Gas-assisted electron-beam-induced nanopatterning of high-quality titanium oxide

Electron-beam-induced deposition of titanium oxide nanopatterns is described. The precursor is titanium tetra-isopropoxide, delivered to the deposition point through a needle and mixed with oxygen at the same point via a flow through a separate needle. The depositions are free of residual carbon and have an EDX determined stoichiometry of TiO2.2. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy studies reveal an amorphous structure of the fabricated titanium oxide. Ellipsometric characterization of the deposited material reveals a refractive index of 2.2-2.4 RIU in the spectral range of 500-1700 nm and a very low extinction coefficient (lower than 10(-6) in the range of 400-1700 nm), which is consistent with high quality titanium oxide. The electrical resistivity of the titanium oxide patterned with this new process is in the range of 10-40 GΩ cm and the measured breakdown field is in the range of 10-70 V μm(-1). The fabricated nanopatterns are important for a variety of applications, including field-effect transistors, memory devices, MEMS, waveguide structures, bio- and chemical sensors.

[Cytological features and chemiluminescent activity of phagocytic cells in bronchial lavage of elderly patients with bronchial asthma]

The aim of the study was to investigate cytological features and chemo luminescent activity of bronchial lavage phagocytic cells in 58 patients (28 of them are over 60 years old and 25 patients younger than 60 years) with bronchial asthma (BA) before and after achievement of medicinal disease control. Bronchial inflammation process in elderly patients (> 60 years) was characterized by significant higher content of neutrophils and lymphocytes as well as lower proportion of alveolar macrophages. Chemo luminescent responses of bronchial lavage phagocyte cells in patients with BA were unidirectional in two comparative aging groups, albeit with quantitative differences. In conclusion, respiratory tract inflammatory process in elderly patients with BA is characterized by less pronounced involvement of effector cells, lower chemo luminescent activity of phagocytes in comparison with similar parameters in the patients younger than 60 years old.

[Cyto-oxidant markers of inflammation in assessing the efficacy of differentiating therapy of severe obstructive pulmonary diseases]

The study purpose was the cytooxidant properties of inflammation in patients with severe heterogenic forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and the informative value of the changes in the studied indices for assessment of anti-inflammatory efficiency of differential therapy. The cytological test (CT) and chemiluminescent biotesting of bronchial lavage (CB) obtained with fibrobronchoscopy were conducted in 155 patients with severe bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive bronchitis. The patients were divided into groups according to current classification and predominant etiological factor of the exacerbation. The data of CT and CB in exacerbation significantly differ from the findings in the control group. They also differed in bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive bronchitis. The differentiated treatment resulted in improvement but did not reach the parameters of the control group. Thus, changes in CT and CB proved to be of the differentiated nature and this enables to use the tests as additional sensitive examinations in clinical practice.