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This work describes the fabrication of quantum dot (QD)/silica (SiO2) core–shell particles immobilized with Au nanoparticles and the evaluation of their abilities in fluorescence and x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging. The QD nanoparticles were coated with silica shells by a sol-gel method using tetraethyl orthosilicate (QD/SiO2). Reduction of Au3+ in a citrate aqueous solution gave an Au nanoparticle colloidal solution. (3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane thiolated the QD/SiO2 particle surface (QD/SiO2/SH). Immobilization of the Au nanoparticles on the QD/SiO2/SH particle surface was performed with the addition of the Au nanoparticle colloidal solution to the QD/SiO2/SH nanoparticle colloidal solution (QD/SiO2/SH/Au). Surface-PEGylated QD/SiO2/SH/Au particles were fabricated using thiol-terminated polyethylene glycol (PEG) (QD/SiO2/SH/Au/PEG). The QD/SiO2/SH/Au/PEG nanoparticle colloidal solution was imaged by fluorescence and x-ray CT imaging techniques. The CT value per unit concentration of Au (M) for the QD/SiO2/SH/Au/PEG nanoparticle colloidal solution was 1.5 × 104 HU/M. The QD/SiO2/SH/Au/PEG nanoparticle colloidal solution was injected into the tail vein of a mouse and circulated in the blood, although some QD/SiO2/SH/Au/PEG nanoparticles were trapped and remained in the liver and spleen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mn-Zn ferrite, Mn1-xZnxFe2O4 nanoparticles encapsulated in amorphous SiO2 were prepared using our original wet chemical method. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed that the diameters of these particles were within 7-30 nm. Magnetization measurements for various sample compositions revealed that the saturation magnetization (Ms) of 7 nm particles was maximum for the x=0.2 sample. AC magnetic susceptibility measurements were performed for Mn0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 (x=0.2) samples with 13-30 nm particles. The peak of the imaginary part of the magnetic susceptibility Xn shifted to higher temperatures as the particle size increased. An AC field was found to cause the increase in temperature, with the 18 nm particles exhibiting the highest temperature increase, as expected. In addition, in vitro experiments were carried out to study the hyperthermia effects of Mn1-xZnxFe2O4 (x=0.2, 18 nm) particles on human cancer cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over 30% of the population of Okinawa Prefecture have a high body mass index. The incidence of hypertension and dyslipidaemia has also increased in recent years. We found that Ooitabi (Ficus pumila L.), a plant native to Okinawa, was useful for hypertension. During ancient times, the extracts of Ooitabi leaves were used for making Ishimaki tea in some areas of Okinawa Prefecture. The plants in Okinawa are rich in antioxidants, and four flavonoid glycosides, including rutin, have been identified in Ooitabi. Methods: In the present study, we conducted clinical verification tests on the effects of drinking Ishimaki tea on outpatients with hypertension and dyslipidaemia. Of 3814 Japanese patients who underwent medical check‐ups in Okinawa, 38 individuals with high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia, liver dysfunction and gout visited our hospital as outpatients and were asked to drink Ishimaki tea. Results: After 3 months, there were significant reductions in body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, γ‐glutamyltrans peptidase, uric acid and ratio of blood vessel insulin resistance. Conclusions: Ooitabi extract can lower blood pressure and improve lipid abnormalities and has likely contributed to the well‐known health and longevity of the population in Okinawa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although prestorage leucoreduction (LR) of blood components for transfusion has gained favour around the world, evidence of its beneficial clinical effects is ambiguous. Study design and methods: To reveal whether leucocytes and/or platelets in transfused blood are related to transfusion‐related adverse effects, a prospective randomized crossover study was performed on patients who donated autologous blood prior to elective surgery. Among 1487 primary enrolees, a total of 192 patients undergoing two‐stage, bilateral total hip arthroplasty were randomized to receive autologous blood that was either prestorage leucoreduced, or not, for the first procedure. For the second procedure, each patient was crossed over to receive alternatively processed autologous blood. Length of hospital stay served as a primary end‐point, with perioperative infectious/thrombotic complications, pre‐ and postoperative laboratory values, and body temperature serving as secondary endpoints. Results: No significant differences emerged between prestorage LR and non‐LR cohorts in length of hospital stay, as well as perioperative infectious/thrombotic complications, postoperative body temperature and duration of fever. Postoperative laboratory values including white blood cell counts and C‐reactive protein levels had no significant differences. Conclusion: This study could not prove any superiority of prestorage LR over non‐LR for autologous whole blood among patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a method to fabricate gadolinium hydroxide (Gd(OH)3) nanoparticles. An opaque solution was prepared by adding basic anion exchange resin (BAER) to a Gd(NO3)3 aqueous solution at room temperature and aging the solution for 12-24 h; the solution became basic because of the exchange of H2O with OH−. The particles in the opaque solution have a needle structure, and their crystal structure was hexagonal Gd(OH)3. Their longitudinal and lateral average particle sizes tend to increase in the ranges of 175.0-222.1 and 33.9-52.3 nm when the aging time increases from 12 to 24 h, respectively. The relaxivity value for T1-weighted imaging was 0.79 mM−1 s−1 for the solution that was prepared at the aging time of 18 h, which was ca. 20% of that for a commercial Gd complex contrast agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes X-ray imaging of mouse using colloid solution of silica coated Au (Au/SiO2) nanoparticles surface modified with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (Au/SiO2/PEG). A colloid solution of Au nanoparticles was prepared by reducing Au ions (III) with sodium citrate. Au/SiO2 nanoparticles were fabricated by a sol-gel method using tetraethylorthosilicate, water and sodium hydroxide in ethanol in the presence of Au nanoparticles surface modified with (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane. A computed tomography value of the Au/SiO2 colloid solution with an Au concentration of 0·083M was as high as 1421·2 Hounsfield units, which was higher than that of a commercial X-ray contrast agent with the same iodine concentration. Surface modification of the Au/SiO2 particles with PEG, or PEGylation of the particle surface, was performed using (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane and PEG for the Au/SiO2 particles. Tissues of mouse could be imaged by injecting the colloid solutions of Au/SiO2 particles or Au/SiO2/PEG particles into it. The PEGylation provided an increase in residence time of particles in the mouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Adipose-derived stromal (stem) cells (ASC) have been shown to be of great therapeutic use in pre-clinical studies in diverse fields, but a standard expansion method has not been established. We investigated the effects of an endothelial growth medium (EGM-2) on ASC, focusing on proliferation and differentiation potentials. Methods ASC were cultured in EGM-2 and DMEM. Doubling time and total cell number were compared between the two media. The proliferative effect of each growth factor supplemented in EGM-2 was also examined. Cultured cells in each medium were examined for surface marker expression using flow cytometry. Differentiation into the adipogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic lineages was analyzed after culture in each medium. Results ASC cultured with EGM-2 proliferated much more rapidly (105 times in 2 weeks) and reached the stationary phase earlier than those cultured with DMEM. Among the supplements contained in EGM-2, only fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) significantly promoted proliferation of ASC, although the proliferative effect of FGF-2 was much less than that of EGM-2, suggesting a synergism among other supplement factors. Flow cytometry and differentiation assays suggested that ASC cultured in EGM-2 preserved immunophenotype and differentiation capacity for at least three mesenchymal lineages (adipogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic), similar to those cultured with DMEM. Discussion The present expansion method markedly accelerates proliferation of ASC, preserving their multipotent differentiation capacities, and lays the groundwork for establishing a practical route to mega-expansion of ASC for clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes two siblings with extramammary Paget's disease. Findings from a biopsy of an erythematous lesion on the older patient; Presenting symptoms of the younger sister of the patient; Other reported cases of familial extramammary Paget's disease; Possible involvement of genetic factors in the development of familial Paget's disease.

Little is known about marine filamentous fungi and yeasts, almost nothing about their life and metabolism under deep sea conditions. Dataon growth and metabolic activity give insight into the role of organisms in the marine habitat. Degradation studies on pollutants, such as polymeric thermoplasts, provide information about the self-cleaningcapacity of a habitat. Therefore, recently isolated fungal strains from the deep sea and our newly developed methods and apparatus for investigation of fungi under simulated deep sea conditions were used tostudy fungal growth and degradation of a commercially produced thermoplastic polymer (poly-Beta-hydroxybutyric acid = PHB). Two deep sea isolates, a filamentous fungus ( Aspergillus ustus) and one yeast (Rhodosporidium sphaerocarpum), and for comparison, two marine surface yeast isolates (Candida guilliermondii, Debaryomyces hansenii) and oneterrestrial isolate of Aspergillus ustus were investigated. Growth (colony-forming units, dry weight), physiological parameters (oxygen saturation of the hydraulic fluid as oxygen reservoir, pH and consumption of total carbohydrate) and PHB degradation (clearing test: clearing of PHB-turbid agar medium; spectrophotometric test: PHB depolymerase activity) were followed after incubation in high-pressure autoclaves in artificial seawater medium at 27 deg. C and pressures of 0.1 MPa (= atmospheric pressure), 5 MPa, 10 MPa, 20 MPa, 30 MPa, 45 or 50 MPa and 100 MPa (~ 10000 m water depth) for a maximum of 21 days (yeasts) and 28 days (filamentous fungi), respectively. Irrespective of the marine or terrestrial origin of the isolates, growth decreased with increasing pressure with a limit between 30 MPa and 50 MPa for filamentous fungi and yeasts. Metabolic activity (consumption of medium components) started to decrease from 20 MPa, ceasing at growth-limiting pressures. Under atmospheric conditions, all strains degraded PHB in solid medium, in liquid medium degradation was less an d decreased furt [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]