Non-treated Areas Research Articles

Local aluminum–silicon contacts by layer selective laser ablation

We demonstrate damage free selective laser ablation of silicon nitride from a silicon nitride/amorphous silicon double layer. This approach allows local contact formation to passivated silicon. Thereby the remaining amorphous silicon dissolves in evaporated aluminum by annealing. This technique is especially useful for contacting thin emitters since it avoids any damage to the silicon substrate. We demonstrate a local contact resistivity of 0.8±0.3 mΩ cm 2 on a phosphorous diffused emitter with a peak doping density of 2×10 20 cm −3. Laser treated as well as non-treated areas show the same carrier lifetime of 2000 μs on 100 Ω cm mono-crystalline silicon, proving the selective ablation.

Topical beta‐carotene protects against infra‐red‐light–induced free radicals

The influence of stress factors on human skin induces the production of free radicals. Free radicals react immediately with antioxidants contained in the skin, giving rise to their depletion and with the surrounding molecules, resulting in their damage, disorganization and even destruction. High amounts of free radicals are produced in the upper skin layers, i.e. mainly in the epidermis, subsequent to sun irradiation. Irradiation of the skin in the infra-red (IR) range of the spectra, applied at physiological doses, can produce free radicals. The magnitude of destruction of antioxidants, such as carotenoids, can serve as a marker of the extent of the stress factor, characterized by the quantity of produced free radicals. In this study, measurements on the degradation of cutaneous carotenoids following IR skin irradiation of 12 healthy volunteers (skin type II), with two IR sources (standard infrared radiator = SIR and water filter infrared = wIRA) were taken using resonance Raman spectroscopy. Topical application of the antioxidant beta-carotene (2 mg/cm(2) ) provided protection for the human skin when exposed to IR radiation. The magnitude of the degradation of dermal carotenoids after IR irradiation was significantly higher for SIR than for wIRA irradiation, for both non-treated and cream-treated skin areas. The amount of destroyed carotenoids after IR irradiation was higher in the case of pretreatment with beta-carotene than for the untreated skin, indicating that the superficial part of antioxidants is most important for protecting against external stressors. The direct comparison of beta-carotene content was significantly higher for the cream-treated compared to untreated areas for all pairs: baseline, wIRA, after wIRA, baseline SIR and after SIR. Additionally, topically applied carotenoids as a single antioxidant component are less stable than the carotenoids in the skin incorporated by nutrition and accumulated in a mixture with different antioxidant substances. Resonance Raman spectroscopy can be used for the non-invasive measurements of carotenoids, which can be rated as marker substances of redox processes.

Image Printing on the Surface of Anti‐Biofouling Zwitterionic Polymer Brushes by Ion Beam Irradiation

A CMB monomer was polymerized on a glass plate with a surface-confined ATRP initiator containing a 2-bromoisobutyryl group. The glass plate modified with a PCMB brush was highly hydrophilic and showed a strong resistance against non-specific adsorption of proteins and cell adhesion. Upon ion beam irradiation, furthermore, the PCMB brush was ablated and a hollow space with a designed shape could be made to which HEK293 cells (from human embryonic kidney) and Hep G2 (from human hepatoma) cells non-specifically adhered, while no adhesion of these cells to the non-treated area on the brush was observed. The present results clearly indicate the usefulness of ion beam-printed patterns of anti-biofouling zwitterionic polymer brushes in the biomedical field.

COMPARISON OF EFFICACY AND SAFETY BETWEEN HALF-FLUENCE AND FULL-FLUENCE PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY FOR CHRONIC CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY

To compare the efficacy and safety of half-fluence photodynamic therapy (PDT) and conventional PDT in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. A multicenter retrospective comparison study. Retrospective review of 60 patients including 29 patients (34 eyes) who received half-fluence PDT and 31 patients (33 eyes) who received conventional PDT for the treatment of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. Best-corrected visual acuity, central fovea retinal thickness and resolution of subretinal fluid on optical coherence tomography, and choroidal perfusion decrease on indocyanine green angiography were assessed. Choriocapillaris perfusion decrease was quantified as mean gray value ratio of treated and nontreated areas using commercial imaging software. Treatment success without recurrence was achieved in 32 of 34 eyes (94.1%) treated with half-fluence PDT and 33 of 33 eyes (100%) treated with conventional PDT (P = 0.493). There was no difference in final best-corrected visual acuity (logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution) between the 2 groups (0.17 ± 0.32 vs. 0.21 ± 0.39; P = 0.603). Choriocapillaris perfusion decrease quantified from post-PDT indocyanine green angiography was significantly more severe in the conventional PDT group (P = 0.006), and it showed a positive correlation with retinal thinning after PDT (R = 0.380; P < 0.001). Half-fluence PDT is as effective as conventional PDT, while minimizing the deleterious effect on choriocapillaris perfusion and retinal thickness.

Repellency of a Wax-Based Catnip-Oil Formulation against Stable Flies

Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), are one of the most serious livestock pests, which cause significant economic loss in the cattle industry. Current practices for managing stable flies are limited to costly sanitation techniques and unsustainable insecticide applications. The present study reports the initial efforts using catnip essential oil as a spatial repellent and the results of field trials using a wax-based formulation to repel stable flies in the cattle feedlot. Electroantennograms showed that catnip oil and its ingredient compounds elicit significant antennal responses from both sexes of stable flies. Catnip oil and ZE- and EZ-nepetalactone showed repellent activity in a single cage olfactormeter study. No behavioral activity was observed from another ingredient compound, caryophyllene. A laboratory dispersal bioassay also showed that stable flies avoided areas treated with catnip oil. Using a solid phase microextraction (SPME) method, the atmospheric concentration of catnip active ingredient compounds (nepetalactones) absorbed by SPME fiber in treated areas was detected at 4 times higher than those in control areas. Application of wax-based catnip pellets in cattle feedlots resulted in >99% repellency of stable flies in treated areas, compared with that in nontreated areas. However, the repellent efficacy of the formulation only lasted 3 h. This is the first study demonstrating the potential application of a plant-based repellent formulation that may be used as an alternative method against stable flies.

Cell patterning using molecular vapor deposition of self-assembled monolayers and lift-off technique

This paper reports a precise, live cell-patterning method by means of patterning a silicon or glass substrate with alternating cytophilic and cytophobic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) deposited via molecular vapor deposition. Specifically, a stack of hydrophobic heptadecafluoro-1,1,2,2-tetrahydrodecyltrichlorosilane SAMs and a silicon oxide adhesion layer were patterned on the substrate surface, and a hydrophilic SAM derived from 3-trimethoxysilyl propyldiethylenetriamine was coated on the remaining non-treated areas on the substrate surface to promote cell growth. The primary characteristics of the reported method include: (i) single-cell resolution; (ii) easy alignment of the patterns with the pre-existing patterns on the substrate; (iii) easy formation of nanoscale patterns (depending on the exposure equipment); (iv) long shelf life of the substrate pattern prior to cell culturing; (v) compatibility with conventional, inverted, optical microscopes for simple visualization of patterns formed on a glass wafer; and (vi) the ability to support patterned cell (osteoblast) networks for at least 2weeks. Here, we describe the deposition technique and the characterization of the deposited layers, as well as the application of this method in the fabrication of multielectrode arrays supporting patterned neuronal networks.

Preventive effect of chemical peeling on ultraviolet induced skin tumor formation

Chemical peeling is one of the dermatological treatments available for certain cutaneous diseases and conditions or improvement of cosmetic appearance of photoaged skin. We assessed the photochemopreventive effect of several clinically used chemical peeling agents on the ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated skin of hairless mice. Chemical peeling was done using 35% glycolic acid dissolved in distilled water, 30% salicylic acid in ethanol, 10% or 35% trichloroacetic acid (TCA) in distilled water at the right back of UV-irradiated hairless mice every 2 weeks in case of glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and 10% TCA and every 4 weeks in case of 35% TCA for totally 18 weeks after the establishment of photoaged mice by irradiation with UVA+B range light three times a week for 10 weeks at a total dose of 420 J/cm(2) at UVA and 9.6 J/cm(2) at UVB. Tumor formation was assessed every week. Skin specimens were taken from treated and non-treated area for evaluation under microscopy, evaluation of P53 expression, and mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2. Serum level of prostaglandin E(2) was also evaluated. All types of chemical peeling reduced tumor formation in treated mice, mostly in the treated area but also non-treated area. Peeling suppressed clonal retention of p53 positive abnormal cells and reduced mRNA expression of COX-2 in treated skin. Further, serum prostaglandin E(2) level was decreased in chemical peeling treated mice. These results indicate that chemical peeling with glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and TCA could serve tumor prevention by removing photodamaged cells.

Area-Wide Suppression of the Mediterranean Fruit Fly,Ceratitis capitata,and the Oriental Fruit Fly,Bactrocera dorsalis, in Kamuela, Hawaii

The United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service initiated an area-wide fruit fly management program in Hawaii in 2000. The first demonstration site was established in Kamuela, Hawaii, USA. This paper documents suppression of the Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), and the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), in a 40 km2 area containing urban, rural and agricultural zones during a 6 year period. The suppression techniques included sanitation, GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait sprays, male annihilation, Biolure® traps, and parasitoids against C. capitata and B. dorsalis. In addition, small numbers of sterile males were released against B. dorsalis. Substantial reductions in fruit infestation levels were achieved for both species (90.7 and 60.7% for C. capitata and B. dorsalis, respectively) throughout the treatment period. Fruit fly captures in the 40 km2 treatment area were significantly lower during the 6 year period than those recorded in three non-treated areas. The strategy of combining suppression techniques in an area-wide approach is discussed.

Effect of chemical peeling on photocarcinogenesis

Chemical peeling is one of the dermatological treatments available for certain cutaneous diseases and conditions or improvement of cosmetic appearance of photo-aged skin. We assessed the photo-chemopreventive effect of several clinically used chemical peeling agents on the ultraviolet-irradiated skin of hairless mice. Chemical peeling was done using 35% glycolic acid dissolved in distilled water, 30% salicylic acid in ethanol, and 10% or 35% trichloroacetic acid in distilled water at the right back of ultraviolet-irradiated hairless mice every 2 weeks for glycolic acid, salicylic acid and 10% trichloroacetic acid, and every 4 weeks for 35% trichloroacetic acid for a total of 18 weeks after the establishment of photo-aged mice by irradiation with ultraviolet B range light three times a week for 14 weeks at a total dose of 6.66 J/cm(2) . Tumor formation was assessed every week. Skin specimens were taken from treated and non-treated area for evaluation under microscopy, evaluation of p53 expression and mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase-2. Serum level of prostaglandin E(2) was also evaluated. All types of chemical peeling reduced tumor formation in treated mice, mostly in the treated area but also in the non-treated area. Peeling suppressed retention of p53-positive abnormal cells and reduced mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in treated skin. Further, serum prostaglandin E(2) level was decreased in chemical peeling treated mice. These results indicate that chemical peeling with glycolic acid, salicylic acid and trichloroacetic acid could serve tumor prevention by removing photo-damaged cells.

Conservation techniques on the reinforced concrete pillars of the church of the San Carlo Borromeo hospital in Milan

ABSTRACT The reinforced concrete pillars of the Church of Santa Maria Annunciata at the San Carlo Borromeo hospital in Milan, designed by the architect Gio Ponti in the early Sixties, show signs of damage due to reinforcement corrosion. They require repair in order to remedy already present damage and also to prevent future propagation. The repair should also aim at preserving the integrity of the original materials, owing to the architectural and cultural value of the Church. The paper describes a trial work aimed at defining an appropriate procedure of restoration. Initially the pillars were inspected to assess their condition by means of non-destructive techniques and analyses on concrete samples. Then the effectiveness of two repair techniques, i.e. electrochemical realkalisation and hydrophobic treatment, was evaluated by comparison with non-treated areas.

Post-traumatic hepatic arterial pseudoaneurysm and arterioportal shunt

The authors report the case of a 21-year-old man who suffered from a blunt abdominal trauma. Initial imaging revealed a liver laceration at the right lobe, a perirenal hematoma of the right kidney and a hematoma of the right adrenal gland. Follow-up MDCT-scan on day 10 after admission showed at the arterial-phase contrast-enhanced study perfusion alterations and two hepatic pseudoaneurysms. The diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm was confirmed and treated angiographically with superselective coil embolization. A follow-up CT-scan on day 17 showed at a nontreated area an arterioportal shunt and a wedge-shaped transient hepatic parenchymal enhancement. This was confirmed angiographically and subsequently treated with coil embolization.

Conservation techniques on the reinforced concrete pillars of the church of the San Carlo Borromeo hospital in Milan

ABSTRACT The reinforced concrete pillars of the Church of Santa Maria Annunciata at the San Carlo Borromeo hospital in Milan, designed by the architect Gio Ponti in the early Sixties, show signs of damage due to reinforcement corrosion. They require repair in order to remedy already present damage and also to prevent future propagation. The repair should also aim at preserving the integrity of the original materials, owing to the architectural and cultural value of the Church. The paper describes a trial work aimed at defining an appropriate procedure of restoration. Initially the pillars were inspected to assess their condition by means of non-destructive techniques and analyses on concrete samples. Then the effectiveness of two repair techniques, i.e. electrochemical realkalisation and hydrophobic treatment, was evaluated by comparison with non-treated areas.

High‐affinity folate receptor in cardiac neural crest migration: A gene knockdown model using siRNA

Folate supplementation reduces the incidence of congenital heart defects, but the nature of this protective mechanism remains unclear. Immunolabeling demonstrated that the neural tube and neural crest (NC) cells were rich in the high-affinity folate receptor FOLR1and during the early stages of development FOLR1 was found principally in these cells. Suppression of Folr1 expression in the nascent cardiac NC by site-directed short-interfering RNA (siRNA) altered cardiac NC cell mitosis and subsequent migration patterns leading to abnormal development of the pharyngeal arch arteries (PAA) and outflow tract. qPCR analysis demonstrated that the siRNA treatment significantly reduced Folr1 24 hr after treatment. These treatments also significantly reduced mitosis in the neural tube, but adjacent, nontreated areas were unaffected. In summary, a brief reduction in the expression of Folr1 during a critical stage of NC development had long-term consequences for the development of the PAA and outflow tract.

Multifocal electroretinography amplitudes increase after photocoagulation in areas with increased retinal thickness and hard exudates

This study aimed to evaluate local response on multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) and to assess retinal thickness with optical coherence tomography (OCT) after focal laser treatment in areas with retinal oedema and exudates in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Twelve diabetes patients (aged 60 +/- 14 years, diabetes duration 16 +/- 8 years) treated with focal or grid photocoagulation in areas with retinal oedema and/or exudates underwent mfERG and OCT before and 3 months after treatment. The average thickness (in microm) in any of the nine sectors (defined according to the ETDRS) treated with photocoagulation was measured. Amplitudes and implicit times were analysed in corresponding areas on the mfERG. Mean mfERG amplitudes increased after photocoagulation (21.5 +/- 8.0 nV/deg(2) versus 16.8 +/- 6.1 nV/deg(2); p = 0.012), whereas no difference was seen in implicit times. Mean OCT values in the treated regions were lower at follow-up (272 +/- 23 microm versus 327 +/- 79 microm; p = 0.013). No correlation was seen between changes in mfERG response and changes in OCT values. The decrease in retinal thickness was correlated with the number of laser spots applied (p = 0.002). Focal argon laser treatment is effective in reducing retinal thickness. In addition, treated areas tend to show improved retinal function as demonstrated by increased amplitudes on mfERG.

Cornel Iridoid Glycoside Inhibits Inflammation and Apoptosis in Brains of Rats with Focal Cerebral Ischemia

The capacity of cornel iridoid glycoside (CIG) to suppress the manifestations of ischemic stroke was investigated. CIG was administered to rats by the intragastric route once daily for 7 days. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by 24 h of reperfusion. In non-treated rats large infarct areas were observed within 24 h of reperfusion. Examination of the ischemic cerebral cortex revealed microglia and astrocyte activation, increased interleukin-1beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentrations, increased DNA fragmentation in the ischemia penumbra, elevated Bax expression, increased caspase-3 cleavage, and decreased Bcl-2 expression. Pretreatment with CIG decreased the infarct area, DNA fragmentation, IL-1beta and TNF-alpha concentrations, microglia and astrocyte activation, Bax expression, and caspase-3 cleavage while increasing Bcl-2 expression. CIG exerts anti-neuroinflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects which should prove beneficial for prevention or treatment of stroke.

Photodynamic therapy induces selective extravasation of macromolecules: Insights using intravital microscopy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with Visudyne acts by direct cellular phototoxicity and/or by an indirect vascular-mediated effect. Here, we demonstrate that the vessel integrity interruption by PDT can promote the extravasation of a macromolecular agent in normal tissue. To obtain extravasation in normal tissue PDT conditions were one order of magnitude more intensive than the ones in tissue containing neovessels reported in the literature. Fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-D, 2000 kDa), a macromolecular agent, was intravenously injected 10 min before (LK0 group, n=14) or 2h (LK2 group, n=16) after Visudyne-mediated PDT in nude mice bearing a dorsal skin fold chamber. Control animals had no PDT (CTRL group, n=8). The extravasation of FITC-D from blood vessels in striated muscle tissue was observed in both groups in real-time for up to 2500 s after injection. We also monitored PDT-induced leukocyte rolling in vivo and assessed, by histology, the corresponding inflammatory reaction score in the dorsal skin fold chambers. In all animals, at the applied PDT conditions, FITC-D extravasation was significantly enhanced in the PDT-treated areas as compared to the surrounding non-treated areas (p<0.0001). There was no FITC-D leakage in the control animals. Animals from the LK0 group had significantly less FITC-D extravasation than those from the LK2 group (p=0.0002). In the LK0 group FITC-D leakage correlated significantly with the inflammation (p<0.001). At the selected conditions, Visudyne-mediated PDT promotes vascular leakage and FITC-D extravasation into the interstitial space of normal tissue. The intensity of vascular leakage depends on the time interval between PDT and FITC-D injection. This concept could be used to locally modulate the delivery of macromolecules in vivo.

Evaluating a Deer-Targeted Acaricide Applicator for Area-Wide Suppression of Blacklegged Ticks, Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae), in Rhode Island

Over a 5-year period, September 1997 through May 2002, as many as 25 U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service "4-Poster" acaricide applicators were distributed in areas of high deer activity throughout a 518-hectare area in a rural Rhode Island community. Corn consumption and acaricide levels for each device were monitored weekly during each treatment season to assess the degree of deer use. The efficacy of acaricide treatment was determined by comparing relative blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) densities in the 4-Poster treatment site to a separate, similar-sized nontreatment area. The tendency of white-tailed deer to use the 4-Poster was variable temporally, and appeared to be largely dependent on the availability of alternative food sources. Total corn consumption was nearly fourfold lower during large oak masting years when compared with no/low mast years. Moreover, habitat characteristics, such as the presence of maintained hay lands consisting of alfalfa and clover, also appeared to influence the frequency and amount of 4-Poster use. After 2 years of adequate treatment (nearly 12,000 kg of corn consumed), we achieved nearly 50% control of nymphal blacklegged ticks within the treatment site compared with tick abundance levels in the nontreated area. Moreover, that level of tick control was maintained for 1 year after removal of the 4-Poster devices but began to wane 2 years after treatment ended.

Persistência da ação inseticida e repelência da Terra de Diatomácea para o cascudinho-dos-aviários Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

The persistence and repellency of the diatomaceous earth (DE) formulation was evaluated against the lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus. Persistence bioassays werw conduced in 20 cm diameter plastic cups with DE-treated poultry litter (172g/m2). The adults were transferred (13g – about 1100 insects) and the mortality was assessed by counting and removing dead adult beetles in the cups 10, 20 and 30 days after placement. All procedures were repeated 80, 160, 240, 320 and 400 days after first evaluation. The repellency test was conducted in plastic box (36×24×6 cm L×W×H) containing poultry litter trated and non-treated with DE (200g/m2), distribuited in two parts. The adults were added to the litter (13g), and the evaluation ocurred after 1, 4 and 7 days after placement, by counting the insects in the treated and non-treated area. It was verified the inseticidal activity until eight month after litter treatment (60% of mortality), showing the persistence of the product. The repellency activity of the DE was confirmed and it must be considered in a development of control strategies of the lesser mealworm with.

Successful Treatment of Cutaneous Sarcoidosis Lesions with the Flashlamp Pumped Pulsed Dye Laser

We report on the successful treatment of nodular cutaneous sarcoidosis lesions using a flashlamp pumped pulsed dye laser (FPDL). After a test treatment session with FPDL, we were able to achieve complete remission of the treated skin lesions. The nontreated areas increased in size and served as a control. The patient has since undergone further treatments of the remaining areas, with complete clearance of all lesions after a follow-up of 28 months.

Phenol application to angiosarcomas: implications and histologic studies

Cutaneous angiosarcoma (AS) is an aggressive endothelial sarcoma that arises in elderly people. Effective treatment options are limited. Phenol application has been reported to be effective and economical. To evaluate the efficacy of phenol application for the treatment of AS, and to examine the histologic changes in three cases of cutaneous AS with phenol application. After phenol application, biopsy specimens were collected from three patients with cutaneous AS. Paraffin-embedded sections of the skin specimens were then stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The detection of apoptosis was performed using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method, and the depth of TUNEL-positive cell staining was examined. Phenol treatment induced a strong degeneration of tumor cells and endothelial cells in the dermis, when compared with nontreated areas. Positive staining of tumor cells and/or endothelial cells by the TUNEL method was found in phenol-treated lesions, but not in nontreated lesions. The injurious effects on these tumor cells persisted for as long as 6 h after phenol application. From a comparison of noninvasive therapy with standard surgical therapy, it is obvious that phenol peeling has several advantages with regard to the ease of the procedure, time efficiency, no need for special equipment, low therapeutic costs, good pain control, and post-treatment follow-up. This study suggests that phenol application can be a supportive treatment for AS.