Search

Background/Aims Endoscopic diagnosis of dysplasia or colitic cancer in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) is more challenging than that of colorectal neoplasia in non-colitic patients. We aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the endoscopic diagnosis of "nonpedunculated" dysplasia or colitic cancer in UC patients. Methods Ten endoscopists from four countries were surveyed using photographs of 61 histologically confirmed dysplastic or non-dysplastic lesions retrieved from the UC registry database of Asan Medical Center. The participants provided their assessment based on the given photographs and their intention to perform biopsy. Results The overall diagnostic performance of the 10 participants is summarized as follows: sensitivity of 88.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 84.3% to 91.5%), specificity of 34.8% (95% CI, 29.1% to 40.8%), positive predictive value of 63.0% (95% CI, 60.8% to 65.2%), negative predictive value of 70.2% (95% CI, 62.7% to 76.6%), and accuracy of 64.6% (95% CI, 60.7% to 68.4%). The interobserver agreement on the intention to perform a biopsy was poor (Fleiss kappa=0.169). Of the three endoscopic characteristics of the lesions, including ulceration, distinctness of the borders, and pit patterns, only neoplastic pit patterns were significantly predictive of dysplasia (odds ratio, 3.710; 95% CI, 2.001 to 6.881). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of neoplastic pit patterns were 68.2% (95% CI, 63.0% to 73.2%) and 63.3% (95% CI, 57.3% to 69.1%), respectively. Conclusions Diagnostic performance based on the endoscopist's intention to perform a biopsy for nonpedunculated potentially dysplastic lesions in UC patients was suboptimal according to this survey-based study.

Frailty is a common condition among older adults with hip fracture. In our study analyzing National Inpatient Sample data, frailty was found to be associated with up to six times increase in in-patient mortality, 55% increased length of hospital stay, and 29% increase in hospital cost.Hip fracture is a significant public health issue posing adverse health outcomes and substantial economic burden to patients and society. Frailty is a prevalent geriatric condition associated with poor clinical outcome among older adults. The association between hip fracture and frailty on both clinical and economic outcomes at the national level has not been estimated. We aimed to determine the association between frailty and in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay (LOS), and total hospital cost among older patients aged ≥ 65 years who underwent surgery for hip fracture.We did an analysis of administrative data using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) data from 2016 and 2017. Our analysis included data on 29,735 hospitalizations. We first conducted a descriptive analysis of the patient characteristics (demographics and clinical) and hospital-related factors. Three multivariable regression analysis models were then used to determine independent associations between frailty and in-hospital mortality, LOS, and total hospital cost. All three models were adjusted for patients' demographic and clinical characteristics and hospital-related factors.Moderate and high frailty risk were associated with higher odds of death (OR = 2.94 and 95% CI 1.91-4.51 and OR = 5.99 and 95% CI 3.79-9.47), increased LOS (17% and 55%, p0.0001), and higher total hospital cost (7% and 29%, p0.0001) respectively compared to low frailty risk.Frailty was associated with mortality, LOS, and hospital cost after adjusting for patient demographic, clinical, and hospital-related factors. Further research is needed to explore what pre-surgical measures can be assessed to mitigate in-hospital mortality and hospital cost in frail older patients hospitalized for hip fracture surgery.

Background : Tamoxifen is widely used in premenopausal patients with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. Among the side-effects of tamoxifen, hot flashes is a common and challenging one. Previous pilot study suggested the effectiveness of acupuncture for relief of symptoms. This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treatment of hot flashes in Korean women breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen as adjuvant endocrine therapy. Methods : Thirty(30) breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen and reported moderate to severe hot flashes were enrolled from two institutes. Patients were randomly assigned into acupuncture group(n=15) and control group(n=15). The acupuncture group received acupuncture 3 times a week for 4 consecutive weeks, at 5 predefined points(GV 20, M-HN-3, HT 8, KI 10 and LV 2) for 20 ± 5minutes at each session. Control group received no treatment. The score of hot flash visual analogue scale(VAS) and total hot flash score, EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR 23 questionnaire were recorded before treatment, once every treatment week and 4 weeks after treatment for both groups. Results : Acupuncture group showed significantly reduced severity of hot flashes during treatment assessed with either VAS and total hot flash score (p=0.000 and p=0.008, respectively). Also, acupuncture group showed improvement of global health status and physical functioning score assessed with EORTC QLQ-C30 (p=0.004 and p=0.027, respectively). Four weeks after the treatment, these trends were retained. No adverse events were notified Conclusion : Acupuncture may have feasibility and safety for alleviate hot flashes of Korean women breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen as an adjuvant endocrine therapy. Long-term follow up results and further study with a larger sample size is required. Citation Format: Choi H, Jeong Y-j, Park S-H, Kwak M-A, Kim K-S, Lee Y, Park S. Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the hot flashes in breast cancer patients taking adjuvant tamoxifen: A multicenter study in Korean women [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-11-16.

Despite ethnic differences in cortisol sensitivity, only one study in Caucasians has assessed trabecular bone score (TBS) in patients with subclinical hypercortisolism (SH). We showed that both subtle cortisol excess and reduced adrenal androgen may contribute to impaired bone quality in Asian women with SH. One study in Caucasians has assessed trabecular bone score (TBS), an index of bone microstructure, in adrenal incidentaloma (AI) patients with subclinical hypercortisolism (SH). There are ethnic differences in cortisol sensitivities between Caucasian and Asian populations. We investigated the associations of cortisol and the adrenal androgen dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) with TBS in AI patients with SH, adrenal Cushing’s syndrome (CS), and nonfunctional AI (NFAI). We measured TBS, cortisol levels after the overnight 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (1 mg DST), and cortisol/DHEA-S in 61 patients with SH (30 men; 31 women), 19 with adrenal CS (4 men; 15 women), and 355 with NFAI (213 men; 142 women). After adjusting for confounders, the serum cortisol level after 1 mg DST was inversely correlated with TBS in men (β = −0.133, P = 0.045) and women (β = − 0.140, P = 0.048). Higher cortisol/DHEA-S ratio was associated with lower TBS in women (β = − 0.252, P

For the first time, infestation of the Australian emu by a native tick is recorded based on an engorged adult female specimen of the southern paralysis tick (Ixodes cornuatus) taken from a captive emu at Healesville sanctuary, Victoria, Australia. Tick paralysis in Australian birds is discussed.

Within Australia, koala over-abundance has become a serious problem in some areas resulting in significant damage to native forests through defoliation. An over-abundant Victorian koala population was surveyed for ticks in the autumn of 2016. During the survey 1036 ticks were collected from 158 koalas. All ticks collected were identified as Ixodes tasmani. Tick prevalence, infestation intensity and on-host sex ratios were calculated for the population. An overview of the ticks and mites associated with koalas in Australia is also presented.

Background/Aims Endoscopic mucosal resection with circumferential mucosal incision (CMI-EMR) may offer benefits comparable to those of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), while requiring less technical proficiency than ESD. Methods We retrospectively compared the outcomes of CMI-EMR (n=34) and size-matched ESD (n=102), which were performed by a Korean endoscopist for colorectal epithelial lesions of 20–35 mm. Procedural parameters of CMI-EMRs performed by an American ESD novice (n=30) were compared with those performed by the Korean endoscopist. Results The lesion size was 22.3±3.9 mm and 22.9±2.4 mm in the CMI-EMR and size-matched ESD groups, respectively (p=0.730). The resection time was 12.7±7.0 minutes in the CMI-EMR group and 45.6±30.1 minutes in the ESD group (p

As mast cells have been highlighted in the pathogenesis of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, a new term "mastocytic enterocolitis" was suggested by Jakate and colleagues to describe an increase in mucosal mast cells in patients with chronic intractable diarrhea and favorable response to treatment with antihistamines. Although it is not an established disease entity, two cases have been reported in the English medical literature. Here, for the first time in Asia, we report another case of chronic intractable diarrhea caused by gastrointestinal mastocytosis. The patient was a 70-year-old male with chronic intractable diarrhea for 3 months; the cause of the diarrhea remained obscure even after exhaustive evaluation. However, biopsy specimens from the jejunum were found to have increased mast cell infiltration, and the patient was successfully treated with antihistamines.

HIV-infected men under the age of 50 years had a lower bone mass compared to that of HIV-uninfected men. Lower CD4 T cell counts, independent of whether antiretroviral therapy (ART) was used, were associated with lower BMD. HIV-infected patients with low CD4 T cell counts may need follow-up and intervention regarding bone health, including younger patients.HIV-infected patients have a low bone mineral density (BMD) owing to multifactorial interaction between common osteoporosis risk factors and HIV-related factors, including chronic inflammation and ART. Although HIV infection and ART might affect bone metabolism, little data is available for patients aged under 50 years. We aimed to investigate the association of HIV infection-induced low CD4 T cell counts and ART with BMD in men aged under 50 years.We performed an age- and body mass index-matched case-control study. BMD values of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men ( 50 years) were compared, and HIV-infected men were stratified by CD4 T cell counts and ART use.After adjusting confounders, HIV-infected men with CD4 T cell counts ≥ 500 cells/μL (n = 28) and 500 cells/μL (n = 139) had lower BMD at the femoral neck (FN, p 0.001) and total hip (TH, p 0.001) than HIV-uninfected men (n = 167). HIV-infected men with CD4 T cell counts 500/μL had lower BMD at the lumbar spine (LS, p = 0.034) than those with counts of ≥ 500 cells/μL, but not at FN and TH. The CD4 T cell count (γ = 0.169, p = 0.031) was positively correlated with BMD at LS. There was no significant difference in the BMD (p = 0.499- 0.999) between the ART-naïve (n = 75) and ART-user group (n = 92).Despite their relatively younger age, HIV-infected men had a lower BMD than HIV-uninfected men. Lower CD4 T cell counts, irrespective of ART, might result in lower bone mass.

The online version of the original article can be found at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-019-04942-7

Two new species, Trachylestes barrowensis sp. nov. from Barrow Island, Western Australia and T. queenslandensis sp. nov. from southeastern Queensland are described, and a key for their separation from other known species of the Australian endemic genus Trachylestes Stål, 1868 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae) is given.

No studies have reported the long-term effects of entecavir switching in patients with multidrug resistance who developed resistance after lamivudine/adefovir sequential therapy. We evaluated the efficacy of 96 weeks of entecavir therapy in patients with resistance to lamivudine/adefovir sequential therapy. In total, 33 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with evidence of active viral replication (HBV DNA levels ≥ 10(5) copies/mL) or a history of treatment failure to lamivudine/adefovir sequential therapy between April 2007 and July 2009 were treated with entecavir (1.0 mg daily) for at least 48 weeks. The rates of alanine transaminase (ALT) normalization and HBV DNA negativity were 66.7% (14/21) and 24.2% (8/33) at 48 weeks, respectively. The initial HBV DNA level was the only factor that was inversely associated with serum HBV DNA negativity after 48 weeks of entecavir therapy (P < 0.023). At 96 weeks, the rates of ALT normalization and HBV DNA negativity were 77.8% (7/9) and 16.7% (3/18), respectively. Viral breakthrough occurred in 21.2% (7/33) and 78.9% (15/19) of patients at 48 and 96 weeks, respectively. Patients who achieved a HBV DNA level of

Some piezoelectric ceramic materials do behave in a nonlinear way when they are subjected to large electric or mechanical stress fields. This macroscopic nonlinearity comes from microscopic domain switchings during which one type of variant switches to other types of variants under large electromechanical fields. This switchable piezoelectric ceramic materials are called ferroelectric ceramics. In the present paper, a typical ferroelectric material particle is represented by a regular dodecahedron representative volume element (RVE) which includes twenty distinct types of variants, and a finite element analysis is carried out on a cubic specimen subjected to both a constant compressive stress and an electric field cycling. The calculation results are compared with experimental observations and isotropy of the responses is discussed.

International audience; In many species, population dynamics are shaped by age-structured demographic parameters, such as survival, which can cause age-specific sensitivity to environmental conditions. Accordingly, we can expect populations with different age-specific survival to be differently affected by environmental variation. However, this hypothesis is rarely tested at the intra-specific level. Using capture–mark–recapture models, we quantified age-specific survival and the extent of annual variations in survival of females of alpine chamois in two sites. In one population, survival was very high (>0.94; Bauges, France) until the onset of senescence at approximately 7 years old, whereas the two other populations (Swiss National Park, SNP) had a later onset (12 years old) and a lower rate of senescence. Senescence patterns are therefore not fixed within species. Annual variation in survival was higher in the Bauges (SD = 0.26) compared to the SNP populations (SD = 0.20). Also, in each population, the age classes with the lowest survival also experienced the largest temporal variation, in accordance with inter-specific comparisons showing a greater impact of environmental variation on these age classes. The large difference between the populations in age-specific survival and variation suggests that environmental variation and climate change will affect these populations differently.

The effects of beta-blockers in pediatric and congenital heart disease (CHD) patients suffering from heart failure are controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to determine whether beta-blockers are effective for heart failure in pediatric and CHD patients.We searched for clinical trials focusing on clinical on clinical and ventricular functional/dimensional changes after beta-blocker therapy in PubMed (from its inception to August 2013) and bibliographies of identified studies. Studies investigating any of three beta blockers (carvedilol, bisoprolol, and extended release metoprolol succinate) which are known to be effective in adult patients with heart failure were included.Of the 158 screened, 17 (N.=476) fulfilled the study criteria and were analyzed. Beta-blockers were associated with significant improvements in left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) (12.47%; 95% CI, 10.36 to 14.61), fraction shortening (5.75%; 95% CI, 4.42 to 7.08), LV end-diastolic dimension (-2.91 mm; 95% CI, -5.46 to -0.36), and LV systolic dimension (-4.03 mm; 95% CI, -6.81 to -1.25). No significant change in the pooled mean difference of the right ventricular (RV) EF (3.50%; P=0.08) was observed. However, the RV EF in the untreated group showed a deteriorating trend (-3%), which was different from the trend in the treatment group. There was a significant reduction in the incidence of clinical worsening (odds ratio, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.27 to 3.66).Beta-blocker therapy was associated with a significant improvement of echocardiographic parameters in patients with systemic LV failure. However, the use of beta-blockers did not provide significant benefits in terms of improving the EF in patients with RV failure. Nonetheless, beta-blockers may be effective to prevent the clinical deterioration of pediatric and CHD patients with heart failure.

STN LCDs on plastic film substrates for mobile communication devices have been researched and developed at KETI in KOREA. The plastic film substrate is so weak to heat and pressure that its fabrication process is limited to 110°C. The ITO electrode layer was deposited on the bare plastic film substrate by rf-magnetron sputtering. And in order to maintain uniform cell gap and press on the plastic film substrate without deformation of substrate surface, we utilized newly invented jig and fabrication process. Electro-optical characteristics are better than or equivalent to those of typical glass LCDs though it is thinner, lighter-weight, and more robust than glass LCD.

A new technology realizing reliable interconnection between Plastic Film LCDs panel and a driving circuit was developed under the stepped processing condition of low temperature and pressure with ACFs for Plastic Film LCDs. The conduction failure of interconnection between the two resulted from elasticity, low thermal resistance and high thermal expansion of plastic film substrates. Conductive particles with elasticity similar to that of the plastic film substrate did not damage an ITO electrode on plastic film substrates, and low temperature and pressure in a stepped process also did not deform the surface of plastic film substrates. As a result highly reliable interconnection with minimum contact resistance was accomplished.

NOx sensing properties of Ba2WO5 were investigated in an effort to search for a new sensor material operative at high temperatures. Ba2WO5 was prepared from WO3 and BaCO3, and packed and sintered to fabricate disk-type sensor elements. Ba2WO5 exhibits neck-controlled conduction and provides highest sensitivity of 47 and 29 at 500 to 200 ppm NO and 80 ppm NO2, respectively. The samples sintered beyond 800 shows the gas sensitivity independent of the sintering temperature. This may be due to the fact that the open neck control is dominant for the specimens sintered at temperatures higher than 800°C. From the response transient to NO and NO2 and MO2(g)+e→NO2 andNO(g)+O(ads) +e→NO2 are proposed as possible reactions occurring on the surface of Ba2WO5 in the presence of NO and NO2 gases.

Thin films of TiN interposed between Cu and SiO2 layers have been examined as a diffusion barrier as well as an adhesion-promoting layer for Cu metallization. Reliability of TiN barrier layer has been investigated by studying the penetration of copper into thermal oxide as a function of temperature. We have used X-ray diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy and capacitance-voltage(C–V) measurements in order to investigate the Cu/TiN/SiO2/Si metallization system. The characteristics of metal/oxide/silicon capacitors employing this barrier layer were not significantly affected by a temperature stress of up to 600°C for 1 h.

This paper is concerned with the virtual mass effect due to the presence of water on the natural frequencies of free-edge annular plates resting on free surface or completely submerged, which has never been studied theoretically. Experiments were carried out for free-edge annular plates to find the so-called nondimensionalized added virtual mass incremental factors. In this paper, theoretical nondimensional added virtual mass incremental factors are obtained by employing the Hankel transformation technique in conjunction with the Fourier-Bessel series approach. It is found that the theoretical nondimensionalized added virtual mass incremental factors for free-edge annular plates resting on free-surface agree well with experimental ones. The proposed method can be applied to different boundary conditions of plates.

New second-order nonlinear optical polyimide was synthesized by posttricyanovinylation of N-phenyl containing polyimide. The tricyanovinylation in para-position of aniline was well identified by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The polyimide had a high glass transition temperature of 218 °C, and showed an excellent thermal stability. The electro-optic coefficient (r33 ) and nonlinear optical coefficient (d33 ) was 38 pm/V (at 0.63 μm) measured by simple reflection method and 84 pm/V (at 1.06 μm), respectively.

Second-order nonlinear optical polyimides were successfully synthesized by Mitsunobu reaction of polyhydroxyimides with hydroxylated benzoxazole chromophores. These resultant fluorinated polyimides were fairly soluble in pyridine, cyclohexanone, and therefore could be easily spin casted for electrooptic thin films. The polyimides had glass transition temperatures of 175∼195 C, and the electro-optic coefficients were in the range of 8.5∼12.3 pm/V at 1.3 μm and showed long-term temporal stability

Wider application of CT angiography (CTA) improves the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). It also permits the visualisation of saddle embolism (SE), namely thrombi, which are located at the bifurcation of the main pulmonary artery. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SE and whether SE predicts a complicated clinical course in patients with non-high-risk PE.In total, 297 consecutive patients with non-high-risk PE confirmed using CTA in the emergency department were studied. The presence of SE and its ability to predict the occurrence of major adverse events (MAEs) within 1 month were determined.Of the 297 patients, 27 (9.1%) had an SE. The overall mortality at 1 month was 12.5%; no significant difference was observed between the SE and non-SE groups (18.5% vs 11.9%, p=0.32). However, patients with SE were more likely to receive thrombolytic therapy (29.6% vs 8.1%, p0.01) and had significantly more MAEs (59.3% vs 25.6%, p0.01).At the time of diagnosis, SE, as determined using CTA, is associated with the development of MAE within 1 month. It may be a simple method for risk stratification of patients with non-high-risk PE.The prognosis of patients with SE, especially those who are haemodynamically stable, is unclear. This study shows that patients with SE, determined with CTA, is associated with the development of MAE.

Porous Electroosmotic (EO) pump is the type of pump which contains a porous media regime to perform flow moving under electric field application. It can use a constant value of porosity with constant pore diameter limiting the flow rates especially near the wall region in addition to the boundary layer effects. In this study, a composite porous layer has been proposed to use in EO pump with a high porosity value near the wall region rather than the central region of the flow field. A 2D rectangular porous channel of 4mm×1.5mm is employed and it has been divided vertically into three major domains of variable. As a result, an appreciable increase in velocity magnitude especially near wall region but also in the central region.

No studies have reported the long-term effects of entecavir switching in patients with multidrug resistance who developed resistance after lamivudine/adefovir sequential therapy. We evaluated the efficacy of 96 weeks of entecavir therapy in patients with resistance to lamivudine/adefovir sequential therapy. In total, 33 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection with evidence of active viral replication (HBV DNA levels ≥ 10(5) copies/mL) or a history of treatment failure to lamivudine/adefovir sequential therapy between April 2007 and July 2009 were treated with entecavir (1.0 mg daily) for at least 48 weeks. The rates of alanine transaminase (ALT) normalization and HBV DNA negativity were 66.7% (14/21) and 24.2% (8/33) at 48 weeks, respectively. The initial HBV DNA level was the only factor that was inversely associated with serum HBV DNA negativity after 48 weeks of entecavir therapy (P0.023). At 96 weeks, the rates of ALT normalization and HBV DNA negativity were 77.8% (7/9) and 16.7% (3/18), respectively. Viral breakthrough occurred in 21.2% (7/33) and 78.9% (15/19) of patients at 48 and 96 weeks, respectively. Patients who achieved a HBV DNA level of4 log(10) copies/mL at 48 weeks maintained a similar HBV DNA level and a normal ALT level until 96 weeks. Entecavir monotherapy for 96 weeks was not efficacious for patients with lamivudine/adefovir-resistant HBV. The initial HBV DNA level was the only predictive factor for antiviral efficacy. However, patients who achieved a HBV DNA level of4 log(10) copies/mL with a normal ALT level at 48 weeks should maintain, rather than stop, entecavir therapy.

Low-intensity ultrasound (LIUS) has recently been considered to be an effective method to induce cartilage repair and/or regeneration after injury. Nevertheless, there is no study to provide a cellular mechanism or signal pathways of LIUS stimulation. The current study is designed to investigate the effects of LIUS on the mechanotransduction pathways in C-28/I2, an immortalized human chondrocyte cell line. C-28/I2 cells were treated with LIUS at an intensity of 200 mW/cm2 using Noblelife™ from Duplogen. The role of stretch-activated channels (SAC) and integrins that are most well-known mechanoreceptors on the chondrocyte cell surface was first examined in mediating the LIUS effects on the expression of type II collagen and aggrecan. When analysed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry, gadolinium (a specific inhibitor of SACs) or GRGDSP (a peptide inhibitor of integrins) specifically reduced the LIUS-induced elevation of type II collagen and aggrecan expressions depending on the incubation time. In addition, the LIUS treatment of C-28/I2 cells induced the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) but not p38 kinase among the members of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). The phosphorylation of ERK by LIUS was repressed by a specific inhibitor of the ERK pathway and integrin function. These results suggest that the LIUS signal might be mediated via canonical mechanoreceptors of SACs and integrins and subsequently through JNK and ERK pathways. The present study provides the first evidence for the activation of the mechanotransduction pathways by LIUS in human chondrocytes.

In this study we have synthesized ZnO:EuCl3 phosphors under various sintering atmospheres and temperatures, and investigated the effect of coupling structure of Eu in ZnO upon the photoluminescent characteristics for the purpose of searching for optimum conditions towards pure red emission. The analysis of x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectra measurements indicate that, for ZnO:EuCl3 phosphors sintered in vacuum, Eu exists in the host lattice as EuOCl and effectively quenches the broad-band emission of the ZnO host, consequently isolating the red emission due to Eu3+ ion.

In the era of living donor liver transplantation (LDLT), graft size is related to recipient prognosis. This study was performed to compare the clinical outcomes according to the graft-to-recipient weight ratio (GRWR) in adult LDLT. Seventy-nine adult patients who had undergone LDLT between June 1997 and June 2002 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to the GRWR (group I, GRWR0.8%, n = 11; group II, GRWRor = 0.8%, n = 68). The mean follow-up period was 19.4 (range 1 to 48) months. The recipients were 62 men (78.5%) and 17 women (21.5%) of mean age 45.2 (range 18 to 63) years. The overall patient survival rates were 74.7% at 1 year and 70.7% at 2 years. The patient survival rate in group I was 54.6% at 1 year and 40.9% at 2 years, whereas that in group II was 77.9% at 1 year and 75.3% at 2 years, showing a significant difference (P = .03). There were no significant differences in postoperative total bilirubin, transaminase enzyme level, prothrombin time (INR), portal vein flow on Doppler sonography, amount of ascites through the drain, complications, or acute rejection rates between the two groups. In conclusion, the minimum acceptable graft size in an adult-to-adult LDLT is GRWR of 0.8%. This study suggests that careful postoperative management and/or technical modifications during surgery are necessary, because small-for-size grafts (GRWR0.8%) result in lower patient survival rates.

With progressing age, large arteries diminish their longitudinal stretch, which in extreme cases results in tortuosity. Increased age is also associated with loss of vessel distensibility. We measured pressure-diameter curves from muscular porcine carotid arteries ex vivo at different longitudinal stretch ratios (λ z = 1.4 and 1.8) and under different vascular smooth muscle (VSM) conditions (fully relaxed, normal VSM tone, and maximally contracted). Distensibility was found to be halved by decreasing longitudinal stretch from λ z = 1.8 to 1.4 at physiological pressures. This counterintuitive observation is possible because highly nonlinear elastic modulus of the artery and anisotropic properties. Furthermore, a significantly larger basal VSM contraction was observed at λ z = 1.8 than 1.4, although this was clearly not related to a myogenic response during inflation. This dependence of VSM tone to longitudinal stretch may have possible implications on the functional characteristics of the arterial wall.

There are several known routes for the metabolic detoxication of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones, including conjugation to glutathione and reduction and oxidation of the aldehyde to an alcohol and a carboxylic acid, respectively. In this study, we describe a fourth class of detoxication that involves the reduction of the alpha,beta-carbon=carbon double bond to a single bond. This reaction is catalyzed by NAD(P)H-dependent alkenal/one oxidoreductase (AO), an enzyme heretofore known as leukotriene B4 12-hydroxydehydrogenase, 15-oxoprostaglandin 13-reductase, and dithiolethione-inducible gene-1. AO is shown to effectively reduce cytotoxic lipid peroxidation products such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) (k(cat) = 4.0 x 10(3) min(-1); k(cat)/K(m) = 3.3 x 10(7) min(-1) M(-1)) and acrolein (k(cat) = 2.2 x 10(2) min(-1); k(cat)/K(m) = 1.5 x 10(6) min(-1) M(-1)) and common industrial compounds such as ethyl vinyl ketone (k(cat) = 9.6 x 10(3) min(-1); k(cat)/K(m) = 8.8 x 10(7) min(-1) M(-1)) and 15-oxoprostaglandin E1 (k(cat) = 2.4 x 10(3) min(-1); k(cat)/K(m) = 2.4 x 10(9) min(-1) M(-1)). Furthermore, transfection of human embryonic kidney cells with a rat liver AO expression vector protected these cells from challenge with HNE. The concentration of HNE at which 50% of the cells were killed after 24 h increased from approximately 15 microM in control cells to approximately 70 microM in AO-transfected cells. Overexpression of AO also completely abolished protein alkylation by HNE at all concentrations tested (up to 30 microM). Thus, we describe a novel antioxidative activity of a previously characterized bioactive lipid-metabolizing enzyme that could prove to be therapeutically or prophylactically useful due to its high catalytic rate and inducibility.

The expression of hepatic microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) by 2-(allylthio)pyrazine (2-AP), an experimental chemopreventive agent, was investigated in rats. Northern blot analysis revealed that 2-AP caused increases in mEH, rGSTA2/3/5, and rGSTM1/2 mRNA levels. mEH and rGSTA2 proteins were also induced. Molecular basis of the enzyme induction by 2-AP was studied in comparison with oltipraz (Olt). Rats exposed to buthionine sulfoximine, a GSH-depleting agent, before treatment with either 2-AP or Olt exhibited greater increases in the mRNA levels than the individual treatment. Conversely, increases of the mRNAs were prevented by cysteine treatment, indicating that metabolic intermediates or reactive oxygens produced from the agents could be reduced by cysteine. Gel shift analysis revealed that nuclear factor-kappaB, which is associated with the altered cellular redox state, was not activated by the agents. Effects of these agents on the breakage of phix-174 DNA were compared in vitro. 2-AP effectively reduced the conversion of supercoiled DNA to the open circular form induced by benzenetriol and prevented benzenetriol- and iron-catalyzed degradation of DNA, whereas Olt failed to prevent strand breakage of DNA. These results provided evidence that: 1) 2-AP was effective in elevating the hepatic mEH and GST gene expression in rats, which might be mediated with the production of reactive oxygen species; 2) nuclear factor-kappaB activation was not involved in the induction of the detoxifying enzymes by either 2-AP or Olt in spite of their production of reactive oxygens in vivo; and 3) the antioxidant effect of 2-AP in vitro differed from that of Olt.

Outcrossing rates were estimated in both natural and experimental populations of Scabiosa columbaria, a self-compatible, entomophilous, gynodioecious, protandrous perennial. In natural populations, estimates of the outcrossing rate in hermaphrodites were near to one and ranged from 0.84 +/- 0.07 to 1.12 +/- 0.11. The effect of plant density on outcrossing rates was studied in two experimental populations of 27 individuals. Contrary to expectation the estimates of the out-crossing rate in hermaphrodites were about 100% for both densities. However, in the sparse population, the fraction of developed seeds of plants used to estimate outcrossing rates was significantly lower than of plants in the dense population (0.41 +/- 0.06 and 0.68 +/- 0.08, respectively). Artificial pollinations of these plants in the greenhouse showed that the fraction of developed seeds was 0.60 +/- 0.01 and 0.83 +/- 0.05 after self- and cross-pollination, respectively. The combined results suggested that the differential success of self- and cross-pollination might have caused equalization of the outcrossing rates in the experimental populations, despite different plant densities. The implications of the results for conservation biology are discussed.

For the first time, a novel bright reflective color STN LCD with inner scattering reflector on polymer substrate has been developed. The adoption of polymer substrate enables LCD to lighten and to have thinner thickness. Moreover, the structure of color filters on inner scattering reflector at the low polymer substrate improves color purity and brightness added to parallax free image compared to conventional reflective LCD. In this research, we have newly developed low temperature process and stepped heating for color plastic film LCD through thin film deposition, scattering reflector with constant brightness and color filter fabrication process.

We have developed 18′ class 287 × 359mm flat fluorescent lamp with new structure that dielectric barrier discharge contained xenon gas and its electric optical characteristic has been analyzed. The surface luminance of the lamp with the diffuser sheet was 5,600cd/m2 and the luminance uniformity was 92% at the applied voltage of 950Vrms and the applied frequency of 20kHz in the form of sine wave.

The MIM device with very low threshold voltage and perfect symmetry was fabricated. The threshold voltage and the symmetry were 1.4 V and 1:1, respectively. A high performance MIM device was formed by newly developed processes based on our unique anodization and annealing treatment.

Photoluminescence (PL) measurements have been carried out to investigate the hydrogenation and annealing effects of unintentionally doped n-type GaN epitaxial layers grown on sapphire substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. When the as-grown GaN/sapphire heterostructure is annealed at 800°C, a new peak corresponding to the neutral donor-bound excitons appears. After hydrogenation, the yellow peak appeared for the as-grown GaN/sapphire heterostructure annealed at 800°C disappears. When the hydrogenated GaN/sapphire heterostructure is annealed at 950°C, three peaks appears. These results indicate that the crystallinity of the unintentionally doped n-type GaN epilayers grown on sapphire substrates is improved by hydrogenation and annealing.

This paper is concerned with the derivation of the state equations of motion for a spacecraft consisting of a main rigid platform and a given number of flexible appendages changing the orientation relative to the main body. The equations are derived by means of Lagrange’s equations in terms of quasi-coordinates. Assuming that the appendages represent distributed-parameter members, the state equations of motion are hybrid. Moreover, they are nonlinear. Following spatial discretization and truncation, the hybrid equations reduce to a system of nonlinear discretized state equations, which are more practical for numerical calculations and control design. To illustrate the effect of nonlinearity on the dynamic response during reorientation, a numerical example involving spacecraft with a membrane-like antenna is presented.

1. A number of techniques for the electron microscopical identification of minute flagellate algae are briefly described, and exemplified on scale morphology. The merits and disadvantages of each technique are discussed in relation to the pecularities of the conserved information. 2. Replicas are better than shadowed whole mounts for clarity and durability. 3. Pure carbon replicas are useful when excessive shadow effects would spoil the image. 4. In case important features are covered by mucilage freeze etching is a substitute for replicating the external surface. 5. The techniques of positively and negatively staining of whole mounts are promising, but need further development for the purpose. As they stand these staining techniques are especially good for detached coccoliths.

SUMMARY Different flowering times of Pedicularis palustris ssp. palustris (May-July) and P. palustris ssp. opsiantha (Ekm.) Almquist (July - September) are related to variation of the life cycle: ssp. palustris is a biennial, ssp. opsiantha is a summer annual. Growth experiments confirmed the genetic basis of the difference. The biennial has rosette leaves in the first year, and forms a winter bud with scale-like leaves. These leaves or their scars are visible in the flowering plant; they are missing from the annuals. Germination requirements are similar; fresh seeds germinate at rather high temperatures (25–30 C) only, but stratification widens this range. The adaptive nature of the life form is discussed in relation with the different habitats in which the taxa are found.

One of the most immediate responses to disturbance is a change in population density. Change in plant population density may have an effect on visiting and pollinating insects which may influence both fecundity and gene flow. The management regime of the grasslands has a major influence on the density and distribution of plant species. Changes in the management in the river valley grasslands of the Drentse Aa from intensive grassland production to mowing once a year without the applications of fertilizers has caused large changes in the density and distribution of Rhinanthus angustifolius. Initially the density rose than fall becoming very abundant locally (de Hullu et al., 1985). This study considers the effect of population density on visitation pollination and gene exchange.