A human lung carcinoma cell line (A549) was compared with various other cell lines to determine susceptibility to viral growth. In the first phase of the study, A549 cells were compared with human embryonic kidney (HEK) and cynomolgus monkey kidney (CMK) celis for isolation of upper-respiratory disease viruses by using 1,248 throat swab specimens from basic-combat trainees. Of the 552 virus isolates, 507 were adenoviruses, 41 were polioviruses, and 4 were herpes simplex viruses (HSV). Of the isolates, 518 (93.8%) were isolated in A549 ceils, 480 (87.0%) were isolated in HEK cells, and 262 (47.5%) were isolated in CMK cells (P < 0.001). In the second phase of the study, A549 cells were compared with a human diploid fibroblast cell strain (MRC-5) and Vero monkey kidney (VMK) cells for the isolation of HSV from 1,157 specimens submitted for culture. Of the 227 HSV isolates, 210 (92.5%) were isolated in A549 cells, 202 (89.0%) were isolated in VMK cells (P > 0.1 for A549 versus VMK cells), and 167 (73.6%) were isolated in MRC-5 cells (P < 0.001 for A549 versus MRC-5 cells). These results suggest that A549 cells are more susceptible to adenovirus infection and at least as susceptible to HSV infection compared with the other cell cultures evaluated. Detracting factors for the use of A549 cells were a slight loss of sensitivity to adenovirus at passage 120 and a concurrent change in the morphology of the cells. The A549 cell line proved to be an efficient, practical, and economical alternative cell system for the isolation of adenovirus and HSV in particular. Initial indications are that other clinically significant viruses may be grown in A549 cells; however, additional studies need to be performed.

Phototransistors In article number 2205679, Peiguang Yan, Zhenhua Sun, and co‐workers report a near‐infrared phototransistor with benign light‐irradiance adaptability using a vertically stacking graphene/lead sulfide quantum dots/graphene heterojunction as the conductive channel. The dynamic trapping and detrapping processes in the quantum dot film enable the inhabitation or potentiation of the photoresponse, based on which the photopic or scotopic adaptation behavior of the human retina is successfully mimicked, respectively.

Adult human hemoglobin A0 (HbA0) has been shown to be neurotoxic, and we wish to report on similar studies conducted using a modified hemoglobin, which has been crosslinked between the alpha subunits (alpha-alpha Hb). Cortical cell cultures were prepared from fetal Swiss-Webster mice at 15-16 days gestation. Mature cultures (days in vitro, 12-16) were exposed to alpha-alpha Hb in a defined medium for 24-48 hours at 37 degrees C. Low micromolar amounts of alpha-alpha Hb were neurotoxic in a concentration-dependent fashion. This toxicity was attenuated by the antioxidants Trolox and U-74500A and by the iron chelator deferoxamine. The hemoglobin-binding protein, haptoglobin, also completely blocked alpha-alpha Hb-dependent neurotoxicity. The latter result was unexpected because complex formation between alpha-alpha Hb and haptoglobin was not detected using assays of haptoglobin fluorescence and hemoglobin peroxidase activity.

We demonstrate an erbium-doped ring-cavity fiber laser Q-switched by a graphene oxide-based saturable absorber (GOSA). The GOSA was fabricated by vertically evaporating GO-polyvinylalcohol (GO/PVA) composite dispersion, and has a good performance under room temperature. Utilizing a specially fabricated fiber Bragg grating (FBG), stable five-wavelength lasing is realized and stabilized at different pump powers under any polarization state. When the pump power increases from 78.4 mW to 379.3 mW, the output power ranging from 1.9 mW to 16.6 mW could be obtained, with pulse duration from 6.8 𝜇s to 2.72 𝜇s, single pulse energy from 123.73 nJ to 229.74 nJ, and pulse repetition rate from 15.36 kHz to 72.25 kHz. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first simultaneous realization of five-wavelength operation and pulse output in a GO Q-switched all fiber laser system.