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Objective: Joint instability and meniscal dysfunction contribute to the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). In the destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) model, secondary OA occurs due to the rotational instability and increases compressive stress resulting from the meniscal dysfunction. We created a new controlled abnormal tibial rotation (CATR) model that reduces the rotational instability that occurs in the DMM model. So, we aimed to investigate whether rotational instability affects articular cartilage degeneration using the DMM and CATR models, as confirmed using histology and immunohistochemistry., Design: Twelve-week-old male mice were randomized into 3 groups: DMM group, CATR group, and INTACT group (right knee of the DMM group). After 8 and 12 weeks, we performed the tibial rotational test, safranin-O/fast green staining, and immunohistochemical staining for tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and metalloproteinase (MMP)-13., Results: The rotational instability in the DMM group was significantly higher than that of the other groups. And articular cartilage degeneration was higher in the DMM group than in the other groups. However, meniscal degeneration was observed in both DMM and CATR groups. The TNF-α and MMP-13 positive cell rates in the articular cartilage of the CATR group were lower than those in the DMM group., Conclusions: We found that the articular cartilage degeneration was delayed by controlling the rotational instability caused by meniscal dysfunction. These findings suggest that suppression of rotational instability in the knee joint may be an effective therapeutic measure for preventing OA progression.

We have measured the transmittance of 3-kW CO(2) laser light through Ge-coated Ag hollow waveguides. The basic characteristics such as transmissivity, bending loss, and output-beam properties are described. A maximum laser power of 2.6 kW was delivered through a straight hollow waveguide that was 1.7 mm in diameter and 2 m long. Furthermore, 4-m-long waveguides were fabricated by joining two waveguides. Finally, preliminary experiments on welding steel plates were done with the light transmitted through the waveguide. Although the focusing properties of the output beam should be improved for practical laser processing, this type of waveguide is promising for high-power CO(2) laser-light transmission.

The rates of shear encountered in topical application of cosmetic creams and lipstick were obtained by dividing the application velocities, at which the samples are being sheared, by the applied thicknesses of the layer. The application velocity was measured by means of a high-speed camera. Beauty artists, formulating chemists of cosmetics and women employees were used as the sensory panel. For topical application of creams in make-up, the maximum rates of shear were found to be between 10 4 and 10 5 S -1 , though the rate of shear differed from one kind of cream to another. The maximum rates of shear for lipstick in make-up were smaller than those for creams and were between 10 3 and 10 4 s -1 .