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Objective To study ophthalmological manifestations in a well-characterized primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS) cohort (APS-Rio) and compare them with a healthy control group. Methods We examined PAPS patients and controls with an extensive ophthalmological evaluation, which included anamnesis, visual acuity, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy, and retinography of the anterior and posterior segments of the eye. PAPS group also underwent angiography exam and optical coherence tomography using spectral domain technology (SD-OCT). Results 98 PAPS patients and 102 controls were included. The most common symptom in PAPS was amaurosis fugax (34.7% vs. 6.9%; p = .001). In the multivariate analyses, Raynaud’s phenomenon was associated with amaurosis fugax (OR 3.71, CI:1.33–10.32; p = .012), and livedo correlated with hemianopia (OR 6.96, CI:1.11–43.72, p = .038) and diplopia (OR 3.49, CI:1.02–11.53, p = .047). After ophthalmological evaluation, 84 PAPS patients had ocular involvement (1.0% glaucoma, 94.0% posterior findings, 62.7% anterior findings, and 56.6% both posterior and anterior findings). Vascular tortuosity was more frequent in the PAPS group (63.2% vs. 42.2%; p = .002), as well as peripheral tortuosity (29.6% vs. 7.8%; p < .001). After excluding patients with atherosclerotic risk factors, peripheral vascular tortuosity was still statistically associated with PAPS (35.0 vs. 7.8%, p < .001). Triple positivity was more frequent in PAPS patients with peripheral vascular tortuosity than in those without this ocular finding (34.5% vs. 15.9%, p = .041). Conclusion Vasomotor phenomena are importantly related to ocular symptoms in PAPS. Vascular tortuosity was a frequent finding in PAPS patients. Peripheral vascular tortuosity was associated with triple positivity and might be a biomarker of ischemic microvascular retinopathy due to PAPS.

Background This two-stage, phase IIa study investigated the antitumor activity and safety of MOR208, an Fc-engineered, humanized, CD19 antibody, in patients with relapsed or refractory (R-R) B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). CD19 is broadly expressed across the B-lymphocyte lineage, including in B-cell malignancies, but not by hematological stem cells. Patients and methods Patients aged ≥18 years, with R-R NHL progressing after ≥1 prior rituximab-containing regimen were enrolled into subtype-specific cohorts: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma (FL), other indolent (i)NHL and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Treatment was MOR208, 12 mg/kg intravenously, weekly, for 8 weeks. Patients with at least stable disease could continue treatment for an additional 4 weeks. Those with a partial or complete response after 12 weeks could receive extended MOR208 treatment (12 mg/kg, either monthly or every second week) until progression. The primary end point was overall response rate. Results Ninety-two patients were enrolled: DLBCL (n = 35), FL (n = 34), other iNHL (n = 11) and MCL (n = 12). Responses were observed in DLBCL, FL and other iNHL cohorts (26%, 29% and 27%, respectively). They lasted ≥12 months in 5/9 responding patients with DLBCL, 4/9 with FL and 2/3 with other iNHL. Responses in nine patients are ongoing (>26 months in five instances). Patients with rituximab refractory disease showed a similar response rate and progression-free survival time to patients with non-refractory disease. The most common adverse events (any grade) were infusion-related reactions (12%) and neutropenia (12%). One patient experienced a grade 4 infusion-related reaction and eight patients (9%) experienced grade 3/4 neutropenia. No treatment-related deaths were reported. Conclusions MOR208 monotherapy demonstrated promising clinical activity in patients with R-R DLBCL and R-R FL, including in patients with rituximab refractory tumors. These efficacy data and the favorable safety profile support further investigation of MOR208 in phase II/III combination therapy trials in R-R DLBCL. ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01685008.

We have observed 7 new transits of the `hot Jupiter' WASP-5b using a 61 cm telescope located in New Zealand, in order to search for transit timing variations (TTVs) which can be induced by additional bodies existing in the system. When combined with other available photometric and radial velocity (RV) data, we find that its transit timings do not match a linear ephemeris; the best fit \chi^2 values is 32.2 with 9 degrees of freedom which corresponds to a confidence level of 99.982 % or 3.7 \sigma. This result indicates that excess variations of transit timings has been observed, due either to unknown systematic effects or possibly to real TTVs. The TTV amplitude is as large as 50 s, and if this is real, it cannot be explained by other effects than that due to an additional body or bodies. From the RV data, we put an upper limit on the RV amplitude caused by the possible secondary body (planet) as 21 m s^{-1}, which corresponds to its mass of 22-70 M_{Earth} over the orbital period ratio of the two planets from 0.2 to 5.0. From the TTVs data, using the numerical simulations, we place more stringent limits down to 2 M_{Earth} near 1:2 and 2:1 mean motion resonances (MMRs) with WASP-5b at the 3 \sigma level, assuming that the two planets are co-planer. We also put an upper limit on excess of Trojan mass as 43 M_{Earth} (3 \sigma) using both RV and photometric data. We also find that if the possible secondary planet has non- or a small eccentricity, its orbit would likely be near low-order MMRs. Further follow-up photometric and spectroscopic observations will be required to confirm the reality of the TTV signal, and results such as these will provide important information for the migration mechanisms of planetary systems., Comment: accepted for publication in PASJ, 30 pages, 8 figures, 8 tables

Introduction/Background The subjective postural vertical (SPV) in healthy subjects is robustly maintained by integrating somatosensory and vestibular information, and extremely correct on frontal and sagittal plane. It is well-known that brain injury patients indicate disturbance of SPV on frontal or sagittal plane. On the other hand, stroke patients frequently fall paretic side and backward, but SPV on diagonal plane in normal subjects and stroke patients is unclear. The purpose of present study was to clarify the difference of SPV on diagonal plane between elderly subjects and stroke patients. Material and method The subjects comprised 14 elderly subjects (control group) and 10 left hemiparetic patients (LHP group). All subjects provided their written informed consent to take part in the study. SPV was measured using an electrical vertical board (EVB). The subjects sat on the EVB and were moved in the opposite direction from the left-backward or right-forward. The tilt of the seat when the subject feels and judges vertical position was recorded with a digital inclinometer. The mean (tilt direction) and standard deviation (variability) of eight trials were calculated. A true vertical position was considered 0°, diagonally backward and diagonally forward was treated as negative and positive, respectively. The values of SPV were compared between groups using the unpaired t-test (P Results There was no difference between control group (66.8 ± 9.2 years [mean ± SD]) and LHP groups (67.5 ± 10.8 years) in age. In tilt direction, LHP group (−2.5 ± 0.7°) demonstrated significant tilt backward to the left than control group (−1.3 ± 1.4°). Variability was significantly higher in LHP (5.4 ± 2.0°) than control (2.5 ± 0.9°). Conclusion In stroke patients, tilt direction deviated to the diagonally backward and the judgement of verticality was unstable. These results suggest a possibility to explain the tilt of sitting posture and the difficulty of transfer movement in stroke patients.

Human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG, 75 IU/body/day) and a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist buserelin (1, 10, 100 µg/kg/day) were simultaneously administered to female rabbits by the subcutaneous route for 7 days, and the effects on organ weights, plasma hormones and weight of ascitic fluid were examined. Treatment with hMG increased the ovarian weight, plasma estradiol and weight of ascites, thus indicating that ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome had been induced. Simultaneous treatment with buserelin decreased the changes induced by hMG. GnRH agonists can thus be surmised to reduce the severity of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in the rabbit. However, caution is needed when extrapolating the results of this rabbit model to humans.

The authors have measured the potential of electrostatic discharge using a commercial VCR drive with metal powder (MP) tapes that are widely used in business. They set up an experimental drive, which has a surface voltage meter and a magneto-resistive read (MR) head with a current-measuring circuit. Using this system, they can measure the surface voltage and current while the tape is running and can investigate how the electrostatic potential from the tape can damage the head. In their assumption that if the media surface voltage is low and current flowing into the head is lower than the sensing current of the head, the MR head can be used in a VCR. It can be not only AMR but may also be giant magnetoresistive and TMR in the future. The results of their experiments show that the peak surface voltage is low and the peak current is only about 3.6 /spl mu/A with a middle-resistance tape. The peak current is lower than the breakdown current since the sensing current is typically 10 mA. Therefore, an MR head can be used with an MP tape. The authors found that the optimum surface resistance of middle-resistance tape is 10/sup 6/ to 10/sup 7//spl middot//spl Omega/sq.

In medically treated patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection, it has been shown that the state of the dissecting aorta in the acute phase predicts the prognosis. The present study examined other crucial factors, including physical characteristics, related to the long-term prognosis in type B aortic dissection.Two hundred and two patients with type B aortic dissection who were discharged alive with medical treatment in the acute phase (mean age 66.5 years, range 29-90 years, 160 males) were followed.During the mean follow-up period of 4.9 years (ranging up to 12.2 years), 37 all-cause deaths were confirmed. A surgical procedure related to aortic dissection was performed in 8, and re-dissection occurred in 3. The survival rate at 5 years after onset was 82%. On Cox regression analysis, increased height (greater than the median value) was significantly associated with all-cause death and the composite aortic event when adjusted by age and sex (hazard ratio [HR]=2.22, 95%confidence interval [CI] 1.15-4.83, P=0.021, and HR=4.53, 95%CI 1.26-16.35, P=0.021, respectively). Patients with coexisting true aortic aneurysms also had a higher risk than those without (composite aortic events, HR=3.63, 95%CI 1.41-9.35, P=0.008).More strict management in the chronic phase is needed in taller patients as well as patients with coexisting true aortic aneurysms. This common physical predisposing feature may also assist in making the decision for earlier surgical intervention to the affected aorta.

We present the first example of binary microlensing for which the parameter measurements can be verified (or contradicted) by future Doppler observations. This test is made possible by a confluence of two relatively unusual circumstances. First, the binary lens is bright enough (I=15.6) to permit Doppler measurements. Second, we measure not only the usual 7 binary-lens parameters, but also the 'microlens parallax' (which yields the binary mass) and two components of the instantaneous orbital velocity. Thus we measure, effectively, 6 'Kepler+1' parameters (two instantaneous positions, two instantaneous velocities, the binary total mass, and the mass ratio). Since Doppler observations of the brighter binary component determine 5 Kepler parameters (period, velocity amplitude, eccentricity, phase, and position of periapsis), while the same spectroscopy yields the mass of the primary, the combined Doppler + microlensing observations would be overconstrained by 6 + (5 + 1) - (7 + 1) = 4 degrees of freedom. This makes possible an extremely strong test of the microlensing solution. We also introduce a uniform microlensing notation for single and binary lenses, we define conventions, summarize all known microlensing degeneracies and extend a set of parameters to describe full Keplerian motion of the binary lenses., Comment: 51 pages, 8 figures, 2 appendices. Submitted to ApJ. Fortran codes for Appendix B are attached to this astro-ph submission and are also available at http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~jskowron/OGLE-2009-BLG-020/

For the variance of a normal distribution with an unknown mean, three types of truncated estimators superior to the best affine equivariant are treated and their efficiencies are compared asymptotically and numerically. As an application, the simultaneous estimation of a multivariate normal mean is considered and it is demonstrated that using an improved estimator of the variance leads to the improvement on the James-Stein estimator for the mean vector. Also simulation results for the relative risk improvement are given.

We analyze the extreme high-magnification microlensing event OGLE-2008-BLG-279, which peaked at a maximum magnification of A ~ 1600 on 30 May 2008. The peak of this event exhibits both finite-source effects and terrestrial parallax, from which we determine the mass of the lens, M_l=0.64 +/- 0.10 M_Sun, and its distance, D_l = 4.0 +/- 0.6. We rule out Jupiter-mass planetary companions to the lens star for projected separations in the range 0.5-20 AU. More generally, we find that this event was sensitive to planets with masses as small as 0.2 M_Earth ~= 2 M_Mars with projected separations near the Einstein ring (~3 AU)., Comment: 25 pages, 7 figures, submitted to ApJ

A 59-year-old woman was admitted because of an abnormal shadow on the chest X-ray film. Transbronchial lung biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma of the right lung, and chest computed tomography showed left atrial tumor. First, we performed a resection of left atrial tumor (myxoma) under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), followed by a right upper lobectomy with lymph node dissection. The postoperative course was uneventful, and she was discharged on the 14th postoperative day. It is safe and efficient that pulmonary resection and cardiac operation under CPB are surgically treated in a one-stage operation.

In this study, a silicon fishbone-shaped resonant-frequency-tunable MEMS resonator is designed and fabricated. The resonator can vibrate in larger amplitude than conventional doubly-fixed-beam resonator and resonant frequency characteristic is tunable by selectively choosing exciting electrodes. This new resonator should be useful for wider multi-band frequency applications, for example, reference oscillator of cellular phones and multi-band tunable filters.

Phase retardation of in vivo human retinal nerve fiber layer of healthy and glaucomatous eyes is quantitatively measured by polarization-sensitive spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and scanning laser polarimetry.

This paper proposes a new type of inspection robot for rescue activity MOIRA2. We have developed a rescue robot MOIRA before, which has ability to dive into rubble. Based on the experience of MOIRA, we develop its improved version MOIRA 2. In this paper, we describe the characteristics and design policy of MOIRA2 comparing with MOIRA. Furthermore, the results of experiment are shown to demonstrate its performance

A method of lateral superresolution for Fourier domain optical coherence tomography is presented. This method consists of intentional defocus and its numerical compensation using a spatial frequency-phase filter. Theoretical consideration and experimental demonstration are described.

We develop high-speed Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography. A-scan rate is 18700 Hz and system sensitivity is 90.3 dB with –50.3 dB reflector. In vivo human retinal structure and blood flow imaging are demonstrated.

Three-dimensional optical coherence tomography using only one-dimensional mechanical scanning is demonstrated. This system uses the principle of Fourier domain optical coherence tomography for depth resolution, one-dimensional imaging for lateral vertical resolution, and mechanical scanning by a galvanometer for lateral horizontal resolution. An in vivo human fingerpad is investigated three-dimensionally. The acquisition time for a single cross section is 1 ms and that for a single volume is 10 s, and the system sensitivity is 75.6 dB.

The final goal of this research is to develop a mobile system to collect 3D information and panoramic image in rubble to search human bodies and situation in the rubble. This system has abilities to collect and deliver information and cooperate with other robots etc. As a part of this project, multiple CMOS cameras are integrated in a sensor head, and software for generating panorama image and distance information is developed.

In Hokkaido, more than 30 semi-closed water areas exist, and aquaculture has been performed in many of those water areas. Since semiclosed water areas connected to open sea by a narrow inlet are very calm water area, such areas are suitable for the aquaculture of scallops, oysters, and other marine products. However there is also the risk that the water quality may suddenly decrease with change of the surrounding environment. For permanent use for aquaculture, maintenance of the water quality is needed. As one of the water quality preservation methods, promotion of water exchange has been pointed out. Although the aquaculture facilities densely installed in water areas are one factor that worsens water exchange, flow analysis and evaluation of amount of water exchange in considering the influence of aquaculture facilities has not been performed. In this paper, the influence of aquaculture facilities on water exchange clarified by the flow analysis that set up fluid resistance is described.

In Hokkaido, Japan more than 30 semiclosed water areas exist, and aquaculture has been performed in many of those water areas. Since semiclosed water areas connected to open sea by a narrow inlet are very calm water area, such areas are suitable for the aquaculture of scallops, oysters, and other marine products. However there is also the risk that the water quality may suddenly decrease with change of the surrounding environment. For permanent use for aquaculture, maintenance of the water quality is needed. As one of the water quality preservation methods, promotion of water exchange has been pointed out. Since Hokkaido is located in a cold region, in winter, semiclosed water areas freeze over, and ice floes drift into water areas though openings. Although ice cover and be floes are factors that worsen water exchange, flow analysis and evaluation of the amount of water exchange in considering the influence of ice has not been performed. Influence of the ice on water exchange clarified by flow analysis that set up fluid resistance is described.

Standard Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) and line-field Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (LF-FDOCT) are described. The standard FD-OCT has the measurement speed of 36 frames/sec and one frame consisting 500 A-scans. The LF-FDOCT is an improved version of FD-OCT and determines a cross section of a sample without any mechanical scanning. The LF-FDOCT has the measurement speed of 30 frames/sec, which is corresponding to 480 KH/ A-scan. A galvano-meter is introduced into the LF-FDOCT and it enables three-dimensional OCT measurement with only one-dimensional mechanical scanning.

Ogino K., Makita S., Satomi J., Yoshida T. Intérêt d'une activité thérapeutique utilisant les sports de raquettes chez des patients cardiaques. In: Les Cahiers de l'INSEP, n°35, 2005. Les sports de raquette. Données scientifiques et méthodologiques. Applications pour l'entraînement. pp. 269-270.

Few minutes of suspended malignant ventricular arrhythmia may be permitted for the patient with left ventricular assist system (LVAS). However, longer and continuous ventricular arrhythmia, especially ventricular fibrillation (Vf), may induce the low output of LVAS, which leads circulatory collapse immediately. Our presenting case is a female dilated cardiomyopathy patient who has been supported with LVAS. Four months after the LVAS installation, her electrocardiogram has changed to Vf without any symptoms. Her ventricular function has never recovered, even ventricular tachycardia. She has been a candidate of heart transplantation for more than 19 months with this rare hemodynamic condition (LVAS+Vf), like the Fontan circulation. Her performance status is limited due to deceasing of the LVAS flow, which caused by the change of her position: 2.5-2.9 l/min (lie down) to 2.0 l/min (rise). Her peak VO2/W is 6.9 ml/min/kg measured by the cardio-pulmonary exercise test. However, she has developed her general status by doing rehabilitation program and is able to walk for more than 100-150 meters.

A parallel polarization-sensitive spectral interferometric OCT has been developed to decrease measurement time by detecting of two polarized signal light at a time. Cross-sectional Jones matrix images of a piece of bovine tendon by double lateral scans we obtained.

An common path- and spectral interferometric optical coherence tomography (OCT) system which has high vibration stability and fast measurement speed is developed. A cross-sectional image of tendon of bovine taken by this OCT is shown.

A non-axial-scanning confocal microscope by membrane mirror shape switching has been developed. The system controls the defocus of an objective by membrane mirror, and determines the height of an object from the confocal output value of each defocus.

The purpose of the study is to realize horse-like walking by a quadruped robot. First, to understand the gait of a horse we analyzed the gait of a trotting horse in a sagittal plane. We also studied the structure and function of equine muscles, tendons and skeleton. As a result, we proposed the model of horse-type quadruped robot. Its characteristics are: 1. At the fetlock joint, equine tendons work as springs. We introduced this role of tendons into the proposed model. 2. Each leg of this model has the same number of joints as that of each of the equine legs except digit or pes. Next, we made a simulator of this model and carried out simulation experiments to show the effect of the spring. Then the quadruped robot was designed.

A unique transmission mechanism using a non-contact magnetic gear (NCMG) is proposed for micro and miniature electromechanical systems. A miniature NCMG has been produced and the basic characteristics were evaluated experimentally. The theoretical approach for analyzing the transmittable torque of the NCMG was developed and verified experimentally. It is concluded that the NCMG system has great potential for use in safe miniature transmission mechanisms for medical applications and in micro transmission systems for microelectromechanical systems. >

It is well known that prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) increases peripheral blood flow. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PGE1 infusion on the hemodynamics and vasodilatory response of the leg affected by intermittent claudication in patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO). Fourteen legs of 8 male patients with ASO were infused intravenously with PGE1 (120 microg/day) for 7 consecutive days. Before the infusion and 5 days after cessation of the infusion, resting skin and skeletal muscle blood flow in the calf and occlusion-induced reactive hyperemic flow were measured using plethysmography and a laser Doppler flowmeter. Clinical symptoms in the legs were assessed by treadmill exercise testing. Resting calf blood flow was found to have increased significantly (skin, from 2.6 +/- 0.1 ml/min/100 g tissue to 2.9 +/- 0.1 ml/min/100 g tissue, p0.02; skeletal muscle, from 3.1 +/- 0.2 ml/min/dl tissue to 4.0 +/- 0.5 ml/min/dl tissue, p0.02). There was also a significant reduction in the peripheral vascular resistance (-17.8 +/- 7.2%, p0.05) 5 days after the cessation of infusion. The time to the half-maximum post peak of hyperemia was significantly elongated (from 34.6 +/- 5.7 sec to 58.6 +/- 9.2 sec, p0.01). Borg's score of the legs on exercise testing was markedly reduced, and symptom-free walking distance was increased by an average of 70.9 + 15.6%. In conclusion, PGE1 infusion has vascular effects on not only resting calf blood flow but also hyperemic flow responses. These retentive effects may be due to alteration in vascular functions and/or rheological state as a result of PGE1-induced regular enhancement of blood flow, rather than the direct vasodilatory effect of the agent.

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) is an occlusive arterial disease and a separate disease entity from atherosclerosis. It occurs mainly in the small and medium-sized vessels. Although the cause of TAO is unknown, systemic factors (immunological or humoral) may be involved in addition to abnormal peripheral microcirculation. Endothelium is now recognized as an important factor in the maintenance of microvascular circulation and the inhibition of platelet aggregation. This study examines the possible impairment of endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the peripheral vasculature of patients with TAO.Forearm blood flow (FBF) changes induced by the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine, the endothelium-independent vasodilator sodium nitroprusside, and occlusion-induced reactive hyperemia were measured plethysmographically in eight patients with TAO and in eight healthy control subjects matched for age and smoking status. The increase in FBF response to intra-arterial acetylcholine infusion was lower in patients with TAO than in healthy control subjects (peak FBF, 22.9 +/- 2.9 versus 14.1 +/- 2.8 mL/min per dL of tissue volume; P.01). In contrast, there was no significant difference in the increase in FBF response to sodium nitroprusside infusion between the two groups (peak FBF 13.1 +/- 4.0 versus 16.3 +/- 2.5 mL/min per dL of tissue volume; P = NS). In the case of reactive hyperemia, there were no significant differences between the two groups at any time points of hyperemia (peak FBF, 32.9 +/- 4.0 versus 31.4 +/- 3.3 mL/min per dL of tissue volume; P = NS).These results indicate that peripheral endothelium-dependent vasodilation is impaired in the nondiseased limb of patients with TAO. This type of vascular dysfunction may contribute to such characteristics as segmental proliferative lesion and thrombus formation in the peripheral vessels of patients with TAO.

A high-speed, all optical coherence tomography system was designed and constructed. This tomography system employs spectral interferometry and optical Fourier transformation to reduce the number of mechanical scanning dimensions required for multidimensional profilometry. The system also employs a time gate comprising a beta -barium borate crystal driven by a femtosecond laser pulse to improve measurement time. This system has 43-mum depth resolution and 150-fs temporal resolution and is capable of taking 1000 cross-sectional image frames per second.

Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope with 1-micrometer band probe is presented. The residual wavefront error was less than 0.02 with in vivo human eye. Photoreceptor cones are visualized at the eccentricity up to 10 degrees.