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Ten patients had intrasynovial tendon grafting harvested from the toes for secondary flexor tendon reconstruction in nine fingers and one thumb in our institutes from 2009 to 2014. These patients were followed for a mean of 15 (range: 8–36) months. The ranges of total active motion of the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints of these nine fingers were 143° (range: 108–175°) and of the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints of one thumb were 110°. In conclusion, this technique is feasible and gives a good result when successful but with a high complication rate.Level of Evidence IV

In this paper the dynamics of a maximum power point wind energy battery charging system and the implementation of a DC to DC converter is investigated. The required design specifications for a sub 5 kW wind generator are discussed as well as the modelling of the different components of the wind energy system. The duty cycle control of the DC to DC converter for maximum power point tracking at different wind speeds is done by implementing a functional generator. The functional generator adjusts the duty cycle of the converter according to the generator speed. In order to investigate the duty cycle control method and the system’s stability the system is simulated with MATLAB Simulink to determine the response. It was found that the proposed duty cycle control method is effective in maximum power point tracking. Also, that the system’s response is stable for higher frequency disturbances.

Not a few fire accidents in or on concrete structures such as tunnels, multipurpose ducts, and bridges, were reported, and various fire protection measures have being proposed. In many cases, the fires are caused by vehicles, and once damage is done, repairs take a long time and require significant expenses, posing a substantial burden on society. Rational fire-resistant design based on the fire behavior of concrete structures is required. The basic approaches to the fire resistance of concrete structures, the extent of damage upon occurrence of fires, and fire protection measures are described in this paper.コンクリート製のトンネル，共同溝，橋梁などで火災事故が少なからず発生しており，耐火対策が検討されてきている。火災原因は車両火災が多く一旦被害を生じると補修に長期間と高額な費用が必要となり社会的影響も大きい。コンクリート構造物の耐火性状を把握して合理的な耐火設計が要求されている。ここではコンクリート構造物の耐火に対する基本的な考え方と火害を受けた時の被害状況と耐火対策について述べる。

This study investigates the trade effects of the EU-SA and SADC preferential trade agreements of which South Africa is a member. Using a panel data estimation of the gravity model of bilateral trade and based on data from 1994 to 2008, the study finds the EU-SA preferential trade agreement to have a significant trade expansion effect. The study further reveals that an informative conclusion on trade effects of the SADC preferential trade agreement can only be reached once the agreement has been fully operational. The study also recommends that trade policy in South Africa should increasingly be geared towards broad-based multilateral liberalisation. In addition, South Africa should promote regional economic stability and development through supporting regional trade agreements initiatives. Keywords: Trade creation, trade diversion, preferential trade agreement, panel data estimation, gravity model of bilateral trade

Contains fulltext : 79933.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) BACKGROUND: Intestinal mucosal barrier injury (MBI), resulting from myeloablative conditioning for haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), is an important cause of morbidity. Despite its frequency, recognition presents a challenge, while the aetiology needs still to be unravelled. The relationship between enterocyte mass and enterocyte loss was explored by examining citrulline serum levels and by assessing circulating intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (I-FABP) and ileal bile acid-binding protein (I-BABP), proteins released by dying mature enterocytes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-four adult patients with haematological malignancy received allogeneic HSCT (HSCT day 0) 12 days after being given idarubicin, cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation as myeloablative conditioning, a regimen known to induce oral and intestinal MBI. Serum levels of citrulline, I-FABP and I-BABP were measured on HSCT days -12, -6, 0, +7, +14 and +21. RESULTS: Myeloablative conditioning resulted in a significant decrease in serum citrulline with the nadir on HSCT day +7; thereafter, levels rose gradually. Simultaneously, a significant decrease in I-FABP and I-BABP levels occurred from the day of transplant until day +14. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous reduction and subsequent increase of citrulline and I-FABP and I-BABP levels following cytotoxic treatment show that enterocyte mass corresponds to lower rate of dying enterocytes, indicating reduced turnover of enterocytes. Assessment of enterocyte turnover and mass offers opportunities for evaluation of new MBI therapies.

In this paper, we proposed a new image quality evaluation index-color distribution index (CDI). It considers color gamut, contrast ratio, maximum luminance, gamma characteristics, and just noticeable difference (JND) as human visual system to evaluate the ability for reproducing visually smooth gradation. When the CDI cell was defined, we verified JND from a fundamental matter, such as JND in luminance and chromaticity, using the latest TV sets. According to our investigations, luminance JND was AL/L = 0.01 and chromaticity JND was Au'v' = 0.001. We used these with unit CDI cell and evaluated bit depth needed for high image quality without any visible false contour. We clarified that 12 bit is needed for necessary and sufficient condition to reproduce high image quality with TV set designed based on BT.709. Also, we clarified that color gamut, contrast ratio, maximum luminance, gamma characteristics and bit depth should be balanced to achieve TV sets of high image quality from the viewpoint of the total image quality improvement.

Previous research has shown the inhibitory effects of hop bract polyphenols (HBP) on cariogenic streptococci in vitro, but their effects in humans have not been investigated. This double-blind, crossover clinical study tested the hypothesis that HBP delivered in a mouthrinse suppresses plaque regrowth in humans. Twenty-nine healthy male volunteers had all plaque removed, and refrained from all oral hygiene for 3 days, except for rinsing with a mouthrinse containing 0.1% HBP or a placebo. The results showed that the mean amount of plaque assessed by the Patient Hygiene Performance score after the volunteers used the HBP mouthrinse was significantly less than that after they used the placebo (p < 0.001). The number of mutans streptococci in the plaque samples after volunteers used the HBP mouthrinse was significantly lower than that after they used the placebo (p < 0.05). These findings suggested that HBP, delivered in a mouthrinse, successfully reduced dental plaque regrowth in humans.

Children and adolescents with chronic abdominal pain pose unique challenges to their caregivers. Affected children and their families experience distress and anxiety that can interfere with their ability to perform regular daily activities. Although chronic abdominal pain in children is usually attributable to a functional disorder rather than to organic disease, numerous misconceptions, insufficient knowledge among health care professionals and inadequate application of knowledge may contribute to a lack of effective management. This clinical report accompanies a technical report on childhood chronic abdominal pain and provides guidance for the clinician in the evaluation and treatment of children with chronic abdominal pain. The conclusions are based on the evidence reviewed in the technical report and on consensus achieved among subcommittee members.

Children and adolescents with chronic abdominal pain pose unique challenges to their caregivers. Affected children and their families experience distress and anxiety that can interfere with their ability to perform regular daily activities. Although chronic abdominal pain in children is usually attributable to a functional disorder rather than to organic disease, numerous misconceptions, insufficient knowledge among health care professionals and inadequate application of knowledge may contribute to a lack of effective management. This clinical report accompanies a technical report on childhood chronic abdominal pain and provides guidance for the clinician in the evaluation and treatment of children with chronic abdominal pain. The conclusions are based on the evidence reviewed in the technical report and on consensus achieved among subcommittee members.

We measured leptin concentrations in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI, n = 21) and in 15 age-matched controls, and compared leptin concentrations with levels of other myocardial enzymes and indicators of AMI. Blood was sampled immediately after hospital admission and at 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, 6 h and 9 h, then every 12 h until 5 days post-admission. Patients were stratified into three groups according to peak leptin concentrations: hypoleptinaemia (< 3 ng/ml); normoleptinaemia (≥ 3 – < 15 ng/ml) and hyperleptinaemia (≥ 15 ng/ml). Hypoleptinaemic AMI patients had significantly increased concentrations of plasma lactate dehydrogenase compared with normoleptinaemic patients. No significant differences in other serum markers were noted between hyperleptinaemic and normoleptinaemic AMI patients. A significant negative correlation was found between the peak concentrations of leptin and interleukin 6. Leptin may play a role in the regulation of the development of cardiac damage in patients with AMI.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor. This peptide exerts numerous effects on the heart, including regulation of cardiomyocyte growth during hypertrophy. The effects of the structurally novel, nonpeptide, ET-1-selective, competitive antagonist (ETA) 97-139 were investigated in mice with congestive heart failure (CHF) and myocardial hypertrophy. Morphological and microscopical analyses were conducted on day 56 after viral inoculation following 28 day treatment with 99-139. Eight week-old DBA2 mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with encephalomyocarditis virus at a dose of 500 pfu/mouse. The 30 mice were divided into two groups--an ETA treated group and an untreated group. Heart weight (HW) in the infected group was significantly (p0.05) increased compared to that in the uninfected group. HW and the HW/body weight (BW) ratio were significantly (p0.05) reduced in the ETA treated group compared with the untreated group (HW; 127.7 +/- 6.2 mg vs 144.3 +/- 4.2 mg, HW/BW; 4.9 +/- 0.9 x 10(-3) vs 5.4 +/- 0.5 x 10(-3)). Myofiber diameter in the ETA treated group was significantly reduced compared with the untreated group (12.1 +/- 1.5 microm vs 14.3 +/- 1.9 microm). These results suggest the ET-1 receptor antagonist 97-139 has an effect on the reduction of cardiac mass and myofiber hypertrophy, and that 97-139 may be a useful agent for CHF due to viral myocarditis.

Lupus anticoagulant (LA) is an antibody that interferes with phospholipid-dependent coagulation tests. We investigated the usefulness of the ratio of factor V activity determined by the Simplastin auto test (PT assay) to factor V activity determined by the Platelin Excel LS test (APTT assay) for detection of LA in plasma samples obtained from 276 patients with haematological and non-haematological disorders and 73 healthy subjects. This ratio was significantly higher in the 15 LA-positive (4.82 +/- 3.34) than in samples from healthy subjects (1.09 +/- 0.10) and was > 1.4 in 10 of the remaining 261 patient samples. The ratio was particularly low in the 54 samples from warfarin-treated patients. These findings suggest that determination of this ratio may be useful as a routine laboratory test for detection of LA. This test requires no specific antigens and can be applied in patients receiving anticoagulants such as warfarin and heparin.

Seventeen strains of Streptococcus pyogenes were isolated from 17 patients in the Dermatological Ward of Gunma University Hospital in Japan between June 1994 and March 1995. Of these 17 strains, 14 were isolated from the pus of skin infections, two from blood, and one from ascitic fluid. The strains showed the same minimum inhibitory concentrations; 4 mg/L of minomycin, 4 mg/L of ofloxacin and 16 mg/L of fosfomycin. T-antigen typing of the strains indicated they were T11 type. The restriction endonuclease digestion patterns of chromosomal DNA from the 17 strains were all identical. The vinyl sheet covering the bed on which the patients were treated was found to be contaminated with S. pyogenes. This strain showed identical characteristics to the strains derived from the patients. These results suggest that S. pyogenes was transmitted to patients in the Dermatological Ward from the surface of the vinyl sheet covering the bed.

Objective: To investigate the safety and usefulness of salvage-type autologous blood transfusion for abdominal simple total hysterectomy for uterine myoma. Methods: Forty patients with uterine myoma diagnosed histologically were treated by abdominal simple total hysterectomy using an intraoperative blood salvage apparatus. Bacterial contamination in the processed blood was studied. Results: Homologous blood transfusion was unnecessary. There was a positive relationship between bleeding volume and the hemoglobin (g) level in the processed blood. All vaginal swabs were positive for bacteria. Bacterial cultures of all processed blood samples without an antibiotic were positive whereas results were negative in 11 (50%) of the processed blood samples with an antibiotic. There were no significant side effects after reinfusion. Conclusion: Salvage-type autologous blood transfusion in abdominal simple total hysterectomy for uterine myoma was safe and its future use is promising.

Background: An impaired right ventricular function is associated with a poor survival rate in patients with heart failure. Few investigations have analyzed the prognostic value of right ventricular function on the outcomes of mitral valve (MV) surgery. The objectives of this study were to define the effect of right ventricular function on postoperative outcomes after MV repair (MVP) or replacement (MVR).Methods: From September 2007 to February 2012, 335 consecutive patients underwent MVP or MVR at our institution. Preoperative transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and postoperative TEE were used to define right ventricular function and MV performance. Preoperative right ventricular function was graded as normal to mild (grade 1-2) or as moderate to severe (grade 3-4). MV or tricuspid valve regurgitation was graded as non-trivial to mild (grade 0-2) or as moderate to severe (grade 3-4) preoperatively and postoperatively. Survival rate was evaluated at 1 year after surgery.Results: Of the 334 patients in the study, 280 patients showed a normal to a mildly impaired right ventricular function preoperatively (group 1). Fifty-four patients presented with moderate to severe right ventricular dysfunction (group 2). Patients with a compromised right ventricular function were more likely to undergo MVR (28.6% versus 53.7%, P P P P P P = .005). The rate of postoperative MV regurgitation was significantly higher in group 2 (1.8 versus 14.8%, P P = .59).Conclusions: This study has shown that a dysfunctional preoperative right ventricular function uses more resources and is associated with postoperative MV regurgitation, but it is not associated short- and mid-term mortality after MV surgery.

Background: Previous studies have shown that female gender is an independent predictor of increased operative mortality after coronary artery bypass surgery. It remains inconsistent whether female gender is associated with increased mortality after aortic valve replacement (AVR). The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of female gender inoperative mortality after AVR. Methods: The study population included isolated AVR performed between January 2003 and December 2012 at a single Instituation. Results: During this period, 1,262 patients underwent isolated AVR. The major preoperative characteristics and operative outcomes are detailed in the following table. R>Conclusions: In this study, female patients had increased operative mortality after isolated AVR.

To report the short-term clinical outcomes of patients with severe mitral valve regurgitation undergoing mitral valve repair. Four hundred forty patients who underwent mitral valve repair between 2003 to August 2012 in our Institution were identified by using a Society of thoracic Surgeon (STS)

Antibodies against sulfoglucuronosyl glycosphingolipids (SGGLs) are known to be present in sera of patients with chronic polyneuropathy associated with IgM paraproteinemia. We recently studied rats sensitized with sulfoglucuronosyl paragloboside (SGPG), a major SGGL species, emulsified with keyhold limpet hemocyanin and Freund's adjuvant. The titer of the IgM class antibodies against SGPG increased up to 1:1,600, while that of the IgG class increased up to 1:800 2 weeks after sensitization. The antibodies showed a high degree of antigenic specificity; no cross-reactivity with other brain glycolipids could be detected. They, however, reacted with human myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) by Western blot analysis, but not with rat MAG. These animal models showed minor but clear clinical signs of neuropathy, consisting of mild tail muscle tone loss and walking disabilities. Electrophysiological examination of the sciatic nerves revealed nerve conduction abnormalities which consisted of conduction block and mild decrease in conduction velocity. Thus, our results support the concept that anti-SGPG antibodies may play an important pathogenetic role in this type of chronic neuropathy.

Intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) was proposed as a plasma marker of enterocyte turnover that could be applied to estimate the level of gut damage in HIV-1 infected patients. We investigated the kinetics of I-FABP in patients starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a clinical cohort (CC) (n=32), and in a clinical trial (RCT), where patients were randomized to lopinavir/r (LPV/r) or efavirenz (EFV)-based therapy (n=71). I-FABP was analyzed at baseline (BL) and after 48 and 72 weeks of ART, respectively. Additionally we estimated levels of LPS and sCD14 in both cohorts. At baseline, we found elevated plasma levels of I-FABP, LPS, and sCD14 in patients with HIV-1 infection as compared to controls. During ART I-FABP levels increased from BL to week 48 (1.66 ng/ml [IQR 1.29-2.88] vs. 2.56 ng/ml [IQR 1.29-5.26]; p=0.02) in CC group. Similar pattern was seen in the RCT group at week 72 as compared to BL (2.26 ng/ml [IQR 1.4-3.6] vs 3.13 ng/ml [IQR 1.8-4.9]; p

Recovery from viral myocarditis is usually excellent and complete although it occasionally results in sudden death during its acute stage. While neurohormonal mechanisms play an important role in the adaptation to heart diseases, little is known about the alteration of the neurohormonal system in viral myocarditis. Therefore, we examined the myocardial beta-adrenergic receptor and cardiac angiotensin I and II concentrations in a murine model of viral myocarditis induced by an encephalomyocarditis virus. The down-regulation of the beta 1-adrenergic receptor subtype was observed on day 10. The heart weight, heart weight/body weight ratio and myocardial necrosis were significantly increased at this stage. On day 30, the beta 2-adrenergic receptor subtype was up-regulated without up-regulation of the total beta-adrenergic receptor. Both angiotensin I and II concentrations were significantly increased with myocardial hypertrophy in the left ventricle on day 30. The up-regulation of the total beta-adrenergic receptor and beta 2-subtype was observed on day 120, but neither the angiotensin I nor II concentration was increased. Therefore, the up-regulation of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor density and the temporal increase of the angiotensin I and II concentrations in the murine ventricle during viral myocarditis may play an important role in the pathophysiology of post-viral myocarditis.

We experienced two cases of myocarditis diagnosed by endomyocardial biopsy, a 58-year-old man admitted because of palpitation, shortness of breath, cough and shock, and a 41-year-old woman with fever, cough and anterior chest pain. They had symptoms simulating common cold and cardiac symptoms, and were complicated with congestive heart failure. Moreover, abnormal ECG findings, cardiac enlargement on chest x-ray, reduced left ventricular function on UCG, elevated serum enzymes and inflammatory changes were observed in both patients. The diagnosis of myocarditis was established by endomyocardial biopsy.

Conventionally, we have taught computer literacy using MS-Office. However, the license cost of MS-Office increased about 2.5 times since we renewed our license. Then, we have built the computer literacy educational environment using Open Office, in order to reduce the license cost. In this paper we reported on this work of building the new environment and some associated problems. We also reported on the evaluation of this environment by questionnaire.

This paper is concerned with human meal preference. For evaluating human meal Kansei a method has been proposed to give the scales for human meal feelings as subjective characteristics of food in which the units of the scales are the standard deviations of the standard normal distribution. In addition to the method to evaluate human meal feelings a method is discussed to evaluate individuals' meal intentions by paired comparisons, which is modified AHP (analytic hierarchy process) in judging the consistency of subjects' answers and giving the scales for the answers. Combining the methods to evaluate human meal feelings and individuals' meal intentions a method is studied to evaluate individuals' meal preference. In this paper the methods to evaluate individuals' meal intentions and also individuals' meal preference are described and numerical results of the experiment on Kansei evaluation are shown.

This paper is concerned with human meal preference. For evaluating human meal Kansei a method has been proposed to give the scales for human meal feelings as subjective characteristics of food in which the units of the scales are the standard deviations of the standard normal distribution. Here in addition to the method to evaluate human meal feelings a method is discussed to evaluate individuals' meal intentions by paired comparisons, which is modified AHP (analytic hierarchy process) in judging the consistency of subjects' answers and giving the scales for the answers. Combining the methods to evaluate human meal feelings and individuals' meal intentions a method is studied to evaluate individuals' meal preference. In the method the scales are given so that the units can be considered the standard deviations of the standard normal distribution as well as the scales for human meal feelings. In this paper the methods to evaluate individuals' meal intentions and also individuals' meal preference are described and numerical results of the experiment on Kansei evaluation conducted for this study using 200 menus on home dining tables are shown. A method is also discussed to simplify the judgment on the consistency of a subject's answers in AHP.

In order to miniaturized mobile phones, PDAs, and other handheld electronic devise, the use of wafer level packaging such as MCP and SIP with various functionalities has increased significantly. Polyimide, BCB, and epoxy resin systems are widely used as dielectric redistribution materials. Sputtering has been the metallization technology of choice for UBM and seed layers. However, the high cost and poor adhesive reliability are issues with sputtering reliability are issues with sputtering as a metallization technology. As an alternative to sputtering technology, a photoimageable auto-catalytic resin (PAR) has been designed that enables the electroless metallization of a wide variety of substrates, including WL-CSP dielectrics such as polyimide film, glass, and ceramics. PAR also enables interconnects with excellent electrical and adhesive reliability. This paper focuses on the properties and reliability of PAR materials as a new metallization technology.

Blunt injury to the right subclavian artery is a rare complication of severe deceleration trauma often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We describe an atypical presentation in a patient who sustained a traumatic avulsion of his right subclavian artery arising off the aortic arch. An interposition graft was used to restore the continuity of the artery to the ascending thoracic aorta.

This work describes a new DRAM cell technology, W/WNx/P/sup +/-gate NMOS memory cell (MC) transistors, which has been integrated into a dual-gate CMOS process. Operation speed, data retention time (t/sub REF/), and reliability of high speed DRAMs are dramatically improved by the P/sup +/-gate NMOS cell, having a low-resistance polymetal word line (WL). Transistor performance in the periphery circuit is enhanced by dual-gate CMOSFETs formed with a low temperature process. These technologies offer excellent scalability and fully operating DDR-II SDRAM test chips have been obtained.

A surface defect inspection system based on the spatial frequency filtering technique (SFFT) has been developed for patterned semiconductor wafers. The SFFT is very powerful in detecting tiny pattern defects and foreign particles on complex but periodic patterns, such as semiconductor memory wafers. In this application a spatial frequency filter, which has an opaque spotty pattern corresponding to the periodic pattern of the test object, is placed at the Fourier transform plane of the imaging lens and blocks the light diffracted by the regular periodic pattern. Thus, only random defects are projected on the image plane and not the regular periodic patterns, which makes the execution of defect detection very quick and easy. The developed system uses a photoplate as the filter, and takes in the filtered image directly by an ITV camera, detecting sub-micron defects in about 30 minutes for a 6-inch memory wafer. >

A Love-type SAW (surface acoustic wave) resonator comprising an Au-electrode IDT (interdigital transducer) on a rotated Y-cut LiNbO/sub 3/ substrate has been developed. This resonator can be made very small in size and extremely broad in bandwidth. Spurious responses of the resonator resulting from longitudinal and transverse modes and the Rayleigh SAW were suppressed simultaneously without resonance Q degradation by the modified rhombus weighting of the IDT, and by the correct choice of the electrode thickness and rotation cut angle of the substrate. Applying the resonator to a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) circuit, a VCO with an exceedingly broad bandwidth and low power consumption was developed. >

This paper presents an active vision system for real-time traffic sign recognition. The system is composed of two cameras, one is equipped with a wide-angle lens and the other with a telephoto-lens, and a PC with an image processing board. The system first detects candidates for traffic signs in the wide-angle image using color; intensity, and shape information. For each candidate, the telephoto-camera is directed to its predicted position to capture the candidate in a larger size in the image. The recognition algorithm is designed by intensively using built-in-functions of an off-the-shelf image processing board to realize both easy implementation and fast recognition. The results of on-road real-time experiments show the feasibility of the system.

Intracortical efferent zones in the primary motor cortex for thumb movements, namely thumb flexion, extension, adduction, and abduction, have been described in Macaca mulatta monkeys but not in humans. Even recent cortical mapping based on intraoperative monitoring does not provide information about intracortical efferent zones as it is not ethically possible to search the human motor cortex extensively by punctate electrodes. A 78-year-old man with discrete cortical embolism over the left central sulcus is described. Only a mild weakness of his right thumb was observed. Thumb flexion was affected to a greater degree than thumb extension, adduction, and abduction. The lesion ran along the bottom of the central sulcus and affected part of the precentral and postcentral gyri on both sides of it. Animal studies in Macaca mulatta monkeys have shown that the intracortical efferent zones for thumb movement, especially for thumb flexion, are located in the part of the motor cortex just adjoining the central sulcus that folds down from the "bank" to the depth of the central sulcus. It was possible to explain the prominent weakness of thumb flexion if we applied the results of the animal studies. Our case suggests that the same arrangement of intracortical efferent zones found in monkeys may also exist in human beings.

Help for people with mental health problems in Japan has traditionally centred on inpatient medical care. In a revision of the Mental Health Welfare Law planned for 2001, responsibility for the support of people with mental health problems will be transferred from central government to local government. Furthermore, local government will, in turn, delegate administrative tasks to a ‘community life support centre‘. We believe that such a centre could be linked to a university with a telehealth network. Connection to the network could benefit people with mental health problems living at home. We also believe that occupational therapists are ideally positioned to play a significant role in community life support centres. With the expected sustained growth in Japanese occupational therapy, it could become a key profession in the rehabilitation of people with mental health problems.

In this paper, a new method to use Carbon Fiber Sheets (CFS) which is prestressed before they are bonded to the concrete surfaces based on the concept of prestressing technique is developed. A prestressing system is first designed to be suitable for strengthening existing concrete structures. An experimental program is carried out to verify the reinforcement effects of beams such as on the improvements of flexural strength, ductility, stiffness and crack resistance. To avoid the debonding failure near the ends upon releasing the pre-tensioned methods and the effects of anchorage treatments are also discussed. An effort is also made to investigate the determination of appropriate prestressing stress level of CFS and structural optimization of reinforcement.

Insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are observed in rats fed a high sucrose diet. Insulin resistance is thought to be related to abnormal fat distribution. We previously reported the metabolic characteristics and the fat distribution in rats with sucrose-induced insulin resistance. This study was designed to examine the effects of exercise in these rats. The rats were divided into three groups: those receiving a starch-based diet (control), those receiving a high-sucrose diet (sucrose fed), and those receiving a high-sucrose diet and wheel-running exercise (exercised). Animals were killed after 4 weeks or 12 weeks. After 4 weeks, the three groups did not differ with respect to gain in adipose tissues. The portal vein (PV) insulin concentration was significantly increased in the sucrose-fed and the exercised rats compared with the control rats. The inferior vena cava (IVC) glucose concentration and the PV free fatty acid (FFA) were significantly lower in the exercised rats than in the sucrose-fed rats. After 12 weeks, the exercised rats had significantly lower mesenteric fat (MS) and subcutaneous fat (SC) and a lower MS:SC ratio than the sucrose-fed rats. The glucose levels in IVC, PV, and FFA in PV were significantly reduced in the exercised rats as compared with the sucrose-fed rats. These findings suggest that long-term exercise improves insulin resistance by reducing the accumulation of MS as well as SC. It is also suggested that short-term exercise improves glucose metabolism without change of fat accumulation.

Purpose: Here we have evaluated the effect of an atherosclerosis-related gene on dyslipidemia with the aim of preventing the onset of atherosclerosis. Methods: We performed medical examination on the inhabitants of Goto city from July 2005 to June 2010 under the Goto city sponsorship, and 3,151 inhabitants, who provided informed consent, agreed to continue participating in the study. We divided the participants into groups as per their age and performed a comparative analysis; we collected and analyzed blood samples to determine the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 4 genes (MTHFR, Adiponectin, HDAC4, and CARKL) and lipid (Tchol, LDL, TG, HDL) levels. Results: In case of an SNP in the MTHER gene, Tchol and LDL levels were higher in the CC group (in men aged 65 y) than in the TT group (Tchol: CC vs TT, 197.6±34.0 vs 176.5±36.1; p = 0.0143; LDL: CC vs TT, 117.5±30.8 vs 97.6±30.5; p = 0.0115). TG levels were lower in the CC group (in women aged 65 y or older) than in TT group (CC vs TT, 119.5±60.9 vs 148.0±10.2; p = 0.0096), and HDL levels were higher in the CC group than in the TT group (CC vs TT, 59.4±15.9 vs 55.7±15.5; p = 0.0063). In case of SNP in the Adiponectin gene, TG and LDL levels were higher in the TT group (in men aged 65 y or older) than in the GG/GT group, and HDL levels were lower in the TT group than in the GG/GT group (TG: TT vs GG/GT, 137.6±75.7 vs 107.2±67.8; p = 0.0329; LDL: TT vs GG/GT, 133.7±35.6 vs 111.2±30.78; p = 0.0195; and HDL: TT vs GG/GT, 48.0±10.4 vs 56.1±16.3; p = 0.0390) In case of SNPs in the HDAC4 and CARKL genes, there were no significant differences in the lipid levels between the groups. Conclusions: The results show that healthy life expectancy in elderly individuals can be predicted by analyzing the genes with respect to fat metabolism and determining the SNPS associated with the onset of atherosclerosis.

Mesenteric infarction and other acute ischaemic intestinal diseases are still a challenging diagnostic problem. Based on animal experiments, intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP), which is uniquely localised to the bowel, has recently been proposed as a new serum marker for intestinal ischaemia. This paper reports on two cases with acute intestinal ischaemic diseases, and the measurement of serum I-FABP by western blot analysis. The concentrations of ordinary serum markers were normal and the bowel necrosis was not diagnosed until surgical exploration. Immunochemical analysis showed that the I-FABP concentrations in the patients' serum samples were high at the time of admission, and that I-FABP was undetectable in the samples obtained after bowel resection and in healthy control subjects. This paper suggests that I-FABP is released into the circulation in the acute phase of intestinal ischaemia and that I-FABP can be used in establishing the diagnosis of ischaemic intestinal diseases.

Foix–Chavany–Marie syndrome (FCMS) is characterised clinically by automatic voluntary dissociation of orofacial motility. It is caused by bilateral anterior opercular lesions and its aetiology is heterogeneous.1 Clinically, most cases of FCMS can be divided into three categories— developmental , acute/subacute , and transient .2 The most common cause of the developmental form is congenital bilateral anterior opercular dysplasia. The acute/subacute form is usually caused by infection in the CNS or cerebrovascular disease. The underlying pathogenesis of transient form is epilepsy. Rare variant cases of FCMS presenting with a slowly progressive clinical course have also been reported.3 We describe the clinical features of a patient with adult onset, slowly progressive FCMS, thought to be associated with chronic herpes simplex encephalitis. A 29 year old Japanese woman developed epilepsy of generalised tonic-clonic type at the age of 15 and had been taking anticonvulsants for 14 years. She had had a normal pregnancy and delivery. Developmental assessment during schooling showed normal motor and psychological ability. At the age of 27, she presented with dysarthria and dysphagia, which deteriorated gradually during the following 18 months. She also had difficulty with fine movements of her right arm at the age of 29. On admission, her voluntary orofacial motility was disturbed bilaterally, while emotional and involuntary facial movements …