A vacuum pressure sensor based on ZnO nanobelt film

A vacuum pressure sensor was fabricated by assembling ZnO nanobelt film on the interdigital electrodes, and the current–voltage characteristics were measured with an Agilent semiconductor parameter tester. Under different pressures of 1.0 × 10(3), 6.7 × 10(−3), 8.2 × 10(−4) and 9.5 × 10(−5) mbar, the currents are 8.71, 28.1, 46.1 and 89.6 nA, and the pressure sensitive resistances are 1150, 356, 217 and 112 MΩ, respectively. In the range of 10(−5)–10(3) mbar the smaller the pressure is, the higher the current is. The pressure sensitive resistance of the vacuum pressure sensor increases linearly with the logarithmic pressure, and the measurement range is at least one order of magnitude wider than that of the previous sensors. Under the final pressure, the vacuum pressure sensor has maximum sensitivity (9.29) and power consumption of 0.9 μW. The sensitivity is larger than that of the previous sensor based on a ZnO single nanowire at that pressure, and the power consumption is much lower than that for the sensor based on a ZnO nanowire array. The pressure sensitive mechanism is reasonably explained by using oxygen chemisorption and energy band theory.

Fracture Tests Of Polysilicon Film

A new test approach is presented to measure the fracture toughness of thin films. The polysilicon specimen is a center-cracked panel that is 3.5 μm thick and 3 mm wide with a 100 μm long slot in the center. It is subjected to tensile loading, and the crack-opening displacement is measured by interferometry. The average toughness is 1.4 ± 0.65 MPa-m1/2.

Outreach strategies for expanding health insurance coverage in children

BACKGROUND

Health insurance has the potential to improve access to health care and protect people from healthcare costs when they are ill. However, coverage is often low, particularly in people most in need of protection.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the effectiveness of outreach strategies for expanding insurance coverage of children who are eligible for health insurance schemes.

SEARCH STRATEGY

We searched the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group (EPOC) Specialised Register (The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 2), PubMed (January 1951 to January 2010), EMBASE (January 1966 to April 2009), PsycINFO (January 1967 to April 2009) and other relevant databases and websites. In addition, we searched the reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews, and carried out a citation search for included studies to find more potentially relevant studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before-after studies and interrupted time series which evaluated the effects of outreach strategies on increasing health insurance coverage for children. We defined outreach strategies as measures to improve the implementation of existing health insurance to enrol more eligible populations. This included increasing awareness of schemes, modifying enrolment, improving management and organis ation of insurance schemes, and mixed strategies.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias . We narratively summari sed the data.

MAIN RESULTS

We included two studies, both from the United States. One randomised controlled trial study with a low risk of bias showed that community- based case managers who provided health insurance information, application support, and negotiated with the insurer were effective in enrolling and maintaining enrolment of Latino American children into health insurance schemes (n = 257). The second quasi-randomised controlled trial, with an unclear risk of bias (n = 223), indicated that handing out insurance application materials in hospital emergenc y departments can increase enrolment of children into health insurance.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The two studies included in this review provide evidence that in the US providing health insurance information and application assistance, and handing out application materials in hospital emergency departments can probably both improve insurance coverage of children. Further studies evaluating the effectiveness of different outreach strategies for expanding health insurance coverage of children in different countries are needed, with careful attention given to study design.

Zinc intake and the risk of hyperglycemia among Chinese adults: the prospective Jiangsu Nutrition Study (JIN)

OBJECTIVE

To prospectively examine the associations between zinc intake, the zinc to heme iron ratio and the incidence of hyperglycemia in Chinese.

METHODS

We followed 1056 healthy adults aged 20 and older from 2002 to 2007. Dietary data were collected using 3-day food record and food frequency questionnaire. Hyperglycemia was defined as fasting plasma glucose > 5.6 mmol/l.

RESULTS

During the 5 years of follow-up, we documented 125 incident cases of hyperglycemia. Zinc intake alone was not associated with the risk of hyperglycemia. The zinc to heme iron ratio was inversely associated with the risk of hyperglycemia: odds ratios (OR, 95% CI) across increasing quartiles of the zinc to heme iron ratio were 1.00, 0.78(0.44-1.37), 0.40(0.19-0.83), and 0.21(0.08-0.54)(p for trend= 0.001). Adjustment for lifestyle covariates did not significantly change the associations.

CONCLUSIONS

This cohort study suggests that the zinc to heme iron intake ratio was significantly associated with a decreased risk of hyperglycemia in Chinese adults.

Comparison of anatomical shoulder prostheses and the proximal humeri of Chinese people

Reconstruction of normal anatomy is important to a successful proximal humeral arthroplasty, in which the surgeon needs to know multiple measured anatomical parameters during the surgery. Based on three-dimensional computed tomography scanning data, computer models of the proximal humeri of 180 Chinese people were built. They came from 77 males and 103 females; their ages ranged from 19 to 86 years. Anatomical parameters including the curvature diameter of the head, the head height, the inclination, and the retroversion were measured using the software in these three-dimensional proximal humerus models. The methodology was valid and the measured results showed marked variations in all those parameters. On average, the curvature diameter of the head was 44.6 mm, ranging from 36.4 to 55.5 mm. The head height was located at 16.7 +/- 1.9 mm (minimum, 12.4 mm; maximum, 22.0 mm). The inclination angle ranged from 122.35 degrees to 147.09 degrees (mean, 132.4 +/- 4.7 degrees). The proximal humeral retroversion was found to be extremely variable, ranging from -4.71 degrees to 52.46 degrees, and has a mean of 21.11 degrees. Then these measured results were compared with four commonly used anatomical prostheses. The wide range of variation in the normal values makes it difficult to restore anatomical characteristics individually. Thus, the use of an accurate three-dimensional model to guide surgery preoperatively can improve the outcome of some serious cases, such as gross degenerative change and large-bone-loss surgery.

Sex differences in the responses of spinal wide-dynamic range neurons to subcutaneous formalin and in the effects of different frequencies of conditioning electrical stimulation

The purpose of this study was to investigate sex-related differences in nociception elicited by s.c. injection of different concentrations (1-5%) of formalin. S.c. formalin-induced biphasic (early and late phases) persistent nociception was assessed by extracellularly recording the spontaneous activities of single spinal dorsal horn wide-dynamic range neurons in anesthetized male and female rats. The nociceptive responses of the dorsal horn wide-dynamic range neurons following s.c. injection of 5%, but not 1% and 2.5%, formalin in female rats were significantly stronger than the responses obtained in male rats. However, these concentration-dependent differences with respect to different sexes existed only in the late, but not the early, phase of formalin-induced nociception in intact, not spinal rats. The 5% formalin-induced late phase nociception in male rats was significantly depressed by 15 min of repeated conditioning electrical stimulation at a frequency of 5 Hz as well as 50 Hz during and after the period of conditioning electrical stimulation (intensity: 1 mA; pulse duration: 1 ms). In contrast, the inhibitory effect of 50 Hz conditioning electrical stimulation on the 5% formalin-elicited late phase response in female rats was markedly greater in magnitude and longer in duration than that of 5 Hz conditioning electrical stimulation. No significant depressive effects of 5 Hz conditioning electrical stimulation on formalin-induced nociception were found in female rats, indicating that the distinct effects of conditioning electrical stimulation at different frequencies are different in animals of opposite sexes. In conclusion, s.c. administration of different concentrations of formalin shows a distinct sex-related difference in its late tonic nociception of spinal nociceptive sensory neurons. Sex differences in formalin-induced tonic nociception are stimulus intensity dependent and related to the modulation from the supraspinal regions. S.c. formalin-induced late phase nociception in female rats is only sensitive to depression at a frequency of 50 Hz, but not 5 Hz, of conditioning electrical stimulation. This suggests that the involvement of the central mechanisms in the antinociceptive effects of conditioning electrical stimulation may be different at various frequencies of stimulation.

Automated quantification and reconstruction of collagen matrix from 3D confocal datasets

The geometrical structure of fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) impacts on its biological function. In this report, we demonstrate a new algorithm designed to extract quantitative structural information about individual collagen fibres (orientation, length and diameter) from 3D backscattered-light confocal images of collagen gels. The computed quantitative data allowed us to create surface-rendered 3D images of the investigated sample.

Progressive apoptosis in chorion laeve trophoblast cells of human fetal membrane tissues during in vitro incubation is suppressed by antioxidative reagents

Previously, we demonstrated apoptotic cell death in the chorion laeve trophoblast layer of human fetal membrane tissues during the late stages of pregnancy, the progression of apoptosis during incubation in vitro, and its suppression by a low concentration of glucocorticoid hormones. We now report examination of mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha] and antioxidative enzyme genes [heme oxygenase 1, catalase, Mn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), Cu/Zn-SOD, glutathione S-transferase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase] and apoptosis-related genes during in vitro progression of apoptosis with or without glucocorticoid by a reverse transcription/PCR method. It was shown that the mRNA levels increased in chorion laeve tissue for each cytokine examined and for catalase, heme oxygenase 1 and Mn-SOD in direct correlation with the in vitro incubation period. By Western blotting the existence of Mn-SOD protein, and its slight increase with incubation time, was also shown. The investigation of the influence of antioxidative reagents [pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) and nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA)] on DNA fragmentation showed that DNA fragmentation in chorion laeve tissues was inhibited by approximately 50% in the presence of 1 mm PDTC, 30 mm NAC and 1 mm NDGA. These results suggest that apoptotic cell death of the trophoblast layer of chorion tissues may be induced through intracellular oxidative stress at the stage of parturition.

Isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy: role of circulatory versus cardiac renin-angiotensin system

To assess the possible contribution of the circulatory and cardiac renin-angiotensin system (RAS) to the cardiac hypertrophy induced by a beta-agonist, the present study evaluated the effects of isoproterenol, alone or combined with an angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor or AT(1) receptor blocker, on plasma and LV renin activity, ANG I, and ANG II, as well as left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) weight. Male Wistar rats received isoproterenol by osmotic minipump subcutaneously and quinapril or losartan once daily by gavage. Plasma and LV ANGs were measured by radioimmunoassay after separation by HPLC. Isoproterenol alone decreased blood pressure, more markedly when combined with losartan or quinapril. Isoproterenol significantly increased LV and RV weight and total collagen. Neither losartan nor quinapril inhibited the increases in LV or RV weight. Losartan prevented the increase in RV collagen but enhanced the increase in LV collagen. Isoproterenol increased plasma renin, ANG I, and ANG II three- to fourfold. Isoproterenol combined with losartan or quinapril, caused marked further increases except for a significant decrease in plasma ANG II with quinapril. Isoproterenol alone did not increase LV ANG II and, combined with losartan or quinapril, actually decreased LV ANG II. These results indicate that isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy is associated with clear increases in plasma ANG II, but not in LV ANG II. Both losartan and quinapril lower LV ANG II below control levels, but do not prevent the isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy. These findings do not support a role for the circulatory or cardiac RAS in the cardiac trophic responses to beta-receptor stimulation.

Assembly, annotation, and integration of UNIGENE clusters into the human genome draft

The recent release of the first draft of the human genome provides an unprecedented opportunity to integrate human genes and their functions in a complete positional context. However, at least three significant technical hurdles remain: first, to assemble a complete and nonredundant human transcript index; second, to accurately place the individual transcript indices on the human genome; and third, to functionally annotate all human genes. Here, we report the extension of the UNIGENE database through the assembly of its sequence clusters into nonredundant sequence contigs. Each resulting consensus was aligned to the human genome draft. A unique location for each transcript within the human genome was determined by the integration of the restriction fingerprint, assembled genomic contig, and radiation hybrid (RH) maps. A total of 59,500 UNIGENE clusters were mapped on the basis of at least three independent criteria as compared with the 30,000 human genes/ESTs currently mapped in Genemap'99. Finally, the extension of the human transcript consensus in this study enabled a greater number of putative functional assignments than the 11,000 annotated entries in UNIGENE. This study reports a draft physical map with annotations for a majority of the human transcripts, called the Human Index of Nonredundant Transcripts (HINT). Such information can be immediately applied to the discovery of new genes and the identification of candidate genes for positional cloning.

Prevention of hypertension by irbesartan in Dahl S rats relates to central angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockade

Hypertension in Dahl S rats on high-salt intake is in general considered a model of "low-renin hypertension," unresponsive to treatment with blockers of the renin-angiotensin system. However, direct central administration of an angiotensin II type 1 (AT(1)) receptor blocker prevents both the sympathoexcitation and hypertension caused by high-salt intake in Dahl S rats. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that chronic peripheral administration of an AT(1) receptor blocker inhibits the salt-induced hypertension relative to the extent of central AT(1) receptor blockade that is induced. Dahl S rats received a high-salt (1370 micromol Na(+)/g) or regular (101 micromol Na(+)/g) diet from 4 to 8 weeks of age. In 3 different sets of experiments, Dahl S on high salt were randomized to intracerebroventricular (ICV) treatment with control infusion versus irbesartan at 50 or 250 microg. kg(-1). d(-1), oral treatment with control versus irbesartan at 125 or 500 mg. kg(-1). d(-1) once daily by gavage, or subcutaneous treatment with control versus irbesartan at 50 or 150 mg. kg(-1). d(-1) by once daily injection. At 8 weeks of age, MAP was measured in conscious rats at rest and in response to angiotensin II ICV or IV. On high-salt intake, Dahl S developed the anticipated marked increase in MAP to approximately 160 mm Hg. Irbesartan ICV did not affect pressor responses to angiotensin II IV, but irbesartan administered subcutaneously or by gavage markedly inhibited these responses. Irbesartan ICV or by gavage partially inhibited pressor responses to angiotensin II ICV and the development of hypertension. Irbesartan subcutaneously at the higher dose more completely inhibited pressor responses to angiotensin II ICV and fully prevented the salt-induced hypertension. The degree of central but not peripheral AT(1) receptor blockade parallels the antihypertensive effect of irbesartan, indicating that inhibition of the brain renin-angiotensin system can contribute to a significant extent to the therapeutic effectiveness of AT(1) receptor blockers such as irbesartan when administered in sufficiently high doses to cause central AT(1) receptor blockade.

[The efficiency of algae removal from drinking water by ferrate]

This paper studied the efficiency of algae removal by ferrate from two kinds of raw water which were collected from Donghu and Tiegang reservoir respectively. The experimental results showed that the removal efficiency of algae reached about 95% only through PAC coagulation when the raw water was extracted from Donghu reservoir in which most of algae was Chlorella. But dealing with Tiegang raw water in which the majority of algae were Oscillatoria, terrate was used as pre-oxidant coupling with PAC coagulation not only using PAC to flocculate and the efficiency of algae removal could be up to 97.85%. However this treatment method using ferrate as pre-oxidant overmatched the traditional method prechlorination for algae removal.

Morphine applied to the ventrolateral orbital cortex produces a naloxone-reversible antinociception in the rat

Our previous findings have indicated that the ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO) may be involved in modulation of nociception and plays an important role as a higher center of an endogenous analgesic system (a feedback loop) consisting of spinal cord-nucleus submedius (Sm)-VLO-periaqueductal gray (PAG)-spinal cord. To further investigate the neurotransmitter mechanism involved in this nociceptive modulatory pathway, we tested the effects of microinjection of morphine (5 microg, 0.5 microl) into VLO on the tail flick (TF) reflex. The results show that a unilateral microinjection of morphine into VLO dose-dependently suppresses the TF reflex. Furthermore, 6 min after termination of morphine injection, microinjection of opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (1.5 microg, 0.5 microl) into the same VLO site reverses this morphine-evoked inhibition of TF reflex. These results suggest that morphine application to the VLO may directly or indirectly activate VLO neurons projecting to the PAG through the opioid receptor mediation leading to activation of the brainstem descending inhibitory system and depression of the nociceptive inputs at the spinal cord level.

Evidence that reduced renal medullary nitric oxide synthase activity of dahl s rats enables small elevations of arginine vasopressin to produce sustained hypertension

On the basis of observations supporting the functional importance of nitric oxide (NO) in the regulation of renal medullary function, and a reduced nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzyme activity in the outer medulla of the Dahl salt-sensitive (SS/Mcw) rats, we hypothesized that these inbred rats would have reduced capacity to synthesize renal medullary NO. This reduced capacity would sensitize them to the hypertensive effects of small elevations of circulating arginine vasopressin (AVP). SS/Mcw and Brown Norway (BN/Mcw) rats with implanted arterial and venous catheters were fed a 0.4% salt diet and infused intravenously for 14 days with a subpressor dose of AVP (2 ng/kg per min). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured 2 hours daily in unanesthetized rats maintained in their home cages. MAP in SS/Mcw rats increased during day 1 of AVP infusion from a control level of 127+/-0.9 mm Hg to an average of 147+/-1.6 mm Hg after 14 days. MAP did not return to control values during the 3 days after the end of AVP infusion. BN/Mcw rats showed no changes of MAP during 14 days of AVP infusion (90.4+/-0.6 mm Hg and 92.3+/-0.4 mm Hg). Northern blot analysis of renal tissue from vehicle (saline) -infused rats demonstrated that NOS I and NOS III mRNA expression was significantly less in SS/Mcw rats in the renal outer medulla compared with BN/Mcw rats. We conclude that small, normally subpressor elevations of plasma AVP can produce chronic hypertension in SS/Mcw rats and that this phenomenon is related to the reduced medullary NOS enzyme activity, which in turn reduces the AVP-stimulated NO synthesis.