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Background & aims To develop an effective and safe orally administered drug, it is important to predict its intestinal absorption rate, intestinal first-pass effect, and drug-drug interactions of orally administered drugs. However, there is no existing model to comprehensively predict the intestinal pharmacokinetics and drug-response of orally administered drugs. In this study, we attempted to generate homogenous and functional intestinal epithelial cells from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for pharmaceutical research. Methods We generated almost-homogenous Villin- and zonula occludens-1 (ZO1)-positive intestinal epithelial cells by caudal-related homeobox transcription factor 2 (CDX2) transduction into human iPS cell-derived intestinal progenitor cells. Results The drug absorption rates in human iPS cell-derived intestinal epithelial cell monolayers (iPS-IECM) were highly correlated with those in humans (R2=0.91). The expression levels of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4, a dominant drug-metabolizing enzyme in the small intestine, in human iPS-IECM were similar to those in human small intestine in vivo. In addition, intestinal availability in human iPS-IECM (the fraction passing the gut wall: Fg=0.73) was more similar to that in the human small intestine in vivo (Fg=0.57) than to that in Caco-2 cells (Fg=0.99), a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line. Moreover, the drug-drug interaction and drug-food interaction could be observed by using our human iPS-IECM in the presence of an inducer and inhibitor of CYP3A4, i.e., rifampicin and grape fruit juice, respectively. Conclusion Taking these results together, we succeeded in generating the human iPS-IECM that can be applied to various intestinal pharmacokinetics and drug-response tests of orally administered drugs., Graphical abstract

The cause of nonlinear pharmacokinetics (PK) (more than dose-proportional increase in exposure) of a urea derivative under development (compound A: anionic compound [pKa: 4.4]; LogP: 6.5; and plasma protein binding: 99.95%) observed in a clinical trial was investigated. Compound A was metabolized by CYP3A4, UGT1A1, and UGT1A3 with unbound Km of 3.3-17.8 μmol/L. OATP1B3-mediated uptake of compound A determined in the presence of human serum albumin (HSA) showed that unbound Km and Vmax decreased with increased HSA concentration. A greater decrease in unbound Km than in Vmax resulted in increased uptake clearance (Vmax/unbound Km) with increased HSA concentration, the so-called albumin-mediated uptake. At 2% HSA concentration, unbound Km was 0.00657 μmol/L. A physiologically based PK model assuming saturable hepatic uptake nearly replicated clinical PK of compound A. Unbound Km for hepatic uptake estimated from the model was 0.000767 μmol/L, lower than the in vitro unbound Km at 2% HSA concentration, whereas decreased Km with increased concentration of HSA in vitro indicated lower Km at physiological HSA concentration (4%-5%). In addition, unbound Km values for metabolizing enzymes were much higher than unbound Km for OATP1B3, indicating that the nonlinear PK of compound A is primarily attributed to saturated OATP1B3-mediated hepatic uptake of compound A.

With the burgeoning energy consumption, the rechargeable zinc-air battery has attracted the worldwide attention owing to its intrinsic safety, low material cost and high theoretical specific energy density [1]. For its practical application, the degradation of air electrode made of carbon is necessary to be systematically explained for developing applicable electrode with long cycle life. Recent progresses in high-precision methods for surface analysis allow us to approach to mechanistic understanding of the electrode degradation, while normal ex-situ measurements require the rinsing and other processing which might be destructive. Hereby in this work, in-situ Raman measurements are carried out to observe the changes in chemical states of the carbon electrode in the zinc-air battery during the charging and discharging processes. Unlike other commercial air electrode with multi-component catalysts, the air electrode used for this study is the specially prepared carbon electrode with only Co3O4 particles to facilitate the Raman measurements. For the charging and discharging processes, the electrolyte of 8 M KOH solution with saturated ZnO as well as the current density of 20 mA/cm2 are applied, following the standard of zinc-air battery. Moreover, a three-electrode cell with Pt wire as the counting electrode and Hg/HgO as the reference electrode is utilized. In particular, a homemade setup is developed for the electrode so that the Raman spectra of both gas diffusion layer and catalytic layer can be easily detected from the cross-sectional view. In the first place, distinct carbon-related peaks are clearly observed at 1348 cm-1, 1579 cm-1 and 2695 cm-1. Other shoulder peaks are also assigned to the structural defects of the carbon material. Besides, the Raman peaks at 684 cm-1, 616 cm-1, 519 cm-1, 481 cm-1 and 194 cm-1 which only shown in the near-electrolyte area are attributed to the Co3O4 particles in the catalytic layer. Then, in order to activate the carbon electrode and facilitate the electrolyte infiltrating into the catalytic layer, 6 cycles of charging and recharging with low current density of 10 mA/cm2 are conducted as a pretreatment. Consequently, new peaks at 1060 cm-1 and 440 cm-1 appear, which can be attributed to the carbonate formation and ZnO precipitation respectively [2, 3]. It is interesting that the degradation of electrode is initiated from this unexpected early state of cycling, which has not been addressed yet. We consider the carbonate might be caused by the dissolution of atmospheric CO2 and the chemical corrosion of carbon in high-concentration KOH solution. CO2 + 2OH- →CO3 2- + H2O C + 6OH- → CO3 2- + 3 H2O + 4e- We also confirm that the ZnO arises from the decomposition of zincate ions in electrolyte, as the Raman peak intensity of ZnO increases while the intensity of OH- decreases during the charging process. Moreover, spectra from further cycling process suggest that the precipitation species on the electrode would long-lasting block the charging/discharging reaction sites. Zn(OH)4 2- → ZnO + 2OH- + H2O We believe this in-situ work would be instructive for future optimization on zinc-air battery and other metal-air battery systems that prolong the cycle life of battery. Acknowledgements This research was partially supported by the “Development of Systems and Technology for Advanced Measurement and Analysis”, and the “Research & Development Initiative for Scientific Innovation of New Generation Batteries (RISING 2)” from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) of Japan. References [1] X. Han et al., Adv. Energy Mater., 2018, 8, 1801396 [2] N. Koura et al., J. Mole. Struct., 1996, 382, 163-169 [3] T. Otani et al., Electrochimica Acta 305, 2019, 90-100 Fig.1 The homemade cell set-up for Raman measuring and the Raman spectra showing carbonate formation as well as ZnO precipitation Figure 1

In this study, we synthesized SiOC( H) films by atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced CVD from trimethylsilane and oxygen gas diluted by helium, argon and nitrogen. We changed the oxygen flow rate and investigated the effect of dilution gas on the hardness of the films. The deposition rate for both helium and argon dilution increased with increasing the oxygen flow rate up to 100 ml/min. The hardness of the films diluted by argon gradually increased from 0.2 GPa to 1.1 GPa with an increase of oxygen flow rate while that of the films diluted by helium was hardly changed about 0.6 GPa. The films diluted by nitrogen exhibited high hardness at 2.3 GPa, which was highest value among the samples. The FT-IR spectra of the films showed the peaks corresponding to terminal methyl and hydroxyl bonds along with the stretching vibrations of Si O Si network bonding were observed and their intensities varied with the hardness of the films. As the oxygen flow rate increased, intensity of methyl bond decreased and that of hydroxyl bond was not increased different from the result of the films diluted by argon or helium gas. The methyl bonds are likely to prevent oxygen atom from forming Si O Si structures. The existence of terminated bonds such as methyl bond and hydroxyl bond lead to low hardness of the films. From the result of optical emission spectroscopy, peaks of nitrogen-oxygen radicals were observed at plasma diluted by nitrogen, while a large amount of oxygen radical were generated in the plasma diluted with noble gas.

In this study, silica-based films were synthesized on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using the mixture gas of trimethylsilane (TrMS), N2, and O2 by the atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced CVD (AP-PECVD) method. We investigated the effect of the oxygen flow rate on the gas barrier property of silica-based films with various O2 flow rates ranging from 0 mL/min to 1000 mL/min. As the O2 flow rate increased to 500 mL/min, the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of the films decreased to 8.2 cm3/m2/24 h/atm, which is approximately one third of that of the uncoated PET. On the other hand, the OTR increased when the O2 flow rate exceeded 500 mL/min. From the fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, the intensity of Si-O-Si peaks increased and the shape of Si-O-Si peaks changed to be sharp with increasing the O2 flow rate, indicating that the structure of the films became dense. Oxygen molecules could not permeate through the highly dense films, so that the gas barrier property was improved. Using the atomic force microscope (AFM), many pinholes with a diameter of approximately 30 nm were observed on the film surface at the O2 flow rate over 500 mL/min. From the observation of the uncoated PET exposed to N2/O2 plasma, the surface texture hardly changed and kept its smooth surface at less O2 flow rate up to 500 mL/min, while the rugged texture were obviously observed at the O2 flow rate over 500 mL/min because of the etching effect in plasma. The holes were formed because the films were synthesized at the PET surface in the rugged shape. Therefore, the formation of the pinholes on the film surface could allow oxygen molecules to diffuse into the films.

Additive manufacturing (AM) for metals has attracted attention from industry because of its great potential to enhance production efficiency and reduce production costs. Directed energy deposition (DED) is a metal AM process suitable to produce large-scale freeform metal products. DED entails irradiating the baseplate with a laser beam and launching the metal powder onto the molten spot to produce a metal part on the baseplate. Because the process enables powder from different materials to be used, DED is widely applicable to valuable production work such as for a dissimilar material joint, a graded material, or a part with a special structure. With regard to parts with a special structure, directional solidification can prospectively be used in the power plant and aerospace industries because it can enhance the stiffness in a specific direction via only a simple process. However, conventional approaches for directional solidification require a special mold in order to realize a long-lasting thermal gradient in the part. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of thermal distribution in a produced part, DED is able to control the gradient by controlling the position of the molten pool, i.e., the position of the laser spot. Moreover, unlike casting, the thermal gradient can be precisely oriented in the expected direction, because the laser supplies heat energy on the regulated spot. In this study, the applicability of DED to directional solidification in Inconel® 625 is theoretically and experimentally evaluated through metal structure observation and Vickers hardness measurements. Furthermore, the effect of two different cooling processes on directional solidification is also considered with the aim of improving the mechanical stiffness of a part produced by DED. The observations and experimental results show that both the cooling methods (baseplate cooling and intermittent treatment with coolant) are able to enhance the hardness while retaining the anisotropy.

Imino and nitronyl nitroxide (IN and NN, respectively) radicals such as phenyliminonitroxide (PhIN) and phenylnitronylnitroxide (PhNN), respectively, were dispersed in the organic 1D nanochannels of tris( o-phenylenedioxy)cyclotriphosphazene (TPP). Electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements were conducted on these inclusion compounds (ICs) in the temperature range 4.2-300 K. The modulated-septet ESR spectra of TPP ICs using PhIN observed in the range 165-258 K were reproduced with the EasySpin program package using a model in which some of the PhIN molecules underwent uniaxial rotational diffusion in the TPP nanochannels around the molecular long axis corresponding to the principal y-axis of the g tensor. However, for the TPP IC using PhNN, complicated ESR spectra were observed, which were not consistent with the modulated quintet observed in solution or in the fast-motion limit in solids. These spectra were reproduced by the superposition of a quintet originating from rotational diffusion of PhNN molecules and a septet based on rotational diffusion of PhIN molecules generated in the synthetic process. The rotational diffusion activation energies of PhIN and PhNN in the TPP nanochannels were estimated to be 19 and 45 kJ mol-1 using an Arrhenius plot, respectively. These were consistent with that for NN radicals in the 1D nanochannels of 2,4,6-tris(4-chlorophenoxy)-1,3,5-triazine (CLPOT) (37-54 kJ mol-1) with a larger pore diameter than TPP reported in our previous study, or with that for 4-substituted-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxyl (4-X-TEMPO) in TPP nanochannels (5-26 kJ mol-1) with regard to molecular size or host-guest or guest-guest interactions. These results indicate that not only the NN group but also IN may be used for the clarification of chemical or biological structures of nanomaterials such as nanosized cavities.

Directed energy deposition (DED) for producing a complex shaped metal part has attracted attention in the aerospace industry. However, DED easily causes structural defects such as voids and compositional changes, which results in the deterioration of the mechanical strength of the product. Hence, reducing such defects is essential. In this study, the influence of the powder characteristics of Inconel 625 was focused upon, and the void density and compositional change inside the deposited part were analyzed. The results indicated that a slight amount of carbon in the particle caused void generation and a carbon layer was formed at the surface.

Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive tumor, commonly caused by exposure to asbestos. The prognosis of mesothelioma remains disappointing despite multimodal treatment. We reported previously that N-ERC/mesothelin could be a useful biomarker for the early diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma and developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system for its detection. However, the reproducibility of our previous 7–16 ELISA system has been revealed to be unsatisfactory. To measure N-ERC/mesothelin more precisely, we developed a new 7–20 ELISA system. The subjects of this study were patients who were referred to our department with suspected pleural mesothelioma. The current study demonstrated that the newly established 7–20 ELISA system improved the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing pleural mesothelioma compared with the previous system. Moreover, the 7–20 ELISA system showed better reproducibility and displayed the tendency of both higher sensitivity and higher specificity in plasma than in serum. Particularly for the epithelioid type, the area under the curve (AUC) and the diagnostic accuracy of N-ERC/mesothelin were excellent; the AUC was 0.91, the sensitivity was 0.95, and the specificity was 0.76 in plasma. In conclusion, assessment of N-ERC/mesothelin with our newly established 7–20 ELISA system is clinically useful for the precise diagnosis of pleural mesothelioma.

OATP2B1-mediated grapefruit juice (GFJ)-drug interactions are substrate-dependent; for example, GFJ ingestion significantly reduces bioavailability of fexofenadine, but not pravastatin. In the present study, we aimed to establish whether this observation can be explained by the presence of multiple binding sites (MBS) on OATP2B1.OATP2B1-mediated drug uptake was evaluated using a Xenopus oocyte expression system. Drug concentration was quantified by LC/MS/MS analysis.OATP2B1-mediated uptake of pravastatin and fexofenadine exhibited biphasic saturation kinetics, indicating the presence of MBS on OATP2B1. GFJ strongly inhibited pravastatin uptake mediated by the high-affinity site on OATP2B1, while no significant inhibition of the low-affinity site was observed. In contrast, high-affinity transport of fexofenadine was only modestly inhibited by GFJ, while significant inhibition of the low-affinity site was observed. Contribution analysis indicated that both drugs are transported via the low-affinity site on OATP2B1 at therapeutically relevant concentrations. These findings indicate that only fexofenadine is expected to interact with GFJ on OATP2B1 at therapeutic concentrations, in accordance with the clinical observations.Substrate- and dose-dependent GFJ-drug interactions mediated by OATP2B1 might be explained in terms of the presence of MBS: interaction occurs only when drug and GFJ components share the same binding site on OATP2B1.

A 57-year-old woman, who had undergone hysterectomy for uterine myoma 11 years earlier presented with cystic, nodular and cavitary lesions simultaneously visible on computed tomography images of the chest. Histological examinations of both the resected lung and past "myoma" specimens demonstrated that the original uterine tumor was a low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) that had metastasized to the lungs. No previous reports have described the coexistence of cystic, nodular and cavitary lesions with pulmonary metastasis of ESS; however, we successfully correlated the radiologic appearance with the corresponding pathologic findings. Medroxyprogesterone acetate therapy has effectively kept the patient asymptomatic for approximately five years.

We aimed to explore the major active components in grapefruit juice (GFJ), orange juice (OJ), and apple juice (AJ) that are responsible for OATP2B1-mediated drug interactions, by means of in vitro studies using Xenopus oocytes expressing OATP2B1 with a typical OATP2B1 substrate, estrone-3-sulfate. All three juices inhibited OATP2B1-mediated estrone-3-sulfate uptake with half-maximum inhibition (IC(50) ) values of 0.222% (GFJ), 0.807% (OJ), and 2.27% (AJ). Eight major flavonoids (naringin, naringenin, hesperidin, hesperetin, phloridzin, phloretin, quercetin, and kaempferol) contained in the juices inhibited OATP2B1-mediated estrone-3-sulfate uptake with IC(50) values of 4.63, 49.2, 1.92, 67.6, 23.2, 1.31, 9.47, and 21.3 µM, respectively. When the concentration-IC(50) ratios ([C]/IC(50) ) of these flavonoids in GFJ, OJ, and AJ were calculated, values of [C]/IC(50) ≥ 100 were obtained for naringin in GFJ and hesperidin in OJ. No flavonoid in AJ showed a ratio higher than unity. However, significant inhibition of OATP2B1 was observed with a mixture of phloridzin, phloretin, hesperidin, and quercetin at the concentrations present in AJ. In conclusion, our results indicate that naringin and hesperidin are the major OATP2B1 inhibitors in GFJ and OJ, respectively, whereas a combination of multiple components appears to be responsible for OATP2B1 inhibition by AJ.

The liquid-phase oxidation of propylene glycol using Pd/C undoped with any heavy metal such as tellurium in the presence of aqueous NaOH under pressurized oxygen resulted in a significant production of lactic acid and a minimal amount of hydroxyl acetone, although, under these conditions, sodium lactate as sodium analogue of lactic acid has been known to easily convert to sodium pyruvate. The advantageous effect of doping Pd/C with a heavy metal, which has been reported for various catalytic reactions in an aqueous phase, was not observed in the present oxidation. Previous papers have reported that oxidation using heavy-metal-free Pd/C and Pd/C doped with a heavy metal at atmospheric pressure and a pH 8 produced pyruvic acid via the formation of hydroxyl acetone and lactic acid, respectively, and that Pd/C doped with a heavy metal rather than Pd/C was suitable for the formation of pyruvic acid from propylene glycol. However the results of the present study show that the use of pressurized oxygen conditions as used in the present study can result in the exclusion of doping with a heavy metal in the preparation of the catalyst, which is amenable to green chemistry.

Multilayered TiAlSiN/CrAlYN films were synthesized on cemented carbide, silicon and SUS304 substrates with various periods and investigated their oxidation resistance and hardness. The multilayer period between 5.6 nm and 23.2 nm was obtained by controlling the rotation speed of the substrates. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the TiAlSiN/CrAlYN multilayer films after annealed at 1000 °C for 1 h retained the nitride structure and no peaks indicating metal oxide were observed for the films. Using the glow discharge optical emission spectrometry depth profiling method, an oxidation peak was only observed around the film surface. Hardness of TiAlSiN/CrAlYN multilayer films was measured using a conventional micro-Vickers hardness tester and the result showed that it changed depending on the multilayer period. That is, the film with a period of 8.7 nm exhibited the highest hardness with 37.1 GPa, which was higher than the value calculated based on the rule of mixtures of TiAlSiN monolayer and CrAlYN monolayer.

The paper reports on the structure, mechanical and optical properties of sputtered Zr–Al–O films. The Zr–Al–O films with Zr/Al > 1 and Zr/Al in . The content of Al in the Zr–Al–O film was controlled by ∅ in . It makes possible to control effectively the structure of the Zr–Al–O film determined by a mixture of the crystalline ZrO 2 phase and the amorphous Al 2 O 3 phase. The effect of Al content on the structure, mechanical and optical properties of the Zr–Al–O film is investigated in detail. It was found that (i) the Zr–Al–O films with Zr/Al ⁎ resulting in a low H/E ⁎ e ≤ 60 and (ii) the Zr–Al–O films with Zr/Al > 1 are crystalline and exhibit high hardness (H = 18 to 19 GPa), an E ⁎ satisfying a high H/E ⁎ ≥ 0.1 ratio, high W e up to 78% and strongly enhanced resistance to cracking during bending even for thick films up to 5 μm.

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the reciprocal effect of Staphylococcus aureus colonization and allergic rhinitis in an allergy model of mice. Methods: BALB/c mice with intraperitoneal ovalbumin (OVA) sensitization and/or intranasal S. aureus inoculation were prepared. The following 4 groups were designed: an OVA-sensitized S. aureus-inoculated (AR-SA) group, an OVA-sensitized uninoculated (AR) group, a nonsensitized S. aureus-inoculated (SA) group, and a nonsensitized uninoculated (control) group. After intranasal OVA challenge, nasal lavage fluid, peripheral blood, and nasal mucosa were collected. Polymorphonuclear cells in the nasal lavage fluid were counted, serum OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 were measured by enzyme immunoassays, and IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-γ mRNAs in the nasal mucosa were assessed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR. The number of S. aureus in the nasal mucosa and lavage fluid was counted. Results: Both eosinophil and neutrophil counts were larger in the AR-SA group than in the other groups. Both IgE and IgG1 levels were higher in the AR and AR-SA groups than in the SA and control groups, and the IgG1 level was higher in the AR-SA group than in the AR group. The expression of IL-4 mRNA was higher in the AR-SA group than in the other groups, and the expression of IL-5 mRNA was higher in the AR-SA group than in the SA group. The AR-SA group showed higher counts of S. aureus in the nasal mucosa than the SA group. Conclusion: These results indicate the mutually potentiating effect of S. aureus colonization and allergic rhinitis.

Objectives We conducted a prospective bacteriological survey to investigate antibiotic resistance-related genetic characteristics and the turnover of nasopharyngeal Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage in healthy children in day-care centers (DCCs). Methods A total of 363 nasopharyngeal mucus samples were collected from children aged 0 to 6 years attending two DCCs in the summer of 2004 (n = 181) and the following winter (n = 182). We obtained 157 S. pneumoniae isolates and analyzed them by antibiotic susceptibility testing, PCR assay for the penicillin-binding protein (PBP) genes and macrolide-resistance gene, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results The overall carriage rate was 43.3% (157/363). The percentages of penicillin-intermediately resistant S. pneumoniae (PISP) strains, penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae (PRSP) strains, erythromycin-intermediately resistant S. pneumoniae strains and erythromycin-resistant S. pneumoniae strains were 35.7% (56/157), 0.6% (1/157), 1.9% (3/157), and 69.4% (109/157), respectively. The percentages of S. pneumoniae strains with the pbp mutation(s) and mefA and/or ermB gene(s) were 92.4% (145/157) and 71.3% (112/157), respectively. Fifty strains with different PFGE patterns were obtained from among the 157 isolates. Thirteen strains were observed in both seasons, but only one of these strains was isolated from the same carrier. Twenty-one strains (42.0%) were isolated from two or more children, and 17 of these were each isolated from children attending the same DCC. Conclusions These results indicate the spread of S. pneumoniae, particularly those with antibiotic-resistance genes, and the vigorous genetic turnover and substantial horizontal transmission of this pathogen in healthy children attending DCCs in Japan.

The use of pressurized oxygen greatly enhanced catalytic activity for oxidative esterification of propionaldehyde to methyl propionate with methanol using heavy-metal-free Pd/C and Pd/Al2O3. For example, the conversion of propionaldehyde, the selectivity to methyl propionate, and the yield of the propionate using 5 % Pd/Al2O3 were 99.9, 62.7, and 62.6 %, respectively, at 1.5 MPa of oxygen gas and 333 K. This result demonstrated that Pb doping of Pd catalysts was not needed to achieve comparable activity, which runs contrary to previous reports, in which it had been suggested that loading of Pd catalysts using a heavy metal such as Pb was needed for the great activity such as 93.2, 76.8, and 71.6 % of the conversion of propionaldehyde, the selectivity to methyl propionate, and the yield of the propionate, respectively, at 0.3 MPa of oxygen gas and 353 K using 5 % Pd/Al2O3 doped with 5 % Pb., プロピオンアルデヒドからプロピオン酸メチルへの酸化的エステル化は，鉛などの重金属で修飾した活性炭担持もしくはアルミナ担持パラジウム触媒で行うと良好に進む，と従来報告されていた。たとえば，5 % の鉛で修飾した5 % Pd/Al2O3 触媒を用いると， 酸素加圧0.3 MPa， 反応温度353 K において，93.2 % のプロピオンアルデヒド変化率，76.8 % のプロピオン酸メチルの選択率が報告されていた。しかし，酸素加圧下（1.5 MPa），重金属で修飾していない5 % Pd/C を用いて反応温度333 K で本反応を行うと，99.9 % のプロピオンアルデヒド変化率において，62.7 % のプロピオン酸メチル選択率という従来の報告に匹敵する活性が得られ，鉛などの重金属で修飾したパラジウム触媒を用いる必要がないことが明らかになった。

The aim of this study is to develop a regression model for predicting hearing outcome in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). A total of 174 consecutive patients with ISSNHL (average of the hearing levels at 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz was ≥40 dB; time from onset to treatment was ≤30 days) were retrospectively analyzed. They received steroid administration (400 mg/day of hydrocortisone sodium succinate followed by tapered doses) in combination with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The hearing improvement rate compared to the unaffected contralateral ear was calculated. Correlations between the hearing improvement rate and four prognostic factors (patient's age, days from onset to treatment, initial hearing level, and the presence of vertigo) were examined by simple and multiple regression analyses. In the simple regression analysis, significant correlations were observed between the hearing improvement rate and all four prognostic factors. In the multiple regression analysis, the correlation was significant for patient's age, days from onset to treatment, and the presence of vertigo with partial correlation coefficients of -0.221, -0.324, and -0.329, respectively, but was not significant for the initial hearing level. We subsequently formulated a multiple regression equation for predicting the hearing improvement rate. The multiple correlation coefficient was 0.495 with a p value of 1.42 × 10(-9). Using this regression model, the hearing improvement rate is still difficult to predict with 95% probability, but is predictable with 70% probability.

We clinically analyzed 48 consecutive retrospective cases of parotid carcinoma initially treated between 1988 and 2007. Subjects were 30 males and 18 females ranging from 5 to 85 years old (average: 57.9 years). Of the 12 histological types seen, the most common was mucoepidermoid carcinoma, seen in 12 subjects (25.0%). We studied their survival based on 5 potential prognostic factors-stage, T stage, neck metastasis, facial nerve palsy, and malignancy grade-together with features of mortality and recurrence. Overall 5-year disease-specific survival was 71.2% and 10-year survival 54.9%. Survival rates were significantly lower in stage IV and high-grade malignancy groups than in stage I-III and low-grade malignancy groups. T stage, neck metastasis, and facial nerve palsy tended to compromise survival. Recurrence developed in 2 subjects, in whom significant recurrence risk factors were stage III-IV (particularly, stage IV), T3-4, and high-grade malignancy. Of 18 deaths, causes were distant failure in 11 and local failure in 5. None died of nodal failure. Analysis of these prognostic factors is important in selecting appropriate surgery and in determining indications for postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy, leading to better treatment outcome in those with parotid carcinoma.

A 48-year-old man seen for painless anterior neck and bilateral subauricular masses was found in computed tomography (CT) to have a ring-enhanced cystic anterior neck lesion containing a small calcification. Subauricular masses were positive in both fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy showing hypo- and hyperintensity in T1- and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Based on a preoperative diagnosis of thyroglossal duct carcinoma, not a benign cyst, associated with Warthin’s parotid glands tumors, not lymph node metastasis, the man underwent resection of the masses. Histopathologically surgical specimens confirmed our preoperative diagnosis. The man’s postoperative clinical course was uneventful and he remains currently disease-free in the 29 months after surgery.

The photoion yield spectra of an endohedral metallofullerene Pr@C 82 were measured in the photon energy range of 100–150 eV by using time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Parent ions Pr@C 82 + , Pr@C 82 2+ and Pr@C 82 3+ were observed in the mass spectra. The photoion yield spectra of Pr@C 82 2+ showed a broad peak at 120–140 eV that was assigned to the 4 d –4 f giant dipole resonance of the encapsulated Pr atoms. Absolute photoabsorption cross sections of Pr@C 82 were evaluated from the photoion yield spectra to be 37±12 Mb at 110 eV (off-resonance) and 52±13 Mb at 130 eV (on-resonance). These cross sections of Pr@C 82 were compared with the results of Ce@C 82 , the only metallofullerene whose photoionization properties have ever been studied near the 4 d edge of the encapsulated metal atom. The enhancement of photoabsorption due to the giant resonance was found to be similar in Pr@C 82 and Ce@C 82 , but there are marked differences in the peak shapes, which can be explained as due to interference effects between the fullerene cage and the encapsulated metal atoms.

We investigated the clinical usefulness of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) for the prediction of hearing outcomes in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL).Thirty-two patients with ISSNHL (time from the onset to the start of treatment≤14 days) were enrolled in the study. They received steroid administration (400mg/day of hydrocortisone sodium succinate followed by tapered doses) combined with hyperbaric oxygen therapy. DPOAEs (f2/f1=1.2, L1=80dBSPL, L2=70dBSPL, geometric mean (GM) of f1 and f2=531-5, 500Hz, every one-third octave) were measured before and after treatment. The degree of hearing recovery was classified into four categories (complete recovery, good recovery, satisfactory recovery, no change) according to the criteria of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.The DPOAE output in the high-frequency range (GM of f1 and f2≥2, 781Hz) before treatment was higher in the complete recovery group than in the other three groups. The DPOAE output at 2, 781Hz and 4, 375Hz was significantly higher in the complete recovery than in the satisfactory recovery and no change groups (Student's t-test, p