Biomedical subjects

Lien T Ngo

Publications and source records attributed to Lien T Ngo.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A generalized description of the elastic properties of nanowires.

We report a model of nanowire (NW) mechanics that describes force vs displacement curves over the entire elastic range for diverse wire systems. Due to the clamped-wire measurement configuration, the force response in the linear elastic regime can be linear or nonlinear, depending on the system and the wire displacement. For Au NWs the response is essentially linear since yielding occurs prior to the onset of the inherent nonlinearity, while for Si NWs the force response is highly nonlinear, followed by brittle fracture. Since the method describes the entire range of elastic deformation, it unequivocally identifies the yield points in both of these materials.

Computer-Aided Design↗

PubMed2006

Ultimate-strength germanium nanowires.

Semiconducting nanowires (NWs) are important "building blocks" for potential electrical and electromechanical devices. Here, we report on the mechanical properties of supercritical fluid-grown Ge NWs with radii between 20 and 80 nm. An analysis of the bending and tensile stresses during deformation and failure reveals that while the NWs have a Young's modulus comparable to the bulk value, they have an ultimate strength of 15 GPa, which is the maximum theoretical strength of these materials. This exceptional strength is the highest reported for any conventional semiconductor material and demonstrates that these NWs are without defect or flaws that compromise the mechanical properties.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Tumor progression can occur despite the induction of very high levels of self/tumor antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in patients with melanoma.

The identification of many tumor-associated epitopes as nonmutated "self" Ags led to the hypothesis that the induction of large numbers of self/tumor Ag-specific T cells would be prevented because of central and peripheral tolerance. We report in this study on vaccination efforts in 95 HLA-A*0201 patients at high risk for recurrence of malignant melanoma who received prolonged immunization with the "anchor-modified" synthetic peptide, gp100209-217(210M). Vaccination using this altered peptide immunogen was highly effective at inducing large numbers of self/tumor-Ag reactive T cells in virtually every patient tested, with levels as high as 42% of all CD8+ T cells assessed by tetramer analysis. From 1 to 10% of all CD8+ cells were tumor-Ag reactive in 44% of patients and levels >10% were generated in 17% of patients. These studies were substantiated using the ELISPOT assay and a bulk cytokine release assay. Although our data regarding "tumor escape" were inconclusive, some patients had growing tumors that expressed Ag and HLA-A*0201 in the presence of high levels of antitumor T cells. There was no difference in the levels of antitumor Ag-specific T cells in patients who recurred compared with those that remained disease-free. Thus, the mere presence of profoundly expanded numbers of vaccine-induced, self/tumor Ag-specific T cells cannot by themselves be used as a "surrogate marker" for vaccine efficacy. Further, the induction of even high levels of antitumor T cells may be insufficient to alter tumor progression.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Growth and sintering of Pd clusters on alpha-Al2O3(0001).

The growth and sintering of Pd nanoparticles on alpha-Al(2)O(3)(0001) have been studied by noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM), low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy (LEIS), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). This is the first study of metal nanoparticles on a well-defined oxide surface where both NC-AFM and LEIS are used for characterization. These prove to be a powerful combination in assessing particle dimensions. The clean alumina surface showed atomically flat, 200-700 nm wide terraces. The sharp step edges are straight (within our resolution) for lengths of >300 nm and have heights in multiples of 0.2 nm. The Pd grows initially as two-dimensional (2D) islands at 300 K, with the transition to 3D particle growth at 0.25 ML (ML=monolayers). Upon heating at 1 K/s, the Pd starts to sinter below 400 K, and sinters at a nearly constant rate with increasing temperature, covering approximately 50% less of the alumina surface by approximately 1000 K, with a doubling in particle diameter and an eightfold decrease in particle number density. By approximately 1000 K, the number density was approximately 9 x 10(11)cm(2) for 0.8 ML of Pd, with an average diameter of 5 nm and an average thickness of 1 nm.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Altered CD8(+) T-cell responses when immunizing with multiepitope peptide vaccines.

Efforts to develop effective cancer vaccines often use combinations of immunogenic peptides to increase the applicability and effectiveness of the immunizations. The immunologic consequences of combining more than 1 self/tumor antigen in a single vaccine emulsion remain unclear, however. We performed 2 sequential clinical trials in patients at high risk for melanoma recurrence. Patients were given the highly immunogenic gp100:209-217(210M) peptide and the less immunogenic tyrosinase:368-376(370D) peptide once every 3 weeks for 4 weeks. This vaccination course was 12 weeks long, and patients were vaccinated for up to 4 courses (16 total vaccinations). In the first trial in 31 patients, the peptides were emulsified separately in incomplete Freund adjuvant and injected at 2 different sites. In the second trial in 33 patients, the peptides were emulsified together and injected at the same site. Cryopreserved lymphocytes were obtained by apheresis after each course and were evaluated for antipeptide activity using tetramer, enzyme-linked immunospot, and in vitro sensitization boost assays. When the peptides were injected at separate sites, robust specific reactivity to the native gp100:209-217 peptide was measured by each of the assays, whereas immunization with the tyrosinase:368-376(370D) peptide was far less effective. When the peptides were emulsified and injected together at the same site, immunization to the gp100:209-217(210M) epitope dropped precipitously, whereas reactivity to the tyrosinase:368-376(370D) peptide was enhanced. These cautionary data indicate that mixing peptides in the same emulsion can alter reactivity compared with peptides injected separately by mechanisms that may include the induction of localized nonspecific inflammation or competitive binding of peptides to major histocompatibility complex molecules.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

IL-7 administration to humans leads to expansion of CD8+ and CD4+ cells but a relative decrease of CD4+ T-regulatory cells.

Lymphopenia is a serious consequence of HIV infection and the administration of cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Although growth factors can be administered to patients to increase circulating neutrophils, there is no effective method to stimulate CD8+ lymphocyte production in humans, in vivo. This report is the first to describe the administration of recombinant interleukin-7 to humans and demonstrates the ability of this cytokine to mediate selective increases in CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes along with a decrease in the percentage of CD4+ T-regulatory cells. These studies suggest an important role for interleukin-7 in the treatment of patients with lymphopenia.

Adult↗