A reduced dark leakage current, without degrading the near-infrared responsivity, is reported for a vertical pin structure of Ge photodiodes (PDs) on n+-Si substrate, which usually shows a leakage ...current higher than PDs on p+-Si. The peripheral/surface leakage, the dominant leakage in PDs on n+-Si, is significantly suppressed by globally implanting P+ in the i-Si cap layer protecting the fragile surface of i-Ge epitaxial layer before locally implanting B+/BF2+ for the top p+ region of the pin junction. The P+ implantation compensates free holes unintentionally induced due to the Fermi level pinning at the surface/interface of Ge. By preventing the hole conduction from the periphery to the top p+ region under a negative/reverse bias, a reduction in the leakage current of PDs on n+-Si is realized.
Combined central and peripheral demyelination (CCPD) causes demyelination in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Anti-neurofascin 155 antibody plays an important pathogenic role in CCPD, ...but evidence concerning an association between this antibody and CCPD remains inconclusive. Although there have been no reports of precedent optic neuritis developing into CCPD, we herein report a Japanese man in whom optic neuritis recurred four times over nine years and who developed CCPD without positive anti-neurofascin 155 antibody. This case suggests the possibility of developing CCPD after optic nerve neuritis and the existence of an unknown antibody that induces CCPD.
Cell transplantation/replacement therapy is attractive as a novel strategy for neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke. To realize this therapy, safer and ...more therapeutic effective cell resources are now required. Since induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can retain high replication competence and pluripotency when they differentiate into various kinds of cells, they are regarded as a promising cell source for cell transplantation therapy. However, high tumorigenesis of iPSCs has to be overcome for clinical applications. Recent progress includes the combination of novel transcriptional factors that can convert somatic cells to various kinds of mature neuronal cells and neural stem cells without requiring iPSC fate. Some evidence indicates that these directly induced neuronal cells have little tumorigenic potential. In this article, we discuss the advantage, issues, and possibility of clinical application of these cells for cell transplantation therapy.
Somatic cells can be directly converted into induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) by defined transcription factors. However, the therapeutic effect of undifferentiated iNSCs on ischemic stroke has not ...been demonstrated. In this study, we used a mouse model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). iNSCs (5 × 105) were injected directly into the ipsilateral striatum and cortex 24 h after tMCAO. Histological analysis was performed at 7 days, 28 days, and 8 months after tMCAO. We found that iNSC transplantation successfully improved the survival rate of stroke model mice with significant functional recovery from the stroke. The fate of engrafted iNSCs was that the majority of iNSCs had differentiated into astroglial cells but not into neural cells in both the sham-operated brain and the poststroke brain without forming a tumor up to 8 months after tMCAO. Our data suggest that the directly converted iNSCs can be regarded as a candidate of safe cell resource for transplantation therapy in patients suffering from ischemic stroke.
We present the results of novel type additives to improve the cathode cycleability performance. Benzene derivatives (biphenyl and
o-terphenyl) and heterocyclic compounds (furan, thiophene,
...N-methylpyrrole and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), which have lower oxidation potentials than those of electrolyte solvents are picked up. We use MO calculations in the selection of additives and prove that the calculated HOMO values agree well with the measured oxidation potentials. To clarify the additive performance, electrochemical properties and cycleability of the additive are investigated. The additives are found to be decomposed on cathode to form very thin film. We have named this resulting novel-type thin surface film as electro-conducting membrane (ECM) since it is different from solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) by the point of its electro-conductivity. The nature and the component of ECM are studied with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and auger electron spectroscopy (AES) in details. It is concluded that these additives, which were formerly known as overcharge protecting proofs, contribute to improve cathode cycleability by forming very thin cathode surface layer in the case of slight amount of addition.
A 72-year-old man presented with chorea while undergoing treatment for recurrence of nodal peripheral T-cell lymphoma with T follicular helper (TFH) phenotype. An examination by brain ...N-isopropyl-p-iodoamphetamine (123I-IMP)-single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) revealed no abnormalities other than a decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the left striatum. After four courses of salvage chemotherapy, his clinical symptoms and asymmetric cerebral perfusion improved, suggesting that the decreased CBF had caused chorea. The significance of brain SPECT has not been fully clarified in patients with chorea-associated malignant lymphoma, warranting further investigations. Brain SPECT is an alternative approach to identify abnormalities in such patients.
Stachybotrys microspora triprenyl phenol (SMTP)‐44D has both anti‐oxidative and anti‐inflammatory activities, but its efficacy has not been proved in relation to the pathological changes of ...neurovascular unit (NVU) and neurovascular trophic coupling (NVTC) in ischemic stroke. Here, the present study was designed to assess the efficacies of SMTP‐44D, moreover, compared with the standard neuroprotective reagent edaravone in ischemic brains. ICR mice were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) for 60 min, SMTP‐44D (10 mg/kg) or edaravone (3 mg/kg) was intravenously administrated through subclavian vein just after the reperfusion, and these mice were examined at 1, 3, and 7 d after reperfusion. Compared with the vehicle group, SMTP‐44D treatment revealed obvious ameliorations in clinical scores and infarct volume, meanwhile, markedly suppressed the accumulations of 4‐HNE, 8‐OHdG, nitrotyrosine, RAGE, TNF‐α, Iba‐1, and cleaved caspase‐3 after tMCAO. In addition, SMTP‐44D significantly prevented the dissociation of NVU and improved the intensity of NAGO/BDNF and the number of BDNF/TrkB and BDNF/NeuN double positive cells. These effects of SMTP‐44D in reducing oxidative and inflammatory stresses were similar to or stronger than those of edaravone. The present study demonstrated that SMTP‐44D showed strong anti‐oxidative, anti‐inflammatory, and anti‐apoptotic effects, moreover, the drug also significantly improved the NVU damage and NVTC in the ischemic brain.
Nanofluidics in CNTs is argumentative though it is theoretically calculated by various reports. It is because only a few of experimental reports are available, and the measured permeability is not so ...large as that suggested from the theoretical calculations. Also, water motion suppression in the confined space has not been exhibited by flux measurement. The present work explores these yet-unsolved discrepancies using the measurable size membrane of vertically aligned double-walled carbon nanotube array, which is borne with durability and flexibility, and a conventional measurement method is applied to the membranes. Water motion suppression occurs in the CNT confined space significantly, depending on temperature. Additionally, it is confirmed that the obtained permeability correlates to the reported experimental results with regard to the relationship between CNT length and permeability, and the correlation does not agree with permeability calculated from the Hagen-Poiseuille law. These results pose an insight into the inherent water transport characteristics in the CNT confined space.
Display omitted
PDF
