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We have synthesized a new compound of a benzothiadiazole central core coupled to terminal thienoimide (TI) via vinyl linker, namely, C8-TI-BT. We investigated physical properties of vacuum-deposited and spin-coated thin films of C8-TI-BT. Optical properties of C8-TI-BT were different between thin films fabricated by vacuum deposition and spin-coating method. The vacuum-deposited films become more ordered structures by heat treatment. The thin-film transistor (TFT) shows ambipolar semiconducting behavior. We further demonstrated characteristics of electroluminescence (EL) device with the spin-coated C8-TI-BT films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that investigated the luminescence spectra of solid films of polymethylphenylsilane (PMePhSi). Luminescence characteristics of silicon-based macromolecules; Difference of photodegration effects; Temperature dependence of the luminescence spectra of PMePhSi.

Abstract: Due to the lack of strong adsorption of reactants, intermediates or products on the boron-doped diamond electrode surface, the electrochemical behavior can be simulated based on a model involving only electron transfer, chemical reactions and solution mass transport (DigiSim). The electrochemical behavior of several different biogenic redox-active species, dopamine, ascorbic acid, uric acid and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, was compared experimentally at as-deposited (hydrogen-terminated) and anodically oxidized (oxygen-terminated) boron-doped diamond surfaces, and molecular orbital theory was used to help explain the results. Using semi-empirical calculations, we find that, for dopamine, which is protonated in acid solution, the interaction of the positively charged quaternary ammonium group with the surface is relatively strong and nearly equal for both hydrogen- and oxygen-terminated surfaces, which explains the lack of sensitivity of the cyclic voltammetry to the surface termination. For ascorbic acid, the interaction of the neutral compound with the hydrogen-terminated surface is weaker, while that with the oxygen-terminated surface is very weak, consistent with the highly inhibited electron transfer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Regional brain perfusion was analyzed using single-photon emission computed tomography with three-dimensional stereotactic surface projections (3D-SSP) in 69 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 16 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and 15 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and compared with that in 24 age-equivalent normal subjects. Nondemented PD patients revealed less parietal and frontal flow than controls. With mental impairment, flow reduction extended to other areas including occipital regions. PD with dementia and DLB showed similar reduction patterns, al-though frontal flow showed a greater reduction in DLB. AD showed little occipital reduction, but a severe parietotemporal reduction. Thus, 3D-SSP appears to be useful in the detection of cortical lesions and the differential diagnosis of patients with cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifies the characteristics of non-point pollution of Ishikari River, Hokkaido, Japan by comparing flux characteristics of chemical components in three periods of a year. Snow melting period; Typhoon flooding period; Stable period; Specific flow and specific runoff loads of chemical components.

The permeability, temperature and morphologic changes of the wall of the root canal induced by Nd:YAG, CO2 and argon lasers were studied. The changes were evaluated according to the presence or absence of a smear layer. Root canals of 140 human single-rooted teeth were enlarged using a step-back technique. Permeability was evaluated by the extent of methylene blue dye penetration into the tubules. Temperature changes were measured using a thermo-vision system, and morphological changes were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. Laser energy was delivered into the canal by means of a flexible optical fibre or metal tip. There were statistically significant differences in permeability between lased groups with and without a smear layer in the cervical third of the root canal following lasing. In the middle third of the root canal, all three laser types induced permeability increases in groups with a smear layer. In the apical third, statistically significantly decreases in permeability were observed among CO2 laser and Nd:YAG compared with control group (P<0.01). Rises in temperature ranged from a minimum of + 10.1 °C (CO2 laser) to a maximum of + 54.8 °C (argon laser). All three laser devices appeared capable of producing a glazed-like surface and craters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents optical properties of synthesized silicon/germanium (Si/Ge) network copolymers, polysilyne/polygermyne. Regulation of energies of optical gaps and photoluminescence bands in the visible range; Observation of copolymers of poly(hexylsilyne); Measurements of Si/Ge network copolymers using electron spin resonance.

An abstract of the article "Clinical characteristics and pharmacological treatment of new daily persistent headache (NDPH)" by H. Tachibana and D. Danno is presented.

An abstract of the article "The efficacy of neurotropin in treating patients with nummular headaches" by D. Danno and H. Tachibana is presented.

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of bacterial coinfection on patients with pneumococcal pneumonia. We retrospectively analyzed the incidence, clinical features, microbial distributions, and outcomes of patients with bacterial coinfection in a cohort of 433 hospitalized patients with pneumococcal pneumonia. Eighty-five patients (19.6 %) were diagnosed with bacterial coinfection; the most frequent pathogens were Haemophilus influenzae (25 patients, 33.3 %), methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) (15 patients, 20.0 %), and Moraxella catarrhalis (13 patients, 17.3 %). The CURB-65 score and pneumonia severity index (PSI) were significantly higher in patients with bacterial coinfection (both P < 0.001). In addition, the proportion of patients with bacterial coinfection who met the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) severe pneumonia criteria was significantly higher ( P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified three risk factors for bacterial coinfection in patients with pneumococcal pneumonia: alcoholism (odds ratio [OR], 5.12; 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI), 1.60-16.4; P = 0.006), hospitalization for 2 days or more within 90 days preceding admission (OR, 2.02; 95 % CI, 1.03-3.98; P = 0.041), and residence in a nursing home or extended care facility (OR, 3.22; 95 % CI, 1.48-6.97; P = 0.003). Multivariate analysis for 30-day mortality showed that bacterial coinfection was a significant adverse prognostic factor (OR, 2.50; 95 % CI, 1.13-5.53; P = 0.023), independent of IDSA/ATS severe pneumonia, PSI, or healthcare-associated pneumonia. In conclusion, bacterial coinfection may have an adverse impact on severity and outcomes of pneumococcal pneumonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responds to the comment on the crystal structures and optical properties of octasilacubane. Effects of oxygenation on the purple crystal; Use of prepared solid on the yellow crystal; Absence of oxygen traces in the yellow crystal.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of pretreatment [18F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography for head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma patients with nodal metastasis treated with chemoradiotherapy. Methods and Materials: Between March 2002 and December 2006, 178 patients with head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma and nodal metastasis underwent fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography before chemoradiotherapy. Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake by both the primary lesion and the neck node was measured using the standard uptake value (SUV). The overall survival, disease-free survival, local control, nodal progression-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival rates were calculated, and several prognostic factors were evaluated. Results: The patients with a nodal SUV≥6.00 had a significantly lower 3-year disease-free survival rate than those with a lower SUV (44% vs. 69%, p=.004). On multivariate analysis, a high SUV of nodal disease also proved to be a significantly unfavorable factor for disease-free survival (p=.04, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-3.23), nodal progression-free survival (p=.05; 95% CI, 1.00-4.15), and distant metastasis-free survival (p=.016; 95% CI, 1.25-8.92). Among the patients with a greater nodal SUV (≥6.00), those treated with planned neck dissection had better nodal progression-free survival than those in the observation group (p=.04, hazard ratio, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.00-5.85). Conclusion: Among head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with chemoradiotherapy, the pretreatment SUV of nodal disease was one of the strongest prognostic factors and also provided important information for the selection of patients suitable for planned neck dissection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to compare radiation treatment plans (RTPs) that used intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with helical tomotherapy (HT) or three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) for nasal natural killer/Tcell lymphoma (NNKTL). We created RTPs that used IMRT with HT or 3D-CRT for eight NNKTL patients previously treated at our institution and conducted a pilot comparison between the two modalities using the parameters of the target coverage and homogeneity for the planning target volume (PTV) and the maximum and mean doses for organs at risk (OARs). The clinical target volume (CTV) included the gross tumour volume with an additional margin of 1.5 cm and the nasopharynx, palates and nasal cavity; the PTV with the CTV plus a 2 mm margin received a total dose of 50 Gy. IMRT achieved significantly better PTV coverage, with more than 99% of the PTV receiving 90% and 95% of the prescribed dose, whereas 3D-CRT could not provide adequate coverage of the PTV, with 89.1±2.6% and 84.5±2.7% of the PTV receiving 90% and 95% of the prescribed dose, respectively (both p ,0.0001). The homogeneity index was 0.29±0.06 for IMRT and 0.046±0.022 for 3D-CRT, which was statistically significant (p<0.0001). IMRT tended to provide equivalent or slightly better OAR avoidance than 3DCRT. In conclusion, 3D-CRT could not provide adequate coverage of the PTV because the PTV was close to many OARs. IMRT should be used for NNKTL because a lack of optimal RTPs could cause local failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the activity of a soy-derived immunoglobulin (Ig) production stimulating factor and the mechanism of the activity. Results reveal that the factor significantly raised IgM production by mouse spleen lymphocytes in a dose-dependent way. The unknown activator also up-regulated the expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 mRNA. In addition, the IgM production enhancing activity of soybean trypsin inhibitor was significantly held back by neutralization of IL-6.

The 150-kDa oxygen-regulated protein (ORP150), a novel stress protein localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), is induced by hypoxia/ischemia. To determine the role of ORP150 in cerebral infarction following ischemia/reperfusion, ORP150 transgenic (TG) and knockout (KO) mice were subjected to 1 or 3 h of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion followed by reperfusion for 24 h. At 24 h after 1 h of occlusion, significantly less infarct volume was evident in cerebral cortex, but not in striatum, in ORP150TG than ORP150KO mice (P<0.001). Infarct volume did not differ significantly between these groups at 24 h after 3 h of occlusion. Immunohistochemical reactivity for microtubule-associated protein (MAP)2 in the MCA territory was lost in ORP150KO mice at 24 h after 1 h of occlusion. In contrast, MAP2 staining still was present in the affected cortex of ORP150TG mice, where markedly enhanced ORP150 immunoreactivity was demonstrated. MAP2 staining had disappeared from the affected area at 24 h after 3 h of occlusion in both groups, but astrocytic ORP150 reactivity was preserved in the ORP150TG group. At 6 h after 1-h occlusion, when MAP2 staining was evident in the affected cortex, some cortical neurons of the TG mice were reactive for Bcl-xS/L. Thus, ORP150 may be cytoprotective against ischemia/reperfusion injury via reduction of ER stress and probably also inhibition of apoptosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Increased sensitivity of cough reflex is a fundamental feature of bronchodilator resistant non-productive cough associated with eosinophilic tracheobronchitis. Our hypothesis is that cough sensitivity is increased by airway allergic reaction characterized by airway eosinophilic inflammation. The aim of this study was to elucidate the hypothesis and clarify the characteristics of the increased cough sensitivity. Number of coughs elicited by inhalation of increasing concentrations of capsaicin (10-8, 10-6 and 10-4 m) was counted 24 h after an aerosolized antigen or saline in actively sensitized or non-sensitized (naive) conscious guinea pigs and then bronchoalveolar lavage was performed. The cough response was also measured 1 day before and 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 days after an aerosolized antigen challenge in sensitized or naive animals. In addition, effect of procaterol (0.1 mg/kg), atropine (1 or 10 mg/kg), phosphoramidon (2.5 mg/kg) given intraperitoneally 30 min before the capsaicin challenge or capsaicin desensitization on the cough response was examined. Furthermore, the thromboxane A2 (TXA2) receptor antagonist S-1452 in a dose of 0.01 or 0.1 mg/kg or vehicle (saline) was given intraperitoneally at 24 and 1 h before the measurement of cough response. Number of coughs caused by capsaicin was extremely increased 24 h after an antigen challenge in sensitized guinea pigs compared with a saline or an antigen challenge in naive animals or a saline challenge in sensitized animals. The increased cough response disappeared at 3–7 days after the antigen challenge. Eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained after the measurement of capsaicin-induced coughs, which was performed 24 h after the antigen challenge, were significantly increased in sensitized guinea pigs. The eosinophil count was significantly correlated to the number of capsaicin-induced coughs. Procaterol or atropine did not alter the antigen-induced increase of... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effects of brown stem rot, a vascular disease of soybean (Glycine max) induced by Phialophora gregata, on the water relations of diseased plants, stems of greenhouse-grown plants of susceptible (Pride B216) and resistant (BSR 201) cultivars were injected with the pathogen at vegetative growth stage VI. Plants of both cultivars developed internal stem browning, but those of Pride B216 developed more severe symptoms of water stress (reduced leaf water potential and stem conductance). Inoculated plants of both cultivars also had reduced stem conductance and increased stomatal conductance and transpiration. Disease-related water stress can be attributed to the combined effects of reduced stem conductance and increased water loss resulting from increased stomatal conductance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Okuda B, Iwamoto Y, Tachibana H. Hereditary spastic paraplegia with thin corpus callosum and cataract: a clinical description of two siblings. Acta Neurol Scand 2002: 106: –. © Blackwell Munksgaard 2002. We report two siblings with autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegia and thin corpus callosum. These patients had a similar history of progressive spastic gait, followed by mental impairment in the second decade. In addition to rigospasticity, ataxia, and foot deformity, both patients had congenital cataract on ophthalmologic examination. The association of cataract and thin corpus callosum suggests a distinct genetic disorder involving these structures in complicated spastic paraplegia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT) is an emerging technology that enables three-dimensional surfaces image guidance for radiotherapy. The technology is commonly employed in the setup for breast cancer patients; however, it would be challenging for head and neck cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accuracy of surface image-guided positioning compared to conventional in-room-laser based positioning using marks on a thermoplastic mask for the head and neck patient. Thirty patients were randomly selected for two groups: the surface image-guided positioning group (SGRT group) and the conventional in-room-laser based positioning group using marks on a thermoplastic mask (non-SGRT group). Total sixty patients received intensity-modulated radiotherapy using helical tomotherapy for head and neck cancer. For both groups, the positional errors for translational and rotational shifts were acquired by aligning the mega-voltage CT (MVCT) images in the first treatment fraction for the treatment planning kVCT images. In addition, the number of the additional MVCT scan for repositioning during all treatment fractions was counted. The reposition was performed when the rotational shift error was greater than 2.0°. The differences of the positional errors and the mean number of MVCT scans per fraction between the SGRT and non-SGRT groups were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U test. The mean positional errors in the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical directions were as follows: -0.8±0.9, -3.0±2.6, and 0.7±1.4 mm in the SGRT group, and -1.3±1.5, -1.0±1.9, and 0.1±1.2 mm in the non-SGRT group. The only positional error in the longitudinal direction was significantly larger in the SGRT than non-SGRT groups (p < 0.05); however, the difference could be relatively small. The mean positional error of rotational shift in each axis was less than 0.2° in both groups, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. The mean number of MVCT scans per fraction in the SGRT and non-SGRT groups was 1.14 and 1.26 (total number; about 40 and 44 scans at 35 fractions), respectively. It was significantly lower in the SGRT group than in the non-SGRT group (p < 0.05). Surface image-guided positioning resulted in a larger positional error in the longitudinal direction than conventional in-room-laser based positioning using marks on a thermoplastic mask. The difference could be relatively small. In addition, it contributed to the reduction of the additional MVCT scan for repositioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) is widely used to reduce the cardiac dose in left-sided breast cancer radiotherapy. This study aimed to develop a deep learning chest X-ray model for cardiac dose prediction to select patients with a potentially high risk of cardiac irradiation and need for DIBH radiotherapy. We used 103 pairs of anteroposterior and lateral chest X-ray data of left-sided breast cancer patients (training cohort: n = 59, validation cohort: n =19, test cohort: n = 25). All patients underwent breast-conserving surgery followed by DIBH radiotherapy: the treatment plan consisted of two opposing tangential radiation fields. The prescription dose of the planning target volume was 42.56 Gy in 16 fractions. A convolutional neural network-based regression model was developed to predict the mean heart dose (∆MHD) reduction between free-breathing (MHD FB) and DIBH. The model performance is evaluated as a binary classifier by setting the cutoff value of ∆MHD >1 Gy. The patient characteristics were as follows: the median (IQR) age was 52 (47–61) years, MHD FB was 1.75 (1.14–2.47) Gy, and ∆MHD was 1.00 (0.52–1.64) Gy. The classification performance of the developed model showed a sensitivity of 85.7%, specificity of 90.9%, a positive predictive value of 92.3%, a negative predictive value of 83.3%, and a diagnostic accuracy of 88.0%. The AUC value of the ROC curve was 0.864. The proposed model could predict ∆MHD in breast radiotherapy, suggesting the potential of a classifier in which patients are more desirable for DIBH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate preoperative spirometry and BMI as early predictors of the mean heart and lung dose (MHD, MLD) in deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) radiotherapy. Left-sided breast cancer patients underwent breast-conserving surgery followed by DIBH radiotherapy enrolled. Patients who were not available for preoperative spirometry were excluded. One hundred eligible patients were performed free-breathing (FB-) CT and DIBH-CT for plan comparison. We completed the correlative and multivariate analysis to develop the linear regression models for dose prediction. The residuals were calculated to explore the unpreferable subgroups and compare the prediction accuracy. Among the parameters, vital capacity (VC) and BMI showed the strongest negative correlation with MHD (r = –0.33) and MLD (r = –0.34), respectively. They were also significant in multivariate analysis (P <0.001). Elderly and less VC were independent predictors of increasing absolute residuals (AR). The VC model showed no significant difference in AR compared to the model using the CT parameter of lung volume in FB (LV-FB): median AR of the LV-FB model vs. the VC model was 0.12 vs. 0.11 Gy (P = 0.79). On the other hand, the median AR of the MLD model was 0.38 Gy, showing no specific subgroups of larger AR. Preoperative spirometry and BMI are significant predictors of MHD and MLD, respectively. Although elderly and low-VC patients may have larger predictive variations, spirometry might be a substitute for LV-FB as a predictor of MHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method for drying root canals is reported in which an 'Apical Broach', which resembles a K-file without flutes, is used. Absorbent cotton is wound around it to create an instrument suitable for drying root canals. The apical broach cotton instrument can be made at the chairside and is economical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify clinical and dosimetric factors for the development of radiation pneumonitis (RP) among patients with oesophageal cancer treated with three-dimensional radiotherapy without prophylactic nodal irradiation. Methods: 125 patients with oesophageal cancer had undergone dose-volume histogram (DVH) metrics and received chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Several clinical and dosimetric factors with regard to the lung were evaluated as predictive factors for the development of symptomatic RP. Results: 26 patients (20.8%) developed symptomatic RP classified as greater than or equal to Grade 2. By univariate analysis, body weight loss, tumour length, Stage IV, response to treatment and all DVH parameters proved to be significant factors for the development of RP (p<0.05). By multivariate analysis, Stage IV and all dosimetric factors were independent predictive factors for the development of symptomatic RP (p<0.05). Recursive partitioning analysis indicated that V10 values of 24.8% or more and Stage IV were associated with higher development of RP (odds ratio 6.53). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that severe RP was also developed in patients treated with the minimal radiation field. Stage IV and the dosimetric factors were identified as independent predictive factors for symptomatic RP in oesophageal cancer patients treated with CRT without prophylactic nodal irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish cheese as a dairy product with health benefits, we embarked on examining the multifunctional role of cheeses, especially in the field of cancer prevention. The current study was designed to investigate whether different types of commercial goat cheeses may possess antiproliferative activity, using an HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cell line as a cancer cell model. Among 11 cheese extracts tested at 500 µg/mL, 6 (Crottin de Chavignol, Pouligny Saint-Pierre, Chabichou du Poitou, Valencay, Kavli, and Sainte-Maure de Touraine) resulted in a significant decrease of cell viability, which is consistent with a decrease in viable cell number. Compared with the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of individual cheeses in cellular proliferation assays, the Pouligny Saint-Pierre extract showed strong inhibition. Incubation of cells in the presence of Pouligny Saint-Pierre extract resulted in induction of cellular morphological changes and apoptotic DNA fragmentation as well as expression of the active form of caspase-3 protein. Based on the quantification of the ratio of free fatty acids to triglycerides in different cheese samples, a significant correlation was detected between lipolytic ripeness and IC50 values for antiproliferative capacity tested in HL-60 cells. Collectively, these results support a potential role of highly lipolyzed goat cheeses in the prevention of leukemic cell proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]