Direct Evidence of Octupole Deformation in Neutron-Rich ^{144}Ba

The neutron-rich nucleus ^{144}Ba (t_{1/2}=11.5  s) is expected to exhibit some of the strongest octupole correlations among nuclei with mass numbers A less than 200. Until now, indirect evidence for such strong correlations has been inferred from observations such as enhanced E1 transitions and interleaving positive- and negative-parity levels in the ground-state band. In this experiment, the octupole strength was measured directly by sub-barrier, multistep Coulomb excitation of a post-accelerated 650-MeV ^{144}Ba beam on a 1.0-mg/cm^{2} ^{208}Pb target. The measured value of the matrix element, ⟨3_{1}^{-}∥M(E3)∥0_{1}^{+}⟩=0.65(+17/-23) eb^{3/2}, corresponds to a reduced B(E3) transition probability of 48(+25/-34)  W.u. This result represents an unambiguous determination of the octupole collectivity, is larger than any available theoretical prediction, and is consistent with octupole deformation.

Treatment of petrochemical secondary effluent by an up-flow biological aerated filter (BAF)

In this study, petrochemical secondary effluent was treated by a 55 cm diameter pilot-scale biological aerated filter (BAF) with a media depth of 220 cm. Volcanic rock grains were filled as the BAF media. Median removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) was 29.35 and 57.98%, respectively. Moreover, the removal profile of the COD, NH3-N, total nitrogen and total organic carbon demonstrated that the filter height of 140 cm made up to 90% of the total removal efficiency of the final effluent. By gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, removal efficiencies of 2-chloromethyl-1,3-dioxolane, and benzonitrile, indene and naphthalene were obtained, ranging from 30.12 to 63.01%. The biomass and microbial activity of the microorganisms on the filter media were in general reduced with increasing filter height, which is consistent with the removal profile of the contaminants. The detected genera Defluviicoccus, Betaproteobacteria_unclassified and the Blastocatella constituted 1.86-6.75% of the identified gene, enhancing the COD and nitrogen removal in BAF for treating petrochemical secondary effluent.

Rapid Software-Based Design and Optical Transient Liquid Molding of Microparticles

Microparticles with complex 3D shape and composition are produced using a novel fabrication method, optical transient liquid molding, in which a 2D light pattern exposes a photopolymer precursor stream shaped along the flow axis by software-aided inertial flow engineering.

[Production and stabilization of an integrin-binding moiety of complement component 3]

The third component of complement, C3, plays a central role in human innate immunity. The subsequent proteolysis product of native C3, iC3b, is the primary ligand of complement receptors (CRs) CR3 and CR4. CR3 and CR4 are β2-family integrins, and their binding to iC3b contributes to phagocytosis. How iC3b binds to its receptors and transmits signals into the cells is not clear. To perform structural and functional studies on the interaction between iC3b and its receptors CR3/CR4, we isolated the integrin-binding fragment of iC3b, MG3-4. Low temperature is required for its soluble expression in Escherichia coli. Purified MG3-4 existed as a dimer in solution and was easy to aggregate. We tried different agents and found glycerol could efficiently stabilize the MG3-4 fragment to avoid aggregation. Using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, we confirmed MG3-4 could bind I domain, the iC3b-binding domain of CR3. Here, we report the successful production of a soluble, stable, and biologically active integrin-binding moiety of human iC3b for further studies.

Research highlights: microfluidically-fabricated materials

Polymer particles with precise shapes or chemistries are finding unique uses in a variety of applications, including tissue engineering, drug delivery, barcoding, and diagnostic imaging. Microfluidic systems have been and are continuing to play a large role in enabling the precision synthesis of designer particles in a uniform manner. To expand the impact of these microfluidic-fabricated materials additional fundamental capabilities should still be developed. The capability to fabricate microparticles with complex three-dimensional shapes and increase the production rate of particles to an industrial scale will allow evaluation of shaped particles in a range of new applications to enhance biological, magnetic, optical, surface wetting, as well as other interfacial or mechanical properties of materials. Here we highlight work applying large collections of simple spherical microgels, with unique surface chemistry that allows in situ particle-particle annealing, to form microporous injectable scaffolds for accelerated tissue regeneration. We also report on two other techniques that are addressing the ability to create 3D-shaped microparticles by first sculpting a fluid precursor stream, and increasing the rate of production of particles using contact lithography to millions of particles per hour. The combination of these capabilities and the applications they will enable suggest a bright future for microfluidics in making the next materials.

Micropillar sequence designs for fundamental inertial flow transformations

The ability to control the shape of a flow in a passive microfluidic device enables potential applications in chemical reaction control, particle separation, and complex material fabrication. Recent work has demonstrated the concept of sculpting fluid streams in a microchannel using a set of pillars or other structures that individually deform a flow in a predictable pre-computed manner. These individual pillars are then placed in a defined sequence within the channel to yield the composition of the individual flow deformations - and ultimately complex user-defined flow shapes. In this way, an elegant mathematical operation can yield the final flow shape for a sequence without an experiment or additional numerical simulation. Although these approaches allow for programming complex flow shapes without understanding the detailed fluid mechanics, the design of an arbitrary flow shape of interest remains difficult, requiring significant design iteration. The development of intuitive basic operations (i.e. higher-level functions that consist of combinations of obstacles) that act on the flow field to create a basis for more complex transformations would be useful in systematically achieving a desired flow shape. Here, we show eight transformations that could serve as a partial basis for more complex transformations. We initially used in-house, freely available custom software (uFlow), which allowed us to arrive at these transformations that include making a fluid stream concave and convex, tilting, stretching, splitting, adding a vertex, shifting, and encapsulating another flow stream. The pillar sequences corresponding to these transformations were subsequently fabricated and optically analyzed using confocal imaging - yielding close agreement with uFlow-predicted shapes. We performed topological analysis on each transformation, characterizing potential sequences leading to these outputs and trends associated with changing diameter and placement of the pillars. We classify operations into four sets of sequence-building concatenations: stacking, recursion, mirroring, and shaping. The developed basis should help in the design of microfluidic systems that have a phenomenal variety of applications, such as optofluidic lensing, enhanced heat transfer, or new polymer fiber design.

Hypoxia and Serum deprivation protected MiaPaCa-2 cells from KAI1-induced proliferation inhibition through autophagy pathway activation in solid tumors

PURPOSE

KAI1 closely correlates with pancreatic cancer metastasis. There might be some factors that protect the cells from a proliferation inhibition by KAI1 in the solid tumors' microenvironment. Hypoxia and ischemia are the main characteristics of the microenvironment within solid tumors. Whether they affect the KAI1 inhibitory effects on cell proliferation is still unclear.

METHODS

MiaPaCa-2 human pancreatic cancer cells do not express KAI1 protein. However, after being infected with Ad5-KAI1, they expressed KAI1 protein. We cultured them under hypoxic and serum-free conditions to simulate the solid tumor hypoxic-ischemic microenvironment. The cells were divided into the control, hypoxic, serum-free, and hypoxic with serum-free groups. The proliferation and apoptosis were observed by CCK8 and Annexin V-FITC/PI, respectively. The green fluorescent protein-labeled light chain 3 association with autophagosome membranes was detected by confocal microscopy. The ratio of LC3-II-LC3-I expression level was detected by western blot. Pretreatment of 3-MA was used to inhibit the autophagy. We, then observed whether the hypoxic and serum-free conditions could change the effect of KAI1 on cell survival and whether the pretreatment of 3-MA could inhibit the effect of hypoxic and serum-free conditions on KAI1 function.

RESULTS

Hypoxia and serum-free media effectively reduced the apoptosis and proliferation inhibition caused by KAI1 and was beneficial to the cell survival. 3-MA pretreatment effectively blocked the protective effect of hypoxia and serum-free media on the cells by autophagy block.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum-free media and hypoxia protected the MiaPaCa-2 cells from a KAI1-induced apoptosis and proliferation inhibition via autophagy induction.

Research highlights: increasing paper possibilities

In this issue we highlight three recent papers that demonstrate new strategies to extend the capabilities of paper microfluidics. Paper (a mesh of porous fibers) has a long history as a substrate to perform biomolecular assays. Traditional lateral flow immunoassays (LFAs) are widely used for rapid diagnostic tests, and perform well when a yes or no answer is required and the analyte of interest is at relatively high concentrations. High concentrations are required because usually only a small volume of analyte-containing fluid flows past the detection region, leading to a limited signal. Further, the small pores within paper matrices prevent the use of paper to control the flow of larger particles and cells, limiting the use of paper microfluidics for cell-based diagnostics. The work we highlight addresses these important unmet challenges in paper microfluidics: enriching low concentration analytes to a higher concentration in a smaller volume that can be processed effectively, and using paper to pump flows in larger channels amenable to cells. Applying these new approaches may allow diagnosis of disease states currently technically unachievable using current LFA systems, while maintaining many of the "un-instrumented" advantages of an assay on self-wicking paper.

A retrospective analysis of the factors associated with hypercalcaemia in patients with advanced cancer

Hypercalcaemia, a common complication of advanced cancer, causes multiple clinical symptoms, deteriorates patients' quality of life, and is associated with poor prognoses. This study aimed to identify the factors that may be associated with hypercalcaemia in advanced cancer by retrospectively reviewing the medical records of patients (n = 404) admitted to the palliative ward of the Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Taiwan, from 2006 to 2008. Patients' demographics, clinical data and symptoms were recorded. Seventy-nine of 404 patients had hypercalcaemia (19.6%), predominant in cases of head-and-neck cancer and haematological malignancies (P < 0.05), but not in those of bone metastases. Hypercalcaemia was associated with consciousness disturbances and leucocytosis (P < 0.05). We recommend that ionised (corrected) calcium levels be monitored clinically in patients with advanced cancer especially when consciousness disturbances are noted, or when head-and-neck or haematological malignancies are present. Testing of free calcium levels is also recommended in patients with leucocytosis.

A microfluidic cell culture array with various oxygen tensions

Oxygen tension plays an important role in regulating various cellular functions in both normal physiology and disease states. Therefore, drug testing using conventional in vitro cell models under normoxia often possesses limited prediction capability. A traditional method of setting an oxygen tension in a liquid medium is by saturating it with a gas mixture at the desired level of oxygen, which requires bulky gas cylinders, sophisticated control, and tedious interconnections. Moreover, only a single oxygen tension can be tested at the same time. In this paper, we develop a microfluidic cell culture array platform capable of performing cell culture and drug testing under various oxygen tensions simultaneously. The device is fabricated using an elastomeric material, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and the well-developed multi-layer soft lithography (MSL) technique. The prototype device has 4 × 4 wells, arranged in the same dimensions as a conventional 96-well plate, for cell culture. The oxygen tensions are controlled by spatially confined oxygen scavenging chemical reactions underneath the wells using microfluidics. The platform takes advantage of microfluidic phenomena while exhibiting the combinatorial diversities achieved by microarrays. Importantly, the platform is compatible with existing cell incubators and high-throughput instruments (liquid handling systems and plate readers) for cost-effective setup and straightforward operation. Utilizing the developed platform, we successfully perform drug testing using an anti-cancer drug, triapazamine (TPZ), on adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell line (A549) under three oxygen tensions ranging from 1.4% to normoxia. The developed platform is promising to provide a more meaningful in vitro cell model for various biomedical applications while maintaining desired high throughput capabilities.

Electrofluidic pressure sensor embedded microfluidic device: a study of endothelial cells under hydrostatic pressure and shear stress combinations

Various microfluidic cell culture devices have been developed for in vitro cell studies because of their capabilities to reconstitute in vivo microenvironments. However, controlling flows in microfluidic devices is not straightforward due to the wide varieties of fluidic properties of biological samples. Currently, flow observations mainly depend on optical imaging and macro scale transducers, which usually require sophisticated instrumentation and are difficult to scale up. Without real time monitoring, the control of flows can only rely on theoretical calculations and numerical simulations. Consequently, these devices have difficulty in being broadly exploited in biological research. This paper reports a microfluidic device with embedded pressure sensors constructed using electrofluidic circuits, which are electrical circuits built by fluidic channels filled with ionic liquid. A microfluidic device culturing endothelial cells under various shear stress and hydrostatic pressure combinations is developed to demonstrate this concept. The device combines the concepts of electrofluidic circuits for pressure sensing, and an equivalent circuit model to design the cell culture channels. In the experiments, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) are cultured in the device with a continuous medium perfusion, which provides the combinatory mechanical stimulations, while the hydrostatic pressures are monitored in real time to ensure the desired culture conditions. The experimental results demonstrate the importance of real time pressure monitoring, and how both mechanical stimulations affect the HUVEC culture. This developed microfluidic device is simple, robust, and can be easily scaled up for high-throughput experiments. Furthermore, the device provides a practical platform for an in vitro cell culture under well-controlled and dynamic microenvironments.

New precision measurements of the 235U(n,γ) cross section

The neutron capture cross section of (235)U was measured for the neutron incident energy region between 4 eV and 1 MeV at the DANCE facility at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center with an unprecedented accuracy of 2-3% at 1 keV. The new methodology combined three independent measurements. In the main experiment, a thick actinide sample was used to determine neutron capture and neutron-induced fission rates simultaneously. In the second measurement, a fission tagging detector was used with a thin actinide sample and detailed characteristics of the prompt-fission gamma rays were obtained. In the third measurement, the neutron scattering background was characterized using a sample of (208)Pb. The relative capture cross section was obtained from the experiment with the thick (235)U sample using a ratio method after the subtraction of the fission and neutron scattering backgrounds. Our result indicates errors that are as large as 30% in the 0.5-2.5 keV region, in the current knowledge of neutron capture as embodied in major nuclear data evaluations. Future modifications of these databases using the improved precision data given herein will have significant impacts in neutronics calculations for a variety of nuclear technologies.

Integrated electrofluidic circuits: pressure sensing with analog and digital operation functionalities for microfluidics

Microfluidic technology plays an essential role in various lab on a chip devices due to its desired advantages. An automated microfluidic system integrated with actuators and sensors can further achieve better controllability. A number of microfluidic actuation schemes have been well developed. In contrast, most of the existing sensing methods still heavily rely on optical observations and external transducers, which have drawbacks including: costly instrumentation, professional operation, tedious interfacing, and difficulties of scaling up and further signal processing. This paper reports the concept of electrofluidic circuits - electrical circuits which are constructed using ionic liquid (IL)-filled fluidic channels. The developed electrofluidic circuits can be fabricated using a well-developed multi-layer soft lithography (MSL) process with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic channels. Electrofluidic circuits allow seamless integration of pressure sensors with analog and digital operation functions into microfluidic systems and provide electrical readouts for further signal processing. In the experiments, the analog operation device is constructed based on electrofluidic Wheatstone bridge circuits with electrical outputs of the addition and subtraction results of the applied pressures. The digital operation (AND, OR, and XOR) devices are constructed using the electrofluidic pressure controlled switches, and output electrical signals of digital operations of the applied pressures. The experimental results demonstrate the designed functions for analog and digital operations of applied pressures are successfully achieved using the developed electrofluidic circuits, making them promising to develop integrated microfluidic systems with capabilities of precise pressure monitoring and further feedback control for advanced lab on a chip applications.

Clinical risk assessment rating and all-cause mortality in secondary mental healthcare: the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Biomedical Research Centre (SLAM BRC) Case Register

BACKGROUND

Mental disorders are widely recognized to be associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality. However, the extent to which highest-risk groups for mortality overlap with those viewed with highest concern by mental health services is less clear. The aim of the study was to investigate clinical risk assessment ratings for suicide, violence and self-neglect in relation to all-cause mortality among people receiving secondary mental healthcare.

METHOD

A total of 9234 subjects over the age of 15 years were identified from the South London and Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre Case Register who had received a second tier structured risk assessment in the course of their clinical care. A cohort analysis was carried out. Total scores for three risk assessment clusters (suicide, violence and self-neglect) were calculated and Cox regression models used to assess survival from first assessment.

RESULTS

A total of 234 deaths had occurred over an average 9.4-month follow-up period. Mortality was relatively high for the cohort overall in relation to national norms [standardized mortality ratio 3.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.83-3.67] but not in relation to other mental health service users with similar diagnoses. Only the score for the self-neglect cluster predicted mortality [hazard ratio (HR) per unit increase 1.14, 95% CI 1.04-1.24] with null findings for assessed risk of suicide or violence (HRs per unit increase 1.00 and 1.06 respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Level of clinician-appraised risk of self-neglect, but not of suicide or violence, predicted all-cause mortality among people receiving specific assessment of risk in a secondary mental health service.

Characteristic spectrum of very low-energy photoelectron from above-threshold ionization in the tunneling regime

We report an experimental and theoretical study of very low-energy photoelectrons in tunneling ionization process from noble gas atoms interacting with ultrashort intense infrared laser pulses. A universal peak structure with electron energy well below 1 eV in the photoelectron spectrum, corresponding to the double-hump structure in the longitudinal momentum distribution, is identified experimentally for all atomic species. Our quantum and semiclassical analysis reveal the role of long-range Coulomb potential in the production of this very low-energy peak structure.

Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms associated with susceptibility to lumbar disc degeneration in a Chinese cohort

We investigated a possible association between interleukin (IL)-10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and susceptibility to and severity of lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) in a Chinese cohort of 320 patients with LDD and 269 gender- and age-matched controls. The degree of disc degeneration was determined by magnetic resonance imaging using Schneiderman's classification. Genetic analysis of IL-10 promoter polymorphisms (at -1082 A/G, -819 T/C, and -592 A/C) was carried out by PCR-RFLP. A total of 134 herniated lumbar intervertebral discs were collected during surgery for IL-10 mRNA detection. For SNPs at -592, the A allele and AA genotype frequencies were significantly higher in LDD patients than in controls. Similarly, the AA genotype and A allele frequencies at -1082 were significantly higher in cases than in controls. Among the LDD subjects, carriers of AA at -592 and GG at -1082 had significantly lower mean IL-10 mRNA expression than the other two genotypes. The SNPs at each locus were not significantly associated with severity grade in the LDD patients. Logistic regression analyses showed that the AA at -1082, AA at -592, and IL-10 mRNA expression level were independent risk factors for LDD. We conclude that the IL-10 SNPs at -1082 A/G and -592 A/C as well as IL-10 mRNA in the herniated lumbar intervertebral discs are associated with susceptibility to LDD in this Chinese cohort, but not with disease severity.

Generation of oxygen gradients in microfluidic devices for cell culture using spatially confined chemical reactions

This paper reports a microfluidic device capable of generating oxygen gradients for cell culture using spatially confined chemical reactions with minimal chemical consumption. The microfluidic cell culture device is constructed by single-layer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic channels, in which the cells can be easily observed by microscopes. The device can control the oxygen gradients without the utilization of bulky pressurized gas cylinders, direct addition of oxygen scavenging agents, or tedious gas interconnections and sophisticated flow control. In addition, due to the efficient transportation of oxygen within the device using the spatially confined chemical reactions, the microfluidic cell culture device can be directly used in conventional cell incubators without altering their gaseous compositions. The oxygen gradients generated in the device are numerically simulated and experimentally characterized using an oxygen-sensitive fluorescence dye. In this paper, carcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial (A549) cells have been cultured in the microfluidic device with a growth medium and an anti-cancer drug (Tirapazamine, TPZ) under various oxygen gradients. The cell experiment results successfully demonstrate the hyperoxia-induced cell death and hypoxia-induced cytotoxicity of TPZ. In addition, the results confirm the great cell compatibility and stable oxygen gradient generation of the developed device. Consequently, the microfluidic cell culture device developed in this paper is promising to be exploited in biological labs with minimal instrumentation to study cellular responses under various oxygen gradients.

Integrated ionic liquid-based electrofluidic circuits for pressure sensing within polydimethylsiloxane microfluidic systems

This paper reports a novel pressure sensor with an electrical readout based on electrofluidic circuits constructed by ionic liquid (IL)-filled microfluidic channels. The developed pressure sensor can be seamlessly fabricated into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic systems using the well-developed multilayer soft lithography (MSL) technique without additional assembly or sophisticated cleanroom microfabrication processes. Therefore, the device can be easily scaled up and is fully disposable. The pressure sensing is achieved by measuring the pressure-induced electrical resistance variation of the constructed electrofluidic resistor. In addition, an electrofluidic Wheatstone bridge circuit is designed for accurate and stable resistance measurements. The pressure sensor is characterized using pressurized nitrogen gas and various liquids which flow into the microfluidic channels. The experimental results demonstrate the great long-term stability (more than a week), temperature stability (up to 100 °C), and linear characteristics of the developed pressure sensing scheme. Consequently, the integrated microfluidic pressure sensor developed in this paper is promising for better monitoring and for characterizing the flow conditions and liquid properties inside the PDMS microfluidic systems in an easier manner for various lab on a chip applications.

ESAT-6- and CFP-10-specific Th1, Th22 and Th17 cells in tuberculous pleurisy may contribute to the local immune response against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Th1 cell-mediated adaptive immune response is very important but may not be sufficient to control Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) infection. The roles of the various T cell subsets and cytokines in the inflammatory processes are not clearly elucidated. We investigated whether Th1, Th22 and Th17 cells mediated cellular immunity at the local site of M. tuberculosis infection in patients with tuberculous pleurisy (TBP). The results showed that the cytokines IFN-γ and IL-22 but not IL-17 were elevated in tubercular pleural fluid. Following stimulation with immune-dominant peptides of early secreted antigenic target-6 (ESAT-6), culture filtrate protein-10 (CFP-10) or Bacille Calmette-Guerin, pleural fluid mononuclear cells expressed high levels of cytokines IFN-γ, IL-22 and IL-17 as revealed by mRNA and protein measurements. In addition, we showed that cytokines IFN-γ, IL-22 and IL-17 were produced in M. tuberculosis-specific immune response by distinct subsets of CD4+ T cells with the phenotype of CD45RA-CD62L-CCR7+CD27+ . Our results demonstrated for the first time that ESAT-6- and CFP-10-specific Th1, Th22 and Th17 cells existed in the patients with TBP and might play an essential role against M. tuberculosis infection. The findings of this study raised the possibility of unravelling the critical targets for therapeutic intervention in chronic inflammatory diseases such as TBP.

Development of the sediment and water quality management strategies for the Salt-water River, Taiwan

The Salt-water River watershed is one of the major river watersheds in the Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Water quality and sediment investigation results show that the river water contained high concentrations of organics and ammonia-nitrogen, and sediments contained high concentrations of heavy metals and organic contaminants. The main pollution sources were municipal and industrial wastewaters. Results from the enrichment factor (EF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) analyses imply that the sediments can be characterized as heavily polluted in regard to Cd, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Cu. The water quality analysis simulation program (WASP) model was applied for water quality evaluation and carrying capacity calculation. Modeling results show that the daily pollutant inputs were much higher than the calculated carrying capacity (1050 kg day(-1) for biochemical oxygen demand and 420 kg day(-1) for ammonia-nitrogen). The proposed watershed management strategies included river water dilution, intercepting sewer system construction and sediment dredging.

Effect of Aeromonas hydrophila on reductive dechlorination of DDTs by zero-valent iron

This study presents a reductive transformation method that combines zerovalent iron (ZVI) and Aeromonas hydrophila HS01 with iron oxide reduction property to degrade DDT (1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane) under anoxic conditions. The results suggest that HS01 has weak capability in terms of reducing DDT to DDD (1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane) and nearly failed to reduce DDD or its transformed intermediates. The coexistence of ZVI and HS01 results in a slight enhancement of DDT degradation compared with the ZVI system alone. The reduction of intermediates by ZVI, however, can be obviously accelerated in the presence of HS01, and the addition of anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonic disodium salt (AQDS) can accelerate the transformation rates further, especially for intermediate reduction. The analysis of the amount and electrochemical properties of Fe(III)/Fe(II) indicates that the presence of HS01 with or without AQDS is beneficial to the reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II), resulting in the removal of passivating ferric precipitates on the ZVI surface. A mechanism and pathway that clarify the roles of ZVI, HS01, and AQDS in the ZVI + HS01 + AQDS system for DDT transformation are proposed. The quick removal of surface ferric precipitates is thought to be the reason for the enhancement of the transformation of DDT and its intermediates.

Developing nonpoint-source suspended solids control strategies using multimedia watershed management modeling

Kaoping River Basin is the largest and most intensively used river basin in Taiwan. In this study, 14 types of land-use patterns in the basin are classified with the aid of the Erdas Imagine process (Erdas, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia) and ArcView geographic information system (GIS) (ESRI, Redlands, California). Results from GIS identification and field verification indicate that orchard gardens, rice paddies, and sugarcane fields dominate the farmland areas in the basin. Investigation results indicate that nonpoint-source (NPS) pollution has significant contributions to the suspended solids load to the Kaoping River during the wet season. The average suspended solids concentrations increased from below 64 mg/ L in dry seasons to more than 1700 mg/L in wet seasons. The Integrated Watershed Management Model (Systech Engineering, Inc., San Ramon, California) was applied to simulate the water quality and evaluate the NPS suspended solids load to the river. Modeling results show that forestation and land-use management are feasible best management practices for NPS suspended solids reduction.

α-Galactosylceramide protects mice from lethal Coxsackievirus B3 infection and subsequent myocarditis

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the myocardium which often follows virus infections. Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), as a marker of the enterovirus group, is one of the most important infectious agents of virus-induced myocarditis. Using a CVB3-induced myocarditis model, we show that injection α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), a ligand for invariant natural killer (NK) T (iNK T) cells, can protect the mice from viral myocarditis. After the systemic administration of α-GalCer in CVB3 infected mice, viral transcription and titres in mouse heart, sera and spleen were reduced, and the damage to the heart was ameliorated. This is accompanied by a better disease course with an improved weight loss profile. Compared with untreated mice, α-GalCer-treated mice showed high levels of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-4, and reduced proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in their cardiac tissue. Anti-viral immune response was up-regulated by α-GalCer. Three days after CVB3 infection, α-GalCer-administered mice had larger spleens. Besides NK T cells, more macrophages and CD8(+) T cells were found in these spleens. Upon stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate plus ionomycin, splenocytes from α-GalCer-treated mice produced significantly more cytokines [including IFN-γ, tumour necrosis factor-α, IL-4 and IL-10] than those from untreated mice. These data suggest that administration of α-GalCer during acute CVB3 infection is able to protect the mice from lethal myocarditis by local changes in inflammatory cytokine patterns and enhancement of anti-viral immune response at the early stage. α-GalCer is a potential candidate for viral myocarditis treatment. Our work supports the use of anti-viral treatment early to reduce the incidence of virus-mediated heart damage.

Onychomycosis caused by Fusarium solani in a woman with diabetes

A case of untreated fusarial onychomycosis leading to serious consequences is reported. Fusarium solani is a widespread fungus and an occasional human pathogen. It usually invades rapidly in immunocompromised hosts, and often results in a poor outcome despite treatment. We report a woman with diabetes mellitus who had untreated fusarial infection of the nails, which developed into subcutaneous fusariosis, superinfected by bacteria, and then evolved into osteomyelitis that subsequently resulted in septic shock. Early management of mycotic nails in immunocompromised hosts is crucial to prevent life-threatening disease.