Containment Liner Plate Void Defect Detection Technique Using Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing and Acoustic Resonance Method.

The CLP (containment liner plate) of a nuclear power plant protects the internal system from the external environment and sudden changes in internal pressure or temperature, and it is a structure that blocks and protects radioactive materials leaking inside and outside in the event of a nuclear accident and is composed of a liner plate, reinforcing bars, tendons, and concrete. Recently, corrosion on the rear side of the liner plate and concrete voids has emerged as a severe defect in nuclear power plants across South Korea. Therefore, in this study, we proposed a new inspection method that a line-type inspection method applied phased array ultrasonic testing and the area inspection method applied acoustic resonance method using developed moveable tapper. The acoustic signals were signal-processed and reproduced to a mapping image following the inspection area, and with the image, it was possible to determine the type of defect. Furthermore, an automated inspection system for within the CLP was proposed.

Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with pneumonia caused by Raoultella planticola.

BACKGROUND: Raoultella planticola, considered to be an environmental organism, is a rare cause of human infections. Although in recent years the frequency of R. planticola infections reported in the literature has increased, few cases of pneumonia caused by R. planticola have been described. Here, we investigate the clinical characteristics, management, and clinical outcomes of pneumonia caused by R. planticola. METHODS: Consecutive patients with pneumonia caused by R. planticola were included. The medical records of patients with R. planticola pneumonia treated at Dankook University Hospital from January 2011 to December 2017 were collected. RESULTS: A total of 11 adult patients with R. planticola pneumonia were diagnosed and treated [10 males and 1 female; median age, 70 years (range: 51-79 years)]; 5 patients had underlying malignant conditions (45.5%). Antibacterial susceptibility testing showed that all isolates of R. planticola were susceptible to cephalosporins, carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, and beta-lactams/beta-lactamase inhibitors. Chest imaging revealed consolidation (8/11, 72.7%), ground-glass opacity (5/11, 45.5%), pleural effusion (5/11, 45.5%), and micronodules (3/11, 27.3%). Four patients (36.4%) required mechanical ventilation; three survived but one died of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (principally pneumonia and septic shock). CONCLUSIONS: R. planticola pneumonia occurred mainly in patients with underlying risk factors such as malignant disease, cerebral infarction or hemorrhage, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The organism was sensitive to most antibiotics, and the clinical outcomes were favorable after empirical antibiotic therapy.

Interplay between a Mental Disorder Risk Gene and Developmental Polarity Switch of GABA Action Leads to Excitation-Inhibition Imbalance.

Excitation-inhibition (E-I) imbalance is considered a hallmark of various neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia and autism. How genetic risk factors disrupt coordinated glutamatergic and GABAergic synapse formation to cause an E-I imbalance is not well understood. Here, we show that knockdown of Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), a risk gene for major mental disorders, leads to E-I imbalance in mature dentate granule neurons. We found that excessive GABAergic inputs from parvalbumin-, but not somatostatin-, expressing interneurons enhance the formation of both glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses in immature mutant neurons. Following the switch in GABAergic signaling polarity from depolarizing to hyperpolarizing during neuronal maturation, heightened inhibition from excessive parvalbumin+ GABAergic inputs causes loss of excitatory glutamatergic synapses in mature mutant neurons, resulting in an E-I imbalance. Our findings provide insights into the developmental role of depolarizing GABA in establishing E-I balance and how it can be influenced by genetic risk factors for mental disorders.

Relationship between strain rate imaging and coronary flow reserve in assessing myocardial viability after acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between strain rate (SR) imaging and coronary flow reserve (CFR) in assessing viability of akinetic myocardium after acute myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS: Forty patients with acute first ST-elevation MI were analyzed. SR imaging and CFR by intracoronary flow measurement were obtained on the same day, 3~5 days after primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Viability of the akinetic myocardium was determined on 6-week echocardiography. RESULTS: Systolic SR (SRs, -0.42 ± 0.10 vs. -0.35 ± 0.11 per second, P = 0.03), early diastolic SR (SRe, 0.68 ± 0.31 vs. 0.41 ± 0.22 per second, P = 0.003), and systolic strain (Ss, -5.9 ± 3.4 vs. -2.5 ± 4.0%, P = 0.04) were greater in akinetic, but viable myocardium of 21 patients than in akinetic and nonviable myocardium of 19 patients. CFR was also higher in patients with akinetic, but viable myocardium (2.0 ± 0.5 vs. 1.5 ± 0.5, P < 0.001). SRs, SRe, and Ss were significantly related to CFR (r =-0.50, r = 0.58, r =-0.56, respectively, all P ≤ 0.001) and SRe was most related to CFR (P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity to predict myocardial viability were 85.7% and 68.4% for CFR (cutoff = 1.75), and 90.5% and 57.9% for SRe (cutoff = 0.37 per second), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of myocardial deformation determined by SR imaging was related to the degree of microvascular integrity determined by CFR, and can be used as a noninvasive method to predict myocardial viability after acute MI.

Remote cerebellar hemorrhage complicated after supratentorial surgery: retrospective study with review of articles.

OBJECTIVE: Remote cerebellar hemorrhage (RCH) is one of the rare complications occurring after supratentorial surgery, and its pathomechanism is poorly understood. We report 10 cases of RCH from our institution and review 154 cases from a database in order to delineate incidence, common presentation, risk factors, and outcomes of this complication. In addition, the means of prevention are discussed. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 10 patients who experienced RCH after undergoing supratentorial surgery at our institution between 2001 and 2008. A database search in Medline revealed 154 cases of RCH in the English literature. Characteristic features were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: There were 10 cases of RCH among 3307 supratentorial surgery cases, indicating a 0.3% incidence. All patients had characteristic imaging features of RCH, namely a streaky bleeding pattern in the superior folia of the cerebellum. Seven patients had a history of preoperative hypertension. Four cases were related to cerebral aneurysms, and other four developed after the removal of brain tumors. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage apparatuses were installed postoperatively in all cases. Outcomes according to modified Rankin scale (mRS) were good in 7 patients, with 1 fatal case. CONCLUSION: RCH is a rare complication after supratentorial surgery, and the exact etiology still remains uncertain. Hypertension and perioperative loss of CSF seem positively correlated with RCH, but no single risk factor is totally responsible. Patients with RCH should be closely observed to improve their prognosis.

Repression of TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 expression by the glucocorticoid receptor-beta involves inhibition of histone H4 acetylation.

Increased expression of a number of proinflammatory genes, including IL-8, is associated with inflammatory conditions such as asthma. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR)beta, one of the GR isoforms, has been suggested to be upregulated in asthma associated with glucocorticoid insensitivity and to work as a dominant negative inhibitor of wild type GRalpha. However, recent data suggest that GRbeta is not a dominant negative inhibitor of GRalpha in the transrepressive process and has its own functional role. We investigated the functional role of GRbeta expression in the suppressive effect of glucocorticoids on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced IL-8 release in an airway epithelial cell line. GRbeta expression was induced by treatment of epithelial cells with either dexamethasone or TNF-alpha. GRbeta was able to inhibit glucocorticoid-induced transcriptional activation mediated by binding to glucocorticoid response elements (GREs). The suppressive effect of dexamethasone on TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 transcription was not affected by GRbeta overexpression, rather GRbeta had its own weak suppressive activity on TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 expression. Overall histone deacetylase activity and histone acetyltransferase activity were not changed by GRbeta overexpression, but TNF-alpha-induced histone H4 acetylation at the IL-8 promoter was decreased with GRbeta overexpression. This study suggests that GRbeta overexpression does not affect glucocorticoid-induced suppression of IL-8 expression in airway epithelial cells and GRbeta induces its own histone deacetylase activity around IL-8 promoter site.