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Aim: To retrospectively investigate persistent hepatofugal blood flow in the gastroduodenal artery after implantation of a port-catheter system for repeated hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy using a modified fixed catheter tip method. Materials and methods: A port-catheter system was percutaneously implanted in 150 patients (90 men and 60 women; mean age 64.6 years) with unresectable liver cancer. The persistence of blood flow beyond the end hole of the indwelling catheter via the port obtained immediately and 1–10 days after port-catheter placement was investigated using arteriography. Results: In all cases, port-catheter placement was successfully performed. In 64 (42.7%) of the 150 participants, the gastroduodenal artery was detected on arteriography just after implantation. However, arteriography obtained 1–10 days (mean 4.3 days) after implantation revealed the gastroduodenal artery in only two of the 64 participants. In these two patients, persistent blood flow disappeared spontaneously 12 and 15 days after implantation, respectively. Conclusion: Closure of the lumen of the distal tip of the catheter beyond the side hole most often occurs spontaneously just after implantation. However, the findings of the present study indicate that closure will occur within 15 days at the latest. This suggests that delaying chemotherapy for about 2 weeks after implantation may be advisable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Launching a large balloon in a limited launching field is a long standing problem in Japan. The largest balloon ever launched successfully was 200,000m3 in volume. It was launched in 1973. A larger balloon with a volume of 500,000m3 was tried later, but it burst during the ascending phase. For launching balloons with a large lift exceeding 500kg, the conventional static launching method had the most serious problem with possible damage to the polyethylene film of the balloon caused by the holding mechanism. After that, we had developed a new static launching method to launch balloons with a total lift of 1.0ton. For launching a large balloon with a total lift above 1.5ton, the new static launching method had a weak point in that if there was an air bubble in the folded part of the balloon, it may puncture the balloon as it is pushed by a spool. To avoid this problem, we developed a semi-dynamic launching method in 1999 using a launcher fixed to the ground leaving a freedom of rotation around the vertical axis. We have launched some balloons using the method and have gradually enriched our experience in using this system. In 2003, we successfully launched a balloon with a volume of 500,000m3 by using the method. This balloon was made of polyethylene films with a thickness of 20μm and it is the largest balloon ever launched in Japan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Canine pigmented epidermal nevus (CPEN) is a skin disorder of some breeds of dog characterized by multiple black plaques of the haired and non-haired skin. Three cases of pigmented cutaneous papillomatosis (previously described also as CPEN) in pug dogs were investigated histopathologically, immunohistochemically and electron microscopically. Additionally, DNA analyses with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed in two cases. Many nuclei of the stratum granulosa were diffusely immunolabelled for specific structural antigens of bovine papillomavirus (subgroup A), but nuclear inclusion bodies were not detected by retrospective examination of haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of the affected skin. Aggregates of small numbers of viral particles (ranging from 37 to 43nm in diameter) with a hexagonal structure were sparsely scattered throughout the nuclei of some of the superficial keratinocytes. PCR amplification targeted for the L1 gene of papillomavirus cloned from a case of CPEN yielded an expected fragment of 194-bp in the two CPEN cases examined but not in a case of canine oral papilloma. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The CdTe and the CdZnTe detectors are considered to be promising detectors for the future of astronomical hard X-ray observations due to their high stopping power and high energy resolution. For the preparation of future experiments, we have performed a simple balloon experiment using a small CdTe detector (2 mm cubic) as a piggy-back mission in 2000. Its energy range was 20–140 keV band with an energy resolution of 3.0 keV at 60 keV. The balloon reached an altitude of 36.9 km, and then gradually descended. During the 10-h flight, we successfully observed the background spectrum. The flux of the background was ∼1.5 × 10-2 s-1 cm-2 keV-1 at 50 keV, being comparable to those of the past observations measured by CdZnTe detectors. We also found that the count-rate increases as the atmospheric pressure increases. No apparent line emission was observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Development of a balloon flying at higher altitude is one of the most attractive trials for balloon technology. We, the balloon group at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), have been engaged in the development of a light balloon to go to higher altitudes since 1991. We have developed light equipment for house keeping modules and an ultra-thin film with a thickness of only 3.4 μm. Using the equipment and film, we have made and launched some balloons from 1000 m3 in volume. We gradually enlarged the balloon volume, and on May 23, 2002, we launched a 60,000 m3 balloon. The balloon reached the altitude of 53.0 km, which is the highest altitude ever reached by a balloon. This event opened a new era for scientific observations at high altitude. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A water-soluble extract of Touchi, a traditional Chinese food, was found to exert a strong inhibitory activity against rat intestinal alpha-glucosidase. We orally administered sucrose (2 g/kg) with or without Touchi extract (TE) to normal rats at 100 and 500 mg/kg. Postprandial increases in blood glucose levels at 30 and 60 min after the administration of TE were significantly depressed compared with controls. In humans, eight borderline diabetic subjects were administered 0.1-10.0 g TE before sucrose loading (75 g). TE decreased the glycemic response dose dependently after sucrose loading. Compared with the area under the curve of the postprandial rise in blood glucose with various doses, TE elicited a significant antiglycemic effect at a minimum effective dose of 0.3 g. In addition, when four diabetics were administered 0.3 g TE before eating 200 g of cooked rice, the postprandial increases in blood glucose and mean insulin levels were significantly depressed at 60 and 120 min, respectively, after ingestion compared with levels when no TE was administered. TE, which exhibits alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity, demonstrated an antihyperglycemic effect and may have potential use in the management of patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetic mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cosmic-ray electrons have been observed in the energy region from 10GeV to 1TeV with the PPB-BETS by a long duration balloon flight using a Polar Patrol Balloon (PPB) in Antarctica. The observation was carried out for 13 days at an average altitude of 35km in January 2004. The PPB-BETS detector is an imaging calorimeter composed of scintillating-fiber belts and plastic scintillators inserted between lead plates. In the study of cosmic-ray electrons, there have been some suggestions that high-energy electrons above 100GeV are a powerful probe to identify nearby cosmic-ray sources and search for particle dark matter. In this paper, we present the energy spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons in the energy range from 100GeV to 1TeV at the top of atmosphere, and compare our spectrum with the results from other experiments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Balloon-borne Experiment with a Superconducting Spectrometer (BESS) was flown from Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada in August, 2000, during the maximum solar modulation period, with an average residual atmospheric overburden of 4.3g/cm2. Precise spectral measurements of cosmic ray hydrogen isotopes from 0.178GeV/n to 1.334GeV/n were made during the 28.7h of flight. This paper presents the measured energy spectra and their ratio, 2H/1H. The results are also compared with previous measurements and theoretical predictions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Development of a balloon to fly at higher altitudes is one of the most attractive challenges for scientific balloon technologies. After reaching the highest balloon altitude of 53.0km using the 3.4μm film in 2002, a thinner balloon film with a thickness of 2.8μm was developed. A 5000m3 balloon made with this film was launched successfully in 2004. However, three 60,000m3 balloons with the same film launched in 2005, 2006, and 2007, failed during ascent. The mechanical properties of the 2.8μm film were investigated intensively to look for degradation of the ultimate strength and its elongation as compared to the other thicker balloon films. The requirement of the balloon film was also studied using an empirical and a physical model assuming an axis-symmetrical balloon shape and the static pressure. It was found that the film was strong enough. A stress due to the dynamic pressure by the wind shear is considered as the possible reason for the unsuccessful flights. A 80,000m3 balloon with cap films covering 9m from the balloon top will be launch in 2011 to test the appropriateness of this reinforcement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since 1971, numerous balloons have been launched from the Japanese balloon base, the Sanriku Balloon Center (SBC). Through these years, balloon technologies have been developed continuously and many scientific achievements have resulted. Recently, however, because of the limited area of the launching pad of the SBC, we have been faced with the difficulty of safely launching large balloons. To solve this issue, we decided to move the balloon base from the SBC to the Taiki Aerospace Research Field (TARF) in northern Japan. The TARF had an existing huge hanger and a paved launch pad capable of being utilised for balloon operations. To evolve the TARF into a new balloon base, new balloon facilities have been constructed at the TARF and equipment was transferred from the SBC to the TARF during July 2007 and March 2008. The SBC was closed in September 2007, and the new base became operational in May 2008. The new base at the TARF is designed to launch larger balloons with greater safety and to perform balloon operations more effectively than ever before. In the summer of 2008, we carried out the first series of the balloon campaign at the TARF, and succeeded in two engineering flights of stratospheric balloons. By the success of these flights, we have verified that the whole system of the new balloon base is well established. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Historically, there are been many searches for fractionally charged particles in the cosmic radiation. However, few searches have been performed near the top of the atmosphere. We performed a search for relativistic charged particles in cosmic rays using data collected during four BESS balloon flights from 1997 to 2000 carried out in northern Canada. The data were analyzed by examining energy deposition in the time-of-flight scintillator hodoscopes. No candidate was found. We derive an upper limit of 4.5×10−7 (cm2 ssr)−1 for the flux of charged particles, at the 90% confidence level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Emulsion Cloud Chamber (ECC) has played important role for the cosmic-ray research. The Micro Segment Chamber (MSC) is a new generation detector evolved from the ECC, which has maximized and extended advantages of ECCs as well as overcome difficulties in the analysis of the events that occur inside the detector. The essential parts of MSC and its application to a balloon experiment for cosmic-ray electron observations are described. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We have observed cosmic-ray electrons from 10 to 1000GeV by a long duration balloon flight using Polar Patrol Balloon (PPB) in Antarctica. The observation was carried out for 13 days at an altitude of 35km in January 2004. The detector is an imaging calorimeter composed of scintillating-fiber belts and plastic scintillators inserted between lead plates. The geometrical factor of detector is about 600cm2sr and the total thickness of lead absorber is 9 radiation lengths. The performance of the detector has been confirmed by the CERN-SPS beam test and also investigated by Monte-Carlo simulations. New telemetry system using a commercial satellite of iridium, power supply by solar batteries, and automatic level control using CPU have successfully been developed and operated during the flight. We have collected 5.7×103 events over 100GeV including nearly 100 candidates of primary electrons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Development of a balloon to fly at higher altitudes is one of the most attractive challenges in scientific balloon technologies. After reaching the highest record setting balloon altitude of 53.0km using the 3.4μm film in 2002, we tried to make a thinner balloon film. In 2003, we developed a forming die and an air-ring and succeeded in forming a film with a thickness of 3.0μm and a width of 220cm. Using this film, we manufactured a balloon with a volume of 5000m3 and succeeded in flying the balloon up to an altitude of 46.0km. We then searched for a good combination of resins to make a thinner and wider film and obtained films with widths of 280cm, and a thickness of 3.0μm at first, and then 2.8μm. In 2004, we performed balloon experiments making a 30,000m3 balloon with the 3.0μm film and a 5000m3 balloon with the 2.8μm film. Both balloons were well manufactured and reached the highest altitudes of 50.7 and 42.6km, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polar patrol balloon experiments were carried out at Syowa Station in Antarctica from 2002 to 2004. Two balloons were launched for the purpose of observing phenomena in the polar atmosphere and one was done for the observation of high energy cosmic electrons. We developed a new housekeeping system including communication device using the Iridium satellite network, an auto-level controller driven by a new program for keeping the flight altitude, and a power management system for solar cells combined with secondary batteries. Two balloons for studying phenomena in the Antarctic atmosphere launched on January 13, 2003 made flights for 18 days and 25 days, respectively. All the housekeeping system worked well during the flights as we expected. Based on these experiments, we adjusted parameters for the altitude control system and the power management system. We launched a balloon for the cosmic electron observation on January 4, 2004. It flew 13 days around the Antarctica with the perfect operation of the onboard housekeeping system. We hope that fruitful scientific results will be obtained from these long-duration flights. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present the design and initial flight results of a balloon-borne hard X-ray spectrometer for observing solar flares. The instrument is designed for quantitative observation of nonthermal and thermal components of solar flare hard X-ray emission, and has an energy range of 15–120 keV and an energy resolution of 3 keV. The instrument is a small (gondola weight 70 kg) system equipped with sixteen 10 × 10 × 0.5 mm CdTe detectors, and designed for a 1-day flight at 41 km altitude. Detector temperature of -15 °C was achieved through radiative cooling alone. Pre-flight tests confirmed that all detectors exceeded the target 3 keV resolution. No flares were observed during the 2001 flight, but the second flight on May 24, 2002 succeeded in observing a class M1.1 flare. Preliminary analysis indicates the observed spectrum is consistent with a purely thermal plasma at an unusually high temperature of 47 mK. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Focuses on primary obsessional slowness (POS), a category of obsessive-compulsive disorder in patients. Controversy on the diagnostic independence of POS; Slowness of patients as not secondary to POS; Clinical features of POS.