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BACKGROUND Compared to two-dimensional cultures, three-dimensional (3D) cultures have many advantages in cancer studies. Nevertheless, their implementation is unsatisfactory. This study aimed to develop an anchorage-dependent 3D culture model for colorectal cancer research. MATERIALS AND METHODS Human HCT116, DLD-1 and SW620 colorectal cell lines were cultured in a gelatin sponge, and its applicability for morphological examination was studied. RESULTS The resulting specimens were suitable for scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and immunohistochemical examination. HCT116 formed smaller structures and migrated through the pores of the sponge. DLD-1 formed larger structures with tight cell-to-cell adhesion. SW620 also formed large structures but small clustered cells tended to attach to the anchorage more favorably. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated phosphorylated yes-associated protein (YAP) localized near the attachment site in HCT116 cells. CONCLUSION Because the gelatin sponge provided suitable anchorage and the cultured cells formed distinguishable 3D structures, this method may be useful for further colorectal cancer research.

IntroductionPacing-induced cardiomyopathy occasionally occurs in patients undergoing pacemaker implantation. Although compared with right ventricular (RV) apical pacing, RV septal pacing can attenuate left ventricular dyssynchrony; the success rate of lead placement on the RV septum using the stylet system is low. Additionally, no randomised controlled trial has addressed the issue regarding the accuracy of RV lead placement on the RV septum using the stylet and delivery catheter systems. This study hypothesises that a newly available delivery catheter system can improve the accuracy of RV lead placement on the RV septum.Methods and analysisIn a multicentre, prospective, randomised, single-blind, controlled trial, 70 patients with pacemaker indication owing to atrioventricular block will be randomised to either the delivery catheter or stylet group before the pacemaker implantation procedure. The position of the RV lead tip will be assessed using ECG-gated cardiac CT in all patients within 4 weeks after pacemaker implantation. Lead tip positions are classified into three groups: (1) RV septum, (2) anterior/posterior edge of the RV septal wall and (3) RV free wall. The primary endpoint will be the success rate of RV lead tip placement on the RV septum, which will be evaluated using cardiac CT.Ethics and disseminationThis study will be conducted according to the stipulations of the Helsinki Declaration and the institutional review board of Hamamatsu University School of Medicine. The results of the study will be disseminated at several research conferences and will be published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberjRCTs042200014; Pre-results.

Introduction:Posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) is a widely used effective, safe, and established treatment for degenerative spinal disorders. Adjacent segment disease (ASD) is one of the serious concerns governing the clinical results following spinal fusion surgery. Cortical bone trajectory (CBT) is an alternative and less-invasive technique for lumbar pedicle screw placement. Its unique medial and caudal entry point has the potential to prevent an iatrogenic facet joint violence leading to the ASD; however, the incidence of ASD following PLIF using the CBT technique (CBT-PLIF) remains unknown., Methods:Among patients surgically treated with CBT-PLIF in our institute, 52 consecutive patients (13 males, 39 females) with single-level degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) who were followed up for at least 24 months were exclusively enrolled. Their clinical and radiological features, including the incidence of radiographical and symptomatic ASD and significantly associated factor for the developing radiographical ASD, were retrospectively measured., Results:In the present study, we could confirm significant neurological improvement and reduction of the spondylolisthesis with mean follow-up period of 43 months. Radiographical and symptomatic ASD was observed in 14 (27%) and 2 (3.8%) cases, respectively. We compared these two groups and found that the latest lumbar lordosis was significantly different between the two groups, but not in age, body mass index, and Japan Orthopaedic Association score. Two patients with symptomatic ASD required additional surgical treatment around 1 year following the initial surgery., Conclusions:The present study, even though it is preliminary, revealed that CBT-PLIF can achieve a neurological improvement and an effective reduction of spondylolisthesis for the treatment of single-level DLS. The CBT technique is capable of reducing the incidence of ASD compared with the traditional technique; however, we must keep in mind that appropriate postoperative lumbar lordosis should be achieved. Larger, longer-term follow-up studies are required to elucidate the clinical output of CBT-PLIF.

Key Teaching Points • Electrocardiograms in patients with Timothy syndrome patients sometimes present T-wave depolarization pattern similar to long QT syndrome type 3, such as a late-onset peaked T wave. • We identified a novel CACNA1C mutation, S643F, in a 14-year-old boy with Timothy syndrome without syndactyly. • S643F is located within the Cav1.2 S4–S5 linker of domain II, and the mutant channel exerts both marked loss-of function and gain-of-function effects.

Introduction The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel continuous incision technique for the cystic duct and the bile duct over the orifice for laparoscopic transcystic choledocholithotomy (LTCL). Methods LTCL was attempted in 103 consecutive patients from January 1998 to March 2015 and was successful in 96 patients. The cystic duct confluence was made by cutting upward from the orifice in 19 patients. The cystic duct was incised downward beyond the orifice to the bile duct in the other 77 patients. Both of these procedures involved LTCL. Results LTCL was successful in 96 patients. It failed in seven patients because of large bile duct stones (BDS), left lateral entry of the cystic duct, or the cystic duct's small diameter. The success rates of LTCL were 98% (47/48), 96% (42/44), and 64% (7/11) for patients with BDS

Host factors are required for efficient HIV-1 replication. To identify these factors, genome-wide RNA interference screening was performed using a human T cell line. In the present study, we assessed whether eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A isoform 2 (eIF4A2), a DEAD-box protein identified in our screen, is necessary for efficient HIV-1 replication. Exploiting MT4C5 cells depleted of eIF4A2 by stable expression of eIF4A2-specific short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) using a lentiviral system, we found that depletion of eIF4A2 markedly inhibited the infection of a replication-competent reporter HIV-1. eIF4A2 depletion reduced the efficiency of viral cDNA synthesis with virion entry into target cells being unaffected. Depletion of eIF4A2 also inhibited HIV-1 spreading infection in a knockdown level-dependent manner. These results suggest that HIV-1 requires eIF4A2 for optimal replication in human T cells.

The differential temperature (ΔT) model, based on the assumption that masting plants respond to the difference in the temperatures during the growing seasons 1 and 2 years prior to seed production, has recently been proposed to explain the proximate factor of masting. In this study, we used a 28-year series of data on pollen cone and seed production in Cryptomeria japonica D. Don in Japan and compared several models based on temperatures and resources to test whether ΔT acts as a cue or is a proxy for resource limitation. Of all the models tested, models including ΔT, previous summer absolute temperature Tn–1, and reproduction in the previous year provided the best fit. The number of pollen cones and seeds produced was proportional to the difference in the mean daily maximum temperature during June to August between the preceding two years. In addition, to test whether the double mast events in consecutive years was less common than consecutive warm summers, we used our dataset and 12 datasets of pollen dispersal of 17 years or longer of C. japonica in Japan. Although consecutive warm summers occurred in 4.4% of pairs, double mast events occurred in 1.0%. The ΔT model was a considerably better predictor of the rare phenomenon of double mast events, which occur only after a specific sequence of cold–moderate–hot absolute summer temperatures. Thus, ΔT acts as cue for masting in C. japonica.

A 50-year-old man presented with exertional dyspnea and orthopnea. An electrocardiogram showed a delta wave and a wide QRS complex, similar to left bundle branch block. Cardiac echocardiography revealed diffuse severe hypokinesis and dyssynchrony. The patient was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. We considered that the patient's condition was caused by an accessory pathway-induced cardiomyopathy after heart failure compensation with guideline-oriented medical therapy. We therefore performed catheter ablation for right-sided pre-excitation syndrome as cardiac resynchronization therapy. The left ventricular dyssynchrony was resolved immediately after the procedure, and the patient's ventricular contraction improved, with a reduced cardiac volume at 6 months after the procedure-thus suggesting that the accessory pathway had affected the patient's cardiac function.

Hyperthyroidism and thyroid storm affect cardiac circulation in some conditions. Several factors including trauma can induce thyroid storms. We herein describe the case of a 57-year-old woman who experienced a thyroid storm and exacerbation of acute heart failure on thyroid echography. She initially demonstrated a good clinical course after medical rate control for atrial fibrillation; however, thyroid echography for evaluating hyperthyroidism led to a thyroid storm and she collapsed. A multidisciplinary approach stabilized her thyroid hormone levels and hemodynamics. Thus, the medical staff should be prepared for a deterioration in the patient's condition during thyroid echography in heart failure patients with hyperthyroidism.

Purpose: It is widely acknowledged that chronic low-grade inflammation plays a key role in the development of obesity-related insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. The level of circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6), one of the major proinflammatory adipokines, is correlated with obesity and insulin resistance, which are known to be risk factors for colorectal adenoma. We examined the association between the circulating level of IL-6 and the presence of colorectal adenoma. Experimental Design: In a total colonoscopy-based cross-sectional study conducted between January and December 2008, serum levels of IL-6 were measured in samples of venous blood obtained from 336 male participants attending health checkups (118 individuals with colorectal adenoma and 218 age-matched controls) after an overnight fast. Results: In the colorectal adenoma group, the median levels of serum IL-6 (1.24 vs. 1.04 pg/mL; P = 0.01), triglyceride, insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were to be significantly higher than those in the control group. When restricted to individuals with adenoma, levels of IL-6 were positively correlated with body mass index, insulin, and HOMA-IR. Multiple logistic analyses adjusted to include insulin or HOMA-IR showed that high levels of IL-6 were associated with the presence of colorectal adenoma. There was no significant interaction of IL-6 with HOMA-IR to modify this association. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that increased serum levels of IL-6 are positively associated with the presence of colorectal adenoma in men, independently of insulin and HOMA-IR. Clin Cancer Res; 18(2); 392–9. ©2011 AACR.

Objectives We examined the effect of asialoerythropoietin (asialoEPO), a nonerythrogenic derivative of erythropoietin (EPO), on renal dysfunction-associated heart failure. Background Although EPO is known to exert beneficial effects on cardiac function, the clinical benefits in patients with chronic kidney disease are controversial. It remains to be addressed whether previously reported outcomes were the result of relief of the anemia, adverse effects of EPO, or direct cardiovascular effects. Methods Mice underwent 5/6 nephrectomy to cause renal dysfunction. Eight weeks later, when renal dysfunction was established, anemia and cardiac dysfunction and remodeling were apparent. Mice were then assigned to receive saline (control), recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) at 5,000 IU (714 pmol)/kg, or asialoEPO at 714 pmol/kg, twice/week for 4 weeks. Results Although only rhEPO relieved the nephrectomy-induced anemia, both rhEPO and asialoEPO significantly and similarly mitigated left ventricular dilation and dysfunction. The hearts of rhEPO- or asialoEPO-treated mice showed less hypertrophy, reflecting decreases in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and degenerative subcellular changes, as well as significant attenuation of fibrosis, leukocyte infiltration, and oxidative deoxyribonucleic acid damage. These phenotypes were accompanied by restored expression of GATA-4, sarcomeric proteins, and vascular endothelial growth factor and decreased inflammatory cytokines and lipid peroxidation. Finally, myocardial activation was observed of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase and signal transducer and activator of transcription pathways in the treated mice. Conclusions EPO receptor signaling exerts direct cardioprotection in an animal model of renal dysfunction-associated heart failure, probably by mitigating degenerative, pro-fibrosis, inflammatory, and oxidative processes but not through relief of anemia.

This paper proposes a computerized method for automated detection of acute cerebral infarction (ACI) on CT images. This method is based on the difference value of image features in the two regions-of-interests (ROIs) selected at symmetrical positions. In our computerized method, first, we segmented the brain parenchyma by the thresholding technique after correction of inclination of the midsagittal plane with translation and rotation of the image. Then we selected the middle cerebral artery (MCA) region of the brain parenchyma. Moreover, many ROIs with a 32×32 matrix size were selected in the MCA region. In addition, image features in each ROI were determined from the statistical analysis, the co-occurrence matrix and the run length matrix. Finally, ROIs with ACI were classified by using a linear discriminant analysis with difference values of image features in two ROIs at symmetrical positions. Nineteen cases with ACI and normal 14 cases were employed in this study. As a result of our experiments, the sensitivity of detection of ACI was 88.0% with an average number of false positives of 4.6 per case. Our computerized method provided a relatively high performance for detection of ACI. Therefore, we believe this method would be useful for an algorithm of a computer-aided diagnosis to detect ACI on CT images.

過去13年間に経験した外傷性横隔膜破裂13症例を検討した.全例が鈍的外傷によるものであり,平均年齢は46歳,男女比は8:5,頻度は同時期の胸腹部外傷手術例の7.5%であった.破裂側は左側11例,右側1例,両側1例であった.全例が合併損傷を伴い, 6例にショック症状を認めたが,破裂部からの脱出臓器によるショック症状は1例のみであった. 12例に手術を施行し, 11例で直接縫合を1例にメッシュによる縫合を施行した.アプローチは9例が開腹もしくは開胸のみであり3例が開胸腹であった.予後は, 5例が合併損傷にて死亡した.本症は,多発外傷の1損傷であり予後は合併損傷により決定される.このため脱出臓器による心肺圧迫の所見がないならば,致命的な合併損傷の治療を優先し,全身状態改善の後に手術すべきと考えられた.また手術に際しては,開胸開腹が併施可能としておくことが重要と考えられた.

The present study investigated the effects of hibernation and hibernating body temperature (10°C) on the relative changes that may occur in adrenergic and purinergic perivascular neurotransmission of the golden hamster. The hindlimb resistance vessels and the tibial artery of age-matched controls, cold exposed controls and hibernated hamsters were examined by pharmacological and electrophysiological techniques. At 34°C, electrical field stimulation (EFS; supramaximal voltage, 0.5 ms; for 10 s) in all three groups evoked only twitch responses at 1-5 Hz, which were inhibited by piridoxal phosphate-6-azophenyl-2′,4′-disulphonic acid (PPADS), a 2PX receptor antagonist. At 10-50 Hz the twitch responses were followed by sustained contractile responses, which were inhibited by prazosin, an α1-adrenoceptor antagonist. These responses were markedly enhanced at higher frequencies in hibernated tissues. At 10°C, EFS evoked only the PPADS-sensitive transient responses in all the three groups, and this was markedly enhanced in hibernated tissues. At 34°C, a single stimulus evoked a PPADS-sensitive excitatory junction potential (EJP) in all three groups but a train of pulses (e.g. ≥0.5) evoked EJPs and prazosin-sensitive sustained depolarizations. These responses were markedly enhanced in hibernated cells. At 10°C, either a single stimulus or a train of stimuli evoked only transient PPADS-sensitive EJPs, which were markedly enhanced in hibernated cells. The contractile responses and electrical membrane responses to exogenous ATP (1-1000 μm) and noradrenaline (0.1-100 μm) were unchanged in the three groups at 34 and at 10°C. These results suggest that during hibernation enhancement of ATP release from the sympathetic perivascular nerves may occur, leading to an efficient means for maintenance of vascular tone and peripheral resistance. Mammalian hibernation is an unusual physiological phenomenon which occurs under stress conditions such as hypothermia, hypoxia or ischaemia. In hibernation, animals undergo a dramatic drop in body temperature and a fall in heart and respiratory rates (Lyman, 1965; Nedergaard & Cannon, 1990; Nurnberger, 1995). Despite this decline, the peripheral vascular resistance increases with deepening hibernation to keep the blood pressure within a reasonable range, and it is thought that the enhancement of the sympathetic mediation is one of the major contributing factors for this regulation (Lyman & O'Briben, 1963; Ralevic et al. 1997; Karoon et al. 1998). Sympathetic perivascular nerves play an important role in the control of peripheral circulation, and it is now widely accepted that in many of these nerves, ATP is a co-transmitter with noradrenaline (NA) (Kennedy et al. 1986; Burnstock, 1995; Thapaliya et al. 1999). Some pathophysiological studies, on the other hand, indicate that the pattern of the relative contribution of adrenergic and purinergic components in the sympathetic perivascular neurotransmission may alter considerably under certain stressed conditions. In canine cutaneous veins exposed to a cold environment, a reflex enhancement of sympathetic tone is blocked by P2-purinoreceptor desensitization, enabling the prevention of excessive heat loss (Flavahan & Vanhoutte, 1986). In the hypertensive rat tail artery and the induced hypertensive rabbit saphenous artery, increased transmitter release (predominantly ATP) has been claimed (Vidal et al. 1986; Bulloch & McGrath, 1992). Thus, our interest is focused on determining whether the relative contribution of the adrenergic and purinergic involvement in sympathetic perivascular neurotransmission is (1) altered during hibernation in the peripheral resistance vessels, and (2) varies with temperature. We have used microelectrode techniques to investigate the fast excitatory junction potentials (EJPs) since in many isolated arteries it is this response which provides the material evidence for the purinergic involvement in the most accurate way (McLaren et al. 1995; Brock & Cunnane, 1999; Thapaliya et al. 1999). Besides, we have considered that it is indispensable to investigate responses under hypothermic condition (10°C) as well as under normothermic conditions to compare hibernating and non-hibernating animals, since the body temperature of the hibernating hamster remains between 8 and 12°C (Lyman, 1965; Ralevic et al. 1997; Karoon et al. 1998). A preliminary account of these data has been presented previously (Saito et al. 2000).

Fulminant hepatic failure is associated with a high mortality rate. Thus, accurate assessment of hepatic functional reserve and hepatic regeneration is important. We describe a 67-year-old woman who survived subacute hepatic failure. We had an opportunity to monitor the clinical course of the patient using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with 99mTc-galactosyl-human serum albumin (99mTc-GSA) and frequent hematological examinations. On admission, prothrombin time was remarkably prolonged (23.1% of control). The liver uptake of 99mTc-GSA was also considerably low. She responded well to treatment. Four weeks after admission, SPECT analysis showed a dramatic increase in liver uptake of 99mTc-GSA, suggesting promotion of hepatic regeneration. Moreover, functional liver volume calculated from the SPECT data showed a marked increase at 4 weeks after admission, whereas CT scan showed no change at that point. This indicated that SPECT with 99mTc-GSA reflected functional hepatocytes more accurately than liver volume determined by CT scan, which cannot exclude nonfunctional hepatocytes. The patient's condition improved in parallel with the improvements in the indices measured by SPECT and hematological examinations. SPECT analysis is practically useful for the prompt assessment of improvement in patients with fulminant hepatic failure.

As cloud cover exacerbates the application of optical satellite data for forest monitoring in tropical wet and dry regions during the rainy season, data acquisition is mainly restricted to the dry season. When analyzing wide areas, large numbers of single scenes obtained at different times of the dry season are often handled. Such imagery is characterized by changes of spectral reflectance due to vegetation phenology, varying atmospheric effects and solar geometries. In order to allow batch processing with automatic classification techniques, interscene comparability is required and data have to be radiometrically normalized. Cambodia is characterized by a mixture of evergreen, semi-evergreen and deciduous forest types, the latter two experiencing at least partial leaf shedding over the course of the dry season. Using spatial medium resolution SPOT 4 data and a manually delineated base map a season adjustment model was developed. The model is adapting the land cover specific spectral signatures of a slave scene (acquired in themiddle of the dry seasonwith its seasonal forests defoliated) to an adjacent master scene (fromthe beginning of the dry season, showing the same forest types with leafs). The relative position of every pixel reflectance was determined in relation to the mean reflectance and its standard deviation for each land cover type and sensor band of the unadjusted slave scene. For seasonality adjustment these pixel reflectance values were transformed (rescaled) to the corresponding position in spectral space defined by the band mean reflectance and standard deviation derived from the corresponding land cover class of the master scene. While the variability of spectral profiles of the pixels in the slave scene is rescaled, the mean reflectance value of the land cover class in the slave scene is conformed to the mean reflectance of the corresponding land cover class in themaster scene. The TransformedDivergence (TD) separability indexwas used to indicate the performance of the adjustment process by characterizing the spectral distance for each land cover type comparing a reference dataset to the uncorrected and to the seasonality corrected scene respectively. While the TD values of all forest types showed a sharp decline, highlighting the good performance of the model, the TD values of the agriculture/urban class remained high, indicating limited normalization of this heterogeneous land cover type. In order to further demonstrate the performance of the model, an object-based land cover classification was applied to the unadjusted aswell as to the corresponding adjusted scene. A comparison of the results showed a highly significant improvement of overall accuracy from 32.2% to 75.8% when applying seasonality adjustment., JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climate

Although erythropoietin (EPO) is known to express angiogenic and cardioprotective effects, it also induces hypertension, polycythemia, and platelet activation, which may cause serious adverse effects in patients with cardiovascular diseases. We compared the angiogenic effects of EPO and its nonerythropoietic derivative, asialo-EPO (AEPO).Lower limb ischemia was induced in ICR and C57/BL mice. Mice were injected intramuscularly with 2 μg/kg of EPO derivatives for 6 or 7 days. To assess biological differences, the tissue affinity of both EPO derivatives was analyzed in vitro using heparin affinity column chromatography. Tissue affinity was also analyzed in vivo using an intramuscular pharmacokinetic study.The survival of ischemic legs was better in the AEPO group than that in the EPO group (5/13 = 38.5 % vs 1/13 = 7.7 %, p0.05), and an increase in regenerated vessels was observed in the AEPO group, but not in the EPO group in ICR mice. Vessel/muscle ratios in control, EPO, and AEPO groups were 0.50 ± 0.34, 0.61 ± 0.32, and 2.83 ± 1.13, respectively (p0.0001). On the other hand, regenerated vessels were observed in both EPO and AEPO groups (p0.001) in C57/BL mice. AEPO, but not EPO, expressed heparin affinity in vitro. Intramuscularly injected EPO gradually decreased in muscle tissue, while AEPO was maintained at 2.5 ng/muscle for 1 day after several hours of a rapid clearance phase in vivo.AEPO exerts stronger angiogenic effects than those of EPO presumably via its tissue affinity. Administration of AEPO is a promising option for the treatment of patients with critical limb ischemia.

To synthesize long-acting and antiangiogenic erythropoietin to be clinically applied for treatment of patients with solid tumors, we synthesized a hybrid molecule of human erythropoietin added onto the C-terminus with a heparin-binding motif of human PLGF-2 to develop a novel derivative of long-acting and antiangiogenic erythropoietin: heparin-binding erythropoietin (HEPO), and studied the characteristics of this novel erythropoietin derivative. HEPO cDNA was synthesized, expressed in insect cells, and the protein was purified using a heparin-sepharose affinity column. The erythropoietic and angiogenic effects of the partially purified protein were analyzed in vitro and in vivo. The erythropoietic activity of the protein was equivalent to natural EPO in vitro. In vivo administration of the protein to mice revealed its long-acting erythropoietic activity as expected. Administration of the protein inhibited angiogenesis in a mouse limb ischemia model. In conclusion, the heparin-binding motif of PLGF-2 may act as, so to speak, a superendostatin. This novel long-acting erythropoietin derivative may have an advantage to inhibit tumor growth while preserving hematopoietic and tissue-protective effects.

Erythropoietin (EPO) has long been utilized for the treatment of renal anemia. The erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) is also expressed in the cardiovascular and central nervous systems in addition to an erythroid lineage, to provide an organoprotective role against several types of cellular stress. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a poor prognostic disease caused by primary and secondary pulmonary vascular injury. We observed the effects of EPO derivatives on monocrotaline-induced PH in rats on the supposition that EPO may protect small arteries from injury. Asialoerythropoietin (AEPO) lacks sialic acids in the termini of carbohydrate chains that results in rapid clearance from blood. Carbamyl-erythropoietin (CEPO) interacts with EPOR/βc heterodimers, but not with EPOR homodimers expressed in erythroid cells. Monocrotaline-injected rats were treated with continuous intravenous injection of 2500 ng/kg/day of EPO, AEPO, or CEPO for 21 days, and lung histology, cardiac function, and mRNA expression in the lungs were examined. Wall thickening of small arteries in the lungs and PH were improved by administration of EPO, but not by its non-hematopoietic derivatives, AEPO, or CEPO. Erythropoietin administration increased mRNA expression of the anti-apoptotic molecule, Bcl-xL, and maintained expression of the CD31 antigen. We conclude that lungs may express EPOR homoreceptors, but not heteroreceptors. Adequate serum erythropoietin levels may be essential for pulmonary protective effects.

Annual production rates of reproductive organs inFagus crenata forests in the lower area of the species' range were studied using 10 litter traps in 1980–1986. The production rates of dispersed pollen were estimated by multiplying the number of fallen male inflorescences per ha per year by the mean amount of pollen per inflorescence before anthesis. Large annual fluctuations in the production rates of male and female inflorescences were recognized, whereas their annual trends were synchronized with each other. Pollen production rates were within the range 1.0–6900 (mean: 1630)×109ha−1 yr−1, the maximum/minimum ratio attaining 7000.F. crenata was the lowest producer of pollen among seven tree species studied: the number of pollen grains equivalent to a single ovule was in the range 6.0–14×104. Furthermore, the mean dry weight of a single pollen grain (3.77×10−5mg) was higher than for wind-pollinated species. Three factors seemed to cause the low seed fertility ofF. crenata. The dry-matter production rate in the best seed year reached 3252 kg ha−1 yr−1, of which pollen accounted for 259 kg ha−1 yr−1. Unproductive years with less than 10% of the maximum production occurred four times in a 7-yr period. In such years there were fewer male and female inflorescences, and more fruit dropped as a result of insect damage. Lower nut dissemination would play an important role in suppressing any increase in nut predators, and fewer flowers would be produced to avoid wastage of photosynthates in a cool-temperate climate.

We report a case of jejunal loop obstruction by a large gallstone caused by Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy-induced acute cholangitis. The patient was admitted with sepsis as well as abdominal and back pain. Abdominal computed tomography showed a dilated jejunal loop and an obstructing large mass. After his clinical condition and laboratory values improved, we performed laparotomy, which revealed a dilated jejunal loop with a palpable mass, and a gallstone was removed via enterotomy. After the disimpaction of the stone and control of the infection, his clinical condition and laboratory values continued to improve. Gallstone formation is rare after hepaticojejunostomy and to our knowledge, no other cases of acute cholangitis caused by a stone obstructing the jejunal loop have ever been reported. As with other major complications, early diagnosis and prompt initiation of surgical treatment are important to prevent any deterioration in the patient's general condition.

To test the usefulness of diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) for identifying blunt hollow visceral injury with two different sets of criteria or a combination of the two.Fifty victims with physical examinations and/or computed tomography findings equivocal for blunt hollow visceral injury underwent DPL. Whether or not to perform surgery was determined based on Otomo's DPL criteria [lavage white blood cell counts (L-WBC) over lavage red blood cell counts (L-RBC) divided by 150 (L-WBCor = L-RBC/150) in the presence of hemoperitoneum, or L-WBC over 500/mm(3) (L-WBCor = 500) in the absence of hemoperitoneum]. The cell count ratio, a comparison of L-WBC, L-RBC, peripheral WBC (P-WBC), and peripheral RBC (P-RBC) [(L-WBC/L-RBC)/(P-WBC/P-RBC)or = 1] were all calculated retrospectively.There were one and two false-positive cases based on Otomo's criteria and the cell count ratio, respectively, with corresponding accuracies of 97.8% and 95.7%, respectively. There were no false-positive or -negative cases according to the combined use of Otomo's criteria and cell count ratio, yielding an accuracy of 100%.Although each criterion alone is very accurate in predicting the presence of blunt hollow visceral injury, the combined use of the two would further improve the accuracy of the diagnosis and thereby reduce the number of unnecessary celiotomies.

The effects of hibernation on endothelium-dependent vasodilatation were investigated in the golden hamster carotid artery, paying special attention to hibernating body temperature (10 degrees C). To record mechanical and electrical membrane responses, we applied pharmacological (organ bath) and electrophysiological (microelectrode) techniques, using acetylcholine (ACh; 0.001-100 microM) and ATP (0.01-1000 microM) for endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 0.05-10 microM) for endothelium-independent vasodilatation. At 34 degrees C, ACh, ATP and SNP each induced a relaxation or a hyperpolarization, and these responses were similar in all the preparations from control and hibernated animals. At 10 degrees C, on the other hand, ACh-induced relaxations and hyperpolarizations were reduced to approximately 35 % and 50 % of the euthermic level in controls and 1 % and 4 % of the euthermic level in hibernated animals, respectively. In contrast, at 10 degrees C, ATP induced only a contraction or depolarization in all preparations with no significant difference between control and hibernated animals. SNP-induced relaxations and hyperpolarizations obtained at 34 degrees C were not attenuated by cooling to 10 degrees C. In the presence of a P2X receptor blocker, pyridoxal phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulphonic acid (PPADS; 5 microM), at 34 degrees C ATP-induced relaxations and hyperpolarizations were significantly enhanced whereas no responses were induced by ATP at 10 degrees C. After endothelium removal, on the other hand, ATP induced only a contraction or depolarization at both 34 degrees C and 10 degrees C. These results suggest that depression of endothelium-dependent vasodilator responses to ACh and ATP may occur in the hibernating golden hamster carotid artery.

Isolation of enterococci in patients undergoing obstetric and gynecological operations was studied as well as reviewing the postoperative infection due to this organism during the period from 1985 to 1990. 1) In 126 cases undergoing abdominal total hysterectomy, vaginal specimens were obtained before and after (3rd day) the operation. The isolation rates increased after the operation (before 16.7%, after 35.7%). They increased not only in the group using PIPC, CEZ, CEPR, CMZ, and LMOX by drip infusion but also in the group without prophylactic use of antibiotics. On the other hand in the group using CP vaginal suppositories, the isolation rate decreased. However no statistical proof was obtained as to antibiotics especially in regard to cephem drugs as the reason for the increase. 2) Enterococci were isolated from the surgical field during abdominal total hysterectomy in only 2.0% (n = 88). 3) Isolation rates of enterococci inside the transvaginal drain following radical hysterectomy (n = 30) reached 86.7%. 4) E. faecalis was isolated in 20.0% of the cases with wound infection (n = 25). However isolated Enterococcus strains were not regarded to be the causative organism. 5) There was one case of postoperative enterococcal septicemia in treating stage Ib adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix.

The occurrence of congenital bile duct dilatation (CBD) in both a mother and her daughter was recently experienced at Niigata University Hospital and Niigata Shimin Hospital. Bile duct dilatation with anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal junction (AP-BDJ) was disclosed in both. Intrahepatic bile duct dilatation was only in the mother. Removal of dilated bile duct, cholecystectomy, and hepaticojejunostomy were performed in both. Fourteen cases of CBD from seven families were collected from literature and discussed.

A foreign body located in the right postauricular area was removed 40 years after a shrapnel injury in 1943. The patient visited our clinic complaining of pain behind his right ear. X-ray examination showed a dense foreign body located extracranially adjacent to the S. C. M.Under general anesthesia an iron fragment was removed.

The region located 6.0–6.2 kb upstream from a structural gene for 6-aminohexanoic acid linear oligomer hydrolase (EII) in Flavobacterium was found to be responsible for EII expression in Escherichia coli. In this region there existed a 50 bp long inverted repeat containing a sequence homologous to the E. coli promoter −35 and −10 regions. Introduction of deletions in this region resulted in decreases in EII activity to various levels.

A case of cutaneous infection by Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum on the middle finger of the right hand of a 58-year-old farmer is reported. On the extensor aspect of the distal phalanx of the middle finger, there was a pale reddish, edematous lesion with some vesicles, pustules, and an ulcer. Scrapings from the lesion showed fungal elements on direct microscopic examination, and Fusarium solani and Fusarium oxysporum were identified on slide culture. Hyperthermia treatment with a chemical pocket warmer led to conspicuous healing of the lesion.

Hexose and hexosamine contents were measured in 117 samples of either duodenal or pancreatic juice from 49 subjects. The specimens were obtained by three methods: firstly, through a Dreiling's double lumen tube and with a pancreozymin secretin test performed simultaneously; secondly, by fiber duodenoscopy after an intravenous injection of secretin; thirdly, through a postoperative cannula without stimulation. The hexose content measured by phenol-sulfuric acid reaction correlated well with the hexosamine content measured by the Elson-Morgan method (r = 0.63, p less than 0.005). Since determination of hexose is not as complicated as that of hexosamine, the measurement of hexose content in the pancreatic juice seems to be more useful than measuring hexosamine for obtaining valuable information on pancreatic abnormalities.

Sequential recording of the auditory brain stem response (ABR), middle latency response (MLR) and slow vertex response (SVR) under logarithmic time scale were applied for the 17 cases of central lesions, in order to obtain more informations as for the localization of the lesions.The recording is vertex-ipsilateral mastoid to the acoustic stimuli, click with 80dB nHL or 100dB nHL.The averaging numbers are 500 times and analysis time is 500msec. Pass-band of the filter is 2-2000Hz and sampling clock is 100usec on A-D conversion. The results were as follows;The modality of MLR and SVR showed remarkable changes by the site of the lesions.1) Temporal lobe lesions gave influence upon ABR and MLR very few, however, the N-P2 component of SVR was greatly affected.2) Subcortical lesions showed little variation upon ABR, however, latency-prolongation of each component of MLR and SVR or dicrease of their amplitude were clearly identified.3) Some of the upper brain stem lesions showed almost normal SVR.4) As for the lower brain stem lesions or C-P angle lesions, MLR and SVR provided poor information.5) Degenerative disorders of the brain (ex. multiple sclerosis) could fairly be diagnosed by comparing the sequential changes of ABR and MLR with normal SVR.Logarithmic time-scale recording can identify the sequential modality of AEP, and pathological influence upon the auditory pathway by some central lesions could lead us to speculate the site of the lesions.

To analyze the secretory mechanism of immunoglobulins into pancreatic secretion, pancreatic juice IgA was measured by single radial immunodiffusion and characterized immunochemically, and immunoglobulins, J chain and secretory component (SC) were localized immunocytochemically in pancreatic tissues by the peroxidase-labeled antibody method. The concentration of IgA was 0.0225 mg/ml with a range of 0.010 to 0.049. IgA associated with SC was demonstrated immunochemically in three cases. IgA, SC and J chain were demonstrated immunocytochemically in the pancreatic duct epithelium with the features characteristic of endocytic, SC-mediated transfer of IgA. The results of the present study suggested that transfer of IgA linked by J chain and SC across ductal epithelial cells, but not acinar cells occurred in human pancreas.

A beam quality measurement system for excimer lasers is developed. This system provides a 2-dimensional intensity distribution of an individual laser pulse delivered from an excimer laseroperated at a repetition rate of 250 Hz. The system is equipped with a large storage capacity of aframe memory which makes it possible to analyze the variation in intensity profiles of may successivepulses. The system is also equipped with the optics for measurements of far and near fieldpatterns and etalon fringe patterns. The beam qualities of a commercial excimer laser which hasan injection locking type configuration and practically measured with this system. The far andnear field patterns of a single laser pulse are presented. The pulse-to-pulse fluctuations of intensitypatterns and of total pulse energy are observed at various gas ages. The center of gravity ofsuccessive laser pulse patterns are traced with this system and the fluctuation of beam pointing isshown to increase with the gas aging.

The distribution of lysozyme in normal gastric and duodenal mucosa was studied by light- and electron-microscopic immunocytochemical techniques (direct enzyme-labeled antibody method). In the duodenal mucosa, lysozyme was found in the Paneth cells and the epithelial cells of Brunner's glands. Electron-microscopically, lysozyme was found in rough endoplasmic reticulum and perinuclear spaces, which were assumed to be protein-synthesizing organelles, and also in the secretory granules of Paneth cells. Additionally, lysozyme was detected in the stomach in mucinous granules and in some parts of the rough endoplasmic reticulum within the epithelial cells of the pyloric glands, the mucous neck cells of the fundic glands, and in several surface epithelial cells of the plyoric and fundic regions. This suggests that some quantity of lysozyme in gastrointestinal secretion originates from the gastric and duodenal glands, and that it acts as a defense mechanism in the gastrointestinal tract.