Search

Aims: Functional decline due to skeletal muscle abnormalities leads to poor outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). The 6-minute walking test (6MWT) reliably evaluates functional capacity, but its technical difficulty for the elderly often limits its benefits. Although the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) is a comprehensive measure of physical performance, its role in AHF remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the prognostic significance of SPPB compared to the 6MWT in elderly patients hospitalized for AHF., Methods and Results: We retrospectively analysed 1192 elderly patients with AHF whose SPPB and 6MWT were measured during the hospitalization. The primary outcome measure was defined as a composite of all-cause death and heart failure readmission until 1 year after discharge. Patients with lower SPPB scores (0-6, n = 373) had significantly poorer outcomes than those with higher SPPB scores (7-12, n = 819) even after multivariable adjustment [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.61; P = 0.049], similar to those with shorter 6MWT (

Background: We conducted a finite element study to assess the effectiveness of a novel pedicle screw design with two alterations in the distal and proximal portions., Methods: Finite element (FE) models of 24 vertebrae were constructed using computed tomographic data. Pull-out strength of 4 different pedicle screws were compared. The basic screw design was a dual threaded one (PS0), in which the proximal portion is double-threaded (cortical thread), and the distal portion is single-threaded (cancellous thread). In PS1, the inter-thread double-core shape was added to PS0 in the distal portion. Compared to PS0, in PS2, the proximal portion was elongated by 5 mm. PS3 had both PS1 and PS2 features. In addition, the 24 vertebrae were classified into 3 groups based on volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) of the vertebral body: low <120 mg/cm 3 , moderate 120-170 mg/cm 3 , and high >170 mg/cm 3 ., Results: The mean pull-out strengths (±SD) were 1137 ± 500 N, 1188 ± 520 N, 1191 ± 512 N, and 1242 ± 538 N for PS0, PS1, PS2, and PS3, respectively. In PS1, there was significant difference in the incremental ratio of pull-out strength to PS0 between the low and high vBMD groups (3.7 ± 1.6% vs. 5.0 ± 1.0%, p = 0.006). In PS2, there was a significant difference in the incremental ratio to PS0 between the moderate and high vBMD groups (7.6 ± 4.0% vs. 3.3 ± 1.8%, p < 0.001). In PS3, there was a significant difference in the incremental ratio to PS0 between the moderate and high vBMD groups (12.1 ± 4.8% vs. 8.5 ± 2.1%, p = 0.003)., Conclusions: The two design alterations showed the combined additive effect in the PS3 design. The moderate vBMD group has a balanced bone property to reflect the combined effects of the PS1 and PS2 design alterations., (Copyright © 2019 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Recognition of carbohydrates by cell receptors activates various cell signaling processes. In this report, hybrid self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of chitohexaose (βGlcNAc6) and cellohexaose (βGlc6) are prepared to induce a highly sensitive, glyco-density-dependent inflammatory response by HEK293 cells expressing toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), which recognizes oligo-βGlcNAc moieties. Thiosemicarbazide-labeled βGlcNAc6 and βGlc6, as a bio-signal inducer and a spacer molecule, respectively, were immobilized on a gold substrate via spontaneous chemisorption to control the βGlcNAc6 density on the SAM surface. The βGlcNAc6 density ranged from 0 to 0.65 chains nm -2 . The inflammatory response of HEK293 cells varied as a function of the surface glyco-density, and the hybrid SAM with 0.146 chains nm -2 of βGlcNAc6 induced a stronger response than pure βGlcNAc6-SAM with 0.654 chains nm -2 . Thus, direct activation of TLR2-mediated cellular stimulation triggered by as-designed glyco-biointerfaces was possible through a mutual interaction between the fittingly βGlcNAc6 moieties assembled on hybrid glyco-SAMs and TLR2 on the surface of HEK293 cells., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Androsta-4,16-dien-3-one (androstadienone) and androst-4-en-3-one-17 beta-ol (testosterone) in healthy human plasma were simultaneously determined under several experimental conditions by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with high-resolution selected-ion monitoring. Internal standards were [2,2,4,6,6-2H5]androstadienone and [2,2,4,6,6-2H5]testosterone. Samples were extracted with an Extrelut column, purified using Lipidex 5000 and converted into hydroxime-trimethylsilyl derivatives for determination. Physiological concentrations of androstadienone and testosterone found in eleven healthy men were 2.05 +/- 0.74 and 18.6 +/- 4.9 pmol/ml in plasma (mean +/- S.D.), respectively. No correlation was observed between these steroid concentrations.

The binding of serum protein to salicylate was measured by a Sephadex batch method in the serum of 82 allergic individuals, 30 members of their families, and 24 normals. Subjects with the immediate types of allergy exhibited a significantly (p less than 0.001) increased binding ability corrected for albumin (Alb). The members of their families also showed significantly (p less than 0.005) elevated binding, but this was lower than in the allergic subjects themselves. The binding study with serum proteins fractionated with DEAE-Sephadex A-50 from both allergic and normal subjects using 14C-labeled salicylate showed that the salicylate molecule binds exclusively to Alb. No correlation was observed between the binding ability corrected for Alb and the serum Alb concentration in allergic and normal subjects. From the evidence obtained, there seems to be a certain underlying diathesis related to the Alb binding ability to endogenous inflammatory substances, which may back up the consequences of allergic reactions among allergic individuals.

Serum creatine phosphokinase (CK) values were measured in venom-injected mice. The increase of CK levels was proportional to both the amount of venom injected and the myonecrotic actions determined microscopically. The CK isoenzymes were regarded as due to the predominant increase of CK-MM, which was considered to be of skeletal muscle origin in the venom-injected area. No CK isozyme variants were found by electrophoretic examination. For a comparative study on necrotic intensity, nine snake venoms were examined. The elapid venoms induced higher values of serum CK with a stronger necrotic effect than the crotalid venoms, and the data agreed with the histological findings. On application of the antivenom, an initially elevated CK value was significantly decreased and no severe damage was observed under light microscopy. Since the changes of serum CK activities paralleled necrotic intensity, the CK value is useful as an indicator of myonecrosis due to snake venom.

Stearyltrimethylammonium chloride was used to isolate human fibrinogen, and purified protein was obtained by removing the detergent bound to it. Medium consisting of 0.015--0.03 mM fibrinogen-detergent complex, 0.85 M NaCl, 0.03 M sodium caprylate, and 30 per cent ethanol was found to be effective for renaturation of fibrinogen from the complex. The purified fibrinogen did not form any fibrils on incubation for 15 days with Ca-2+ at pH 7.2, and 37 degrees. The clottability of the purified fibrinogen was over 99 per cent. Immunochemical studies showed that the purified fibrinogen produced one precipitation line with a mixture of anti-human fibrinogen and anti-human serum. Although highly purified, the fibrinogen preparation still contained a trace of plasminogen.

After incubation of [17,21,21,21-2H4]pregnenolone, which had been synthesized from nonlabeled pregnenolone by base-catalyzed exchange procedure, with the microsomal fraction of boar testis, [17-2H]androsta-5,16-dien-3beta-ol was identified as a metabolite. The identification has been performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the metabolite and of its hydrogenation product. Conclusive evidence on the location of the 2H atom at C-17 has been obtained by transforming the metabolite to androsta-4,16-dien-3-one and then to androst-4-ene-3,17-dione and by proving that the former compound contained a 2H atom while the latter did not. The result indicates that, in boar testis, androsta-5,16-dien-3beta-ol is synthesized from pregnenolone by a pathway in which 17 alpha-hydrogen atom of pregnenolone is retained throughout the reaction, excluding 17 alpha-hydroxypregnenolone and 3beta-hydroxyandrost-5-en17-one as intermediates.

Two kinds of keratin-hydrolyzing enzymes (KHEs) from cow snout epithelium were highly purified by affinity chromatography using soybean trypsin inhibitor-bound Sepharose. On gel filtration chromatography, the KHEs were eluted at a volume corresponding to a relative molecular mass (Mr) of 21,000. They were separated from each other by ion exchange chromatography. One of the enzymes had the same characteristics as urea extracted alkaline proteinase, of which optimal pH was at 8.5 to 9.0. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme showed a single band with Mr of 21,500 in the presence or absence of a reducing agent. The other enzyme was a neutral proteinase, with an optimal pH of 7.5. Both enzymes were inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and soybean trypsin inhibitor. Among the fluorogenic peptides that were hydrolyzed most effectively by the alkaline proteinase were peptidyl MCAs (4-methyl-coumaryl-7-amides) with extended sequences, Boc-Leu-Ser-Thr-Arg-MCA, and then Boc-Val-Pro-ARg-MCA. The neutral proteinase hydrolyzed the latter most effectively. They hydrolyzed preferentially high Mr keratins of cow snout and of newborn mouse epidermis, and showed a limited proteolysis toward 68,000 polypeptide, giving rise to distinct products. The high substrate specificity and extended subsites of the KHEs suggest their role on the metabolism of the high Mr keratins.