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Advanced materials leveraging water control are garnering considerable interest, with the state of water emerging as a critical aspect of material design. This study explored the impact of microphase separation on water using aqueous solutions of double zwitterionic diblock copolymers, specifically poly(carboxybetaine methacrylate) and poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PCB2-b-PSB4). These copolymers form a mesoscale periodic ordered lattice structure consisting of two distinct aqueous phases. Through differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray emission spectroscopy, it was found that water in these PCB2-b-PSB4 aqueous solutions exhibits pronounced cold crystallization and subtle distortions in hydrogen-bonding configurations.

Background We aimed to quantify the tortuosity of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and assess its effects on radiological and clinical outcomes in patients with acute MCA occlusions who received mechanical thrombectomy (MT).Methods This retrospective study enrolled 53 patients with acute ischemic stroke due to MCA M1 or M2 segment occlusion who underwent MT using stent retrievers (SRs). Tortuosity index (TI) was defined to quantify the tortuosity of the MCA M1 segment using the following formula: (actual distance / straight distance) × 100. For each patient, four TIs were measured in the anteroposterior and caudal views for both ipsilateral and contralateral sides to the occluded site (TI-APi, TI-APc, TI-CAUi, and TI-CAUc, respectively) using magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) or computed tomography angiography (CTA). We defined the first-pass effect (FPE) as first-pass mTICI classification ≥2b reperfusion.Results Patients who did not achieve FPE had significantly higher TI-APi (112 vs. 106; P= 0.004), TI-APc (111 vs. 105; P= 0.005), TI-CAUi (110 vs. 105; P= 0.002), and TI-CAUc (110 vs. 105; P= 0.001) than those who achieved FPE. In multivariable analysis, higher TI-APi, TI-CAUi, and TI-APc were independently associated with an increased rate of unsuccessful FPE (odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 1.25 [1.02–1.61], 1.21 [1.01–1.45], and 1.27 [1.03–1.73], respectively). TI-CAUi, TI-APc, and TI-CAUc were also independent predictors of the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage after MT (OR [95% CI]: 1.15 [1.01–1.38], 1.14 [1.01–1.38], 1.25 [1.02–1.52], respectively).Conclusions The TIs of the MCA M1 segment on both ipsilateral and contralateral sides were associated with unfavourable outcomes after MT.

Abstract: A high-throughput crystallization-to-structure pipeline for structural genomics was recently developed at the Advanced Protein Crystallography Research Group of the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Japan. The structure determination pipeline includes three newly developed technologies for automating X-ray protein crystallography: the automated crystallization and observation robot system “TERA”, the SPring-8 Precise Automatic Cryosample Exchanger “SPACE” for automated data collection, and the Package of Expert Researcher’s Operation Network “PERON” for automated crystallographic computation from phasing to model checking. During the 5 years following April, 2002, this pipeline was used by seven researchers to determine 138 independent crystal structures (resulting from 437 purified proteins, 234 cryoloop-mountable crystals, and 175 diffraction data sets). The protocols used in the high-throughput pipeline are described in this paper.

The effect of a magnetic field on the water contact angle for magnetic elastomers with various plasticizer contents was investigated. At a plasticizer content below 60 wt %, there was no change in contact angle when a magnetic field of 370 mT was applied. For magnetic elastomers with a plasticizer content above 65 wt %, a change in contact angle of approximately 8.0° was observed (e.g. 38° at 0 mT and 46° at 370 mT for 65 wt % plasticizer content). Dynamic viscoelastic measurements showed that magnetic elastomers with a plasticizer content below 60 wt % demonstrate the magnetorheological (MR) effect with changes in storage modulus higher than ∼1 MPa. Atomic force microscopy for magnetic elastomer with a plasticizer content of 50 wt % revealed that the averaged Young’s modulus was 233 ± 52.1 kPa at 370 mT and 83 ± 5.4 kPa at 0 mT, indicating that the MR effect is caused not only on a bulk but also on a mesoscopic scale. Magnetic elastomers specialized for cell culture were obtained by optimizing the plasticizer content, that exhibit the MR effect with changes in storage modulus from 1.3 × 104Pa to 9.4 × 105without changing the surface properties.Magnetic elastomers specialized for a cell-culture substrate were obtained by optimizing the plasticizer content. It was also found that the MR effect is caused not only in bulk but also in a mesoscopic scale.

Blood-compatible materials that do not promote reactions in contact with human blood are required to support emerging medical technologies. The interfaces of poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA), a blood-compatible polymer, and its analogues were investigated by frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM). The grafted polymers exhibited phase separation into polymer-rich and water-rich domains. Thin repulsive layers of hydrated polymer chains were observed in the water-rich domains of the blood-compatible polymers; on the other hand, such layers were not observed for the non-blood-compatible polymers. We report for the first time that FM-AFM enables characteristic repulsive layers composed of hydrated polymer chains in water-rich domains to be observed, which is a significant design factor for blood-compatible polymers.

Background Symptomatic cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a significant cause of delayed cerebral ischemia that leads to poor outcomes. Selective intra-arterial administration of fasudil hydrochloride (IAF) has been adopted for its vasodilatory effect on spasm arteries to prevent delayed cerebral ischemia. However, its effect on clinical outcomes and predictive factors for good recovery are not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of selective IAF and identify predictive factors for good outcomes in patients with cerebral vasospasm after SAH.Methods A retrospective study of 36 patients with cerebral vasospasm following SAH who underwent selective IAF at our institution between January 2014 and May 2022 was conducted. We evaluated the improvements in neurological findings before and after selective IAF. Statistical analyses were performed to determine factors associated with good outcomes.Results Selective IAF improved the neurological findings in 26 patients (72.2%). Pre-therapeutic absence of cerebral infarction in more than 1/3 of the spasm artery perfusion area was significantly associated with an improvement in neurological findings (p< 0.0001). Furthermore, there was a tendency for a good outcome when the age was younger (p= 0.093), and the spasm was limited to peripheral vessels (p= 0.065).Conclusion Our study indicates that selective IAF has a promising effect in improving symptomatic vasospasm, except when a large cerebral infarction exists in the spasm artery perfusion area. Early consideration of selective IAF could be recommended once patients experience symptomatic cerebral vasospasm after SAH.

A recent classification analysis of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) revealed a distinct cluster with apathy and eating problems including anorexia that exhibits frailty. The apathy and frailty are risk factors in the disease progresses. However, there is currently no effective drug for treating both anorexia and apathy in AD. Here, we conducted an open-label pilot study to determine whether ninjin’yoeito (NYT, TJ-108), a multicomponent drug, is effective for improving anorexia and apathy in patients with AD, and consequently their cognitive function. Trials were conducted at three sites in Japan. Twenty patients [4 men and 16 women, average age?=?82.6±7.7 (mean±SD) years old], including 19 AD and 1 mixed dementia with anorexia/apathy, were examined. NYT (6–9?g/day) was administered for 12 weeks. The changes in scores for “anorexia” using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) subcategory for eating disturbance (primary outcome measure), NPI including “apathy”, the vitality index, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and physical and blood nutrition indices were evaluated at baseline (week 0), and weeks 4, 8 and 12. After week 4, significant improvements were observed in the scores for “anorexia” and “apathy” by NPI and meal ingestion amount. Vitality index and MMSE score were significantly improved by week 12. We propose that NYT, a multicomponent drug with several effects including dopamine modulation, is a new-type dementia therapeutic agent with low risk of adverse reactions that can improve simultaneously anorexia/apathy, as well as cognitive dysfunction in frail AD patients.

Decreased walking speed in older patients admitted to convalescent rehabilitation wards (CRWs) is one of the factors that inhibit home discharge. Therefore, interventions to improve gait speed in older patients admitted to CRWs are important, and rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) may be an effective intervention strategy. However, the effect of RAS on gait speed in older patients admitted to CRWs is not well known. Therefore, this study protocol aims to determine the feasibility of the RAS-based gait practice for older patients admitted to the CRW.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with altered immune response to endometrial cells facilitating the implantation and proliferation of ectopic endometrial tissues. Although regulatory T (Treg) cells play a key role in T cell-mediated immune response and development of immune disorders, their significance in endometriosis remains to be elucidated. Recently, CD4+CD45RA- forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3)hi T cells, activated Treg cells, have been identified as a functionally true suppressive population of Treg cells.

The number of noise complaints of Japan is around 15,000 a year and there are about 200 complaints of low frequency noise. In our NPO (Non Profit Organization), the specialists as volunteers on noise, vibration and low frequency noise take counsel with the complaints and measure the low frequency noise. It is difficult to measure the noise in the night by local government, and in such cases we measure the noise in the night for a long-time in complainant's house. However, sometimes we cannot find the appropriate level of low frequency noise, though the complainant appeals for the serious damage by low frequency noise.Therefore we measured the complaint's reaction at the same time with low frequency noise in the complainant's house. We analyzed the correlation between the complaint's reaction and measured low frequency noise. In many cases, we cannot find out the correlation between the measured low frequency noise and complainant's reaction.

The hydration state of bioactive glass materials and its relationship with their biocompatibility have been receiving attention. In this research, silver-containing bioactive glasses (BGAgs) (Ag contents of 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0% in the glass system) were developed using the sol-gel method. Their physicochemical properties, size, morphology, and surface area were characterized by conducting X-rays diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analyses. The surface charges of the developed BGAgs were evaluated using the Nano Zetasizer. Moreover, the antibacterial activities and intermediate water (IW) contents of hydrated BGAgs were determined. Finally, BGAgs disks were tested against osteosarcoma (MG63) cell line to evaluate their death modes. The physicochemical characteristics of the BGAgs revealed no modifications after Ag doping. In comparison, relative changes were recorded in the particle size (20–33 to 16–29 nm), surface area (4.3 to 3.7 m2/g), and particle charge (−24 to −14.6 mV). Doping the current glass system with silver produced impressive amounts of IW, consistent with recorded proliferation rates of the cells when treated with BGAgs. The determined hydration states correlated with other findings in this research might be helpful in predicting and assessing the biological behaviors of BGAgs.

ABCA2 protein belongs to the ABCA subclass of ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters proposed to exert critical functions in transmembrane transport of endogenous lipids. In this study, we found by immunoblot analyses that approximately 260 kDa of ABCA2 protein is expressed predominantly in oligodendrocytes, and that the expression of the protein is upregulated in the brain during maturation, especially between postnatal days 6 and 19. Parallel to the changes in expression of ABCA2, immunohistochemical analyses showed rapid spatial spread of ABCA2‐immunolabeled oligodendrocytes in the brain during this period. These temporal and spatial changes in ABCA2 expression were in good agreement with findings in myeloarchitectonics reported previously. Further, double immunolabeling with ABCA2 and a major structural protein of myelin, myelin basic protein, demonstrated that onset of ABCA2 expression in oligodendrocytes coincides with the appearance of thick myelin segments immunolabeled with myelin basic protein. Because ABCA2 was abundantly expressed in adult cortex in white matter and gray matter, coexpression of ABCA2 and a marker for the oligodendroglial progenitors NG2 or platelet‐derived growth factor α receptor was investigated. No cells coexpressing ABCA2 and the marker were observed, suggesting that ABCA2 is expressed predominantly in myelin‐forming oligodendrocytes distinct from the adult oligodendroglial progenitors tested. These results suggested a role for ABCA2 in membrane transport of substrates such as the lipids that are closely linked to myelination processes. J. Comp. Neurol. 455:353–367, 2003. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

The mechanism by which cells recognize starvation to allow subsequent cellular development was analyzed usingDictyostelium discoideum,with special emphasis on Ca2+as a crucial signal transducer in intra- and intercellular communications. As was expected, the cytosolic Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) in aequorin-expressing cells (RHI76 derived fromD. discoideumAx-3) was temporarily increased, when 3–5 μM thapsigargin (Tg), a specific inhibitor of the Ca2+-ATPase, was added into the cells incubated in semistarvation medium (SS-medium: 1 vol of growth medium plus 7 vol either of 20 mM Na2/K-phosphate buffer (pH 6.2) or of Bonner's salt solution (BSS)). Essentially the same result was obtained by the application of 5 μM nigericin (Ng), an acid ionophore to cells under the semistarved condition. Here it is of interest to note that in the SS-medium Tg and Ng are capable of enhancing cell differentiation as exemplified well by the earlier acquisition of chemotactic response to cAMP, possibly inducing the starvation response through the [Ca2+]iincrease. From Western blot analysis of phosphotyrosine (pTyr)-containing proteins using anti-pTyr antibody, it was found that the pTyr-phosphorylation levels of 97-, 80-, and 45-kDa proteins increase specifically in response to starvation. Interestingly, Tg and Ng induced such a change of the 80-kDa protein in the cells incubated in the SS-medium. Taken together these results strongly suggest that the temporal increase of [Ca2+]imay be a matter of importance for signal transduction coupled with starvation response.

The infrared and Raman spectra of dimethylaminosulfonyl chloride and its C-deuterated derivative have been recorded in the liquid state. The fundamental frequencies have been assigned by referring to the band intensities, Raman depolarization ratios and isotopic frequency shifts. A normal coordinate analysis based on a planar Csmolecular model has been carried out by using a simple Urey-Bradley force field for stretching and bending coordinates and a valence force field for torsional coordinates. The calculated frequencies based on a refined set of force constants agree well with the observed ones.

The present study investigated whether Helicobacter pylori water extract induces the upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin on human umbilical vein endothelial cells, using an ELISA. The nature of the substances mediating this upregulation was also analyzed. H pylori water extract derived from type strain (NCTC 11637) significantly upregulated intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and E-selectin to the same extent as interleukin-1. Treatments with extracts from clinical strains showed no significant increases in expression of these adhesion molecules. In a fractionation study, approximately 7 kDa fraction showed peak activity. This activity was tolerant to heating and trypsin digestion. These results indicate that H pylori water extract contains water-soluble, low-molecular, nonprotein substances which induce upregulation of adhesion molecules on human umbilical vein endothelial cells, suggesting that products of H pylori may elicit gastric mucosal inflammation by promoting expression of endothelial adhesion molecules.

Helicobacter pylori-infected gastrointestinal mucosa is frequently infiltrated by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and monocytes, and these invading cells have been implicated in gastrointestinal mucosal inflammation. To clarify the efficacy of polaprezinc, a chelate compound consisting of zinc and L-carnosine, against H pylori-induced inflammation including PMN infiltration, the in vitro effects of this drug on interleukin (IL)-8 production by an established gastric cancer cell line (MKN 45 cells) and on PMN-endothelial cell adhesive interactions was investigated. Polaprezinc and zinc sulphate inhibited IL-8 production by MKN 45 cells in response to stimulation with H pylori water extract (HPE) in a dose-dependent manner from 10-7 M to 10-5 M. In addition, the expression of CD11b and CD18 on PMN and PMN-dependent adhesion to endothelial cells elicited by HPE was inhibited by polaprezinc and zinc sulphate in a concentration-dependent manner. L-carnosine did not have any effects on IL-8 production or PMN-endothelial cell interactions. These results suggest that polaprezinc, mainly the zinc component, may inhibit H pylori-induced PMN-mediated gastric inflammation by attenuating CD11b/CD18 expression on PMN and IL-8 production from gastric epithelial cells.

The low gel temperature agarose was tested for encapsulating small specimens for electron microscopy. Fixed rabbit platelets could be encapsulated with this agarose at room temperature without warming any instruments for collecting them and they showed fine ultrastructure observed with a transmission electron microscope. By using this agarose, the procedure for encapsulation became simpler than that by other encapsulating medium.

Previously we perfused several organs with the medium containing a low concentration of glutaraldehyde and Triton X-100 in order to observe the cytoskeleton of epithelial cells. Saponin can be substituted for Triton X-100. To assess the action of saponin in this perfusion method, we observed the visceral epithelial cells (podocytes) in the glomeruli of rat kidneys by scanning and transmission electron microscopes. By SEM, filaments formed a network, and vesicles and granules were seen in the cytoplasm of podocytes. These structures seen by SEM were identified by TEM as endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, thin filaments and microtubules.