Chiral Spin Textures in Amorphous Iron-Germanium Thick Films.

Topological solitary fields, such as magnetic and polar skyrmions, are envisioned to revolutionize microelectronics. These configurations have been stabilized in solid-state materials with a global inversion symmetry breaking, which translates in magnetic materials into a vector spin exchange known as the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), as well as spin chirality selection and isotropic solitons. This work reports experimental evidence of 3D chiral spin textures, such as helical spins and skyrmions with different chirality and topological charge, stabilized in amorphous Fe-Ge thick films. These results demonstrate that structurally and chemically disordered materials with a random DMI can resemble inversion symmetry broken systems with similar magnetic properties, moments, and states. Disordered systems are distinguished from systems with global inversion symmetry breaking by their degenerate spin chirality that allows for forming isotropic and anisotropic topological spin textures at remanence, while offering greater flexibility in materials synthesis, voltage, and strain manipulation.

Efficacy of bedtime NPH insulin with daytime sulfonylurea for subpopulation of type II diabetic subjects.

Although insulin and sulfonylureas often have additive clinical effects when used in combination for type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, these results are variable and a clinical role for this approach is not yet established. This study tests the efficacy of a specific combined regimen for a subpopulation of patients with a randomized double-masked placebo-controlled crossover design and under conditions similar to those of clinical practice. Twenty subjects with limited duration (less than 15 yr) type II diabetes who were moderately obese (less than 160% ideal wt) and proved imperfectly controlled on 10 mg glyburide twice daily completed two 4-mo crossover protocols, comparing a single injection of NPH insulin in the evening plus 10 mg glyburide in the morning with insulin plus placebo. Insulin dose was adjusted by experienced endocrinologists seeking the best glycemic control consistent with safety. All subjects had glycosylated hemoglobin values less than or equal to 150% of the control mean on combined therapy, and combined therapy was superior to insulin alone (fasting plasma glucose 8.0 +/- 0.3 vs. 11.1 +/- 0.6 mM, P less than .01; glycosylated hemoglobin 9.8 +/- 0.1 vs. 10.6 +/- 0.2%, P less than .01). Despite greater weight gain on combined therapy, blood pressure and plasma lipid concentrations were the same on the two regimens. These results suggest this simple regimen offers another option, besides multiple injections of insulin, for patients of this kind who are unsuccessful with a sulfonylurea or a single injection of insulin alone.

Follow-up comparison of short-term versus 1-year antithyroid drug therapy for the thyrotoxicosis of Graves' disease.

We have treated 68 thyrotoxic patients with Graves' disease with a single daily dose of 30 mg methimazole until they were clinically euthyroid and their plasma thyroid hormone concentrations were within normal limits. Sixteen of 56 patients (29%) treated 4.8 +/- 0.2 months (mean +/- SEM; range, 1.5-8.5 for their initial attack of thyrotoxicosis have remained in remission for 54.4 +/- 7.7 months (range, 12-105). Twenty-seven of the patients who relapsed were treated with a subsequent 1-yr course of methimazole. Five of these patients (19%) have maintained a remission for 29.6 +/- 10.8 months (range, 3-66); the remainder relapsed after 7.1 +/- 2.3 months (range, 1-50). If the patients lost to follow-up while known to still be in remission are excluded, the sustained remission rate is 12 of 52 (23%) for initial short term therapy and 3 of 25 (12%) for the subsequent 1-yr of antithyroid treatment. The results of short term antithyroid drug treatment in 12 patients previously treated with long term antithyroid drugs or thyroidectomy were similar, but the follow-up period was not as long. Short term antithyroid drug therapy is a potentially long lasting, innocuous, and relatively inexpensive program for the treatment of Graves' disease, especially for patients with small goiters.

Single daily dose methimazole treatment of hyperthyroidism.

The effectiveness of methimazole used in a single daily dose was studied in 47 patients during their initial episode of hyperthyroidism, and in an additional eight patients during a relapse of hyperthyroidism. All patients become euthyroid using this method. Mean time required to achieve a euthyroid state was 16.7+/-1.1 weeks in the former group, and 14.9+/-2.9 weeks in the latter. In one patient there was an initial response to single daily dose therapy, but subsequently split dosage was required for control. The single daily dose regimen of antithyroid drugs will control hyperthyroidism in most patients. We have found that propylthiouracil will achieve this more rapidly than methimazole.

Hyperglycemia and diabetic coma: possible relationship to diuretic-propranolol therapy.

Two patients developed diabetic coma when taking a combination of a thiazide diuretic and propranolol. On subsequent follow-up one patient is taking no insulin and has been maintained on hydrochlorothiazide; the other patient required insulin on two occasions when challenged with a propranolol-thiazide combination, but not when the thiazide was discontinued or replaced with furosemide. These reports suggest the possibility that the risk of developing hyperglycemia and diabetic coma with this combination may be greater than when taking diuretics alone. The mechanism is probably multifactorial.

Short-term antithyroid drug therapy for the thyrotoxicosis of Graves's disease.

We investigated whether thyrotoxic patients treated with short-term antithyroid therapy would achieve prolonged remissions. Thirty-one previously untreated and nine previously treated patients with thyrotoxic Graves's disease received a single daily dose of methimazole or propylthiouracil. The drug was stopped at, or shortly after, the time they became euthyroid. Twelve of the 31 previously untreated patients remained in remission for 29 +/- 3.5 months (mean +/- S.E.) after treatment for 4.5 +/- 0.3 months. Four of the nine previously treated have remained in remission of 13.0 +/- 2.1 months after treatment for 3.0 +/- 0.3 months. Of various possibilities analyzed, only a small goiter at the onset of therapy and tri-iodothyronine toxicosis were significantly favorable prognostic indicators that a remission would be maintained. The lasting remission rate is as good when antithyroid drugs are stopped as soon as the patient is euthyroid as when they are continued for one year or more.

Zinc deficiency, carbonic anhydrase, and photosynthesis in leaves of spinach.

A shortage in the zinc supply to spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) drastically reduced carbonic anhydrase levels with little effect on net CO(2) uptake per unit leaf area, except with the most severe zinc stresses. Under these conditions, carbonic anhydrase was below 10% and photosynthesis 60 to 70% of the control levels. When photosynthesis was measured at a range of CO(2) supply levels, zinc-deficient leaves were less efficient at 300 to 350 microliters per liter CO(2) and above, but the same as controls at lower CO(2) levels. This suggests that carbonic anhydrase does not affect the diffusion of CO(2), and that the effect of zinc deficiency was on the photosynthetic process itself. Our evidence does not support the hypothesis that carbonic anhydrase has some role in facilitating the supply of CO(2) to the sites of carboxylation within the chloroplast.