Fluorescence Time Delay in Multistep Auger Decay as an Internal Clock.

Differences in postcollision interaction (PCI) effects on Kr L_{3}M_{4,5}M_{4,5} Auger electron spectra were observed, depending on whether the initial photoionization occurred slightly above the K threshold or slightly above the L_{3} threshold. For the former, KL fluorescence emission most likely happens and then Auger processes due to the L_{3} hole follow. The time delay due to fluorescence causes a reduced shift of the Auger peak and tailing toward lower energy, since the Auger overtaking of the photoelectron happens later in time and at a location farther away from the ionic core, compared to the case for the simple one-step L_{3}M_{4,5}M_{4,5} Auger decay after L-shell photoionization. Time-dependent theory for PCI in multistep processes agrees well with experiment, illustrating the effect as an internal clock for the time-sequence of the dynamical process.

Distribution of gene segments of the pandemic A(H1N1) 2009 virus lineage in pig populations.

Swine influenza viruses (SIVs) are important not only for pig farming, but also for public health. In fact, pandemic A(H1N1) 2009 viruses [A(H1N1)pdm09] were derived from SIVs. Therefore, timely characterization of locally circulating SIVs is necessary for understanding the global status of SIVs. To genetically characterize SIVs circulating in Japanese pig populations, we isolated 24 SIVs of three subtypes (17 H1N1, four H1N2 and three H3N2 strains) from 14 pig farms in Japan from 2013 to 2016. Genetic analyses revealed that the haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of the 17 H1N1 and the HA gene of one H1N2, A/swine/Aichi/02/2016 (H1N2), SIVs belonged to the A(H1N1)pdm09 lineage. More importantly, all of the remaining six gene segments (i.e., PB1, PB1, PA, NP, M and NS) of the 24 SIVs, regardless of the HA and NA subtype, were also classified as belonging to the A(H1N1)pdm09 lineage. These results indicate that gene segments of A(H1N1)pdm09 lineage are widely distributed in SIVs circulating in Japanese pig populations In addition, the NA gene of A/swine/Aichi/02/2016 (H1N2) shared less than 88.5% nucleotide identity with that of the closest relative A/swine/Miyagi/5/2003 (H1N2), which was isolated in Japan in 2003. These results indicate the sustained circulation of classical H1N2-derived SIVs with remarkable diversity in the NA genes in Japanese pig populations. These findings highlight the necessity of both intensive biosecurity systems and active SIV surveillance in pig populations worldwide for both animal and public health.

Autopsy case of autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia with reference to the muscular pathology.

An autopsied case of autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia with severe neurogenic muscular atrophy is described herein. This patient, a 16-year-old woman, presented with gait disturbance. She developed progressive spastic paralysis of the upper and lower limbs and mental deterioration. She became bedridden at approximately 40years of age. Dysarthria worsened at 45 years of age. She died of pneumonia at 50 years of age. Her younger sister has shown similar clinical symptoms and became bedridden at 37 years of age. Their parents were second cousins. Autopsy revealed a severely atrophic brain, weighing 720 g. The cerebral cortex was thin, and the white matter was extremely reduced in volume. Microscopically, neuronal loss and variable astrogliosis with diffuse spongy changes were evident at the cerebral cortex, thalamic nuclei, basal ganglia and hippocampus. The remaining neurons were atrophied with heavy deposition of lipofuscin. In the spinal cord, the pyramidal tracts as well as the dorsal spinocerebellar tracts were degenerated. In addition, marked loss of the anterior horn cells was seen. Severe neuronal loss of the nucleus gracilis was also detected. In contrast, only mild degeneration of the ventral spinocerebellar tracts and fasciulus cuneatus in the spinal cord were observed. In the frozen sections of skeletal muscle, severe neurogenic atrophy and fatty infiltration were evident. In addition, several rimmed vacuoles were observed in the atrophic fibers, and cytochrome coxidase-deficient fibers were present in part. Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH)-tetrazolium reductase reaction revealed abnormal accumulation of mitochondria around the center of the non-atrophic muscle fibers. It is suggested that an analysis of mitochondrial function of Japanese autosomal recessive hereditary spastic hemiplegia may provide additional information to clarify the pathogenesis.

Coster-kronig decay of the ar2s hole observed by auger-threshold photoelectron coincidence spectroscopy

The Coster-Kronig lines associated with Ar2s decay have been resolved within the natural linewidth of the 2s hole for the first time. This was possible by a new spectroscopic technique, relying on resonance enhanced double photoionization, Auger-threshold photoelectron coincidence spectroscopy. Contrary to standard Auger spectroscopy, this technique can filter out weak components in Auger spectra corresponding to a well-defined inner-shell state and, furthermore, can achieve a resolution no longer limited by the lifetime of the inner-shell hole.

Linkage of autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia with mental impairment and thin corpus callosum to chromosome 15A13-15.

To date, three loci for autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia (ARHSP) linked to chromosomes 8p12-q13, 16qter, and 15q13-15 have been characterized. We have clinically characterized 13 Japanese ARHSP families and performed genetic linkage analyses. All 13 families were classified as having the "complicated" form, which manifests with mental impairment and thin corpus callosum. Linkage to the 8p12-q13 and 16qter loci was excluded, although 10 of the 13 families showed marker data consistent with linkage to the 15q13-15 locus. The multipoint LOD score of the 10 families linked to chromosome 15 was above 9.00 in the 3-centimorgan segment flanked by D15S994 and D15S659, with a maximum multipoint LOD score of 9.68 at a position 1.2 centimorgans telomeric from D15S994 to D15S659. We have shown that ARHSP with thin corpus callosum, a subtype of recessive spastic paraplegia, maps to chromosome 15q13-15.

Blood brain barrier destruction in hyperglycemic chorea in a patient with poorly controlled diabetes.

A case of hemichorea in a patient with poorly controlled diabetes is reported. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an unusual homogeneous high-intensity area in the corpus striatum. Of interest in the case was the fact that the globus pallidus, which was enhanced with gadolinium at the onset of hemichorea, showed homogeneous high-intensity on a subsequent T1-weighted image. This indicated that blood brain barrier destruction preceded the signal intensity change in the basal ganglia. As far as the authors could determine, this is the first reported case showing such enhancement during the course of diabetic hemichorea.

The potentially best stereographic presentation of the plastinated anatomical specimen.

Volumegraph, which is an improved version of the parallax panoramagram, has been studied as a method of stereophotography of a plastinated human body specimen. The volumegraph provides a steric view of the specimen in a natural color appearance. The potential advantages in using the volumegraph for the presentation of anatomical specimens are discussed taking account of its technical details.

Adrenoleukodystrophy: a correlation between saturated very long-chain fatty acids in mononuclear cells and phenotype.

Saturated very long-chain fatty acids in erythrocyte membranes, blood plasma, and mononuclear cells were studied in 4 patients with childhood-adolescent adrenoleukodystrophy and 4 patients with adult adrenoleukodystrophy and 19 normal control subjects by using high-performance liquid chromatography. Ratios of C26:0 to C22:0 in mononuclear cells, erythrocyte membranes, and blood plasma in patients with childhood-adolescent and adult adrenoleukodystrophy were significantly higher than in normal control subjects. Furthermore, ratios of C26:0 to C22:0 in mononuclear cells were significantly higher in patients with childhood-adolescent adrenoleukodystrophy than in patients with adult adrenoleukodystrophy, whereas there was no significant difference in the ratios in erythrocyte membranes and blood plasma between the two groups of patients with adrenoleukodystrophy. These results suggest that there is a correlation between phenotype and ratio of C26:0 to C22:0 within mononuclear cells in patients with adrenoleukodystrophy.

Semple rabies vaccine: presence of myelin basic protein and proteolipid protein and its activity in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

Myelin basic protein (MBP) as a cause of postvaccinal encephalomyelitis (PVE) due to Semple rabies vaccine (SRV) has been suggested in previous reports. No actual measurement of MBP in SRV was done. In this study we detected MBP and PLP in the vaccine using immunological methods. The vaccine was found to contain 28 micrograms MBP per ml vaccine. Inoculation with SRV plus adjuvant resulted in the development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in 2 of 3 guinea pigs. For control, chick embryo vaccine (CEV) was used and MBP was not detected. EAE was not induced in animals inoculated with it. These results suggest that MBP in vaccines may play a decisive role in the production of PVE.

[Application of an air-powder abrasive system in periodontal therapy and its effect on root surfaces].

An air-powder abrasive device used to remove stain and debris adherent to tooth surface is now available for use by dentist. Air Flow was evaluated for its effectiveness in removing stains and debris from teeth. Split design in anterior was used, and half was treated with the device and the contralateral side with a brush cone and tooth polishing paste. Time required by each method to remove stain and debris completely was recorded and compared. A gingival trauma index was assessed according to the method of Weaks L.M. et al. (1984). Air-powder abrasive system removed stain and debris in less time than brush cone technique (P less than 0.001). The system was also most effective in removing stains in pit, fissure and contact areas. The device caused a significant increase (P less than 0.01) in gingival irritation immediately posttreatment, but there was no statistically and clinically significance in the effect on the gingiva at 7 days posttreatment between two techniques. In vitro study, the effect of the device on root surfaces was also assessed. 5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 seconds exposure of a fixed point on root surfaces to the device produced defects 137, 245, 308, 945 and 1,394 microns in depth, respectively. The resulting surface was smooth and all cementum was removed. And the average loss of root structure as a function of the exposure time was also assessed. The average losses were 0.2, 0.6, 1.7, 1.8, 2.0, 2.1, 2.3 and 2.4 mg by 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 seconds exposures, respectively. Root surface roughness, resulting from hand curette, ultrasonic curette and air-powder abrasive system was examined histologically. The hand curette produced smooth root surface. The ultrasonic instrument produced a surface characterized by irregular ridges. The air powder abrasive system was found to produce a root surface favorably comparable to manual root planing and remove cementum from areas of difficult treatment, such as furcations.

Absence of antibodies to HTLV-1 in sera from Hungarian MS patients.

The aim of this study is to examine the association between multiple sclerosis (MS) and anti-human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) antibody. Serum samples from 16 Hungarian caucasians with MS, 2 gipsy patients with MS, 13 Hungarian caucasians with other neurological diseases (OND) and 2 gipsy patients with OND were tested by Western blot combined with autoradiography using disrupted virus from MT-2 cell line and recombinant p24 as antigens. Negative results were obtained in all samples except for 3 Hungarian OND which were reactive to disrupted virus, but not to recombinant p24.

Immunohistochemical study of Alzheimer's disease using antibodies to synthetic amyloid and fibronectin.

Etiology and source of amyloid deposition in senile plaques of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are still unknown. In order to know whether or not fibronectin (Fn), an adhesive glycoprotein, is related to the amyloid deposition in the senile plaque, we conducted immunohistochemical studies using polyclonal anti-Fn and affinity-purified anti-amyloid component (Affi 28). Affi 28 was made by immunizing a rabbit against the synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 1-28 of the amyloid core protein reported by Masters et al. (1985). According to this study, four points became clear. First, Affi 28 is able to stain the subpial regions of AD as well as cerebrovascular amyloid and amyloid plaque cores. Second, it is suggested either that the etiology and source of neurofibrillary tangles and Pick body is distinct from that of the senile plaque or that any Affi 28 determinants of neurofibrillary tangles and Pick body are obscured sterically. Third, Affi 28 is useful to distinguish the senile plaque from the amyloid plaque of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Last, there is no association between the amyloid in the senile plaque and Fn, at least immunohistochemically. The absence of Fn in the senile plaque suggests that Fn may not be requested for the deposition of amyloid fibrils.