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A study of the lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg) contents in popular cereals was conducted using inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), direct mercury analys...

Femtosecond laser ablation (fs LA) was used in this study to identify pollution by heavy metals and the distribution of elemental nutrients at different rice milling ratios. Polished rice (degrees of milling of 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11) was collected from major Korean supermarkets and one sample thereof was selected. An internal quality control experiment was conducted using a rice flour certified reference material from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS CRM) for the evaluation of the efficacy. To assess the effectiveness of the analysis method, the reliability was validated using a food analysis performance assessment scheme (FAPAS), with chili powder serving as an external quality control. The results of the analysis of the inorganic elements Ti, Ca, Al, Fe and Mn in white and brown rice with degrees of milling of 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 using ICP-MS, ICP-OES and AAS revealed contents of 0.40, 49.2, 2.43, 5.36 and 10.3 mg/kg in white rice and 0.59, 78.0, 7.52, 11.0 and 18.5 mg/kg in brown rice, respectively. Among the elements, there were remarkable differences in the measured contents. By comparing the contents of the elements at different degrees of milling, Ti, Co, As, Ca, Al, Cu, Fe, and Mn were determined to be distributed on the surface of the rice grains, whereas the contents of Cd and Pb increased toward the center of the rice grains, and Si was evenly distributed. After the quantitative analysis of rice samples polished to different degrees of milling, Ca and Al, which were contained in large amounts, and Si were analyzed with specificity by fs LA. The results show that Ca and Al were distributed in the rice husk (protective covering of rice) and Si was distributed in all parts of the rice.

The influence of fabrication processes on the LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) spectra of major and minor chemical constituents in CuIn1-xGaxSe2 (CIGS) absorber films produced by co-sputtering and co-evaporation techniques on Mo-coated soda lime glass (SLG) is reported. It was found that the ablation rate per pulse of CIGS layers fabricated by the co-sputtering technique is higher than those fabricated by the co-evaporation technique, resulting in higher LIBS signal intensities of the constituent elements. The examination of surface morphology of irradiated surfaces and changes in LIBS signal intensities revealed evidences of elemental fractionation for the CIGS films fabricated by co-sputtering technique but not for those by co-evaporation technique. From x-ray diffraction measurements, it was confirmed that the differences in the ablation and spectroscopic characteristics of the two different types of CIGS absorber films were contributed to the differences in crystalline properties. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that LIBS can effectively determine a depth profile of sodium concentration in CIGS thin films, diffused from SLG.

With rice being the main staple crop in Asian countries such as China, Korea and Japan, the detection of arsenic (As), an element known to be carcinogenic to humans, has been the topic of high public interest. In this study, the total arsenic content in 200 white and 104 brown rice samples collected in Korea was analyzed using a Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). One of the rice grain samples was polished with 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 degrees of milling and arsenic concentration variance from the surface to the inner core region was investigated. Furthermore, spatial distribution of arsenic over the cross-section of a brown rice grain was obtained using femtosecond Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (fs LA-ICP-MS). For the total arsenic content analysis, 91.7 ± 28.1 and 101 ± 33.6 μg−1 kg−1 of arsenic were measured in the white and the brown rice, respectively. The fs LA-ICP-MS mapping image explains that the higher arsenic concentration in the brown rice is due to high arsenic distribution in the rice husk (protective covering of rice). Consequently, some degree of rice milling may be effective in the reduction of arsenic intake.

Impact of plaque composition on late stent malapposition (LSM) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation has not been evaluated.We evaluated the relation between plaque components at poststenting peristent area (between external elastic membrane and stent areas) and LSM after DES implantation in 266 patients (314 native lesions; paclitaxel-eluting stent in 205 lesions, sirolimus-eluting stent in 66 lesions, zotarolimus-eluting stent in 32 lesions and everolimus-eluting stent in 11 lesions) in whom virtual-histology intravascular ultrasound was performed at index (poststenting) and follow-up (mean: 11.7 ± 4.8 months).LSM occurred in 24 patients with 30 lesions (9.6%) and there were no significant differences in the incidences of LSM among 4 DES groups [21/205 (10.2%) in paclitaxel-eluting stent, 6/66 (9.1%) in sirolimus-eluting stent, 2/32 (6.3%) in zotarolimus-eluting stent and 1/11 (9.1%) in everolimus-eluting stent, p=0.5)]. Patients with LSM were presented with more acute myocardial infarction (50% vs. 28%, p=0.026) and were more diabetics (50% vs. 30%, p=0.030) compared with those without LSM. Lesions with LSM had more poststenting peristent %necrotic core (NC) volume compared with those without LSM (25.8 ± 11.1% vs. 21.0 ± 5.7%, p0.001). Independent predictors of LSM were poststenting peristent %NC volume [odds ratio (OR); 1.216, 95% CI; 1.053-1.405, p=0.008], acute myocardial infarction (OR; 2.897, 95% CI; 1.675-4.118, p=0.029), and diabetes mellitus (OR; 2.413, 95% CI; 1.543-3.996, p=0.038).Poststenting peristent NC component especially in patients with acute myocardial infarction and in those with diabetes mellitus is associated with the development of LSM after DES implantation.

A total of 74 Staphylococcus pseudintermedius strains were isolated from the 99 clinical cases of canine pyoderma or chronic otitis in our veterinary teaching hospital during May 2006-February 2008. In this study, we examined the genetic distribution of staphylococcal pyogenic toxins such as staphylococcal enterotoxins A (sea), B (seb), C (sec), D (sed), E (see), and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (tst) as well as the previously characterized S. intermedius exfoliative toxin (siet) among those isolates. The polymerase chain reaction analyses with the toxin gene-specific primers revealed that 18 (24.3%) of 74 S. pseudintermedius isolates carried the sec genes, but none of the sea, seb, sed, see and tst genes. Further DNA sequencing analysis of the amplified sec genes revealed that they all belonged to the canine type C staphylococcal enterotoxin (SEC(canine) ) whose superantigenic activity has been demonstrated. In addition to the sec(canine) genes, our polymerase chain reaction results showed that all the 74 isolates carried the siet gene. Since both SEC(canine) and SIET toxins are known to be biologically active, it would be interesting to investigate how those toxins are involved in the pathogenesis of the canine diseases by S. pseudintermedius such as pyoderma or chronic otitis.

Administration of immunosuppressive doses of glucocorticosteroids is the traditional primary treatment in necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) in dogs. However, response is variable and clinical signs often recur quickly with tapering dosage. Prognosis is poor and long-term therapy causes many complications. In the present study, we compared the long-term effects of combination (cyclosporine plus prednisolone) therapy with sole prednisolone therapy in management in dogs with NME. All NME cases in this study were examined with magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and confirmed by histopathologic examination. The mean survival time of combination therapy group was 305.7 +/- 94.7 days. The mean survival time of sole prednisolone therapy group was 58.3 +/- 30.5 days. This case report demonstrates that combination treatment of cyclosporine with prednisolone is more effective in survival time than administration of only prednisolone in NME cases.

A 4-month-old sexually intact female Roborovski hamster (Phodopus roborovskii) was evaluated because of multiple firm subcutaneous nodules in all 4 feet. The nodules were first identified 1 month earlier and had rapidly increased in size. The hamster was reared alone in a plastic cage with no toys or ornaments. The hamster was fed a commercial diet, and its bedding consisted of pine wood shavings.

Resistance to fluoroquinolones and methicillin was determined for 49 ophthalmic isolates of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius from dogs with and without ophthalmic disease. Resistance was observed for ciprofloxacin (40.8%), ofloxacin (38.8%), enrofloxacin (38.8%), levofloxacin (34.7%), and moxifloxacin (4.1%). Eighteen isolates, 16 of which were resistant to oxacillin, were mecA-positive. Nine of the 16 oxacillin-resistant mecA-positive S. pseudintermedius isolates were resistant to more than one fluoroquinolone and 2 isolates were resistant to 5 fluoroquinolones. The frequency of mecA gene occurrence and fluoroquinolone resistance was twice as high among S. pseudintermedius isolates derived from dogs with ophthalmic disease compared with isolates for dogs without ophthalmic disease. The high prevalence of methicillin and fluoroquinolone resistance in S. pseudintermedius from dogs with ophthalmic disease is a concern.

The primo-vascular system (PVS), which consists of primo-vessels (PVs) and primo-nodes (PNs), is a novel thread-like structure identified in many animal species. Various observational methods have been used to clarify its anatomical properties. Here, we used Hemacolor staining to examine the gross morphology of organ-surface PVS in rats. We observed a sinus structure (20–50 μm) with a remarkably low cellularity within PNs and PVs and several lines of ductules (3–5 μm) filled with single cells or granules (~1 μm) in PV. Both sinuses and ductules were linearly aligned along the longitudinal axis of the PVS. Such morphology of the PVS was further confirmed by acridine orange staining. In PN slices, there was a honeycomb-like structure containing the granules with pentagonal lumens (~10 μm). Both PVs and PNs were densely filled with WBCs, RBCs, and putative mast cells (MCs), which were 90.3%, 5.9%, and 3.8% of the cell population, respectively. Granules in putative MCs showed spontaneous vibrating movements. In conclusion, the results show that Hemacolor, a simple and rapid staining system, can reveal the gross morphological features reported previously. Our findings may help to elucidate the structure and function of the PVS in normal and disease states in future studies.

A 13-year-old, intact male, mixed-breed dog was evaluated for multiple intradermal nodules around the anus. The nodules were diagnosed as perianal gland adenoma based on histopathologic examination. After therapy with cyclosporin A for 5 wk, the perianal masses were moderately shrunken. The dog’s condition has remained stable over 6 mo.

In this study, the prevalence of antibiotic resistance was examined among 74 Staphylococcus pseudintermedius strains recently isolated from clinical cases of canine pyoderma and otitis externa at the veterinary teaching hospital at Konkuk University, Korea. Bacterial resistance to the nine commonly used antibiotics was evaluated by a standard disk diffusion technique based on the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The results demonstrated that most S. pseudintermedius isolates were resistant to penicillin (95.9%) or tetracycline (91.9%), but highly susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (90.5%). Among the 74 isolates, 13 mecA-positive and methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) strains were identified, displaying a high level of resistance (84.6- 100%) to each of the individual antibiotics evaluated, with the exception of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (46.2% resistance). Notably, all of the MRSP isolates exhibited simultaneous resistance to four or more different antibiotics, indicating that they are multiple drug resistant (MDR) strains. Taken together, these results imply that more careful selection or prescription of antibiotics for canine pyoderma and otitis externa should be required for reducing the emergence and/or spread of MDR strains, especially MDR-MRSP isolates, in veterinary pet clinics in Korea.

In this study polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyether imide (PEI) were blended to raise the glass transition temperature (Tg) above that of PEEK while retaining the low-wear characteristics of PEEK. The friction and wear of injection-molded blends were measured in dry sliding by a stainless steel ball sliding on a polymer blend disk. The test variables were normal load, sliding speed and the percentage crystallinity of the PEEK component of the blend. The wear mechanism of the pure PEEK was plowing with no net loss of material. This mechanism persisted for blends up to 70% PEEK/30% PEI ( 70 30 ) for which the Tg was raised to 15 °C above that of PEEK. For 50 50 and pure PEI the wear mechanism changed to that of fatigue, as evidenced by the generation of small particles after a period of sliding with no wear. The wear rates were higher for the PEI-dominated blends: as much as 40 times larger at the highest load and sliding speed. As the percentage of PEEK in the blends was reduced, the crystallinity of the PEEK component was also reduced; for the 50 50 blend the crystallinity was zero. Annealing the injection-molded samples raised the crystallinity of the PEEK in the blends to that of the pure PEEK injection-molded sample. In general, the increase in crystallinity caused by annealing reduced the wear rate of the blends. The coefficient of friction for the blends with low wear was below 0.15, while it was 0.2 to 0.3 for the blends which had the higher wear rates. For these latter blends, the friction coefficient was low until the wear track formed, at which time it increased to the higher level.

Stem cell therapy is being special premise for various renal diseases. However, there is limited literature on localization and pathologic and functional effects of allogenic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in healthy dogs. Two healthy dogs were included in this study. Canine MSCs (cMSCs) were cultured from canine bone marrow and incubated with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) for in vivo cell tracking via MR imaging. The dogs were given the MSC (3 × 10(6) cells) into a renal artery via femoral artery catheterization. Follow-up serial renal assessments included ultrasonography and MRI, serum chemistry, urine analysis, and renal clearance tests. The dogs were euthanized at days 8 and 35 respectively for histopathologic evaluation of kidney. Strong hypointensity in MRI was detected in the treated renal cortex the day after cMSCs infusion. However they disappeared from MR image by the 8th day. Of the serum chemistry tests, serum hepatic enzymes (ALT, AST) were significantly elevated for one week after cMSCs treatment. Histopathological findings also revealed infiltration of SPIO-containing cells into the parenchyma of kidney. On 35th day, histopathology, glomerular atrophy, tubular necrosis, and mineralization were found in the subcapsular cortex, with fibrosis of the interstitial tissues. In vivo MRI studies of stem cells were useful in determining the sequential location of stem cells in the renal parenchyma of healthy dogs. Allogenic stem cells administered via renal artery caused inflammation, tubular necrosis, mineralization, and fibrosis without functional complications.

A total of 74 Staphylococcus pseudintermedius strains were isolated from the 99 clinical cases of canine pyoderma or chronic otitis in our veterinary teaching hospital during May 2006-February 2008. In this study, we examined the genetic distribution of staphylococcal pyogenic toxins such as staphylococcal enterotoxins A (sea), B (seb), C (sec), D (sed), E (see), and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (tst) as well as the previously characterized S. intermedius exfoliative toxin (siet) among those isolates. The polymerase chain reaction analyses with the toxin gene-specific primers revealed that 18 (24.3%) of 74 S. pseudintermedius isolates carried the sec genes, but none of the sea, seb, sed, see and tst genes. Further DNA sequencing analysis of the amplified sec genes revealed that they all belonged to the canine type C staphylococcal enterotoxin (SEC(canine) ) whose superantigenic activity has been demonstrated. In addition to the sec(canine) genes, our polymerase chain reaction results showed that all the 74 isolates carried the siet gene. Since both SEC(canine) and SIET toxins are known to be biologically active, it would be interesting to investigate how those toxins are involved in the pathogenesis of the canine diseases by S. pseudintermedius such as pyoderma or chronic otitis.

Recently, a total of 74 Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolates were collected from clinical cases of canine pyoderma and otitis externa in Korea. In this study, we examined in vitro fluoroquinolone resistance among those isolates using a standard disk diffusion technique. The results demonstrated that approximately 18.9% to 27.0% of the isolates possessed bacterial resistance to both veterinary- and human-licensed fluoroquinolones except one isolate, including moxifloxacin (18.9% resistance), levofloxacin (20.3% resistance), ofloxacin (24.3% resistance), ciprofloxacin (25.7% resistance), and enrofloxacin (27.0% resistance). Most surprisingly, 14 out of 74 (18.9%) isolates were resistant to all the five fluoroquinolones evaluated. Moreover, a PCR detection of the methicillin resistance gene (mecA) among the 74 isolates revealed that 13 out of 25 (52.0%) mecA-positive isolates, but only 7 out of 49 (14.3%) mecA-negative isolates, were resistant to one or more fluoroquinones. Taken together, our results imply that bacterial resistance to both veterinary- and human-use fluoroquinolones becomes prevalent among the S. pseudintermedius isolates from canine pyoderma and otitis externa in Korea as well as that the high prevalence of the mecA-positive S. pseudintermedius isolates carrying multiple fluoroquinolone resistance could be a potential public health problem.

The purpose of this study was to describe relevant canine brain structures as seen on T2-weighted images following magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 7 T and to compare the results with imaging at 1.5 T. Imaging was performed on five healthy laboratory beagle dogs using 1.5 and 7 T clinical scanners. At 1.5 T, spin echo images were acquired, while gradient echo images were acquired at 3 T. Image quality and conspicuity of anatomic structures were evaluated qualitatively by direct comparison of the images obtained from the two different magnetic fields. The signal-to-nose ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated and compared between 1.5 and 7 T. The T2-weighted images at 7 T provided good spatial and contrast resolution for the identification of clinically relevant brain anatomy; these images provided better delineation and conspicuity of the brain stem and cerebellar structures, which were difficult to unequivocally identify at 1.5 T. However, frontal and parietal lobe and the trigeminal nerve were difficult to identify at 7 T due to susceptibility artifact. The SNR and CNR of the images at 7 T were significantly increased up to 318% and 715% compared with the 1.5 T images. If some disadvantages of 7 T imaging, such as susceptibility artifacts, technical difficulties, and high cost, can be improved, 7 T clinical MR imaging could provide a good experimental and diagnostic tool for the evaluation of canine brain disorders.

A 6-year-old, intact female Maltese dog was presented with generalized seizures. Based on the neurological and physical examinations, intracranial lesion was suspected. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was performed at three different magnetic field strengths (0.2, 1.5 and 7.0 T). Diffuse hypo- and hyperintense lesions involving the left caudate nucleus and internal capsule to the cranial diencephalon were identified on T2-weighted images. The detailed anatomical locations, the inflammatory and hemorrhagic changes of the lesions could be detected more apparently at 7.0 T. Histopathologically, granulomatous meningoencephalitis (GME) was diagnosed. This is the first case describing histopathologically confirmed GME lesions using 0.2, 1.5 and 7.0 T clinical MR scanner.

A 10-year-old, neutered male, Maltese dog presented with a three week history of intention tremor, right hind limb rigidity, poor coordination, and occasional circling to the left. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, a mass was identified in the right occipital lobe and cerebellum. Three weeks after the initial MRI scan, we performed an (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) of the brain. The FDG-PET demonstrated areas of hypermetabolism in the right occipital lobe, cerebellum, pons, and medulla oblongata. When the standardized uptake value was calculated, the hypermetabolic lesion was higher than the gray matter values. The anatomical location of the hypermetabolic lesion was more precisely identified by the PET-MRI fusion images. The dog was definitively diagnosed as a primary histiocytic sarcoma of the brain. This is the first report of PET findings of an intracranial histiocytic sarcoma in a dog.

The effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on intraocular pressure (IOP) and hemodynamic parameters were evaluated in isoflurane anesthetized 10 (5 males, 5 females) normal mongrel dogs (8.1-9.8 kg, 6-8 years old). After determination of baseline IOP and hemodynamic parameters (cardiac index, systolic arterial pressure, diastolic arterial pressure, heart rate and systemic vascular resistance index), EA was applied at 3 acupoints (LI-4, LIV-3 and GB-37) for 20 min. After the EA treatment, IOP was significantly decreased in the both eyes (p

Three dogs were presented to us for evaluation of cardiac problems. Electrocardiographic recordings revealed severe tachyarrhythmia and atrial fibrillation with ventricular tachycardia in 2 of the 3 dogs. The echocardiographic findings of the 3 dogs revealed markedly decreased fractional shortening and a marked increase in E-point septal separation. Based on the results of electrocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluation, the 3 dogs were diagnosed as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The dogs were treated with conventional cardiac medication, but cardiac function did not improve and the clinical signs remained. We subsequently attempted treatment with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF; 10 microg/kg, subcutaneously). The specific purpose of G-CSF therapy for DCM was to improve cardiac function and a significant improvement in cardiac function was confirmed. The three dogs had no treatment side effects. This case report suggests that G-CSF might have therapeutic effects for medically refractory DCM in dogs.

An 11-year-old, castrated male Miniature Poodle dog was referred due to daily plant eating followed by vomiting for 7 years. Each time the dog went out for a walk, he had been munched grass, and then vomited. There were no abnormal findings on medical examinations. Through behavior examination and consultation, we diagnosed this dog as having a plant eating problem. Because we assumed that the dog had eaten plants to supply of dietary deficiency or relieve digestive problems, advised the owner to discontinue supplying previous diet and to feed high-fiber diet. On the follow up, the owner said that the dog had not eaten plants and vomited from 3 days after initial dietary change. The dog has not shown any clinical signs for 13 months. This clinical finding shows a possibility that deficient diet, especially fiber, relates to the plant eating behavior of a dog.

The hemodynamic effects of vasopressin of high/low doses on dogs were investigated using experimentally induced hemorrhagic shock model. Experimental groups were categorized according to administered doses of vasopressin (0.1, 0.4 and 1.6 IU/kg) and hemodynamic parameters were measured before and after the graded-dose administration of vasopressin. Administration of high- and middle-dose vasopressin (0.4 and 1.6 IU/kg) showed superior increase in blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance, compared with those of low-dose one (0.1 IU/kg). Results of systolic arterial pressure and mean arterial pressure in 1.6 IU/kg-administered group revealed lower efficacy than that in 0.4 IU/kg group in spite of administration of higher dose. This study demonstrates that 0.4 IU/kg of vasopressin can be used as the most effective dose for improving hemodynamic condition in the decompensatory phase of hemorrhagic shock in dogs.

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that vasopressin administration prior to crystalloid resuscitation can be used to improve hemodynamic and oxygen delivery functions. Hemorrhagic shock was experimentally induced by maintaining mean arterial pressure at 60 mmHg for 30 min in sixteen healthy dogs weighing from 8 to 10.6 kg. Vasopressin was administered and then volume resuscitation was performed for the 6 dogs of V-C group, while vasopressin was administered at the end of volume resuscitation in the 5 dogs of C-V group. The control group (n=5) was administered 0.4 IU/kg of vasopressin after induction of shock without fluid resuscitation. In all groups, hemodynamic parameters were measured pre- and post-hemorrhage and for 60 min after fluid resuscitation. The dogs in V-C group had substantially increased systolic arterial pressure (SAP) for 60 min and improved pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), cardiac output (CO), oxygen delivery, and oxygen consumption indexes compared with C-V and control groups. Diastolic pressure and systemic vascular resistance was significantly lower in the V-C group than those in the C-V and control groups (P

The effect of vasopressin was compared with that of the established vasopressor epinephrine in experimentally induced hemorrhagic shock. After rapid crystalloid resuscitation in a ratio of three volumes of 0.9% saline to one volume of blood (3:1 crystalloid resuscitation), six dogs were given 0.4 IU/kg vasopressin and another six dogs were given 0.1 mg/kg epinephrine. Five dogs in the control group were given fluid resuscitation in the same manner as above without administration of any drugs. Administration of vasopressin increased diastolic arterial pressure (DAP) from 45.0 +/- 4.9 to 91.2 +/- 9.6 mmHg within 5 min, compared with epinephrine from 46 +/- 4.0 to 51.8 +/- 7.7, and control from 47.3 +/- 7.5 to 46.3 +/- 7.3. Systolic arterial pressure (SAP) did not increase significantly following vasopressin compared with epinephrine and control group. Results of DAP and systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) suggested that vasopressin administration was vasoconstrictive after fluid resuscitation in decompensatory hemorrhagic shock in dogs, whereas epinephrine did not compared with control. In addition, epinephrine did not affect the cardiac index (CI) and SVRI, while a significant decrease in CI and increase in SVRI were observed in vasopressin group. The pressor effect of epinephrine in the vascular system was abrupt and only lasted a short period of time (within 5 min), while that of vasopressin was steady and lasted for more than 1 hr, especially regard to in DAP. When compared with epinephrine, vasopressin can be a more effective and safer choice in patients with severe hemorrhagic shock.

The morphology of craters resulting from high irradiance laser ablation of silicon was measured using a white light interferometry microscope. The craters show a dramatic increase in their depth and volume at a certain irradiance, indicating a change in the primary mechanism for mass removal. Laser shadowgraph imaging was used to characterize and differentiate the mass ejection processes for laser irradiances above and below the threshold value. Time-resolved images show distinct features of the mass ejected at irradiances above the threshold value including the presence of micron-sized particulates; this begins at approximately 300 {approx} 400 ns after the start of laser heating. The analysis of the phenomena was carried out by using two models: a thermal evaporation model and a phase explosion model. Estimation of the crater depth due to the thermally evaporated mass led to a large underestimation of the crater depth for irradiances above the threshold. Above the threshold irradiance, the possibility of phase explosion was analyzed. Two important results are the thickness of the superheated liquid layer that is close to the critical temperature and the time for vapor bubbles that are generated in the superheated liquid to achieve a critical size. After reaching the critical size, vapor bubbles can grow spontaneously resulting in a violent ejection of liquid droplets from the superheated volume. The effects of an induced transparency, i.e. of liquid silicon turning into an optically transparent liquid dielectric medium, are also introduced. The estimated time for a bubble to reach the critical size is in agreement with the delay time measured for the initiation of large mass ejection. Also, the thickness of the superheated liquid layer that is close to the critical temperature at the time of the beginning of the large mass ejection is representative of the crater depth at the threshold irradiance. These results suggest that phase explosion is a plausible thermal mechanism for high irradiance laser ablation. Laser processing parameters were also investigated for nanosecond laser ablation of silicon. Longer incident wavelengths and larger laser beam sizes were associated with higher values of a threshold irradiance.

The prevalence, virulence potential, and antibiotic resistance of ophthalmic Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (SP) isolated from dogs were examined. Sixty-seven Staphylococcus species were isolated from ophthalmic samples and surveyed for species-specific sequences in the Staphylococcus intermedius group (SIG) nuclease gene (SInuc), exfoliative toxin gene for SIG (siet), and antibiotic resistance genes (blaZ and mecA). PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the pta gene was also performed. Fifty isolates were identified as SIG strains, all of which were found to be SP. The blaZ gene was detected in 42 of the 50 SP strains and mecA gene was observed in 18 of the 50 SP strains. The 50 SP strains were most susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (94%) and chlorampenicol (70%), and highly resistant to tetracycline (94%) and penicillin (92%). It was also found that 16 (88.9%) mecA-positive SP strains were resistant to oxacillin, tetracycline and penicillin. All mecA-positive SP were resistant to more than four of the eight tested antibiotics and therefore considered SP with multi-drug resistance (MDR). Our results indicate a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in ophthalmic SP along with a close relationship between MDR SP strains and the mecA gene. Based on our findings, judicious administration of antibiotics to companion dogs is necessary.

3 , p=0.035, respectively). Plaque volume by CCTA correlated with that of VH-IVUS (r=0.742, p

Background and Objectives: The differences in plaque characteristics between non-culprit lesions (NCL) in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients (ACS-NCL) and target lesions (TL) in stable angina (SA) patients (SA-TL) are not well understood. We used a virtual histology-intravascular ultrasound (VH-IVUS) to compare the plaque components between ACS-NCL and SA-TL. Subjects and Methods: We compared VH-IVUS findings between 290 ACS-NCL and 276 SA-TL. VH-IVUS classified the color-coded tissue into four major components: green (fibrotic); yellow-green (fibro-fatty); white {dense calcium (DC)}; and red {necrotic core (NC)}. Thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) was defined as a NC ≥10% of the plaque area in at least 3 consecutive frames without overlying fibrous tissue in the presence of ≥40% plaque burden. Results: Although the plaque burden was significantly smaller (52±13% vs. 54±14%, p=0.044), ACS-NCL had a greater %NC area (17.9±11.6% vs. 14.3±8.7%, p

We investigated whether statin therapy and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were associated with long term clinical outcomes in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients presenting atrial fibrillation (AF). 852 AMI patients (mean age = 70.3 ± 12.2 years, 565 males) who were

Background and Objectives Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a key role in the maintenance of endothelial homeostasis and promote vascular repair. A reduced number of EPCs and the functional activity have been associated with several cardiovascular risk factors. However, the relationship between the number of EPCs and circadian rhythm of the blood pressure (BP) remains unclear. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between the circadian rhythm of the BP and EPCs in patients with essential hypertension. Subjects and Methods A total of 45 patients with essential hypertension who were newly identified by outpatient BP measurements, underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. Among the 45 patients with essential hypertension, 20 were classified as dippers (12 men and 8 women; mean age 48±14 years) and 25 as non-dippers (14 men and 11 women; mean age 52±18 years). The EPC count was isolated from the peripheral bloodstream and quantified by flow cytometry. Results The baseline clinical characteristics were similar between the dipper and non-dipper hypertensive patients. The circulating EPCs were statistically reduced in the non-dipper patients as compared to the dippers (104±60 vs. 66±47 EPCs per 106 mononuclear cells, p=0.027). The circulating EPC level correlated positively with the circadian changes in the systolic and diastolic BP (r=0.435, p=0.003, and r=0.310, p=0.038, respectively). Conclusion The present study demonstrated that the EPC count was reduced in the peripheral bloodstream in non-dipper hypertensive patients.

Three small breed dogs were referred for the evaluation of neurologic deficits. Upon physical and neurologic examination, all dogs displayed hyperesthesia, pain, and neck stiffness. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on the brain and spinal cord, and all three dogs presented Chiari- like malformations and syringomyelia. These dogs were treated with prednisolone and furosemide, and showed rapid improvement of clinical signs. Chiari malformations and syringomyelia were not improved because of congenital disorders. This case report demonstrates the clinical and diagnostic features of Chiari-like malformations and syringomyelia in three small breed dogs.