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We investigated how the nutrient status of Matsushima Bay was affected when a wastewater plant was destroyed by a tsunami in March 2011. The nutrient concentrations in the seawater and the treated water from the wastewater plant increased just after the tsunami, but decreased again to pre-tsunami levels after 2013. The amount of untreated water that passed through the wastewater plant decreased just after the tsunami. It was estimated that approximately 40.7 × 103 m3/day of the treated water from the wastewater plant was discharged to Matsushima Bay; therefore, the quantity of effluent from the wastewater plant was less than one percent of the water inflow from Takagi River and Sendai Bay (which are outside Matsushima Bay) to Matsushima Bay. The nutrient concentrations of seawater in Sendai Bay were lower than those in Matsushima Bay. The results suggest that nutrient concentrations in Matsushima Bay after the tsunami did not increase because any untreated or poorly treated effluent was easily diluted by the river flow and the inflow of seawater. Many people were concerned about eutrophication, therefore, because of the decreased functioning of the wastewater plant in Matsushima Bay. Marked eutrophication in the bay was not observed after August 2011.

Background To provide updates on clinical practice of acute pancreatitis (AP) in Japan, we conducted a nationwide epidemiological survey. Methods This study consisted of a two-staged survey; the number of AP patients was estimated by the first-stage survey and their clinical features were examined by the second-stage survey. We surveyed AP patients who had visited hospitals in 2016. Results The estimated number of AP patients in 2016 was 78,450, with an overall incidence of 61.8 per 100,000 persons. We obtained detailed clinical information of 2994 AP patients, including 706 (23.6%) severe cases classified according to the Japanese severity criteria. The male-to-female sex ratio was 2.0, and the mean age at onset was 59.9 years in males and 66.5 years in females. Alcohol was the most common etiology (42.8%) in males and gallstones in females (37.7%). The AP-associated mortality was 6.1% in severe AP cases, which was decreased by 40% compared to the 2011 survey. Antibiotics were administered to most cases, with carbapenem being frequently used. Enteral nutrition was given in 31.8% of severe cases, but majority cases received after 48 h. Among the 107 patients who received intervention for walled-off necrosis, five patients received surgery-first approach, 66 received endoscopic ultrasound-guided transluminal drainage, and 19 underwent step-up approach. Conclusions We clarified the current status of AP in Japan including the significant reduction of mortality in severe cases, shift to endoscopic approaches for walled-off necrosis, and poor compliance of the recommendations in the guidelines including management of enteral nutrition and antibiotic administration.

We consider an exponential weight $w(x) = \exp(-Q(x))$ on ${\mathbb R} = (-\infty,\infty)$, where $Q$ is an even and nonnegative function on ${\mathbb R}$. We always assume that $w$ belongs to a relevant class $\mathcal{F}(C^2+)$. Let $\{p_n\}$ be orthogonal polynomials for a weight $w$. For a function $f$ on ${\mathbb R}$, $s_n(f)$ denote the $(n-1)$-th partial sum of Fourier series. In this paper, we discuss uniformly convergence of $s_n(f)$ under the conditions that $f$ is continuous and has a bounded variation on any compact interval of ${\mathbb R}$. In the proof of main theorem, Nikolskii-type inequality and boundedness of the de la Vall{\'{e}}e Poussin mean of $f$ play important roles.

We consider the $\alpha$-parabolic Bergman spaces on strip domains. The Bergman kernel is given by a series of derivatives of the fundamental solution. We prove the $L^p$-boundedness of the projection defined by the Bergman kernel and obtain the duality theorem for $1 \lt p \lt \infty$. At the same time, we give a new proof of the Huygens property, which enable us to verify all the results in [3] also for $n = 1$.

We discuss a polynomial approximation on $\mathbb{R}$ with a weight $w$ in $\mathcal{F}(C^{2} +)$ (see Section 2). The de la Vallee Poussin mean $v_n(f)$ of an absolutely continuous function $f$ is not only a good approximation polynomial of $f$, but also its derivatives give an approximation for the derivative $f'$. More precisely, for $1 \leq p \leq \infty$, we have $\lim_{n \rightarrow \infty}\|(f - v_{n}(f))w\|_{L^{p}(\mathbb{R})} =0$ and $\lim_{n \rightarrow \infty}\|(f' - v_{n}(f)')w\|_{L^{p}(\mathbb{R})} =0$ whenever $f''w \in L^{p}(\mathbb{R})$.

We study Carleson inequalities in a framework of parabolic Hardy spaces. Similar results for parabolic Bergman spaces are discussed in [NSY1] (see also [NSY2]), where $\tau$-Carleson measures play an important roll. In the present case, $T_{\tau}$-Carleson measures are useful. We give an relation between these measures.

We consider positive solutions of elliptic partial differential equations on non-compact domains of Riemannian manifolds. We explicitly determine Martin compactifications and Martin kernels for a wide class of elliptic equations in skew product form by exploiting parabolic Martin kernels for associated parabolic equations.

Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a pivotal role in pancreatic fibrosis associated with chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Connexins (Cxs) allow direct intercellular communications as components of gap junction but also play important roles in the regulation of cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and tissue development. We here examined the expression of Cxs and Cx-mediated regulation of cell functions in PSCs.Human PSCs were isolated from patients undergoing operation for chronic pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer. The expression of Cxs was examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunofluorescent staining. The roles of Cxs in PSC functions were examined by using carbenoxolone, a broad-spectrum Cx inhibitor, and small interfering RNA for Cx43.Human activated PSCs expressed a variety of Cxs including Cx43 both in vitro and in vivo. Carbenoxolone inhibited platelet-derived growth factor-BB-induced proliferation and migration, and type I collagen expression in PSCs. In addition, carbenoxolone inhibited the activation of quiescent PSCs to a myofibroblastlike phenotype. Decreased Cx43 expression by small interfering RNA resulted in decreased proliferation and type I collagen expression.Pancreatic stellate cells expressed a variety of Cxs. Connexins, especially Cx43, might regulate the cell functions and activation of PSCs.

Background and study aims: Intramucosal vascular density differs between differentiated and undifferentiated type gastric carcinomas. This study aimed to evaluate the microvascular density characteristics of these two types of carcinoma using magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI). Patients and methods: In total, 42 differentiated and 10 undifferentiated types were evaluated. The microvessels observed using ME-NBI were extracted from stored still images and the microvascular density in the two carcinoma types was analyzed. Histological vascular density in resected specimens was also evaluated using CD34 immunostaining. Results: There were significant differences between the microvascular density in the differentiated and undifferentiated types of carcinoma (10.02 ± 4.72 % vs 4.02 ± 0.40 %; P

Let ℝ = ( − ∞ , ∞ ) , and let 𝑤 𝜌 ( 𝑥 ) = | 𝑥 | 𝜌 𝑒 − 𝑄 ( 𝑥 ) , where 𝜌 > − 1 / 2 and 𝑄 ∈ 𝐶 1 ( ℝ ) ∶ ℝ → ℝ + = [ 0 , ∞ ) is an even function. Then we can construct the orthonormal polynomials 𝑝 𝑛 ( 𝑤 2 𝜌 ; 𝑥 ) of degree 𝑛 for 𝑤 2 𝜌 ( 𝑥 ) . In this paper for an even integer 𝜈 ≥ 2 we investigate the convergence theorems with respect to the higher-order Hermite and Hermite-Fejér interpolation polynomials and related approximation process based at the zeros { 𝑥 𝑘 , 𝑛 , 𝜌 } 𝑛 𝑘 = 1 of 𝑝 𝑛 ( 𝑤 2 𝜌 ; 𝑥 ) . Moreover, for an odd integer 𝜈 ≥ 1 , we give a certain divergence theorem with respect to the higher-order Hermite-Fejér interpolation polynomials based at the zeros { 𝑥 𝑘 , 𝑛 , 𝜌 } 𝑛 𝑘 = 1 of 𝑝 𝑛 ( 𝑤 2 𝜌 ; 𝑥 ) .

The serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 1 (SPINK1), also known as pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI), is a peptide secreted by pancreatic acinar cells. Genetic studies have shown an association between SPINK1 gene variants and chronic pancreatitis or recurrent acute pancreatitis. The aim of this study was to clarify whether the SPINK1 variants affect the level of serum PSTI.One hundred sixty-three patients with chronic pancreatitis or recurrent acute pancreatitis and 73 healthy controls were recruited. Serum PSTI concentrations were determined with a commercial radioimmunoassay kit.Ten patients with the p.N34S variant, 7 with the IVS3+2TC variant, two with both the p.N34S and the IVS3+2TC variants, and one with the novel missense p.P45S variant in the SPINK1 gene were identified. The serum PSTI level in patients with no SPINK1 variants was 14.3 ± 9.6 ng/ml (mean ± SD), and that in healthy controls was 10.7 ± 2.2 ng/ml. The PSTI level in patients carrying the IVS3+2TC variant (5.1 ± 3.4 ng/ml), but not in those with the p.N34S variant (8.9 ± 3.5 ng/ml), was significantly lower than that in the patients without the SPINK1 variants and the healthy controls. The serum PSTI level in the patient with the p.P45S variant was 4.9 ng/ml. Low levels of serum PSTI (6.0 ng/ml) showed sensitivity of 80 %, specificity of 97 %, and accuracy of 96 % in the differentiation of IVS3+2TC and p.P45S carriers from non-carriers.Serum PSTI levels were decreased in patients with the IVS3+2TC and p.P45S variants of the SPINK1 gene.

Let R = ( − ∞ , ∞ ) , and let 𝑄 ∈ ℂ 1 ∶ ℝ → [ 0 , ∞ ) be an even function. We consider the exponential weights 𝑤 ( 𝑥 ) = 𝑒 − 𝑄 ( 𝑥 ) , 𝑥 ∈ ℝ . In this paper we investigate the relations between the Favard-type inequality and the Jackson-type inequality. We also discuss the equivalence of two K-functionals and the modulus of smoothness.

We study Carleson inequalities on parabolic Bergman spaces on the upper half space of the Euclidean space. We say that a positive Borel measure satisfies a $(p,q)$-Carleson inequality if the Carleson inclusion mapping is bounded, that is, $q$-th order parabolic Bergman space is embedded in $p$-th order Lebesgue space with respect to the measure under considering. In a recent paper [6], we estimated the operator norm of the Carleson inclusion mapping for the case $q$ is greater than or equal to $p$. In this paper we deal with the opposite case. When $p$ is greater than $q$, then a measure satisfies a $(p,q)$-Carleson inequality if and only if its averaging function is $\sigma$-th integrable, where $\sigma$ is the exponent conjugate to $p/q$. An application to Toeplitz operators is also included.

Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a pivotal role in pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis. In the pancreas, in addition to oxidative metabolism, ethanol can be metabolized by esterification with fatty acids to form fatty acid ethyl esters such as palmitic acid ethyl ester (PAEE). We here examined the effects of ethanol (at 20 or 50 mM), acetaldehyde (at 200 microM), or PAEE (at 100 microM), on PSCs functions. PSCs did not express mRNAs for pancreatic triglyceride lipase and carboxyl ester lipase. Ethanol and acetaldehyde, but not PAEE, induced production of procollagen type I C-peptide. Ethanol, but not acetaldehyde or PAEE, induced interleukin-8 production. PAEE activated activator protein-1, but not nuclear factor kappaB. In addition, PAEE activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Specific activation of signal transduction pathways and cell functions by ethanol and its metabolites may play a role in alcohol-induced pancreatic injury.

Recent progress in the adaptation of combinatorial biology selection protocols to materials science has created a new class of polypeptides with specific affinity to inorganics. Here, we use one of the genetically engineered proteins, a gold binding protein (GBP-1), to assess quantitatively its binding specificity to Au, Ag and Pd surfaces by using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS). The GBP-1, originally selected using cell-surface display techniques, consisting of 14 amino acids with a sequence of MHGKTQATSGTIQS, was used in this study. Three-repeat and single-repeat forms of GBP-1 were prepared. In earlier studies, GBP-1 was shown to bind to Au particles and self-assemble on flat Au surfaces. Through the fingerprint analysis of these specific peptides, their role in binding can be investigated in terms of their contribution to surface interaction possibly forming the right molecular architecture for binding. To achieve this purpose, a large-sized data matrix produced by TOF-SIMS must be properly treated for analysis. In Part A, we use principal component analysis (PCA) to visualize the spectral variations for a variety of adsorption conditions and suggest possible contribution of the specific types of amino acids (binding site) to the interactions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In Part A, we adopted principal component analysis (PCA) for the analysis of TOF-SIMS data to assess the binding specificity of GBP-1 to metallic Au, Ag and Pd. Within a given set of data, PCA aids in the interpretation of the TOF-SIMS spectra by capitalizing on the differences from one spectrum to another. In Part B, we introduce another multivariate statistical method called ‘hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA)’, where visualization of the similarity and difference in data is readily observed, from which a variety of adsorption conditions of GBP-1 were characterized. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Two patients were referred to our hospital with cystic lesion (diameter 5 cm) of the pancreas and elevated serum CEA and CA19-9. We diagnosed them with malignant cystic neoplasms of the pancreas and performed distal pancreatectomy. Histologically, in both cases the cysts were lined with flat, transitional, squamoid cells without keratinization. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed two rare cases of squamoid cyst of the pancreatic ducts.

We study Lp boundedness of the de la Vallée Poussin means vn(f) for exponential weight w(x)=exp(-Q(x)) on R. Our main result is vn(f)(w/T1/4)Lp(R)≤C∥fw∥Lp(R), for every n∈N and every 1≤p≤∞, where T(x)=xQ′(x)/Q(x). As an application, we obtain limn→∞(f-vn(f))w/T1/4Lp(R)=0 for fw∈Lp(R).

Activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of pancreatic fibrosis and inflammation. Inhibition of activation and cell functions of PSCs is a potential target for the treatment of pancreatic fibrosis and inflammation. The polyphenol compound curcumin is the yellow pigment in curry, and has anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties. We here evaluated the effects of curcumin on the activation and cell functions of PSCs. PSCs were isolated from rat pancreas tissue and used in their culture-activated, myofibroblast-like phenotype unless otherwise stated. The effects of curcumin on proliferation, alpha-smooth muscle actin gene expression, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 production, and collagen expression were examined. The effect of curcumin on the activation of freshly isolated cells in culture was also assessed. Curcumin inhibited platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced proliferation, alpha-smooth muscle actin gene expression, interleukin-1beta- and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced MCP-1 production, type I collagen production, and expression of type I and type III collagen genes. Curcumin inhibited PDGF-BB-induced cyclin D1 expression and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Curcumin inhibited interleukin-1beta- and TNF-alpha-induced activation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases (ERK, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and p38 MAP kinase), but not of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). In addition, curcumin inhibited transformation of freshly isolated cells to myofibroblast-like phenotype. In conclusion, curcumin inhibited key cell functions and activation of PSCs.

Activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of pancreatic fibrosis and inflammation. Ellagic acid is a plant-derived polyphenol found in fruits and nuts, and has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. But, little is known about the effects of ellagic acid on PSCs as well as on the activation of signal transduction pathways. We here evaluated the effects of ellagic acid on the activation and cell functions of PSCs. PSCs were isolated from rat pancreas tissue and used in their culture-activated, myofibroblast-like phenotype unless otherwise stated. Ellagic acid inhibited platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced proliferation and migration, interleukin (IL)-1beta- and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 production, and expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin and collagen genes. Ellagic acid inhibited PDGF-BB-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of PDGF beta-receptor and the downstream activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and Akt. Ellagic acid inhibited IL-1beta- and TNF-alpha-induced activation of activator protein-1 and mitogen-activated protein kinases (extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase), but not of nuclear factor-kappaB. In addition, ellagic acid inhibited transformation of freshly isolated cells to an activated, myofibroblast-like phenotype. In conclusion, ellagic acid inhibited key cell functions and activation of PSCs.

Objective: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA titer and HCV genotype are considered to be major determinants of the outcome of interferon monotherapy. To clarify whether interferon monotherapy is really effective in patients with the appropriate viral parameters, we prospectively examined these parameters and treated the patients with interferon monotherapy. Methods: Sixty-four patients with an HCV RNA titer 100 kIU/ml and genotype 1 were also enrolled as controls. All patients were treated with 10 megaunits of interferon-α2b every day for 2 weeks and then 3 times a week for 24 weeks. Results: Of the 64 patients with either HCV RNA 100 kIU/ml and genotype 1 were virologic sustained responders (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our current study showed that the patients with HCV RNA

Objective: To determine the prevalence of retinal disease in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and to characterise the findings of retinopathy. Additionally, to analyse the association of retinal disease with other clinical/laboratory findings, particularly the findings of nailfold capillaries in patients with SSc. Methods: Photographs of the ocular fundi were taken and were evaluated by an ophthalmologist who was unaware of the SSc status of the patients. The nailfold capillaries were analysed with a dermatoscope. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence (group A) or absence (group B) of retinal disease. Results: Retinal findings of the patients with SSc consisted of hard exudates, vascular tortuosity, microhaemorrhage, and macular degeneration. The prevalence of retinal disease among the patients with SSc was 34% (10/29), compared with 8%(3/38) among the controls (p=0.011). The mean systolic blood pressure and the age of the patients in group A were significantly higher than those in group B. However, there was no significant difference in the nailfold capillary damage between groups A and B. Conclusion: Retinal abnormalities are often seen in patients with SSc and they may reflect the vascular changes characteristic of SSc. However, retinal changes may differ in quality from the changes of nailfold capillaries.

A positive measurable functionK on a domainD inR n+1 is called a mean value density for temperatures if u(0; 0) = D K(x;t)u(x;t)dxdt for all temperatures u on D. We construct such a density for some domains. The existence of a bounded density and a density which is bounded away from zero on D is also discussed.

In this paper, we discuss derivative of the de la Vallee Poussin mean for exponential weights on real line. When we lead an inequality, an estimate for the Christoffel function plays an important role., Comment: 18 pages

TNF is a potent proinflammatory cytokine important for the development of arthritis in human and animals. We have investigated the roles of TNF receptor-1 (TNFR1) and TNF receptor-2 (TNFR2) in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) by inducing CIA in mice genetically deficient in TNFR1. TNFR1-/- mice developed arthritis with similar incidence and severity as TNFR1+/- littermates, indicating that TNFR1 is redundant for the development of CIA. Anti-type II collagen (CII) antibody levels and T cell responses to CII did not differ between TNFR1-/- mice and controls. Neutralization of TNF with soluble TNF binding protein suppressed the development of arthritis in TNFR1+/- mice but not in TNFR1-/- mice, indicating that TNFR2 cannot substitute for TNFR1 for the proinflammatory function. To further investigate the functions of TNFR2, TNFR1-/- mice were injected with murine TNF-alpha at different stages during the course of CIA. Repeated TNF-alpha injection during the early induction phase enhanced the development of arthritis, but inhibited arthritis when administered during the late progression phase. These results show that the engagement of TNFR2 by TNF is involved in the development of CIA in the absence of TNFR1 and that opposing signals can be transduced by TNFR2.

We discuss an inverse mean value property of solutions of the heat equation. We show that, under certain conditions, a volume mean value identity characterizes heat balls.

In commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) multi-core systems, the execution times of tasks become hard to predict because of contention on shared resources in the memory hierarchy. In particular, a task running in one processor core can delay the execution of another task running in another processor core. This is due to the fact that tasks can access data in the same cache set shared among processor cores or in the same memory bank in the DRAM memory (or both). Such cache and bank interference effects have motivated the need to create isolation mechanisms for resources accessed by more than one task. One popular isolation mechanism is cache coloring that divides the cache into multiple partitions. With cache coloring, each task can be assigned exclusive cache partitions, thereby preventing cache interference from other tasks. Similarly, bank coloring allows assigning exclusive bank partitions to tasks. While cache coloring and some bank coloring mechanisms have been studied separately, interactions between the two schemes have not been studied. Specifically, while memory accesses to two different bank colors do not interfere with each other at the bank level, they may interact at the cache level. Similarly, two different cache colors avoid cache interference but may not prevent bank interference. Therefore it is necessary to coordinate cache and bank coloring approaches. In this paper, we present a coordinated cache and bank coloring scheme that is designed to prevent cache and bank interference simultaneously. We also developed color allocation algorithms for configuring a virtual memory system to support our scheme which has been implemented in the Linux kernel. In our experiments, we observed that the execution time can increase by 60% due to inter-task interference when we use only cache coloring. Our coordinated approach can reduce this figure down to 12% (an 80% reduction).

Nocardia amarae, a mycolic acid-containing bacterium, has often been reported to cause foaming of activated sludge in wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the number of N. amarae cells in the activated sludge process was estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with anti-N. amarae polyclonal antibody. Use of the antibody enabled N. amarae to be detected at levels of 10(4) to 10(7) colony forming units. On the other hand, the antibody reacted with only a small portion of activated sludge, in which no N. amarae cells were detected by the plate count method. Competitive ELISA was employed to estimate the N. amarae cells in samples taken from a municipal wastewater treatment plant, including raw wastewater and activated sludge foam. The cell numbers estimated by competitive ELISA corresponded well with those obtained by plate counts. Hence, the antibody produced in this study was shown to be effective for the rapid monitoring of N. amarae in the activated sludge process.

MRL/Mpj-lpr/lpr (MRL/lpr) mice develop autoimmune disorders, including lymphoproliferation, glomerulonephritis, autoantibody production, and hypergammaglobulinemia. To investigate the role of the costimulatory molecule CD28 in the development of these disorders, MRL/lpr mice lacking CD28 were generated by gene targeting. Compared with CD28+/+ MRL/lpr mice, CD28−/− MRL/lpr mice showed decreased lymphadenopathy but increased splenomegaly associated with the expansion of abnormal B220+ TCRαβ+ T cells. Although levels of IgM Abs were unchanged in CD28−/− MRL/lpr mice, the production of anti-DNA IgG Abs and IgG rheumatoid factors were suppressed. IgG deposition in the glomeruli was markedly decreased, and the development of glomerulonephritis was significantly retarded. Furthermore, renal vasculitis and arthritis were absent in CD28−/− MRL/lpr mice. These results indicate that, although CD28 is not required for the generation of the abnormal T cell population in MRL/lpr mice, it does play an important role in the development of autoimmune disease in these animals.

The criteria proposed by Petersdorf has been in use internationally to define the fever of unknown origin (FUO) since 1961 and the research of FUO has progressed with this criteria. Mean-while, new diagnostic methods have been developed and illness behavior of febrile patients has changed considerablly. Accordingly, the definition by Petersdorf is becoming less matched to current clinical situation. Therefore, we have developed a new practical criteria of FUO; i.e., out-patients who are febrile more than 2 weeks, documented temperature higher than 37.5 degrees C at least on one occasion and undetermined diagnosis and in-patients who are febrile more than 1 week with documented temperature higher than 37.5 degrees C, and undetermined diagnosis. Between October 1, 1993, and October 31, 1996, we prospectively collected a series of febrile patients who fulfilled our new criteria. We identified 56 patients by our criteria (23 male and 33 female, age: 49.7 +/- 20.6. range 15 to 88). Of this 56 patients, 19 (32%) were found to have infections, 18 (31%) had collagen disorders, 5 (9%) had malignancy and 6 (10%) had died. Of 56 patients, 38 (68%) were in the newly added group. Of these 38 patients, 4 patients had subacute necrotizing lymphoadenitis, 4 cytomegalovirus infection, 3 polymyalgia rheumatica, 3 tuberculosis. Four patients (10%) died. With our criteria, febrile patients who previously had not been included were found to have as poor a prognosis as with the Petersdorf group.

Polyangiitis overlap syndrome is a new disease entity and the reported cases in the literature are still limited. We describe a female patient presenting with finger ulcers, skin eruptions, pleural effusion, interstitial pneumonia and eosinophilia. Skin biopsy showed systemic small-sized angiitis and thrombosis. She was diagnosed as having polyangiitis overlap syndrome and was successfully then treated with corticosteroid. It is also of interest that the disease activity was correlated with the number of eosinophils in peripheral blood. The measurement of the serum level of major basic protein released from eosinophils functioning as a coagulant indicated the possible association of eosinophilia with thrombosis and polyangiitis.

We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the contribution of some risk factors to the development of scleroderma. Fifty-seven patients with scleroderma (seven males and 50 females) were interviewed with a structured questionnaire at Saga Medical School Hospital from 1993 to 1995. Fifty-seven controls, who were individually sex and age matched with each case, were also interviewed with the same questionnaire during the same period. Eight individuals of parents or siblings of the scleroderma patients had Raynaud’s phenomenon, as compared to none of the controls (P

We report a rare case of a patient with Behçet’s syndrome who developed end-stage renal failure due to crescentic glomerulonephritis (GN). A 20-year-old male patient had suffered from uveitis, aphthous mouth ulcers and genital ulceration for the past 7 years. His renal function rapidly deteriorated and renal biopsy specimens obtained when his serum creatinine level was 3 mg/dl showed diffuse proliferative GN with fibrous crescent formation in 75% of glomeruli excluding totally sclerotic glomeruli. Immune complexes were identified by demonstration of complement and immunoglobulins in the glomeruli. He developed end-stage renal failure during a 1-year course and received maintenance hemodialysis. We reviewed the literature on severe forms of GN in patients with Behçet’s syndrome.

The boundary behavior of solutions of the heat equation (temperature functions) is investigated. It is proved that a temperature function is identically equal to zero if it vanishes of finite order at some lateral boundary point where it attains a local minimum.

経過中,大腸の肉芽腫性壊死性血管炎によると思われる横行結腸穿孔をきたし,その後も治療抵抗性に大腸潰瘍が遷延しているウエゲナー肉芽腫症(WG)の1例を経験した.症例は58歳女性.著明な咽頭潰瘍を主訴に1994年12月当院に入院し,抗生物質抵抗性の肺浸潤影,腎障害, C-ANCA陽性などからWGと診断した.ステロイドパルス後,横行結腸穿孔をきたし,緊急開腹にて腸管・腸間膜の血管炎様肉眼所見を認めた.人工肛門を造設し,局所安静とステロイド+シクロフォスファミドで加療し咽頭・肺・腎所見は軽快したが,壊死性肉芽腫性血管炎に伴う大腸潰瘍が術後10カ月以上遷延している.統計上,消化管病変は, WGの初発および経過中の症状としてはほとんどみられないが,死因の約12%を占めており,治療ならびに経過観察においては充分注意する必要があると考えられた.

We define the Toeplitz operators on the parabolic Bergman spaces by using a positive bilinear form. In this setting we characterize finite rank Toeplitz operators. A relation with the Carleson inclusion is also discussed.

Letℝ=(−∞,∞), and letQ∈C1(ℝ):ℝ→[0,∞)be an even function. In this paper, we consider some Lagrange interpolation polynomials and the Gauss-Jacobi quadrature formula of entire functions associated with Erdös-type weightsw(x)=e−Q(x),x∈ℝ, and we will estimate the error terms.

A 65-year old man presented with complaints of sclerosis of skin and numbness in the extremities. During last 10 year, he had developed monoclonal gammopathy, Raynaud's phenomenon, ischemic heart disease, sigmoid colon cancer, hyperkalemia, polyneuropathy and scleroderma-like skin changes. Laboratory examinations revealed a monoclonal protein (IgA-lambda) and an elevated serum level of IL-6. Subsequently a diagnosis of POEMS syndrome was made based on the clinical features and laboratory findings which were characteristic of this syndrome. Further examinations showed the presence of glomerulonephritis and brain tumor. These various complications are of great interest in understanding the pathogenesis of POEMS syndrome.

We investigated the effect of beraprost sodium (BPS) on the Raynaud's phenomenon on 15 patients with systemic sclerosis, 3 with mixed connective tissue disease and 1 with Raynaud's disease, respectively. After 12 weeks of administration of 60 micrograms/d BPS, the duration and the incidence of the Raynaud's symptom were significantly reduced and the dermal temperature on the fingers was found to be elevated. Of the parameters which are known to reflect vascular endothelial damages such as tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), von Willebrand's factor (vWF) and endothelin, the plasma level of t-PA was significantly reduced by BPS. Furthermore, the capillary loop in the nail bed of the fingers seemed to increase in one patient by the treatment with BPS. These results suggest that BPS has a capacity to repair peripheral vascular damages resulting in the improvement of Raynaud's phenomenon.