Explore the vast range of titles available.

Ketamine, an N -methyl- D -aspartate receptor (NMDAR) channel blocker, has been found to induce rapid and robust antidepressant-like effects in rodent models and in treatment-refractory depressed patients. However, the marked acute psychological side effects of ketamine complicate the interpretation of both preclinical and clinical data. Moreover, the lack of controlled data demonstrating the ability of ketamine to sustain the antidepressant response with repeated administration leaves the potential clinical utility of this class of drugs in question. Using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) to objectively align doses of a low-trapping NMDA channel blocker, AZD6765 (lanicemine), to that of ketamine, we demonstrate the potential for NMDA channel blockers to produce antidepressant efficacy without psychotomimetic and dissociative side effects. Furthermore, using placebo-controlled data, we show that the antidepressant response to NMDA channel blockers can be maintained with repeated and intermittent drug administration. Together, these data provide a path for the development of novel glutamatergic-based therapeutics for treatment-refractory mood disorders.

Increasing antimicrobial resistance in nontyphoid Salmonella species has been a serious problem for public health worldwide. The high rate of resistance is hampering the use of conventional antibiotics, and growing resistance to newer antimicrobial agents is aggravating the situation. The circumstances of occurrence and spread of antimicrobial resistance are complex; however, a major cause is the widespread use of antimicrobial agents in food animals, particularly in animal feed. Genetic analysis has indicated that the source of resistance is frequently a transferable plasmid. Recent studies have revealed that some serotype-specific virulence plasmids form hybrid plasmids through recombination with resistance plasmids or acquire gene cassettes consisting of multiple resistance genes. Such evolutionary events provide a virulent strain the advantage of survival in an unfavorable drug environment. In view of the serious implications associated with drug-resistant Salmonella species, a more deliberate use of antibiotics in both human medicine and animal industry is warranted. Continued surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and use of antimicrobial agents in food animals is also indispensable.

A new design of a circularly polarised square slot antenna loaded with a cross patch is presented. A cross patch inclined diagonally with respect to the square slot is placed at the centre of the square slot. By choosing proper dimensions of the cross patch, two orthogonal resonant modes with a 90 deg phase difference for circular polarisation can be excited and feed the square slot antenna using a 50 CPW with a protruded signal strip. 10dB return loss bandwidth of 846MHz (39.6%) and 3dB axial ratio bandwidth of 240MHz (12.4%) for the proposed antenna are achieved. Gain variation within the CP bandwidth is observed to be less than 1dB.

Compact oxide scale at a high speed steel (HSS) work roll surface during hot rolling process can act as an effective solid lubricant and a protective layer for better product surface quality. In this study, considering practical hot rolling process time, microstructure and surface roughness of three oxide scales on a HSS work roll have been systematically characterized with a help of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It has been found that growth of the oxide scale follows a parabolic rate law and the dominant oxide phase is hematite. In addition, surface roughness increases dramatically when the oxidation time is less than 30 min and then changes slightly, when the HSS specimens were isothermally oxidized at 600 °C in a dry air. Residual stress evolutions with oxidation time have also been examined in details using X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. Measurement of microhardness at the HSS specimen surface revealed that development of defects and decrease of compressive residual stress in the oxide layer lead to a slight decrease in the microhardness.

Two hundred and four Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi (S. Typhi) isolates were collected from seven Asian countries during 2002–2004. Multidrug-resistant S. Typhi (resistant to ⩾3 antibiotics) was detected in 84 (41·2%) isolates and 142 (69·6%) showed reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (minimum inhibitory concentration=0·125–1·0 mg/l). This study highlights the worsening situation of antimicrobial resistance of S. Typhi in Asia.

Salmonella enterica serotype choleraesuis ( S choleraesuis) usually causes systemic infections in man that need antimicrobial treatment. We isolated a strain of S choleraesuis that was resistant to ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin from a patient with sepsis. Ciprofloxacin resistance was associated with mutations in gyrA and parC, whereas the ampC gene ( bla CMY-2), responsible for ceftriaxone resistance, was carried by a transposon-like mobile element. This element was found inserted into finQ of a potentially transmissible 140 kb plasmid, with an 8 bp direct repeat flanking the junction regions. The appearance of this resistant S choleraesuis is a serious threat to public health, and thus constant surveillance is warranted.

To monitor the changing trend of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing bacteria, a 7-year continuous study was launched in 2001 at the largest tertiary hospital in Taiwan. A significant increase over the study period was evident for ESBL-producing isolates of Escherichia coli (4·8–10·0%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (15·0–23·4%). Molecular investigation conducted in three separate periods revealed the prevalent ESBL types and their genetic relatedness. CTX-M-producing isolates (73·8%) were more prevalent than SHV-type ESBLs (37·0%), the most frequent being CTX-M-14 (34·3%), CTX-M-3 (25·9%), and SHV-12 (25·7%). However, a marked increase of CTX-M-15-producing isolates from 2·1% in 2002 to 29·6% in 2007 was also noted. The increase of ESBL-producing isolates in both species may be mainly due to the horizontal transmission of resistance plasmids, while clonal expansion of some epidemic strains further added to the dispersion of ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae.

Twin-roll strip casting is an effective technology to produce magnesium alloy strips economically. The aim of this work is to propose suitable (optimized) process parameters for manufacturing AZ61 strips using the twin-roll strip casting technology. Experiments on twin-roll strip casting of an AZ61 magnesium alloy were carried out. Temperature fields, fluid flow fields, and stress fields accompanying the process were simulated using thermal-fluid and thermal-mechanical finite element methods. The effects of casting speed and pouring temperature on temperature fields, fluid flow fields, and stress fields during the process were analyzed. It was found that the optimum pouring temperature should be in the range 690∼715 °C and the optimum casting speed in the range 2.3 and 2.5 m/min.

The single-phase, body-centered orthorhombic-structured, Cu-doped PbPdO 2 films with a nanograin structure were synthesized by using the sol–gel spin-coating method and an oxidation treatment. It was found that large amounts of Pb vacancies exist in the nanograin film and Pb ions possess a mixed valence state of 2+ and 4+. Besides the superparamagnetism and the charge ordering state, the magnetic studies displayed that ferromagnetism, which can persist up to 380 K, exists in the Cu-doped PbPdO 2 nanograin film. As a peculiar characteristic of the spin gapless semiconductor, the ferromagnetic saturation magnetization increasing unusually with temperatures above 300 K was also discovered. The bound magnetic polarons based on the Pb vacancies, the doped Cu 2+ ions, and the Pb ions with a valence higher than 2+ were believed to be the origin of such high-temperature ferromagnetism. Graphical abstract