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This article presents a method to estimate the rotational velocity of a cylindrical plasma from its two-dimensional images by an extended use of the Fourier-rectangular function transform, which was proposed to analyze the structure and dynamics of a cylindrical plasma [K. Yamasaki e t a l., J. Appl. Phys. 126 , 043304 (2019)]. The proposed method is applied to tomography images of plasmas produced in a linear cylindrical device and succeeds in obtaining the radial distribution of rotational velocity and its fluctuations, providing an interesting finding, that is, the existence of flow modulation associated with m = 1 mode fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For plasma window (PW) applications, we developed the cascade arc discharge device with an indirectly heated hollow cathode. The 8-mm channel diameter hollow cathode made of a lanthanum hexaboride (LaB 6) was heated by the C/C composite heater surrounding the cathode to increase the thermionic electron emission. The PW developed successfully separated 2.4 kPa and 16 Pa, and the pressure separation capability was sustained for over 1 h. H- β Stark broadening measurement and the Thomson scattering measurement showed that the electron density and temperature inside the channel reached 10 19 – 10 20 m − 3 and 2.0 eV, respectively. The power balance analysis on the electron thermal energy revealed that the neutral density and temperature inside the channel were as high as 10 23 m − 3 and 4000 K, respectively. The relation between the pressure separation capability and the neutral temperature showed that the flow inside the channel of the PW had the molecular flow feature. The SEM-EDX analysis on the LaB 6 cathode showed that boron diffused to the molybdenum (Mo) shaft during plasma operation, which supported the LaB 6 cathode. Mo shaft became brittle after more than 50 h of operation, exhibiting the necessity of buffer material between the LaB 6 cathode and Mo shaft for long-duration operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kozue Nakahara,1 Koji Yamasaki,1 Takahiro Nagai,1 Masato Fujii,1 Takahiro Akioka,1 Hiroki Takamori,1 Naoki Terada,1 Shoichiro Mukai,1 Yuichiro Sato,2 Toshiyuki Kamoto11Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan; 2Section of Diagnostic Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, JapanBackground: Matriptase, which is a Type II transmembrane serine protease, has the potential to activate several growth factors, including pro-hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). A G protein-coupled transmembrane cell-surface receptor and a protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR-2) are also required for activation by matriptase. Activation of PAR-2 has been reported to induce the progression of various cancers. In a previous study, we evaluated the correlation between upregulation of MET phosphorylation with high matriptase expression and worse prognosis in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer; however, expression of PAR-2, matriptase and MET in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) has not been evaluated.Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed the expression of PAR-2, matriptase and MET using 55 paraffin-embedded specimens obtained from patients with NMIBC by immunohistochemistry.Results: MET was significantly expressed in high-grade urothelial carcinoma (UC) and pathological T1 cancers. High expression of PAR-2 was significantly associated with a worse recurrence rate in NMIBC. In subgroup analysis, the expression of PAR-2 was also correlated with high recurrence rate in low-grade UC. In addition, expression of matriptase tended to correlate with worse recurrence rate in high-grade UC.Conclusion: Increased expression of PAR-2 was significantly correlated with worse recurrence rate in patients with NMIBC. In addition, expression of matriptase also indicated a tendency toward recurrence in high-grade UC, suggesting an important role of matriptase-induced PAR-2 activation in NMIBC.Keywords: PAR-2, matriptase, MET, NMIBC

Toyoharu Kamibeppu, Koji Yamasaki, Kozue Nakahara, Takahiro Nagai, Naoki Terada, Hiromasa Tsukino, Shoichiro Mukai, Toshiyuki Kamoto Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Kiyotake, Japan Background: Caveolin (Cav)-1 and Cav-2 are cell membrane proteins, which are structural proteins of caveolae and are reported to be positive regulators of cell survival and metastasis in prostate cancer (PC). In a previous study, we reported that elevated levels of Cav-1 and Cav-2 were significantly associated with PC progression. However, their functions in PC have not yet been clarified. In this study, we examined the function of Cav-1 and Cav-2 in PC cell invasiveness and motility.Materials and methods: We introduced Cav-1- and Cav-2-specific small interfering into PC3 cells to knock-down (KD) both molecules. We also performed cell proliferation assay, wound healing assay, migration assay, and invasion assay using PC3 cells and compared the results between Cav-1-KD, Cav-2-KD, and negative control PC3 cells. In addition, we performed real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and RT2 Profiler PCR Array analysis to identify factors influencing migration.Results: We observed no significant difference in the proliferative and invasive activities of Cav-1-KD and Cav-2-KD PC3 cells; however, the cell motility was significantly decreased compared with negative control PC3 cells. RT-qPCR revealed that the expression of vimentin and N-cadherin was downregulated in Cav-1-KD PC3 cells. In addition, PCR array revealed a decreased expression of MGAT5, MMP13, and MYCL in Cav-1-KD PC3 and ETV4, FGFR4, and SRC in Cav-2-KD PC3.Conclusion: Cav-1 and Cav-2 may positively contribute to the upregulation of castration-resistant PC cell migration. Cav-induced regulation of several molecules including vimentin, N-cadherin, MGAT5, MMP13, MYCL, ETV4, FGFR4, and SRC may have an important role in PC3 cell motility. However, further examination will be required. Keywords: caveolin-1, caveolin-2, CRPC, cell motility

Keisuke Naito,1 Kei Yamasaki,1 Kazuhiro Yatera,1 Kentaro Akata,1 Shingo Noguchi,1 Toshinori Kawanami,1 Kazumasa Fukuda,2 Takashi Kido,1 Hiroshi Ishimoto,3 Hiroshi Mukae3 1Department of Respiratory Medicine, 2Department of Microbiology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka, 3Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki, Japan Abstract: Pulmonary emphysema is an important radiological finding in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients, but bacteriological differences in pneumonia patients according to the severity of emphysematous changes have not been reported. Therefore, we evaluated the bacteriological incidence in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of pneumonia patients using cultivation and a culture-independent molecular method. Japanese patients with community-acquired pneumonia (83) and healthcare-associated pneumonia (94) between April 2010 and February 2014 were evaluated. The BALF obtained from pneumonia lesions was evaluated by both cultivation and a molecular method. In the molecular method, ~600 base pairs of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes in the BALF were amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and clone libraries were constructed. The nucleotide sequences of 96 randomly selected colonies were determined, and a homology search was performed to identify the bacterial species. A qualitative radiological evaluation of pulmonary emphysema based on chest computed tomography (CT) images was performed using the Goddard classification. The severity of pulmonary emphysema based on the Goddard classification was none in 47.4% (84/177), mild in 36.2% (64/177), moderate in 10.2% (18/177), and severe in 6.2% (11/177). Using the culture-independent molecular method, Moraxella catarrhalis was significantly more frequently detected in moderate or severe emphysema patients than in patients with no or mild emphysematous changes. The detection rates of Haemophilus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were unrelated to the severity of pulmonary emphysematous changes, and Streptococcus species – except for the S. anginosus group and S. pneumoniae – were detected more frequently using the molecular method we used for the BALF of patients with pneumonia than using culture methods. Our findings suggest that M. catarrhalis is more frequently detected in pneumonia patients with moderate or severe emphysema than in those with no or mild emphysematous changes on chest CT. M. catarrhalis may play a major role in patients with pneumonia complicating severe pulmonary emphysema. Keywords: clone library method, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Goddard classification, molecular method, microflora, phylotype, Moraxella catarrhalis

Saori Nagao,1,2 Kazuaki Taguchi,3 Hiromi Sakai,4 Keishi Yamasaki,3,5 Hiroshi Watanabe,1,6 Masaki Otagiri,3,5 Toru Maruyama1,6 1Department of Biopharmaceutics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, 2Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, 3Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sojo University, Kumamoto, 4Department of Chemistry, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, 5DDS Research Institute, Sojo University, 6Center for Clinical Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan Abstract: Carbon monoxide (CO) has attracted attention as a possible therapeutic agent for affecting anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Previously, CO-bound hemoglobin vesicle (CO-HbV) was developed as a nanotechnology-based CO donor, and its safety profile and therapeutic potential as a clinically applicable carrier of CO were examined in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, the therapeutic efficacy of CO-HbV against severe acute pancreatitis was examined with secondary distal organ-injured model mice that were fed with a choline-deficient ethionine-supplemented diet. A CO-HbV treatment significantly reduced the mortality of the acute pancreatitis model mice compared to saline and HbV. Biochemical and histological evaluations clearly showed that CO-HbV suppressed acute pancreatitis by inhibiting the production of systemic proinflammatory cytokines, neutrophil infiltration, and oxidative injuries in pancreatic tissue. Interestingly, CO-HbV also diminished the subsequent damage to distal organs including liver, kidneys, and lungs. This could be due to the suppression of neutrophil infiltration into tissues and the subsequently enhanced oxidative injuries. In contrast, O2-bound HbV, the inactive form of CO-HbV, was ineffective against both pancreatitis and distal organ injuries, confirming that CO was directly responsible for the protective effects of CO-HbV in acute pancreatitis. These findings suggest that CO-HbV has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics of CO and consequently exerts a superior protective effect against acute pancreatitis-induced multiorgan damage. Keywords: acute pancreatitis, carbon monoxide, CDE diet, liposome, oxidative stress, inflammation

Fourier-rectangular function (FRF) transform [K. Yamasaki et al., J. Appl. Phys. 126, 043304 (2019)] is used to analyze the structure and dynamics of plasma with cylindrical symmetry. In this article, a new technique based on FRF transform is proposed to elucidate the polarization characteristics of azimuthal modes and fluctuations. The application results are shown for a two-dimensional tomography image of linear cylindrical plasma. The method successfully resolves the polarization characteristics of azimuthal modes and attributes the intermittent behavior of the m = 1 mode to its polarization characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis method is developed for imaging measurement systems, such as the tomography system or fast camera imaging, in order to extract the spatial structure properties of fluctuation. In this analysis method, rectangular functions and Fourier series are adopted for the basis functions of the radial and azimuthal coordinates, respectively. The examples of this analysis method show that this method is useful for quantifying the spatial structure of the 2D image such as the radial profile of the power and the rotation angle of each azimuthal mode. The method proposed in this article allows us to elucidate the features of the 2D spatial structure of phenomena in magnetized plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]