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Purpose: There are no established treatments for treating interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). We conducted a study to verify the effectiveness of non-ablative vaginal erbium:YAG l...

A fundamental element of stereoscopic image production is to geometrically analyze the conversion from real space to stereoscopic images by binocular parallax under various shooting and viewing conditions. This paper reports on this analysis, particularly on the setting of the optical axes of three-dimensional (3-D) cameras, which has received little attention in the past. First, we identified the conditions for setting the optical axes that maintain linearity during the conversion from real space to stereoscopic images. We then clarified, in geometrical terms, the shooting and viewing conditions and also conditions under which the puppet-theater effect and cardboard effect occur. The results showed that the parallel camera configuration, by which optical axes are kept parallel to each other, does not produce the puppet-theater effect as the apparent magnification (lateral magnification) of a shooting target is not dependent on the shooting distance. However, the toed-in camera configuration, where the apparent magnification of a shooting target is dependent on the shooting distance, may produce this effect. The cardboard effect is shown to be likely to occur for both camera configurations by defining this phenomenon by the ratio of depthwise reproduction magnification (depth magnification) and apparent reproduction magnification (lateral magnification). Lastly, the paper reports on the relationship between the results of this analysis and those of subjective evaluation experiments. The results need a closer examination by using many more images.

The authors discuss practical problems, focusing, and accuracy of lens arrays involved in constructing integral imaging systems. In general, it is recommended to set the focusing for the object during capture to infinity. The positional error of the elemental lens arrangement significantly affects the image quality when the image is reconstructed near the observer. An experimental system in consideration of the practical problems that uses an extremely high resolution video system is described. Some pictures obtained by the system show the specific characteristics of this spatial imaging type of system.

Research on shooting conditions of 3D program production for natural 3D images has been continued. In the study, it has been shown that orthostereoscopic conditions bring about no inconsistency between depth information from perspective of the lenses and that from binocular parallax. A newly developed 3D camera is based on orthostereoscopic conditions, which result in compactness of the camera (weight 8). At the same time, the new camera has a zooming function and is valuable in many ways, especially sport broadcasting. In this paper, we give an outline of the newly developed 3D HDTV camera and the results of subjective evaluation tests on psychological effects of the images shot by the camera. These tests show that the images shot by this camera are more powerful and comfortable to view than those shot by existing 3D cameras.

Plasma-based ion implantation (PBII) of nitrogen into chrome plated-steel is discussed with regard to dimensional homogeneity, depth distribution and the possibility of combining different implantation modes. A stainless holder with 60×10 mm 2 trenches at depths of 60, 40, 20 and 10 mm was made. The chromium-plated steel plates were fixed on the bottom of the trenches and treated by PBII under various conditions. The depth profiles and chemical bonds were measured with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) combined with Ar sputtering. The primary results confirmed that nitrogen PBII could introduce a significant amount of nitrogen into the chrome-plated layers in a shorter time than a conventional beam-line implanter. The implanted nitrogen was observed to combine with chromium. The depth profiles of nitrogen were the same for samples set on holder surfaces both facing and reversed to the RF source, which suggested homogeneous implantation in all directions. The PBII treatment was found to be homogenous for the trenches with an aspect ratio less than 4 without sample manipulation. A rapid elevation in temperature occurred during PBII treatment. Control of the target temperature remains as a future challenge.

In this paper, we examine the cardboard effect by varying such image acquisition parameters as lighting intercamera distances, lens focal length, and presence or absence of motion parallax and backgrounds in program production. Subjective evaluation tests show that binocular disparity calculated from camera-separation lens selection and convergence point are dominant factors. The cardboard effect can be effectively avoided or lessened by enhancing increasing the binocular parallax. In case of actual program production, it is practical to use standard lenses or ones close in focal length to standard lenses, and to set camera separation around the same as the average eye separation of human eyes in order to mitigate the cardboard effect. When binocular disparity is small using lenses with long focal length, other cues, such as motion parallax accompanied by the relative movement between subjects and cameras, are effective.

This paper focuses on the scanning methods of a field-sequential stereoscopic display system. We examined the advantages and disadvantages of several scanning methods to identify the most suitable one for the field-sequential stereoscopic display technique. An evaluation test using a system with 525 scanning lines and a 120-Hz field frequency was conducted. The results show that the picture quality of the 4:2 or 4:1 interlace method, which maintains high vertical resolution, is superior to that of the simple 2:1 interlace one. We also developed an experimental field-sequential stereoscopic system for HDTV with 1:2 interlacing and confirmed that it is possible to display high-quality stereoscopic HDTV pictures in full 1125-line vertical resolutions.

Two different systems have been proposed to the FCC advisory committee for testing ATTC in 1990: NTSC-Compatible MUSE-6, and Narrow MUSE. The Narrow MUSE system is designed for simulcasting. The 7.5-Hz offset frequency multiplexing method for expanding the horizontal bandwidth of luminance signals used in the NTSC-Compatible MUSE-6 is described. The modulation schemes for solving interference issues associated with the introduction of the narrow MUSE system in the existing terrestrial environment are discussed. >

Summary form only given. The integral photography method was first proposed by M.G. Lippmann in 1908 based on a photographic technique. The IP method is classified as an image reproduction type the same as holography, because it reproduces 3-D images identical to the objects by integrating the light rays from the elemental images behind each aperture or lens. We show the principle of the basic IP method. We show a schematic of an experimental real time IP system. A depth control lens, a GRIN lens array, a converging lens, and an HDTV (high-definition television) camera are introduced for pickup. The converging lens, set just behind the GRIN lens array, brings together light from the lens array to a HDTV camera. The depth control lens is introduced to control the position of which the real images of objects are produced around the GRIN lens array for pickup. Therefore, the 3-D images can be positioned around the lens array for reproduction.

In this paper, we present our research on the lipid A of Helicobacter pylori, an experimental study using the Mongolian gerbil model and experimental carcinogenesis using the mouse model to evaluate roles of host factors and bacterial factors which are related to the pathogenicity of Helicobacter pylori including gastric carcinogenesis. Future study on bacterial factors and host factors may give more insight into the role of Helicobacter pylori in gastric carcinogenesis.

It is important to study the effect of Helicobacter pylori infection on the permeability of the intestine. Permeability was evaluated by oral sucrose tolerance test using sucrose 25 g in 200 ml of water. Existence of H. pylori itself was associated with increased permeability of sucrose. Also, the permeability of sucrose increased as polymorphonuclear and lymphocyte infiltration increased. The increase of mucosal permeability suggests that antigens like protein penetrate into the body and result in systemic reactions. Thus, it is important to study the implication of increased permeability in relation not only to gastric diseases but also certain systemic diseases.

Although peptic ulcer frequently recurs in the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection, the effects of H. pylori on ulcer healing have yet to be studied in detail. Using an animal model, we examined the effects of H. pylori infection on the healing of peptic ulcer in Japanese macaques. Forty-four Japanese macaques, aged 5 years, were randomly divided into two groups, an H. pylori-infected group and a control group, with 22 animals in each. A total of 10(9) colony forming units per ml of an H. pylori strain clinically isolated from patients positive for the cagA gene, the vacA gene, and vacuolizing toxin production, was inoculated into the stomachs of the monkeys to induce H. pylori-associated gastritis. The monkeys were examined by endoscopy, and then 0.1 ml of 10% ammonia solution was injected into the angulus to produce an active ulcer. Endoscopic observations was performed every week for 8 weeks. Acid-reducing drugs and other cytoprotective agents were not administered during the 8-week observation period. No difference in the healing of the ulcers was seen between the two groups from the first to the third week. However, a significant delay in healing was noted in the H. pylori-infected group from the fourth week on wards (P0.05). At the sixth week, the proportion of ulcers in the S2 stage (presence of a complete scar) was 0% in the H. pylori-infected group and 38% in the control group, again indicating that healing was significantly delayed in the H. pylori-infected group (P = 0.0187). By the eighth week, the proportion of ulcers in S2 stage had increased to 18% in the H. pylori-infected group and 67% in the control group (P = 0.0719). In Japanese macaques with persistent H. pylori infection in the stomach, the speed of repair of the ulcer surface was reduced, leading to delayed ulcer healing, compared with the controls.

To investigate the effect of plaunotol in combination with proton-pump inhibitors on Helicobacter pylori eradication in patients with gastric ulcer.We studied 65 H. pylori-positive gastric ulcer patients. They were randomly assigned to five treatment groups: omeprazole (group I, n = 8), lansoprazole (group II, n = 13), lansoprazole+plaunotol (group III, n = 12), lansoprazole+clarithromycin (group IV, n = 16) and lansoprazole+plaunotol+clarithromycin (group V, n = 16). Ulcer status was diagnosed by endoscopy and H. pylori status by culture, histology, a urease test and a urea breath test at baseline, and after 8 and 12 weeks. The clearance and eradication rates were compared in each group.The healing rates in groups I-V were 100, 92, 100, 100 and 100%, respectively; clearance rates were 0, 23, 42, 50 and 75%, respectively; and eradication rates were 0, 0, 8, 38 and 69%, respectively.Combination therapy with plaunotol is efficacious for the eradication of H. pylori in gastric ulcer patients.

In a 4-year-old girl having acute megakaryoblastic leukemia, recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was used in combination with chemotherapy for remission induction after the second relapse of her leukemia. G-CSF was given intravenously at a dose of 100 micrograms/m2/day 24 hours prior to chemotherapy until the peripheral neutrophil counts fully recovered. Cytosine arabinoside (Ara-c) [100mg/m2/day] and VP-16 [100mg/m2/day] were given from day 1 through day 10. Her leukemia was resistant to chemotherapy alone after the second relapse but complete remission and hematological recovery were achieved two months after the start of this therapy. Although in vitro clonal assay did not show significant stimulation of colony formation by G-CSF on leukemia cells of this patient, and the mechanism underlying remission induction by this combination therapy remains unclear, it may be of benefit to use G-CSF in combination with chemotherapy for patients with drug-resistant leukemia.

The absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of 2-chloro-11-(2-dimethylaminoethoxy)dibenzo [b,f]thiepine (zotepine), a new neuroleptic agent, were investigated in rat, mouse, dog and man. Zotepine was absorbed rapidly and almost completely from the gastrointestinal tract in all species after oral dosing. The serum level of the unchanged drug in man was comparatively higher than in animals. The serum half-lives of zotepine after i.v. dosing were approximately 3.2 h in rats, 1.5 h in mice and 3.0 h in dogs. The drug and radioactive metabolites were rapidly distributed to the tissues of rats and mice, and the brain levels of the unchanged drug were about 20 to 30 times higher than the serum levels. Only small amounts of the unchanged drug were excreted in the urine in all species; faecal excretion through the bile was the main route of elimination of the drug and metabolites. Extensive biliary excretion and enterohepatic circulation of the radioactive compound were observed in rats. Zotepine was well metabolized in the body. Besides N-demethylation and oxygenation of the N and/or S atoms, hydroxylation of the aromatic ring and consecutive conjugation were important metabolic pathways of zotepine.

We investigated the effect of nutritional therapy with an elemental diet (ED) for active Crohn's disease. One hundred and thirty-nine patients with Crohn's disease were enrolled in this study. Remission was judged to be present when the International Organization of Inflammatory Bowel Disease score wasor = 1 and the CRP and ESR values were within the respective normal ranges. An amount of 30kcal per 1kg of ideal body weight (IBW) per day was administered enterally, and the effect on the induction of remission in relation to various patient background factors, such as disease type, history of bowel resection, and the presence/absence of complications, was determined. An excellent remission rate was achieved in those patients to whom an adequate amount of ED could be administered. Remission rates were lower in the patient groups with any of the following complications: stenotic bowel lesions, abdominal masses, fistulas, and anal lesions. Even in those groups in which stenotic lesions or abdominal masses were present, when adequate amounts of ED could be administered, the remission rate did not differ from that in the groups without these complications. The remission rates in the groups with and without fistulas at any site, including fistulas in the anal region, were 40.0% and 82.5%, respectively, with remission being considerably easier to achieve in the patients without fistulas. Similarly, remission was difficult to achieve when anal lesions were present. These results suggest that, for active Crohn's disease, nutritional therapy with ED (or = 35kcal/kg IBW) should be enthusiastically administered, and in patients in whom the presence of complications necessitates therapy for 3 months or more, this point be considered to indicate a possible surgical approach.