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Objective Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a standard surgical treatment option in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. Adverse effects on cognitive function have been reported, impacting the quality of life of patients and caregivers. We aimed to investigate a quantitative predictive preexisting cognitive factor for predicting postoperative cognitive changes. Methods Thirty-five patients underwent STN-DBS. A battery of neuropsychological tests were used to examine executive function, processing speed, and visuospatial function both preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. A multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationships between preoperative factors and cognitive outcomes. The predictive value of the preoperative factors for global cognitive decline during long-term follow-up were evaluated. Results The patients exhibited significant changes in processing speed and visuospatial function after surgery. Using reliable change index values, lower preoperative scores on the Similarities and Object Assembly subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III were associated with decreases in visuospatial function at 1 year after DBS. The odds ratios were 10.2 for Similarities and 9.53 for Object Assembly. The proportion of Mini Mental State Examination–maintained patients with low scores on the Similarities subtest was significantly lower than that of patients with high scores at 3 and 5 years. No factors were found to be related to decreases in processing speed. Conclusions Preoperative evaluation of the Similarities and Object Assembly subtests may be useful to identify patients who are at a greater risk of experiencing decreases in visuospatial functioning after STN-DBS. Furthermore, a low score on the Similarities subtest may predict future global cognitive deterioration.

Graphene was used as an additive in fiber-reinforced plastics. The apparent interfacial shear strength (IFSS) was improved by grafting graphene onto the fibers. In this study, the effect of graphene grafted onto carbon fiber via chemical covalent bonding on the mechanical properties of the fibers was evaluated. This method was used to link graphene and carbon fibers via ester linkages, which are stronger than physical adsorption interactions and cause little damage to the fiber strength. Before grafting through an ester linkage, an electrophoretic deposition was conducted to uniformly coat graphene onto the carbon fibers. The purpose of this study was to establish a fabrication method that could control the density and thickness of the graphene layer covalently bound to the fibers. In addition, the optimal production process and composite form of the reinforced fibers were determined by evaluating the fiber strength and IFSS of various graphene-reinforced fibers. Ultimately, it was determined that graphene could be grafted onto carbon fibers relatively uniformly, and that the graphene layer thickness affected their interfacial shear strength. In terms of optimizing the IFSS, a thin and uniform graphene layer was best, and the IFSS was improved by 42.1% compared with untreated fibers containing sizing agents.

Water-soluble porphyrins, diethoxyphosphorus(V)tetraphenylporphyrin (EtP(V)TPP) and its fluorinated analogue (FEtP(V)TPP), decreased the typical absorption around 340 nm of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) under visible light irradiation, indicating oxidative decomposition. A singlet oxygen quencher, sodium azide, and a triplet quencher, potassium iodide, slightly inhibited photosensitized NADH oxidation. However, these inhibitory effects were very small. Furthermore, the fluorescence lifetime of these P(V)porphyrins was decreased by NADH, suggesting the contribution of electron transfer to the singlet excited (S 1 ) state of P(V)porphyrin. The redox potential measurement supports the electron transfer-mediated oxidation of NADH. The quantum yields of NADH photodecomposition by P(V)porphyrins could be estimated from the kinetic data and the effect of these quenchers on NADH oxidation. The obtained values suggest that the electron accepting by the S 1 states of P(V)porphyrins triggers a chain reaction of NADH oxidation. This photosensitized reaction may play an important role in the photocytotoxicity of P(V)porphyrins. The axial ligand fluorination of P(V)porphyrins improved electron accepting ability. However, fluorination slightly suppressed static interaction with NADH, resulting in decreased oxidation quantum yield.

Form birefringence originating from self-assembly of the bulk nanograting structures in silica glass with various anion dopants (OH, Cl and F) was induced by the femtosecond laser pulses. Despite of the almost similar nanostructure, the photoinduced birefringence can be changed by the anion dopants in glass. Larger birefringence can be induced in silica glass doped with higher Cl ion concentration. Even if F-doped silica glass indicates lower thermal stability, its lifetime could be evaluated to be at least several billion years. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The polarization-dependent periodic nanostructure are successfully induced by the femtosecond double-pulse train. Such nanograting structures consist of periodic modulation of oxygen deficiency with nanoscale. Furthermore, we have also observed that this stripe-like oxygen defect regions include nanopores. Additionally, the average size of the induced nanopores by the double-pulse train was twice as large as that of the single-pulse train, despite of the same total energy. As the results, twice higher birefringence can be obtained by the double-pulse train irradiation.

Ca2+ distribution is spatially and temporally non-uniform inside cells due to cellular compartmentalization. However, Ca2+ sensing with small organic dyes, such as fura-2 and fluo-4, has been practically applied at a single cell level where the averaged signal from freely diffusing dye molecules is acquired. In this study, we aimed to target azide-functionalized fura-2 (N3-fura-2) to a specific site of subcellular compartments to realize focal Ca2+ sensing. Using scAVD (single-chain avidin)–biotin interaction and a copper-free click reaction system, we linked N3-fura-2 to specifically-targeted scAVD protein fused with a red fluorescent protein mCherry, so that Ca2+ sensors conjugated with four N3-fura-2 dyes with dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO)-PEG4-biotin as a linker were generated at subcellular compartments in living cells. In cytoplasm, N3-fura-2 showed a prolonged retention period after binding to scAVD. Furthermore, the reacted N3-fura-2 was retained inside cells even after free dyes were washed out by methanol fixation. When scAVD was overexpressed on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, N3-fura-2 was accumulated on ER membranes. Upon histamine stimulation, which increases cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, ER-localized N3-fura-2 successfully sensed the Ca2+ level changes at the cytosolic side of ER membrane. Our study demonstrated specific targeting of N3-fura-2 to subcellular compartments and the ability of sensing focal Ca2+ level changes with the specifically targeted Ca2+ sensors.

Thermoplastic elastomers are attractive materials because of the drastic changes in their physical properties above and below the glass transition temperature (Tg). In this paper, we report that free-standing polystyrene (PS, Tg: 100 °C) and polystyrene–polybutadiene–polystyrene triblock copolymer (SBS, Tg: −70 °C) thin films with a thickness of hundreds of nanometers were prepared by a gravure coating method. Among the mechanical properties of these thin films determined by bulge testing and tensile testing, the SBS thin films exhibited a much lower elastic modulus (ca. 0.045 GPa, 212 nm thickness) in comparison with the PS thin films (ca. 1.19 GPa, 217 nm thickness). The lower elastic modulus and lower thickness of the SBS thin films resulted in higher conformability and thus higher strength of adhesion to an uneven surface such as an artificial skin model with roughness (Ra = 10.6 μm), even though they both have similar surface energies. By analyzing the mechanical properties of the SBS thin films, the elastic modulus and thickness of the thin films were strongly correlated with their conformability to a rough surface, which thus led to a high adhesive strength. Therefore, the SBS thin films will be useful as coating layers for a variety of materials.

We report the structural changes inside germania glass induced by femtosecond laser pulses. Inspection by polarization microscopy and secondary electron microscopy indicate that the periodic nanostructures consist of oxygen defects such as ODCs (oxygen deficient centers) and NBOHCs (nonbridging oxygen hole centers) for laser pulse energy less than 0.2 μJ. However, the glass network was dissociated and O2 molecules were generated for laser pulse energy greater than 0.4 μJ. Two different structural changes, form-birefringence and dissociation, were induced in GeO2 glass, depending on the laser pulse energy. The form-birefringence exhibited by the nanogratings in GeO2 glass is larger than that in SiO2 glass for pulse energy less than 0.2 μJ, as the density of nanovoids enclosed by ODCs in GeO2 glass is higher than that in SiO2 glass. Arrhenius plots of the phase retardation caused by the nanogratings in GeO2 and SiO2 indicate that the oxygen defects are relaxed at a temperature 100°C above the glass-transition temperature.

We synthesized a novel cyclooctyne-based clickable fluorescent probe with versatile properties such as high cell-membrane permeability and free diffusibility in the cell. Our probe "FC-DBCO" was conjugated to an azide-modified mannose via a Cu-free click reaction in living HeLa cells and displayed intracellular specific fluorescence imaging with low background signals.

Mitochondrial thermodynamics is the key to understand cellular activities related to homeostasis and energy balance. Here, we report the first ratiometric fluorescent molecular probe (Mito-RTP) that is selectively localized in the mitochondria and visualize the temperature. We confirmed that Mito-RTP could work as a ratiometric thermometer in a cuvette and living cells.

This longitudinal study investigated the effects of various lifestyle-related factors - including sleep duration, shift work, and actual days taken off work - on new-onset metabolic syndrome (MetS).A total of 39,182 male employees (mean age 42.4 ± 9.8 years) of a local government organization in Japan were followed up for a maximum of seven years, between 1999 and 2006. Multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazard method) identified seven high-risk lifestyle factors that were significantly associated with new-onset MetS or a range of metabolic factors (obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia): (1) short sleep duration (5 h/day), (2) shift work, (3) insufficient number of days off work, (4) always eating until satiety, (5) not trying to take every opportunity to walk, (6) alcohol intake ≥60 g/day, and (7) smoking. In addition, a higher number of these high-risk lifestyle factors significantly promoted the onset of MetS. The hazard ratio for MetS associated with 0-1 high-risk lifestyle parameters per subject at the baseline was set at 1.00. Hazard ratios associated with the following numbers of high-risk lifestyle parameters were: 1.22 (95% CI 1.15-1.29) for 2-3 of these parameters; and 1.43 (1.33-1.54) for 4-7.An increase in the number of high-risk lifestyle factors - such as short sleep duration, shift work, and an insufficient number of days off work - increased the risk of MetS onset. Comprehensive strategies to improve a range of lifestyle factors for workers, such as sleep duration and days off work, could reduce the risk of MetS onset.

Management of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) has recently improved because of advances in pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA), balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA), and disease-targeted medications. However, patients with inoperable CTEPH or persistent pulmonary hypertension (PH) after these interventions continue to exhibit impaired exercise capacity and limited quality of life (QOL).Eight patients with inoperable or residual CTEPH (mean age, 64±12 years; WHO functional class II/III, 6/2; mean pulmonary artery pressure, 47±13 mmHg) in stable condition and receiving disease-targeted medications participated in a 12-week home-based pulmonary rehabilitation program (muscle strength training, respiratory exercises, and walking) with supervised hospital sessions from March 2012 to January 2014. Efficacy parameters were prospectively evaluated at baseline and at completion of the 12-week program.After completion of the pulmonary rehabilitation program, the 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) (33.3±25.1 m), St. George׳s Respiratory Questionnaire activity score, quadriceps force, and 7-day physical activity level were significantly improved compared with baseline. All subjects completed the rehabilitation program. Although one patient experienced presyncope during the in-hospital exercise sessions, no other severe adverse events or complications of pulmonary rehabilitation were observed.These findings suggest that home-based pulmonary rehabilitation with closely supervised sessions may safely improve exercise capacity, leg muscle strength, general activity in daily life and health-related QOL in CTEPH patients.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate computed tomography (CT) and clinical features relating to calcifications within the parotid gland of patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS). Methods Data from 30 patients with SS who had been examined by CT were extracted from our radiological information database accumulated from 2001 to 2011, and their CT images were reread carefully. Of these patients, 14 (all female; age range 20–95years; mean age 61.4years) with calcifications within the parotid gland were retrospectively investigated with CT findings. The relationship between calcification occurrence and clinical symptoms including parotid swelling and/or saliva colic was investigated. The degree of destruction of the parotid gland on CT images was also evaluated. Results All calcifications of 14 patients were located within the parotid gland, not in the parotid duct. CT images of all calcifications showed small and regular round shapes. Multiple occurrences of calcifications were recognized in 10 patients, and a solitary occurrence was seen in 4 patients. Seven patients had bilateral calcifications. There was little relationship between the occurrence of calcifications and clinical symptoms, and the severity of destruction of the parotid gland. Conclusion The presented CT and clinical features would be peculiar to SS because too many patients lacked the typical features of sialoliths within the parotid gland.

This paper describes a convenient screening method using ion trap electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to classify ligands to a target molecule in terms of kinetic parameters. We demonstrate this method in the screening of ligands to a hexahistidine tag from a pooled library synthesized by click chemistry. The ion trap mass spectrometry analysis revealed that higher stabilities of ligand-target complexes in the gas phase were related to lower dissociation rate constants, i.e., off-rates in solution. Finally, we prepared a fluorescent probe utilizing the ligand with lowest off-rate and succeeded in performing single molecule observations of hexahistidine-tagged myosin V walking on actin filaments.

Object Clinical use of autologous induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) could circumvent immune rejection and bioethical issues associated with embryonic stem cells. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating trauma with long-lasting disability, and current therapeutic approaches are not satisfactory. In the present study, the authors used the neural stem sphere (NSS) method to differentiate iPSCs into astrocytes, which were evaluated after their transplantation into injured rat spinal cords. Methods Induced pluripotent stem cell–derived astrocytes were differentiated using the NSS method and injected 3 and 7 days after spinal contusion–based SCI. Control rats were injected with DMEM in the same manner. Locomotor recovery was assessed for 8 weeks, and sensory and locomotion tests were evaluated at 8 weeks. Immunohistological parameters were then assessed. Results Transplant recipients lived for 8 weeks without tumor formation. Transplanted cells stretched their processes along the longitudinal axis, but they did not merge with the processes of host GFAP-positive astrocytes. Locomotion was assessed in 3 ways, but none of the tests detected statistically significant improvements compared with DMEM-treated control rats after 8 weeks. Rather, iPSC transplantation caused even greater sensitivity to mechanical stimulus than DMEM treatment. Conclusions Astrocytes can be generated by serum treatment of NSS-generated cells derived from iPSCs. However, transplantation of such cells is poorly suited for repairing SCI.

The minimum energy broadcast problem is to assign a transmission range to each node in an ad hoc wireless network to construct a spanning tree rooted at a given source node such that any non-root node resides within the transmission range of its parent. The objective is to minimize the total energy consumption, i.e., the sum of the δ th powers of a transmission range ( δ ≥ 1 ). In this paper, we consider the case that δ = 2 , and that nodes are located on a 2-dimensional rectangular grid. We prove that the minimum energy consumption for an n -node k × l -grid with n = k l and k ≤ l is at most n π + O ( n k 0.68 ) and at least n π + Ω ( n k ) − O ( k ) . Our bounds close the previously known gap of upper and lower bounds for square grids. Moreover, our lower bound is n 3 − O ( 1 ) for 3 ≤ k ≤ 18 , which matches a naive upper bound within a constant term for k ≡ 0 ( mod 3 ) .

Objective The objective of this longitudinal epidemiological study was to investigate the association of risk factors for cardiovascular illness with sleep duration and shift work. Methods This study used data obtained at medical checkups conducted in 1999 and 2006 for the employees of a local government organization in Japan (covering 21,693 male employees and 2109 female employees). The medical checkup data included (1) body measurements, (2) blood test parameters, and (3) replies to a self-administered questionnaire (inquiring about sleep duration, with or without shift work, etc.). On the basis of these data, we conducted multiple logistic regression analyses to study the association between the risk of new-onset obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypo-high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterolemia and shift work as well as sleep duration. Results Among the male subjects who were engaged in shift work, the relative risk of new-onset obesity for those with a sleep duration of less than 5 h was 1.30 (95% CI, 1.14–1.49) higher than for those with sleep duration of 5–7 h. Furthermore, analysis using both engagement in shift work and sleep duration as dependent variables showed that the relative risks of new-onset obesity for those with a sleep duration of less than 5 h were 1.20 (95% CI, 1.09–1.32) for men and 1.7 (95% CI, 1.11–2.87) for women. Conclusions Short sleep duration is associated with onset of obesity.

A specific protein fluorescent labeling method has been used as a tool for bio-imaging in living cells. We developed a novel system of switching "fluorescent turn on" by the recognition of a fluorescent probe to a hexahistidine-tagged (His-tag) protein. The tetramethyl rhodamine bearing three nitrilotriacetic acids, which was used as a fluorescent probe to target a His-tagged protein, formed a reversible complex with the quencher, (Dabcyl)-conjugated oligohistidines, in the homogeneous solution, causing fluorescence of the fluorophore to be quenched. The complex when applied to living cells (COS-7) expressing His-tagged proteins on the cell surface caused the quencher-conjugated oligohistidines to be dissociated from the complex by specific binding of the fluorescent probe to the tagged protein, resulting in the fluorescent emission. The complex that did not participate in the binding event remained in the quenched state to maintain a low level of background fluorescence.

Hexahistidine ((His)(6)) tags are used to purify genetically engineered proteins. Herein, we describe the construction of a 'turn-on' fluorescent probe system that consists of the fluorescence quencher, Dabcyl, conjugated to (His)(6), and fluorescent tetramethylrhodamine conjugated to nitrilotriacetic acid, which, in the presence of Ni(2+), can bind (His)(6). The system is turned off when Dabcyl-(His)(6) is bound to the fluorescent nitrilotriacetic acid derivative. The binding strength of this system was assessed using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, and fluorescence intensity distribution analysis-polarization. Although there was no significant enhancement in fluorescence after addition of an equimolar amount of ubiquitin, the fluorescence increased from 14% to 40% of its initial intensity when an equimolar amount of (His)(6)-ubiquitin was added. Therefore, this system should be able to specifically recognize (His)(6)-proteins with good resolution and has the additional advantage that a washing step is not required to remove fluorescent probe, that is, not bound to the (His)(6)-protein.

Summary OBJECTIVE The high-affinity growth hormone (GH)-binding protein corresponds to the extracellular domain of GH receptor. The direct role of sex steroids in pubertal bone growth may be an increased GH receptor-coupled GH action. We examine the GH-binding protein (GHBP) activity before and after the suppression of female sex steroids and the relation of GHBP to pubertal growth. PATIENTS We studied six girls with central idiopathic sexual precocity without any prior gonadal suppression therapy. DESIGN We measured GHBP activity before and 12, 24 and 48 weeks after the treatment with s.c. injection of a GnRH agonist (leuprolide acetate) every 4 weeks. MEASUREMENT GHBP activity was measured by immunoprecipitation using anti-GH receptor monoclonal antibody. RESULTS The treatment caused a decrease in the LH and FSH responses to GnRH test and plasma oestradiol, which resulted in decreased urinary GH excretion, plasma IGF-I levels, height velocity and bone age maturation. GHBP activity before the start of the treatment was normal (75 ± 27% relative to adult pooled serum, mean ± SD), and it was increased above adult level (122 ± 29% at 48 weeks, P < 0.01) by the suppression of the pituitary-gonadal axis. There were significant negative correlations between GHBP and oestradiol (r=-0.452, n = 24, P < 0.05) and between GHBP and urine GH excretion (r = −0.462, n = 24, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The high-affinity GHBP is increased by the withdrawal of female sex steroid. The clinical significance of this finding may be interference with the binding of GH to its receptor resulting in a reduced IGF-I level and decreased height velocity. The mechanism warrants further study.

The aim of this study was to develop a novel quantitative method for examining the cube copying test. The analysis has been only through qualitative observation for the test. Therefore we applied a quantitative method to analyze cube copying test results. Figures were digitized and their symmetry was studied to determine correlation coefficients (CCs). This study included 19 elderly subjects (68-92 years) who complained of memory disturbance or being afraid of dementia, and 9 younger subjects (21-60 years) who visited our hospital with minor head trauma or dizziness. Six CCs were examined between the sample and drawn figures, between the drawn figure and 180°-rotated drawn figure, between the left half and right half of the drawn figure, between the upper half and lower half of the drawn figure, between a quadrant and an opposite 180°-rotated quadrant of the drawn figure. All CCs were significantly low for the elderly group. The elderly group also showed mild deterioration in the Hasegawa's Dementia Scale (21. 1/30) and CT findings with cortical and/or ventricular dilatation and lacunae. No neurological deficit was noted for the younger group. Our quantitative method may be useful for evaluating not only constructional apraxia but also dementia and mild cognitive impairment.

Postural control in standing balance was analyzed in 80 volunteers, aged 31 to 92 years, who were free from equilibrium disease. Center of foot pressure (COP) was measured on a horizontal plane and in a vertical direction, during 20 sec with eyes open and 20 sec with eyes closed. COP-path length and COP-path area were obtained on the horizontal plane, and coefficient of correlation was tested for them with age, body weight and height. Integrated power between 0 and 10 Hz was tested for the horizontal medial-lateral oscillation, horizontal anterior-posterior oscillation, and vertical oscillation. Age was correlated with COP-path length and COP-path area, but body weight and height were not correlated with them. Age was correlated with the powers in the medial-lateral oscillation with eyes open and closed, and in the anterior-posterior oscillation with eyes closed. Body weight and height were correlated with the powers in the anterior-posterior oscillation with eyes closed and in the vertical oscillation with eyes open and closed. Conclusively, vision was important to the postural control for aged people, and the medial-lateral oscillation might increase with aging. Vertical oscillation correlated to body weight and height, which suggests important weight control for aged people.

The purpose of this study was to use a cDNA microarray to identify new genes involved in healing of spinal cord injury. C57BL/6 mice (7-8 weeks, male) were subjected to spinal cord compression injury (SCI) at the T7/8 level (20 g, 5 min; SCI group). For the control group, mice underwent only laminectomy. Mice were killed at 1, 3 and 7 days. cDNA transcribed from mRNA was hybridized to NIA mice 15K microarrays at each time point. We found 84 genes showing significant expressional changes, including higher and lower expression levels in the SCI groups than in the control [more than 1.0 or less than -1.0 using log ratio (base 2)]. Five genes were selected for further quantitative gene expression analysis by real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. For histological examination, we applied in situ hybridization and fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Cathepsin D, metallothionein-1 (MT-1), metallothionein-2 (MT-2), osteopontin (OPN), and tenascin-C were selected for quantitative and histological analysis. Microarray analysis revealed that SCI led to the up-regulation of OPN and cathepsin D expression at 7 days and also of MT-1, MT-2, and tenascin-C expression at 1 day. Tenascin-C was re-up-regulated at 7 days. These values agreed with those of real-time RT-PCR analysis. By double labeling with in situ hybridization and fluorescence immunohistochemistry, MT-1, MT-2 and tenascin-C expression was observed in neurons and glial cells at 1 day, whereas at 7 days the main MT-2 and tenascin-C expression was found in fibronectin-positive fibroblasts. The main cathepsin D and OPN expression was observed in activated macrophages/microglia at 3 and 7 days. The five genes picked up by microarray gene expression profiling were shown to exhibit temporal and spatial changes of expression after SCI. This system is potentially useful for identifying genes that are involved in the response to SCI.

Background: Cardiocirculatory effects of hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) have not been systematically studied in extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of hsPDA on the left ventricular output (LVO) and organ blood flows in ELBW infants with RDS. Methods: Extremely low-birth-weight infants (birth-weight

Objective Biomechanical effects of laterally wedged insoles are assessed by reduction in the knee adduction moment. However, the degree of reduction may vary depending on the reference frame with which it is calculated. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of reference frame on the reduction in the knee adduction moment by laterally wedged insoles. Methods Twenty-nine healthy participants performed gait trials with a laterally wedged insole and with a flat insole as a control. The knee adduction moment, including the first and second peaks and the angular impulse, were calculated using four different reference frames: the femoral frame, tibial frame, laboratory frame and the Joint Coordinate System. Results There were significant effects of reference frame on the knee adduction moment first and second peaks (P < 0.001 for both variables), while the effect was not significant for the angular impulse (P = 0.84). No significant interaction between the gait condition and reference frame was found in either of the knee adduction moment variables (P = 0.99 for all variables), indicating that the effects of laterally wedged insole on the knee adduction moments were similar across the four reference frames. On the other hand, the average percent changes ranged from 9% to 16% for the first peak, from 16% to 18% for the second peak and from 17% to 21% for the angular impulse when using the different reference frames. Conclusion The effects of laterally wedged insole on the reduction in the knee adduction moment were similar across the reference frames. On the other hand, Researchers need to recognize that when the percent change was used as the parameter of the efficacy of laterally wedged insole, the choice of reference frame may influence the interpretation of how laterally wedged insoles affect the knee adduction moment.

The axon reflex induced by intracutaneous application of capsaicin to the forearm of human subjects and the back of anesthetized rats pretreated with intravenous injection of Evans blue was investigated using sequential subtraction thermography. In the human experiment, thermograms showed an immediate and general temperature decrease after capsaicin injection. Four min after application, several spotty areas with a temperature increase ('hot spots') appeared within and outside of the flare caused by capsaicin-induced axon reflex. A vascular murmur was observed on ultrasonic Doppler flowscopy at the hot spots. In the rat experiment, two hot spots appeared, one cranial to and one caudal to the site of injection, within different dermatomes. Hot spots appeared in rats with the pretreatment of intravenous hexamethonium and surgical removal of the bilateral lumbar paravertebral sympathetic trunks. Postmortem examination of the rats revealed that these hot spots coincided with perforating blood vessels. It was suggested that hot spots in the axon reflex identified by subtraction thermograms are induced by a passive dilatation of perforating vessels which supply blood to the flare.

A porous α-alumina support tube, polished with a finely powdered X-type zeolite for use as seeds, was placed vertically in an autoclave containing an aqueous mixture of water glass and sodium aluminate. Hydrothermal synthesis was carried out at 90 °C for 24 h. A polycrystalline layer of Y-type zeolite was thus formed on the outer surface of the support tube. After washing and drying in air, permeances of single components and mixtures of CO2 and N2, as well as CH4, C2H6, and SF6, were determined. The CO2 permeance was higher than that of N2 at temperatures of 30−130 °C. When an equimolar mixture of CO2 and N2 was fed into the feed side, the CO2 permeance was nearly equal to that for the single-component system and the N2 permeance for the mixture was greatly decreased, especially at lower permeation temperatures. This was due to selective adsorption of CO2 in subnanometer micropores of the membrane. At 30 °C, the permeance of CO2 was higher than 10-7 mol·m-2·s-1·Pa-1, and the permselectivity of CO2 to N2 ...

MFI-type zeolite membranes were synthesized by hydrothermal reaction on the surface of porous α-alumina support tubes with different pore sizes. The zeolite membranes consisted of three zones: The top zone was a polycrystalline zeolite layer and the inner zone was a layer of α-alumina macropores, partially filled with deposits. The intermediate zone was a mixture of alumina particles and deposits. The morphology of the zeolite membranes was dependent on the substrates. The permeance of zeolite membranes formed on the substrate possessing pores of 150–170 nm under identical conditions ranged over two orders of magnitude. There was no definite relationship between n-butane/i-butane (n-C4H10/i-C4H10) permselectivity and permeance, although permeance was affected by the substrates. The n-C4H10/i-C4H10 permselectivity calculated from single-component permeances was in the range of 1.5~12 at 100°C, and the activation energy for the permeances was 11 kJ·mol-1. The selectivity increased in the case of n-C14H10 separation from a mixture containing a small amount of i-C4H10. The zeolite membranes thus served as molecular-sieving for C4 isomers.

The implications of Bovine serum albumin (BSA) in cow's milk proteins in the pathogenesis of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) have been suggested, but is controversial even in Caucasians, and have been addressed in limited studies in other ethnic groups. We studied the prevalence of antibodies to BSA (BSAAb) in sera from Japanese children with IDDM, and compared it to those in children with other diseases including non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and congenital hypothyroidism (cretinism) by using enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Significant levels of BSAAb were detected in sera from non-diabetic normal children, and higher levels in younger (1-3 years of age) than in older children (4-9 years of age). Only 2 of 20 (10%) recent-onset IDDM patients of age ≥ 4 years were assessed to have high titers of BSAAb compared to normal controls, and none of 8 sera from those of age

ZSM-5-type zeolite membranes were synthesized by hydrothermal reaction on the surface of a porous α-alumina support tube of 2.8 mm o.d. and 1.9 mm i.d. The average pore size of the tube was about 150 nm and the void fraction was 0.45. The silicon source was a fine silica powder and the template was a mixture of tetrapropylammoniumhydroxide and bromide. Three zones were observed in the film formed on the support tube. The top zone was a polycrystalline zeolite layer and the inner zone was a layer of α-alumina macropores partially filled with deposits. The intermediate zone was a mixture of alumina particles and deposits. The permeance of the zeolite membranes increased with decreasing thickness of zeolite layer, but permselectivity was not connected with membrane morphology. The permselectivity of n -butane to i -butane was 10–50 in the range of 30–100°C, which showed practical molecular sieving ability of the formed membranes.

アポクリン癌の細胞学的特徴を明確にするため, アポクリン癌9例と対照としてアポクリン化生の目立つ良性症例15例の穿刺細胞標本を用い, 細胞集塊の形態や個々の細胞所見について検索を行い, 以下の結果を得た.1. アポクリン癌は好酸性穎粒状の広い細胞質を有する良性化生細胞に類似した細胞からなるものの, 良性例と比べて多少なりとも細胞の散在性や重積性を示す傾向にあった.2. アポクリン癌にみられる細胞集塊は, 細胞境界が不鮮明なことが多く, しばしば泡沫状の細胞質を伴っていた.3. アポクリン癌では通常, 核の腫大や大小不同が目立っており, また大型の核小体が高頻度に出現した.このような細胞像の特徴を判定に活かすことにより, 穿刺細胞診におけるアポクリン癌の診断がより的確になるものと思われる.

Besides stimulating angiogenesis or cell survival, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has the potential for protecting neurons in the injured spinal cord.To investigate the effects of a sustained-release system of bFGF from gelatin hydrogel (GH) in a rat spinal cord contusion model.Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a spinal cord contusion injury at the T10 vertebral level using an IH impactor (200 kdyn). One week after contusion, GH containing bFGF (20 µg) was injected into the lesion epicenter (bFGF - GH group). The GH-only group was designated as the control. Locomotor recovery was assessed over 9 weeks by Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan rating scale, along with inclined plane and Rota-rod testing. Sensory abnormalities in the hind paws of all the rats were evaluated at 5, 7, and 9 weeks.There were no significant differences in any of the motor assessments at any time point between the bFGF - GH group and the control GH group. The control GH group showed significantly more mechanical allodynia than did the group prior to injury. In contrast, the bFGF - GH group showed no statistically significant changes of mechanical withdrawal thresholds compared with pre-injury.Our findings suggest that bFGF-incorporated GH could have therapeutic potential for alleviating mechanical allodynia following spinal cord injury.

This paper presents a symbolic analysis method of the minimum set of dynamic parameters for general closed-link manipulator by means of the computer algebra software. This method allows us to obtain all the minimum dynamic parameters (MDP) explicitly and systematically in most cases. A key step is to determine fundamental functions that are necessary and sufficient to express the coefficient matrix of dynamic parameters. The linear independence of column vectors of the coefficient matrix is tested by using fundamental functions and the dynamic parameters are regrouped based on the linear independency. The paper also discusses a sufficient condition in which the dynamics of the closed-link mechanism can be considered to be equivalent to that of the serial-link mechanism. To illustrate the merits of the new method, the authors also examined the MDP of some closed-link mechanisms, using the computer algebra software called“Maple V.”