Search

Background:Recently, the 2019 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) were published mainly to identify more homogeneous subjects for inclusion in clinical trials and observational studies [1]. However, although their high specificity is presumed to be useful to differentiate IgG4-RD from various mimickers, their value in daily clinical practice needs to be evaluated.Objectives:This study aimed to clarify the usefulness of the 2019 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for IgG4-RD and characteristics of false-negative patients in daily clinical practice.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 162 patients with IgG4-RD and 130 consecutive non-IgG4-RD patients (mimickers) diagnosed by experts whose serum IgG4 levels were measured at a single center in Japan. Using the collected data, we calculated sensitivity, specificity, and fulfillment rates for the entry criteria, exclusion criteria, and threshold of inclusion criteria points. In addition, to clarify the characteristics of false-negative cases in IgG4-RD, we performed an intergroup comparison of their clinical features including disease-specific autoantibodies.Results:Both the patients with IgG4-RD and mimickers were relatively old (66 and 65 years) with male predominance (67% and 60%). The final diagnoses of mimickers mainly consisted of cancer, lymphoma, vasculitis, sarcoidosis, multicentric Castleman’s disease, and atherosclerotic or infectious aortic aneurysm. The classification criteria had a sensitivity of 72.8% and a specificity of 100%. Of the 44 false-negative cases, one did not fulfill the entry criteria, 20 fulfilled one exclusion criterion, and 27 did not achieve sufficient inclusion criteria points. Compared with the true-positive cases, the false-negative cases had significantly fewer affected organs, lower serum IgG4 levels, higher serum CH50 levels, and lower prevalence of salivary/lacrimal gland and renal parenchymal lesions. They were also less likely to have had biopsies (61% vs 97%). Of note, positivity of disease-specific autoantibodies including SSA/Ro antibody, ANCA, ds-DNA antibody, and ACPA was the most common exclusion criterion fulfilled in 18 patients, only 2 of whom were diagnosed with a specific autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis) complicated by IgG4-RD. The remaining 16 patients had no specific clinical symptoms related to such autoantibodies. In addition, compared with IgG4-RD patients without disease-specific autoantibodies, the 18 patients with them had almost equal serum IgG4 and complement levels, number of affected organs, and histopathology and immunostaining scores despite higher serum IgG and CRP levels.Conclusion:The present study suggests that the 2019 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for IgG4-RD has excellent diagnostic specificity and moderate sensitivity in daily clinical practice. Positive disease-specific autoantibodies alone, which lowered the sensitivity in this study, may have little clinical significance concerning the diagnosis of IgG4-RD.References:[1]Wallace ZS et al. The 2019 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism classification criteria for IgG4-related disease. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020 Jan;79(1):77-87.Disclosure of Interests:None declared

A neutron survey meter with a ZnS(Ag) scintillator to measure recoil protons was built. The detection probe weighs ~2 kg, therefore providing us with true portability. Performance tests exhibited satisfactory neutron dosimetry characteristics in unmoderated or lightly moderated fission neutron fields and in particular work environments at a mixed oxide fuel facility. This new survey meter will augment a routine of neutron monitoring that is inconveniently being carried out by moderator-based neutron survey meters.

Summary Background Prolonged pre-hospital time for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with decreased indication for primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the efficacy of primary PCI in AMI patients with prolonged pre-hospital time has not been fully investigated in Japan. Methods and results A total of 3010 consecutive AMI patients admitted to AMI-Kyoto Multi-Center Risk Study Group hospitals were retrospectively analyzed, and the clinical characteristics and in-hospital prognosis of these patients were reviewed. Patients with pre-hospital delay [elapsed time (ET) > 12 h] had a lower frequency of Killip ≥ 3 (9.3%) and less frequently received primary PCI (77.7%) compared with patients with ET ≤ 12 h. In the ET > 12 h group, older patients or patients with MI history tended to be complicated by heart failure. Primary PCI was performed for patients with ET > 12 h, irrespective of the severity of heart failure [Killip 1 (78.7%) vs Killip ≥ 2 (74.0%); p = 0.3827]. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, age [odds ratio (OR) 1.053], MI history (OR 2.860), Killip ≥ 2 (OR 10.235), and multi-vessels or left main coronary artery as culprit (OR 11.712) were significant independent positive predictors of in-hospital mortality for patients with ET > 12 h. Practice of primary PCI was not a significant negative predictor for patients with ET > 12 h (OR 0.812), but it was for patients with ET ≤ 12 h (OR 0.425). Conclusions These findings indicate that patients with ET > 12 h have a less severe condition and less frequently receive primary PCI compared with patients with ET ≤ 12 h. Although primary PCI is often performed for these patients irrespective of the severity of heart failure, no preferable effect of primary PCI on the in-hospital mortality is demonstrated. In contrary, practice of primary PCI is a significant negative predictor of in-hospital mortality for patients with ET ≤ 12 h.

A tritium gas monitor was developed by applying several techniques including pulse shape analysis. The optimum analyzer values were determined for parameters such as the bias (voltage) applied to the detector, counting gas flow rate, and mixing ratio of sample air to counting gas using an enclosed tritium reference source. After applying these optimized parameters, the factor for converting counting rate to tritium concentration was determined by conducting an experiment using tritiated methane gas. Finally, the detection limit of the monitor for air samples containing tritium was determined based on the conversion factor. (authors)

Fatigue failures occur in bridges because of their long term use and the severe traffic load conditions. Attempts that have been made to avoid have focussed on improvements to the design and fabrication processes, but improving the fatigue strength of the base plates has been regarded as impossible. On the other hand, new functional structural steel plates were developed in 2001 in Japan. This fatigue resistant steel has high fatigue strength at welded joints and also has high resistance against fatigue crack propagation in the base plates. It has already been used widely for ship fabrication in Japan. Therefore the applicability such the steel plates for bridges was examined in this study. Beam to column connections, joints between deck plate and U-rib and steel plate girders were selected as suitable applications. The results of this study on their applicability to each type of member are reported in this paper. In addition, an example of the application to a steel plate girder bridge in Japan is introduced.

The RIKEN RI (radioactive isotope) Beam Factory is scheduled to commence operations in 2006, and its maximum energy will be 400 MeV u - 1 for ions lighter than Ar and 350 MeV u - 1 for uranium. The beam intensity will be 1 pμA (6 × 10 1 2 particles s - 1 ) for any element at the goal. For the hands-on-maintenance and the rational shield thickness of the building, the beam loss must be controlled with several kinds of monitors. Three types of radiation monitors will be installed. The first one consists of a neutron dose equivalent monitor and an ionisation chamber, which are commercially available area monitors. The second one is a conventional hand-held dose equivalent monitor wherein the logarithmic signal is read by a programmable logic controller based on the radiation safety interlock system (HIS). The third one is a simple plastic scintillator called a beam loss monitor. All the monitors have threshold levels for alarm and beam stop, and HIS reads all these signals.

The land price can be considered as the economic data which reflects the interactive activity of markets (land market). Since the cumulative distributions often exhibit power law behavior in a number of complex systems, we attempted to investigate the posted land prices available in Japan for the most recent six years of the recession period after the bubble economy. They also seem to be in this category within a certain range. We observe that the generalized exponential function with one parameter which has been frequently used in generalized thermostatistics serving to track the annual change of the distributions.

Energy responses of three types of Japanese neutron dose-equivalent (DE) meters were evaluated by Monte Carlo simulations and measurements. The energy responses were evaluated for thermal neutrons, monoenergetic neutrons with energies up to 15.2 MeV, and also for neutrons from such radionuclide sources as 252Cf and 241Am–Be. The calculated results were corroborated with the measured ones. The angular dependence of the response and the DE response were also evaluated. As a result, reliable energy responses were obtained by careful simulations of the proportional counter, moderator and absorber of the DE meters. Furthermore, the relationship between pressure of counting gas and response of the DE meter was discussed. By using the obtained responses, relations between predicted readings of the DE meters and true DE values were studied for various workplace spectra.

1. We studied the effect of CO 2 elevation on photosynthesis and growth of individuals in even-aged monospecific stands of an annual, Chenopodium album, established at ambient and doubled CO 2 concentrations in open-top chambers. 2. The whole-plant photosynthesis of every individual in the stand was calculated from (1) the distribution of light and leaf nitrogen and (2) the relationships between photosynthetic parameters and leaf nitrogen content per area. Elevated CO 2 increased light-saturated rates of photosynthesis by 10-15% and the initial slope of the light-response curve by 11%, but had no effect on the convexity of the light-response curve and dark respiration. 3. The relative rate of photosynthesis (RPR, the rate of photosynthesis per unit above-ground mass) was analysed as the product of light capture (Φ mass , the photon flux captured per unit above-ground mass) and light-use efficiency (LUE, plant photosynthesis per unit photon capture). 4. At an early stage of stand development (33 days after germination), RPR was nearly constant and no difference was found between ambient and elevated CO 2 . However, CO 2 elevation influenced the components of RPR such that the reduction in Φ mass at elevated CO 2 offsets the effect of the higher LUE. Later (47 days), RPR was positively correlated with plant mass at both CO 2 concentrations. When compared at an equal plant mass, RPR was lower at elevated CO 2 , which was caused by a reduction in Φ mass despite some compensation by higher LUE. 5. We conclude that elevated CO 2 increases size inequality of a stand through enhanced photosynthesis and growth of dominants, which reduce the light availability for subordinates and consequently increase size inequality in the stand.

A single intravenous injection with 4 x 10(7) PFU of recombinant adenovirus encoding mouse beta-galactosidase cDNA to newborn mice provided widespread increases of beta-galactosidase activity, and attenuated the development of the disease including the brain at least for 60 days. The beta-galactosidase activity showed 2-4 times as high a normal activity in the liver and lung, and 50 times in the heart. In the brain, while the activity was only 10-20% of normal, the efficacy of the treatment was distinct. At the 30th day after the injection, significant attenuation of ganglioside GM1 accumulation in the cerebrum was shown in three out of seven mice. At the 60th day after the injection, the amount of ganglioside GM1 was above the normal range in all treated mice, which was speculated to be the result of reaccumulation. However, the values were still definitely lower in most of the treated mice than those in untreated mice. In the histopathological study, X-gal-positive cells, which showed the expression of exogenous beta-galactosidase gene, were observed in the brain. It is noteworthy that neonatal administration via blood vessels provided access to the central nervous system because of the incompletely formed blood-brain barrier.

In diesem Beitrag werden funf Computerprogramme vorgestellt, EPASS, USSP, EPASS Plus, USSP-D und J-F-C-P. EPASS ist ein FEM-Programm fur das elasto-plastische und finite Verformungsverhalten von raumlichen Stahlrahmenbrucken, bestehend aus Bauteilen und Kabeln, ohne Berucksichtigung des lokalen Beulens. USSP ist ein FEM-Programm, das sich zur Ermittlung des elasto-plastischen und finiten Verformungsverhaltens von dunnwandigen Bauteilen eignet, mit Berucksichtigung des lokalen Beulens. In dem Programm EPASS Plus sind die Programme USSP und EPASS kombiniert. USSP-D, eine Kombination von USSP mit einem FDM-Programm fur die Untersuchung der dynamischen Reaktion, wurde zur Berechnung des dynamischen, elasto-plastischen und finiten Verformungsverhaltens von Stahlbruckenpylonen, die starken Einwirkungen aus Erdbeben ausgesetzt sind, entwickelt. J-F-C-P ist geeignet fur die Ermittlung der elasto-plastischen und finiten Verformung von vorgespannten Betonkastentragerbrucken mit Trapezblechstegen. Es kann als USSP-Programm mit zusatzlichen 3D-Elementen und Staben zur Erfassung der Nichtlinearitat des Betons und der Bewehrung, aufgefast werden.

We described a 43-year-old Japanese man with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) in whom we identified a missense mutation (Cys111→Tyr) in exon 4 of the Cu/Zn superoxidase dismutase-1 (SOD1) gene in which no pathological data have been reported. The disease duration was 5 years, and he died of respiratory failure. The initial sign was weakness of the right leg. He had no clear upper motor involvement. Neuropathological examinations showed neuronal intracytoplasmic Lewy body-like hyaline inclusions (LBHIs) not only in the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord, but also in many other affected neurons. LBHIs were seen in the anterior horn cells, Onufrowicz nucleus, Clarke's nucleus, intermediolateral nucleus, and posterior gray horn of the spinal cord. In addition, LBHIs were observed in the periaqueductal gray matter, nucleus raphe dorsalis, locus ceruleus, trigeminal motor nucleus, vestibular nucleus, dorsal vagal nucleus, hypoglossal nucleus, and reticular formation of the brain stem. These are very specific findings that neuronal LBHIs in our case are for more widespread reported cases, and similar cases to ours have never reported in FALS.

Cardiorenal anemia syndrome has recently been receiving greater attention; however, data regarding the relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD)/anemia on presentation and in-hospital outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are still limited in Japan.A total of 1,447 primary PCI-treated AMI patients were classified into 4 groups according to the presence of CKD and/or anemia on hospital admission (with CKD/with anemia n = 222, with CKD/without anemia n = 299, without CKD/with anemia n = 151, without CKD/without anemia n = 775). Angiographic acute results of primary PCI were similar among the 4 groups. The patients with CKD had a significantly higher in-hospital overall mortality rate than the patients without CKD, and in the presence or absence of CKD, patients with anemia tended to have a higher in-hospital mortality rate than the patients without anemia. According to a multivariate analysis, anemia on admission was found to be an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality, whereas admission CKD and admission eGFR were statistically not independent predictors. Moreover, the multivariable adjusted odds ratio of in-hospital death in AMI patients with CKD alone was 1.855 (95% CI 0.929-3.706), and that in AMI patients with CKD/with anemia was 3.384 (95% CI 1.697-6.748).These results suggest that among real-world, unselected Japanese AMI patients undergoing primary PCI, the combination of CKD and anemia on admission confers significant adverse effects on in-hospital mortality.

Background: According to the international classification of epilepsy syndromes, West syndrome (WS) is a form of generalized epilepsy. However, it is known that localized lesions can induce WS and that patients with WS often subsequently develop focal seizures. We evaluated such patients using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Method: Fourteen patients of 3 months to 6 years of age who had or who had previously had WS were examined. MEGs were recorded using a laying-type whole-cortex MEG system with a 160-channel first-order gradiometer. Twelve-channel electroencephalography (EEG) and one-channel electrocardiography (ECG) were simultaneously recorded. Equivalent current dipoles were estimated at the point of spikes on the EEG. Results: Patients were classified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings into a focal lesion group (group F, n =7) and a non-focal lesion group (group N, n =7). The dipoles estimated from the MEG were classified into three groups: W, with the dipoles distributed over a wide brain area ( n =7); WC, dipoles distributed over a wide area along with a dense dipole distribution in a specific cortical area ( n =3); and C, closed dipole distribution in a unilateral cerebral focal area ( n =4). Patients were also classified by the stage of the disease during which the MEG was recorded, and by the type of seizure they experienced. Those with hypsarrhythmia examined early in the disease all had pattern W regardless of their lesion group, whereas those examined later exhibited more diverse dipole patterns that corresponded to seizure type. Conclusions: Dipoles were distributed widely over bilateral cerebral cortex when patients had infantile spasms with hypsarrhythmia whether or not they had focal lesions. The dipole distribution pattern in MEG changed according to changes in seizure type.

Pregnant mice were injected intraperitoneally with cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) on days 13.5 and 14.5 of pregnancy. The brains of their offspring were studied histologically and histochemically. In addition to dysgenic microcephaly, nodular structures consisting of cells with a relatively homogeneous morphology were observed in the depths of the cerebral cortex. The cell clusters were first seen around postnatal day 4, and had a cellular continuity with the disarrayed pyramidal cell layer in the CA 1 region of the hippocampus. Golgi-Cox staining showed a number of pyramidal-shaped cells in the clusters. Morphologically, they resembled the pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus. Immunohistochemical examination, using anti-serotonin or anti-tyrosine hydroxylase antibodies, also indicated similarities between the cell clusters and the pyramidal cell layer. It is, therefore, proposed that the cell clusters consisted of heterotopic pyramidal cells of the hippocampus. A few synaptic structures could already be detected in the heterotopic cell clusters on postnatal day 3 by electron microscopy. This early establishment of synaptic contact with related neurons may have caused the heterotopic localization of the pyramidal cells.

Objectives - Fibronectin (FN) possesses a wide range of biological functions. However, the role of plasma FN in vivo has not yet been established and there have been no published studies of plasma FN in ALS. The aim of this study was to measure plasma FN in ALS patients. Material and methods - We measured plasma FN levels in 28 ALS patients, 18 control subjects with other neurologic or muscular diseases (control group A) and 21 healthy adults (control group B). The age and sex distributions among the 3 groups were comparable. Results - Plasma FN levels were significantly lower in ALS patients than in control groups A and B. There was also a significant negative correlation between plasma FN levels and duration of illness in ALS patients. Conclusion -These data suggest that a metabolic alteration of FN may take place in ALS and that the measurement of plasma FN may serve as an indicator of clinical progression of this disorder.

MAGE gene family encodes peptides recognized by autologous cytotoxic T lymphocytes in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-I restricted fashion. In the present study, we have performed reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the genes, as well as immunohistochemical analysis and Western blotting of MAGE-1 and -3 proteins in 33 surgically resected hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). MAGE-1 and -3 mRNAs were constitutively expressed exclusively in 78 and 42% of HCCs respectively. On immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies, 77B for MAGE-1 and 57B for MAGE-3, MAGE-1 and -3 proteins were recognized in cytoplasm of only six among 33 (18%) and two of 29 HCCs (7%) respectively. The distribution pattern was mostly focal in HCC nodules. By contrast, the Western blot analysis revealed that the MAGE-1 (46 kDa) and -3 proteins (48 kDa) were expressed in 80 and 60% of 15 HCCs examined respectively. The proteins of MAGE-1 and -3 were also expressed exclusively in HCCs regardless of the histological grading and clinical staging. Our results indicate that the detection of the genes by RT-PCR or the proteins by Western blotting is useful for differentiating early HCCs from non-cancerous lesions, and that the peptides derived from MAGE-1 and -3 proteins might be suitable targets for immunotherapy of human HCC. © 1999 Cancer Research Campaign

Objective: To clarify the possible relation between the extent of involvement of catecholaminergic neurons and the presence of alveolar hypoventilation in patients with myotonic dystrophy (MyD).Background: Respiratory insufficiency has been reported frequently in MyD patients. Recent data support the hypothesis that this respiratory failure results from a primary dysfunction of the CNS.Methods: The authors performed a quantitative immunoreactive study of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive (TH+) neurons linked to hypoventilation in the dorsal central medullary nucleus (DCMN), the ventral central medullary nucleus (VCMN), and the subtrigeminal medullary nucleus (SMN)-where the automatic respiratory center is thought to be located-in eight MyD patients and in 10 age-matched control subjects. Alveolar hypoventilation of the central type was present in three of the MyD patients but not in the remaining MyD patients or the control subjects.Results: The densities of TH+ neurons of the DCMN, the VCMN, and the SMN in MyD patients with hypoventilation were significantly lower than in those without hypoventilation (p < 0.02, p < 0.01, and p < 0.01, respectively) and control subjects (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, and p < 0.01, respectively).Conclusions: These data suggest that the loss of TH+ neurons of the DCMN, the VCMN, and the SMN is associated with the presence of hypoventilation in MyD and may be an important feature of MyD.

Background and Objective: Collagen abnormalities of skin have been reported among patients with ALS. However, little is known concerning glycosaminoglycans of the skin in ALS. Our objective was to clarify morphologic and biochemical findings of skin glycosaminoglycans among patients with ALS.Methods: We performed morphologic studies and biochemical analysis of glycosaminoglycans of skin from 8 patients with ALS, 6 patients with other neurologic or muscular diseases (control group A), and 7 patients without neurologic disorders (control group B).Results: The wide spaces that separate collagen bundles reacted strongly with Alcian blue stain in skin from patients with ALS and stained more markedly as ALS progressed. Staining with Alcian blue was virtually eliminated by Streptomyces hyaluronidase. The content of hyaluronic acid was significantly higher (p < 0.001) among patients with ALS than in control groups A and B. There was a significant positive correlation between content of hyaluronic acid and duration of illness among patients with ALS (r = 0.88, p < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in content of dermatan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate-4S, or chondroitin sulfate-6S between patients with ALS and control groups A and B. There was also an appreciable positive correlation between optical density of Alcian blue and content of hyaluronic acid among patients with ALS (r = 0.92, p < 0.01).Conclusions: The data suggest that a metabolic alteration of glycosaminoglycans related to the increased amount of hyaluronic acid may take place in the skin of patients with ALS.

Male Wistar rats at 2, 4, and 8 months were given s.c. injections of CdCl2 at doses of 0.5, 1, and 2 mg Cd/kg, 3 days/week, for 4 weeks. Dose-related adverse effects observed at the end of the injections were as follows: decrease in body weight gain, increases in liver, kidney, and spleen weights, decrease in red blood cell counts, and increase in white blood cell counts accountable by an increased percentage of neutrophils in peripheral white blood cells. Essentially, all of these changes were age-related, i.e., the extents of the effects in each age group were in the order of 8-4-2-month-old rats when compared at the same dose level of Cd. The sensitive indicators of histological changes were increase in hematopoietic cells in bone marrow and fibrous tissue proliferation in the thymusfibrous tissue proliferation and hyperplasia of lymph follicle in the spleenrenal tubular degeneration. These histological changes became to be marked at lower doses with aging. Dose-dependent increases in total Cd concentrations in the liver, kidney, and spleen were slightly higher with aging, while metallothionein (MT) contents in these organs were induced exactly in the same pattern as Cd concentrations in each organ in various age groups. This study revealed that the adverse effects after repeated administration of Cd on the kidney, spleen, thymus, and bone marrow worsened with increasing animal age and that this phenomenon could not be explained simply by differences in Cd disposition or MT induction in the organs of the different age groups.

Japan Council for Quality Health Care (JQ) is a third-party organization conducting hospital accreditation in Japan based on their accreditation scheme. It has 6 accreditation standards based on hospital type, and two of them are for acute care hospitals. One is hospital type 1 referring small- to mid-sized hospitals (smaller hospitals) and the other is hospital type 2: core hospitals supporting local healthcare in a relatively broad area (larger hospitals). The evaluation is made to each Small Item using 4 levels, which are “S (excellent)”, “A (applicable)”, “B (achievement of a certain level)” and …

Twenty-two pesticides were examined in vitro for their effects on hepatocytes, mitochondria, and microsomes isolated from male rats. Twelve pesticides reduced non-protein sulfhydryl (NPSH) content in hepatocytes to less than 80% of control at a concentration of 10(-3) M. Chlorothalonil and ziram were especially effective, reducing NPSH content at 10(-4) M after 90 min incubation. Among those pesticides, only copper terephthalate and chlorothalonil were reactive with glutathione non-enzymatically and enzymatically, respectively. Lipid peroxidation in hepatocytes was stimulated by four pesticides, namely, chlorothalonil, pretilachlor, ethoprofos, and metribuzin at 10(-3)-10(-4) M. Cell viability was considerably decreased following incubation with chlorothalonil, trichlamide, and ziram. Hepatotoxicity of trichlamide was considered to be associated with its direct adverse effects on mitochondrial energy production, since it uncoupled isolated mitochondrial respiration at 10(-6) M and depleted cellular ATP content prior to cell death. Conversely, chlorothalonil- and ziram-induced hepatotoxicity seemed to be related to their depleting effects on cellular sulfhydryls, since addition of the thiol compound dithiothreitol to the hepatocytes incubation mixture protected cells. With respect to isolated mitochondrial respiration, four pesticides inhibited state 3 and/or state 4 respiration rates at 10(-3)-10(-4) M, whereas seven pesticides uncoupled state 4 respiration at 10(-3)-10(-6) M. With respect to isolated microsomal lipid peroxidation, three pesticides were peroxidative at 10(-3)-10(-4) M, whereas three pesticides were antioxidative at 10(-3)-10(-7) M. Only two pesticides, beta-endosulfan and metalaxyl, had essentially no effects on any parameters tested at 10(-3) M.

Ubiquitin (UB)-immunoreactive filamentous inclusions, absent in normal cases and in any other disorder, have been found in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and it has been suggested that they may be characteristic of this disorder. However, there has been no study of UB in ALS skin. We made a quantitative immunohistochemical study of the expression of UB in the skin from 19 patients with sporadic ALS and 19 control subjects. The proportion of UB-positive (UB+) cells in the epidermis in ALS patients was significantly higher (p

Suzuki M, Mikami H, Watanabe T, Yamano T, Yamazaki T, Nomura M, Yasui K, Ishikawa H, Ono S. Increased expression of TDP-43 in the skin of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 122: 367–372. © 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Munksgaard. Objectives – Transactivation-responsive DNA-binding protein-43 (TDP-43) was indentified as a major component of the ubiquitin-positive inclusions in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, there has been no study of TDP-43 in ALS skin. The present study investigates TDP-43 in ALS skin. Materials and methods – We made a quantitative immunohistochemical study of the expression of TDP-43 in the skin from 15 patients with ALS and 15 control subjects. Results – The proportion of TDP-43-positive (TDP-43+) cells in the epidermis in ALS patients was significantly higher (P

A child is presented who displayed hypointense multiple sclerotic lesions on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences by magnetic resonance imaging, with the possible pathologic tissue changes of these hypointense lesions evaluated. The magnetic resonance imaging results in this patient demonstrated the disappearance of low-signal lesions on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery in multiple sclerosis, and the improvement of this patient's condition was likely compatible with sequential magnetic resonance imaging findings. Some hypointense lesions in the supratentorial white matter that appear on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images in multiple sclerosis patients may include reversible brain lesions, suggesting extracellular fluid collection not accompanied by axonal loss or gliosis.

The Csisz\'ar f-divergence, which is a class of information distances, is known to offer a useful tool for analysing the classical counterpart of the cloning operations that are quantum mechanically impossible for the factorized and marginality classical probability distributions under Liouville dynamics. We show that a class of information distances that does not belong to this divergence class also allows for the formulation of a classical analogue of the quantum no-cloning theorem. We address a family of nonlinear Liouville-like equations, and generic distances, to obtain constraints on the corresponding functional forms, associated with the formulation of classical analogue of the no-cloning principle., Comment: 6 pages, revised, published version

The persistence phenomenon is studied in the Japanese financial market by using a novel mapping of the time evolution of the values of shares in a portfolio onto Ising spins. The method is applied to historical end of day data from the Japanese stock market over an arbitrarily chosen period. By studying the time dependence of the spins, we find clear evidence for a power law decay of the proportion of shares that remain either above or below their "starting" values. The results are compared with those resulting from data from the London market, where there is evidence of a distinctive double power law. Preliminary results from the Japanese market indicate similar behavior. We estimate a long time persistence exponent for the underlying financial markets to be 0.5.

We study the persistence phenomenon in a socio-econo dynamics model using computer simulations at a finite temperature on hypercubic lattices in dimensions up to 5. The model includes a ` social\rq local field which contains the magnetization at time $t$. The nearest neighbour quenched interactions are drawn from a binary distribution which is a function of the bond concentration, $p$. The decay of the persistence probability in the model depends on both the spatial dimension and $p$. We find no evidence of ` blocking\rq in this model. We also discuss the implications of our results for possible applications in the social and economic fields. It is suggested that the absence, or otherwise, of blocking could be used as a criterion to decide on the validity of a given model in different scenarios., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures

Background: Rotator cuff tears can cause serious pain and dysfunction in the shoulder joint among adults. Previous reports have indicated the importance of the lesion area in the rotator cuff to shoulder dysfunction, but few have reported its effects on glenohumeral joint stability or muscle force. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of rotator cuff tears on glenohumeral joint stability and muscle force using a musculoskeletal simulation. Methods: Three young adults participated in this study. Joint reaction force in the glenohumeral jointwas used to estimate joint stability. Arm elevation in the frontal and sagittal plane were measured by a motion capture system. A threemarker cluster attached to the acromion was used to obtain the scapular motion. We analyzed the arm elevation below 120 degree due to skin motion artifact. The AnyBody shoulder model was used to calculate the shoulder joint reaction force andmuscle force frommotion capture data, whichwere estimated in the intact model and four simulated cuff tear models

A new gamma ray detector has been developed for remote sensing of nuclear radiation leakage from nuclear facilities. The detector can measure the incoming direction of gamma rays as well as usual radiation dose rate. It composes of three kinds of different scintillators. Each scintillator gives a different output at each direction. Hence the relations between these outputs can express the information on the incident direction. Laboratory experiments show the possibility of practical remote sensing of the proposed detector.

We study the persistence phenomenon in a socio-econo dynamics model using computer simulations at a finite temperature on hypercubic lattices in dimensions up to 5. The model includes a ` social\rq local field which contains the magnetization at time $t$. The nearest neighbour quenched interactions are drawn from a binary distribution which is a function of the bond concentration, $p$. The decay of the persistence probability in the model depends on both the spatial dimension and $p$. We find no evidence of ` blocking\rq in this model. We also discuss the implications of our results for applications in the social and economic fields., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures

This report describes a material management system with a function of estimated number based on MES. It is difficult to ensure adequate quantity of the required stock for each material in a development fabrication, because of the change of process flow and materials. Using the method of estimated number which utilizes the number of wafers which will be used in a production control system, we have been able to ensure adequate quantity of the required stock for each material and take measures for logistics or cost reduction.

The development of a total simulation system for steel plate manufacturing is discussed. In numerical analysis of rolling, various approaches have been studied recently, such as applicable 3D analysis. However, a lot of problems remain for realization of the "virtual factory", i.e. a system that can thoroughly simulate the actual manufacturing in the plant. In order to utilize the simulation directly for manufacturing problems such as process design, various simulators should be integrated for use as the support system. An object-oriented model of a virtual manufacturing system for steel plate is proposed, in order to integrate the formerly developed simulator and to visualize the simulation results. This can realize the virtual evaluation of manufacturing that enables the user to understand the plate states at any time in the virtual manufacturing processes. This system should be effective in product/process design, operation design and process diagnosis.

Molecular analysis of the alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase gene in seven Japanese patients with Sanfilippo syndrome type B from six unrelated families was carried out, and six disease-causing mutations were found. The parents of Patient 2 had a consanguinous marriage, but other families did not have any record of consanguinity. Two families were from Okinawa Island, where more patients with Sanfilippo syndrome were found than in other areas in Japan. Patients 1 and 6 showed the most severe phenotype with rapid progression. Patients 2, 5, and 7 were moderate. Patients 3 and 4 (sib cases) showed an attenuated form compared with other patients. Patients 1, 2, and 6 were homozygous for R482W, R565W, and R565P, respectively. Patients 3 and 4 were compound heterozygous for F314L and R565P. Patient 5 had delTG2171-2172 in exon 6 in one allele, and the other allele was unknown. Patient 7 was compound heterozygous for V241M and R482W. The family of Patients 3 and 4 and that of Patient 6 are unrelated, although both families are from Okinawa Island, and the patients have the same mutation, R565P; thus, R565P might be a common mutation in the Okinawa district. F314L and V241M are novel mutations.

The aim of this study was to specifically visualize micrometastases in the peritoneal cavity, which cannot be detected by conventional methods, by using enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP) containing carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) promoter in an upstream position. In in vitro experiments, two cell lines from human gastric cancer, MKN45 and MKN1, and a cell line from human fibrosarcoma, HT1080, were transduced with pCEA-EGFP, which contains the CEA promoter region. MKN45 and MKN1, which expressed CEA mRNA, showed positive fluorescence after transduction of pCEA-EGFP, whereas HT1080 did not. In in vivo experiments, 7 days after 10(7) MKN45 had been injected into the peritoneal cavity of BALB/c nude mice, pCEA-EGFP was transduced in the peritoneal cavity using a fusogenic liposome with the envelope protein of Hemagglutinating Virus of Japan on the surface. On the peritoneum of the abdominal wall, fluorescent nodules were detected by fluorescence stereomicroscopy. These nodules had a minimal size of approximately 0.15 mm and could not be detected by conventional stereomicroscopy or macroscopy. They were histologically confirmed to be cancer cells by HE staining. The results suggest that visualization of peritoneal micrometastasis of gastric cancer using CEA promoter and EGFP can offer a new strategy for diagnosis of micrometastasis.