N/S Co-Doped Graphene Aerogels as Superior Anode Materials for High-Rate Lithium-Ion Batteries

The nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene aerogel (SNGA) was synthesized by a one-pot hydrothermal route using graphene oxide as the starting material and thiourea as the S and N source. The obtained SNGA with a three-dimensionally hierarchical structure, providing more available pathways for the transport of lithium ions. The existing form of S and N was regulated by changing the calcination temperature and thiourea doping amount. The results revealed that high temperature could decompose -SOX- functional groups and promote the transformation of C-S-C to C-S, ensuring the cyclic stability of electrode materials, and increasing the thiourea dosage amount introduced more pyridine nitrogen, improving the multiplicative performance of electrode materials. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of sulfur and nitrogen atoms, the prepared SNGA showed superior rate capability (107.8 mAh g-1 at 5 A g-1), twice more than that of GA (52.8 mAh g-1), and excellent stability (232.1 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 after 300 cycles), 1.85 times more than that of GA (125.6 mAh g-1). The present study provides a detailed report on thiourea as a dopant to provide a sufficient basis for SNGA and a theoretical guide for further modifying.

Construction of a type-II BiVO4/BiOI heterojunction for efficient photoelectrocatalytic degradation of β-naphthol and coal gasification wastewater under visible-light irradiation

Herein, a novel type-II BiVO₄/BiOI (BVOI) heterojunction electrode material was successfully fabricated by using a facile two-step electrodeposition approach. The experimental results revealed that BiOI nanosheets were deposited onto the surface of BiVO₄ particles successfully, with the special morphology providing more active sites, which was beneficial to the improvement of PEC performance. According to the electrochemical performance tests, it could be observed that the construction of a heterojunction effectively promoted the separation of photoinduced electron-hole pairs and increased the transfer rate of surface charges. Under visible-light irradiation, the BVOI-300 photoanode possessed the highest PEC β-naphthol degradation rate at pH = 7, which approximately reached 82%, whose corresponding kinetic constant was 1.4 and 1.5 times higher than those of pure BiVO₄ and BiOI. After five cycles, the degradation rate still remained at 64.61%. The band structure of the BVOI electrode was deduced, and the PEC mechanism of the BVOI electrode was investigated through the radical trapping quenching experiments and ESR test, which indicated that the ˙OH, h⁺ and ˙O₂^- radicals were crucial active species in the PEC β-naphthol degradation process. For the BVOI-300 working electrode, the TOC content of coal gasification wastewater (CGW) decreased from 94.44 to 54.4 mg L^-1, and the removal rate reached 42.4%. GC-MS was used to identify the organic components of coal gasification wastewater, which was expected to provide reference for remedying actual gasification wastewater containing refractory organic pollutants and offer a new development direction for the treatment of actual coal chemical wastewater.

3D chrysanthemum-like g-C3N4/TiO2 as an efficient visible-light-driven Z-scheme hybrid photocatalyst for tetracycline degradation

Utilization of a solar-driven semiconductor as a photocatalyst to degrade antibiotic pollutants is a feasible and environmentally friendly technology. In this paper, 3D chrysanthemum-like g-C₃N₄/TiO₂ as a visible-light-driven hybrid photocatalyst with a Z-scheme heterostructure was firstly synthesized by the in situ hydrothermal synthesis method. Experiments proved that this 3D chrysanthemum-like g-C₃N₄/TiO₂ had better degradation performance toward tetracycline than TiO₂ and g-C₃N₄. In particular, when optimized g-C₃N₄/TiO₂-2 was applied for tetracycline removal (200 ml, 10 mg L^-1), the corresponding degradation efficiency could reach nearly 100% within 60 min. The improved photocatalytic activity was the result of better utilization of the heterostructure-induced visible light, more efficient charge transfer in the Z-scheme heterojunction as well as stronger redox capability. The Z-scheme degradation mechanism was supported by the trapping experiments of active species and ESR radical detection, and the whole photocatalytic process was controlled by the combined action of ˙O₂^-, h⁺ and ˙OH radicals. This study may be beneficial for the design of more efficient sunlight-driven hybrid photocatalysts and their applications in wastewater treatment.

Preparation of valuable pyrolysis products from poplar waste under different temperatures by pyrolysis: Evaluation of pyrolysis products

Poplar waste is used as feedstock to prepare valuable pyrolysis products by pyrolysis under different temperature. The bio-oil is rich in aldehyde with the maximum relative content of 47.15%, which has potential application in chemical industries. Pyrolysis temperature has significantly influenced the composition and heating value of bio-gas. The maximum heating value of bio-gas is 14.56 MJ/Nm3. Biochar is used as an adsorbent to adsorb Ag+ from aqueous solution with the adsorption capacity of 76.09 mg/g. Biochar forms the value-added Ag-Biochar composite by reduction after adsorption Ag+. While, Ag-Biochar composite can be used as catalyst for methyl orange removal with the maximum removal of 94.08%. Ag-Biochar composite is also used as lithium ion battery cathode material for energy storage with the specific capacity of 345 mAh/g. Besides, preliminary economic analysis is used to evaluate the economics of pyrolysis process with the total annual revenue of $115, 725/year.

AB0446 IMPROVEMENT OF BELIMUMAB ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Background

Accumulating evidence supports an impaired quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A study reported the patients concerns centred on fatigue[1].

Objectives

We investigated the effect of belimumab on quality of life in patients with SLE.

Methods

SLE patients from Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital treated with belimumab (n=19) or control group (n=22) were included. Patients in control group were in traditional treatment without belimumab. Data were collected prospectively at treatment initiation and now, including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the SF-36 (Table 1).

Table 1.SLEDAIPPSQIPSF-36PGroupPre-treatmentPost-treatment-Pre-treatmentPost-treatment-Pre-treatmentPost-treatment-Belimumab group11±4.676.11±3.550.0016±3.833.58±2.010.02519.47±187.79685.62±141.780.004Control group8.82±5.693.55±2.110.0006.5±3.525.86±3.240.536541.73±185.22700.42±123.900.002P0.1990.007-0.6650.011-0.7050.723-

Results

Belimumab group showed improvement in SLEDAI, PSQI and the SF-36 (P＜0.05). Control group was improvement in SLEDAI and the SF-36 (P＜0.05), no changes in PSQI (P=0.536). However, the improvement of belimumab group in SLEDAI and PSQI observably outperformed the improvement of control group.

Conclusion

Belimumab effectively improve quality of life in patients with SLE. Further study of pediatric patients with SLE is still warranted.

References

[1]Golder V, Ooi J, Antony A S, et al. Discordance of patient and physician health status concerns in systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus,2018,27(3):501-506.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

Construction of nitrogen vacant g-C3N4 nanosheet supported Ag3PO4 nanoparticle Z-scheme photocatalyst for improved visible-light photocatalytic activity

The superior photocatalytic activity of semiconductor-based photocatalytic materials has attracted great attention. In this work, a series of novel Ag3PO4/g-C3N4-x (APO/CNx) composites with the Z-scheme structure were fabricated through a facile precipitation method. B naphthol, a typical phenolic compound, was selected to evaluate the photocatalytic activity of all as-prepared photocatalysts. The obtained APO/CNx composites exhibited excellent photocatalytic activity for degradation of B naphthol under visible-light irradiation. Experimental results showed that the degradation rate toward B naphthol could reach to 90.5% for 180 min, which was almost 3.66 times higher than pure g-C3N4, indicating that the presence of nitrogen vacancies and Z-scheme structure could efficiently improve the photocatalytic performance of pure g-C3N4. Furthermore, the results of trapping experiments and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy manifest that •O2- and •OH radicals were the predominant active substances for B naphthol degradation, and the possible mechanism of improved photocatalytic performance was elucidated. This work will provide an innovative perspective for constructing Z-scheme photocatalysts for the application of photocatalytic in the field of wastewater treatment.

Application of coal-based carbon dots for photocatalysis and energy storage: a minireview

Refined deep processing and utilization of high-value-added coal and transforming it into an enviro-friendly product is a pressing requirement to break the bottleneck of coal development. Carbon dots (CDs) are...

Recent Advances in Binary Colloidal Crystals for Photonics and Porous Material Fabrication

In the past few years, binary colloidal crystals (BCCs) composed of both large and small particles have attracted considerable attention from the scientific community as an exciting alternative to single colloidal crystals (SCCs). In particular, more complex structures with diverse nanotopographies and desirable optical properties of BCCs can be obtained by various colloidal assembly methods, as compared to SCCs. Furthermore, high accuracy in crystal growth with controllable stoichiometries allows for a great deal of promising applications in the fields of both interfacial and material sciences. The visible-light diffraction property of BCCs is more superior than that of SCCs, which makes them have more promising applications in the fabrication of photonic crystals with full band gaps. On the other hand, their spherical shapes and ease of removal property make them ideal templates for ordered porous material fabrication. Hence, this perspective outlined recent advances in assembly approaches of BCCs, with an emphasis on their promising applications for advanced photonics and multifunctional porous material fabrication. Eventually, some challenging yet important issues and some future perspectives are further discussed.

Effect of Cu-based metal organic framework (Cu-MOF) loaded with TiO2 on the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B dye

Using copper nitrate trihydrate as the copper source, TiO2@Cu-MOF nanocomposites were prepared by a one-step crystallization method, and the effect of the amount of TiO2 loaded on the adsorption of rhodamine B was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy spectrometer (EDS), N₂ adsorption-desorption (BET), and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize the microstructure and surface properties of composite materials. The results show that the composite material not only has a good degradability for rhodamine B, the decolorization rate reaches 98.03% after 120 min, but it also maintains a good cycle performance. Fitting the first-order kinetic equation to the reaction process, under the optimal conditions, R² = 0.98, indicating that the reaction process conforms to the first-order kinetic equation. Therefore, the catalyst has good catalytic degradation and cycle performance.

Magnetic graphene-based nanocomposites as highly efficient absorbents for Cr(VI) removal from wastewater

Due to the merits of their high adsorption and convenient separation, magnetic graphene-based composites have become a promising adsorbent in terms of wastewater treatment. However, recycling and regeneration properties of magnetic graphene-based composites are still a conundrum, which remains to be resolved. Here, Fe₃O₄/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) (Fe₃O₄/RGO) nanocomposites were synthesized by one-step solvent-thermal reduction route and used as adsorbents for water purification. It was encouraging to find that the nanocomposites possessed many intriguing properties in removing of Cr(VI) ions, including high adsorption efficiency and excellent recycling and regeneration property. The results indicated that the magnetic separation process of the Fe₃O₄/RGO nanocomposites only took less than 5 s and the maximum removal efficiency of Cr(VI) reached 99.9% under the optimum experimental conditions. Most significantly, the adsorption rate of Cr(VI) can still be as high as 98.13% after 10 cycles and the single recycle quality of the nanocomposites can maintain at more than 80%. As a result, the Fe₃O₄/RGO nanocomposites could be a potential adsorbent for removing heavy metal ions effectively, especially in environmental protection and restoration.

Hydrothermal-template synthesis and electrochemical properties of Co3O4/nitrogen-doped hemisphere-porous graphene composites with 3D heterogeneous structure

Despite the high capacity of Co₃O₄ employed in lithium-ion battery anodes, the reduced conductivity and grievous volume change of Co₃O₄ during long cycling of insertion/extraction of lithium-ions remain a challenge. Herein, an optimized nanocomposite, Co₃O₄/nitrogen-doped hemisphere-porous graphene composite (Co₃O₄/N-HPGC), is synthesized by a facile hydrothermal-template approach with polystyrene (PS) microspheres as a template. The characterization results demonstrate that Co₃O₄ nanoparticles are densely anchored onto graphene layers, nitrogen elements are successfully introduced by carbamide and the nanocomposites maintain the hemispherical porous structure. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the composite material not only maintains a relatively high lithium storage capacity (the first discharge specific capacity can reach 2696 mA h g⁻¹), but also shows significantly improved rate performance (1188 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹, 344 mA h g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹) and enhanced cycling stability (683 mA h g⁻¹ after 500 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹). The enhanced electrochemical properties of Co₃O₄/N-HPGC nanocomposites can be ascribed to the synergistic effects of Co₃O₄ nanoparticles, novel hierarchical structure with hemisphere-pores and nitrogen-containing functional groups of the nanomaterials. Therefore, the developed strategy can be extended as a universal and scalable approach for integrating various metal oxides into graphene-based materials for energy storage and conversion applications.

The Co₃O₄/N-HPGC nanocomposites synthesized by a hydrothermal-template approach with polystyrene microspheres as the template possess excellent electrochemical performance.

A minireview on doped carbon dots for photocatalytic and electrocatalytic applications

To date, carbon dots (CDs) or carbon quantum dots (CQDs), considered as alternatives to conventional fluorescent materials such as organic dyes and semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), have drawn significant attention from relevant researchers due to their superior properties, including nontoxicity, biocompatibility, low cost and facile synthesis, and high photoluminescence. In particular, doping heteroatoms with CDs can not only dramatically enhance the fluorescence but also greatly improve the electronic structure and doped CDs have been successfully applied in various technological fields. Herein, this minireview summarizes recent advances on the synthesis and optical properties of doped CDs and their promising applications for photocatalysis and electrocatalysis. Finally, some challenging issues as well as future perspectives of this exciting material are discussed.

MiR-744 mediates the Oxaliplatin chemoresistance in colorectal cancer through inhibiting BIN1

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant cancers worldwide. However, lacking of novel and sensitive chemotherapy revealed the major challenge to improve the survival of CRC patients. The aim of this study was to explore the effect and mechanism of miR-744 on the oxaliplatin chemoresistance in CRC. Firstly, the levels of miR-744 were elevated significantly in CRC tissues from patients with oxaliplatin administration before surgery and in oxaliplatin-resistant HCT116 cells. Then, the oxaliplatin chemoresistance was enhanced by miR-744 overexpression, while was attenuated by miR-744 inhibition in HCT116 and T84 cells. Additionally, the level of BIN1 protein was found to be regulated negatively by miR-744, and BIN1 overexpression blocked the oxaliplatin chemoresistance induced by miR-744. Furthermore, BIN1 was proved to be a direct target of miR-744 by luciferase reporter assay. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that miR-744 might positively mediate the oxaliplatin chemoresistance through suppressing BIN1 expression in CRC cells, thus suggested a rationale target for the developing more effective strategies to reverse oxaliplatin resistance in CRC treatment.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Co3O4/ZnO Hybrid Nanoparticles for Triethylamine Detection

Development of high performances gas sensors to monitor and detect the volatile organic compound triethylamine is of paramount importance for health and environmental protection. The Co₃O₄-ZnO nanoparticles composite was successfully synthesized by the one-step hydrothermal route and annealing process in this work. The gas sensitivity test results show that the composite exhibits excellent triethylamine-sensing performance at a cobalt content of 1 at%, indicating potential application for triethylamine detection. The sensor based on the Co₃O₄-ZnO composite had higher sensitivity to triethylamine, better selectivity, and faster response recovery rate compared with pure ZnO sensor. Combined with the structural characteristics of the characterized Co₃O₄-ZnO nanocomposite, the optimized triethylamine sensing performances can be ascribed to the p-n heterojunction effect between Co₃O₄ and ZnO, as well as the catalytic and high oxygen adsorption properties of Co₃O₄.

Lignite-derived carbon quantum dot/TiO2 heterostructure nanocomposites: photoinduced charge transfer properties and enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

A facile and green route to cleanly utilize lignite coal as a carbon source for preparing CQDs/TiO₂ catalysts.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Ultra-Light Coal-Based Graphene Oxide Aerogel for Efficient Removal of Dyes from Aqueous Solutions

A novel carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-supported graphene oxide aerogel (CGOA) was fabricated from a cost-effective and abundant bituminous coal by a mild hydrothermal process and freeze-drying treatment. Such an aerogel has cross-linked graphene oxide layers supported by CMC, and therefore, displays high mechanical strength while having ultra-low density (8.257 mg·cm-3). The CGOA has a 3D interconnected porous structure, beneficial graphene framework defects and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, which offer favorable diffusion channels and effective adsorption sites for the transport and adsorption of dye molecules. The adsorption performance of rhodamine B by an optimized CGOA shows a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 312.50 mg·g-1, as determined by Langmuir isotherm parameters. This CGOA exhibited a better adsorption efficiency (99.99%) in alkaline solution, and satisfactory stability (90.60%) after three cycles. In addition, adsorption experiments on various dyes have revealed that CGOA have better adsorption capacities for cationic dyes than anionic dyes.

MGIS: managing banana (Musa spp.) genetic resources information and high-throughput genotyping data

Unraveling the genetic diversity held in genebanks on a large scale is underway, due to advances in Next-generation sequence (NGS) based technologies that produce high-density genetic markers for a large number of samples at low cost. Genebank users should be in a position to identify and select germplasm from the global genepool based on a combination of passport, genotypic and phenotypic data. To facilitate this, a new generation of information systems is being designed to efficiently handle data and link it with other external resources such as genome or breeding databases. The Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS), the database for global ex situ-held banana genetic resources, has been developed to address those needs in a user-friendly way. In developing MGIS, we selected a generic database schema (Chado), the robust content management system Drupal for the user interface, and Tripal, a set of Drupal modules which links the Chado schema to Drupal. MGIS allows germplasm collection examination, accession browsing, advanced search functions, and germplasm orders. Additionally, we developed unique graphical interfaces to compare accessions and to explore them based on their taxonomic information. Accession-based data has been enriched with publications, genotyping studies and associated genotyping datasets reporting on germplasm use. Finally, an interoperability layer has been implemented to facilitate the link with complementary databases like the Banana Genome Hub and the MusaBase breeding database.

Database URL:https://www.crop-diversity.org/mgis/

Chemical composition and antifungal activity of Carica papaya Linn. seed essential oil against Candida spp

In recent years, the incidence of clinical yeast infections has increased dramatically. Due to the extensive use of broad-spectrum antifungal agents, there has been a notable increase in drug resistance among infections yeast species. As one of the most popular natural antimicrobial agents, essential oils (EOs) have attracted a lot of attention from the scientific community. The aim of this study was to analyse the chemical composition and examine the antifungal activity of the EO extracted from the seeds of Carica papaya Linn. The papaya seed EO was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The major constituent is benzyl isothiocyanate (99·36%). The filter paper disc diffusion method and broth dilution method were employed. The EO showed inhibitory effect against all the tested Candida strains including C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis and C. tropical with inhibition zone diameters in the range of 14·2-33·2 mm, the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) in the range of 4·0-16·0 μg ml^-1 and the minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) in the range of 16·0-64·0 μg ml^-1 . Here, we found that the papaya seed EO has promising anticandida activity and identify C. papaya L. as a potential natural source of antifungal agents.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oil of Carica papaya seeds were studied. The oil of papaya seeds could inhibit the growth of Candida spp. for the first report. Carica Papaya may be recognized as a possible new source of natural antifungal agents.

Blocking proteinase-activated receptor 2 alleviated neuropathic pain evoked by spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is an extremely serious type of physical trauma observed in clinics. Especially, neuropathic pain resulting from SCI has a lasting and significant impact on most aspects of daily life. Thus, a better understanding of the molecular pathways responsible for the cause of neuropathic pain observed in SCI is important to develop effectively therapeutic agents and treatment strategies. Proteinase-activated receptors (PARs) are a family member of G-protein-coupled receptors and are activated by a proteolytic mechanism. One of its subtypes PAR2 has been reported to be engaged in mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Thus, in this study we specifically examined the underlying mechanisms responsible for SCI evoked-neuropathic pain in a rat model. Overall, we demonstrated that SCI increases PAR2 and its downstream pathways TRPV1 and TRPA1 expression in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Also, we showed that blocking spinal PAR2 by intrathecal injection of FSLLRY-NH2 significantly inhibits neuropathic pain responses induced by mechanical and thermal stimulation whereas FSLLRY-NH2 decreases the protein expression of TRPV1 and TRPA1 as well as the levels of substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide. Results of this study have important implications, i.e. targeting one or more of these signaling molecules involved in activation of PAR2 and TRPV1/TRPA1 evoked by SCI may present new opportunities for treatment and management of neuropathic pain often observed in patients with SCI.

Genome-wide copy number profiling using high-density SNP array in chickens

Phenotypic diversity is a direct consequence resulting mainly from the impact of underlying genetic variation, and recent studies have shown that copy number variation (CNV) is emerging as an important contributor to both phenotypic variability and disease susceptibility. Herein, we performed a genome-wide CNV scan in 96 chickens from 12 diversified breeds, benefiting from the high-density Affymetrix 600 K SNP arrays. We identified a total of 231 autosomal CNV regions (CNVRs) encompassing 5.41 Mb of the chicken genome and corresponding to 0.59% of the autosomal sequence. The length of these CNVRs ranged from 2.6 to 586.2 kb with an average of 23.4 kb, including 130 gain, 93 loss and eight both gain and loss events. These CNVRs, especially deletions, had lower GC content and were located particularly in gene deserts. In particular, 102 CNVRs harbored 128 chicken genes, most of which were enriched in immune responses. We obtained 221 autosomal CNVRs after converting probe coordinates to Galgal3, and comparative analysis with previous studies illustrated that 153 of these CNVRs were regarded as novel events. Furthermore, qPCR assays were designed for 11 novel CNVRs, and eight (72.73%) were validated successfully. In this study, we demonstrated that the high-density 600 K SNP array can capture CNVs with higher efficiency and accuracy and highlighted the necessity of integrating multiple technologies and algorithms. Our findings provide a pioneering exploration of chicken CNVs based on a high-density SNP array, which contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of genetic variation in the chicken genome and is beneficial to unearthing potential CNVs underlying important traits of chickens.

Penalized gaussian process regression and classification for high-dimensional nonlinear data

The model based on Gaussian process (GP) prior and a kernel covariance function can be used to fit nonlinear data with multidimensional covariates. It has been used as a flexible nonparametric approach for curve fitting, classification, clustering, and other statistical problems, and has been widely applied to deal with complex nonlinear systems in many different areas particularly in machine learning. However, it is a challenging problem when the model is used for the large-scale data sets and high-dimensional data, for example, for the meat data discussed in this article that have 100 highly correlated covariates. For such data, it suffers from large variance of parameter estimation and high predictive errors, and numerically, it suffers from unstable computation. In this article, penalized likelihood framework will be applied to the model based on GPs. Different penalties will be investigated, and their ability in application given to suit the characteristics of GP models will be discussed. The asymptotic properties will also be discussed with the relevant proofs. Several applications to real biomechanical and bioinformatics data sets will be reported.

Measuring Fatigue in PZT Thin Films

Small signal dielectric response is reported for a variety of PZT thin film samples. Small and large signal responses, recorded simultaneously during the fatiguing of PZT thin films, are used to identify distinct fatigue mechanisms. Microcracking or electrode delamination less than 100 Å is sufficient to explain the high correlation between the dielectric permittivity and remanent polarization during fatigue.

Descriptive study of enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma in goats in southwestern China

This is the first report on enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma (ENA) in goats (Nanjiang Yellow goats and Jianyang Big-ear Black goats) in southwestern China. The clinical, histological and ultrastructural features of ENA in goats were described. From July 2007 to May 2009, 21 cases of ENA in goats, from 6 months to 8 years old, were diagnosed solely in one big herd. Clinically, the affected goats showed nasal discharge, facial swelling, sneezing, stertorous breathing and weight loss. Tumours that originated from the ethmoid area of the nasal cavity were unilateral (18/21) or bilateral (3/21). All tumours were classified as low grade adenocarcinomas by histopathological examination and were displayed a combination of tubular and papillary growth. No metastases were detected in regional lymph nodes, brain or other organs. Ultrastructurally, virus-like particles with an average diameter between 80 and 110 nm were observed in 5/7 examined tumours.

Relation of ventricular repolarization to cardiac cycle length in normal subjects, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and patients with myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

Prolonged QT interval and QT dispersion have been reported to reflect an increased inhomogeneity of ventricular repolarization, which is believed to be responsible for the development of arrhythmic events in patients with long QT syndrome, coronary heart disease, and myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC).

HYPOTHESIS

This study was undertaken to determine whether an abnormal QT/RR dynamicity may reflect autonomic imbalance and may contribute to arrhythmogenesis in patients with heart disease.

METHODS

The relation between QT, QTpeak (QTp), Tpeak-Tend (TpTe) intervals and cardiac cycle length was assessed in 70 normal subjects, 37 patients with HC, and 48 survivors of myocardial infarction (MI). A set of 10 consecutive electrocardiograms was evaluated automatically in each subject using QT Guard software (Marquette Medical Systems, Milwaukee, Wisc.).

RESULTS

In patients with HC, all intervals were significantly prolonged compared with normals (p < 0.001 for QT and QTp; p < 0.04 for TpTc); in survivors of MI, this was true for the maximum QT and QTp intervals (p < 0.05). A strong linear correlation between QT, QTp, and RR intervals was observed in normals and in patients with MI and HC (r = 0.65-0.59, 0.82-0.77, 0.79-0.74, respectively, p < 0.0001). TpTe interval only showed a weak correlation with heart rate in normals (r = 0.24, p < 0.05) and was rate-independent in both patient groups (p = NS). Compared with normals, the slopes of QT/RR and QTp/RR regression lines were significantly steeper in patients with MI and HC (0.0990-0.0883, 0.1597-0.1551, 0.1653-0.1486, respectively). Regression lines were neither parallel nor identical between normals and patients (T > 1.96, Z > 3.07). There was no difference in steepness for TpTeR/RR lines between groups (0.0110, 0.0076, 0.0163, respectively). TpTe/QTp ratio was similar in normals and in patients with MI and HC (0.30 +/- 0.03, 0.31 +/- 0.07, 0.30 +/- 0.04, respectively), in the absence of any correlation between QTp and TpTe intervals, suggesting disproportional prolongation of both components of QT interval.

CONCLUSION

Compared with normals, a progressive increase in QT and QTp intervals at slower heart rates in patients with MI and HC may indicate an enhanced variability of the early ventricular repolarization and may be one of the mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis.

Effects of subchronic methyl tert-butyl ether ether exposure on male Sprague-Dawley rats

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is an additive used to oxygenate gasoline to improve air quality by reducing tailpipe emissions of carbon monoxide and ozone precursors. Although several toxicity studies in rats have been conducted to examine the acute, subchronic, and chronic toxicities by employing various routes of exposure to MTBE, few data were available on the effects of MTBE exposure on blood. In this study, MTBE was administered to rats at dose levels of 0, 400, 800, and 1600 mg/kg/day, respectively. After 2- or 4-weeks treatment period, rats were euthanized and blood was collected for the assay of hematological indicators and blood biochemistry indicators. Some organs, including brain, heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidneys, testes, epididymis, thymus, and prostate, were immediately removed and weighed. Possible subchronic health effects of MTBE exposure by gavage were evaluated on mortality, body weight, relative organ weight, hematology, and blood biochemistry indicators in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The results indicated that MTBE did not disrupt the growth rate of rats. Relative organ weight showed change in heart, liver, kidney, testes, thymus, and prostate. In the 2-week treatment, MTBE exerted toxicity on white blood cell count, including lymphocyte, granulocyte, and eosinophil. This finding was especially strong at 1600 mg/kg/day MTBE. In the 4-week treatment, hemoglobin at high dose MTBE significantly increased. The results of the assay for the biochemistry indicators and relative organ weight indicated that MTBE could impair liver and kidney functions and also have adverse effects on lipid metabolism and immune system. It was conducted that subchronic MTBE exposure induced the adverse effects occurring in the relative organ weight, the hematological indicators, and the biochemistry indicators under high MTBE dose.

Is QT dispersion associated with sudden cardiac death in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

QT dispersion is significantly greater in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) than that in healthy subjects. Few data exist regarding the prognostic value of QT dispersion in HCM. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the association between QT dispersion and sudden cardiac death in 46 patients with HCM (mean 33.1 +/- 15.5 years, 32 men). The case group consisted of 23 HCM patients who died suddenly, and the control group consisted of 23 HCM patients who survived uneventfully during follow-up. Study patients were pair-matched for age, gender, and maximum left ventricular wall thickness. QT dispersion (maximum minus minimum QT interval) was manually measured on early 12-lead ECGs using a digitizing board. An in-house program was used for calculating QT interval, QT dispersion, JT interval, and JT dispersion (maximum minus minimum J point to T end interval). Patients in the case group tended to have shorter RR intervals than those in the control group (777 +/- 171 vs 856 +/- 192 ms, P = 0.08). Maximum corrected QT and JT intervals did not discriminate the case group from controls (489 +/- 29 vs 479 +/- 27 ms, P = NS; 375 +/- 36 vs 366 +/- 22 ms, P = NS, respectively). Greater QT dispersion and JT dispersion were found in the case group compared with controls (74 +/- 28 vs 59 +/- 21 ms, P = 0.02 and 76 +/- 32 vs 59 +/- 26 ms, P = 0.03, respectively). The measurements of maximum QT, JT, and T peak to T end intervals, precordial QT and JT dispersion, and T peak and T end dispersion were all comparable between the two groups (P = NS for all). No systematic changes in ECG measurements were found from late ECGs of the case group compared to those from early ECGs (P = NS). No correlation between maximum left ventricular wall thickness and QT dispersion, JT dispersion, maximum QTc or JTc intervals was observed (r < 0.29, P > 0.05 for all). Our results show that increased QT dispersion and JT dispersion is weakly associated with sudden cardiac death in the selected patients with HCM.

Preparation and self-assembly of uniform TiO2/SiO2 composite submicrospheres

Monodisperse spheres of silica were uniformly coated with titania through the hydrolysis of titanium alkoxide in order to increase the refractive index of complex submicrospheres and keep their monodispersity as well as their surface morphology. On the basis of the hydrolysis of tetrabutyl orthotitanate (TBOT), a continuous-feeding procedure was used to fabricate 10-nm titania coatings on monodisperse colloidal silica submicrospheres of diameter 200 nm. The TiO2/SiO2 composite spheres were assembled to achieve structures with three-dimensional order by gravity sedimentation and vertical deposition. The complex sphere composition, quality, and morphology were characterized by different techniques.

Use of Pi5(t) markers in marker-assisted selection to screen for cultivars with resistance to Magnaporthe grisea

Identification of the PCR markers tightly linked to genes that encode important agronomic traits is useful for marker-assisted selection (MAS). The rice Pi5(t) locus confers broad-spectrum resistance to Magnaporthe grisea, the causal agent of rice blast disease. It has been hypothesized that the Pi5(t) locus carries the same gene as that encoded by the Pi3(t) and Pii(t) loci. We developed three PCR-based dominant markers (JJ80-T3, JJ81-T3, and JJ113-T3) from three previously identified BIBAC clones-JJ80, JJ81, and JJ113-that are linked to the Pi5(t) locus. PCR analysis of 24 monogenic lines revealed that these markers are present only in lines that carry Pi5(t), Pi3(t), and Pii(t). PCR and DNA gel-blot analysis of candidate resistance lines using JJ80-T3, JJ81-T3, and JJ113-T3 indicated that Tetep is the likely donor of Pi5(t). Of the 184 rice varieties tested, 34 carried the JJ80-T3-, JJ81-T3-, and JJ113-T3-specific bands. Disease evaluation of those 34 varieties revealed that all conferred resistance to PO6-6. The genomic structure of three of these resistant varieties (i.e., IR72, Taebaeg, Jahyangdo) is most similar to that of Pi5(t). Our results demonstrate the usefulness of the JJ80-T3, JJ81-T3, and JJ113-T3 markers for MAS for M. grisea resistance.

A new design of specimen stage for in situ magnetising experiments in the transmission electron microscope

A new stage for carrying out in situ magnetising experiments in the transmission electron microscope has been designed, constructed and tested. The principal advantages of the stage are that it delivers horizontal fields with negligible perturbation to the illumination and is suitable for operation in pulsed or continuous field mode. Details of its performance, including field calibration, are given. The paper concludes with a description of where the stage is likely to be of most use.

Microminiaturized immunoassays using quantum dots as fluorescent label by laser confocal scanning fluorescence detection

An immunoassay readout method based on fluorescent imaging analysis with laser confocal scanning is described. The ZnS-coated CdSe quantum dots (ZnS/CdSe QDs) were linked to a detection antibody. Immunoassay was carried out on a glass chip using a sandwich assay approach, where antibody covalently bound to a glass chip was allowed to capture antigen specially. Afterwards, the detection antibody labeled with QD was allowed to bind selectively to the captured antigen. The fluorescent signals of the sandwich conjugate were detected by a laser confocal scanner. A diode laser was used to excite efficiently the fluorescent signals while bovine serum albumin was used to eliminate nonspecific binding sites. The detection limit of this approach was up to 10(-9) M under current experimental conditions. The specificity of the QDs-labeled immunoglobulin (IgG) was tested by an experiment using goat IgG and human IgG samples. The result was consistent with the binding specificity in a sandwich-type assay. The potential of this method to function as a simple and efficient readout strategy for immunoassay in biochip is discussed.