We report on visibly white supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibers using a sub ns pump source at 1064 nm. The spectra extend from below 400 nm to 2450 nm, some 50 nm further into the blue than previously reported spectra. The extra bandwidth which is achieved by a simple modification to the fiber structure gives a higher apparent color temperature and a truly "white" visual appearance. The mechanism for the generation of the deeper blue to ultraviolet frequencies is outlined and our modified fiber is compared with fibers which have been conventionally used for supercontinuum generation.

Activated platelets and stimulated endothelial cells express Pselectin, an integral membrane protein receptor that binds monocytes and neutrophils. P-selectin mediates adhesion to glycoproteins with carbohydrate structures containing sialylLewis X. Since many carcinoma cells also express these carbohydrate structures and are known to interact with platelets, we asked whether P-selectin may mediate this interaction. Both small cell lung cancer and neuroblastoma cell lines bound to activated platelets, and this interaction was blocked with inhibitory anti-P-selectin antibodies and by pretreatment of these cancer cells with neuraminidase or trypsin. Platelet binding to the small cell lung cancer cells was not inhibited with anti-GP Ilb-Illa antibody or Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser peptide. Pretreatment of the neuroblastoma cells with inhibitors of N-linked carbohydrate biosynthesis had little effect on binding to P-selectin, indicating that relevant carbohydrate ligand(s) may be O-linked. In addition, lipospheres containing P-selectin specifically bound to cryostat sections derived from a small cell lung tumor and two neuroblastoma tumors, but not to sections of normal lung. These observations demonstrate that P-selectin mediates binding of platelets to small cell lung cancer and to neuroblastoma and suggest a possible role for this lectin in metastasis. (J.

We apply the recently developed theory of frequency generation by mixing of solitons and dispersive waves [Phys. Rev. E 72, 016619 (2005)] to explain the observed formation, quasi-trapping and frequency shift of the spectral peaks at the blue edge of supercontinua generated in silica-core photonic crystal fibers.

Passenger leukocyte transfer from the donor lung to the recipient is intrinsically involved in acute rejection. Direct presentation of alloantigen expressed on donor leukocytes is recognized by recipient T cells, promoting acute cellular rejection. We utilized ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) to study passenger leukocyte migration from donor lungs into the recipient and to evaluate the effects of donor leukocyte depletion prior to transplantation. For this purpose, female pigs received male left lungs either following 3 h of EVLP or retrieved using standard protocols. Recipients were monitored for 24 h and sequential samples were collected. EVLPreduced donor leukocyte transfer into the recipient and migration to recipient lymph nodes was markedly reduced. Recipient T cell infiltration of the donor lung was significantly diminished via EVLP. Donor leukocyte removal during EVLP reduces direct allorecognition and T cell priming, diminishing recipient T cell infiltration, the hallmark of acute rejection.