Ganta United Methodist Hospital

Significant negative association between PM 2,5 and AHM (p = 0.032), as well as AFC (p = 0.044), was observed. Moreover, SO 2 concentrations decrease AFC (p = 0.038). " now reads, "Significant negative association between PM 2,5 and AMH (p = 0.032), as well as AFC (p = 0.044) was observed. Moreover, SO 2 concentrations decrease AFC (p = 0.038). " In addition, the Introduction "The studies on mice suggest that exposure to fraction PM 2,5 can reduce the level of Anti-Müllerian hormone (AHM) 28 . " now reads, "The studies on mice suggest that exposure to fraction PM 2,5 can reduce the level of Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) 28 . " The original Article has been corrected.

The ability to image light elements in soft matter at atomic resolution enables unprecedented insight into the structure and properties of molecular heterostructures and beam-sensitive nanomaterials. In this study, we introduce a scanning transmission electron microscopy technique combining a pre-specimen phase plate designed to produce a probe with structured phase with a high-speed direct electron detector to generate nearly linear contrast images with high efficiency. We demonstrate this method by using both experiment and simulation to simultaneously image the atomic-scale structure of weakly scattering amorphous carbon and strongly scattering gold nanoparticles. Our method demonstrates strong contrast for both materials, making it a promising candidate for structural determination of heterogeneous soft/hard matter samples even at low electron doses comparable to traditional phase-contrast transmission electron microscopy. Simulated images demonstrate the extension of this technique to the challenging problem of structural determination of biological material at the surface of inorganic crystals.

Among the different synthesis approachesto colloidal nanocrystals,a recently developed toolkit is represented by cation exchange reactions,where the use of template nanocrystals gives access to materials thatwould be hardly attainable via direct synthesis.Besides, postsynthetic treatments, such as thermally activated solid-statereactions, represent a further flourishing route to promote finelycontrolled cation exchange. Here, we report that, upon insitu heating in a transmission electron microscope, Cu2Se or Cu nanocrystals deposited on an amorphous solid substrateundergo partial loss of Cu atoms, which are then engaged in localcation exchange reactions with Cu “acceptor” phasesrepresented by rod- and wire-shaped CdSe nanocrystals. This thermaltreatment slowly transforms the initial CdSe nanocrystals into Cu2–xSe nanocrystals, through the completesublimation of Cd and the partial sublimation of Se atoms. Both Cu“donor” and “acceptor” particles werenot always in direct contact with each other; hence, the gradual transferof Cu species from Cu2Se or metallic Cu to CdSe nanocrystalswas mediated by the substrate and depended on the distance betweenthe donor and acceptor nanostructures. Differently from what happensin the comparably faster cation exchange reactions performed in liquidsolution, this study shows that slow cation exchange reactions canbe performed at the solid state and helps to shed light on the intermediatesteps involved in such reactions.

Abstract OBJECTIVES: Primary sjögren syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by immune system abnormalities. It’s unclear how melatonin influences the immune responses. In this study we investigated the levels of serum melatonin in sjögren patients and melatonin’s diurnal rhythm. METHOD: In this study, 47 sjögren patients (35 female, 12 male, mean age 39,7 ± 11,5 years, mean disease duration 8,2 ± 2,7 years) and 28 healthy controls (21 female, 7 male, mean age 41,3± 7,7 years) were included. Serum melatonin levels were measured by ELISA, in the morning and night. RESULTS: In the sjögren patients group; the mean serum melatonin levels were 49, 2 ± 12,3 at night and 52,6 ± 5,1 in the morning. In the healthy control group; the mean serum melatonin levels were 77,1 ± 12,9 at night and 27,2 ± 6,1 in the morning. There was significant change in the diurnal rhythm of the melatonin in the sjögren patient group. Melatonin secretion at night was found to be lower, in the SSc patient group than the healthy control group, but in the morning was found to be higher. Those were statically significant (p<0.001, p<0.001 respectively). In the patient group, there was no statically significant difference between the serum levels in the morning and night. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that diurnal rhythm of the melatonin changed in sjögren patients. These findings can be due to the effects of melatonin on the inflammatory responses.

Artificially structured coatings are widely employed to minimize materials deterioration and corrosion, the annual direct cost of which is over 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for industrial countries. Manufacturing higher performance anticorrosive coatings is one of the most efficient approaches to reduce this loss. However, three-dimensional (3D) structure of coatings, which determines their performance, has not been investigated in detail. Here we present a quantitative nano-scale analysis of the 3D spatial structure of an anticorrosive aluminium epoxy barrier marine coating obtained by serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) and ptychographic X-ray computed tomography (PXCT). We then use finite element simulations to demonstrate how percolation through this actual 3D structure impedes ion diffusion in the composite materials. We found the aluminium flakes align within 15° of the coating surface in the material, causing the perpendicular diffusion resistance of the coating to be substantially higher than the pure epoxy.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2010 in Portland, Oregon, USA, August 1 – August 5, 2010.

Abstract The construction and performance of an updated gas source precision ion milling system are described. The system is based on an existing focused ion beam machine which is able to image and mill selected areas of specimens that are too thick for TEM studies. The specimen image is formed using either secondary electrons or secondary ions, captured by a dual detector. The work chamber consists of three major components: the ion gun, the ion column and the specimen chamber. The ion gun is an electron impact ionization type with an optimized source size and allows the use of variety of gases. The updated system employs an objective lens with shorter focal length to enhance the resolution. The specimen chamber with an improved specimen eucentric stage, accepts side entry TEM specimen holders. This enables the specimen to move between the TEM and the instrument for further precision thinning as required without removal of the specimen from the holder and consequent risk of damage. The upgraded system resolves features <1μm in thickness. Its point milling rate for Ni is 1.4μm/min. The ability of the instrument for imaging and localized milling is demonstrated by a number of TEM images of semiconductors, metals, ceramics and composites.