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Objective Falcotentorial meningioma occurs close to the falcotentorial edges and the confluence of the vein of Galen. The posterosuperior approach conventionally used to reach this site does not allow direct visualization of the tumor matrix, making detachment difficult. Meningiomas at this location are therefore among those that are not well amenable to radical resection. We devised an alternative anterolateral approach that, when used in addition to the posterosuperior approach, provides an operating field which allows to overview large, bilaterally extending tumors. We report this parieto-occipital interhemispheric transfalcine, trans-bitentorial approach, together with associated procedural modifications. Methods We used the approach in four patients with falcotentorial meningioma between February 2008 and July 2017. We began by extending a parieto-occipital craniotomy slightly beyond the midline, to pass across the most caudal bridging vein on the rostral side. We then created a fan-shaped fenestration as large as possible in the falx, between the superior sagittal sinus and the inferior sagittal and straight sinuses (window 1). We further performed wedge-shaped resections of both tentorial edges to the left and right of window 1 (windows 2 and 3). Tumor debulking was then carried out via these three windows (the triple-window method). Finally, we detached the tumor in the area of the falcotentorial edges and the confluence of the vein of Galen. To obtain a superorostral operating field as wide as possible from laterally, thereby exposing the potential blind spots, the operating surgeon used both hands while retracting the precuneus, and the assistant surgeon used both hands to turn over the falcotentorial edges (twosome four-hand retractorless microsurgery). Results The wide operating field provided by this parieto-occipital interhemispheric transfalcine, trans-bitentorial approach and twosome four-hand retractorless microsurgery provides a direct view of delicate structures at the falcotentorial edges and the confluence of the vein of Galen, a site that is most likely to be a blind spot in conventional approaches. Retraction of the precuneus on the nondominant side enabled radical resection with no neurologic deficit in any of the patients. Conclusions The parieto-occipital interhemispheric transfalcine, trans-bitentorial approach with the triple-window method opens an anterolateral operating field in addition to a posterosuperior operating field in large tumors located in the falcotentorial and pineal region, extending anteroposteriorly and bilaterally. The twosome four-hand retractorless technique via this approach enables visualization of the tumor matrix at sites, which are barely visible with the conventional approach. Thus, the tumor can be removed more radically and safely.

Objective To evaluate the effects of body weight-supported overground gait training (BWSOGT) on motor abilities, such as gait and balance, in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Design Retrospective case-controlled observational study with a 4-week follow-up. Setting Inpatient rehabilitation. Participants We selected 37 of 68 patients with PD. Inclusion criteria were (1) Hoehn & Yahr stage II–IV, (2) no medication adjustment during the study period, (3) at least 1 week since last medication adjustment, and (4) ability to walk more than 10 meters on their own. Exclusion criteria were (1) cerebrovascular disease or other complications affecting movement, (2) difficulty in measurement, (3) early discharge, (4) medication change during the study, and (5) development of complications. Interventions Patients were divided into two groups. Patients in Group I underwent 20 minutes of BWSOGT with a mobile hoist in addition to the standard exercises; Group II performed 20 minutes of gait training in place of BWSOGT. In both groups, training was performed for a total of 15 times/4 weeks. Main outcome measure(s) Participants were evaluated using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale total, part II, and part III; 10-m walk test; velocity; stride length; 6-minute walk test; timed up and go test; Berg Balance Scale; and freezing of gait before and after the intervention. Results There were significant decreases in the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale total, part II, and part III in both groups; however, 6-minute walk test, timed up and go test, and freezing of gait results only improved in Group I. Conclusions BWSOGT for patients with PD improves gait ability and dynamic balance more than standard gait training.

Intracranial epidermoid cysts are rarely known to increase in size over a brief period. While malignant transformations of epidermoid cyst have been previously described, no reports to date have described rapid proliferation accompanied by mature hair follicles and sebaceous glands without malignant transformations. The present case involved a 71-year-old man who visited a local physician with disturbance of equilibrium. A mass lesion was detected at the left cerebellopontine angle and was subsequently removed. Histopathological diagnosis of this lesion was as an epidermoid cyst. Seventeen years after this initial surgery, worsened left hypoacusis, disorientation, eating disorder and gait disturbance appeared, and the patient visited the physician again. Local recurrence of the lesion was observed, and the patient was referred to our hospital for its removal. Intraoperative findings revealed a pearly white tumor, histopathologically diagnosed as an epidermoid cyst. Three years later, local recurrence was observed, and the cyst was again removed. Intraoperative findings revealed a partially pearly white tumor similar to the tumor observed during the second surgery, but the majority of the tumor was non-shiny, ochre-colored and suckable. Histopathological diagnosis was an epidermoid cyst with an epidermis-like structure. Postoperative activities of daily living were independent thereafter, but from March of the following year, he began to experience increasing difficulty in walking and subsequently visited our hospital again. Tumor recurrence was observed and was removed again in November of the same year. Intraoperative findings revealed a tumor that was primarily ochre-colored, non-shiny, brittle and suckable. The histopathological diagnosis was folliculosebaceous epithelial proliferative lesion accompanied by an epidermis-like epithelium and a differentiation into hair follicles and sebaceous gland,s and the tumor was determined to be an epidermoid cyst with proliferative folliculosebaceous epithelium.

[Purpose] The importance and effect of hip joint geometry on hip abductor muscle strength are well known. In addition, other perioperative factors are also known to affect hip abductor muscle strength. This study examined the relative importance of factors affecting hip abductor muscle strength after total hip arthroplasty. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 97 females with osteoarthritis scheduled for primary unilateral THA. The following variables were assessed preoperatively and 2 and 6 months after surgery: isometric hip abductor strength, radiographic analysis (Crowe class, postoperative femoral offset (FO)), Frenchay Activities Index, compliance rate with home exercise, Japanese Orthopaedic Association Hip-Disease Evaluation Questionnaire (JHEQ), and demographic data. Factors related to isometric hip abductor muscle strength 2 and 6 months after surgery were examined. [Results] Significant factors related to isometric hip abductor muscle strength at 2 and 6 months after surgery were, in extraction order: 1. isometric hip abductor muscle strength in the preoperative period; 2. BMI; and 3. the JHEQ mental score at 2 and 6 months after surgery. [Conclusion] Preoperative factors and postoperative mental status were related to postoperative isometric hip abductor strength. FO was not extracted as a significant factor related to postoperative isomeric hip abductor strength.

K$_x$Fe$_{2-y}$Se$_2$ exhibits an iron-vacancy ordering at $T_{\rm s} {\sim}270{\deg}$C and separates into two phases: a minor superconducting (iron-vacancy-disordered) phase and a major non-superconducting (iron-vacancy-ordered) phase. The microstructural and superconducting properties of this intermixture can be tuned by an appropriate control of the quenching process through $T_{\rm s}$. A faster quenching rate leads to a finer microstructure and a suppression of formation of the non-superconducting phase by up to 50%. Nevertheless, such a faster cooling rate does induce a monotonic reduction in the superconducting transition temperature (from 30.7 K down to 26.0 K) and, simultaneously, a decrease in the iron content within the superconducting phase such that the compositional ratio changed from K$_{0.35}$Fe$_{1.83}$Se$_2$ to K$_{0.58}$Fe$_{1.71}$Se$_2$.

Fibrous or transitional meningioma and solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) are frequently difficult to differentiate from each other on the basis of histopathology. It is extremely unusual for a meningioma to exhibit diffuse, strongly positive immunoreactivity for cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34), and this has never been previously reported from a histopathological specimen. A patient with transitional meningioma that exhibited strongly positive for CD34, which has been regarded as characteristic of SFT and is considered to be useful for distinguishing the latter from meningioma, is reported.

We aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy of monotherapy with alendronate and combined therapy with alendronate and menatetrenone (vitamin K2 [VitK2]) in postmenopausal rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with osteoporosis or osteopenia. Sixty-two postmenopausal RA patients with untreated osteoporosis or osteopenia (lumbar spine bone density ≤80 % of young adult mean [YAM]) were enrolled: 39 had abnormal serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) levels (>4.5 ng/mL) and received combined therapy with alendronate (35 mg/week) and VitK2 (45 mg/day) (ALN + K group); 23 had normal ucOC levels (≤4.5 ng/mL) and received alendronate monotherapy (35 mg/week) (ALN group). The clinical results for the 57 patients in both groups were evaluated after 1-year treatment. The mean baseline/follow-up (FU) lumbar spine bone density (%YAM) values were 73.0/76.8 % (P

We evaluated the absorption and metabolism of palatinose in rats by the carbohydrate load test and the 13C- and H2-breath tests. We compared the results of these tests with those of sucrose, since sucrose is an isomer of palatinose and generally known to be degraded and absorbed from the small intestine. In the carbohydrate load test, blood glucose and plasma insulin levels after oral administration of palatinose rose more gradually and reached a maximum that was lower than that after sucrose administration. In the 13C-breath test, rats were orally administrated [1-13C]sucrose or [1-13C]palatinose and housed in a chamber. The expired air in the chamber was collected, and the level of 13CO2 in the expired air was measured at appropriate intervals for 360 min. The value of time taken to reach the maximum concentration for expired 13CO2 from [1-13Cglucose] ([1-13Cglc]) and [1-13Cfructose] ([1-13Cfru]) palatinose was significantly longer than that from [1-13Cglc] and [1-13Cfru]sucrose, respectively. The value of area under the curve (AUC) for [1-13Cglc]palatinose was larger than that for [1-13Cglc]sucrose, but AUC for [1-13Cfru] showed no difference between palatinose and sucrose. In the H2-breath test, the concentration of H2 in the expired air was measured for 420 min. H2 was hardly detected with both palatinose and sucrose and no significant difference was observed between the two groups. These results suggest that palatinose is utilised in vivo at a rate equal to that of sucrose.

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence, character, and prognosis of ovarian tumors diagnosed as benign before laparoscopic surgery but identified as malignant or of borderline malignancy by postoperative histopathology.Subjects: Of 1,066 laparoscopic ovarian tumor resections at Tohoku Kosai Hospital from April 2001 to May 2010, a total of 22 patients were postoperatively confirmed as having overt or borderline malignancies. Methods: For this patient subset, the following factors were analyzed: postsurgical histopathology, patient age, tumor size, solid tumor component, CA125 and CA19-9 markers, laparoscopic technique, tumor capsule status, adjunctive therapy, and prognosis.Results: The rate of preoperative diagnostic error was 2.2% (22/1,066). Of the 22 misinterpreted tumors, five were clearly malignant, and 17 were of borderline malignant potential. Although no specific tendencies were evident, based on analysis of preoperative features, malignant lesions were more likely in older patients or in those with large sized cysts. For two of the five patients with malignancies, definitive cancer surgery was performed, followed by chemotherapy, while the other three received chemotherapy alone. Three of the 17 patients with borderline malignancy also opted for surgery. Endometrial carcinoma was found in one patient with malignancy, and recurrent mucinous cysts occurred in two patients with borderline tumors, but the long-term prognosis for these patients in close follow-up was fairly good.Conclusion: Preoperative misdiagnosis of ovarian malignancies may be unavoidable, despite thorough assessment. However, even with laparoscopic resection, the prognosis of such tumors is not poor, given adequate adjunctive therapy and/or careful clinical follow-up.

1972年，英国のハンスフィールドにより開発されたX線CT装置は，今日までその進展を止めることなく変遷を遂げており，マルチスライスCT装置 (MSCT) の開発と更なる多列化により飛躍的にスキャン時間が短縮され，画質が向上してきた。これにより病態の把握や手術支援，患者への説明におけるボリュームレンダリング (VR) や最大値投影法 (MIP)，Multi Planar Reformation (MPR)，Curved Planar Reconstruction (CPR) 等の有用性は今まで以上に大きくなったといえる。

Experimental procedures and standard specimens for characterizing and evaluating TiO2-SiO2 ultra-low expansion glasses with periodic striae using the line-focus-beam (LFB) ultrasonic material characterization system are discussed. Two types of specimens were prepared, with specimen surfaces parallel and perpendicular to the striae plane using two different grades of glass ingots. The inhomogeneities of each of the specimens were evaluated at 225 MHz. It was clarified that parallel specimens are useful for accurately measuring velocity variations of leaky surface acoustic waves (LSAWs) excited on a water-loaded specimen surface associated with the striae. Perpendicular specimens are useful for obtaining periodicities in the striae for LSAW propagation perpendicular to the striae plane on a surface and for precisely measuring averaged velocities for LSAW propagation parallel to the striae plane. The standard velocity of Rayleigh-type LSAWs traveling parallel to the striae plane for the perpendicular specimens was numerically calculated using the measured velocities of longitudinal and shear waves and density. Consequently, a reliable standard specimen with an LSAW velocity of 3308.18 +/- 0.35 m/s at 23 degrees C and its temperature coefficient of 0.39 (m/s)/degrees C was obtained for a TiO2-SiO2 glass with a TiO2 concentration of 7.09 wt%. A basis for the striae analysis using this ultrasonic method was established.

Striae configurations in TiO2–SiO2 ultra-low-expansion glasses caused by variations in TiO2 concentration were investigated through measurement of leaky surface acoustic wave (LSAW) velocities by the line-focus-beam (LFB) ultrasonic material characterization system. LSAW velocity distributions were measured on the surface of a specimen substrate prepared from a large circular plate glass ingot produced by the direct method using a flame hydrolysis process. A subsequent procedure that included polishing the surface of the specimen to reduce the specimen thickness by 40 µm and measuring the LSAW velocity distributions on the surface was repeated five times in order to examine at least one period of the striae. TiO2 concentration variations were clearly observed in the deposit direction of the glass ingot and in its radial direction. The maximum LSAW velocity difference over the whole examined region was 11.7 m/s, corresponding to 0.70 wt % TiO2 concentration. The three-dimensional striae structure revealed that the striae plane in the examined region was almost parallel to the substrate surface but gently curved down in the radial direction. The plane had a slightly convex-shaped cross section layered with a striae periodicity of about 0.16 mm and a curvature radius of about 440 mm, and also existed in a circular form with a curvature radius of about 450 mm. The ultrasonic method will contribute to improvement of characteristics and homogeneity of glass associated with production-process conditions.

We obtained an accurate relationship between the leaky surface acoustic wave (LSAW) velocities and TiO2 concentrations. Such a relationship is needed for the line-focus-beam ultrasonic material characterization (LFB-UMC) system as a new technology for evaluating the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of ultra-low-expansion glasses with extremely high precision. Using commercially available TiO2–SiO2 glass with periodic striae, averaged velocities for LSAW propagation parallel to the striae plane at 225 MHz and averaged TiO2 concentrations by X-ray fluorescence analysis were measured on the surface of seven specimen substrates prepared perpendicular to the striae plane. The obtained sensitivity of LSAW velocity to TiO2 concentration was -0.0601 wt %/(m/s), and the measurement resolution was estimated to be ±0.0084 wt % for ±2 σ (σ: standard deviation) from the LSAW velocity measurement resolution of ±0.14 m/s. The TiO2 concentration for the standard TiO2–SiO2 glass specimen with a LSAW velocity of 3308.18 m/s for system calibration was determined to be 7.09 wt %. This ultrasonic technology will contribute greatly to the development of the ultra-low-expansion glasses needed for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) systems.

腹部動脈瘤の手術のさいに偶然指摘される小さな嚢胞も含めると,腎嚢胞を合併する腹部動脈瘤は希ではないと思われるが,本邦での腎嚢胞あるいは嚢胞腎を伴った腹部大動脈瘤手術の報告はきわめて少ない.大きな腎嚢胞は動脈瘤の手術中に腎嚢胞が破裂・出血の報告もあり,さらに手術操作に支障をきたすこともあり,なんらかの対策が必要である.今回,77歳,男性の腹腔を圧迫する両側巨大多発性腎嚢胞を合併した腹部動脈瘤に対して,術前に巨大な両側腎嚢胞を超音波ガイド下に経皮的に穿刺吸引を行い約1,550mlを除去した.3日後,5.2cmの大動脈瘤と3.0cmの左総腸骨動脈瘤,2.6cm右総腸骨動脈瘤に対して腹部正中切開,腹膜外到達法で動脈瘤切除+Y字型人工血管置換術を施行した.術後経過は順調で,巨大な嚢胞性腎疾患を合併する腹部動脈瘤に対し経皮的穿刺内容液吸引は有用な方法であった.

高感度，高選択性を有する検知タブを用いた作業環境測定用のポータブルホルムアルデヒド検知器を開発した．検知タブはKD-XA01試薬とリン酸緩衝液をメタノールに溶解して調製した発色液で処理した試験紙から成る．ホルムアルデヒドガスが検知タブに接触すると，試験紙は黄色に発色する．発色の度合いはサンプリング時間とガス濃度に比例した．測定時間3分，流量250 ml/minでホルムアルデヒド0.3 ppmを検出できた．ホルムアルデヒド0.3 ppmの応答の再現性は標準偏差パーセントで表すと2.1％ であった．本検知器は簡便性に優れており，作業環境測定に有用であるといえる．

The Rice Genome Research Project in Japan performs genome sequencing and comprehensive expression profiling, constructs genetic and physical maps, collects full-length cDNAs and generates mutant lines, all aimed at improving the breeding of the rice plant as a food source. The National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences in Tsukuba, Japan, has accumulated numerous rice biological resources and has already successfully produced a high-quality genome sequence, a high-density genetic map with 3000 markers, 30,000 full-length cDNAs, over 700 expression profiles with a 9000 cDNA microarray and 15,000 flanking sequences with Tos17 insertions in about 3765 mutant lines from about 50,000 transposon insertion lines. These resources are available in the public domain. A new unification tool for functional genomics, called Rice PIPELINE, has also been developed for the dynamic collection and compilation of genomics data (genome sequences, full-length cDNAs, gene expression profiles, mutant lines, cis elements) from various databases. The mission of Rice PIPELINE is to provide a unique scientific resource that pools publicly available rice genomic data for search by clone sequence, clone name, GenBank accession number, or keyword. The web-based form of Rice PIPELINE is available at http://cdna01.dna.affrc.go.jp/PIPE/.

The Rice Proteome Database is the first detailed database to describe the proteome of rice. The current release contains 21 reference maps based on two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) of proteins from rice tissues and subcellular compartments. These reference maps comprise 11 941 identified proteins showing tissue and subcellular localization, corresponding to 4180 separate protein entries in the database. The Rice Proteome Database contains the calculated properties of each protein such as molecular weight, isoelectric point and expression; experimentally determined properties such as amino acid sequences obtained using protein sequencers and mass spectrometry; and the results of database searches such as sequence homologies. The database is searchable by keyword, accession number, protein name, isoelectric point, molecular weight and amino acid sequence, or by selection of a spot on one of the 2D-PAGE reference maps. Cross-references are provided to tools for proteomics and to other 2D-PAGE databases, which in turn provide many links to other molecular databases. The information in the Rice Proteome Database is updated weekly, and is available on the World Wide Web at http://gene64.dna.affrc.go.jp/RPD/.

Purpose: To study the effect of cyclosporin (CsA) on steroid-induced cataracts in patients following renal transplantation. Methods: The subjects comprise 140 patients who had undergone renal transplantation at Kanazawa Medical Hospital. These subjects had received ophthalmologic examinations prior to their surgery and subsequently over the span of 12 months following surgery. The charts of these patients were re-examined for this study. The subjects were divided into two groups: the conventional therapy group (Group C) that received azathioprine and methylprednisolone; and the triple therapy group (Group T) that received azathioprine, methylprednisolone, and CsA. There were 73 and 67 patients in Groups C and T, respectively. The cataracts were classified according to Crews' classification. Steroid-induced cataract was diagnosed when vacuoles were observed or opacity was evident in the posterior subcapsular region. Subjects who exhibited any lens opacity before renal transplantation were excluded from this study. Results: The total amounts of systemic steroid administered during the first year and at the final observation period were significantly lower in Group T than in Group C. The prevalence of steroid-induced cataracts of grade 1 and above was 55% and 63% for the first year, 73% and 89% for the second year, 74% and 92% for the third year, and 83% and 96% for the fifth year in Groups C and T, respectively. By the third year, the percentage of subjects exhibiting corrected visual acuity

The photodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) taking place in UV irradiated aqueous TiO2 dispersions was revisited to obtain mechanistic details on the basis of similar degradation of the related 2,3-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,3-D), 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (4-M) and phenoxyacetic acid (PhA). Mechanistic changes were inferred from the different positions of the chlorine substituents. As well, the compounds were compared for differences in degradation rate and initial adsorption on the TiO2 surface as a function of the number of chlorines. The initial mechanistic sequence(s) in the TiO2-photocatalyzed oxidation of each substrate was predicted theoretically by molecular orbital (MO) calculations of frontier electron densities and point charges of all the atoms in the phenoxyacetic acid structures.

An 85-year-old woman was hospitalized with severe melena of unknown origin. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and lower GI endoscopy did not detect the origin and we could not establish any diagnosis. To explore the bleeding site, 99mTc-HSA blood loss scintigraphy was performed and a tumor of the small intestine was suspected. Fluoroscopic examination of the small intestine and abdominal CT scan confirmed an ileal tumor measuring 4×3 cm. The mass was a well-demarcated tumor about 80 cm proximal to Bauhin's valve. Partial resection of the ileum was carried out and the tumor was histologically diagnosed as schwannoma. Thereafter, there has been no recurrence of melena nor metastasis of the tumor. It is thought that blood loss scintigraphy is a useful method for unexplained exacerbation of melena.(Internal Medicine 42: 1178-1182, 2003)

This introductory article reviews the topics covered in this issue of MRS Bulletin on advanced flat-panel displays and materials. The common requirements of flat-panel displays are compact dimensions, low power consumption, light weight, and high performance. Flat-panel displays are incorporated in many consumer products as well as in a large range of industrial, medical, military, transportation-related, and scientific instruments. In recent years, there have been dramatic improvements in flat-panel display technology due to an enhanced understanding of various new or existing materials as well as fabrication processes. “Flat-panel display” is a general term that includes many different types of technologies. It includes panels that are in mass production, such as passive or active addressed liquid-crystal displays or plasma displays, and those in the early production or development stages, such as organic light-emitting devices or electrophoretic displays. It also includes novel products that are based on the principle of flat-panel display technology, such as solid-state x-ray imagers. The articles in this issue cover a range of these topics.

The crystal structure change of sputtered Ta metal according to the nonmetal underlayer film was studied. The bcc-structure Ta was grown on TaNx, NbNx and bcc Mo underlayer films, whereas tetragonal-structure Ta was grown on glass, Ta2O5 and some metals. The crystal structure of Ta varied from tetragonal to bcc according to the N composition of the TaNx and NbNx underlayer films. The bcc Ta growth on TaNx was explained in terms of crystal structure compatibility of the Ta lattice arrangement between TaNx and bcc Ta, and tetragonal Ta growth on Ta2O5 film could be explained by partial Ta lattice matching between Ta2O5 and Ta crystals. Bcc Ta on the TaNx film gave a low resistivity of 25 µΩcm, in contrast to that of conventional tetragonal Ta of 180 µΩcm. The resistivity of Ta anodic oxide was increased by five orders of magnitude by adding N compared to that of conventional Ta anodic oxide. Low-resistivity bcc Ta on TaNx and high-resistivity TaN anodic oxide are applied as gate bus lines of TFT-LCD.

In order to establish an experimental method to evaluate resistance and running attitudes of planing craft using a very small-scale model, the scale effects on hydrodynamic forces (drag, lift and trim moment) acting on two model ships, a 0.45m model and a 0.9m model, are experimentally investigated by fully captured towing tests. The results demonstrate that the lift and the moment acting on the smaller model are smaller than those on the larger model. The predicted results of running attitudes using the modified hydrodynamic forces obtained for the smaller model, in which the scale effects on the lift and the moment are taken in to account, are in fairly good agreement with the measured running attitudes of the larger model. The residual resistances predicted for the two models based on Froude's hypothesis using Blasius and Plandtl-Schlichting formulae in the prediction of frictional resistance are in fairly good agreement with each other.

目的: いわゆる顎関節症患者のなかには, 顎口腔系の諸症状に加えて慢性的な頭痛や頭頸背部痛などを訴えるものが少なくない. しかしながら, これまで用いられてきた顎関節症の細病態分類に基づいて治療を進めた場合, ややもするとこれら随伴症状と呼ばれてきた患者の訴えに対する適切な対応がなおざりにされがちとなることは否めない. そこで本研究では, 顎関節症の細病態分類と患者の訴えた主要症状との関連を検討することにより, 現行の分類システムに望まれる改善点などについて考察した.方法: 対象者は, 1994年4月から1998年3月までに顎関節症状あるいは口腔顔面痛を主訴に岡山大学歯学部附属病院第1補綴科を受診した連続患者サンプル393例である. 対象者に対し, 顎関節症の細病態分類ならびに訴えの分類を行い, 両者をつき合わせ, その整合性について検討した.結果: 訴えの頻度を分析すると, 顎関節症の三大症状と呼ばれる「顎の痛み」が49.6%, 「開 (閉) 口障害」が32.6%, 「関節雑音」が30.8%と多くを占める一方, 「頭痛, 頭部の痛み」が6.9%, 「咀嚼障害, 咬合不全」が6.1%, 「首, 肩のこり・痛み」が5.9%と三大症状に含まれない訴えが各病態に少なからず存在した.結論: 顎関節症の三大症状以外の症状を訴えて来院する患者もけっして少なくないことが明らかとなった.顎関節症の細病態分類に加えてこれらの訴えにも適切に対応するためには, 複数診断を許す診断システムの確立が必要であると考えられた.

Many studies have been done to apply potential of Plasma Doping to manufacturing semiconductor devices. But some development problems about mass production are still left unsolved. One of the problems is that it is more difficult for Plasma Doping to control dosage. To clear this problem we investigated a dominant mechanism of mixing dopant atoms (boron) in silicon atoms, using inductively coupled plasma, radio frequency bias and B 2 H 6 gas. And it is shown that main implantation mechanism of this plasma doping is the collision between B x H y * and biased Ar+: “knock-on phenomenon”. We presented new doping procedure “2STEP Process”, where B x H y * deposition coating and knocking-on the film by Ar+ accelerated with RF bias were completely separated. By using “2STEP Process”, it is shown that dosage can be controlled by deposition thickness and depth profile can be controlled by bias voltage.

Superconductivity is successfully induced by utilizing a battery-like reaction found in a typical Li-ion battery. Excess Fe in FeTe0.8S0.2 is electrochemically de-intercalated by applying a voltage in a citric acid solution. The superconducting properties improve with an increase in the applied voltage up to 1.5 V. This result suggests that an electrochemical reaction can be used as a novel method to develop new superconducting materials., Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures

A decrease in the ratio of IL-1ra/IL-1 beta produced regionally by the colonic mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) is believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of UC. To investigate factors influencing intramucosal IL-1ra/IL-1 beta ratios, we evaluated polymorphism of the IL-1ra gene and the production of mucosal cytokines in Japanese patients with UC. Colonic biopsy specimens of mucosal tissue were placed in organ cultures for 24 h. Then, the supernatant concentrations of IL-1 beta, IL-1ra, IL-8, IL-4, IL-10, and TGF-beta were assayed by ELISA. Genomic DNA was extracted from patient peripheral blood samples, then IL-1ra gene polymorphism was determined using PCR amplification. The mucosa from patients with active stage UC showed a tendency toward a decreased IL-1ra/IL-1 beta ratio. In the resolving stage, IL-1ra/IL-1 beta ratios increased with increasing IL-10 and TGF-beta concentrations. The addition of human recombinant IL-10 to the culture supernatants produced concentration-dependent inhibition of IL-1 beta. In Japanese patients with UC, the IL-1ra allele gene 2 phenotype had no effect on the IL-1ra/IL-1 beta ratio. Our findings suggest that a relative deficiency of IL-10 in patients with UC may contribute to persistent inflammatory changes.

The authors have proposed an image-memory LCD using ferroelectric thin film for memory elements to achieve ultralow power consumption. Memory operation with gray-scale levels was confirmed by using an equivalent circuit model of the LCD consisting of a discrete ferroelectric device. The reduction in power consumption is related to hold time and the ferroelectric characteristics.

We applied the cross-correlation analysis to the resonant Voigt-effect spectroscopy of the magnetic field-induced transition in the oxygen A band b1 Σ g+ ( v' = 0)– X3 Σ g− ( v = 0). By calculating the cross-correlation function of the experimental profile by using the theoretical profile of the field-induced line, we detected a field-induced line superimposed on a magnetic dipole-allowed line with a larger intensity. The improvement of detection sensitivity for the isolated lines is also described.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plays an important role in inflammation and immunity via autocrine/paracrine and endocrine routes. We examined the presence of MIF in the synovial fluids of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The content of MIF in the synovial fluid was quantitated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay which revealed that the concentration of MIF for RA patients was 85.7±35.2 ng/ml (mean±SD) ( n =25). In comparison, the concentrations for osteoarthritis patients and normal volunteers were 19.5±5.3 ng/ml ( n =12) and 10.4±1.1 ng/ml ( n =5), respectively. The expression of MIF mRNA and presence of MIF protein in the synovial tissues of RA were demonstrated by Northern blot and Western blot analyses, respectively. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that positive staining was largely observed in the cytoplasm of infiltrating T lymphocytes, which might be the major source of MIF detected in the synovial fluids. The pathophysiological role of MIF in RA remains to be elucidated; however, the present results for the first time suggest the possibility that MIF is involved in the potentiation of inflammatory and immunological responses in rheumatoid joints.

The chaotic on-road parking in the urban area, force the road capacity to reduce and the traffic environment to be worse. Therefore, the investigation of management of the parking demand is required to improve the urban traffic problems.In this study, based on the idea that the short stay parking demand with loading should be treated onroadside, the effects of the on-road parking facilities are analyzed by introduction of a simulation model.

Endosteal bone resorption often occurs around loosened total joint replacements. In the process of the loosening, macrophages play an important role by releasing cytokines such as interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and prostaglandin E2. In this study, we investigated the involvement of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the pathological state of the loosening of a total hip replacement. Interface membranes were harvested from bone-cement or bone-implant interfaces of two patients during revision hip surgeries. The tissues were immunohistochemically examined with a polyclonal antibody against human recombinant MIF. This study detected MIF in the cytoplasm of the macrophages in all the tissues tested, though it was not detected in that of interstitial cells. The expression of MIF mRNA in the membrane was also examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, which demonstrated that expression of the MIF mRNA in the interface membranes was higher than that of the normal synovium. Considering these results, it is suggested that MIF is one of important cytokines mediating the inflammatory process during loosening of total joint replacements.

A novel cationic porphyrin bearing flexible ω-ammonioalkyl side chains, TMAP-Cl was prepared in high yield by using the K10 method. It was found that TMAP-Cl can be quantitatively ion-exchanged into interlamellar spaces of Mont, Sapo, and Hecto without suffering any protonation to the porphine ring. Especially, in the TMAP-Mont intercalation compound, the interlamellar distance was expanded to 10 A, which implies that a porphine ring in TMAP is installed upright rather than parallel to the clay surface.

An advanced multi-field-driving method that reduces not only the dynamic power consumption, but also the static power consumption of LCD driving circuits has been developed. The applicability of this method was confirmed by using a 9.5″ VGA TFT-LCD. Total driving circuit power consumption was reduced to less than half that of a conventional 60 Hz driving method for all displayed images. In addition, the displayed images obtained were sufficient for practical use and had no visible image degradation, such as flicker and crosstalk.

1995年4月1日,新潟市東方18km付近で新潟県北部の地震M6.0が発生し,全壊家屋55戸,被害総額93億円の被害が出たが,幸いにも死者はなかった.この地震は深さ10kmの浅い地震であったため,被害が大きくなった.90ヵ所の墓地の石塔転倒から水平最大加速度を求め,震度分布図を描いた.震央地区に北北東-南南西方向を長軸とする5.2×1kmの地域が震度6域となり,この地震を発生させた平野深部にある伏在活断層を示唆していた.震央地区では,地球重力加速度以上の上下動があったことを示唆する建物の急激な移動があった.本地震前後に地下水・温泉の異常が観察された.新潟市付近の新潟平野は地震の空白域として指摘されていたところである.本地震は指摘されている空白域の東縁部で発生した地震であり,新潟平野の大地震に対する対策が重要になっていることを示唆している.

A super-precise method of evaluating the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of ultra-low-expansion glasses was developed using the line-focus-beam ultrasonic material characterization (LFB-UMC) system and was demonstrated for TiO2-doped SiO2 glass. The sensitivity and resolution in the velocity measurement of leaky surface acoustic waves (LSAWs) in CTE were estimated to be 4.40 (ppb/K)/(m/s) and ±0.77 ppb/K for ±2σ (σ: standard deviation) at 225 MHz. LSAW velocity differences caused by different TiO2 concentrations and distributions or striae in the specimens were successfully detected and evaluated, providing two-dimensional information. This ultrasonic method is effective for evaluating ultra-low-expansion glasses needed for extreme ultra-violet lithography (EUVL) systems.

The characteristics of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H) thin‐film transistors are investigated as a function of the overlap of the source electrode Lovs on top of the passivation layer. The drain current is reduced by Lovs and the effect is dependent on drain voltage and a‐Si:H layer thickness. The effect is enhanced at high drain voltage and at thin a‐Si:H layer thickness. At high drain voltage, field‐effect mobility and threshold voltage decrease as Lovs increases. Numerical calculation of carrier concentration in a‐Si:H layer showed that the carrier is depleted under Lovs and that the effective channel length is shortened by the size of Lovs. The nonlinear resistance formed by Lovs is discussed in terms of drain voltage and a‐Si:H layer thickness.

Silicon nitride (SiNx) films of various quality were deposited on the back‐side of a‐Si:H thin film transistors (TFTs) as a passivation layer. Although the films were not deposited directly on the channel region, the N/Si ratio of the film affected the TFT performance. It changed the threshold voltage and the subthreshold slope. In the linear region, the effect of the passivation layer was explained by assuming fixed charges in the nitride layer. Furthermore, the current‐voltage characteristics in the saturation region were explained by a parasitic TFT model. It was determined that a nitrogen rich passivation film is preferrable for liquid crystal displays.