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The p53 gene is inactivated by the human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 protein in the majority of cervical cancers. Treatment of HeLa S3 cells with siRNA for HPV E6 permitted adenovirus-mediated transduction of a p53 gene linked to an upstream estrogen response element (ERE). Our previous study in non-siRNA treated HHUA cells, which are derived from an endometrial cancer and express estrogen receptor β, showed enhancing effects of an upstream ERE on adenovirus-mediated p53 gene transduction. In HeLa S3 cells treated with siRNA for HPV E6, adenovirus-mediated transduction was enhanced by an upstream ERE linked to a p53 gene carrying a proline variant at codon 72, but not for a p53 gene with arginine variant at codon 72. Expression levels of p53 mRNA and Coxsackie/adenovirus receptor (CAR) mRNA after adenovirus-mediated transfer of an ERE-linked p53 gene (proline variant at codon 72) were higher compared with those after non-ERE-linked p53 gene transfer in siRNA-treated HeLa S3 cells. Western blot analysis showed lower β-tubulin levels and comparatively higher p53/β-tubulin or CAR /β-tubulin ratios in siRNA-treated HeLa S3 cells after adenovirus-mediated ERE-linked p53 gene (proline variant at codon 72) transfer compared with those in non-siRNA-treated cells. Apoptosis, as measured by annexin V binding, was higher after adenovirus-mediated ERE-linked p53 gene (proline variant at codon 72) transfer compared with that after non-ERE-linked p53 gene transfer in siRNA-treated cells.

Lilies (Lilium) are among the most important floriculture crops, and to accelerate research regarding lily genetics, the development of reverse-genetics tools is necessary. However, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in Lilium is time-consuming, since the plants require several years to progress from acclimation to flowering. Thus, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is an attractive method for assaying gene function. In the present study, we modified a lily-derived strain of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV-HL) as a VIGS vector and evaluated its effectiveness for inducing gene silencing in Lilium leichtlinii by introducing L. leichtlinii phytoene desaturase (LlPDS) gene fragments into an intercistronic region between the 3a and 3b genes of the CMV-HL RNA3 genome. At 30 days after inoculation (dpi) with LlPDS-containing CMV-HL, photo-bleaching was observed in the upper leaves of L. leichtlinii, and at 57 dpi, we observed that the natural orange color in flower tepals had faded. Reduced LlPDS expression and the detection of small interfering LlPDS RNA indicated that the color changes were the result of LlPDS gene silencing. In addition, the leaves also exhibited a mild photo-bleaching phenotype in the following year. Therefore, our results indicate that CMV-HL spreads systemically in the leaves and flowers of Lilium during the first year of infection, as well as in new shoots during the following year, and that the vector system can be successfully applied to induce short-term endogenous gene silencing in lilies.

Objectives We aimed to construct reference ranges for time intervals of each component of cardiac flow velocity waveforms in normal fetuses, comparing those variables between right and left ventricles. Methods In 359 fetuses at the gestational age of 17–38 weeks, the durations of atrioventricular (AV) valve opening (AVVO), AV valve closure (AVVC), total E- (total-E) and A- (total-A) waves, total ejection time (total-ET), acceleration time (acc-E for E-wave, acc-A for A-wave, and acc-ET for ejection time), and deceleration time (dec-E for E-wave, dec-A for A-wave, and dec-ET for ejection time) were studied cross sectionally. Results Both right and left acc-E showed the strongest correlations with gestational age (r = 0.478 and r = 0.519, respectively). Left AVVO showed a stronger correlation (r = 0.474) than right AVVO (r = 0.282) and, conversely, right AVVC showed a stronger correlation (r = 0.399) than left AVVC (r = 0.195) with gestational age. Significant differences (all P values

Background In the plasma of an advanced cancer patient, fibrinogen is sometimes increased with possible effects on red blood cells (RBCs). Materials and methods The plasma fraction deteriorating osmotic resistance of RBCs was separated from a patient's plasma with advanced ovarian cancer by phenyl-sepharose column chromatography and analyzed with gel filtration chromatography. Results In the plasma fraction, we found a protein reactive against whole fibrinogen with a molecular weight higher than that of intact fibrinogen from a healthy volunteer. The-high molecular weight protein was immunoractive to an antibody against fibrinogen gamma chain but not to an antibody against alpha or beta chain. Complement factor H, identified by N-terminal sequencing of a 150-kDa protein separated from the protein, was also eluted from anti-fibrinogen gamma immunoaffinity column. Conclusion Fibrinogen gamma chain and complement factor H were found to be bound as a protein complex in the plasma of a patient with advanced ovarian cancer.

In order to accurately evaluate hyperfine interaction (HFI) (both the isotropic, Fermi contact term and the anisotropic, dipole interaction term) of spin-polarized atoms and molecules, we newly implement the cubic harmonics routines for calculating HFI in the all-electron mixed basis code, TOMBO, in which both plane waves (PWs) and atomic orbitals (AOs) are used as basis functions, and AOs are restricted inside the non-overlapping atomic spheres and composed of the numerical radial function on a logarithmic radial mesh and analytic cubic harmonics. The method has a distinct merit of describing the cusp behavior near the nucleus position, which is essential for the Fermi contact term, and of significantly reducing the required cutoff energy for PWs compared to the usual PW expansion approach accompanied with the pseudopotential or PAW method. We also considered the contributions from surrounding atoms in the dipole interaction. Calculated results show excellent agreement with the experimental data, indicating the excellent performance of the code.

Fetal intestinal volvulus without malrotation is a rare, life-threatening disease. Left untreated, hemorrhage from necrotic bowel tissue will lead to severe fetal anemia and even intrauterine death. We encountered a case of fetal intestinal volvulus causing severe anemia, which was diagnosed postnatally and successfully treated with surgical intervention.

Background: RNA-binding motif protein 10 (RBM10), originally identified as S1-1 protein, is a nuclear protein with likely functions in transcription and RNA splicing. The RBM10 gene maps to the X chromosome and, in female cells, is inactivated in one of the two X chromosomes near the boundary with genes escaping inactivation. This study investigated the occurrence of the RBM10 gene product in complete hydatidiform mole, which is composed of cells with paternal diploid chromosomes (46, XX). Methods: Deparaffinized normal chorion or complete hydatidiform mole tissues were hybridized with a fluorescein-conjugated RBM10 gene probe in fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. Immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy of the tissues were performed using an anti-RBM10 antiserum. Proteins from complete hydatidiform mole tissues and those separated by anti-RBM10-linked affinity chromatography were also examined by western blotting. Results: As expected, the RBM10 gene was detected by FISH as double spots in the nuclei of complete hydatidiform mole cells. Immunohistochemistry revealed a nuclear presence of RBM10 in normal chorion and complete hydatidiform moles, and a notable cytoplasmic presence in complete hydatidiform moles. Western blotting and immunoaffinity chromatography revealed that a 50 kDa protein was predominantly found in the cytosolic fraction of complete hydatidiform moles. Conclusions: A 50 kDa protein with common antigenicity to RBM10 was found in the cytoplasm of complete hydatidiform mole cells, and could represent one of the characteristics of the disease.

Lilies (Lilium) are among the most important floriculture crops, and to accelerate research regarding lily genetics, the development of reverse-genetics tools is necessary. However, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in Lilium is time-consuming, since the plants require several years to progress from acclimation to flowering. Thus, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is an attractive method for assaying gene function. In the present study, we modified a lily-derived strain of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV-HL) as a VIGS vector and evaluated its effectiveness for inducing gene silencing in Lilium leichtlinii by introducing L. leichtlinii phytoene desaturase (LlPDS) gene fragments into an intercistronic region between the 3a and 3b genes of the CMV-HL RNA3 genome. At 30 days after inoculation (dpi) with LlPDS-containing CMV-HL, photo-bleaching was observed in the upper leaves of L. leichtlinii, and at 57 dpi, we observed that the natural orange color in flower tepals had faded. Reduced LlPDS expression and the detection of small interfering LlPDS RNA indicated that the color changes were the result of LlPDS gene silencing. In addition, the leaves also exhibited a mild photo-bleaching phenotype in the following year. Therefore, our results indicate that CMV-HL spreads systemically in the leaves and flowers of Lilium during the first year of infection, as well as in new shoots during the following year, and that the vector system can be successfully applied to induce short-term endogenous gene silencing in lilies.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in patients with Müllerian carcinoma treated at our hospital. Nineteen patients with platinum-resistant Müllerian carcinoma were treated with intravenous PLD 50 mg/m(2) every 4 weeks. Tumor response was assessed by MRI following every 2-3 cycles of treatment. The severity of adverse events was assessed according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (v3.0). The best overall responses in the 19 patients were identified as 5 partial responses (PR), 6 stable diseases (SD) and 8 progressive diseases (PD). Response rate was 26.3%. The proportion of patients with CR, PR or SD was 57.9%. The median time to progression was 188.0 days. The median survival time was 381.0 days. Toxicity grades were identified as one grade III hand-foot syndrome, two grade III neutropenia, one grade IV hand-foot syndrome, one grade IV stomatitis and one grade IV neutropenia. The present study confirmed that PLD is an effective drug when administered as a salvage therapy for the treatment of Müllerian carcinoma and is associated with a reduced toxicity profile compared with current therapeutic options.

Mitotic-arrest deficiency 2 (MAD2) is a key component of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) function; SAC mediates spindle microtubule attachment to kinetochores on chromosomes and chromosomal segregation during mitosis. To determine whether MAD2 expression is associated with chemotherapy resistance in ovarian serous adenocarcinoma, we reviewed tumor samples from 41 cases of ovarian serous adenocarcinoma at Osaka City University Medical School Hospital (Osaka, Japan), 2000-2007. Of the 41 cases, 24 were recurrent and 17 were not recurrent. Expression of MAD2 was investigated in paraffin-embedded sections using a MAD2 antibody. Quantitative analysis of MAD2 expression gave mean weighted scores of 4.3 for the relapsed group and 7.2 for the relapse-free group; the expression was, thus, significantly greater in the relapse-free group compared to the relapsed group (P=0.023). When the 41 cases were classified into low- and high-expression, these classifications showed no significant difference in terms of progression-free survival (P=0.0685), however, overall survival for the low-expression group was significantly shorter than that of the high-expression group (P=0.0188). The present study implies that MAD2 expression levels can indicate sensitivity to anticancer agents, and risk for recurrence.

The gap among the simplified component tests conducted in the laboratory and the full-scale fatigue test with actual loading conditions is discussed in this paper. Also, the difference between analytical models and assumptions that are used for the prediction of fatigue strength and actual structure response is examined. Based on the above discussion, several points that we have to pay attention to simulate the actual structure response in the laboratory tests are examined.

The Structures and Materials Research Center of the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI) conducted the 2nd vertical drop test of a fuselage section cut from a NAMC YS-11 transport airplane in July 2002. The main objective of this test program was to obtain background data for aircraft cabin safety by drop test of a full-scale fuselage section and to develop computational tool for crash simulation of aircraft fuselage structure. The test article including seats and anthropomorphic test dummies was dropped to a rigid impact surface by free-fall method at a velocity of 7.6m/s (25ft/s). The impact environment and the resultant response of the fuselage structure and the passenger dummies were considered to be severe but potentially survivable. A description of the results of the 1st drop test and the 2nd drop test is presented in this paper.

The Structures and Materials Research Center of the National Aerospace Laboratory of Japan (NAL) and Kawasaki Heavy Industories, Ltd. (KHI) conducted a vertical drop test of a fuselage section cut from a NAMIC YS-11 transport airplane at NAL vertical drop test facility in December 2001. The main objectives of this program were to obtain background data for aircraft cabin safety by drop test of a full-scale fuselage section and to develop computational method for crash simulation. The test article including seats and anthropomorphic test dummies was dropped to a rigid impact surface at a velocity of 6.1 m/s (20 ft/s). The test condition and result were considered to be severe but potentially survivable. A finite element model of this test article was also developed using the explicit nonlinear transient-dynamic analysis code, LS-DYNA3D. An outline of analytical method and comparison of analysis result with drop test data are presented in this paper.

A 36-year-old woman was underwent emergency laparotomy for acute intraabdominal hemorrhage, but bleeding points were not found. Abdominal pains continued after the laparotomy, and rupture of aneurysm on uterine artery was found in angiography. An transcatheter arterial embolization was done for the uterine artery, and the aneurysm was found to disappear in 4-day-after the angiography. Rupture of an aneurysm on uterine artery should be considered for the causes of acute intraabdominal hemorrhage.

Objective To investigate time intervals of the ductus venosus (DV) flow velocity waveform (FVW) and those of the cardiac cycle that correspond with each DV-FVW component in fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) due to placental insufficiency. Methods Women with a pregnancy complicated by IUGR were recruited into the study, as was a normal control group. Time intervals for systolic (S) and diastolic (D) components were measured in DV-FVW as follows: SDV, from the nadir of the a-wave during atrial contraction to the nadir between the S-wave and D-wave; DDV, from the nadir between S-wave and D-wave to the nadir of the a-wave. Regarding cardiac cycles, the following variables were measured from ventricular inflow through the tricuspid valve (TV) and mitral valve (MV): STV and SMV, from the second peak of ventricular inflow caused by atrial contraction (A-wave) to the opening of the atrioventricular valve; DTV and DMV, from the opening of the atrioventricular valve to the peak of the A-wave. In the IUGR group, only the last examination performed within 1 week of delivery was used for analysis. All variables were analyzed statistically using Z-scores. Results Data were obtained from 249 normal fetuses and 26 fetuses with IUGR. Compared to normal fetuses, SDV showed a significant decrease (P

We aimed to construct reference ranges for time intervals of each component of cardiac flow velocity waveforms in normal fetuses, comparing those variables between right and left ventricles.In 359 fetuses at the gestational age of 17-38 weeks, the durations of atrioventricular (AV) valve opening (AVVO), AV valve closure (AVVC), total E- (total-E) and A- (total-A) waves, total ejection time (total-ET), acceleration time (acc-E for E-wave, acc-A for A-wave, and acc-ET for ejection time), and deceleration time (dec-E for E-wave, dec-A for A-wave, and dec-ET for ejection time) were studied cross sectionally.Both right and left acc-E showed the strongest correlations with gestational age (r = 0.478 and r = 0.519, respectively). Left AVVO showed a stronger correlation (r = 0.474) than right AVVO (r = 0.282) and, conversely, right AVVC showed a stronger correlation (r = 0.399) than left AVVC (r = 0.195) with gestational age. Significant differences (all P values0.001) were observed for all right and left parameters other than total-A and acc-E.Characteristic differences between right and left ventricles were found in the reference ranges, suggesting the developmental properties of the fetal heart. © 2014 John WileySons, Ltd.

This paper deals with three subjects on fatigue behavior of single lap joint structures based on the test results to discuss the structural integrity problems of aging aircraft. Firstly, the effect of the following factors on fatigue life were examined; fastener type, fastener row, squeezing force, overload, underload as well as corrosion. Secondly, the simulation problems of fatigue behavior of fuselage structures by uni-axial laboratory test using stiffened panel specimen are discussed. Thirdly, the effects of service load components on fatigue behavior of fuselage structure are examined using 1/3 scale model of a B-737 aircraft. Model specimens were tested by pneumatic cycles with and without synchronized bending. Test results suggested that fatigue behavior of fuselage structure can be estimated by evaluating the largest principal stress under complex stress conditions.

Various aliphatic polyesters such as poly (ethyleneadipate), poly (tetramethylene adipate), poly (caprolactone), and poly (carbonate) were condensed with 4,4'-azobis-4-cyanopentanoyl chloride to prepare macro-azo-initiators. Their thermal properties, observed by DSC, showed similar decomposition behavior to each other. Block copolymers containing each of these polyesters as a block segment combined with polystyrene or poly (methylmethacrylate) have been derived by the polymerization of monomers initiated with these macro-azo-initiators

This paper deals with the behavior of a crack in the residual stress field induced by butt weld in a wide plate. It is known that the distribution pattern of residual stress is similar regardless of welding process, though the size and the magnitude of the residual stress depend largely on the welding process. Stress intensity factor and stress redistribution induced by the crack extension were calculated for a crack with arbitrary length and location. The stress redistributions caused by crack extension obtained by the present analysis showed good agreement with the experimental data. Fatigue crack propagation behavior in the residual stress field reported by Glinka was also examined from the ΔK point of view. In this paper, the effect of residual stress on the fatigue crack propagation rate is considered to be the effect of varying mean stress. The concept of ΔKeff, where the effect of residual stress is accounted as the correction factor by the way of simple superposition, is shown to predict the crack growth rate with sufficient accuracy.

The improvement of damage tolerant testing methods is strongly suggested today, in order to evaluate the structural integrity of aging aircraft against time-dependent degradation such as multi-site damage or multi-elementdamage resulting from the interaction of corrosion and fatigue. From this point of view, the following suggestions were made based on the case study of a Japan Airlines accident which occurred in 1985 and a related study on fastener joints. In that study, the effects of squeezing stress of the fastener and number of flaws on the crack propagation life were examined. Thus, for damage tolerant testing, the author proposes that; 1. The total width of the area of artificially damaged fastener joint should be wider than the critical crack length of each structural component. 2. The length and the number of these flaws are recommended to be introduced in accordance with two parameter Weibull distribution function. 3. The squeezing force after these flaws being introduced should be controlled in order to simulate the corrosion degraded structures, since the squeezing condition is the major factor that determines the fatigue life of the joint structures.

The size and complexity of large-scale distributed embedded systems such as automotive and process control have increased recently. Sophisticated systems in distributed systems that are safe and environment friendly require numerous types of sensor data, which are collected from various devices and sent to computers through networks. In order to develop large-scale distributed embedded systems, distributed object technology such as CORBA is widely used. In this study, we focus our attention on MICO, an implementation of CORBA; we study the performance of MICO and the overhead of a sample distributed system. MICO can be used for developing an execution environment platform for distributed embedded system software.

The size and complexity of large-scale distributed embedded systems such as automotive and process control have increased recently. Sophisticated systems that are safe and environment friendly in the distributed systems require numerous types of sensor data, which are collected from various devices and sent to computers through networks. In order to develop the large-scale distributed embedded systems with high productivity and quality, a virtual execution environment platform is required. This platform integrates numerous CPU simulators and various device simulators through the network and provides network-wide simulation functionalities in the distributed system. In this paper, we present the requirements and initial system designs of a virtual execution environments platform for the development of the large-scale distributed embedded system software.

The monodispersed titania particles were prepared by the hydrolysis of titania tetra-ethoxide in a alcolic solution. The effect of heat treatment and hydrothermal treatment on the obtained monodipersed titania particles were examined by means of TEM, XRD, TG-DTA and BET.The obtained titanis particles was amorphous titanis was crystallized to anatase type at 400°C, and was transfered to rutile type at 900°C. By autoclave treatment, the transfer of anatase type from amorphous titania was occurred at lower temperature as 150°C, and a part of titania particles were broken at higher temperature as 250°C.

Objective To investigate the differences in toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated immune responses between human neonates and adults, focusing on the cytokine profiles of monocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), and monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs) in cord and adult blood. Study design Purified monocytes, DCs, and MoDCs were stimulated with the following TLR ligands: lipopolysaccharide (TLR4), Pam3CSK4 (TLR1/2), flagellin (TLR5), zymosan (TLR2), polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (TLR3), imiquimod (TLR7), and CpG (TLR9). Interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor, IL-1β, and IL-10 concentrations were analyzed in culture supernatants. Results Compared with the effects in adult blood, lipopolysaccharide-, Pam3CSK4-, flagellin-, and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid-stimulated inflammatory cytokine production in cord blood was generally weak in monocytes, comparable in DCs, and elevated in MoDCs. CpG- and imiquimod-stimulated cytokine production in DCs was comparable in cord blood and adult blood, but cytokine production was almost absent in monocytes and MoDCs in both cord blood and adult blood. In contrast, zymosan stimulation produced comparable inflammatory cytokine profiles in the monocytes, DCs, and MoDCs of cord blood and adult blood. Conclusion The immaturity of TLR-mediated innate immunity in neonates depends on monocytes rather than on DCs. Our results indicate that zymosan-mediated TLR2 signaling may be useful for developing a neonatal vaccine adjuvant.

The reported success rate of uterine artery embolization (UAE) for obstetrical hemorrhage is more than 90%. We experienced a case of failed UAE for postpartum hemorrhage, although an embolic particle was found pathologically in the uterine vessels without coagulation. A 42-year-old woman (gravida 7, para 2) with placenta previa had genital bleeding at 35 weeks of gestation, and cesarean section was performed. We immediately added UAE aiming to reduce massive bleeding after the cesarean section, successful embolization of the bilateral uterine arteries and internal iliac arteries were confirmed by angiography regardless the vital sign was recovered with an appropriate amount of transfusion; the massive bleeding recurred after 1 hour of UAE. Hysterectomy was performed and pathological findings of the uterus showed that there was no coagulation in the vessels, which was supposed to be observed by the effect of gelatin sponge. In addition, despite the fact that no coagulation was found, only one gelatin sponge was found in 16 slices of the uterine wall specimens. We speculate that thrombotic materials were caught in vasoconstricted vessels triggered by hypovolemic shock due to acute blood loss, and then the gelatin sponge could be washed out after recovering to normalized circulation status leading to recurrent massive hemorrhage.

Background: Relations between response systems for estrogen receptors and p53 with codon 72 olymorphism in cancer cell lines are suggested through experiments for adenovirus-mediated p53 gene