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There is a strong need for a non-invasive measurement technique that is capable of accurately identifying the physiological condition change or heterogeneity of subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) by localizing the abnormalities within the compartment. This paper aims to investigate the feasibility of Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) to assess the interstitial fluid in subcutaneous adipose tissue as an enhancement method of bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS). Here, we demonstrate the preliminary result of EIT with a wearable 16 electrodes sensor. The image-based reference EIT with fat weighted threshold method is proposed. In order to evaluate the performance of our novel method, a physiological swelling experiment is conducted, and Multi-Frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (MFBIA) is also applied as a comparison with EIT results. The experimental results showed that the proposed method was able to distinguish the physiological swelling condition and effectively to remove the unexpected background noise. Furthermore, the conductivity variation in the subcutaneous layer had a good correlation with extracellular water volume change from MFBIA data; the correlation coefficient R2 = 0.927. It is concluded that the proposed method provides a significant prospect for SAT assessment.

AIM To evaluate the effect of augmented training datasets in a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) used for detecting abnormal chest radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Chest radiographs were corrected to conform to a DCNN dataset, with 288 abnormal and 447 normal radiographs. The radiographic images were divided into training and validation sets (441, 60%), and a test set (294, 40%). The training and validation sets were augmented to generate a total of 12,789 training and validation images. The augmentation consisted of operations such as rotation, horizontal and vertical flipping, Gaussian blur, and brightness variation, either alone or combined. The DCNN performed binary classification of the images as being abnormal or normal chest radiographs, and accuracy was used as measure to assess the model performance. RESULTS The accuracy of the DCNN trained with the augmented dataset tended to be higher than that of the DCNN trained with the non-augmented dataset. The augmented datasets combining rotation and horizontal flipping had a high accuracy of 0.91, showing the highest accuracy among the applied augmentation techniques and combinations. CONCLUSION Augmentation of training datasets can improve the performance of DCNN for radiographic image classification depending on the applied augmentation technique.

Treating burn scar contracture remains a challenging problem for reconstructive surgeons. At present, no consensus exists on when to use what kind of technique. Therefore, a systematic review was performed on the effectiveness of the different surgical techniques after burn scar contracture release. Electronic databases were searched using a predefined search strategy. Studies evaluating the outcome of surgical techniques for the treatment of burn scar contractures were included. The methodological quality was tested and the data were summarized. One thousand six hundred fourty-nine papers were identified of which 17 met the inclusion criteria. Three papers reported on a controlled trial, 14 were cohort studies, including 10 of a pre-post operative design and 4 of a comparative design. The papers described outcomes of grafts, flaps with random or defined vascularization, and dermal substitutes. All studies had methodological shortcomings and most used inappropriate statistical methods. The current evidence on the effectiveness of reconstruction techniques for burn scar contractures was summarized. Due to the scarcity and low quality of the included studies, no definitive conclusions could be reached about the effectiveness of different techniques. Therefore, no direct implications for daily practice could be made. However, recommendations could be given for improvement of the quality of further primary research on the effectiveness of surgical treatment strategies for burn scar contracture release.

To examine the diagnostic capabilities of feature-tracking cardiovascular magnetic resonance (FT-CMR), tagged cine magnetic resonance (MR), and wall thickening (WT) analyses to detect infarcted segments in patients with established myocardial infarction (MI).Twenty patients with established MI were selected retrospectively and the peak endocardial circumferential strain (CS) was quantified based on the 16-segment model. According to CMR with late gadolinium enhancement, segments were categorised as transmural MI, subendocardial MI, and no MI.A total of 320 segments (62 transmural MI, 50 subendocardial MI, and 208 no MI) were analysed. Peak endocardial CS was significantly lower for transmural MI compared with subendocardial MI (p0.05) and no MI (p0.001). Cut-off values of -11.2% for CS by FTCMR, -10.9% for CS by tagged MR, and 23.8% for %WT, differentiated between infarcted and non-infarcted segments with a sensitivity of 72%, 71%, and 56%; specificity of 71%, 75%, and 67%; accuracy of 72%, 73%, and 63%; positive predictive value of 57%, 60%, and 48%; negative predictive value of 83%, 83%, and 74%; and an area-under-the-curve of 0.77, 0.79, and 0.64, respectively.FT-CMR was diagnostically superior to %WT, and could differentiate between subendocardial and transmural MI. Unlike tagged MR, FT-CMR did not require the acquisition of additional sequences.

BACKGROUND: Keloids are pathological scars that arise from a fibroproliferative disorder of the skin, which causes injured skin to undergo abnormal wound healing. Recent studies suggest that keloid scarring may be a "multifactorial disorder" that is driven by various genetic factors along with local mechanophysiological skin factors. Thus, it appears that keloid scarring is a hyperplastic disorder of the skin that is determined by local factors rather than being a neoplasm like benign skin tumors, which can occur all over the body. This paper presents a review of previous papers and proposes new strategies for the prevention and treatment of keloids. METHODS: Review. RESULTS: To prevent the development of keloids, it is important to remove four primary factors that hamper proper wound healing, namely an inadequately moist environment, strong mechanical forces on the wound, foreign body reactions and allergies, and infections. If these factors are allowed to influence a wound, they can cause strong and continuous inflammation that can produce noticeable and/or growing keloids. Keloids can be treated by surgical methods, including tension-reduction sutures, z-plasties, core incision methods, and flap surgery. Adjuvant therapies of surgical or non-surgical therapies include corticosteroid injection, laser therapy (dye or Nd:YAG lasers), cryotherapy, radiotherapy, antitumor/immunosuppressive agents, stabilization/compression therapy, and make-up therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Over the last decade, many high quality studies that address keloid management and treatment have been performed. There is now sufficient evidence-based information for keloid treatment. This is likely to improve significantly as our knowledge of scar biology progresses and new agents to treat keloids are developed.

Propeller flaps feature a highly reliable reconstructive method, based on a perforator vessel. Since their introduction in 1991, a great variety of propeller flaps have been described, according to their shape and their potential of coverage. Indeed, these flaps have progressively been refined and modified, concerning their vascularity and space design. The authors present a classification of propeller flaps. This anatomical classification is necessary to understand the dissection procedure and the differences between the numerous types of propeller flaps nowadays described. It is the international classification, which should be used for the description and conception of these flaps.

The Pediatric Task Force reviewed all questions submitted by the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) member councils in 2010, reviewed all council training materials and resuscitation guidelines and algorithms, and conferred on recent areas of interest and controversy. We identified a few areas where there were key differences in council-specific guidelines based on historical recommendations, such as the A-B-C (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) versus C-A-B (Circulation, Airway, Breathing) sequence of provision of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), initial back blows versus abdominal thrusts for foreign-body airway obstruction, an upper limit for recommended chest compression rate, and initial defibrillation dose for shockable rhythms (2 versus 4 J/kg). We produced a working list of prioritized questions and topics, which was adjusted with the advent of new research evidence. This led to a prioritized palate of 21 PICO (population, intervention, comparator, outcome) questions for ILCOR task force focus. The 2015 process was supported by information specialists who performed in-depth systematic searches, liaising with pediatric content experts so that the most appropriate terms and outcomes and the most relevant publications were identified. Relevant adult literature was considered (extrapolated) in those PICO questions that overlapped with other task forces, or when there were insufficient pediatric data. In rare circumstances (in the absence of sufficient human data), appropriate animal studies were incorporated into reviews of the literature. However, these data were considered only when higher levels of evidence were not available and the topic was deemed critical. When formulating the PICO questions, the task force felt it important to evaluate patient outcomes that extend beyond return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) or discharge from the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). In recognition that the measures must have meaning, not only to clinicians but also to parents and caregivers, longer-term outcomes at 30 …

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Objectives: To characterize glucocorticoid receptor expression in peripheral WBCs of critically ill children using flow cytometry. Design: Prospective observational cohort. Setting: A university-affiliated, tertiary PICU. Patients: Fifty-two critically ill children. Interventions: Samples collected for measurement of glucocorticoid receptor expression and parallel cortisol levels. Measurements and Main Results: Subjects with cardiovascular failure had significantly lower glucocorticoid receptor expression both in CD4 lymphocytes (mean fluorescence intensity, 522 [354–787] vs 830 [511–1,219]; p = 0.036) and CD8 lymphocytes (mean fluorescence intensity, 686 [350–835] vs 946 [558–1,511]; p = 0.019) compared with subjects without cardiovascular failure. Subjects in the upper 50th percentile of Pediatric Risk of Mortality III scores and organ failure also had significantly lower glucocorticoid receptor expression in CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes. There was no linear correlation between cortisol concentrations and glucocorticoid receptor expression. Conclusions: Our study suggests that patients with shock and increased severity of illness have lower glucocorticoid receptor expression in CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes. Glucocorticoid receptor expression does not correlate well with cortisol levels. Future studies could focus on studying glucocorticoid receptor expression variability and isoform distribution in the pediatric critically ill population as well as on different strategies to optimize glucocorticoid response.

Two {Met(0)6}deacetyl-thymosin β4analogs containing Phe(4F) or Tyr(Me) at position 12 were synthesized by the manual solid-phase method, and their anti-inflammatory effect on carrageenin-induced edema in the mouse paw was studied. Fluorination of the para-position of Phe12resulted in a marked antiinflammatory effect on carrageenin-induced edema in the mouse paw compared with that of our synthetic {Met(0)6}deacetyl-thymosin β4, but the other analog, {Met(0)6, Tyr(Me)12}deacetyl-thymosin β4, showed a marked reduction of the anti-inflammatory effect.

Thrombotic microangiopathy is a well-known heterogeneous disorder that occurs as a complication of allogenic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). We evaluated 12 consecutive patients receiving HLA-matched unrelated BMT and 12 consecutive recipients of HLA-identical related BMT for the development of bone marrow transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (BMT-TM) on days 30 and 60 following BMT. A diagnosis was made in four of 12 (33.3%) unrelated compared to none of 12 (0%) HLA-identical cases. Levels of serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), fibrin degraded products (FDP) and de novo thrombocytopenia were elevated in eight of 12 patients (66.7%) receiving unrelated donor BMT, and none of the patients receiving related donor BMT. Our findings suggest clinical or subclinical microangiopathic changes may occur frequently in unrelated donor BMT. FDP elevation is possibly an important marker of microangiopathic changes as early complications of BMT.

Dissociative behaviors and their relation to both the self and self-organization were examined using the developmental psychopathology perspective in a prospective longitudinal study of high-risk children. Participants were 168 young adults (n = 79 females, n = 89 males, age = 18–19 years) considered high-risk for poor developmental outcomes at birth due to poverty. The present study investigated whether trauma, sense of self, quality of early mother–child relationship, temperament, and intelligence were related to dissociative symptomatology measured at four times across 19 years. Findings were (a) age of onset, chronicity and severity of trauma were highly correlated and predicted level of dissociation; (b) both the avoidant and disorganized patterns of attachment were strong predictors of dissociation; (c) dissociation in childhood may be a more normative response to disruption and stress, while dissociation in adolescence and young adulthood may be more indicative of psychopathology; (d) preliminary support was found for a model proposed by G. Liotti that links disorganized attachment, later trauma, and dissociation in adulthood; and (e) strong support was found for N. Waller, F. W. Putnam, and E. B. Carlson's contention that psychopathological dissociation should not be viewed as the top end of a continuum of dissociative symptomatology, but as a separate taxon that represents an extreme deviation from normal development.

After the skin is injured, the healing process usually leaves a flat scar. Keloid is a special type of scar that develops on the wound and has a pink or purple colour. Keloids are irregularly shape...

Objective: To assess the relationship between nail configuration and mechanical force, the nail morphology and pinch strengths of the paralyzed and non-paralyzed sides of patients with hemiplegia were measured. Methods: Study 1: Analysis of nail configuration. Both thumb nails of 100 subjects with hemiplegia and 100 healthy volunteers (400 thumb nails) were enrolled. The left and right thumb nails were compared in terms of configuration, namely the curve index (defined as nail height/width). Study 2: Measurement of pinch strength. In 10 subjects with hemiplegia and 10 healthy volunteers, the pinch strengths of both sides were compared. Results: Study 1: In the subjects with hemiplegia, the palsy side had a significantly higher curve index than the non-palsy side (32.7 ± 8.3 vs. 24.4 ± 6.5%). The two sides of the healthy volunteers did not differ significantly in terms of the curve index. Study 2: In all hemiplegia cases, the non-palsy side had a higher pinch strength. The differences were statistically significant (4.40 ± 1.90 vs. 0.05 ± 0.16 kg). In the healthy volunteers, the dominant and non-dominant sides did not differ significantly. Conclusion: Mechanical forces may affect the nail configuration and could participate in the pathophysiology of nail deformities.

OBJECTIVE--To assess the relationship between HLA-DRB1 genotypes and the progression of bone destruction in Japanese patients with RA. METHODS--The HLA-DRB1 alleles were determined by polymerase chain reaction and allele specific oligonucleotide probe techniques in 160 Japanese patients with RA. HLA-DR 0101, 0401, 0404, 0405, 1001 and 1402 were regarded as susceptible alleles of RA according to previous reports. Patients were classified into three groups (S/S, S/N and N/N group), based on the possession of two, one or no susceptible factor. The grading of radio-graphic changes in the wrists and fingers were evaluated by Larsen's criteria. The radiographic grades were first compared with the results of genotyping in the 160 cross sectional cases. A retrospective study was then conducted on a subgroup consisting of 57 cases taken from the 160 cases used for the cross sectional study. RESULTS--In the scatter diagram of the 160 cross sectional cases expressing the relationship between the stage of bone destruction and duration of RA, the regression line and the 95% confidence intervals separated the S/S group from the S/N and N/N groups in the early phase of development of bone destruction. In the retrospective study on the 57 cases the median years taken to development to stage V in the wrists after the onset of symptoms were 13.1 in the patients in the S/S group, 22.7 in the S/N group and 23.0 in the N/N group. The difference observed between the S/S and S/N group, and between the S/S and N/N group were statistically significant (p < 0.01), but that between the S/N and N/N groups was not. Thus the bone destruction in the wrists and fingers progressed more rapidly in the S/S group than in the S/N and N/N groups; and the rheumatoid susceptible alleles of HLA-DRB1 can be considered to be genetically recessive to the non-susceptible alleles in the progression of bone destructions in the wrists and fingers. CONCLUSION--Genotyping of HLA-DRB1 can be a useful prognostic marker in the early phase of RA.

Two Marek's disease virus (MDV) genes, one homologous to the glycoprotein B gene of herpes simplex virus and encoding the B antigen complex and the other encoding a 38-kDa phosphorylated protein (pp38), were inserted into the fowlpox virus (FPV) genome under the control of poxvirus promoters. Randomly selected nonessential regions of FPV were used for insertion, and the vaccinia virus 7.5 kDa polypeptide gene promoter or a poxvirus synthetic promoter was used for expression of MDV genes. Gene expression in cells infected with these recombinants was highly influenced by the promoter (the synthetic promoter being more effective) but was only slightly influenced by the insertion site and by the transcription direction of the insert relative to the direction of the flanking FPV sequences. Cells infected with an FPV recombinant expressing the MDV gB gene reacted positively with a monoclonal antibody specific to this glycoprotein in an immunofluorescence assay. Immunoprecipitation of infected cell lysates showed three glycoproteins identical to those associated with the B antigen complex of MDV (100, 60, and 49 kDa). Cells infected with a recombinant expressing the pp38 gene reacted positively with an anti-pp38 monoclonal antibody in an immunofluorescence assay. The generated protein was phosphorylated and had a molecular weight similar to that of the native pp38 protein. Sera from chickens immunized with an FPV recombinant expressing the MDV glycoprotein B gene reacted with MDV-infected cells.

Summary The effects of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) on megakaryocytopoiesis and platelet production were investigated in splenectomized, sham-operated and intact mice. When splenectomized mice were injected with 50 U of rHuEpo daily for 4 d, peripheral platelet counts, megakaryocyte (MK) size and the percentage of mature MK (stage IV MK) increased from 1 to 4 d after the initial rHuEpo injection. The total number of marrow MK colony forming units (CFU-MK) increased from 2 to 4 d after the initial injection. Furthermore, from days 6 to 8, the total number of marrow MK also increased. In addition, when the dose of rHuEpo was increased to 20 ˜ 200 U per mouse, clear dose responses were detected in platelet counts and MK numbers. When sham-operated and intact mice were injected with rHuEpo, no significant change in platelet numbers was detected. The number of MK, MK size and the number of CFU-MK increased only in spleen, not in bone marrow. Our data indicate that Epo has stimulatory effects on platelet production in vivo, if used in sufficient quantities.

Background: Standing HAT (Head-Arm-Trunk) Strategy in postural strategy of frontal plane (PSFP) is often observed in OA patients and the elderly. Patients with total knee arthroplasty (TKA) suffer from impaired balance and postural control. Purpose: The purpose of this randomized controlled trials was to compare the effect of physical therapy intervention with emphasis on postural control as a multi joint kineticschain exercise (MJKC) to conventional physical therapy (CPT). Methods: 33 individuals (28 female, 5 male; age, 72.2± 7.4 years) who underwent TKA for knee osteoarthritis (OA) were enrolled. The participants were randomly divided intoMJKC or CPT groups. Both groups received 3months of physical therapy intervention. PSFP (Calculated by the angle connecting the center points of both acromion, both greater trochanter and both lateral malleolus; using ToMoCo-Lite), index of postural stability (IPS) to examine dynamic balance, knee extension strength (KES)(%BW) were assessed at preoperative, postoperative 2 months (2POM) and postoperative 3 months (3POM). Statistical analysis: Chi square test and Mann–Whitney test were used to compare the baseline scores. 2-wayANOVA was used to compare the effects of group and timing (p< .05). Results:There were no significant differences in the baseline clinical and functional scores at preoperative between the two groups. IPS measurements of theMJKCGroup at preoperative, 2POM,and3POMwere1.24, 1.61, 1.62, respectively. IPS measurements of the CPTGroup at preoperative, 2POM, and 3POM were 1.21, 1.18, 1.26, respectively. IPS measurements were significantly better in the MJKC group than the CPT group at postoperative, 2POM, and 3POM (p< .01). In the MJKC group, significant improvement was observed in the IPS scores at 2POM and 3POM compared to preoperative (p< .01). The PSFPmeasurements of theMJKC group at preoperative, 2POM, and3POMwere 173.6± 0.40, 181.9± 2.2, 183.3± 2.6, respectively. There was a significant difference in the PSFP measurements between preoperative and 2POM, and between preoperative and 3POM (p< .01). The PSFP measurements of the CPTGroup at preoperative, 2POM, and 3POM were 172.9± 5.9, 174.0± 5.4, 173.9± 4.8, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the three time periods. No significant difference between the two groups was observed regarding KES. Conclusion(s): MJKC is a novel rehabilitation program which was designed to improve dynamic balance and postural strategy in the early postoperative period of TKA. The improvement in PSFP in the MJKC group postoperatively, suggests that patients are standing with the HAT strategy at preoperatively and with the pelvic at 2POM. The PSFP measurements in the CPT group suggest that patients are standing with the HAT strategy postoperatively. This study shows that patients receiving MJKC changed their standing PSFP from HAT to pelvic by 2POM. This suggests the need for and effectiveness of intervention byMJKC in early postoperative TKA. Implications: The results of this study may be useful in selecting of physical therapy program.

Dysorexia nervosa (DN) includes two types of eating disorder: anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). AN is a syndrome characterised by changes in eating habits, distortions of body shape, and a refusal to maintain even minimally normal body weight. BN is a syndrome encompassing repeated episodes of binge eating, followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviours such as self induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives and diuretics, fasting or excessive exercise. Both AN and BN predominantly affect young females, in whom the prevalence is approximately 10 times higher than in males, and both are important social health concerns in developed countries.1 The following study was designed to explore the underlying autonomic dysfunction in DN; six patients with AN, eight with BN and 11 healthy subjects were assessed. The circadian changes in blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV) of the patients were measured. Twenty four hour ambulatory BP and HR were recorded using a portable multibiomedical recorder (TM-2425, A&D Co, Tokyo, Japan). The measurements of BP and HR were repeated every 30 minutes in the waking period from 6 am to 11 …

BACKGROUND: Magnesium supplementation may reduce the incidence of arrhythmias, which often occur after cardiac surgery; however, recent findings of the effectiveness of magnesium prophylaxis have yielded discrepant results. METHODS: We searched electronic databases for randomized controlled trials of magnesium for the prevention of arrhythmias after cardiac surgery. The primary outcomes comprised the incidence of supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias, and the secondary outcomes comprised serum magnesium concentration, length of hospital stay, myocardial infarction, and mortality. Effect sizes were estimated using a random-effects model. RESULTS: Seventeen trials (n 2069 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Pooled serum magnesium concentration at 24 hours after surgery in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (weighted mean difference 0.45 mmol/L [1.1 mg/dL]; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30 to 0.59 mmol/L [0.7 to 1.4 mg/dL]; P 0.001). Magnesium supplementation reduced the risk of supraventricular arrhythmias (relative risk [RR] 0.77; 95% CI: 0.63 to 0.93; P 0.002) and ventricular arrhythmias (RR 0.52; 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.87; P 0.0001), but had no effect on the length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference 0.28 days; 95% CI: 0.70 to 1.27 days; P 0.48), the incidence of perioperative myocardial infarction (RR 1.03; 95% CI: 0.52 to 2.05; P 0.99), or mortality (RR 0.97; 95% CI: 0.43 to 2.20; P 0.94). CONCLUSION: Administration of prophylactic magnesium reduced the risk of supraventricular arrhythmias after cardiac surgery by 23% (atrial fibrillation by 29%) and of ventricular arrhythmias by 48%. Supplementation had no notable benefit with respect to length of hospitalization, incidence of myocardial infarction, or mortality. Am J Med. 2004;117:325–333. ©2004 by Elsevier Inc.

A rare case of intracranial metastatic amelanotic melanoma with cyst is presented. The patient was a 51 year old woman with a malignant melanoma arising on her right chest. Two years after a wide excision, skin and brain metastasis occurred. Brain magnetic resonance images demonstrated a tumour with a cyst in the left occipital lobe. Because the tumour showed low intensity on T1 weighted images and high intensity on T2 weighted images, the metastatic melanoma was identified as an amelanotic melanoma. Intracranial amelanotic melanoma is very rare, and there have been few reports of melanoma with cyst.

It is highly desirable to reduce the need for medical services by maintaining the health of the population Intensive monitoring of health parameters is likely to become a necessary means for attaining good health. A new concept of health monitoring is proposed, by which health parameters are automatically monitored at home without disturbing daily activities. The authors review the numerous attempts at developing home health monitoring techniques, which include monitoring during sleep, or via the bathtub or toilet seat, as well as during daily activities. The studies show that home health monitoring can be achieved even with simple sensors and instruments. There are also many possible applications for advanced technologies. Potential future technologies for home health monitoring include automatic blood pressure measurement via the toilet seat, automatic blood sampling with a device mimicking a mosquito, and artificial noses for detecting smells.

Objective: The effects of pretreatment with ONO-4007, a lipid A analog, on cutaneous plasma leakage induced by ONO-4007, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and inflammatory mediators were investigated.¶Material: Male ddY strain mice.¶Treatment: Mice were pretreated with ONO-4007 (up to 6 mg/kg i.p.), 0-24 h prior to plasma leakage study.¶Methods: Plasma extravasation was determined by dye leakage.¶Results: Systemic ONO-4007 (6 mg/kg i.p.) pretreatment for 2 to 12 h inhibited plasma extravasation in the mouse skin elicited by ONO-4007 and LPS. The inhibition was dose-dependent. Plasma leakage induced by platelet-activating factor (PAF), histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was also inhibited by ONO-4007 pretreatment. Plasma corticosterone levels increased 2 and 4 h after systemic ONO-4007 (6 mg/kg) administration and returned to the control level 24 h later. Adrenalectomy and metyrapone but not propranolol reversed the inhibition by ONO-4007 pretreatment of LPS-induced plasma leakage.¶Conclusions: A single injection of ONO-4007 in mice induced transient tolerance to plasma leakage elicited by LPS, ONO-4007 and inflammatory mediators. Endogenous corticosterone, at least in part, plays a role in the development of tolerance.

A 4-year-old boy developed bilateral optic neuritis. Although precise neuro-ophthalmological evaluation was difficult, the diagnosis was made with gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging using fat-suppression technique in the initial stage of the disease. Enhancement and enlargement of the intraorbital and intracanalicular optic nerve were demonstrated bilaterally as well as protrusion of the optic nerve head. The disease responded dramatically to intravenous steroid therapy. The etiologies in children usually differ from those in adolescent and adult patients.

To investigate the clinical effectiveness and safety of ONO-1101, a new ultrashort-acting (half-life 3-4 min), cardioselective beta-adrenoceptor blocker in attenuating the cardiovascular responses to endotracheal intubation in a dose-finding open study.Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation were performed after induction of anaesthesia with thiamylal, followed by administration of succinylcholine, and saline or ONO-1101 0.1, 0.25 or 0.5 mg.kg-1, in 53 patients. Heart rate and blood pressure were continuously recorded beginning prior to administration until 5 min after administration of the drug, and the rate-pressure product was calculated.ONO-1101 was found to significantly blunt the increase in heart rate throughout the study. Administration of ONO-1101 0.25 or 0.5 mg.kg-1 decreased the incidence of tachycardia. However, these doses were not sufficient to suppress the increase in systolic blood pressure, although the maximal value in the ONO-1101 0.5 mg.kg-1 group was reduced. Rate-pressure product increased significantly after intubation in all groups, but the increase was suppressed in the ONO-1101 0.25 and 0.5 mg.kg-1 groups as compared with the saline group. Bradycardia was not observed in any patient, although hypotension might be caused by administration of ONO-1101 0.5 mg.kg-1.ONO-1101, especially at a dose of 0.25 mg.kg-1, due to its beta-adrenoceptor blockade and ultrashort action, was shown to be effective and well tolerated by patients in this study, when used to attenuate the cardiovascular responses to laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation.

Dynamic involvement of hypothalamic histamine in ingestive behavior and thermogenesis induced by interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) was examined in rats. Intraperitoneal injection of 0.12 nmol/rat IL-1 beta decreased food and water intake and elevated body temperature. However, depletion of neuronal histamine induced by intraperitoneal injection of 160 mumol/rat alpha-fluoromethylhistidine, a suicide inhibitor of histidine decarboxylase (HDC), attenuated the suppressive effect of IL-1 beta on food intake, facilitated the suppressive effect on drinking, and enhanced the elevating effect on rectal temperature. Intraperitoneal injection of 0.12 nmol/rat IL-1 beta increased hypothalamic histamine turnover rate. The same dose of IL-1 beta also increased activity of HDC and histamine-N-methyltransferase (HMT). These results suggest that IL-1 beta may stimulate synthesis and release of hypothalamic histamine in presynaptic terminals by activation of HDC and facilitate degradation of extracellular histamine by activation of MHT. These changes in the dynamics of hypothalamic histamine modulate IL-1 beta-induced ingestive behavior and body temperature.

Background The ABC-02 trial demonstrated a statistically significant survival benefit associated with the addition of cisplatin to gemcitabine for advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC). Purpose To determine the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) chemo-therapy for advanced BTC. Patients and methods From April 2010 to January 2012, 12 advanced BTC patients were received cisplatin (25 mg/m2) followed by gemcitabine (1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, every 3 weeks) in our hospital. Results Eleven patients received GC for first-line therapy and one for third-line therapy. Eleven patients were evaluated. CR/PR/SD/PD were 0% (0/12)/50% (6/12)/41.6% (5/12)/0% (0/12), respectively. Response rate (RR) was 50% (6 of 12) and disease control rate (DCR) was 92% (11 of 12). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and the median overall survival (OS) were 8.2 and 13.0 months, respectively. Grade 3 or higher adverse events occurred in 10 patients (83%), including one who died of gastrointestinal bleeding as grade 5. All patients required a reduction in dose and/or a delayed administration. Conclusion The adverse events of GC were severe, but GC for BTC in our hospital was equal to or more effective than in the ABC-02 trial.

SRPX2 (Sushi repeat-containing protein, X-linked 2) has recently emerged as a multifunctional protein that is involved in seizure disorders, angiogenesis and cellular adhesion. Here, we analyzed this protein biochemically. SRPX2 protein was secreted with a highly post-translational modification. Chondroitinase ABC treatment completely decreased the molecular mass of purified SRPX2 protein to its predicted size, whereas heparitinase, keratanase and hyaluroinidase did not. Secreted SRPX2 protein was also detected using an anti-chondroitin sulfate antibody. These results indicate that SRPX2 is a novel chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG). Furthermore, a binding assay revealed that hepatocyte growth factor dose-dependently binds to SRPX2 protein, and a ligand–glycosaminoglycans interaction was speculated to be likely in proteoglycans. Regarding its molecular architecture, SRPX2 has sushi repeat modules similar to four other CSPGs/lecticans; however, the molecular architecture of SRPX2 seems to be quite different from that of the lecticans. Taken together, we found that SRPX2 is a novel CSPG that is overexpressed in gastrointestinal cancer cells. Our findings provide key glycobiological insight into SRPX2 in cancer cells and demonstrate that SRPX2 is a new member of the cancer-related proteoglycan family.

Intraoperative spinal cord monitoring using motor evoked potentials is a desirable goal, but the sensitivity of most techniques limits their value during anaesthesia. This paper examines the effects of various anaesthetic agents on three different MEP recording techniques in 41 adult cats.

From teachers' rating in kindergarten through third grade, mutually exclusive groups of internalized, externalized, and mixed behavior problems were examined as pathways to three groups of psychiatric diagnosis in later adolescence: depression/anxiety, conduct/oppositional defiant, and other disorders. In looking both forward and backwards, the relation between behavior problems in the early school years, regardless of type, and psychopathology in adolescence, regardless of diagnosis, was very strong. The relations between type of early problems and specific outcomes were weak. The findings provided support for both the constructs of multifinality and equifinality; however the nature of the pathways differed somewhat by disorder. There was a substantial amount of multifinality (dispersion of outcomes) for the early internalizing pathway. There was less multifinality for the externalizing pathway, in that there was greater correspondence between early externalizing and later antisocial outcomes than for the internalizing pathway and depressed/anxious outcomes.

We examined p53 protein expression, p53 gene mutation, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and argyrophilic nuclear organizer regions (AgNOR), in 30 patients with surgically-treated thymic tumors (26 thymoma and 4 thymic carcinoma cases). p53 expression ratio with DO-1 was divided as p53 negative (0% positivity), low expressor (10% positivity), high expressor (10% positivity). The incidence of p53 low and high expressor in thymoma were 19% (5/26) and 8% (2/26), respectively. p53 immunopositivity in thymoma was significantly correlated with PCNA labeling index (LI). p53 expression ratio in invasive thymoma (33%) tended to be higher than that in non-invasive thymoma (18%). p53 expression was detected in one of the thymic carcinoma. There were no p53 gene mutations in 15 invasive thymoma, although one of four (25%) thymic carcinomas showed two point mutations. p53 gene alterations seem to be associated with malignant activity of tumor cells, and therefore detection of p53 gene mutations is useful as a diagnostic factor.