Multiresonance effect in type-I edge-localized mode control with low n fields on JET

Multiple resonances in the edge-localized mode (ELM) frequency (f(ELM)) as a function of the edge safety factor q(95) have been observed for the first time with an applied low n (=1,2) field on the JET tokamak. Without an n=1 field applied, f(ELM) increases slightly from 20 to 30 Hz by varying the q(95) from 4 to 5 in a type-I ELMy H-mode plasma. However, with an n=1 field applied, a strong increase in f(ELM) by a factor of 4-5 has been observed with resonant q(95) values, while the f(ELM) increased only by a factor of 2 for nonresonant values. A model, which assumes that the ELM width is determined by a localized relaxation triggered by an unstable ideal external peeling mode, can qualitatively predict the observed resonances when low n fields are applied.

Purification and characterization of a new D-galactose-specific lectin from the housefly, Musca domestica, and its antiproliferative effect on human K562 and MCF-7 tumor cells

In the present work, a D-galactose-specific lectin with novel N-terminal sequence was purified from Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) pupae. The purification was performed using affinity chromatography, ultra-filtration, and HPLC. The haemagglutinating activity of M. domestica lectin was specifically inhibited by D-galactose. The haemagglutinating activity of this lectin was stable at temperatures up to 65 degrees C and in pH ranging from 4 to 8. Salts including FeCl(3) and MnCl(2) inhibited the haemagglutinating process, whereas NaCl, KCl, CaCl(2), MgCl(2), ZnCl(2), and AlCl(3) did not. By SDS-PAGE, purified M. domestica pupae lectin yielded a single band with a molecular weight of 40 kDa, with or without reduction of beta-mercaptoethanol, and it could be stained with Alcian Blue 8 GX. The morphology of purified lectin was observed by atomic force microscopy, which indicated that M. domestica lectin was an 8.27 nm high, globular shaped glycoprotein with a 1.41 nm high polysaccharide chain. In addition, antiproliferative activity of this lectin against tumor cells K562 and MCF-7 was determined with a colorimetric assay using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide, which showed that the antiproliferative process was time- and dose-dependent with an IC(50) of 5.7 and 6.7 at 24 h, 5.5 and 6.4 at 36 h, 5.2 and 6.5 microM at 48 h, respectively.

Reverse LISS plating for intertrochanteric hip fractures in elderly patients

Background

Fractures of the intertrochanteric hip are common and the treatment of unstable fractures generally requires an operative approach. In elderly patients, osteoporosis makes internal fixation problematic and frequently contributes to failed fixation and poor clinical results. We have attempted to apply the Less Invasive Stabilization System (LISS) in reverse position for the repair of intertrochanteric hip fractures in elderly patients with osteoporotic bones. A retrospective review is presented of the cases of 28 elderly patients with stable and unstable fractures of the intertrochanteric hip treated using the reverse LISS.

Methods

We treated 28 elderly patients with a mean age of 82.3 years. According to the Evens classification, there were 2 Type I fractures, 2 Type II fractures, 3 Type III fractures, 13 Type IV fractures, 6 Type V fractures and 2 Type R fractures. All fractures were treated using the reverse LISS. Radiographic and clinical evidence of functional outcome and complications were evaluated.

Results

Mean perioperative blood loss was 92.4 milliliters (range 35 to 245 milliliters), and the mean postoperative hospital stay was 8.7 days (range 3 to 14 days).

Complications included one minor wound hematoma. Radiographically, no collapses, screw cutouts, or head penetrations were seen. All surviving patients (28 of 28; 100 percent) had uneventful fracture healing with union achieved by six months in all patients.

Conclusions

Use of the Reverse LISS plating for intertrochanteric hip fractures resulted in event-free fracture healing.

Higher moments of net proton multiplicity distributions at RHIC

We report the first measurements of the kurtosis (κ), skewness (S), and variance (σ2) of net-proton multiplicity (Np-Np) distributions at midrapidity for Au+Au collisions at square root of s(NN)=19.6, 62.4, and 200 GeV corresponding to baryon chemical potentials (μB) between 200 and 20 MeV. Our measurements of the products κσ2 and Sσ, which can be related to theoretical calculations sensitive to baryon number susceptibilities and long-range correlations, are constant as functions of collision centrality. We compare these products with results from lattice QCD and various models without a critical point and study the square root of s(NN) dependence of κσ2. From the measurements at the three beam energies, we find no evidence for a critical point in the QCD phase diagram for μB below 200 MeV.

Three-particle coincidence of the long range pseudorapidity correlation in high energy nucleus-nucleus collisions

We report the first three-particle coincidence measurement in pseudorapidity (Δη) between a high transverse momentum (p⊥) trigger particle and two lower p⊥ associated particles within azimuth |Δϕ|<0.7 in square root of s(NN)=200 GeV d+Au and Au+Au collisions. Charge ordering properties are exploited to separate the jetlike component and the ridge (long range Δη correlation). The results indicate that the correlation of ridge particles are uniform not only with respect to the trigger particle but also between themselves event by event in our measured Δη. In addition, the production of the ridge appears to be uncorrelated to the presence of the narrow jetlike component.

YKL-40 in asthmatic patients, and its correlations with exacerbation, eosinophils and immunoglobulin E

The chitinase-like protein YKL-40, which binds chitin but lacks chitinase activity, has been found to be either the cause or a biomarker for asthma. The aim of our study was to investigate whether serum YKL-40 levels are increased in Chinese patients with asthma and identify its correlation to acute exacerbation, total serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E, the percentage of peripheral blood eosinophils and lung function. We quantified serum YKL-40 levels, total IgE levels and peripheral blood eosinophil percentages in patients with asthma, as well as in controls from the communities surrounding our hospital. The lung function of asthma subjects was also measured. Our data showed that the serum YKL-40 levels were significantly elevated in patients with asthma compared with controls and, when the asthma subjects were stratified, serum YKL-40 levels in the exacerbation group were higher than those in the stable and control groups. In addition, serum YKL-40 levels correlated positively with total serum IgE levels and the percentage of peripheral blood eosinophils, but correlated inversely with lung functions. Thus, we conclude that YKL-40 is found in increased quantities in the serum of Chinese patients with asthma, and its level correlates with exacerbation attacks, indicating that high levels of serum YKL-40 may be a biological characteristic of the exacerbation of asthma.

Risk of progression to hypertension in a rural Chinese women population with prehypertension and normal blood pressure

BACKGROUND

To determine the incidence of hypertension and its risk factors among rural Chinese women with prehypertension and normotension.

METHODS

A population-based sample of 12,060 rural Chinese women aged > or = 35 years and free from hypertension at baseline were followed from 2004-2006 to 2008. Incident hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) > or = 140 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > or = 90 mm Hg, or current use of antihypertensive medication.

RESULTS

Over a median follow-up of 28 months (range, 14-47 months), 23.4% of women developed hypertension. The age-adjusted incidence rate was higher in prehypertension than in normotension (11.2/100 person-years vs. 7.9/100 person-years, P < 0.05). Among women with prehypertension, independent predictors of incident hypertension were baseline age, Mongolian ethnicity, low physical activity, baseline body mass index (BMI), baseline salt intake and family history of hypertension. Among women with normal blood pressure (BP), independent predictors were baseline age, low physical activity, baseline BMI and baseline salt intake. The awareness, treatment, and control rates for newly developed hypertension were 33.2, 23.0, and 2.1%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that the incidence of hypertension is high among rural Chinese women and it is associated with many risk factors, and the data also suggest that most newly developed hypertension cases are not treated. This high incidence of hypertension may be related to rapid social changes in our country and may apply to other areas of the developing world. These results call for urgent improvements in hypertension prevention, detection and treatment.

Endovascular embolization for deep Basal Ganglia arteriovenous malformations

We report our experience with basal ganglia AVM embolization and clinical outcomes after embolization. We retrospectively evaluated consecutive 15 patients with AVMs in the basal ganglia with respect to the endovascular treatment of these lesions. Treatment consisted of embolization and radiosurgery in combination. The angiographic follow-up after the last management was 24-36 months (mean 27 months). Clinical follow-up monitoring (range, 24-120 months, mean 76 months) was measured by the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS). The 15 patients studied had a mean age of 25.1 years at diagnosis, and 33.3% were male. Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was the event leading to clinical detection in eight patients (53.3%), and 85.5% of these patients were left with hemiparesis. At presentation, eight (53.3%) patients bled a total of 11 times. Twenty-four embolization procedures (16 pedicles embolized) were performed in 15 patients with embolization as the adjunct to radiosurgery. There were three clinically significant complications. Excellent or good outcomes (mRS≤2) were observed in 13 (86.7%) patients. Unfavorable outcomes (mRS≤2) were 13.3% at follow-up, without mortality. Seven (46.7%) patients had complete AVM obliteration at follow-up. The risk of incurring a neurological deficit with basal ganglia AVM is high. Treatment of these patients is endovascular embolization with a combination of radiosurgery to prevent neurological injury from a spontaneous ICH.

Formation of chlorinated aromatics in model fly ashes using various copper compounds

Various copper compounds found in fly ash are related to the formation of chlorinated aromatics. The formation potentials of chlorinated aromatics in different model fly ashes containing various copper compounds and the chemical behavior of such copper compounds were investigated. In model fly ash with copper metal, hydroxide, carbonate, or oxides, the generated amounts of chlorobenzene (CBz) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the average chlorination numbers were low and at the same level, respectively. The maximum generated amounts of chlorinated aromatics were observed at 300 degrees C. Although X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra indicated that the chemical form of copper compounds changed little, they were found to promote the formation of chlorinated aromatics. Therefore, these copper compounds play the same role as CuO. On the other hand, in model fly ash with copper chloride, the generated amounts of CBz and PCBs were quite high and the average chlorination numbers was high. Dynamic changes were observed in XANES spectra, and the pre-edge peak attributed to monovalent copper compounds appeared at around 300 degrees C. A large difference was observed between these two groups in the amount of CuCl generated and the homologs of chlorinated aromatics present, indicating that CuCl played an important role in the formation of chlorinated aromatics.

Changes in Femoral Head Blood Supply and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Rabbits with Steroid-induced Osteonecrosis

The molecular aetiology of steroid-induced osteonecrosis (ON) is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the femoral head blood supply and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein levels following steroid-induced ON of rabbit femoral heads in the early stage of the disease, and to investigate a possible mechanism for ON. Using a classic protocol, ON was induced in 30 male 28-week old New Zealand white rabbits. An additional 15 untreated rabbits served as controls. Change of blood supply in the proximal femur was assessed by dynamic magnetic resonance imaging and microangiography. The VEGF protein and mRNA levels were assessed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. After 6 weeks, the results indicated that VEGF protein and mRNA levels were significantly lower and femoral head blood supply had also decreased significantly in ON+ rabbits compared with controls. The down-regulation of VEGF may play a critical role in the disease process of ON.

Glycosaminoglycan chain of dentin sialoprotein proteoglycan

Dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is processed into dentin sialoprotein (DSP) and dentin phosphoprotein. A molecular variant of rat DSP, referred to as "HMW-DSP", has been speculated to be a proteoglycan form of DSP. To determine if HMW-DSP is the proteoglycan form of DSP and to identify the glycosaminoglycan side-chain attachment site(s), we further characterized HMW-DSP. Chondroitinase ABC treatment reduced the migration rate for portions of rat HMW-DSP to the level of DSP. Disaccharide analysis showed that rat HMW-DSP contains glycosaminoglycan chains made of chondroitin-4-sulfate and has an average of 31-32 disaccharides/mol. These observations confirmed that HMW-DSP is the proteoglycan form of DSP (renamed "DSP-PG"). Edman degradation and mass spectrometric analyses of tryptic peptides from rat DSP-PG, along with substitution analyses of candidate Ser residues in mouse DSPP, confirmed that 2 glycosaminoglycan chains are attached to Ser(241) and Ser(253) in the rat, or Ser(242) and Ser(254) in the mouse DSPP sequence.