Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumour in the Urinary Bladder of a Dog.

A 15-year-old neutered male miniature pinscher was presented with a pedunculated mass (4 × 1 cm) in its urinary bladder. Exploratory cystotomy revealed that the mass was located at the trigone of the bladder and projected into the lumen. The cut surface of the mass was homogeneous grey to tan in colour with focal brown pigmentation. Microscopically, the mass was predominantly composed of neoplastic spindle cells characterized by moderate cellular pleomorphism, invasion into the muscular layer of the bladder wall and few mitotic figures. The neoplastic spindle cells formed interwoven bundles intersecting at various angles. Immunohistochemically, these cells were negative for cytokeratin 7 and α-smooth muscle actin, but strongly expressed S100 and vimentin, confirming a diagnosis of a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour (PNST). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a primary malignant PNST in the urinary bladder of a dog.

Carrier Mobility Enhancement of Tensile Strained Si and SiGe Nanowires via Surface Defect Engineering.

Changes in the carrier mobility of tensile strained Si and SiGe nanowires (NWs) were examined using an electrical push-to-pull device (E-PTP, Hysitron). The changes were found to be closely related to the chemical structure at the surface, likely defect states. As tensile strain is increased, the resistivity of SiGe NWs deceases in a linear manner. However, the corresponding values for Si NWs increased with increasing tensile strain, which is closely related to broken bonds induced by defects at the NW surface. Broken bonds at the surface, which communicate with the defect state of Si are critically altered when Ge is incorporated in Si NW. In addition, the number of defects could be significantly decreased in Si NWs by incorporating a surface passivated Al2O3 layer, which removes broken bonds, resulting in a proportional decrease in the resistivity of Si NWs with increasing strain. Moreover, the presence of a passivation layer dramatically increases the extent of fracture strain in NWs, and a significant enhancement in mobility of about 2.6 times was observed for a tensile strain of 5.7%.

Analysis of flicker noise for improved data retention characteristics in silicon-oxide-high-k-oxide-silicon flash memory using N2 implantation.

In this paper, we fabricate planar-type Silicon-Oxide-High-k-Oxide-Silicon (SOHOS) and the planar-type SOHOS devices with N2 implantation of 3 x 10(15) dose in a tunneling oxide to determine the impact of N2 implantation in the tunneling oxide of a memory device. The N2 implantation device has better retention characteristics than the device with no implantation. In order establish the correlation between N2 implantation and retention characteristic improvement, the low frequency noise (1/f noise) characteristic is investigated. The normalized drain current noise (S(ID)/I(D)2) level of the N2 implantation device is higher than that of the device with no implantation, which means that N2 implantation causes more trap formation near the interface. Considering that N2 implantation does not affect the DC transfer characteristics, such as mobility and sub-threshold slope, this finding indicates that the increase in the 1/f noise level is due to oxide traps rather than to interface traps. Therefore, the retention characteristic improvement in the N2 implantation device can be explained by the generation of higher number of oxide traps and an increase in the potential barrier blocking the leakage path in the tunneling oxide.

Effects of surface chemical structure on the mechanical properties of Si(1-x)Ge(x) nanowires.

The Young's modulus and fracture strength of Si(1-x)Ge(x) nanowires (NWs) as a function of Ge concentration were measured from tensile stress measurements. The Young's modulus of the NWs decreased linearly with increasing Ge content. No evidence was found for a linear relationship between the fracture strength of the NWs and Ge content, which is closely related to the quantity of interstitial Ge atoms contained in the wire. However, by removing some of the interstitial Ge atoms through rapid thermal annealing, a linear relationship could be produced. The discrepancy in the reported strength of Si and Ge NWs between calculated and experimented results could be related to SiO(2-x)/Si interfacial defects that are found in Si(1-x)Ge(x) NWs. It was also possible to significantly decrease the number of interfacial defects in the NWs by incorporating a surface passivated Al2O3 layer, which resulted in a substantial increase in fracture strength.

Electrical characteristic analysis using low-frequency noise in low-temperature polysilicon thin film transistors.

This study carried out an electrical characteristic analysis using low-frequency noise (LFN) in top gate p-type low-temperature polysilicon thin film transistors (LTPS TFTs) with different active layer thicknesses between 40 nm and 80 nm. The transfer characteristic curves show that the 40-nm device has better electrical characteristics compared with the 80-nm device. The carrier number fluctuation, with and without correlated mobility fluctuation model in both devices, has modeled well the measured noise. On the other hand, the trap density and coulomb scattering in the 40-nm device are smaller compared with the 80-nm device. To confirm the effectiveness of the LFN noise analysis, the trap densities at a grain boundary are extracted using in both devices the similar methods of Proano et al. and Levinson et al. That is, coulomb scattering, caused by the trapped charges at or near the interface, has a greater effect on the device with inferior electrical properties. Based on the LFN and the quantitative analysis of the trap density at a grain boundary, the interface traps between the active layer and the gate insulator can explain the devices' electrical degradation.

Collapsing benign cystic nodules of the thyroid gland: sonographic differentiation from papillary thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The US features of benign and malignant nodules overlap, and benign thyroid lesions can mimic thyroid malignancy on US. Benign cystic nodules after spontaneous collapse or needle aspiration, can mimic malignant thyroid nodules. Our aim was to evaluate the US features of CBCNs of the thyroid that distinguish such nodules from malignant thyroid nodules. MATERIALS AND METHODS: US and clinical findings in 13 patients, each with a single CBCN, were evaluated to determine if they showed >50% cystic content on initial US or CT and >30% decrease in maximum diameter on follow-up US. We compared these findings with those of 26 patients, each with a single surgically confirmed PTMC. US scans were analyzed for internal content, shape, margin, echogenicity, presence of echogenic dots suggesting micro- and macrocalcification, inner isoechoic rim, and low-echoic halo. RESULTS: Six of the 13 (46%) CBCNs were classified as malignant on US due to their marked hypoechogenicity, microcalcification, or spiculated margins. US features that differed between CBCNs and PTMCs were shape (ovoid-to-round versus taller-than-wide, P = .016); margins (ill-defined versus spiculated, P < .000); low-echoic halo (P < .000); inner isoechoic rim (P < .000) with high negative predictive values (100%, 91%, 91%, and 89%, respectively); and clinically acceptable diagnostic accuracy (59%, 80%, 82%, and 85%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: US features helpful for differential diagnosis of CBCNs from PTMCs include shape, margin, and the presence of an inner isoechoic rim and a low-echoic halo. Familiarity with US features suggesting CBCNs may be helpful in reducing unnecessary repeated FNABs.

Characteristics of DNase activities in excretory/secretory products of infective larvae of Haemonchus contortus.

While multiple DNase activities occur in the excretory/secretory products (ESPs) of the adult Haemonchus contortus, the DNase activities in ESPs of the infective larvae (L3) have not been studied. Thus, the DNase activities in ESPs of H. contortus L3 were investigated and compared to those of adults for developmental stage-specific analysis. The DNase activities had relative molecular masses (M rs) of 34 and 36 kDa upon zymographic analysis at pH 5.0 and 7.0 when the larvae were incubated for over 48 h. The 34 and 36 kDa DNases of L3 ESPs were also detected in adult ESPs with similar characteristics. However, the 37 and 38.5 kDa DNases of the adult ESPs were not detected in the L3 ESPs. Since the 37 and 38.5 kDa DNase activities were mainly detected in adult ESPs, these activities appear to be specific to the adult stage whereas the other ESP DNase activities appear to be expressed during multiple stages of the parasite's life cycle. While the difference in DNase activities of L3 and adults remains obscure, the role of DNase in larval development should be further clarified and the identification of stage-specific developmental markers will lead to the discovery of specific factors that stimulate larval development.

Immunohistochemistry diagnosis of an ovarian dysgerminoma in one bitch.

An ovarian enlargement (diameter, 8 cm) was identified and surgically excised from a 5-year-old female dog. Microscopic examination of the multinodular neoplasm revealed sheets of polygonal neoplastic cells with large nuclei, frequent mitosis, necrosis and haemorrhage. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells were positive for vimentin and alkaline phosphatase but were negative for CD3, CD79a, cytokeratin, alpha-fetoprotein, inhibin-alpha and S-100. The histopathological diagnosis of the mass was unilateral ovarian dysgerminoma.

Containing a Clot in the Mid-Basilar Artery Using a Self-Expandable Stent to Prevent Distal Clot Migration during Intra-Arterial Thrombolysis. A Case Report.

SUMMARY: During local intra-arterial thrombolysis (LIT), management of the secondary embolization of a fragmented or dislodged clot can be cumbersome. The fate could be dismal if without pursuit and lysis of the migrated clot. Recently, we successfully managed a patient with acute ischemia due to a large clot impinged in the mid basilar trunk while avoiding distal migration of the clot by containing the impinged clot using a self-expandable stent during LIT.

Detection of CSF leak in spinal CSF leak syndrome using MR myelography: correlation with radioisotope cisternography.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Spinal CSF leak syndrome is a unique disorder caused by spinal CSF leak. In this study, we attempted to determine whether MR myelography (MRM) can detect the leakage site in the spine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed both MRM and radioisotope cisternography (RIC) in 15 patients with spinal CSF leak syndrome. Patients were included in this study if they had at least 2 of the following criteria: 1) orthostatic headache, 2) low CSF opening pressure, and 3) diffuse pachymeningeal enhancement on brain MR imaging. For comparison, we performed MRM in 15 subjects without symptoms of spinal CSF leak syndrome. MRM was performed with the 2D turbo spin-echo technique in the entire spine by using a 1.5T scanner. Two blinded radiologists evaluated the MRM findings in a total of 30 cases, composed of patient and control groups, with regard to the presence of leakage and the level of leakage if present. RIC was performed only in the patient group and was assessed by consensus among 3 physicians experienced in nuclear medicine. The diagnostic performance of MRM and RIC was evaluated on the basis of the clinical diagnosis of spinal CSF leak syndrome. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of MR myelography for detecting CSF leak was 86.7%, 86.7%, and 86.7% for reader 1, respectively, and 80.0%, 93.3%, and 86.7% for reader 2, respectively. The sensitivity of RIC was 93.3%. Agreement between the 2 techniques for the detection of CSF leak was substantial in reader 1 and moderate in reader 2 (kappa = 0.634 and 0.444, respectively). CONCLUSION: MRM is an effective tool for detecting CSF leak in the spine in patients with spinal CSF leak syndrome.

Supplementation of whole persimmon leaf improves lipid profiles and suppresses body weight gain in rats fed high-fat diet.

The objective of this study was to investigate the hypolipidemic effects of powdered whole persimmon leaf supplement in rats fed high-fat diet. Three groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats during 6 weeks were fed different diet: normal control (NC), high-fat (HF), and high-fat supplemented with powdered whole persimmon leaf (PL; 5%, wt/wt) groups. Body weight and relative weight of interscapular brown adipose tissue were significantly lower in the PL group than in the HF group, while plasma leptin concentration was higher. The supplementation of persimmon leaf significantly lowered the plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, whereas elevated the ratio of HDL-C/total-C and improved the atherogenic index. Persimmon leaf supplementation led the hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride values to similar levels to the NC group. Accumulation of hepatic lipid droplets and the epididymal white adipocyte size of PL group were diminished comparing to the HF group. Hepatic HMG-CoA and ACAT activities were significantly higher in the PL group than in other groups. Contents of fecal triglyceride, cholesterol and acidic sterol were significantly higher in the PL group than in the HF group. Accordingly, we suggest that supplementation of the powdered whole persimmon leaf improves plasma and hepatic lipid levels profile partly via the increased fecal lipids in high-fat fed rats. These beneficial effects may be due to the properties of its phenolic compounds (1.15 g/100g) and high fiber (63.48 g/100g) content in the powdered persimmon leaf.

Hepatocellular carcinoma with metastasis to the spleen in a Holstein cow.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with metastasis to the spleen in a Holstein cow was studied by histopathologic and immunohistochemical methods. The tumor was characterized by a pseudoglandular (acinar) pattern with an associated fibrous stroma. Individual cells often had a "hepatoid" appearance but were interspersed with scattered cells exhibiting a clear, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive cytoplasm and small eccentric nuclei. This pattern was present in nodules found in both liver and spleen. Moreover, hepatoid tumor cells were positive for alpha-fetoprotein. Immunohistochemical studies suggest that myofibroblasts were responsible for the production of fibrous septa surrounding the pseudoglandular structures of bovine HCC. In summary, our histologic and immunohistochemical findings support a diagnosis of primary HCC with splenic metastasis. Furthermore, the associated stromal response appears to be of a myofibroblast origin. The primary etiology of bovine HCC and the significance of the intralesional, PAS-positive clear cells remain undetermined.

Measurement of estrogen effect on bone turnover by 2H2O labeling.

Estrogen loss has been known to increase bone turnover through accelerated bone resorption coupled by increased bone formation. In the present study, we measured estrogen effect on bone turnover by incorporation of 2H from 2H2O into amino acids. At 6 weeks of age, rats were either sham-operated (sham) or ovariectomized (ovx). Two weeks after surgery, 17beta-estradiol (est) was implanted subcutaneously to ovx rats. At 9 weeks of age, 2H2O labeling started by administration of 4% 2H2O to rats for 4 or 7 weeks in drinking water after a single intraperitonial bolus injection with 99.9% 2H2O. Body 2H2O enrichments were stable at approximately 3.0% over labeling period. Fractional replacements (f) of the midshaft femur were higher in the sham group (40.36 +/- 4.89% vs 42.47 +/- 11.22%) than the ovx (28.57 +/- 9.67% vs 37.47 +/- 8.34%) and est (26.57 +/- 4.00% vs 30.35 +/- 5.34%) groups 4 and 7 weeks after labeling, respectively. Ovariectomy-induced bone loss was observed in the trabecular bone along with a significantly increased number of osteoclasts, all of which were normalized after estradiol treatment. Taken together, our results indicate that estrogen deficiency significantly reduces the proportion of newly synthesized bone matrix as well as the total amount of bone matrix. The reduced portion of new matrix in ovx rats, presumably caused by activated osteoclastic degradation, was compensated rapidly with time. In addition, estradiol treatment protected the bone matrix by decreasing bone turnover rate.

Multiple congenital malformation in a Holstein calf.

A 10-day-old male Holstein dairy calf with orthopaedic abnormalities was unable to stand but was alert with a suckle reflex. At necropsy, the calf showed multiple defects, including partial agenesis of the left rib plate, deformed left scapula, shortened left humerus, agenesis of the left kidney, atresia ani and scoliosis. The cause of these anomalies could not be determined. This report is the first to describe partial agenesis of ribs in a calf.

PCR assays for specific and sensitive detection of Pseudomonas tolaasii, the cause of brown blotch disease of mushrooms.

AIMS: The present study describes PCR assays to detect specifically Pseudomonas tolaasii from various samples. METHODS AND RESULTS: Two sets of PCR primers were developed to amplify genes required for tolaasin production. Only a PCR product of 449 bp or 249 bp was produced in PCR reactions with the Pt-1A/Pt-1D1 or Pt-PM/Pt-QM primer sets, respectively, and DNA and cells of Ps. tolaasii. Nested and immunocapture-nested PCR could detect to 3 cells of Ps. tolaasii and amplify the Ps. tolaasii-specific DNA from a sample containing 10 000 times more other bacterial cells than Ps. tolaasii, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The PCR assays are simple, rapid and reliable methods for detection and identification of Ps. tolaasii. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The protocols can effectively distinguish Ps. tolaasii from other bacteria and detect Ps. tolaasii from various samples for studying ecology of the bacterium and preventing the use of contaminated water or spawn or medium in mushroom cultivation.

Regulation of apoptosis by somatostatin and substance P in peritoneal macrophages.

Recent studies have shown that somatostatin (SOM) inhibits interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interferon gamma (IFNgamma) production by lymphocytes and peritoneal macrophages, whereas substance P (SP) enhances these cytokines production. To define the mechanism of the cytokine production enhancements and inhibitions by SOM and SP, we examined the expression of apoptosis modulator, p53, Bcl-2, Bax, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), Fas, caspase-8 and nitric oxide (NO) in thioglycolate-elicited peritoneal macrophages. SOM caused up-regulation of p53, Bcl-2, Fas and caspase-8 activities, and down-regulation of iNOS expression and NO production. On the other hand, SP slightly induces p53 and highly induces Bcl-2, iNOS expression and NO production. These data suggest that apoptosis by SOM may occur by a Bax- and NO-independent p53 accumulation, and through Fas and caspase-8 activation pathways, and that the inducible expression of Bcl-2 and NO production by SP may contribute to prevent the signals of apoptosis by Bax, and via Fas and caspase-8 activation.

Design of a wavelet interpolation filter for enhancement of the ST-segment.

A wavelet interpolation filter (WIF) is designed for the removal of motion artifacts in the ST-segment of stress ECGs. The WIF consists of two parts. One part is a wavelet transform that decomposes the stress ECG signal into several frequency bands using a Haar wavelet. The other part is an interpolation method, such as the spline technique, that is used to enhance the reconstruction performance of the signal decomposed by the wavelet transform. To evaluate the performance of the WIF, three indices are used: signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), reconstruction square error (RSE) and standard deviation (SD). The MIT/BIH arrhythmia database, the European ST-T database and the triangular wave are used for evaluation. A noisy ECG signal, corrupted by motion artifacts, is simulated by the addition of two types of random noise to the original ECG signal. For comparison, three indices for the other methods are also computed: mean, median and hard thresholding. The performance of the WIF shows that RSE, SNR and SD are 392.7, 18.3dB and 2.6, respectively, in the case of a noisy signal with an SNR of 7.1 dB. This result is much better than those for the other methods.

Self-assembly and dynamics of [2]- and [3]rotaxanes with a dinuclear macrocycle containing reversible Os-N coordinate bonds.

With a dinuclear macrocycle 2 that contains weak reversible OsVI-N coordinate bonds, self-assembly and equilibrium dynamics of [2]- and [3]rotaxanes have been investigated. When the macrocycle 2 was mixed together with threads 4a-e, which all contain an adipamide station but different sizes of end groups, [2]pseudorotaxane- and rotaxane-like complexes were immediately formed with large association constants of >7 x 103M(-1) in CDCl3 at 298 K. Exchange dynamics, explored by 2D-EXSY experiments, suggest that assembly and disassembly of complexes occur through two distinct pathways, slipping or clipping, and this depends on the size of the end groups. The slipping pathway is predominant with smaller end groups that give pseudorotaxane-like complexes, while the clipping pathway is observed with larger end groups that yield rotaxane-like complexes. Under the same conditions, exchange barriers (deltaG++) were 14.3 kcalmol(-1) for 4a and 16.7 kcalmol(-1) for 4d, and indicate that the slipping process is at least one order of magnitude faster than the clipping process. Using threads 13a and 13b that contain two adipamide groups, more complicated systems have been investigated in which [2]rotaxane, [3]rotaxane, and free components are in equilibrium. Concentration- and temperature-dependent 1H NMR spectroscopic studies allowed the identification of all possible elements and the determination of their relative distributions in solution. For example, the relative distribution of the free components, [2]rotaxane, and [3]rotaxane are 30, 45, and 25 %, respectively, in a mixture of 2 (2mM) and 13a (2mM) in CDCl3 at 10 degrees C. However, [3]rotaxane exists nearly quantitatively in a mixture of 2 (4 mM) and 13 a (2 mM) in CDCl3 at a low temperature - 10 degrees C.