Presumptive acute lung injury following multiple surgeries in a cat

A 12-year-old, 3.5-kg spayed female domestic shorthair cat had a tracheal mass identified as malignant B-cell lymphoma. The cat had tracheal resection and subsequently developed laryngeal paralysis. Due to multiple episodes of respiratory distress the cat subsequently had tracheal surgeries. Finally, the cat had a sudden onset of severe respiratory distress and collapsed. Computed tomography imaging and arterial blood gas analysis supported a diagnosis of acute lung injury.     

蒸煮过程中稻米水分状态的质子核磁共振谱测定

对3种稻米蒸煮过程中水分的状态进行了¹H-NMR测定。结果表明, 不同品种的原料稻米具有相近的弛豫特征。但在蒸煮过程中，纵弛豫时间会因品种的不同而呈现出显著的差异。分析结果认为，稻米中水分的存在状态有自由水、构造水和结合水等3种形式。蒸煮过程中各种稻米水分状态的差异与谷粒中有机物的理化特性密切相关，并可能是导致米饭具有不同食味特性的重要原因。     

Low-magnetic-field control of electric polarization vector in a helimagnet

The mutual control of the electric and magnetic properties of a solid is currently of great interest because of the possible application for novel electronic devices. We report on the low-magnetic-field (for example, B values of +/-30 milliteslas) control of the polarization (P) vector in a hexaferrite, Ba2Mg2Fe12O22, which shows the helimagnetic spin structure with the propagation vector k0 parallel to [001]. The B-induced transverse conical spin structure carries the P vector directing perpendicular to both B and k0, in accord with the recently proposed spin-current model. Then, the oscillating or multidirectionally rotating B produces the cyclic displacement current via the flexible handling of the magnetic cone axis.     

Asynchronous climate changes in the North Atlantic and Japan during the last termination

Pollen records from the annually laminated sediment sequence in Lake Suigetsu, Japan, suggest a sequence of climate changes during the Last Termination that resembles that of the North Atlantic region but with noticeable differences in timing. An interstadial interval commenced a few centuries earlier [approximately 15,000 years before the present (yr B.P.)] than the North Atlantic GI-1 (B?lling) event. Conversely, the onset of a Younger Dryas (YD)-like cold reversal (12,300 to 11,250 yr B.P.) postdated the North Atlantic GS-1 (YD) event by a few centuries. Climate in the Far East during the Last Termination reflected solar insolation changes as much as Atlantic influences.     

GaN photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser at blue-violet wavelengths

Shorter-wavelength surface-emitting laser sources are important for a variety of fields, including photonics, information processing, and biology. We report on the creation of a current-driven blue-violet photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser. We have developed a fabrication method, named "air holes retained over growth," in order to construct a two-dimensional gallium nitride (GaN)/air photonic-crystal structure. The resulting periodic structure has a photonic-crystal band-edge effect sufficient for the successful operation of a current-injection surface-emitting laser. This represents an important step in the development of laser sources that could be focused to a size much less than the wavelength and be integrated two-dimensionally at such short wavelengths.     

Injury Induces a Change in the Functional Characteristics of Cells Recovered from Equine Tendon

Injury initiates a repair process characterized by influx of fibroblasts and the rapid formation of fibrous scar tissue and subsequent tissue contraction. The response to injury and behavior of the different tendon fibroblast populations, however, has been poorly characterized. We hypothesized that the fibroblasts recovered from tendon with acute injury would exhibit different cell properties relating to adhesion, migration and tensegrity. To test this hypothesis we evaluated the ability of fibroblasts recovered from normal and injured equine superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFTs). The injured tendon-derived cells showed greater contraction of the collagen gel but poorer adhesion to pepsin-digested collagen, and migration over extracellular matrix proteins compared to normal SDFT-derived fibroblasts. Thus, the cells present within the tendon after injury display different behavior related to wound healing.     

Furazolidone induces the activity of microsomal enzymes that metabolize furazolidone in chickens

The nitrofuran antibacterial agent furazolidone (FZ) is still used in veterinary medicine in some countries in the Middle and Far East. The present study aimed to show the effect of FZ on the activity of microsomal enzymes that metabolize FZ, and to identify the enzyme that contributes to FZ metabolism in chickens. Wistar rats and White Leghorn chickens were administered FZ once a day for four consecutive days. FZ metabolism was accelerated by FZ administration in chickens, but not in rats. The elevation of FZ metabolism coincided with the induction of NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) activity in chickens, but such induction was not observed in rats. FZ metabolizing activities were inhibited in the presence of a CPR inhibitor (diphenylene iodonium chloride) but not by the addition of archetypal cytochrome P450 inhibitors (CO or n-octylamine). The preset study concluded that FZ accelerated its own metabolism in the chicken by induction of the activity of CPR.     

Antiallergic tea catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl)-gallate,suppresses FcepsilonRI expression in human basophilic KU812 cells

We previously found that the O-methylated derivative of (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCg), (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl)-gallate (EGCG' '3Me), has potent antiallergic activity. The high-affinity IgE receptor, FcepsilonRI, is found at high levels on basophils and mast cells and plays a key role in a series of acute and chronic human allergic reactions. To understand the mechanism of action for the antiallergic EGCG' '3Me, the effect of EGCG' '3Me on the cell surface expression of FcepsilonRI in human basophilic KU812 cells was examined. Flow cytometric analysis showed that EGCG' '3Me was able to decrease the cell surface expression of FcepsilonRI. Moreover, immunoblot analysis revealed that total cellular expression of the FcepsilonRI alpha chain decreased upon treatment with EGCG' '3Me. FcepsilonRI is a tetrameric structure comprising one alpha chain, one beta chain, and two gamma chains. The level of mRNA production of each subunit in KU812 cells was investigated. EGCG' '3Me reduced FcepsilonRI alpha and gamma mRNA levels. The cross-linkage of FcepsilonRI causes the activation of basophils, which leads to the secretion of inflammatory mediators including histamine. EGCG' '3Me treatment inhibited the FcepsilonRI cross-linking-induced histamine release. These results suggested that EGCG' '3Me can negatively regulate basophil activation through the suppression of FcepsilonRI expression.