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Jumpei Asakawa, Taro Iguchi, Satoshi Tamada, Noriko Ninomiya, Minoru Kato, Takeshi Yamasaki, Tatsuya Nakatani Department of Urology, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan Purpose: To compare treatment outcomes, more specifically patency rate, of polymeric and metallic stents for malignant ureteral obstruction.Patients and methods: Between August 2007 and September 2017, we retrospectively analyzed the data of 92 patients (126 ureters) having a diagnosis of malignant extrinsic ureteral obstruction treated with indwelling ureteral stents (polymeric and full-length metallic stents). Of these patients, 35 (54 ureters) were treated with polymeric stents and 57 (72 ureters) with a Resonance® metallic stent. The observation period was censored to 1 year. Survival rate in cases of malignant ureteral obstruction was calculated, and the relationship between the causes of ureteral obstruction, the stent type, and the patency rate was evaluated.Results: The median observation period was 145 days, with a median survival time of 258 days. The stent patency rate was 70.9% at 1 year, regardless of stent type. Stent occlusion was observed in 20 patients (33 ureters). According to stent type, occlusion of the polymeric and metallic stents was identified in 12 (22%) and 8 (11%) cases, respectively. The clinical features associated with stent failure were assessed. In univariate analysis, the patency rate was significantly better for the metallic stent than for the polymeric stent (1-year patency rate; 78.4%, 61.1%, respectively, HR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.07–4.33; p=0.031). However, the patency rate among patients with abdominal dissemination, lymph node metastasis, and direct compression by tumor was not significantly different.Conclusion: Indwelling ureteral stents, particularly metallic stents, are effective for the treatment of malignant ureteral obstruction. Keywords: metallic stent, malignant ureteral obstruction, polymeric stent

Toshihiko Nakatani,1 Tatsuya Hashimoto,2 Ichiro Sutou,2 Yoji Saito3 1Department of Palliative Care, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo, 2Palliative Care Center, Shimane University Hospital, Izumo, 3Department of Anesthesiology, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine, Izumo, Japan Background: Sympathetic block in the upper limb has diagnostic, therapeutic and prognostic utility for disorders in the upper extremity that are associated with sympathetic disturbances. Increased skin temperature and decreased sweating are used to identify the adequacy of sympathetic block in the upper limb after stellate ganglion block (SGB). Baroreflexes elicited by postural change induce a reduction in peripheral blood flow by causing sympathetic vasoconstriction. We hypothesized that sympathetic block in the upper limb reduces the decrease in finger blood flow caused by baroreflexes stimulated by postural change from the supine to long sitting position. This study evaluated if sympathetic block of the upper limb affects the change in finger blood flow resulting from postural change. If change in finger blood flow would be kept against postural changes, it has a potential to be a new indicator of sympathetic blockade in the upper limb.Methods: Subjects were adult patients who had a check-up at the Department of Pain Management in our university hospital over 2 years and 9 months from May 2012. We executed a total of 91 SGBs in nine patients (N=9), which included those requiring treatment for pain associated with herpes zoster in seven of the patients, tinnitus in one patient and upper limb pain in one patient. We checked for the following four signs after performing SGB: Horner’s sign, brachial nerve blockade, finger blood flow measured by a laser blood flow meter and skin temperature of the thumb measured by thermography, before and after SGB in the supine position and immediately after adopting the long sitting position.Results: We executed a total of 91 SGBs in nine patients. Two SGBs were excluded from the analysis due to the absence of Horner’s sign. We divided 89 procedures into two groups according to elevation in skin temperature of the thumb: by over 1°C (sympathetic block group, n=62) and by

Mina Tamaru,* Hidetaka Akita,* Taichi Nakatani, Kazuaki Kajimoto, Yusuke Sato, Hiroto Hatakeyama, Hideyoshi Harashima Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: An innovative drug delivery technology is urgently needed to satisfy unmet medical needs in treating various brain disorders. As a fundamental carrier for plasmid DNA or nucleic acids, we developed a liposomal nanoparticle (multifunctional envelope-type nano device [MEND]) containing a proton-ionizable amino lipid (YSK-MEND). Here we report on the impact of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) modification on the function of YSK-MEND in terms of targeting brain cells. The cellular uptake and function of YSK-MEND encapsulating short interference RNA or plasmid DNA were significantly improved as a result of ApoE modification in mouse neuron-derived cell lines (Neuro-2a and CAD). Intracerebroventricular administration of ApoE-modified YSK-MEND (ApoE/YSK-MEND) encapsulating plasmid DNA also resulted in higher transgene expression in comparison with YSK-MEND that was not modified with ApoE. Moreover, observation of fluorescence-labeled ApoE/YSK-MEND and expression of mCherry (fluorescence protein) derived from plasmid DNA indicated that this carrier might be useful for delivering and conferring transgene expression in neural stem cells and/or neural progenitor cells. Thus, this system may be a useful tool for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. Keywords: brain, DNA, oligonucleotide, delivery, nanoparticles

A precursor material Ag-In-Zn-O (AIZO) for the spacer layer of current-perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance devices has been developed. A pseudo-spin-valve structure with polycrystalline Co2(Mn0.6Fe0.4)Ge (CMFG) Heusler alloy ferromagnetic layers and a AIZO spacer precursor exhibited a large magnetoresistance ratio (ΔR/R) up to 54% at a resistance-area product (RA) of ∼0.075 Ω μm2 and a maximum output voltage of ∼18 mV. Cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy observations revealed that the spacer layer was not uniform but had a heterogeneous Ag-In:Mn-Zn-O nanocomposite structure, which is considered to have formed by the oxidation of Mn diffused from the CMFG layers and by the reduction of In2O3 to metallic In alloyed with Ag. Due to the current-confinement effect through the fcc Ag-In metallic path (current-confined-path, CCP) with the average lateral size of ∼7 nm surrounded by a rocksalt Mn-Zn-O matrix, both RA and ΔR/R were enhanced compared to the case with the uniform AgSn alloy spacer layer. A Ag/IZO bilayer precursor also formed a similar Ag-In:Mn-Zn-O nanocomposite spacer with a lateral size of the Ag-In CCPs of ∼3 nm, and the device with the Ag/IZO precursor showed ΔR/R ∼ 30%. The difference in ΔR/R between the AIZO and Ag/IZO precursors can be explained by the matching of effective spin resistance between the CMFG ferromagnetic layers and the Ag-In CCP with different sizes. The resistance dispersion of the devices was also analyzed both experimentally and theoretically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report measurements of optically detected ferromagnetic resonance (ODFMR) in thin films using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, whose fluorescence intensity changes in response to the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) excitation of a proximal ferromagnet. Here, we extend the study of the off-resonant and broadband detection of FMR, first observed in the magnetic insulator YIG to a diverse set of ferromagnetic materials. We measure ODFMR signals from several technologically relevant metallic ferromagnetic materials including Py, Co, Co 2 (Mn 0.6 Fe 0.4 )Ge, and an insulating NiZnAl ferrite. These results show the generality of the spin-relaxation based coupling of the NV spins to the ferromagnetic dynamics that enables this detection. The observable field-frequency range of the ODFMR signal is dependent on material parameters such as saturation magnetization and damping. These results imply that NV-based ODFMR can give insights into nanoscale ferromagnetic dynamics and its damping processes, especially for samples with low magnetization and in the low field-frequency regime, which is important for several technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of the enhancement of the current-perpendicular-to-the-plane giant magnetoresistance ratio (ΔR/R) by a Ag/In-Zn-O (IZO)/Zn spacer layer for the spin-valves with Co2(Mn0.6Fe0.4)Ge Heusler alloy ferromagnetic layers was investigated. The insertion of a thin Ag (0.2-0.6 nm) layer below the IZO layer was found to be critical for achieving relatively low resistance-area product (RA) ∼ 0.1 Ω μm2 and large ΔR/R up to 22%. Structural characterizations by scanning transmission electron microscopy revealed that the actual spacer layer was an inhomogeneous Ag-In:Mn-Zn-O nanocomposite, where the Ag-In is thought to play a role in current-confined-path (CCP) for electric current, and the Mn-Zn-O is an oxide matrix which forms by Mn diffusion from the Co2(Mn0.6Fe0.4)Ge layers and oxidation by In2O3 in IZO. The enhancement of ΔR/R is explained to be due to the current confinement through the Ag-In CCPs in the Ag-In:Mn-Zn-O nanocomposite spacer, and the lower RA values (0.065-0.011 Ω μm2) for the Ag-In:Mn-Zn-O CCP-spacer than those for the conventional Cu:AlOx CCP-spacer can be understood by assuming a lower resistivity in the Ag-In CCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the effects of the number of repetition (N) of ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic bilayers on the magnetic property and current-perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR) in [Co2Fe(Al0.5Si0.5) (CFAS)/Ag]N multilayer for a potential magnetic field sensor application. The antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange coupling (AFM-IEC) between CFAS layers through the Ag(2.1 nm) spacer realized an anti-parallel magnetization configuration between the adjacent CFAS layers with N up to 6, which led to the stable linear response of magnetoresistance (MR) against a magnetic field in the range of 60-70 mT. The resistance change-area product (ΔRA) and the MR ratio were monotonically increased with N from 6.6 mΩ μm2 and 16% for N = 1 (CFAS/Ag/CFAS trilayer) to 23 mΩ μm2 and 43% for N = 6, respectively, giving an enhancement of field sensitivity with N up to 4.5%/mT. We also found nearly 3 times smaller non-linearity (1.2% Full Scale) in the device with N = 6 compared to that with N = 1. This study suggests a potential of Heusler-alloy based multilayer CPP-GMR device having AFM-IEC for magnetic field sensor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]