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Haruka Watanabe1 1, Yuta Norimatsu1 12 2, Yuki Ohno1 1 1Department of Dermatology, JR Tokyo General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan; 2Department of Dermatology, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, JapanCorrespondence: Yuta NorimatsuJR Tokyo General Hospital, 2-1-3 Yoyogi Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 151-8528, JapanTel +81-3-3320-2210Fax +81-3-3370-7478Email norimatsuy-der@h.u-tokyo.ac.jpBackground: Infections caused by Prevotella bivia, a gram-negative anaerobic bacillus, are rare, with no reported cases in Japan. We present a novel case of scrotal abscess in a Japanese patient co-infected with Prevotella bivia and Streptococcus agalactiae.Case Presentation: A 41-year-old uncontrolled diabetic man complained of swelling and pain in the scrotum. On examination, computed tomography revealed an abscess of 5-cm diameter in the scrotum. Then, the abscess was incised and drained. He was treated with cefazolin empirically. Prevotella bivia and Streptococcus agalactiae were identified in the pus cultures obtained from the abscess. However, the susceptibility tests for Prevotella bivia could not be submitted. Seven days following admission, the pain reduced, and the drainage slowed. The patient was discharged on day 14 when cefazolin was discontinued and oral amoxicillin (750 mg/day) was started. Amoxicillin was continued until day 42; improvement was confirmed.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this case is the first report of Prevotella bivia in Japan. We suggest that cephem antibiotics such as cefazolin may be effective against Prevotella bivia in Japan.Keywords: case report, Prevotella bivia, Streptococcus agalactiae, cefazolin, amoxicillin

Compton scattering is a well-established technique that can provide detailed information about electronic states in solids. Making use of the principle of tomography, it is possible to determine the Fermi surface from sets of Compton-scattering data with different scattering axes. Practical applications, however, are limited due to long acquisition time required for measuring along enough number of scattering directions. Here, we propose to overcome this difficulty using compressed sensing. Taking advantage of a hidden sparsity in the momentum distribution, we are able to reconstruct the three-dimensional momentum distribution of bcc-Li, and identify the Fermi surface with as little as 14 directions of scattering data with unprecedented accuracy. This compressed-sensing approach will permit further wider applications of the Compton scattering experiments., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures

International audience; The global interlaboratory comparison (IC 2017) on measurements of solid-state lighting (SSL) products with goniophotometers was conducted under the International Energy Agency 4E Solid State Lighting Annex with 36 participating laboratories from 19 countries with a total of 42 goniophotometric instruments including mirror-type, near-field type and source-rotating type goniophotometers. A narrow-beam LED lamp and three different types of LED luminaires, including a street lighting luminaire, were used as comparison artefacts for measurements of 16 different quantities. These included electrical, photometric, and colorimetric quantities, and goniophotometric quantities such as centre beam intensity, beam angle, partial flux (15° cone angle), and angular colour uniformity. CIE S 025 was used as the test method. The results demonstrated overall good agreement on luminous flux and colour quantities, however, larger variations and various problems were identified in goniophotometric quantity results. Near-field type and source-rotating type goniophotometers showed equivalent accuracies overall to those of far-field mirror type goniophotometers.

The University of Oxford has developed an open-access software platform known as luox, which incorporates elements of CIE publications for the calculation of certain quantities integrated from spectral data. Under the terms of a licence agreement between the University of Oxford and the CIE, the CIE has agreed to endorse the software following a black-box validation of the software. This is the report of that validation exercise, based on the work of an ad hoc task group of the CIE Board of Administration. The task group selected 43 spectra from various sources, 19 being spectra with 5 nm intervals and 24 being spectra with 1 nm intervals, and calculated luminance (illuminance), a-opic radiances (a-opic irradiances), a-opic equivalent daylight luminances (a-opic equivalent daylight illuminances), a-opic efficacies of luminous radiation, and chromaticity coordinates using both luox and a variety of other available reference calculation tools, both public and private. Tolerance intervals were established for each quantity, and the deviation between the test values from luox and the reference values were calculated for each spectrum. The results for all of these evaluations showed consistency between the test values and the reference values. Based on these results, the CIE approves the following statement concerning the luox software, as per the aforementioned licence agreement: “This software incorporates methods, formulae, spectral function calculations and spectra from the International Commission on Illumination (CIE). The CIE endorses this software having made a black-box evaluation of the software as of Feb. 11, 2021, finding that the software performs satisfactorily. This software is not a replacement for the CIE publications and works from which it is derived. The user is advised to consult the original publications and works for proper understanding of and calculation of the result of this software.”

Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage CIE 239:2020, This technical report provides basic measurement principles and practical guidance in goniospectroradiometry of optical radiation sources (i.e. measurement of the spectral distribution as a function of the emission angle of the source). Specifically, it includes measurement principles of the angular distribution of spectral, radiometric, photometric and colorimetric quantities of optical radiation sources, the related scanning method and a practical guide to determine sampling interval, uncertainty aspects and calibration.

We report here the results of two-dimensional electron gas based micro-Hall magnetometry measurements and micromagnetic simulations of dipolar coupled nanomagnets of Ni80Fe20 arranged in a double ring-like geometry. We observe that although magnetic force microscopy images exhibit single domain like magnetic states for the nanostructures, their reversal processes may undergo complex behavior. The details of such reversal behavior is observed as specific features in micro-Hall magnetometry data which compares well with the micromagnetic simulation data., 5 pages, 4 figures

1) Background: Although many studies have supported the efficacy of multi-sensory environment (MSE) in reducing behavioral and psychological symptoms, and improving quality of life for patients with disabilities and caregivers, these studies didn't offer how to identify a high-risk candidate who would harm from MSE. Thus, this study was to propose a method to classify the high-risk group of cardiac arrest during MSE interventions through the relation between QT and RR intervals (QT-RR interval). 2) Methods: Eight disabled patients were participated in experiments to experience the virtual aquarium for 15 min with a projector and music. The QT-RR relation was measured by electrocardiography, then the risk was evaluated by computing the shortest distance from the mean of QT-RR relation to the standard curve. 3) Results: It was found that the risk of original cardiac arrest for the five patients was averagely 4.7 times higher than that for the three patients. It was considered that the five patients with higher risk came from the 0.6 times slower QT interval. 4) Conclusion: It was concluded that the proposed method to classify the high-risk group through QT-RR relation was good for the prevention of cardiac arrest through the unintended sudden strong stimulation.

Tsuneo Yamashiro,1 Tetsuhiro Miyara,1 Osamu Honda,2 Noriyuki Tomiyama,2 Yoshiharu Ohno,3 Satoshi Noma,4 Sadayuki Murayama1 On behalf of the ACTIve Study Group 1Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan; 2Department of Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan; 3Department of Radiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan; 4Department of Radiology, Tenri Hospital, Tenri, Nara, Japan Purpose: To assess the advantages of iterative reconstruction for quantitative computed tomography (CT) analysis of pulmonary emphysema. Materials and methods: Twenty-two patients with pulmonary emphysema underwent chest CT imaging using identical scanners with three different tube currents: 240, 120, and 60 mA. Scan data were converted to CT images using Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction using Three Dimensional Processing (AIDR3D) and a conventional filtered-back projection mode. Thus, six scans with and without AIDR3D were generated per patient. All other scanning and reconstruction settings were fixed. The percent low attenuation area (LAA%; < -950 Hounsfield units) and the lung density 15th percentile were automatically measured using a commercial workstation. Comparisons of LAA% and 15th percentile results between scans with and without using AIDR3D were made by Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Associations between body weight and measurement errors among these scans were evaluated by Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results: Overall, scan series without AIDR3D had higher LAA% and lower 15th percentile values than those with AIDR3D at each tube current (P

The pulmonary vasculature and its role in perfusion and gas exchange is an important consideration in many conditions of the lung and heart. Currently the mainstay of imaging of the vasculature and perfusion of the lungs lies with CT and nuclear medicine perfusion scans, both of which require ionizing radiation exposure. Improvements in MRI techniques have increased the use of MRI in pulmonary vascular imaging. Here we review MRI methods for imaging the pulmonary vasculature and pulmonary perfusion, both using contrast enhanced and non-contrast enhanced methodology.\ud \ud In many centres pulmonary MR angiography and dynamic contrast enhanced perfusion MRI are now well established in the routine workflow of patients particularly with pulmonary hypertension and thromboembolic disease. However, these imaging modalities offer exciting new directions for future research and clinical use in other respiratory diseases where consideration of pulmonary perfusion and gas exchange can provide insight in to pathophysiology.

OBJECTIVE. This article discusses the basics of unenhanced MR angiography (MRA) and MR venography (MRV), time-resolved contrast-enhanced (CE) MRA and dynamic first-pass CE perfusion MRI, and unenhanced and CE MRV, in addition to assessing the clinical relevance of these techniques for evaluating patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism and deep venous thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE: This article discusses the basics of unenhanced MR angiography (MRA) and MR venography (MRV), time-resolved contrast-enhanced (CE) MRA and dynamic first-pass CE perfusion MRI, and unenhanced and CE MRV, in addition to assessing the clinical relevance of these techniques for evaluating patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism and deep venous thrombosis. CONCLUSION: Since the 1990s, the efficacy of MRA or MRV and dynamic perfusion MRI for patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism and deep venous thrombosis has been evaluated. On the basis of the results of single-center trials, comprehensive MRI protocols, including pulmonary unenhanced and CE MRA, perfusion MRI, and MRV, promise to be safe and time effective for assessing patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism, although future multicenter trials are required to assess the real clinical value of MRI.

OBJECTIVE. This article discusses the basics of unenhanced MR angiography (MRA) and MR venography (MRV), time-resolved contrast-enhanced (CE) MRA and dynamic firstpass CE perfusion MRI, and unenhanced and CE MRV, in addition to assessing the clinical relevance of these techniques for evaluating patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism and deep venous thrombosis. CONCLUSION. Since the 1990s, the efficacy of MRA or MRV and dynamic perfusion MRI for patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism and deep venous thrombosis has been evaluated. On the basis of the results of single-center trials, comprehensive MRI protocols, including pulmonary unenhanced and CE MRA, perfusion MRI, and MRV, promise to be safe and time effective for assessing patients with suspected pulmonary thromboembolism, although future multicenter trials are required to assess the real clinical value of MRI. © 2017 American Roentgen Ray Society.

The Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffold (Absorb BVS, Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, California) promises to address some of the residual shortcomings of existing metallic stents, such as late events induced by permanent caging of the coronary vessel. Scaffold restenosis (ScR) of BVS has been poorly described so far and treatment strategies for this event remain to be codified. We report on a case series of 14 lesions in 12 patients presenting with ScR and discuss their anatomical features and management strategies.

Neutrophils are a main source of oxidative stress due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and the tissue damage caused by excessive ROS might lead to aging and a variety of diseases. Whereas the anti-inflammatory effects of Tabebuia avellanedae (taheebo) have been reported in vitro and in animal experiments, little is known about the effects of taheebo in humans. Fourteen adult volunteers ingested 500 mg of taheebo extract in 4 capsules (Taheebo Japan, Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan) daily for 2 weeks. The production of ROS from peripheral blood neutrophils was measured by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (LmCL) in a kinetic mode at 30-minute intervals for 1.5 hours with a luminometer at 37˚C. We found that, peak and sum of values of LmCL were significantly decreased at the 1.5 hour time point after ingesting taheebo extracts for 2 weeks. In conclusion, we demonstrated that administration of Tabebuia avellanedae inhibited ROS production from human neutrophils.

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) plays an important role in multimodality therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. However, esophagitis often develops as a complication of CCRT, causing treatment delays and reducing the patient’s quality of life. We examined the efficacy of polaprezinc (PZ), zinc L-carnosine used for the therapy of gastric ulcer, against the onset of esophagitis caused by CCRT for lung cancer. Patients and Methods: Patients who concurrently underwent chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel and thoracic radiotherapy at Gifu University Hospital during a period of January 2011 and May 2015 were the subjects of the present study. Patients received a mixture of sodium alginate solution and aluminum-magnesium hydroxide gel with (PZ group) or without (control group) PZ for prevention of radiation esophagitis. Results: PZ significantly inhibited the development of grade ≥2 radiation esophagitis (HR 0.397, 95% confidence interval, 0.160-0.990; P=0.047). In addition, PZ lowered the incidence of grade ≥2 esophagitis at the time point of 40 Gy irradiation (26.3% versus 63.2%, P=0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the incident rates of other adverse events associated with chemoradiotherapy between the PZ group and control group. Moreover, PZ had no significant influence on the tumor response rate. Conclusion: PZ significantly retarded the development as well as the incidence of grade ≥2 esophagitis without affecting the tumor response.

Asymmetric contacts or split gate geometries can be used to obtain rectification, electroluminescence (EL) and photocurrent from carbon nanotube field effect transistors. Here, we report devices with both split gates and asymmetric contacts and show that device parameters can be optimised with an appropriate split gate bias, giving the ability to select the rectification direction, modify the reverse bias saturation current and the ideality factor. When operated as a photodiode, the short circuit current and open circuit voltage can be modified by the split gate bias, and the estimated power conversion efficiency was 1×10-6. When using split gates and symmetric contacts, strong EL peaking at 0.86 eV was observed with a full width at half maximum varying between 64 and 120 meV, depending on the bias configuration. The power and quantum efficiency of the EL was estimated to be around 1×10-6 and 1×10-5 respectively.

The relation of the physiological releases of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and growth hormone (GH) into the circulation in various conditions was investigated using a sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay for plasma GHRH. The mean fasting plasma level of immunoreactive (IR)-GHRH in 72 normal adults was 10.3 +/- 0.5 (mean +/- SEM) pg/ml and there was no significant sex difference in the level. The concentrations of IR-GHRH in plasma from the umbilical artery and umbilical vein were 107.3 +/- 20.5 pg/ml and 33.6 +/- 3.8 pg/ml, respectively, and a marked arterio-venous gradient was observed in all 12 individuals examined. The plasma level of IR-GHRH in the maternal vein was significantly lower than that in the cord blood, but was similar to that in non-pregnant women. In normal adults, although there was no apparent fluctuation in the level of plasma IR-GHRH or of plasma GH during bed rest, a significant increase of plasma IR-GHRH was detected followed by, or synchronized with the surge of plasma GH after oral administration of L-dopa. In contrast, on L-arginine infusion, no proportional elevation of plasma IR-GHRH with increase in plasma GH was observed. During and after intravenous infusion of somatostatin, the circulating IR-GHRH level did not increase, but on stopping the infusion there was an immediate and marked rebound surge of GH. We conclude that 1) the elevated IR-GHRH in the cord blood plasma originates from the fetus and may have a primary role in enhancing secretion of GH which promotes growth in early human life, and 2) the participations of GHRH in the mechanisms of GH secretion seen after administrations of L-dopa, L-arginine and somatostatin are different.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a noninvasive imaging modality, particularly attractive for pediatric patients given its lack of ionizing radiation. Despite many advantages, the physical properties of the lung (inherent low signal-to-noise ratio, magnetic susceptibility differences at lung-air interfaces, and respiratory and cardiac motion) have posed technical challenges that have limited the use of MR imaging in the evaluation of thoracic disease in the past However, recent advances in MR imaging techniques have overcome many of these challenges. This article discusses these advances in MR imaging techniques and their potential role in the evaluation of thoracic disorders in pediatric patients.

Conceptual and feasibility studies of wide field AO systems for Subaru Telescope has been started as a next generation AO system. Since optical wide field imager, named Hyper Supreme Camera, and multi object fiber-fed spectrograph, named Prime Focus Spectrograph, are currently under developing for a primary focus of Subaru Telescope, a wide field imager and spectrograph at near infrared wavelength range with adaptive optics at Cassegrain or Nasmyth foci must be a complemental instrument in the next future. In this paper, preliminary performance simulation studies of GLAO and MOAO and science case study in imaging and spectrograph are introduced. A GLAO simulation tells us that stellar image size is almost uniform up to 20 arcmin FOV. We found that a number of tip-tilt guide star and its constellation is closely related to the performance of MOAO. Imaging sensitivity gain is expected about 0.5 magnitude for the point source and 0.3 to 0.4 magnitude for compact galaxies, whose effective radius is smaller than 3 kpcs at the redshift around 2. On the other hand, the analysis of a spectroscopy observation to investigate kinematics of high redshift galaxies seems to be not easy using GLAO.

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We developed compact terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) head and system-scanning imaging stage for large area inspection of post matters. In order to focus the THz waves, we mounted either four parabolic reflectors or two silicon hyper-hemispherical lenses on the mobile imaging stages, and compared the spatial resolutions of the stages together with the measurable THz bandwidths.

Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) has been rarely described in chronic hemodialysis patients. We report a case of HPVG in a 59-year-old female patient with hemodialysis-dependent chronic renal failure due to diabetes who presented with acute onset of abdominal pain. Abdominal CT demonstrated the presence of gas in the portal veins. However, on laparotomy, no evidence of bowel necrosis or perforation could be found. HPVG seemed to be caused by nonocclusive mesenteric ischemia (NOMI), an increasingly recognized complication in hemodialysis patients. The patient responded favorably to intravenous hyperalimentation and antibiotics.

Physical Review Letters

We have measured the Hall-plateau width and the activation energy of the bilayer quantum Hall (BLQH) states at the Landau-level filling factor $\nu=1$ and 2 by tilting the sample and simultaneously changing the electron density in each quantum well. The phase transition between the commensurate and incommensurate states are confirmed at $\nu =1$ and discovered at $\nu =2$. In particular, three different $\nu =2$ BLQH states are identified; the compound state, the coherent commensurate state, and the coherent incommensurate state., Comment: 4 pages including 5 figures

The Hall-plateau width and the activation energy were measured in the bilayer quantum Hall state at filling factor ��=2, 1 and 2/3, by changing the total electron density and the density ratio in the two quantum wells. Their behavior are remarkably different from one to another. The ��=1 state is found stable over all measured range of the density difference, while the ��=2/3$ state is stable only around the balanced point. The ��=2 state, on the other hand, shows a phase transition between these two types of the states as the electron density is changed., 5 pages including figures, RevTeX

We have measured the Hall-plateau width and the activation energy of the bilayer quantum Hall (BLQH) states at the Landau-level filling factor $��=1$ and 2 by tilting the sample and simultaneously changing the electron density in each quantum well. The phase transition between the commensurate and incommensurate states are confirmed at $��=1$ and discovered at $��=2$. In particular, three different $��=2$ BLQH states are identified; the compound state, the coherent commensurate state, and the coherent incommensurate state., 4 pages including 5 figures

Combination chemotherapy with CDDP and 5-FU is one of the effective regimens for head and neck cancer. We studied the difference in the effects and adverse effects between two kinds of schedules of CDDP administration for CDDP-5-FU combination chemotherapy. For 13 patients, CDDP was administered on 5 consecutive days from day 1 to day 5 at a daily dose of 16 mg/m2 (Regimen A). For 14 patients CDDP was administered 80 mg on day 1 (Regimen B). 5-FU was administered 700 mg/m2/ day as a continuous drip infusion for 120 hours from day 1 to day 5. For regimen A, the response rate was 77%; for regimen B, it was 64%. The pattern of adverse effects showed a difference. Regimen B was more toxic for renal function than regimen A. But regimen A showed toxicity for bone marrow function. Acute phase nausea and vomit appeared more frequently in regimen B. The difference in the adverse effect pattern, which depends on the schedule of CDDP administration, seems important in order to apply this regimen for head and neck cancer patients safely. The schedule of CDDP administration should be changes depending on the renal and bone marrow function of patients. In order to evaluate the efficacy of UFT as adjuvant chemotherapy, UFT was administered p.o. to patients with maxillary sinus carcinoma for more than one year after definitive treatment with surgery or radiotherapy. Fifteen patients with UFT adjuvant chemotherapy showed significantly better survival rates than patients without adjuvant chemotherapy. We also studied adjuvant chemotherapy with CBDCA and FT for patients with advanced head and neck cancer. Administration with UFT (600 mg/day) from day 1 to day 14 with CBDCA 350 mg/m2 at day 7 was repeated more than twice. This regimen showed low toxicity and better survival for nasopharyngeal cancer patients. More clinical trials with this regimen for adjuvant chemotherapy are needed.

2011年9月13日-16日 北海道大学 C-10-6, 本文データは学協会の許諾に基づきCiNiiから複製したものである

2011年3月14日-17日 東京都市大学 C-10-8, 本文データは学協会の許諾に基づきCiNiiから複製したものである

A sixty-one-year-old female was admitted to our hospital in October 1988 because of fever and a right neck mass associated with redness and tenderness. The size of the thyroid mass had gradually increased over 3 months. Two masses were detected in the thyroid by ultrasonography and MRI. She has positive thyroid autoantibodies, high CRP levels and high erythrocyte sedimentation rates. While she had normal white blood cell counts, massive neutrophils were obtained from her thyroid mass by aspiration biopsy, indicating acute suppurative thyroiditis. However, we could not find any bacteria to cause suppurative thyroiditis either in the blood or in thyroid aspirates. Serum levels of thyroid hormone were slightly elevated but she did not complain of any thyrotoxic symptoms. Radioactive iodine uptake (RAIU) of the thyroid gland was markedly decreased (2%/24h). Following treatment with antibiotics, her inflammation and symptoms immediately improved, and pus spontaneously ran from the collapsed thyroid mass. Then serum thyroid hormone levels and RAIU were normalized and the right thyroid mass disappeared. She was discharged in December 1988. There were no signs of recurrence of suppurative thyroiditis until now. She received a pharyngo-esophageal barium examination in search of the route of infection 4 times, but no fistula was revealed. However, as her left thyroid mass consistently remained thereafter, an operation of the left thyroid mass was performed in December 1989. The histologic examination of the resected thyroid revealed the coexistence of encapsulated follicular adenoma, minute papillary carcinoma and chronic thyroiditis. There are few reports of such a case having a combination of suppurative thyroiditis, thyroid cancer and chronic thyroiditis observed in an elderly female.

A novel evaluation technique for soft errors in Mbit DRAMs (dynamic random access memories) has been developed using a 400 keV proton microprobe system. This technique, which is called soft error mapping, consists of a bit-state mapping image and a secondary electron mapping image, and can reveal the correlation between the incident position of protons and susceptibility against soft errors in DRAMs. Soft errors are found to be induced by proton incidence at 400 keV within about 6 μm around the memory cell in the case of DRAMs with a conventional well. The susceptible area against proton incidence is much larger than the memory cell size. It is found that the area within 4 μm around the memory cell is, in particular, highly sensitive to 400 keV protons. A threshold dose to radiation hardness is estimated by deterioration of the DRAMs during soft error mapping. A buried barrier layer, formed by high-energy ion-implantation, was found to control the charge collection of induced carriers and to suppress soft errors by 400 keV proton microprobes.

Yoshiko Ohno1,2, Teruto Hashiguchi1, Ryuichi Maenosono1, Hidetoshi Yamashita3, Yukio Taira3, Kazufumi Minowa3, Yoshihito Yamashita3, Yuko Kato3, Ko-ichi Kawahara1, Ikuro Maruyama11Department of Laboratory and Vascular Medicine, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan; 2Department of Community Health Nursing/Nursing Informatics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan; 3Kagoshima Seikyo General Hospital, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, JapanPurpose: Many epidemiological research studies have shown that vital exhaustion and psychosocial factors are associated with the occurrence of cerebrocardiovascular disease (CCVD). Fatigue is thought to induce endothelial dysfunction and may be linked to the occurrence of CCVD; however, no studies have investigated this potential link. We studied to determine the effect of fatigue on endothelial function in healthy subjects with no traditional CCVD risk factors or potential confounding factors to be controlled.Subjects and methods: Peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) was used to evaluate endothelial function. The influence of the following parameters on endothelial function was analyzed in 74 office workers without traditional CCVD risk factors at health check-ups: endothelial function before and after work, subjective fatigue, lifestyle factors such as sleeping time, and psychosocial factors such as depression and social support.Results: Twenty-five subjects (33.8%) had low endothelial function; reactive hyperemia (RH)-PAT index

The ultrastructural H2O2-producing site in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) stimulated with soluble stimuli was studied using a CeCl3-technique. CeLlular aggregation and formation of small vacuoles were observed when PMN were stimulated with 100 microgram/ml concanavalin-A, 1 mg/ml phytohemagglutinin, or 100 microgram/ml wheat germ agglutinin for 10 min at 37 degrees C. Electron-dense deposits formed from the reaction of H2O2 and CeCl3 were observed on the contact surface of the plasma membrane of aggregated PMN stimulated with lectins. Treatment with 5 microgram/ml cytochalasin-B before lectin- stimulation induced an enhanced formation of vacuoles, degranuLation, rounding of the contour, cellular aggregation, and enhancement of the deposits. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA; 100 ng/ml) induced strong leukocyte aggregation, the formation of multiple huge vacuoles, degranulation, and H2O2 production at almost all of the contact surface between adjoining PMN and between PMN and erythrocytes, mononuclear cells, or thrombocytes. In PMN stimulated with digitonin (B microgram/ml), vacuolar formation, degranulation, multiple projections on the surface, and H2O2 production on the whole surface membrane were demonstrated. It is shown that cellular aggregation and cell-to-cell contact have an important role in the induction of O2- production induced by lectins or PMA and that O2- production induced by the detergent is not dependent on leukocyte aggregation.

In a unique case of macroglobulinemia associated with the production of mu-chain fragment, the authors observed vacuolated plasma cells (Vac-P) in the bone marrow. Immunofluorescence with anti-mu-chain showed positive staining for the cytoplasm but negative for the vacuoles. On electron microscopic study, clear vacuoles were localized in the vicinity of the Golgi complex, and the contents were amorphous membrane debris and concentric circular structures. The vacuolar membrane was partially disrupted and was contiguous with the outer surface of the concentric circular structure. From the findings, the authors thought these vacuoles were autophagic. Disruption of vacuolar membranes was also demonstrated in three other cases of Vac-P studies with electron microscope. Heterophagy of toxic substances, such as silica or salt or urate, leads to membrane disruption. Vac-P observed in abnormal mu-chain production may produce toxic substances. Once the substance is incorporated into the autophagic vacuole, the vacuolar membrane will be weakened, and the absorption of part of the membrane and cytoplasm or organelles follows.

The incidence of selective IgA deficiency (SIgAD) was determined in a healthy adult population of 222,597 Japanese volunteer blood donors. Of the blood donors screened, only 0.007% (1:14,840) were found to be IgA-deficient (less than 10 mg/dl) by means of the double diffusion method, while 0.005% (1:18,500) were less than 5 mg/dl, and 0.003% (1:31,800) were less than 1 mg/dl by means of the single radial immunodiffusion method. Statistical analysis of the results clearly showed that the incidence of SIgAD in Japanese blood donors is very much lower than that in blood donors of European ancestry. The Japanese population may occupy a unique position in the ethnical peculiarities. Anti-IgA antibodies were found in 3 (25.0%) of 12 IgA-deficient blood donors whose IgA levels were less than 5 mg/dl, a prevalence rate comparable to that in donors of European ancestry. Although it is difficult to develop a suitable file of IgA-deficient donors in Japan, the establishment of a Rare Donor Registry System on IgA deficiency is a matter of urgency.