Silicon carbide (SiC) nanowires coexisting with amorphous graphite particles were initially produced by using silicon powder, tetrachlorethylene, metallic Na, and sulfur powder as reactants in an autoclave at 130°C. Pure β-SiC could be finally obtained after heating the sample in concentrated H 2 SO 4 by refluxing at 180°C, which was proved by the Xray powder diffraction patterns. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show that the product is mainly composed of SiC nanowires (over 75 %) with an average diameter of about of 30 nm and lengths up to tens of micrometers. High-resolu-

Large deletions in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) may be involved in the pathogenesis of mitochondrial disease. In this study, we investigated the relationship between a 4,977-bp deletion in the mitochondrial genome (ΔmtDNA4977) and the severity of clinical symptoms in patients with mitochondrial disease lacking known point mutations. A total of 160 patients with mitochondrial disease and 101 healthy controls were recruited for this study. The copy numbers of ΔmtDNA4977 and wild-type mtDNA were determined by real-time quantitative PCR and analyzed using Spearman’s bivariate correlation analysis, t-tests, or one-way ANOVA. The overall ΔmtDNA4977 copy number per cell and the proportion of mtDNA4977 relative to the total wild-type mtDNA, increased with patient age and symptom severity. Surprisingly, the total mtDNA copy number decreased with increasing symptom severity. Our analyses revealed that increases in the proportion and total copy number of ΔmtDNA4977 in the blood may be associated with disease severity in patients with mitochondrial dysfunction.

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