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Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on October 12–13, 2019. There was substantial damage over a wide area including the Tohoku region. In particular, Marumori Town, an urban area in Miyagi Prefecture that includes a town hall, was flooded due to heavy rain. The maximum cumulative rainfall and hourly rainfall measured in the town were over 600 and 70 mm, respectively. Heavy rain caused river flooding and landslides throughout the town, resulting in 10 deaths and one missing person. There was also substantial damage to the infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and river levees. The authors performed a field survey immediately after the disaster, and analyzed the observed data. Most levee breaches occurred due to overflow. A breached levee that failed in an unusual direction, namely, a failure which took place from the landside toward the waterside, was also observed. Landslides were not only caused by the amount of rainfall, but also by geological and topographical factors. Roads and railways were damaged by both river flooding and landslides. While both river flooding and landslides occurred in the Usudaira community, which is in the middle reaches of the Gofukuya River, there were no deaths or missing persons. This should be an important case for future disaster mitigation.

Various materials are developed and applied for drug delivery systems (DDS). Of these, photocatalytic materials are considered one of the attractive materials for DDS. Because titanium dioxide used as a photocatalyst is safe for living organisms and can be prepared the various modifications. Therefore, it is possible to apply some drugs or antibodies for the surface of photocatalytic materials. These materials can be delivered and be concentrated to targeting organs and cells by the combination with magnetic nano particles. Further, it is possible not only to control the drug releasing by photocatalytic reaction but also to kill target cells directly by photocatalytic reaction. In addition to the possibility of photocatalysts as DDS materials, photocatalyst is also the attractive materials as antibacterial/antiviral materials. The infection of SARS-CoV-2 is the serious problem in the world. Then, we introduce the antibacterial/antiviral test method using photocatalytic materials and its application including in water purification, because we expect to apply for antibacterial/antiviral. Thus, this paper introduces the potential of photocatalytic materials as follows;the potential of photocatalytic materials as DDS and cancer treatments, test methods for antibacterial/antiviral effects by photocatalytic reactions, the potential of photocatalytic materials as medical applications, the inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by photocatalytic reaction, and water purification.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and diabetes are well-established risk factors of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the brains of patients with AD and model mice, diabetes-related factors have been implicated in the pathological changes of AD. However, the molecular mechanistic link between the peripheral metabolic state and AD pathophysiology have remained elusive. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is known as one of the major contributors to the metabolic abnormalities in obesity and diabetes. Interventions aimed at reducing ER stress have been shown to improve the systemic metabolic abnormalities, although their effects on the AD pathology have not been extensively studied. OBJECTIVES: We examined whether interventions targeting ER stress attenuate the obesity/diabetes-induced Aβ accumulation in brains. We also aimed to determine whether ER stress that took place in the peripheral tissues or central nervous system was more important in the Aβ neuropathology. Furthermore, we explored if age-related metabolic abnormalities and Aβ accumulation could be suppressed by reducing ER stress. METHODS: APP transgenic mice (A7-Tg), which exhibit Aβ accumulation in the brain, were used as a model of AD to analyze parameters of peripheral metabolic state, ER stress, and Aβ pathology in the brain. Intraperitoneal or intracerebroventricular administration of taurodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), a chemical chaperone, was performed in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed A7-Tg mice for ~1 month, followed by analyses at 9 months of age. Mice fed a normal diet were treated with TUDCA by drinking water for 4 months and intraperitoneally for 1 month in parallel, and analyzed at 15 months of age. RESULTS: Intraperitoneal administration of TUDCA suppressed ER stress in the peripheral tissues and ameliorated the HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Concomitantly, Aβ levels in the brain were significantly reduced. In contrast, intracerebroventricular administration of TUDCA had no effect on the Aβ levels. Peripheral administration of TUDCA was also effective against the age-related obesity and insulin resistance, and markedly reduced amyloid accumulation. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that target peripheral ER stress might be beneficial therapeutic and prevention strategies against brain Aβ pathology associated with metabolic overload and aging.

Braid-press forming was developed for manufacturing hollow tube parts made of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) tape. The CFRTP tapes were braided to make a tube, which was consolidated under pressure and heat in the press forming process. Internal pressure was applied to the braided CFRTP tube by a silicone rubber rod inserted in the tube using axial compression. The reason for using a silicone rubber rod was to apply a high internal pressure until the molten resin solidified, which cannot be achieved in bladder molding and pultrusion, and to obtain good consolidation quality and high mechanical properties. As a result, up to 7 MPa press pressure was successfully applied and the tube made contained no voids and had good flexural properties. The study of the pressure showed that the higher press pressure (from 4.1 MPa) produced tubes with higher flexural properties. The estimation of wall thickness after press forming using the braiding architecture agreed with the measured value. Subjects to be addressed in future studies are productivity improvements and continuous tube manufacturing by the serial joining of braiding and press forming. It can be concluded that braid-press forming is a desirable method for the manufacturing of tubes for structural applications and can be used in future mass-production.

We report on electron ratchet transport’s manifestation in the optical rectification (OR) of an asymmetric grating. The photon-drag enabled effect is magnified by asymmetric photon scatterings and the induced optical nonlinearity associated with the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) via its near-field and gradient intensifications. The measured OR efficiency is increased multi-fold, over the prior art, which is attributable to its operating in a higher-order diffraction and nonlinearity regime and to a minimized coupling loss to a potential SPP mode at the lower interface.

Background Central sensitization, including dysfunction of descending inhibitory pain pathways, may contribute to multisite pain in patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions. Duloxetine is a centrally acting analgesic that effectively reduces pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Here we assessed the efficacy of duloxetine (60 mg/day) in Japanese patients (N = 353) with pain due to knee osteoarthritis based on the number of painful body sites, determined using the Michigan Body Map. Methods Post hoc analysis of a phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial ( ClinicalTrials.gov ; NCT02248480). Results At Week 14, the change from baseline in Brief Pain Inventory-Severity average pain score (“pain reduction”) was significantly greater with duloxetine compared with placebo in patients with 3, 4, or ≥5 painful sites, but not in patients with 1 or 2 painful sites. In patients with ≥3 painful sites (57% of patients), pain reduction was significantly greater with duloxetine (n = 100) compared with placebo (n = 101) throughout the study (least squares mean change from baseline to Week 14: −2.68 vs −1.68). Greater pain reduction with duloxetine (n = 77) than placebo (n = 75) also occurred in patients with ≤2 painful sites, although the between-group difference was significant only at Week 4. Conclusions These results are consistent with duloxetine enhancing the activity of descending inhibitory pain pathways that are dysfunctional in patients with central sensitization and multisite pain. In addition, these results suggest that duloxetine may be an effective choice of analgesic for patients with knee osteoarthritis and multisite pain.

SummaryBackground Drug-induced pemphigus (DIP) shows clinical, histopathological and immunological features of pemphigus. However, little is known about immunological profiles in DIP. Objectives To characterize clinical and immunological profiles in patients with DIP. Methods We studied 17 Japanese patients with DIP who were treated at Kurume University Hospital or who consulted from other hospitals between 1997 and 2012. Complicated diseases, clinical and histopathological manifestations, responsible drugs and findings in immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), immunoblotting (IB) and prognosis were analysed. Results Eight of the 17 patients with DIP showed pemphigus foliaceus-like appearance, three showed pemphigus herpetiformis-like appearance, and six showed atypical bullous lesions. Responsible drugs were thiol-containing drugs in 16 patients (bucillamine in nine cases, d-penicillamine in four cases, and cetapril, thiopronine and captopril in one patient each), and a nonthiol drug, sulfasalazine, in one patient. By ELISAs and/or IB analyses, nine patients reacted only with desmoglein 1 (Dsg1), four reacted with Dsg1 and Dsg3, and four showed no specific reactivity. By IB of normal human epidermal extracts, in addition to positive reactivity with Dsg1, four patients with no detectable malignancy showed paraneoplastic pemphigus-like reactivity with the 210-kDa envoplakin and the 190-kDa periplakin. Four cases showed anti-Dsg3 antibodies without mucosal lesions. While 11 cases recovered after discontinuation of the causative drugs, six patients had a very protracted or intractable disease course, and might develop true pemphigus. Conclusions The present study indicated that the majority of the patients with DIP studied showed a pemphigus foliaceus-type phenotype with anti-Dsg1 autoantibodies, caused by thiol-containing drugs.

The finite element method has been considered to be excellent evaluative technique to study magnetic circuit optimization. The present study analyzed and quantitatively evaluated the different effects of magnetic circuit on attractive force and magnetic flux density using a three-dimensional finite element method for comparative evaluation. The diameter of a non-magnetic material in the shield disk of a magnetic assembly was variably increased by 0.1 mm to a maximum 2.0 mm in this study design. The analysis results demonstrate that attractive force increases until the diameter of the non-magnetic spacing material reaches a diameter of 0.5 mm where it peaks and then decreases as the overall diameter increases over 0.5 mm. The present analysis suggested that the attractive force for a magnetic attachment is optimized with an appropriate magnetic assembly shield disk diameter using a non-magnetic material to effectively change the magnetic circuit efficiency and resulting retention.

We have previously reported that peri-transplant conditioning leads to successful induction of renal allograft tolerance via the mixed chimerism approach in nonhuman primates (NHP) and humans. However, this strategy requires treatments beginning six days prior to transplantation, which limits its relevance only to living donor transplant recipients. To extend the clinical applicability of this approach, we developed a novel regimen “delayed tolerance,” with which the recipient initially undergoes organ transplantation with conventional immunosuppression, followed by conditioning and donor bone marrow transplantation (DBMT) at a later date. This approach might be likened to “planting flowers in a battle field.” That is, the recipient’s immunologic environment after organ transplantation is like a battlefield filled with hostile innate and adaptive immune-responses directed against donor antigeneic specificities. Implanting fragile donor hematopoietic progenitors into this environment and encouraging them to bloom in this vicious field requires special treatments. In our NHP studies recently published in The American Journal of Transplantation, we showed that such “delayed tolerance,” in fact, can be induced in NHP through the mixed chimerism approach, if specific modifications to overcome/avoid donor-specific memory T cell responses are provided. These modifications include adequate depletion of CD8 memory T cells and timing of donor bone marrow administration to minimize levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This article addendum will provide a short summary of the original paper with our additional insights and interpretations.

Statement of problem It is not clear if the interaction of craniofacial form with type of prosthetic restoration (conventional or implant-assisted) is related to masticatory function in complete denture patients. Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among facial form, skeletal class, alveolar residual ridge heights and masticatory function in subjects treated with implant-assisted or conventional mandibular dentures with lateral cephalometric evaluation. Material and methods Data from a previously reported randomized controlled clinical trial were accessed to compare treatment success rates, functional and perceptual outcomes, dietary intake, and craniofacial relationships between mandibular complete dentures and implant overdentures in edentulous diabetic subjects. Evaluation of the digitized post-insertion lateral cephalometric radiographs provided measures of facial form (mesocephalic "medium", brachycephalic "broad and square", dolichocephalic "vertical and long"), skeletal class (Class I, Class II, Class III), and alveolar ridge height (mm), which were compared to results of standardized masticatory tests as evaluated using MANOVA and REGW post-hoc evaluation (α=.05). Results Masticatory performance on the preferred side was slightly reduced in the dolichocephalic group, compared to brachycephalic and mesocephalic groups ( P =.085). Swallowing threshold performance was significantly less in skeletal Class II subjects compared to Class I ( P =.034). Maxillary residual alveolar ridge height was significantly less in the brachycephalic group compared to the dolichocephalic group ( P Conclusions Facial form may be related to masticatory function with conventional and implant-assisted mandibular dentures, but larger controlled studies are needed to confirm this relationship. Alveolar ridge height is reduced in edentulous subjects with a brachycephalic facial form. (J Prosthet Dent 2011;105:256-265)

Rapid advances in data processing of genome-wide gene expression have allowed us to get a first glimpse of some fundamental laws and principles involved in the intra-cellular organization as well as to investigate its complex regulatory architecture. However, the identification of commonalities in dynamical processes involved in networks has not followed the same development. In particular, the coupling between dynamics and structural features remains largely uncovered. Here, we review several works that have addressed the issue of uncovering the gene expression dynamics and principles using micro-array time series data at different environmental conditions and disease states as well as the emer- gence of criticality in gene expression systems by using information theory. Moreover, we also describe the efforts done to explore the question of characterizing gene networks by using transcriptional dynamics information. The combination of the emergent principles uncovered in the transcriptional organization with dynamic information, may lead to recon- struct, characterize and complete gene networks. We also discuss several methods based on simulations of a series of en- zyme-catalyzed reaction routes and Markov processes as well as combination of complex network properties with sto- chastic theory.

In this work, we first formulate the Tsallis entropy in the context of complex networks. We then propose a network construction whose topology maximizes the Tsallis entropy. The growing network model has two main ingredients: copy process and random attachment mechanism (C-R model). We show that the resulting degree distribution exactly agrees with the required degree distribution that maximizes the Tsallis entropy. We also provide another example of network model using a combination of preferential and random attachment mechanisms (P-R model) and compare it with the distribution of the Tsallis entropy. In this case, we show that by adequately identifying the exponent factor q , the degree distribution can also be written in the q -exponential form. Taken together, our findings suggest that both mechanisms, copy process and preferential attachment, play a key role for the realization of networks with maximum Tsallis entropy. Finally, we discuss the interpretation of q parameter of the Tsallis entropy in the context of complex networks.

Optimal conditions for obtaining the proliverative response in mixed kidney cell-lymphocyte culture (MKLC) have been determined in rats. The addition of 2-mercaptoethanol to the culture medium was essential for successful stimulation of lymphocytes by allogeneic kidney cells. Proliferative responses by standard MLC and MKLC were compared in rats with the same or a different Ag-B locus. In most strain combinations, there was a significant correlation between MLC and MKLC reactions, However, the DA-ACI combination, compatible at the Ag-B locus, consistently showed negative MLC and positive MKLC reactions. This suggested the possibility that this technique allowed the expression of kidney specific antigens.

Large-scale genomic technologies has opened new possibilities to infer gene regulatory networks from time series data. Here, we investigate the relationship between the dynamic information of gene expression in time series and the underlying network structure. First, our results show that the distribution of gene expression fluctuations (i.e., standard deviation) follows a power-law. This finding indicates that while most genes exhibit a relatively low variation in expression level, a few genes are revealed as highly variable genes. Second, we propose a stochastic model that explains the emergence of this power-law behavior. The model derives a relationship that connects the standard deviation (variance) of each node to its degree. In particular, it allows us to identify a global property of the underlying genetic regulatory network, such as the degree exponent, by only computing dynamic information. This result not only offers an interesting link to explore the topology of real systems without knowing the real structure but also supports earlier findings showing that gene networks may follow a scale-free distribution.

In this work, the autoregulatory genetic module is investigated by using stochastic theory. We show here that the stochastic effect of the second order perturbation theory further reduces the fluctuation size of the gene expression level more than what is expected in deterministic methods. Furthermore, dynamical aspects of the system were investigated. In particular, we estimated the time needed to reach the equilibrium state.

Many theoretical models have recently been proposed to understand the structure of cellular systems composed of various types of elements (e.g., proteins, metabolites and genes) and their interactions. However, the cell is a highly dynamic system with thousands of functional elements fluctuating across temporal states. Therefore, structural analysis alone is not sufficient to reproduce the cell's observed behavior. In this article, we analyze the gene expression dynamics (i.e., how the amount of mRNA molecules in cell fluctuate in time) by using a new constructive approach, which reveals a symmetry embedded in gene expression fluctuations and characterizes the dynamical equation of gene expression (i.e., a specific stochastic differential equation). First, by using experimental data of human and yeast gene expression time series, we found a symmetry in short-time transition probability from time t to time t + 1 . We call it self-similarity symmetry (i.e., the gene expression short-time fluctuations contain a repeating pattern of smaller and smaller parts that are like the whole, but different in size). Secondly, we reconstruct the global behavior of the observed distribution of gene expression (i.e., scaling-law) and the local behavior of the power-law tail of this distribution. This approach may represent a step forward toward an integrated image of the basic elements of the whole cell.

This study reports the possibility of electrostatic micromanipulation of a conductive/dielectric particle using a single probe. The manipulation system consists of three objects: a conductive probe as a manipulating tool, a conductive plate as a substrate, and a conductive/dielectric particle that dubs as a micro-particle. For a conductive particle, a micromanipulation technique by applying accelerating and decelerating voltage with high switching rate is developed. We theoretically determine the desired voltage as the function of time by boundary element method, and experimentally verify the voltage effectively works with a 30-micrometer-in-diameter solder particle. For a dielectric particle, we experimentally demonstrate the successful picking-up of a 60-micrometer-in-diameter dielectric particle (phenol, polystyrene) from the substrate by electrostatic force. Besides, especially for a polystyrene particle, we observe the phenomenon of a micro-particle going back and forth between the substrate and the probe-tip like a micro-dribble even when just the constant voltage is applied. We discuss the possible mechanism of this interesting phenomenon and the feasibility of electrostatic manipulation for a dielectric micro-particle.

われわれはin vitroにおいてクエン酸第一鉄 (SFC) の好中球機能に及ぼす影響について検討し, SFCが活性酸素産生能, 遊走能など好中球機能を抑制することにより抗炎症効果を発揮することを示している. 今回5%デキストラン硫酸ナトリウム (DSS) 溶液を用いたラットの潰瘍性大腸炎 (UC) モデルを用いてin vivoにおけるSFCの抗炎症効果について検討した. DSS投与群には5%DSS溶液を10日間摂取させた. 一方, SFC+DSS投与群には, DSS投与3日前からSFCを経口投与 (2mg/body) し, その後, DSSとともに10日間SFCを投与した. その結果, DSS投与群では有意な白血球数増大が認められたのに対し, SFC+DSS投与群では白血球数増大が有意に抑制された. また, DSS投与群において有意に大腸の長径が短縮したのに対し, SFC+DSS投与群では短縮が有意に改善された. さらに, DSS投与群に対し, SFC+DSS投与群では有意にびらん面積が縮小した. 以上の結果より, ラットの潰瘍性大腸炎モデルにおいてSFCは抗炎症効果を発揮する可能性が示唆された.

p53遺伝子は核内転写調節因子として多彩な機能を有し, 大腸発癌や初期腫瘍進展に重要な役割を演じる. 癌患者では変異型p53蛋白の蓄積にともない, 血清中にp53抗体が出現しELISA法により測定が可能となる. 今回血清p53抗体測定用の国産キットを開発し, 大腸癌278例 (原発 : 258, 再発 : 20) における有用性を検討した. (1) 血清p53抗体の陽性率は32.4%で, CEA (36.5%) とほぼ同程度である. (2) 臨床病理学的所見や他の腫瘍マーカーとの相関性がない. (3) 早期段階 (Stage : 0/I/II) における陽性率はCEAを有意に凌駕する. (4) 陽性例では治癒切除後, 速やかに陰性化し手術的根治度と有意な相関関係を認める. (5) 術前陽性例では有意に抗癌剤感受性が低下した. 大腸癌に対する血清p53抗体検出は簡便かつ非侵襲的で繰り返して測定可能な検査法であり, 早期診断, 治療効果の判定, 術後のモニタリングなどに広く有用である.

In this work, the dynamics of fluctuations in gene expression time series is investigated. By using collected data of gene expression from yeast and human organisms, we found that the fluctuations of gene expression level and the average value of gene expression over time are strongly correlated and obey a scaling law. As this feature is found in yeast and human organisms, it suggests that probably this coupling is a common dynamical organizing property of all living systems. To understand these observations, we propose a stochastic model which can explain these collective fluctuations, and predict the scaling exponent. Interestingly, our results indicate that the observed scaling law emerges from the self-similarity symmetry embedded in gene expression fluctuations.

The study of the scale-free topology in non-biological and biological networks and the dynamics that can explain this fascinating property of complex systems have captured the attention of the scientific community in the last years. Here, we analyze the biochemical pathways of three organisms (Methanococcus jannaschii, Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) which are representatives of the main kingdoms Archaea, Bacteria and Eukaryotes during the course of the biological evolution. We can consider two complementary representations of the biochemical pathways: the enzymes network and the chemical compounds network. In this article, we propose a stochastic model that explains that the scale-free topology with exponent in the vicinity of gamma approximately 3/2 found across these three organisms is governed by the log-normal dynamics in the evolution of the enzymes network. Precisely, the fluctuations of the connectivity degree of enzymes in the biochemical pathways between evolutionary distant organisms follow the same conserved dynamical principle, which in the end is the origin of the stationary scale-free distribution observed among species, from Archaea to Eukaryotes. In particular, the log-normal dynamics guarantees the conservation of the scale-free distribution in evolving networks. Furthermore, the log-normal dynamics also gives a possible explanation for the restricted range of observed exponents gamma in the scale-free networks (i.e., gamma > or = 3/2). Finally, our model is also applied to the chemical compounds network of biochemical pathways and the Internet network.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the stress transfer from a fixed restoration, supported by an implant restored with either a segmented or non-segmented implant abutment, connected to a simulated tooth with decreased foundational support by photoelastic evaluation.Methods: A photoelastic model of a human left mandible, edentulous posterior to the first premolar, was fabricated, with a 3.75×13 mm screw-type implant embedded within the edentulous area. The edentulous areas were restored with a three-unit fixed prosthetic restoration with the distal implant abutment connected to the simulated tooth abutment. The implant abutments consisted of either a segmented conical abutment or a non-segmented UCLA abutment. A hemiseptal periodontal defect was created by the removal of buccal and disto-buccal tissues to simulate decreased support caused by a 4 mm infrabony defect. Vertical occlusal loads were applied at fixed locations on the restorations for the simulated periodontal condition. The stresses which developed in the mandible were monitored photoelastically and recorded photographically.Results: Decrease of the foundational support of the tooth resulted in higher stresses transferred to the mesial and apical aspects of the implant as compared with those in the non-defect control condition. Similar results were obtained for both segmented and nonsegmented abutment restorations.Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, application of load to the simulated abutment teeth with decreased periodontal support resulted in higher stresses around the supporting implant structure for both abutment designs. The distribution and intensity of the stresses were similar for segmented and nonsegmented abutments.

Statement of problem The inhibitory effect of indirect latex contamination on the polymerization of vinyl polysiloxane (VPS) impression material has been previously reported. However, the transfer of specific elements that cause inhibition has not been confirmed, nor has the removal of such contaminants been reported. Purpose This study examined the surfaces of materials commonly used in restorative procedures that were contaminated by indirect latex glove contact and then evaluated for inhibition of polymerization of VPS. The effect of selected cleansing procedures was then studied. Material and methods Four experimental groups (n=8) were prepared: (1) clean vinyl gloves (control), (2) clean gingival retraction cords (control), (3) contaminated vinyl gloves, and (4) contaminated gingival retraction cord. Microscopic evaluation of the appearance and the characterization of surface particulate contamination were performed for each. Three cleansing protocols were then evaluated for efficacy in cleaning vinyl glove surfaces contaminated by latex contact (n=10): (1) brushing with water, (2) brushing with soap/rinsing with water, (3) cleansing with rubbing alcohol. The subsequent degree of VPS polymerization inhibition was evaluated subjectively. A chi-square test was used for data analysis (α=.05). Results Particulate sulfur elements and sulfur-chloride compounds were present on the contaminated substrates. None of the 3 cleansing procedures eliminated polymerization inhibition ( P =.33). Residual elemental sulfur remained on all tested surfaces. Conclusion Particulate sulfur and sulfur-chloride compounds were identified as the particulate contamination that resulted in polymerization inhibition of the tested VPS dental impression material. Removal of these contaminants from the tested vinyl gloves and gingival retraction cord was not possible with the 3 cleansing protocols tested in this study.

Summary Background Dapsone (4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulphone) is a powerful therapeutic tool in many skin diseases including neutrophilic dermatoses. The drug has an outstanding therapeutic efficacy against many skin diseases characterized by neutrophil-rich infiltrates; however, mechanisms of its action are poorly understood. Objectives We investigated the effects of dapsone on respiratory and secretory functions of human neutrophils triggered by the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (fMLP), the physiological agonist C5a, and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Methods Human neutrophils were isolated from venous blood obtained from healthy donors. We detected extracellular production of superoxide (O2–) by cytochrome C reduction assay, and intracellular production of O2– by flow cytometry. Neutrophil elastase release was measured by the cleavage of the specific elastase substrate N-methoxysuccinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-p-nitroanilide. Measurement of cytosolic free calcium concentration was performed using the calcium-reactive fluorescence probe, Fluo-3. Results Dapsone suppressed intra- and extracellular production of O2– and elastase release triggered by fMLP and C5a, but not by PMA. Both fMLP and C5a signalled the above pathways by inducing calcium influx, but PMA functions bypassed calcium influx. Dapsone was capable of antagonizing the induction of calcium influx. Conclusions These findings suggest that one mechanism of the anti-inflammatory action of dapsone is inhibition of calcium-dependent functions of neutrophils including release of tissue-damaging oxidants and proteases in the affected skin.

In the last years, tens of thousands gene expression profiles for cells of several organisms have been monitored. Gene expression is a complex transcriptional process where mRNA molecules are translated into proteins, which control most of the cell functions. In this process, the correlation among genes is crucial to determine the specific functions of genes. Here, we propose a novel multi-dimensional stochastic approach to deal with the gene correlation phenomena. Interestingly, our stochastic framework suggests that the study of the gene correlation requires only one theoretical assumption -Markov property- and the experimental transition probability, which characterizes the gene correlation system. Finally, a gene expression experiment is proposed for future applications of the model., Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures, Latex, v2 includes minor modifications

The advent of new experimental genomic technologies and the massive increase of DNA sequence information is helping researchers better understand how our genes work. Recently, experiments on mRNA abundance (gene expression) have revealed that gene expression shows a stationary organization described by a power-law distribution (scale-free organization) (i.e., gene expression $k$ decays as $k^{-\gamma}$), which is highly conserved in all the major five kingdoms of life, from Bacteria to Human. An underlying gene expression dynamics "rich-travel-more" was suggested to recover that evolutional conservation of transcriptional organization. Here we propose a constructive approach to gene expression dynamics with larger scope. Our gene expression construction restores the stationary state, predicts the power-law exponent for different organisms with natural explanation for small correction at high and low expression levels, describes the intermediate state dynamics (time finite) and elucidates the gene expression stability. This approach requires only one assumption: Markov property., Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures

Great interest1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 in current-induced magnetic excitation and switching in a magnetic nanopillar has been caused by the theoretical predictions11,12 of these phenomena. The concept of using a spin-polarized current to switch the magnetization orientation of a magnetic layer provides a possible way to realize future 'current-driven' devices13: in such devices, direct switching of the magnetic memory bits would be produced by a local current application, instead of by a magnetic field generated by attached wires. Until now, all the reported work on current-induced magnetization switching has been concentrated on a simple ferromagnet/Cu/ferromagnet trilayer. Here we report the observation of current-induced magnetization switching in exchange-biased spin valves (ESPVs) at room temperature. The ESPVs clearly show current-induced magnetization switching behaviour under a sweeping direct current with a very high density. We show that insertion of a ruthenium layer between an ESPV nanopillar and the top electrode effectively decreases the critical current density from about 108 to 107 A cm−2. In a well-designed 'antisymmetric' ESPV structure, this critical current density can be further reduced to 2 × 106 A cm−2. We believe that the substantial reduction of critical current could make it possible for current-induced magnetization switching to be directly applied in spintronic devices, such as magnetic random-access memory.

Statement of problem The effect of palatal support on various types of implant-supported maxillary overdenture designs has not been sufficiently assessed. Purpose The purpose of this study was to photoelastically evaluate the palatal support of 3 designs of maxillary implant-supported overdentures. Material and methods A photoelastic model of an edentulous maxilla was fabricated with four 3.75×13-mm 3i implants. Three maxillary overdenture designs were fabricated: a splinted Hader bar incorporating 2 distal ERA attachments with anterior clips; non-splinted Zaag 4-mm direct abutments and attachments; and nonsplinted Locator 2-mm direct abutments and attachments. All restorative components and attachments were fitted and observed for passivity of fit and alignment. The overdentures were first tested with complete palatal coverage. Unilateral 25-lb loads were applied at the left and right first molars and the incisive papilla area. The photoelastic effects were monitored and recorded photographically. The palatal area was removed from the 3 overdentures and the loading regimens were repeated. Results The highest stresses under central loading were seen with the splinted Hader bar and complete palatal coverage, followed by similar levels of stress with either Zaag or Locator attachments. After removal of the palate, the center load demonstrated greater differences between designs. The highest stresses were observed with the Hader bar, followed by the Zaag and then Locator attachments. Lack of palatal coverage demonstrated higher levels of stress around implants and visible supporting tissues. The unilateral load produced the highest stress for the splinted Hader bar, followed by Locator, and then Zaag. Conclusions Removal of the palatal support produced a greater effect and more concentrated stress difference for maxillary overdentures than differences between the attachment designs tested.

Zero-magnetic-field spin splitting in InGaAs/GaAs and GaAs/AlGaAs multiple quantum wells was investigated theoretically. The sp3s* empirical tight-binding method has been employed. It has been found that the splitting is much larger in InGaAs wells than that in GaAs wells. The origin of the splitting due to the structure inversion asymmetry was briefly discussed.