Group IIIB Research Articles

Surgical outcome of Chiari I malformation in children: clinico-radiological factors and technical aspects

The optimal treatment for Chiari I malformation in children is still under debate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcome of the pediatric Chiari I malformation, focusing on clinico-radiological factors and technical aspects. Fifty-six patients with Chiari I malformation who received surgery at Seoul National University Children’s Hospital were included. The mean age was 7.9 years. The patients were divided into three groups: group I (n = 8) with hydrocephalus, group II (n = 11) without syrinx, and group III (n = 37) with syrinx. Group I received shunting operation initially, and others received foramen magnum decompression (FMD). Group III was further subdivided: group IIIa (n = 9), minimal intradural manipulation, and group IIIb (n = 27), active intradural manipulation. The outcomes were compared between the groups. The mean follow-up period was 75.9 months. In group I, symptoms were resolved or had improved in most patients, with only one patient received additional FMD. Symptoms resolved or improved in 10 (91 %) and 25 cases (84 %) in groups II and III, respectively. Syrinx was markedly decreased in 31 cases (86 %) in group III. FMD was less effective for scoliosis (improved or stabilized in 57 %). The persistence of syrinx was related with an aggravation of scoliosis. The outcomes between group IIIa and IIIb showed no significant difference. In most pediatric Chiari I patients with hydrocephalus, a shunting operation was sufficient. FMD showed high efficacy in treating patients without hydrocephalus. The extent of the intradural procedure did not have a significant effect on the clinical outcome.

Comparative evaluation of different doses of PPAR-γ agonist alone and in combination with sulfasalazine in experimentally induced inflammatory bowel disease in rats

BackgroundInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic, chronic inflammatory condition, which affects the gastrointestinal tract and has no curative treatment. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of different doses of pioglitazone alone and in combination with sulfasalazine in TNBS (trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid)-induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in rats. MethodsA total of 36 animals were included in the study. Animals were divided into five groups (n=6): group I – vehicle (ethanol), group II – TNBS + ethanol, group IIIA–TNBS + pioglitazone (15mg/kg), group IIIB – TNBS + pioglitazone (30mg/kg), group IV – TNBS + sulfasalazine (360mg/kg), group V – TNBS + sulfasalazine (360mg/kg) + pioglitazone (least effective dose found in group III). Group III was divided into two subgroups, namely ULA and IIIB, on the basis of different doses of pioglitazone used. After completion of two weeks of treatment, rats were sacrificed under ether anesthesia by cervical dislocation for assessment of intestinal inflammation, histological analysis, myeloperoxidase assay, malondialdehyde assay and TNF-α estimation. ResultsAll the drug-treated groups showed both gross morphological and microscopic score either 1 or 2. None of them showed score of > 2 on both gross and microscopic morphological examination. Both MDA levels and MPO activity were significantly re-duced in the drug-treated groups, with maximum reduction seen in the combination group. TNF-α was reduced in pioglitazone group. It was highly reduced in sulfasalazine group (group V) as compared to TNBS group thereby indicating that pioglitazone is protective in TNBS-induced inflammatory bowel disease. ConclusionThe present study showed reduction in lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde levels and TNF-α levels in pioglitazone-treated group and hence, there was significant improvement in gross and microscopic features, too. However, combination of pioglitazone and sulfasalazine has shown greater efficacy.

Expression of xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTH) genes and XET activity in ethylene treated apple and tomato fruits

Xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTHs: EC 2.4.1.207 and/or EC 3.2.1.151), a xyloglucan modifying enzyme, has been proposed to have a role during tomato and apple fruit ripening by loosening the cell wall. Since the ripening of climacteric fruits is controlled by endogenous ethylene biosynthesis, we wanted to study whether XET activity was ethylene-regulated, and if so, which specific genes encoding ripening-regulated XTH genes were indeed ethylene-regulated. XET specific activity in tomato and apple fruits was significantly increased by the ethylene treatment, as compared with the control fruits, suggesting an increase in the XTH gene expression induced by ethylene. The 25 SlXTH protein sequences of tomato and the 11 sequences MdXTH of apple were phylogenetically analyzed and grouped into three major clades. The SlXTHs genes with highest expression during ripening were SlXTH5 and SlXTH8 from Group III-B, and in apple MdXTH2, from Group II, and MdXTH10, and MdXTH11 from Group III-B. Ethylene was involved in the regulation of the expression of different SlXTH and MdXTH genes during ripening. In tomato fruit fifteen different SlXTH genes showed an increase in expression after ethylene treatment, and the SlXTHs that were ripening associated were also ethylene dependent, and belong to Group III-B (SlXTH5 and SlXTH8). In apple fruit, three MdXTH showed an increase in expression after the ethylene treatment and the only MdXTH that was ripening associated and ethylene dependent was MdXTH10 from Group III-B. The results indicate that XTH may play an important role in fruit ripening and a possible relationship between XTHs from Group III-B and fruit ripening, and ethylene regulation is suggested.

Effect of antioxidants in pre eclampsia women at increased risk

Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. It is a complex syndrome of undetermined etiologic origin, usually diagnosed during second half of pregnancy. Elevated levels of oxidative lipid derivatives and reduced antioxidants in the circulation of preeclamptics may contribute to endothelial damage. There is good evidence for a significant increase in the levels of malondialdehyde in plasma and erythrocytes. Group I: Normotensive nonpregnant women (control), Group II: Pregnant women with normal blood pressure, Group III: Preeclamptic (pretreatment), women Preeclamptic women were subdivided into Group IIIA: Pre eclamptic women supplemented with Vitamin E (n=20), Group IIIB: Preeclamptic women supplemented with Omega 3 Fatty Acid, Group IIIC: Preeclamptic women supplemented with Vitamin E 400mg + Omega 3 Fatty Acid. Serum SOD, MDA, GPx, GSH levels were measured in all groups and compared with pre treatment and post treatments results by using the one way ANOVA followed by the Tukey – HSD procedure. Our results showed that supplementation of Vitamin E, Omega 3 fatty acid alone and in combination has significantly increased antioxidant enzyme status and significantly decreased oxidative stress when compared to unsupplemented patients(P< 0.001).

Effects of Exposure to Plasticizers Di-(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate and Trioctyltrimellitate on the Histological Structure of Adult Male Albino Rats’ Liver

Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and Trioctyltrimellitate (TOTM) are plasticizers used to increase the flexibility of polyvinyl chloride. Their wide commercial usage carries high risk of human exposure. This work aimed to investigate histological changes of rat’s liver upon DEHP and TOTM exposure. 36 adult male albino rats were classified into 3 equal groups; control group, group II (given DEHP 300 mg/kg) and Group III (given TOTM 300 mg/ kg) orally for 4 weeks. Half of the animals were sacrificed after one day of last dose (subgroups IIA & IIIA) and the remaining were left for another 4 weeks for recovery (subgroups IIB & IIIB). Liver specimens were examined by light and electron microscopes and immunohistochemical stain for hepatocyte paraffin -1 (Hep Par-1). By examination of subgroup IIA all rats’ liver showed focal changes. Dramatically affected lobules revealed loss of lobular architecture with periportal cellular and fatty infiltrations. Hepatocytes had shrunken nuclei, peroxisomes and lipid globules. Subgroup IIB showed mild morphological improvement. Subgroup IIIA showed preserved lobular architecture with vascular congestion. Hepatocytes showed euchromatic nuclei and lipid globules. Subgroup IIIB revealed apparent normal lobular architecture and normal hepatocytes. Comparing to control group, the area % of Hep Par-1 immune reaction in subgroup IIA was highly significant decrease while group IIB was significantly decreased. Subgroup IIIA was significantly decreased. However, group IIIB had no significant difference with control. In conclusion, DEHP induced serious changes on liver; most of these changes were irreversible. TOTM has mild reversible effects. It is recommended to use safely as an alternative plasticizer.

Significance of Autotaxin Activity and Overexpression in Comparison to Soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule in Thyroid Cancer

The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of autotaxin (ATX) activity and gene expression compared to soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) in thyroid carcinoma. Sixty-five patients with thyroid swelling were included. There were 20 cases of simple multinodular goiter (group I), 15 cases of follicular adenoma (group II) and 30 cases of thyroid cancer (group III). Group III was further subdivided into negative and positive lymph nodes (group IIIa and IIIb; 22 and 8 cases, respectively). sICAM-1 concentration and ATX activity were measured using colorimetric enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while ATX gene expression was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). sICAM-1 level, ATX activity and gene expression were significantly elevated in patients with thyroid carcinoma compared to other groups. The ATX activity showed significantly higher sensitivity and specificity than sICAM-1 (100% and 97.1% vs 93.3% and 88.6%, respectively). Both sICAM-1 and ATX values were significantly higher in patients with positive lymph nodes compared to those without lymph node involvement (p<0.001). Higher levels of ATX activity and gene expression were significantly correlated with larger tumor size and undifferentiated pathological subtype in thyroid carcinoma. In this respect, ATX was superior to sICAM-1. Our data suggest that ATX activity and gene expression are reliable diagnostic and prognostic tools in thyroid carcinoma compared to sICAM-1.

Study of endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation in sleep apnea, obesity and aged humans

BackgroundObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with cardiovascular complications. The overnight repetitive hypoxia represents a form of oxidative stress in the vasculature which may activate the oxidant-sensitive, proinflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), affecting endothelial function and atherosclerosis. AimWe investigated whether the endothelial alterations attributed to OSA rather than to other confounding factors. Also, the production of inflammatory cytokine nuclear factor-kappa β (NF-Kβ) was investigated as the molecular mechanism involved in vascular endothelial dysfunction with OSA. Material and methodsSixty subjects underwent attended nocturnal polysomnography were grouped by apnea hypopnea index: control (AHI<5/h) and OSA cases (AHI>5/h) the cases were further classified according to age and BMI into subgroup IIA: OSA, non-obese, middle age (35–52y), subgroup IIB: OSA, non-obese, older age group (55–68y), subgroup IIIA: OSA, obese, middle age group (35–52y) and subgroup IIIB: OSA, obese, older age group (55–68y).A morning venous blood sample was obtained. Neutrophils were isolated, and NF-κB activity was determined. Plasma sVCAM-1 was assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was performed. ResultsNF-κB activation and plasma level of sVCAM-1 were significantly increased in OSA patients as compared to the control group and there was no significant difference between the obese and non-obese cases also no significant difference between the middle and old age cases. The degree of NF-κB activation was positively correlated with indices of apnea severity(r=0.938; p<0.001). FMD was significantly decreased in OSA patients as compared to the control group. ConclusionThese findings suggested that OSA is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity also that OSA leads to NF-κB activation, which may constitute an important pathway linking OSA with systemic inflammation and cardiovascular disease.

Systemic levels of ceruloplasmin oxidase activity in allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis

Context: The role of ceruloplasmin oxidase activity (COA) involving the interaction of oxidant and antioxidant balance in allergic diseases is still unknown.Objective: Our study was designed to examine the changes in COAs in severe persistent asthma-allergic rhinitis, new diagnosed allergic asthma-allergic rhinitis and allergic rhinitis patients.Methods: The study included 20 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals as control (Group I); Group II included 15 newly diagnosed allergic asthma-allergic rhinitis; Group III included 15 patients with severe persistent asthma-allergic rhinitis and in the fourth group there were 20 patients with allergic rhinitis. Group III was divided in two groups, severe persistent asthma-allergic rhinitis who were pre-(III-A) and post-treated (III-B) with omalizumab. Group IV was divided to two groups, pretreatment (IV-A) and posttreatment (IV-B) with specific subcutaneous immunotherapy modalities. All the posttreatment measurements were 12 months after the therapy. All the patients were assessed by the skin prick test, high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and COA.Results: There were significant differences between Group I and Groups III-A, III-B, IV-A and IV-B; Group II and Groups III-A, III-B, IV-A and IV-B; Group III-A and Groups III-B, IV-A and IV-B; Group III-A and Groups IV-A and IV-B; and Group IV-A and IV-B. Interestingly, there was a correlation between the hs-CRP and COA levels in Group III-A.Conclusions: Our data suggest that hs-CRP and COA levels might be an indicator of an inflammation and important in revelation of patients with allergy related diseases, especially of asthma patients.

Effect of glucocorticoids on surface IL-10 receptors and intracellular IL-10 in mouse splenocytes, thymocytes, monocytes, and dendritic cells

Background Glucocorticoids are capable of stimulating the secretion of interleukin-10 (IL-10) by leukocytes. The probable role of glucocorticoids in the susceptibility of immune cells to IL-10-mediated actions has not yet been studied. In this study, we examined the expression of IL-10 and IL-10 receptors (IL-10R) in mouse splenocytes, thymocytes, monocytes, and dendritic cells. In addition, we determined the effects of the glucocorticoid (methylprednisolone) on IL-10 secretion and IL-10R expression in the previous immune cells. Methods Forty-eight male mice with the C57BL/6 genetic background were used. The animals were 10–12 weeks of age and were divided equally into two groups. The animals in group I were provided with a balanced standard diet and water ad libitum. The animals in group II were provided with a balanced standard diet and methylprednisolone (0.5mg/kg/day) in the drinking water daily for 7 days. The mice in groups I and II were sacrificed after 7 days and the spleen and thymus were removed to isolate the splenocytes and thymocytes. The blood was also aspirated to isolate monocytes. Group III included mice with the mouse dendritic cell line (JAWS II). Cells of the mice in this group were divided into two subgroups. Group IIIa included the dendritic cells cultured in Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium and group IIIb included the dendritic cells cultured in Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium supplemented with methylprednisolone (2μg/ml) for 6 h. All the previous cells were processed for immunohistochemistry, western blotting, immunoassay analysis, and electrophoresis. Results All the cells examined showed an intense fluorescent surface expression of IL-10R as detected by the immunofluorescence technique. On using methylprednisolone, there were few and faint expressions of IL-10R. The intracellular IL-10 molecules were few in the dendritic cells but after treatment with methylprednisolone, the IL-10 molecules were numerous and intense. Western blotting and electrophoresis techniques showed intense precipitation of IL-10 at 35 kDa and faint precipitation of IL-10R at 110 kDa in all the cells examined after glucocorticoid treatment. There was also a highly significant (P < 0.001) increase in the level of IL-10 in all the cells examined after using methylprednisolone as detected by immunoassay. Conclusion Our findings could contribute toward understanding the immunomodulating mechanism of the action of glucocorticoids, which may result in greater therapeutic benefit in some diseases by enhancing the synthesis of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and decreasing the expression of IL-10R in some immune cells.

Possibility of magic trapping of a three-level system for Rydberg blockade implementation

The Rydberg blockade mechanism has shown noteworthy promise for scalable quantum computation with neutral atoms. Both qubit states and gate-mediating Rydberg state belong to the same optically-trapped atom. The trapping fields, while being essential, induce detrimental decoherence. Here we theoretically demonstrate that this Stark-induced decoherence may be completely removed using powerful concepts of "magic" optical traps. We analyze "magic" trapping of a prototype three-level system: a Rydberg state along with two qubit states: hyperfine states attached to a J=1/2 ground state. Our numerical results show that, while such a "magic" trap for alkali metals would require prohibitively large magnetic fields, the group IIIB metals such as Al are suitable candidates.

Anomalously small blackbody radiation shift in the Tl+frequency standard

The operation of atomic clocks is generally carried out at room temperature, whereas the definition of the second refers to the clock transition in an atom at absolute zero. This implies that the clock transition frequency should be corrected in practice for the effect of finite temperature of which the leading contributor is the blackbody radiation (BBR) shift. In the present work, we used configuration interaction $+$ coupled-cluster method to evaluate polarizabilities of the $6{s}^{2}{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{1}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{S}_{0}$ and $6s6p{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{3}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{P}_{0}$ states of the Tl${}^{+}$ ion; we find ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{0}{(}^{1}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{S}_{0})=19.6$ a.u. and ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{0}{(}^{3}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{P}_{0})=21.4$ a.u. The resulting BBR shift of the $6s6p{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{3}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{P}_{0}\ensuremath{-}6{s}^{2}{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{1}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{S}_{0}$ Tl${}^{+}$ transition at 300 K is $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\mathrm{BBR}}=\ensuremath{-}0.0157(16)$ Hz. This result demonstrates that near cancellation of the ${}^{1}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{S}_{0}$ and ${}^{3}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}{P}_{0}$ state polarizabilities in divalent B${}^{+}$, Al${}^{+}$, and In${}^{+}$ ions of group IIIB [M. S. Safronova et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 143006 (2011)] continues for much heavier Tl${}^{+}$, leading to anomalously small BBR shift for this system. This calculation demonstrates that the BBR contribution to the fractional frequency uncertainty of the Tl${}^{+}$ frequency standard at 300 K is $1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}$. We find that Tl${}^{+}$ has the smallest fractional BBR shift among all present or proposed frequency standards with the exception of Al${}^{+}$.

Investigation of wound healing in rat lung tissues in the postpartum period

To assess the wound healing capabilities of damaged lung tissue in the postpartum period, we investigated the parameters related to wound healing in a rat model of lung damage. Rats were divided into six groups: IA, IB, II, IIIA, IIIB and IV (n=7 in each group). Group IA included rats not in the postpartum period that were sacrificed on the third day after lung injury, group IB included rats not in the postpartum period that were sacrificed on the tenth day after lung injury, group II included rats not in the postpartum period that did not receive lung injury, group IIIA included rats in the postpartum period that were sacrificed on the third day after lung injury, group IIIB included rats in the postpartum period that were sacrificed on the tenth day after lung injury and group IV included rats in the postpartum period without lung injury. Wound healing was evaluated histopathologically and measurements of hydroxyproline levels, serum alanine and glutamine were taken. A significant difference in serum alanine levels was evident between groups IA and IIIA. Significant differences were also observed between serum alanine and glutamine levels in groups IB and IIIB. In conclusion, we demonstrated that serum alanine levels were reduced in the postpartum period following lung injury, which may be expected to negatively impact wound healing in this period. The administration of exogenous alanine for traumatic events occurring during the postpartum period may thus contribute positively to wound healing capabilities during this period.

Association of adiponectin with cardiovascular events in diabetic and non-diabetic hemodialysis patients

Adiponectin is a novel collagen-like protein synthesized by white adipose tissue. Its levels are decreased in obesity, type-2 diabetes and insulin-resistant states, and are increased in chronic renal failure. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic properties. This study was planned to evaluate the levels of adiponectin in uremic patients with and without diabetes and to find any relationship between adiponectin levels and some cardiovascular risk factors, and to determine the possible predictive value of adiponectin for cardiovascular complications (CVC). The study included 100 subjects, 20 of them were healthy subjects and served as the control group (group I), 40 were uremic non-diabetic patients (group II) (half of them were without CVC, group IIA, and the other half were patients with CVC, group IIB) and, lastly, 40 uremic diabetic patients (group III) (half of them were without CVC, group IIIA, and the other half were patients with CVC, group IIIB). All subjects were subjected to complete clinical examination, including determination of mean arterial blood pressure (MABP), body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio, routine laboratory investigations, fasting plasma glucose, fasting plasma insulin, lipid profile (cholesterol, TG, LDL, HDL), determination of insulin resistance by homeostasis model assessment index (HOMA-IR) and estimation of serum levels of adiponectin. There was a significant increase in serum adiponectin levels in all the uremic patients (group II and group III) when compared with the control (group I) group, P <0.01; also, serum adiponectin levels were significantly decreased in uremic diabetic patients (group III) when compared with uremic non-diabetic patients (group II), P <0.01; but this was still higher than in the controls. The patients with CVC, whether uremic non-diabetic (group IIB) or uremic diabetic (group IIIB), had a significant decrease in serum adiponectin levels when compared with patients without CVC (group IIA and group IIIA), P <0.01. Serum adiponectin has a significant positive correlation with HDL and a significant negative correlation with MABP, BMI, plasma insulin, HOMA-IR, LDL, TG and cholesterol in all the patients. Therefore, it can be concluded that adiponectin levels in uremic patients, whether diabetic or non-diabetic, may be a good indicator of cardiovascular disease risk.

Analysis of Rhizoctonia solani isolates associated with sugar beet crown and root rot from Serbia

Rhizoctonia solani is one of the most important sugar beet pathogens worldwide with anastomosis groups (AGs) 2-2 and 4 as the most pathogenic strains on sugar beet. AG 2-2 (intraspecific groups IIIB and IV) can cause both root and crown rot and damping-off, while AG-4 is typically associated only with seedlings damping-off. A total of 20 isolates of Rhizoctonia spp. from sugar beet roots, showing characteristic crown and root rot symptoms, were collected from 4 localities in Serbia. Regarding colony morphology and cultural characteristics, they were divided into 2 groups, which corresponded to their pathogenic, anastomosis and molecular traits. Sequence analysis proved that the first group of isolates were closely related (sequence homology 100%) to AG-4, subgroup HG II, whereas the second group was determined to belong to AG 2-2 IIIB (sequence homology 99%). These two groups differed in range of hosts and in disease intensity on sugar beet, bean and soybean plants. This is the first detailed report on R. solani anastomosis groups that cause sugar beet crown and root rot in Serbia.

Arthrocentesis with or without additional drugs in temporomandibular joint inflammatory‐degenerative disease: comparison of six treatment protocols*

The aim of the present pilot investigation was to compare the effectiveness of six treatment protocols providing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthrocentesis with or without additional drugs to manage symptoms in patients with inflammatory-degenerative TMJ disease. A consecutive series of 72 patients with TMJ osteoarthritis (axis group IIIb) with pain lasting from more than 6 months were randomly assigned to one of the groups receiving the following treatment protocols: single-session two-needle arthrocentesis (A), single-session two-needle arthrocentesis plus corticosteroid (B), single-session two-needle arthrocentesis plus low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (HA) (C), single-session two-needle arthrocentesis plus high molecular weight HA (D), 5 weekly two-needle arthrocenteses plus low molecular weight HA (E) and 5 weekly single-needle arthrocenteses plus low molecular weight HA (F). At the 3-month follow-up, improvement with respect to mean baseline values was recorded in all the five treatment groups completing the protocol. No significant differences emerged between groups in any outcome variable. The protocol providing five sessions of two-needle arthrocenteses plus low molecular weight HA allowed achieving the highest improvement in almost all the outcome variables. Findings suggested that no statistically significant differences existed between the treatment groups. The clinical significance of these findings needs to be tested with future studies on larger samples with longer follow-up periods.

Precision Calculation of Blackbody Radiation Shifts for Optical Frequency Metrology

We show that three group IIIB divalent ions, B(+), Al(+), and In(+), have anomalously small blackbody radiation (BBR) shifts of the ns(2) (1)S(0)-nsnp (3)P(0)(o) clock transitions. The fractional BBR shifts for these ions are at least 10 times smaller than those of any other present or proposed optical frequency standards at the same temperature, and are less than 0.3% of the Sr clock shift. We have developed a hybrid configuration-interaction + coupled-cluster method that provides accurate treatment of correlation corrections in such ions and yields a rigorous upper bound on the uncertainty of the final results. We reduce the BBR contribution to the fractional frequency uncertainty of the Al(+) clock to 4×10(-19) at T=300 K. We also reduce the uncertainties due to this effect at room temperature to 10(-18) level for B(+) and In(+) to facilitate further development of these systems for metrology and quantum sensing.

Observations of the 2009 Leonid activity by the Tajikistan fireball network

The fireball network in Tajikistan operates since 2009. Observations of the 2009 Leonid activity were carried out on November 13−21. In this period 16 Leonid fireballs were photographed. As a result of astrometric and photometric reductions, the precise data including atmospheric trajectories, velocities, orbits, light curves, and photometric masses were determined for ten fireballs. Low-resolution video spectra were obtained for six fireballs.The radiant positions during the maximum night suggest that the majority of the fireball activity was caused by the annual stream component with only minor contribution of the 1466 trail. According to their end heights, nearly half of Leonid fireballs belonged to the most fragile and weak fireball group IIIB and the rest to the slightly more dense cometary group IIIA. However, one detected Leonid belonged to the fireball group I. This is the first detection of an anomalously strong Leonid individual. Its chemical composition was not markedly different from other Leonids.

Calculation of the hydration energy of polyvalent metal ions by the RISM method

The energy of hydration of Group Ia, IIa, and IIIb metals has been calculated on the basis of the integral equation theory of molecular liquids. Calculations were performed in the RISM approximation with hypernetted chain closure, partial inclusion of the orientation effect, and semiempirical corrections for excluded volume and for the existence of hydrogen bonding with the solute molecule. The analysis of calculation data made it possible to apply a correction to the computation method used, which ensured better convergence between calculation results and experimental data.

The possible effect of green tea (catechin) on perinephric fat adipocytes of adult male albino rat after induction of obesity

Introduction Green tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, and its antioxidant properties have been widely explored. Its active ingredients (polyphenols) are believed to be responsible for most of green tea's roles in promoting good health. Obesity and its associated metabolic disorders are an increasingly prevalent condition in different societies. Aim of the study The aim of this research is to study the effect of diet-induced obesity on the histological structure of adipocytes and to evaluate the possible protective role of green tea. Materials and methods Forty adult male rats were divided into three groups. Group I rats (control group, n=10) were given a balanced diet for 6 weeks. Group II rats (n=10) were given a high-energy fatty diet for 6 weeks and served as the affected group. Group III rats (green tea group, n=20) were divided into two subgroups. Subgroup IIIa rats (low-dose group, n=10) were given a high-energy fatty diet for 6 weeks and a low dose of green tea extract (325 mg/kg/day) by an oral tube for the last 4 weeks. Subgroup IIIb rats (high-dose group, n=10) were given a high-energy fatty diet for 6 weeks and a high dose of green tea extract (500 mg/kg/day) by an oral tube for the last 4 weeks. After 6 weeks, the animals were weighed, killed, and specimens from perinephric fat were prepared for light microscopic (sudan III and osmic acid stains) and electron microscopic (transmission and scanning electron microscopic) studies. The mean area of unilocular fat cells (micrometer square) was measured and statistically studied. Results There was a significant increase in body weight and in marked adipocyte morphological and cytological changes (size of adipocytes, saturated fatty acids within fat cells, and increased mitochondrial content) in groups II and IIIa compared with the control group. Such effects were ameliorated by concomitant administration of high-dose green tea extract in group IIIb. Conclusion It could be concluded that high-dose green tea extract is effective in lowering the increased body weight due to a high-energy fatty diet. Hence, it is advised to consider a high dose of green tea extract effective against diet-induced obesity through its effect on size and structure of adipocyte.

Yttrium-Doped Zinc Oxide as a Terawatt-Scale Transparent Conducting Oxide

The desirable features of an ideal transparent conducting oxide for terawatt-scale solar cells include abundant raw materials, low cost, high performance, and low process temperature. In this paper we examine all the Group IIIA and IIIB elements as potential n-type dopants for ZnO and suggest yttrium as an ideal dopant for this purpose. Experimental results on electrodeposited yttrium-doped ZnO are presented. The lowest resistivity in yttrium-doped ZnO is 6.3E-5 Ohm-cm, while the average resistivity is ~2E-4 Ohm-cm. The maximum process temperature is 300°. The transmittance of yttrium-doped ZnO is ~80%. Thermal stability of yttrium-doped ZnO is also investigated. It has a real chance to become an industry standard transparent conducting oxide for terawatt-scale solar cells, as its performance is comparable to indium tin oxide, its deposition is solution-based, and yttrium is abundant.