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Although not common, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is one of the most serious complications in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aimed to characterize the association between SLE and TTP by examining clinical features and treatment outcomes. We evaluated eight patients diagnosed over two years in our hospital. The mean disease duration of SLE until TTP onset was 13.2 years. One patient had a simultaneous diagnosis of SLE and TTP. CNS lupus and lupus nephritis were involved in 6 patients, respectively. The mean value of the SLE disease activity index was 40.5. Five out of 7 patients who have been examined the von Willebrand factor cleaving protease showed moderately decreased activity. Seven out of the 8 patients were treated with plasmapheresis, and 7 received immunosuppressive therapy including cyclophosphamide and rituximab. Seven patients recovered, but one died from an exacerbation of the disease. These data indicated that plasmapheresis and immunosuppressive therapy improved prognosis of TTP associated with SLE.

Robust entanglement at room temperature is a necessary requirement for practical applications in quantum technology. We demonstrate the creation of bipartite- and tripartite-entangled quantum states in a small quantum register consisting of individual 13 C nuclei in a diamond lattice. Individual nuclear spins are controlled via their hyperfine coupling to a single electron at a nitrogen-vacancy defect center. Quantum correlations are of high quality and persist on a millisecond time scale even at room temperature, which is adequate for sophisticated quantum operations.

A 47-year-old man was admitted to our hospital in January, 2006 because of a huge cutaneous ulcer in his lower limb. He was diagnosed with polyarteritis nodosa due to the cutaneous ulcer, mononeuritis multiplex, muscular pain, elevated serum CRP level and from histological findings of a skin biopsy. He was initially treated with 60 mg/day of prednisolone, followed by 1000 mg/day of intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY) therapy. In June, skin grafting to the cutaneous ulcer was carried out, although the graft did not survive. He revealed therapy-resistance to high dose corticosteroid and IVCY therapy, and so was treated with intravenous high dose immunoglobulin therapy. Serum CRP level then decreased and in October skin grafting was once again undertaken, this time the graft successfully survived. In December, serum CRP level increased again and cutaneous ulcer relapsed, thus he was treated with leukocyte apheresis therapy, although it was ineffective. In February 2007, he subsequently received rituximab (375 mg/m(2)/week x 3). Then, serum CRP level decreased rapidly, and cutaneous ulcer also improved. Recently the efficacy of rituximab against rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis/dermatomyositis and ANCA-associated vasculitis has been recognized. This case suggests that rituximab is also effective against corticosteroid-resistant polyarteritis nodosa.

For stable semiconductor detector operation under harsh environments, an ideal single-crystal diamond without a charge trapping centre is required. For this study, a self-standing single-crystal CVD diamond was fabricated using a lift-off method. The reduction of charge trapping factors such as structural defects, point defects, and nitrogen impurities, was attempted using 0.2% of low-methane concentration growth and using a full metal seal chamber. A high-quality self-standing diamond with strong free-exciton recombination emission was obtained. Charge collection efficiencies were 100.1% for holes and 99.8% for electrons, provided that and . Energy resolutions were 0.38% for both holes and electrons. We produced a high-performance diamond radiation detector using the productive lift-off method.

A self-standing single-crystal chemical vapor deposited diamond was obtained using lift-off method. It was fabricated into a radiation detector and response function measurements for 14 MeV neutrons were taken at the fusion neutronics source. 1.5% of high energy resolution was obtained by using the C-12(n, alpha)Be-9 reaction at an angle of 100 degrees with the deuteron beam line. The intrinsic energy resolution, excluding energy spreading caused by neutron scattering, slowing in the target and circuit noises was 0.79%, which was also the best resolution of the diamond detector ever reported.

The effects of polymorphisms in the genes encoding microsome triglycerides transfer protein (MTP) and beta3-adrenergic receptor (beta3-AR) on lipid and glucose metabolism were investigated.Clinical phenotypes related to lipid and glucose metabolism were evaluated during dietary loading (17 g of fat, 750 Cal) and glucose loading (75 g glucose). MTP and beta3-AR genotypes were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism.Subjects with the Arg64 beta3-AR gene (Arg+) polymorphism showed significantly higher fasting (FTG) and postprandial (PTG) triglyceride levels, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting plasma immuno-reactive insulin (FIRI) and HOMA-R in comparison with Trp64 homozygotes. Subjects with the T allele (T +) of MTP -164T/G polymorphism (with T allele) showed significantly lower levels of FPG, FIRI, HOMA-R and PTG than did subjects without the T allele (T-). To evaluate the interaction of the polymorphisms, we divided our subjects into four groups. T-/Arg-, T-/Arg+, T+/Arg- and T+/Arg+. In these four groups, only T-/Arg+ showed significantly higher PTG levels. Plasma glucose levels were significantly higher at 60 and 120 min after oral glucose loading in in the T-/Arg+ subjects.In this study, we identified an example of genotypic interactions that influence the clinical phenotype in multi-factorial diseases.

A summary of photo- and electrochemical surface modifications applied on single-crystalline chemical vapour deposition diamond films is given. The covalently bonded formation of amine and phenyl linker molecular layers is characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), cyclic voltammetry and field-effect transistor characterization experiments. Amine and phenyl layers are very different with respect to formation, growth, thickness and molecular arrangement. We deduce a sub-monolayer of amine linker molecules on diamond with approximately 10% coverage of 1.5×10 15 cm −2 carbon bonds. Amine is bonded only on initially H-terminated surface areas. In the case of electrochemical deposition of phenyl layers, multilayer properties are detected with three-dimensional nitrophenyl growth properties. This leads to the formation of typically 25 Å thick layers. The electrochemical bonding to boron-doped diamond works on H-terminated and oxidized surfaces. After reacting such films with heterobifunctional cross-linker molecules, thiol-modified ss-DNA markers are bonded to the organic system. Application of fluorescence and AFM on hybridized DNA films shows dense arrangements with densities up to 10 13 cm −2 . The DNA is tilted by an angle of approximately 35° with respect to the diamond surface. Shortening the bonding time of thiol-modified ss-DNA to 10 min causes a decrease in DNA density to approximately 10 12 cm −2 . Application of AFM scratching experiments shows threshold removal forces of approximately 75 and 45 nN for the DNA bonded to the phenyl and the amine linker molecules, respectively. First, DNA sensor applications using Fe(CN 6 ) 3−/4− mediator redox molecules and DNA field-effect transistor devices are introduced and discussed.

We have observed strong emission lines at 5.27 and 5.12 eV at room temperature in cathodoluminescence spectra from homoepitaxial diamond films grown by step-flow mode prepared with microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition. The temperature dependence of integrated intensity of the emission lines indicates that they are attributed to free-exciton recombination radiation associated with a transverse optical phonon and its replica. These results have demonstrated the superior crystalline quality of the homoepitaxial diamond films grown by the step-flow mode.

Although subchondral changes are reported to be associated with transient osteoporosis of the hip (TOH), the etiology of this disorder is unknown.In this paper, we describe a 45-year-old man with TOH who underwent both MRI and CT examinations. Plain radiographs obtained 2 months after the onset of hip pain showed a focal loss of radiodensity in the left femoral head. MRI revealed a bone marrow edema pattern in the left femoral head and neck with an associated subchondral serpiginous low signal intensity line on the T1-weighted images. A CT scan showed a subchondral fracture in the corresponding area. The hip pain and imaging abnormalities resolved spontaneously following conservative treatment. This case study demonstrated that a subchondral fracture of the femoral head was associated with TOH using MRI and CT examinations, and suggests that the presence of a subchondral fracture may be important for the pathophysiology of TOH.

HIV-1 infection is known to lead to a massive depletion of CD4 + T cells, and the Fas/FasL and TRAIL/TRAIL-receptor systems have been reported to be one of the mechanisms of CD4 + T cell apoptosis in HIV-1 infection. RCAS1 (a receptor-binding cancer antigen expressed on SiSo cells) is also an apoptosis-associated protein that induces apoptosis in receptor positive-cells including T cells, and NK cells. To investigate the role of RCAS1 in HIV-1 infection, we stimulated CD4 + T cells, monocytes, and several cell lines by HIV-Tat protein and thus showed that Tat significantly increased the mRNA transcription levels and the secretion of soluble RCAS1 in CD4 + T cells and monocytes. We also showed that the apoptosis induced by HIV-Tat was blocked by inhibiting the expression of RCAS1, using small interfering RNA (siRNA), which was specific for RCAS1. These results indicate that RCAS1 is one of the mechanisms of CD4 + T cell depletion induced by HIV infection.

Insulator−metal transitions are translations characterized by a sudden change in electron transport properties from localized to itinerant behavior of electrons. In most cases, it is detected in strongly disordered semiconductors as a function of temperature with statistically distributed donors and/or acceptors. Here, we show that reversible insulator−metal transitions take place in H-terminated intrinsic (undoped) single crystalline diamond, if immersed into redox−electrolyte solutions at room temperature. The change is generated by valence-band electrons of diamond, which tunnel into the redox−electrolyte, where they occupy empty electronic sites. We applied cyclic voltammetry experiments to characterize the insulator−metal transition in combination with different redox couples. The experiments show that transfer doping accounts for the experimentally detected phenomena, and that intrinsic diamond is a promising candidate for chemical sensing in a variety of applications.

We found hydrogen‐related luminescence in the subsurface region of chemical vapor deposited homoepitaxial diamond films by means of cathodoluminescence. A specific broad peak at around 540 nm is observed in the hydrogenated films, but not in the conventional oxidized films. The gap states related to the peak observed at around 540 nm are found to exist spatially in the surface region. The fact is consistent with the hydrogen distribution previously determined by secondary ion mass spectroscopy. The result indicates the existence of hydrogen‐related luminescent states in the subsurface region of as‐deposited homoepitaxial diamond films.

The aim of the study was to survey misfiled cases in a picture archiving and communication system environment at two hospitals and to demonstrate the potential usefulness of an automated patient recognition method for posteroanterior chest radiographs based on a template-matching technique designed to prevent filing errors.We surveyed misfiled cases obtained from different modalities in one hospital for 25 months, and misfiled cases of chest radiographs in another hospital for 17 months. For investigating the usefulness of an automated patient recognition and identification method for chest radiographs, a prospective study has been completed in clinical settings at the latter hospital.The total numbers of misfiled cases for different modalities in one hospital and for chest radiographs in another hospital were 327 and 22, respectively. The misfiled cases in the two hospitals were mainly the result of human errors (eg, incorrect manual entries of patient information, incorrect usage of identification cards in which an identification card for the previous patient was used for the next patient's image acquisition). The prospective study indicated the usefulness of the computerized method for discovering misfiled cases with a high performance (ie, an 86.4% correct warning rate for different patients and 1.5% incorrect warning rate for the same patients).We confirmed the occurrence of misfiled cases in the two hospitals. The automated patient recognition and identification method for chest radiographs would be useful in preventing wrong images from being stored in the picture archiving and communication system environment.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) play an important role in vascular events during progression of atherosclerosis, associated with lipid metabolism, inflammatory response and others. To clarify relationships between the expression of PPARs subtypes and regression, we studied mRNA expression of PPARs subtypes with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry, especially in centrally depressed atherosclerotic plaques (depressed plaque) in the aortas of elderly patients, and proposed morphological feature of atherosclerotic regression. Samples were separated from the depressed plaque, atheromatous plaque, and diffuse intimal thickening (DIT) in the aortas of elderly patients at autopsy and they were analyzed for RT-PCR. The depressed plaques obtained were divided into two parts: depressed area and surrounding elevated area. Total RNA was prepared, using the TRIzol Reagent, and was reverse transcribed using random hexamer primers and Thermoscript kit for RT-PCR. Immunohistochemical analysis was processed for mouse anti-PPAR gamma antibody, detected by the ABC method. 1) Decreased foam cells were found in the depressed area than in the surrounding elevated area of the depressed plaque. These foam cells were immunohistochemically positive for HAM56 and strong reactivities for PPAR gamma were found in the nuclei of macrophage-derived foam cells. PPAR gamma was also detected in the nuclei of endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. 2) Expressions of PPAR alpha and PPAR gamma were found in the depressed plaques with RT-PCR. These expressions were found both in the depressed area and the surrounding elevated area without significant differences. 3) PPAR gamma mRNA expression both in the depressed area and the surrounding elevated area, was greater than in DIT, and was less than in the atheromatous plaque. 4) Expression of PPAR gamma mRNA was intense and increased in the surrounding elevated area than in the depressed area. 5) A significant increase of PPAR gamma expression was found in the atheromatous plaque than in the DIT. 6) There was no significant difference of PPAR alpha mRNA expression between the depressed area and the surrounding elevated area. The depressed plaque has been considered to be a morphological characteristic of regression in recent studies. Expression of mRNA for PPARs was detected in the depressed plaque as well as the atheromatous plaque, furthermore, there were different expressions and intensity of PPARs between the depressed area and the surrounding elevated area of the depressed plaque. These findings suggest that the expression of PPARs may be involved not only in the progression of atherosclerosis but also in regression.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a new commercially available computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system with an automated method of detecting nodules due to lung cancers on chest radiograph.For patients with cancer, 45 cases with solitary lung nodules up to 25 mm in diameter (nodule size range, 8-25 mm in diameter; mean, 18 mm; median, 20 mm) were used. For healthy patients, 45 cases were selected on the basis of confirmation on chest CT. All chest radiographs were obtained with a computed radiography system. The CAD output images were produced with a newly developed CAD system, which consisted of an image server including CAD software called EpiSight/XR. Eight radiologists (four board-certified radiologists and four radiology residents) participated in observer performance studies and interpreted both the original radiographs and CAD output images using a sequential testing method. The observers' performance was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic analysis.The average area under the curve value increased significantly from 0.924 without to 0.986 with CAD output images. Individually, the use of CAD output images was more beneficial to radiology residents than to board-certified radiologists.This CAD system for digital chest radiographs can assist radiologists and has the potential to improve the detection of lung nodules due to lung cancer.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of temporal subtraction for the detection of lung cancer arising in pneumoconiosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary emphysema.Fifteen cases of lung cancer arising in diffuse lung diseases, including three cases of pneumoconiosis, six of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and six of pulmonary emphysema, were evaluated. Pathologic proof was obtained by surgery or transbronchial lung biopsy. The average interval between previous and current radiographs was 356 days (range, 31-947 days). All chest radiographs were obtained with a computed radiography system, and temporal subtraction images were produced by subtracting of a previous image from a current one with a nonlinear image-warping technique. The effect of the temporal subtraction image was evaluated by observer performance study with receiver operating characteristic analysis.The average observer performance with temporal subtraction was significantly improved (Az = 0.935) compared with that without temporal subtraction (Az = 0.857, P.0001).The temporal subtraction technique is useful for the detection of lung cancer arising in pneumoconiosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary emphysema.

Paraoxonase1 (PON1) is HDL-associated ester hydrolase which has been shown to prevent LDL and HDL oxidation in vitro. PON1-coding region has two common polymorphisms (M/L55 and A/B192) that influence PON activity. We examined whether these polymorphisms relates with the incidence of cerebral infarction (CI) which is one of the major atherosclerotic disease in Japan.The study population was comprised of 112 unrelated Japanese CI patients and 106 healthy Japanese individuals. The PON1 genotypes were determined by PCR and digestion by specific restriction enzymes.PON1-192 polymorphism revealed no significant difference of genotype and allelic distribution in CI patients and controls. Frequency of L/M alleles in PON1-55 polymorphism (0.88, 0.12, respectively) was different from previously reported frequencies in Caucasians. Comparison of allelic distribution of the PON1-55 polymorphism showed a significant increase of the M allele in CI subjects compared with control subjects. All three subjects with the MM genotype were in the CI group. Of subjects with an AA genotype, the frequencies of the MM and LM genotypes were significantly higher and that of the LL genotype was significantly lower in the CI group compared with the control group. Frequency of the M allele in the CI group was significantly higher in subjects who had the AA genotype.These findings suggest that the enzyme might be involved in the development of atherosclerosis of cerebral arteries. Moreover, this finding might indicates that the genetic markers in Japanese linked to distinct genetic event from Caucasians.

We analyzed the high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings of cryptococcosis in immunocompetent patients. The predominant manifestations were multiple nodules (n=6) and a single nodule (n=7). Regarding the pattern of multiple nodules, two cases of cavities or necrosis, four cases of surrounding centrilobular micronodules and five cases of "acinar" nodules were seen. No "tree-in-bud" appearance was detected. Five of seven cases of a single nodule were classified as polygonal, and two of them were round. Two cases accompanied micronodules and one case cavitation. Although no "tree-in-bud" appearance was observed, pulmonary cryptococcosis mimics tuberculosis.

We propose a novel approach to separating an overlapped signal using speech production models. The speech production models are used as top-down constraints for solving a one-channel signal separation, which is a one-to-many mapping problem. The goal of our approach is to not only realize high-accuracy separation systems but to also construct a computational model of human auditory mechanisms based on perception-production interaction. The utility of the proposed method is demonstrated in a task of separating a mixture of two-speaker vowel utterances using primitive linear speech production models.

A new method for the cross-coupling reaction of Grignard reagents with alkyl chlorides, bromides, and tosylates has been developed by the use of a nickel catalyst in the presence of a diene as an additive. This reaction proceeds efficiently at 0-25 degrees C in THF using primary and secondary alkyl and aryl Grignard reagents. Nickel complexes bearing no phosphine ligands, such as NiCl2, Ni(acac)2, and Ni(COD)2, afford the coupling products in good yields, whereas NiCl2(PPh3)2 and NiCl2(dppp) were less effective. 1,3-Butadiene shows the highest activity as an additive for the present coupling reaction. A plausible reaction pathway was proposed.

The purpose of our study was to use an artificial neural network to differentiate benign from malignant pulmonary nodules on high-resolution CT findings and to evaluate the effect of artificial neural network output on the performance of radiologists using receiver operating characteristic analysis.We selected 155 cases with pulmonary nodules less than 3 cm (99 malignant nodules and 56 benign nodules). An artificial neural network was used to distinguish benign from malignant nodules on the basis of seven clinical parameters and 16 radiologic findings that were extracted by attending radiologists using subjective rating scales. In the observer test, 12 radiologists (four attending radiologists, four radiology fellows, and four radiology residents) were presented with high-resolution CT images, first without and then with the artificial neural network output. Observer performance was evaluated by means of receiver operating characteristic analysis using a continuous rating scale.The artificial neural network showed a high performance in differentiating benign from malignant pulmonary nodules (A(z) = 0.951). The average A(z) value for all radiologists increased by a statistically significant level, from 0.831 to 0.959, with the use of the artificial neural network output.Our computerized scheme using the artificial neural network can improve the diagnostic accuracy of radiologists who are differentiating benign from malignant pulmonary nodules on high-resolution CT.

Rationale and Objectives The authors' purpose was to evaluate the effect of temporal subtraction on digital chest radiographs in the detection of metastatic pulmonary nodules. Materials and Methods The study included 21 cases with metastatic pulmonary nodule and 21 cases without metastatic nodule. Eleven radiologists, including eight residents and three certified radiologists, provided their confidence levels for the presence or absence of pulmonary nodules without and with temporal subtraction. Their performances without and with temporal subtraction were evaluated by means of receiver operating characteristic analysis with both independent and sequential tests. Results For the independent test, the radiologists' Az (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) values were 0.871 without and 0.954 with temporal subtraction, compared with 0.882 and 0.955, respectively, for the sequential test. Diagnosis accuracy was significantly improved with the use of temporal subtraction. There was no significant difference in Az values between the independent and sequential tests. Conclusion Temporal subtraction is useful in the detection of metastatic pulmonary nodules, and this technique augments the value of digital chest radiography.

Our objective was to describe the CT findings of thoracic Wegener's granulomatosis. At presentation, both conventional and thin-section CT scans were available in 30 patients with Wegener's granulomatosis. Serial CT scans (range of intervals: 1–25 months, mean 4.5 months) were available in 20 patients. The initial and follow-up CT scans were analyzed retrospectively by two observers in terms of pattern and extent of parenchymal and airway lesions. Positive CT findings were seen in 29 of 30 (97%) patients at initial presentation. The most common pattern was nodules or masses seen in 27 of 30 (90%) patients. They were multiple in 23 of 27 (85%) patients, bilateral in 18 (67%), subpleural in 24 (89%), and peribronchovascular in 11 (41%) in distribution. Bronchial wall thickening in the segmental or subsegmental bronchi was seen in 22 (73%) patients. Large airways were also abnormal in 9 (30%) patients. Patchy areas of consolidation and ground-glass opacity were seen in 7 (23%) patients, respectively. In 17 of 20 (85%) patients in whom follow-up CT scans were available, the parenchymal or airway lesion showed complete or partial improvement with treatment. The CT findings of Wegener's granulomatosis, although multiple and variable, consist mainly of bilateral subpleural or peribronchovascular nodules or masses and bronchial wall thickening in the segmental or subsegmental bronchi. Parenchymal and airway lesions improve with treatment in most patients.

To evaluate the prognostic importance of thin-section computed tomographic (CT) findings of peripheral lung adenocarcinomas.The subjects were 127 patients with adenocarcinomas smaller than 3 cm in largest diameter who underwent at least a lobectomy with hilar and mediastinal lymphadenectomy. The margin characteristics of nodules and the extent of ground-glass opacity (GGO) within the nodules at preoperative thin-section CT were analyzed retrospectively. Regional lymph node metastasis (LNM) and vessel invasion (VI) were histologically examined in surgical specimens. Survival curves were calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier method.The frequencies of LNM (4% [1 of 24]) and VI (13% [three of 24]) in adenocarcinomas with GGO components of more than 50% were significantly lower than those with GGO components of less than 10% (LNM, P.05; VI, P.01). The patients with GGO components of more than 50% showed a significantly better prognosis than those with GGO components less than 50% (P.05). All 17 adenocarcinomas smaller than 2 cm with GGO components of more than 50% were free of LNM and VI, and all these patients are alive without recurrence. Coarse spiculation and thickening of bronchovascular bundles around the tumors were observed more frequently in tumors with LNM or VI than in those without LNM or VI (P.01).Thin-section CT findings of peripheral lung adenocarcinomas correlate well with histologic prognostic factors.

Our objective was to evaluate the usefulness of MRI including dynamic study in differentiating malignant, mixed mesodermal tumor (MMMT) from endometrial carcinoma (EC). The MR images were reviewed in 4 patients with histologically confirmed MMMT and 11 patients with EC. Flow voids inside and/or around the tumors were seen in 2 patients with MMMT but not in any EC cases. In dynamic studies, all 4 patients with MMMT showed areas of early and persistent marked enhancement similar to that of the myometrium, mixed with areas of gradual and delayed marked enhancement. The portions showing early and persistent enhancement histologically corresponded to predominantly sarcomatous components with prominent vascularity. Ten of 11 ECs did not show such enhancement and only one showed a rapid enhancement in the early phase which was diminished in the delayed phase. The MR imaging with a gadolinium-enhanced dynamic study seems to be useful in differentiating MMMT from EC.

Anisotropy of transient absorption change and electroabsorption response in metallophthalocyanine (MPc) aggregates were investigated in terms of the influence of intermolecular interaction to the 2D character of the molecule. In an MPc aggregate intermolecular interaction with less symmetry might result in appearance of 1D character, depending on the nature of interaction and arrangement of molecules. In experiment, polarization- dependent electroabsorption response in various MPcs doped in PMMA presented a 1D character at the red-shifted absorption band due to coplanar intermolecular interaction and a 2D one at the blue-shifted band due to cofacial interaction. Polarization-dependent subpicosecond transient absorption change in various aggregate vanadylphthalocyanine, evaporated and doped-polymer films in phase-I and phase-II aggregation, presented a variety of anisotropy: in phase-I aggregate doped in polystyrene, a wavelength-dependent anisotropy similar to that of electroabsorption response was obtained; in phase-I aggregates doped in PMMA or evaporated, a 2D character was observed in almost whole wavelength region; in phase-II aggregates both 1D and 2D characters were in the red-shifted absorption band. These result are partly elucidated by the exciton coupling model in 2D molecules. It is also suggested that pump wavelength dependence of anisotropy and existence of two or more aggregate species might play important rolls.

To identify the characteristic MRI findings of chronic expanding hematoma correlated with the pathology.Three patients who had a chronic expanding hematoma involving the musculoskeletal system were reviewed retrospectively.Huge soft tissue masses suggestive of malignancy with destruction of the bony structure were revealed on radiography and computed tomography. MRI showed the masses to exhibit heterogeneous signal intensity on both T1 and T2-weighted images with a peripheral rim of low signal intensity, reflecting the central zones of fluid collection due to fresh and altered blood with a wall of collagenous fibrous tissue. These MRI findings were seen in all three patients and are considered to be characteristic; they assist in differentiation from neoplasm in consideration of the history of trauma or surgery.

We present measurements of spin relaxation times (T1, T1ρ, T2) on very shallow (≲5 nm) nitrogen-vacancy centers in high-purity diamond single crystals. We find a reduction of spin relaxation times up to 30 times compared to bulk values, indicating the presence of ubiquitous magnetic impurities associated with the surface. Our measurements yield a density of 0.01-0.1μB/nm2 and a characteristic correlation time of 0.28(3) ns of surface states, with little variation between samples and chemical surface terminations. A low temperature measurement further confirms that fluctuations are thermally activated. The data support the atomistic picture where impurities are associated with the top carbon layers, and not with terminating surface atoms or adsorbate molecules. The low spin density implies that the presence of a single surface impurity is sufficient to cause spin relaxation of a shallow nitrogen-vacancy center.

Rationale and Objectives. The automatic image processing mode of the storage phosphor computed radiography system was evaluated. Materials and Methods. A dedicated chest unit designed for erect view was used to examine a chest phantom. Lucite plates 1, 2, and 3 cm thick that conformed to the shape of the lung were attached to the phantom, and images were obtained in automatic and manual image processing modes. The changes in the optical density of the lung, rib, and heart and the changes in contrast were measured. The degree of diffuse opacity due to the plates and the visibility of superimposed simulated nodular and honeycomb opacities were evaluated. Results. The decrease in optical density and contrast caused by increasing thickness of the Lucite plates was less pronounced in the automatic mode compared with the manual mode. When plates were placed only on the right lung, the optical density and the contrast on the contralateral side either increased or remained unchanged with the automatic mode. The degree of diffuse opacity was rated higher in the manual mode, and the visibility of superimposed simulated opacities was considered relatively constant in the automatic mode. Conclusion. The automatic image reading mode used in the computed radiography chest system may mask the detection of abnormalities such as diffuse homogeneous lung opacity.

Cells are physiologically ready to accumulate lipids such as triacylglycerides in the cytoplasm. Five classes of perilipin (PLIN) family proteins are known to be involved in the process of intracellular lipid accumulation. PLIN2 is expressed ubiquitously including adipocytes, hepatocytes and macrophages. Over-expression of PLIN2 is demonstrated in the lesions of fatty liver diseases and atherosclerosis. Suppression of PLIN2 expression prevents from developing these pathological conditions in animal models, suggesting that PLIN2 could be a therapeutic target molecule for excessive intracellular lipid accumulation which leads to various metabolic derangements. The PLIN2 gene promoter has two important cis-acting elements in close proximity:AP-1 element which mediates inflammatory signals and PPRE which mediates free fatty acid effect. In NMuLi mouse liver cells, FFA such as oleic acid requires both functional AP-1 and PPRE simultaneously to stimulate the promoter activity, indicating the presence of intimate interaction of inflammatory and metabolic signals on this gene. PycnogenolR, French maritime pine bark extracts, suppressed the oleic acid-induced PLIN2 expression and lipid accumulation in NMuLi cells. We found that PycnogenolR did not suppress the PLIN2 promoter activity or AP-1 binding to DNA. Instead, PycnogenolR facilitates the PLIN2 mRNA degradation, leading to suppression of lipid accumulation. This effect seems to be independent of antioxidant effect of PycnogenolR. We raise the idea that PLIN2 is a putative target molecule for prevention of pathological condition induced by excessive lipid accumulation, and this class of natural compounds could be putative therapeutic modalities.Key words: PycnogenolR, lipid droplet, perilipin, fatty liver disease

Efficient data compression is required for practical daily use of digital images in computed radiography (CR). This study investigated the clinical utility of data compression in excretory urography using the FCR 9000 system (Fuji Photo Film, Tokyo, Japan). Type III data compression technique was used, which can achieve a 20∶1 to 25∶1 compression ratio. To evaluate the degradation of image quality, we compared paired original and compressed CR images. Although a slight deterioration of image quality was noted in the renal calyx including collecting tubules among various anatomical structures, the difference was not significant. Receiver operating characteristics analysis revealed no significant difference among the original and compressed images. We conclude that compressed CR images using Type III data compression technique in excretory urography appear to be clinically applicable and acceptable.

In studies of in vivo extracellular recording, we usually penetrate electrodes almost blindly into the neural tissue, in order to detect the neural activity from an expected target location at a certain depth. After the recording, it is necessary for us to determine the position of the electrodes precisely. Generally, to identify the position of the electrode, one method is to examine the postmortem tissue sample at micron resolution. The other method is using MRI and it does not have enough resolution to resolve the neural structures. To solve such problems, we propose swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) as a tool to visualize the cross-sectional image of the neural target structure along with the penetrating electrode. We focused on a rodent olfactory bulb (OB) as the target. We succeeded in imaging both the OB layer structure and the penetrating electrode, simultaneously. The method has the advantage of detecting the electrode shape and the position in real time, in vivo. These results indicate the possibility of using SS-OCT as a powerful tool for guiding the electrode into the target tissue precisely in real time and localizing the electrode tip during electrophysiological recordings.

Here, we report in vivo 3-D visualization of the layered organization of a rat olfactory bulb (OB) by a swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). The SS-OCT operates at a wavelength of 1334 nm with respective theoretical depth and lateral resolutions of 6.7 μm and 15.4 μm in air and hence it is possible to get a 3D structural map of OB in vivo at the micron level resolution with millimeter-scale imaging depth. Up until now, with methods such as MRI, confocal microscopy, OB depth structure in vivo had not been clearly visualized as these do not satisfy the criterion of simultaneously providing micron-scale spatial resolution and imaging up to a few millimeter in depth. In order to confirm the OB’s layered organization revealed by SS-OCT, we introduced the technique of electrocoagulation to make landmarks across the layered structure. To our knowledge this is such a first study that combines electrocoagulation and OCT in vivo of rat OB. Our results confirmed the layered organization of OB, and moreover the layers were clearly identified by electrocoagulation landmarks both in the OCT structural and anatomical slice images. We expect such a combined study is beneficial for both OCT and neuroscience fields.

The MR appearance of eight bronchogenic cysts is reported. All the cysts appeared homogeneous and were of very high signal intensity, approximating that of CSF on spin-echo T2-weighted imaging, and of relatively high intensity, between that of muscle and subcutaneous fat on T1-weighted imaging. The cysts were round or ovoid and were well demarcated. These findings are consistent with the fluid-containing properties of cysts.

The use of spiral volumetric computed tomography (CT) for thoracic imaging is described. A phantom experiment using nodules made of fish meat established a clinically acceptable practical table speed of 15 mm/s. With this table speed it was possible to scan the entire lung during a single breath-hold of 16-20 s. Comparison of this technique with conventional CT in 18 patients with 62 nodules showed no difference in effectiveness. The imaging of linear and reticular opacities, however, was not satisfactory in three of the eight lesions. Visualization of normal mediastinal vessels on spiral CT using less contrast material was comparable to that of conventional CT in 20 of 30 patients; it was less satisfactory in 10 patients, but vessels still could be identified. We conclude that spiral CT is a useful method to examine the thorax.