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Shell-model studies on the weak β-decay in nuclei relevant to astrophysical processes are carried out. The β-decay rates, as well as electron-capture rates in the sd-pf shell induced by Gamow–Teller (GT) transition, are evaluated in astrophysical environments. The weak rates for the Urca pair of nuclei with A = 31 in the island of inversion, which are important for the nuclear Urca processes in neutron star crusts, are investigated by shell-model calculations in the sd–pf shell. The GT strength is evaluated in the sd–pf shell for selected β-decays in the sd-shell nuclei, and the effects of the expansion of the configuration space on the quenching of the axial–vector coupling are examined. β-decay rates induced by first-forbidden (FF) transitions are studied by the Behrens–Bühring (BB) method for the isotones with N = 126 and compared with the Walecka method. The important role of the electron distortions in the β-decays of 206Hg and 207Tl is pointed out.

Abstract Deglutition aid foods are used to help patients with dysphagia take oral medications. Yoghurt is occasionally used to help swallow medications; however, its influence on pharmacokinetics is poorly understood. Yoghurt made with Lactococcus cremoris subsp. cremoris FC has a characteristic viscous texture that facilitates bolus formation and deglutition due to its metabolite exopolysaccharide. We assessed yoghurt prepared with L. cremoris FC as a food deglutition aid. We performed a dissolution test using famotidine powder mixed with yoghurt and a food thickener. Famotidine dissolution rates without deglutition-assisting foods and with yoghurt or food thickener were 102.3 ± 1.7, 85.7 ± 4.6, and 46.4 ± 1.1% after 15 min, respectively. Next, we orally administered famotidine powder with water, yoghurt, and food thickener to rats and measured plasma famotidine levels. We observed no significant differences between all test groups. The Tmax of famotidine mixed with a food thickener was significantly lower than that with yoghurt. These results suggest that yoghurt with L. cremoris FC did not remarkably affect the dissolution and pharmacokinetic profiles of famotidine powder. Thus, the administration of famotidine with yoghurt might be a suitable alternative to powder administration as a deglutition aid for patients.

ABSTRACT Lactic acid bacteria are beneficial to Caenorhabditis elegans; however, bacteria acting as probiotics in nematodes may not necessarily have probiotic functions in humans. Lactococcus cremoris subsp. cremoris reportedly has probiotic functions in humans. Therefore, we determined whether the strain FC could exert probiotic effects in C. elegans in terms of improving host defenses and extending life span. Live FC successfully extended the life span and enhanced host defense compared to Escherichia coli OP50 (OP50), a standard food source for C. elegans. The FC-fed worms were tolerant to Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Enteritidis or Staphylococcus aureus infection and had better survival than the OP50-fed control worms. Further, the chemotaxis index, an indicator of perception ability, was more stable and significantly higher in FC-fed worms than in the control worms. The increase in autofluorescence from advanced glycation end products (AGEs) with aging was also ameliorated in FC-fed worms. FC showed beneficial effects in daf-16 and pmk-1 mutants, but not in skn-1 mutants. Since SKN-1 is the C. elegans ortholog of Nrf2, we measured the transcription of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which is regulated by Nrf2, in murine macrophages and found that HO-1 mRNA expression was increased >5 times by inoculation with FC cells. Thus, FC could exert antisenescence effects via the SKN-1/Nrf2 pathway. This study showed for the first time that FC supported perceptive function and suppressed AGEs in nematodes as probiotic bacteria. Therefore, C. elegans can be an alternative model to screen for probiotic bacteria that can be used for antisenescence effects in humans. IMPORTANCE Aging is one of our greatest challenges. The World Health Organization proposed that “active aging” might encourage people to continue to work according to their capacities and preferences as they grow old and would prevent or delay disabilities and chronic diseases that are costly to both individuals and the society, considering that disease prevention is more economical than treatment. Probiotic bacteria, such as lactobacilli, are live microorganisms that exert beneficial effects on human health when ingested in sufficient amounts and can promote longevity. The significance of this study is that it revealed the antisenescence and various beneficial effects of the representative probiotic bacterium Lactococcus cremoris subsp. cremoris strain FC exerted via the SKN-1/Nrf2 pathway in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

The differential diagnosis of reactive mesothelial hyperplasia and mesothelioma is difficult. We present a rare case of diffuse pleural thickening with thoracic contraction that was indistinguishable from mesothelioma. A 66-year-old woman with no history of asbestos exposure visited our hospital with a complaint of dyspnea. The clinical findings included circumferential pleural thickening on chest computed tomography image and a high concentration of hyaluronic acid in the pleural fluid. Pleural biopsies obtained by thoracoscopy under local anesthesia were pathologically consistent with mesothelioma, but the patient refused to take any kind of mesothelioma treatments. Four months later, she consented to a surgical pleural biopsy under general anesthesia to obtain larger tissue samples, which included typical proliferating polygonal cells positive for CAM5.2, calretinin, WT-1, D2-40, CK5/6, epithelial membrane antigen, and glucose transporter-1 and negative for carcinoembryonic antigen, BerEP4, and MOC31. The analysis was consistent with diagnosis of epithelioid mesothelioma. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, however, showed the presence of p16 gene, and the expression of BRCA1-associated protein-1 was detected by immunohistochemistry. Our final diagnosis was diffuse pleural thickening unrelated to asbestos exposure. Differential diagnosis of diffuse pleural thickening and malignant mesothelioma is thus difficult and routine immunohistochemical examinations are often insufficient for accurate diagnosis. Multiple diagnostic methods are required for correct diagnosis in a clinically marginal case.

Abstract Background Pulmonary fibrosis is a late manifestation of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Sepsis is a major cause of ARDS, and its pathogenesis includes endotoxin-induced vascular injury. Recently, endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) was shown to play an important role in pulmonary fibrosis. On the other hand, dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 was reported to improve vascular dysfunction in an experimental sepsis model, although whether DPP-4 affects EndMT and fibrosis initiation during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-EndMT effects of the DPP-4 inhibitor vildagliptin in pulmonary fibrosis after systemic endotoxemic injury. Methods A septic lung injury model was established by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in eight-week-old male mice (5 mg/kg for five consecutive days). The mice were then treated with vehicle or vildagliptin (intraperitoneally, 10 mg/kg, once daily for 14 consecutive days from 1 day before the first administration of LPS.). Flow cytometry, immunohistochemical staining, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis was used to assess cell dynamics and EndMT function in lung samples from the mice. Results Lung tissue samples from treated mice revealed obvious inflammatory reactions and typical interstitial fibrosis 2 days and 28 days after LPS challenge. Quantitative flow cytometric analysis showed that the number of pulmonary vascular endothelial cells (PVECs) expressing alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) or S100 calcium-binding protein A4 (S100A4) increased 28 days after LPS challenge. Similar increases in expression were also confirmed by qPCR of mRNA from isolated PVECs. EndMT cells had higher proliferative activity and migration activity than mesenchymal cells. All of these changes were alleviated by intraperitoneal injection of vildagliptin. Interestingly, vildagliptin and linagliptin significantly attenuated EndMT in the absence of immune cells or GLP-1. Conclusions Inhibiting DPP-4 signaling by vildagliptin could ameliorate pulmonary fibrosis by downregulating EndMT in systemic LPS-induced lung injury.

Sari. Suatu penyelidikan dilakukan terhadap pasangan roda gigi miring yang memiliki spesifikasi sebagai berikut: totaI contact ratio lebih besar dari 2,0 dan overlap ratio lebih kecil dari 1,0. Dalam penyelidikan ini dibuat suatur set up percobaan untuk mengukur pengaruh kesalahan pemasangan poros roda gigi terhadap karakteristik getaran maupun regangan yang terjadi pada roga gigi miring tersebut. Besaran yang diukur mencakup percepatan akselerasi getaran, regangan pada akar gigi, dan dilakukan pula analisa frekuensi terhadap sinyal getaran tersebut. Data yang diperoleh menunjukkan bahwa tingkat kesalahan pemasangan yang tertentu memberikan pengaruh yang besar terhadap karakteristik getaran maupun pola regangan pada roda gigi miring tersebut. Kesalahan deviasi poros maupun inklinasi poros yang sama besar, yang terjadi pada sisi depan dan pada sisi belakangan roda gigi, ternyata menghasilkan karakteristik getaran maupun harga regangan yang berbeda. Abstract. A pair of helical gears with the following specifications: (1) the total contact ratio of more than 2.0, and (2) the overlap ratio of less than 1.0, has been investigated to determine the relationship of the gears shaft alignment errors with the vibration characteristic, and with the tooth strains as well. For this purpose an experimental set up has been made available to measure the acceleration level, tooth root strains, and to carry out frequency analysis of the gear vibration signals. It was found that at a certain level of gears shaft alignment errors the characteristic of gear vibration were strongly affected by errors. The results demonstrated that for the same amount of error, the gear shaft deviation and gear shaft inclination applied at different sides, i.e., at gear leading side and at gear trailing side, produced different gear vibration characteristics as well as tooth strain values.

The black yeast Aureobasidium pullulans produces abundant soluble β-1,3-1,6-glucan—a functional food ingredient with known health benefits. For use as a food material, soluble β-1,3-1,6-glucan is produced via fermentation using sucrose as the carbon source. Various functionalities of β-1,3-1,6-glucan have been reported, including its immunomodulatory effect, particularly in the intestine. It also exhibits antitumor and antimetastatic effects, alleviates influenza and food allergies, and relieves stress. Moreover, it reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases by protecting the intestinal mucosa, reducing fat, lowering postprandial blood glucose, promoting bone health, and healing gastric ulcers. Furthermore, it induces heat shock protein 70. Clinical studies have reported the antiallergic and triglyceride-reducing effects of β-1,3-1,6-glucan, which are indicators of improvement in lifestyle-related diseases. The primary and higher-order structures of β-1,3-1,6-glucan have been elucidated. Specifically, it comprises a single highly-branched glucose residue with the β-1,6 bond (70% or more) on a backbone of glucose with 1,3-β bonds. β-Glucan shows a triple helical structure, and studies on its use as a drug delivery system have been actively conducted. β-Glucan in combination with anti-inflammatory substances or fullerenes can be used to target macrophages. Based on its health functionality, β-1,3-1,6-glucan is an interesting material as both food and medicine.

We investigated the effects of first-forbidden transitions in β decays on the production of the r-process A∼195 peak. The theoretical calculated β-decay rates with β-delayed neutron emission were examined using several astrophysical conditions. As the FF decay is dominant in N∼126 neutron-rich nuclei, their inclusion shortens β-decay lifetimes and shifts the abundance peak towards higher masses. Additionally, the inclusion of the β-delayed neutron emission results in a wider abundance peak, and smoothens the mass distribution by removing the odd–even mass staggering. The effects are commonly seen in the results of all adopted astrophysical models. Nevertheless there are quantitative differences, indicating that remaining uncertainty in the determination of half-lives for N=126 nuclei is still significant in order to determine the production of the r-process peak.

The formation of two-neutron “halo”, a low-density far-extended surface of weakly-bound two neutrons, is described using the neutron–neutron (nn) interaction fixed at the low-energy nn scattering limit. This method is tested for loosely-bound two neutrons in 24O, where a good agreement with experimental data is found. It is applied to halo neutrons in 22C in two ways: with the 20C core being closed or correlated (due to excitations from the closed core). This nn interaction is shown to be strong enough to produce a two-neutron halo in both cases, locating 22C on the drip line, while 21C remains unbound. A unique relation between the two neutron separation energy, S2n, and the radius of neutron halo is presented. New predictions for S2n and the radius of neutron halo are given for 22C. The appearance of Efimov states is also discussed.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive cardiovascular disease, characterized by endothelial and smooth muscle dysfunction and vascular remodeling, followed by right heart failure. Group III PH develops secondarily to chronic lung disease such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and both hastens and predicts mortality despite of all known pharmacological interventions. Thus, there is urgent need for development of newer treatment strategies.Objective: Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a member of the renin angiotensin family, is therapeutically beneficial in animal models of pulmonary vascular diseases and is currently in human clinical trials for primary PH. Although previous studies suggest that administration of ACE2 prevents PH secondary to bleomycin-induced murine IPF, it is unknown whether ACE2 can reverse or treat existing disease. Therefore, in the present study, we tested the efficacy of ACE2 in arresting the progression of group 3 PH.Methods: To establish pulmonary fibrosis, we administered 0.018 U/g bleomycin 2x/week for 4 weeks in adult FVB/N mice, and sacrificed 5 weeks following the first injection. ACE2 or vehicle was administered via osmotic pump for the final 2 weeks, beginning 3 weeks after bleomycin. Echocardiography and hemodynamic assessment was performed prior to sacrifice and tissue collection.Results: Administration of bleomycin significantly increased lung collagen expression, pulmonary vascular remodeling, and pulmonary arterial pressure, and led to mild right ventricular hypertrophy. Acute treatment with ACE2 significantly attenuated vascular remodeling and increased pulmonary SOD2 expression without measurable effects on pulmonary fibrosis. This was associated with nonsignificant positive effects on pulmonary arterial pressure and cardiac function.Conclusion: Collectively, our findings enumerate that ACE2 treatment improved pulmonary vascular muscularization following bleomycin exposure, concomitant with increased SOD2 expression. Although it may not alter the pulmonary disease course of IPF, ACE2 could be an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of group 3 PH.

A 52-year-old Japanese woman presented with optical symptoms, including left-sided myodesopsia, blurred vision, narrowed visual field, and diminished visual acuity. Ocular evaluation revealed a metastatic tumor in the choroid. Further examinations identified pulmonary adenocarcinoma as the primary tumor. Because an epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) mutation was detected in a biopsy specimen, gefitinib treatment was initiated. Dramatic responses were obtained in the primary tumor and metastatic foci. Optical symptoms improved and remained stable for 5 months during the treatment, until relapse. This report demonstrates that gefitinib is effective for choroidal metastasis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma harboring an EGFR mutation.

By the time the sixth Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition came to an end, the features of coastal region, between 37° and 45° E in longitude, had been more and more clarified, with increasing air photographs and ground control points. Consequently, map compilation was planned in the early part of 1962. Then, the plotting for about 330 models on the basis of vertical photographs was carried out by photogrammetric experts in the Geographical Survey Institute, using Zeiss Stereotope. In addition, aerial triangulation for 162 models was carried out in the same period, using Wild Universal Autograph A7 and Zeiss Stereoplanigraph C8. In plotting the pass points by the radial line method Zeiss Radialsecator RSI was used. As to map projection, the Lambert Conformal Conic Projection with Two Standard Parallels at 68°0'S and 70°0'S was applied. Finally, two sheets of 1 : 250,000 maps, "PRINCE OLAV COAST" -from 67°40' to 69°0'S and from 40°30' to 45°0'E, and "LUTZOW-HOLM BAY" -from 68°30' to 70°30'S and from 37°0' to 40°30'E were printed in eight colors.

Soy protein has shown remarkable effectiveness in reducing fat mass compared with other protein sources, and exercise has the potential to further enhance this fat loss effect. Previous studies have demonstrated that soy protein intake leads to decreased fatty acid synthesis, which contributes to its fat-loss properties. However, the exact mechanism by which these lipids are consumed remains unclear. To investigate this, we conducted a comprehensive study using C57/BL6 male mice, comparing the effects of soy and casein proteins with and without exercise (Casein-Sed, Casein-Ex, Soy-Sed, and Soy-Ex groups) under high- and low-protein conditions (14% or 40% protein). Our findings revealed that combining soy protein intake with exercise significantly reduced epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) weight, particularly in the high-protein diet group. Further analysis revealed that exercise increased the expression of lipid oxidation-regulatory proteins, including mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation protein (OXPHOS) complexes, in the plantaris muscle regardless of the protein source. Although soy protein intake did not directly affect muscle mitochondrial protein expression, the activity of OXPHOS complex I was additively enhanced by exercise and soy protein under the 40% protein condition. Notably, complex I activity inversely correlated with eWAT weight in the soy protein diet group. These results highlight the potential link between improved complex I activity induced by soy protein and fat mass reduction, which emphasizes the promising benefits of combining soy protein with exercise in promoting fat loss. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The findings revealed that soy protein intake combined with exercise resulted in reduced adipose tissue weight compared with that obtained with casein protein intake. Furthermore, the joint impact of exercise and soy protein consumption resulted in enhanced activity of oxidative phosphorylation protein (OXPHOS) complex I in fast-twitch muscles, which appears to be associated with fat mass reduction. These findings elucidate the potential additive effects of soy protein and exercise on body weight management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]