High-sensitive XANES analysis at Ce L2-edge for Ce in bauxites using transition-edge sensors: Implications for Ti-rich geological samples.

Accurate determination of cerium (Ce) valence state is important for interpreting the Ce anomaly in geological archives for (paleo)redox reconstruction. However, the routine application of Ce L3-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy for detecting trace Ce in geological samples can often be restricted by coexisting titanium (Ti) due to the proximity of their fluorescence emission lines. Therefore, the signal-to-noise ratio of Ce L3-edge XANES spectra may not be sufficiently high for high-quality spectroscopic analysis. This study introduces a semi-quantitative approach appropriate for Ti-rich, Ce-dilute geological materials by synchrotron-based X-ray measurement at the Ce L2-edge. First, the results confirm that Ce L2-edge XANES spectra are able to avoid overlapping Ti Kß emissions and provide more reliable information on the Ce valence state in Ti-rich materials relative to L3-edge XANES. Moreover, the application of transition-edge sensor (TES) could reach the higher sensitivity with better energy resolution than conventional silicon drift detector (SDD) to detect fluorescence X-ray (Ce Lß1). The investigation on bauxites developed from the Columbia River Basalts shows that combining Ce L2-edge XANES and TES allows for resolving weak Ce fluorescence lines at the L2-edge from Ti-rich, Ce-dilute samples (Ti/Ce mass ratio up to ∼6000, tens of ppm Ce). The outcome emphasizes the practical possibility of investigating Ce redox state in Ti-rich geological samples.

Comprehensive technical and patient-care optimization in the management of pediatric apheresis for peripheral blood stem cell harvesting.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric apheresis for peripheral blood stem cell transplantation should be carried out with due concern for low corporeal blood volume and vulnerability to hypocalcemia-related complications, hypovolemic shock, and hypervolemic cardiac overload. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We retrospectively investigated a total of 267 apheresis procedures from 1990 to 2013 on 93 children between 0 and 10 years old, including 89 patients and 4 healthy donors, with body weights of 6.3 to 44.0 kg. RESULTS: The median CD34+ cell yield per apheresis procedure was 2.3 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg (0.2-77.9 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg). Adverse events occurred in 11.6% of procedures (n = 31), including mild perivascular pain (n = 12), emesis (n = 9), hypotension (n = 3), urticaria (n = 2), numbness (n = 2), chest pain (n = 1), facial flush (n = 1), and abdominal pain (n = 1). Among hypotensive events, shock in a 9.6 kg one-year-old boy required emergency treatment in 1996. Thereafter, we adopted continuous injection of calcium gluconate, ionized calcium monitoring, central venous catheter access and circuit priming with albumin in addition to concentrated red cells. Since then we have had fewer complications: 16.4% per apheresis during 1990-1997 versus 5.8% during 1998-2013. No healthy pediatric donors suffered from any late-onset complications related to apheresis or G-CSF administration. CONCLUSION: By employing appropriate measures, peripheral blood stem cell apheresis for small children can have an improved safety profile, even for children weighing <10 kg.

GIGAS CELL1, a novel negative regulator of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome, is required for proper mitotic progression and cell fate determination in Arabidopsis.

Increased cellular ploidy is widespread during developmental processes of multicellular organisms, especially in plants. Elevated ploidy levels are typically achieved either by endoreplication or endomitosis, which are often regarded as modified cell cycles that lack an M phase either entirely or partially. We identified GIGAS CELL1 (GIG1)/OMISSION OF SECOND DIVISION1 (OSD1) and established that mutation of this gene triggered ectopic endomitosis. On the other hand, it has been reported that a paralog of GIG1/OSD1, UV-INSENSITIVE4 (UVI4), negatively regulates endoreplication onset in Arabidopsis thaliana. We showed that GIG1/OSD1 and UVI4 encode novel plant-specific inhibitors of the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase. These proteins physically interact with APC/C activators, CDC20/FZY and CDH1/FZR, in yeast two-hybrid assays. Overexpression of CDC20.1 and CCS52B/FZR3 differentially promoted ectopic endomitosis in gig1/osd1 and premature occurrence of endoreplication in uvi4. Our data suggest that GIG1/OSD1 and UVI4 may prevent an unscheduled increase in cellular ploidy by preferentially inhibiting APC/C(CDC20) and APC/C(FZR), respectively. Generation of cells with a mixed identity in gig1/osd1 further suggested that the APC/C may have an unexpected role for cell fate determination in addition to its role for proper mitotic progression.

Motor cortex stimulation improves local cerebral glucose metabolism in the ipsilateral thalamus in patients with poststroke pain: case report.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) is documented as an effective therapeutic option for patients with poststroke pain. However, its underlying mechanism is still unclear. This study aimed to evaluate local cerebral glucose metabolism before and after MCS in patients with poststroke pain. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: Using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMRGlu) was measured in 6 patients with poststroke pain before MCS. Their lesions were located in the corona radiata, internal capsule, and thalamus. An epidural electrode was implanted under the monitoring of intraoperative neuronavigation and somatosensory evoked/motor evoked potentials. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography was repeated in 4 patients (67%) who underwent successful MCS. Asymmetry of CMRGlu was semiquantitatively analyzed using an automated region of interest setting method. Before MCS, the ratio of CMRGlu in the ipsilateral to contralateral thalamus was 0.81 ± 0.13 (n = 6), (range, 0.63-0.97). However, there was no significant asymmetry of CMRGlu in other regions. Successful MCS significantly improved the asymmetry of CMRGlu in the ipsilateral thalamus from 0.81 ± 0.14 to 0.89 ± 0.17 (P < .01, n = 4). The therapeutic effect was proportional to the improvement of CMRGlu asymmetry (R = 0.79, P = 0.28; single regression analysis). CONCLUSION: Poststroke pain is closely related to the reduced glucose use in the thalamus contralateral to the painful area. Successful MCS significantly improves glucose use in the thalamus ipsilateral to MCS, suggesting that electrical stimulation of the motor cortex may activate the corticothalamic connection from the motor cortex.

Non-antibiotic treatment for pediatric outpatients with common cold inhibits the emergence of drug resistant pneumococci.

The occurrence of drug resistant Streptococcus pneurmoniae (S. pneumoniae) is very high in Japan. Unnecessary use of antibiotics had been thought to cause this problem but previous studies had not clearly showed that the decreasing rate of antibiotic use had been related to the reduction of the prevalence of resistant strains. In this study, we tried to prove that non-antibiotic treatment for common cold would reduce the antibiotic resistant S. pneumoniae in nasopharynx in children. Forty-five children with the common cold were randomly selected from pediatric patients who had taken antibiotics within the past three months. We collected nasopharyngeal swabs from all of the participants and once again after a period of 2 to 3 months without using any antibiotics. Twenty-four of these patients had the S. pneumoniae strains isolated. Then these strains were undergone a susceptibility test and drug-resistant gene detection. The susceptibility test reveled that patients with penicillin-resistant strains decreased from 17 to 7 (p < 0.01). The test also reveled that the decreased number of patients had strains that were resistant to cefditren. The gene detection revealed that none of the patients acquired a higher resistance to penicillin. Our study suggests that the treatment without antibiotics reduces the drug-resistant S. pneumoniae. Controlled antibiotic use in children might prevent children from carrying the antibiotic resistant S. pneumoniae.

[Motor cortex stimulation for post-stroke pain using neuronavigation and evoked potentials: report of 3 cases].

Although motor cortex stimulation (MCS) has been accepted as an effective therapeutic option for central pain, the efficacy of MCS widely varies among previous reports. In this report, we describe our recent trial for successful MCS in 3 patients with central pain due to cerebral stroke. Medical treatments were transiently effective, but gradually became ineffective in all of the cases. During surgery, the appropriate cortical target was determined by using neuronavigation, somatosensory evoked potential (SEP), and motor evoked potential (MEP). A flat, four-plate electrode was positioned on the dura mater parallel to the motor cortex. After surgery, pain almost resolved in 2 of 3 patients and markedly improved in another. The pain relief depended on their motor function. These findings strongly suggest that both patient selection and intraoperative monitoring for targeting the motor cortex are quite important for successful MCS, although further studies were essential.