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Abnormal echocardiographic findings in seven cases of bioprosthetic valve endocarditis were confirmed in six at operation. The echocardiograms showed three cases with thickening and increased echo intensity (group 1) and four (group 2) in which vegetations were seen initially without either of the two features in group 1. Two patients in group 1 had vegetations, the causative organism being a streptococcus. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the causative organism in three of the four cases in group 2; in two of these rapidly growing vegetations were detected. The large vegetations obstructed the ostium of the bioprosthetic valve. Thus if vegetations are detected in cases in which staphylococci are the causative bacteria surgery should be performed as soon as possible. In patients who develop a fever after bioprosthetic valve replacement and especially in those with evident bacteraemia echocardiography should be repeated frequently so that lesions may be detected early. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: Varicose veins in the lower extremities are dilated subcutaneous varicose veins with a diameter of  ≥ 3 mm, caused by increased venous pressure resulting from backflow of blood due to venous valve insufficiency (Gloviczki in Handbook of venous disorders: guidelines of the American venous forum, Hodder Arnold, London, 2009). When diagnosing varicose veins, the shape and thickness of the blood vessels should be accurately visualized in three dimensions. In this study, we investigated a new method for numerical evaluation of vascular morphology related to varicose veins in the lower extremities, using a photoacoustic imaging (PAI) system, which can acquire high-resolution and three-dimensional images noninvasively., Methods: Nine patients with varicose veins participated in the study, and their images were captured using an optical camera and PAI system. We visualized the vascular structure, created a blood presence density (BPD) heat map, and examined the correlation between BPD and location of varicose veins., Results: The obtained photoacoustic (PA) images demonstrated the ability of this method to visualize vessels ranging from as small as 0.2 mm in diameter to large, dilated vessels in three dimensions. Furthermore, the study revealed a correlation between the high-density part of the BPD heat map generated from the PAI images and the presence of varicose veins., Conclusion: PAI is a promising technique for noninvasive and accurate diagnosis of varicose veins in the lower extremities. By providing valuable information on the morphology and hemodynamics of the varicose veins, PAI may facilitate their early detection and treatment., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The Seafloor Geodetic Observation-Array (SGO-A), operated by the Japan Coast Guard, relies on the Global Navigation Satellite System-Acoustics combination (GNSS-A) technique, which integrates satellite positioning systems and undersea acoustic ranging to determine seafloor crustal deformation at the centimeter level for earthquake disaster prevention. Recently, we found distortion in the SGO-A 10-kHz carrier wave that degraded the accuracy. Carrier wave distortion can cause errors on the scale of several centimeters to twenty centimeters, which greatly impedes centimeter-level observations. This study investigated this carrier wave degradation by an underwater acoustic communication experiment conducted in 2022, using a transducer similar to that used by SGO-A. Also, we reproduced degraded waveforms through a grid search-like method for quantitatively evaluating the extent to which the interior of the equipment contributed to deterioration. Our results underscore the importance of careful consideration in signal processing, as the observed waveform degradation is not solely attributed to hardware structures but also to internal electrical circuits. The findings suggest that conventional signal identification methods may lead to errors, providing motivation for a shift towards experimental and experiential timing-based waveform identification approaches to enhance accuracy in GNSS-A systems., (© 2024 Acoustical Society of America.)

Photoacoustic (PA) technology can be used for non-invasive imaging of blood vessels. In this paper, we report on our prototype PA imaging system with a newly designed ultrasound sensor and its visualization performance of microvascular in animal. We fabricated an experimental system for animals using a high-frequency sensor. The system has two modes: still image mode by wide scanning and moving image mode by small rotation of sensor array. Optical test target, euthanized mice and rats, and live mice were used as objects. The results of optical test target showed that the spatial resolution was about two times higher than that of our conventional prototype. The image performance in vivo was evaluated in euthanized healthy mice and rats, allowing visualization of detailed blood vessels in the liver and kidneys. In tumor-bearing mice, different results of vascular induction were shown depending on the type of tumor and the method of transplantation. By utilizing the video imaging function, we were able to observe the movement of blood vessels around the tumor. We have demonstrated the feasibility of the system as a less invasive animal experimental device, as it can acquire vascular images in animals in a non-contrast and non-invasive manner.

To evaluate a new method of measuring the intraocular pressure (IOP) in the vitreous cavity. IOPs in the anterior chamber and vitreous cavities of 24 porcine eyes (12 eyes with lenses and 12 eyes without lenses) were measured directly, continuously, and simultaneously. We used a needle as a part of the pressure sensor to measure the anterior chamber IOP and a disk-shaped sensor to measure the vitreous cavity IOP. A significant group-by-condition interaction on the vitreous cavity IOP between the two groups (phakia and aphakia) and four conditions of anterior chamber IOP were observed (F[3,258] = 5.8564, p < 0.001). A positive correlation was observed between the vitreous cavity IOP and anterior chamber IOP in both the phakia group (R = 0.96, p < 0.001) and the aphakia group (R = 0.97, p < 0.001). No significant correlation was observed between the ΔIOPv-a (vitreous cavity IOP - anterior chamber IOP) and anterior chamber IOP in either group (phakia group: R =  - 0.18, p = 0.034; aphakia group: R =  - 0.029, p = 0.73). The vitreous cavity IOP measured with the new sensor was well-correlated with the anterior chamber IOP in the physiological range tested.

C-S bond formation reactions are widely distributed in the biosynthesis of biologically active molecules, and thus have received much attention over the past decades. Herein, we report intramolecular C-S bond formation by a P450 monooxygenase, TleB, which normally catalyzes a C-N bond formation in teleocidin biosynthesis. Based on the proposed reaction mechanism of TleB, a thiol-substituted substrate analogue was synthesized and tested in the enzyme reaction, which afforded the unprecedented sulfur-containing thio-indolactam V, in addition to an unusual indole-fused 6/5/8-tricyclic product whose structure was determined by the crystalline sponge method. Interestingly, conformational analysis revealed that the SOFA conformation is stable in thio-indolactam V, in sharp contrast to the major TWIST form in indolactam V, resulting in differences in their biological activities., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Grating-coupled surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy (GC-SPFS) with optical bound/free (B/F) separation technique was developed by employing a highly directional fluorescence with polarization of surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) to realize highly sensitive immunoassay regardless of the ligand affinity. A highly sensitive immunoassay system with GC-SPFS was constructed using a plastic sensor chip reproducibly fabricated in-house by nanoimprinting and applied to the quantitative detection of an anti-lysozyme single-domain antibody (sdAb), to compare conventional washing B/F separation with optical B/F separation. Differences in the affinity of the anti-lysozyme sdAb, induced by artificial mutation of only one amino acid residue in the variable domain were attributed to higher sensitivity than that of the conventional Biacore surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system. The detection limit (LOD; means of six replicates of the zero standard plus three standard deviations) of the GC-SPFS immunoassay with optical B/F separation, was estimated to be 1.2 ng/ml with the low-affinity ligand (mutant sdAb Y52A: KD level was of the order of 10-7 ~ 10-6 M) and was clearly improved as compared to that (LOD: 9.4 ng/ml) obtained with the conventional washing B/F separation. These results indicate that GC-SPFS with the optical B/F separation technique offers opportunities to re-evaluate low-affinity biomaterials that are neither fully utilized nor widespread, and could facilitate the creation of novel and innovative methods in drug and diagnostic development., Competing Interests: We have the following interests: T.K., K.N., Y.N. are employed by Konica Minolta, Inc‥ The patent related to this research is disclosed as follow. “Surface plasmon enhanced fluorescence measurement device and surface plasmon enhanced fluorescence measurement method.” PCT/JP2014/002009, Priority date: 8 Apr. 2014. There are no further patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. This does not alter our adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Aims: Diabetes induces various skin troubles including foot ulcer. This type of skin ulcer is refractory but the pathogenesis is not so certain. Recent study show that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues reduce foot complications with diabetes (Pérez et al., 2015), however, the role of GLP-1/GLP-1R axis is not fully understood, and clear evidence of GLP-1 to facilitate wound closure is still lacking. In this study, we investigated whether a potent GLP-1R agonist liraglutide affects wound healing process., Methods: The expression of GLP-1R in HaCaT cells were indentified by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunoblotting analysis. To assess the effect on wound closure in keratinocytes, we performed in vitro scratch assay using the IncuCyte system (Essen BioSciences, Ann Arborm MI). We applied ointment containing liraglutide on full-thickness wounds in the dorsum of female balb/c mice (n = 6) until healing. To investigate the effect on PI3K/Akt pathway, we used IncuCyte system in HaCaT treated with PI3K inhibitor and Akt inhibitor., Results: Keratinocytes expressed GLP-1R and liraglutide induced their migration. Liraglutide facilitated the wound healing in mice. Liraglutide upregulated keratinocyte migration via PI3K/Akt activation., Conclusions: Our study suggests that liraglutide may be a potential target drug to improve skin ulcer with diabetes through its specific receptor GLP-1., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background :  A breast-specific photoacoustic imaging (PAI) system prototype equipped with a hemispherical detector array (HDA) has been reported as a promising system configuration for providing high morphological reproducibility for vascular structures in living bodies. Methods :  To image the vasculature of human limbs, a newly designed PAI system prototype (PAI-05) with an HDA with a higher density sensor arrangement was developed. The basic device configuration mimicked that of a previously reported breast-specific PAI system. A new imaging table and a holding tray for imaging a subject's limb were adopted. Results :  The device's performance was verified using a phantom. Contrast of 8.5 was obtained at a depth of 2 cm, and the viewing angle reached up to 70 degrees, showing sufficient performance for limb imaging. An arbitrary wavelength was set, and a reasonable PA signal intensity dependent on the wavelength was obtained. To prove the concept of imaging human limbs, various parts of the subject were scanned. High-quality still images of a living human with a wider size than that previously reported were obtained by scanning within the horizontal plane and averaging the images. The maximum field of view (FOV) was 270 mm × 180 mm. Even in movie mode, one-shot 3D volumetric data were obtained in an FOV range of 20 mm in diameter, which is larger than values in previous reports. By continuously acquiring these images, we were able to produce motion pictures. Conclusion :  We developed a PAI prototype system equipped with an HDA suitable for imaging limbs. As a result, the subject could be scanned over a wide range while in a more comfortable position, and high-quality still images and motion pictures could be obtained., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Ken-ichi Nagae, Yoshiaki Sudo, Yasufumi Asao and Takayuki Yagi are employees of Canon Inc., Japan. Katsumi Ohira and Yuusuke Tanaka are employees of Japan Probe, Co. Ltd., Japan. Naoyuki Murayama is an employee of Hitachi, Ltd., Japan. YA and TY temporarily transferred to the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Canon Inc. designed and invented the photoacoustic imaging system used in this study. The other authors have no conflict of interest.

Wound healing is an elaborate process composed of overlapping phases, such as proliferation and remodeling, and is delayed in several circumstances, including diabetes. Although several treatment strategies for chronic wounds, such as growth factors, have been applied, further alternatives are required. The skin, especially keratinocytes, is continually exposed to UV rays, which impairs wound healing. 6-Formylindolo[3,2-b]carbazole (FICZ) is a tryptophan photoproduct formed by UV exposure, indicating that FICZ might be one of the effectors of UV radiation. In contrast, treatment with tryptophan, the precursor for FICZ, promoted wound closure in keratinocytes. Therefore, the aim of our study was to determine the role of FICZ in wound healing. Here we showed that FICZ enhanced keratinocyte migration through mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation, and promoted wound healing in various mouse models, including db/db mice, which exhibit wound healing impairments because of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, FICZ, the endogenous ligand of an aryl hydrocarbon receptor, accelerated migration even in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor knockdown condition and also promoted wound healing in DBA/2 mice, bearing a low-affinity aryl hydrocarbon receptor, suggesting that FICZ enhanced keratinocyte migration in a mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase-dependent, but aryl hydrocarbon receptor-independent, manner. The function of FICZ might indicate the possibility of its clinical use for intractable chronic wounds., (Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) has a curative potential for myelofibrosis (MF) patients; however, its association with a high therapy-related mortality (TRM) remains a big obstacle that needs to be overcome. Ruxolitinib (RUXO), a novel JAK1/2 inhibitor, can be used as a bridging therapy until allo-SCT can be performed to reduce TRM. We herein report a RUXO-treated MF patient who developed recurrent subcutaneous Sweet's disease (SSD) that was successfully treated by the administration of systemic glucocorticoids. We performed allo-SCT as previously scheduled, resulting in a good clinical course without deterioration of SSD. RUXO administration, as well as MF itself, might therefore sometimes cause this rare non-infectious event.

The p-type organic semiconductor (OSC) material tetrathieno[2,3-a:3',2'-c:2″,3″-f:3‴,2‴-h]naphthalene (2TTN) and its alkyl-substituted derivatives C(n)-2TTNs (n = 6, 8, and 10) have been developed based on the results of theoretical calculation-inspired investigation. A hole mobility for amorphous C(n)-2TTNs (10(-2)-10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)) was accurately predicted by using a novel statistical method in which the geometric mean of the mobilities for many individual small molecular flocks in an amorphous solid was obtained by using molecular mechanical molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemical calculations. The simulation also suggests that upon increasing the length of alkyl chains in C(n)-2TTNs the mobilities become smaller as a consequence of a decrease in transfer integral values. C(n)-2TTNs are synthesized in a microflow reactor through photoreactions of the corresponding precursors. C(n)-2TTNs are then utilized in the fabrication of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Although spin-coated thin films of C(n)-2TTNs are crystalline, the hole mobilities (10(-2)-10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)) of trial OFETs decrease upon elongation of the alkyl chains. This finding parallels the results of theoretical simulation. The simulation method for amorphous solids developed in this effort should become a useful tool in studies aimed at designing new OSC materials.

Two types of plasmonic silver- and gold-coated grating biosensor chips (plasmonic chip) were applied in the detection of α-fetoprotein (AFP) with a sandwich imunoassay and surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence. On the plasmonic chip, unlabeled marker in the sandwich immunoassay was first quantitatively detected over a wide range between 10(-12) and 10(-8) g/mL. The affinity constants between AFP and anti-AFP antibody, which were obtained by fitting the experimental data to the Langmuir isotherm adsorption curve, were 1 × 10(8) g(-1) mL regardless of the kind of metal in the plasmonic chips. Although the fluorescence intensity on the silver plasmonic chip was 5 times larger than that on the gold plasmonic chip, the limit of detection (LOD) was on the order of 10(-11) g/mL and not improved with a silver plasmonic chip. Herein, we used a new setup that generated less dispersions of both the fluorescence intensity for nonspecific adsorption and the background (optical blank) signal and improved the LOD of AFP to 4 pg/mL (55 fM) with the silver plasmonic chip. With the highly sensitive detection in the sandwich immunoassay, the development of a plasmonic chip for clinical diagnosis by a blood test is promising.

Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a rare tumor and a widely accepted classification system specific for the disease has not been established. To elucidate prognostic factors of EMPD, we conducted a retrospective review of 145 patients with 155 EMPD lesions and investigated clinicopathological factors using univariate and multivariate analyses. We also explored tumor thickness and metastatic lymph nodes using detection analysis to determine cut-off points for survival. All patients were Japanese (88 men and 57 women), with EMPD in the genital (82.8%), perianal (3.4%) and axillary regions (1.4%). In the remaining cases (12.4%), there were lesions at two or more regions. Univariate analysis revealed the following prognostic factors: perianal location, presence of nodules, invasion depth, tumor thickness, number of metastatic nodes and serum carcinoembryonic antigen level. Both tumor thickness and perianal location retained statistical significance in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.72; P = 0.0024; hazard ratio, 50.72; 95% confidence interval, 4.20-612.63; P = 0.0020; respectively). The signal detection analysis indicated tumor thickness of more than 3 mm and three or more metastatic lymph nodes as cut-off points for survival. In conclusion, tumor thickness and the number of metastatic lymph nodes closely correlated with patient outcome and these factors could be suitable for the tumor and node classification., (© 2014 Japanese Dermatological Association.)

Background: There are significant clinicopathological, genetic, and biological differences between acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM) and other types of melanoma., Objective: We sought to investigate the use of sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for patients with ALM., Methods: This was a retrospective review of 116 patients with primary ALM. Melanoma-specific and disease-free survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, together with multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazards regression model., Results: All patients were Japanese (48 male and 68 female). Metastases in SLN were noted in 13 of 84 patients who underwent SLN biopsy. No patients with thin ALM (≤1 mm) and only 2 patients with nonulcerated ALM had tumor-positive SLN. Patients with positive SLN had significantly shorter melanoma-specific survival (5-year survival rate, 37.5% vs 84.3%; P < .0001) and disease-free survival (5-year survival, 37.5% vs 77.9%; P = .0024). Among patients with thick (>1 mm) ALM, the influence of SLN positivity on melanoma-specific survival was increased (5-year survival, 22.7% vs 80.8%; P = .0005)., Limitations: This was a retrospective study and had a small sample size., Conclusions: SLN biopsy should be considered for patients with thick or ulcerated ALM. For patients with thin or nonulcerated ones, it may be of limited importance., (Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Patient: Male, 23., Final Diagnosis: Thyroid storm., Symptoms: Delirium • diarrhea • fever • hypertension • hyperventilation • tachycardia • weight loss., Medication: -., Clinical Procedure: -., Specialty: Endocrinology and Metabolic., Objective: Unusual clinical course., Background: The clinical presentation of thyroid storm includes fever, tachycardia, hypertension, and neurological abnormalities. It is a serious condition with a high mortality rate. Furthermore, some other complications affect the clinical course of thyroid storm. Although it is reported that prognosis is poor when thyroid storm is complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome (DIC) and leukopenia, reports of such cases are rare., Case Report: A 23-year-old man presented with delirium, high pyrexia, diarrhea, and weight loss of 18 kg over 2 months. According to the criteria of Burch and Wartofsky, he was diagnosed with thyroid storm on the basis of his symptom-complex and laboratory data that confirmed the presence of hyperthyroidism. Investigations also found leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and disseminated intravascular coagulation, all of which are very rare complications of thyroid storm. We successfully treated him with combined therapy including anti-thyroid medication, despite leukopenia., Conclusions: Early diagnosis and treatment are essential in ensuring a good outcome for patients with this rare combination of medical problems.

Gelatin film sheets are often used to form the shell in soft capsules prepared using the rotary die method. Examination of the film sheet properties is extremely important when materials other than gelatin are used. We examined the relationship between the width and the tensile strength of the gelatin film sheet in order to establish the required indexes of the gelatin film sheets. The coefficients of correlation (R) of the linear regressions 4 and 15 min after preparation of the gelatin film sheets were 0.9858 and 0.9167, respectively. These results suggest that the tensile strength decreased when the width of the gelatin film sheet increased. Subsequently, we examined the relationship between time and the tensile strength. We observed new phenomenon: the tensile strength of the gelatin sheets increased with time, following two phases. The first phase corresponded to over phase transition point at 4, 8, and 15 min and the second phase corresponded to under transition point at 15, 30, and 60 min. The R values were 0.9952 (4, 8, 15 min) and 0.9494 (15, 30, 60 min)., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

S100P is a member of the S100 family. Increased levels of S100P have been documented in various malignancies. Binding of extracellular S100P to receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) or coupling of intracellular S100P with a cytoskeletal protein, ezrin, play a crucial role in tumor growth, invasion and metastasis. However, little is known about the expression of S100P, RAGE and ezrin in malignant melanoma. We immunostained these three molecules in 20 primary and 20 metastatic melanomas. Samples of 20 benign nevus pigmentosus and 10 of normal skin were tested as controls. The expression levels (percentage of positively stained cells) of S100P, RAGE and ezrin were significantly higher in melanomas than in nevus pigmentosus. Moreover, slightly but significantly higher expression levels were observed in metastatic than in primary melanomas. Significant positive correlations were evident between the expression levels of S100P and RAGE, S100P and ezrin, and RAGE and ezrin, respectively. In conclusion, the coordinate upregulation of S100P, RAGE and ezrin may possibly facilitate malignant transformation of melanoma., (© 2013 Japanese Dermatological Association.)

The accurate analysis of trace components in complex biological matrices requires the use of reliable internal standards. For liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis, the stable isotope-labeled analogues of the analyte molecules are the most appropriate internal standards. In this paper the synthesis of the 3- and 21-monosulfates of allo-tetrahydrocorticosteroids labeled with four or five deuterium atoms is described. The principal reactions used were (1) hydrogen-deuterium exchange reaction of active methylene groups adjacent to 3- and 11-oxo group of 17,20;20,21-bismethylenedioxy derivatives of 5α-3-ketosteroids and/or 5α-11-ketosteroids with NaOD in CH(3)OD followed by reduction with NaBD(4), (2) epimerization of the 3β-hydroxy group into a 3α configuration, (3) sulfation of hydroxy groups at C-3 or C-21 in the resulting substrates with sulfur trioxide-trimethylamine complex, and (4) removal of 17,20;20,21-bismethylenedioxy groups with hydrogen fluoride in ethanol. Isotopic purity was found to be satisfactory by MS, and NMR properties of the new compounds were tabulated. The labeled compounds can be used as internal standards in liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry assays for clinical and biochemical studies., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The 3- and 21-monosulfates of pentadeuterated 5β-tetrahydrocorticosteroides were synthesized, starting from cortisol and 11-deoxycotisol. The principal reactions used were (1) perdeuteration of the methylene groups adjacent to the 3-oxo group of 17,20:20,21-bismethylendioxy-5β-3-ketosteroids with NaOD in CH(3)OD followed by stereoselective reduction with NaBD(4), (2) sulfation of hydroxy groups with sulfur trioxide-trimethylamine complex, and (3) removal of the 17,20:20,21-bismethylendioxy group with hydrogen fluoride. The labeled compounds can be used as internal standards in liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry assays for clinical and biochemical studies., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to propose a novel method to depict small calcifications in ultrasound B-mode images using decorrelation of forward scattered waves with no decrease in the frame rate., Methods: Since the waveform of an ultrasound pulse changes when it passes through a calcification location, the echo waveform from regions behind the calcification is quite different from that without a calcification. This indicates that the existence of a calcification is predictable based upon the waveform difference between adjacent scan lines by calculating cross-correlation coefficients. In addition, a high-intensity echo should return from the calcification itself. Therefore, the proposed method depicts the high-intensity echo positions with posterior low correlation coefficient regions., Results: Eleven of 15 wires 0.2-0.4 mm in diameter were depicted using this method, yielding a sensitivity of 73.3% and a specificity of 100%, even though they might go undetected under clinical inspection of ultrasound B-mode images., Conclusion: This study suggests that an US device could perform well in terms of calcification detection.