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Background Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) quantified from coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is a new predictor of CT-derived high-risk plaque (HRP) and adverse cardiac events. There has been no report investigating the method to assess PCAT from non-contrast CT so far. In this present study, we developed a brand-new method to quantify the value of PCAT from electrocardiogram (ECG)-gated non-contrast CT (NC-PCAT). Purpose To develop a brand-new method to quantify NC-PCAT accurately, and evaluate its prognostic value. Methods We retrospectively studied two independent cohorts of patients undergoing CCTA and ECG-gated non-contrast CT for clinical indication of coronary artery disease (CAD). For former cohort of consecutive 300 patients, we validated the agreement between the NC-PCAT and PCAT, and evaluated the association between NC-PCAT and the prevalence of HRP. For latter cohort of consecutive 333 patients, we dichotomized them into two groups with median NC-PCAT, and assessed the prognostic value of NC-PCAT. To quantify NC-PCAT, we placed 15x15mm region of interest at epicardial fat tissue dorsally adjacent to right coronary ostium in axial slice of ECG-gated non-contrast CT, and defined NC-PCAT as the mean CT value of each 1x1mm pixel there. PCAT was quantified from CCTA using conventional method as described in former researches. Primary endpoint was defined as major adverse cardiac events (MACE), composite of all-cause death and non-fatal myocardial infarction. HRP was defined as coronary artery plaque which has two or more following features; positive remodeling, low attenuation, spotty calcification, and napkin-ring sign. Results NC-PCAT was well-correlated with PCAT (r=0.68, p Conclusions There was a positive correlation between NC-PCAT and PCAT. Higher NC-PCAT is significantly associated with not only the prevalence of HRP, but also worse clinical outcome. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Perioperative increase in oxidative activity in surgical patients reportedly prevents postoperative surgical site infection (SSI). Several clinical studies have shown that oxidative activity under sevoflurane anaesthesia was higher than that under propofol anaesthesia. Therefore, we hypothesised that sevoflurane anaesthesia would discourage SSI compared with propofol anaesthesia. To examine the effect of anaesthesia maintained with sevoflurane and propofol on SSI, a total of 265 consecutive adult patients, with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1-3, who underwent elective open gastrointestinal surgery under general anaesthesia, were surveyed for SSI between January 2007 and December 2008. Sevoflurane or propofol was selected to maintain anaesthesia in 95 and 170 patients, respectively. A propensity score was used for pairwise matching of these patients to avoid selection biases between the two methods of anaesthesia. Propensity matching yielded 84 pairs of patients. We compared standardised infection ratios (SIRs), i.e. the quotient of the number of SSI cases observed and the number of SSI cases expected, calculated using data from the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance, between sevoflurane and propofol anaesthesia. After propensity matching, SIR after sevoflurane anaesthesia was 1.89 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46-2.32], which was significantly lower than after propofol anaesthesia (4.78; 95% CI: 4.30-5.27) (P=0.02). This study suggests that sevoflurane tends to suppress SSI after elective open gastrointestinal surgery compared with propofol.

The purpose of this study is to examine a normal conduction pathway of the left atrium. During pulmonary vein isolation using a three-dimensional mapping system, we observed the characteristics of the conduction pattern. Subjects consisted of 15 patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (mean age, 62.8 ± 8.4 years). Left atrial activation conduction begins in the interatrial septum, and moves toward the peak of the ridge between the left atrial appendage and left pulmonary vein. In coronary sinus or appendage pacing, conduction was in the opposite direction at the same location. The mean conduction velocity in this area was 2.03 ± 0.43 m/s. Features of decrement conduction were not present. Anatomical position of the appendage differed greatly between patients. A detailed observation using the inner-cavity view of a three-dimensional mapping system also showed that the peak of the ridge reached the center of the roof.

症例は53歳の女性.下腹部痛,発熱,頭痛,嘔吐にて救急車にて救急外来を初診.両季肋部に圧痛を,腹部CT検査にて肝両葉に低吸収域を認め,肝膿瘍と診断し,超音波下に膿瘍ドレナージ術を施行した.入院後便への血液付着に気付き,精査にてS状結腸癌の診断となった.また上部消化管内視鏡検査にて胃体上部大弯にIIc病変を認め,生検にてgroup 4であった.開腹にて,肝外側と胃は強固に癒着,S状結腸癌は直腸に浸潤しており,胃全摘,肝外側区域合併切除,低位前方切除術を施行した.病理診断にても肝に転移所見はなく,膿瘍で矛盾しない所見であった.大腸癌に肝膿瘍を形成することは比較的まれであり,大腸癌から経門脈的に肝膿瘍を形成したと考えられた.胃癌を合併し,結腸癌が肝膿瘍の原因と考えられた症例を経験したので報告した.

Ti and TiO_2 films were deposited by RF reactive sputtering using a mixed gas of Ar and O_2. TiO_2 films were found to be formed at oxygen flow ratios above 7%. At the critical O_2 flow ratio, the amount of supplied Ti atoms was found to agree with that of O_2 molecules. Above the critical O_2 flow ratio, the amount of supplied O_2 molecules exceeded the gettering effect of the sputtering Ti atoms and oxygen density in the plasma began to increase. As a result, the surface of the Ti target was oxidized and TiO_2 films were formed. The thickness of the oxide film formed on the Ti target increased with increasing oxygen flow ratio and a maximum thickness of 5-6 nm was obtained at oxygen flow ratios of 40-100%., application/pdf

We demonstrate electrical electron spin injection in a p+-(Ga,Mn)As/n+-GaAs tunnel junction with an n-GaAs/(In,Ga)As/p-GaAs light emitting diode (LED). By applying a reverse bias to the p+-(Ga,Mn)As/n+-GaAs junction (forward bias to the LED), we observed clear hysteresis in electroluminescence (EL) polarization. The magnitude of the EL polarization, which does not depend critically on the spacer layer thickness up to 800 nm, is found to be about five times greater than that of the hole spin injection.

Asphalt emulsions are water-continuous dispersions of fine asphalt droplets of 1–10 μm in diameter, manufactured with the aid of a colloid mill. The emulsions may contain between 40% and 80% asphalt by weight, and they can be anionic or cationic based on the chemical nature of emulsifiers used. This chapter provides in-depth analysis of emulsion production, emulsion properties, and curing mechanisms through fundamental theories of dispersion stability and rheology, and also discusses emulsion residue characterization, which demonstrates advantages of emulsion-based paving technology.

Wheat heads showing symptoms of Fusarium head blight were collected from four commercial fields in Zhejiang Province, China, an area where epidemics occur regularly. A total of 225 isolates were subjected to population-level analyses using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) as markers. Diagnostic RFLP markers established that all isolates belonged to Fusarium graminearum lineage 6. Nine polymorphic probes were hybridized to all isolates, resulting in 65 multilocus RFLP haplotypes (MRH). Probing with the telomeric clone pNla17, which reveals differences among isolates in the hypervariable subtelomeric region, differentiated the 65 MRH further into 144 clones. Mean gene diversity for the four field populations was similar, ranging from H = 0.306 - 0.364 over the nine RFLP loci for clone-corrected data. High levels of gene flow were inferred from a low level of population subdivision among all field populations, indicating that they were part of the same population. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium measures did not unequivocally support a random mating population, because one-third of locus pairs were significantly different from the null hypothesis of no-association between alleles. We speculate therefore that sexual recombination may not be frequent and that high levels of genotypic diversity may be maintained by relatively low selection pressure acting on a highly diverse population.

Ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As epitaxial layers with zincblende structure have been grown on Si (1 0 0) substrates employing a three-step method using molecular beam epitaxy. Magnetic measurements reveal that the ferromagnetic transition temperature is 48 K for a layer with a lattice constant of 0.567 nm, which corresponds to a nominal Mn composition of 2%. When grown directly on Si without the three-step method, the same set of growth parameters results in a (Ga,Mn)As layer with a ferromagnetic order below 25 K. The difference of magnetic property between these two samples is attributed to the quality of the (Ga,Mn)As layer which originates from the different growth methods.

Pilot plant studies were carried out using actual wastewater to investigate the applicability of a membrane separation activated sludge (MSAS) process to municipal wastewater treatment. A small-scale pilot plant (6.7 m3/day) with immersed flat sheet membrane was operated at the flux of 0.4 m3/m2/day. Continuous operation for 140 days without chemical cleaning was possible. Average Sludge production ratio was about 0.6. No significant difference was observed in the dewaterability between membrane separation activated sludge and conventional activated sludge at the CST test. Large-scale pilot plants (30–70 m3/day) with five types of membrane were also operated. In these plants nitrogen removal by nitrification and denitrification, and phosphorus removal by coagulant addition were carried out. Stable operation with HRT of six hours, flux of 0.4–0.8 m3/m2/day was possible, the average nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency being more than 80 and 95%, respectively.

Photoluminescence (PL) spectra, time profiles of PL intensity and PL excitation spectra (PLE) for inter 3d multiplets (3d-MS) transition of Mn2‡ are observed in the semimagnetic semiconductor CdMnTe under high pressures. Those of inter 3d-MS and inter quantum levels (QL) transitions are also observed in quantum wells (CdTe/Cd0.4Mn0.6Te). The decay processes in these excited states are discussed. The decay process to the excited states of infrared photoluminescence is also discussed for various concentrations. In these excited states it is considered that large lattice relaxation is essential.

Time-resolved measurement is performed for photoluminescence around 2.0 eV which originates from internal transition between 3d multiplet states in Mn based semimagnetic semiconductors. Observed emission spectra show red shift with delay time after excitation. Larger shift is observed in the sample with larger width of the emission spectrum, which implies that the shift is caused by the energy relaxation in the inhomogeneous distribution of the Mn energies. To confirm this, we perform simple Monte-Carlo simulation in a wide range of time scale. The results well explain the magnitude of the shift and its logarithmic dependence on delay time. The dependences on excitation energy, temperature and pressure are also investigated.

Objective: Sucrose has been used as an estimate of the extracellular fluid (ECF) volume. This study was designed to examine the hypothesis that the initial distribution volume of glucose (IDVG) correlates with the initial distribution volume of sucrose (IDVS) following volume challenges. Design: Prospective study for comparison of two methods. Setting: Animal laboratory of the University of Hirosaki School of Medicine. Materials and Methods: Ten mongrel dogs of either sex, weighing 8.5-14.0 kg, were the subject of the study. Dogs were anesthetized with pentobarbital and paralyzed with pancuronium. The volume challenge was conducted with 3% dextran in lactated Ringer’s solution 30 ml · kg–1 over 30 min in 10 dogs. Thereafter, the same amount of the fluid was further administered in 8 of these 10 dogs. Before and after each volume challenge, glucose (100 mg·kg–1) and sucrose (100 mg·kg–1) were infused simultaneously over 30 s. The two estimates were calculated using a one-compartment model from repeated measurements of increased plasma glucose and sucrose during postinfusion. Results: A linear correlation was obtained between the two estimates (r = 0.89, n = 28, p< 0.0001). All dogs consistently showed that the IDVG individually followed the IDVS during changes in the latter. Conclusions: Results demonstrated that the IDVG correlated with the IDVS before and after volume changes and support the hypothesis that the IDVG is useful for evaluating the ECF volume status of highly perfused tissues.

Indocyanine green (ICG) has been demonstrated to be a reliable indicator for the estimation of plasma volume in man. Since this dye is bound to plasma protein when administered intravenously, overestimation of the plasma volume would occur during the presence of protein leak from plasma. However, to our knowledge, up to now no report has described whether or not plasma volume determined by the indocyanine green dilution method (PVICG) is clinically significantly overestimated under such conditions. We report two burned patients who temporally had an unusual large PVICG even though other clinical variables did not support the presence of hypervolemia. From the case described it can be concluded that a possible overestimation of PVICG occurs when the vascular permeability for proteins is increased.

Objective: Our experimental studies have indicated that the initial distribution volume of glucose (IDVG) has potential to evaluate the central extracellular fluid (ECF) volume status in the body. The purpose of the present study was to compare the IDVG and cardiac output (CO) in critically ill patients with or without expansion of the central ECF volume and to test whether a larger IDVG is observed during the presence of increased central ECF volume than during the absence of it. Design and Setting: The study was prospective and was conducted in the intensive care unit, University of Hirosaki Hospital, after approval of the institutional ethical committee. Patients: Fourteen patients with accumulation of the central ECF volume (the accumulation group) and 29 patients without it (the non-accumulation group) were studied. Interventions: Glucose 5 g was infused over 30 s when the patients’ hemodynamic states were relatively stable. Blood samples were taken immediately before infusion and during 7 min post-infusion. Thermodilution CO was also measured before each glucose challenge. A total of 81 comparisons were performed. Measurements and Results: The IDVG was calculated using a one-compartment model. A linear correlation was obtained between the IDVG and CO in the non-accumulation group (r = 0.89, n = 54, p < 0.001). The IDVG-CO ratio was higher in the accumulation group than in the non-accumulation group (p < 0.01). The increased plasma glucose concentrations at 3 min postinfusion were inversely proportional to the IDVG (r = -0.90, n = 81, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Results demonstrated that a larger IDVG was obtained during accumulation of the central ECF volume and support the hypothesis that the IDVG reflects the central ECF status in critically ill patients characterized in our study, even though CO influences the IDVG.

We report results obtained by photoluminescence (PL) measurements on zinc blende Cd 1− x Mn v Te thin films. For concentration x > 0.77 a large shift in Mn 2+ PL peak energy to higher energies was observed with increasing Mn concentration. An energy shift in Mn 2+ PL with change in excitation energy, observed in bulk CdMnTe at low temperature, has also been observed in thin films. Inhomogeneous broadening of the Mn 2+ PL in MnTe film is determined to be 32 meV. A high pressure technique was employed to obtain the temperature dependence of the pressure coefficient of the Mn 2+ PL energy in zinc blende MnTe thin film. The results are compared with those of bulk CdMnTe.

CrSb (1 ML)/GaAs (5 nm) multilayers with period up to 4 have been grown on GaAs substrates by solid-source molecular-beam epitaxy at 250°C. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction reveals zincblende characteristics throughout the growth of multilayer structures. High-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy also indicates that the crystal structure of the multilayers is zincblende and with no dislocations at the interfaces. The presence of room-temperature ferromagnetism is confirmed by magnetization measurements.

The effect of low-temperature annealing on (Ga,Mn)As/GaAs/(Ga,Mn)As trilayer structures is studied. Low-temperature annealing significantly increases the ferromagnetic transition temperature TC of top (Ga,Mn)As layers, reaching as high as 160 K, whereas no apparent effect is observed on bottom (Ga,Mn)As layers. The annealing effect on Be-doped trilayers is also presented.

Using cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), we have investigated the local electronic properties of molecular-beam epitaxy grown GaMnAs layers on a p-GaAs substrate. The STM image shows light and dark areas with the average size on the order of nm. From conductance spectra measured with the STM, the bandgap of the GaMnAs is estimated to be 1.23±0.05 eV. An apparent conductance within the bandgap indicates the presence of hole states in the valence band, which are induced by Mn acceptors. A conductance peak at 0.7 eV above the valence band edge can be identified with electron tunneling into the ionization levels of As antisites.

Epitaxial (Al,Ga,Mn)As films were prepared by low-temperature molecular-beam epitaxy and their magnetic properties were investigated. The Mn composition was fixed at approximately 0.05 while Al composition was varied up to 0.30. The results of magnetization and transport measurements for high Al composition samples show an out-of-plane magnetic easy axis and insulating behavior. This is quite different from those of (Ga,Mn)As films grown under the same growth conditions. The postgrowth annealing modified both the anisotropy and conductivity, indicating the presence of correlation between them. Preparation and characterization of the (Al,Ga,Mn)As-based heterostructures are also presented.

Thin films of CrSb grown by solid-source molecular-beam epitaxy on GaAs, (Al, Ga)Sb, and GaSb are found to exhibit ferromagnetism. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction and high-resolution cross sectional transmission electron microscopy both indicate that the structure is zincblende. Temperature dependence of remanent magnetization shows that the ferromagnetic transition temperature is beyond 400 K.

(Ga, Mn)As films with high nominal Mn concentration (0 0.1, which turn to polycrystalline features when x>0.3. X-ray diffraction shows the formation of MnAs together with the growth of (Ga, Mn)As. The lattice constant of the layers suggests that (Ga, Mn)As with high Mn composition as high as 17% can be grown by LT-MBE.

There are many researches about rescue robots for the disaster. These robots can find sufferers and rescue them. However, they cannot assess sufferer's condition at the disaster area. So, we are investigating how to measure vital sign of sufferers at the disaster area. In this paper, we talk about the measurement method for pulse, SPO2 and breathing. These methods are simple and easy to measure. We think that these methods is powerful and useful to rescue sufferers.

The big earthquake will produce many sufferers. Rescue robots which help sufferers are developing in various laboratories. And it is very important for rescue team to grasp sufferer's condition. If it is possible to know them, we can decide order to rescue and take suitable treatment after rescues. And a lot of life of the sufferers will be saved. It seems that it is difficult for the rescue team to approach the sufferer at the disaster. Therefore, in the disaster area, the measurement of the sufferer's bio-signals should be taken by remote sensing or easy contact. Our objective of this study is the development of the bio-signal sensors which can be set on the small rescue robot for this kind of measurement. In this paper, we will talk about our developed sensors which can measure respiratory rate and pulse rate.

We have developed an experimental approach that allows us to estimate the performance of a large-scale enterprise network for the updating of routing information. The estimation was applied in the integration of the UFJ Bank network system on January 15, 2002. The main characteristic of this approach is the application of a formula that represents the delays in the updating of routing information that accompany reductions in CPU resources. The procedure consists of two steps: (1) estimating the reduction in the availability of CPU resources which is caused by the forwarding of data packets at a router; (2) estimating the levels of CPU resources needed to reply to a query about a new route and for the updating of routing information. These steps were applied to estimate the performance of the UFJ Bank network in terms of the convergence of routing information. The results of the experiments on the network showed that it was possible to update the routing information as long as the level of CPU utilization at the routers was below 40%. We were able to apply this guideline to, and thus confirm the stability of, the UFJ Bank network.

Modern information technology utilizes the charge degree of freedom of electrons to process information in semiconductors and the spin degree of freedom to store information in magnetic materials. The next step is to explore the combination of the two degrees of freedom to look into the possibility of realizing new functionalities.

We demonstrate electrical electron spin injection via interband tunneling in ferromagnetic/nonmagnetic semiconductor Esaki diodes. An interband tunnel junction between ferromagnetic p+-(Ga,Mn)As and nonmagnetic n+-GaAs under reverse-bias allows spin-polarized tunneling of electrons from the valence band of (Ga,Mn)As to the conduction band of n+-GaAs. The spin polarization of tunneled electrons is probed by circular polarization of electroluminescence (EL) from an n-GaAs/InGaAs/p-GaAs light emitting structure integrated with the diode. Clear hysteresis loop with +-6.5% remanence is observed in the magnetic-field dependence of the EL polarization at 6 K, below the Curie temperature of (Ga,Mn)As., 11pages, 4figures. Submitted Japanese Journal of Applied Physics Pt2 Express Letter

Genomic properties of 62 field isolates of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) collected from 1974 to 1999 in Japan were investigated. The 5′ untranslated region (UTR) was amplified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the 244 to 247 base nucleotide sequences were determined. Serological properties were also characterized by the cross-neutralization test using antisera against the representative strain of the classified genotype. Using phylogenetic tree analysis, BVDV 1 was subdivided into two major clusters, BVDV-1a (29 isolates) and BVDV-1b (27 isolates). In group 1a, 3 differed from the other viruses, and were classified in a branch assigned as 1a′. However, 4 isolates (So CP/75, 190 CP, 190 NCP and KS86-1-NCP) could not be assigned to group 1a or 1b. In comparison with the published sequence data, KS86-1-NCP, 190 CP and 190 NCP were similar to the Southern Africa isolates that have recently been proposed as BVDV 1c. The 5′ UTR sequence of So CP/75 was unique among those of BVDV 1, suggesting that the isolate should be classified into a new genotype. Only 2 out of 62 isolates collected in 1989 and 1990 were identified as BVDV 2. The results of the cross-neutralization test strongly supported these data, suggesting a close correlation between the 5′ UTR sequence and the antigenicity of BVDV.

The electrochemical behaviour of isradipine in a mixed solution of Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 11.8):acetonitrile:methanol (6:3:1, v/v) was studied by cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemistry using an optically transparent thin layer electrode of carbon cloth. The cyclic voltammogram showed several peaks whose shape and potentials depended on the pH. The peak at 330 nm, corresponding to the absorbance of the dihydropyridine ring, disappeared after electrolysis at a potential that was more positive than the oxidation peak. The oxidation peak corresponds to the oxidation of the dihydropyridine ring. Peak height at pH 11.8 was proportional to isradipine concentration. On the basis of the redox properties of isradipine, HPLC was conducted applying electrochemical detection on a polybutadiene coated alumina column using an alkaline mobile phase. The method was applied for the determination of isradipine content in human serum. A good linear relationship between isradipine concentration and peak height was found in the concentration range of 2-200 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9924. The detection limit was 0.5 ng/mL. The within-day and day-to-day variation were examined for control human serum and percentage relative standard deviation ranged from 0.5 to 6.7. Interference from many other coadministered drugs was studied in the specified experimental conditions. Photo and heat stabilities of the compound were also studied.

The relative contribution of voltage-sensitive Ca 2+ channels, Ca 2+ -ATPases, and Ca 2+ release from intracellular stores to spontaneous oscillations in cytosolic free Ca 2+ concentration ([Ca 2+ ] i ) observed in secretory cells is not well characterized owing to a lack of specific inhibitors for a novel thapsigargin (Tg)-insensitive Ca 2+ -ATPase expressed in these cells. We show that spontaneous [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations in GH 3 cells were unaffected by Ca 2+ depletion in inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP 3 )-sensitive Ca 2+ stores by the treatment of Tg, but could be initiated by application of caffeine. Moreover, we demonstrate for the first time that these spontaneous [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations were highly temperature dependent. Decreasing the temperature from 22 to 17°C resulted in an increase in the frequency, a reduction in the amplitude, and large inhibition of [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations. Furthermore, the rate of ATP-dependent 45 Ca 2+ uptake into GH 3 -derived microsomes was greatly reduced at 17°C. The effect of decreased temperatures on extracellular Ca 2+ influx was minor because the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous action potentials, which activate L-type Ca 2+ channels, was relatively unchanged at 17°C. These results suggest that in GH 3 secretory cells, Ca 2+ influx via L-type Ca 2+ channels initiates spontaneous [Ca 2+ ] i oscillations, which are then maintained by the combined activity of Ca 2+ -ATPase and Ca 2+ -induced Ca 2+ release from Tg/IP 3 -insensitive intracellular stores.

Performance results from field trial of band hopping OFDM are presented in this paper. Band hopping OFDM utilizes OFDM and slow frequency hopping techniques to provide essential needs for future wireless communications systems. OFDM is currently utilized in digital audio and video broadcasting and DSL. It has been also standardized for wireless LAN applications. A testbed was developed and used in field trials in a suburban area to prove the performance of the band hopping OEDM system. The results indicate that the system is robust against impaired mobile channel conditions. They also show that the system provides superior performance in a multi-path fading environment. Finally, these results support the feasibility of band hopping OFDM techniques for high-speed wireless packet data applications.

The purpose of this study was to identify whether the central extracellular fluid volume status following hypo- and hypervolaemia can be measured by the initial distribution volume of glucose or by the extravascular lung water. These two estimates were compared with the initial distribution volume of sucrose which has been used as an indicator for the measurement of the extracellular fluid volume. The above three estimates were determined by the administration of glucose, chilled saline and sucrose solutions, before and after haemorrhage (30 mL kg-1), and subsequent fluid load (lactated Ringer's solution 90 mL kg-1). The distribution volumes of glucose and sucrose decreased after haemorrhage and increased after fluid load compared with normovolaemic values, and a linear correlation was obtained between these two distribution volumes (r = 0.93, P < 0.001, n = 36). However, the extravascular lung water remained statistically unchanged throughout the procedure, despite a weak linear correlation with the sucrose distribution volume (r = 0.38, n = 33, P < 0.05). These results indicate that the initial distribution volume of glucose is more useful as an indicator of the central extracellular fluid volume status than the extravascular lung water.

We conducted ergometer exercise electrocardiography (ergometry) on 3,477 subjects in a THP (Total Health Promotion Plan). One hundred cases in which abnormal findings were detected by ergometry were analyzed. In the hundred cases there were 3 patterns: abnormal ST change, 50 cases; abnormal reaction, 22 cases; and extreme increase in blood pressure, 28 cases. Electrocardiograms (ECG) in 78 of these 100 cases indicated no abnormalities. Of the 31 subjects who underwent further examinations, in 18 cases abnormal findings were detected, and further observation or treatment was necessary. They were over two thirds of the 26 cases requiring observation or treatment on further examination. In other words, exercise electrocardiography revealed more than 3 times as many problem cases as electrocardiography only. One hundred and four cases were analyzed, and among them abnormal findings on ECG made further examination or treatment necessary. Of 68 subjects with an abnormal ECG and who needed to undergo exercise electrocardiography, 51 (75%) had no need to undergo further examinations, because there were no abnormal findings on ergometry in the THP. Of the 104 subjects who underwent ECG examination at rest, 51 no longer needed to waste time, effort and expense on further medical evaluation. Ergometry in a THP serves as a medical check and as a means to decide the strength of exercise before the initiation of exercise training, which is very important in preventing coronary artery disease, rather than in detecting the disease. Ergometry is expensive and it takes a lot of time and labor, but it is necessary in ensuring the safety of exercise training and in prescribing proper exercise. This analysis has shown that ergometry in THP is very useful and cost effective in improving the accuracy of health examinations.

Intravascular lymphomatosis is a rare lymphoma presenting a variety of symptoms due to proliferation of tumour cells within blood vessels in the brain, the skin and other organs. This disease is generally considered to be highly malignant, but to be relatively susceptible to combined chemotherapy, when diagnosed in the early stage. We describe a case of intravascular lymphomatosis, presenting with diffuse interstitial shadows on chest radiographic image, which could be diagnosed by transbronchial lung biopsy. The patient showed a good response to combined chemotherapy. We propose that transbronchial lung biopsy is a useful procedure for the diagnosis of intravascular lymphomatosis.

A 58-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of fever and hypotension. That night, shock developed. On the second hospital day, a chest roentgenogram showed retention of pleural fluid and the group A-beta hemolytic organism Streptococcus pyogenes was detected in the effusion. The toxic shock-like syndrome was diagnosed. The patient recovered with artificial ventilation, administration of antibiotics, and blood purification. In this patient, the type of pyrogenic exotoxin was B + C.

Background Standard therapy for refractory or resistant relapsed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) has not yet been established. We conducted an open-label, multicenter, non-randomized phase II study to confirm the efficacy and safety of amrubicin, a topoisomerase inhibitor, in the treatment of refractory or resistant SCLC. Material and methods Patients with SCLC that is refractory or relapsed within 90 days of completing previous treatment received amrubicin at a dose of 40 mg/m2 for 3 consecutive days, every 21 days.The study treatment was repeated until disease progression or intolerable toxicity. The primary end point was overall response rate (ORR), and secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. Planned sample size was 80 patients to achieve power of at least 80% with one-sided alpha of 0.05, and expected and threshold value for primary endpoint as 20% and 10%. All patients were followed-up until one year after the last patient enrollment. Results Between November 2009 and February 2011, 82 patients were enrolled from 25 institutions. The median number of treatment cycles was four (range, one to 22 cycles).The ORR was 32.9% (p Conclusions Amrubicin demonstrated the favorable tumor response and survival with acceptable toxicity. Single-agent amrubicin could be considered as a standard regimen in the treatment of refractory or resistant relapsed SCLC. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

We describe a microrheological technique developed to study the motions and interactions between colloidal particles or between biological cells suspended in fluids undergoing laminar viscous, Poiseuille flow through a circular tube. The basic principle of the method is to observe the translational and rotational movements of individual suspended particles, and their collisions with each other, through a microscope by tracking them in flow down precision-bore glass tubes of 50–250 µm diameter. This is achieved by moving the tube and the infusion syringe (or gravity feed reservoir), mounted on a hydraulically driven platform, in a direction opposite to that of the flow while focussing on a particular particle or cell. As an example, we show the two-body collision between equal-sized spheres as it appears when the particles are tracked by moving the tube upward with a velocity equal to that of the downward flowing fluid at the mid-point of the axis between the two spheres. The collision shown in Fig. 1 is one in which the trajectories of the spheres are symmetrical, as observed in the case of macroscopic uncharged particles in viscous media (Goldsmith and Mason 1964). The particles separate along paths having the same radial coordinate, R as those of the paths of approach. In the case of colloidal-size charged latex spheres, however, significant interaction forces due to repulsion between electrical double layers and attraction due to van der Waals forces come into play when sphere surfaces approach to within a distance h = 50 nm (van de Ven and Mason 1976). This results in asymmetric collision trajectories (Takamura et al. 1981), as illustrated in Fig. 2, which can be analyzed and hydrodynamic theory used (van de Ven and Mason 1976 ; Arp and Mason 1977) to show that net interaction forces as small as 10−13 N can be detected. In the case of latex spheres in aqueous solutions of simple electrolytes, the interaction forces have been interpreted by applying the DLVO theory of colloid stability (van de Ven and Mason 1976), and thereby values of the Hamaker constant and the retardation parameter of the van der Waals force have been obtained (Takamura et al. 1981)

Results were reviewed in 46 patients who had stage I and II head and neck non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and received five to six cycles of CVP chemotherapy after regional irradiation. Disease-free survival, pattern of relapse, and time of relapse were compared with those of 64 patients, who received regional irradiation alone. Adjuvant, post irradiation CVP significantly improved five-year survival in stage I (and IE) disease, 49.6% to 81.9% (p less than 0.05), but was less successful in patients with heavier tumor burden, such as stage II disease or advanced loco regional disease in Waldeyer's ring (48.3% to 63.7%; p greater than 0.10 in stage II patients). In addition, in those who relapsed, the time and pattern of relapse were not altered by adjuvant CVP chemotherapy. This easily tolerated, mild adjuvant chemotherapy, we conclude, failed to prove significant in preventing relapse, especially in patients with heavier tumor burden.