Quantum theory for cold avalanche ionization in solids

A theory of photon-assisted impact ionization in solids is presented. Our theory makes a quantum description of the new impact ionization-cold avalanche ionization recently reported by P. P. Rajeev, M. Gertsvolf, P. B. Corkum, and D. M. Rayner [Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 083001 (2009)]. The present theory agrees with the experiments and can be reduced to the traditional impact ionization expression in the absence of a laser.

Relationship of a dominant advanced glycation end product, serum carboxymethyl-lysine, and abnormal glucose metabolism in adults: the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Although hyperglycemia is thought to increase the generation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), studies have not shown a consistent relationship between abnormal glucose metabolism and serum AGEs. We investigated the relationship between a dominant serum AGE, N-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), and glucose metabolism.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Serum CML, fasting plasma glucose, and glucose tolerance were measured in 755 adults in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Fasting plasma glucose was categorized as normal (< or = 99 mg/dL), impaired (100-125 mg/dL), and diabetic (> 125 mg/dL). Two-hour plasma glucose on oral glucose tolerance testing was categorized as normal (< or = 139 mg/dL), impaired (140-199 mg/dL), and diabetic (> or = 200 mg/dL).

RESULTS

The proportion of adults with normal, impaired, and diabetic fasting plasma glucose was 73.8%, 22.9%, and 2.9%, respectively, and the proportion with normal, impaired, and diabetic 2-hour plasma glucose was 73.1%, 19.2%, and 7.7%, respectively. Serum CML (microg/mL) was not associated with abnormal fasting plasma glucose (Odds Ratio [O.R.] 0.60, 95% Confidence Interval [C.I.] 0.15-2.36, P = 0.47) in a multivariate, ordered logistic regression model, adjusting for age, race, gender, body mass index, and chronic diseases. Serum CML (microg/mL) was associated with abnormal 2-hour plasma glucose on glucose tolerance testing (O.R. 0.15, 95% C.I. 0.04-0.63, P = 0.009) in a multivariate, ordered logistic regression model, adjusting for the same covariates.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated CML, a dominant AGE, was not associated with elevated fasting plasma glucose and was associated with a reduced odds of abnormal glucose tolerance in older community-dwelling adults.

Light emission from nanoscale Si/Si oxide materials

Most porous Si materials studied have been oxidized in various degrees. The oxidized porous Si comprises of a great quantity of nanoscale Si particles (NSPs) and each of them is covered by a Si oxide layer. The structure and luminescence properties of the NSPs embedded Si oxide and the nanoscale Si/nanoscale SiO2 multilayers are similar to those of the oxidized porous Si. All the three kinds of materials mentioned are called nanoscale Si/Si oxide materials and their photoluminescence and electroluminescence properties especially light emission mechanisms are reviewed in this article. Nanoscale Si/Si oxide materials have been well studied and are believed to be very promising Si based light emitting materials. The very distinct roles of the NSPs and the luminescence centers in Si oxide in the photoluminescence and electroluminescence from the nanoscale Si/Si oxide materials are highlighted.

Relationship of 25-hydroxyvitamin D with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in older community-dwelling adults

Background/Objectives

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, poor muscle strength, falls, fractures, and mortality. Although older adults are at a high risk of vitamin D deficiency, the relationship of serum 25(OH)D with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality has not been well characterized in the elderly. We hypothesized that low serum 25(OH)D predicted mortality in older adults.

Subjects/Methods

Serum 25(OH)D and all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality were examined in 1006 adults, ≥65 years, who participated in the InCHIANTI study, a population-based, prospective cohort study of aging in Tuscany, Italy. Serum 25(OH)D was measured at enrollment in 1998-1999, and participants were followed for mortality.

Results

During 6.5 years of follow-up, 228 (22.7%) participants died, of whom 107 died from cardiovascular disease. Compared with participants in the highest quartile of serum 25(OH)D (>26.5 ng/mL)(to convert to nmol/L, multiply by 2.496), those in the lowest quartile (<10.5 ng/mL) had increased risk of all-cause mortality (Hazards Ratio [H.R.] 2.11, 95% Confidence Interval [C.I.] 1.22 – 3.64, P = 0.007) and cardiovascular disease mortality (H.R. 2.64, 95% C.I. 1.14 – 4.79, P = 0.02), in multivariate Cox proportional hazards models that adjusted for age, sex, education, season, physical activity, and other potential confounders.

Conclusions

Older community-dwelling adults with low serum 25(OH)D are at higher risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.

Expression of progesterone receptor A form and its role in the interaction of progesterone with cortisol on cyclooxygenase-2 expression in amnionic fibroblasts

CONTEXT

Human amnion fibroblasts produce abundant prostaglandins toward the end of gestation, which is believed to be one of the major events leading to parturition. Glucocorticoids have been shown to up-regulate cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, the crucial enzyme catalyzing prostaglandin synthesis, in human amnion fibroblasts. Although a major propregnancy hormone, the effect of progesterone and the associated progesterone receptor subtypes in the regulation of both basal and glucocorticoid-induced COX-2 expression in human amnion fibroblasts have not been resolved.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Cultured human amnion fibroblasts prepared from the fetal membranes at term pregnancy without labor mainly expressed the progesterone receptor A form (PRA). Inhibition of endogenous progesterone production with trilostane or knockdown of PRA expression with small interfering RNA significantly enhanced the glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-mediated COX-2 induction by cortisol, whereas overexpression of PRA attenuated the induction by cortisol. Co-immunoprecipitation assay revealed PRA in the GR protein complex. Although exogenous progesterone did not alter COX-2 expression under basal conditions, it attenuated cortisol-induced COX-2 expression at concentrations about 10- to 50-fold higher, which might be achieved by competition with cortisol for GR.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated in this study that endogenous progesterone might counteract the induction of prostaglandin synthesis by cortisol via PRA transdominant repression of GR function, whereas high levels of progesterone might further inhibit the induction by cortisol via competitive binding to GR in human amnion fibroblasts. These inhibitory actions of progesterone and PRA on glucocorticoids and GR may partly explain the inconsistent effects of glucocorticoids on parturition in humans.

Immune responses to T-cell epitopes of SARS CoV-N protein are enhanced by N immunization with a chimera of lysosome-associated membrane protein

In our previous study by Gupta et al, dominant T-cell epitopes of SARS CoV-N(N) protein were predicted by software. The spectrum of interferon (IFN)-gamma responses of Balb/c mice immunized against two different forms of SARS CoV-N plasmid was then analyzed. A cluster of dominant T-cell epitopes of SARS CoV-N protein was found in the N-terminus (amino acids 76-114). On the basis of this study, four different plasmids were constructed: (i) DNA encoding the unmodified N (p-N) or N(70-122) (p-N(70-122)) as an endogenous cytoplasmic protein or (ii) DNA encoding a lysosome-associated membrane protein (LAMP) chimera with N (p-LAMP/N) or N(70-122) (p-LAMP/N(70-122)). The immune responses of mice to these four constructs were evaluated. The results showed marked differences in the responses of the immunized mice. A single priming immunization with the p-LAMP/N construct was sufficient to elicit an antibody response. Enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay indicated that p-LAMP/N(70-122) and p-LAMP/N plasmids both elicited a greater IFN-gamma response than p-N. p-N and p-N(70-122) constructs induced low or undetectable levels of cytokine secretion. We also found that the p-LAMP/N(70-122) construct promoted a long-lasting T-cell memory response without an additional boost 6 months after three immunizations. These findings show that DNA vaccines, even epitope-based DNA vaccines using LAMP as chimera, can elicit both humoral and cellular immune responses.

Role of human chorionic gonadotropin in maintaining 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 expression in human placental syncytiotrophoblasts

Proper glucocorticoid exposure in utero is vital for normal fetal organ maturation, but excess glucocorticoids are detrimental to fetal growth and can even predispose the individuals to the high risk of having certain diseases in adulthood. The fetus is protected from 10 times higher maternal glucocorticoid levels by the placental enzyme 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 (11beta-HSD2), which converts biologically active cortisol to inactive cortisone. Thus it is of primary importance to understand how this enzyme is regulated. Activation of cAMP/PKA pathway is known to upregulate 11beta-HSD2 expression in placental syncytiotrophoblasts, however the endogenous hormones utilizing this pathway remain largely unknown. By using cultured human placental syncytiotrophoblasts, we demonstrated that inhibition of protein kinase A with H89 attenuated 11beta-HSD2 expression in the syncytiotrophoblasts, suggesting endogenous factors from the syncytiotrophoblasts using this pathway to maintain 11beta-HSD2 expression in the syncytiotrophoblasts. Neutralization of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) secreted by the syncytiotrophoblasts with hCG antibody decreased 11beta-HSD2 promoter activity, mRNA and protein expression as well as intracellular cAMP level, while treatment of the syncytiotrophoblasts with exogenous hCG increased 11beta-HSD2 expression, which was attenuated by H89. Furthermore, we found that cortisol increased both hCG expression and secretion. The up-regulation of 11beta-HSD2 expression by cortisol was significantly attenuated by co-treatment with hCG antibody or H89 in the syncytiotrophoblasts. In conclusion, hCG is an important paracrine or autocrine hormone maintaining 11beta-HSD2 expression and the up-regulation of 11beta-HSD2 expression by cortisol may be mediated in part by hCG in the syncytiotrophoblasts.

Paradoxical stimulation of cyclooxygenase-2 expression by glucocorticoids via a cyclic AMP response element in human amnion fibroblasts

Human amnion fibroblasts produce abundant prostaglandins toward the end of gestation, which is one of the major events leading to parturition. In marked contrast to its well-described antiinflammatory effect, glucocorticoids have been shown to up-regulate cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in human amnion fibroblasts. The mechanisms underlying this paradoxical induction of COX-2 by glucocorticoids have not been resolved. Using cultured human amnion fibroblasts, we found that the induction of COX-2 mRNA expression by cortisol was a glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-dependent process requiring ongoing transcription. Upon transfection of a COX-2 promoter-driven reporter gene into the amnion fibroblasts, cortisol stimulated the COX-2 promoter activity. This was abolished by mutagenesis of a cAMP response element (CRE) at -53 to approximately -59bp as well as by cotransfection of a plasmid expressing dominant-negative CRE-binding protein (CREB). The phosphorylation level of CREB-1 was significantly increased by cortisol treatment of the amnion fibroblasts, whereas the effect was attenuated either by the protein kinase A inhibitor H89 or the p38 -MAPK inhibitor SB203580. The induction of the COX-2 promoter activity and the phosphorylation of CREB-1 were also blocked by the GR antagonist RU486. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay revealed that the binding of CREB-1 to the CRE of the COX-2 promoter was increased by cortisol treatment of the amnion fibroblasts. In conclusion, cortisol, via binding to GR, stimulated COX-2 expression by increasing phosphorylated CREB-1 binding to the CRE of the COX-2 gene. Cortisol may phosphorylate CREB-1 by activating either protein kinase A or p38-MAPK in the amnion fibroblasts.

Calibrated finger rub auditory screening test (CALFRAST)

BACKGROUND

Determination of auditory function is a fundamental part of a complete neurologic examination. Disability from permanent hearing loss is common in the general population. Current bedside auditory tests are unreliable and cumbersome. We evaluated the calibrated finger rub auditory screening test (CALFRAST) as a routine diagnostic tool.

METHODS

The sound spectrum and mean peak intensities of standard finger rub were measured, as well as background noise. CALFRAST overlapped the frequency spectrum of normal speech. Patients and companions were recruited from a neurology clinic. With arms extended, two stimulus intensities were presented: strong finger rub (CALFRAST-Strong 70) and the faintest rub that the examiner could hear (CALFRAST-Faint 70). With subjects' eyes closed, each ear's CALFRAST threshold was ascertained and then compared with its audiometric measure. The normal threshold was considered to be 25 dB. Validity, reliability, and discrimination abilities were obtained using standard methods.

RESULTS

Two hundred twenty-one subjects (442 ears; 58% women) were examined. Ages ranged from 18 to 88 years, with a mean of 46 years. Eighty-five subjects (39%) had some degree of hearing loss. Both specificity and positive predictive value of CALFRAST-Strong 70 were 100%. Both sensitivity and negative predictive value of CALFRAST-Faint 70 were 99%, with a negative likelihood ratio <0.1. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.94, consistent with excellent discrimination ability. Both intrarater and interrater reliability were excellent, both kappa >0.8. Subjects' self-assessment of hearing was unreliable.

CONCLUSION

The calibrated finger rub auditory screening test (CALFRAST) is simple, accurate, inexpensive, and reliable. As a routine screening tool, CALFRAST may contribute to more efficient identification of auditory impairment.

Output characterization of a self-pulsating and aperiodic optical fiber source based on cascaded regeneration

We investigate the properties of a self-pulsating fiber cavity based on cascaded regeneration. The mechanisms that govern the number of oscillating pulses in the cavity, the pulse peak power, the pulse width, the wavelength tunability as well as the generation of sub-picosecond pulses are identified, analyzed and quantified. We find that the described self-pulsating cavity enables the oscillation of quasi transform-limited pulses with a pulsewidth of 4.8 ps at 1540.0 nm when using 0.4 nm non-Gaussian bandpass filters. Sub-picosecond pulses with an autocorrelation width of 471 fs are generated from the same self-pulsating source with modified bandpass filters and the addition of a chromatic dispersion compensator. The number of eigenpulses that oscillate simultaneously in the cavity can be adjusted from 0 up to 29,500 with proper cavity adjustment. This source has dual-wavelength output and can be tuned throughout the gain band of the amplifiers.

Identification of vhhP2, a novel genetic marker of Vibrio harveyi, and its application in the quick detection of V. harveyi from animal specimens and environmental samples

AIMS

To investigate the species-specific prevalence of vhhP2 among Vibrio harveyi isolates and the applicability of vhhP2 in the specific detection of V. harveyi from crude samples of animal and environmental origins.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A gene (vhhP2) encoding an outer membrane protein of unknown function was identified from a pathogenic V. harveyi isolate. vhhP2 is present in 24 V. harveyi strains isolated from different geographical locations but is absent in 24 strains representing 17 different non-V. harveyi species, including V. parahaemolyticus and V. alginolyticus. A simple polymerase chain reaction method for the identification of V. harveyi was developed based on the conserved sequence of vhhP2. This method was demonstrated to be applicable to the quick detection of V. harveyi from crude animal specimens and environmental samples. The specificity of this method was tested by applying it to the examination of two strains of V. campbellii, which is most closely related to V. harveyi. One of the V. campbellii strains was falsely identified as V. harveyi.

CONCLUSIONS

vhhP2 is ubiquitously present in the V. harveyi species and is absent in most of the non-V. harveyi species; this feature enables vhhP2 to serve as a genetic marker for the rapid identification of V. harveyi. However, this method can not distinguish some V. campbellii strains from V. harveyi.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

the significance of our study is the identification of a novel gene of V. harveyi and the development of a simple method for the relatively accurate detection of V. harveyi from animal specimens and environmental samples.

Ex vivo inhibition of NF-kappaB signaling in alloreactive T-cells prevents graft-versus-host disease

The ex vivo induction of alloantigen-specific hyporesponsiveness by costimulatory pathway blockade or exposure to immunoregulatory cytokines has been shown to inhibit proliferation, IL-2 production, and the graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) capacity of adoptively transferred T-cells. We hypothesized that inhibition of the intracellular NF-kappaB pathway in alloreactive T-cells, which is critical for T-cell activation events including IL-2 transcription, could lead to alloantigen hyporesponsiveness and loss of GVHD capacity. We demonstrate that treatment of mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) cultures with PS1145, a potent inhibitor of NF-kappaB activation, can induce T-cell hyporesponsiveness to alloantigen in primary and secondary responses while preserving in vitro responses to potent mitogenic stimulation. GVHD lethality in recipients of ex vivo PS1145-treated cells was profoundly inhibited. Parking of control or PS1145-treated MLR cells in syngeneic Rag(-/-) recipients resulted in intact contact hypersensitivity (CHS) responses. However, GVHD lethality capacity also was restored, suggesting that lymphopenic expansion uncoupled alloantigen hyporesponsiveness. These results indicate that the NF-kappaB pathway is a critical regulator of alloresponses and provide a novel small molecule inhibitor based approach that is effective in preventing early posttransplant GVHD lethality but that also permits donor T-cell responses to recover after a period of lymphopenic expansion.

Low serum carotenoids are associated with a decline in walking speed in older women

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Walking speed is an important measure of physical performance that is predictive of disability and mortality. The relationship of dietary factors to changes in physical performance has not been well characterized in older adults. The aim was to determine whether total serum carotenoid concentrations, a marker for fruit and vegetable intake, and serum selenium are related to changes in walking speed in older women.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The relationship between total serum carotenoids and selenium measured at baseline, 12, and 24 months follow-up and walking speed assessed at baseline and every six months for 36 months was examined in 687 moderately to severely disabled women, 65 years or older, living in the community.

RESULTS

Mean total serum carotenoids were associated with mean walking speed over three years of follow-up (P = 0.0003) and rate of change of walking speed (P = 0.007) in multivariate linear regression models adjusting for age, body mass index, and chronic diseases. Mean serum selenium was associated with mean walking speed over three years of follow-up (P = 0.0003) but not with the rate of change of walking speed (P = 0.26).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that a higher fruit and vegetable intake, as indicated by higher total serum carotenoid concentrations, may be protective against a decline in walking speed in older women.

1.53 µm photo- and electroluminescence from Er(3+) in erbium silicate

Si-rich silicon oxide (SRO)/Er-Si-O/SRO multilayers were prepared on p-Si substrates using magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that a mixture of silicates Er(2)Si(2)O(7) and Er(2)SiO(5) was formed after the multilayers were annealed at 1000 and 1150 °C. Strong Er(3+) 1.53 µm photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature has been observed from these multilayers and the full width at half-maximum of the 1.53 µm peak is less than 1.8 nm for the multilayers annealed at 1150 °C. Er(3+) 1.53 µm electroluminescence has been observed from erbium silicate films for the first time.

Manipulating the magnetic structure of Co core/CoO shell nanoparticles: implications for controlling the exchange bias

We present an experimental study of the effects of oxidation on the magnetic and crystal structures of exchange biased epsilon-Co/CoO core-shell nanoparticles. Transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that oxidation creates a Co-CoO interface which is highly directional and epitaxial in quality. Neutron diffraction measurements find that below a Néel temperature TN of approximately 235 K the magnetization of the CoO shell is modulated by two wave vectors, q1=(1/2 1/2 1/2)2pi/a and q2=(100)2pi/a. Oxidation affects the q1 component of the magnetization very little, but hugely enhances the q2 component, resulting in the magnetic decompensation of the core-shell interface. We propose that the large exchange bias effect results from the highly ordered interface between the Co core and CoO shell, and from enhanced core-shell coupling by the uncompensated interface moment.