[Arachnoid cyst, hypoplasic temporal lobe and facial anomalies: a neurocristopathy].

The authors report on a patient which presented at birth facial anomalies similar to those of facial alcoholic syndrome (i.e. high forehead, wide nasal bridge, upturned nose, flat philtrum), low set ears, short neck.

Selective production of reactive and nonreactive oxygen atoms on Pd(001) by rotationally aligned oxygen molecules.

Sticking together: The occupation of different sites by oxygen atoms that are produced by the dissociation of O(2) on Pd(100) is determined by the initial rotational alignment of the parent molecules. The atom locations are characterized by different chemical reactivities in the reaction with CO to form CO(2) (see picture), which are followed by synchrotron radiation (SR) experiments with a supersonic molecular beam (SMB).

Structure and chemical ordering in CoPt nanoalloys.

The structure and chemical ordering of CoPt nanoclusters in the size range of 1 to 3 nm are investigated by global optimization methods and Monte Carlo simulations using a many body potential derived from the tight binding model. For the smaller systems (number of atoms N < 100), the optimized clusters display a polyicosahedral-like atomic structure with a little core-shell chemical ordering characterized by a particular surface chemical configuration: some pentagonal or hexagonal Pt rings centered, respectively on a Co atom or a Co dimer. A transition to the decahedral symmetry occurs at about N = 100 atoms, with a pseudo L1(0) ordered phase in each tetrahedral unit.

Engineering of bone using bone marrow stromal cells and a silicon-stabilized tricalcium phosphate bioceramic: evidence for a coupling between bone formation and scaffold resorption.

Resorbable porous ceramic constructs, based on silicon-stabilized tricalcium phosphate, were implanted in critical-size defects of sheep tibias, either alone or after seeding with bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). Only BMSC-loaded ceramics displayed a progressive scaffold resorption, coincident with new bone deposition. To investigate the coupled mechanisms of bone formation and scaffold resorption, X-ray computed microtomography (muCT) with synchrotron radiation was performed on BMSC-seeded ceramic cubes.

Tissue engineering of bone: search for a better scaffold.

Background: Large bone defects still represent a major problem in orthopedics. Traditional bone-repair treatments can be divided into two groups: the bone transport (Ilizarov technology) and the graft transplant (autologous or allogeneic bone grafts). Thus far, none of these strategies have proven to be always resolving.

Global optimization of bimetallic cluster structures. II. Size-matched Ag-Pd, Ag-Au, and Pd-Pt systems.

Genetic algorithm global optimization of Ag-Pd, Ag-Au, and Pd-Pt clusters is performed. The 34- and 38-atom clusters are optimized for all compositions. The atom-atom interactions are modeled by a semiempirical potential.

An unprecedented concerted pathway in the alkaline hydrolysis of S-aryl thioesters.

[reaction: see text] Kinetic data indicate that the hydrolysis of S-2,4-dinitrophenyl 4'-hydroxythiobenzoate in mild alkaline solutions (pH 8-11) most likely follows a dissociative, E1cB pathway, through a p-oxoketene intermediate, whereas at higher pH values an associative mechanism carries the reaction flux. Free linear energy relationships obtained from a kinetic study on the alkaline hydrolyses of substituted S-aryl 4'-hydroxythiobenzoates seem to suggest that the associative pathway is a concerted, one-step process, rather than the classical mechanism via a tetrahedral intermediate.

Dynamics of propene adsorption on Ag001.

The interaction of propene with Ag(001) is investigated by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy and supersonic molecular beam methods under ultra high vacuum conditions. Propene adsorbs molecularly at 110 K and desorbs intact leaving a clean surface after annealing to 160 K. Two adsorption sites, characterized by slightly different vibrational modes, exist.

Synchrotron radiation microtomography of bone engineered from bone marrow stromal cells.

Osteoprogenitor cells expanded in vitro and associated with porous ceramic scaffolds have been proposed as bone substitutes. Animal models have been developed to test the efficacy of various cell populations and scaffolds in promoting bone repair. Qualitative analysis of the new bone formed within the ceramic scaffold is relatively easy by conventional histology.

Lensless digital holographic microscope with light-emitting diode illumination.

We demonstrate the operation of a digital in-line microscope with LED illumination. We show with a practical example that, for typical setups, the limited temporal coherence and the spatial incoherence of the source do not affect the resolving power of the system. On the contrary, important advantages are obtained in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and alignment simplification.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in an adult patient with ICF syndrome.

We report on a patient affected by ICF syndrome (immunodeficiency, centromeric instability of chromosomes 1, 9 and 16 and facial dysmorphism), who presented with slowing in mentation, mild right hemiparesis and focal motor seizures. MRI study of the brain suggested a diagnosis of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), which was confirmed by JC virus DNA detection on CSF by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This is a unique case of adult infective neurological complication described in ICF Syndrome.

Uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in nanostructured Co/Cu(001): from surface ripples to nanowires.

We have investigated the correlation between morphology and magnetic anisotropy in nanostructured Co films on Cu(001). The formation of nanoscale ripples by ion erosion is found to deeply affect the magnetic properties of the Co film. A surface-type uniaxial magnetic anisotropy with easy axis parallel to the ripples is observed.

[Expression of the cdx2 gene in benign intestinal-type mucinous ovarian tumors].

Introduction: Cdx2 gene belongs to the homeobox caudal gene family and it is located, in humans, on the 13q12.3 chromosome; in particular it codifies for a specific nuclear transcription factor which induces intestinal epithelium development, differentiation and preservation. Cdx2 expression in the human embryo can be observed in the intestinal epithelium starting from the sixth week of gestation.

[Epidemiology and sensitivity to antibiotics in paediatric respiratory infections over a 4-year period. Retrospective study of 460 H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae and M. catarrhalis strains].

H. influenzae, S. pneumoniae and M.

Growth of three-shell onionlike bimetallic nanoparticles.

We show by molecular dynamics simulations on three systems (B/A=Pd/Ag, Cu/Ag, and Ni/Ag) that three-shell metallic nanoparticles made by a core of a metal A, an intermediate shell of metal B and an external shell of metal A (A-B-A nanoparticles) can be grown by deposition of B atoms onto an A core. The growth of the intermediate B shell is triggered by the fact that the most favorable positions for isolated B impurities inside A clusters are located just one layer below the cluster surface.

Evidence of kinetic trapping in clusters of C60 molecules.

Molecular dynamics simulations of the growth of nanoclusters of C60 provide convincing evidence that experimental magic numbers, which are associated with structures based on Mackay icosahedra, are of kinetic origin. This finding resolves a long-standing contradiction between the experimental observations and the theoretically predicted most stable structures. Our results show that, even if a sticky intermolecular potential energetically disfavors icosahedral structures, the latter are frequently produced because the stickiness of the potential itself enhances kinetic trapping phenomena.

Synthesis of new N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-5,6-dihydro-3-phenyl-2H-thieno[2,3-h]-1-benzopyran-2-ones.

The synthesis of some N,N-disubstituted 4-amino-5,6-dihydro-3-phenyl-2H-thieno[2,3-h]-1-benzopyran-2-ones (4a-f), by reaction of phenylchloroketene with a series of N,N-disubstituted (E)-5-aminomethylene-6,7-dihydrobenzo[b]thiophen-4(5)-ones, followed by dehydrochlorination in situ of the primary adducts with DBN, is described. A moderate local anaesthetic activity was observed in the title compounds, particularly in 4e.

[Kearns-Sayre syndrome with GH deficiency].

A case of Kearns-Sayre syndrome with failure to thrive, cytochrome oxidase deficiency in muscle fibers, mtDNA deletion and deficient GH responses to stimulation tests is reported. The patient, when 9 years old, was treated with GH without significant improvement in growth velocity. The opportunity of search for GH deficiency in children with Kearns-Sayre syndrome and failure to thrive is stressed.

Branchio-Oto-renal syndrome: a report on nine family groups.

This study reviews nine new families with branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man [OMIM] 113650). Diagnosis was made by studying 10 index cases, and then 22 other previously undetected patients were diagnosed within the nine families. The syndrome consists of conductive, sensorineural, or mixed hearing loss; preauricular pits; structural defects of the outer, middle, or inner ear; renal anomalies; lateral cervical fistulas, cysts, or sinuses; and/or nasolacrimal duct stenosis or fistulas.

Modulation by lanthanum ions of gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) receptors of rat cerebellum granule cells in culture: clues on their subunit composition.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) activated chloride currents were studied in rat cerebellum granule cells in culture by the whole cell patch-clamp technique. Both the peak and steady state currents were inhibited by 100 microM lanthanum. In the first case, inhibition is due to an increase of the EC50 for GABA.

Long jumps in the strong-collision model.

The jump-length probability distribution for a classical particle diffusing in a periodic potential is calculated in the framework of a strong-collision model, where each collision of the particle with the thermal bath reequilibrates the velocity. Exact numerical results are obtained by the matrix-continued-fraction method, and two different analytical approximations are developed. In the first approximations it is assumed that an activated particle is always retrapped in the cell where it suffers the first collision; in the second approximation it is assumed that only the collisions giving a final total energy which is lower than the activation barrier are effective for retrapping.

Probability of dimer reassociation in two dimensions.

We study the problem of dimer dissociation and reassociation in two dimensions through a random-walk-like calculation. In order to find the probability of dimer reassociation after a given number of hops, we give the exact analytical solution for the probability of a first return into a given region (rhombus) for a two-dimensional random walker on a squared lattice.