Search

Introduction LACC trial suggests intraoperative tumor manipulation and dissemination may compromise survival of early stage cervical cancer with total laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (TLRH). We examined oncological outcome of TLRH with abdominal radical hysterectomy (ARH) and evaluated our surgical technique. Description A case of cervical cancer T1b1 is presented in this video. Patient is 49 years old and endocervix tumor of 1.5 cm is identified in uterine cervix. TLRH is done by Okabayashi method. Technique for good visual field is standardized to reproduce Okabayashi method in every case. TLRH is combined with measures to prevent tumor spillage: 1) avoidance of usage of uterine manipulator, 2) clipping of venous drainage from uterus before manipulating uterine cervix, and clipping central side of lymph drainage before pelvic lymph node dissection, 3) irrigate vagina and close vaginal cuff before colpotomy. Cox proportional hazard model confirmed that oncologic outcomes were similar between 2 groups (29 cases in TLRH group and 35 cases in ARH group), including disease free survival (DFS, HR: 0.2441, 95%CI: 0.02852–2.09, p=0.198) and overall survival (OS, HR: 1.676, 0.1045–26.85, p=0.7152). Local recurrence was observed in 4 cases of ARH group (11%) but none in TLRH group. Metastasis was observed in 1 case of ARH group and 1 case of TLRH group. Conclusion/Implications TLRH done by Okabayashi method is accepted when combined with preventive method of tumor spillage. Tumor should be isolated, and irrigation of vagina and vaginal cuff closure before colpotomy is needed in both groups.

Background Left ventricular (LV) relaxation (eTau) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (ePCWP) were reported to be estimated by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). LV camber stiffness (e-c stiffness) may be estimated with the use of 2 diastolic pressure-volume coordinates. The minimum diastolic pressure (mP) is reported to have a strong correlation with Tau. Purpose We sought to examine the impact of hypertension on LV diastolic function and LA properties and to elucidate the feature of hypertensive heart failure with preserved EF (HFpEF). Methods The e', E/e', Tau, PCWP, LVEDP, LV stiffness, LAV, LA emptying function (LAEF) and LA strain were examined in 53 controls (age 66±11), 136 hypertensive patients (HTN) with normal EF (69±11) and 39 HFpEF (77±14). ePCWP and estimated EDP (eEDP) was calculated as previously reported. Tau was calculated as isovolumic relaxation time/(ln 0.9 x systolic blood pressure − ln PCWP). Myocardial stiffness (e-m stiffness) was estimated as LVED stress/LV strain. LV c-stiffness was calculated as LV pressure change (from mP to EDP) obtained by catheterization divided by LV volume change. Estimated LV c-stiffness (e-c-stiffness) was noninvasively obtained using e-mP and e-EDP. The eTau, eEDP and e-mP by STE were validated by catheterization (n=126). Results The mP had a good correlation with Tau (r=0.70, p LV diastoric function Variables Control HTN HFpEF LVEF, % 68±6 68±8 63±9*+ LV longitudinal strain x (s–1) 19.1±3.0 16.8±4.3* 14.5±5.1*+ E/e' 9.2±2.6 11.6±4.5* 15.9±7.9*+ eTau, ms 35±12 48±17* 59±17*+ ePCWP, mmHg 7.3±2.7 8.3±4.3 15.0±4.4*+ eLVEDP, mmHg 9.4±2.2 10.4±3.5 15.9±3.7*+ LV e-myocardial stiffness, kdynes/cm 0.56±0.25 0.69±0.56 1.27±0.71*+ LV e-chamber stiffness, mmHg/ml 0.19±0.06 0.20±0.08 0.36±0.19*+ Maximum LAVI, ml/m2 42±15 50±21* 68±17*+ Total LAEF, % 55±7 51±11 36±12*+ LA peak strain 41±15 40±17 19±8*+ *p Conclusion We demonstrated that LV diastolic function in HTN may be accurately and noninvasively evaluated by STE.

Background Left ventricular (LV) diastolic function is mainly composed of LV relaxation and LV stiffness. We reported that pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (ePCWP) and LV relaxation assessed by Tau (eTau) are noninvasively evaluated by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). The minimum LV diastolic pressure (mLVP) was reported to have a strong correlation with Tau. Therefore, LV chamber stiffness (c-stiffness) may be assessed with the use of two LV diastolic pressure-volume coordinates: the mLVP and volume and the end-diastolic pressure (EDP) and volume. Purpose We sought to noninvasively assess LV stiffness using STE and validate the value by cardiac catheterization. Methods Echocardiography and catheterization were performed in 124 patients (age 72±8) (70 angina pectoris, 20 prior myocardial infarction, 19 hypertensive heart disease, 11 congestive heart failure and 4 paroxysmal atrial fibrillation). The ePCWP (mmHg) is noninvasively obtained as 10.8 − 12.4 × Log (left atrial active emptying function/minimum volume) and the eTau (ms) is obtained as isovolumic relaxation time/(ln 0.9 × systolic blood pressure − ln ePCWP) as previously reported. The mLVP (e-mLVP) was estimate using Tau. The estimated EDP (e-EDP) was calculated as 12.3 − 10.1 × Log (left atrial active emptying function / minimum volume). LV c-stiffness (mmHg/ml) was calculated as LV pressure change (from mLVP to EDP) obtained by catheterization divided by LV volume change during diastole which equals to stroke volume by echocardiography. Estimated c-stiffness (e-c-stiffness) was noninvasively obtained using e-mLVP and e-EDP. Furthermore, LV myocardial stiffness (m-stiffness) was calculated by LVED stress / LV longitudinal strain by STE, where LV stress (kdynes/cm2) was calculated as 0.334 × pressure × dimension / [thickness (1 + thickness/dimension)]. The estimated m-stiffness (e-m-stiffness) was calculated using e-EDP. Results The eTau and e-EDP estimated by STE had a good correlation with Tau and EDP invasively obtained by catheterization (r=0.75 and 0.63, respectively, both p Conclusion This study demonstrated that LV stiffness may be noninvasively assessed by STE with reasonable accuracy and may have utility and value in the routine clinical practice for the diagnosis and treatment in patients with diastolic dysfunction.

Background Left ventricular (LV) pressure-strain and pressure-volume (P-V) loop area reflect global myocardial work (MW) and stroke work (SW), but clinical use of these indexes is limited by the need of invasive pressure measurement. A noninvasive method to obtain LV pressure-strain loop area was recently introduced to examine MW by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). Purpose We sought to evaluate the impact of preload change on MW and SW obtained using this novel method and to examine the utility to assess LV contractile performance by the SW and end-diastolic volume (EDV) relation (SW-VED) in patient with hemodialysis (HD). Methods LV pressure in a cardiac cycle was estimated using systolic blood pressure (SBP), LV minimum diastolic pressure (mDP) and end-diastolic pressure (EDP) in 20 HD patients (age 67±9)and 25 controls (age 67±9) by utilizing the profile of an empiric, normalized reference curve adjusted according to the duration of LV isovolumic and ejection phases as defined by timing of aortic and mitral valve events by echocardiography. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (ePCWP) is estimated as 10.8 – 12.4 × Log (left atrial active emptying function/minimum volume): KT index as previously reported. LVEDP were estimated as 12.3 – 10.1 × KT index. We examined the relation between LV pressure decline (Tau) and mDP by catheterization in 126 patients. Tau is estimated as isovolumic relaxation time/(ln 0.9 × systolic BP − ln ePCWP) as previously reported. SW was obtained by P-V loop area using the combination of pressure (SBP, mDP and EDP) and LV volume by 3D-STE. Echo parameters and BP were measured before and after HD and before and after leg up in controls. Results The mDP obtained by catheterization had a good correlation with Tau (Tau = 33.7 + 2.06 × mDP, r=0.70, p Conclusion LVSW noninvasively obtained by P-V loop area was increased in controls associated with increased preload and decreased in HD with decreased preload and SW-VED was deceased in HD. This novel and noninvasive method may be of potential utility to assess LV contractility and have a clinical interest and value to assess LV function.

Introduction Left ventricular (LV) pressure-volume (P-V) loop area reflects stroke work (SW), but clinical use of this index is limited by the need of invasive pressure measurement. A noninvasive method to obtain LV pressure-strain loop was recently introduced to assess myocardial work (MW). The minimum LV diastolic pressure (mLVP) was reported to have a strong correlation with Tau and we reported that Tau was noninvasively evaluated by speckle tracking echocardiography (STE). Purpose We sought to evaluate the impact of preload change by leg lifts on LV SW noninvasively obtained by the novel method and to examine the utility to assess LV contractility by SW and end-diastolic (ED) volume relation (SW-VED). Methods Thirty six controls (age 71±10) and 30 patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (EF) Results LVEF and longitudinal strain in HF before leg up by 3D-STE were lower compared to normal (LVEF; normal: 58±5 vs HF: 39±10*% and strain; −12±3 vs −8±3%*, *p Conclusion LV SW noninvasively obtained by P-V loop area was increased after leg up in both normal and HF but SW-VED in HF was smaller than normal, indicating reduced contractility in HF. This noninvasive method may be a new echocardiographic approach for quantification of LV SW and contractility.

To test the hypothesis that the use of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) reduces elevated pain by controlling the release of neurochemicals during orthodontic tooth movement.Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Okayama University. Sixty-five Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to tooth movement and LLLT.Adult Sprague Dawley rats were used in this study. Groups included day 0 controls, irradiation only controls and with or without irradiation sacrificed at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days after tooth movement (n=5 each, total n=65). Tooth movement was achieved by insertion of an elastic module between molar teeth. Immunohistochemistry for CD-11b, GFAP and c-fos in the brain stem was performed. Stains were quantified by constructing a three-dimensional image using IMARIS, and counted using NEURON TRACER and WinROOF software. Two-way ANOVA followed by a Tukey's post hoc test (P.05) was used for statistical comparison between groups.C-fos expression was significantly increased at one and three days after tooth movement. LLLT significantly diminished this increase in c-fos expression only at one day after tooth movement CD-b11 and GFAP expression also significantly increased after tooth movement. No significant change was observed for CD-11b and GFAP expression in the central nervous system upon LLLT.Low-level laser therapy may reduce early neurochemical markers but have no effect on delayed pain neurochemical markers after tooth movement.

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation process of redundant or faulty cell components in normal cells. However, certain diseases are associated with dysfunctional autophagy. Rapamycin, a major immunosuppressant used in islet transplantation, is an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin and is known to cause induction of autophagy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo effects of rapamycin on pancreatic β cells. Rapamycin induced upregulation of autophagy in both cultured isolated islets and pancreatic β cells of green fluorescent protein-microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 transgenic mice. Rapamycin reduced the viability of isolated β cells and down-regulated their insulin function, both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, rapamycin increased the percentages of apoptotic β cells and dead cells in both isolated and in vivo intact islets. Treatment with 3-methyladenine, an inhibitor of autophagy, abrogated the effects of rapamycin and restored β-cell function in both in vitro experiments and animal experiments. We conclude that rapamycin-induced islet dysfunction is mediated through upregulation of autophagy, with associated downregulation of insulin production and apoptosis of β cells. The results also showed that the use of an autophagy inhibitor abrogated these effects and promoted islet function and survival. The study findings suggest that targeting the autophagy pathway could be beneficial in promoting islet graft survival after transplantation.

Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia with a population of about 9.6 million people, inhabiting an area of about 660 square-km. In the last three decades, urban development of Jakarta has grown very rapidly in the sectors of industry, trade, transportation, real estate, and many others. This exponentially increased urban development introduces several environmental problems. Land subsidence is one of them. The resulted land subsidence will also then affect the urban development plan and process. It has been reported for many years that several places in Jakarta are subsiding at different rates. The leveling surveys, GPS survey methods, and InSAR measurements have been used to study land subsidence in Jakarta, over the period of 1982–2010. In general, it was found that the land subsidence exhibits spatial and temporal variations, with the rates of about 1–15 cm/year. A few locations can have the subsidence rates up to about 20–28 cm/year. There are four different types of land subsidence that can be expected to occur in the Jakarta basin, namely: subsidence due to groundwater extraction, subsidence induced by the load of constructions (i.e., settlement of high compressibility soil), subsidence caused by natural consolidation of alluvial soil, and tectonic subsidence. It was found that the spatial and temporal variations of land subsidence depend on the corresponding variations of groundwater extraction, coupled with the characteristics of sedimentary layers and building loads above it. In general, there is strong relation between land subsidence and urban development activities in Jakarta.

To improve drought tolerance of potato, we bred four cultivars with large root mass and registered them as Konyu-1 to Konyu-4 in 2007. In this paper, we present the yield performance and the related aboveground characteristics of three Konyu cultivars and cv. Konafubuki (small root mass, one of the parents of these Konyu cultivars) in irrigated and droughted fields for 3 years. Consistent with our previous reports, we observed that the yield reduction in droughted fields relative to irrigated fields was less in Konyu cultivars than in Konafubuki. Konyu-2 showed the highest yield in both fields in all three experimental years. Konyu-2 and Konafubuki had a relatively high harvest index (HI) as a result of lower dry weight partitioning to the shoot regardless of water treatment. This characteristic contributed to the higher yield in the irrigated field in both cultivars compared with the other cultivars. In addition, Konyu-2 had a higher leaf/stem ratio coupled with a lower number of branches than the other cultivars. In the year of the most severe drought, the leaf area index remained below 3 (optimum value for intercept radiation) in Konafubuki, but not in Konyu-2 because of its high leaf/stem ratio. The present results suggest that in addition to large root mass, high HI coupled with high leaf/stem ratio with low number of branches may contribute to achieve high and stable yields in drought prone environments.

We experienced two cases of steroid pulse therapy combined with tonsillectomy for recurrent IgA nephropathy (IgAN) in a renal allograft. We defined recurrent IgAN in renal allograft as IgA deposits in glomeruli with persistent proteinuria (> 0.5 g/ day) and microscopic hematuria in renal transplant recipients with biopsy-proven IgAN of their native kidneys. We performed steroid pulse therapy following tonsillectomy as therapeutic protocol for recurrent IgAN. The first patient was diagnosed with recurrent IgAN by allograft biopsy 3 years after renal transplantation, and a second patient was diagnosed after one year. The former patient's proteinuria disappeared 4 months after treatment and the latter patient's proteinuria disappeared after one month. Tonsillectomy combined with steroid pulse therapy can induce clinical remission in patients with recurrent IgAN after renal transplantation.

Cell-mediated immunity, especially of human CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) is believed to have an important role in the long-term survival of pig islet xenografts. Protection against human CD8+ CTL cytotoxicity may reduce the direct damage to pig islets and enable long-term xenograft survival in pig-to-human islet xenotransplantation. We have previously reported that c-FLIP S/L genes, which are potent inhibitors of death receptor–mediated proapoptotic signals through binding competition with caspase-8 for recruitment to the Fas-associated via death domain (FADD), markedly suppress human CD8+ CTL-mediated xenocytotoxicity. In addition, the cytoprotective effects of c-FLIP L seem to be significantly stronger than those of c-FLIP S . Accordingly, in the present study, expression of c-FLIP L was induced in intact pig islets by adenoviral transduction. Consequently, the cytoprotective capacity of the transgene in pig islets was examined in in vitro and in vivo exposure to human CD8+ CTLs. Cells from untransduced islets or mock islets were sensitive to CD8+ CTL-mediated lysis (59.3% ± 15.9% and 64.0% ± 8.9% cytotoxicity, respectively). In contrast, cells from pig islets transduced with the c-FLIP L gene were markedly protected from lysis (30.5% ± 3.5%). Furthermore, prolonged xenograft survival was elicited from pig islets transduced with this molecule as assessed using an islet transplant model using the rat kidney capsule. Thus, these data indicate that intact pig islets can be transduced to express c-FLIP L with adenovirus. Pig islets expressing c-FLIP L are significantly resistant to human CTL killing and further exhibit beneficial effects to prolong xenograft survival.

Human CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated cytotoxicity, which participates in xenograft rejection, is mediated mainly by the Fas/FasL apoptotic pathway. We previously developed methods to inhibit human CTL xenocytotoxicity by extracellular remodeling using overexpression of membrane-bound human FasL on pig xenograft cells, and by intracellular blockade of death receptor-mediated apoptotic signals, such as the Fas/FasL pathway using the pig c-FLIP(L) molecule. To investigate the cooperative effects of both membrane-bound FasL and pig c-FLIP(L), we cotransfected both genes into pig endothelial cells (PEC). The double remodeling with these molecules effectively prevented CD8(+) CTL killing. Although double transfectants and single high transfectants of either membrane-bound FasL or c-FLIP(L) gene displayed similar inhibition of CTL cytotoxicity, the expression levels of these 2 molecules in double transfectants were almost half the expression levels of single transfectants. Furthermore, to show in vivo prolongation of xenograft survival, we transplanted PEC transfectants under the rat kidney capsule. Prolonged survival was displayed by PEC double transfectant xenografts whereas those from either parental PEC or MOCK (vehicle control) were completely rejected by day 5 posttransplantation. These data suggested that intracellular and extracellular remodeling by coexpression of membrane-bound FasL and pig c-FLIP(L) in xenograft cells may prevent an innate cellular response to xenografts. The gene compatibility of these molecules to generate transgenic pigs may be sufficient to create a window of opportunity to facilitate long-term xenograft survival.

Background: Pig islets are considered an attractive alternative treatment for patients with Type 1 diabetes. However, pig islet xenografts, transplanted into non-human primates, are directly rejected by cell-mediated processes. We have previously reported that cell-mediated xenograft-rejections, and especially human CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL)-mediated cytotoxicity, are highly detrimental to pig xenograft cells. Moreover, we have explored novel strategies for the prevention of CTL killing by overexpression of either human decoy Fas antigen or membrane-bound human FasL in pig endothelial cells. In this study, we assessed the cytoprotective effects of these molecules for pig islets both in vitro and in vivo. Materials and methods: Pig islets were freshly isolated by modified Ricordi’s methods. Subsequently, these islets were transfected with an adenoviral expression vector containing the DNA fragments of either membrane-bound human FasL or human decoy Fas. Transfected islets were transplanted into preimmunized diabetic rats under the kidney capsule. Control pig islets (i.e., MOCK), which were transfected with an adenoviral expression vector containing only the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene, were also transplanted. Results: Efficiency of adenoviral expressions of these molecules in pig islets was approximately 80% at a multiplicity of infection of 100. In an in vitro assay, approximately 80% suppression of cytotoxicity was observed in membrane-bound human FasL-expressing pig islets and 60% inhibition of CTL killing was displayed in decoy Fas expression pig islets. In an in vivo transplant model, prolonged survival of pig islets xenografts, expressing either membrane-bound human FasL or human decoy Fas genes, was elicited in comparison with that of control islets xenografts. Conclusion: The extracellular remodeling of either death receptor or death ligand genes by adenoviral expression was effective for the prevention of CTL-mediated xenocytotoxicity in pig islets.

Chronic renal failure involves a slow, progressive loss of renal function over months or years. It is possible that periodontal disease and chronic kidney disease might share common risk factors. This study investigated whether a link exists between periodontal disease and chronic renal function in community-dwelling elderly subjects.A total of 145 study subjects, all 77 years of age, participated in this study. A periodontal examination was carried out by trained dentists. Urine was collected over 24 hours, and blood was taken on the morning of the dental exam. The volume of creatinine per 24 hours (Cre_U) and volume of urine per 24 hours were used as urinary markers of kidney function; serum creatinine levels (Cre_S) were used as a blood marker of kidney function. Creatinine clearance per 24 hours was calculated as Cre_U/Cre_S. In addition, biochemical parameters of bone turnover were measured: urinary deoxypyridinoline (U-DPD) as a bone resorption marker and serum osteocalcin (S-OC) as a bone formation marker. Multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the percentage of periodontal sites withor =6-mm clinical attachment level (%or =6-mm CAL) and renal function, as well as the relationship between %or =6-mm CAL and bone metabolism. The %or =6-mm CAL was used as the dependent variable. The number of remaining teeth, smoking habit, gender, use of interdental brushes or dental floss, volume of urine per 24 hours, and creatinine clearance per 24 hours were independent variables in the first test. In addition, the number of remaining teeth, smoking habits, gender, use of interdental brushes or dental floss, U-DPD, and S-OC were independent variables in the second test.Multiple regression analysis showed that creatinine clearance per 24 hours and S-OC were significantly associated with %or =6-mm CAL per person. The standardized coefficients were 0.26 (P = 0.015) and -0.27 (P = 0.006), respectively.The %or =6-mm CAL was significantly associated with renal function and bone metabolism markers. This study suggests that the increased incidence of chronic renal failure that occurs with age might increase the probability of severe periodontal disease in community-dwelling elderly subjects.

A less-hazardous and low cost selenization method for the preparation of CuInSe 2 films was demonstrated using diethylselenide [(C 2 H 5 ) 2 Se:DESe] as a Se source alternative to H 2 Se. By using N 2 as a carrier gas, potential H 2 leakage risk was removed from our previous work [J. Cryst. Growth 243 (2002) 404]. The structural and optical properties of CuInSe 2 films fabricated by this method were found to be almost equal to those of the films prepared by the selenization process using DESe/H 2 system.

Picosecond and femtosecond lasers having different pulsewidths were employed for the generation of multi-color laser emission via stimulated Raman scattering and four-wave Raman mixing using a KGd(WO 4 ) 2 crystal. Seven emission lines, consisting of high-order Stokes and anti-Stokes emissions, were observed at a laser pulsewidth of 20 ps and a pulse energy of 70 μJ.

Recently, we have developed an improved three-stage growth method by simultaneously using a pyrometer and a thermocouple, to accurately control thickness and composition during growth of CuInGaSe 2 (CIGS). As a result, we have obtained solar cells that show preliminary efficiencies up to 16.4% without anti-reflection coating. Using the technique, we have investigated possible mechanism behind non-optimal cell efficiency, focusing on the effects of the molybdenum contact layer. Some additional advantages of our pyrometer monitoring technique are described. Optimizing the properties of Mo layer leads to suppression of Na segregation and distinctive damage to the CIGS surface, improving both cell performance and reproducibility.

The mechanical behavior of ductile cast iron is governed by graphite particles and casting defects in the microstructures, which can significantly decrease the fatigue strength. In our previous study, the fatigue limit of ferritic-pearlitic ductile cast iron specimens with small defects () could successfully be predicted based on the parameter model by using as a geometrical parameter of defect as well as the tensile strength as a material parameter. In addition, the fatigue limit for larger defects could be predicted based on the conventional fracture mechanics approach. In this study, rotating bending and tension-compression fatigue tests with ferritic-pearlitic ductile cast iron containing circumferential sharp notches as well as smooth specimens were performed to investigate quantitatively the effects of defect. The notch depths ranged 10 ~ 2500 μm and the notch root radii were 5 and 50 μm. The stress ratios were R = −1 and 0.1. The microscopic observation of crack propagation near fatigue limit revealed that the fatigue limit was determined by the threshold condition for propagation of a small crack emanating from graphite particles. The fatigue limit could be successfully predicted as a function of R using a method proposed in this study.

Because of their excellent mechanical properties, low cost and good workability, the application of ductile cast iron has been increased in various industries such as the automotive, construction and rail industries. For safety designing of the ductile cast iron component, it is necessary to understand the effect of stress ratio, R, on fatigue limit of ductile cast iron in the presence of small defects. Correspondingly in this study, rotating bending fatigue tests at R = −1 and tension-compression fatigue tests at R = −1 and 0.1 were performed by using a ferritic-pearlitic ductile cast iron. To study the effects of small defects, we introduced a small drilled hole at surface of a specimen. The diameter and depth of a drilled hole were 50, 200 and 500 μm, respectively. The non-propagating cracks emanating from graphite particles and holes edge were observed at fatigue limit, irrespective of the value of stress ratio. From the microscopic observation of crack propagation behavior, it can be concluded that the fatigue limit is determined by the threshold condition for propagation of a small crack. It was found that the effect of stress ratio on the fatigue limit of ductile cast iron with small defects can be successfully predicted based on parameter model. Furthermore, a use of the tensile strength, σ B, instead of the Vickers hardness, HV, is effective for fatigue limit prediction.

A method for generating three-dimensional tomograms from multiple three-dimensional axial projections in STimulated Emission Depletion (STED) superresolution microscopy is introduced. Our STEDmethod, based on the use of a micromirror placed on top of a standard microscopic sample, is used to record a three-dimensional projection at an oblique angle in relation to the main optical axis. Combining the STEDprojection with the regular STED image into a single view by tomographic reconstruction, is shown to result in a tomogram with three-to-four-fold improved apparent axial resolution. Registration of the different projections is based on the use of a mutual-information histogram similarity metric. Fusion of the projections into a single view is based on Richardson-Lucy iterative deconvolution algorithm, modified to work with multiple projections. Our tomographic reconstruction method is demonstrated to work with real biological STED superresolution images, including a data set with a limited signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); the reconstruction software (SuperTomo) and its source code will be released under BSD open-source license.

Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs)/cancer-initiating cells (CICs) are a small subpopulation of cancer cells that are responsible for the initiation, recurrence and metastasis of cancer. We previously demonstrated that, using the Hoechst 33342 dye-based side population technique, CSCs/CICs in canine lung adenocarcinoma cell line exist. In this study, as CSCs/CICs are known to form spheres in anchorage-independent environment in vitro, we evaluated the stemness of spheroid cells derived from canine lung adenocarcinoma and osteosarcoma cells by expression of stemness markers, and investigated radioresistance. Spheroid cells showed greater expression of stemness markers Oct-4 and CD133 gene than those of adherent-cultured cells. In nude mouse xenograft models, spheroid cells showed higher tumourigenic ability than adherent-cultured cells. In addition, spheroid cells showed significantly resistant against radioactivity as compared with adherent-cultured cells. These results suggest that spheroid cells could possess stemness and provide a CSCs/CICs research tool to investigate CSCs/CICs of canine tumour cells.

Nanocomposite films consisting of TiO2 and Zn with thickness of 10–15 μm (TiO2-Zn) have been electrodeposited on steel plates by rapid plating from a ZnSO4-based bath (Id > 10 A dm−2). Upon addition of NH4NO3 to the bath (

The magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR), a quantitative tissue characteristic, and the pallidal index were measured in the globus pallidus of 37 patients with hepatic cirrhosis and 37 control subjects. The MTR decreased with severity of the disease, as indicated by the serum total bililubin, indocyanine green 15-min retention rate, and plasma ammonia. The pallidal index correlated significantly with haematological parameters, although the correlation coefficients tended to be lower than those between MTR and haematological parameters. This change in MTR corresponded to the results of the manganese chloride experiments. T1 shortening in the pallidum of patients with cirrhosis is presumably caused by paramagnetic effects, and possibly attributed to manganese deposition.

Pig islets are considered to be most suitable source of islets for xenotransplantation into patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. However, cellular rejection, especially CD8+ CTL-mediated cytotoxicity, remains a formidable barrier preventing long-term xenograft survival. Our previous study demonstrated that human CD8+ CTLs were highly detrimental to xenograft cells and that this strong cytotoxicity of human CTLs was mediated mainly by the Fas/FasL apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, we exploited novel methods for inhibiting human CD8+ CTL-mediated xenocytotoxicity with overexpression of membrane-bound human FasL and human decoy Fas antigen in xenografted cells. In the present study, we assessed the cytoprotective effects of these novel inhibitory molecules overexpressed by an adenoviral-mediated system in pig islets. Isolated pig islets were transfected with adenovirus vector encoding either human decoy Fas or membrane-bound human FasL genes. Thirty percent to 60% of transfected pig islets expressed these molecules producing 60% to 88% suppression of CTL killing compared with parental pig islets. These data indicated that pig islet grafts isolated from transgenic pigs with either membrane-bound human FasL or human decoy Fas antigen genes may control the innate cellular response to xenografts, and creating a window of opportunity to facilitate xenograft survival.

Human CD8 + cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL)-mediated cytotoxicity in xenograft recipients is an important obstacle for successful xenotransplantation of pig organs into humans. In our previous study, we demonstrated that xenocytotoxicity of human CD8 + CTL detrimental to pig endothelial cells (PEC) is mediated mainly by the Fas/FasL apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, we developed new methods to prevent this CTL killing by extracellular remodeling using overexpression of human decoy Fas antigen and membrane-bound human FasL on pig xenograft cells. The cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP), a caspase-8 inhibitor that lacks the cysteine domain, is a negative regulator of death receptor-mediated apoptosis. c-FLIP proteins exist as long (c-FLIP L ) and short (c-FLIPs) splice variants, both capable of protecting cells from death receptor-mediated apoptosis. In this report, we have demonstrated that both pig c-FLIPs and pig c-FLIP L significantly inhibit human CD8 + CTL-mediated xenocytotoxicity toward stably transfected PEC, although the expression level of pig Fas antigen on cell surface was not changed. These data suggested that intracellular remodeling with overexpression of pig c-FLIP in xenograft cells may decrease the innate cellular responses against xenografts, facilitating long-term xenograft survival.

To test the hypothesis that there is no significant correlation between miniscrew failure rate and root proximity, insertion angle, bone contact length, and bone density.This study included 107 patients in whom 190 miniscrews had been placed from April 2008 to October 2009 in Tohoku University Hospital (Sendai, Japan).Cone beam computed tomography scans (CBCT) and periapical radiographs were taken before and after miniscrew placement. Differences in root proximity, screw insertion angle, bone contact length, and bone density were statistically compared; comparisons were also made between the CBCT images and periapical radiographs.A significantly higher success rate was observed in the maxilla than in the mandible. The distance between the miniscrew and the root surface was significantly smaller in the failure group. There were no significant differences in the insertion angle, bone contact length, or bone density between the success group and the failure group. The concordance rate between the periapical dental radiographs and CBCT images was 46.5%.While bone contact length, miniscrew angle, and bone density did not exert major effects on miniscrew failure, root proximity was the factor that most affected miniscrew failure, especially for miniscrews placed in the mandible. CBCT was superior to periapical dental X-rays for evaluating the proximity of miniscrews to the root. Correction of the X-ray attenuation coefficient value was necessary for measuring bone density using CBCT.

The synthesis of a new class of poly(aryl ether chalcone)s is described by a polycondensation reaction of 4,4‘-difluorochalcone with various bisphenols in the excess anhydrous potassium carbonate in sulfolane/toluene mixture solvent. Fluoride atoms located at the para position of the chalcone moiety were found to be very activated toward nucleophilic aromatic substitution, and high molecular weight polymers were obtained. These polymers are amorphous and with glass transition temperatures at 150−200 °C and are very soluble in solvent such as chloroform and N-methylpyrrolidinone (NMP). The onset decomposition temperatures by thermogravimetric analysis of these materials were all above 330 °C. High optical quality films were obtained by spin-coating the polymer solution of NMP. The cutoff wavelength was shorter than 410 nm. The refractive indexes of these polymers at different wavelengths are reported. The corona poled polymers have different symmetry structures from the reported polymers, both P- and S-pol...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between bone fragility of the mandibular inferior cortex and tooth loss in older adults by accounting for periodontal disease and bone metabolism markers.A total of 177 subjects aged 77 years participated in this study. We counted the number of remaining teeth. The mandibular cortex condition was examined using the mandibular inferior cortex classification (MICC) on dental panoramic radiographs. The mandibular inferior cortex was detected on both sides of the mandible, distally from the mental foramen (C1, normal; C2, mild/moderate erosion; C3, severe erosion). Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between the mandibular cortex condition with the MICC and the number of remaining teeth after controlling for confounding factors such as gender, the percentage of sites withor = 4 mm clinical attachment levels, and serum osteocalcin levels.The mean +/- SD number of remaining teeth of MICC C1, C2 and C3 were 20.7 +/- 7.5, 14.6 +/- 8.1 and 4.0 +/- 0.0 for males, and MICC C1, C2, and C3 were 21.7 +/- 7.6, 17.2 +/- 8.0, and 16.2 +/- 10.4 for females. The MICC was significantly associated with the number of remaining teeth using multiple linear regression analysis (beta = -0.21, p = 0.031).This study suggests that there is a relationship between bone fragility of the mandibular inferior cortex and tooth loss related to periodontal disease.

Polymorphic N-acetyltransferase (NAT2), which exists in the human liver and metabolizes a wide spectrum of arylamine, is encoded by one gene (NAT2). We have identified the mutations of a fourth NAT2 allele (allele 4) which we previously found in the Japanese population. Compared with allele 1, which expresses a high enzyme activity, allele 4 has 3 nucleotide differences. 2 are missense mutations at nucleotide position (nt) 341 and 803. The other is a silent mutation at the KpnI site. From the result of expression studies of chimeric gene constructs between allele 1 and allele 4 in Chinese hamster ovary cells, nt 341 missense mutation of the allele 4 which causes the Ile-114 to Thr change is responsible for the low enzyme activity of NAT2 protein.

Background. Overcoming significant loss of transplanted islet mass is important for successful islet transplantation. Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) seem to have angiogenic potential and antiinflammatory properties. We hypothesized that the inclusion of ADSCs with islet transplantation should enhance the survival and insulin function of the islet graft. Methods. Syngeneic ADSCs and allogeneic islets were transplanted simultaneously under the kidney capsules of diabetic C57BL/6J mice. Rejection of the graft was examined by measurement of blood glucose level. Revascularization and inflammatory cell infiltration were examined by immunohistochemistry. Results. Transplantation of 400 islets only achieved normoglycemia with graft survival of 13.6±1.67 days (mean±standard deviation), whereas that of 100 or 200 allogeneic islets never reversed diabetes. Transplantation of 200 islets with 2×10 5 ADSCs reversed diabetes and significantly prolonged graft survival (13.0±5.48 days). Results of glucose tolerance tests performed on day 7 were significantly better in islets-ADSCs than islets-alone recipients. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the presence of insulin-stained islet grafts with well-preserved structure in islets-ADSCs transplant group. Significant revascularization (larger number of von Willebrand factor-positive cells) and marked inhibition of inflammatory cell infiltration, including CD4 + and CD8 + T cells and macrophages, were noted in the islets-ADSCs transplant group than islets-alone transplant group. Conclusions. Our results indicated that cotransplantation of ADSCs with islet graft promoted survival and insulin function of the graft and reduced the islet mass required for reversal of diabetes. This innovative protocol may allow "one donor to one recipient" islet transplantation.

Mucin 1 (MUC1), a bound mucin glycoprotein, is overexpressed and aberrantly glycosylated in >80% of human ductal pancreatic carcinoma. Evidence suggests that MUC1 can be used as a tumor marker and is a potential target for immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer. However, vaccination with MUC1 peptides fails to stimulate the immune response against cancer cells because immunity toward tumor-associated antigens (TAA), including MUC1, in cancer patients is relatively weak, and the presentation of these TAAs to the immune system is poor due to their low immunogenicity. We investigated whether vaccination with immunogenetically enhanced MUC1 (by expressing α-gal epitopes; Galα1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc-R) can elicit effective antibody production for MUC1 itself as well as certain TAAs derived from pancreatic cancer cells and induced tumor-specific T-cell responses. We also used α1,3galactosyltransferase (α1,3GT) knockout mice that were preimmunized with pig kidney and transplanted with B16F10 melanoma cells transfected with MUC1 expression vector. Vaccination of these mice with α-gal MUC1 resulted in marked inhibition of tumor growth and significant improvement of overall survival time compared with mice vaccinated with MUC1 alone (P = 0.003). Furthermore, vaccination with pancreatic cancer cells expressing α-gal epitopes induced immune responses against not only differentiated cancer cells but also cancer stem cells. The results suggested that vaccination using cells engineered to express α-gal epitopes is a novel strategy for treatment of pancreatic cancer. Cancer Res; 70(13); 5259–69. ©2010 AACR.

Long-term surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been conducted in the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region (WPR) to optimise antibiotic treatment of gonococcal disease since 1992. In 2007 and 2008, this Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (GASP) was enhanced by the inclusion of data from the South East Asian Region (SEAR) and recruitment of additional centres within the WPR. Approximately 17,450 N. gonorrhoeae were examined for their susceptibility to one or more antibiotics used for the treatment of gonorrhoea by external quality controlled methods in 24 reporting centres in 20 countries and/or jurisdictions. A high proportion of penicillin and/or quinolone resistance was again detected amongst isolates tested in North Asia and the WHO SEAR, but much lower rates of penicillin resistance and little quinolone resistance was present in most of the Pacific Island countries. The proportion of gonococci reported as 'resistant', 'less susceptible' or 'non-susceptible' gonococci to the third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic ceftriaxone lay in a wide range, but no major changes were evident in cephalosporin minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) patterns in 2007-2008. Altered cephalosporin susceptibility was associated with treatment failures following therapy with oral third-generation cephalosporins. There is a need for revision and clarification of some of the in vitro criteria that are currently used to categorise the clinical importance of gonococci with different ceftriaxone and oral cephalosporin MIC levels. The number of instances of spectinomycin resistance remained low. A high proportion of strains tested continued to exhibit a form of plasmid mediated high level resistance to tetracyclines. The continuing emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant gonococci in and from the WHO WPR and SEAR supports the need for gonococcal antimicrobial resistance surveillance programs such as GASP to be maintained and potentially expanded.

Fifty human livers obtained at autopsy were analyzed for N-acetyltransferase and classified into six genotypes. Determination of N-acetyltransferase activity and proteins from supernatants of liver homogenates indicate that genotype I corresponds to rapid acetylator, genotypes II and III to intermediate acetylator, and genotypes IV, V, and VI to slow acetylator phenotypes. Northern blot analysis shows that levels of mRNA for N-acetyltransferase in the livers do not markedly differ among the six genotypes. Three alleles of the N-acetyltransferase gene were cloned and sequenced. mRNA is coded in two exons. Comparison of alleles 2 and 3, which correspond to low N-acetyltransferase activity, with allele 1, which corresponds to high N-acetyltransferase activity, revealed several polymorphisms. Two gene sequence differences occur in the coding exons of alleles 2 and 3, one of which would produce different amino acids in the proteins. Those sequence differences that lead to amino acid substitutions result in a loss of BamHI and TaqI sites for alleles 2 and 3, respectively. Expression studies of the alleles in Chinese hamster ovary cells show that allele 1 expresses high levels of N-acetyltransferase activity and enzyme protein, while alleles 2 and 3 express low levels of both protein and activity.

Mechanistic studies on direct syngas conversion to ethylene glycol by a homogeneous Ru catalyst combined with N-methylbenzimidazole (NMBI) were performed. High-pressure IR studies showed that Ru(CO)5 (A), Ru(CO)4L (B), and (LH)+[Ru3H(CO)11]− (C) (L = NMBI) coexist at equilibrium in the catalyst solution as major species. It was found that the activity of CO hydrogenation was proportional to the concentration of the complex (B). A neutral hydride complex, H2Ru(CO)3L, derived from the complex (B) was considered to be the active form. Kinetic studies by means of complete-mixing flow-reaction experiments indicated that NMBI added to the Ru catalyst enhanced both the formation and the hydroformylation of formaldehyde (FAL), the key intermediate, and the subsequent reactions of FAL were rate-determining. It was suggested that NMBI enriches the Ru hydride species and accelerates the CO insertion to the hydride and the hydroxymethyl species by acting as a ligand and a base. The Ru anionic hydride species has a much lower activity for the CO hydrogenation to form FAL and a higher activity for the MeOH formation that proceeds via the methoxy species. The studies on catalyst concentration dependencies by means of batchwise reaction revealed the involvement of dinuclear mechanisms, which probably worked in the reductive elimination of the acyl complexes.