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This study investigated the association between ischaemia-modified albumin (IMA), a biomarker of cardiac ischaemia, and increases in the levels of intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), an atherogenic particle that can cause oxidative stress, in haemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Fasting levels of serum IMA and lipids/lipoproteins were analysed in 15 patients and 15 healthy control subjects. There was a close positive correlation between IMA and IDL levels in ESRD patients but no significant correlation between IMA and lipids/lipoproteins in control subjects. This suggests a possible link between the characteristic dyslipo-proteinaemia found in ESRD and levels of IMA and, if confirmed in studies with larger sample sizes, may lead to further studies on the potential of the relationship between IMA and IDL as a biomarker in haemodialysis patients with ESRD.

A new type of magnetization coil was designed to increase the maximum trapped magnetic flux density and the total flux associated with an appropriate trapped magnetic flux density distribution in a high-temperature superconducting bulk magnet. The coil is composed of an inner vortex-type coil wound with an outer solenoid coil. A pulsed current is applied to the inner or the outer coils. Successive applications of pulsed current from both the inner and the outer coils to only the inner coil provide a distribution of trapped magnetic flux density closer to being conical in addition to an increase of the maximum flux density and total integrated flux. The present magnetization technique, the controlled magnetic flux density distribution coil method, is useful for magnetized high-temperature superconducting bulk applications such as in rotating machines, generators and magnetic separation.

Rotating machines with high-temperature superconductors (HTS) usually consist of pole-field magnets having coils wound with Bi-2223 HTS wire. We have successfully used Gd-Ba-Cu-O bulk HTS in pole-field magnets in an axial-gap type rotating machine. These HTS pole-field bulk magnets were assembled in the rotor plate. They are cooled down with a liquid cryogen supplied via a rotary joint and circulated inside the rotor plate. The present design provides a small air gap and a bulk HTS gives a high magnetic field around the armature coils. Successful mechanical design has enabled us to magnetize the pole-field bulk to more than 1 T by using a pulsed current applied to the copper armature coils. These techniques imply the possibility of smaller and lighter rotating motors or generators with a HTS bulk magnet for a sub-megawatt class propulsion system. We report several essential techniques for both mechanical and cryogenic designs, and deduce the characteristic features of the present axial-gap type machine using a HTS bulk magnet.

We employed a Gd-bulk HTS as rotating field magnet poles aiming for a smaller and lighter axial-gap-type motor. The bulk was inserted in the split-type armature pulsed copper coils and cooled down to 77 K under zero field. Employing the bulk magnet to HTS rotating machinery, the number of pulsed field magnetizations should be reduced for practical use. Thereby, a single pulsed current was applied to the pulsed copper coils to magnetize the bulk. The trapped field distribution and transient flux behaviour strongly depend on the radial dimension of the armature coil with a vortex-type winding. On decreasing the diameter of the pulsed copper armature coil, the distribution of the trapped flux density on the surface of the bulk becomes close to a conical shape. In contrast to the use of a solenoid, the application of vortex-type armature coils to magnetization of Gd-bulk HTS shows a quick intervention of the external magnetic flux into the centre of the bulk. The magnetization to the bulk HTS of the vortex-type copper coils with an optimum radius is useful and may be an effective technique for applied bulk HTS for rotating machines such as motors and/or generators.

We study the pulsed-field magnetization of HTS bulks and its application to a rotating synchronous machine of axial-gap type. To increase the output performance of the rotating machine, the multiple rotor structure is designed with the alternation of the rotor with Gd-bulks and the fixed armature. Thus, we obtain a redundancy for the rotor magnet operation without additional current leads or slip rings. To assess the present redundancy, we show the result of the pulsed-field magnetization for Gd-bulks in the above-mentioned multiple rotor geometry. Two Gd-bulks 60 mm in diameter and 19 mm thick were inserted into three vortex-type Cu coils. They were immersed in liquid nitrogen. The pulsed current was applied to three serial vortex-type coils. The maximum applied magnetic filed was 5.7 T with a rise time of 6.6 ms. The trapped fields for the two Gd-bulk were 0.851 and 0.835 T, respectively. We showed that it is possible to perform pulsed-field magnetization for two Gd-bulks sandwiched between three armature vortex-type Cu coils, i.e., a double-layered twin rotor assembly.

We developed a SQUID biomagnetometer system for detecting the magnetic signals evoked from the human cervix within the scope of non-invasive diagnosis of the function of the cervical spinal cord. The system has two main particular features. One is vector SQUID gradiometers and the other is a cryostat optimized for a reclining subject. The vector SQUID gradiometers can maximize the magnetic information acquired from the limited observation area around the neck and the shape of the new cryostat enables a subject to keep his/her position stably in a relaxed manner during the measurement. As a result, we successfully recorded the evoked magnetic fields corresponding to the neural signal travelling along the spinal cords from the necks of human subjects who were given electric stimuli to their thoracic spinal cords.

Tropheryma whipplei is a Gram positive human pathogen that is the causative agent of Whipple's disease. Nearly one century elapsed between the first description of the disease in 1907 and the cultivation of this bacterium within eukaryotic cell cultures in 2000. This achievement has made possible genome sequencing of this poorly studied microorganism. This review summarizes post-genomic knowledge resulting from these genomic data. To compare the theoretical genetic capabilities of T. whipplei with those of other sequenced bacteria, a virtual microarray representation was generated. This in silico analysis supports the concept of independent evolution pathways for microbial pathogens. Concrete post-genomic consequences related to clinical microbiology such as the analysis of antibiotic susceptibility or the design of molecular tools convenient for PCR detection and epidemiology studies are described. Analysis of wholecell metabolic networks of T. whipplei also provide clues for designing axenic media for this pathogen that is particularly recalcitrant to cultivation. This opens the way to investigate transcriptome analysis of T. whipplei by microarrays. Future prospects are also discussed.

Simultaneous consideration of the irradiation time and the cumulative dose is necessary for evaluating the risk of long-term exposure to radiation at low dose. This study intends to examine several numerical relationships between doses and dose rates in biological responses to gamma radiation. Data on inhibition of [3H] thymidine uptake and micronucleus formation in human osteosarcoma cells were analyzed using the median effective dose (MED) as a measure of the risk. MEDs were calculated using parameters estimated by fitting general logistic curves to the dose-response relationships for each group defined by irradiation time. Both biological responses, the inhibition of [3H] thymidine uptake and micronucleus formation, decreased sharply when the dose rates were less than 0.01 Gy/h. Exponential functions were fitted to the log relationships between MEDs and dose rates. This modified exponential model described well the quantitative effect of dose rates on MEDs, and suggested that risk is extremely low at very low dose rates.

Summary: The prediction performances of population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis of the two methods (a stepwise and a simultaneous estimations) were evaluated with respect to their accuracies and precisions. A study was designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of TS-943 by a 4 hours constant infusion in 36 healthy male subjects. Population analysis was performed using pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models with NONMEM. THe mean of the prediction error (MPE) and the root mean squared error (RMSE) served as a measure of accuracy and precision. In addition, a bootstrap validation was also performed. The results indicate that those population pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic parameters for the two methods were comparable. The results of simultaneous estimations are similar to those obtained using a stepwise estimation. The mean parameter estimates obtained with the additional 200 bootstrap replicates of data were within 15% of those obtained with the final model in both methods. The present results demonstrated that the accuracy of pharmacodynamic evaluations using a stepwise end a simultaneous estimations was comparable.

A simultaneous analysis of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of TS‐943, a selective non‐peptide platelet glycoprotein‐IIb/IIIa (GPIIb/IIIa) receptor antagonist, was made in dogs using a nonlinear mixed effect model. Plasma concentrations of TS‐943 were determined after bolus intravenous injection, constant infusion and bolus plus constant infusion. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data were fitted using NONMEM software. The pharmacokinetics of TS‐943 fitted a two‐compartment open model with first‐order elimination. The pharmacodynamic model that best fitted platelet aggregation was an inhibitory sigmoid Emax model. The final estimates for E0(baseline effect), Emax (maximum effect), IC50 (50% inhibitory concentration) and γ (Hill coefficient) were 66.3%, 64.3%, 104 ng mL−1and 1.37, respectively. Correlations betweenTS‐943 plasma concentration and extension of template bleeding time were examined by fitting with an exponential model. The TS‐943 plasma concentration necessary to double bleeding time (C2‐BTE) was approximately 209 ng mL−1. The model estimated that the C2‐BTE/IC50 (inhibition of platelet aggregation) ratio was approximately 2.0‐fold in dogs. Our results suggest that the ratio values for dogs and man are comparable. A nonlinear mixed effect model was a useful tool for exploring the concentration‐effect relationship for both efficacy and safety of TS‐943 in dogs and man. In this study, the dog was found to be a useful model for screening of efficacy and safety of TS‐943 in man.

A simultaneous analysis of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of TS-943, a selective non-peptide platelet glycoprotein-IIb/IIIa (GPIIb/IIIa) receptor antagonist, was made in dogs using a nonlinear mixed effect model. Plasma concentrations of TS-943 were determined after bolus intravenous injection, constant infusion and bolus plus constant infusion. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic data were fitted using NONMEM software. The pharmacokinetics of TS-943 fitted a two-compartment open model with first-order elimination. The pharmacodynamic model that best fitted platelet aggregation was an inhibitory sigmoid Emax model. The final estimates for E0(baseline effect), Emax (maximum effect), IC50 (50% inhibitory concentration) and γ (Hill coefficient) were 66.3%, 64.3%, 104 ng mL−1and 1.37, respectively. Correlations betweenTS-943 plasma concentration and extension of template bleeding time were examined by fitting with an exponential model. The TS-943 plasma concentration necessary to double bleeding time (C2-BTE) was approximately 209 ng mL−1. The model estimated that the C2-BTE/IC50 (inhibition of platelet aggregation) ratio was approximately 2.0-fold in dogs. Our results suggest that the ratio values for dogs and man are comparable. A nonlinear mixed effect model was a useful tool for exploring the concentration-effect relationship for both efficacy and safety of TS-943 in dogs and man. In this study, the dog was found to be a useful model for screening of efficacy and safety of TS-943 in man.

Abstract: Immature teratoma, which contains variable quantities of immature tissues that resemble those of the embryo, is one of the primitive germ cell tumors. It occurs most frequently in young women but it is rarely reported in association with pregnancy. We report a case of immature teratoma associated with pregnancy exhibiting unique MR findings with pathologic correlation.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) recognizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS). MD-2 is associated with TLR4 and imparts LPS responsiveness to it. Little is known, however, as to whether MD-2 directly regulates LPS recognition by TLR4. To address the issue, we took advantage of a species-specific pharmacology of lipid IVa, an analogue of lipid A. Lipid IVa acted agonistically on mouse (m) TLR4/MD-2 but not on human (h) TLR4/MD-2. Lipid IVa antagonized the agonistic effect of lipid A on hTLR4/MD-2. We examined the chimeric complex consisting of mTLR4 and hMD-2 to ask whether species specificity is conferred by TLR4 or MD-2. hMD-2 was clearly distinct from mMD-2 in the way of influencing LPS recognition by mTLR4. hMD-2 conferred on mTLR4 responsiveness to lipid A but not to lipid IVa. Moreover, lipid IVa acted as a lipid A antagonist on mTLR4 that is associated with hMD-2. Collectively, MD-2 directly influences the fine specificity of TLR4.

This paper describes in a formal way a data schema model which introduces temporal and versioning schema features in an object-oriented environment. In our model, the schema is time dependent and the history of the changes which occur on its elements are kept into version hierarchies. A fundamental assumption behind our approach is that a new schema specification should not define a new database , so that previous schema definitions are considered as alternative design specifications, and consequently, existing data can be accessed in a consistent way using any of the defined schemas.

We previously reported two graph algorithms for analysis of genomic information: a graph comparison algorithm to detect locally similar regions called correlated clusters and an algorithm to find a graph feature called P-quasi complete linkage. Based on these algorithms we have developed an automatic procedure to detect conserved gene clusters and align orthologous gene orders in multiple genomes. In the first step, the graph comparison is applied to pairwise genome comparisons, where the genome is considered as a one-dimensionally connected graph with genes as its nodes, and correlated clusters of genes that share sequence similarities are identified. In the next step, the P-quasi complete linkage analysis is applied to grouping of related clusters and conserved gene clusters in multiple genomes are identified. In the last step, orthologous relations of genes are established among each conserved cluster. We analyzed 17 completely sequenced microbial genomes and obtained 2313 clusters when the completeness parameter P: was 40%. About one quarter contained at least two genes that appeared in the metabolic and regulatory pathways in the KEGG database. This collection of conserved gene clusters is used to refine and augment ortholog group tables in KEGG and also to define ortholog identifiers as an extension of EC numbers.

The availability of computerized knowledge on biochemical pathways in the KEGG database opens new opportunities for developing computational methods to characterize and understand higher level functions of complete genomes. Our approach is based on the concept of graphs; for example, the genome is a graph with genes as nodes and the pathway is another graph with gene products as nodes. We have developed a simple method for graph comparison to identify local similarities, termed correlated clusters, between two graphs, which allows gaps and mismatches of nodes and edges and is especially suitable for detecting biological features. The method was applied to a comparison of the complete genomes of 10 microorganisms and the KEGG metabolic pathways, which revealed, not surprisingly, a tendency for formation of correlated clusters called FRECs (functionally related enzyme clusters). However, this tendency varied considerably depending on the organism. The relative number of enzymes in FRECs was close to 50% for Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, but was <10% for SYNECHOCYSTIS: and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The FRECs collection is reorganized into a collection of ortholog group tables in KEGG, which represents conserved pathway motifs with the information about gene clusters in all the completely sequenced genomes.

Background & Aims: Costimulatory signals are essential for T-cell activation. The aim of this study was to demonstrate expression of costimulatory molecules CD86 and CD80 in human colonic epithelial cells and assess their functional roles in the activation of T cells in inflamed colonic mucosa. Methods: CD86 and CD80 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry of colonic mucosa, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, and flow cytometric analysis of isolated colonic epithelial cells and cell lines. Costimulatory effect of CD86-expressing colonic epithelial cells on purified CD4^+ T-cell proliferation was also assessed at suboptimal phytohemagglutinin stimulation. Results: CD86 and CD80 messenger RNA was detected in isolated colonic epithelial cells from normal and inflamed mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometric analysis of colonic epithelial cells confirmed cell surface expression of CD86 protein in inflamed colonic mucosa. Cell surface expression of CD86 protein was increased in the colonic epithelial cell line HT29-18-N2 after interferon gamma stimulation. Purified CD4^+ T cells proliferated in response to suboptimal phytohemagglutinin costimulated with interferon gamma-stimulated HT29-18-N2, and these proliferative responses were efficiently inhibited by the addition of anti-CD86 monoclonal antibody. Costimulatory effect of CD86-expressing colonic epithelial cells isolated from inflamed mucosa of ulcerative colitis was also demonstrated at suboptimal phytohemagglutinin stimulation in CD4^+ T cells. Conclusions: Colonic epithelial cells may act as antigen-presenting cells, and contribute to the activation of T cells through costimulatory molecule CD86 expression in inflamed colonic mucosa. GASTROENTEROLOGY 1999;117:536-545

ObjectivesTo localise the brain lesion that causes disturbances of sound lateralisation and to examine the correlation between such deficit and unilateral visuospatial neglect. Method There were 29 patients with right brain damage, 15 patients with left brain damage, and 22 healthy controls, who had normal auditory and binaural thresholds. A device was used that delivered sound to the left and right ears with an interaural time difference using headphones. The amplitude (an index of ability to detect sound image shifts from the centre) and midpoint (an index of deviation of the interaural time difference range perceived as the centre) parameters of interaural time difference were analysed in each subject using 10 consecutive stable saw toothed waves. Results The amplitude of interaural time difference was significantly higher in patients with right brain damage than in controls. The midpoint of the interaural time difference was significantly more deviated in patients with right brain damage than in those with left brain damage and controls (p&lt;0.05). Patients with right brain damage with lesions affecting both the parietal lobe and auditory pathway showed a significantly higher amplitude and deviated midpoint than the controls, whereas right brain damage with involvement of only the parietal lobe showed a midpoint significantly deviated from the controls (p&lt;0.05). Abnormal sound lateralisation correlated with unilateral visuospatial neglect (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions The right parietal lobe plays an important part in sound lateralisation. Sound lateralisation is also influenced by lesions of the right auditory pathway, although the effect of such lesions is less than that of the right parietal lobe. Disturbances of sound lateralisation correlate with unilateral visuospatial neglect.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the properties of the flexible pressure sensor under laboratory conditions simulating the internal environment of the total surface bearing (TSB) socket to determine optimal conditions for measuring normal stresses on the stump. The equipment used in the study was the Pressure Distribution Sensor System for Sockets. In a climatic chamber maintained at 37d`C and 70% humidity the sensor sheet was mounted on a measuring apparatus loaded with three 10 kg weights, and output from the sensor was records after loading was adopted as the measured output. Output was greater when weight was decreased than when weight was increased because of hysteresis (paired t-test, p<0.05). The sensor had temperature sensitivity but differences in output were not statistically significant (paired t-test, 0.10>p>0.05). There were no significant differences in output among five sensor sheets or among five sections of four sensor sheets (two-way ANOVA, p>0.05), but repeated loading on the same section of the sensor sheet increased output (two-way ANOVA, p<0.05). Reproducibility and sensitivity distribution of the sensor are considered satisfatory under laboratory conditions, but measurements of rapid and repetitive movements may not be accurate and comparing subtle changes in output from a single sensor is not suitable. The reliability of the sensor in a clinical setting for measuring normal stresses on the stump with the TSB socket should be examined.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the properties of the flexible pressure sensor under laboratory conditions simulating the internal environment of the total surface bearing (TSB) socket to determine optimal conditions for measuring normal stresses on the stump. The equipment used in the study was the Pressure Distribution Sensor System for Sockets. In a climatic chamber maintained at 37d°C and 70% humidity the sensor sheet was mounted on a measuring apparatus loaded with three 10 kg weights, and output from the sensor was records after loading was adopted as the measured output. Output was greater when weight was decreased than when weight was increased because of hysteresis (paired t-test, p<0.05). The sensor had temperature sensitivity but differences in output were not statistically significant (paired t-test, 0.10>p>0.05). There were no significant differences in output among five sensor sheets or among five sections of four sensor sheets (two-way ANOVA, p>0.05), but repeated loading on the same section of the sensor sheet increased output (two-way ANOVA, p<0.05). Reproducibility and sensitivity distribution of the sensor are considered satisfatory under laboratory conditions, but measurements of rapid and repetitive movements may not be accurate and comparing subtle changes in output from a single sensor is not suitable. The reliability of the sensor in a clinical setting for measuring normal stresses on the stump with the TSB socket should be examined.

Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) is a knowledge base for systematic analysis of gene functions in terms of the networks of genes and molecules. The major component of KEGG is the PATHWAY database that consists of graphical diagrams of biochemical pathways including most of the known metabolic pathways and some of the known regulatory pathways. The pathway information is also represented by the ortholog group tables summarizing orthologous and paralogous gene groups among different organisms. KEGG maintains the GENES database for the gene catalogs of all organisms with complete genomes and selected organisms with partial genomes, which are continuously re-annotated, as well as the LIGAND database for chemical compounds and enzymes. Each gene catalog is associated with the graphical genome map for chromosomal locations that is represented by Java applet. In addition to the data collection efforts, KEGG develops and provides various computational tools, such as for reconstructing biochemical pathways from the complete genome sequence and for predicting gene regulatory networks from the gene expression profiles. The KEGG databases are daily updated and made freely available (http://www.genome.ad.jp/kegg/).

Abstract: Objective: This study was performed to determine whether in vitro affinities of currently available antipsychotics toward dopamine or other neuronal receptor systems are associated with their in vivo incidence of central and peripheral adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Methods: For 17 antipsychotic drugs available in Japan, the clinical incidences of 7 different types of drug-induced ADRs (i.e., akathisia, dyskinesia, tremor, rigidity, drowsiness, hypotension and dry mouth) were obtained from both post-marketing ADR databases and the investigational clinical trials of eight pharmaceutical companies. Affinity constants (K i) of the respective drugs toward dopamine D1 and D2 receptors, α1-adrenoceptors, histamine H1 receptors, serotonin 5-HT2 receptors and muscarinic cholinoceptors, determined using rat brain synaptosomes, were obtained from the literature. Relationships between in vitro receptor-binding properties and in vivo incidences of the respective types of antipsychotic-related ADRs were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation. Results: Significant (P < 0.05) correlations were observed between the K i values for dopamine D2 receptor and the clinical incidences of akathisia and dyskinesia (r s = −0.68 and −0.66, respectively). Significant (P < 0.05) correlations were also observed between the K i values for α1-adrenoceptor and histamine H1 receptor and the incidence of drowsiness (r s=−0.65 and −0.55, respectively), and between the K i values for three receptor systems (i.e., dopamine D1 receptor, α1-adrenoceptor and histamine H1 receptor) and the incidence of dry mouth (r s = −0.50, −0.81 and −0.62, respectively). Conclusion: Preclinical receptor-binding data of antipsychotic drugs toward central dopamine and other ancillary neurotransmitter systems may be useful for predicting not only in vivo antipsychotic potency but also clinical incidence of akathisia and dyskinesia for this class of agents. Newly developed antipsychotic drugs with more potent and selective antagonistic activity against the dopamine D2 receptor may not necessarily be associated with a lower incidence of extrapyramidal ADRs.

Three prodrugs, N-α-acetyl-L-arginine, N-α-acetyl-L-histidine and N-α-acetyl-L-lysine have been examined to see if they could induce significant changes in the stability of an intravenous fat emulsion, the stability being evaluated in terms of physicochemical measurements such as particle size distribution, surface tension, pH and zeta potential. The acetyl amino acids had an excellent stabilizing effect on the emulsion compared with amino acids without acetyl groups.

Cisplatin is metabolized to high- and low-molecular mass complexes by exchanging of one or both chloride ligands with nucleophilic species. The decomposition of cisplatin and the formation of its metabolites in human biological fluids was investigated in-vitro.In nucleophile-free medium, cisplatin was decomposed by a reversible chloride ligand exchange reaction, which was dependent upon both chloride ion concentration and medium pH. The effect of pH was observed in the second-order rate constant for cisplatin re-formation, which was far smaller in neutral and alkaline media than in acidic media. In the medium containing nucleophilic species (glutathione, human albumin and globulin), cisplatin was irreversibly decomposed according to apparent first-order kinetics. The linear relationship between apparent decomposition rate constant and concentration of nucleophilic species suggested that nucleophilic species in biological fluids might react with cisplatin directly. Both high- and low-molecular mass metabolites were formed in human plasma and ascites; however, only a low-molecular mass metabolite was produced in urine. The faster decomposition of cisplatin and the greater ratio of fixed and mobile metabolites formed in plasma were mainly attributed to higher albumin concentration in plasma than in ascites and urine.The in-vitro decomposition of unchanged cisplatin and formation of high- and low-molecular mass metabolites in human biological fluids were simultaneously evaluated according to the kinetic model which combined both pathways via hydrolysis and by the direct reaction process with nucleophilic species.

Natural suppressor (NS) activity, the capacity of unprimed cells to suppress immunologic responses, is present in mouse, rabbit, and human bone marrow (BM). In this study we characterize NS activity in bone marrow cells of the rhesus monkey. Greatest NS activity was found in low-density cells (1.0600 to 1.0655 g/mL) obtained by density centrifugation on a discontinuous Percoll gradient. NS activity was further enriched when cells were separated by affinity for wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). Cells with high affinity to WGA demonstrated potent NS activity, whereas cells with low affinity to WGA had no NS activity. A significant relationship between NS activity and hematopoietic activity was demonstrated using in vitro assays of colony formation (CFU-GM and CFU-MIX). NS activity was not affected by treatment with monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) to human Fc gamma receptors (Leu, 11a,b,c) or treatment with MoAbs to monkey natural killer cells. These findings extend our prior observations by showing that cells with NS activity, which apparently have WGA receptors, are present not only in murine BM but also in monkey bone marrow, and suggest that such cells may be involved in immunoregulation by primitive cells of BM.

Twenty haemophiliacs (34 ankles) who were prescribed ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) or foot orthoses (FOs) were evaluated to confirm whether an orthosis improves the haemophilic arthropathy of the ankle joint. The guideline for the orthosis was the following: shoe modification for enquinus deformity, pain or occasional haemorrhages; elastic ankle supporter with a calcaneal silicone pad for occasional haemorrhages; flexible plastic AFO for frequent haemorrhages and AFO with double uprights for frequent haemorrhages in conjunction with the ankle joint deformity. One year after prescribing the orthosis, the frequency of bleeding in the ankle joint with an ankle supporter was reduced, and the range of motions and X-ray findings of the ankle joint had not deteriorated. Therefore, it was concluded that orthotic management for haemophilic arthropathy in addition to prophylactic therapy might be effective.

Abstract: A polarized heavy ion source based on spin and charge exchange collisions and laser optical pumping succeeded in producing a nuclear polarized3He+ beam. A brief description is given on a prerequisite as a practical heavy ion source and on an external injection system by which the polarized3He beam will be injected into the RCNP isochronous cyclotron.

Two populations of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in mouse bone marrow (BM) are defined on the basis of the presence or absence of interleukin- 3 (IL-3) receptor-associated antigen (IL-3RAA). HSC were purified by depletion of mature lymphoid-lineage cells followed by collection of the low-density fraction and sorting of wheat germ agglutinin-binding (WGA+) cells using a fluorescein-activated cell sorter. WGA+ cells were further separated into two populations (IL-3RAA+/WGA+ and IL-3RAA- /WGA+) by a monoclonal antibody (MoAb) against IL-3RAA. IL-3RAA+/WGA+ cells formed CFU-S on day 8; this population consisted mainly of cells in the cycling phase. IL-3RAA-/WGA+ cells form CFU-S on day 12; this population consisted mainly of dormant cells (cells in the G0 phase). When two populations obtained from C3H/HeN mice were injected into lethally irradiated (C57BL/6 x C3H/HeN)F1 mice, donor-derived cells in the peripheral blood (PB) appeared significantly earlier in mice injected with IL-3RAA+/WGA+ cells than in those injected with IL-3RAA- /WGA+ cells, whereas the reconstruction efficiency of IL-3RAA-/WGA+ cells had overtaken that of IL-3RAA+/WGA+ cells 6 weeks after injection. Long-term observation showed no significant difference between these two populations, however. The radioprotective ability (RPA) (30-day survival) of these two populations was therefore compared. The RPA of IL-3RAA-/WGA+ cells was significantly higher than that of IL-3RAA+/WGA+ cells. These findings therefore suggest that the former population is more primitive.