Mass transport accompanied with electron transfer between the gold electrode modified with 11-ferrocenylundecanethiol monolayer and redox species in solution — an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance study

An electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) was employed to investigate mass transport during the redox reaction of the ferrocenylundecanethiolate (FcC₁₁S(H)) monolayer modified gold electrode in solution containing other redox species. The FcC₁₁S-monolayer on gold acts as a barrier for the electron transfer between a gold electrode and Fe(CN)₆^4?/3? in solution and as a mediator for the reduction of Fe³⁺ in solution. In both cases, electrochemical current responses were complicated because the observed currents were due to the redox of both the ferrocenyl group immobilized on gold and others in electrolyte solutions. The frequency change, i.e. interfacial mass change on the gold electrode surface, was observed only during the redox of ferrocenyl groups. The complex current response was deconvoluted into the current components of the redox reaction of ferrocene and that of other redox species in solution by comparing cyclic voltammograms with the current calculated from frequency changes.     

Route of TT virus infection in children.

TT virus (TTV) is a novel viral agent, detected recently in non-A to E hepatitis cases. Little is known about its natural history or routes of transmission in childhood. For the detection of serum TTV DNA, semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out using TTV-specific primers and TTV nucleotide sequences were determined by the dideoxy chain-mediated termination method. Five of the 70 children studied (including 20 hepatitis B virus [HBV] carriers, 40 children born to HBV carrier mothers and 10 children born to hepatitis C virus [HCV] carrier mothers) had serum TTV DNA. Three of the 5 children had siblings (4 in total), so that a total of 9 children were studied to determine the time of initial serum TTV DNA detection. In the 8 seropositive children, the time of serum TTV DNA detection ranged from 6 to 14 months after birth, and TTV DNA persisted thereafter throughout the follow-up period. The TTV DNA-negative child was assessed most recently at 6 months of age. TTV DNA was detected in only 2 of the 4 mothers tested (families 2 and 3). When 271-bp TTV DNA fragments from each of the 8 children were sequenced, the degree of homology between siblings in families 1-3 was 100%, 99.5%, and 92.3%, respectively. The degree of homology between child-mother pairs of families 2 and 3 was 99.5-100% and 62. 6-63.9%, respectively. The distribution of different TTV strains was consistent within families, except for family 3. None of the TTV-infected children had elevated levels of alanine aminotransferase or clinical signs of liver disease.     

Mikulicz's disease and systemic IgG4-related plasmacytic syndrome (SIPS).

Mikulicz's disease represents persistent enlargement of the lacrimal and salivary glands, and autoimmune pancreatitis is shown with diffuse pancreatic swelling. Both diseases are characterized with elevated IgG4 concentrations in the serum and prominent infiltration by plasmacytes expressing IgG4 in the glands. Clinical analyses were performed in 40 patients with systemic IgG4-related plasmacytic syndrome (SIPS) who consulted the doctors in Sapporo Medical University Hospital. Our patients were mainly middle-aged or elderly females. The average age was 58.9 years. The diagnosis was following ; 33 cases with Mikulicz's disease, 3 cases with Küttner's tumor, and 4 cases with IgG4-related dacryoadenitis. Slight dysfunction of lacrimal and salivary gland was observed in about 60% of them. Antinuclear antibodies were detected in only 15% of the cases with SIPS. Almost all, except one case, did not have anti-SS-A or anti-SS-B antibodies. Interestingly, hypocomplementemia was revealed in 30% of them. The complications of SIPS include autoimmune pancreatitis, tubulointerstitial nephritis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, prostatitis, and so on. SIPS is mainly treated by the administration of steroids. We started to prescribe much quantity of prednisolone to the patients with organ failure. The recurrence was admitted in the 3 patients for the followed 16 years. We present here the problems and prospects in SIPS.     

Case report of maxillary protrusion

The patient, a 10-years and 7-month-old boy, demonstrated maxillary protrusion (a pseudo class I malocclusion) complicated by horizontal open bite, space defect of 5 5, and represented that point A was +3.0 mm, pogonion was -8.0 mm to McNamara line respectively. His 4 first premolars were extracted and he was treated with an edgewise appliance together with a high pull head gear, palatal bar, class III elastics, class II elastics and up-down elastics for 3 years. A functional occlusion and good profile was obtained with good growth, chin control and tooth movement.     

Anatomical basis of the medial sural artery perforator flap in Asians.

Forty-four lower limbs preserved in formaldehyde from cadavers of adult Asians were used. In all specimens 1-5 perforating branches from the medial sural artery were found. No perforators were found higher than 5 cm or lower than 17.5 cm from the popliteal crease. In the most common place (16/44, 36%) in which 2 perforators were found, the proximal one was a mean of 9.6 cm away from the popliteal crease, and the distant one 12.8 cm. All perforators were in an area between 0.5 cm and 4.5 cm from the midline of the gastrocnemius muscles. Because of the differences in the length of the muscle belly, the distribution of perforators may differ between white people and Asians. It should be safe to raise this flap in Asians, because the anatomical comparison of the perforators of the medial sural artery between Asians and white people is now clear.     

Enhancement by X-ray irradiation of target cell susceptibility to natural killer cells

The in vitro effect of X-ray irradiation on tumor cell susceptibility to lysis by natural killer (NK) cells was studied in human systems. When relatively NK-resistant T24 bladder transitional carcinoma cells were irradiated with X-rays and cultured for 18 h, they showed increased sensitivity to lysis by blood lymphocytes in a 4-h 51Cr release assay. No enhancement was seen when irradiated target cells were tested immediately after exposure to X-rays. The X-ray-induced augmentation was observed with as little as 1 Gy of irradiation, the level of which was comparable to that observed at higher doses. The doses of X-rays did not influence the viability and spontaneous release of the target cells. Treatment with mitomycin C of target cells did not change their NK sensitivity. On the other hand, irradiation with X-rays of blood lymphocytes resulted in a transient increase in NK activity at 3 h, and then the activity declined and was completely lost by 24 h. However, when irradiated lymphocytes were stimulated with interferon (IFN), they maintained the high activity against untreated T24 cells. These results suggest the possible use of relatively low doses of X-ray irradiation in combination with IFN for treatment of human cancer.     

Involvement of nitric oxide in long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus in vivo

Effects of NO synthase inhibitors on long-term potentiation (LTP) were investigated in the dentate gyrus of anesthetized rats. Administration ofN^G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 50 nmol i.c.v.) greatly blocked the generation of LTP without affecting basal responses.N^G-nitro-L-arginine (50 nmol) orN^G-methyl-L-arginine (50 nmol) also showed similar effects. The LTP-blocking effect of L-NAME was reversed by coadministration ofL-arginine (500 nmol). These results suggest that NO participates in the generation of LTP at the dentate gyrus in vivo.