Insoo Choi

Chicken Interferon Type I Inhibits Infectious Bronchitis Virus Replication and Associated Respiratory Illness

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) causes an economically important respiratory disease in poultry worldwide. Previous studies have shown that CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are critical in controlling acute IBV infection, but the role of innate immunity is unknown. This study describes the in vitro and in vivo anti-IBV activity of natural spleen cell-derived and recombinant chicken interferon type I (rChIFN-alpha). Both natural and rChIFN-alpha inhibited replication of the Beaudette strain of IBV in chicken kidney cells (CKC) in a dose-dependent manner, with the antiviral activity of the former accounted for entirely by its content of type I IFN. IFN at 100 U/ml reduced viral replication by 50% as measured by syncytia formation. In addition, the spleen cell-derived supernatants (natural IFN) inhibited tracheal ring ciliostasis mediated by the Gray strain of IBV. Optimal protection against IBV-induced respiratory disease was obtained after intravenous or oral administration of ChIFN given 1 day before virus challenge and each of 5 days thereafter. ChIFN-I protected chicks from clinical illness by delaying the onset of the disease and decreasing the severity of illness, demonstrating its potential as an immune enhancer.

Electrodeposited Ni dendrites with high activity and durability for hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline water electrolysis

Different shapes of various nickel structures, including dendrite, particle and film are fabricated by electrodeposition under various conditions. The shape of nickel structures is definitely dependent on the deposition potential, leading to different electrochemical surface area and edge facets. The nickel particle which has a polycrystalline center and edge is obtained at high negative potential. On the other hand, the nickel dendrite deposited by relatively low negative potential exhibits large electrochemical surface area and a particularly active facet for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline water electrolysis. In fact the nickel dendrite shows the highest catalytic activity and stability for HER among the various nickel structures.

Quantitative analysis of interleukin-6 expression in porcine spleen cells and alveolar macrophages using real-time PCR

Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a multifocal cytokine produced by lymphoid and non-lymphoid cells, regulates immune responses, acute-phase reactions against bacterial infections, and haematopoiesis. After cloning and sequencing of porcine IL-6, the expression pattern of porcine IL-6 mRNA was evaluated through real-time RT-PCR using porcine immune cells (spleen cells and alveolar macrophages) following stimulation with LPS. The sequence has been reported to GenBank with Accession no. AF 518322. The nucleotide sequence was different at the 89th and 205th positions in comparison with M80258, but only at the 205th with M86722. Comparison of porcine IL-6, Accession no. AF 518322, with IL-6 of human, canine, ovine, and mouse showed homologies of 78%, 81%, 82% and 73% in nucleotide sequence and 42%, 69%, 61% and 42% in amino acids. Expression of IL-6 mRNA was induced by stimulation with LPS. IL-6 mRNA expression in alveolar macrophages peaked at 2 h and decreased sharply to control levels at 4 h, whereas it peaked at 14 h and decreased at 24 h in spleen cells after stimulation with LPS (1 μg/ml). These results suggest that IL-6 mRNA expression in porcine immune cells is cell-type specific and the results of this study could be used as the basis for research on the porcine immune system.

Preparation of Ptshell-Pdcore Catalysts and Its Application for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

Platinum, in any modified form of the catalyst, has been widely used in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to meet the expectation required by the energy industry. However, only limited use of platinum is allowed because of its low abundance in nature and high cost. Research has been focused on developing new methods of synthesizing electrocatalysts with higher catalytic activities and lower amount of platinum loading. One of the most promising approaches is deposition of platinum monolayer on carbon-supported non-noble metals (1-3). By selecting the proper core metal such as palladium, enhanced electrical properties of the so-called core-shell nanoparticle can be obtained (4). The consecutive procedures which consist of the formation of a copper monolayer in the underpotential region in electroplating (EP) and the galvanic displacement by platinum have been suggested. The synthesized electrocatalyst was confirmed to have higher activity in oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) over other controls (2-3). Even though much development has been reported, a strong need to lower platinum use still remains. In this study, a new route for synthesizing platinum shell with palladium core nanoparticle was introduced. Palladium on carbon (Pd/C, 40 wt%) was prepared by chemical reduction (5). In the stage of forming the copper monolayer, electroless deposition of copper (Cu ELD) was employed instead of electrodeposition (ED), because Cu ELD has advantages over Cu ED. If Cu ED were used, deposited catalyst would remain on the electrode and only investigation on the electrical properties could be available. If Cu ELD is used, however, the catalyst actually can be used as slurry ink in fuel cell operation, which is the ultimate goal of this experiment. To control the thickness of the copper layer, the deposition time and the concentration of Cu ELD solution were adjusted. With galvanic displacement reaction of copper by platinum, aimed nanoparticles were synthesized and denoted as PtPd/C. XRD and XPS were used to identify the metallic compositions of the catalysts. The particle size and distribution were characterized with TEM analysis. Palladium on carbon acts as a catalyst for Cu ELD (6). With electrons being received from reducing agent in the Cu ELD solution, copper is deposited on palladium. Fig. 1 shows the formation of copper after Cu ELD. The small peak near at 2θ = 43° is identified as Cu (111) (inset figure in Fig. 1). It is presumed that copper is replaced by platinum and only copper oxide remains as the displacement reaction is completed (Fig. 2). Platinum and palladium have similar 2θ value in XRD, which means further analysis is needed. Through the XPS analysis, platinum and palladium were distinguished and confirmed to have their unique binding energies. Fig. 3 shows the TEM images of synthesized catalysts with a moderate level of dispersion. The rotating disk electrode measurement for ORR was performed with modified catalysts and their catalytic activities were compared to those of commercial catalysts. As noted so far, synthesis of an electrocatalyst having palladium as a core and platinum as a shell was attempted. Unlike other methods of preparation for platinum monolayer upon palladium, Cu ELD provides a simpler route for fabricating core-shell nanoparticles. This unprecedented process enables us to achieve real applications, in that the electrocatalyst could be applied in cathodic electrodes of PEMFC.

Adult chronic myelomonocytic leukemia with trisomy 11: a case report

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (cmml) is an indolent disease in the category of myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative neoplasms, which can often evolve into acute leukemic neoplasms. Although cytogenetic abnormalities such as trisomy 8 or absence of chromosome Y are well known, few reports about cmml with trisomy 11 have been published. Here, we report a case of cmml with trisomy 11 as the sole chromosomal abnormality, resulting in a very poor outcome. Based on a bone marrow specimen, cmml-1 with trisomy 11 was diagnosed in a 79-year-old man presenting with anemia and atypical peripheral blood cells. Because of the patients age, he was followed without receiving anticancer treatment. Two months after his diagnosis, the patients leucocytosis and anemia rapidly worsened, with increasing numbers of immature peripheral cells, which was strongly suggestive of leukemic transformation. Because of acute kidney injury superimposed on chronic kidney disease that led to poor performance status, cytotoxic chemotherapy was not considered feasible, and the patient was transferred to a hospice care facility.

1396PLUNG CANCER IN HOMELESS PEOPLE: CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND COST ANALYSIS IN A SINGLE INSTITUTE

ABSTRACT Aim: Homeless people have limited access to medical care despite their higher risk for medical illnesses. The aim of our study was to describe the demographic and clinical features as well as the outcomes of lung cancer in homeless people and to calculate the costs for the treatment. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 22 homeless patients diagnosed with lung cancer between 2005 and 2013 at a single center in Seoul metropolitan city, South Korea. Costs were calculated referring to health care claims obtained from the Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center. Results: The median age of patients was 62 years and all patients were male. 68% were current or ex-smoker. Histologic diagnoses were as follows: non-small cell lung cancer (n = 16), small cell lung cancer (n = 3) or unknown (n = 3). Most of the patients (78%) had an advanced disease (stage IIIB; n = 2, stage IV; n = 15); five patients (23%) died during their initial hospitalization with a median survival of 1.5 months (0.4-2.4 months); seven (32%) were lost to follow-up after an initial outpatient visit or discharge from initial admission, with a median follow-up duration of 14 days (1-30 days) and only five patients (23%) received an appropriate treatment for their lung cancer (palliative chemotherapy and/or tyrosine kinase inhibitor, n = 3; whole-brain radiation therapy, n = 1; craniotomy and tumor removal, n = 1), with a median follow-up duration of 12.6 months (1.3-19.7 months). In contrast, four of five patients with an early stage of disease (22%, stage I; n = 4, stage IIA; n = 1), received a curative surgery. Their median follow-up duration was 25.9 months (2.5-77.3 months). In total, median follow up duration and days of hospitalization were 30 days and 26 days, respectively. The median treatment costs amounted to e8,922 (based on an exchange rate of Korean Won 1440 = Euro e1), constituting 47.3% of the per capita income in 2013. 98% of the costs were attributed to the inpatient treatment. The National Health Insurance paid 85% of the costs and the remainder was financed by the homeless shelter in which the patient lived or by the Seoul Metropolitan Government if the patient lived on the streets. Conclusions: Among the homeless, lung cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and substantial costs during the relatively short follow-up and survival period. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Electrochemical Preparation of Pt-Based Catalyst on Carbon Paper Treated by Sn Sensitization and Pd Activation

Direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is considered as a promising alternative power source for portable electronic devices due to the low operation temperature, no pollutant emission and high power density [1]. However, there are several problems to be solved for commercializing a DMFC, in an anode catalyst. One of the problems is the high cost of Pt catalyst which shows high catalytic activity for a methanol oxidation [2]. Thus many research groups are developing a Pt-based catalyst alloyed with transition metals such as Co, Ni and Pb for reducing catalyst cost while keeping or improving a catalyst activity [3]. Another problem is a poisoning effect of carbon monoxide generated from the dissociative adsorption of methanol [4]. It is well known that PtRu or PtSn catalyst shows high tolerance against carbon monoxide poisoning because adsorbed OH radical on Ru or Sn promotes the oxidation of carbon monoxide adsorbed on the Pt surface. Thus synthesis of the Pt-based alloy catalyst which has a high catalytic activity for a methanol oxidation and a strong tolerance against a carbon monoxide poisoning, is one of the keys to commercialize the DMFC. CoPtRu/Pd catalysts were prepared on a carbon paper using various electrochemical processes such as Sn sensitization, Pd activation, Co electrodeposition and galvanic displacements. Sn-Pd process is a surface treatment which guarantees more active sites on the carbon paper for following Co electrodeposition by modifying the surface to be hydrophilic [5]. Co particles were deposited on the Sn-Pd treated carbon paper by controlling deposition potential and time. Then Pt and Ru galvanic displacements were conducted on the Co particles to form CoRuPt/Pd and CoPtRu/Pd catalysts. The CoRuPt/Pd – 1, 2, 3 and CoPtRu/Pd – 1, 2, 3 catalysts are named according to last displacement time. For bare carbon paper, Co particles with the size of 72.5 nm (16.0 nm of STDEV) and the density of 7.5 x 10 #/cm were obtained for 2 seconds at -1.4 V as shown in Fig. 1a. Under the same condition, the Sn-Pd treated carbon paper led to the decrease of Co particle size and the increase of the particle density. Thus Co particle had the size of 27.9 nm with the deviation of 4.8 nm and the density of 8.5 x 10 #/cm which were two fifth smaller in size and 11.3 times denser in density, respectively (Fig. 1b). To investigate the catalyst shape, HAADF-STEM (high angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy) line scanning with EDS (energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy) was performed following a white arrow as illustrated in Fig. 2a and the result is shown in Fig. 2b. The Pt and Ru metals were well dispersed over the Co/Pd particle. Fig. 3a displays CV (cyclic voltammetry) curves of the methanol oxidation carried out with CoPtRu/Pd – 1, 2 and 3 catalysts. The peak potentials were observed at 746.2 mV (vs. NHE) in the forward sweep which was 75 mV lower than that of the commercial PtRu/C catalyst. All CoPtRu/Pd catalysts showed similar peak current densities each other due to the similar surface molar concentration of Pt. As considering the both of peak potentials and current densities, it could be concluded that the catalytic activities of CoPtRu/Pd catalysts were higher than that of a commercial PtRu/C catalyst. To confirm the tolerance of the catalysts against carbon monoxide poisoning, the carbon monoxide stripping was done through LSV (linear sweep voltammetry) as shown in Fig. 3b. The peak potential of CoPtRu/Pd – 1 catalyst, having the surface molar ratio of 1.17 was 647.2 mV. This value was 2 mV positively shifted compared to the PtRu/C commercial catalyst. On the other hand, the peak potentials of CoPtRu/Pd – 2 and 3 catalysts, which had 1.04 and 1.07 of Pt/Ru surface molar ratio, showed the same value of 639.2 mV which was 6 mV lower than that of the commercial PtRu/C commercial catalyst.