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AADC deficiency causes severe motor and intellectual disability as a result of reduced catecholamine levels. Kojima et al. report beneficial effects of gene therapy in six patients with heterogeneous genetic backgrounds. Gene delivery into putamen improved motor function in all patients, plus verbal and cognitive skills in one moderate-phenotype patient.

While a growing body of neurocognitive research has explored the neural substrates associated with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), an objective biomarker for diagnosis has not been established. The advent of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which is a noninvasive and unrestrictive method of functional neuroimaging, raised the possibility of introducing functional neuroimaging diagnosis in young ADHD children. Previously, our fNIRS-based measurements successfully visualized the hypoactivation pattern in the right prefrontal cortex during a go/no-go task in ADHD children compared with typically developing control children at a group level. The current study aimed to explore a method of individual differentiation between ADHD and typically developing control children using multichannel fNIRS, emphasizing how spatial distribution and amplitude of hemodynamic response are associated with inhibition-related right prefrontal dysfunction. Thirty ADHD and thirty typically developing control children underwent a go/no-go task, and their cortical hemodynamics were assessed using fNIRS. We explored specific regions of interest (ROIs) and cut-off amplitudes for cortical activation to distinguish ADHD children from control children. The ROI located on the border of inferior and middle frontal gyri yielded the most accurate discrimination. Furthermore, we adapted well-formed formulae for the constituent channels of the optimized ROI, leading to improved classification accuracy with an area under the curve value of 85% and with 90% sensitivity. Thus, the right prefrontal hypoactivation assessed by fNIRS would serve as a potentially effective biomarker for classifying ADHD children at the individual level.

Sensors based on surface plasmons or waveguide modes are at the focus of interest for applications in biological or environmental chemistry. Waveguide-mode spectra of 1 mum-thick pure and perforated silica films comprising isolated nanometric holes with great aspect ratio were measured before and after adhesion of streptavidin at concentrations of 500 nM. The shift of the angular position for guided modes was nine times higher in perforated films than in bulk films. Capturing of streptavidin in the nanoholes is at the origin of that largely enhanced shift in the angular position as the amplitude of the guided mode in the waveguide perfectly overlaps with the perturbation caused by the molecules. Hence, the device allows for strongly confined modes and their strong perturbation to enable ultra-sensitive sensor applications.

Summary. The pathogenicity of oral bacteria was studied by measuring the development of subcutaneous abscesses in mice after infection with Actinomyces viscosus and Streptococcus mitis either singly or as co-aggregated pairs. Heat-treated cells were also tested. The pathogenicity of the co-aggregates was examined in various viable and heat-treated combinations of the two bacterial species. More abscesses were formed by A . viscosus than S. mitis at all the bacterial concentrations tested. Also, abscess formation by co-aggregates of the two strains produced a higher percentage of abscess formation than those caused by infection with pure suspensions of A . viscosus or S. mitis. Co-aggregated cells were more resistant to phagocytosis and killing by neutraphils in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, A . viscosus in coaggregates were resistant to killing after engulfment by neutrophils. These results suggest that oral bacteria that are able to co-aggregate may resist phagocytosis, and this ability may be linked with pathogenicity.

The structurally damaged zone in titanium dioxide rutile single crystal induced by MeV-order heavy ions was observed using high resolution electronic microscopy (HREM). Stressed regions as well as amorphous regions were identified in the damaged areas. Both stressed and amorphous regions were etched with hydrofluoric acid. The thermal spike model was used to calculate the track radii variation versus electron stopping power. When the calculated lattice temperature did not exceed the melting point of rutile titanium dioxide (2130K), no structural change introduced by ions, such as 90MeV Cl, was observed by HREM. It was found that the radius of the lattice temperature over the melting point corresponded closely to the radius of the stressed region. It was concluded that both stressed and amorphous regions are the result of quenching by molten titanium dioxide.

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Monochromatic x-ray emission is predicted for MeV channeled electrons/positrons. The mechanism of this radiation is intuitively understood as diffraction of virtual channeling radiation into the direction of the Bragg angles with respect to the electron beam. Our numerical calculations predict that spectral density of the emitted x rays is about ten times larger than that of parametric x-ray radiation.