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Background: The purpose of the present study was to describe the various imaging features of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the liver, a rare tumor of mesenchymal origin. Methods: Sonography (n= 5), computed tomography (CT; n= 5), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (n= 2), and hepatic arteriography (n= 3) in five patients who underwent partial hepatectomy for tumor resection were retrospectively reviewed and correlated with pathologic findings. Results: All tumors were clearly demarcated from surrounding hepatic parenchyma in sectional imaging with (n= 2) or without (n= 3) a fibrous capsule, which was pathologically verified. Internal architecture of abundant fibrosis, myxoid degeneration, and/or hemorrhagic necrosis reflected the sonographic, CT and MR imaging findings. Marginal tumor staining without definite tumor vasculature was the main feature of hepatic arteriography. There was no intratumoral calcification. All three tumors involving the right lobe of the liver invaded the right hemidiaphragm. Conclusion: Although there were no unique findings of primary hepatic MFH, a combined interpretation of various imaging modalities may elucidate the malignant nature of the tumor.

Europium-activated yttrium oxide (Eu:Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}) phosphor films have been grown in situ on (100) bare silicon and diamond-coated silicon substrates using a pulsed laser deposition technique. Diamond-coated silicon substrates were prepared by hot filament chemical vapor deposition onto (100) silicon wafers. Measurements of photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence properties of Eu:Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} films have shown that the films grown on diamond-coated silicon substrates are brighter than the films grown on bare silicon substrates under identical deposition conditions. The improved brightness of the Eu:Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} films on diamond-coated silicon substrates is attributed to reduced internal reflection, low photon energy absorption by substrate, and enhanced scattering of incident beam with lattice. All these effects are primarily brought about by the presence of a rough diamond interfacial layer between the phosphor films and substrates.

We previously reported that anti-IL-4 mAb (11B11) failed to prevent protein-induced fatal murine anaphylaxis. To investigate the effect of anti-IL-4 on hapten-induced anaphylaxis, a model of murine anaphylaxis induced by antibiotics, penicillin V (Pen V) and cephalothin (CET), was developed, and the effect of anti-IL-4 on the anaphylaxis was observed. Pen V and CET induced 100 and 70 to 90% fatal reactions, respectively, when C57BL/6 mice were sensitized i.p. with 500 microg of antibiotic-OVA conjugate with 2 x 10(9) Bordetella pertussis and 1.0 mg of alum and challenged i.v. with 100 microg of antibiotic-BSA conjugate 14 days later. Serum taken from mice sensitized to Pen V passively sensitized normal mice to develop systemic anaphylaxis, and this ability of the serum was abrogated by heating at 56 degrees C for 2 h or depletion of IgE, but not IgG, Abs. Thus, the antibiotic-induced fatal reaction was an IgE-dependent anaphylactic reaction. Administration of anti-IL-4 at the beginning of sensitization completely prevented the fatal anaphylactic reactions to both Pen V and CET. This effect of anti-IL-4 was associated with its suppressive activity on antibiotic-specific serum IgE, but not IgG, levels. More importantly, anti-IL-4 therapy in previously sensitized mice was also effective in preventing the fatal reactions and rapidly reduced the established IgE levels. This study provides a new animal model of hapten-induced anaphylaxis and indicates that blocking of IL-4 activity may be beneficial in allergic diseases caused by a variety of haptens in which IgE Abs play a major role.

The characteristics of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics depend on the quantity and shape of fibers. The fiber-matrix separation and fiber orientation are caused by the flow during a molding process. Then, the product tends to be nonhomogeneous and anisotropic. Hence, it is very important to clarify the relations between separation-orientation and molding conditions. In this paper, we propose the measurement method which is called image intensity method for fiber orientation distribution by image processing. In order to examine the accuracy of intersection counting and image intensity methods, the fiber orientation of simulation figure is measured using image processing. The image intensity method is rather accurate compared with the intersection counting method.

The structure of the Ascaris allergen, ABA-1 was characterized at several levels. Purified allergen monomers eluted from reducing PAGE were found to reassociate into dimers in phosphate buffered saline containing 0.9 mM Ca2+. This association may involve the formation of disulfide bonds between monomers. The primary amino acid sequence was used to predict secondary structure and compare the allergen to other known proteins sequences. ABA-1 appears to be highly helical protein of two domains. Sequence analysis reveals short regions (25 amino acids) of high homology (76%) between ABA-1 and the major body wall myosin of Onchocerca volvulus. In addition, ABA-1 has sequence similarity to a family of EF-hand containing calcium binding proteins called S100 proteins. The dimerization and two-domain structure of ABA-1 is consistent with the possibility that ABA-1 is a member of the S100 family of calcium binding proteins.

The objective of this paper is study the optimization for metal injection molding process by using the design of experiments (DOE) and numerical analysis. In order to determine optimal process parameters, experiment and computerized analysis have been performed for various process conditions. Proper coded and uncoded regression equations and optimization for responses (flow front temperature, part weight, filling time, cycle time, and volumetric shrinkage) achieved from studying and verifying interrelation of the factors. About 70% of whole binder extracted within about 10 minutes and temperature of solvent is higher, the debinding rate is fast. 50° C was the most suitable condition for solvent extraction because of crack occurrence on green body at 55° C. It took about 14.5 hours to perform secondary thermal debinding, which was only about 35% of the entire time taken compared with single thermal debinding process, even if it considers solvent extraction time required. Therefore, the applied method greatly reduces the debinding time. The excellent process capability showed that the PPM total and Z.Bench were 9,946.8 and 2.33 showing good quality rate of around 99.01% and sigma level of 3.83. As a result, the process and optimization have been improved, and the proposed approach could be successfully reflected on the metal injection molding.

The retrobulbar hematoma is a rare complication after orbital surgery. Despite of its rareness, the retrobulbar hematoma may be disastrous to the patient’s vision (Chen et al. in J Craniofac Surg 20:963--967, 2009). Since 2007, I have applied the combined use of a scalp vein set and a vacuumed blood sampling bottle in all of the orbital surgeries. In my study, I achieved a good result, and I will introduce this simple method as one of alternatives for the prevention from the postoperative intraorbital hematoma including the retrobulbar hematoma.

Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) from tumors of different phenotypes possess a marked capacity for proliferation, self-renewal, and differentiation. They also play a critical role in cancer recurrence. Although CSC has been regarded as a new target for cancer therapy, the fundamental questions in the CSC study have not been resolved mainly due to the lack of proper CSC markers. To find new CSC markers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), we cultured the primary tumor cells from OSCC patients the regular culture condition and the sphere-forming culture condition to enrich primary tumor cells and potential CSCs. We compared gene expression profiles between sphere-forming and non-forming cells, thus identifying that 23 membrane protein-coding genes were over-expressed in the sphere-forming cells. Among them, 8 belonged to the solute carrier (SLC) protein family. H⁺-myo-inositol transporter SLC2A13 and monocarbohydrate transporter SLC16A6 genes that were consistently increased in the sphere-forming cells in the primary cultures of OSCC samples. Confocal microscopy revealed that SLC2A13-expressing cells were embedded in the limited areas of tumor tissue as a cluster, while SLC16A6 was uniformly detected in hyperplastic epithelium. Moreover, SLC2A13 an expression was induced in human breast adenocarcinoma MCF7 cells after serum starvation. Taken together, our results suggest that SLC2A13 can be a potential markers for CSC in various tumors.

Although Compton camera may has a great potential as next generation imaging modality comparing to SPECT and PET, its fully three-dimensional image reconstruction requires the considerable computational burden and the spatial resolution is suffered from the various physical phenomena arising during detection process. In this study, we investigated the accelerated statistical image reconstruction in which system matrix included a resolution recovery (RR) technique. We considered 3D Gaussian resolution model for the integrated angular and geometric uncertainties. The angular uncertainty is closely related to the limited energy resolution of the Compton camera and Doppler broadening and the geometric uncertainty is due to the segmented detectors. For RR, the 3D Gaussian resolution model is incorporated into listmode OSEM (LMOSEM) using image-space convolution operation. We investigated two different RR approaches: one (denoted by LMOSEM-RRF) is when the convolution is only performed in forward projection step, and the other (denoted by LMOSEM-RRFB) is when it is performed in both forward and backward projection steps. The simulation results showed that both RR approaches gave an improvement on spatial resolution for the resolution-degraded data due to both angular and geometric uncertainties. Although LMOSEM-RRF provided better resolution than LMOSEM-RRFB, LMOSEM-RRFB could still useful for low counting statistics in measurement.

A method for the nonstationary response analysis of suspension bridges subjected to earthquake ground excitations at multiple supports is developed. The equation of motion is formulated for the vertical motion of the bridge girder using a continuous co-ordinate system. The nonstationarity of the earthquake excitation is modeled by utilizing a time-varying envelope function. The correlation effects between ground excitations at different supports are investigated, for various cases of traveling seismic waves with different wave propagation velocities. The non-stationary responses are obtained in terms of time-dependent variance functions. Expected peak responses are also evaluated, thereafter. Numerical results from the example analysis indicate that the correlation effects between different support excitations are very significant on the response of the suspension bridge.

Heavy polymer residue has been observed on the sidewall of thick metal during the process release. The thickness of metal line is more than 3 micron. This thick polymer residue on the aluminum metal sidewall is seen from tilt Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) profile analysis. This polymer residue on the metal sidewall with chlorine (Cl2) trapped will result in metal corrosion. The focus on this paper is on the removal of this polymer residue on the thick metal sidewall. The experiments were run with splits of varying the chemical dispensing time and the rinsing time in the process. The success criteria are determined by passing the Defect Source Analysis (DSA) and tilt SEM profile analysis. These wafers are sent for electrical test, wet box test (corrosion test) and electrical sort test to ensure the reliability of the post metal cleaning condition.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive degeneration and loss of neuronal cells in the brain. β-Amyloid peptide (Aβ) is produced by proteolysis of amyloid precursor protein (APP), and its accumulation in the senile plaque is the major hallmark of AD pathogenesis [1, 2, 3]. Various experimental evidence support that Aβ plaque can induce neurotoxic effect on neuronal cells [4]. In the course of screening of anti-dementia agents from medicinal plants, the ethanolic extract of Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance showed neuroprotective effect against Aβ25–35-induced cytotoxicity in cultured B103 cells. The extract was partitioned with dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), n-butanol (n-BuOH), and water, successively. The repeated chromatographic separation afforded an active compound, and its chemical structure was elucidated as syringin by 1H- and 13C-NMR and LC-MS. Its effects on apoptotic cell death were determined by MTT, H2DCF-DA and caspase-3 activity assay. As results, syringin significantly increased B103 cell viability up to 79.16% at 20µM in the presence of 12.5µM of Aβ25–35, and it remarkably decreased Aβ25–35-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation up to 92.87% at the same concentration. In addition, the activity of caspase-3, an enzymatic major marker of apoptosis, was decreased up to 39.75% at 25µM. These results indicate that syringin and ethanolic extracts from Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance could be a promising agent for anti-dementia. References: 1. Kayed, R. et al. (2003) Science 300: 486–489. 2. Selkoe, D. J. (1994) Annu. Rev. Cell Biol. 10: 373–403. 3. Nunan, J., Small, D. H. (2000) FEBS Lett. 483: 6–10. 4. Estus, S. et al. (1997)J. Neurosci. 17: 7736–7745.

This paper presents a novel approach to rectify a low mechanical frequency to a higher resonant frequency mode, i.e. frequency up conversion. The device consists of a sharp probe, micro superelastic NiTi ridges, a micro slider, and a piezoelectric bimorph cantilever. A probe tip attached on the edge of a piezoelectric cantilever travels along the ridges attached onto a micro slider mechanism. Experimental results show that power output per unit area is substantially larger than conventional resonance approaches.

Graphite has been used as a moderator and reflector of neutrons in more than 100 nuclear power plants as well as many experimental reactors and plutonium production reactors in various countries. Most of the older graphite moderated reactors are already shut down and are awaiting decommissioning planning and preparation. The graphite waste has different characteristics than other decommissioning waste due to its physical and chemical properties and also because of the presence of tritium and carbon-14. Therefore radioactive graphite dismantling, handling, conditioning and disposal are a common part of the decommissioning activities. A volume reduction of the waste is needed to reduce disposal cost of radioactive waste. However the existing processing technologies are based mostly on the isolation of radioactive graphite from the environment, they are not able to provide for a significant volume reduction. For this reason, the high-temperature thermal treatment process such as an incineration or a pyrolysis is considered as promising technologies, since it provides a substantial volume reduction. Currently, the fluidized bed incineration is considered as efficient technology for the treatment of radioactive graphite waste. In this study, the fluidized bed incineration condition and the radioisotopes behavior were experimentally investigated by using irradiated graphite waste which has arisen from the decommissioning of Korean Research Reactor 2 (KRR-2).Copyright © 2007 by ASME

Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), namely siUL54-1 and siU54-2 targeting UL54 (DNA polymerase) gene, and siUL97-1 and siUL97-2 targeting UL97 (phosphotransferase) gene, were used to inhibit respective genes of Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and consequently the virus infection process in human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cultures. The virus infection was monitored by cell morphology (CPE), levels of UL83 and IE86 mRNAs, and virus antigen. The results showed that siUL97-2 remarkably inhibited viral CPE while other siRNAs were less inhibitory. The siRNAs reduced the levels of UL83 mRNA but not that of IE86 mRNA; again, siUL97-2 was most inhibitory. Particularly, siUL97-2 reduced the UL83 mRNA level 14, 19, 203, and 37 times at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hrs post infection (p.i.), respectively. When tested for the effect on viral antigen by immunofluorescent assay (IFA), UL97-2 exerted a marked inhibition. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of siRNAs against experimental HCMV infection and indicate their therapeutic potential.

The peptides take random structures in phosphate buffer, while showing a high α-helicity in 50% TFE or 30 mM SDS. CA-MA showed no hemolytic activity at 100 mg/ml, whereas CA-ME containing CA(1–8) and melittin(1–12) [1] showed a high hemolytic activity. A decrease in the positive charge at the two positions 18 and 19 of CA-MA by substituting with Thr (A1) induced a significant reduction in antitumor activity, but did not have a significant effect on antibacterial and hemolytic activity. The increase in hydrophobicity of

The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible association between estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) polymorphism and pain susceptibility in female symptomatic temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis (OA) patients. A patient group of 100 women, diagnosed as TMJ OA according to the research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders, were selected, and 74 women with no signs and symptoms of temporomandibular disorder were assigned to a control group. Pvu II and Xba I restriction fragment length polymorphisms were analyzed by direct haplotyping. The patient group was divided into three subgroups according to a visual analog scale (VAS): mild pain (0or=VAS4); moderate pain (4or=VAS7); severe pain (7or=VASor=10). Frequencies of genotypes and haplotypes in the patient and control groups were compared, and the association between pain intensity and copy numbers of PX haplotype were evaluated using the chi-square test. No significant differences in genotype and haplotype frequencies were observed between the patient and control groups (p.05). TMJ OA patients carrying the PX haplotype were found to have a significantly higher risk of moderate or severe pain compared to those without the PX haplotype, suggesting that ERalpha polymorphism may be associated with pain susceptibility in female TMJ OA patients.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible influence of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) polymorphism on the craniofacial skeleton in female patients suffering from symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The sample comprised 76 genetically unrelated Korean women diagnosed with OA by research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC-TMD). Direct haplotyping procedure was used to analyze the PvuII and XbaI RFLPs. Twelve cephalometric measurements were taken to evaluate the spatial position and dimensions of the mandible. Mann-Whitney's U-test was used to identify the potential differences in the cephalometric measurements between the subjects grouped according to their carrier status for Px haplotype. In addition, an association study was carried out using chi(2)-test to further examine the relationship between Px haplotype and the craniofacial morphology of the symptomatic OA patients. Female symptomatic TMJ OA patients carrying Px haplotype showed significantly smaller facial axis angle (P0.05) and mandibular body length (P0.05) than the non-carriers. The association between the presence of Px haplotype and short mandibular body length was also ascertained. This study suggests that ERa polymorphism contributes to the altered mandibular dimensions in female symptomatic TMJ OA patients. Further studies on the role of the genetic markers relevant to the craniofacial growth and adaptation are expected to broaden our understanding of determinants of the craniofacial morphology.

Immunotherapy based on the administration of the mycobacterium bacillus Calmette-Guerin has been successfully used in the treatment of in situ transitional cell bladder cancer, and may be applicable to the treatment of cutaneous malignant melanoma. Antigen 85A (Ag85A) and heat shock protein 65 kDa (hsp65) are major secreted proteins of Mycobacterium species and potent stimulators of cell-mediated immunity. This study evaluated the ability of Ag85A and hsp65 gene transfection to limit tumor growth by B16-F10 mouse melanoma cells. Immunoblotting confirmed protein expression and secretion by B16-F10 cells that were transiently transfected with plasmid DNA containing the Ag85A or hsp65 gene. Groups of syngeneic C57BL/6 mice were injected subcutaneously with 1x10(5) untransfected B16-F10 cells or B16-F10 cells transiently transfected with either empty vector or vector containing the Ag85A or hsp65 gene. Ag85A-expressing B16-F10 cells exhibited a dramatic 76% reduction (p0.05, Mann-Whitney U test) in tumor weight in comparison to empty vector controls at 14 days post-inoculation. In contrast, hsp65-transfected B16-F10 cells did not show any change in tumorigenicity. Decreased tumorigenicity by Ag85A-transfected B16-F10 cells was not due to a reduced ability of Ag85A-transfected B16-F10 cells to proliferate since both mock- and Ag85A-transfected B16-F10 cells showed increased in vitro proliferation in comparison to untransfected cells. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed that Ag85A-transfected B16-F10 tumors contained an inflammatory leukocyte infiltrate that was not present in hsp65-transfected tumors. Reduced tumor progression by Ag85A-transfected B16-F10 melanoma cells suggests that immunotherapy based on the transient induction of Ag85A expression may be an effective approach for the treatment of cutaneous malignant melanoma.

The alpha-helical antibiotic peptide (P18: KWKLFKKIPKFLHLAKKF-NH2) designed from the cecropin A(1-8)-magainin 2 (1-12) hybrid displayed strong bactericidal and tumoricidal activity without inducing hemolysis. The effect of the Pro9 residue at central position of P18 on cell selectivity was investigated by Pro9 --Leu or Pro9 --Ser substitution. Either substitution markedly reduced the antibacterial activity of P18 and increased hemolysis, although it did not significantly affect cytotoxicity against human transformed tumor and normal fibroblast cells. These results suggest that a proline kink in alpha-helical antibiotic peptide P18 serves as a hinge region to facilitate ion channel formation on bacterial cell membranes and thus plays an important role in providing high selectivity against bacterial cells. Furthermore, to investigate the structure-antibiotic activity relationships of P18, a series of N- or C-terminal deletion and substitution analogs of P18 were synthesized. The C-terminal region of P18 was related to its antibiotic activity and alpha-helical conformation on lipid membranes rather than N-terminal one. Higher alpha-helicity of the peptides was involved in the hemolytic and antitumor activity rather than antibacterial activity. Except for [L9]-P18 and [S9]-P18, all the designed peptides containing a Pro residue showed potent antibacterial activity, although they did not induce a cytolytic effect against human erythrocyte and normal fibroblast cells at the concentration required to kill bacteria. In particular, P18 and some analogs (N-1, N-2, N-3, N-3L and N-4L) with potent bactericidal and tumoricidal activity and little or no normal cell toxicity may serve as an attractive candidate for the development of novel anti-infective or antitumor agents.

To estimate the utility of thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) and the combined cytokeratin 7 (CK7) and 20 (CK20) immunoprofile as a marker for identifying the primary site of metastatic adenocarcinoma in effusions of the serous cavity.Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cell block specimens of pleural and peritonealfluid diagnosed as metastatic adenocarcinomas with known sites of origin were used for TTF-1, CK7 and CK20 immunohistochemistry. The primary sites of these cases were lung (16 cases), ovary (15), stomach (9), colon (8) and breast (8) and were confirmed by radiologic and/or histologic evaluation.The lung adenocarcinomas showed TTF-1 positivity in 81% (13/16) of cases. All nonpulmonary adenocarcinomas lacked TTF-1 staining. The CK7-/CK20+ immunophenotype was seen in 63% of colonic adenocarcinomas and not seen in lung, ovary, stomach or breast adenocarcinomas. The CK7+/CK20- immunophenotype was seen in 100%, 88% and 87% of cases that originated in the lung, breast and ovary, respectively.TTF-7 immunostaining is useful in the differentiation between pulmonary and nonpulmonary origin of adenocarcinomas in malignant effusions. The combination of CK7-/CK20+ immunostaining is useful in identifying colon adenocarcinomas.

Tenecin 3 is a glycine-rich, antifungal protein of 78 residues isolated from the insect Tenebrio molitor larva. As an initial step towards understanding the antifungal mechanism of tenecin 3, we examined how this protein interacts with the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans to exert its antifungal action. Tenecin 3 did not induce the release of a fluorescent dye trapped in the artificial membrane vesicles and it did not perturb the membrane potential of C. albicans by the initial interaction. Fluorescence confocal microscopy and flow cytometric analysis revealed that tenecin 3 is rapidly internalized into the cytoplasmic space in energy-dependent and temperature-dependent manners. This internalization is also dependent on the ionic environment and cellular metabolic states. These results suggest that the internalization of tenecin 3 into the cytoplasm of C. albicans is mediated by a fungal cellular process. The internalized tenecin 3 is dispersed in the cytoplasm, and the loss of cell viability occurs after this internalization.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) can involve any site in the gastrointestinal tract and is a fatal complication of immunosuppression. To characterize NEC, clinical and radiological characteristics were analyzed. A total of 27 cases of NEC were identified from January 1993 to August 1998, and medical records were reviewed. NEC was diagnosed by clinical and radiological criteria, and other mimicking conditions were excluded. Of the NEC cases, 22 (81.5%) occurred in patients with underlying hematologic malignancy. All patients complained of abdominal pain and fever at the time of inclusion. Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen identified. The most common finding by computed tomography was single-layered diffuse bowel wall thickening with variable density. Other findings were ascites, fascial thickening, pneumatosis, and mesenteric lymphadenopathy. Of the patients, 25 were treated with antimicrobials with or without recombinant hematopoietic growth factors, and 2 were treated with surgery because of perforation and profound bleeding. Among the 12 patients who died, NEC was the direct cause of death in 7 patients. In conclusion, computed tomography is an effective tool for early diagnosis of NEC. Bowel rest, broad-spectrum antimicrobials, and recombinant hematopoietic growth factors are important aspects of treatment. Surgery should be reserved for complicated cases.

Although it has been suggested that some biological activities of platelet-activating factor (PAF) are mediated by, at least in part, reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI), the precise mechanisms underlying the interaction between the two remains to be elucidated. Antioxidants, such as alpha-tocopherol acid succinate, N-acetyl-L-Cysteine, pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate failed to inhibit PAF-induced immediate systemic reactions such as lethality, symptoms of disseminated intravascular coagulation, and histological changes such as pulmonary edema and hemorrhage in renal medullae 10 min following PAF injection. In contrast. antioxidants significantly inhibited both the in vivo and in vitro PAF-induced NF-kappaB activation and NF-kappaB-dependent TNF-alpha expression. The effects of the antioxidants were due to their inhibition of PAF-induced degradation of IkappaBalpha, a protein responsible for keeping NF-kappaB in an inactive form. A protein tyrosine kinase and N-tosyl-L-phenylalanine chloromethyl ketone sensitive serine protease were involved in both PAF- and H2O2-induced NF-kappaB activation. Collectively, these data indicate that the PAF-induced NF-kappaB activation is selectively mediated through the generation of ROI.

The magnetic properties of sintered Nd‐(Dy)‐Fe‐B magnets prepared with different annealing conditions have been investigated. Thermomagnetic analysis was carried out on the sintered and annealed Nd‐(Dy)‐Fe‐B magnets in the temperature range of room temperature to 320 °C. The coercivity of gas‐quenched Nd14.1Fe78.3B7.6 magnets after annealing for 1 h at temperatures between 600 and 900 °C is higher by 3 kOe than the furnace‐cooled one after annealing. Thermomagnetic analysis found that the sintered Nd14.1Fe78.3B7.6 magnet consists of the Nd2Fe14B phase as well as an unknown magnetic phase (A1) with Tc around 150 °C. The annealed magnets consist of two unknown magnetic phases (A1,A2) and the Nd2Fe14B phase with a Tc of 150, 240, and 305 °C, respectively. Thermomagnetic analysis also showed that the Mr value of the A2 phase in the gas‐quenched Nd‐Fe‐B magnet was higher than that of the furnace‐cooled one. These results seem to indicate that increase of coercivity is related to the formation of the A2 phase.

In many organisms, the replication of DNA requires the binding of a protein called the initiator to DNA sites referred to as origins of replication. Analyses of multiple initiator proteins bound to their cognate origins have provided important insights into the mechanism by which DNA replication is initiated. To extend this level of analysis to the study of eukaryotic chromosomal replication, we have investigated the architecture of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae origin recognition complex (ORC) bound to yeast origins of replication. Determination of DNA residues important for ORC-origin association indicated that ORC interacts preferentially with one strand of the ARS1 origin of replication. DNA binding assays using ORC complexes lacking one of the six subunits demonstrated that the DNA binding domain of ORC requires the coordinate action of five of the six ORC subunits. Protein-DNA cross-linking studies suggested that recognition of origin sequences is mediated primarily by two different groups of ORC subunits that make sequence-specific contacts with two distinct regions of the DNA. Implications of these findings for ORC function and the mechanism of initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication are discussed.

Background We previously found that GADD45b, which is associated with cellular stress response and apoptosis regulation, contributes to sorafenib resistance in HCC cells. The present study explored the role of GADD45γ, another GADD45 family protein, in HCC treatment. Methods HCC cell lines tested included Huh-7, HepG2, Hep3B, Huh-7R, HepG2R, the latter two sorafenib-resistant cell lines established by continuously exposure of Huh-7 and HepG2 cells to sorafenib. GADD45γ expression was examined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. Control of GADD45γ transcription was examined by luciferase reporter assay using a series of reporter plasmids with deletions or site-directed mutants of the 5′-flanking region of GADD45γ promoter. Apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry and western blotting. Expression of GADD45γ in human HCC tumor tissues was measured by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. Results GADD45γ mRNA and protein levels were increased after sorafenib independent of cellular MEK/ERK activity. GADD45γ induction was more prominent in sorafenib-sensitive HCC cells (Huh-7 and HepG2, IC50 6-7 µM) than in sorafenib-resistant HCC cells (Hep3B, Huh-7R and HepG2R, IC50 12-15 µM). Knockdown of GADD45γ expression partially abrogated the pro-apoptotic effects of sorafenib in sorafenib-sensitive cells but not sorafenib-resistant cells. The region -449/ - 82 in the 5′-flanking region of GADD45γ promoter was found crucial for GADD45 gamma induction by sorafenib. Decreased GADD45γ expression in HCC tumor tissue was associated with worse overall survival in patients who underwent surgery for HCC. Conclusions Induction of GADD45γ expression contributes to sorafenib-induced apoptosis in HCC cells. The role of GADD45γ as a predictive biomarker for sorafenib sensitivity in HCC warrants further exploration. (Supported by grants NSC-100-2325-B-002 -042, NSC 100-2314-B-002 -058-MY3, DOH100-TD-B-111-001, and NHRI-EX101-9911BC.)

Metal-defined polymer optical waveguides have been demonstrated for the first time. A metal strip patterned on top of a polymer slab waveguide causes a stress-induced refractive index change, providing lateral optical mode confinement within the core layer. Fabricated waveguides exhibit low propagation loss values of 1.1 dB/cm at 1.31 µm and 1.3 dB/cm at 1.55 µm for both TE and TM polarisations.