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This paper studies the effect of preload treatment on the elastic modulus of braided high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) rope for static loading in tendon-driven robot. Two different methods of preload treatment were applied on HMPPE rope namely preload in tensile and cyclic loadings. A suitable load level of preload treatment was also investigated in order to apply in the real application. Furthermore, the cause of the lowest elastic modulus of the stabilized rope was identified by performing preload treatment on the strand constituting the rope. After completing preload treatment, the preloaded rope and strand were tested in five cyclic loadings further in order to examine the stability of rope modulus. To detect the change in construction geometry of the rope during preload treatment and cyclic loading of preloaded rope in term of rope diameter and strand angle, acoustic emission (AE) testing and a high speed camera were used. Results show that preload treatment in tensile loading could be conducted as an alternative method to replace the preload treatment in cyclic loading which is commonly used. It is also found that elastic modulus of the preloaded rope and strand at the first cycle have smallest value compared to the other cycles (cycles 2–5). This phenomenon is caused by elastic recovery of the material itself which could occur after preload treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: It has been reported that moderate alcohol consumption decreased the risk of type 2 diabetes but that elevated liver enzymes increased it. The comparative importance of alcohol consumption and liver enzymes as predictors of type 2 diabetes remains unconfirmed. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The participants included 8,576 Japanese men, aged 40-55 years, without type 2 diabetes at entry. Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed if a fasting plasma glucose level was >or=126 mg/dl or if participants were taking oral hypoglycemic medications or insulin. RESULTS: During the 4-year follow-up period, we confirmed 878 cases. In multivariate models, moderate daily alcohol consumption (16.4-42.6 g ethanol/day) decreased the risk of type 2 diabetes, and higher levels of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increased the risk. In joint analyses of alcohol consumption and liver enzymes, moderate drinkers with the lowest tertile of GGT had the lowest risk of type 2 diabetes. Compared with them, nondrinkers with the highest GGT had the highest risk of type 2 diabetes (odds ratio 3.18 [95% CI 1.75-5.76]). At every level of GGT, moderate or heavy alcohol drinkers (>or=42.7 g ethanol/day) had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes than nondrinkers. The relationship of ALT and daily alcohol consumption with the risk of type 2 diabetes was almost the same as that of GGT. CONCLUSIONS: GGT, ALT, and daily alcohol consumption were independently associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. Nondrinkers with the highest GGT or ALT had a high risk of type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No abstract available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty-eight human milk samples were collected from primiparous mothers in Osaka City from June 1999 to January 2000 and analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo- p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (CoPCBs). Mean toxic equivalents (TEQs) in the milk were 13.86 pg I-TEQ/g fat or 16.50 pg World Health Organization (WHO)-TEQ/g fat for PCDDs and PCDFs; 9.87 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat for CoPCBs; and 23.74 pg TEQ/g fat using I-TEQ values of PCDDs and PCDFs or 26.36 pg TEQ/g fat using WHO-TEQ values of PCDDs and PCDFs for total PCDDs, PCDFs, and CoPCBs. The TEQ levels of these chemicals in human milk in Osaka City were in the range of levels in human milk surveyed in Japan, but the TEQ levels of PCDDs and PCDFs and total PCDDs, PCDFs, and CoPCBs from our study were slightly higher than average TEQ levels in human milk in Japan. When comparing our data with the latest data from the United States and some European countries, the TEQ levels of PCDDs and PCDFs in human milk from Osaka City were relatively high, whereas those of CoPCBs were ranked as being of intermediate level. Only TEQ values of CoPCBs in human milk were found to correlate with the increasing age of mothers and their estimated intake of seafood during the year before pregnancy. Concentrations of PCBs 105 and 118 contributed to TEQ values of CoPCBs associated with seafood intake, whereas those of PCBs 156, 157, 114, 189, 167, and 169 contributed to TEQ values of CoPCBs associated with increasing maternal age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the effects of cysteine on the cytotoxicity of arsenic compounds, such as arsenite, arsenate, methylarsonic acid, and dimethylarsinic acid, in cultured human HL-60 cells. Rank order of the mixtures of arsenicals with cysteine; Possible role of the trivalent arsenic in the mixtures of arsenicals with cysteine in enhanced cytotoxicity and apoptosis.

Reports that bioluminescence sensor systems were developed for monitoring environmental mercury contamination. How the biological mercury measurement sensor systems were constructed by DNA recombination technique; Use of a bacterial mercury-resistant operon (mer operon) from Pseudomonas sp. K-6y4 and a bacterial bioluminescence operon (lux operon) from an ocean bacterium Vibrio fischeri which were fused in a vector plasmid.

Using a newly identified organomercury lyase gene (merB3) expression system from TnMERI1, the mercury resistance transposon first found in Gram-positive bacteria, a dual-purpose system to detect and remove organomercurial contamination was developed. A plasmid was constructed by fusing the promoterless luxAB genes as bioluminescence reporter genes downstream of the merB3 gene and its operator/promoter region. Another plasmid, encoding mer operon genes from merR1 to merA, was also constructed to generate an expression regulatory protein, MerR1, and a mercury reductase enzyme, MerA. These two plasmids were transformed into Escherichia coli cells to produce a biological system that can detect and remove environmental organomercury contamination. Organomercurial compounds, such as neurotoxic methylmercury at nanomolar levels, were detected using the biomonitoring system within a few minutes and were removed during the next few hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We originated a novel control strategy for a continuous flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD). We examined our method by acute animal experiments to change the left ventricular (LV) contractility or LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP). To estimate the pump pulsatility without any specific sensor, we calculated the index of current amplitude (ICA) from motor current waveform. The ICA had a peak point (t-i point) that corresponded closely with the turning point from partial to total assistance, and a trough (s-i point) that corresponded with the beginning point of ventricular collapse. The pump flow at the t-i point (Qt-i) had no component of flow regurgitation. In the evaluation of the effects of preload LVEDP, afterload (mAoP), and contractility (max LV dp/dt), we found that preload was the only parameter that significantly influenced Qt-i. We concluded that our method could well control continuous flow LVAD by preventing reversed flow and ventricular collapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop biotechnology for biological treatment of mercury-contaminated wastes or for bioremediation of mercury-polluted sites, mercury-resistant microorganisms have been isolated and characterized. However, understanding of the mercury resistance mechanism by anaerobic bacteria is lacking. In this study, we tried to isolate anaerobic mercury-resistant bacteria from mercury-polluted sediment in Minamata Bay, Japan. One strain of the bacterial isolates, designated Mersaru, was used for the identification and for the growth capability of mercurials. We also analyzed genetic characteristics of mercury resistance genes (merA and merB gene) from the strain Mersaru. The strain Mersaru, which was isolated from Minamata Bay sediment, was identified as Clostridium butyricum and showed resistance to both inorganic mercury and organomercurials. Furthermore, nucleotide sequence analysis showed that merA and merB genes of the strain Mersaru were identical to those of the B. cereus RC607 an aerobic mercury-resistant bacterium in the nucleotide sequence level. From the pulsed field gel electrophoresis analysis, it is suggest that the mer operon of the strain Mersaru is located on chromosomal DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SummaryAims To investigate association between leisure-time physical activity at weekends and the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods Prospective examination of 6013 Japanese men aged 35–60 years who were free of DM, impaired fasting glycaemia, or hypertension at study entry. Type 2 DM was defined by a fasting plasma glucose level ≥ 7.0 mmol/l or a 2-h post-load plasma glucose level ≥ 11.1 mmol/l. Data on physical activity obtained from questionnaires consisted of overall leisure-time physical activity weekly and leisure-time physical activity at weekends. Results During the 59 966 person-years follow-up, 444 cases developed Type 2 DM. Regular physical exercise at least once a week was associated with a reduced risk of Type 2 DM. After adjustments for age, body mass index, daily alcohol consumption, smoking habits, blood pressure levels and a parental history of Type 2 DM, men who engaged in regular physical exercise at least once a week had a relative risk of Type 2 DM of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.61–0.93) compared with men engaging in exercise less often. Even vigorous activity only once a week at weekends was associated with a reduced risk of Type 2 DM. Men who engaged in vigorous activity at least once a week at weekends had a multiple-adjusted relative risk of Type 2 DM of 0.55 (95% CI, 0.35–0.88) compared with sedentary men. Conclusions Regular physical exercise at least once a week and vigorous activity even only once a week at weekends are associated with a decreased risk of Type 2 DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postoperative recovery of patients with chronic subdural haematoma (CSH) was investigated by comparing pre- and postoperative coagulant and fibrinolytic activity in the haematoma contents of 15 patients with SCH. Patients in this study were treated draining the haematoma cavity without irrigation, a procedure dubbed the closed drainage. Haematomas were collected during, and 24 hrs after, surgery. Postoperative fibrinolytic activity was lower than that observed pre-operatively. In particular, levels of tissue plasminogen activator activity (TPA), and fibrin and fibrinogen degradation products (FDP) all decreased. In contrast, coagulant activity increased postoperatively. This paper will discuss the role of local coagulofibrinolysis in the postoperative recovery of CSH patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Aims To assess the impact of cigarette smoking on the incidence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in middle-aged Japanese men. Methods The study enrolled 6250 men aged 35–60 years and free of diabetes, impaired fasting glucose and hypertension at entry. Type 2 DM was defined by a fasting plasma glucose level ≥ 7.0 mmol/l or physician-diagnosed Type 2 DM. Results Four hundred and fifty cases of Type 2 DM were confirmed during the 60 904 person-years follow-up. After adjustment for multiple covariates, including age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, physical activity, parental history of diabetes and the level of fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and haematocrit, the relative risk of Type 2 DM among current smokers compared with non-smokers was 1.47 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14–1.92). Men who smoked > 30 cigarettes/day had a multivariate-relative risk of 1.73 (95% CI 1.20–2.48) compared with non-smokers. The number of cigarettes smoked daily and the pack-year values were positively related to the development of Type 2 DM in a dose-dependent manner (P for trends = 0.0026 and 0.001, respectively). Conclusions A cigarette smoking habit is an independent risk factor for Type 2 DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the acute toxic effect of water from River Yodo, Japan on Daphnia magna or D. magna. The study involved river-water sampling and analysis to examine and detect the acute toxic effect of River Yodo water. Results show that insecticides are the main toxicants to D. magna.

Cancer mortality was studied among 265 male workers in 40 small plating factories (chromium, copper and nickel) where bicycle parts are plated. The study utilized record linkage with the Osaka Cancer Registry file between January 1, 1965 and December 31, 1979. The results showed that seven workers had died of cancer, and the Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) calculated for all cancers, stomach cancer and lung cancer were 1.13, 1.23 and 1.11, respectively, with no significant relationship found between the observed and expected values. The SMR for lung cancer among those workers with a high degree of skin ulceration and with perforation of the nasal septum was high, 11.22 and 5.13, respectively, although not statistically significant because of the small sample size in the study. The results suggest that lung cancer occurs in those subjected to a high degree of exposure to chromium. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: We prospectively assessed whether the combined measurements of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and A1C were effective for predicting type 2 diabetes.Research Design and Methods: Study participants included 6,736 nondiabetic Japanese men aged 40-55 years. Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed in those who had an FPG >or=126 mg/dl or who were being treated with an oral antidiabetic agent or insulin. The models including FPG, A1C, and both were compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves.Results: During the 4-year follow-up period, we confirmed 659 diabetes cases. In multivariate analysis, both FPG and A1C were independently associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes. The model including both FPG and A1C had a greater AUROC curve than that including FPG alone (0.853 vs. 0.818; P < 0.001) or A1C alone (0.853 vs. 0.771; P < 0.001).Conclusions: The combined measurement of FPG and A1C was effective for predicting type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Because skeletal muscle is one of the target tissues for insulin, skeletal muscle mass might be associated with type 2 diabetes. Serum creatinine is a possible surrogate marker of skeletal muscle mass. The purpose of this study was to determine whether serum creatinine level is associated with type 2 diabetes.Research Design and Methods: The study participants were nondiabetic Japanese men (n = 8,570) aged 40-55 years at entry. Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed if fasting plasma glucose was >or=126 mg/dl or if participants were taking oral hypoglycemic medication or insulin.Results: During the 4-year follow-up period, 877 men developed type 2 diabetes. Lower serum creatinine was associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The multiple-adjusted odds ratio for those who had serum creatinine levels between 0.40 and 0.60 mg/dl was 1.91 (95% CI 1.44-2.54) compared with those who had levels between 0.71 and 0.80 mg/dl.Conclusions: Lower serum creatinine increased the risk of type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biotransformation following oral administration of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), an organoarsenical herbicide and the main metabolite of inorganic arsenic in mammals, was studied in rats. Male F344/DuCrj rats were administered a single dose of DMA (50 mg/kg) orally. Urine was collected at 0, 2, 4, 8, 10, 24, and 48 h after administration byforced urination. Arsenic metabolites in urine were analyzed by ion chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (IC-ICP-MS). The proportions of urinary elimination of DMA, trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), methylarsonic acid (MMA), an unidentified arsenic metabolite, and arsenite were determined at various timepoints after administration. Unmetabolized DMA was the most common form excreted during the first 4 h. Thereafter, a gradual decrease in the proportion of DMA was observed, while progressive increases in those of TMAO, theunidentified metabolite, and arsenite occurred. The proportion of TMAO excreted amounted to over 50% of all arsenic in urine between 6 and 24 h. The proportion of the unidentified metabolite and arsenite were each approximately 10% at 10 and 24 h after administration. The findings indicate that DMA administered to rats was initially excreted as unchanged DMA, and later as the methylated metabolite, TMAO. Arsenite, a demethylated metabolite of DMA, also was excreted later than elimination of DMA and TMAO. The hypothesis of demethylation by intestinal microorganisms can be supported by comparing the metabolites following oral and intraperitoneal administration. The unidentified metabolite was readily decomposed by HCl but was left unchanged by NaOH; these findings suggest that it was present in a complexed form in urine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The toxic effects of arsenic compounds on cell division were studied, using Chinese hamster V79 cells. Seven arsenic compounds were tested. Inorganic arsenic compounds (arsenite and arsenate), which have been found in drinking water, inhibited cell growth at very low concentrations. Monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and trimethylarsine oxide (TMAO), which are methylated metabolites of inorganic arsenics, were less cytotoxic than the inorganic arsenics themselves. The cytotoxicity of the three methylated metabolites decreased as the number of methyl groups increased. Arsenobetaine (AsBe) and arsenocholine (AsC), which have been found in some marine products,did not show any cytotoxicity. Three methylated metabolites; MMA, DMA and TMAO induced mitotic arrest. Tetraploidy production was observed in cells exposed to DMA or TMAO. Arsenite, arsenate, AsBe and AsC did not induce mitotic arrest or tetraploids. These results suggest that MMA, DMA and TMAO exert some effect on cell division in metaphase and may thereby give some clue as to the carcinogenic mechanism of arsenic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]