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Two dogs with anorexia and rapid weight loss were referred to our hospital due to a right renal mass and several pulmonary nodules. Both dogs underwent needle core biopsy of the mass, followed by transarterial chemoembolisation of the renal mass. A catheter was inserted from the femoral artery and advanced into the right renal artery. A suspension of carboplatin (100 mg/m2) and equivalent lipiodol was administered via the inserted multipurpose catheter. Immediately after, under fluoroscopic guidance, pulse injections of small amounts of gelatin particles (diameter 1 mm) dissolved in iohexol were administered until complete embolisation of the renal artery. Histopathologic diagnosis was renal cell carcinoma in both dogs. Clinical signs improved for 134 and 358 days after transarterial chemoembolisation. In addition, postoperative radiographs demonstrated a decrease in the tumour size. The dogs died 215 and 525 days after the initial evaluation, respectively. As a palliative treatment, transarterial chemoembolisation might help reduce the tumour volume and improve the quality of life in dogs with renal cell carcinoma and distant metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 9‐year‐old spayed female crossbreed cat with chief complaints of anorexia and hypersalivation had high serum concentrations of ammonia and fasting and postprandial total bile acid. Therefore, she was referred to our hospital. On the first evaluation, haematology, serum chemistry, radiography and ultrasonography findings suggested that she had a congenital portosystemic shunt. CT revealed a shunt vessel from the left gastric vein to the left pulmonary vein. During median celiotomy and sternotomy, gross findings and mesenteric portography revealed abnormal vessel shunting from the left gastric vein to the left pulmonary vein. Complete ligation of the shunt vessel was achieved. She recovered without any complications. Postoperative serum chemistry revealed that ammonia and total bile acid levels decreased to within the reference intervals. This report is the first to describe the clinical features and surgical outcome of a cat with a congenital portopulmonary shunt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparison of radio-frequency (rf) glow discharges at 13.56 megahertz between dielectric electrodes in an Argon environment with discharges between aluminum electrodes reveals that the discharge amplitude in dielectric electrodes is less than that for metal electrodes. The rf glow discharges are determined by spatiotemporal optical emission spectroscopy. The total excitation rate is different for the two types of electrodes and is revealed as peaks in the anodic and cathodic cycle of the electrodes.

Abstract Background Canine primary lung adenocarcinoma (CPLA) is suspected by radiography or computed tomography; however, since there are no tumour markers, early diagnosis is difficult, and the prognosis is poor due to increased tumour volume. Nectin‐4 has been reported to be expressed in human lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers and promotes tumour growth. It has been reported to be a tumour marker and prognostic factor, and oncolytic virotherapy is being investigated using nectin‐4 as a therapeutic target. Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of Nectin‐4 in CPLA and its clinical significance in dogs with pulmonary adenocarcinomas. Methods The relationships between Nectin‐4 expression and signalling, tumour volume, tumour weight, and prognosis were analyzed in 34 CPLA patients. Results The expression of canine Nectin‐4 (high Nectin‐4) was found in 25 of 34 cases (73%), and Nectin‐4 expression levels did not show any significant associations with gender, body weight, and tumour stage. However, there was a significant positive correlation between Nectin‐4 expression and tumour volume (r = 0.623, p

Proof of principle experiments of neutral helium beam production for alpha particle diagnostics was carried out on a test stand. Negative helium ions were produced in the Li charge exchange cell, in which stable and long time operation was possible. He- beam was accelerated to 157 keV. Finally, He0 beam was successfully produced after the flight in the drift-tube through the auto-electron-detachment process from He- to He0. A neutral beam detector using a pyroelectric device was also developed to measure He0 beam intensity. The metastable component in the neutral helium beam was found to be less than 2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An energetic helium neutral beam is involved in the beam neutralization measurement system of alpha particles confined in a DT fusion plasma. A full size strong-focusing He+ ion source (2 A, the beam radius of 11.3 mm, the beam energy less than 20 keV). Present strong-focusing He+ ion source shows an emittance diagram separated for each beamlet of multiple apertures without phase space mixing, despite the space charge of a beamlet is asymmetric and the beam flow is non-laminar. The emittance of beamlets in the peripheral region was larger than that of center. The heat load to the plasma electrode was studied to estimate the duty factor for the ITER application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seminal plasma motility inhibitors (SPMIs) are proteinase-resistant fragments of semenogelin I and II (Sgs), which are the major proteins of semen coagulum. SPMIs inhibit the motility of spermatozoa, and Sgs are thought to be natural regulators of human sperm function. The mechanism underlying sperm motility regulation and its association with defective motility in infertile men remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between SPMIs and spermatozoa in infertile men with asthenozoospermia. Fifty-four semen samples from 37 asthenozoospermic patients and 17 samples from 9 normal healthy subjects were analyzed. Spermatozoa, washed by Percoll density gradients, were immunostained with anti-SPMI antibody and subjected to flow cytometric analysis. The proportion of spermatozoa labeled with the antibody and the average intensity of fluorescence labeling per spermatozoa were analyzed in relation to the parameters used for semen analysis. A significant negative correlation was found between sperm motility and the proportion (R = -0.68) and intensity (R = -0.38) of labeling. These results suggest that SPMIs remain on the sperm surface after liquefaction. This might account for some disorders of sperm motility observed in infertile men with asthenozoospermia. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electronic structure of the Cr ions in Zn1− x Cr x Te ( x=0.03 and 0.15) has been investigated using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and photoemission spectroscopy. Magnetic-field ( H) and temperature ( T) dependences of the Cr L 2,3 XMCD spectra well corresponded to the behavior of the magnetization measured by a SQUID magnetometer. The line shape of the Cr L 2,3 XMCD spectra was independent of H, T, and x, indicating that the ferromagnetism was originated from the same Cr electronic states independent of Cr concentration. The Cr 3 d partial density of states (DOS) showed a peak at the top of the valence band but there was no DOS at the Fermi level, corresponding to their insulating behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We developed a three-channel tangential CO[sub 2] laser polarimeter to measure electron densities on the Large Helical Device. Our system aims to obtain not only the line averaged electron density but also the electron density profile. The achieved resolution of the Faraday rotation angle was 0.01° with a response time of 3 ms by digital complex demodulation combined with digital filtering. The phase fluctuations whose amplitude is typically 0.05° with a time constant of several seconds were observed. It was found that they were caused by beam axis fluctuations from bench top experiments. In the case of pellet injected plasmas it was demonstrated that the polarimeter could measure the time evolution of the Faraday rotation with high reliability and resolution. The calibrated rotation angle of all chords were well consistent with interferometer data. Assuming the functional dependence of the density profile, we estimated the density profile after pellet injections from three-channel polarimeter data iteratively. As a result, obtained profiles agreed with those measured with the 13-channel far infrared interferometer. © 2003 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows that a pre-election alliance between the ruling coalition parties with different ideological motivations may result in bias toward the large size of government. In equilibrium, the reelected coalition government implements a redistributive policy that is greater than the median voter's preference. The results can explain why the Japanese coalition government, which colludes for winning elections, has frequently implemented more diffuse fiscal policies than the previous single-party government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The messenger RNA for endothelial differentiation gene 8 receptors is known to be expressed almost exclusively in the rat CNS, but the nature of the expressing cells has not been defined. Using an antibody specific for endothelial differentiation gene 8, we investigated the immunohistochemical localization of endothelial differentiation gene 8 receptors in the rat CNS. Immunopositive staining was detected in a subset of glial cells distributed throughout the brain and spinal cord, including both gray and white matter, but not in the dorsal root ganglion. The distribution and morphological similarity in comparative immunostaining for endothelial differentiation gene 8 and various glial markers suggested that endothelial differentiation gene 8 is preferentially expressed in NG2-positive oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in adult rat brains. Counts of endothelial differentiation gene 8-positive cells and NG2-positive cells in the forebrain revealed that a subset of NG2-positive cells was endothelial differentiation gene 8-positive, and that the ratio of endothelial differentiation gene 8-positive cells to NG2-positive cells varied from region to region. In 17-day-old embryonic brains, the endothelial differentiation gene 8 distribution was similar to that of an oligodendrocytic marker, 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase. These data suggest that endothelial differentiation gene 8 receptors are preferentially expressed in oligodendrocyte lineage cells including oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and immature/maturating oligodendrocytes in rat CNS, and that they might have important functions in oligodendrocytic maturation and myelination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A heterodyne polarimeter which measures the Faraday effect has been under development as a magnetic field sensor for long-pulsed fusion devices. The wavelength of laser beam was chosen to be 850 nm since the radiation-induced loss in optical fibers is significant below 800 nm while the Faraday rotation angle decreases with increasing wavelength. By the use of a distributed Bragg reflector laser diode and a Faraday isolator, excellent stability of phase measurement was attained. The phase resolution was raised to up to 0.02° by the digital complex demodulation and digital bandpass filtering of beat signals. Although the Verdet constant of heavily Tb[sup 3+]-doped paramagnetic glass is larger than that of ZnSe by about a factor of 1.4, ZnSe is superior to the former in terms of negligible temperature dependence. With a 40-mm-long ZnSe sensing rod, resolutions of the magnetic field strength of about 5 and 2 G were found to be possible with time responses of 1 and 10 ms, respectively. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of photoemission and x-ray absorption spectroscopy, we have studied the electronic structure of (Ni,Zn,Fe,Ti)3O4 thin films, which exhibits a cluster glass behavior with a spin-freezing temperature Tf of ∼230 K and photoinduced magnetization (PIM) below Tf. The Ni and Zn ions were found to be in the divalent states. Most of the Fe and Ti ions in the thin films were trivalent (Fe3+) and tetravalent (Ti4+), respectively. While Ti doping did not affect the valence states of the Ni and Zn ions, a small amount of Fe2+ ions increased with Ti concentration, consistent with the proposed charge-transfer mechanism of PIM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epitaxial Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 thin films were prepared on Nb-doped SrTiO3 (100) substrates by the pulsed laser deposition technique and were studied by measuring the Ti 2p→3d resonant photoemission spectra in the valence-band region as a function of film thickness, both at room temperature and low temperature. The results demonstrated an abrupt variation in the spectral structures between 2.8 nm (∼7 ML) and 2.0 nm (∼5 ML) Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 films, suggesting that there exists a critical thickness for phase change in the range of 2.0–2.8 nm. This may be ascribed mainly to the intrinsic size effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors performed a soft x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) study of a Zn1-xVxO thin film, which showed a small ferromagnetic moment. Field and temperature dependences of V 2p XMCD signals indicated the coexistence of Curie-Weiss paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic V ions, quantitatively consistent with the magnetization measurements. The authors attributed the paramagnetic signal to V ions substituting for Zn sites, which are somewhat elongated along the c axis. A possible formation of ferromagnetically dead layers in the surface region of the film is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxide thin films are usually grown on substrates which offer the smallest mismatch with the desired structure of the film. The choice of high-quality substrates with suitable lattice constants is unfortunately very limited. Coherently grown films are therefore always under tensile or compressive in-plane strain. We report on the growth of a Ba[sub 1-x]Sr[sub x]TiO[sub 3]/BaTiO[sub 3] bilayer buffer on a SrTiO[sub 3] substrate. Changing the Sr/Ba ratio in the Ba[sub 1-x]Sr[sub x]TiO[sub 3] layer can be used to select a desired in-plane lattice constant in the 3.9 to 4.0 Å range. The thinner BaTiO[sub 3] film serves as a compliant layer while the thicker Ba[sub 1-x]Sr[sub x]TiO[sub 3] film determines the final surface lattice constant. This is achieved by a combination of low-temperature deposition and annealing at 1350 °C. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to show that the final buffer layer surface is fully relaxed, cubic, and essentially defect free, while all lattice mismatch between the substrate and the buffer is relieved by misfit dislocations at the compliant BaTiO[sub 3]/SrTiO[sub 3] interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lateral transport of hot electrons on a spherical target irradiated with two beams of CO[sub 2] laser {4.8 X 10TM W/cm2} iS studied by spatially resolved Kcr x-ray measurements. The hot-electron energy and spatial distribution in the target are found to depend on the method of irradiation: tight and overlapped focusing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a case of solitary pelvic kidney encountered during laparoscopic colectomy. A 55-year-old man was admitted to undergo laparoscopic colectomy for an early sigmoid colon cancer, which had been detected after a polypectomy. The kidneys were not clearly visualized in their normal position by ultrasonography. During the operation, anomalous vessels in the presacral space and a mass covered with fatty tissue were identified. We converted the operation to a mini-laparotomy, and on performing intraoperative ultrasonography a solitary pelvic kidney was detected. An anterior resection was performed without operative complications. Laparoscopic ultrasonography (LUS) and hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) should be considered as feasible adjuvants, when difficult situations arise during laparoscopic colectomy. In case of uncertainty about anatomical orientation or identification, it is prudent to convert to open surgery thereby preventing intraoperative complications such as injury to anomalous vessels or the ureter.

Abstract: The suprachiasmatic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus is the center of an internal biological clock in mammals. Glutamate is the neurotransmitter of retino-hypothalamic tract responsible for mediating the circadian actions of light in rodents. N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, particularly NR2B subunit are reported to be principally involved in photic resetting of the biological clock in vivo and in slice culture. But, the precise cellular mechanisms of the resetting are not elucidated, because no adequate neuronal cell lines derived from the suprachiasmatic nucleus have been established. We established a neuronal cell line, N14.5, derived from the suprachiasmatic nucleus of a transgenic rat harboring the temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene. When the cells were cultured at 39 °C, the morphological features were turned fibroblastic into neuronal round cell body with neurite extensions. These cells showed immunoreactivities for neuronal markers (βIII-tubulin, microtubule-associated protein 2 and TAU2) and as well as for vasoactive intestinal peptide which is expressed in the ventrolateral region of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The cells expressed N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, particularly NR1 and NR2B subunits as revealed by quantitative PCR. N-methyl-d-aspartate activated phosphorylation of p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and increased expression level of Per1 and Per2 mRNA. These results suggest that the N14.5 is a novel neuronal cell line derived from the ventrolateral region of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and that N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors expressed in the cells are a functional receptor. The N14.5 cells may be a useful tool to elucidate numerous chronobiological processes, especially resetting mechanism induced by an external light signal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We have studied the domain structure formation in annealed BaTiO3 films grown on SrTiO3. We show that it is possible to utilize the 2.28% lattice mismatch strain at the SrTiO3/BaTiO3 interface to obtain uniaxially c-axis-oriented BaTiO3 films with a thickness of up to about 200 nm. This thickness is much larger than the typical critical thickness for BaTiO3 films on SrTiO3 and such films therefore can potentially be useful for optical waveguide applications. We also looked at the polarization properties of the uniaxial BaTiO3 films. Our measurements and analysis indicate that the heavily distorted interface region, with a thickness of approximately 2 nm is non-ferroelectric. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We report p-type LiyNi0.97-yMn0.03O thin films (LNMO) via a simple solution method on silicon substrates. Magnetization measurements reveal that room-temperature tunable ferromagnetism can be observed in these LNMO thin films. The Mn L2,3 x-ray absorption and core-level photoelectron spectra indicate that Mn consists of the Mn2+ and Mn3+ components. The O K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals that the majority of holes introduced by the Li doping have mainly O 2p character, and the hole concentration can be enhanced by almost two orders of magnitude by the Li doping, which can tune magnetism and TC. This ferromagnetic behavior in these LNMO thin films may be ascribed to the effective carrier-induced ferromagnetism (p-d exchange interaction through the O 2p band). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We have investigated the relation among ρ–T characteristics, superconductivity, annealing conditions and the crystallinity of polycrystalline (In2O3)1− x –(ZnO) x films. We annealed as-grown amorphous films in air by changing annealing temperature and time. It is found that the films annealed at 200°C or 300°C for a time over 0.5h shows the superconductivity. Transition temperature T c and the carrier density n are T c <3.3K and n ≈1025–1026 m−3, respectively. Investigations for films with x =0.01 annealed at 200°C have revealed that the T c, n and crystallinity depend systematically on annealing time. Further, we consider that there is a suitable annealing time for sharp resistive transition because the transition width becomes wider with longer annealing times. We studied the upper critical magnetic field H c2(T) for the film with different annealing time. From the slope of dH c2/dT for all films, we have obtained the resistivity ρ dependence of the coherence length ξ(0) at T =0K. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Densely aggregated β-amyloid peptides are believed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Amyloid plaques are a potential target for molecular imaging to determine the clinical status of Alzheimer’s disease. Phase-contrast X-ray imaging combined with computed tomography is a promising technique that can be used to visualize the physical density of structures in biological tissues non-invasively, and without the use of imaging agents. Using brain tissue isolated from a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, we show that β-amyloid 40-positive/β-amyloid 42-positive amyloid plaques, but not β-amyloid 40-negative/β-amyloid 42-positive amyloid plaques, exist as high-density aggregates that can be specifically detected by phase-contrast X-ray computed tomography. The phase-contrast X-ray computed tomography detected β-amyloid 40-positive/β-amyloid 42-positive amyloid plaques in three-dimensions with an extremely high sensitivity comparable to that of histological analysis, and also enabled the load of amyloid plaques to be quantified. Furthermore, the use of phase-contrast X-ray computed tomography reveals that the physical density of β-amyloid 40-positive/β-amyloid 42-positive amyloid plaques increases with age, and that the large volume, high-density, amyloid plaques that are specifically observed in aged Alzheimer’s disease mice are closely associated with neuritic dystrophy. These results demonstrate that phase-contrast X-ray computed tomography is a highly sensitive imaging technique for analyzing dense-cored amyloid plaques in postmortem samples, and is beneficial in elucidating amyloid pathophysiology in Alzheimer’s disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The successive stages of development from oligodendrocyte progenitor to mature oligodendrocyte have been investigated in detail by using stage-specific antibodies. However, no cell lines are available that show stepwise differentiation from oligodendrocyte progenitors to mature oligodendrocytes. Here we show the establishment of an immortalized oligodendrocyte cell line, OLP6, from adult transgenic rats harboring the temperature-sensitive simian virus 40 large T-antigen gene. The OLP6 cells had a fibroblastic morphology and continuously proliferated at 33°C. They displayed growth arrest and multipolar morphology when they were cultured at 39°C. They express the oligodendrocytic markers O4, 2′-3′-cyclic-nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase, galactocerebroside and second endothelial differentiation gene receptor-2 at 39°C. The OLP6 cells underwent apoptosis upon serum withdrawal at 39°C. Lysophosphatidic acid inhibited this apoptosis and promoted the expression of myelin basic protein. These results demonstrate that the activation of endothelial differentiation gene receptor-2 exerts anti-apoptosis and myelinogenesis effects on the OLP6 cells. Taken together, the OLP6 cells in the late oligodendrocyte progenitor stage can progress to the immature oligodendrocyte stage by shifting culture temperature. Furthermore, lysophosphatidic acid promoted the maturation of OLP6 cells in the immature oligodendrocyte stage. Such OLP6 cells should provide a potent model system for studying the precise mechanism involved in stepwise differentiation of oligodendrocytes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) have been used to treat congestive heart failure (CHF). According to a MEDLINE search, however, few studies are available on the clinical differences between ARBs and ACEIs in CHF.Objective: To examine the clinical differences between an ARB (candesartan cilexetil) and an ACEI (lisinopril) in the treatment of CHF, we investigated exercise capacity, ventricular function, and neurohormonal levels in hypertensive patients with CHF before and after treatment with these agents.Methods: Patients with symptoms of CHF (New York Heart Association functional class II-III and left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] /= 140 mm Hg or diastolic BP >/= 90 mm Hg) were eligible for this single-center, open-label, randomized, parallel-group study. They were given either the ARB or the ACEI for 24 weeks. A cardiopulmonary exercise test and echocardiography were performed. Clinical findings and cardiac events in addition to the CHF symptoms were investigated. Neurohormonal levels were measured before and after 24 weeks of treatment with the study drug. The primary end point of this study was exercise capacity, which was measured using peak oxygen consumption (VO2).Results: Forty-two patients with CHF were enrolled and 38 (28 men, 10 women; mean [SD] age, 69.0 [8.2] years) completed the study. None of these patients had definite progression of the CHF symptoms. In the ARB-treated patients, mean (SD) peak VO2 (mL/min/kg) and LVEF (%) increased from 14.1 (2.9) to 15.3 (3.4) and from 34.4 (9.5) to 41.8 (9.5), respectively. In the ACEI group, the peak VO2 did not change, but the LVEF (%) increased from 34.2 (10.2) to 40.4 (13.0). However, the differences between ARB and ACEI were not clarified because of the possibility of a small sample size.Conclusions: Although this study was not powered to show differences in efficacy between the ARB and ACEI in this study, our findings suggest that both ARB and ACEI had beneficial effects in hypertensive patients with CHF. Some unidentified differences in hemodynamic characteristics were found between the ARB and the ACEI groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]