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Nakamura Nobutomo, Matsuura Koji, Ishii Akio and Ogi Hirotsugu. Restructuring in bimetallic core-shell nanoparticles: Real-time observation. Physical Review B, 105, 125401, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.105.125401., The formation process of core-shell bimetallic nanoparticles synthesized by sputtering onto a substrate is observed in real time using an originally developed acoustic technique. The technique enables us to evaluate the structural change of nanoparticles at room temperature without contacting the nanoparticles or substrate. In the experiments, the sputtering of metal A followed by metal B tended to form B-shell/A-core nanoparticles. However, in Pd-Au alloy system, notable restructuring occurred during synthesis, resulting in the formation of A-shell/B-core nanoparticles. The formation process is analyzed using the molecular dynamics simulation, revealing that this restructuring occurs on a short timescale, and high diffusivity of Au plays an important role.

Akio Ishii, Activation energy of homogeneous nucleation of Zr hydride: Density functional theory calculation, Computational Materials Science, Volume 215, 2022, 111769, ISSN 0927-0256, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2022.111769., Considering the nucleation process of Zr hydrides as phase transformation from hexagonal closed-packed (HCP) to face-centered tetragonal (FCT) structure, we calculated the activation energy of the homogeneous nucleation process of Zr hydrides and atomic rearrangement during nucleation for Zr4H, Zr2H, ZrH and ZrH2 using density functional theory calculations and minimum energy path detection. At 0 K limit, although ZrH and ZrH2 have lower chemical potentials and are more energetically stable than Zr4H and Zr2H, the latter have lower activation energies for nucleation. At finite temperatures, the crossover of activation energies occurs around 300 K, where ZrH becomes the most possible candidate with the lowest activation energy. This was explained by the difference in the atomic rearrangement and change in phonon frequency during phase transformation.

Guinier-Preston (GP) zones, which form in Al-Cu alloys, exhibit characteristic patterns of Cu-rich, disk-shaped atomic clusters along the {100} planes. GP zones have received much attention not only for their precipitation-hardening effect on the Al matrix, but also from fundamental interest in the physics and chemistry of the nanoscale organization of solute atoms. In this study, we established an atomistic kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) modeling technique for exploring the nucleation and formation processes of GP zones in Al-Cu alloys by constructing an effective on-lattice multibody potential for a dilute Al-Cu-vacancy system by density functional theory calculations. Our model can describe the clustering of Cu atoms via successive exchanges with vacancies and reproduce the characteristic planar nanoprecipitates along the {100} planes in a manner consistent with the crystallographic nature of the GP zones in the early-stage aging of Al-Cu alloys. The time evolution and critical nucleus size of Cu clusters were characterized at various temperatures based on the kMC results. Consequently, we predicted the existence of an optimum temperature (i.e., nose temperature) for the formation of Cu clusters at which the cluster growth was maximized, which was attributable to the interplay between the critical nucleation barrier and the diffusion rate. In addition, the critical nucleus size and temperature for cluster formation were examined based on classical nucleation theory along with the developed multibody potential. These provided an insight into the competition between the enthalpic and entropic effects on the formation of GP zones in the Al-Cu system.

AIM Transient elastography (TE) is the gold standard for measurement of liver stiffness. The usefulness of shear wave elastographies (SWE) is well accepted. However, the measurement values cannot be equivalently compared because cut-off values for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis are different among those devices. We aimed to clarify correlations, to generate the regression equations between TE and SWEs, and to compare the diagnostic ability of each device to diagnose liver fibrosis. METHODS A total of 109 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent liver biopsy and same-day evaluation of liver stiffness using six ultrasound devices were analyzed. The diagnostic ability of liver stiffness from each ultrasound device and correlations between TE and each SWE were analyzed. RESULTS Liver stiffness measured by all six ultrasound devices increased significantly as liver fibrosis stage advanced (P

The application of existing semigrand canonical ensemble Monte Carlo algorithms to alloys requires the chemical potential difference values between pairs of atomic species in the alloys as inputs. However, finding the appropriate values for a target system at a desired temperature and bulk composition is a time-consuming task consisting of multiple test runs to determine the chemical potential differences. This problem becomes more serious when dealing with systems containing three or more atomic species, such as medium- and high-entropy alloys, due to the increase of the number of chemical potential differences that need to be calculated. Here we propose a method for sampling from the semigrand canonical ensemble that relies on energy databases acting as an external atomic reservoir at the desired temperature and composition. Given these energy databases, the desired bulk composition and corresponding chemical potential differences can be satisfied in a ``single'' Monte Carlo simulation. Moreover, the energy databases shed light on the underlying energetics of alloys, reflecting their local chemical ordering. We demonstrate the validity of this method using analyses of segregation isotherms at grain boundaries and dislocations in two alloy systems: Fe--1-at.-$%$-Si and NiCoCr medium-entropy alloy. We also discuss the possibly relevant information contained in such energy databases.

The s'' precipitate is a primary strengthening precipitate in Mg-Y alloys. It nucleates as localized zigzag- and hexagonal-shaped clusters. Studies on the nucleation kinetics of s'' precipitate are scarce. In this study, we applied the kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) approach to explore the nucleation kinetics of the s'' precipitates in the Mg-3.0 at.% Y system using a density functional theory-based interatomic potential. The time evolution of nucleation of the s'' precipitates was characterized based on the KMC results. Using these results, we predicted the existence of an optimum temperature for the formation of the s'' precipitates to be 550 K, at which the time necessary for nucleation is the shortest. Moreover, an upper temperature limit, above which the s'' precipitates cannot nucleate, was computed as 700 K. This study explains precipitate nucleation in Mg-Y alloys at an atomic level and provides the theory for obtaining an optimal age-hardening response.

Whether direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy can reduce liver fibrosis and steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains unclear. We evaluated sequential changes in liver stiffness and steatosis using transient elastography (TE) and the TE-based controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) in patients with HCV who received DAA therapy.A total of 57 patients with HCV who received DAA therapy and achieved sustained virological response (SVR) were analyzed. Liver stiffness as evaluated with TE, steatosis as evaluated with CAP, and laboratory data were assessed before treatment (baseline), at end of treatment (EOT), 24 weeks after EOT (SVR24), and 48 weeks after EOT (SVR48).Alanine aminotransferase levels, corresponding to the presence of necroinflammatory activity, significantly decreased overall, with significant differences between baseline and EOT, EOT, and SVR24, and baseline and SVR48. However, alanine aminotransferase levels showed no significant changes between SVR24 and SVR48. Median (interquartile range) liver stiffness values at baseline, EOT, SVR24, and SVR48 were 8.3 (5.0-14.8), 7.4 (4.6-14.7), 5.3 (4.1-11.8), and 5.4 (4.0-13.4) kPa, respectively (baseline vs. EOT, P=0.044; EOT vs. SVR24, P=0.011; and SVR24 vs. SVR48, P=0.054). In patients with fatty liver (CAP≥236 dB/m, n=14), CAP values at baseline and SVR48 were 253 (245-278) and 229 (209-249) dB/m, respectively (P=0.020).Liver stiffness at SVR24 might reflect liver fibrosis in the patients who received DAA therapy and achieved SVR. In addition, liver steatosis reduces in the same cohort with fatty liver.

The formation of hydrides challenges the integrity of zirconium (Zr) fuel cladding in nuclear reactors. The dynamics of hydride precipitation are complex. Especially, the formation of the butterfly or bird-nest configurations of dislocation structures around hydride is rather intriguing. By in-situ transmission electron microscopy experiments and density functional theory simulations, it is discovered that hydride growth is a hybrid displacive-diffusive process, which is regulated by intermittent dislocation emissions. A strong tensile stress field around the hydride tip increases the solubility of hydrogen in Zr matrix, which prevents hydride growth. Punching-out dislocations reduces the tensile stress surrounding the hydride, decreases hydrogen solubility, reboots the hydride precipitation and accelerates the growth of the hydride. The emission of dislocations mediates hydride growth, and finally, the consecutively emitted dislocations evolve into a butterfly or bird-nest configuration around the hydride.

Akio Ishii, Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts stress relaxations in metallic glasses, Computational Materials Science, Volume 198, 2021, 110673, ISSN 0927-0256, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.commatsci.2021.110673., We perform a molecular dynamics (MD) stress relaxation simulation for Zr50Cu40Al10 metallic glass to confirm that the time dependency of stress relaxation conforms with the Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts (KWW) equation, and to derive the temperature dependency of the Kohlrausch exponent βKWW. We also calculate local plastic deformation based on atomic strain, then discuss the morphology of relaxation and calculate the probability density of stress relaxation with respect to the characteristic time of relaxation from the number of deformed atoms. Afterward, we derive the time dependency of stress relaxation as a mode-averaged decay function, which expresses spatial and temporal heterogeneity. Both the results of simulation and calculation reproduce the KWW relaxation form and are in good agreement, confirming the spatially and temporally heterogeneous nature of KWW relaxation. The heterogeneity of the stress relaxation of metallic glass is determined by local stress changes caused by microscopic local plastic deformation.

Background We aimed to elucidate the relationship between serum myostatin levels and other markers including skeletal muscle mass and to investigate the influence of serum myostatin levels on survival for patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). Methods A total of 198 LC subjects were analysed in this study. Myostatin levels were measured using stored sera. We retrospectively investigated the relationship between myostatin level and other markers, and the influence of myostatin level on overall survival (OS). Assessment of skeletal muscle mass was performed using the psoas muscle index (PMI) on computed tomography images at baseline. PMI indicates the sum of bilateral psoas muscle mass calculated by hand tracing at the lumber three level on computed tomography images divided by height squared (cm2/m2). The study cohort was divided into two groups based on the median myostatin value in each gender. Results Our study cohort included 108 male and 90 female patients with a median age of 67.5 years. The median (range) myostatin level for male patients was 3419.6 pg/mL (578.4–12897.7 pg/mL), whereas that for female patients was 2662.4 pg/mL (710.4–8782.0 pg/mL) (P = 0.0024). Median (range) serum myostatin level for Child–Pugh A patients (n = 123) was 2726.0 pg/mL (578.4–12667.2 pg/mL), whereas that for Child–Pugh B or C patients (n = 75) was 3615.2 pg/mL (663.3–12897.7 pg/mL) (P = 0.0011). For the entire cohort, the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year cumulative OS rates were 93.94%, 72.71%, 50.37%, and 38.47%, respectively, in the high-myostatin group and 96.97%, 83.27%, 73.60%, and 69.95%, respectively, in the low-myostatin group (P = 0.0001). After excluding hepatocellular carcinoma patients (at baseline) from our analysis (n = 158), the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year cumulative OS rates were 96.0%, 77.93%, 52.97%, and 39.08%, respectively, in the high-myostatin group and 96.39%, 87.58%, 77.63%, and 73.24%, respectively, in the low-myostatin group (P = 0.0005). Higher age (P = 0.0111) and lower PMI (P

A recent experiment (Scripta Mater., 65:990, 2011) shows that the Σ7 {132}/{132} grain boundary in Al can migrate under external stress but produces no strain. Here, based on a bi-crystallographic analysis, an atomic shuffling path was identified as the feasible mechanism for this grain boundary migration. By a density functional theory calculation, it reveals that the enthalpy barrier of this atomic shuffling path increases by external shear stress applied with shear of the grain boundary along the tilt axis 〈111〉, which is in good agreement with experimentally measured shear-direction-dependence of activation enthalpy for this grain boundary migration.

We report a first-principles study on how H2 molecules emerge in a nanovoid in α-iron. In a 9-vacancy void, after the walls are decorated with 24 H atoms, only H-dimers are allowed to be adsorbed on the walls; whereas in a spherical 27-vacancy void, H2 molecules start to appear in the center of the void after the walls are saturated by 54 H atoms. The bubble pressure can reach 3.5 GPa, comparable to the measured H2 pressure in blisters at the micrometer scale. The H-saturated nanovoid attracts vacancy more strongly than does the pristine nanovoid through strong H-vacancy interaction.

Aims To develop and validate a simple predictive model using easily obtained clinical parameters to predict decreased skeletal muscle mass (DSMM) in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients (n = 652). Methods Study subjects were divided into a training set (n = 326) and a validation set (n = 326). DSMM was diagnosed based on skeletal muscle mass index measured by bioimpedance analysis. Variables significantly associated with DSMM were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses in the training set and used to construct a predictive formula. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed and the predictive model was validated in the validation set. Subgroup analyses were performed based on gender, age or cirrhosis status of patients. Results Body mass index (BMI), age, serum albumin and branched-chain amino acid to tyrosine ratio (BTR) were determined to be significant predictive factors for DSMM. A composite formula “BALB score” was constructed [-7.740 + (0.539 × BMI) + (-0.112 × Age) + (1.358 × Albumin) + (-0.264 × BTR)]. BALB score had the best predictive characteristics among all variables in both population sets (Area under the ROC curve; 0.877-0.898). Patients with DSMM were stratified into three BALB score categories (>4, 0-4, and

Aims To investigate the impact of low skeletal muscle mass (LSMM) on survival as compared with protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). Methods A total of 206 individuals with LC were analyzed. We retrospectively examined the impact of LSMM, as defined by psoas muscle mass at the third lumber on computed tomography, on survival as compared with PEM. In terms of comparison of the effects of LSMM and PEM on survival, we used time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. Results Our study cohort included 115 men and 91 women with a median age of 67 years. There were 140 patients with Child-Pugh A, 62 with Child-Pugh B, and 4 with Child-Pugh C. A total of 117 patients (56.8%) had LSMM and 52 patients (25.2%) had PEM. The proportion of PEM in patients with LSMM (31.62%, 37/117) was significantly higher than in patients without LSMM (16.85%, 15/89) (P = 0.0229). In the multivariate analysis for the entire cohort, the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, lower body mass index, presence of LSMM, lower triglyceride value, poorer renal function, and higher des-γ-carboxy prothrombin value were found to be significant adverse predictors linked to overall survival, while presence of PEM tended to be significant. In the time-dependent ROC analysis, all area under the ROCs for survival in LSMM at each time point were higher than those in PEM except for Child-Pugh B patients. Conclusion In this comparison of LSMM and PEM on clinical outcomes in LC patients, it was shown that LSMM may have stronger prognostic impact than PEM.

Aims We aimed to retrospectively examine the impact of pretreatment psoas muscle index (PMI) as determined by computed tomography on survival for treatment naïve hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy (n=182; 111 males and 71 females with median age of 70 years). Patients and methods Optimal cut-off points of PMI in male and female were calculated by receiver operating characteristic analysis for survival. We investigated parameters associated with overall survival (OS) in the univariate and multivariate analyses. Results The median follow-up period in this study was 4.28 years. For all cases, the 5-year cumulative OS rate after initial RFA was 69.2%. The median (range) value in PMI for male was 6.03 (1.63-9.90) cm2/m2 whereas that for female was 4.06 (1.21-7.32) cm2/m2. Maximum tumor size ranged from 0.7 cm to 3.5 cm (median, 1.5cm). There were 145 patients with single nodule and 37 with multiple nodules. The optimal cut-off point for PMI was 6.31 cm2/m2 in male and 3.91 cm2/m2 in female. The 5-year cumulative OS rates were 51.5% in the decreased PMI group (n=90) and 86.5% in the non-decreased PMI group (n=92) (P

Obesity is regarded as a risk factor for various benign and malignant diseases. We evaluated whether or not the body mass index (BMI) was associated with the presence of gastroesophageal varices in asymptomatic hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related compensated cirrhosis (Child-Pugh grade A status). Among a total of 794 patients of HCV-related chronic liver disease, 90 had histologically-proven cirrhosis, and 63 were classified as having compensated cirrhosis (30 had varices, and the remaining 33 did not). The values of prothrombin time (%) and platelet count were significantly lower in the patients with varices than in those without (

We compared Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA+ -M2BP) levels between patients with chronic hepatitis B (n=249) and chronic hepatitis C (n=386) based on the degree of liver fibrosis. We examined WFA+ -M2BP levels in patients with F4 (cirrhosis), F3 or more (advanced fibrosis) and F2 or more (significant fibrosis) in the two groups. We further examined the relationship between five fibrosis markers and the degree of fibrosis. The WFA+ -M2BP values ranged from 0.25 cut-off index (COI) to 12.9 COI in patients with hepatitis B and 0.34-20.0 COI in patients with hepatitis C (P

The atomistic pathways of deformation twinning can be computed ab initio, and quantified by two variables: strain which describes shape change of a periodic supercell, and shuffling which describes non-affine displacements of the internal degrees of freedom. The minimum energy path involves juxta-position of both. But if one can obtain the same saddle point by continuously increasing the strain and relaxing the internal degrees of freedom by steepest descent, we call the path strain-controlled, and vice versa. Surprisingly, we find the { 10 1 ¯ 2 } 〈 10 1 ¯ 1 ¯ 〉 twinning of Mg is shuffling-controlled at the smallest lengthscale of the irreducible lattice correspondence pattern, that is, the reaction coordinate at the level of 4 atoms is dominated by non-affine displacements, instead of strain. Shuffling-controlled deformation twinning is expected to have different temperature and strain-rate sensitivities from strain-controlled deformation twinning due to relatively weaker strength of long-range elastic interactions, in particular at the twin nucleation stage. As the twin grows large enough, however, elastic interactions and displacive character of the transformation should always turn dominant.

Aim We aimed to construct a predictive model for advanced fibrosis containing Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA+-M2BP) level in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and to validate its accuracy in an independent cohort. Methods A total of 386 patients with CHC were retrospectively analyzed. For the purpose of this study, we formed a training set (n = 210) and a validation set (n = 176). In the training set, we investigated variables linked to the presence of advanced fibrosis using univariate and multivariate analyses. We constructed a formula for predicting advanced fibrosis and validated its accuracy in the validation cohort. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was carried out for calculating the area under the ROC (AUROC). Results In multivariate analyses, WFA+-M2BP (P = 0.029) and prothrombin time (PT) (P = 0.018) were found to be significant predictive factors linked to the presence of advanced fibrosis; platelet count (P = 0.098) and hyaluronic acid (P = 0.078) showed borderline statistical significance for the presence of advanced fibrosis. Using these four variables (with the initials MPPH), we constructed the following formula: MPPH score = −3.584 − (0.275 × WFA+-M2BP) + (0.068 × platelet count) + (0.042 × PT) − (0.005 × hyaluronic acid). In the training and validation sets, MPPH score yielded the highest AUROCs (0.87 and 0.83) for predicting advanced fibrosis among eight serum liver fibrosis markers. Similarly, in the training and validation sets, MPPH score had the highest diagnostic accuracies for predicting advanced fibrosis among eight serum variables (81.4% and 74.4%). Conclusion Our proposed MPPH scoring system can be useful for predicting advanced fibrosis in patients with CHC.

Aim To examine the relationship between serum Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA+-M2BP) levels and liver histological findings for patients with treatment naive chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods A total of 189 treatment naive-CHB patients were analyzed. We examined the effect of pretreatment serum WFA+-M2BP levels on histological findings compared with other laboratory markers, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index, Fibrosis-4 index, platelet count, AST to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio, and hyaluronic acid as liver fibrosis markers, and AST value, ALT value, and serum interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 level as liver inflammation markers. Results The WFA+-M2BP value ranged from 0.3 cut-off index (COI) to 12.9 COI (median value, 1.2 COI). The degree of liver fibrosis was significantly stratified according to WFA+-M2BP level in each group except for groups F2 and F3 and the degree of liver inflammation activity was significantly stratified according to WFA+-M2BP level in each group. For predicting F4, WFA+-M2BP level yielded the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) with a level of 0.87 and for predicting advanced liver fibrosis (≥F3) and significant liver fibrosis (≥F2), WFA+-M2BP level yielded the second highest AUROCs (both, 0.77) among six fibrotic markers. For predicting severe (A3) or significant liver inflammation activity (≥A2), AUROCs of WFA+-M2BP level were 0.78 and 0.76. Conclusion The WFA+-M2BP level can be a useful marker for assessing liver histological findings in patients with treatment-naive CHB, although it has several limitations.

This study aimed to compare the severity of sleep problems between chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients treated with interferon (IFN)-based triple therapy (pegylated [Peg]-IFN plus ribavirin [RBV] plus simeprevir [SMV]) and those who received IFN-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy. Methods Our study included 31 patients in group A (Peg-IFN/RBV/SMV combination therapy) and 41 patients in the group B (IFN-free DAA therapy). We prospectively compared the effect of each antiviral treatment regimen on sleep conditions between the two groups adding actigraphy data. Five parameters detected by actigraphy (objective assessment) and scores of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (subjective assessment, n = 30 [group A] and 35 [group B]) were estimated. The causal effect of each therapy on sleep disturbances was evaluated at baseline and at 4 weeks after commencement of therapy. Results In terms of baseline characteristics, no significant differences between groups were found, except for hepatitis C virus genotype. In group A, sustained virological response 12 rate was 83.9% (26/31), whereas in group B it was 95.1% (39/41). In group A, each score of waking after sleep onset, activity index, wake episodes, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index at 4 weeks significantly increased compared to those evaluated at baseline. In group B, scores of all variables except for sleep episodes at 4 weeks did not significantly change compared to those at baseline. Conclusion Interferon-based triple therapy in patients with CHC may cause significant sleep disturbances. Interferon-free DAA therapy is less likely to deteriorate sleep conditions in patients with CHC.

Aim To examine the relationship between the Wisteria floribunda agglutinin positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA+-M2BP) level and histological findings for patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Methods A total of 134 NASH patients (mean age, 51.7 years) were analyzed. We examined the effect of WFA+-M2BP level on severity of liver fibrosis comparing with other laboratory markers, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio, AST to platelet ratio index (APRI), FIB-4 index, platelet count and hyaluronic acid as serum liver fibrosis markers. Receiver–operator curve (ROC) analysis was performed for calculating the area under the ROC (AUROC). Results The WFA+-M2B P-value ranged from 0.2 cut-off index (COI) to 9.6 COI (median, 0.9). The median values in each fibrosis stage were: 0.7 COI in F1, 0.7 COI in F2, 1.2 COI in F3 and 2.4 COI in F4 (P

Background: Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection is associated with a low platelet count in patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). While eradication of H. pylori is an established therapy for increasing the platelet count in ITP patients, it is unclear whether or not eradication will similarly affect the platelet counts in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLDs). We herein examined the effect of H. pylori eradication on the platelet counts in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related CLD patients. Methods: A total of 65 patients were enrolled, and the H. pylori -positive patients were treated to eradicate H. pylori . The eradication of H. pylori was assessed using a 13 C-urea breath test 4 weeks after the completion of the therapy. In addition to the general laboratory variables of HCV-infected patients, including platelet counts, the prothrombin time (PT), and liver function markers (AST, ALT, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and albumin), we also investigated the presence of splenomegaly via ultrasonography. The platelet counts were measured at 1, 3, and 6 months after the final eradication therapy in order to assess the success of H. pylori eradication. Results: Of the 65 patients with HCV-related CLD, 30 were found to be H. pylori -positive. The oral treatment regimen succeeded in eliminating H. pylori in 19 patients. These H. pylori -eradicated patients included eight males and 11 females, and 15 (78.9%) had liver cirrhosis. Regarding the patients who failed to achieve H. pylori eradication, their platelet counts did not markedly differ between pre- and post-treatment. Regarding the patients with H. pylori eradication, the platelet counts tended to increase 6 months after the treatment (9.2 ± 2.9 × 10 3 /μL vs. 10.1 ± 3.7 × 10 3 /μL, P = 0.085). We also found that the platelet count was significantly increased after the eradication in patients without splenomegaly (9.8 ± 2.8 ×10 3 /μL vs. 11.0 ± 3.7 ×10 3 /μL, P = 0.040). Regarding the seven patients whose platelet count increased by more than 20 × 10 3 /μL after anti- H. pylori treatment, most (6/7, 85.7%) did not have splenomegaly. Conclusion: H. pylori eradication may increase the platelet count in HCV-positive patients, particularly those without splenomegaly. J Clin Med Res. 2016;8(12):854-858 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jocmr2725w

We have constructed an atomistically informed phase-field model for the quantitative energetic analysis of phase transformations. In our model, to describe the general phase transformation with a non-linear correlation between displacive and diffusive modes, we have defined two order parameters, γ and ϕ , which describe the lattice distortion (displacive mode) and shuffling (diffusive mode), respectively. Our method provides a way to introduce the energetics from atomistic simulations to the phase-field model, describes γ and ϕ in an atomic model, and derives phase-field parameters from the free energy calculated by atomistic simulation. As an application of our model, we used the energetics obtained from atomistic simulations using a density functional theory potential, and we calculated the free energy change during the heterogeneous { 10 1 ¯ 2 } twin migration of hexagonally close-packed (HCP) Mg, which can be considered as a lattice distortion and shuffling mixed phase transformation, by combining our phase-field model with the nudged elastic band method. The activation energy, and the critical nucleus size of the heterogeneous { 10 1 ¯ 2 } twin migration under a set stress were derived. The critical c-axis tensile stress (athermal stress), at which the activation energy becomes zero, is consistent with the experimental yield stress of { 10 1 ¯ 2 } for the twinning deformation of HCP Mg nanopillars in tensile tests. The critical nucleus size of the heterogeneous { 10 1 ¯ 2 } twin migration is on the range of nanometers under several hundred megapascals stress, which is consistent with the experimental observation of nanotwins.

Due to varying positive rates of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, interpretation of conventional PCR results for non-infectious ascites remains problematic. The present study developed a highly sensitive PCR protocol and investigated the positive rate of PCR for the 16S ribosomal (r)RNA gene in non-infectious ascites. Following the design of a new PCR primer pair for the 16S rRNA gene (800F and 1400R), the sequences of PCR products were analyzed and the lower limit for bacterial DNA detection evaluated. The positive rate of PCR for 16S rRNA gene in non-infectious ascites was also evaluated. PCR with the primer pair amplified the genomic DNA of 16S rRNA genes of major disease-causing bacterial strains. Additionally, PCR with this primer pair provided highly sensitive detection of bacterial genomic DNA (lower limit, 0.1 pg of template DNA). When DNA samples isolated from ascites were used, the 16S rRNA gene was amplified independently of the presence of bacterial infection. PCR products contained the genomic DNA fragments of multiple bacterial species. Bacterial genomic DNA can be amplified from all ascitic fluids using a highly sensitive PCR protocol. Careful attention is required to interpret the results based on simple amplification of 16S rRNA gene with conventional PCR.

We aimed to elucidate the relationship between serum liver fibrosis markers (Mac-2 binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi), FIB-4 index, aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index and hyaluronic acid), and skeletal muscle mass and to investigate factors linked to skeletal muscle mass loss (SMML) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC, n = 277, median age = 64 years). We defined patients with psoas muscle index [PMI, sum of bilateral psoas muscle mass calculated by manual trace method at the lumber 3 level on the computed tomography images divided by height squared (cm2/m2)] less than 6.36 cm2/m2 for male and 3.92 cm2/m2 for female as those with SMML based on the recommendations in current guidelines. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis was performed for predicting SMML in 4 liver fibrosis markers and parameters linked to SMML were also investigated in the univariate and multivariate analyses. In terms of liver fibrosis stages, F4 was observed in 115 patients, F3 in 67, F2 in 38, F1 in 53, and F0 in 4. The median (range) PMI for male and female were 6.198 (2.999–13.698) and 4.100 (1.691–7.052) cm2/m2, respectively. There were 72 male patients with SMML (55.4%) and 58 female patients with SMML (39.5%) (P = .0112). In both male and female, a significant inverse correlation between PMI and levels of liver fibrosis markers was observed in all liver fibrosis markers. ROC analyses for predicting SMML revealed that FIB-4 index had the highest area under the ROC (AUC = 0.712), followed by M2BPGi (AUC = 0.692). In the multivariate analysis of factors linked to SMML, gender (P = .0003), body mass index (P

Hydrogen atoms absorbed by metals in the hydrogen-containing environments can lead to the premature fracture of the metal components used in load-bearing conditions. Since metals used in practice are mostly polycrystalline, grain boundaries (GBs) can play an important role in hydrogen embrittlement of metals. Here we show that the reaction of GB with lattice dislocations is a key component in hydrogen embrittlement mechanism for polycrystalline metals. We use atomistic modeling methods to investigate the mechanical response of GBs in alpha-iron with various hydrogen concentrations. Analysis indicates that dislocations impingement and emission on the GB cause the GB to locally transform into an activated state with a more disordered atomistic structure, and introduce a local stress concentration. The activation of the GB segregated with hydrogen atoms can greatly facilitate decohesion of the GB. We show that the hydrogen embrittlement model proposed here can give better explanation of many experimental observations.

Aim We aimed to examine the relationship between serum Wisteria floribunda agglutinin positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA+-M2BP) levels and serum interferon-γ-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) levels and liver histological findings for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) compared with other laboratory fibrotic or inflammatory parameters. Methods A total of 57 PBC patients were analyzed. Receiver–operator curve (ROC) analysis was performed for calculating the area under the ROC (AUROC) for WFA+-M2BP, IP-10 and four serum fibrosis markers for the presence of liver cirrhosis (F4) or advanced fibrosis (F3 or F4). Similarly, ROC analysis of WFA+-M2BP, IP-10, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase for the presence of severe inflammation activity (A3) was performed. Results There were eight men and 49 women (median age, 59 years). As for histological findings, F4 was observed in five patients, F3 in 11, F2 in 17, F1 in 24 and F0 in zero, whereas A3 was observed in seven patients, A2 in 27, A1 in 19 and A0 in four. The WFA+-M2BP levels ranged from 0.5 cut-off index (COI) to 13.6 COI (median, 1.8), while serum IP-10 levels ranged 121.9–1835.9 pg/mL (median, 571.5). For predicting liver cirrhosis, WFA+-M2BP yielded the highest AUROC (0.97, P

Background. Only a few biomarkers based on metabolic parameters for evaluating liver fibrosis have been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the relevance of an index obtained from three metabolic variables (glycated albumin: GA, glycated hemoglobin: HbA1c, and branched-chain amino acids to tyrosine ratio: BTR) to the degree of liver fibrosis in hepatitis C virus virus- (HCV-) positive patients.Methods. A total of 394 HCV-positive patients were assessed based on the values of a new index (GA/HbA1c/BTR). The index findings were used to investigate the relationship with the degree of liver fibrosis.Results. The new index showed an association with the stage of fibrosis (METAVIR scores: F0-1: 0.42 ± 0.10, F2: 0.48 ± 0.15, F3: 0.56 ± 0.22, and F4: 0.71 ± 0.30). The index was negatively correlated with three variables of liver function: the prothrombin time percentage (P<0.0001), albumin level (P<0.0001), and cholinesterase level (P<0.0001). The new index showed a higher correlation related to liver function than FIB-4 and the APRI did. In addition, the index showed a higher AUROC value than that of FIB-4 and the APRI for prediction of liver cirrhosis.Conclusion. The new metabolism-related index, GA/HbA1c/BTR value, is shown to relate to the degree of liver fibrosis in HCV-positive patients.

Introduction In most chronic pancreatitis (CP) cases, malabsorption, pain, and weight loss are the leading clinical symptoms, which significantly worsen the quality of life (QOL) and decreased QOL in patients with CP can cause sleep disorder. There is a growing body of evidence that recognises the favourable effects of physical exercise (PE), however, there are limited data currently available concerning patients with CP undergoing PE. Actigram is a device for gathering objective sleep/awake data in the natural sleeping surroundings over an extended time period. In this study, we will aim to prospectively investigate the effect of PE on sleep disorder as assessed by actigram in patients with CP. Methods and analysis This study is a non-double-blind randomised controlled trial. Study participants will be randomised into the PE group and the control group. When registering patients, precise assessment for nutritional status and daily physical activities will be undertaken in each study patient. In the PE group, physical activities equal to or higher than walking for 60 min/day should be strongly recommended. Sleep quality using actigram will be prospectively compared in the two groups. The primary endpoint is the activity index in actigram at 12 weeks. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for the study was granted by the Institutional Review Board at Hyogo College of Medicine (approval number 2767). Results will be presented at relevant conferences and submitted to an appropriate journal following trial closure and analysis. Trial registration number UMIN000029265 (https://upload.umin.ac.jp/); Pre-results.

Introduction and purposeChronic pancreatitis (CP) involves progressive inflammatory changes to the pancreas and can lead to permanent structural damage and impairment of both endocrine and exocrine functions. Current reports highlight a rise in the incidence and prevalence of CP. However, there is limited data currently available concerning patients with CP undergoing exercise therapy (ET). We aim to prospectively examine the influence of ET on sarcopenia in patients with CP.Methods and analysisA detailed evaluation of the nutritional condition and the daily physical activities of each participant will be conducted prior to entering the study. Our patients will be randomly allocated to either: (1) the ET group or (2) the control group. In the ET group, our patients with CP will receive nutritional guidance once a month. The patients with CP will also be instructed to perform exercises with >3 metabolic equivalents (mets; energy consumption in physical activities/resting metabolic rate) for 60 min/day and to perform exercises >23 mets/week. The primary end point will be an improvement in sarcopenia, defined as an increase in muscle mass and muscle strength, at 3 months postrandomisation. A comparison of the amelioration of sarcopenia in the two groups will be undertaken.Ethics and disseminationThe Institutional Review Board at Hyogo College of Medicine approved this study protocol (approval no. 2766). Final data will be publicly announced. A report releasing the study results will be submitted for publication to an appropriate journal.Trial registration numberUMIN000029263; Pre-results. No patient is registered at the submission of our manuscript.

Introduction Limited data are currently available for patients with overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE)) receiving physical exercise (PE). The aim of the current study is to prospectively examine the effect of PE on sarcopaenia in patients with OHE. Methods and analysis At the time of patient recruitment, a precise assessment for nutritional status and daily physical activities will be performed in each subject. Study participants will be randomly assigned into two groups: (1) the PE group and (2) the control group. In the PE group, we will conduct guidance to study participants once a month at the outpatient nutrition guidance room. We will also instruct them to do exercise with >3 metabolic equivalents (mets; energy consumption in physical activities/resting metabolic rate) for 60 min per day and to do exercise >23 mets per week. Improvement of sarcopaenia as defined by muscle mass and muscle strength at 3 months after the randomisation will be the primary endpoint. Sarcopaenia will be defined based on the current Japanese guidelines. We prospectively compared the improvement of sarcopaenia in the two groups. Ethics and dissemination This study has received approval from the Institutional Review Board at Hyogo college of medicine (approval no. 2768). Final data will be publicly disseminated irrespective of the study results. A report releasing study results will be submitted for publication in an appropriate journal after completion of data collection. Trial registration number UMIN000029248; Pre-results. No patient is registered at the submission of our manuscript.

Background and aims: We sought to clarify the relationship between virtual touch quantification (VTQ) in acoustic radiation force impulse and skeletal muscle mass as assessed by bio-electronic impedance analysis in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLDs, n = 468, 222 males and 246 females, median age = 62 years). Patients and methods: Decreased skeletal muscle index (D-SMI) was defined as skeletal muscle index (SMI)

We aimed to investigate the impact of decrease of muscle mass on survival after eradication of esophageal varices (EVs) treated by endoscopic therapies as a primary prophylaxis in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). In all, 177 LC individuals with EVs undergoing endoscopic therapies were analyzed. We retrospectively examined the impact of muscle mass decrease as determined by psoas muscle mass (PMM) at the third lumber on computed tomography (depletion of PMM [DPMM]) on survival as compared with serum sodium combined Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD-Na). In comparison of the effects of these parameters, we used time-dependent receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) analysis. We also investigated parameters related to overall survival in the univariate and multivariate analyses. This study included 116 males and 61 females with a median age of 66 years. The median follow-up periods were 2.7 years (range 0.1–9.6 years). In all, 110 patients (62.1%) had DPMM. The median MELD-Na score was 7.200 (range −3.451 to 30.558). The MELD-Na score in patients with DPMM (median 7.685) was significantly higher than that in patients without DPMM (median 6.235) (P = .0212). In the multivariate analysis, presence of hepatocellular carcinoma (P

Background Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a novel, highly selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist that elicits sedative, amnestic, sympatholytic and analgesic effects in patients. Several Japanese investigators have reported the clinical usefulness of DEX for sedation in endoscopic therapies for gastrointestinal malignancies; however, there have been limited data regarding the usefulness and safety of DEX for sedation during endoscopic procedures for oesophageal varices (OVs), such as endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS). In this prospective, single-arm interventional study, we aimed to elucidate these issues. Methods Patients who require two or more sessions of prophylactic EIS for the treatment of OVs will be enrolled in this prospective interventional study. EIS procedures include two methods: (1) sedation during endoscopic procedures will be performed using conventional methods (pentazocine (PNZ) and midazolam (MDZ)), and (2) sedation during endoscopic procedures will be performed using PNZ, low-dose MDZ and DEX. These two methods were randomly assigned in the first and second EIS. The effect and safety of these two procedures with respect to patient sedation are to be compared with the degree of sedation evaluated using the Bispectral Index monitoring system (Aspect Medical Systems, Norwood, Massachusetts, USA). Ethics and dissemination This study received approval from the Institutional Review Board at Hyogo College of Medicine (approval no. 2324). The authors are committed to publishing the study results as widely as possible in peer-reviewed journals, and to ensuring that appropriate recognition is provided to everyone who is working on this study. Trial registration number UMIN000026688; Pre-results.

To the best of our knowledge, there are few previous studies that have investigated the effect of decreased skeletal muscle mass (DSMM) on survival in patients with unresectable advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) who are undergoing systemic chemotherapy. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of DSMM, as determined by the psoas muscle index (PMI) following computed tomography and prior to systemic chemotherapy, on the outcomes of patients with unresectable APC (n=61). The primary endpoint used was the overall survival (OS) rate. The OS rates in the PMI-High group (exceeds the median PMI value in each gender) were retrospectively compared with those in the PMI-Low group (below the median PMI value in each gender), and factors associated with OS were investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. The study cohort included 31 male and 30 female patients with a median age of 72 years, 13 of whom were stage IVA, and 48 were stage IVB. The median PMI in males was 4.3 cm2/m2 (range, 1.6-8.2 cm2/m2), while that in females was 2.3 cm2/m2 (range, 0.7-6.1 cm2/m2). The proportion of patients with performance status 0 in the PMI-High group was significantly high, compared with that in the PMI-Low group [83.3% (25/30) vs. 58.1% (18/31); P=0.0486]. Body mass index in the PMI-High group was significantly higher compared with that in the PMI-Low group (P=0.0154). The 1-year cumulative survival rate was 43.3% in the PMI-High group and 12.9% in the PMI-Low group (P=0.0027). Following multivariate analysis, PMI (P=0.0036), prothrombin time (P=0.0044) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (P=0.0451) were identified to be significant predictors of OS. In conclusion, DSMM, as determined by the PMI, could be a significant predictor of prognosis in patients with unresectable APC who are receiving systemic chemotherapy.

Background The usefulness of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) granules and BCAA-enriched nutrient mixtures for patients with liver cirrhosis is often reported. However, no randomized controlled studies have investigated the usefulness of these supplements in the nutritional intervention of cirrhotic patients receiving endoscopic treatment for esophageal varices. Methods Patients without BCAA before endoscopic treatment were divided into study 1, and those who received BCAA were divided into study 2. In study 1, 44 eligible patients were divided into a control group (n = 13), a general liquid nutrient (snack) group (n = 15), and a BCAA-enriched nutrient mixture (BCAA-EN) group (n = 16). In study 2, 48 eligible patients were divided into a BCAA group (n = 24) and a BCAA-EN group (n = 24). The nutritional status including non-protein respiratory quotient (NPRQ) levels, weight gain, and albumin were evaluated on days 0, 7, and 50. Results In study 1, the BCAA-EN group showed significant improvement in NPRQ levels on day 7 as compared with the snack group. In study 2, the BCAA-EN group showed significant improvement in NPRQ levels on day 7 and in weight levels on day 50 relative to the BCAA group, while the BCAA group showed improved serum albumin levels on day 7 compared to the BCAA-EN group. Conclusions The BCAA-enriched nutrient mixture maintained NPRQ and weight in cirrhotic patients. Our findings suggest that supplements including both BCAA and a nutritional energy supplement would be beneficial for cirrhotic patients undergoing endoscopic treatment for esophageal varices. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00535-014-0950-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

We report a significant entropic effect on creep of nanocrystalline metal using molecular dynamics. Our simulations reveal that the activation entropy may contribute a multiplicative factor of many orders of magnitude to the steady-state creep rate. The relationship between activation entropy and enthalpy obeys an empirical Meyer–Neldel compensation rule. The activation volume is found to decrease with increasing temperature for dislocation nucleation creep, which agrees well with experimental results. The study opens up an avenue for quantitatively discussing the entropic effects on various thermally activated deformations in nanocrystals.

There is a long-standing demand for materials which could simultaneously demonstrate multiple promising properties like high strength,good ductility and toughness. In this study, a three-dimensional bulk nanocomposite material which is composed of nanoscale crystalline metaland metallic glass is revealed to present high strength and potentially good ductility by molecular dynamics. A critical high strength is achievedby varying the ratio between crystalline and amorphous phase. The critical strength is revealed to be higher than that expected from the rule ofmixture. The mechanism underlying the occurrence of critical strength in the nanocomposite is elucidated by the interaction between dislocationand matrix of amorphous phase. Our concept could guide the engineers to design more advanced bulk nanostructured materials.[doi:10.2320/matertrans.MH201316](Received March 1, 2013; Accepted April 5, 2013; Published May 24, 2013)Keywords: nanocomposite, strength, ductility, molecular dynamics

To develop and validate a simple predictive model using easily obtained clinical parameters to predict decreased skeletal muscle mass (DSMM) in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients (n = 652).Study subjects were divided into a training set (n = 326) and a validation set (n = 326). Decreased skeletal muscle mass was diagnosed based on skeletal muscle mass index measured by bioimpedance analysis. Variables significantly associated with DSMM were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses in the training set and used to construct a predictive formula. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was carried out and the predictive model was validated in the validation set. Subgroup analyses were undertaken based on gender, age, or cirrhosis status of patients.Body mass index (BMI), age, serum albumin, and branched-chain amino acid to tyrosine ratio (BTR) were determined to be significant predictive factors for DSMM. A composite formula "BALB score" was constructed [-7.740 + (0.539 × BMI) + (-0.112 × age) + (1.358 × albumin) + (-0.264 × BTR)]. The BALB score had the best predictive characteristics among all variables in both population sets (area under the ROC curve, 0.877-0.898). Patients with DSMM were stratified into three BALB score categories (4, 0-4, and0). Subgroup analyses also showed that BALB scoring was predictive of DSMM irrespective of gender, age, or cirrhosis status. The BALB score significantly correlated with psoas muscle index on computed tomography (rThe BALB scoring system based on routinely used clinical parameters offers a convenient and non-invasive method for predicting DSMM in compensated CLD patients with high accuracy.