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Abstract.Objective and DesignWe have studied the role of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase IIα (PI4KIIα) in activation of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells.Materials and MethodsAntigen-mediated intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) increase and β-hexosaminidase secretion were measured using RBL-2H3 cells stably expressing PI4KIIα-yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) or its kinase-deficient mutant PI4KIIα (K151A)-YFP.ResultsNeither PI4KIIα-YFP nor PI4KIIα (K151A)-YFP were distributed on the plasma membranes but on the exocytotic vesicles. The RBL-2H3 cells stably expressing PI4KIIα-YFP showed significantly enhanced β-hexosaminidase secretion but not an increase in [Ca2+]iafter antigen stimulation. The cells with PI4KIIα (K151A)-YFP showed no change in the [Ca2+]iincrease nor degranulation. The promotion of secretion by PI4KIIα-YFP was not observed using co-stimulation with Ca2+ionophore and the protein kinase C activator, phorbol myristate acetate.ConclusionsThese results suggest that PI4KIIα plays a role in the exocytotic process downstream of Ca2+signaling in antigen-mediated mast cell activation.

To enhance dimensional stability and biological properties, low molecular weight phenolic resins of a conventional alkaline type and neutralized type were impregnated into Japanese cedar wood ( Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) and heat-cured. The treatment with the neutralized type resin retained the original wood color, whereas the alkaline treatment changed the color of wood to red-brown. The concentrations of the resin solutions and the weight gains due to the resin loading of wood after treatment were highly correlated, and the target resin loading could be assessed from the solution concentration. A high dimensional stability of 60% antiswelling efficiency was attained when both types of resins were impregnated at about 30% resin loading and no significant difference was recognized between the two. To suppress decay attack from brown-rot and white-rot fungi, 15% and 10% resin loading due to treatment was required for the neutralized and alkaline types of phenolic resins, respectively. The penetration of resin into wood cell walls was investigated by means of light microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis (EPMA). A m-Bromophenol-formaldehyde resin of three levels of an average molecular weight was used to detect the presence of resin by bromine signals. The phenolic resins with low and medium molecular weights (290 and 470) were shown to penetrate into the cell walls the furthest, thereby contributing to the enhancement of dimensional stability and decay resistance in the resin-impregnated wood. Also, for phenolic resin with a high molecular weight (820), only the resin components of low molecular weight appeared to be present in the walls, making very little contribution to the dimensional stability.

AbstractObjectives: To clarify the underlying molecular mechanism of corticosterone methyl oxidase type II (CMO II) deficiency, Japanese patients newly diagnosed with CMO II deficiency were investigated. Methods: We analyzed the patients’ genomic DNA sequence on all 9 exons of the CYP11B2 gene. In addition, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and expression studies were performed. Results: The analysis showed that the patients homozygously retained a missense mutation, &Gumacr;GC[435Gly]→&Aumacr;GC[Ser], in the CYP11B2 gene. Expression studies indicated that the steroid 18-hydroxylase/oxidase activities of the mutant enzyme were substantially reduced. Conclusion: These results support the hypothesis that this mutation causes CMO II deficiency in the patients, and are in accordance with our theory that the partial loss of P-450C18 activities causes CMO II deficiency.Copyright © 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Abstract: Color variations of the surfaces of fifteen wood species were characterized by fractal dimension of the triangular prism surface area method. Softwood and hardwood indicated apparently different in the mean fractal dimensions of red and green colors. Red color behaved steadier in softwood than in hardwood and green color varied comparatively stronger in hardwood than in softwood. No evident differences between softwood and hardwood were found in the variation of blue color of all the specimens. Following the low-to-high value order of the mean fractal dimensions, three types of combination of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) colors were found: RGB, RBG and BGR. There also existed six types of fractal dimension distribution; namely, plane, included plane, concave, convex, zigzag, and hilly distributions. Fractal dimensions across the grain changed greatly whereas those along the grain became relatively steady. The characteristic difference of color variation was defined for each species, which was inferred to characterize its own unique appearance of surface color. For color matching of wood parts, fractal dimension quantitatively furnishes essential information of color variation in local and overall features. Such evaluation can be efficiently carried out with few measurements along the grain and by detecting a single color (red, green or blue) only.

SummaryThis paper deals with the influence of length and content (based on a percentage of wood particles) of jute fibers on the physical and mechanical properties of gypsum-bonded particleboard (GPB). The length and amount of jute fibers had a significant effect on the internal bond strength (IB) and the modulus of rupture (MOR) of GPB. The addition of jute fibers did not obviously influence the modulus of elasticity (MOE), the thickness swelling (TS) or water absorption (WA). The values of IB were prominently high at the 3 mm length and 9–12% contents of jute fibers. The highest value of MOR was attained when the board was made with fibers 12 mm in length and a fiber content of 15%. The optimal amount of jute fibers reinforced the mechanical properties of GPB to achieve high performance. However, too much jute fiber reduced the IB, MOR (except for 12 mm length), and MOE of GPB. The values of TS and WA decreased gradually with an increase in the fiber content for all fiber lengths. In addition, the GPB gave very low weight loss on exposure to wood-decaying fungi of both Tyromyces palustris(TYP) and Coriolus versicolor(COV) as compared with untreated wood. It was concluded that the combination of 3 mm length and 9–12% content or 12 mm length and 15% content of jute fibers was the optimum for producing good performance of

SummaryEight transverse sections of hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusaEndl.) were analyzed along the grain near a knot by circularity index (CI), aspect ratio and equivalent diameter. The specimens were divided into two groups, one above and one below the knot, and their distances from the knot were 0 mm (the nearest), 12 mm, 24 mm, and 36 mm, respectively. Another sample was also selected from knot-free wood for reference along the same grain. A gradual decrease in the aspect ratio of tracheids demonstrated that both boundaries and lumina tended to have small differences in length and width as they approached the knot along the grain. CIsof lumina nearest to the knot indicated astonishingly high values with a narrow range from hexagon to ellipse, compared with the others ranging from rectangle, viahexagon, to ellipse. In other words, lumina showed a tendency to become round near the knot. In addition, the equivalent diameters of lumina tended to decrease when approaching the knot, implying that cell wall thickening of tracheids occur near the knot. It should be noted that the above variations in tracheids accompanied changes in grain orientation and annual ring width, especially the sharp transformation nearest to the knot.

SummaryAcetylated wood-silicate (AWS) composites and propionylated wood-silicate (PWS) composites were prepared and their dimensional stability and flame resistance evaluated. The results displayed that: (1) With the existing of silicate gels, the AWS and PWS composites showed lower values of bulking coefficient (B), antiswelling efficiency (ASE) during water and moisture absorptions, and moisture excluding efficiency (MEE) than the corresponding acetylated wood and propionylated woods, but the AWS and PWS composites still exhibited a fairly good dimensional stability. (2) The oxygen indexes (OIs) of the AWS and PWS composites were higher than those of untreated wood specimens, and increased with an increase in weight percent gain (WPGs) of silicate gel, endowing them with flame-resistance.

Introduction:Long–term outcome of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients was compared between those managed by suprapubic cystostomy (SPC) and clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) with particular emphasis on an incidence of urinary tract complications and patients perception for urinary management.Materials and Methods:The study comprised 61 SCI patients; 34 patients managed with SPC (group A), while 27 with CIC (group B). After stabilization of their condition, all were followed annually on an outpatient basis with clinical history, urinalysis, urinary imaging and renal function studies. Mean follow–up periods were 8.6 and 9.9 years for groups A and B, respectively. Between groups, a comparative study was performed on the incidence of urinary complications such as renal dysfunction, hydronephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux, symptomatic genitourinary infection and urinary stone. Satisfaction with urinary management was also estimated using the questionnaires during follow–up.Results:Renal dysfunction, hydronephrosis and vesicoureteral reflux were not found in either group. Symptomatic genitourinary infection was seen in 4 (12%) of group A and 7 (26%) of group B, respectively. The incidence of renal stone was 3 (9%) in group A and 1 (4%) in group B. A significant difference was not found between two groups in these urinary complications. On the contrary, bladder stone was seen more frequently in group A (65%) than in group B (30%) with a significant difference (p<0.001). The degrees of incontinence, bother score of daily activities, and overall satisfaction showed no significant difference between the two groups.Conclusion:Except for bladder stones, SPC is a valuable option of urinary management for quadriplegic patients, the results of which were comparable to paraplegic SCI patients managed with CIC.

Objective To determine whether dobutamine stress echocardiography can predict the improvement of left ventricular systolic function in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Methods Myocardial contractile reserve, as assessed by dobutamine stress echocardiography, was determined in 18 patients with DCM (mean (SD) age 53 (13) years, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 28 (10)%) and compared with changes in LVEF during a follow up period of 15 (8) months. The LVEF and regional left ventricular wall motion score (0, normal to 4, dyskinesis) of 12 segments in short axis and four chamber views were analysed before and after dobutamine infusion (5-20 μg/kg/min). Results During a follow up period of 15 (8) months, a significant improvement in LVEF (> 20%) was found in seven patients but not in the remaining 11. Baseline haemodynamic findings were similar in both groups. Patients with an improvement in follow up LVEF showed a greater change in wall motion score from baseline during dobutamine infusion than patients with no improvement (at rest, 1.7 (0.4) v 1.9 (0.2), NS; dobutamine 10 μg/kg/min, 0.6 (0.4) v 1.2 (0.4), p &lt; 0.05). The percentage change in LVEF during dobutamine infusion was also significantly greater in patients who showed improvement than in those who did not. The change in LVEF during the follow up period (follow up LVEF/baseline LVEF) correlated well with the change in LVEF during dobutamine stress (LVEF at rest/LVEF at dobutamine 10 μg/kg/min; r = 0.74, p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions Changes in left ventricular systolic performance during low dose dobutamine stress echocardiography are a useful marker to predict the outcome of left ventricular systolic function in patients with DCM.

SummaryA special furnace for smoke-heating logs, with increased far-infrared radiation (FIR), was produced to improve the wood quality. Green sugi (Cryptomeria japonicaD.Don) logs were smoke-heated with the direct use of this system. In a short time, this process increased the temperature inside the logs up to 80–100 °C uniformly, without any damage to the wood. The great increase in steam pressure inside the log resulted in the rupture of pit membranes (PMs) with a high frequency, leading to a decrease in the moisture contents of the logs. It was found that when a temperature of 80 °C is attained inside the log, the rupture of PMs occurs. The rupture proceeds from the outer sapwood towards the pith, accompanied by the radiation heat transfer within the log. By the rupture of PMs, smoke-heated sugi wood showed a large improvement in permeability.

We studied thapsigargin-induced bivalent-cation entry into antigen-specific B cells (TP67.21) with a confocal fluorescence microscope. Confocal fluorescence images of fluo-3-loaded B cells showed that thapsigargin-stimulated Ca2+ signals were transferred not only to the cytoplasm but also to the nucleus. In the absence of external Ca2+ ions, the free Ca2+ concentrations both in the cytosol and in the nucleus declined to basal levels by 5 min after addition of thapsigargin. However, subsequent addition of Ca2+ in the external medium made the fluo-3 (fura-2) fluorescence intensity rise, reflecting the fact that Ca2+ accumulated again in the nucleus as well as in the cytoplasm. Then, we added Ba2+ and Mn2+ instead of Ca2+, because Ba2+ and Mn2+ are known to enter via Ca2+ channels. The addition of Ba2+ and Mn2+ in the external medium quenched the fluo-3 fluorescence both in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm of B cells. This suggested the possibility that the increase in intranuclear Ca2+ after thapsigargin stimulation may come from the cytoplasm, not from the nuclear stores.

By a confocal fluorescence microscope with an argon-ion laser (488 nm) and a He-Cd laser (325 nm) we have studied thapsigargin-induced calcium signals in individual rat basophilic leukaemia (RBL-2H3) cells. In the presence or absence of external calcium ions, thapsigargin-induced calcium signals were transferred to the nucleus as well as to the cytoplasm of RBL-2H3 cells. The calcium signals were generally much stronger in the nucleus than in the cytoplasm. However, some of the RBL-2H3 cells had apparently reduced nuclear calcium signals. They had a basophil-like bilobed (multilobed) nucleus, although most RBL-2H3 cells had a mast-cell-like monolobed nucleus. In the cells with a bilobed nucleus, IgE-receptor-mediated calcium signals were neither transferred to the nucleus nor to the cytoplasm. The results gave a new insight into the understanding of the mechanism of the nuclear calcium signals in RBL-2H3 cells.

4, 6-0-Benzylidene-D-glucopyranose (BG), a derivative of benzaldehyde (BA), whose anti-tumour action has often been reported, showed responses in 10 out of 24 patients (41.7%). These patients consisted of 11 cases of primary lung cancer, 4 of metastatic lung cancer, 5 of gastric cancer, and one each of cancer of the sigmoid colon, liver, pancreas and prostate. There were two complete responses (one each of ipsilateral lung metastasis from breast cancer and metastatic liver lesions due to gastric cancer). The mean total dose of BG was 392.6 g, given by intravenous infusion of 1.2 g BG in 100 ml saline twice daily. The treatment was discontinued when no response was observed after two months. Careful monitoring showed no toxic action of BG at these large doses. Complete necrotic liquefaction of tumour, without any damage to surrounding tissue, was seen in 2 of 3 cases in which histological examination was feasible. It is apparent that BG, like BA, is not a cytotoxic agent in the ordinary sense, but its mechanism of action is still unknown.

We have investigated internal motion of DNA in bacteriophages by measuring fluorescence anisotropy decays of intercalated ethidium. The results showed large suppression of the internal motion of the inner DNA; the interhelix interaction of the DNA in the phage head is considered to enhance the effective viscosity of the DNA rod and to restrict the angle of the internal motion. Considering that the observed internal motion arises mainly from torsional motion of the DNA, we have calculated the movable angles of the torsional motion (the standard deviation of the torsional motion) of the DNA in the phage heads. The magnitude of the calculated movable angles indicates the extent of suppression of the DNA movement in the phage head; in lambda wild type phage, the DNA is packed most rigidly in the head and the motion is found to be restricted most severely. In a deletion mutant of lambda phage, whose inner DNA content is deficient by 17.6%, steric hindrance from the interhelix DNA interaction is decreased, and the DNA can move more easily. In T4 wild type phage, although the extent of condensation of the inner DNA is the same as that in lambda wild type phage, the DNA was fairly mobile. The presence of glucosylated hydroxymethylcytosine is suggested to influence the rigidity of the inner DNA or packaging mode of the DNA in the T4 head.

Interaction between rat T-lymphocytes and a ganglioside (GM3, GD3, GT1b, or GQ1b)-containing liposome was investigated in vitro. The direct stimulation of T cell by a ganglioside-containing liposome was followed by monitoring an increase in the intracellular calcium signal using a confocal laser fluorescence microscopic method. The GT1b- or GQ1b-containing liposome strongly stimulated the cell, while the GM3- or GD3-containing liposome showed much less effect. Free gangliosides did not stimulate the cell at all under the same condition. The extent of the stimulation depended on the surface density of GT1bon the liposome accompanied by a clear threshold concentration. The efficiency of this direct T cell stimulation with the ganglioside-containing liposome was closely related to the efficiency of the tumor growth suppression reported previously by ourselves.

There are no physical or visual manifestations that define skin sensitivity or irritation; a subjective diagnosis is made based on the evaluation of clinical presentations including burning, prickling, erythema and itching. Adverse skin reaction in response to topically applied products is common and can limit the use of dermatological or cosmetic products. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of human skin equivalents (HSE) based on immortalised skin keratinocytes and evaluate the potential of a 22-gene panel in combination with multivariate analysis to discriminate between chemicals known to act as irritants and those that do not. Test compounds were applied topically to full thickness HSE or human ex vivoskin and gene signatures determined for known irritants and non-irritants. Principle component analysis showed the discriminatory potential of the 22-gene panel. Linear discrimination analysis, performed to further refine the gene set for a more high-throughput analysis, identified a putative seven-gene panel (IL-6, PTGS2, ATF3, TRPV3, MAP3K8, HMGB2and MMP-3) that could distinguish potential irritants from non-irritants. These data offer promise as an in vitroprediction tool, although analysis of a large chemical test set is required to further evaluate the system.

High-speed digital signal transmission is a promising new field of communication services. In land mobile radio communication, transmission quality severely suffers from frequency selective fading under multipath radio wave transmission environments. Field test measurement results for 128 kbit/s QPSK signal transmission and delay time spread in the Tokyo metropolitan area are presented. The two-branch diversity reception method was adopted to combat fading. Bit error rate (BER) performance is obtained as a function of delay time spread.

Although Morning blood pressure increase may be associated with autonomic nervous activity and movement after awake up, little is known about the effect of sympathetic nervous activity on blood pressure response. Consequently, we measured the autonomic nervous activity with serum norepinephrine level and heart rate/blood pressure fluctuation in 10 normal male volunteers (age 25–31 yrs) awaken up at 6:30 am. Arterial pressure and ECG were continuously recorded in supine and standing positions with controlled respiration (0.2 Hz) at 6:30 and 11:00 am. Low frequency (LF) components of the beat-to-beat fluctuations of RR interval and systolic arterial pressure (SAP) were estimated by autoregressive component power spectral analysis. Results showed that serum norepinephrine level (ng/ml) was lower at 6:30 than that at 11:00 (0.13 ± 0.05 vs. 0.21 ± 0.09, p < 0.05), which increased by head-up tilting at both of these points. However, increase in standing/supine ratio by head-up tilting (?HT) was higher at 6:30 than at 11:00 (2.94 ± 0.71 vs. 2.31 ± 0.81, p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the LF power (normalized unit) of RR fluctuation between the two points, but the ?HT was higher at 6:30 than at 11:00 (1.91 ± 0.68 vs. 1.49 ± 0.42, p < 0.05). Despite no significant difference in the LF power of SAP fluctuation between the two points, ?HT tended to be higher at 6:30 than at 11:00 (2.22 ± 1.21 vs. 2.04 ± 1.10, ns). Thus, a greater activation of sympathetic nervous activity was observed by standing just after awakening compared to daytime, which may play an important roll in the morning surge of blood pressure.