Although eosinophils produce cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) in large quantities, information on the relationship between CysLTs and eosinophilic pneumonia (EP) is lacking. Inflammatory mediator ...concentrations in urine were quantified to clarify the relationship between CysLT concentrations and EP severity. Leukotriene (LT)E(4), eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN), 9alpha,11beta-prostaglandin F2 and LTB(4) glucuronide concentrations were quantified in the urine of: EP patients during acute exacerbation and clinical remission; asthmatic patients during acute exacerbation and under stable conditions; and healthy control subjects. The urinary LTE(4) and EDN concentrations of EP patients during acute exacerbation were significantly higher than those of asthmatic patients and healthy subjects, and decreased immediately during clinical remission. The urinary LTE(4) concentration was associated with the urinary EDN concentration of EP patients during acute exacerbation. The urinary LTE(4) concentration significantly correlated with the diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide in EP patients during acute exacerbation. The increased urinary concentrations of leukotriene and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin were associated with acute exacerbation in eosinophilic pneumonia patients. The increased leukotriene concentration significantly correlated with diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, suggesting that the monitoring of leukotriene concentration may aid in the management of eosinophilic pneumonia patients.
The attachment of peptides to the surface of spherical dendrimers via graft polymerization is described here (see Figure). It is shown that the resulting peptide dendrimers display greatly enhanced ...helicity compared to non‐dendrimer‐based analogues. This effect is attributed to aggregation of peptide segments on the dendrimer surface.
The attachment of peptides to the surface of spherical dendrimers via graft polymerization is described here (see Figure). It is shown that the resulting peptide dendrimers display greatly enhanced helicity compared to non‐dendrimer‐based analogues. This effect is attributed to aggregation of peptide segments on the dendrimer surface.
Super-KEKB is designed to be a next generation particle accelerator with a target luminosity of 4 times 10 35 cm -2 s -1 . For the interaction region, a final focus quadrupole R&D magnet was designed ...and constructed. The design field gradient and effective magnetic length were 40.12 T/m and 0.299 m, respectively. The magnet consists of 6 layer coils. After construction, the magnet was tested at 4.2 K and a preliminary field measurement was performed. The magnet was energized to a current of 1800 A, which corresponds to 95.8% of the conductor limit, and the quadrupole component error was 0.23 % of the design value.
A superconducting magnet system for the J-PARC neutrino beam line has been under construction since 2004. The system consists of 14 doublet cryostats; each contains 2 combined function magnets ...(SCFM). The SCFM uses two single layer left/right asymmetric coils that produce a dipole field of 2.6 T and quadrupole of 19 T/m. The SCFMs had been developed by 2004, mass-produced since 2005, and completed by summer 2008. The system is being installed since Feb. 2008 till the end of 2008. The paper summarizes the system overview including cryogenics and safety peripheries. The paper also reports the production and installation status.
We studied telomerase activity and telomere length in PBMC and purified CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells from blood obtained from a total of 32 patients with atopic dermatitis, 16 patients with psoriasis, ...and 30 normal controls. The telomerase activity was significantly increased in PBMC from the patients compared with PBMC from normal donors. This increase was most pronounced in the subpopulation of CD4(+) T cells, which were significantly above the activity of the CD8(+) T cells in atopic dermatitis, psoriasis patients, and control persons. The telomere length was significantly reduced in all T cell subsets from both atopic dermatitis and psoriasis patients compared with normal individuals. Furthermore, the telomere length was found to be significantly shorter in CD4(+) memory T cells compared with the CD4(+) naive T cells, and both of the cell subsets from diseases were shown to be of significantly shorter telomere length than the same cell subsets from normal controls. No significant difference was observed between CD8(+)CD28(-) and CD8(+)CD28(+) T cell populations in both diseases. However, the telomere length of CD8(+)CD28(+) T cells from both diseases was significantly shorter than CD8(+)CD28(+) T cell subsets from normal donors. In conclusion, the increased telomerase activity and shortened telomere length indicates that T lymphocytes in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis are chronically stimulated and have an increased cellular turnover in vivo.
Background: Cysteinyl‐leukotrienes have been reported to have a primary role in the induction of nasal blockage of allergic rhinitis. However, there has been little experimental evidence that ...substantiates the relationship between nasal blockage severity and urinary leukotriene E4 (U‐LTE4) concentration in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR).
Methods: The concentrations of urinary mediators in 20 SAR patients were measured using an enzyme immunoassay to determine the relationship between nasal blockage severity and U‐LTE4 concentration in patients with SAR.
Results: The basal U‐LTE4 concentration was significantly higher in SAR patients with severe nasal blockage than in those with mild nasal blockage and in healthy control subjects. Although U‐LTE4 concentrationwas significantly higher in patients with both asthma and SAR than in SAR patients with mild nasal blockage, no significant difference in the U‐LTE4 concentration between patients with both asthma and SAR and SAR patients with severe nasal blockage was found. There was a significant correlation between U‐LTE4 and urinary 9α11β‐prostoglandin F2 (9α11βPGF2) concentrations (rs = 0.51, P = 0.02) in SAR patients.
Conclusions: Although specific sites and cells of cysteinyl‐leukotriene biosynthesis could not be determined in this study, severe nasal blockage is associated with the increased excretion level of U‐LTE4.
Fabrication and cold tests of 32 superconducting combined function magnets including 4 backup magnets for the J-PARC neutrino have been completed. All the magnets reached 7700 A, 105% of maximum ...operation current, without any spontaneous quenches. Quench protection performance was also confirmed to be safe. In the field measurement during cold tests, all the magnets showed sufficient field quality to fulfill the specification. Reproducibility of the field quality was evaluated to be about the same order of that observed in ordinary cos-thetas magnets, indicating good manufacturing reproducibility.
Mineral deficiency symptoms were observed in leaves of yellow passionfruit plantlets grown in MS medium (Murashige and Skoog, 1962) with$1.0 mg 1^{-1} (3.0 \mu M)$gibberellic acid. Initially, leaves ...showed interveinal chlorosis, followed by bleaching of the leaves and retarded growth. Leaf mineral analysis was done and compared to mineral requirements suggested for passionfruit in the literature. Several modifications were made to the inorganic composition of MS medium, according to mineral deficiencies, mainly of Fe and Ca, and possible toxicity of Cl. The concentration of the elements in the new medium (MSM) was based on the mineral composition of leaves of healthy plants. The chemical equilibrium was checked using the software Geochem (Sposito and Mattigod, 1980) and final adjustments were made to ensure good availability of nutrients. To test the efficiency of the modified medium nodal segments were cultured in both MS and MSM supplemented with$3.0 mg l^{-1} (13.3 \mu M) 6-benzyladenine$. After three subcultures mineral analysis of the leaves was done. Severe mineral deficiency was observed on the leaves of plantlets cultured in MS, while plantlets cultivated in MSM had green leaves. A comparison of the mineral analysis of plantlets in both media showed a fairly large increase in Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg and S and decrease in levels of B and Cl in plantlets cultivated in MSM. A slight increase or decrease in other elements was also observed. Subculture of the chlorotic plantlets into MSM showed that the visual symptoms of mineral deficiency disappeared in 2-4 wk.
The MQXA quadrupoles for the LHC low-beta insertions Ajima, Y.; Higashi, N.; Iida, M. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
09/2005, Letnik:
550, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
High-performance superconducting quadrupole magnets, MQXA, for the LHC low-beta insertions have been designed, manufactured in series and tested. The design field gradient of the quadrupole, which ...has a coil aperture of diameter 70
mm, was 240
T/m at 1.9
K; its effective length is 6.37
m, and it is required to operate reliably at up to 215
T/m when subjected to radiation heat deposit in the coils of up to 5
W/m. The series of 20 magnets has been produced in industry, and tested at KEK. The magnet design is explained, and the construction and performance of the series units, in terms of training, field quality and geometry, are presented.
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