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Objective: To investigate the safety and effectiveness of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) versus vitamin K antagonists (VKA) after recent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) aged ≥85 years. Methods: Individual patient data analysis from seven prospective stroke cohorts. We compared DOAC versus VKA treatment among patients with AF and recent stroke (

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate how sacrifice of the portal vein and/or hepatic vein affects remnant liver dysfunction after lateral segmentectomy or left lobe hepatectomy. Materials and methods Among 130 patients who underwent donor hepatectomy between March 2002 and July 2011, we enrolled lateral segment ( n = 15) and left lobe donors ( n = 40). We evaluated the postoperative courses and the territory of venous obstruction or congestion based on the sacrificed portal vein or hepatic vein after the donor operation: lateral segment grafts (P4a, P4b, LV4) and left lobe grafts (MV5, MV8) according to the results analyzed by MeVis Distant Service. Results Among lateral segment donors, the predicted sacrificed territory of portal vein and hepatic vein was 14.3% (7.3%–19.4%) in P4a + 4b: (P4a: 8.6%, P4b: 5.8%) and 2.9% (0%–8.4%) in LV4, respectively. On the other hand, in left lobe donors, the predicted congestive territory of the hepatic vein was 17.6% (2.8%–33.0%) in MV5 + 8 (7.8% in MV5 and 9.8% in MV8, respectively). The incidence of patients whose postoperative peak aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine aminotransferase levels were higher than 500 IU/L was 20% in the lateral segment donors and 5% in the left lobe donors. The peak postoperative AST levels and territory of MV5 + 8 showed a significant positive correlation ( R = 0.569, P Conclusion Territories of P4 in lateral segment donors and MV5 + 8 in left lobe donors impacted postoperative liver dysfunction. It is important to recognize the precise territory of the portal vein and the hepatic vein before the donor operation.

This study evaluated the need for specific instruments when performing a curative resection of colon cancer via a minilaparotomy approach, which has been reported to be a minimally invasive alternative to a laparoscopic approach. The feasibility, safety, and early oncological outcome were compared among 73 patients (first group), in whom a curative resection of colon cancer was performed via a minilaparotomy (skin incision ≤7 cm) utilizing specific instruments (North-bridge retractor system) between September 2002 and March 2005, and 94 patients (second group), in whom a similar procedure was performed without utilizing specific instruments between April 2005 and October 2007. The two groups did not differ significantly in terms of age, sex, body mass index, site of tumor, level of lymph node dissection, blood loss, UICC stage, number of harvested lymph nodes, incidence of postoperative complications, length of postoperative hospital days, or overall survival, although the frequency of prior abdominal surgery was higher (38.3 vs. 21.9%; P = 0.03) and the median operating time required for a standard lymph node dissection was shorter (120 vs. 135 min; P = 0.03) in the second group. With improved techniques and experience, specific instruments are not necessary for the performance of a curative colectomy via a minilaparotomy approach.

Objective The aim of the present study was to examine the association between subjects with self-awareness of fast eating and diagnostic components of metabolic syndrome in Japanese middle-aged male and female. Patients and methods Subjects consisted of 3208 males (average age 50.6 years) and 2055 females (average age 50.0 years). Associations between subjects with self-awareness of fast eating and multiple components of metabolic syndrome (waist circumference, body mass index [BMI], blood pressure, and related blood sample tests) were evaluated. Results Significantly more males (57.7%) acknowledged themselves as "fast eater" than females (46.5%). Self-reported fast eaters showed significantly elevated body weight, BMI, and waist circumference in both genders. However, only male self-reported fast eaters showed high levels of blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, uric acid, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol. Conclusion Fast eating is associated with diagnostic components of metabolic syndrome. The effect of acknowledging themselves as fast eater presents a higher impact on males than on females in the middle-aged Japanese population. The present study indicates that finding subjects with self-awareness of fast eating may lead to the prevention of developing metabolic syndrome.

An experimental study has been carried out to investigate a synergistic effect of Ba4CuPt2O9 compounds on the critical current density to fluorine-doped YBCO superconductors. The Ba4CuPt2O9 compounds were synthesized by a solid state reaction. It was found that the synthesis temperature of the Ba4CuPt2O9 compounds was over 800 °C, which was higher than that of a paper ever reported. In addition, the influence of the Ba4CuPt2O9 compounds on the critical current density to the YBCO superconductors has been investigated to use two types of Ba4CuPt2O9 compound. One is not heat-treated, i.e., source materials, and the other is heat-treated at 950 °C. It was found that the former affected the orientation of c-axes, but the latter did not have an influence on the orientation to the c-axes, and molested the superconductivity to the samples quenched at temperatures above 850 °C.

Dynamic features in the growth process of Si(111)-7 × 7 DAS domains have been investigated by in-situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) observations. Quenching of Si(111) surfaces from higher temperatures above the critical temperature for 7 × 7 → 1 × 1 phase transition results in the coexistence of small domains of nucleated 7 × 7 DAS structure and disordered ‘1 × 1’ matrix. After the quenching, although the specimens are under the supercooling conditions, all the 7 × 7 domains do not necessarily grow with monotonous increase in size, instead both generation and disappearance of the 7 × 7 domains occur during the growth of the reconstructed 7 × 7 surfaces. The features in domain disappearance have been observed as follows. (i) 7 × 7 domains smaller than the criticalnucleus size disappear. If a 7 × 7 domain size is below the critical nucleus size for domain growth, it tends to shrink and finally to disappear. (ii) When two 7 × 7 domains with different sizes have a collision, the smaller domain is swallowed by the larger domain. When the two domains have similar sizes, they do not disappear but the boundary region just fluctuates ceaselessly. This feature is very similar to the coalescence process found in thin film growth.

The mitochondrial uncoupling protein (UCP) is usually expressed only in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and a key molecule for metabolic thermogenesis. The effects of a highly selective beta 3-adrenergic agonist, CL316,243 (CL), on UCP expression in skeletal muscle and adipose tissues were examined in mice. Daily injection of CL (0.1 mg/kg, sc) to obese yellow KK mice for two weeks caused a significant reduction of body weight, associated with a marked decrease of white fat pad weight and hypertrophy of the interscapular BAT with a sixfold increase in UCP content. Clear signals of UCP protein and mRNA were detected by Western and Northern blot analyses in inguinal, mesenteric and retroperitoneal white fat pads, and also in gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscles, whereas no signal in saline-treated mice. The presence of UCP mRNA in muscle tissues was also confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR analysis. Weaker UCP signals were also detected in control C57BL mice treated with CL, but only in inguinal and retroperitoneal fat pads. Immunohistochemical examinations revealed that UCP stains in the white fat pads were localized on multilocular cells quite similar to typical brown adipocyte, and those in the muscle tissues on myocytes. The mitochondrial localization of UCP in myocytes was confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy. In addition to UCP protein, UCP mRNA was also detected in myocytes by in situ hybridization analysis. Thus, chronic stimulation of the beta 3-adrenergic receptor induces ectopic expression of UCP in adipose tissues conventionally considered as white fat and even in skeletal muscle, which probably contributes to the potent anti-obesity effect of the beta 3-adrenergic agonist.

According to the 7th edition of the TNM staging system, stage IV metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) at the time of initial diagnosis is sub-classified into stage IVA or IVB disease. Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC), considered to have a dismal prognosis, is exclusively sub-classified into stage IVB, even though other metastases to a sole organ are sub-classified into stage IVA, which is considered to be associated with better survival. This retrospective study was undertaken to investigate the overall survival in metastatic CRC patients, focusing on PC patients. We reviewed data on patients with metastatic CRC at initial diagnosis surgically treated between January 2006 and June 2011. A survival analysis was performed paying special attention to PC and sub-classifying patients with PC into three categories according to metastatic sites. There were 69 stage IVA patients (IVA group) and 83 stage IVB. Among stage IVB patients, 20 had isolated PC (PC-I group), 28 had PC with one or more other sites of metastasis (PC-II group), and 35 had at least 2 metastatic without peritoneal involvement (NPC group). Of 152 stage IV patients, 132 (87 %) underwent resection of the primary tumor and 19 (12 %) underwent radical resection of metastatic disease with microscopic free margins (R0 resection) including 5/20 (25 %) patients in the PC1 group. A total of 139 patients received oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in a palliative (n = 125), neoadjuvant (n = 3), or adjuvant setting after R0 resection (n = 11). Compared with 36.6 months in the PC-I group, median survival was 32.5 months (P = 0.48) in the IVA group, 14.7 months (P = 0.07) in the PC-II group, and 12.9 months (P

Several procedures have been proposed for the prolapse of a loop colostomy. However, most are associated with a high recurrence rate or are rather expensive. We have newly developed a simple, safe, and inexpensive method, which is a modification of Thiersch’s method, for repair of distal limb prolapse of a loop colostomy.

The goals of this retrospective study were to comprehensively evaluate the impact of hepatic lymph node (HLN) involvement on survival in patients with synchronous resectable or unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer and to highlight how to deal with such cases in the light of recent advances in chemotherapy.The impact of HLN involvement on survival, along with various clinical, pathological, and therapeutic factors, was retrospectively evaluated in 61 patients with synchronous liver metastases from colorectal cancer (resectable, 26; unresectable, 35), undergoing resection of the primary tumor and histopathological evaluation between July 2000 and April 2008.The proportion with HLN metastasis was 11.5 % in resectable cases and 28.6 % in unresectable cases. On multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model, HLN metastasis (P 0.001), along with non-resection of hepatic lesions (P 0.001), larger metastatic tumor volume (P 0.001), non-use of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy (P 0.001), involvement of 4 or more regional lymph nodes (P 0.001), and excessive lymphatic invasion (P = 0.02), was identified as an independent risk factor for shorter survival.To establish a new therapeutic strategy for synchronous liver metastasis of colorectal cancer, the HLNs should be examined histologically in patients undergoing resection of their primary colon and rectal cancer.

We report a new method of performing single-port laparoscopic surgery for appendiceal mucocele. The key points of our technique are placing a 3/4 circumferential skin incision with multiple radial splits on the confine of the umbilicus, use of a “home-made” multichannel port system, and trimming the skin incision straight through the confine of the umbilicus at the time of wound closure. A 65-year-old woman with appendiceal mucocele, 80 mm in diameter, successfully underwent ileocecal resection by this procedure. She remains in good health without any wound complications 8 months postoperatively.

To clarify factors related to the QT interval prolongation produced by probucol, multivariate analysis was applied to clinical and laboratory data retrospectively obtained from 89 patients with hypercholesterolaemia, who had taken probucol for more than 3 months. The corrected QT interval (QTc) increased from 0.410s before treatment to 0.431 s after the administration of probucol; the total cholesterol level decreased from 267 mg.dl-1 to 212 mg.dl-1. None of the patients demonstrated new arrhythmia. The QTc after probucol was independently correlated with sex, serum albumin level and baseline QTc. Changes in QTc after probucol were independently correlated with the presence of ischaemic heart disease, baseline QTc, and a change in the total cholesterol level. The results suggest that a prolonged QTc is likely to appear in female patients, and in patients with a long baseline QTc or with a low serum albumin. It is also suggested that marked lengthening of the QTc is likely to occur in patients with ischaemic heart disease or with a short baseline QTc. Probucol can be used safely in patients with hypercholesterolaemia, but ECG monitoring may be necessary, especially in female patients, as well as in those with hypoalbuminaemia or with ischaemic heart disease.

Pacinian corpuscles in the cat urinary bladder were studied using the hematoxylin and eosin staining, formaldehyde-induced fluorescence histochemistry, immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and immunoelectron microscopy. The existence of catecholaminergic nerve fibers penetrating into the corpuscles was clarified. (1) About 10 Pacinian corpuscles which were mainly located in the subserosa were found in the lower one-third portion of each urinary bladder. (2) One or two corpuscles containing blue-green fluorescent fibers were detected in each bladder. These fibers were equivalent to TH-immunopositive varicose fibers using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method. (3) Thin nerve fibers containing dense-cored vesicles were found in the corpuscle by immunoelectron microscopy. These fibers spirally encompassed a swollen sensory terminal at a distance in the inner core. According to the above findings, we discuss a modulatory function of the catecholaminergic fibers in this mechanoreceptor.

A method to predict the octane number of automobile gasoline containing methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) by proton magnetic resonance (PMR) spectrometry was studied. Samples of gasoline whose octane numbers had been identified according to the ASTM standards (commercially available premium gasoline to which MTBE was added at rates of 7 vol % and 14 vol %) were used in this investigation of the effect of MTBE on the octane number. The findings were utilized to introduce a term regarding MTBE into the previously reported linear regression equation for estimating the octane number from the PMR spectrum, and the appropriateness of the linear regression equation was assessed. As a result, the MTBE contents in the samples were determined with satisfactory accuracy by using a standard addition method, and a linear regression equation reflecting the effect of MTBE was obtained. These achievements are reported.

Software (a program) for predicting the octane number of motor gasoline by proton magnetic resonance (PMR) spectrometry has been formulated. At the same time, a method has been studied to predict the composition of gasoline (in terms of the contents of paraffin, olefin, and aromatic compounds). The formulated program was evaluated by using it to predict the octane numbers of 31 samples of marketed summer gasoline (including 16 regular and 15 premium products), whose octane numbers and compositions were identified according to the ASTM standards. Also, the relationship between the PMR spectrum and gasoline composition was subjected to linear regression analysis by using the 31 samples whose octane numbers were calculated, and the appropriateness of the resultant regression equations was assessed. This report concerns the results of the study in which the octane numbers of the 31 samples were satisfactorily predicted by the formulated program and useful linear regression equations were obtained for the prediction of the composition of gasoline.

A method to evaluate the octane number of automobile gasoline by proton magnetic resonance (PMR) spectrometry has been studied. Twelve samples of marketed winter gasoline, whose octane numbers and compositions were identified according to the ASTM standards, and high-olefin gasoline were used to supplement the insufficient coverage of a previous report with additional data. Then, a linear regression equation regarding the relationship between the octane number and PMR data was prepared from the PMR spectra of the 21 samples used for the previous report, whose octane numbers were known, and the 12 samples used this time. Further, the appropriateness of the regression equation was assessed. This report concerns the results of a study in which the scope of the previous study, lacking sufficient data, has been supplemented with additional data to improve the accuracy of the visual estimation of the octane number using the pattern recognition method. Also, a linear regression equation was obtained and found useful for octane number estimation.

The distribution of oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (VP) neurons in the diencephalon of the hibernating Japanese horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum, was immunohistochemically investigated by the avidin-biotin complex method. Magnocellular OXT and VP neurons were localized mainly in the para-ventricular nucleus and the supraoptic nucleus. In addition to these main nuclei, both kinds of magnocellular neurons were also found in the periventricular nucleus, perifornical area and lateral hypothalamic area. Extensively distributed parvocellular neurons containing only VP were observed in the rostral and middle portions of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The size of OXT and VP magnocellular neurons was almost equal in the paraventricular and ventromedial supraoptic nuclei, whereas VP neurons were significantly larger than OXT neurons in the dorsolateral supraoptic nucleus. The OXT and VP cells in the ventral supraoptic nucleus showed a distinctive elliptical shape. Both OXT and VP fibers were distributed in the lateral habenular nucleus, stria medullaris thalami, lateral preoptic area, stria terminalis, and medial and supracapsular part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Moreover, OXT fibers were found in the substantia nigra, and VP fibers were noted in the nucleus reuniens and the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus.

A method to evaluate the octane number of automobile gasoline by proton magnetic resonance (PMR) has been developed. Twenty-one samples, ranging in octane number from 80 to 100, were produced by preparing different blends of gasoline bases, and the dispersion of each sample in a pattern space was examined by applying the display methods, among various pattern recognition methods, to its PMR spectrum. This report concerns the result of the study, which revealed that the octane number of a given type of automobile gasoline could be visually estimated from its PMR spectrum.

Grinding tests were conducted using a straight type diamond wheel, the bond of which is an aluminium alloy containing an inter-metallic compound such as TiAl3 phase. Workpiece materials were two kinds of ceramics and one float plate glass. The results of tests are as follows: the aluminium-bonded wheel showed a better grinding ratio and lower power consumption compared to a conventional bronze-bonded wheel, particularly in grinding float plate glass; the change of shape of the grinding wheel due to wear is smaller and the life of the wheel was found to be doubled compared to a conventional bronze-bonded wheel.

In this paper, we will discuss necessity, scout method and the training technique of engineers who will create innovations with a trend analysis of software industries. The criterion for finding human resources is depending upon the person who has her/his own strong interest say "the desire" about innovations. It is important that their cultivation should be worked out under the circumstance of daily job incorporated with their strong interest.

Red soft coral (RSC; Dendronephthya nipponica, a marine coelenterate) causes spiny lobster fishermen living along the Pacific coast of Miyazaki Prefecture in Japan to develop occupational allergies, such as conjunctivitis, rhinitis, dermatitis and bronchial asthma. The aim of this study was to purify and to characterize RSC allergen, which causes occupational asthma in spiny lobster fishermen. The allergic responsiveness of spiny lobster fishermen to RSC was examined. The examinations included specific IgE production, skin test responses, lymphocyte stimulation tests and specific IgG production. We found that RSC has a strong sensitizing activity in humans at a molecular weight of 10 kD or more, while it has no IgE-producing activity at a molecular weight of less than 10 kD. Neither the nonatopic controls nor the atopic non-coral-allergic controls exhibited any RAST-binding activity to any fraction. For the purification and the identification of this new allergen component, repeated gel filtration of the RSC extract was performed on a Sephacryl S-200 column, followed by gel filtration on a Superose-6 column. The purified major allergen component Den n 1, which is separated on a Mono-Q column, showed intradermal responses, lymphocyte stimulating activity and specific IgG-producing activity in RSC-induced bronchial asthma patients. The 53-kD component was electroblotted on a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of this new allergen component (Den n 1) was determined as Asp-Asp-Ile-Asn-Arg-Tyr-Ala-Phe-Asp-Asn-Lys-Ile-Asn- Asp-Lys-Leu-Phe-Asp-His-Trp-Gln-Ser.

A series of human nucleotide sugar transporters of the Golgi apparatus was recently cloned, including the transporters for UDP-galactose (UDP-Gal), UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) and CMP-sialic acid (CMP-SA). We have examined the mRNA expression of these three transporters in human colon cancer tissues by reverse transcription-PCR analysis and compared it with that in nonmalignant colonic mucosa prepared from the same patients. The amount of mRNA for UDP-Gal transporter was significantly increased in colon cancer tissues compared with nonmalignant mucosa tissues (P = 0.035; n = 20). The increase was more prominent in patients with advanced colorectal cancer of Dukes' stages C and D, in which the amount of UDP-Gal transporter mRNA in cancer tissues showed on average about a 3.6-fold increase over the paired nonmalignant mucosa (statistically significant at P = 0.004; n = 14). The mRNA content of the other two transporters showed no significant difference between the paired cancer and normal tissues. When UDP-Gal transporter cDNA was stably transfected to cultured human colon cancer cells, the expression of Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigen and of sialyl Lewis A (NeuAcalpha2--3Galbeta1--3[Fucalpha1--4]GlcNAcbeta1--R) and sialyl Lewis X (NeuAcalpha2--3Galbeta1--4[Fucalpha1--3]GlcNAcbeta1--R) determinants was significantly induced on transfectant cells, which resulted in markedly enhanced cell adhesion to vascular E-selectin. These findings suggest that the increase of UDP-Gal transporter mRNA is involved in the enhanced expression of cancer-associated carbohydrate determinants such as TF and sialyl Lewis A/X antigens in colon cancers.

We measured the levels of beta-defensin 1 and 2 (HBD-1, 2), novel antimicrobial peptides in plasma and in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from patients with with non-tuberculous mycobacterium infection (NTM). Plasma HBD-2 levels in NTM patients before treatment were higher than those in the controls, while the HBD-1 levels were similar to the control levels. High levels of HBD-2, but not of HBD-1, in BALF were also observed in NTM patients. In NTM, a positive correlation was found between HBD-2 levels in BALF and plasma, and also between HBD-2 and IL-1 beta levels in BALF. NTM patients with cavities or ectasia on chest radiography had higher HBD-2 levels in BALF than those without. Plasma HBD-2 levels in NTM patients were markedly decreased after successful treatment, while those of patients with an intractable mycobacterium infection maintained the same high plasma HBD-2 levels as those before treatment. These findings suggest that HBD-2 may participate in the host defense and plasma HBD-2 levels may reflect disease activity in pulmonary NTM.

Sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X determinant has been described recently as a major ligand for L-selectin on high endothelial venules of human peripheral lymph nodes. From our investigation of its distribution in human colorectal cancer tissues and cultured colon cancer cells, the sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X determinant was preferentially expressed in the nonmalignant colonic epithelia rather than cancer cells (P0.001; n = 23). This was in contrast to the distribution of conventional sialyl Lewis X, which was preferentially expressed in cancer tissues rather than nonmalignant epithelia (P = 0.007; n = 23), indicating that 6-sulfation predominantly occurs in nonmalignant tissues and is suppressed upon malignant transformation. In confirmation of this, a nonsialylated determinant 6-sulfo Lewis X was also found to be preferentially localized in the nonmalignant epithelia. Significant expression of sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X was observed in only 2 lines, whereas 8 were positive for conventional sialyl Lewis X, among 13 cultured colon cancer cell lines. Transfection of cells with fucosyltransferase (Fuc-T) VI induced expression of sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X, whereas transfection of Fuc-T III did not, suggesting that the determinant was synthesized mainly by Fuc-T VI in colonic epithelia. Members of the sialic acid cyclase pathway, the de-N-acetyl sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X and cyclic sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X determinants, were also preferentially expressed in the nonmalignant epithelia rather than colonic cancer cells (P0.001; n = 23). Stimulation of the sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X-positive colon cancer cell line with a calcium ionophore ionomycin markedly reduced sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X and induced cyclic sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X expression. These results suggested that the metabolic conversion of sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X into cyclic sialyl 6-sulfo Lewis X by a calcium-dependent enzyme, sialic acid cyclase, as we hypothesized for human leukocytes previously (C. Mitsuoka et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 96: 1597-1602, 1999), also occurs in nonmalignant colonic epithelia.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that nicotine not only activates uncoupling protein1 (UCP1) in brown adipose tissue (BAT), but also induces UCP1 in white adipose tissue (WAT), which contributes to the mitigation of obesity in obese mice. DESIGN: Weights of the whole body, the gastrocnemius muscle, interscapular BAT and subcutaneous and retroperitoneal WAT, food intake and the mRNA and protein of UCP1 in these tissues were measured and immunohistochemistry using antiserum against UCP1 was also performed in obese yellow KK mice treated with nicotine for 6 months and control mice treated with physiological saline. RESULTS: Obese mice treated with nicotine for 6 months, compared with those injected with saline, weighed significantly less (P

Bronchial asthma has been identified as a chronic inflammatory airway disorder associated with cell infiltration (mainly eosinophils) and airway epithelial cell detachment caused by the activation of infiltrated cells. Interleukin-5 (IL-5), a cytokine closely related to the production and activation of eosinophils, has been shown to induce the proliferation and differentiation of eosinophils, prolong their survival, and to enhance the functions of mature eosinophils. We monitored clinically the changes in serum IL-5 concentrations in patients with bronchial asthma both during and after asthma attacks. The relationship serum IL-5 concentrations and the type and severity of bronchial asthma, as well as eosinophil counts in sputum, was investigated. We also measured changes in IL-5 concentrations during steroid therapy. IL-5 concentrations were significantly decreased during asthma attacks and after their relief (p0.001). An analysis of blood samples taken from 55 patients suffering asthma attacks showed that serum IL-5 concentrations were significantly higher in non-atopy-type asthma than in atopy-type asthma (p0.05). Serum IL-5 levels are highest in severe asthma, followed by moderate asthma (p0.001) and mild asthma (p0.001). Serum IL-5 concentrations during asthma attacks and eosinophil counts in sputum were closely correlated (r = 0.85). Serum IL-5 concentrations were below the limit of determination and decrease the number of eosinophils in sputum was noted in 15 patients whose asthma was well-controlled by the long-term inhalation of beclometasone. Serum IL-5 concentrations did not decrease below the limit of determination (even during attack-free periods) in patients whose disease could not be well controlled by 6-month inhalation therapy with beclometasone. In patients with major and moderate bronchial asthma attacks, serum IL-5 concentrations decreased as symptoms improved over time following the i.v. infusion of steroids, suggesting that steroids are effective in inhibiting the production of IL-5. Measurement serum IL-5 concentrations could be clinically useful in the determination of the pathology (e.g., severity) of bronchial asthma could serve as an index for the degree of control of asthma, and may be useful in determining the disease's long-term prognosis.

Coccidioides is an afferent fungus disease. In Japan, there have been only a few surgical reports on coccidioides disease. We report a 39-year-old male who was diagnosed as having coccidioides disease by biopsy of subcutaneous nodules in the left wrist. The patient also showed a tumor image (1.5 x 1.0 cm) in S4 in the right lung. He had previously lived in Fresno, California on business between 1988 and 1993. After biopsy of the subcutaneous nodules, Itraconazole (200 mg), an anti-fungal drug, was orally administered for the lesion in the right lung for about 6 months. Since the tumor image revealed no improvement through this treatment, the tumor was resected. Histopathological examination by Grocott staining demonstrated the spherical form Coccidioides, i.e., endospores. Only 5 cases of resected pulmonary coccidioidal lesions have been reported in Japan including this case. We must be careful when handling coccidioidal culture because of its strong infectiosity.

Rapid and quantitative analytical methods for bilirubin using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection were developed for samples from equines at a meat inspection site. Sharp HPLC peaks for bilirubins, unconjugated bilirubin (UCBL) and conjugated bilirubin (CBL), were obtained using a simple mobile phase of methanol:0.5 M Tris-HCl buffer (65:35, v/v, pH 7.4). A variable wavelength detector set at 450 nm, 0.01 AUFS and a recorder set at 4 cm/min were used for detection. Peaks for UCBL and CBL occurred at 7.1 min and 4.9 min, the lower limits of detection ranged between 0.16 and 0.78 microgram/ml, respectively. Orange II, for which the retention time was 3.6 min, was selected as an internal standard. When the samples were analysed from healthy equines and those suspected of being jaundiced due to a yellow colour change in the carcasses, only UCBL peaks were recognized, and CBL peaks were never obtained. Aqueous humour is a very common sample at meat inspections but UCBL or CBL peaks were all absent in both healthy and clinical samples from equines. There were reliable correlations between UCBL peaks (microV) using HPLC and total bilirubin value (mg/dl) measured by the total bilirubin assay kit in serum. A correlation between peak height (microV) on HPLC from serum samples and that of pericardial fluid samples was obtained.

Si(111) surfaces quenched from 1100 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C have been observed at around 470 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C using high-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. We closely investigated dynamic motion of Si adatoms in the metastable stacking fault (SF) half cells of 11\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}11 and 13\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}13 dimer adatom stacking fault (DAS) structures. On these SF half cells adatoms continually change their positions at high temperature of 470 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. Most of the interior adatoms escape from the SF half cells more easily than the corner or center adatoms. This indicates that the interior adatoms hardly contribute to the stabilization of n\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}n DAS structures.

In situ scanning tunneling microscopy observations of Si(111) quenched surfaces at 550--700 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C have revealed that isolated $7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}7$ domains nucleate or annihilate with a single SF triangle as a building unit and that there exists a critical nucleus size for $7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}7$ domain growth. This critical size has a temperature dependence which has been theoretically discussed using the two-dimensional nucleation and growth theory.

The distribution of central nerve fibers in the rat pineal complex was studied by means of fluorescence- and immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. At 7 days after bilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy (SCG-X), blue-green fluorescent (catecholaminergic) fibers and tyrosine hydroxylase- and serotonin-immunoreactive fibers originating from the brainstem were detected in the deep pineal and the pineal stalk. These fibers were not observed in the superficial pineal. In some animals, a few oxytocin-immunopositive fibers were found in the proximal portion of the superficial pineal. The nerve fibers were submicroscopically counted in transverse sections at 6 levels with an interval of about 200 microns each in the pineal stalk. The number of nerve fibers showed 3 peaks, at the proximal-most, the intermediate and the distal-most levels. On the other hand, various types of synapses, axo-dendritic, axo-axonic and axo-pinealocytic, and many free terminals, were observed in the stalk. In these synapses, the majority of presynaptic swellings contained only clear vesicles, but some of them possessed aminergic (5-hydroxydopamine- or 5,6-dihidroxytriptamine-positive) vesicles or elementary granules. The reduction in the number of nerve fibers was most conspicuous in the distal-most level after the SCG-X. Based on these results, it is supposed that the proximal peak is formed by the central fibers going further to the stalk and turning back to the brain, the intermediate peak is formed by the terminal arborizations of the central fibers, and the distal peak shows penetration of the sympathetic fibers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In this study, the detailed distribution of peptidergic nerve fibers in the sinus hair follicle was immunohistochemically investigated by the avidin biotin-complex method using antibodies against calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the cat, dog, hamster, rat, mouse and guinea pig. The peptide-immunoreactive (IR) nerve fibers presented a fine varicose appearance. They entered the sinus hair follicle after penetrating the capsule (Cap) at various levels. Peptide-IR fibers in the sinus hair were classified into the 3 types described below based on their course of entry and terminal distribution. Type A: these fibers arrive at the orifice of the sinus hair follicle from superficial dermis and innervate the upper portion of the follicle. Most of them form a network around the vibrissal shaft (VS) in the outer and inner conical body (OCB and ICB, respectively), and some are distributed around the rete ridge collar (RRC) and the sebaceous gland (SG). Type B: these fibers enter the lower third of the sinus hair follicle after forming a nerve bundle together with myelinated fibers, or accompany an artery. After distribution in the trabeculae (Trab) of the cavernous sinus (CS), they form a dense plexus in the connective tissue follicle (CTF) at the level of the CS. Some ascend through the CTF and terminate at the level of the ring sinus (RS). Type C: these fibers enter the sinus hair follicle at its base. They innervate the hair papilla (HP) and the CTF of the hair bulb. CGRP and SP were detected in all types of nerve fibers in all species investigated. These peptidergic nerve fibers showed the same distribution pattern, but CGRP fibers were more numerous than SP fibers. They were distributed at high density in the OCB, ICB, CTF, ringwulst (Rw), the Trab of the CS and the HP. A moderate number of VIP- and NPY-IR fibers, mainly types B and C, were detected in these portions in the cat, dog and hamster, but few fibers were observed in other portions or in other species. Although the basic structures of the sinus hair follicle presented almost the same features as in the mammalian species, the connective tissue of the HP extended to the level of the RS in the cat, rat, hamster, and guinea pig. In these species, CGRP-, SP- and/or VIP-IR fibers extended to the top of the papillary connective tissue, and in the cat, were especially well developed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The cochlear efferent of the bat is anatomically different from other mammals. The olivocochlear bundle of the greater horse shoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, projects only to inner hair cells. To examine the neurochemical nature of the olivocochlear bundle, we examined methionine-enkephalin-like immunoreactivity in this species. We observed immunoreactivity in the inner spiral bundles and in nerve fibers in the osseous spiral lamina. Sometimes immunostained inner spiral bundles were found to project towards inner hair cells. These data, as well as data from previous studies, suggest that cochlear efferents of different species of mammals share some common neurochemical features [corrected].

The distribution of oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (VP) neurons in the diencephalon of the hibernating Japanese horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, was immunohistochemically investigated by the avidin-biotin complex method. Magnocellular OXT and VP neurons were localized mainly in the paraventricular nucleus and the supraoptic nucleus. In addition to these main nuclei, both kinds of magnocellular neurons were also found in the periventricular nucleus, perifornical area and lateral hypothalamic area. Extensively distributed parvocellular neurons containing only VP were observed in the rostral and middle portions of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The size of OXT and VP magnocellular neurons was almost equal in the paraventricular and ventromedial supraoptic nuclei, whereas VP neurons were significantly larger than OXT neurons in the dorsolateral supraoptic nucleus. The OXT and VP cells in the ventral supraoptic nucleus showed a distinctive elliptical shape. Both OXT and VP fibers were distributed in the lateral habenular nucleus, stria medullaris thalami, lateral preoptic area, stria terminalis, and medial and supracapsular part of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Moreover, OXT fibers were found in the substantia nigra, and VP fibers were noted in the nucleus reunions and the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus.

The effect of stress on the secretory activity of rat nasal mucosa goblet cells was examined by quantitative histochemistry. Mucosa was prepared from the nasal septum of male rats with or without electric shock applied to the tail. Mucosa was fixed with formaldehyde and stained with alcian blue. The epithelial layer was further dissected, and examined microscopically. The percentage of stained area was estimated with the aid of a microscope connected to a computerized video system. The stained area, which corresponded to the secretory granules of mucosal goblet cells, was greater in the electrically shocked group than the control group. This result raises the possibility that stress enhances the secretory activity of goblet cells in nasal mucosa.