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Vascular access (VA) flow suppression surgery augments VA flow resistance and can increase other circulation flows hindered by high-flow VA. However, whether VA flow suppression surgery affects cervical circulation has rarely been reported. We aimed to determine the effect of VA flow suppression surgery on the cervical circulation in patients with high-flow VA. This single-center, retrospective, observational study included 85 hemodialysis patients who underwent VA flow suppression surgery at the Kanno Dialysis and Access Clinic between 2009 and 2018. Blood flow in the VA, bilateral vertebral arteries, and common carotid artery was measured before and after VA flow suppression surgery. The VA flow decreased from 1548 mL/min to 693 mL/min postoperatively. The flow of the vertebral artery on the VA side increased from 55 mL/min to 81 mL/min. The flow in the bilateral common carotid arteries also increased. Patients whose symptoms improved postoperatively showed better improvement in the vertebral artery on the VA side. VA flow suppression surgery in patients with high-flow VA increases the flow of the vertebral artery on the VA side and of the bilateral common carotid arteries. High-flow VA can hinder the vertebral and common carotid circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Krylov complexity was proposed as a measure of complexity and chaoticity of quantum systems. We consider the stadium billiard as a typical example of the quantum mechanical system obtained by quantizing a classically chaotic system, and numerically evaluate Krylov complexity for operators and states. Despite no exponential growth of the Krylov complexity, we find a clear correlation between variances of Lanczos coefficients and classical Lyapunov exponents, and also a correlation with the statistical distribution of adjacent spacings of the quantum energy levels. This shows that the variances of Lanczos coefficients can be a measure of quantum chaos. The universality of the result is supported by our similar analysis of Sinai billiards. Our work provides a firm bridge between Krylov complexity and classical/quantum chaos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photon spheres are the characteristic of general black holes, thus are a suitable touchstone for the emergence of gravitational spacetime in the AdS/CFT correspondence. We provide a spectral analysis of an AdS Schwarzschild black hole near its photon sphere. We find that quasinormal modes near the photon sphere reflect the AdS boundary, resulting in a peculiar spectral pattern. Our large angular momentum analysis owes to an analogue to solvable Schrödinger equations such as an inverted harmonic oscillator and the Pöschl-Teller model, with a Dirichlet boundary condition. Through the AdS/CFT dictionary, it predicts the existence of a peculiar subsector in the large angular momentum spectrum of thermal holographic CFTs on a sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since bilateral severe internal carotid artery stenosis often is associated with severely decreased cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) due to poor collateral blood flow, revascularization carries a high risk for development of hyperperfusion syndrome. In this study, we report a new staged strategy to prevent postoperative hyperperfusion syndrome in such patients. Bilateral severe cervical internal carotid artery stenosis patients with decreased CVR to 10% or less on one side were prospectively enrolled in this study. We first performed carotid artery stenting on the side with the milder CVR decrease (lower-risk side), aiming to improve hemodynamics associated with the severe CVR decrease on the greater-risk side. Then, carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery stenting was performed on the contralateral side after an interval of 4–8 weeks. In all 3 cases enrolled in this study, CVR on the greater-risk side improved to 10% or more 1 month after the first treatment. The ratio of regional cerebral blood flow on the contralateral greater-risk side was 114% 1 day after the second treatment, and HPS did not develop in any of the cases. Our treatment strategy, in which revascularization on the lower-risk side precedes that on the greater-risk side, is effective for the prevention of HPS in bilateral ICA stenosis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has long been thought that a highly excited string can be regarded as a black hole: the correspondence principle between strings and a black hole, while recent studies found that black holes are characterized by chaos. This suggests that highly excited strings are the source of the black hole chaoticity. We study the chaoticity of a string amplitude where a tachyon is scattered by a highly excited string. Our strategy to extract the chaos in the amplitude is a generalization of the transient chaos analysis for classical scattering. We look for the fractal structure in the plots of incoming/outgoing scattering angles, where the outgoing angle is defined as the maximum pole of the amplitude. Within our strategy, we could not identify any fractal structure in the scattering data. We also discuss other possible setups and strategies to extract the chaos, hoping that our present work serves as a step toward the formulation of chaos in string scattering amplitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a formula to reconstruct bulk spacetime metrics inside black holes by the time dependence of complexity in the dual quantum field theory, based on the complexity=volume (CV) conjecture in the holographic duality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The optimal dialysate calcium (Ca) concentration for patients undergoing hemodialysis remains inconclusive, particularly concerning cardiovascular protection. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of 19 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and a meta-analysis of eight RCTs to determine the optimal dialysate Ca concentration for cardiovascular protection. We compared outcomes in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis treated with either a low-Ca dialysate (LCD) (1.125 or 1.25 mmol/L) or a high-Ca dialysate (HCD) (1.5 or 1.75 mmol/L). The outcomes were coronary artery calcification score (CACS), all-cause and cardiovascular death, cardiovascular function and structure, and serum biochemical parameters. Results: There was no significant difference between LCD and HCD concerning CACS (standardized mean difference [SMD] = −0.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [−0.38, 0.07]), the risk of all-cause death, and cardiovascular death in patients treated with chronic maintenance hemodialysis. Conversely, LCD was associated with a significantly lower intima-media thickness (SMD = −0.49, 95% CI [−0.94, −0.05]) and pulse wave velocity than HCD (SMD = −0.86, 95% CI [−1.21, −0.51]). Furthermore, LCD significantly decreased serum Ca levels (mean difference [MD] = 0.52 mg/dL, 95% CI [0.19, 0.85]) and increased serum parathyroid hormone levels (MD = 44.8 pg/mL, 95% CI [16.2, 73.3]) compared with HCD. Notably, most RCTs examined in our analysis did not include patients receiving calcimimetics. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis showed no significant differences in cardiovascular calcification and death between LCD and HCD and revealed a paucity of RCTs on dialysate Ca concentrations, including those involving patients on calcimimetics, indicating the urgent need for further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a detailed examination of a thermal out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC) growing exponentially in time in systems without chaos. The system is a one-dimensional quantum mechanics with a potential whose part is an inverted harmonic oscillator. We numerically observe the exponential growth of the OTOC when the temperature is higher than a certain threshold. The Lyapunov exponent is found to be of the order of the classical Lyapunov exponent generated at the hilltop, and it remains non-vanishing even at high temperature. We adopt various shape of the potential and find these features universal. The study confirms that the exponential growth of the thermal OTOC does not necessarily mean chaos when the potential includes a local maximum. We also provide a bound for the Lyapunov exponent of the thermal OTOC in generic quantum mechanics in one dimension, which is of the same form as the chaos bound obtained by Maldacena, Shenker and Stanford. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the Page curve for asymptotically flat eternal Schwarzschild black holes in four and higher spacetime dimensions. Before the Page time, the entanglement entropy grows linearly in time. After the Page time, the entanglement entropy of a given region outside the black hole is largely modified by the emergence of an island, which extends to the outer vicinity of the event horizon. As a result, it remains a constant value which reproduces the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, consistent with the finiteness of the von Neumann entropy for an eternal black hole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study 1/N corrections to a Wilson loop in holographic duality. Extending the AdS/CFT correspondence beyond the large N limit is an important but a subtle issue, as it needs quantum gravity corrections in the gravity side. To find a physical property of the quantum corrected geometry of near-horizon black 0-branes previously obtained by Hyakutake, we evaluate a Euclidean string worldsheet hanging down in the geometry, which corresponds to a rectangular Wilson loop in the SU(N) quantum mechanics with 16 supercharges at a finite temperature with finite N. We find that the potential energy defined by the Wilson loop increases due to the 1/N correction, therefore the quantum gravity correction weakens the gravitational attraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new method to study nuclear physics via holographic QCD is proposed. Multiple baryons in the Sakai-Sugimoto background are described by a matrix model which is a low energy effective theory of D-branes of the baryon vertices. We study the quantum mechanics of the matrix model and calculate the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian. The obtained states are found to coincide with known nuclear and baryonic states, and have appropriate statistics and charges. Calculated spectra of the baryon/nucleus for small baryon numbers show good agreement with experimental data. For hyperons, the Gell-Mann–Okubo formula is approximately derived. Baryon resonances up to spin 5/2 and isospin 5/2 and dibaryon spectra are obtained and compared with experimental data. The model partially explains even the magic numbers of light nuclei, N = 2, 8 and 20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a novel voltammetric DNA chip for real-time electrochemical detection of targeted nucleic acid sequences using loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and ruthenium hexaamine (RuHex) as the intercalative redox compound. A GspSSD DNA polymerase was used for LAMP owing to its tolerance of the intercalative redox compound. The electrochemical reaction of 1 mM RuHex in the LAMP solution was measured continuously by linear sweep voltammetry at 65 °C using an electrochemical DNA chip. According to the LAMP reaction of the positive sample, the cathodic peak current of RuHex increased and the cathodic peak potential of RuHex shifted to negative voltage. The initial number of copies of the targeted nucleic acid was correlated with both the time when the cathodic current began to increase and the time when the cathodic potential began to shift rapidly. 10 3 to 10 6 copies/50 μL of the targeted nucleic acid were detected quantitatively and the detection limit was 10 1 copies within an hour. We expect these results to lead to the realization of simple and stable electrochemical real-time monitoring of targeted nucleic acids while also facilitating the implementation of electrochemical DNA chips in molecular testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a novel voltammetric analysis method for the targeted nucleic acid quantification using electrochemical DNA chip and digital loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), which is based on the most probable number (MPN) method. We designed the position of electrodes (30 regions) on the DNA chip surface at 2 mm intervals in the flow channel. Since the LAMP reaction is carried out at constant temperature, it is supposed that the motions of both the targeted nucleic acid and amplicon in the LAMP solution are diffusion-limited. So an independent volume is formed around the electrode (like a test tube). MPN for a single dilution with any positive electrodes was given by MPN (μL − 1 ) = 1 / m e × 2.303 × log ((number of total electrode) / (number of negative electrode)). The m e denotes the amount of sample in each volume covered by an electrode on the DNA chip. When different concentrations of targeted nucleic acid were amplified, all electrodes on the DNA chip were positive above 2 × 10 1 copies/μL. On the other hand, positive ratios of detection decreased to 25% and 88% at 2 × 10 − 1 and 2 × 10 0 copies/μL, respectively. From these results, the volume covered by an electrode in the flow channel was calculated to be 1.2 ± 0.2 μL. The MPN method is applicable to nucleic acid analysis using electrochemical DNA chip and several copies of targeted nucleic acid are quantified precisely without calibration curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floquet states can be realized in quantum systems driven by continuous time-periodic perturbations. It is known that a state known as the Floquet Weyl semimetal can be realized when free Dirac fermions are placed in a rotating electric field. What will happen if strong interaction is introduced to this system? Will the interaction wash out the characteristic features of Weyl semimetals such as the Hall response? Is there a steady state and what is its thermodynamic behavior? We answer these questions using AdS/CFT correspondence in the $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 2 supersymmetric massless QCD in a rotating electric field in the large N limit realizing the first example of a 'holographic Floquet state'. In this limit, gluons not only mediate interaction, but also act as an energy reservoir and stabilize the nonequilibrium steady state (NESS). We obtain the electric current induced by a rotating electric field: in the high frequency region, the Ohm's law is satisfied, while we recover the DC nonlinear conductivity at low frequency, which was obtained holographically in a previous work. The thermodynamic properties of the NESS, e.g., fluctuation-dissipation relation, is characterized by the effective Hawking temperature that is defined from the effective horizon giving a holographic meaning to the 'periodic thermodynamic' concept. In addition to the strong (pump) rotating electric field, we apply an additional weak (probe) electric field in the spirit of the pump-probe experiments done in condensed matter experiments. Weak DC and AC probe analysis in the background rotating electric field shows Hall currents as a linear response, therefore the Hall response of Floquet Weyl semimetals survives at the strong coupling limit. We also find frequency mixed response currents, i.e., a heterodyning effect, characteristic to periodically driven Floquet systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) enables us to obtain mAbs with additional functions. In particular, modifications in antibody’s Fc (fragment, crystallizable) region can provide multiple benefits such as added toxicity by drug conjugation, higher affinity to Fc receptors on immunocytes, or the addition of functional modules. However, the generation of recombinant antibodies requires multiple laborious bioengineering steps. We previously developed a technology that enables rapid in vitro screening and isolation of specific mAb-expressing cells from the libraries constructed with chicken B-cell line DT40 (referred to as the ‘ADLib system’). To upgrade this ADLib system with the ability to generate customized mAbs, we developed a novel and rapid engineering technology that enables seamless exchanges of mAbs’ Fc domains after initial selections of mAb-producing clones by the ADLib system, using a gene-replacement unit for recombinase-mediated cassette exchange (RMCE). In this system, Cre-recombinase recognition sites were inserted into the Fc region of the active DT40 IgM allele, allowing the replacement of the Fc domain by the sequences of interest upon co-transfection of a Cre recombinase and a donor DNA, enabling the rapid exchange of Fc regions. Combining this method with the ADLib system, we demonstrate rapid Fc engineering to generate fluorescent antibodies and to enhance affinity to Fc receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history reveals the continuous increase in world energy consumption and carbon emissions. For prevention of intolerable global warming and complete exhaustion of fossil fuels we need complete conversion from fossil fuel consumption to renewable energy. We have been performing the research and development of global carbon dioxide recycling for more than 25 years to supply renewable energy to the world in the form of methane produced by the reaction of carbon dioxide captured from chimney with hydrogen generated electrolytically using electricity generated by renewable energy. We created the cathode and anode for electrolytic hydrogen generation and the catalyst for carbon dioxide methanation by the reaction with hydrogen. The methane formation from renewable energy will be the most convenient and efficient key technology for the use of renewable energy by storage of intermittent and fluctuating electricity generated from renewable energy and by regeneration of stable electricity. Domestic and international cooperation of companies for industrialization is in progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence after liver transplantation decreases survival rates. Improved understanding of the multiple factors influencing HCV recurrence could aid decision-making for donor-recipient pairing and maximize transplant outcomes. The aim of this study was to create a model based on pretransplant variables to stratify patients at risk of HCV-related allograft failure. Methods This retrospective study enrolled 154 liver transplant recipients with HCV at Cleveland Clinic. Results Among the study population, 54 recipients (35.1%) experienced HCV recurrence, histologically defined as moderate to severe hepatitis and/or bridging fibrosis to cirrhosis. The multivariate analysis found donor age (≥60 years, P < 0.002), donor body mass index (≥30 kg/m2, P < 0.05), African American recipient ( P < 0.01) and genotype 1 ( P < 0.02) as risk factors for HCV-related allograft failure. When these four factors were scored as a combined index (no factor [ n = 15], one factor [ n = 76], two factors [ n = 43] and three or more factors [ n = 20]), the HCV recurrence-free survival showed good stratification according to the scores: 93.3% with no factor, 79.3% with one factor, 52.0% with two factors and 24.4% with three or more factors at 3 years after transplant ( P < 0.0001). Moreover, this risk index also identified the patient group at high risk of HCV recurrence after acute rejection. Conclusion While the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents has been changing the paradigm of HCV treatment, the natural history of recipients with HCV as shown in this study would help estimate the risk of HCV-related allograft failure in those who do not tolerate such new treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultra-thin chopped carbon fiber tape-reinforced thermoplastics, which belong to a class of randomly oriented strands and are characterized by enhanced strength, stiffness, and formability properties, have been prepared via a paper-making method from ultra-thin thermoplastic prepregs. The failure of ultra-thin chopped carbon fiber tape-reinforced thermoplastics under static tensile loading was studied in detail using various observation techniques, such as high-speed camera imaging, thermography, and optical microscopy. The obtained results revealed that the tensile fracture of ultra-thin chopped carbon fiber tape-reinforced thermoplastics exhibited three main patterns: fiber breakage, splitting of chopped tapes, and pulling out of chopped tapes. In contrast to conventional randomly oriented strands, the utilization of ultra-thin prepregs decreased the tensile strength scattering. An increase in the ultra-thin prepreg tape length resulted in an increase in the strength average magnitude, reaching saturation at a length of 18 mm. The results of this study can be used for constructing tensile strength prediction models and expanding the ultra-thin chopped carbon fiber tape-reinforced thermoplastics application range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the QCD string picture at confining phase, we conjecture that the deconfinement transition always accompanies a condensation of higher meson resonances with a power-law behavior, “meson turbulence”. We employ the AdS/CFT correspondence to calculate the meson turbulence for N = 2 supersymmetric QCD at large N c and at strong coupling limit, and find that the energy distribution to each meson level n scales as n α with the universal scaling α = − 5 . The universality is checked for various ways to attain the quark deconfinement: a static electric field below/around the critical value, a time-dependent electric field quench, and a time-dependent quark mass quench, all result in the turbulent meson condensation with the universal power α = − 5 around the deconfinement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a QCD-like strongly coupled gauge theory at large N c , using the AdS/CFT correspondence, we find that heavy quark deconfinement is accompanied by a coherent condensation of higher meson resonances. This is revealed in non-equilibrium deconfinement transitions triggered by static, as well as quenched electric fields even below the Schwinger limit. There, we observe a “turbulent” energy flow to higher meson modes, which finally results in the quark deconfinement. Our observation is consistent with seeing deconfinement as a condensation of long QCD strings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rats display stereotypical oromotor and somatic responses to small volumes of intraorally infused taste solutions. These behaviors, known as taste reactivity, are categorized by their association with ingestion or rejection and are thought to reflect the palatability of the stimulus. Because supracollicular decerebrate rats display normal taste reactivity responses, it would appear that forebrain structures are not necessary for generating them. However, because moving the plane of transection rostrally, or damaging or manipulating specific ventral forebrain sites disrupts normal taste reactivity behavior, lesions of the gustatory cortex, a region that has been suggested to be involved with palatability processing, may do the same. In the current study, rats received two injections of either ibotenic acid ( N =12) or vehicle ( N =8), targeting the conventionally defined gustatory cortex in each hemisphere, and were implanted with intraoral cannulae. Following recovery, their responses to intraoral infusions (0.23 ml in 1 min) of d H 2 O, sucrose (1.0 M and 0.1 M), and quinine hydrochloride (3 mM and 0.3 mM) were video recorded. Analysis of brains with sufficient bilateral lesions ( N =10) revealed that, on average, approximately 94% of the gustatory cortex was destroyed. These extensive bilateral lesions had no significant effect on taste reactivity; the numbers of ingestive and aversive responses to sucrose and quinine were similar between groups. Though these findings do not rule out involvement of the gustatory cortex in palatability processing, they make evident that the region of insular cortex destroyed is not necessary for the normal expression of unconditioned affective behavioral responses to taste stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although damage to gustatory cortex (GC) in the rat has been reported to severely impair, if not eliminate, retention of a presurgically conditioned taste aversion (CTA), it has equivocal effects on taste preference as measured by intake tests. Because intake tests can be influenced by nongustatory (e.g., postingestive) factors, we employed the brief-access taste test to assess the effects of ibotenic acid–induced lesions targeting the GC on unconditioned licking to a sucrose and then a quinine concentration series in a specialized lickometer. As a functional lesion assessment, a presurgical CTA to 0.1M NaCl was established in thirsty rats by following 15-min intake with intraperitoneal administration of either LiCl (or NaCl for control) on 2 occasions. Both conditioned sham-operated (SHAM) rats and rats with histologically confirmed extensive damage to the GC (GCX) avoided a NaCl concentration series relative to unconditioned controls in a postsurgical brief-access CTA test, with no difference between the surgical groups in their responses to NaCl or similar concentrations of KCl. GCX rats also did not differ from SHAM rats in the EC50 of concentration–response functions for sucrose or quinine. Clearly, the critical cortical area required for the retention of a presurgical CTA falls outside of the extensive area of damage, which was well centered within the conventionally defined gustatory zone of the insular cortex. The absence of an effect on unconditioned responsiveness to sucrose and quinine suggests that the damaged region is also unnecessary for the normal expression of affective licking responses to tastants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We provide, for non-experts, a brief overview of holographic QCD (quantum chromodynamics) and a review of the recent proposal (Hashimoto et al 2010 (arXiv:1003.4988[hep-th])) of a matrix-like description of multi-baryon systems in holographic QCD. Based on the matrix model, we derive the baryon interaction at short distances in multi-flavor holographic QCD. We show that there is a very universal repulsive core of inter-baryon forces for a generic number of flavors. This is consistent with a recent lattice QCD analysis for Nf = 2, 3 where the repulsive core looks universal. We also provide a comparison of our results with the lattice QCD and the operator product expansion analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is a well-established strategy to decrease the mortality in the waiting list and recent studies have demonstrated its value even in patients with low MELD score. However, LDLT is still under a high level of scrutiny because of its technical complexity and ethical challenges as demonstrated by a decline in the number of procedures performed in the last decade in Western Countries. Many aspects make LDLT different from deceased donor liver transplantation, including timing of transplantation, procedure-related complications as well as immunological factors that may affect graft outcomes. Our review suggests that in selected cases, LDLT offers significant advantages over deceased donor liver transplantation and should be used more liberally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective display power management is essential to reduce the cost of operating desktop computers as well as prolonging the lifetime of battery-operated notebooks and laptops between consecutive battery recharges. Although displays are dedicated for our eyes, existing display power management technologies “sense” only our fingers or temperature or motion through keyboard, mouse, or special sensors. Therefore, display may either switch off when its user looks at the screen or loose energy by keeping the screen on when nobody looks at it. This paper discusses a new display power management technology and outlines its implementation in personal computer systems. Unlike presently used power management, our technology “watches” the user through a single video camera. The technology tracks the user's eyes, keeping the display active only if the user looks at the screen. Otherwise, it dims the display down or even switches it off to save energy. We implemented the technology in field programmable gate array-based hardware and present results of its experimental evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: During skin wounding and healing, skin homeostasis is interrupted. How the altered epithelial–mesenchymal interactions influence scar formation and epidermogenesis should be investigated using three-dimensional models that are similar to in vivo structures. Objective: In this study, we assessed the effects of epithelial–mesenchymal interactions on myofibroblast differentiation and how myofibroblasts influence epidermogenesis using a human living skin equivalent (LSE) model. Methods: We constructed a fibroblast-populated type I collagen gel upon which LSEs were formed by seeding with normal human keratinocytes. Samples of the collagen gel and LSEs were collected at different time points. Myofibroblast differentiation, epidermal differentiation, and proliferation status were investigated immunohistochemically. Several measures were taken to suppress α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression to determine the effects of myofibroblasts on epidermogenesis, including the addition of basic fibroblast growth factor or a transformation growth factor-β (TGF-β) kinase inhibitor to the culture medium and the inclusion of an amniotic membrane (AM) in the dermal matrix. Results: The myofibroblast/fibroblast ratio in the fibroblast-populated collagen gel kept rising during culture. In the LSEs, most fibroblasts were α-SMA-negative, except for those along the dermal–epidermal junction. The suppression of α-SMA expression enhanced epidermal differentiation and decreased TGF-β1 expression in the epidermis. The inhibition of TGF-β kinase completely suppressed α-SMA expression in the dermal matrix. Conclusions: Epidermogenesis suppressed α-SMA expression in the fibroblast-rich dermal matrix, except near the dermal–epidermal junction. The α-SMA-positive cells at the dermal–epidermal junction contributed to the hyperproliferative phenotype of the epidermis. In contrast, the hyperproliferative epidermis expressed more TGF-β1, which is responsible for myofibroblast differentiation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The vast increase of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has attracted considerable attention worldwide, and the development of a novel therapeutic option against a representative kidney disease that leads to CKD, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MsPGN) would be significant. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), a member of the steroid/nuclear receptor superfamily, is known to perform various physiological functions. Recently, we reported that PPARα in activated mesangial cells exerted anti-inflammatory effects and that the deficiency of PPARα resulted in high susceptibility to glomerulonephritis. To investigate whether PPARα activation improves the disease activity of MsPGN, we examined the protective effects of a PPARα agonist, clofibrate, in a well-established model of human MsPGN, anti-Thy1 nephritis, for the first time. This study demonstrated that pretreatment with clofibrate (via a 0.02% or 0.1% clofibrate-containing diet) continuously activated the glomerular PPARα, which outweighed the PPARα deterioration associated with the nephritic process. The PPARα activation appeared to suppress the NF-κB signaling pathway in glomeruli by the induction of IκBα, resulting in the reduction of proteinuria and the amelioration of the active inflammatory pathologic glomerular changes. These findings suggest the antinephritic potential of PPARα-related medicines against MsPGN. PPARα-related medicines might be useful as a treatment option for CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Amorphous alloys have many attractive characteristics including extremely high corrosion resistance if the sufficient amounts of corrosion-resistant elements are added. The superiority of amorphous alloys is based on the homogeneous single phase nature without any chemical and physical heterogeneities. Although there are processing limitations to avoid the formation of heterogeneous crystalline structure in addition to no welding technology without crystallization, the application of corrosion-resistant amorphous alloys is expected particularly to the very aggressive environments, where any conventional crystalline metallic materials cannot be used. Some amorphous bulk alloys showed zero corrosion mass loss due to spontaneous passivation even in 12M HCl. Production of amorphous bulk alloys became possible for selected compositions. The homogeneous single phase nature is also effective to form useful catalysts with unique composition and structure. An example of catalysts is for carbon dioxide methanation useful for supply of renewable energy in the form of methane. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Neurons responding to innocuous thermal stimulation of the anterior tongue were newly identified in the dorsal margin of the trigeminal principal nucleus (PV). Connections of the dorsal margin of the PV were neuroanatomically identified using wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) with electrophysiological techniques. Injection of WGA-HRP into the dorsal margin of the PV demonstrated anterograde labels distributed from the most dorsomedial portion of the posteromedial ventral nucleus (VPM) to the dorsolateral portion of the parvicellular part of the VPM and retrograde labels in the superficial layers of the caudal subnucleus of the spinal trigeminal nucleus (SpVc). Injection of WGA-HRP in the most dorsomedial portion of the VPM demonstrated retrogradely labeled cells in the dorsal margin of the PV as well as in the superficial layers of the SpVc. Tracer injection into the superficial layers of the SpVc resulted in anterograde labels in the dorsal margin of the PV as well as in the dorsomedial portion of the VPM. These findings show that neurons in the PV respond to innocuous thermal stimulation of the trigeminal field and suggest that the dorsal margin of the PV is a possible new relay for the tongue thermal sense, receiving thermal information from the superficial layers of the SpVc, the primary thermal relay for the trigeminal field, and passing the information to the thalamic relay. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hashimoto K, Miller C, Hirose K, Diago T, Aucejo F, Quintini C, Eghtesad B, Corey R, Yerian L, Lopez R, Zein N, Fung J. Measurement of CD4+ T-cell function in predicting allograft rejection and recurrent hepatitis C after liver transplantation. Clin Transplant 2009 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2009.01169.x © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Recurrence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be difficult to distinguish from acute cellular rejection (ACR) following liver transplantation. The Cylex Immune Function Assay (ImmuKnow) provides objective measure of recipient's immune function. The goal is to assess the ability of this assay to distinguish these similar conditions. A retrospective review was performed in 54 recipients with HCV. ImmuKnow assays were measured with allograft biopsies. Levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release from CD4+ T cells (ng/mL) were compared with the following biopsy result classifications: 365 ± 130 with ACR (n = 11), 152 ± 100 with recurrent HCV (n = 26), 240 ± 71 with normal biopsies (n = 12), and 157 ± 130 with overlapping features of ACR and recurrent HCV (n = 5). Recipients with recurrent HCV had lower immune response than those with ACR (p < 0.0001).Using a cutoff level of 220, the sensitivity and specificity for distinguishing two conditions were 88.5% and 90.9%, respectively. When recipients with overlapping features had low immune response, three of four recipients' subsequent biopsies showed recurrent HCV. In conclusion, the ImmuKnow assay can be a sensitive and specific additional test for distinguishing recurrent HCV from ACR and may be useful for predicting which recipients may be most vulnerable to recurrent HCV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We introduce the strange quark mass to the Sakai–Sugimoto model of holographic QCD. We compute mass shifts in the spectra of three-flavor baryons at the leading order in perturbation in quark masses. Comparison with experimental data shows an agreement only qualitatively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Recent “technology” called holography, or gauge/string duality (AdS/CFT correspondence) found in string theory, makes it possible to compute various quantities of strongly coupled gauge theories. This technology was applied to QCD, and it was found that it describes surprisingly well important properties of low energy QCD, the hadron physics. We apply it further to nuclear physics. In this talk, I review a part of the developments of the holographic QCD, and show a computation of nuclear force at short distance, derived using the holographic QCD, which was done in collaboration with T. Sakai and S. Sugimoto [K. Hashimoto, T. Sakai, and S. Sugimoto, “Holographic Baryons: Static Properties and Form Factors from Gauge/String Duality,”Prog. Theor. Phys. 120 (2008) 1093–1137, arXiv:0806.3122 [hep-th]; K. Hashimoto, T. Sakai, and S. Sugimoto, “Nuclear Force from String Theory,”arXiv:0901.4449 [hep-th]]. (This talk was presented at Hyp-X conference at J-PARC, on 25th September, 2009.) [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We examined whether salt taste and/or abdominal illness were dealt within different subnuclei in the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) in mice, using retrograde tracing methods and c-Fos–like immunoreactivity (FLI) detection procedures. Some PBN subnuclei have distinct functions and receive various sensory inputs from the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and other areas and relay them to the higher order nuclei such as the thalamus. The afferent-dependent pattern of FLI has been investigated in the PBN. However, it is unclear in which PBN subnuclei the tastants induce c-Fos, or whether PBN subnuclei process taste inputs separately from other inputs, or integrate them. After the tracer injections into the thalamic taste relay, the retrograde labeled cells revealed the taste relay cells in the PBN at the boundary with the superior cerebellar peduncle of both the inner part of the external lateral subnucleus and the medial subnucleus and in the waist area. On the other hand, NaCl intake induced intense FLI in the dorsal lateral subnucleus, whereas LiCl intake yielded intense FLI in both the dorsal lateral subnucleus and the outer part of the external lateral subnucleus. Thus, the present findings that subnuclei relaying taste information to the thalamus do not yield FLI in response to salt taste and abdominal illness indicate that they lack FLI yielding pathways or that they are independent from the subnuclei processing salt taste and visceral information via c-Fos in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recently, solitary fibrous tumors occurring in spine-related lesions have been reported. However, the destruction of vertebral bodies by this type of tumor has not been reported. A 71-year-old female presented with pain from a mass on the right side of her neck. Plain radiographs of the cervical spine showed collapse of the C5 vertebral body and dislocation of the C4 vertebral body. The MRI image showed a large mass surrounding C4 and C5, which had low signal intensity in the T1W image and high signal intensity in the T2W image. At first, resection of the tumor and spinal fusion was performed by anterior approach. Histology revealed a solitary fibrous tumor with proliferating spindle cells. Immunohistochemistry showed positive stains for vimentin and CD34. One year postoperatively, a local recurrence manifested extensive destruction of the C4 and C5 vertebral bodies. Then, palliative surgery with posterior cervical instrumentation and radiation therapy were performed. Because the destruction proceeded and the rods were broken 2 years after, she underwent additional occipito-cervical instrumentation. This is the first report of a solitary fibrous tumor that involves the destruction of the spinal structure. An extensive destruction of the vertebral body by the solitary fibrous tumor needs to be aware in treating this tumor with spinal involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tremendous progress achieved through the study of black holes and branes suggests that their time-dependent generalizations called Spacelike branes (S-branes) may prove similarly useful. An example of an established approach to S-branes is to include a string boundary interaction and we first summarize evidence for the death of open string degrees of freedom for the homogeneous rolling tachyon on a decaying brane. Then, we review how to extract the flat S-brane worldvolumes describing the homogeneous rolling tachyon and how large deformations correspond to creation of lower dimensional strings and branes. These S-brane worldvolumes are governed by S-brane actions which are on equal footing to D-brane actions, since they are derived by imposing conformality on the string worldsheet, as well as by analyzing fluctuations of time-dependent tachyon configurations. As further examples we generalize previous solutions of the S-brane actions so as to describe multiple decaying and nucleating closed fundamental strings. Conceptually S-brane actions are therefore different from D-brane actions and can provide a description of time-dependent strings/branes and possibly their interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is known to induce fulminant hepatic failure. The aim of this study is to clarify the molecular basis of liver injury in HSV-induced hepatitis.Methods: Immunocompetent mice were inoculated with HSV or ultraviolet-inactivated HSV (UV-HSV) intravenously. Extent of liver injury was evaluated by changes of serum enzymes and histopathology. Apoptosis was assessed by DNA fragmentation and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL). Immunohistochemistry for caspase-3 and Fas ligand was performed. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for Fas ligand was also performed.Results: All mice died of rapid and massive liver cell death after HSV infection, whereas no change was observed in mice after UV-HSV inoculation. The extent of viral replication and DNA fragmentation correlated well with the severity of liver injury. Caspase-3 was activated in the liver after HSV infection, but not UV-HSV. Positive reaction for TUNEL was observed not only in HSV-antigen positive cells but also in HSV-antigen negative cells. Fas ligand was induced in the liver infected with HSV, but not with UV-HSV.Conclusions: Caspase-dependent apoptosis is involved in HSV-associated liver injury. Not only viral replication but also non-viral factor such as Fas ligand may facilitate rapid development of this disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is associated with increased cytokine production, which can ultimately produce deleterious local and systemic effects. The transcription factor NF-kappaB is activated by degradation of its inhibitory factor, IkappaB, and can stimulate various cytokines. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the inhibition of NF-kappaB binding activity with a novel peptide that binds to the NF-kappaB essential modifier binding domain (NBD) could attenuate the severity of AP.Study Design: AP was induced in Swiss Webster mice by hourly injections of the cholecystokinin analogue cerulein (50 microg/kg). Mice were injected with either the wild-type or control (mutated) NBD peptide at the time of the first cerulein injection; they were then sacrificed over a time course, and pancreata and lungs were harvested for histologic analysis and scoring. Myeloperoxidase activity was measured to assess neutrophil sequestration as an indicator of inflammation. NF-kappaB binding activity and steady-state levels of IkappaB and NF-kappaB subunits were determined by gel shift and Western blot, respectively.Results: AP resulted in increased NF-kappaB DNA-binding activity and decreased steady-state levels of IkappaB. Treatment with NBD peptide decreased inflammation in the pancreas, decreased hemorrhage in the lungs, and decreased myeloperoxidase activity in both pancreas and lung.Conclusions: The marked induction of NF-kappaB binding activity suggests a role for this transcription factor in the early inflammatory changes associated with AP. Treatment with the NBD peptide attenuated the severity of injury associated with AP. Novel compounds that selectively target NF-kappaB may prove to be useful treatment of AP and AP-associated lung injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

: BackgroundAcute pancreatitis (AP) is associated with increased cytokine production, which can ultimately produce deleterious local and systemic effects. The transcription factor NF-κB is activated by degradation of its inhibitory factor, IκB, and can stimulate various cytokines. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the inhibition of NF-κB binding activity with a novel peptide that binds to the NF-κB essential modifier binding domain (NBD) could attenuate the severity of AP.: Study designAP was induced in Swiss Webster mice by hourly injections of the cholecystokinin analogue cerulein (50 μg/kg). Mice were injected with either the wild-type or control (mutated) NBD peptide at the time of the first cerulein injection; they were then sacrificed over a time course, and pancreata and lungs were harvested for histologic analysis and scoring. Myeloperoxidase activity was measured to assess neutrophil sequestration as an indicator of inflammation. NF-κB binding activity and steady-state levels of IκB and NF-κB subunits were determined by gel shift and Western blot, respectively.: ResultsAP resulted in increased NF-κB DNA-binding activity and decreased steady-state levels of IκB. Treatment with NBD peptide decreased inflammation in the pancreas, decreased hemorrhage in the lungs, and decreased myeloperoxidase activity in both pancreas and lung.: ConclusionsThe marked induction of NF-κB binding activity suggests a role for this transcription factor in the early inflammatory changes associated with AP. Treatment with the NBD peptide attenuated the severity of injury associated with AP. Novel compounds that selectively target NF-κB may prove to be useful treatment of AP and AP-associated lung injury. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recently several endogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐family growth factors (transforming growth factor‐α, amphiregulin, and heparin‐binding EGF‐like growth factor) have been identified in human keratinocytes. These factors are known to play an important role in the regulation of cell proliferation. Here we show that the interaction between these factors and EGF receptor are key factors in the progression from the G1 phase to the S phase (the G1/S progression) in human keratinocytes. In this study, human keratinocytes were cultured in serum‐free MCDB153 medium and then partially synchronized by isoleucine deprivation. After synchronization, the number of S phase cells increased and reached a maximum after 18–24 h. The immediate addition of anti‐EGF receptor blocking antibody (1 μg per ml) to synchronized cells decreased S phase cells by 42.5% compared with untreated keratinocytes at 18 h. By contrast, the addition of anti‐EGF receptor antibodies at 12 h or later did not alter the percentage of S phase cells. Northern blot analysis of synchronized cells demonstrated that mRNA expression of transforming growth factor‐α, amphiregulin, heparin‐binding EGF‐like growth factor, and EGF receptor reached a maximum within 0.5–3 h after synchronization, when many cells initiated progression from the G1 to the S phase. The results show that anti‐EGF receptor antibodies block the G1/S progression and the rapid increase of mRNA expression of endogenous EGF‐family growth factors and EGF receptor during G1/S progression. These findings indicate that growth factor binding and EGF receptor activation are involved in the G1/S cell cycle progression of human keratinocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This paper compares the effects of MC903 (calcipotriol) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D[sub3[1,25(OH)[sub2],D[sub3]; calcitriol] on differentiation and proliferation of normal human keratinocytes cultured in serum-free medium. In order to understand the inhibitory mechanism of MC903, we examined its effect on cell cycle kinetics and the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma gene product (pRB), a tumor suppressor gene products, in normal human keratinocytes. Background: The hormonally active form of vitamin D[sub3], 125-dihydroxy vitamin D[sub3] [l,25(OH)[sub2]D[sub3]], regulates the differentiation and proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes in vitro. MC903 is a novel vitamin D[sub3] analogue which is at least 100 times less potent than l,25(OH)[sub2]D[sub3] in its effects on calcium homeostasis. Methods: We analyzed cell differentiation and cell cycle by flow cytometry using a FACScan, and pRB phosphorylation by Western blotting and densitometer. Results: MC903 induced growth inhibition and differentiation of human keratinocytes. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that 10[sup-6] M of MC903 induced cell cycle arrest in both G1/G0 (62.4 ± 0.7% versus 56.5 ± 1.7% in control, p <0.01) and G2 + M (19.2 ± 0.3% versus 14.0 ± 0.9% in control,(p < 0.01) phase. 10[sup-6] M of MC903 also increased the dephosphorylated pRB from 25% at 0 h to 84% at 48 h, as well as 1,25(OH)[sub2]D[sub3]. Conclusions: Since pRB phosphorylation is supposed to be essential for the progression from Gl to S phase, the inhibition of pRB phosphorylation could be responsible for the GI/GO growth arrest induced by MC903 in normal human keratinocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on a sequence-specific gene detection with a gold electrode modified with DNA probes and an electrochemically active dye. Immobilization of a mercaptohexyl group at the 5'-phosphate end on a gold electrode by chemisorption; Hybridization of the modified electrode in a solution of a model targeted gene.

To investigate the mechanisms by which cutaneous plasminogen activator (PA) may be regulated, we have tested cultured keratinocytes for the presence of PA inhibitors. Using biosynthetic labeling experiments with 35SS-methionine in conjunction with specific antibody precipitation, we have shown that human keratinocytes in culture synthesized and secreted both PA inhibitor I and PA inhibitor 2. PA inhibitor 1 was present in conditioned media in the inactive form, but it could be detected with reverse phase autography. PA inhibitor 2 was detected by its ability to form complexes with 125I-uPA. Potential therapeutic relevance for cutaneous PA inhibitor 2 was suggested in skin organ culture experiments which demonstrated that purified PA inhibitor 2 from human placenta was able to prevent the acantholytic changes induced by pemphigus IgG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary cultures of human epidermal cells produce plasminogen activator (PA) as demonstrated by the ability of conditioned medium or cell lysates to hydrolyze fibrin in the presence of plasminogen, and to cleave [125I]plasminogen to characteristic fragments. The major molecular species of PA in human epidermal cells was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate and comigrated in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with the high molecular weight band of human urokinase (Mr 55,000). Production of PA by human epidermal cells was inhibited by cycloheximide, stimulated by colchicine, and not affected by cytochalasin B or the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate. Both cholera toxin and epidermal growth factor stimulated PA activity in human epidermal cells, and PA activity was maximal at concentrations that best support in vitro growth of human epidermal cells. Examination of individual cells indicated that at least 15% of cells within a culture produced detectable amounts of PA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triton X-100 extracts of cultured human epidermal cells exhibited proteolytic activity as measured by the hydrolysis of [³H]-casein at neutral pH. The majority of endogenous proteolytic activity was inhibited by parahydroxy mercuribenzoate and by mersalyl acid, indicating the enzyme(s) was a thiol class proteinase(s). Crude Triton X-100 extracts were prepared from epidermal cell following labeling of proteins with 125I. Autodegradation of labeled proteins at 37° C was detected as early as 1 hr and reached a plateau level by 4 hr. Degradation was inhibited by thiol class proteinase inhibitors. Among the detergent-solubilized radiolabeled proteins a polypeptide chain of Mr 155,000 was particularly sensitive to degradation by endogenous thiol proteinase(s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exponential growth of thermal out-of-time-order correlator (OTOC) is an indicator of a possible gravity dual, and a simple toy quantum model showing the growth is being looked for. We consider a system of two harmonic oscillators coupled nonlinearly with each other, and numerically observe that the thermal OTOC grows exponentially in time. The system is well-known to be classically chaotic, and is a reduction of Yang-Mills-Higgs theory. The exponential growth is certified because the growth exponent (quantum Lyapunov exponent) of the thermal OTOC is well matched with the classical Lyapunov exponent, including their energy/temperature dependence. Even in the presence of the exponential growth in the OTOC, the energy level spacings are not sufficient to judge a Wigner distribution, hence the OTOC is a better indicator of quantum chaos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]