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From new neutron powder diffraction experiments on the chiral cubic ($P2{_1}3$) magnet manganese germanide MnGe, we analyse all of the possible crystal symmetry-allowed magnetic superstructures that are determined successfully from the data. The incommensurate propagation vectors $k$ of the magnetic structure are found to be aligned with the [100] cubic axes, and correspond to a magnetic periodicity of about 30 $\r{A}$ at 1.8 K. Several maximal crystallographic symmetry magnetic structures are found to fit the data equally well and are presented. These include topologically non-trivial magnetic hedgehog and "skyrmion'' structures in multi-$k$ cubic or orthorhombic 3+3 and orthorhombic 3+2 dimensional magnetic superspace groups respectively, with either potentially responsible for topological Hall effect. The presence of orthorhombic distortions in the space group $P2_12_12_1$ caused by the transition to the magnetically ordered state does not favour the cubic magnetic hedgehog structure, and leave both orthorhombic hedgehog and "skyrmion'' models as equal candidates for the magnetic structures. We also report on a new combined mechanochemical and solid-state chemical route to synthesise MnGe at ambient pressures and moderate temperatures, and compare with samples obtained by the traditional high pressure synthesis., Comment: New high-resolution neutron diffraction data are added that allows us to unambiguously determine a preference for the orthorhombic symmetry

Magnetic Weyl semimetals attract considerable interest not only for their topological quantum phenomena but also as an emerging materials class for realizing quantum anomalous Hall effect in the two-dimensional limit. A shandite compound Co

The internal and lattice structures of magnetic Skyrmions in B20-type FeGe are investigated using off-axis electron holography. The temperature, magnetic field, and angular dependence of the magnetic moments of individual Skyrmions are analyzed. The internal Skyrmion shape is found to vary with applied magnetic field. In contrast, the inter-Skyrmion distance remains almost unchanged in the lattice phase over the studied range of applied field. The amplitude of the local magnetic moment is found to vary with temperature, while the Skyrmion shape does not change significantly. Deviations from a circular to a hexagonal Skyrmion structure are observed in the lattice phase, in agreement with the results of micromagnetic simulations.

Exposure to heavy particle radiation in the galacto-cosmic environment poses a significant risk in space exploration and the evaluation of radiation-induced genetic damage in tissues, especially in the central nervous system, is an important consideration in long-term manned space missions. We used a plasmid-based transgenic mouse model system, with the pUR288 lacZ transgene integrated in the genome of every cell of C57Bl/6(lacZ) mice, to evaluate the genetic damage induced by iron particle radiation. In order to examine the importance of genetic background on the radiation sensitivity of individuals, we cross-bred p53 wild-type lacZ transgenic mice with p53 nullizygous mice, producing lacZ transgenic mice that were either hemizygous or nullizygous for the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Animals were exposed to an acute dose of 1 Gy of iron particles and the lacZ mutation frequency (MF) in the brain was measured at time intervals from 1 to 16 weeks post-irradiation. Our results suggest that iron particles induced an increase in lacZ MF (2.4-fold increase in p53+/+ mice, 1.3-fold increase in p53+/- mice and 2.1-fold increase in p53-/- mice) and that this induction is both temporally regulated and p53 genotype dependent. Characterization of mutants based on their restriction patterns showed that the majority of the mutants arising spontaneously are derived from point mutations or small deletions in all three genotypes. Radiation induced alterations in the spectrum of deletion mutants and reorganization of the genome, as evidenced by the selection of mutants containing mouse genomic DNA. These observations are unique in that mutations in brain tissue after particle radiation exposure have never before been reported owing to technical limitations in most other mutation assays.

60歳, 男性.膀胱三角, 右尿管口, 精嚢, 直腸Raに浸潤した進行S状結腸癌に対し, neobladder作成と, 結腸一肛門管吻合により, stomaを作成しない広範囲骨盤内臓摘除術 (pelvic exenteration) を施行, 良好な術後QOLを得た.両側内腸骨動脈切除, 側方郭清を伴う超低位前方切除術, および膀胱前立腺切除術において, DSTによる結腸一肛門管吻合を施行, さらに回腸を用いたneobladderを作成し外尿道口に吻合した.多数のドレナージチューブを応用し, 各吻合部の安静を確保した.とくにtube cecostomyと経胃的イレウス管により, 術後14日間, 排便排ガスの抑制が可能であった.さらに骨盤内吻合部の固定, および骨盤死腔炎の防止目的に, 大網を骨盤内に誘導, 固定した.患者は合併症なく, 術後23日目に退院.術後半年時点で尿, 便失禁は認めず, 良好な術後QOLが得られている.適応を選択し, 積極的に考慮されるべき術式と考えられた.

We examined serum anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) and anti-ganglioside antibodies by ELISA in 51 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and titers were compared with those from 47 normal and 74 disease controls. Three GBS patients with IgM anti-CMV antibodies had high titers of IgM and IgG anti-GM2 antibodies. The other GBS patients without IgM anti-CMV antibodies, and the normal and disease controls except one of 6 non-GBS patients with acute CMV infections had no anti-GM2 antibodies. The titers of anti-GM2 antibodies decreased on absorption with CMV-infected cells. These findings suggest that anti-GM2 antibodies are associated with acute CMV infections in GBS patients.

We report a systematic study of the magnetic and magnetotransport properties in skyrmionic compounds MnFe x Ge. Helical-spin or skyrmion orders are formed in all the compositions, which allows us to study electron band-filling dependence of those periodically-winding spin textures. Magnetization characteristics reflect the variation in Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction or spin–orbit coupling with chemical composition, typically as a change in the critical magnetic field. This tunable spin–orbit coupling enables control of skyrmion formation, such as its size, helicity and topology. Anomalous Hall effect in MnFe x Ge can also be a good measure of the strength of spin–orbit coupling. Anomalous Hall conductivity is moderately temperature-dependent, obeying the magnetization variation, except for those at low temperatures in FeGe accompanied by skew contribution. The constancy of anomalous Hall coefficient S H against temperature manifests that the contribution from reciprocal space Berry phase induced by spin–orbit coupling is dominant in anomalous Hall conductivity. Strength of Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction and anomalous Hall coefficient show a similar tendency in their band-filling dependence. Spin–orbit coupling plays a fundamental role behind both of the chiral magnetism and spin-dependent transport phenomena in this system.

group A improved from 58.23± 8.43 to 36.56± 5.6, group B improved from 61.12± 7.2 to 43.35± 4.34, group C improved from 66.86± 7.35 to 53.78± 6.57. The SPADI were changed significantly in group A and group B (P 0.05). Comparison between group A and group B, the improvement of group A was superior to that of group B in the SPADI (P< 0.05). Conclusion(s): The Mulligan’s mobilization with movement combined with stretching therapy could improve the shoulder ROM, pain intensity and function of the frozen shoulder patients better.We can combine some active therapy and home exercise therapy for the future work, try to find our better treatment for the frozen shoulder patients. Implications: Most physiotherapists in mainland were not familiar with MWM, they do not know how to use it in frozen shoulder patients. After they study in this article, they can learn more about MWM and know how to use different treatments together for the frozen shoulder patients.

Background: Excessive lordosis or kyphosis of the spine is thought to be a cause of lower back pain (LBP), and reportedly creates irregularities in lumbar extensor activity (Shirado, 1995). The iliopsoas (ILIO) is thought to play a role in LBP in patients with recurrent LBP (RLBP) (Lee, 2013). Recent research has shown that activity of local muscles deep in the trunk is important in preventing LBP (Hodges, 2009), althoughmany details of this remain unclear. There have been no reports on differences in lumbar extensor activity related to different postures between people with and without RLBP. Purpose: To clarify differences in lumbar extensor activity between people with and without RLBP with respect to different standing postures, and to elucidate how the trunk and hip flexors used in lumbar extension are responsible for controlling lower back and spinal alignment. Methods: Subjects included 11 adults with RLBP (RLBP group), and nine healthy adults with no history of orthopedic diseases in the legs or trunk (pain-free group). We measured activity of the ILIO, multifidus (MF), iliocostalis lumborum (IL), and iliocostalis thoraces (IT) muscles using an MQ16 (Kissei Comtec). Each subject stood in a relaxed standing posture, a flat posture, a swayback posture, and a lordosis posture. Subjects maintained the postures for ten seconds with the help of pictures, verbal instructions, and manual guidance while we measuredmuscle activity. Additionally, we placedmarkers in eleven locations, including T1, T7, T12, L3, S2, ASIS, PSIS, the greater trochanter, and the knee joint lateral epicondyle. We took pictures of each posture with a digital camera, and defined each posture by calculating the alignment of the thoracic vertebra, the lumbar, and the pelvis based on the angle change at each. Differences in muscle activity between the two groups were assessed by an independent t-test using SPSS 12.0J. A P-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: In the standing posture, there were no significant differences in muscle activity between the two groups. In the flat posture, MF and IT muscle activity was greater in the RLBP group than in the pain-free group (P< 0.05). In the swaybackposture, ITmuscle activitywas greater in theRLBP group than in the pain-free group (P< 0.05). In the lordosis posture, MF muscle activity was greater in the RLBP group than in the pain-free group (P< 0.05). Conclusion(s): Muscle activity increased in global muscles and decreased in local muscles in people with RLBP. However, muscle activity in the upright and lordosis postures suggested that hyperkinesia in the MF, which is a local muscle, plays a role in lumbar lordosis. Furthermore, in the RLBP group, maintenance of vertical stability in the spine seems to be attained not only by the lumbar extensors, but also due to hyperkinesia in the IT,which plays a role in lumbar extension. Implications:This studywill lead to newdevelopments in physical therapy for people with RLBP by clarifying posture control patterns in these patients.

This paper proposes a gestural instruction learning algorithm for robots which move in response to video information. Applying the algorithm to an actual moving robot in a trajectory learning experiment confirms that it enables a robot to understand, on the same level that a dog might, both the meaning of a human macro sign (i.e. a figure-eight sign) and the qualitative sense inherent in a human macro qualitative instruction (i.e. a figure-eight trajectory with a large width). The proposed algorithm refines the robot moving trajectory through the use of a fuzzy associative memory system. It is demonstrated that the use of macro qualitative instructions in the proposed algorithm enables trajectory learning to be attained more quickly than with the use of micro instructions in a conventional algorithm. >

Transgenic animals, with the integrated target gene, provide a unique approach for measuring and characterizing mutations in any tissue of the animal. We are using the plasmid-based lacZ transgenic mice with different p53 genetic background to examine radiation-induced genetic damage resulting from exposure to heavy particle radiation. We measured lacZ mutation frequencies (MF) in the brain and spleen tissues at various times after exposing animals to an acute dose of 1 Gy of 1GeV/amu iron particles. MF in the spleen of p53+/+ animals increased up to 2.6-fold above spontaneous levels at 8 weeks post irradiation. In contrast, brain MF from the same animals increased 1.7-fold above controls in the same period. In the p53-/- animals, brain MF increased to 2.2-fold above spontaneous levels at 1 week after treatment, but returned to control levels thereafter. Radiation also induced alterations in the spectrum of mutants in both tissues, accompanied by changes in the frequency of mutants with deletions extending past the transgene into mouse genomic DNA. Our results indicate that the accumulation of transgene MF after radiation exposure is dependant on the tissue examined as well as the p53 genetic background of the animals.

Mitochondrial ornithine transporter deficiency has been called HHH syndrome, because this disorder is characterized by three biochemical abnormalities; hyperornithinemia, hyperammonemia, and homocitrullinuria, and presents with various neurological symptoms; mental retardation, spastic paraparesis with pyramidal signs, cerebellar ataxia and episodic disturbance of consciousness or coma due to hyperammonemia. We identified four mutations in the mitochondrial ornithine transporter gene (ORNT1) of Japanese patients with HHH syndrome. These include a nonsense mutation (R179X), associated with exon skipping, missense mutations (G27E, P126R), and an insertion of AAC between codons 228 and 229, leading to an insertion of amino acid Asn. Especially, R179X was detected 4 of 7 Japanese patients (8 of 14 alleles), implying that this is a common mutation in Japanese population.

We evaluated the characteristics of myocardial fatty acid metabolism in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Myocardial imaging with 123I-beta-methyl iodophenyl pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) was performed in 28 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), 15 patients with hypertensive heart disease (HHD), 13 patients with aortic stenosis (AS) and 8 normal controls (NC). The patients with HCM consisted of 13 patients of asymmetric septal hypertrophy (ASH), 7 patients of diffuse hypertrophy (Diffuse-HCM) and 8 patients of apical hypertrophy (APH). Planar and SPECT images of BMIPP were acquired 15 minutes and 4 hours after tracer injection. Resting 201Tl SPECT images and echocardiography were also performed on other days. We calculated heart/mediastinum count ratio and washout rate of BMIPP by using planar image. In patients with LVH, the incidence of reduced BMIPP uptake was more frequent than that of reduced 201Tl uptake. In delayed images, more than 60% of patients with LVH reduced BMIPP uptake, especially remarkable for patients with ASH and APH. The washout rate of all cardiac hypertrophic disorders was tended to be higher than that of normal subjects. Reduced BMIPP uptake was frequently found in septal portion of anterior and inferior wall in patients with ASH, in inferior wall in patients with Diffuse-HCM and HHD, in apex in patients with APH and AS. These results suggest that BMIPP scintigraphy can differentiate three types of cardiac hypertrophy.

Dysfunction of the E-cadherin/catenin-mediated cell-cell adhesion system has been associated with invasiveness and poor differentiation of human carcinomas. However, its importance in the genesis of liver metastasis has not been examined sufficiently.A series of 26 primary pancreatic carcinomas and the concomitant liver metastases from 15 of them, obtained at autopsy, were analyzed for E-cadherin and alpha-catenin protein expression by immunohistochemistry.Both E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression were preserved in 15 (58%) and reduced in 11 (32%) of the 26 primary pancreatic carcinomas. In the former 15 primaries, carcinoma cells were attached to each other tightly, whereas the latter 11 primaries showed isolated or loosely connected attachments. The metastatic ratio was higher in tumors exhibiting tight adhesion than in those with loose adhesion: 73% and 36%, respectively (P = 0.059). E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression patterns in liver metastases basically followed those in the corresponding primaries (P0.01).Reduced E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression in primary pancreatic carcinoma has no significant predictive value regarding the presence of liver metastasis. Rather, there is a greater tendency for liver metastasis in cases in which the integrity of the E-cadherin/catenin-mediated cell-cell adhesion system is intact.

We compared myocardial viability evaluated by 18F-deoxyglucose (FDG) SPECT in 14 old myocardial infarction patients with that evaluated by 201TI SPECT and 123I-beta-methyl-iodophenyl pentadecanoic acid SPECT as imaging of fatty acid metabolism. FDG-SPECT was performed after oral administration of glucose. From each SPECT image which was divided into 7 segments, the degree of accumulation of each radioisotope (RI) was visually classified into four grades of defect score (ranging from 0 as normal to 3 as severe defect). The % uptake in the same area was also quantitatively calculated.The degree of accumulation of myocardial Rl relative to regional wall motion. FDG is the most wide for a range of accumulation of Rl of infarct area. Also, at FDG, in the area of wall motion had done a disorder, the degree of accumulation was higher than other two methods. In the infarcted area, the degree of accumulation on FDG-SPECT in the area of decreased wall motion was greater than that on the other two procedures. These results suggest that FDG-SPECT is useful for evaluating myocardial viability.

Paraneoplastic syndrome(PS) associated anti-neuronal autoantibodies are characterized by their antigen molecular weight determined by Western blot and immunostaining pattern recognized through immunohistochemistry. We investigated immunohistochemical fixatives for their sensitivity in the detection of anti-neuronal nuclear antibody(Hu). Serum used for this study was taken from a patient with anti-Hu antibody seropositivity, which was ascertained by recombinant Hu protein. Western blot analysis produced 37kDa band. We examined six fixative conditions: immersion fixed with acetone, Bouin's solution, Sakura rapid fixative("Ufix'), and perfusion fixed with 2%, 4%, 8% paraformaldehyde (PFA) on the basis of each immunoreactivity in a rat cerebellum, brain stem and liver. The optimal fixation for detecting anti-Hu antibody was perfusion fixed with 2% PFA, that reacted conspicuously with nucleus but not nucleolus of neurons. The perfusion method proved superior to immersion in immunostaining intensity. With immersion fixation, specific immunostaining pattern lessened and differentiation from cytoplasm decreased. With various concentrations of PFA, immuno-reactivity with nucleus at 2% PFA was similar to 4%, although serum optimal dilution at 2% was slightly greater than 4%. The variety of staining patterns of anti-Hu antibody is closely related to the vulnerability of neuronal antigens to the fixatives. The detection of anti-neuronal antibodies is important for early diagnosis and treatment of occult tumors. The immunostaining method is a useful and sensitive way to research these antibodies. Therefore, it is essential to consider the selection of fixation and the preservation of the antigenicity in evaluating immunohistochemical hallmarks.

We studied clinical factors relating to the presence of serum anti-GM1 and GD1b antibodies in patients with demyelinating neuropathy using a multivariate analysis. Sera were obtained from 46 patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and 33 with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and kept frozen at -20 degrees C until use. Anti-GM1 and GD1b IgM and IgG antibodies were measured by ELISA at serum dilution of 1:100 and considered to be positive when those values were more than the cut off values determined by means and standard deviations in 35 normal controls. Age, sex, duration, prodromal disease, neurological findings, concentration of CSF protein, nerve conduction, treatment, and outcome were investigated in all patients retrospectively. Multivariate logistic models using all those characteristics were used to clarify the clinical factors relating to the presence of anti-GM1 and GD1b antibodies. In CIDP, anti-GM1 antibodies associated with or without anti-GD1b antibodies were frequently seen in patients with motor dominant neuropathy than those with sensory dominant neuropathy (P = 0.007, odds ratio = 11.6). There was significant difference in anti-GM1 IgM antibodies (P = 0.003, odds ratio = 22.2), but no difference in IgG antibodies. Anti-GM1 antibodies were observed 5 (IgM, 5; IgG, 2) of 7 patients with pure motor neuropathy, 9 (IgM, 8; IgG, 4) of 17 with motor dominant neuropathy, 5 (IgM, 2; IgG, 3) of 16 with sensori-motor neuropathy, and none of 6 with sensory dominant neuropathy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The Distribution pattern and proportion of the positive cells of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were examined immunohistochemically to study the proliferative activities of 33 cases of carcinoma found at the confluence of the main hepatic ducts. Expressions of CEA, CA19-9 and EGF receptor (R) were further examined with serial histological sections and comparatively analyzed with the result of PCNA staining and the clinico-pathological features of the carcinoma. PCNA positive cancer cells were observed in greatest abundance at the deeply infiltrated region of the carcinoma. CEA and CA19-9 were also expressed most strongly in this region and a stromal staining pattern was predominant. However, negative or apical staining patterns of CEA and CA19-9 were more frequent in the surface or the lateral spreading regions of the carcinoma, where the PCNA positive cancer cells were fewer in number. EGFR expression was rarely observed in the present study.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is thought to be caused by immunologic abnormalities expressed as a Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance in both humans and dogs. Several studies have focused on the therapeutic effects of IFNγ in human AD with successful results; however, the mechanism of action of IFNγ is not fully understood. We investigated the effect of recombinant canine interferon gamma (rCaIFNγ) on 10 dogs with AD and evaluated the ratio of IL-4 mRNA to IFNγ mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, serum total IgE levels, and histological changes in skin. After six injections of rCaIFNγ over a span of 2 weeks, seven of the 10 dogs showed improvement, and six of these seven dogs exhibited decreased IL-4:IFNγ mRNA ratios. Two of the three cases that did not improve had increased IL-4:IFNγ mRNA ratios. Total serum IgE levels were significantly decreased in nine of 10 cases. The number of IgE-positive cells detected by immunostaining and the number of mast cells in skin biopsy samples were decreased. A reduction of epidermal cell layers was demonstrated by histopathology after treatment. These results demonstrated that rCaIFNγ may be a novel safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of canine AD, and the mechanism of action of rCaIFNγ may be related to the modulation of Th2 cytokines to Th1 cytokines with the reduction of serum IgE production. Funding: Self-funded.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) insufficiency of the knee is a great problem for athletes as it influences their lives, limiting or preventing participation in sport. We selected 60 patients with ACL insufficiency and performed ACL reconstruction. The cases with more than a 1-year follow-up were selected for evaluation of the pathological anatomy, treatment and prognosis of the injury, particularly combined meniscus injury. The selected subjects were athletes who belonged to sports clubs and who keenly desired to return to sports activities after surgery. The average age at time of injury in these patients was 17 years, with a range of 12–34 years: the average age at time of surgery was 22 years with a range of 16–34 years.

An aenurysm of a diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus in a 33-year-old man was presented. The chest radiography revealed a mass obscurring the aortic window above the hilus of the left lung. His blood pressure was 130/70 mmHg, and there was no difference in pressures between the upper and lower or between the right and left extremities. A CT scan of the chest showed 30 X 34 mm angioma adjacent to the descending aorta and pulmonary artery. Aortography and contrast radiography of the right ventricle revealed a cystic pedunculated aneurysm at the superior portion of the descending aorta. The base of the left pulmonary artery was slightly displaced. There was no communication between the aorta and pulmonary artery, nor was any significant difference in pressure between the ascending and descending aorta. This case was diagnosed as an aneurysm of the diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus, and then it was resected. The abnormality was confirmed by the localization of the aneurysm and histopathologic findings, but the presence of the ligamentum arteriosum was not confirmed. This is the 23rd case of the aneurysm of the diverticulum of the ductus arteriosus in adults, and the first case in Japan in which the diagnosis was made in a living patient, followed by successful surgery.

Pericardial puncture drainage was attempted in five patients with pericardial effusion under the guidance of real time two-dimensional echocardiography (ultrasonic cardiotomography). The needle fixed to the scanner probe was inserted from the anterior chest wall under the observation of ultrasound images. After the needle was placed into the pericardial space, then the drainage catheter was introduced according to the Seldinger technique. The image of the needle should be appropriately monitored from the site of puncture as near as possible because the pericardium is so close to the anterior chest wall. Both mechanical and linear sector scanners were used in this study, and linear type was proved to be useful for this purpose. It was concluded that the pericardial puncture under the guidance of ultrasonic cardiotomography is safer and reliable compared to the conventional blind puncture technique.