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We investigated MOVPE growth conditions to grow large-area and thick single crystal CdTe layers with uniform material properties directly on (211) Si substrates to develop nuclear radiation detectors. We found that group VI/II precursor flow-ratio as well as rapid thermal annealing performed by interrupting the growth at the initial stage has marked influence on the crystal quality. By using a VI/II precursor ratio of 3.0, and a 900 °C anneal performed in flowing hydrogen, we were able to achieve 1-sq inch sized thick single crystal CdTe that showed uniform material properties and high crystal quality throughout the wafer. We further demonstrated that the grown crystals were suitable for fabricating nuclear radiation detector. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a progressive fibrotic disease, the pathogenesis of which has not been fully elucidated. One of the most common models used in NASH research is a nutritional model where NASH is induced by feeding a diet deficient in both methionine and choline. However, the dietary methionine-/choline-deficient model in mice can cause severe weight loss and liver atrophy, which are not characteristics of NASH seen in human patients. Exclusive, long-term feeding with a high-fat diet (HFD) produced fatty liver and obesity in mice, but the HFD for several months did not affect fibrosis. We aimed to establish a mouse model of NASH with fibrosis by optimizing the methionine content in the HFD. Male mice were fed a choline-deficient, L-amino acid-defined, high-fat diet (CDAHFD) consisting of 60 kcal% fat and 0.1% methionine by weight. After 1-14 weeks of being fed CDAHFD, the mice were killed. C57BL/6J mice maintained or gained weight when fed CDAHFD, while A/J mice showed a steady decline in body weight (of up to 20% of initial weight). In both strains of mice, plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase increased from week 1, when hepatic steatosis was also observed. By week 6, C57BL/6J mice had developed enlarged fatty liver with fibrosis as assessed by Masson's trichrome staining and by hydroxyproline assay. Therefore, this improved CDAHFD model may be a mouse model of rapidly progressive liver fibrosis and be potentially useful for better understanding human NASH disease and in the development of efficient therapies for this condition.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is a type of minimal-access surgery. The nature of the surgery means that there are limitations on the size of a tumor that can be removed through an access incision. Herein, we report our experience removing a giant teratoma (16 × 14 × 13 cm in size) from the anterior mediastinum of a young girl. We employed video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery to remove the teratoma through a mini-thoracotomy following the extraction of the cystic components.

Prenatal diagnosis of genetic disease in Japan today, as of the end of 1978, and results of a follow-up study of infants born after genetic amniocentesis are reported. Of the 585 amniocentesis in 523 women, 568 cases contributed data for the results of their analysis. A previous history of pregnancy with Down's syndrome was a major indication in these 585 cases (59.5%); other indications included advanced maternal age 69 cases (11.8%), and metabolic disorder 56 cases (9.6%). Fetal loss occurred in a total 12 out of 542 cases (2.2%). Ten of these fetal losses occurred during the mid-trimester. No increase in perinatal mortality, perinatal morbidity or retardation of physical and mental development as a consequence of amniocentesis was observed. Erroneous diagnosis was attested in 7 out of 568 cases (1.2%). Test accuracy was thus demonstrated at 98.8%.

To study effect of amniotic fluid volume on umbilical cord length, 939 pregnant women at 24-41 weeks of gestation, including 10 twin cases, 51 preterm premature rupture of the membranes (PROM) and 70 premature delivery cases, were examined for their amniotic fluid volume within a week of delivery by the ultrasound procedure and these 949 newborns were also examined for umbilical cord length and incidence of fetal distress. In the polyhydramnios group (pocket size of more than 8 cm), 8 of 20 infants (40%) had longer cords and 6 infants (30%) had shorter cords, while only one of 49 infants (2%) with oligohydramnios (pocket size of less than 2 cm) had a longer cord and 36 infants (73.5%) had shorter cords than the mean cord length (+/- SD) of the normal group. The 20 twins had significantly shorter cords than those of the normal group (P less than 0.05) and the polyhydramnios group (P less than 0.01). The PROM group showed significantly higher incidence of oligohydramnios (P less than 0.05) and fetal distress (P less than 0.01), which suggests that intrauterine space availability is important for assuring fetal well-being.

Background: There is little information available concerning plasma concentrations of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in children with a ventricular septal defect. The aim of the present study was to determine hemodynamic factors that control plasma concentrations of BNP and the clinical implications of BNP compared with atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) in children with ventricular septal defect. Methods: Fifty-nine patients with ventricular septal defect (28 boys and 31 girls) without pulmonary vascular disease were enrolled. The patients’ ages ranged from 3 months to 13 years (mean 3.1 years). Plasma BNP and ANP were determined by immunoradiometric assay. Hemodynamic variables derived from cardiac catheterization were analyzed in terms of correlation with BNP and ANP. Results: It was found that plasma BNP significantly positively correlated with ANP (ANP = 2.1 × BNP + 25 pg/mL; r= 0.81, P

Background: Non-mosaic Klinefelter patients are generally azoospermic and there is no therapy to improve the spermatogenesis. Some patients have a few spermatozoa in their ejaculates, which can be used for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), but only a few cases resulting in a successful birth have been reported. Methods: Out of 52 non-mosaic 47,XXY Klinefelter patients, four cases having spermatozoa in their ejaculates were retrospectively studied. Results: Intracytoplasmic sperm injection was performed in three cases using their ejaculates and resulted in one chemical abortion and one death in utero (8 weeks). Using testicular sperm, one patient had a healthy baby with a normal karyotype. Conclusion: Some non-mosaic Klinefelter patients have ejaculated sperm that can result in a successful birth following ICSI. However, the birth rate is very low compared with the fertilization rate, suggesting increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities.