% glucose solution at a rate of 16.6 microliters.min-1.100 g-1 for three hours. The blood glucose concentration reached 17.0 +/- 2.6 mM at the end of the glucose infusion, and brain ECF glucose showed a parallel change with the blood glucose concentration and increased to 2.37 +/- 0.30 mM. However, blood and brain ECF glucose concentrations did not change in animals infused with the sucrose solution. On the other hand, the blood lactate concentration in the glucose-infused group also increased from 0.93 +/- 0.18 mM to 2.85 +/- 0.39 mM at the end of the glucose infusion, which was significantly higher than that measured in the sucrose-infused group. The blood lactate level in the glucose-infused group returned to the basal level by the end of the experiment. Brain ECF lactate concentrations increased from 1.21 +/- 0.06 mM to 1.69 +/- 0.11 mM in glucose-infused animals, but did not change in the sucrose-infused animals. The brain ECF lactate concentration showed a positive correlation with the brain ECF glucose concentration in glucose-infused animals. Another group of rats was administered glucose locally for 90 min after substitution of artificial cerebrospinal fluid.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Ultrastructural and cytochemical study of the odontoclasts in physiologic root resorption of human deciduous teeth.

Using extracted human deciduous teeth undergoing physiologic root resorption, this author studied the ultrastructural and cytochemical features of odontoclasts. The scanning electron microscopic observation of trypsin-treated dentin and cementum surfaces of resorption lacunae showed the exposure of collagen fibrils and prominent loss of the peritubular matrices around the dentinal tubules. In the resorption lacunae formed in enamel, there was dissolution of either the rod or the interrod regions. The odontoclasts developed extensive ruffled borders apposed to these resorbing matrices and had round phagosomes containing tannic acid-stainable fine amorphous inclusions, which were identical to those in the extracellular canals of the ruffled borders. The odontoclasts did not phagocytose the collagen fibrils. The odontoclasts showed the enzymatic activities of the acid trimetaphosphatase and acid p-nitrophenyl phosphatase (p-NPPase) in the Golgi-lysosome system, the ruffled border region, and along the resorbing dentin surfaces. The p-NPPase activity was inhibited by sodium tartrate. Also, the odontoclasts showed H(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity in the cytoplasm along the plasma membranes including those of ruffled border and the limiting membranes of the lysosomes. These results suggest that: 1) the odontoclasts are associated with resorption of non-collagenous organic matrices and/or extracellularly-degraded collagenous fragments rather than the incorporation of intact collagen fibrils; 2) the odontoclasts release the hydrolytic enzymes onto the lacunal surfaces and/or the lysosomes for the extra/intracellular degradation of the organic matrices; and 3) they also have H(+)-K(+)-ATPase for extracellular demineralization of the inorganic crystals.