A method of fabricating multilayer focusing mirrors that can focus X-rays down to 10 nm or less was established in this study. The wavefront aberration induced by multilayer Kirkpatrick-Baez mirror ...optics was measured using a single grating interferometer at a photon energy of 9.1 keV at SPring-8 Angstrom Compact Free Electron Laser (SACLA), and the mirror shape was then directly corrected by employing a differential deposition method. The accuracies of these processes were carefully investigated, considering the accuracy required for diffraction-limited focusing. The wavefront produced by the corrected multilayer focusing mirrors was characterized again in the same manner, revealing that the root mean square of the wavefront aberration was improved from 2.7 (3.3) rad to 0.52 (0.82) rad in the vertical (horizontal) direction. A wave-optical simulator indicated that these wavefront-corrected multilayer focusing mirrors are capable of achieving sub-10-nm X-ray focusing.
There is a current upsurge in research on nonvolatile two-terminal resistance random access memory (RRAM) for next generation electronic applications. The RRAM is composed of a simple sandwich of a ...semiconductor with two metal electrodes. We introduce here an initial model for RRAM with the assumption that the semiconducting part has a nonpercolating domain structure. We solve the model using numerical simulations and the basic carrier transfer mechanism is unveiled in detail. Our model captures three key features observed in experiments: multilevel switchability of the resistance, its memory retention, and hysteretic behavior in the current-voltage curve.
Summary
Background
Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) can enhance various respiratory diseases. However, it is unclear as to which components in DEP are associated with the enhancement. We investigated ...the effects of DEP components on antigen‐related airway inflammation, using residual carbonaceous nuclei of DEP after extraction (washed DEP), extracted organic chemicals (OC) in DEP (DEP–OC), and DEP–OC plus washed DEP (whole DEP) in the presence or absence of ovalbumin (OVA).
Methods
Male ICR mice were intratracheally administrated with OVA and/or DEP components. We examined the cellular profile of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, histological changes, lung expression of inflammatory molecules, and antigen‐specific production of IgG1 in the serum.
Results
DEP–OC, rather than washed DEP, enhanced infiltration of inflammatory cells into BAL fluid, magnitude of airway inflammation, and proliferation of goblet cells in the airway epithelium in the presence of OVA, which was paralleled by the enhanced lung expression of eotaxin and IL‐5 as well as the elevated concentration of OVA‐specific IgG1. In contrast, washed DEP with OVA showed less change and increased the lung expression of IFN‐γ. The combination of whole DEP and OVA caused the most remarkable changes in the entire enhancement, which was also accompanied by the enhanced expression of IL‐13 and macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α.
Conclusion
DEP–OC, rather than washed DEP, exaggerated allergic airway inflammation through the enhancement of T‐helper type 2 responses. The coexistence of OC with carbonaceous nuclei caused the most remarkable aggravation. DEP components might diversely affect various types of respiratory diseases, while whole DEP might mostly aggravate respiratory diseases.
Summary
Background
Perilla and its constituent rosmarinic acid have been suggested to have anti‐allergic activity. However, few studies have examined the effects on allergic asthma.
Objective
The ...purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral administration of perilla leaf extract, which contains high amount of rosmarinic acid, on a murine model of allergic asthma induced by house dust mite allergen.
Methods
C3H/He mice were sensitized by intratracheal administration of Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f). Mice were orally treated with rosmarinic acid in perilla extract (PE) (1.5 mg/mouse/day).
Results
Der f challenge of sensitized mice elicited pulmonary eosinophilic inflammation, accompanied by an increase in lung expression of IL‐4 and IL‐5, and eotaxin. Daily treatment with rosmarinic acid in PE significantly prevented the increases in the numbers of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and also in those around murine airways. Rosmarinic acid in PE treatment also inhibited the enhanced protein expression of IL‐4 and IL‐5, and eotaxin in the lungs of sensitized mice. Der f challenge also enhanced allergen‐specific IgG1, which were also inhibited by rosmarinic acid in PE.
Conclusion
These results suggest that oral administration of perilla‐derived rosmarinic acid is an effective intervention for allergic asthma, possibly through the amelioration of increases in cytokines, chemokines, and allergen‐specific antibody.
Summary
Background
Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) enhance allergic airway inflammation in mice (Takano et al., Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1997; 156: 36–42). DEP consist of carbonaceous nuclei and a ...vast number of organic chemical compounds. However, it remains to be identified which component(s) from DEP are responsible for the enhancing effects. 9,10‐Phenanthraquinone (PQ) is a quinone compound involved in DEP.
Objective
To investigate the effects of PQ inoculated intratracheally on allergic airway inflammation related to ovalbumin (OVA) challenge.
Materials and Methods
We evaluated effects of PQ on airway inflammation, local expression of cytokine proteins, and allergen‐specific immunoglobulin production in mice in the presence or absence of OVA.
Results
In the presence of OVA, PQ (2.1 ng/animal) significantly increased the numbers of eosinophils and mononuclear cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid as compared with OVA alone. In contrast, the numbers of these cells around the airways were not significantly different between OVA challenge and OVA plus PQ challenge in lung histology. PQ exhibited adjuvant activity for the allergen‐specific production of IgG1 and IgE. OVA challenge induced significant increases in the lung expression of IL‐4, IL‐5, eotaxin, macrophage chemoattractant protein‐1, and keratinocyte chemoattractant as compared with vehicle challenge. However, the combination of PQ with OVA did not alter the expression levels of these proteins as compared with OVA alone.
Conclusion
These results indicate that PQ can enhance the immunoglobulin production and the infiltration of inflammatory cells into alveolar spaces that are related to OVA, whereas PQ seems to be partially responsible for the DEP toxicity on the allergic airway inflammation.
Abstract The rupture of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) is one of the most devastating neurological conditions known to date. Although treatment has changed dramatically throughout the last decades, the ...outcome of patients still has a poor prognosis. Besides environmental factors, genomics seem to be a very important factor in the genesis of this disease. Different approaches to decrypt genomic causes were pursued throughout the last years. Microarray gene expression studies comparing aneurysmal and healthy tissue seem to be one of the most promising approaches. However, large amounts of data created with each study, make a comparison or interpretation of results difficult. We analyzed microarray gene expression studies on IAs (vs. control tissue) and compared lists of genes with altered expression provided by the authors. Additionally functional pathway analysis was performed. We identified five microarray gene expression studies analyzing a total of 60 samples of IA tissue (30 ruptured IA, 30 unruptured IA). A total of 507 genes with altered expression were listed, of which 57 showed differences in more than two studies and seven in more than three studies ( BCL2 , COL1A2 , COL3A1 , COL5A2 , CXCL12 , TIMP4 , TNC ). The meta-analysis of five microarray gene expression studies on IAs revealed seven genes that are very likely to be involved in the genesis of IAs. Further analysis of these genes might provide valuable information on mechanisms causing this disease.
Summary To investigate the effect of restriction of mandibular movements during sleep on jaw‐muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity. Eleven healthy subjects (four men and seven women; age, 25·9 ± ...3·1 years) with self‐reports of sleep bruxism participated in three randomised sessions with three different types of oral appliances: (i) full‐arch maxillary and mandibular appliances which did not allow any mandibular movement, that is, restrictive oral appliance (restrict‐MMOA), (ii) full‐arch maxillary and mandibular oral appliances (free‐MMOA) with no restrictions of mandibular movements and (iii) conventional full‐arch flat stabilisation appliance, that is, maxillary oral appliance (free‐MOA). Baseline recordings (1st EMG recording) of jaw‐muscle activity during sleep without any oral appliance were performed and followed by 1 week of nightly use of each oral appliance (three sessions). During the last night in each session, jaw‐muscle activity was recorded (2nd, 3rd and 4th EMG recordings) and compared to baseline values. All EMG data were analysed in accordance with the gold‐standard diagnostic method. The average jaw‐muscle activity expressed as number of EMG episodes and bursts per hour sleep was significantly reduced during any combination of appliance compared to baseline values. The inhibitory effect of the appliances was specific to the number of phasic EMG episodes and bursts (P < 0·01), with no effects on tonic EMG bursts or episodes (P > 0·30). The results indicated that restriction of mandibular movements with oral appliances do not have any major influence on jaw‐muscle activity during sleep but rather that the immediate effect of any combination of oral appliances lead to a suppression of phasic EMG bursts and episodes.
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