Air pollution and airborne infection with mycobacterial bioaerosols: a potential attribution of soot.

Atmospheric pollutants are hypothesized to enhance the viability of airborne microbes by preventing them from degradation processes, thereby enhancing their atmospheric survival. In this study, Mycobacterium smegmatis is used as a model airborne bacteria, and different amounts of soot particles are employed as model air pollutants. The toxic effects of soot on aerosolized M. smegmatis are first evaluated and excluded by introducing them separately into a chamber, being sampled on a filter, and then cultured and counted. Secondly, the bacteria-soot mixture is exposed to UV with different durations and then cultured for bacterial viability evaluations. The results show that under UV exposure, the survival rates of the low-, medium-, and high-soot groups are 1.1 (±0.8) %, 70.9 (±4.3) %, and 61.0 (±17.6) %, respectively. This evidence significantly enhanced survival rates by soot at all UV exposures, though the combinations of UV exposure and soot amounts revealed a changing pattern of survival rates. The possible influence by direct and indirect effects of UV-damaging mechanisms is proposed. This study indicates the soot-induced survival rate enhancements of M. smegmatis under UV stress conditions, representing the possible relations between air pollution and the extended pathogenic viability and, therefore, increased airborne infection probability.

Revision of Coelastrella (Scenedesmaceae, Chlorophyta) and first register of this green coccoid microalga for continental Norway.

A terrestrial green microalga was isolated at Ås, in Akershus County, Norway. The strain corresponded to a coccoid chlorophyte. Morphological characteristics by light and electron microscopy, in conjunction with DNA amplification and sequencing of the 18 s rDNA gene and ITS sequences, were used to identify the microalgae. The characteristics agree with those of the genus Coelastrella defined by Chodat, and formed a sister group with the recently described C. thermophila var. globulina. Coelastrella is a relatively small numbered genus that has not been observed in continental Norway before; there are no previous cultures available in collections of Norwegian strains. Gas chromatography analyses of the FAME-derivatives showed a high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (44-45%) especially linolenic acid (C18:3n3; 30-34%). After the stationary phase, the cultures were able to accumulate several carotenoids as neoxanthin, pheophytin a, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, lutein, and violaxanthin. Due to the scarcity of visual characters suitable for diagnostic purposes and the lack of DNA sequence information, there is a high possibility that species of this genus have been neglected in local environmental studies, even though it showed interesting properties for algal biotechnology.

Shape relatedness between geographic populations of Culex tritaeniorhynchus, the primary vector of Japanese encephalitis virus: A landmark study.

BACKGROUND: Japanese encephalitis is a severe disease of acute encephalitis, with children and the elderly primarily affected, and with mortality rates reaching over 25%. The virus is transmitted mainly by species of the Culex (Culex) vishnui subgroup, primarily the widely spread Cx. tritaeniorhynchus Giles. The latter is known as a highly migratory mosquito which moves with airflow over large distances. We explored the geometric variation of the wing venation among distant areas of its geographic distribution. Our working hypothesis was that shape variation across geography could reveal known past and present migratory routes. MATERIALS METHODS: We compared the wing venation geometry of 236 female Culex tritaeniorhynchus from different locations in the Madagascan (La Reunion), Oriental (Thailand, Vietnam) and Paleartic (Japan) regions. To ascertain the taxonomic signal of the wing venation we also used two species as relative outgroups, Cx. whitmorei and Cx. brevipalpis. RESULTS: In spite of an increasing morphometric variation as expected with larger geographic dispersion, our Cx. tritaeniorhynchus samples were clustered as a single species when considered relative to other Culex species. The relationships between geographic sites of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus globally conformed with an isolation by distance model. The shape homogeneity of our Palearctic samples (Japan) contrasted with some heterogeneity observed in the Oriental region (Thailand, Vietnam), and could be related to the different regimes of wind trajectories in these regions. CONCLUSION: The average shape variation of Culex tritaeniorhynchus disclosed a separation between Madagascan, Oriental and Palearctic regions in accordance with geography. The wing venation not only could reflect geography, it also contained a clear taxonomic signal separating three Culex species. Within Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, a contrasting pattern of shape variation between the Palearctic and the Oriental regions is tentatively explained by the influence of wind trajectories.

Crystal structure of alkaline cellulase K: insight into the alkaline adaptation of an industrial enzyme.

The crystal structure of the catalytic domain of alkaline cellulase K was determined at 1.9 A resolution. Because of the most alkaliphilic nature and it's highest activity at pH 9.5, it is used commercially in laundry detergents. An analysis of the structural bases of the alkaliphilic character of the enzyme suggested a mechanism similar to that previously proposed for alkaline proteases, that is, an increase in the number of Arg, His, and Gln residues, and a decrease in Asp and Lys residues. Some ion pairs were formed by the gained Arg residues, which is similar to what has been found in the alkaline proteases. Lys-Asp ion pairs are disfavored and partly replaced with Arg-Asp ion pairs. The alkaline adaptation appeared to be a remodeling of ion pairs so that the charge balance is kept in the high pH range.

Continuous subcutaneous infusion of buprenorphine for cancer pain control.

The continuous subcutaneous infusion of buprenorphine, a new approach to the relief of severe cancer pain, has been carried out using a portable infusion pump. The efficacy of this method was examined in 30 patients by visual analogue scale. An infusion rate of 4 micrograms/kg/day following intramuscular administration of 0.004 micrograms/kg gave satisfactory pain relief without serious complications. The minimum effective blood concentration was not detectable by high-performance liquid chromatography. Advantages of this therapy are its simplicity, applicability in many types of cancer, multiple sites of administration, and easier training on the part of health personnel.

Articles found in the possession of a methamphetamine abuser.

A plastic syringe containing bloody fluid, 2 ampules of 20% glucose, and ampule containing diphenhydramine hydrochloride and calcium bromide, powder in a plastic bag and powder wrapped in paper were among the articles found in the possession of a 42-year-old male methamphetamine abuser, who had been taken to a mental hospital owing to his hallucinations. Examination of the patient revealed several recent needle punctures on the left forearm. The concentration of methamphetamine and its metabolite, amphetamine, in blood collected 1 day following the last intake was 76 nmol/100 g. Analysis of the powder and of the contents of the syringe revealed methamphetamine hydrochloride at a concentration of 99.0-99.5% and 7.4%, respectively. Neither glucose nor diphenhydramine were detected in the contents of the syringe. It would seem that the patient abused methamphetamine hydrochloride by intravenous injection after dissolving it in city water or distilled water.

A fatal methamphetamine poisoning associated with hyperpyrexia.

After self-administration of 0.05 g of methamphetamine hydrochloride intravenously on three occasions at intervals of 3 h, a 25-year-old female methamphetamine abuser ingested approximately 1.5 g of methamphetamine hydrochloride, and was found dead 3-4 h later. Complete rigor mortis was observed 1-2 h after death and the rectal temperature was 38.4 degrees C 3-4 h after death. Distribution of methamphetamine and amphetamine in the body was analyzed by chemical ionization mass fragmentography. Amphetamine/methamphetamine concentrations (mumol/100 g) were 0.26/28.8 in blood, 0.64/68.2 in brain, 0.96/117.1 in liver, 0.53/50.6 in kidney, and 1.49/1045 in stomach contents. Total amount of methamphetamine hydrochloride in stomach contents was 11.6 mg. Amphetamine in tissues was a metabolite of methamphetamine, and amphetamine in stomach contents resulted from excretion into saliva and gastric mucous excretion. With rectal temperature at death estimated at more than 41 degrees C, it would seem that hyperpyrexia played an important role in causing death from methamphetamine poisoning.

[The effectiveness of cervical epidural block for the treatment of status asthmaticus].

Epidural anesthesia is currently used for the operation of patients who have bronchial asthma. We have ascertained the effectiveness of cervical epidural block for the treatment of status asthmaticus even in the ICU. The present patient had repeated history of severe asthma and was no longer expected to respond to the routine therapy. After we failed to wean him from the ventilator several times, we performed cervical epidural block on him. His condition improved dramatically after the block and he was easily weaned from the ventilator. The three notable improvements are (1) no use of sedatives, (2) normalized arterial blood pH with decrease in expiratory resistance and (3) stabilization of circulation. Sympathetic nervous system is excited in patients with asthmatic attack. As a result, high concentrations of catecholamines deteriorate general condition of patients. On the other hand, cervical epidural block seems to be effective to prevent hyperactive sympathetic nervous system. Our result suggests that alpha-adrenergic effect of epinephrine which is given as a routine therapeutic drug, will very likely worsen asthmatic attack.

[Perioperative management of patients with Meigs syndrome].

We report our perioperative management of three cases of Meigs syndrome. The major pre-operative problems in Meigs syndrome are physical trouble caused by giant mass in peritoneal space, respiratory distress, and poor nutrition. These problems must be settled before the operation. The important points in the pre-operative management are 1) respiratory care employing the intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB) and the pleural effusion drainage, and 2) the correction of intravascular volume and the concentration of albumin and hemoglobin by transfusion of massive lactated Ringer solution and albumin solution and/or whole blood when they are necessary. During the operation, the epidural anesthesia under spontaneous breathing is the best method of anesthesia. According to circumstances, we adopt the intra-tracheal intubation with continuous positive airway pressure breathing (CPAP). We can generally deal with excessive bleeding by transfusion of lactated Ringer solution and plasma expander, during the first half of operation. By the end of the operation, however, the correction of the concentration of albumin and hemoglobin must be made by the fresh frozen plasma and blood transfusion. After the operation, we use epidural analgesia to control the postoperative pain. We have succeeded in the treatment of three cases of Meigs syndrome owing to our perioperative management as described above.

Optical properties of titanium-diffused LiNbO(3) strip waveguides and their coupling-to-a-fiber characteristics.

Optical propagation losses and coupling losses in Ti-diffused strip waveguides, fabricated in y-plate and z-plate LiNbO(3), have been examined at 1.15-,microm wavelength. Propagation losses for y-plate and z-plate waveguides are ~0.5 dB/cm. Coupling losses in the y-plate and z-plate waveguides for a single-mode fiber are 2.5 and 1 dB, respectively. This difference is due to the large surface diffusion anisotropy; it is expressed by near-field pattern overlap calculations.

Optical field calculation of impurity diffused channel waveguides by linear segment layer approximation.

A mode analysis based on linear segment layer approximation is demonstrated for arbitrarily graded-index waveguides. To shorten calculation time, normalized propagation constants are achieved with the WKB method, and the optical field distributions are found with the linear segment method. The results coincide well with the exact solution. Electric field distributions with several kinds of diffused waveguides are compared. Optical intensity distributions in a 3-D diffused waveguide are demonstrated using the effective-index method.

Pure single-mode LiNdP4O12 solid-state laser transmitter for 1.3-microm fiber-optic communications.

A pure single-mode high-bit-rate solid-state laser transmitter was fabricated using a GaAlAs laser-pumped LiNdP(4)O(12) laser oscillator, a YIG isolator, and a LiNbO(3) traveling-wave directional-coupler waveguide modulator. Signal peak power of 0.17 mW coupled to an output single-mode fiber was obtained at 1.317-microm wavelength. Half-wavelength voltage was 6.0 V and 3-dB bandwidth was 2.8 GHz.

Precise method for angular alignment of birefringent fibers based on an interferometric technique with a broadband source.

A new method for precisely aligning the principal axes between two birefringent fibers is presented using a Michelson interferometer and a broadband source. Angular alignment can be accomplished by measuring the interference peak value corresponding to the rotation angle between the principal axes of the birefringent fibers. Angular alignment accuracy is limited by the mode coupling produced near the connection with reduced dependence on the fiber crosstalk. Following the experiment, minimum angular misalignment was +/-0.086 degrees , which corresponds to -56-dB crosstalk at the connection.

Scanning acousto optic filter for measuring VLSI dynamic random access memory vertical capacitor cells.

A new trench depth measurement system for VLSI dynamic random access memory vertical capacitor cells is presented. The proposed system is characterized by two features: (1) use of a TeO(2) acoustooptic tunable filter and (2) symmetric setup of the test and reference wafers. The former feature leads to high speed signal averaging and to stable performance without mechanical noise. With the symmetrical setup configuration, noise due to light power fluctuation can be effectively minimized by simultaneously detecting two light beams, one reflected from the test wafer and the other from the reference wafer without trenches. As a result, the proposed system is found to be entirely promising for a trench depth monitoring system used in the in-line process, where ultimately high trench depth detection sensitivity is required.