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Yuji Yamamoto,1 Haruhiko Hirata,1 Takayuki Shiroyama,1 Tomoki Kuge,1 Kinnosuke Matsumoto,1 Midori Yoneda,1 Makoto Yamamoto,1 Yujiro Naito,1 Yasuhiko Suga,1 Kiyoharu Fukushima,1 Kotaro Miyake,1 Shohei Koyama,1 Kota Iwahori,1 Izumi Nagatomo,1 Yoshito Takeda,1 Atsushi Kumanogoh1– 4 1Department of Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan; 2Department of Immunopathology, WPI, Immunology Frontier Research Center (iFReC), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan; 3Integrated Frontier Research for Medical Science Division, Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives (OTRI), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan; 4Center for Infectious Diseases for Education and Research (CiDER), Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, JapanCorrespondence: Yuji Yamamoto, Department of Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan, Tel +81 6-36879-3833, Fax +81 6-6879-3839, Email cyyamamoto1110@gmail.comPurpose: Pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema result in relatively maintained ventilation and reduced diffusing capacity. This pulmonary functional impairment complicates the evaluation of pulmonary function in patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE). Therefore, a single and easy-to-use pulmonary function index to evaluate patients with CPFE warrants further studies. Respiratory impedance can easily be provided by oscillometry and might be a candidate index to evaluate pulmonary function in patients with CPFE. As a preliminary study to assess the utility of respiratory impedance, we investigated the associations of physiological indices, including respiratory impedance, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) with and without emphysema.Patients and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated patients with IPF who did and did not satisfy the diagnostic criteria of CPFE. All patients underwent oscillometry, spirometry, and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO). Correlations of the obtained physiological indices were analyzed.Results: In total, 47 patients were included (18 and 29 patients with CPFE and IPF, respectively). Respiratory reactance (Xrs) at 5 Hz (X5) in the inspiratory phase was associated with forced vital capacity (FVC) % predicted in patients with CPFE (rS=0.576, P=0.012) and IPF (rS=0.539, P=0.003). Inspiratory X5 positively correlated with DLCO % predicted only in patients CPFE (rS=0.637, P=0.004).Conclusion: Emphysema might associate Xrs with ventilation and diffusing capacity in patients with IPF and emphysema. Given the multiple correlations of Xrs with FVC and DLCO, this study warrants further studies to verify the utility of oscillometry in a large-scale study for patients with CPFE.Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, forced oscillation technique, gas exchange, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, ventilation

Shuhei Nakanishi, Masayasu Yoneda, Shusaku Maeda Department of Molecular and Internal Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan Aim: To evaluate the impact of glucose excursion (GE) and mean glucose concentration (MGC) on oxidative stress among persons with or without diabetes. Materials and methods: We examined 775 Japanese Americans who had normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired glucose tolerance, or diabetes according to the 75 g oral glucose-tolerance test, using fasting, 1-hour, and 2-hour glucose data. We calculated GE by subtracting the minimum from the maximum glucose level among three points and calculated MGC using these measurements. We investigated the relationship between GE or MGC and urinary isoprostane as a marker of oxidative stress. Results: According to tertiles of GE or MGC, GE was associated with isoprostane levels among subjects with NGT as well as those with diabetes (P=0.004 and 0.033 for trend, respectively). However, MGC was associated with isoprostane only among NGT subjects (P=0.001 for trend). Association between GE and isoprostane was significant when adjustment was made for age, sex, smoking status, body mass index, C-reactive protein, glucose tolerance status, and homeostatic model assessment (P=0.029), but the association with MGC was not significant. Conclusion: Our results suggest the possibility that GE might result in oxidative stress, and the relationship is stronger than that for MGC. Keywords: glucose excursion, glucose-tolerance test, oxidative stress

The synthesis of carbon nitride films by ion-assisted pulsed laser deposition is described and the effect of laser fluence on the bonding and structure of the films is investigated.

A new study investigates the irradiation effect of low energy nitrogen-ion beam on the bonding and structural properties of carbon-nitride thin films.

Pulsed laser deposition was used to deposit carbon nitride thin films.

Carbon bonding in tetrahedral amorphous carbon films was characterized using visible Raman spectroscopy.

The improved fluorine analysis method by ion chromatography was applied to the fossil human bones excavated from the Shiraho‐Saonetabaru Cave site on Ishigaki Island, which were dated back to the Late Pleistocene. This study presents the first systematic results on individual variation of F/P ratios of fossil bones using less than 1 mg samples. In addition to the burial period, the F/P ratio was governed by the local difference in seepage water circulation, because dripping water in a cave slowly flowed through the sediment and fluorine accumulated in the bone from the water. The F/P ratios provide a powerful tool for elucidating the burial situation and subsequent depositional environment. The average F/P ratio was well correlated with the 14C age of the samples. The present method can be practically applicable as a rough chronological classification of the Holocene and Pleistocene groups of human bones at this site. The only exception was the lower F/P values of the Pleistocene human skeleton belonging to Shiraho No. 4, which is thought to have been placed in a narrow space under the fallen rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]