Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of the pancreas: cytomorphological evaluation with emphasis on adequacy assessment, diagnostic criteria and contamination from the gastrointestinal tract

OBJECTIVE

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) has been proved to be safe, efficient and reliable in the diagnosis of pancreatic lesions. This study evaluated specimen adequacy, diagnostic criteria of various pancreatic neoplasms and contamination from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

METHODS

EUS-guided FNA of the pancreas and subsequent surgical resections performed at the University of California Irvine Medical Center during February 1996-October 2000 were retrospectively selected. Modified Papanicolaou staining method was used for immediate evaluation and cell block prepared.

RESULTS

A total of 267 cases were available for review, including 147 (55.1%) positive/suspicious, 10 (3.7%) atypical, 96 (36.0%) negative and 14 (5.2%) unsatisfactory cases. Eighty-six (58.5%) positive/suspicious cases had histological confirmation and 12 (8.3%) had lymph node or distant metastases by cytology. Three atypical, two negative, and two unsatisfactory cases proved to have adenocarcinoma. Contamination from duodenum, stomach or pancreas was found in 77 positive/suspicious, three atypical and 90 negative cases. The sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic accuracy, positive and negative predictive values were 94.6%, 100%, 95.6%, 100%, 82% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

EUS FNA is efficient and accurate in the diagnosis of pancreatic neoplasms in adequate samples. Contamination from the GI tract should be well recognized to avoid misinterpretation.

Carotid blowout treated by direct percutaneous puncture of internal carotid artery with temporary balloon occlusion

SUMMARY

Direct percutaneous puncture of a cervical carotid pseudoaneurysm for coil placement or acrylic embolization is described for the endovascular management of acute carotid blowout. However, direct puncture of the internal carotid artery (ICA) for the endovascular management of carotid blowout has not been described. We report a difficult case of acute carotid blowout syndrome in a patient who had radiation- induced occlusion of the right common carotid artery with vasculopathy and pseudoaneurysm in the right cervical ICA. Collaterals from the branches of the controlateral external carotid artery (ECA) anastomosed with branches of right ECA supplied the vasculopathy. We performed direct percutaneous puncture of the bulb of the right ICA using a spinal needle and placed fiber coils to occlude antegrade flow of the artery. During the injection of a mixture of N-butyl cyanoacrylate and lipiodol oil for embolization of the remaining carotid bulb, we transiently inflated an occlusion balloon in the controlateral common carotid artery to further arrest antegrade flow in the ICA. The vasculopathy and pseudoaneurysm of the right cervical ICA were successfully embolized, with preservation of the distal branches of the right ICA.

A CD14 monocyte receptor polymorphism and genetic susceptibility to Parkinson's disease for females

Recent studies suggest that inflammation may play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Because the C(-260) --> T polymorphism in the promoter of the CD14 monocyte receptor gene (pCD14) could affect the predisposition to the inflammatory response, we conducted a case-control study to investigate a possible genetic susceptibility of the pCD14 polymorphism in patients with PD. This study included 200 sporadic PD patients and 200 controls, matched by sex and case-control pairs for age at onset in the case. All observed genotype frequencies were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Results revealed that the CD14-T allele of the pCD14 polymorphism in the female PD patients existed statistically significant difference from that of the female controls (OR = 1.262, P = 0.038), but not for male. Female individuals with homozygote CD14-TT genotype were significantly increased risk of PD by 1.28 time (P = 0.027). Furthermore, a logistic regression analysis confirmed that the homozygote CD14-TT genotype was an independent risk factor for PD (OR = 1.576, P = 0.030). In conclusion, results of this study indicate the pCD14 polymorphism to be a genetic risk factor for PD in females.

Successful heart transplantation after 13 hours of donor heart ischemia with the use of HTK solution: a case report

INTRODUCTION

For heart transplantation (HTx), the recommended ischemic time (IT) for donor heart is not to exceed 6 hours. Though Dr Christiaan Barnard used a donor heart with IT of 16 hours, 50 minutes with a portable hypothermic perfusion system in 1981, the recorded IT of donor hearts reported recently is 8 hours, with no adverse effects.

CASE REPORT

The patient, a 14-year-old boy of blood type O, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at age 12. In early September 2003, the patient was recommended for HTx. His condition deteriorated 18 days later with low CO, elevated pulmonary vascular resistance, and frequent ventricular tachycardia, further complicated by pneumonia and multiorganism infections, which were contraindications for HTx. On September 22, 2003, a donor heart of blood type O was available 370 km away. Another patient of blood type B with severe heart failure was matched for the HTx. During the intervening time, another donor heart of blood type B became available locally. We matched the type B donor heart to the type B recipient. Since the type O donor heart seemed to be wasted, we performed HTx for the boy. Though preserved for 12 hours in cold cardioplegia, the donor heart was implanted with biatrial anastomosis that took 1 hour. The total IT of this donor heart was 13 hours. The recipient recovered and was discharged 3 months later.

CONCLUSIONS

The IT of 13 hours for this donor heart is believed to be a world record. Our experience demonstrates that preservation time of donor heart may exceed 6 hours.

Successful heart transplantation after 13 hours of donor heart ischemia with the use of HTK solution: a case report

INTRODUCTION

For heart transplantation (HTx), the recommended ischemic time (IT) for donor heart is not to exceed 6 hours. Though Dr Christiaan Barnard used a donor heart with IT of 16 hours, 50 minutes with a portable hypothermic perfusion system in 1981, the recorded IT of donor hearts reported recently is 8 hours, with no adverse effects.

CASE REPORT

The patient, a 14-year-old boy of blood type O, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at age 12. In early September 2003, the patient was recommended for HTx. His condition deteriorated 18 days later with low CO, elevated pulmonary vascular resistance, and frequent ventricular tachycardia, further complicated by pneumonia and multiorganism infections, which were contraindications for HTx. On September 22, 2003, a donor heart of blood type O was available 370 km away. Another patient of blood type B with severe heart failure was matched for the HTx. During the intervening time, another donor heart of blood type B became available locally. We matched the type B donor heart to the type B recipient. Since the type O donor heart seemed to be wasted, we performed HTx for the boy. Though preserved for 12 hours in cold cardioplegia, the donor heart was implanted with biatrial anastomosis that took 1 hour. The total IT of this donor heart was 13 hours. The recipient recovered and was discharged 3 months later.

CONCLUSIONS

The IT of 13 hours for this donor heart is believed to be a world record. Our experience demonstrates that preservation time of donor heart may exceed 6 hours.

Signal transduction pathways of nitric oxide release in primary microglial culture challenged with gram-positive bacterial constituent, lipoteichoic acid

Between one-third and one-half of all cases of sepsis are known to be caused by gram-positive microorganisms through the cell wall component, e.g. lipoteichoic acid (LTA). Gram-positive bacteria are also known to induce encephalomyelitis and meningeal inflammation, and enhance the production of nitric oxide (NO) via expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in murine tissue macrophages. It remains to be explored if LTA could activate microglia considered to be resident brain macrophages. We report here that LTA derived from gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) significantly induces NO release and iNOS expression in primary microglia. LTA-induced NO accumulation was detected at 2 h in microglial culture and was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with anti-CD14, complement receptor type 3 (CR3) or scavenger receptor (SR) antibodies. LTA activated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p38 MAPK or c-Jun N-terminal kinase in cultured microglia. LTA-elicited microglial NO production was also drastically suppressed by SB203580 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) or pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (an inhibitor of nuclear factor kappaB), indicating that p38 MAPK and nuclear factor kappaB were involved in microglial NO release after LTA challenge. These results suggest that gram-positive bacterial product such as LTA can activate microglia to release NO via the signal transduction pathway involving multiple LTA receptors (e.g. CD14, CR3 or SR), p38 MAPK and nuclear factor kappaB. The in vivo study further confirmed that administered intracerebrally LTA induced considerable noticeable iNOS, phospho-IkappaB and phospho-p38 MAPK expression in microglia/macrophages.

Spatiotemporal Hopfield neural cube for diagnosing recurrent nasal papilloma

Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used to detect recurrent nasal tumours. A specifically designed two-layer Hopfield neural network, called the spatiotemporal Hopfield neural cube (SHNC), is presented, to be used for detecting recurrent nasal papilloma. Differing from conventional, two-dimensional Hopfield neural networks, the SHNC extends the one-layer, two-dimensional Hopfield network in the original image plane into a two-layer, three-dimensional (3D) Hopfield network with pixel classification implemented in its third dimension. With extended 3D architecture, the network is able to use each pixel's spatial information in a pixel labelling procedure. Because the SHNC takes pixel spatial information into consideration, the effects of tiny detail or noise are removed. As a result, the drawback of disconnected fractions can be avoided. Furthermore, owing to the incorporation of competitive learning rules to update neuron states, to avoid the problem of having to satisfy strong constraints, the convergence of the network was improved. In addition, a more accurate signal-time curve, the relative intensity change (RIC), was adopted to represent the gadolinium-enhanced MRI temporal information, and the RIC curves of recurrent nasal papilloma were incorporated into the SHNC. The experimental results showed that the SHNC could obtain a more appropriate, precise position of recurrent nasal papilloma than the k-means, principal components analysis (PCA) or Eigenimage-filtering methods. The average sensitivity and specificity of the 26 cases were 0.9998 and 0.9961, respectively. These values demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.

Heart transplant coronary artery disease in Chinese recipients

BACKGROUND

Transplant coronary artery disease is the principle limiting factor for long-term survival of heart transplantation (HTx) recipients. We reviewed our data to assess the incidence of this disorder among Chinese HTx recipients and to compare it with the results of Western studies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

From July 1988 to May 2002, 182 patients received 184 orthotopic HTx. One hundred sixty-three recipients survived for at least 1 year with available SPECT scans or coronary angiogram studies. The data set included donor characteristics, recipient characteristics, active cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection rate, rejection episodes, immunosuppressants, and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatches.

RESULTS

Surgical mortality in our program was 4.3% and the actuarial freedom from coronary artery disease at 1, 3, and 5 years was 99%, 95%, and 92%, respectively. Angiogram results were stratified into coronary artery disease (n = 15) or absence of the disorder (n = 148) groups. Only older donor age showed statistical significance between the groups. Compared with the Western series, the present data show higher actuarial survival rates and freedom from coronary artery disease. There were statistically significant differences in regard to graft ischemia time, proportion of male recipients, ischemic heart disease, rejection episodes during the first year, and incidence of CMV infection.

CONCLUSIONS

SPECT scan can detect coronary artery disease before there is significant stenosis of the coronary artery with acceptable survival rates. Chinese HTx recipients show a lower incidence of the disorder, lower rates of ischemia heart disease, lower proportion of male gender, lower incidence of CMV infection, fewer rejection episodes during the first year, and less ischemic time than Western recipients, which maybe the contributing factors to their better survival.

Reappraisal of left-sided gallbladder and its accompanying anomalies: a report of two cases and literature review

We report two cases of coexistent left-sided gallbladder and right-sided ligamentum teres with portal vein anomalies documented by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography during arterial portography (CTAP). Reformatted 3D MR and CTAP images provide an informative illustration of the accompanying portal vein anomalies. This important anatomical information is useful in preoperative work-up of hepatobiliary surgery.

Energy demand in sludge dewatering

This work investigates the energy required to dewater a suspension, i.e., activated sludge dewatered by centrifugation or consolidation. Total energy input to the suspension from the dewatering device, bond strength between adjacent water and solid surface, and intra-cake friction loss were evaluated for original and flocculated sludges. In centrifugal dewatering, most energy input during the initial stage was consumed by overcoming process irreversibility other than intra-cake friction, and, thereby, had a low energy efficiency. To increase centrifuge speed or to flocculate the sludge at optimal flocculant dosage would yield a high-energy input. In the consolidation test, most energy input at the initial stage was consumed in breaking down the bond strength until the moisture content reduced to less than the critical content. During subsequent dewatering stages, friction loss became the dominant source of energy loss. Dewatering sludge with high-energy efficiency is beneficial to optimally operate a dewatering process.

Neuroradiological findings in atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor of the central nervous system

PURPOSE

To evaluate the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of atypical teratoid tumor/rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT) of the central nervous system (CNS).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Twenty cases of CNS AT/RT have been found over the past 23 years in our hospital; these involving 11 boys and 9 girls whose mean age at diagnosis was 5.5 years. Their clinical data, the CT, and MRI findings were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS

AT/RT was located in the cerebellum in 15 cases. Four cases arose from the supratentorial region, while only one occurred primarily in the lumbar spinal cord. Almost all cases revealed heterogeneous intensity and heterogeneous enhancement. Peripheral cystic components were common. Survival time ranged from 2 months to 3 years, with a mean survival of 11.6 months.

CONCLUSION

Most cases of AT/RT are located in the cerebellum. The radiologic manifestations are non-specific. The diagnosis mainly depends on the pathologic findings. However, AT/RT should still remain in the differential diagnosis of brain tumors in young children, especially those located in the cerebellar hemisphere and with eccentric cysts.

Mineralization of polyethylene glycol in aqueous solution by hydrogen peroxide with basic oxygen furnace slag

This study evaluated the dissolution behavior of basic oxygen furnace slag (BOF slag) and the performance of H2O2 with BOF slag denoted as H2O2/BOF slag process to degrade polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the aqueous solution. The concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) was chosen as a mineralization index of the degradation of PEG by the H2O2/BOF slag process. A first-order kinetic model with respect to TOC was adopted to represent the mineralization of PEG by H2O2/BOF slag process. The experimental results in this study suggested that dosages with 3.98 x 10(-4) mole min(-1) l(-1) H2O2 and 15 g l(-1) BOF slag loading in the solution at pH 2 provided the optimal operation conditions for the mineralization of PEG yielding a 75.5% treatment efficiency at 100 min reaction time. The H2O2/Fe2+ ratio was then determined to be 13.5:1.

The homozygote AA genotype of the α1-antichymotrypsin gene may confer protection against early-onset Parkinson's disease in women

There has been increasing evidence suggesting that inflammatory response maybe involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Alpha1-antichymotrypsin gene (ACT) has been regarded as a susceptibility factor for PD in the past, but the evidence remains controversial. This case-control study was designed to investigate the association of alpha1-antichymotrypsin gene (ACT) polymorphism between 210 Taiwanese patients with clinical definite sporadic PD and 260 controls, matched by age and sex. There were no differences of allelic frequency (A and T) and genotype polymorphism (AA, AT and TT) of the ACT in PD patients from the controls. However, there were significantly fewer early-onset PD (onset age younger than 60 years) or PD women carrying the homozygote AA genotype (ACT-AA) than in controls (p=0.046 and 0.044, respectively). Further analysis revealed that the reduced risk of ACT-AA was particularly significant among PD women with the onset age younger than 60 years (OR=0.796, 95% CI=0.749-0.847, p<0.0001). This study shows that ACT-AA may confer a modest protection against developing early-onset PD in women.

Heart transplantation at Cheng Hsin General Hospital in Taiwan: 15-year experience

Heart transplantation (HTx) in Taiwan, which started in 1987, now includes more than 500 cases. From July 1988 to September 2003, we performed 215 cases of orthotopic HTx in 164 male and 51 female recipients of mean age of 47.3 +/- 14.3 years, (range 2.7 to 74.9 years). The leading etiologies were dilated cardiomyopathy (CMP), 68.5%; ischemic CMP, 20.2%; and valvular CMP, 4.2%. The actuarial survival rates at 1, 5, and 10 years are 88.3%, 77.1%, and 57.2%, respectively. We performed the first case of HTx in Asia after bridging for 14 days with an indigenous total artificial heart (TAH; the Phoenix-7 model); we performed the first case of infant HTx without blood transfusion and also the first case of autotransplantation of heart for repair of a left ventricular rupture after a mitral valve replacement. These cases were all successful with the longest surviving HTx recipient in Asia. We have used the biatrial anastomosis technique in all cases. We discovered familial CMP due to mitochondrial defects in two pediatric cases. Because of the scarcity of donor hearts, we have used size-mismatched hearts as well as suboptimal and hepatitis-positive donor hearts, all with satisfactory outcomes. Our experience has shown comparable results to Western programs, with efficacy and cost-effectiveness. We find the technique of biatrial anastomosis for orthotopic HTx to result in a low incidence of tricuspid regurgitation and conduction anomalies. The use of suboptimal and size-mismatched donor hearts is also promising.

Adsorption of acid dyes from aqueous solution on activated bleaching earth

In the present study, activated bleaching earth was used as clay adsorbent for an investigation of the adsorbability and adsorption kinetics of acid dyes (i.e., acid orange 51, acid blue 9, and acid orange 10) with three different molecular sizes from aqueous solution at 25 degrees C in a batch adsorber. The rate of adsorption has been investigated under the most important process parameters (i.e., initial dye concentration). A simple pseudo-second-order model has been tested to predict the adsorption rate constant, equilibrium adsorbate concentration, and equilibrium adsorption capacity by the fittings of the experimental data. The results showed that the adsorbability of the acid acids by activated bleaching earth follows the order: acid orange 51 > acid blue 9 > acid orange 10, parallel to the molecular weights and molecular sizes of the acid dyes. The adsorption removals (below 3%) of acid blue 9 and acid orange 10 onto the clay adsorbent are far lower than that (approximately 24%) of acid orange 51. Further, the adsorption kinetic of acid orange 51 can be well described by the pseudo-second-order reaction model. Based on the isotherm data obtained from the fittings of the adsorption kinetics, the Langmuir model appears to fit the adsorption better than the Freundlich model. The external coefficients of mass transfer of the acid orange 51 molecule across the boundary layer of adsorbent particle have also been estimated at the order of 10(-4)-10(-5) cm s(-1) based on the film-pore model and pseudo-second-order reaction model.

Decomposition of 2-mercaptothiazoline in aqueous solution by ozonation

This study investigates the ozonation of 2-mercaptothiazoline (2-MT). The 2-MT is one of the important organic additives for the electroplating solution of the printed wiring board industry and has been widely used as a corrosion inhibitor in many industrial processes. It is of concern for the aquatic pollution control especially in the wastewaters. Semibatch ozonation experiments in the completely stirred tank reactor are performed under various concentrations of input ozone. The concentrations of 2-MT, sulfate, and ammonium are analyzed at specified time intervals to elucidate the decomposition of 2-MT during the ozonation. In addition, the time variation of the dissolved ozone concentration (C(ALb)) is continuously monitored in the course of experiments. Total organic carbon (TOC) is chosen and measured as a mineralization index of the ozonation of 2-MT. The results indicate that the decomposition of 2-MT is efficient, while the mineralization of TOC is limited via the ozonation only. Simultaneously, the yield of sulfate with the maximum value of about 47% is characterized by the increases of TOC removal and ozone consumption. These results can provide some useful information for assessing the feasibility of the treatment of 2-MT in the aqueous solution by the ozonation.

Peritoneal serous papillary carcinoma: a reappraisal of CT imaging features and literature review

We evaluated the imaging features of primary serous peritoneal carcinoma (PSPC) on computed tomography (CT) and reviewed the literature. Preoperative CT images of 11 women with PSPC were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical presentations and serum levels of CA-125 were recorded. Special attention was paid to the operative and histopathologic findings of the ovaries. Imaging features were correlated with those in the literature. An elevation of serum CA-125 was found in 91% of cases. The CT findings included ascites (82%), peritoneal nodules or masses (73%), and omental nodules or omental caking (64%). Absence of an overt ovarian mass was observed in 64% of cases. The clinical manifestations and imaging features in our patients were consistent with those in the literature. Eighty-five percent of the ovaries in our study were superficially involved by PSPC in histopathologic examination. In none of our cases could the ovarian size be clearly assessed in the CT images. In conclusion, the presence of diffuse peritoneal disease and the absence of an ovarian mass on CT and an elevation of serum CA-125 level is suggestive of PSPC. However, in our experience, the evaluation of ovarian morphology and size by CT alone may not be as reliable.

Dynamic behavior of ozonation with pollutant in a countercurrent bubble column with oxygen mass transfer

The dynamic behavior of ozonation with pollutants in a countercurrent bubble column is studied for the model establishment. Bubble columns have been widely used for an ozonation system in the plants and laboratories. In addition, a countercurrent bubble column has been commonly recommended than a cocurrent one because it has a higher ozone transfer efficiency. Therefore, the investigation of this paper focuses on the countercurrent bubble column. As an ozonation process starts, the gas mixture of ozone and oxygen is introduced into the bottom of a column, and then transferred into the liquid. The pollutants in the wastewater are eliminated subsequently via oxidation by the dissolved ozone. There certainly exists a temporary and unsteady period before the ozonation system reaches steady state. However, available ozonation models employed to describe ozone and pollutant profiles have commonly been developed for steady state. The treating qualities of wastewater in the early stage of ozonation are usually not predicted, and the time required for the steady-state establishment remains to be determined. Moreover, oxygen mass transfer is usually neglected in previous ozonation models so that the increase of dissolved oxygen is uncertain. These information is desirable for the proper design and operation of ozonation system in a bubble column. Thus, the aim of this study is to model and investigate the dynamic processes of ozonation with pollutants including oxygen mass transfer. The dynamic axial dispersion model proposed is employed to predict the variation of the ozone, pollutant, and oxygen concentrations profiles. The validity of the model was demonstrated by comparing the predicted results with the experimental data. The o-cresol was chosen as the model pollutant. The temporal concentration variations of the residual o-cresol and dissolved oxygen in the effluent liquid, and the off-gas ozone in the free volume were measured accordingly. Furthermore, the variation of the enhancement factor of ozone and the amount of off-gas were predicted. Note that it usually needs 2-5 hydraulic retention times to approach steady state under the conditions of this study. Further, the effects of dimensionless system parameters on the performance of the ozonation processes are examined. As a result, the proposed dynamic model of ozonation with pollutants is useful for proper prediction of the variables of an ozonation system in a countercurrent bubble column.

Adsorption of polyethylene glycol (PEG) from aqueous solution onto hydrophobic zeolite

In the present study, a hydrophobic zeolite was used as an adsorbent for the adsorption of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in water solution and electroplating solution at 25 degrees C. The adsorption capacities were determined through the adsorption isotherms in a thermostated shaker. The rate of adsorption, on the other hand, was investigated in a batch adsorber under controlled process parameters such as initial PEG concentration (30, 70, 110, 150, 200, and 300 mg x dm(-3)), agitation speed (200, 800, and 1000 rpm), and adsorbent particle size (0.72, 1.44, and 2.03 mm). A batch kinetic model, according to a pseudo-second-order mechanism, has been tested to predict the rate constant of adsorption, equilibrium adsorption capacity, time of half-adsorption, and equilibrium concentration by the fitting of the experimental data. The results of the adsorption isotherm and kinetic studies show that the adsorption process can well be described with the Langmuir and Freundlich models and the pseudo-second-order equation, respectively. Comparing the values of adsorption parameters of PEG in water solution and electroplating solution, there are no significant differences. In addition, the effective diffusion coefficient of the PEG molecule in the microporous adsorbent has been estimated at about 3.20 x 10(-8) cm(2)s(-1) based on the restrictive diffusion model.

Limit on the electron neutrino magnetic moment from the kuo-sheng reactor neutrino experiment

A search of neutrino magnetic moment was carried out at the Kuo-Sheng Nuclear Power Station at a distance of 28 m from the 2.9 GW reactor core. With a high purity germanium detector of mass 1.06 kg surrounded by scintillating NaI(Tl) and CsI(Tl) crystals as anti-Compton detectors, a detection threshold of 5 keV and a background level of 1 kg(-1) keV(-1) day(-1) at 12-60 keV were achieved. Based on 4712 and 1250 h of reactor ON and OFF data, respectively, the limit on the neutrino magnetic moment of mu(nu;(e))<1.3x10(-10)mu(B) at 90% confidence level was derived. An indirect bound of the nu;(e) radiative lifetime of m(3)(nu)tau(nu)>2.8x10(18) eV(3) s can be inferred.

Microglia in the olfactory bulb of rats during postnatal development and olfactory nerve injury with zinc sulfate: a lectin labeling and ultrastrucutural study

Using isolectin (GSA I-B4) as a marker, this study examined the possible alterations of lectin-labeled membranous glycoproteins in microglial cells in the olfactory bulb of normal development and under experimentally induced degeneration. In light microscopy, several morphological types of microglial cells representing different degrees of cell differentiation were distributed in the bulb laminae. A gradient of microglial differentiation extending from the intermediate to superficial and intermediate to deep occurs in the bulb layers. The differentiation gradient and lectin labeling pattern of microglial cells in the developing bulb resembled those in other areas of the brain tissues. Differentiating microglia showed a gradual diminution of lectin staining when the nascent round cells transformed into the mature ramified cells. Microglia in the external plexiform layer of the olfactory bulb were the first to mature and the cells expressed very weak lectin reactivity. In mature or adult rats, some microglial cells showing intense lectin labeling were observed in the olfactory nerve layer, granule cell layer and subependymal layer. Ultrastructurally, lectin labeling was localized at the trans saccules of the Golgi apparatus. Microglial cells in other bulb laminae, however, exhibited a negative reaction for the isolectin at the Golgi apparatus. Following intranasal irrigation of zinc sulfate, some microglial cells in the olfactory nerve layer and glomerular layer were activated to become phagocytic cells with increased lectin labeling at their ramified processes. GSA I-B4 staining was also localized at their trans saccules of the Golgi apparatus. The lectin labeling pattern of these phagocytic cells resembled that of differentiating microglia in postnatal bulbs, suggesting that bulb microglia in the lesioned sites were activated through cell dedifferentiation into macrophages.

Establishment of cell lines from a tropical grouper, Epinephelus awoara (Temminck & Schlegel), and their susceptibility to grouper irido- and nodaviruses

Four tropical marine fish cell lines have been established from the eye, fin, heart and swim bladder of grouper, Epinephelus awoara (Temminck & Schlegel). Optimum media and temperature conditions for maximum growth were standardized. The eye and swim bladder cells were mostly epithelial, but the fin and heart cells were mostly fibroblastic. The viability of cells was 95% after 1 year of storage in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C). Besides these four cell lines, previously established grouper brain, kidney and liver cell lines were also used for a viral susceptibility study which showed that all the cell lines were sensitive to grouper iridovirus, whereas only brain, fin and liver cell lines were susceptible to the yellow grouper nervous necrosis virus (a nodavirus). Electron microscopy studies of the grouper irido- and nodaviruses in ultrathin sections of infected cells showed an abundance of viral particles in the cytoplasm of the virus-infected cells indicating the effective replication of these two viruses. It is suggested that these cell lines can be used for the isolation of putative fish specific viruses and provide a valuable tool to study the mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions. Furthermore, these cell lines upon transfection, using pEGFP-C1 and pEGFP-aMT2.5 (ayu metallothionein promoter), produced significant fluorescent signals indicating their utility for exogenous studies.

Application of a membrane bioreactor system for opto-electronic industrial wastewater treatment--a pilot study

The membrane bioreactor (MBR) system has become more and more attractive in the field of wastewater treatment. It is particularly attractive in situations where long solids retention times are required, such as nitrifying bacteria, and physical retention is critical to achieving more efficiency for biological degradation of pollutants. Although it is a new technology, the MBR process has been applied to industrial wastewater treatment for only the past decade. The opto-electronic industry, developed very fast over the past decade in the world, is a high technological manufacturing industry. The treatment of the opto-electronic industrial wastewater containing a significant quantity of organic nitrogen compounds, with a ratio over 95% in organic nitrogen (Org-N) to total nitrogen (T-N), is very difficult to meet the discharge limits. The purpose of this research is mainly to discuss the treatment capacity of high-strength organic nitrogen wastewater, and to investigate the capabilities of the MBR process. A 2 m3/day capacity MBR pilot plant consisting of anoxic and aerobic tanks and a membrane bioreactor was installed for evaluation. The operation was continued for 130 days. Over the whole experimental period, a satisfactory organic removal performance was achieved. The COD could be removed with an average of over 94.5%. For TOC and BOD5, the average removal efficiencies were 96.3 and 97.6%, respectively. The nitrification and denitrification were also successfully achieved. The effluent did not contain any suspended solids. Only a small concentration of ammonia nitrogen was found in the effluent. The stable effluent quality and satisfactory removal performance mentioned above were ensured by the efficient interception performance of the membrane device incorporated within the biological reactor. The MBR system shows promise as a means of treating very high organic nitrogen wastewater without dilution. The effluent of TKN, NOx-N and COD can fall below 20 mg/L, 30 mg/L and 50 mg/L.

Combined Fenton-MF process increases acrylonitrile removal

The Fenton oxidation process is possessed of the advantages of both oxidation and coagulation processes. In addition to these functions, Fenton's reagent is also a typical initiator of polymerization. The application of the Fenton-microfiltration process for removal of acrylonitrile (AN), which is the major raw material for manufacturing ABS reins, was investigated. As for Fenton oxidation, in the range of pH 2 to pH 4, AN removal efficiency increased as the pH increased. In experiment of the same initial molar ratio of [FeSO4]0/[H2O2]0, the higher dosage can obtain the higher removal efficiency. At pH 4, the AN removal increased as the [H2O2]0 increased for each [FeSO4]0. Acrylic acid and acrylamide were detected in the solution after Fenton oxidation. On the other hand, acrylamide, polyacrylamide, and polyacrylic acid exist in the precipitate after the Fenton oxidation of AN solution. Moreover, it was also found that the operational mode is an important factor of the combined Fenton-MF process.