Search

BackgroundEmerging evidence suggests that fish consumption may have beneficial effects on mood disorders. However, no study has been reported on this issue in young adults to date. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between fish consumption and depressive symptoms in Japanese undergraduate students.MethodsThe 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale was used to measure depressive symptoms with a cut-off score of 16. A total of 4190 completed questionnaires (from 2124 men and 2066 women) were received for analysis.ResultsMultivariate logistic analysis showed that fish intake was inversely associated with risk of depressive symptoms in undergraduate students. After adjustment for possible confounders, the odds-ratios (95% confidence intervals) for fish intake 1–2 times/month, 1–2 times/week, 3–4 times/week, and almost every day (compared with “almost never”) were 0.78 (0.62–0.99), 0.70 (0.56–0.87), 0.67 (0.53–0.85) and 0.65 (0.46–0.92), respectively. This association tended to be stronger in women than in men.ConclusionsFrequent fish consumption in undergraduate students seems to moderate depressive symptoms. Further research is warranted to clarify the causality.

Incorporation of a module focused on primary literature into three upper-division biology lab courses resulted in biology discipline–independent longitudinal learning gains for enrolled undergraduates. This module is easily transferable and is modeled around the principles used by researchers when approaching a scientific paper., Primary literature is essential for scientific communication and is commonly utilized in undergraduate biology education. Despite this, there is often little time spent training our students how to critically analyze a paper. To address this, we introduced a primary literature module in multiple upper-division laboratory courses. In this module, instructors conduct classroom discussions that dissect a paper as researchers do. While previous work has identified classroom interventions that improve primary literature comprehension within a single course, our goal was to determine whether including a scientific paper module in our classes could produce long-term benefits. On the basis of performance in an assessment exam, we found that our module resulted in longitudinal gains, including increased comprehension and critical-thinking abilities in subsequent lab courses. These learning gains were specific to courses utilizing our module, as no longitudinal gains were seen in students who had taken other upper-division labs that lacked extensive primary literature discussion. In addition, we assessed whether performance on our assessment correlated with a variety of factors, including grade point average, course performance, research background, and self-reported confidence in understanding of the article. Furthermore, all of the study conclusions are independent of biology disciplines, as we observe similar trends within each course.

This is the first paper to reveal the formation mechanism of the abnormal growth of nickel silicide that causes leakage-current failure in complementary metal-oxide- semiconductor (CMOS) devices by using advanced transmission electron microscope (TEM) techniques: electron tomography and spatially-resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). We reveal that the abnormal growth of Ni silicide results in a single crystal of NiSi2 and that it grows toward Si directions along (111) planes with the Ni diffusion through the silicon interstitial sites. In addition, we confirm that the abnormal growth is related to crystal microstructure and crystal defects. These detailed analyses are essential to understand the formation mechanism of abnormal growths of Ni silicide.

Summary Introduction: Etoposide (VP16) is a drug used not only for the treatment of lymphoma but also for the collection of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs). We analysed the efficacy and adverse effects of collecting PBSCs and the relation between the infused cell dose and the clinical outcome in lymphoid malignancies. Method: Investigating 30 patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, one patient with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and five patients with multiple myeloma, we compared the effects of several doses of etoposide with those of CHOP or CHOP-like treatments or salvage treatments. We also analysed the relation between the amount of CD34+ cells collected (above or below 5.0 × 106/kg/day) and prognosis of these patients. Results: We found the collected cell count to be highest in patients treated with 500 mg/m2 of VP16 and lowest in those not treated with VP16 (P = 0.0073). A CD34+ cell count above 100/μL on the collection day indicates that the target amount of CD34+ cells (4.0 × 106/kg) can be readily obtained and was reached most rapidly by the patients who had received 500 mg/m2 of VP16 (P = 0.01). The longer duration of neutropenia in those patients (P = 0.000006) resulted in longer antibiotic treatment (P = 0.0052). Both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were better for the patients who yielded more than 5.0 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg/day (P = 0.087 for PFS and P

In the flower market there is a continuous demand for new cultivars of Alstroemeria as an ornamental flower. Many interspecific hybrids of Alstroemeria are utilized for commercial cultivars. However there is no report about intergeneric hybridization between Alstroemeria and Bomarea. We are investigating the possibility of creating intergeneric hybrids between Alstroemeria and Bomarea. Moreover, ovule culture conditions were examined for overcoming post-fertilization barriers after pollination of Bomarea pollen grains to A. aurea, A. pelegrina var. rosea and A. magenta. The frequency of pollen tube entry into ovules was compared in the pistil of A. aurea, A. pelegrina var. rosea and A. magenta after pollination of B. coccinea pollen grains. Pollen tubes in Alstroemeria ovaries were observed with aniline blue staining 48 hours after pollination. The frequencies of pollen tube entry into ovules were 0.3, 5.6 and 10.0% in A. aurea, A. pelegrina var. rosea and A. magenta, respectively. For ovule culture, pollinated ovaries were harvested 3 and 7 days after pollination, and the ovules were cultured on 2 g L -1 gellan gum-solidified MS medium with or without gibberellic acid, and supplemented with sucrose at different concentrations (30, 60, 80 or 100 g L -1 ). As a result, 3 plantlets were obtained in A. pelegrina var. rosea x B. coccinea cultured on MS medium supplemented with 80 g L -1 sucrose. Although pollen tubes of B. coccinea were reached to A. aurea ovules, this combination might have stronger pre-fertilization barriers than those of A. pelegrina var. rosea and A. magenta. It supposed to be different intensity of pre-fertilization barriers among species. Our data also suggested that sucrose concentration at 80 g L -1 in culture medium was effective to obtain progenies after intergeneric pollination. Confirmation of hybrid natures for the plantlets is now in progress.

Stereotactic radiosurgery is an alternative to conventional surgery for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. To better define the safety of radiosurgery and optimal technical choices, we reviewed our patient records and the literature. A total of 334 patients presenting with trigeminal neuralgia were treated between December 1992 and September 2005. A minimum of 1 year of follow-up was available for 262 patients. The mean age was 68 years (range: 30–90); 128 patients were male and 134 female. A neurovascular conflict was clearly visualized on MRI in 167 patients. Twenty-one had a past history of multiple sclerosis and 110 had already received conventional surgical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. The intervention consisted of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) to the retrogasserian cisternal portion of the Vth cranial nerve. The median maximal dose used was 85 Gy (range: 70–90). Actuarial curves show a plateau at 5 years for both the risk of hypoesthesia and recurrence. At 5 years, 58% of the patients remain pain-free and 83% have no trigeminal nerve disturbance. The median delay for pain cessation was 15 days. The initial pain-relief rate was 89%. None of the complications reported for the other techniques were observed. Patient selection (typical versus atypical, age, past surgery, multiple sclerosis) and details of operative technique (maximum dose, volume of nerve treated, target location, etc.) had a major influence on the probability of pain relief and toxicity risk. The details of operative technique are turning out to have a major influence on the clinical results. In our experience, high-dose (80–90 Gy) retrogasserian (7–8 mm from the brainstem) GKS provides the patient with a better chance of long-term pain relief and a lower risk of trigeminal nerve functional disturbance. GKS applied to the cisternal anterior trigeminal nerve using high doses provided safe and effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia over the long term.

The anomalous gate-edge leakage current in n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (nMOSFETs), which is caused by the encroached growth of nickel silicide across the p-n junction, is first reported. Furthermore, this encroached growth, which is caused by the isotropic and rapid diffusion of Ni atoms during the silicidation annealing, is successfully suppressed by the advanced Si+ ion-implantation (Si-I.I.) technique. Using the Si-I.I. technique, both the anisotropic silicidation to the perpendicular direction and the phase transition from Ni2Si to NiSi are enhanced by the introduction of damaged layers into Si substrates, such as vacancy and amorphous Si layers, and as a result, the silicidation region is confined at the source and drain regions. In addition, we propose a new evaluation method for the quantitative analysis of the encroached growth based on its growth properties, namely, the variability of encroached growths, which is three standard deviations of the roughness at silicide edges. The usefulness of this simple analysis for a large number of nMOSFETs is also demonstrated.

Optimal management of cavernous sinus hemangiomas remains unclear. Total microsurgical removal of these neoplasms may be extremely difficult due to their rich vascularization. Three cases of cavernous sinus hemangioma treated with low-dose Gamma Knife radiosurgery are presented. Marginal dose varied from 10 to 13 Gy. Treatment planning and radiation dosimetry were done with a goal of conformal and selective coverage of the lesion with 50% prescription isodose line using multiisocenter technique. In all cases significant shrinkage of the neoplasm was marked at 3 months after treatment. Mean volume reduction at 12 months after radiosurgery was 60% (range: 45-75%). In all patients the shrinkage of the neoplasm was accompanied by notable improvement of the preexistent oculomotor nerve palsy. No radiosurgery-related complications were met during follow-up. In conclusion, low-dose Gamma Knife radiosurgery seems to be very effective for management of cavernous sinus hemangiomas, and can be considered as a treatment modality of choice for these lesions.

We report the direct observation of the transition from the Tomonaga–Luttinger liquid (TLL) states to the superconductive (SC) phase in partially end-bonded multi-walled carbon nanotubes, in which the SC phase and the TLL states interplay. Two different transition behaviors are observed when the temperature decreases: (1) a drastic increase in the Luttinger parameter g toward g =1 in the power laws on non-normalized differential conductance (d l /d v ) vs. voltages and (2) a deviation from the TLL formula in the low voltage-energy region of normalized d l /d v vs. eV / kT . These findings shed light on understanding of one-dimensional electron correlations.

The brain is frequently affected by the spread of lung cancer, and haematogenous metastasis is a common route to brain metastasis. We therefore developed an isogenic brain metastasis model of lung cancer to use the Lewis lung carcinoma cell line and analysed dynamics of neoplastic cells after extravasation. Histological analysis revealed two characteristic patterns: metastatic foci exhibiting an angiocentric pattern were designated 'perivascular proliferations'; neoplastic cells infiltrating the brain parenchyma were designated 'invasive proliferations'. Electron microscopic observation of perivascular proliferations showed that neoplastic cells were confined to the perivascular space. In invasive proliferations, however, fragments of collagen fibre were observed in the gaps between neoplastic cells, indicating that the neoplastic cells had disintegrated the pia-glial membrane. We analysed the expressions of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 by using both immunohistochemical analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. MMP-2 expression was significantly higher in invasive proliferations. MMP-9 expression was significantly higher in day 7, but there was no significant difference in day 11. The pia-glial membrane and perivascular space are the barriers that neoplastic cells must overcome to infiltrate the brain. In conclusion, our findings suggest that brain metastasis requires two distinct processes.

We report that entirely end-bonded multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) can exhibit superconductivity with a transition temperature (T c ) as high as 12 K, which is approximately 30 times greater than T c reported for ropes of single-walled nanotubes. We find that the emergence of this superconductivity is highly sensitive to the junction structures of the Au electrode/MWNTs. This reveals that only MWNTs with optimal numbers of electrically activated shells, which are realized by end bonding, can allow superconductivity due to intershell effects.

Abiotic stress is the major limiting factor of plant growth and crop yields. Traditional plant breeding has achieved significant results but the process is rather time- consuming and expensive. Pla...

We are developing a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for extracting and recognizing thoracic organ regions from chest CT images. In a previous study, we have shown that this system can automatically recognize nine kinds of human organ and tissue regions from multi-slice CT images and provide some useful applications for visualizing CT images three-dimensionally (3-D) or two-dimensionally (2-D) based on preliminary recognition results. In this paper, we propose some further studies for this system that focus on lung structure recognition. These studies include: (1) identification of thoracic cage region, (2) extraction of major and minor fissures and classification of lung regions, (3) classification of lung surface and identification of hilus pulmonis. The proposed methods have been applied to three chest CT images for recognizing lung structure and have demonstrated promising results.

Summary Objective: There is no widely accepted method to repair articular cartilage defects. Bone marrow mesenchymal cells have the potential to differentiate into bone, cartilage, fat and muscle. Bone marrow mesenchymal cell transplantation is easy to use clinically because cells can be easily obtained and can be multiplied without losing their capacity of differentiation. The objective of this study was to apply these cell transplantations to repair human articular cartilage defects in osteoarthritic knee joints. Design: Twenty-four knees of 24 patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) who underwent a high tibial osteotomy comprised the study group. Adherent cells in bone marrow aspirates were culture expanded, embedded in collagen gel, transplanted into the articular cartilage defect in the medial femoral condyle and covered with autologous periosteum at the time of 12 high tibial osteotomies. The other 12 subjects served as cell-free controls. Results: In the cell-transplanted group, as early as 6.3 weeks after transplantation the defects were covered with white to pink soft tissue, in which metachromasia was partially observed. Forty-two weeks after transplantation, the defects were covered with white soft tissue, in which metachromasia was observed in almost all areas of the sampled tissue and hyaline cartilage-like tissue was partially observed. Although the clinical improvement was not significantly different, the arthroscopic and histological grading score was better in the cell-transplanted group than in the cell-free control group. Conclusions: This procedure highlights the availability of autologous culture expanded bone marrow mesenchymal cell transplantation for the repair of articular cartilage defects in humans. © 2002 OsteoArthritis Research Society International

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can make an important contribution to our understanding of genetic backgrounds that may influence medical conditions and ethnic diversity. We undertook a systematic survey of genomic DNA for SNPs located not only in coding sequences but also in non-coding regions (e.g., introns and 5' flanking regions) of selected genes. Using DNA samples from 48 Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as templates, we surveyed 41 genes that represent candidates for RA, screening a total of 104 kb of DNA (30 kb of coding sequences and 74 kb of non-coding DNA). Within this 104 kb of genomic sequences we identified 163 polymorphisms (1 per 638 bases on average), of which 142 were single-nucleotide substitutions and the remainder, insertions or deletions. Of the coding SNPs, 52% were non-synonymous substitutions, and non-conservative amino acid changes were observed in a quarter of those. Sixty-nine polymorphisms showed high frequencies for minor alleles (more than 15%) and 20 revealed low frequencies (

The effects of the diffusion control technique by inserting physical vapor deposition (PVD)-TiN film between poly-Si and CVD-TiN films on the properties of p-MISFETs using poly-Si/TiN/HfSiON gate stacks have been studied. This insertion was effective in suppressing the diffusion of Si from poly-Si to HfSiON and was able to reduce the Vth value by 0.12 V while keeping the equivalent oxide thickness and S value constant, when the thicknesses of the PVD and CVD-TiN films were 10 and 5 nm, respectively. Although too much ion implantation of fluorine into the substrate deteriorates S value and ION, it was verified that this diffusion control technique, in conjunction with a moderate substrate fluorine implantation, provided a reduction of Vth in pMIS without a deterioration of ION.

Cut flowers of Allium giganteum Regel were emasculated and maintained in half-strength Murashige and Skoog liquid medium supplemented with 3% sucrose and 1000 ppm each of Agrimycin(R) and Benlate(R). Wide hybridization was attempted and, through embryo rescue, putative hybrids were obtained from crosses involving A. cernuum Roth, A. oreophilum C.A. Mey. and A. schubertii Zucc. PCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA followed by digestion with NdeII generated restriction profiles that confirmed the hybrid nature of the A. giganteum×A. schubertii progenies. The other putative hybrids were found to be products of self pollination.

The wear rate of the ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene cups in combination with a 28 mm alumina femoral head was measured on the radiographs of patients without any complications, and on cups retrieved due to slight loosening of the prosthesis or due to late infection between bone and components. The wear rate on the radiographs did not include the initial wear, but the wear rate on the retrieved cups did include the initial wear. The wear rate on the retrieved cups was higher, by 50%, than that measured on the radiographs. In both cases, the thicker the polyethylene cups, the lower was the wear rate measured. The average wear rate of the 7 and 8 mm thick cups was about twice that of cups 10 and 11 mm thick. From these results, we conclude that polyethylene cups more than 11 mm thick should be used.

Among 341 randomly amplified DNA sequences generated from 11 Allium species, 55 were purified by gel excision and subsequent reamplification by PCR. These were then used as probes in dot blot analysis to evaluate the relationships between 44 Allium accessions classified under the subgenus Rhizirideum. The hybridization signals were standardized and converted to Euclidean taxonomic distances. Unweighted Pair Group Mean analysis of the distance data generated a phyllogram which basically conformed to the classification system proposed by the Gatersleben (Germany) group. However, there was insufficient evidence to suppport the proposal to join A. chinense G. Don with A. virgunculae F. Maek. et Kitam. into sect. Sacculiferum or the recent suggestion to re-establish sect. Phyllodolon.

We discuss the improvement on a three-dimensional analysis of multilayer wiring process failure. We have applied this technique to Al-plug multilayer wiring and have successfully confirmed the precise failure point three-dimensionally without causing any physical or electrical damage to the wiring. We used four-layered wiring sample but it is applicable to thicker samples. This technique also enables a multi-dimensional evaluation of the cover margin and void condition of the via-holes. This technique also make it possible to evaluate a lot of via-holes simultaneously. This technique therefore makes failure analysis and evaluation easier and provides quick feedback concerning the multi-layered process development.

A novel fluorine-containing alicyclic diepoxide resin, the diglycidyl ether of bis(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoropropyl)cyclohexane (CHEP), has been synthesized using benzene, hexafluoroacetone, and epichl...

The integrin LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18) is a cell surface adhesion molecule required for leukocyte extravasation and subsequent immune and inflammatory responses. Rapid transition between nonadherent and adherent states of LFA-1 is of key importance to Ag-specific recognition of T lymphocytes. In this paper, LFA-1-mediated adhesiveness of peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) T lymphocytes to affinity-purified ICAM-1-coated plates was studied in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in patients with non-RA panels, including osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, erythema nodosum, pseudogout, and pustulosis. LFA-1-mediated adhesiveness of SF T lymphocytes was not observed in any of the 10 non-RA patients studied, although cross-linking of the TCR on lymphocytes from these patients rapidly converted LFA-1 to an adhesive state. In contrast, SF T lymphocytes from 10 of 12 RA patients exhibited LFA-1-mediated adhesiveness without a requirement for cross-linking of the TCR. No difference was seen in the cell surface density of LFA-1 between non-RA and RA T lymphocytes, suggesting that the difference in adhesiveness was due to a high avidity state of LFA-1 on SF T lymphocytes in RA. Furthermore, exposure of PB T lymphocytes, which showed a low avidity state of LFA-1, to whole SF from RA patients that was depleted of T lymphocytes could induce a high avidity state of LFA-1 in vitro. Cellfree SF from RA patients also could stimulate adhesiveness, although to a lesser extent. These data suggest the existence of a LFA-1-activating environment that is selectively found in SF from RA patients.

Background Biologics are effective for improving disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We also reported the efficacy of biologicals on health status [1]. However, efficacy of biologics on psychological status, self-efficacy and patient satisfaction in RA patients is not well evaluated. Objectives We evaluated improvement of health status, psychological status, self-efficacy and patient satisfaction in patients with RA treated with biologics. Methods The patients with RA who were planning to be treated with the biologics (adalimumab (ADA), tocilizumab (TCZ) and abatacept (ABT)) were enrolled. Disease activity was evaluated using SJC, TJC, PGA and CDAI. Psychological status was examined using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Depression (HADS-D) and Anxiety (HADS-A). Self-efficacy and health status including patient satisfaction were assessed using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale 2 (AIMS-2), respectively. Comparison analysis was performed between the baseline and 24 weeks after biological therapy. To further investigate the items related to satisfaction, correlation analysis was performed between patient satisfaction and disease activity and health status including psychological status. Data analyses were performed utilizing Wilcoxon rank-sum test and Spearman correlation analysis. Results Twenty-six patients (male/female: 7/19) (ADA: 8, TCZ: 9, ABT: 9) were evaluated. Patients9 characteristics were as follows: median (interquartile range) age of 57 (49.2 - 75.0) years and duration of 2.9 (0.8 - 5.5) years. SJC, TJC, PGA and CDAI showed statistically significant improvement at week 24 compared to the baseline (p Patient satisfaction showed statistically significant correlation with SJC (r=0.686, p Conclusions Biologics were effective in improving psychological status, patient satisfaction and self-efficacy as well as disease activity and health status. For further improving patient satisfaction, psychological support and social assistance by health professionals9 team in addition to appropriate treatment may be required. References Fusama M, et al. Mod Rheumatol 2013; 23: 276–83. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Background The clinical benefits of biologics to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been demonstrated in various clinical trials. However, patient satisfaction in patients treated with biologics is not well evaluated. Objectives We evaluated patient satisfaction and health status in patients with RA treated with biologics. Methods The patients with RA who were planning to be treated with IL-6 inhibitor (tocilizumab; TCZ) (IL-6 group) and TNF inhibitor (adalimumab: ADA, infliximab; IFX, etanercept; ETN) (TNF group) were enrolled. Disease activity was evaluated using swollen joint counts (SJC), tender joint counts (TJC) and patient global assessment (PGA), and Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI). Patient satisfaction was evaluated utilizing patient satisfaction scores of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale 2 (AIMS-2). Satisfaction was measured before and after 6-months of treatment with each of the biologics, and the results were compared. Statistical analysis was performed utilizing Wilcoxon rank-sum test and t-test. Results Patients with RA (n=85) were evaluated in this study. 48 patients were treated with TCZ, and 47 patients were treated with anti-TNF agents (ADA: 17, IFX:17, ETN:13).Patients characteristics were as follows as follows: mean±SD of age (55.6±11.9 years old) and duration (7.29±8.83 years), male/female (16/79). Both at baseline and at 6 months after treatment, there was no statistically significant differences in SJC, TJC, PGA, EGA and CDAI between TCZ group and TNF group. All these evaluations showed statistically significant improvement after 6 months of treatment in each group.As for health status, all 5 components of AIMS-2 showed statistically significant improvement at 6 months compared to the baseline in TNF groups. In IL-6 group, “physical”, “symptom”, “affect” and “role” improved significantly at 6 months (p Conclusions Patient satisfaction and health status except social interaction were improved by TNF inhibitor or IL-6 inhibitor. To solve the problems related to social function, understandings and social support for patients by health professionals may be required. Disclosure of Interest None declared

大腸微小腫瘍の形態によるmalignant potentialの差異を検討する目的で,5mm以下の隆起型腫瘍(Is34病変)および表面型腫瘍(IIa64病変,IIa+IIc21病変,IIc15病変)について,画像解析による客観的異型度とargyrophilic nucleolar organizer resions(Ag-NORs)scoreを用いた増殖能を測定した.核・腺管係数はIsに対し表面型各型で有意に高く(p

Etoposide (VP16) is a drug used not only for the treatment of lymphoma but also for the collection of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs). We analysed the efficacy and adverse effects of collecting PBSCs and the relation between the infused cell dose and the clinical outcome in lymphoid malignancies.Investigating 30 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, one patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma, and five patients with multiple myeloma, we compared the effects of several doses of etoposide with those of CHOP or CHOP-like treatments or salvage treatments. We also analysed the relation between the amount of CD34(+) cells collected (above or below 5.0 × 10(6) /kg/day) and prognosis of these patients.We found the collected cell count to be highest in patients treated with 500 mg/m(2) of VP16 and lowest in those not treated with VP16 (P = 0.0073). A CD34(+) cell count above 100/μL on the collection day indicates that the target amount of CD34(+) cells (4.0 × 10(6) /kg) can be readily obtained and was reached most rapidly by the patients who had received 500 mg/m(2) of VP16 (P = 0.01). The longer duration of neutropenia in those patients (P = 0.000006) resulted in longer antibiotic treatment (P = 0.0052). Both progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were better for the patients who yielded more than 5.0 × 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg/day (P = 0.087 for PFS and P0.033 for OS).We show here that 3 days of VP16 at 500 mg/m(2) was useful for the collection of PBSCs and that patients who yielded more than 5.0 × 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg/day survived longer than those who yielded less.

Using a groEL gene of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 as a DNA probe, a 4.8-kilobase pair (kbp) BamHI fragment of chromosomal DNA of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was cloned. Sequencing of 3.25 kbp of the BamHI fragment revealed three open reading frames. The amino acid sequences deduced from the nucleotide sequences of the two open reading frames are identical to those gained from N-terminal sequencing of purified groEL and groES proteins. This finding demonstrates that these two open reading frames correspond to groEL and groES genes of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. groEL of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is remarkably homologous to groEL proteins of other organisms. Southern blot analysis indicates that only one groESL operon is present in the genomic DNA of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, whereas the existence of at least two copies of groEL-analogous genes are anticipated. The level of the bicistronic, 2.2-kb transcript of groESL operon increased 100-fold within 15 min upon heat stress. A 9-base pair inverted repeat revealed around the groESL promoter might be involved in regulation of the heat shock response.

Aims: To degrade ether-type polyurethane (ether-PUR), ether-PUR–degrading micro-organism was isolated. Moreover, ether-PUR–degrading mechanisms were analysed using model compounds of ether-PUR. Methods and Results: A fungus designated as strain PURDK2, capable of changing the configuration of ether-PUR, has been isolated. This isolated fungus was identified as Alternaria sp. Using a scanning electron microscope, the grid structure of ether-PUR was shown to be melted and disrupted by the fungus. The degradation of ether-PUR by the fungus was analysed, and the ether-PUR was degraded by the fungus by about 27·5%. To analyse the urethane-bond degradation by the fungus, a degraded product of ethylphenylcarbamate was analysed using GC/MS. Aniline and ethanol were detected by degradation with the supernatant, indicating that the fungus secreted urethane-bond–degrading enzyme(s). PURDK2 also degraded urea bonds when diphenylmethane-4,4′-dibutylurea was used as a substrate. Conclusions: The enzyme(s) from PURDK2 degraded urethane and urea bonds to convert the high molecular weight structure of ether-PUR to small molecules; and then the fungus seems to use the small molecules as an energy source. Significance and Impact of the Study: Ether-PUR–degrading fungus, strain PURDK2, was isolated, and the urethane- and urea-bonds–degrading enzymes from strain PURDK2 could contribute to the material recycling of ether-PUR.

Stereotactic radiosurgery is an alternative to conventional surgery for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. To better define the safety of radiosurgery and optimal technical choices, we reviewed our patient records and the literature. A total of 334 patients presenting with trigeminal neuralgia were treated between December 1992 and September 2005. A minimum of 1 year of follow-up was available for 262 patients. The mean age was 68 years (range: 30-90); 128 patients were male and 134 female. A neurovascular conflict was clearly visualized on MRI in 167 patients. Twenty-one had a past history of multiple sclerosis and 110 had already received conventional surgical treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. The intervention consisted of gamma knife radiosurgery (GKS) to the retrogasserian cisternal portion of the Vth cranial nerve. The median maximal dose used was 85Gy (range: 70-90). Actuarial curves show a plateau at 5 years for both the risk of hypoesthesia and recurrence. At 5 years, 58% of the patients remain pain-free and 83% have no trigeminal nerve disturbance. The median delay for pain cessation was 15 days. The initial pain-relief rate was 89%. None of the complications reported for the other techniques were observed. Patient selection (typical versus atypical, age, past surgery, multiple sclerosis) and details of operative technique (maximum dose, volume of nerve treated, target location, etc.) had a major influence on the probability of pain relief and toxicity risk. The details of operative technique are turning out to have a major influence on the clinical results. In our experience, high-dose (80-90Gy) retrogasserian (7-8mm from the brainstem) GKS provides the patient with a better chance of long-term pain relief and a lower risk of trigeminal nerve functional disturbance. GKS applied to the cisternal anterior trigeminal nerve using high doses provided safe and effective treatment for trigeminal neuralgia over the long term.

We performed detailed analysis of Ni silicide discontinuities induced by agglomeration that causes the increasing electric resistance in high-performance CMOS devices by using advanced physical analysis techniques. We confirmed that the agglomeration of the Ni silicide is related to elongated-triangular- shaped-splits — which we call delta-shaped-splits — which cause discontinuities that occur at small-angle grain boundaries pinned by boron clusters even with small stress. We successfully determined the formation mechanism of the Ni silicide discontinuities in detail. It is essential to develop a highly reliable Ni salicide process, especially for 45 nm node high performance devices and beyond.

This paper describes a prototype of a levitation type PM (permanent magnet) motor with a millimeter-sized cylindrical rotor. The PM motor consists of a rotor (/spl phi/ 2.0 mm/spl times/10 mm), a pair of electromagnets, a pair of photodiodes, and an analog PD controller. The rotor successfully rotates levitating in the center of electromagnets. In this paper, driving characteristics such as rotation speed, acceleration characteristics, and magnetic friction of the rotor are discussed. It is shown that the levitation-type PM motor is very promising.

We performed detailed analysis of the abnormal growth of Ni silicide that causes leakage-current failure in CMOS devices. We investigated the three-dimensional shape and the crystal microstructure of the abnormal growth by using advanced transmission electron microscope (TEM) techniques: electron tomography and spatially-resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Furthermore, we revealed that the abnormal growth is related to crystal microstructure and crystal defects. This detailed information is important in the mechanism elucidation of abnormal growth of Ni silicide. To develop a highly reliable Ni salicide process, it is essential to understand the failure mechanism of abnormal growths of Ni silicide, especially for 45 nm node devices and beyond. To conclude, we discuss the solutions for the development of a successful Ni salicide process.