Transfer of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to romaine lettuce due to contact water from melting ice.

Ice can be used to chill romaine lettuce and maintain relative humidity during transportation. Escherichia coli O157:H7 may contaminate water used for ice. The objective of this study was to determine the potential for E.

Two-dimensional arrays of luminescent metal-selenide nanoparticle.

The direct synthesis of CdSe nanoparticles inside the core of PS-P4VP micellar structures has been utilized for the easy fabrication of 2-D CdSe nanoparticle arrays with variable sizes on a solid substrate.

Corneal endothelial decompensation after iris-claw phakic intraocular lens implantation.

A 25-year-old man received iris-claw phakic intraocular lenses (pIOLs) (Artisan, Ophtec) of -11.5 diopters (D) in the right eye and -13.0 D in the left eye; both pIOLs had a 6.

Low-dose radiation stimulates the proliferation of normal human lung fibroblasts via a transient activation of Raf and Akt.

The biological effects of low-dose radiation have been investigated and debated for more than a century, but its cellular effects and regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study shows the human cellular responses to low-dose radiation in CCD-18 Lu cells, which are derived from normal human lung fibroblasts. We examined a colony-forming assay for cell survival by ionizing radiation.

Neuroform stent applications in ruptured intracranial aneurysms with small parent vessels.

The Neuroform stent is a device specifically designed for use in cerebral vessels and is increasingly being used in the embolization of broad-necked aneurysms, but long-term results are unsatisfactory. Reconstructive treatments using stents improve the occlusion rate and protect parent vessels. Stent-assisted coiling of broad-necked cerebral aneurysms is a technique that has rendered most aneurysms amenable to coiling.

IDBD: infectious disease biomarker database.

Biomarkers enable early diagnosis, guide molecularly targeted therapy and monitor the activity and therapeutic responses across a variety of diseases. Despite intensified interest and research, however, the overall rate of development of novel biomarkers has been falling. Moreover, no solution is yet available that efficiently retrieves and processes biomarker information pertaining to infectious diseases.

A conserved mechanism for steroid receptor translocation to the plasma membrane.

Multiple steroid receptors (SR) have been proposed to localize to the plasma membrane. Some structural elements for membrane translocation of the estrogen receptor alpha (ER alpha) have been described, but the mechanisms relevant to other steroid receptors are entirely unknown. Here, we identify a highly conserved 9 amino acid motif in the ligand binding domains (E domains) of human/mouse ER alpha and ER beta, progesterone receptors A and B, and the androgen receptor.

Microsatellite instability in endometrioid type endometrial adenocarcinoma is associated with poor prognostic indicators.

Microsatellite instability (MSI) has been reported in 25% to 45% of sporadic endometrial carcinoma. The clinicopathologic and molecular characteristics of MSI-high phenotype in colorectal and gastric carcinomas have been widely investigated; however, the clinicopathologic impact of MSI on endometrial carcinomas remained unclear. This study was performed to determine the clinicopathologic and molecular significance of MSI in endometrial carcinomas.

Surgical treatment versus concurrent chemoradiotherapy as an initial treatment modality in advanced olfactory neuroblastoma.

Objective: Olfactory neuroblastomas are very aggressive tumors with a high locoregional recurrence rate and distant metastasis. Surgical treatment, including craniofacial resection, has been the main treatment modality, but treatment outcomes of concurrent chemoradiotherapy remain unclear. We present our experiences regarding the treatment outcome of patients with advanced olfactory neuroblastoma undergoing surgical treatment and concurrent chemoradiotherapy.

A new curved rigid layngoscope to overcome the difficult laryngeal exposure (DLE) in endolaryngeal surgery.

Difficult laryngeal exposure during endolaryngeal surgery is not uncommon; it is more likely to require prolonged or multiple attempts and be associated with complications. To overcome this problem, we have developed a new curved rigid laryngoscope, and we describe here its clinical usefulness in patients with difficult laryngeal exposure. A new rigid laryngoscope with a curvature of 70 degrees was designed to fit the curvature from the base of tongue to the larynx without excessive internal pressure of larynx.

Direct immobilization of protein g variants with various numbers of cysteine residues on a gold surface.

Protein G is an antibody binding protein, which specifically targets the Fc region of an antibody. It therefore has been widely used to immobilize different types of antibodies in numerous immunoassays. Here, we have engineered Streptococcus protein G to contain various numbers of cysteine residues at the N-terminus and therefore to form well-oriented protein G films on bare gold.

Experience of y-configured stents for small basilar tip aneurysms.

Among posterior circulation aneurysms, basilar tip aneurysm is the most difficult to treat. Because of their deep location in front of the brainstem and their intimate relationship to perforating vessels, morbidity and mortality rates associated with direct exposure used to be daunting. Complex intracranial aneurysms are not uncommonly encountered in cerebrovascular practice.

Expression and localization of surfactant proteins in human nasal epithelium.

Surfactant proteins (SPs), designated SP-A, SP-B, SP-C, and SP-D, play an important role in surfactant metabolism and host defense mechanisms in the lung. This study investigates expression of the different SP types in human nasal mucosa and cultured normal human nasal epithelial (NHNE) cells and whether the expression of SP mRNA is influenced by the degree of mucociliary differentiation. RT-PCR was performed with mRNA from cultured NHNE cells and nasal mucosa.

The fluence rate determines the synergistic interaction of UV radiation and heat for mitotic recombination and cell inactivation in yeasts.

The significance of the UV fluence rate for the synergistic interaction of UV light (254 nm) and heat was demonstrated for the frequency of mitotic recombination in a wild-type diploid yeast of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain T1) and for cell inactivation of two wild-type diploid yeast of S. cerevisiae (strains T1, XS800). It was shown for mitotic recombination that a decrease in the intensity of UV exposure results in the necessity of decreasing the temperature at which UV irradiation occurs to provide the same value of the synergistic enhancement ratio.

Maspin expression in early oral tongue cancer and its relation to expression of mutant-type p53 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

Even though oral tongue cancer is generally diagnosed at an early stage, the prognosis is poor due to frequent recurrence. Therefore, it is important to identify factors predictive of recurrence and to treat aggressively those patients with a high probability of recurrence. The relationship between angiogenesis and recurrence in tongue cancer has been widely investigated but no consensus has been reached.

Cytogenetic effect of low dose gamma-radiation in Hordeum vulgare seedlings: non-linear dose-effect relationship.

The induction of chromosome aberrations in Hordeum vulgare germinated seeds was studied after ionizing irradiation with doses in the range of 10-1,000 mGy. The relationship between the frequency of aberrant cells and the absorbed dose was found to be nonlinear. A dose-independent plateau in the dose range from about 50 to 500 mGy was observed, where the level of cytogenetic damage was significantly different from the spontaneous level.

Two-dimensional heterospectral correlation analysis of wide-angle X-ray scattering and infrared spectroscopy for specific chemical interactions in weakly interacting block copolymers.

We investigated, via two-dimensional heterospectral correlation analysis of wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, the specific chemical interactions existing in weakly interacting polystyrene-block-poly(n-pentyl methacrylate) copolymers (PS-PnPMA). PS-PnPMA was shown to exhibit a closed-loop-type phase behavior, where, upon heating, a lower disorder-to-order transition (LDOT) was found at lower temperatures, and an upper order-to-disorder transition (UODT) was observed at higher temperatures. The specific interaction between the PS and PnPMA blocks mainly arises from the dipole in the benzene ring of PS and the induced dipole in the PnPMA due to cluster formation with a size of 1 approximately 2 nm.

A simple technique for correcting the hump on a deviated nose.

The traditional technique for correcting the hump on a deviated nose frequently results in redeviation. The main cause of redeviation is incomplete correction of the septal deviation, but complete septal correction is very difficult. The authors have therefore adopted a new technique to reduce the possibility of redeviation.

Inhibition of pathogenic bacterial adhesion by acidic polysaccharide from green tea (Camellia sinensis).

An acidic polysaccharide CS-F2 from Camellia sinensis was examined to characterize its anti-adhesive effects against pathogenic bacteria, most notably Helicobacter pylori, Propionibacterium acnes, and Staphylococcus aureus. CS-F2 showed marked inhibitory activity against the pathogen-mediated hemagglutination with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) between 0.01 and 0.

Comparison of frontal pneumatization patterns between Koreans and Caucasians.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of specific frontal recess cells in Korean and Caucasian populations; to evaluate and compare the relationship between anterior skull base length and frontal recess pneumatization in these two populations.

Materials And Methods: Frontal recess anatomy was studied with high resolution sinus CT scans obtained in 60 Korean adults and 41 Caucasian adults. None of the subjects had a history of frontal sinus disease or trauma.

Neoplastic transformation and tumorigenesis associated with overexpression of IMUP-1 and IMUP-2 genes in cultured NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblasts.

Immortalization-upregulated protein 1 (IMUP-1) and immortalization-upregulated protein 2 (IMUP-2) genes have been recently cloned and are known to be involved in SV40-mediated immortalization. IMUP-1 and IMUP-2 genes were strongly expressed in various cancer cell lines and tumors, suggesting the possibility that they might be involved in tumorigenicity. To directly elucidate the functional role of IMUP-1 and IMUP-2 on neoplastic transformation and tumorigenicity, we stably transfected IMUP-1 and IMUP-2 into NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblast cells.

Paradoxically accelerated fatal brain herniation following thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic stroke.

Introduction: The use of plasminogen activators (PAs) in acute stroke patients has dual effects. PAs are beneficial by dissolving thrombi occluding an artery, but may be harmful by their proteolytic and excitotoxic actions.

Methods And Results: We report two patients with a fatal brain herniation who rapidly deteriorated despite the successful recanalization and the sustained arterial patency or blood flow.

Block copolymer film with sponge-like nanoporous strucutre for antireflection coating.

We prepared nanoporous films by spin-coating of polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymers (PS-b-PMMA) to a glass and irradiating by ultra-violet source followed by selective removal of PMMA blocks with acetic acid. When spin-coated PS-b-PMMA was no longer annealed at high temperatures, microphase separation between two blocks occurred only in the short-range scale. The porous films prepared from PS-b-PMMA with the volume fraction of PMMA block of 0.

An optical waveguide study on the nanopore formation in block copolymer/homopolymer thin films by selective solvent swelling.

Thin films of mixtures of asymmetric poly(styrene-block-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) diblock copolymers and PMMA homopolymers with cylindrical PMMA microdomains oriented normal to the substrate surface were used to couple optical modes in the Kretschmann configuration, and their optical properties were investigated by optical waveguide spectroscopy (OWS). The nanopore formation in the block copolymer (BCP) waveguide layer via selective solvent swelling and subsequent reannealing was monitored in terms of shifts in the coupling mode angles. The sequential swelling/reannealing of the initial mixture film resulted in a number of discrete or partially interconnected pores instead of cylindrical pores with a high aspect ratio.