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OBJECTIVE: We previously established a descriptive dietary record method that accurately quantifies habitual water intake from food and beverages, to ascertain the relationship between water intake and health. Here, we verified the validity of a selective recall method, which is easy for users to answer and analyze. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Japanese men and women aged 20-44 years (n = 16) and 45-64 years (n = 16) participated over three working days and one non-working day. The day following each of the surveyed days, participants collected their first morning urine for urinalysis and completed a selective recall and descriptive dietary record questionnaire. RESULTS: The two methods of determining water intake were positively correlated (r = 0.94, p < 0.0001). Water intake volumes from non-alcoholic beverages (r = 0.94, p < 0.0001), alcoholic beverages (r = 1.00, p < 0.0001), and food (r = 0.72, p < 0.0001), calculated using the two methods, exhibited strong correlation. No correlation was observed between urinalysis parameters and total water intake. A significant, negative correlation was observed between urine osmolarity and total water intake in men (r = -0.55, p = 0.0011) and women (r = -0.51, p = 0.0032) aged 20-44 years. CONCLUSIONS: Selective recall is a valid method for assessing water intake from food and beverages.

This study aimed to examine the effects of quercetin glycoside-containing beverages on cognitive function and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in adult men and women aged between 60 and 75 years.Eighty healthy men and women with no cognitive impairment and aware of ageing-related forgetfulness underwent a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind, and parallel-group trial. They regularly consumed 500 mL of beverage containing 110 mg of quercetin glycoside as isoquercitrin for 40 weeks. Cognitive function assessment by Cognitrax was the endpoint of the study. The participants were assessed for CBF, health-related quality of life, as well as physical, biological, and hematological parameters, and lateral index.Cognitrax demonstrated that the reaction time significantly improved in the quercetin glycoside intake group. The CBF measurement suggested that quercetin glycoside intake could likely suppress the decrease in cerebral blood volume, CBF, and cerebral activity owing to stress alleviation and inhibition of the accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ), a waste product in the brain, although there were no significant differences between the groups.Quercetin glycoside intake as a beverage could improve reaction time and may potentially inhibit the decrease in CBF and suppress Aβ accumulation.

We aimed to classify Japanese adults without diabetes into different categories based on the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and characterize their insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion.The OGTT was performed on 1,085 Japanese individuals without diabetes (aged 20-64 years); blood glucose and insulin levels were measured at 0, 30-, 60-, 90-, and 120-min. Fasting blood chemistry, hematology, and urine were analyzed. The participants were classified into four categories based on the following: (A) 30 min post-load plasma glucose levels157 mg/dL and/or (B) 120 min post-load plasma glucose levels126 mg/dL and Matsuda index4.97. Category 1 satisfied both conditions, category 2 satisfied condition A but not B, category 3 satisfied condition B but not A, and category 4 satisfied neither condition.Overall, 46%, 21%, 13%, and 20% of the participants were classified into categories 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Compared with category 1, the characteristics of the other categories were: 2, low insulin sensitivity and high blood glucose levels during the later period; 3, low insulin secretion and a rapid increase in blood glucose levels; and 4, combined characteristics of categories 2 and 3. Most blood test values besides glucose metabolism in category 4 were also worse than those in category 1. Categories 1 and 2 had a high proportion of females, whereas categories 3 and 4 had a low proportion.Japanese adults without diabetes are classified into four categories with different insulin sensitivities and insulin secretion using OGTT results. Each category has different characteristics of age and sex distribution and clinical values besides glucose metabolism.

Essence of chicken (EOC), a hot water extract of chicken, is widely consumed in Southeast Asia as a beverage. EOC has an inhibitory effect on the elevation of blood glucose levels and a secretagogue effect on insulin. However, the mechanism by which EOC promotes insulin secretion is unknown. We aimed to verify the postprandial hyperglycemic inhibitory effect and the insulin secretory effect of EOC in healthy adults under appropriate placebo settings. In addition, we aimed to understand the mechanism underlying the insulin secretory effect of EOC.Thirty-four healthy Japanese adults were fed 68 mL of EOC or control food, followed by 200 g of cooked rice. Blood glucose and plasma insulin levels were measured at 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after the participants ate cooked rice. The trial had a randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled design.The ingestion of EOC induced an increase in the maximum blood concentration (Cmax) of insulin and shortened the time required to reach the maximum blood concentration following rice consumption. Ingestion of the test beverage resulted in a significantly higher insulinogenic index than that obtained after ingestion of the control beverage. No side effects were observed in this study. Mechanistic experiments revealed that EOC stimulated significant (p0.05) secretion of GLP-1 from NCI-H716 human intestinal L cells at 0.1, 1, and 10 mg/mL.Consuming EOC when eating rice supports pancreatic function. Daily consumption of EOC could elevate the early-phase insulin response; therefore, it could prevent diabetes in Asians with low insulin secretion.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the mechanism of solifenacin release from a pH-responsive ion-complex oral resinate suspension under conditions simulating the environment in the upper gastrointestinal lumen. A secondary objective was to propose an appropriate in vitro methodology for evaluating the quality of orally administered solifenacin suspensions. The mechanism of solifenacin release from polacrilin potassium resin (Amberlite® IRP88) was investigated using biorelevant media and compendial setups (USP Apparatus 2 and USP Apparatus 4) and using newer, recently validated in vitro methodologies [biorelevant gastrointestinal transfer (BioGIT) system]. We evaluated the impact of particle size and concentration of the resin; thickener concentration (carbomer homopolymer, type B); and the impact of pH, cationic strength, agitation intensity and level of simulation of contents in the upper gastrointestinal lumen. Data suggested that solifenacin release from the resinate was determined by the resin particle size, the medium pH, cationic strength (when the conditions in the upper small intestine are simulated) and the level of simulation of contents in the upper small intestine. The interaction of solifenacin with taurocholic acid/lecithin aggregates was significant, but unlikely to affect the degree of solifenacin absorption, as a BCS Class I compound. Under acidic conditions, solifenacin was dissociated and released from the pH-responsive resin rapidly. Under conditions simulating the contents of the upper small intestine, solifenacin was replaced by cations from the testing media and diffused through the resin matrix. All three in vitro systems with or without a pH gradient are useful in distinguishing solifenacin release characteristics from resinate suspensions with different particle sizes. Because of this drug release mechanism, USP Apparatus 2 with fixed pH media demonstrated equivalent or slightly higher discriminative sensitivity than the other setups and appears to be appropriate for product quality control. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.

Extraction and stripping properties of Sc3+ were investigated by using a mixed extractant of Versatic Acid 10 (VA10) and Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP). The effect of adding TBP to VA10 was considered by analyzing the binding state of VA10 and TBP by FT-IR. Solvent extraction of scandium from an aqueous solution of Sc3+–Ti4+–Zr4+, which simulated waste water from the titanium oxide manufacturing process, the Bayers process and others, was performed, and the separation factor of Sc3+ over Ti4+ and Zr4+ was investigated. To clarify the operating conditions of a countercurrent multistage process for Sc3+, McCabe–Thiele analysis was applied to the extraction isotherm and stripping isotherm of Sc3+. The extraction pH of Sc3+ was found to shift to higher pH, and Sc3+ was stripped at a lower concentration of H2SO4 by adding TBP to VA10. Addition of TBP to VA10 suppresses the extraction of Sc3+ and promotes the stripping of Sc3+. IR spectra of the organic phase suggested that the dimeric portion of VA10 formed hydrogen bonds with TBP. The extractions of Sc3+, Ti4+ and Zr4+ were 77, 3 and 8%, respectively. The separation factors of these metal ions were βSc/Ti = 100 and βSc/Zr = 38 at pH4.6 on extraction with VA10 + TBP from aqueous solutionof Sc3+–Ti4+–Zr4+. Stripping efficiency of 100, 8 and 22% could be achieved for Sc3+, Ti4+ and Zr4+, respectively by using 0.5 mol/dm3 H2SO4. From these results, it was possible to separate Sc3+from impurities such as Ti4+ and Zr4+ by countercurrent multistage extraction, and Sc3+ was recovered by one-stage stripping with 0.5 mol/dm3 H2SO4. Extraction of Sc3+from the dilute aqueous solution containing 500 mg/dm3 of Sc3+reached 99% at the flow ratio (A/O) = 1.01 in the two-stage countercurrent extraction, and Sc3+ in the organic phase was stripped to attain a six-fold concentration by applying one-stage stripping with flow ratio of (O/A) = 6.00.

Background: Pasteurella species, widely known as indigenous organisms in the oral and gastrointestinal floras of many wild and domestic animals, are important pathogens in both animals and humans. Human infections due to Pasteurella species are in most cases associated with infected injuries following animal bites. We encountered a rare case of dual infections caused by different two Pasteurella species occurred in a previously healthy 25-year-old female sustaining injury by a dog-bite. Methodology: Exudates from the open wound of her dog-bite site, together with the saliva of the dog were submitted for bacteriological examination. Predominantly appearing grayish-white smooth colonies with almost the same colonial properties but slightly different glistening grown on chocolate and sheep blood agar plates were characterized morphologically by Gram's stain, biochemically by automated instrument using Vitek 2 system using GN cards together with commercially available kit system, ID-Test HN-20 rapid panels, and genetically by sequencing the 16S rRNA genes of the organism using a Tact DyeDeoxy Terminator Cycle Sequencing and a model 3100 DNA sequencer instrument. Results: The causative isolates from the dog-bite site were finally identified as P. canis and P. dagmatis from the findings of the morphological, cultural, and biochemical properties together with the comparative sequences of the 16S rRNA genes. Both the isolates were highly susceptible to many antibiotics and the patient was successfully treated with the administration of so-called the first generation cephalosporin, cefazolin followed by so-called the third generation cephalosporin, cefcapene pivoxil. The isolate from the dog was subsequently identified as P. canis, the same species as the isolate from the patient. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, :his was the second report of a dual infection with Pasteurella species consisting of P. dagmatis and P. canis resulting from a dog-bite, followed by the first report of dual infections due to P. dagmatis and P. multocida in 1988. Our isolate finally identified as P. dagmatis was misidentified as P. pneumotripica by means of the Vitek 2 system. The species name "P. dagmetis" was not included in the database of the system. It is also important for routine clinical microbiology laboratories to know the limitation of the automated Vitek 2 system for the accurate identification of Pasteurella species especially P. dagmatis. It should be emphasized that there still exists much room for improvement in Vitek 2 system. Significant improvement of Vitek 2 system especially in the identification of Pasteurella species is urgently desired., Article, EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH. 16(12):531-536 (2011)

To fabricate master templates of high-density patterned magnetic media, the authors developed a high-resolution and high-throughput rotary stage electron beam mastering system. They accomplished the fabrication of discrete track media groove patterns with 45nm track pitch, and also a dense bit array with both track and bit pitch of 35nm for bit patterned media under the conditions of a bit rate of 1.22MHz∕bit at 50kV acceleration voltage. The high resolution and high throughput are derived from using a continuous stage movement flyback lithography (CSFL) function. CSFL is enabled by differentiated capabilities, such as an electron optical column that achieves a large beam current at a small beam diameter, and a friction-driven slider stage that provides a highly accurate positioning capability and a dynamic focus correction feature and r-theta stage driving. The CSFL capability, working in conjunction with a blankingless beam shift lithography (BLSL), is very effective for fabricating various kinds of ser...

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of nicotine on learning and memory deficits induced by intracerebroventricular infusion of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in rats.Neuronal dysfunction in rats was induced by an infusion of Aβ(1-42) (20 µg/body, over 3 days) into right ventricle. Nicotine was administered intraperitoneally to the rats at 0.2 mg/kg, once a day for 9 weeks beginning 3 weeks after the Aβ infusion. Learning and memory functions were examined by behavioral tests including Morris water maze task performed on days 87-90. As biochemical analyses, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity and hemicholinium-3 (HC-3) binding were measured in brain tissues after the behavioral examination.The Aβ infusion induced significant learning and memory deficits in rats, judging from the behavioral tests. Treatment of the rats with nicotine significantly improved the Aβ-induced learning and memory deficits in water maze task. The Aβ infusion also decreased significantly not only the level of ChAT activity in posterior cortex and striatum, but the HC-3 binding in anterior cortex, posterior cortex, and hippocampus. The nicotine treatment did not reverse the level of ChAT but significantly inhibited the decrease in HC-3 binding, indicating improvement of cholinergic function without affecting the number of ACh terminals.Nicotine ameliorated learning and memory deficits in the Aβ(1-42)-induced animal model, which is mediated, at least in part, by enhancement of cholinergic neurotransmission. nAChR ligands including nicotine is thought to be useful as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

A simple and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method to determine the enantiomers of the muscle relaxant baclofen in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been developed. A commercially available ultrafiltration membrane is used to prepare the sample. A chiral CROWNPAK CR(+) stationary phase column is then used to perform complete resolution of the S(+)- and R(-)-enantiomers of baclofen. This method was used to analyze human plasma and CSF spiked with baclofen, and the calibration curves for both biologic samples were linear over a concentration range of 0.15-150 ng enantiomer/ml. The lower limit of quantification was 0.15 ng enantiomer/ml in both fluids. Finally, the method was tested with an artificial CSF as an alternative to authentic human CSF. The results showed that no matrix effects and no interfering peaks were observed using this artificial CSF.

Electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient were measured in a temperature range of 320–1073 K for sintered samples of Bi2Sr2Ca1 − xYxCu2Oy (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0). It has been found that the conduction behavior changes from n-type metallic to p-type semiconducting with increasing yttrium concentration. The power factors were in a range of 1.7–3.0 × 10−5 Wm−1 K−2 for the sample with x = 0.8, being maximized by the optimization of the yttrium concentration. The thermal conductivity for the sample with x = 0.8 was 0.73 Wm−1 K−1 at 310 K, and decreased with increasing temperature. The values of thermoelectric figure of merit were estimated to be in a range of 3.4–4.8 × 10−5 K−1 at temperatures of 320–673 K for the sample with x = 0.8.

1. The plasma pharmacokinetics, excretion and metabolism of DX-9065a were studied in the healthy male Caucasian volunteer after a single intravenous dose of 10 mg 14C-labelled DX-9065a. 2. At the end of a 1 h infusion, the mean plasma concentration of total radioactivity was 380 ng ml(-1) (equivalent to unchanged DX-9065). Thereafter, it decreased in a bi-exponential manner and was below the detection limit by 48 h after dosing. The half-life for the distribution phase was 6.93 h. 3. The total radioactivity recovered in urine and faeces by 336 h post-dose was 83.8% of the administered dose, with excretion ongoing at the end of the 14-day collection. The major route of excretion was via urine, accounting for a mean of 77.6% of the administered radioactivity. The urinary excretion profile was biphasic, consisting of rapid (0-24 h) and slow (24-336 h) phases. A large renal clearance suggested that renal tubular secretion might contribute to the excretion of DX-9065 via urine. 4. No metabolite peaks in the radio-HPLC chromatograms of urine samples were detected, indicating that biotransformation of DX-9065 does not play a significant role in the elimination of DX-9065 in man.

Thermoelectric properties such as the Seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity, and thermal conductivity are measured in the temperature range of 300– 673 K on Nd2−xCexCuO4 (x = 0–0.1) sintered bodies in order to estimate the figure-of-merit for thermoelectric energy conversion. The temperature dependences of both the Seebeck coefficient and electrical resistivity indicated n-type semiconducting behaviour. The thermal conductivities whose value decreased with increasing temperature were in the range of 3.7–7.5 Wm-1K-1. The maxima of the power factor and the figure-of-merit estimated from data measured at 320 K on a sample of a composition of x = 0.05 were 9.2×10-5 Wm-1K-2 and 1.7×10-5 K-1, respectively. The limitation of the power factor is discussed based on the measured Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity data. The thermal conductivity could be separated into a small electron component and a large phonon component by applying the Wiedemann–Franz law. This suggests the possibility of improving the figure-of-merit to some extent by a reduction of the phonon thermal conductivity.

Huntington's disease (HD) is associated with the expansion of a CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene. Molecular analysis of the repeat in Japanese HD patients and normal controls was performed. The size of the CAG repeat ranged from 37 to 95 repeats in affected subjects and from seven to 29 in normal controls. A significant correlation was found between the age of onset and the CAG expansion. The length of the expanded repeat is unstable in meiotic transmission and large increases occur in paternal transmission. At the same time the CCG repeat polymorphism adjacent to the CAG repeat was analysed and haplotypes of HD chromosomes were identified. Strong linkage disequilibrium was found between the CAG repeat expansion and an allele of (CCG)10 in Japanese HD chromosomes. It is distinct from that described previously in western populations. Western HD chromosomes strongly associate with an allele of (CCG)7. Possible mechanisms underlying the disequilibrium in Japan are discussed.

Functional activations of the human brain cortex were observed with a standard 1.5-tesla MR imaging system using a long time echo fast low-angle shot sequence. Neural activation increases regional cerebral blood flow resulting in increased capillaries and venous blood oxygenation. Processing requires adapted algorithms because the time course of intensity signal showed fluctuations of the baseline. The use of a 'follow-up' method to generate activation maps is proposed. Brain activation was detected in striate cortex during photic stimulation and in sensorimotor areas while subjects were moving their hands. In mental imagery tasks, we observed a primary and secondary visual cortex activation during memory recall of the flashing light. Motor ideation showed an activation of the rolandic areas.

R-curve behaviour of three kinds of silicon nitride-based ceramics has been studied using the single-edge notched beam (SENB) technique. If the notch is deep enough, the specimen shows stable fracture during the bending test, even when the sample is a brittle material. The conditions required to obtain stable fracture in the bending test are clarified by the analysis. The crack length of the specimen was also calculated from the changing load during the fracture test. In this study, coarse-grained silicon nitride shows a large increase of theR-curve. On the other hand, silicon nitride with silicon carbide whiskers shows noR-curve increase. The rise of theR-curve should be related to the microstructure of the ceramics, and especially to the grain size of the specimen, because silicon carbide whiskers are not large compared to the silicon nitride grains, and silicon carbide can reduce the grain growth of silicon nitride during sintering.

The dietary influence on ethanol-induced increase in serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GTP) activity was studied in 2165 healthy men 18-85 y of age living in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As ethanol consumption increased, the intake of cereals, potatoes, vegetables, milk and dairy products, oils, fruit, confections, and sugar decreased, whereas the intake of meat increased. These associations suggest that ethanol consumption led to the decrease in the intake of carbohydrate and vegetable fat. Serum gamma-GTP activity was found to be positively related to ethanol consumption and negatively related to the intake of sugar, fruit, and confections. The activity was the highest in those whose percent energy intake from carbohydrates was the lowest. Stepwise-multiple-regression analysis identified the three variables ethanol, sugar, and fruit, as the factors associated with the value of gamma-GTP activity: ethanol on the one hand increased the activity, whereas sugar and fruit on the other hand decreased the activity. Moreover, a lowered sugar intake augmented the ethanol-induced increase in the enzyme activity. These results suggest that sugar intake plays a role in the ethanol-induced increase in serum gamma-GTP activity.

A 58-year-old woman was admitted to our institute. Aortitis syndrome was diagnosed when she was 39 years old. She developed intractable hypertension several years prior, and a computed tomography (CT) scan showed severe calcified stenosis of the descending aorta. The ankle brachial pressure index of the right leg was 0.70 and that of the left leg was 0.63. Plasma renin activity was 4.8 ng/ml/h. Ascending aorta-abdominal aorta bypass grafting was scheduled. The operation was successfully performed under partial cardiopulmonary bypass to control arterial blood pressure. An implanted graft was 14 mm in diameter. The postoperative ankle brachial pressure index of the right leg was 1.07 and that of the left leg was 1.03. Postoperative plasma renin activity was 0.2 ng/ml/h, and three-dimensional CT revealed that the implanted graft was patent. Postoperatively, hypertension was well controlled without medication.

CANINE superficial pyoderma is a common skin disease in dogs ([Scott and others 2001][1]). It is mainly treated with systemic antimicrobials, particularly oral cefalexin ([Lloyd and others 1996][2]). However, the emergence of multiresistant mecA -positive Staphylococcus intermedius was reported by [

A simple, precise, and rapid method to measure plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) was developed by use of solvent extraction--flow-injection analysis. The reagent solution, containing thiobarbituric acid (TBA), 5 g/L in 100 mL/L phosphoric acid, and extraction solvent (methylisobutyl ketone, MIBK) were propelled with a double-plunger micropump at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min, and 20 microL of sample was introduced into the reagent stream. After TBA-MDA reactant was extracted into MIBK, the organic phase was continuously separated by a successive phase-separation system equipped with two phase separators, and the absorbance of the TBA-MDA reactant was measured at 532 nm. This approach resulted in excellent sensitivity, a CV of < 1.5%, a good correlation with the conventional manual method, and a sampling frequency of 7 samples/h, suggesting that this semiautomated method is suitable for measuring plasma MDA.

Familial deficiency of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by abnormalities of all plasma lipoprotein classes and by abnormal deposition of unesterified cholesterol in tissues. To elucidate the molecular basis of the disease, the LCAT genes of three unrelated Japanese patients were amplified by means of the polymerase chain reaction. Direct sequencing of the amplified fragments covering all exons and junctions showed that the patients are homozygotes for separate gene mutations. In one patient a 3 bp insertion, which should cause a substantial change in the enzyme structure, was found in exon 4; he had near absence of LCAT mass and activity. Two separate missense mutations were identified in exon 6 of the other two patients, who produced functionally defective enzymes that differed widely in specific activity. The replacement of asparagine 228 with positively charged lysine completely abolished enzyme activity, whereas the other, conservative, aminoacid substitution (methionine 293 →isoleucine) gave rise to a partially defective enzyme. These results show that distinct mutations cause differences in plasma LCAT activity and LCAT mass, ultimately leading to differential phenotypic expression of familial LCAT deficiency.

Recordings were made from taste neurons in granular and dysgranular areas of the insular cortex of anesthetized SD-rats from the age of 4 days to over 90 days (adults). Almost all of the taste neurons were detected in the dysgranular area prior to weaning, but the number in the granular area increased with age and exceeded the number in the dysgranular area after the age of 50 days. In the dysgranular area, most taste neurons, irrespective of the postnatal age, were located at layer 5. However, in the granular area they were found at a deeper layer, with the advance in age; e.g. layer 2–3 at 14–20 days to layer 5 in adults. Thus, taste afferents in granular and dysgranular areas of the insular cortex differ with advance in age.

We previously reported a simple and rapid method for HLA-DQA genotyping by digestion of polymerase chain reaction-amplified DQA genes with allele-specific restriction endonucleases. Here we report the application of this method to DP genotyping. The second exon of the HLA-DPB genes was selectively amplified from genomic DNAs of 72 HLA-D homozygous B-cell lines by the polymerase chain reaction method. Amplified DNAs were digested with ApaI, SacI, BstUI, FokI, and RsaI, which can recognize allelic sequence variations in the polymorphic segments of the DPB second exon and then subjected to electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels. Sixteen different polymorphic patterns of the restriction fragments were found, and twelve were identical to patterns predicted from the known DNA sequences correlating with each HLA-DPw specificity defined by cellular typing. The other four patterns were distinct from those of the known DPw specificities, suggesting the presence of novel DP alleles. This polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method provides a simple and rapid technique for accurate definition of HLA-DP types at the nucleotide level, replacing the technically demanding method of primed lymphocyte typing.

直腸癌に対する括約筋温存術式の適応を拡大する目的で1978年1月より括約筋温存直腸切除術の1つである腹仙骨式直腸切除術を採用し, 直腸癌34例に本術式を施行した.直腸癌症例の大部分は下部直腸癌であり, 手術死亡は1例も認めなかった.本術式を改良することにより, 歯状線部での一次的結腸肛門管吻合が可能となった.本術式の手術時間は直腸切断術, 前方切除術の手術時間より有意に長かったが, 出血量には有意差は認められなかった.本術式の術後肛門機能は臨床的にも, 直腸肛門内圧検査的にも, 前方切除術の術後とほぼ同様であり, 貫通術式の術後と比較して, はるかに良好であると考えられた.直腸癌に対する本術式の遠隔成績については, いまだ症例数, 経過年数ともに少なく, 結論的なことは言えないが, 術後5年以上経過した症例における局所再発率は10%であり, 他の括約筋温存術式と比較して遜色はなく, ほぼ満足すべき結果であった.肛門挙筋, 肛門管への腫瘍の直接浸潤が認められず, それらを温存しても根治性が得られると考えられた下部直腸癌症例において, 前方切除術が施行困難な場合に腹.仙骨式直腸切除術は選択されるべき術式の1つであると思われた.

A 4-year-old Beagle dog was presented for investigation of a left pelvic limb gait abnormality. Neurolocalisation indicated a lumbar (L2 to L5) spinal cord lesion. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an intramedullary mass was demonstrated at L3. The mass was partially removed under general anaesthesia and a diagnosis of ependymoma was made on histological examination. The dog was treated with postoperative orthovoltage x-ray radiation (total dose; 44 Gy given in 11 fractions over a 4 week period) combined with low dose carboplatin (25 mg/m2). The dog was alive 16 months after surgery without further neurological deficits. No further tumour growth was detected on subsequent MRI evaluations.

A 79-year-old man with repeated and massive hemoptysis due to bronchiectasis was admitted to our department for surgery. The patient had undergone left upper lobectomy for pulmonary tuberculosis, and descending aortic replacement for Stanford type B aortic dissection. The patient underwent occlusion of the left main bronchus by suturing through median sternotomy. The reasons we did not choose completion pneumonectomy were advanced age, poor physical condition immediately after hemorrhagic shock, and the difficulty of performing pneumonectomy due to previous surgery and anastomotic aneurysm of descending aorta. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient left the hospital on the 16th postoperative day. The patient did not develop pneumonia or empyema thereafter, but died suddenly of unknown etiology 1.5 years postoperatively. Lung exclusion by suturing a bronchus is thought to be a useful alternative for repeated and massive hemoptysis without pneumonia in a case of difficult lung resection.

We report a case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis by Exophiala jeanselmei that appeared on the extensor surface of the left lower leg of a 34-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The superficial symptoms were a subcutaneous nodule 2.5 x 2 cm in size discharging a serous exudate from its center. Histopathological examination revealed granulomatous changes including large numbers of neutrophils in the dermis and the subcutaneous tissues. In addition, periodic acid-Schiff-positive fungal elements consisting of many yeast-like cells and chains of cells with hyphae were seen. The statistics on E. jeanselmei infections in Japan indicated that 54 cases (24 in men and 30 in women) had been reported, of which 50 (21 in men and 29 in women) were phaeohyphomycosis, and about half had underlying diseases; and the sites of the lesions were mainly on the extremities.

Recently, some metal oxides have been noted as new candidate materials for high-temperature thermoelectric applications. It is known that a perovskite-type oxide, Ba/sub 1-x/Sr/sub x/PbO/sub 3/, changes from a semimetal to a narrow-gap semiconductor with increasing Sr content. In this work, thermoelectric properties of Ba/sub 1-x/Sr/sub x/PbO/sub 3/ (0/spl les/x/spl les/0) were investigated in a temperature range of 320-1073 K. The electrical conductivity (/spl sigma/) decreased with increasing Sr content. The Seebeck coefficient (S) was negative (n-type), and took a minimum value around 650 K. This result suggests that carriers consist of free electrons and thermally activated holes. The thermal conductivity (/spl lambda/) decreased with increasing Sr content. The value of /spl lambda/ increased with increasing temperature for the samples with x/spl les/0.4, whereas it decreased with increasing temperature for the samples with x/spl ges/0.6. The values of /spl sigma/, S, /spl lambda/ of the sample with x=0.6 were 2.8/spl times/10/sup 4/ S/m, -120 /spl mu/V/K and 2.0 W/mK, respectively, at 673 K. The figure of merit was 2.0/spl times/10/sup -4//K. The optimum temperature for a power factor (/spl sigma/S/sup 2/) increased with increasing Sr content. The power factor of the sample with x=1.0 was 4/spl times/10/sup -4/ W/mK/sup 2/ at 1000 K. The figure of merit was estimated to be about 3.0/spl times/10/sup -4//K at 1000 K, using a measured value of /spl lambda/ at 673 K.

This paper presents a new and fast segmentation algorithm, capable of incorporating expert's knowledge and expertise in a straightforward manner, to detect DNA spots in a restriction landmark genomic scanning (RLGS) profile. A RLGS profile is a gray scale image obtained in a X-ray film containing hundreds of dark spots corresponding to certain DNA fragments labeled by radioactive markers. Extracting these DNA spots is a very challenging task due to their fuzzy boundaries against noisy background regions having non-uniform intensity variations. The proposed algorithm, utilizing a support vector machine, is found to be successful to detect and extract DNA spots in a RLGS profile.

DEMODICOSIS is an inflammatory skin disease caused by large numbers of demodectic mites ([Scott and others 2001][1]). Oral ivermectin has been the most reliable treatment for generalised demodicosis in dogs ([Mueller 2004][2]), but in order to achieve a high treatment efficacy it must be

Bi0.85Pb0.15Sr0.8CaCu1.4O y superconductor was quenched to room temperature after annealing at several temperatures in air. From the initial magnetization curve measurement for the annealed samples, it was found that the volume fraction of superconducting phases of the sample annealed at 650°C greatly decreased. TEM observation revealed that a second phase often appeared in the grain-boundary region for the sample annealed at 700°C. The second phase was identified as Bi1Pb2Sr2.6Ca1.6O y by energy dispersive spectroscopy.

A cDNA clone, 1.8 kb long, was isolated from a venom gland cDNA library of Agkistrodon blomhoffi that encodes a large plurifunctional precursor composed of 263 amino-acid residues. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this clone revealed that sequences which code for blomhotin and a novel peptide Leu3-blomhotin are located in the N-terminal region of the precursor polypeptide, followed by four tandemly aligned sequences which code for three types of bradykinin-potentiating peptide. In the C-terminal region, the sequence for the C-type natriuretic peptide was located along with a preceding processing signal. The deduced amino-acid sequences for the four bradykinin-potentiating peptides coincided exactly with previously known sequences for potentiator B, potentiator C and potentiator E. The actual Leu3-blomhotin peptide was subsequently isolated from the venom of A. blomhoffi and characterized. Leu3-blomhotin possesses contractile activity in isolated rat stomach fundus smooth muscle in the same manner as blomhotin. Furthermore, it was shown that blomhotin and Leu3-blomhotin retained activity to inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme.

A new P300 testing protocol for evaluating memory function is proposed. Four stimuli (S1, S2, S3 and S4) are presented to the subject at 1.5 sec intervals and the subject is instructed to judge whether S4 was the same (80%) or not (20%) as S1, as well as whether S3 was the same (80%) or not (20%) as S2. The S2-S3 comparison acts as an attention shifting mechanism, and by inserting this comparison between S1 and S4, the subject must memorized S1 at the memory site in the brain until S4 is presented. This protocol was performed using both auditory and visual stimulations with 24 college students (age range: 19-28 years old) and a patient (23 years old) with bilateral medial temporal lobe lesions caused by limbic encephalitis. The P300 brain potentials after S3 and S4 were compared. The Wechsler memory scale-revised (WMS-R) test was also assessed in all subjects. The latency of P300 after S4 had a significantly (p0.01) longer than that after S3. The latency of P300 after S4 in the patient, who showed the severe auditory as well as the mild visual memory impairment, was longer than the mean + 2 SD in the normal subjects for auditory stimuli, but not for visual stimuli, whereas the latency of P300 after S3 in the patient was longer than the mean + 2 SD in the normal subjects only for visual stimuli. The brain potential after S4 might be more reflective of a degree of memory disorder as compared with that after S3. Furthermore, the latency of P300 after S4 showed a more significant correlation with some WMS-R scores (verbal memory, general memory and verbal delay) than the latency of P300 after S3. These results suggest that measuring the P300 latency after attention shifting in the new protocol is useful for the evaluation of memory functions.

The aim of this study was to investigate urodynamic findings and the outcome of surgical incision in patients with nighttime wetting due to urethral obstruction. A total of 239 patients with nighttime wetting (157 males and 82 females; mean age, 8.7; range, 4-18 years) was studied. One hundred and ten patients had monosymptomatic enuresis alone and 129 both nighttime wetting and daytime symptoms, that is, the majority was not simple bedwetters, but had signs of bladder overactivity. All patients were first treated with bladder training and fluid intake after dinner was restricted. The non-responders were then treated with tricyclic antidepressants, anticholinergics, or intra-nasal desmopressin and conditioning therapy. Ninety-seven patients who did not respond to these conventional treatments were investigated by voiding cystourethrography, bougie à boule, and urodynamic study. Urethral obstruction was noted in 34 patients (14.2%); posterior urethral valves in three males, ring stricture of the bulbar urethra in 26 males and distal urethral stenosis in five females. Detrusor instability was noted in 30 (94%) of 32 patients. Three patients had15 mL/s of maximum flow rate and none had post-void residual urine. Pressure at maximum flow (PQ(max)) was 106.5 +/- 26.3 cm H(2)O in pressure/flow study. After surgery, nighttime wetting was cured in 25 patients (73.5%), improved in four (11.8%). Detrusor instability disappeared in six of 16 patients studied (37.5%) and improved in 8 (50%), and PQ(max) decreased significantly after operation (P = 0. 0034). In conclusion, most of the patients with urethral obstruction have detrusor instability and high pressure voiding, and these conditions improved after operation.

The letA (ccdA) and letD (ccdB) genes of the F plasmid, located just outside the sequence essential for replication, contribute to stable maintenance of the plasmid in Escherichia coli cells. The letD gene product acts to inhibit partitioning of chromosomal DNA and cell division by inhibiting DNA gyrase activity, whereas the letA gene product acts to reverse the inhibitory activity of the letD gene product. To identify the host factor(s) involved in this process, we analyzed the mutants that escaped letD expression and their suppressor, and found that the three E. coli genes tldD, tldE and zfiA participate in the process, in addition to the groE genes we reported previously. The tldD and tldE mutations made cells tolerant for letD expression, as did groES mutations, while the mutation in the zfiA gene made tldD, tldE and groES mutants LetD sensitive. We hypothesize that these gene products are factors that modulate activity of DNA gyrase along with the letD gene product; the zfiA gene product acts to inhibit interaction between the LetD protein and the A subunit of DNA gyrase, while the tldD, tldE and groE gene products act to suppress the inhibitory activity of the zfiA gene product. The tldD, tldE, and zfiA genes are located at 70.4, 96.0 and 58.2 minutes on the E. coli chromosome, respectively, and code for proteins with relative molecular masses of 51,000, 48,000 and 6800, respectively. tldD is a novel gene, but the tldE and zfiA genes proved to be the pmbA gene (production of Microcin B17) and the csrA gene (carbon storage regulator), respectively.