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Unlike the top‐down cascading effects driven by apex predators, the bottom‐up effects on biological interactions originating from herbivory by large mammals, especially within mammalian assemblages, have received less attention. This study aimed to identify the multifaceted impacts driven by sika deer (Cervus nippon) during midwinters, when their herbivory impacts were expected to be strong due to deficient dietary resources. We focused on interference and exploitative competition caused by deer on the habitat use of four sympatric mammal species, namely two herbivores (Japanese serow, Capricornis crispus, and Japanese hare, Lepus brachyurus angustidens) and two mesocarnivores (red fox, Vulpes vulpes, and Japanese marten, Martes melampus melampus). To estimate the wintering behaviors of these mammals and deer herbivory pressure, we performed snow tracking and counted the fresh feeding marks of deer during midwinter in 2022 and 2023. We conducted surveys on 201‐km transects with different stages of deer population recovery (i.e., different deer population densities) in heavy snowfall regions of Japan. We then systematically quantified the deer‐driven effects on sympatric mammals using piecewise structural equation modeling (SEM). We recorded 1700 tracks of target mammals and 1327 trees with deer feeding marks. Based on these records, we constructed an SEM with acceptable performance (Fisher's C = 27.1, P = 0.30). The SEM suggested some possibilities that exploitative competition mediated by deer herbivory constrained the habitat use of mammals with dietary habits similar to that of deer, i.e., serow (effect size, −0.13) and hares (−0.14). In addition, through constricting the habitat use of hares, the deer‐driven cascading effects reduced the occurrence of their key predators, i.e., foxes (−0.12) and martens (−0.10). Thus, our observations provide novel evidence that food webs are regulated by herbivore‐driven bottom‐up cascading effects in cases where plant primary productivity is limited by heavy snowfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various palladium and manganese supported in a mix of carbon and indium thin oxide (PdMn/C-ITO) compositions were synthesized by a sodium borohydride reduction process for methane activation at low temperatures in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) reactor. These electrocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy XPS, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ICP-MS, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and a PEMFC reactor. The diffractograms of PdMn/C-ITO electrocatalysts revealed the face-centered cubic structure of palladium and the bixbyite cubic structure of In2O3. TEM experiments showed mean nanoparticle sizes between 4.7 and 5.2 nm for all electrocatalysts. XPS results showed the presence of palladium and manganese oxides, as well as Pd0 species. Cyclic voltammograms of PdMn/C-ITO electrocatalysts showed an increase in current density values after the methane adsorption, this result is related to formation of methanol or formic acidic. Polarization curves at 80 °C acquired in a PEMFC reactor showed that PdMn(70:30)/C-ITO and PdMn(50:50)/C-ITO have superior performance when compared to Pd/C-ITO indicating the beneficial effect of adding Mn, this behavior can be attributed to the bifunctional mechanism or to the electronic effect of support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Search asymmetry is a phenomenon in which search efficiency in a visual-search task differs for searching for an X target among Y distractors from search for a Y target among X distractors. Previous research shows that search asymmetry is mainly produced by a difference in the whole signal strength of items or a difference in item familiarity. This study reports that a difference in the local fluency within items also affects search efficiency and generates search asymmetry. Fluency is a value that correlates with the processing efficiency of an item. In particular, five experiments reveal that search efficiency for two part items depends on whether a fluent part is the top or bottom portion of a target (vs. distractor). We argue that this type of search asymmetry implicates the operation of an unknown mechanism that detects local fluency gradient in visual processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular oxygen serves as a useful oxidant for the glycol scission of 1,2-diols and the Hofmann rearrangement of primary amides using pentamethyliodobenzene as a catalyst. The use of isobutyraldehyde and Lewis basic nitriles under O2 enabled the iodine(i)/(iii) catalytic cycle, where in situ-generated peracid acts as a terminal oxidant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urocortin (UCN) group of neuropeptides includes urocortin 1/sauvagine/urotensin 1 (UTS1), urocortin 2 (UCN2) and urocortin 3 (UCN3). In recent years, evidence has accumulated showing that UCNs play pivotal roles in mediating stress response and anxiety in mammals. Evidence has also emerged regarding the evolutionary conservation of UCNs in vertebrates, but very little information is available about UCNs in non-mammalian vertebrates. Indeed, at present, there are no reports of the empirical identification of ucn2 in non-mammalian vertebrates or of the distribution of ucn2 and ucn3 expression in the adult central nervous system (CNS) of these animals. To gain insight into the evolutionary nature of UCNs in vertebrates, we cloned uts1, ucn2 and ucn3 in a teleost fish, medaka and examined the spatial expression of these genes in the adult brain and spinal cord. Although all known UCN2 genes except those in rodents have been reported to likely lack the necessary structural features to produce a functional pre-pro-protein, all three UCN genes in medaka, including ucn2, displayed all of these features, suggesting their functionality. The three UCN genes exhibited distinct spatial expression patterns in the medaka brain: uts1 was primarily expressed in broad regions of the dorsal telencephalon, ucn2 was expressed in restricted regions of the thalamus and brainstem and ucn3 was expressed in discrete nuclei throughout many regions of the brain. We also found that these genes were all expressed throughout the medaka spinal cord, each with a distinct spatial pattern. Given that many of these regions have been implicated in stress responses and anxiety, the three UCNs may serve distinct physiological roles in the medaka CNS, including those involved in stress and anxiety, as shown in the mammalian CNS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the effects of atrazine and imazalil, 2 commonly used pesticides, on sexual differentiation in chickens. Atrazine and imazalil were injected into fertile eggs on d 0. At hatching, sex genotype and phenotype were determined. Gonads were stereomicroscopically and histologically observed. In ovo exposure of atrazine (0.01 to 3 mg/egg) did not influence hatchability, whereas imazalil exposure (2 mg/egg) inhibited hatch- ability. The sex genotype matched the sex phenotype in controls, atrazine, and imazalil-exposed groups. In control females, the right gonad was regressed at hatching. Regression of the right gonad, however, was inhibited following atrazine and imazalil exposure. In atrazine-exposed female chicks, the left gonads had normal ovary structures, and the remaining right gonads had ovary medulla-like structures. In imazalil-exposed females, some left gonads had an ovary medulla-like structure without the cortex as well as tubules, and the right gonad had testis-like structures. There was no change in male gonads at hatching following atrazine and imazalil exposure. Aromatase activity of the left gonad from female chicks was not changed by any concentration of atrazine exposure. These results suggest that atrazine and imazalil inhibit regression of the right gonad in female chicks, although it is not clear whether the remaining right gonad has aromatase activity. In ovo exposure to atrazine influences sexual differentiation of the ovary by different mechanisms from imazalil, possibly by the induction of aromatase in the right gonad, whereas it is confirmed that imazalil inhibits in vitro aromatase activity in the chick ovary. The results indicated that in ovo exposure to imazalil inhibits sexual differentiation of the ovary by inhibiting aromatase activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The specific capacitance of exfoliated carbon fibers (ExCF) which were synthesized from pitch-based carbon fibers showed a strong dependence with the concentration of sulfuric acid electrolyte and reached 1.4 F/m2 in 18 M H2SO4 solution. Since the capacitance value is quite large compared with the case of conventional activated carbons, faradic reactions (charge transfer reactions) are the cause of pseudo-capacitance. ExCF, however, gave a featureless cyclic voltammogram in 18 M H2SO4 solution. In the case of exfoliated natural graphite, the intercalation of H2SO4 molecules is evidenced by redox peaks observed in the voltammograms in the same conditions. Therefore, a strong interaction between the H2SO4 molecules and the ExCF surface might be the reason for the origin of pseudo-capacitance with ExCF in H2SO4 electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the production of carbon aerogels from a solution of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) through a novel method in which the sol-gel transformation has been carried out based on dehydrochlorination using a strong organic base. Advantages of this method over the classical one are the wider controllable range of porous structure and the shorter preparation period due to the avoidance of the solvent exchange process prior to the supercritical drying; Conversion of the PVC-based organic aerogels into the carbon aerogels without causing large mass loss and fusion; Application of a stabilization treatment prior to carbonization.

Aim To evaluate in vitro the cleaning of root-canal walls after irrigation with different irrigants. Methodology A total of 36 recently extracted human teeth were divided into four experimental groups according to the irrigating solution used: saline; 2% chlorhexidine; 2.5% sodium hypochlorite; and 2.5% sodium hypochlorite + EDTA. The cleaning of the apical, middle and coronal thirds of the root canals was evaluated by scanning electron microscope examination using a 4-point scoring system. Results The best cleaning was obtained using 2.5% sodium hypochlorite and EDTA, followed by 2.5% sodium hypochlorite only (P < 0.05), whose cleaning was similar to chlorhexidine only in the cervical third. Cleaning by saline and 2% chlorhexidine was worse than the other two groups and was similar in all thirds. Better cleaning was found in the cervical and middle thirds for all groups with the worst results in the apical third. Conclusions The apical third of the root canals was not cleaned as well as the middle and coronal thirds. Cleaning by chlorhexidine and saline was inferior compared to the cleaning by sodium hypochlorite with and without EDTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic aerogels were derived from dimethylformamide solution of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) via dehydrochlorination using a strong base, 1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]undec-7-ene, and supercritical drying using carbon dioxide. From these organic aerogels, carbon aerogels were yielded via stabilization and carbonization. Changes in the porous structure of the aerogels during the preparation process and influences of the preparation conditions on the porous structure were investigated. The framework of the aerogels composed the walls of the meso- and macropores. The volume and the size of these pores were reduced during stabilization and carbonization due to the shrinkage of the framework caused by the release of decomposition gases and densification of the material. Simultaneously, the release of decomposition gases produced additional micropores. The extent of dehydrochlorination, the concentration of PVC in the starting solution and the molecular weight of PVC were the factors with which the porous structure of the aerogels could be controlled over a wide range. In addition, the stabilization conditions notably influenced the carbonization behavior of the organic aerogels and the porous structure of the carbon aerogels. The optimum stabilization conditions that minimized the loss of mass and maximized the pore volume of the carbon aerogels were determined. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Mesoporous carbon films were prepared from poly(vinylidene fluoride) through liquid-phase dehydrofluorination (DHF)-treatment, carbonization at a high temperature and activation in carbon dioxide gas. The adsorption capacity of the resultant carbon was investigated by using nitrogen and methylene blue as adsorbates. The maximum adsorption capacity was obtained for the activated carbon prepared by applying a slight extent of DHF-treatment. The growing process of the pores in this carbon during activation was considered based on the changes of mass, pore volume and surface area. In order to increase the pore size in the activated carbon, it was essential to increase the pore size in the carbon before activation. The application of a slight extent of DHF-treatment was effective to increase the pore size in the carbon before activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes relative clauses. Following of the accessibility hierarchy; Functional relationship between antecedent and relative pronoun; Position of relative clauses in sentences.

Reports that single-wall carbon nanotubes were grown in the tunneling gap of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Observation of the growth processes in situ by operating the STM in a transmission electron microscope; Covering of the STM tip and sample with graphite layers.

Summary: Multi‐emitter fitting algorithms have been developed to improve the temporal resolution of single‐molecule switching nanoscopy, but the molecular density range they can analyse is narrow and the computation required is intensive, significantly limiting their practical application. Here, we propose a computationally fast method, wedged template matching (WTM), an algorithm that uses a template matching technique to localise molecules at any overlapping molecular density from sparse to ultrahigh density with subdiffraction resolution. WTM achieves the localization of overlapping molecules at densities up to 600 molecules μm–2 with a high detection sensitivity and fast computational speed. WTM also shows localization precision comparable with that of DAOSTORM (an algorithm for high‐density super‐resolution microscopy), at densities up to 20 molecules μm–2, and better than DAOSTORM at higher molecular densities. The application of WTM to a high‐density biological sample image demonstrated that it resolved protein dynamics from live cell images with subdiffraction resolution and a temporal resolution of several hundred milliseconds or less through a significant reduction in the number of camera images required for a high‐density reconstruction. WTM algorithm is a computationally fast, multi‐emitter fitting algorithm that can analyse over a wide range of molecular densities. The algorithm is available through the website. https://doi.org/10.17632/bf3z6xpn5j.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Epidermal growth factor receptor ( EGFR) is known to be abnormally expressed in many human carcinomas, suggesting that there may be an increase in serum EGFR levels in patients with malignant melanoma ( MM) and that this might be a possible new tumour marker. Aim To assess whether serum EGFR levels might be a marker of MM. Methods Serum samples were obtained from 66 patients with MM and 12 healthy controls, and EGFR levels were measured by double-determinant ELISA. Results Patients with in situ or stage I MM had significantly higher serum EGFR levels compared with healthy controls. Interestingly, serum EGFR levels decreased gradually with the stage of the tumour, being highest at stage I and lowest at stage IV. There was also a trend towards a reverse correlation between tumour thickness and serum EGFR levels. Moreover, a longitudinal study identified a trend for serum EGFR levels in patients with preoperative MM to decrease compared with patients with recurrent MM. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first report investigating the serum EGFR levels of patients with MM, and gives new insight into the relationship between EGFR and MM. We found that serum EGFR levels were significantly increased in patients with early-stage MM such as in situ and stage I tumours. Measurements of serum EGFR levels might be of clinical value in the detection of early-stage MM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA (miRNA; miR) is a class of small regulatory RNA molecules, the aberrant expression of which can lead to the development of cancer. We recently reported that overexpression of miR-21 and/or miR-155 leads to activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT pathway in malignant lymphomas expressing CD3−CD56+ natural killer (NK) cell antigen. Through expression analysis, we show in this study that in both NK/T-cell lymphoma lines and samples of primary lymphoma, levels of miR-150 expression are significantly lower than in normal NK cells. To examine its role in lymphomagenesis, we transduced miR-150 into NK/T-cell lymphoma cells, which increased the incidence of apoptosis and reduced cell proliferation. Moreover, the miR-150 transductants appeared senescent and showed lower telomerase activity, resulting in shortened telomeric DNA. We also found that miR-150 directly downregulated expression of DKC1 and AKT2, reduced levels of phosphorylated AKTser473/4 and increased levels of tumor suppressors such as Bim and p53. Collectively, these results suggest that miR-150 functions as a tumor suppressor, and that its aberrant downregulation induces continuous activation of the PI3K-AKT pathway, leading to telomerase activation and immortalization of cancer cells. These findings provide new insight into the pathogenesis of malignant lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) is a cell cycle regulator and a heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) client. It is essential for cell proliferation and survival. In this report, we analyzed the mechanisms of Chk1 regulation in U87MG glioblastoma cells using Geldanamycin (GA), which interferes with the function of Hsp90. GA reduced Chk1 protein level but not its mRNA level in glioblastoma cells. Co-treatment with GA and cycloheximide (CHX), a protein synthesis inhibitor, induced a decrease of half-life of the Chk1 protein to 3h and resulted in Chk1 down-regulation. CHX alone induced only 32% reduction of Chk1 protein even after 24h. These findings indicated that reduction of Chk1 by GA was due to destabilization and degradation of the protein. In addition, GA-induced down-regulation of Chk1 was reversed by MG132, a specific proteasome inhibitor. And it was revealed that Chk1 was ubiquitinated by GA. These results have indicated that degradation of Chk1 by GA was mediated by the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway in U87MG glioblastoma cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We studied the extent to which wild nine-banded armadillos, Dasypus novemcinctus , produce immune humoral responses specifically directed against characteristic Paracoccidioides brasiliensis antigens. Such antibody production might reflect direct contact with the ecological microniche of P. brasiliensis , or might merely reflect inhalation of widely distributed airborne propagules. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was designed containing purified glycoprotein gp43 and gp70 antigens from P. brasiliensis as well as cross-reactive antisera originally targeted against human IgM (μ chain) and armadillo anti-IgG (γ-chain). It was used to detect and classify IgM and IgG antibodies to P. brasiliensis in the armadillo. In a serological survey of 47 wild armadillos, IgM antibodies to gp43 were detected in seven animals (14.8%), and IgG antibodies were detected in 20 (42.5%). IgM antibodies to gp70 were detected in 10 (21.3%) animals and IgG antibodies were detected in 18 (38.3%). These results, showing a pattern consistent with infection, suggest that P. brasiliensis is enzootic in armadillos. How the animals became exposed could not be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism by which hippocampal neurons are selectively vulnerable to ischemic injury remains unclarified. Neuronal lysosomes are known to contain the cysteine protease cathepsins, which may be involved in the mechanism of delayed neuronal death. In this study, the expression and localization of cathepsins in the postischemic hippocampal neurons of the monkey were examined. Enzymatic activities and protein levels of cathepsins B and L were increased after ischemia in both the vulnerable CA1 sector and the remaining resistant sectors. Immunohistochemical analysis suggested that lysosomal enzymes of CA1 were localized mainly in the neuropil and not in the neuronal cell bodies, while the enzymes of CA2–4 sectors were located within the neurons and associated with the perinuclear lysosomal granules. Thus, it was concluded that distributional differences of cathepsins B and L after transient ischemia could be related to selective CA1 neuronal death in the hippocampus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Administration of intermittent parathyroid hormone (PTH) promoted healing of tibial osseous defects and tooth extraction wounds and prevented the development of necrotic lesions in rats on a combined bisphosphonate and steroid regimen. Introduction: Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) has emerged in association with antiresorptive therapies. The pathophysiology of ONJ is unknown and no established cure currently exists. Our objective was to determine the effect of intermittent PTH administration on early osseous healing in the jaw and long bones of rats receiving bisphosphonate and steroid treatment. Methods: Ovariectomized rats received the combination therapy of alendronate and dexamethasone (ALN/DEX) for 12 weeks. Osseous wounds were created in the jaw and tibia. PTH was administered intermittently and healing at 2 weeks post-op was compared between the jaw and tibia by microcomputed tomography and histomorphometric analyses. Results: ALN/DEX treatment was associated with necrotic open wounds in the jaw but had no negative effects on healing and promoted bone fill in tibial defects. PTH therapy prevented the development of necrotic lesions in the jaw and promoted healing of the tibial defects. PTH therapy was associated with the promotion of osteocyte survival in osseous wounds both in the jaw and tibia. Conclusions: Wound healing was impaired in the jaw in rats on a combined bisphosphonate and steroid regimen, and PTH therapy rescued necrotic lesions. These findings suggest that PTH therapy could be utilized to prevent ONJ from occurring in patients on combination antiresorptive and steroid therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:It is becoming increasingly recognised that opioids are responsible for tumour growth. However, the effects of opioids on tumour growth have been controversial.Methods:The effects of κ-opioid receptor (KOR) agonist on the growth of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells were assessed by a cell proliferation assay. Western blotting was performed to ascertain the mechanism by which treatment with KOR agonist suppresses tumour growth.Results:Addition of the selective KOR agonist U50,488H to gefitinib-sensitive (HCC827) and gefitinib-resistant (H1975) NSCLC cells produced a concentration-dependent decrease in their growth. These effects were abolished by co-treatment with the selective KOR antagonist nor-BNI. Furthermore, the growth-inhibitory effect of gefitinib in HCC827 cells was further enhanced by co-treatment with U50,488H. With regard to the inhibition of tumour growth, the addition of U50, 488H to H1975 cells produced a concentration-dependent decrease in phosphorylated-glycogen synthase kinase 3β (p-GSK3β).Conclusion:The present results showed that stimulation of KOR reduces the growth of gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells through the activation of GSK3β. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of Vδ1+ γδ T lymphocytes has been described in various infections including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and malaria. However, the antigen specificity and functions of the human Vδ1+ T cells remain obscure. We sought to explore the biological role for this T cell subset by investigating the reconstitution of T cell receptor (TCR) repertoires of Vδ1+ γδ T lymphocytes after human allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We observed skewed TCR repertoires of the Vδ1+ T cells in 27 of 44 post-transplant patients. Only one patient developed EBV-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in the present patient cohort. The -WGI- amino acid motif was observed in CDR3 of clonally expanded Vδ1+ T cells in half the patients. A skew was also detected in certain healthy donors, and the Vδ1+ T cell clone derived from the donor mature T cell pool persisted in the recipient's blood even 10 years after transplant. This T cell clone expanded in vitro against stimulation with autologous EBV–lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL), and the Vδ1+ T cell line expanded in vitro from the same patient showed cytotoxicity against autologous EBV–LCL. EBV-infected cells could also induce in vitro oligoclonal expansions of autologous Vδ1+ T cells from healthy EBV-seropositive individuals. These results suggest that human Vδ1+ T cells have a TCR repertoire against EBV-infected B cells and may play a role in protecting recipients of allogeneic HSCT from EBV-associated disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the silkworm, Bombyx mori (female, ZW; male, ZZ), femaleness is determined by the presence of a single W chromosome, irrespective of the number of autosomes or Z chromosomes. The W chromosome is devoid of functional genes, except the putative female-determining gene ( Fem). However, there are strains in which chromosomal fragments containing autosomal markers have been translocated on to W. In this study, we analysed the W chromosomal regions of the Zebra-W strain (T(W;3) Ze chromosome) and the Black-egg-W strain (T(W;10)+ w−2 chromosome) at the molecular level. Initially, we undertook a project to identify W-specific RAPD markers, in addition to the three already established W-specific RAPD markers (W-Kabuki, W-Samurai and W-Kamikaze). Following the screening of 3648 arbitrary 10-mer primers, we obtained nine W-specific RAPD marker sequences (W-Bonsai, W-Mikan, W-Musashi, W-Rikishi, W-Sakura, W-Sasuke, W-Yukemuri-L, W-Yukemuri-S and BMC1-Kabuki), almost all of which contained the border regions of retrotransposons, namely portions of nested retrotransposons. We confirmed the presence of eleven out of twelve W-specific RAPD markers in the normal W chromosomes of twenty-five silkworm strains maintained in Japan. These results indicate that the W chromosomes of the strains in Japan are almost identical in type. The Zebra-W strain (T(W;3) Ze chromosome) lacked the W-Samurai and W-Mikan RAPD markers and the Black-egg-W strain (T(W;10)+ w−2 chromosome) lacked the W-Mikan RAPD marker. These results strongly indicate that the regions containing the W-Samurai and W-Mikan RAPD markers or the W-Mikan RAPD marker were deleted in the T(W;3) Ze and T(W;10)+ w−2 chromosomes, respectively, due to reciprocal translocation between the W chromosome and the autosome. This deletion apparently does not affect the expression of Fem; therefore, this deleted region of the W chromosome does not contain the putative Fem gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary A 55-year-old man presented with esthesioneuroblastoma in the right paranasal sinuses and orbita, extending into the right anterior and middle cranial fossa. He received a partial resection of tumour and post-operative radiotherapy, which was set with a central focus on the right orbit. Five years later, he came to our hospital with a complaint of left exophthalmos. Neuro-imaging revealed that the tumour recurred on the opposite side of the primary lesion, which was out side the irradiated field, with progressive invasion of the left temporal dura. The residual tumour in the irradiated field had reduced in size. He received gross total resection and post-operative radiotherapy. We would like to emphasize that radiotherapy is an important adjuvant therapy for esthesioneuroblastoma, and that the field setting for radiation therapy is extremely important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exfoliated carbon fibers (ExCFs) were prepared by the decomposition of intercalation compounds with nitric acid derived from pitch-based carbon fibers and used as electrodes of electrochemical capacitors in sulfuric acid electrolyte. The specific capacitance, which was estimated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge (CD) measurements, increased gradually with the concentration of the electrolyte up to10 mol/dm3 and then rapidly to huge value in higher concentration of electrolyte. The capacitance obtained for a sample with the largest specific surface area (ca. 300 m2/g) was 450 F/g, which was calculated from the 50th discharge curve of CD experiment. The results suggest the possibility of pseudo-capacitance by the intercalation of sulfuric acid molecules into graphite gallery of ExCFs electrode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We evaluated contrast-enhanced MRA (enhanced 3-D fast gradient-echo [efgre3d] with spectral inversion recovery) for identification of 15 intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in 14 patients. Demonstration of the feeding arteries was classified as good for 16 examinations on maximum-intensity projections and multiprojection volume reconstruction images. The nidus was seen well in all patients. Definition of the draining veins was good or fair except for one poor result. Therapeutic effects were clearly demonstrated in three follow-up series. Contrast-enhanced MRA using efgre3d is useful for delineation of AVMs and for follow-up after treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of this report is a rare case of a 5-year-old girl who developed an arachnoid cyst with a bony and dural defect in the parietal convexity. She had no history of head trauma or infection. Surgical exploration revealed the bulging lesion to consist of cerebrospinal fluid-containing spongy subcutaneous tissue and to extend into the bony and dural defect. The arachnoid cyst cavity was found beneath the subcutaneous lesion and was not connected to the adjacent subarachnoid space. Histologically, the subcutaneous tissue contained a complex of sinusoidal channels formed by an abundance of migrating arachnoidal cells, thus mimicking meningocele.Copyright © 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrated the efficacy of a long- term cultured cytotoxic T-lymphocyte line, CTLL-D4, on tumour growth inhibition using athymic nude mice as recipients. CTLL-D4, specific for a unique surface determinant on a radiation-induced leukaemia RL♂1 of BALB/c origin, was obtained from the limiting dilution culture of MLTC cells performed between spleen cells of a CS6F1-nu/ + mouse immunized in vivo and RL♂1 stimulator cells, and cultured for several months in the absence of added TCGF as described in our preceding paper (Kuribayashi, 1985). The specific inhibition of tumour growth by CTLL-D4 was demonstrated both in Winn-type neutralization assay and in systemic transfer experiments. A subcutaneous inoculation of the mixture of CTLL-D4 and RL♂1 cells resulted in the complete inhibition of tumour growth, even at the effector to tumour cell ratio of 1 : 1, whereas non-cytolytic D4f, which was self-Ia antigen(s)-reactive, composed entirely of Lyt-l + 23- T cells and derived originally from CTLL-D4 but completely lost its cytotoxic activity during culture with the irradiated syngeneic feeder cells alone, had no inhibitory effect at all. In the adoptive transfer studies, the subcutaneously established tumours were rejected by the single i.v. transfer of 2 × 107 CTLL-D4 cells into CB6F1-nu/nu mice. However, D4f was ineffective again in this systemic transfer system. When the effect of CTLL-D4 cells on tumour rejection in vivo was compared to that of non-cultured spleen cells hyperimmunized with RL♂1 cells, the former exhibited more rapid rejection in nude mice after i.v. transfer than the latter did, suggesting that CTLL-D4 cells also attack the tumour cells much more effectively as effectors in vivo. Thus, it is conceivable that CTLs are mainly involved in tumour rejection in this adoptive transfer system using RL♂ 1 tumour cells and athymic nude mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article cites a research focusing on development of malignant cutaneous tumors and benign mucocutaneous proliferative diseases that usually occur after solid organ transplantation. It is developed after the chronic use of the drugs that inhibits T-cell activation via calcineurin inhibition. The subject of this study is a 33-year-old woman presented with a 4-month history of a painless growing tumor in the right axilla.

Compares results of rotational atherectomy for diffuse coronary artery disease in diabetics versus nondiabetics. Baseline characteristics of patients involved in the study; Technique used for the coronary rotablator; Angiographic characteristics of the lesions.