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BACKGROUND AND AIMS: There are few reports on the association between malnutrition and hypoglycemia. The geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) allows risk classification by morbidity and mortality resulting from conditions often associated with malnutrition in older individuals. However, the association between GNRI and hypoglycemia is unclear. This study examined the associations between nutrition-related risk and hypoglycemia among older individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) using diabetes medication. METHODS: This single-center historical cohort study included hospitalized patients aged ≥ 65 years with T2D on medication. Nutrition-related risk was assessed using the GNRI and classified into four risk groups. Hypoglycemia and serious hypoglycemia were determined by oral or intravenous glucose intake and blood glucose

Recently, we designed and assembled protein nanobuilding blocks (PN-Blocks) from an intermolecularly folded dimeric de novo protein called WA20. Using this dimeric 4-helix bundle, we constructed a ...

The aim of this study is to show the experience and results of laparoscopic training using origami, a Japanese traditional papercraft, and to discuss its usefulness in gastrointestinal surgery.A laparoscopic training dry box was used. An origami paper crane was folded using laparoscopic instruments. The time to complete the origami crane was measured.Two trainees participated in this study; the total number of origami cranes folded by these trainees was 2000 and 700, respectively. The learning curve gradually improved. According to our experience, this training strengthened mental faculties and was associated with the improvement of hand-eye and left-right coordination, reduction of tremor, acquisition of delicate technique, the ability to distinguish subtle differences in color, ability to respond to trouble.Laparoscopic training for gastrointestinal surgery using origami may have the potential to improve the technical skills in laparoscopic surgery.

Recently, we designed and assembled protein nanobuilding blocks (PN-Blocks) from an intermolecularly folded dimeric

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is one of the most serious complications after laparoscopic low anterior resection (LALAR) for rectal cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the risk factors for AL after LALAR.A retrospective study was conducted of 103 patients who underwent LALAR in a single institute between October 2008 and January 2018. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the clinicopathological factors associated with AL.The overall incidence of AL was 9.7% (10/103). After anastomosis using the double-stapling technique, a transanal tube was placed in 88 patients (85.4%). A diverting stoma was created in 26 patients (25.2%). The univariate analysis showed that a younger age (P = 0.014), higher stage (P = 0.048), deeper depth of tumor invasion (P = 0.028), larger tumor circumference (P = 0.024), longer operation time (P = 0.015), and early postoperative diarrhea (P = 0.002) were associated with AL. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed early postoperative diarrhea (odds ratio [OR] 16.513, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.393-113.971, P = 0.004) a younger age (10-year increments; OR 0.351, 95% CI 0.147-0.839, P = 0.019), operative time (10-min increments; OR 1.089, 95% CI 1.012-1.172, P = 0.022), and higher stage (OR 10.605, 95% CI 1.279-87.919, P = 0.029) were independent risk factors for AL CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that tumor progression accompanied by a high stage, long operative time, and insufficient bowel preparation and early postoperative diarrhea due to a large tumor circumference may be risk factors of AL after LALAR for rectal cancer.

塩化オクチルトリメチルアンモニウム（OTAC）とドデカン酸ナトリウム（SD）の混合溶液中で形成される混合界面活性剤分子集合体（混合ベシクル）を，ルシゲニン化学発光（CL）の反応場として利用すると，活性酸素（スーパーオキシドO2−·，一重項酸素1O2，過酸化水素H2O2，ヒドロキシラジカル·OH）の中でO2−·が特異的，かつ高感度に検出できることを見いだした．5.0 M OTACと1.0 M SDの等量混合溶液（pH 7.0）中での活性酸素のCL応答はO2−·を100とすると1O2 0.011，H2O2 0.021，·OH 0.037で，O2−·の検出下限（3 σ）はヒポキサンチン濃度で10−7 Mレベルであった．混合ベシクル溶液中ではルシゲニン-O2−·反応の経路が非CL反応からCL反応へと劇的に変化し，著しくCL量子収率が向上したことによると考察した．本法をO2−·の生成が推定されている新規CL反応系に適用し，その有効性を示した．

春の融雪期に, 尾瀬ケ原の一部で, 例年「アカシボ」と呼ばれる彩雪現象がみられる。このアカシボ雪の中や表面に, 線虫類, ソコミジンコ類, ケンミジンコ類, ミズダニ類, クマムシ類, 貧毛類, ガガンボ科幼虫, ヌカカ科幼虫, ユスリカ科幼虫などが出現した。この中でも特に, ソコミジンコ類, 貧毛類, ガガンボ科幼虫, ヌカカ科幼虫, ユスリカ科幼虫の密度が高かった。見本園アカシボの総密度は雪中で2.4～3.6×104個体m-2, 雪表面で0.3～2.2×103個体m-2であった。見本園の根雪前, 融雪後のアカシボ残存物中にはアカシボ雪と共通の分類群が出現することより, アカシボ雪の無脊椎動物は湿原の土壌動物に由来するものと推定された。土壌動物がアカシボ雪中に移動する原因として, 融雪期に積雪下の地表面が湛水すること, 溶存酸素濃度が低下すること, さらにアカシボ雪の形成時にFe2+の酸化のために, 酸素が消費され, 雪中の酸素濃度が低下することが推定された。雪原食物網研究の重要性について考察した。

Mixed-surfactant vesicles, which have the possibility of controlling the reaction pathways, formed from aqueous mixtures of octyltrimethylammonium chloride and sodium dodecanoate, were evaluated for a chemiluminescence (CL) reaction medium by means of a batch method. The lucigenin CL based on the oxidation by superoxide was chosen as a model CL system. The lucigenin CL intensity was enhanced by a factor of 65 in mixed vesicles (pH 9.2) compared with no use of a surfactant. This enhancement was greater than those in other ordered surfactant aggregates, and thought to be caused by the increased CL quantum yield, which resulted from a change in the reaction pathway in the mixed vesicular medium. The present lucigenin CL system can be used for the CL determination of biological analytes under nearly neutral conditions.

Aggregates (mixed micelles, bilayer membranes, vesicles) formed from aqueous mixtures of dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were evaluated for chemiluminescence (CL) reaction media by means of a batch method. The uranine CL based on oxidation by hypochlorous acid was chosen as a model CL system. The uranine CL intensity was enhanced by a factor of 91 in mixed micelles ([DTAC]/[SDS] = 1.5) compared with that in other aggregates (bilayer membranes and vesicles). This enhancement is thought to be caused by the increased CL quantum yield, which results from stabilization of the emitter (uranine) on the interface of the rigid mixed micelles.

It was previously revealed [Yamaguchi, H., Nishiyama, T., and Uchida, M. (1999) J. Biochem. 126, 261-265] that N-glycans of both the high-mannose and complex types have binding affinity for aromatic amino acid residues. This study shows that free N-glycans protect proteins from protease digestion through their binding affinities for the aromatic amino acid residues exposed on protein molecules. Protease digestion of bovine pancreatic RNase A and bovine a-lactalbumin was depressed in solutions (1 mM or so) of free N-glycans of both the high-mannose and complex types. The increasing order of the protective effects of the N-glycans paralleled that of their affinities for aromatic amino acid residues; and the presence of aromatic amino acids practically abolished the protective effects of the N-glycans. The N-glycans also depressed the protease digestion of metallothionein, an aromatic amino acid-free protein, in agreement with the observation that the N-glycans also interact with the solvent-exposed aromatic amino acid residues of the proteases. Thus it seems probable that the N-glycans protect proteins from protease digestion by steric hindrance attributable to their binding affinity for the solvent-exposed aromatic amino acid residues of both substrate proteins and proteases.

刺吸引細胞診は乳房疾患の治療方針を決めるための主要な手段であるが, 診断困難症例にしばしば遭遇する. われわれは, 独自の細胞判定基準を作成し, 診断困難な症例をCIIIaとCIIIb群に分けた. そして, CIIIaは良性とは断定できないので再検もしくは厳重な経過観察か, 外来で試験切除を行う. CIIIbは, 悪性を強く疑うが断定できないので他の診断所見を考慮したうえで入院して試験切除を行うよう勧告する. 疑いなく悪性の場合にのみCIV, CVとするという報告様式を考案した. 1988年1月から1993年6月まで, 総計1197例に対し1510回の穿刺吸引細胞診を行った. CIIIa群は83, うち47例の手術例中7例 (14.9%) が悪性, 40例が良性であった. CIIIb群は44. 35例に手術, うち22例 (62.9%) が悪性であった. CIV, CV群の76例はすべて悪性で, 誤陽性はなかった. CIIIa群の良性は, 乳腺症, 巨大線維腺腫, 隆起性皮膚線維肉腫, CIIIb群の良性は乳腺症, 線維腺腫, 乳管腺腫 (ductal adenoma), 葉状腫瘍などで, 組織学的にも問題例が多くみられた. CIIIb, CIIIa群の悪性症例は, 硬癌, 小葉癌, など細胞採取しにくい小型の細胞からなる症例, 非浸潤癌, 微小浸潤癌など異型の少ない癌, 異型の少ない細胞の乳頭癌症例が多かった。術中迅速組織診断では診断できなかった乳頭癌症例をCIIIbとして拾い上げている. 以上, われわれの判定基準は, 診断困難症例の診断に適用でき, この報告様式は治療方針を立てるうえで有用であった.

We performed abdomino-perineal resection of the rectum and partial resection of a vagina in a 78-year-old woman on a diagnosis of anal canal basaloid carcinoma with vaginal invasion. We did not perform specific adjuvant therapy pre- or postoperatively, but no recurrence appeared for 5 years. Anal canal basaloid carcinoma is a comparatively rare disorder, and the prognosis is relatively good. It seemed that determination of the indication of postoperative adjuvant therapy will require the accumulation of future further cases and enough appearance with operative methods in the treatment of anal canal basaloid carcinoma.

This work describes the detection of changes in the inner wall condition of mass-production plasma etching equipment using a load impedance monitoring system. The system detects the change in the imaginary part of the load impedance from a 50-Ω transmission line when the inner wall condition changes following exposure to the atmosphere. The results demonstrate that the system can be used as a practical method for real-time and noninvasive monitoring of the wall condition of etching chambers. This method will contribute to improvements in production yield and overall equipment effectiveness, and the development of predictive maintenance in semiconductor manufacturing.

A high-speed and practical load impedance monitoring system is developed for the detection of microarc discharge. The detection system measures forward and reflected rf powers, including phase information, simultaneously with capacitances of variable capacitors, which allows real-time monitoring of load impedance. The results demonstrate that the system can detect microarc discharges at high speed and high sensitivity from a 50 Ω transmission line, and reveal that a significant change in load impedance is caused by arcing. This method is expected to contribute to improvements in plasma processing, production yield, and overall equipment effectiveness in semiconductor manufacturing.

We propose a practical and highly sensitive characteristic impedance monitoring (CIM) system for detecting the etching end point and anomalies during the plasma etching process. The CIM system employs a directional coupler and a newly developed vector processing system. The etching end point was successfully detected when a SiO2/Si wafer was etched with CF4 plasma; the system also detected wafer fluttering occurring during SF6–N2 plasma etching. The reactance component of the characteristic impedance primarily changed with the transient response of the electric potential on the inner glass surface during SF6–N2 plasma etching.

A method for characteristic impedance monitoring (CIM) is developed for anomaly detection during plasma processing. Advantages of the method include high-sensitivity and real-time monitoring, as well as structural simplicity to install the measurement system in the mass production equipment. To obtain real-time monitoring without time delay, our CIM system consists of a directional coupler and a newly developed vector processing system instead of the conventional high voltage and current probes. The system can measure the time variations of characteristic and load impedances even while the plasma is generated.

We have recently revealed that the intramolecular Asn-glycans promote the refolding of reductively denatured bovine pancreatic RNase B, and that extramolecular Asn-glycans of both high-mannose and complex types also markedly stimulate the oxidative refolding of RNase B and its nonglycosylated form, RNase A [Yamaguchi, H. and Uchida, M. (1996) J. Biochem. 120, 474-477; Nishimura et al. (1998) J. Biochem. 123, 516-520]. The present investigation was undertaken to see whether this function of Asn-glycans is specific to the refolding of pancreatic RNases; i.e., extramolecular Asn-glycans were examined for their effects on the oxidative refolding of hen egg white lysozyme and bovine alpha-lactalbumin by monitoring changes in activity, dynamic volume, intrinsic fluorescence, and affinity for a fluorescent probe, 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate. Asn-glycans of both high-mannose and complex types markedly stimulated the oxidative refolding of these proteins, giving similar results to those previously obtained with RNases, though differences attributable to the characteristics of individual proteins were observed in the promotive effects. Thus it seems probable that Asn-glycans generally promote the proper folding of denatured polypeptides.

The adsorption of several proteins onto latex particles was investigated using a series of polymer latices having the same particle size but with particle surfaces of different chemical structure. The latices were prepared by modification of a styrene—acrylamide copolymer latex. In addition, a polystyrene latex was used to measure the contribution of a hydrophobic surface to the adsorption. With respect to the type of latex, in general, the adsorption of proteins decreased in the order: styrene—acrylamide copolymer latex