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Ririko Nagabuchi,1 Hikari Minami,1 Makoto Sakikawa,2 Yoshiko Onodera,1 Megumi Kanao-Kanda,1 Hirotsugu Kanda1 1Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan; 2Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery, Rinseikai Yoshida Hospital, Nayoro, JapanCorrespondence: Hirotsugu KandaDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Asahikawa Medical University, Midorigaoka-higashi 2-1-1-1, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, 078-8510, Japan, Tel +81-166-68-2583, Fax +81-166-68-2589, Email h.kanda0629@nifty.comPurpose: Intubation and ventilation cannot be performed in cases of parapharyngeal space tumors as the enlargement of the upper airway leads to the obstruction and hindrance of the intubation procedure. However, there is limited literature on anesthetic management, including the airway, in this disease. Herein, we report a successful case of awake intubation in a patient with parapharyngeal space tumor.Case Presentation: A 64-year-old man with a history of giant parapharyngeal space tumor was scheduled for bilateral endoscopic sinus surgery and nasal septoplasty. We performed awake intubation using the McGrath® video laryngoscope, which resulted in excellent laryngeal deployment and a smooth procedure.Conclusion: We report the anesthetic management of a giant parapharyngeal space tumor with the potential for difficult airway management to maintain spontaneous breathing. Awake intubation was useful in maintaining ventilation and intubation in this case. The preparation of a cricothyroid puncture is needed in cases of intubation failure.Keywords: parapharyngeal space tumor, awake intubation, video laryngoscope

To obtain high-performance THz-wave-emitting devices made of single crystals of Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 + δ (Bi2212), a high-temperature superconductor, an understanding of the device characteristics based on crystal characteristics can be a key issue because, in principle, the electrical properties of the intrinsic Josephson junctions (IJJs) constructed in Bi2212 crystals highly depend on crystal conditions, such as carrier concentration, crystal homogeneities, and crystal defects. To evaluate the tendencies of the device characteristics associated with crystal characteristics, we prepared Bi2212 crystals with different Bi/Sr ratios (x = 0.05 , 0.15, and 0.25) and δ values (annealed under N 2 or O 2 gas flow conditions). The unit cell parameter c decreased as the Bi/Sr ratio or δ increased. For the same annealing conditions under N 2 gas flow, the superconducting transition temperature as well as the size of the hysteresis loop of the current–voltage characteristics and emission characteristics were significantly suppressed for the sample with x = 0.25 compared with the corresponding values for the samples with x = 0.05 and 0.15. The experimental results clearly indicate that parameters, such as the Bi/Sr ratio and annealing conditions, are crucial factors in determining the electrical characteristics of a device. This information can be a useful guide for the preparation of crystals for IJJ THz-wave devices that can be fine-tuned according to the desired device characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We fabricated terahertz (THz) wave emitters from high-temperature superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 + δ (Bi2212) single crystals annealed under oxygen gas ( O 2) flow and nitrogen gas ( N 2) flow conditions. To better understand the annealing effects of the crystal for the device, we evaluated both device properties and a c -axis lattice constant using x-ray diffraction. Compared to the N 2 -annealed sample, the O 2 -annealed sample shows higher critical current in the current–voltage characteristics and no clear emission. In addition, multiple hysteresis loops were observed above 75 K. Based on the x-ray diffraction measurements, it is suggested that the presence of multiple hysteresis loops observed in the I–V characteristics of the O 2 -annealed sample is caused by the existence of layers that have varying levels of oxygen content along the c -axis direction of the crystal. The formation of these layers is attributed to the deposition process of metallic thin films during the device fabrication procedure. This result indicates that the Bi2212 crystal surface of the O 2 -annealed sample is more sensitive than that of the N 2 -annealed one. The information is useful for preparing the Bi2212 crystals for THz-wave emitting devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Sensory neurons are afferent neurons in sensory systems that convert stimuli and transmit information to the central nervous system as electrical signals. Primary afferent neurons that are affected by non-noxious and noxious stimuli are present in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and the DRG sensory neurons are used as an in vitro model of the nociceptive response. However, DRG derived from mouse or rat give a low yield of neurons, and they are difficult to culture. To help alleviate this problem, we characterized human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived sensory neurons. They can solve the problems of interspecies differences and supply stability. We investigated expressions of sensory neuron related proteins and genes, and drug responses by Multi-Electrode Array (MEA) to analyze the properties and functions of sensory neurons. They expressed nociceptor, mechanoreceptor and proprioceptor related genes and proteins. They constitute a heterogeneous population of their subclasses. We confirmed that they could respond to both noxious and non-noxious stimuli. We showed that histamine inhibitors reduced histamine-induced neuronal excitability. Furthermore, incubation with a ProTx-II and Nav1.7 inhibitor reduced the spontaneous neural activity in hiPSC-derived sensory neurons. Their responsiveness was different from each drug. We have demonstrated that hiPSC-derived sensory neurons combined with MEA are good candidates for drug discovery studies where DRG in vitro modeling is necessary.