Measurement of nonrandom event-by-event fluctuations of average transverse momentum in square root of (sNN)=200 GeV Au+Au and p+p collisions

Event-by-event fluctuations of the average transverse momentum of produced particles near midrapidity have been measured by the PHENIX Collaboration in square root of (sNN)=200 GeV Au+Au, and p+p collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The fluctuations are observed to be in excess of the expectation for statistically independent particle emission for all centralities. The excess fluctuations exhibit a dependence on both the centrality of the collision and on the pT range over which the average is calculated. Both the centrality and pT dependence can be well reproduced by a simulation of random particle production with the addition of contributions from hard-scattering processes.

DNA sequence and comparative analysis of chimpanzee chromosome 22

Human-chimpanzee comparative genome research is essential for narrowing down genetic changes involved in the acquisition of unique human features, such as highly developed cognitive functions, bipedalism or the use of complex language. Here, we report the high-quality DNA sequence of 33.3 megabases of chimpanzee chromosome 22. By comparing the whole sequence with the human counterpart, chromosome 21, we found that 1.44% of the chromosome consists of single-base substitutions in addition to nearly 68,000 insertions or deletions. These differences are sufficient to generate changes in most of the proteins. Indeed, 83% of the 231 coding sequences, including functionally important genes, show differences at the amino acid sequence level. Furthermore, we demonstrate different expansion of particular subfamilies of retrotransposons between the lineages, suggesting different impacts of retrotranspositions on human and chimpanzee evolution. The genomic changes after speciation and their biological consequences seem more complex than originally hypothesized.

Longitudinal growth and height velocity of Japanese children with Down's syndrome

AIM

To determine the natural growth pattern of Japanese children with Down's syndrome.

METHODS

Longitudinal height data of 85 patients (43 males, 42 females) from birth to final height were analyzed. Based on these data, semi-longitudinal standard growth curves and height velocity curves for Down's syndrome were drawn.

RESULTS

The means +/- SD of final height of males and females with Down's syndrome were 153.2 +/- 5.6 and 141.9 +/- 4.2 cm, respectively. They were -3.0 SD and -2.8 SD for Japanese standards. Mean peak height velocities were 8.9 and 7.5 cm y(-1), and the ages at peak height velocity were 11.6 and 10.2 y for males and females, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The mean height of patients with Down's syndrome was around -2 SD for normal children before puberty. Their pubertal growth spurt starts about 1 y earlier and their peak height velocity was about 1.3-1.4 cm shorter than for normal children.

J/psi production from proton-proton collisions at square root of s=200 GeV

J/psi production has been measured in proton-proton collisions at square root of s=200 GeV over a wide rapidity and transverse momentum range by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Distributions of the rapidity and transverse momentum, along with measurements of the mean transverse momentum and total production cross section are presented and compared to available theoretical calculations. The total J/psi cross section is 4.0+/-0.6(stat)+/-0.6(syst)+/-0.4(abs) mu b. The mean transverse momentum is 1.80+/-0.23(stat)+/-0.16(syst) GeV/c.

Midrapidity neutral-pion production in proton-proton collisions at square root s = 200 GeV

The invariant differential cross section for inclusive neutral-pion production in p+p collisions at sqrt[s]=200 GeV has been measured at midrapidity (|eta|<0.35) over the range 1<p(T) less, similar 14 GeV/c by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Predictions of next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations are consistent with these measurements. The precision of our result is sufficient to differentiate between prevailing gluon-to-pion fragmentation functions.

Elliptic flow of identified hadrons in Au+Au collisions at sqrt sNN =200 GeV

The anisotropy parameter (v(2)), the second harmonic of the azimuthal particle distribution, has been measured with the PHENIX detector in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV for identified and inclusive charged particle production at central rapidities (|eta|<0.35) with respect to the reaction plane defined at high rapidities (|eta|=3-4 ). We observe that the v(2) of mesons falls below that of (anti)baryons for p(T)>2 GeV/c, in marked contrast to the predictions of a hydrodynamical model. A quark-coalescence model is also investigated.

Scaling properties of proton and antiproton production in sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV Au+Au collisions

We report on the yield of protons and antiprotons, as a function of centrality and transverse momentum, in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV measured at midrapidity by the PHENIX experiment at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. In central collisions at intermediate transverse momenta (1.5<p(T)<4.5 GeV/c) a significant fraction of all produced particles are protons and antiprotons. They show a centrality-scaling behavior different from that of pions. The pmacr;/pi and p/pi ratios are enhanced compared to peripheral Au+Au, p+p, and e(+)e(-) collisions. This enhancement is limited to p(T)<5 GeV/c as deduced from the ratio of charged hadrons to pi(0) measured in the range 1.5<p(T)<9 GeV/c.

Suppressed pi(0) production at large transverse momentum in central Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV

Transverse momentum spectra of neutral pions in the range 1<p(T)<10 GeV/c have been measured at midrapidity by the PHENIX experiment at BNL RHIC in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s(NN)]=200 GeV. The pi(0) multiplicity in central reactions is significantly below the yields measured at the same sqrt[s(NN)] in peripheral Au+Au and p+p reactions scaled by the number of nucleon-nucleon collisions. For the most central bin, the suppression factor is approximately 2.5 at p(T)=2 GeV/c and increases to approximately 4-5 at p(T) approximately 4 GeV/c. At larger p(T), the suppression remains constant within errors. The deficit is already apparent in semiperipheral reactions and increases smoothly with centrality.

Thoracic cage extent of melorheostosis depicted by multislice CT

The ribs and vertebrae are rarely affected by melorheostosis. We present a case of melorheostosis of the ribs and thoracic vertebrae, in which multislice computed tomography (CT) was useful in depicting its extent and defining its sclerotome distribution.

Serum surfactant proteins-A and -D as biomarkers in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has a high mortality rate, and current therapies are only marginally effective. A serum biomarker that predicts clinical outcome would be useful to stage disease, indicate prognosis and the need for aggressive therapy, and help stratify patients for clinical trials. The goals of this study were to determine whether serum levels of surfactant protein-A (SP-A) or surfactant protein-D (SP-D) would distinguish between IPF and other types of interstitial lung disease and whether serum SP-A or SP-D levels predict outcome in patients with IPF. The authors found that serum SP-A and SP-D levels were significantly elevated in patients with IPF and systemic sclerosis compared to sarcoidosis, beryllium disease and normal controls, and that SP-D correlated with radiographic abnormalities in patients with IPF. In addition, the authors found that both serum SP-A and SP-D levels were highly predictive of survival in patients with IPF. This is the largest North American data set of surfactant protein measurements in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and the first report using multivariate analysis comparing serum surfactant proteins-A and -D to other commonly measured predictors of survival in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Based on these results, the authors propose that serum surfactant proteins may prove to be useful biomarkers in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Disseminated peritoneal adenomucinosis associated with a panperitonitis-like onset: report of a case

A 59-year-old man was admitted to our department due to a fever of unknown origin. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a large cystic mass in the lower abdomen and a massive amount of abdominal fluid. A laparotomy was performed under a diagnosis of panperitonitis. Diffuse pyogenic gelatinous ascites and a large cystic mass with a grayish wall, and a hard solid lesion in part were found. The microscopic findings of the hard solid lesion showed calcification, osteogenesis, and focal epithelial proliferation in a tiny area consisting of mucinous cells with no significant cytologic atypia. The remaining part of the cystic wall and small cystic lesions were hyalinized, fibrous, or necrotic tissue. Since a total resection of the masses was not possible, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin followed by the administration of mitomycin C and 5-fluorouracil. An abdominal fistula with the excretion of pyogenic gelatinous fluid occurred, but the patient is still alive and doing well over 2 years postoperatively. The primary site of this tumor could unfortunately not be identified.

Extracellular Toll-like receptor 2 region containing Ser40-Ile64 but not Cys30-Ser39 is critical for the recognition of Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and CD14 function as pattern recognition receptors for bacterial peptidoglycan (PGN). TLRs and CD14 possess repeats of the leucine-rich motif. To address the role of the extracellular domain of TLR2 in PGN signaling, we constructed CD14/TLR2 chimeras, in which residues 1-356 or 1-323 of CD14 were substituted for the extracellular domain of TLR2, and five deletion mutants of TLR2, in which the progressively longer regions of extracellular TLR2 regions were deleted. PGN induced NF-kappaB activation in HEK293 cells expressing TLR2 but not in cells expressing CD14/TLR2 chimeras. The cells transfected with a deletion mutant TLR2(DeltaCys30-Ile64) as well as TLR2(DeltaCys30-Asp160) and TLR2(DeltaCys30-Asp305) failed to respond to PGN, indicating the importance of the TLR2 region Cys(30)-Ile(64). Although TLR2(DeltaCys30-Ser39) conferred cell responsiveness to PGN, the cells expressing TLR2(DeltaSer40-Ile64) failed to induce NF-kappaB activation. In addition, NF-kappaB activity elicited by PGN was significantly attenuated in the presence of synthetic peptide corresponding to the TLR2 region Ser(40)-Ile(64). From these results, we conclude that; 1) CD14 cannot functionally replace the extracellular domain of TLR2 in PGN signaling; 2) the TLR2 region Cys(30)-Ser(39) is not required for PGN recognition; 3) the TLR2 region containing Ser(40)-Ile(64) is critical for PGN recognition.

Binding of annexins to lung lamellar bodies and the PMA-stimulated secretion of annexin V from alveolar type II cells

To identify lung lamellar body (LB)-binding proteins, the fractions binding to LB-Sepharose 4B in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner from the lung soluble fractions were analyzed with Mono Q column. Four annexins (annexins III, IV, V, and VIII) were identified by partial amino acid sequence analyses as the LB-binding proteins in the lung soluble fractions. A control experiment using phospholipid (phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylglycerol/phosphtidylcholine) liposome-Sepharose 4B revealed that annexins III, IV and V were the Ca(2+)-dependent proteins binding to the column in the lung soluble fractions, while annexin VIII was not detected. Thus, annexin VIII might preferentially bind to LB. On the other hand, the only Ca(2+)-dependent LB-binding protein identified in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids was annexin V. It was further demonstrated that annexin V was secreted by isolated alveolar type II cells from rats and that the secretion was stimulated by the addition of phorbol ester (PMA), a potent stimulator of surfactant secretion. The PMA-dependent stimulation of annexin V was attenuated by preincubation with surfactant protein-A (SP-A), a potent inhibitor of surfactant secretion. As LB is thought to be an intracellular store of pulmonary surfactant, which is secreted by alveolar type II cells, annexin V is likely to be secreted together with the lamellar body.