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C. Codella et al., The ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) interferometer, with its unprecedented combination of high sensitivity and high angular resolution, allows for (sub-)mm wavelength mapping of protostellar systems at Solar system scales. Astrochemistry has benefitted from imaging interstellar complex organic molecules in these jet–disc systems. Here, we report the first detection of methanol (CH3OH) and methyl formate (HCOOCH3) emission towards the triple protostellar system VLA1623−2417 A1+A2+B, obtained in the context of the ALMA Large Programme FAUST (Fifty AU STudy of the chemistry in the disc/envelope system of solar-like protostars). Compact methanol emission is detected in lines from Eu = 45 K up to 61 K and 537 K towards components A1 and B, respectively. Large velocity gradient analysis of the CH3OH lines towards VLA1623−2417 B indicates a size of 0.11–0.34 arcsec (14–45 au), a column density NCH3OH = 1016–1017 cm−2, kinetic temperature ≥ 170 K, and volume density ≥ 108 cm−3. A local thermodynamic equilibrium approach is used for VLA1623−2417 A1, given the limited Eu range, and yields Trot ≤ 135 K. The methanol emission around both VLA1623−2417 A1 and B shows velocity gradients along the main axis of each disc. Although the axial geometry of the two discs is similar, the observed velocity gradients are reversed. The CH3OH spectra from B show two broad (4–5 km s−1) peaks, which are red- and blueshifted by ∼ 6–7 km s−1 from the systemic velocity. Assuming a chemically enriched ring within the accretion disc, close to the centrifugal barrier, its radius is calculated to be 33 au. The methanol spectra towards A1 are somewhat narrower (∼ 4 km s−1), implying a radius of 12–24 au., This project has received funding from: (1) the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, for the Project ‘The Dawn of Organic Chemistry’ (DOC), grant agreement no. 741002; (2) the PRIN-INAF 2016 The Cradle of Life – GENESIS-SKA (General Conditions in Early Planetary Systems for the rise of life with SKA); (3) a Grant-in-Aid from Japan Society for the Promotion of Sci- ence (KAKENHI: Nos. 18H05222, 20H05844, 20H05845); (4) the Spanish FEDER under project number ESP2017-86582-C4-1-R; (5) DGAPA, UNAM grants IN112417 and IN112820, and CONACyT, Mexico; (6) ANR of France under contract number ANR-16-CE31- 0013; (7) the French National Research Agency in the framework of the Investissements d’Avenir programme (ANR-15-IDEX-02), through the funding of the ‘Origin of Life’ project of the Univ. Grenoble-Alpes, (8) the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programmes under projects ‘Astro-Chemistry Ori- gins’ (ACO), Grant No. 811312; (9) the National Research Council Canada and an NSERC Dico v ery Grant to DJ. This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2018.1.01205.L. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), MOST and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Obser- vatory is operated by ESO, A UI/NRA O, and NAOJ. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-05-01T13:41:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-04-05 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) In this study, the effect of temperature on the morphology, crystal structure, chemical composition, roughness, wettability, Vickers microhardness, and corrosion resistance of thermally oxidized Ti-15Zr-xMo (x = 0, 5, 10, and 15 wt%) samples were evaluated. Thermal oxidation treatments were performed in air, at temperatures between 773 K and 1173 K, for 21.6 ks. Oxide layers were composed preferentially by Ti, with traces of Zr, in TiO2 and ZrO2. The temperature and bulk chemical composition influenced the phase composition, showing formation of different fractions of TiO2 (anatase and rutile) together small amounts of tetragonal and monoclinic ZrO2. The morphology showed the presence of a smooth inner layer with some oxide precipitates in the outer layer, with thickness ranging from 1 µm to more than 100 µm. Roughness and contact angle values changed according to the growth of precipitates in the oxide layers. Vickers microhardness exhibited a sharp increase with the growth of the oxide layers, remaining higher than that for bulk samples. The results indicated that a favorable combination of surface properties could be achieved when optimizing the thermal oxidation treatment, which could assist in broadening the biomedical applications of the Ti-15Zr-Mo based alloys.Ti-15Zr-15Mo alloy thermally oxidized at 973 K exhibited enhanced corrosion resistance, and emerged as the best candidate for use as orthopedical implants. IFSP - Federal Institute of Education Science and Technology of São Paulo, SP IBTN/BR - Institute of Biomaterials Tribocorrosion and Nanomedicine Brazillian Branch, SP UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista Laboratório de Anelasticidade e Biomateriais, SP DTx - Digital Transformation CoLab UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista Laboratório de Plasmas Tecnológicos, SP TMDU - Tokyo Medical and Dental University Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista Laboratório de Anelasticidade e Biomateriais, SP UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista Laboratório de Plasmas Tecnológicos, SP FAPESP: #00851–6/2015 CNPq: #207417/2015–6 CAPES: #99999.008666/2014–08

C. Vastel et al., [Aims] Methanol is a ubiquitous species commonly found in the molecular interstellar medium. It is also a crucial seed species for the build-up of chemical complexity in star forming regions. Thus, understanding how its abundance evolves during the star formation process and whether it enriches the emerging planetary system is of paramount importance., [Methods] We used new data from the ALMA Large Program FAUST (Fifty AU STudy of the chemistry in the disc/envelope system of solar protostars) to study the methanol line emission towards the [BHB2007] 11 protobinary system (sources A and B), where a complex structure of filaments connecting the two sources with a larger circumbinary disc has previously been detected., [Results] Twelve methanol lines have been detected with upper energies in the [45–537] K range along with one 13CH3OH transition and one methyl formate (CH3OCHO) line blended with one of the methanol transitions. The methanol emission is compact (FWHM ~ 0.5″) and encompasses both protostars, which are separated by only 0.2″ (28 au). In addition, the overall methanol line emission presents three velocity components, which are not spatially resolved by our observations. Nonetheless, a detailed analysis of the spatial origin of these three components suggests that they are associated with three different spatial regions, with two of them close to 11B and the third one associated with 11A. A radiative transfer analysis of the methanol lines gives a kinetic temperature of [100–140] K, an H2 volume density of 106–107 cm−3 and column density of a few 1018 cm−2 in all three components with a source size of ~0.15″. Thus, this hot and dense gas is highly enriched in methanol with an abundance as high as 10−5. Using previous continuum data, we show that dust opacity can potentially completely absorb the methanol line emission from the two binary objects., [Conclusions] Although we cannot firmly exclude other possibilities, we suggest that the detected hot methanol is resulting from the shocked gas from the incoming filaments streaming towards [BHB2007] 11A and B, respectively. Higher spatial resolution observations are necessary to confirm this hypothesis., This project has received funding within the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program from the European Research Council (ERC) for the project The Dawn of Organic Chemistry (DOC), grant agreement no. 741002, and from the Marie Sklodowska-Curie for the project Astro-Chemical Origins (ACO), grant agreement no. 811312. I.J.-S. has received partial support from the Spanish State Research Agency (project number PID2019-105552RB-C41). D.J. is supported by NRC Canada and by an NSERC Discovery Grant. S.Y. thanks the support by Grant-in-Aids from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technologies of Japan (18H05222). This paper makes use of the following ALMA data: ADS/JAO.ALMA#2018.1.01205.L. ALMA is a partnership of ESO (representing its member states), NSF (USA) and NINS (Japan), together with NRC (Canada), MOST and ASIAA (Taiwan), and KASI (Republic of Korea), in cooperation with the Republic of Chile. The Joint ALMA Observatory is operated by ESO, AUI/NRAO and NAOJ. The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

A Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy with three different initial microstructures was processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) and the resultant microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy after HPT processing were investigated. The microstructure of the as-received alloy was an equiaxed (α+β) microstructure. The rods were subjected to solution treatment and aging (STA) treatment to obtain a bi-modal microstructure consisting of an equiaxed α phase and lamellar α+β phases, and those to solution treatment and quenching (STQ) treatment to obtain a bi-modal microstructure consisting of equiaxed α-phase and acicular α’-phase. Disks were cut from those rods and were processed by HPT under a pressure of 6 GPa. After HPT processing through 20 revolutions, the alloy with each of the three initial microstructures showed ultrafine grains with a size of ~70 nm. The alloy resulted in a higher tensile strength (1350 MPa) in both the bi-modal microstructures than that (1250 MPa) in the alloy with equiaxed α+β microstructure after HPT processing. It was shown that the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy with the bi-modal microstructure was strengthened more than with the equiaxed α+β microstructure when the alloy was processed by HPT. Furthermore, the alloy with bi-modal microstructure consisting of equiaxed α-phase and acicular α’-phase showed a good balance between the tensile strength (1280 MPa) and the elongation to fracture (22%) after HPT processing through 1 revolution. In summary, therefore, large strength and elongation of the Ti-6Al-7Nb alloy were simultaneously achieved by HPT processing.

Lead-free, piezoelectric (Na,K)NbO3-BaZrO3-(Bi,Li)TiO3 films were epitaxially grown onto (100) SrTiO3 substrate via pulsed laser deposition. The effects of post-annealing temperature on the crystal phases, mosaic spread, and chemical composition of the deposited (Na,K)NbO3 and (Na,K)NbO3-BaZrO3-(Bi,Li)TiO3 films were analyzed. Results indicate the epitaxial growth of (Na,K)NbO3-BaZrO3-(Bi,Li)TiO3 films deposited at an oxygen pressure (PO2) of ≥40 Pa and substrate temperature (Ts) of 800°C. The alkaline-deficiency could be suppressed in the (Na,K)NbO3-BaZrO3-(Bi,Li)TiO3 films deposited at PO2 ≥ 70 Pa. AFM profile of the (Na,K)NbO3 post-annealed at 1000°C indicates the epitaxial growth of film with atomically flat step-terrace structure, while that of the (Na,K)NbO3-BaZrO3-(Bi,Li)TiO3 film post-annealed at 1200°C shows relatively smooth surface with step-terrace structure and several cubic crystals. It was also found that the preferential evaporation of alkaline components could be suppressed by annealing under covered substrate condition.

(Na,K)NbO3 is a promising candidate for lead-free piezoelectric materials. (Na1-xKx)NbO3 films (x = 0.3–0.7) were epitaxially grown on a (100)SrTiO3 substrate via pulsed laser deposition. The effects of substrate temperature and oxygen pressure during deposition on the crystallinity of the films were examined: both parameters affected the mosaic spread of the crystallites and the formation of an impurity phase. In this study, the optimum conditions for the preparation of highly crystalline films were a substrate temperature of 800 °C and oxygen pressure of ∼60 Pa. The lattice constants parallel and perpendicular to the substrate surface responded differently to changes in x: the constant parallel to the surface increased with increasing x, while the constant perpendicular to the surface was maximized at x = 0.5. The difference in the dependence of the lattice constants could be explained by the elastic distortion of the lattice.

To investigate the effect of cyclic fatigue on nickel-titanium (NiTi) endodontic instruments using a nano-indentation test.Eight ProFile NiTi rotary instruments (size 30, taper 0.06; Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) were tested using a cyclic fatigue set-up until fracture. The fractured instruments and eight new NiTi instruments of the same size and taper were used for a nano-indentation test on the internal surfaces of a NiTi instruments in the region just adjacent to their fractured edge (group I) and in the same region of the new group (group II), and the cutting part beside the shaft for both instruments [group III (fractured) and group IV (new)]. Data were statistically analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Games-Howell post hoc test. The alpha-type error was set at 0.05.Significant differences in terms of hardness and elastic modulus for each group (P0.05) were found, with group I having the lowest mean values followed by group III. Additionally, standard deviations increased remarkably after failure, as represented by groups I and III.The nano-indentation technique can be applied to determine the performance and the failure mechanism of NiTi instruments. The fatigue process revealed a significant decrease in the hardness and elastic modulus of the NiTi instrument. As indicated by the low hardness, the fatigue process did not result in work hardening but rather work softening.

An antiulcer polysaccharide fraction (BR-2) from Bupleurum falcatum L. was examined for its effect on the healing of chronic ulcers induced by acetic acid in rats. When BR-2 was administered orally to the rats, it was shown to be effective in the healing of acetic acid-induced chronic ulcer. This result suggests that the use of herbal prescriptions containing B. falcatum L. may prove useful for the treatment of peptic ulcers.

To investigate the relationship between phase transformation behaviour and bending property of nickel-titanium endodontic instruments manufactured by a twisting process.The phase transformation behaviour and bending property of Twisted Files (TF; SybronEndo, Orange, CA, USA) and K3 (SybronEndo) with.06 taper and size 30 tip were investigated. K3 was used as control group. Phase transformation behaviour was estimated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Transformation temperatures were calculated from the DSC curve. Bending load of the instruments was measured by cantilever-bending test at 37°C. Data were analysed by Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test.The phase transformation temperatures of TF were significantly higher (P0.05) than those of K3. The bending load values were significantly lower for TF than that of K3 (P0.05), both in the elastic and super-elastic ranges.The new method of manufacturing NiTi instruments by twisting coupled with heat treatment might contribute to the increased phase transformation temperatures and superior flexibility.

Summary Background and objectives: Although traditional herbal medicines have been used for more than 2000 years, there are few studies on their molecular mechanisms of action. We examined the pharmacological effect and mechanism of action of a traditional herbal medicine (Kososan) with global gene expression analysis using a DNA chip. Methods: Fourteen healthy subjects were given the herbal medicine (Kososan) for 2 weeks and interviewed. Peripheral blood was collected before and after 2-week medication. Based on the outcomes of the interview, the subjects were divided into responders and non-responders. We analysed the blood samples from responder and non-responder groups, respectively, using a DNA chip. Results: In the Kososan responder group, 70 genes were over-expressed (2-fold or more), and their over-expression was normalized by Kososan (0·5-fold or less), whereas 24 genes were under-expressed (0·5-fold or less), and the under-expression was normalized by Kososan (2-fold or more). Conclusion: This exploratory study suggests that gene expression profiling is a possible approach for studying the effects of complex herbal remedies. Some of the genes studied seem to have functions related to the pharmacological effects of Kososan, which have been known for a long time.

A 61-year-old woman was admitted due to severe coughing. Chest X-ray revealed a mass in the right lower lung field at standing position and in the right upper lung field at supine position. A position of the mass changed with change in her posture because of lobar torsion. Bronchoscopic biopsy of the polypoid tumor obstructing the right upper bronchus revealed adenocarcinoma. She had hypertrophic osteoarthropathy simultaneously. Right pneumonectomy was performed. Postoperative course has been uneventful for 3 years.

To compare the surface properties of calcium-ion (Ca2+)-implanted titanium with those of titanium and to investigate the mechanism of bone conductivity of Ca2+-implanted titanium, amounts of hydroxyl radical of Ca2+-implanted titanium and titanium were estimated. Also, the point of zero charge (p.z.c.) of oxide constituting surface oxides of Ca2+-implanted titanium and titanium was determined. Results showed that the amount of active hydroxyl radical on Ca2+-implanted titanium was found to be significantly larger than that on titanium, indicating that the number of electric-charging sites of Ca2+-implanted titanium in electrolyte is more than that of titanium. The p.z.c. values of rutile (TiO2), anatase (TiO2), and perovskite (CaTiO3), were estimated to be 4.6, 5.9, and 8.1, respectively. Thus, Ca2+-implanted titanium surface is charged more positively in bioliquid than titanium, accelerating the adsorption of phosphate ions.

To investigate the mechanism behind the release of metal from titanium implants in vivo, bone-plate-screw sets consisting of pure titanium were implanted into the legs of rabbits for 48 weeks. Four groups of experiments containing control were conducted: (1) The tibia cut artificially was fixed by one set of bone plate and screws, (2) the same set was implanted separately into muscles in the leg, (3) the set was fixed on the tibia and immediately retrieved, and (4) no implantation was performed. The amounts of titanium in all tissues from knee to ankle were quantified using atomic adsorption spectrometry. The ratio of amounts of titanium detected in the groups (1), (2), and (3) was 100 : 10 : 43. No titanium was detected in the group (4). Causes of the release of titanium in the group (1) include that in the groups (2) and (3). Major causes of titanium release were surgical handling in implantation and wear and/or fretting during experimental-term for 48 weeks. Titanium was also released in the absence of wear. No morphological abnormality was observed around tissue of the implant by biopsy at post-operation week 48.

This paper describes an MCM-D/L technology for upper microwave band systems. The substrate of this MCM is constructed of copper/photosensitive-benzocyclobutene (P-BCB) multilayer formatted onto a print wiring board (PWB). Features of the developed MCM are (1) a novel microstrip structure for improvement of high-frequency characteristics and (2) a low-cost simple copper/P-BCB process using polishing technology. As BCB has good thermal and electric characteristics compared with polyimide or epoxy, BCB is expected to be applied to high frequency systems. We have developed a low-cost copper/P-BCB multilayer process with a new microstrip structure, and measured the high-frequency characteristics (10 GHz/spl sim/40 GHz). In the process technology, we took note of the adhesion of the metal film/BCB interface. As a result of a study of the adhesive metal and chemical/thermal treatment before and after fabrication of the film, we found that the necessary adhesion force was obtained by N/sub 2/ plasma treatment of the BCB surface before metal evaporation and annealing (250/spl deg/C:BCB cure temperature) after evaporation. Also, Cr was found to be the best material for adhesion. The high-frequency characteristics (10 GHz/spl sim/40 GHz) were estimated by a ring resonator and microstrip transmission line of copper/P-BCB multilayer fabricated on a PWB. Also, the S-parameters showed good characteristics. The developed MCM-D/L substrate has been proved to be suitable for high-frequency systems.

In the menopause transition, around 35% of women will seek medical help for menopausal symptoms. At the climacteric, various symptoms such as forgetfulness, anxiety, depressive neurosis, abnormal sensation, hot flush and sleeplessness are often observed due to hypofunction of the ovaries. There is some indication that women become more anxious during times of relatively low level of estrogen and progesterone such as premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, maternity blues and menopausal state. The exact mechanism behind it is still unclear but is probably related to the decrease of ovarian hormones, which may be triggering psychiatric mood disorders. It is known that ovarian hormones act on specific areas of the brain and appear to act as anxiolytics. Certain progesterone metabolites are anesthetic and have antiepileptic and anxiolytic properties. These steroids modulate the type A gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA)/benzodiazepine receptor. This may help explain the increased frequency of anxiety disorders and mood disorders in the early postmenopausal period. In addition, estrogen also improves memory and performance in patients with mild Alzheimer's dementia. These effects can be related to amplifying effects of estrogen on excitatory amino acids in the brain. This is suggested that gonadal steroidal hormones seemed to be one of the essential substances for the maintenance of the limbic system and forebrain function which regulated anxiety, mood, memory and cognitive functions in menopausal women.

The release of metal ions due to active oxygen species generated by macrophages (Mphi) phagocytosing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) particles was studied in vitro to investigate the mechanism behind the release of metal ions from titanium implants into nearby tissues in the absence of wear and fretting in vivo. To determine the effects of Mphis on metal ion release, titanium disks were immersed in different solutions and the titanium ions released from the titanium disks into each solution were quantified. The results revealed that active oxygen species generated by Mphis induced the metal ion release. In particular, the ion release was accelerated with HDPE because the Mphis that phagocytosed HDPE generated more active oxygen species than Mphis that did not phagocytose any HDPE. Metal ions were also released by organic species in the absence of Mphis. These are some of the causes for metal ion release from titanium implants in the absence of wear and fretting in vivo.

The current density of Ti-56mass%Ni (Ti-50at.%) alloy after abrasion in simulated bioliquids was measured using a potentiostat to estimate the amount of metallic ions released from the alloy during repassivation and maturation. The current density in saline, saline with and without N2 bubbling, and Hanks' solutions with and without proteins after abrasion was measured and the amount of released ion was calculated from the integrated current density with time, assuming that Ti4+ and Ni2+ are equivalently released. No difference in the amount of released ion was observed between saline with and without N2 bubbling. Also, no difference was observed between saline and pH 7.4 Hanks' solution. More Ti4+ and Ni2+ were released in bioliquids with proteins than in saline with and without N2 bubbling (p0.05). That is, dissolved oxygen and inorganic ions in Hanks' solution did not influence the amount of released ion, but proteins influenced it. The release of metallic ions from metals and alloys in biological systems can be estimated by the methodology employed in this study.

Immersion treatment of titanium in aqueous solutions containing various kinds of ion concentrations of calcium and phosphate (pH 5.8, 7.0, and 8.0) were attempted to accelerate calcium phosphate precipitation on titanium in body fluid. The performance was confirmed using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and Fourier transformed infrared absorption spectrometry with a reflection absorption spectrometer of the specimen immersed in Hanks' solution. Calcium phosphate precipitation on titanium in Hanks' solution is accelerated by the immersion treatment in aqueous solutions containing calcium and phosphate ions. The amount, composition, and shape of calcium phosphate precipitate vary according to the pH and ion concentrations of the solutions in which titanium is immersed. This method is effective for the surface treatment of inside pore narrow space of titanium materials.

We have studied gravitational collapse of rotating clouds with two-dimensional numerical simulations. In our simulations an initially filamentary cloud fragments to form a gravitationally contracting rotating gas disk. The structure of the disk depends on the initial rotation of the filamentary cloud and the stiffness of the gas. To study the latter dependence we assumed the polytropic equation of state, P = Kργ, for the gas and constructed various models having different polytropic indices, 7.

The relationship between the expression of heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) of Helicobacterpylori on the bacterial surface and its pathogenic factors of urease activity, production of vacuolating toxin, and adherence to human gastric carcinoma cells was examined. There was no correlation between urease activity, production of vacuolating toxin, and the expression of HSP60. However, there was a significant correlation between the adherence activity to human gastric carcinoma MKN45 cells and the expression of HSP60 (correlation coefficient; r = 0.68). In an inhibition assay with anti-HSP60 antibody, we examined the adhesion of H. pylori to MKN45 cells. The adherence of 3 of 13 H. pylori strains was inhibited by anti-HSP60 antibody. The results suggest that H. pylori HSP60 may be associated with the adhesion of H. pylori to human gastric cells.

We encountered a case of pulmonary tumorlet with caseous granuloma associated with atypical mycobacterium. A 73-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because a chest x-ray film showed enlargement of an abnormal shadow in the middle lobe of the right lung. Primary lung cancer was suspected and right middle lobectomy was performed. Acid-fast bacilli (Gaffky 1) were found in a caseous lesion and examination of intraoperatively obtained frozen specimens showed caseous granulomas. The bacilli were later identified as Mycobacterium avium complex. The permanent specimen showed a minute lesion consisting of small clusters of epithelial cells resembling carcinoid tumor in contact with granulomatous tissue. Histopathological examination revealed argyrophilia on Grimelius stain and immunoreactivity to chromogranin-A in the clusters of epithelial cells. Although these results are consistent with small cell carcinoma or peripheral carcinoid tumor, pulmonary tumorlet was diagnosed because of the lesion's small and minimal cytologic atypia, and because of chronic pulmonary damage around the lesion. Pulmonary tumorlets are minute, usually microscopic, tumor-like lesions mostly found in damaged lung tissue obtained at autopsy or during surgery. Morphological diagnosis is sometimes very difficult, but recently these lesions have been regarded as hyperplastic lesions arising in pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (Kultschitzky cells) and caused by chronic pulmonary damage, such as hypoxia and inflammation. Pulmonary tumorlets must be considered in the differential diagnosis of minute lesions suspected to be small cell carcinoma or peripheral carcinoid tumor.

Although lobectomy is standard therapy for Stage I non-small cell lung cancer, it often cannot be performed in poor-risk patients. In this report, we describe the results of a retrospective study to assess the usefulness of limited operation for stage I lung cancer. Over a 21-year period, 1,286 lung cancers were resected at our center. Among the 497 patients with stage I lung cancer, 36 sublobar resections were performed. There was only one surgery-related death, and the 5-year survival rate was 46% for all patients. At 5 years, survival was 69.2% for patients with squamous cell carcinoma and 33.7% for patients with adenocarcinoma. Survival rates were higher in patients who underwent mediastinoscopy than those who did not, and depended on histological findings and accurate pathological staging.

The surface of titanium was modified in calcium-ion-containing solutions to improve bone conductivity. Three kinds of aqueous solutions for the modification were prepared using calcium nitrate, calcium chloride, and calcium oxide. The pH values of the solutions were 3.9, 7.4, and 12.6, respectively. At first, anatase powder was immersed in the solutions of 7 days to confirm the effect of the solutions on the modification. As a result, calcium titanate was formed on the anatase powder, indicating that the titanium surface was possibly modified by the solutions. Titanium plates were then immersed in the solutions at ambient temperature for 7 days, washed by deionized water, and dried. X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy of surface-modified titanium revealed that the surface-modified layer contained calcium hydroxide and/or calcium titanate. The surface-modified layer in which titanium was modified was thickest in this order: calcium oxide, calcium chloride, and calcium nitrate solutions. Apatite was formed on the surface-modified titanium in Hanks' solution while apatite was undetected on unmodified titanium. Therefore, the surface modification of titanium may improve bone conductivity. The amount of apatite corresponded to the thickness of the surface-modified layer and the amount of calcium in the layer.

We measured the cellular DNA content of paraffin-embedded tumor specimens by flow cytometry from 340 cases of resected non-small cell lung cancer, and investigated the correlation of DNA content and prognosis of these cases with long-term follow-up. These 340 cases were divided into some populations according to pathological stage, histologic type, surgical curativity and N factor, and we compared the prognosis of DNA diploidy cases and DNA aneuploidy cases in each population. DNA aneuploidy cases had a significantly less favorable prognosis than DNA diploidy cases in population of stage I adenocarcinoma, stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer and N2 cases among stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer, all after curative operation. But in other populations, there was no significant difference in prognosis between DNA diploidy cases and DNA aneuploidy cases. In conclusion, DNA ploidy pattern is a prognostic factor for survival in patients with stage I adenocarcinoma and N2 cases of stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.

A 52-year-old man presented with BOOP-like recurrent bilateral pulmonary infiltrates. In 1989 a chest X-ray film showed an infiltrative shadow in the right S6 region which disappeared after administration of prednisolone. Thereafter, bilateral patchy infiltrates recurred many times, and each time they resolved rapidly with steroid therapy. Skin eruptions on the face recurred. In October 1994 the patient underwent an open-lung biopsy of the infiltrate in the left S6 region. The pathological findings were consistent with BOOP, except for the moderate-to marked infiltration of lymphocytes. A lymphoproliferative disorder was suspected, and Southern blot analysis of the specimen revealed a rearrangement of the TCR-beta gene, which led to the diagnosis of T cell lymphoma. Ten months after the diagnosis, no recurrence of the lymphoma had been detected. In this case a gene analysis of the biopsy specimen was very useful for the diagnosis of T cell lymphoma.

We examined replication error (RER) and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the region of microsatellites in 60 cases of resected lung cancer. We used microsatellite probes for the short arm of the 2nd chromosome (D2S123, D2S136), the short arm of the 3rd chromosome (D3S1067), and the short arm of the 17th chromosome (TP53). According to stage, the frequency of LOH was 25% in stage I, 33% in stage II, 44% in stage IIIA, 11% in stage III B, and 63% in stage IV. According to histological classification, the frequency of LOH was 41% for squamous cell carcinoma, 24% for adenocarcinoma, and 100% for small cell carcinoma. According to microsatellite probe results, the frequency of LOH was 6.7% for D2S123, 5.0% for D2S136, 16.7% for D3S1067, and 18.3% for TP53. Two of the 60 cases showed RER. One case was stage I squamous cell carcinoma, and the other was stage IV adenocarcinoma. Except for stage III B,LOH in the microsatellite region increases with the stage. LOH is often detected in the order of small cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. According to the chromosome number, LOH is detected more often in the 3rd and 17th chromosomes than in the 2nd chromosome. In 20 cases with LOH, only two showed DNA diploidy. Compared to LOH of the microsatellite region, DNA content analysis by flow cytometry has accuracy problems.

Twenty four patients with recurrent or multiple lung cancer were reoperated in our center. Five-year survival rate was 20% for 11 patients with recurrent, while was 25% for 13 patients with multiple after reoperation. The patients with limited operation had well survival and there was no significant difference in procedure. However all four patients with N2 had poor prognosis. Seven patients (29%) had the post reoperative complication in pulmonary system. All of them had the impairment of pulmonary function (FEV1.0% was less than 50%) or more than 75% perfusion ratio, measured with pulmonary perfusion scintigraphy, in the side of the reoperation.

We quantitatively analyzed the c-myc and p53 products using flow cytometry in 28 cases of resected lung cancer and one case each of chorio-carcinoma, plasmacytoma, malignant mesothelioma and sclerosing hemangioma. In the lung cancer cases, c-myc and p53 products were detected in 10 cases (35%) and 7 cases (21%), respectively. These rates are higher than the DNA abnormal expression rates of the c-myc and p53 genes (15% and 12%, respectively) in our own data. In the adenocarcinoma of lung cancer cases, c-myc and p53 products were detected in 9 cases (53%) and 5 cases (29%), respectively. Among the squamous cell carcinoma cases, there were one case (11%) of c-myc expression and one case (11%) of p53 expression. DNA content analysis of the lung cancer patients revealed 7 cases of DNA diploidy and 21 cases of DNA aneuploidy. All 10 c-myc-positive cases showed DNA aneuploidy; thus the positive rate for c-myc products in the DNA aneuploidy cases was significantly different compared with the DNA diploidy cases (p0.05). In the sclerosing hemangioma case, we detected both c-myc and p53 products. Sclerosing hemangioma has been thought to be a benign tumor, but it may be a malignant tumor.

Between 1975 and 1992, mediastinoscopy and thoracotomy were performed on 184 T1 and 271 T2 lung cancer cases consisting of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Mediastinoscopy gave true negative findings in 90.8% of the T1 patients, true positive findings in 7.6% and false negative findings in 1.6%. The comparable rates were 76.7%, 17.0% and 6.3% in T2 patients. The 5-year survival rate was 91.3% for T1N0M0 patients (n = 64) who underwent non-radical dissection (= NRD), and 69.4% for those (n = 70) who underwent radical dissection (= RD). The rate with NRD was significantly better (p0.006). The 5-year survival rate was 63.2% for T2N0M0 patients (n = 62) undergoing NRD, and 49.8% for those (n = 72) undergoing RD, but the difference was not significantly. Distant metastasis was a common cause of death, whereas there were no deaths due to local recurrence in the T1N0M0 patients, whether NRD or RD was performed. These results support our opinions that preoperative mediastinoscopy and intraoperative node staging are sufficient for assessment of the N factor in T1 and T2 lung cancer, and that mediastinal node dissection should not be performed in T1N0M0 patients.

DNA content analysis using flow cytometry and amplification of c-myc, L-myc, and c-erbB-2 oncogenes in 143 cases of resected lung cancer were analyzed using the same specimen, and we examined the correlation with prognosis of DNA content and amplification of oncogenes. There were 54 DNA diploid cases (38%), 81 DNA aneuploid cases (57%) and 8 DNA multiploid cases. Analysis of oncogene amplification revealed 22 cases of c-myc, 4 cases of L-myc, and 22 cases of c-erbB-2. In curatively resected cases, the 5-year survival rate was 65% in 31 DNA diploid cases, and 36% in 40 DNA aneuploid cases. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p0.02). However, in non-curatively resected cases, the 5-year survival rate was 11% in 23 DNA diploid cases, and 33% in 49 DNA aneuploid cases. There were no statistically significant differences among these groups. The correlation between DNA content and amplification of oncogenes was as follows. In DNA diploid cases, there were 4 cases of c-myc, and 6 cases of c-erbB-2. In DNA aneuploid cases, there were 15 cases of c-myc, 4 cases of L-myc, and 15 cases of c-erbB-2. In DNA multiploid cases, there were 3 cases of c-myc, and 1 cases of c-erbB-2. Amplification of oncogenes was seen more frequently in DNA aneuploid and multiploid cases than in DNA diploid cases. In 71 curative resected cases, the 5-year survival rate for amplified cases of c-myc (10 cases) was 0%, and that of cases with no amplification was 61% (no statistically significant difference). The 5-year survival rate for amplified cases of c-erbB-2 (10 cases) was 40%, against 52% for cases with no amplification. DNA content analysis using flow cytometry was more convenient than analysis of amplification of oncogenes, and reflects the prognosis of resected lung cancer better than oncogenes. There was no relation between DNA content and gene amplification.

Of 140 cases of mediastinal neoplasms in our hospital, histological diagnosis was confirmed in 129 cases. We examined the methods of preoperative biopsy with those 129 cases. Biopsy had been performed in 25 cases. Mediastinoscopy was performed in seven cases, needle biopsy in eight cases, lymph node biopsy in eight cases, esophageal biopsy using a gastrofiberscope in one case, transbronchial biopsy using a bronchoscope in one case. The true positive rates of those methods were 100% for both mediastinoscopy and lymph node biopsy, and 75% for needle biopsy. Preoperative misdiagnosis occurred in two cases of needle biopsy. The postoperative histological diagnosis was malignant lymphoma in both cases. We performed gene analysis of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene, light chain kappa and lambda genes, and the T-cell receptor beta gene by use of biopsied specimens, and we found rearrangement bands of these genes in the cases of malignant lymphoma. Therefore, we summarize that gene analysis is a reliable method if malignant lymphoma is suspected. If a needle biopsy is performed under CT guidance, the needle is sure to puncture the tumor. We concluded, therefore, that if a tumor is located in the anterior mediastinum, CT-guided needle biopsy should be performed first of all. Mediastinoscopy is a useful method if the tumor is located in the mid-mediastinum.

A 23-year-old female was admitted to our hospital because of a mediastinal tumor. She complained of primary amenorrhea, and abdominal echosonography was therefore performed, revealing the absence of a uterus. Chromosome analysis revealed a 46 XY genotype, indicating the patient to be a male, not a female. Left renal venography demonstrated residual blood vessels originating in the Mullerian ducts. Thoracotomy and laparotomy were performed, and the mediastinal tumor and bilateral testes were resected. Postoperative pathology revealed that the mediastinal tumor was a neurinoma. There was no spermatogenesis, but hyperplasia of Sertoli cells in the testes was seen. Neither the neurinoma nor the testes were malignant. Bioassay of the testes showed no androgen receptors, leading to the diagnosis of testicular feminization syndrome with the complete form of androgen insensitivity. There have been many reports of an association between testicular feminization syndrome and malignant tumors of the testes, but few reports of an association between testicular feminization syndrome and benign tumors such as neurinoma. Accordingly, the present case was considered to be unusual and worth reporting.

We present a case of 43-year-old man with pure red cell aplasia appearing 8 years after thymothymectomy. He underwent an operation and postoperative radiotherapy for malignant thymoma associated with myasthenia gravis in 1983. In 1991 high serum level of SCC antigen was noted and a metastatic tumor was found in the retroperitoneal region. After removal of the tumor pure red cell aplasia developed, which responded to steroid therapy. The serum level of SCC antigen is still abnormally high.

Twenty C57 black mice received an injection of 40 mg/kg of sodium iodate through the caudal vein. The electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded before and after injection. Flash stimuli with the maximum illuminance, 30,000 lux, were given at increasing levels of illuminance in 0.6 log U steps for 13 levels of intensity. The a- and b-wave amplitudes increased linearly with increased stimulus intensity for approximately 5.0 log U before being saturated. Twenty four hours after injection, the intensity-amplitude curve shifted toward the higher intensity region. It was calculated that the sensitivity loss of the b-wave after injection was 2.0 log U, although the maximum amplitude was larger and the peak latency was delayed. The same results were seen less obviously in the ERGs 48 hr after injection. After 96 hr, both waves were greatly attenuated and even abolished. At the time the increased ERGs were recorded, the histopathologic findings exhibited severe damage of the retina in the pigment epithelium and in the outer layer.

We report our recent findings on the diagnosis, incidence, appearance of the trachea at autopsy, and surgical treatment of acquired trachobronchomalacia. In the diagnosis of this disease, continuous dynamic CT scanning (1 slice/0.6 second) from inspiration to deep expiration was better than X-ray cine recording. It is difficult to observe the most collapsed airway on coughing using bronchofiberscopic recording, because its duration time was estimated to be 1/10 second by X-ray cine recording, whereas the findings at one instant were easily recorded by video-bronchoscopy on coughing. The degree of severity of this disease was classified into three groups. 1st degree 0-50% narrowing of airway caliber, 2nd degree 50-75%; and 3rd degree 75-100%. Severity of 2nd or 3rd degree was present in 542 (12.7%) of 4283 patients suffering from chest disease who underwent bronchoscopy. Seventy-two percent of patients were aged 50 to 80 years. Third degree tracheomalacia was found in 131 patients with an incidence of 3.1%, which increased from 2.2% at 50 years to 6.2% at 80 years. The autopsy findings of the trachea consisted of fragmentation of the tracheal cartilage and extension of the membranous portion. The pathogenesis may be varied with different types of collapse of the airway, including the saber sheath type and the crescent type. Surgical treatment consists of prevention of the airway collapse by wrapping the airway with Marlex mesh and bonding Lyodura (lyophilized dura mata) with fibrin glue, which is more reliable than the span plasty proposed by Nissen.

The H2 plasma treatment for spin-on carbon (SOC) hard mask in the trilayer resist process is expected to serve as a reliable alternative to single layer resist process for 45nm nodes and beyond. The authors have investigated this treatment with a view to suppress the deformation of SOC by oxide etching. The wiggling profile of SOC drastically improves due to the formation of a thicker diamondlike amorphous carbon structure by the H2 plasma treatment with higher-energy hydrogen ions.