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Biomedical subjects

T He

Publications and source records attributed to T He.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Quantum phase transition in quasi-one-dimensional BaRu6O12.

We report the first systematic study of the electrical transport and magnetic properties of BaRu6O12, which has a quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) hollandite structure. We show that BaRu6O12 is quasi-1D electronically as well. Its physical properties were found to be extremely sensitive to disorder. Furthermore, a transition from being metallic with a resistance drop around 2 K to being weakly insulating as the applied magnetic field was increased was also found. We propose that these two features are related to the possible presence of a quantum phase transition in this material system.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Linear and non-linear methods for automatic seizure detection in scalp electro-encephalogram recordings.

The electro-encephalogram is a time-varying signal that measures electrical activity in the brain. A conceptually intuitive non-linear technique, multi-dimensional probability evolution (MDPE), is introduced. It is based on the time evolution of the probability density function within a multi-dimensional state space. A synthetic recording is employed to illustrate why MDPE is capable of detecting changes in the underlying dynamics that are invisible to linear statistics. If a non-linear statistic cannot outperform a simple linear statistic such as variance, then there is no reason to advocate its use. Both variance and MDPE were able to detect the seizure in each of the ten scalp EEG recordings investigated. Although MDPE produced fewer false positives, there is no firm evidence to suggest that MDPE, or any other non-linear statistic considered, outperforms variance-based methods at identifying seizures.

Electroencephalography↗
PubMed2002

Macroscopic and roentgenographic anatomy of the skull of the ferret (Mustela putorius furo).

Normal macroscopic and roentgenographic features of the skull of the ferret (Mustela putorius furo) were examined and described. Data were based on a sample of 100 (50 male and 50 female) adult ferrets of known body weight and age. The skull was described macroscopically according to six standard views, i.e. dorsal, lateral, ventral, caudal, cranial and midsagittal. The mandible was described separately. The roentgenographic characteristics of the ferret skull were demonstrated only in lateral and dorsoventral projections. Furthermore, the skull length and width as well as the minimum frontal width were measured, and skull indices were derived from relevant measurements. Sexual dimorphism was examined both morphologically and craniometrically. Besides the common features of a carnivore skull, the ferret skull is relatively elongated and flat with a short facial region. The skulls of adult male ferrets are about 17% longer and 22% wider than those of the females. Significant sexual dimorphism also exists regarding certain skull indices. The general features and some dimensional parameters of the adult ferret skull support the contention that the ferret would be an interesting and workable alternative animal model in craniofacial research.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Similarity of an Aroclor-based and a full congener-based method in determining total PCBs and a modeling approach to estimate Aroclor speciation from congener-specific PCB data.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have entered the environment in North America as Aroclor technical mixtures. Most methods used for the determination of total PCB levels in environmental samples visually match patterns of sample peaks to those in Aroclor standards. Concern over the accuracy of Aroclor-based measurements on compositionally modified samples coupled with advancements in analytical techniques have led to congener-specific PCB analysis. In this study, the PCB data from 27 tissue samples determined by an Aroclor-based method and a full congener method were compared in terms of total PCB concentration to assess the reliability of this Aroclor technique for total PCB determination. Our data show a strong correlation between the sum of Aroclors and the total PCBs obtained from the full congener determinations. We also developed a model using the compositional data from three Aroclors (1242, 1254, and 1260) to determine the amount of compositional alteration from original Aroclor patterns in environmental samples. Full congener data, from a variety of tissue types and trophic levels, examined using this method showed that compositional modification from original Aroclor patterns increases with trophic level, with the greatest modification observed in seal and killer whale samples. This result agrees both with expectation and with what has been found in other studies. Such techniques, which connect congener-specific PCB data to Aroclor contamination, may prove useful to investigations into environmental and metabolic fate and transfer processes.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2001

(13)C NMR investigation of the superconductor MgCNi(3) up to 800 K.

We report (13)C NMR characterization of the new superconductor MgCNi(3) [T. He et al., Nature (London) 411, 54 (2001)]. We found that both the uniform spin susceptibility and the spin fluctuations show a strong enhancement with decreasing temperature, and saturate below approximately 50 K and approximately 20 K, respectively. The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/(13)T(1) exhibits typical behavior for isotropic s-wave superconductivity with a coherence peak below T(c) = 7.0 K that grows with decreasing magnetic field.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Tibioperoneal (outflow lesion) angioplasty can be used as primary treatment in 235 patients with critical limb ischemia: five-year follow-up.

BACKGROUND: In a prospective, nonrandomized, consecutive series of tibioperoneal vessel angioplasty (TPVA), critical limb ischemia (CLI) patients' data were analyzed with regard to immediate and follow-up success. METHODS AND RESULTS: TPVA was successful in 270 of 284 critically ischemic limbs (95%), with 167 limbs (59%) requiring dilatation of 333 ipsilateral inflow obstructions to access and successfully dilate 486 of 529 (92%) tibioperoneal lesions. A clinical success (relief of rest pain or improvement of lower-extremity blood flow) was attained in 270 limbs at risk (95%). Clinical 5-year follow-up of 215 of 221 successful CLI patients (97%) with 266 successfully revascularized limbs revealed that bypass surgery occurred in 8% and significant amputations in 9% of limbs; 91% of the limbs were salvaged. The cohort's probability of survival was 56%: 58% for Fontaine class III and 33% for class IV patients. Class III compared with class IV patients had significantly (P<0.05) fewer surgical bypasses (3% versus 16%) and amputations: above-knee, 1% versus 4%; below-knee, 3% versus 12%; and transmetatarsal, <1% versus 21%. CONCLUSIONS: TPVA, often in combination with inflow lesions, is an effective primary treatment for critical limb ischemia. The poor cumulative survival reflects the existence of severe comorbidities, which could potentially be affected by aggressive and effective cardiovascular diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Giant anharmonicity and nonlinear electron-phonon coupling in MgB2: a combined first-principles calculation and neutron scattering study.

First-principles calculations of the electronic band structure and lattice dynamics for the new superconductor MgB (2) are carried out and found to be in excellent agreement with our inelastic neutron scattering measurements. The numerical results reveal that the E(2g) in-plane boron phonons near the zone center are very anharmonic and strongly coupled to the planar B sigma bands near the Fermi level. This giant anharmonicity and nonlinear electron-phonon coupling is key to quantitatively explaining the observed high T(c) and boron isotope effect in MgB (2).

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

High critical current density and enhanced irreversibility field in superconducting MgB2 thin films.

The discovery of superconductivity at 39 K in magnesium diboride offers the possibility of a new class of low-cost, high-performance superconducting materials for magnets and electronic applications. This compound has twice the transition temperature of Nb3Sn and four times that of Nb-Ti alloy, and the vital prerequisite of strongly linked current flow has already been demonstrated. One possible drawback, however, is that the magnetic field at which superconductivity is destroyed is modest. Furthermore, the field which limits the range of practical applications-the irreversibility field H*(T)-is approximately 7 T at liquid helium temperature (4.2 K), significantly lower than about 10 T for Nb-Ti (ref. 6) and approximately 20 T for Nb3Sn (ref. 7). Here we show that MgB2 thin films that are alloyed with oxygen can exhibit a much steeper temperature dependence of H*(T) than is observed in bulk materials, yielding an H* value at 4.2 K greater than 14 T. In addition, very high critical current densities at 4.2 K are achieved: 1 MA cm-2 at 1 T and 105 A cm-2 at 10 T. These results demonstrate that MgB2 has potential for high-field superconducting applications.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Superconductivity in the non-oxide perovskite MgCNi3.

The interplay of magnetic interactions, the dimensionality of the crystal structure and electronic correlations in producing superconductivity is one of the dominant themes in the study of the electronic properties of complex materials. Although magnetic interactions and two-dimensional structures were long thought to be detrimental to the formation of a superconducting state, they are actually common features of both the high transition-temperature (Tc) copper oxides and low-Tc material Sr2RuO4, where they appear to be essential contributors to the exotic electronic states of these materials. Here we report that the perovskite-structured compound MgCNi3 is superconducting with a critical temperature of 8 K. This material is the three-dimensional analogue of the LnNi2B2C family of superconductors, which have critical temperatures up to 16 K (ref. 2). The itinerant electrons in both families of materials arise from the partial filling of the nickel d-states, which generally leads to ferromagnetism as is the case in metallic Ni. The high relative proportion of Ni in MgCNi3 suggests that magnetic interactions are important, and the lower Tc of this three-dimensional compound-when compared to the LnNi2B2C family-contrasts with conventional ideas regarding the origins of superconductivity.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Ultraviolet irradiation blocks cellular responses to transforming growth factor-beta by down-regulating its type-II receptor and inducing Smad7.

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a multi-functional cytokine that regulates cell growth and differentiation. Cellular responses to TGF-beta are mediated through its cell surface receptor complex, which activates transcription factors Smad2 and Smad3. Here we report that UV irradiation of mink lung epithelial cells causes near complete inhibition of TGF-beta-induced Smad2/3-mediated gene expression. UV irradiation inhibited TGF-beta-induced phosphorylation of Smad2 and subsequent nuclear translocation and DNA binding of Smad2/3. Specific cell surface binding of TGF-beta was substantially reduced after UV irradiation. This loss of TGF-beta binding resulted from UV-induced down-regulation of TGF-beta type II receptor (T beta RII) mRNA and protein. UV irradiation significantly inhibited T beta RII promoter reporter constructs, indicating that UV reduction of T beta RII expression involved transcriptional repression. In contrast to its effects on T beta RII, UV irradiation rapidly induced Smad7 mRNA and protein. Smad7 is known to antagonize activation of Smad2/3 and thereby block TGF-beta-dependent gene expression. UV irradiation stimulated Smad7 promoter reporter constructs, indicating that increased Smad7 expression resulted, at least in part, from increased transcription. Overexpression of Smad7 protein to the level induced by UV irradiation inhibited TGF-beta-induced gene expression 30%. Maintaining T beta RII levels by overexpression of T beta RII prevented UV inhibition of TGF-beta responsiveness. Taken together, these data indicate that UV irradiation blocks cellular responsiveness to TGF-beta through two mechanisms that impair TGF-beta receptor function. The primary mechanism is down-regulation of T beta RII, and the secondary mechanism is induction of Smad7.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Loss of superconductivity with the addition of Al to MgB2 and a structural transition in Mg1-x AlxB2.

The basic magnetic and electronic properties of most binary compounds have been well known for decades. The recent discovery of superconductivity at 39 K in the simple binary ceramic compound magnesium diboride, MgB2, was therefore surprising. Indeed, this material has been known and structurally characterized since the mid 1950s (ref. 2), and is readily available from chemical suppliers (it is commonly used as a starting material for chemical metathesis reactions). Here we show that the addition of electrons to MgB2, through partial substitution of Al for Mg, results in the loss of superconductivity. Associated with the Al substitution is a subtle but distinct structural transition, reflected in the partial collapse of the spacing between boron layers near an Al content of 10 per cent. This indicates that superconducting MgB2 is poised very near a structural instability at slightly higher electron concentrations.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Strongly linked current flow in polycrystalline forms of the superconductor MgB2.

The discovery of superconductivity at 39 K in magnesium diboride, MgB2, raises many issues, a critical one being whether this material resembles a high-temperature copper oxide superconductor or a low-temperature metallic superconductor in terms of its behaviour in strong magnetic fields. Although the copper oxides exhibit very high transition temperatures, their in-field performance is compromized by their large anisotropy, the result of which is to restrict high bulk current densities to a region much less than the full magnetic-field-temperature (H-T) space over which superconductivity is found. Moreover, the weak coupling across grain boundaries makes transport current densities in untextured polycrystalline samples low and strongly sensitive to magnetic field. Here we report that, despite the multiphase, untextured, microscale, subdivided nature of our MgB2 samples, supercurrents flow throughout the material without exhibiting strong sensitivity to weak magnetic fields. Our combined magnetization, magneto-optical, microscopy and X-ray investigations show that the supercurrent density is mostly determined by flux pinning, rather than by the grain boundary connectivity. Our results therefore suggest that this new superconductor class is not compromized by weak-link problems, a conclusion of significance for practical applications if higher temperature analogues of this compound can be discovered.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperature of magnesium diboride.

We studied the pressure and temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity of the superconducting compound magnesium diboride (MgB(2)). The superconducting transition temperature decreases monotonically with pressure, being parabolic or linear, depending on samples. The rate of decrease under pressure is higher than in conventional superconductors. We discuss our results in terms of the semimetallic character of the electronic band structure of MgB(2).

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

TNF-alpha down-regulates CXCR4 expression in primary murine astrocytes.

CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is a co-receptor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and is believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of AIDS-associated neurologic disorders and brain tumors. The physiological roles of CXCR4 in developmental patterning of the nervous and hematopoietic system; gastrointestinal angiogenesis; and cardiac organogenesis were established by studies in gene-targeted mice. Studies on CXCR4 expression and regulation in neuroepithelial cells are fundamental for understanding its physiopathologic roles in the central nervous system (CNS). We show here that CXCR4 expression by primary mouse astrocytes is suppressed by exposure to tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). TNF-alpha caused a pronounced down-regulation of CXCR4 mRNA in a dose- and time-dependent manner. TNF-alpha-mediated decrease of CXCR4 mRNA accumulation resulted in decreased CXCR4 protein expression. As a result, the ability of stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha) to induce activation of MAP kinases, Erk1/2 was impaired. The half life of CXCR4 mRNA in the presence and absence of TNF-alpha stimulation was comparable, suggesting that TNF-alpha down-regulated CXCR4 mRNA at the transcriptional level. These results suggest that TNF-alpha could modulate HIV and brain tumor pathogenesis and immune-mediated inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) by regulation of CXCR4 expression.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed2001

Reaction of metallotetraphenylporphyrins on hydroxyl-modified silver colloid and Ag2O colloid by surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

This paper reports a novel reaction of metallotetraphenylporphyrins on hydroxyl-modified silver colloid and Ag2O colloid. Surface-enhanced Raman spectra of Ag(II) and Cu(II) complexes of tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) adsorbed on the hydroxyl-modified Ag colloid and Ag2O colloid have been studied. The time-dependent SERS spectra of MTPP (M = Ag, Cu) on hydroxyl-modified Ag colloid were recorded and dramatic change on SERS spectra was observed. The final spectra were found to be strikingly different from the corresponding normal Raman spectra (NRS), with the appearance of new Raman bands at 1614. 1417, 947, 674 and 292 cm(-1). The UV-visible absorption spectrum of MTPP on hydroxyl-modified Ag colloid exhibits a broad shoulder near 460 nm. Similar spectral phenomena were also observed for AgTPP and CuTPP adsorbed on Ag2O colloid. The observed spectral alterations were ascribed to new species formation due to the irreducible oxidation of MTPP on the colloids.

Colloids↗
PubMed2001

Disturbances in hepatic cell-cycle regulation in mice with assembly-deficient keratins 8/18.

Simple epithelial tissues such as liver and pancreas express keratins 8 (K8) and 18 (K18) as their major intermediate filament proteins. K8 and K18 null mice and transgenic mice that express mutant K18 (K18C) manifest several hepatocyte abnormalities and demonstrate that K8/18 are important in maintaining liver tissue and cell integrity, although other potential functions remain uncharacterized. Here, we report an additional abnormal liver phenotype, which is similar in K8 null, K18 null, and K18C mouse models. Liver histologic examination showed large polynuclear areas that lacked cell membranes, desmosomal structures, and filamentous actin. Similar, but less prominent, areas were observed in the pancreas. The parenchyma outside the polynuclear areas displayed irregular sinusoidal structures and markedly enlarged nuclei. Most K8 null hepatocytes were positive for the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) with a doubled DNA content in comparison with the predominantly PCNA-negative wild-type hepatocytes. The distribution of the 14-3-3zeta protein was also altered in K8 null mice. Taken together, our results indicate that absence of keratin filaments causes disturbances in cell-cycle regulation, driving cells into the S-G2 phase and causing aberrant cytokinesis. These effects could stem from disturbed functions of K8/18-dependent cell-cycle regulators, such as the signaling integrator, 14-3-3.

Actins↗
PubMed2001

TNF-alpha mediates SDF-1 alpha-induced NF-kappa B activation and cytotoxic effects in primary astrocytes.

Stromal-derived cell factor-1 alpha (SDF-1 alpha; CXCL12) and its receptor, CXCR4, are constitutively expressed on neuroepithelial cells and are believed to be involved in both development and pathological processes, such as AIDS-associated neurologic disorders. Here, we demonstrate that SDF-1 alpha activates NF-kappa B, stimulates production of chemokines and cytokines, and induces cell death in primary astrocytes, effects that depend on ongoing secretion of TNF-alpha. SDF-1 alpha upregulated TNF-alpha mRNA and protein secretion, as well as TNF receptor 2 expression. TNF-alpha treatment mimicked SDF-1 alpha induction of NF-kappa B, IL-1 alpha/beta, and RANTES, as well as cell death; neutralizing antibodies against TNF-alpha opposed these responses. We also found that SDF-1 alpha activated Erk1 and Erk2 (Erk1/2) MAPK in a biphasic fashion. Early Erk1/2 activation was stimulated directly by SDF-1 alpha and late activation was mediated by TNF-alpha. PD98059 suppression of early Erk1/2 activation correlated with reduction of SDF-1 alpha-induced TNF-alpha expression. Late Erk1/2 activation was involved in TNF-alpha-stimulated NF-kappa B activation and cytokine induction. SDF-1 alpha was induced in reactive CXCR4-positive astrocytes near axotomized spinal cord motor neurons, consistent with autocrine SDF-1/CXCR4 signaling in these cells. We propose that these novel effects of SDF-1 alpha are relevant to the pathogenic and developmental roles of SDF-1 alpha in the CNS.

Animals↗