Search

The frequency, mortality, and morbidity of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) in Asian countries are limited. In addition, little is known about the risk factors of death in these infants.A retrospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted. VLBW infants with CHD born between 2006 and 2010, and followed to 5 years of age, were included in the analysis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors of death.Among 3247 VLBW infants, 126 various CHDs (3.9 %) were identified. The most common lesions were ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), and coarctation of the aorta/interrupted aortic arch, in that order. The proportions of left-sided and right-sided outflow obstruction (TOF, pulmonary stenosis) were 15.1 % and 15.9 %, respectively. Trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 were present in 32 (25.4 %) of 126 VLBW infants with CHD. Nine patients were lost to follow-up. Overall, 45 patients (35.7 %) died up to 5 years of age. Serious CHD [odds ratio (OR), 19.2; 95 % confidential interval (CI), 3.94-93.11; p 0.0001], sepsis (OR, 42.3; 95 % CI, 5.39-332.22; p 0.0001), chromosomal /named anomalies (OR, 7.50; 95%CI, 2.09-26.94; p = 0.001), and no-invasive treatments (OR, 9.89; 95%CI, 2.28-42.91; p = 0.001) were associated with death. On excluding chromosomal anomalies, twelve of 71 patients (16.9 %) died, and only sepsis (OR, 35.5, 95%CI, 2.63-477.1; p = 0.0008) was an independent risk factor.Trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 of chromosomal anomalies are frequently associated with VLBW infants with CHD. The mortality of VLBW infants with CHD is high, even when chromosomal anomalies are excluded. Sepsis has a significant impact on death in VLBW infants with CHD.

Catheter intervention (CI) for a Blalock-Taussig shunt (BTS) or a ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduit (VPC) is often required after a palliative surgery for congenital heart disease. Flow regulatory clips help improve interstage mortality; their use necessitates CIs to prevent cyanosis. To study the CI outcomes in patients who underwent palliative surgery with either BTSs or VPCs with flow regulatory clips. This single-center retrospective study evaluated demographic characteristics and interventional outcomes of 49 consecutive pediatric patients who required CI for BTS (BTS group) or VPC (VPC group) between January 2008 and September 2018. Overall, 34 and 18 procedures were performed in the BTS and VPC groups, respectively. Moreover, 19/32 (59.3%) and 12/17 (70.1%) patients from the BTS and VPC groups had flow regulatory clips, respectively. All clips were unclipped successfully; one patient in each group underwent staged unclipping. A higher proportion of "clipped patients" underwent CI due to desaturation [clipped vs. non-clipped: BTS, 10/20 (50.0%) vs. 3/14 (21.4%), p = 0.092; VPC, 9/13 (69.2%) vs. 1/5 (20.0%), p = 0.060]. Most clipped patients successfully progressed to the next stage [BTS, 19/20 (95.0%); VPC, 12/13 (92.3%)]. Severe adverse events (SAEs) were more frequent in the VPC group than in the BTS group [3/13 (23.1%) vs. 0/20 (0%), p = 0.024]. Two patients developed an atrioventricular block (requiring an atropine infusion), while one died due to pulmonary overcirculation. While the indication of CI was cyanosis for a higher proportion of clipped patients, all clips were unclipped successfully. The incidence of CI-related SAEs was higher in the VPC group than in the BTS group.

Transcatheter closure is an established method to treat coronary artery fistula (CAF). We present transcatheter closure in a 6-year-old girl with CAF and anomalous aortic origin of the left main coronary artery from the right aortic sinus. The CAF originated from the left coronary artery (LCA), coursed through the interventricular septum (intraseptal course) with prominent dilation, and drained into the right ventricular outflow tract. She underwent transcatheter closure and was in a stable condition at the 3-year follow-up with regression of the dilated portion of the intraseptal-type LCA. Hence, transcatheter closure of CAF is feasible in patients with anomalous origins of coronary arteries.

Background Congenital porto-systemic shunt (CPSS) is a rare disease and can cause fatal complications. Accurate angiographic assessment is mandatory for proper treatment. Although technically difficult, we developed assessment techniques and assessed their accuracy. One technique came from evaluating patients with extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO). Methods We conducted a single center retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy of angiographic diagnostic procedure for the assessment of CPSS and EHPVO, and its impact on patients' subsequent interventions and clinical course. Eight patients with CPSS and two patients with EHPVO who underwent diagnostic angiography were included. Assessment of intrahepatic portal vein was performed in all patients. The route of the shunt, and portal vein pressure under shunt occlusion were also evaluated for patients with CPSS. Evaluation was first attempted with balloon angiographic catheter (standard method). Three additional techniques, 1) direct wedge-catheter injection without balloon inflation, 2) use of occlusion balloon in two patients, and 3) hybrid angiography with sheath placement directly into the superior mesenteric vein were performed as needed. Results The standard method was sufficient in four patients. Contrarily, all three techniques were required in two patients each. One lost contact during follow up, but all other patients underwent optimal intervention. There was no complication related to the angiographic procedure. Conclusions Use of direct wedge-catheter injection without balloon inflation, occlusion balloon, and hybrid catheterization improved the diagnostic yield in patients with CPSS or EHPVO.

Otitis media (OM) is common among young children and is related to hearing loss. We investigated the association between maternal insecticide use, from conception to the first and second/third trimesters, and OM events in children in the first year of age. Data from Japan Environment and Children's Study were used in this prospective cohort study. Characteristics of patients with and without history of OM during the first year of age were compared. The association between history of OM in the first year and insecticide use was evaluated using logistic regression analysis. The study enrolled 98,255 infants. There was no significant difference in the frequency of insecticide use between groups. Insecticide use of more than once a week from conception to the first trimester significantly increased the occurrence of OM in children in the first year (odds ratio [OR] = 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–1.67). The association between OM in the first year and insecticide use from conception to the first trimester was only significant in the group without daycare attendance (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.30–2.38). Maternal insecticide use more than once a week from conception to the first trimester significantly increased OM risk in offspring without daycare attendance.

An extremely low birth weight infant (810 g) was born with pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect, and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries accompanied by pulmonary overcirculation, which eventually resulted in intestinal hypoperfusion and focal intestinal perforation from the very early stage of life. Based on the echographic findings, we performed banding operations twice to regulate the pulmonary blood flow on day 2 and day 9. At 6 months of age, a definitive repair simultaneous with unifocalization of major aortopulmonary collateral arteries was performed. At 1 year of age, the right ventricle/left ventricle pressure ratio was 0.44 after balloon angioplasty was performed for the right-sided pulmonary artery stenosis. The patient is in a stable condition and was followed-up for more than 2 years after definitive repair. This is the first known successful repair of pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect, and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries in an extremely low birth weight infant.

This study experimentally and theoretically analyzed the performance of two types of large-scale hollow fiber (HF) forward osmosis (FO) modules for pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). The effects of operating conditions on the module performance of the 5-inch scale HF modules with a cross-wound HF configuration were investigated. A modified analytical model, based on the friction-concentration polarization (FCP) model, which combined the PRO theory with water flux and salt leakage, was proposed for PRO performance estimation. The theoretical results agreed within 9.7% deviation with the experimental results under all conditions. The energy efficiency of the HF PRO module was also theoretically derived. The power generation estimation for the 5-inch membrane module revealed that 10 to 15% of the energy could be recovered from the reverse osmosis seawater desalination process. However, some parts of the membrane could not be used efficiently inside the modules because of the non-optimal dimensions. Therefore, new types of modules, having shorter lengths and larger module diameters, were proposed and provided greater net energy output, as compared with the original module, due to the reduction of both the region where the water was not sufficiently permeated and the pressure drop inside the HF membrane.

This study aimed to clarify the effects of television/digital versatile disc (TV/DVD) viewing time and portable electronic device (PED) usage time on sleep duration and bedtime and the difference between the effects of TV/DVD and PED on sleep. The effect of TV/DVD viewing time or PED usage time on sleep duration and bedtime was analyzed using a multiple logistic regression analysis adjusted for covariates. A total of 74,525 participants were included in the analysis, using data from Japan Environment and Children’s Study. TV/DVD viewing was not associated with short sleep duration, but PED usage was associated with short sleep duration. In addition, the risk of short sleep duration increased as PED usage time increased. We also investigated the effects of sleep habits at age 1 year on sleep at age 3 years. This study showed that late bedtime at age 1 year posed a significant risk of late bedtime at age 3 years. In summary, particular caution should be paid to PED use from a child’s health perspective, and sleep habits should be focused on bedtime from the age of 1 year.

Background: Left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) is a hereditary type of cardiomyopathy. Although it is associated with high morbidity and mortality, the related ion channel gene variants in children have not been fully investigated. This study aimed to elucidate the ion channel genetic landscape of LVNC and identify genotype-phenotype correlations in a large Japanese cohort. Methods: We enrolled 206 children with LVNC from 2002 to 2017 in Japan. LVNC was classified as follows: LVNC with congenital heart defects, arrhythmia, dilated phenotype, or normal function. In the enrolled patients, 182 genes associated with cardiomyopathy were screened using next-generation sequencing. Results: We identified 99 pathogenic variants in 40 genes in 87 patients. Of the pathogenic variants, 8.8% were in genes associated with channelopathies, 27% were in sarcomere genes, and 11.5% were in mitochondrial genes. Ion channel gene variants were mostly associated with the arrhythmia classification, whereas sarcomere and mitochondrial gene variants were associated with the dilated phenotype. Echocardiography revealed that the group with ion channel gene variants had almost normal LV ejection fraction and LV diastolic diameter Z scores. Fragmented QRS, old age, and an arrhythmia phenotype were the most significant risk factors for ventricular tachycardia ( P =0.165, 0.0428, and 0.0074, respectively). Moreover, the group with ion channel variants exhibited a greater risk of a higher prevalence of arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia, rather than congestive heart failure. Conclusions: This is the first study that focused on genotype-phenotype correlations in a large pediatric LVNC patient cohort with ion channel gene variants that were determined using next-generation sequencing. Ion channel gene variants were strongly correlated with arrhythmia phenotypes. Genetic testing and phenotype specification allow for appropriate medical management of specific LVNC targets.

As for the medical management including surgery for the patients with adult congenital heart disease(ACHD), it may be difficult for most hospitals other than that have both adult/congenital cardiologists/cardiovascular surgeons. Between Shizuoka Prefectural General Hospital and Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Children's Hospital, medical stuff and information have been shared for these 4 years. And joint cardiovascular surgeries have started since 2015 autumn at Shizuoka Prefectural General Hospital.The contents and the results of these joint operations were evaluated.Thirteen joint operations were performed and median age at operation was 55 years old( male 3, female 10). The original diagnosis was tetralogy of Fallot/pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect 6, ventricular septal defect( VSD)±pulmonary stenosis 4, atrioventicular septal defect/two chamber right ventricle/Ebstein's anomaly 1 ( each). The procedures were pulmonary valve replacement/right ventricle out flow tract reconstruction 7, mitral valve plasty/tricuspid annuloplasty 4, Bentall 2, VSD closure 2 etc.(included multiple choices).There was no early mortality. One late mortality was occurred 17 months after the surgery due to acute myeloid leukemia. General conditions in other patients have been feasible and most of them were followed in Shizuoka Prefectural General Hospital.The results of the joint operations were feasible in the present study. Our joint project may become more important in the future.

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate fetal cardiac ultrasonographic parameters in relation to the outcomes of patients with isolated left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Methods Subjects comprised 33 fetuses with fetal CDH and 99 control fetuses without cardiac and lung anomalies. Three parameters, cardiothoracic area ratio (CTAR), the ratio of the diameter of the main pulmonary artery to that of the ascending aorta (MPA/AAo), and the ratio of the diameter of the tricuspid valve to that of the mitral valve (TV/MV) were compared between fetal CDH and control subjects and between survival (SG) and non-survival (NSG) groups. Results All three parameters differed significantly between CDH and control fetuses. Significant differences between SG and NSG were observed in CTAR and TV/MV ratio, but not in MPA/AAo ratio before and after 32 gestational weeks. A significant increase in the TV/MV ratio was noted along with an increase in gestational age. A TV/MV ratio of >1.72 discriminated non-survivors from survivors with better sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions Fetal cardiac ultrasonography provides useful information for predicting the outcomes of isolated left-sided CDH. The TV/MV ratio was considered a reliable indicator that reflected outcomes of isolated left-sided CDH.

An 18-month-old boy was diagnosed with late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. Genetic analysis revealed a mosaic frameshift mutation (p.Q279fs) in the OTC gene. Despite the presence of a null mutation, he exhibited a milder phenotype, suggesting that the wild-type allele could rescue the function of OTC. The presence of mosaicism has great effects on the clinical phenotype and recurrence-risk assessment, which should be taken into consideration for genetic counseling.

Introduction We report a case of a 1.8-kg infant who had laparoscopic Toupet fundoplication (LTF) using the AirSeal Intelligent Flow System and Anchor Port (AP). Materials and Surgical Technique Our case had severe gastroesophageal reflux in association with genetic and cardiac anomalies. Despite the patient being continuously fed, persistent vomiting caused failure to thrive, and LTF was performed at 4 months of age when he weighed 1.8 kg. The AirSeal Intelligent Flow System is a novel laparoscopic CO2 insufflation system that improves the visual field by constantly evacuating smoke and providing a more stable pneumoperitoneum. The AP is a recently developed, stretchable, elastomeric, low-profile cannula. Three 5-mm AP were inserted: one subumbilically for the scope and one in both the right and left upper abdomen for the surgeon. A 5-mm AirSeal trocar was inserted in the left lower abdomen for the assistant. The gastrosplenic ligament was dissected free, and the intra-abdominal esophagus was prepared. A posterior hiatoplasty was performed, followed by the 270° fundoplication. During the fundoplication, the esophagus was fixed to the crus and then the right and left wraps were fixed to the esophagus. Pneumoperitoneum was maintained stably throughout the LTF procedure, with optimal operative field. Total operating time for LTF was 90 min. Body temperature dropped from 37.4°C to 35.7°C during pneumoperitoneum but resolved once pneumoperitoneum was ceased. Postoperative progress was uneventful, and an upper gastrointestinal study on postoperative day 2 showed no residual gastroesophageal reflux. Discussion We believe the AirSeal Intelligent Flow System and AP contributed to the successful completion of LTF in a 1.8-kg infant.

A 37 year-old primipara women was referred for management of a large solid tumor found in the neck of her fetus, showing the trachea to be compressed by the mass, and intubation through the ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) was planned. After the mother was anesthetized using a Fentanyl with Isofluorane, the head and left arm of the baby were delivered through a standard lower segment cesarean section, and the baby was intubated with a 3.0 mm tracheal tube before clamping and dividing the umbilical cord, then transferred to a resuscitation table. Time from partial delivery to transfer was 9 min, and the baby weighed 3300 g and quickly achieved acceptable oxygen saturations. A tracheostomy and biopsy of the mass were performed on day 1, and Rhabdomyosarcoma was diagnosed. Multiagent chemotherapy was commenced without any reduction in size (82 × 80 × 70 mm), and radical resection was performed 8 weeks after EXIT. Preoperatively, arterial feeders to the mass arising mainly from the right external carotid artery, were selectively embolized, and surgical excision was performed. After additional chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the child is doing well without recurrence after 3 years of follow-up.

We describe herein a case of unilateral pulmonary agenesis (PA) with oesophageal atresia (EA)/tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) that was diagnosed prenatally and repaired by esophagoesophagostomy with stable postoperative course. The patient was born at 34 weeks gestation, after ultrasonography at 22 weeks gestation showed possible right-sided diaphragmatic eventration or PA and EA was subsequently suspected due to hydramnios. The initial X-ray showed mediastinal shift to the right, and coil up sign of the nasogastric tube, without intracardiac anomaly. Immediately after the diagnosis of EA/TEF and unilateral PA on day 0, the patient was intubated in the operating room, and a gastrostomy tube was placed. After pulmonary status stabilized, at 4 days old, EA/TEF was repaired through a thoracotomy in the right 4 th intercostal space. The right main bronchus was noted to continue into the distal oesophagus; this fistula was ligated and divided, and a single-layer esophagoesophagostomy was performed under mild tension with one vertebral gap. The neonate was maintained on mechanical ventilation and gradually weaned to extubation at 7 days old. The postoperative course was uneventful, with the exception of prolonged jaundice that emerged at 3 months old. Laparoscopic cholangiography at that time excluded biliary atresia, and jaundice resolved spontaneously. The patient has not shown any respiratory symptoms or feeding difficulties as of the 12-month follow-up.

Surgical intestinal disorders (SID), such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), focal intestinal perforation (FIP), and meconium-related ileus (MRI), are serious morbidities in extremely low birth weight (ELBW, birth weight

Congenital complete atrioventricular block is a known lethal condition. Although antenatal diagnosis and the technical advances of pacemaker treatment have reduced its mortality, treatment of premature babies with significant myocardial damage remains a challenge. In this paper, we report the case of a premature low-birth-weight infant with congenital complete atrioventricular block and extremely low ventricular rate, fetal hydrops, and myocarditis who was successfully treated with staged permanent pacemaker implantation.

Understanding the doping mechanism that involves substantial charge transfer between carbon nanotubes and chemical adsorbent is of critical importance for both basic scientific knowledge and nanodevice applications. Nevertheless, it is difficult to estimate the modification of electronic structures of the doped carbon nanotubes. Here we report measurements of electrochemical potentials of n-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by using photoluminescence (PL) measurement. The change of the measured PL intensity before and after n-type doping was used to extract the electrochemical potential using the Nernst equation. The measured electrochemical potentials of SWCNTs approached the theoretical reduction potential of SWCNTs as the mole concentration of the dopant increased. The doping effect was also confirmed by the change of absorption spectroscopy. The quenching of the PL and absorption intensity was strongly correlated to the standard reduction potential of the dopant and its concentration. This...

The recent increase in the size of energy plants has been supported by the development of manufacturing technology for high purity large forgings for the key components of the plant. To assure the reliability and performance of the large forgings, refining technology to make high purity steels, casting technology for gigantic ingots, forging technology to homogenize the material and consolidate porosity are essential, together with the required heat treatment and machining technologies. To meet these needs, the double degassing method to reduce impurities, multi-pouring methods to cast the gigantic ingots, vacuum carbon deoxidization, the warm forging process and related technologies have been developed and further improved. Furthermore, melting facilities including vacuum induction melting and electro slag re-melting furnaces have been installed. By using these technologies and equipment, large forgings have been manufactured and shipped to customers. These technologies have also been applied to the manufacture of austenitic steel vessel components of the fast breeder reactors and components for fusion experiments.

One of the key issues in the utilization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for basic researches as well as their applications is to develop a methodology to solubilize/disperse them in solvents. In this review articles, we first summarize individual solubilization of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in solvents using surfactants, polycylcic aromatic molecules, DNA and condensed polymers. We then describe a novel method determining the electronic states of individually dissolved SWNTs having an own chirality index based on the analysis of Nernst equation. We also introduce our recent approach toward the fabrication of a novel catalyst for fuel cell that works at a nonhumid atmosphere using solubilized CNTs as material.

Pleomorphic adenoma, as the most common salivary gland tumor, primarily involves major glands, especially the parotid gland. Minor glands involve, mostly the palate, being relatively uncommon in the cheek. The malar region is close to important organs and malignant tumors, making sufficient preoperative examinations important. To date however, few reports have discussed the usefulness of the variety of examinations. We report a case of pleomorphic adenoma of the minor salivary gland originating in the cheek. A 56-year-old man having a minor left-cheek salivary gland tumor found 10 years ago removed en bloc through the oral cavity for cosmetic reasons has experienced no recurrence in the 2 years since. The extracted tumor was 60×40×30 mm and weighed 50 g. We thus strongly recommend computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, sialography, facial nerve excitability testing, and cytodiagnosis in evaluating such lesions.

Increasing attention has been focused on carbon dioxide (CO2) heat pump system where the temperature level is rather low, while the operating pressure is rather high. In this system, the density difference between vapor and liquid becomes rather small, which significantly affects flow patterns. Low surface tension and latent heat also have significant influence on two-phase flow patterns and heat transfer. This paper describes experimental and numerical investigation on flow patterns and heat transfer characteristics of boiling flow CO2 at high pressure in horizontal small-bore tubes ranging from 1.0 mm to 3.0 mm I.D. Even though the density difference is rather small at high pressure, phase stratification takes place, which leads to the intermittent dryout at the upper wall. So far developed discrete bubble model by the authors for vertical flows is modified so as to include horizontal flow mechanisms. The predicted flow patterns with this new model agree on the whole with the experimental observation.

The morphology of the compounds formed by the reactive diffusion between solid Fe and liquid Al was experimentally observed using Fe/ Al diffusion couples. The diffusion couples were prepared by an isothermal bonding technique and then immediately annealed at temperatures of T = 973, 1023 and 1073 K for various times up to t = 2.4 × 10 3 s. At these temperatures, Fe is solid, but Al is liquid. During annealing, a compound region consisting of Fe 2 Al 5 and FeAl 3 is formed at the Fe/Al interface in the diffusion couple and grows towards the Fe solid specimen. However, FeAl 2 and FeAl were not detected clearly. The thickness is much smaller for FeAl 3 than for Fe 2 Al 5 , and thus the compound region is mainly composed of Fe 2 Al 5 . At T = 973-1073 K, FeAl 3 is produced as a rather uniform thin layer. On the other hand, the Fe 2 Al 5 region shows the irregular tongue-like morphology at T = 973-1023 K but the uniform layer morphology at T = 1073 K. The irregularity of the Fe 2 Al 5 region is attributed to the anisotropy for the interdiffusion coefficient of Fe 2 Al 5 . The temperature dependence of the irregularity implies that the anisotropy is large at T = 973-1023 K but small at T = 1073 K. The mean thickness of the compound region is proportional to a power function of the annealing time. Although the activation enthalpy of the proportionality coefficient is evaluated with an Arrhenius equation, the morphology of the Fe 2 Al 5 region varies depending on the annealing temperature. In such a case, the rate-controlling process for the growth of the compound region cannot be readily estimated from the activation enthalpy.

Viologens possessing long alkyl chains are condensed to monolayers of their radical cations upon one-electron reduction on a basal plane of a highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) electrode in contact with not only one-component viologen aqueous solutions but also binary mixtures. For three types of binary mixtures of viologen including ten different combinations, the condensed phase formation processes were described using the results of voltammetric measurements. First, in the case of the binary mixture of symmetric di-alkyl viologens (dA) with different chain lengths,two-dimensional (2D) phase separation into two domains took place in the course of cathodic potential scan in a certain range of the solution molar fraction when the chain length difference is two methylene units or more. Second, in the case of the mixture of a dA and its both-end carboxylated derivative (bis-carboxylated viologen: bC), either pure bC condensed phase or dA + bC well-mixed phase covered the entire surface area.Third, in the case of the mixture of dA and bC with far different chain lengths, the molar fraction dependent condensation processes took place while bC always dominates the phase formation behavior. The implications of these results were discussed as typical 2D molecular nano-organization processes in the terms of homo- and hetero-intermolecular interactions on the HOPG surface., Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 619-620, pp.65-74; 2008

Two-dimensional (2D) phase-transition behavior of three different viologens, heptyl viologen and its mono- and dicarboxylated derivatives, is described using the results of voltammetric measurement...

Phase transition behavior of two-component viologen adsorption layers at a HOPG electrode was described using the results of voltammetric measurements. In the coexistence of heptyl viologen (HV) and its bis-carboxylated derivative in the solution phase, a well-mixed condensed monolayer of the radical cations was formed at any molar fraction. In sharp contrast, the binary system of HV and butyl viologen (BV) exhibited phase separation in the molar fraction range where BV is saturated in the predominantly formed condensed phase of HV. It was, however, found that this separation, being opposed to the prediction based on the adsorption free energy, occurs only when the time period enough for full condensation of HV is not given. The significant features of phase transition of two-component viologen adsorption layers on a HOPG electrode surface were highlighted in comparison with the formation and reductive desorption of the self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols., Electrochemistry Communications 9(4), pp.741-746; 2007

To investigate the biological activity of various polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on the allergic reaction, we examined the effects of six PUFAs and two saturated fatty acids on calcium response and degranulation from rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells. Between 20 and 40 microM of six PUFAs (omega-6 series: arachidonic acid [AA, C20:4], gamma-linolenic acid [gamma-LN, C18:3] and linoleic acid [LA, C18:2]; omega-3 series: alpha-linolenic acids [alpha-LN, C18:3] and eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA, C20:5]; and omega-9 series: oleic acid [OLE, C18:1]), or two saturated fatty acids (stearic acid [STA, C18:0] and arachidic acid [AD, C20:0]) were used to examine the effects on calcium response and degranulation from RBL-2H3 cells. Calcium response was monitored using the fluorescent calcium indicator fura-2, while degranulation was monitored by measuring histamine release from the cells. Three omega-6 PUFAs (AA, alpha-LN and LA) dose-dependently increased the cytosolic free-calcium concentration and histamine release from RBL-2H3 cells. This phenomenon was specific to the omega-6 PUFAs, the omega-3 PUFAs (alpha-LA and EPA), omega-9 PUFA (OLE) and the saturated fatty acids (STA and AD) had no effect. The increase in the cytosolic free-calcium concentration caused by the omega-6 PUFAs depended on the existence of external calcium, cell viability and the cellular IP(3) levels remained unchanged throughout the experiment. These results suggest that omega-6 PUFAs work as direct mediators of calcium signaling pathways in RBL-2H3 cells.

We report a case of renal cell carcinoma metastatic to the tongue. An 82-year-old man presented with a tumor measuring 13×10mm at the right border of the tongue. He had a history of renal cell carcinoma, and had undergone right radical nephrectomy in 1988. He also had multiple metastatic lesions to both lung and brain. He was hospitalized in 2002, and his chief complaint was mastication disorder. In order to improve his quality of life, the tumor of the tongue was resected under local anesthesia, and he could ingest food after the resection. The resected specimen showed renal cell carcinoma. We conclude that if the metastatic tongue lesion is resectable without severe disturbance of function or form, occasional cure can be effected by surgical resection.

Expression of CD69 on neutrophils and generation of anti-CD69 autoantibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been reported. Thus natural ligands for CD69 not yet identified and/or the anti-CD69 autoantibodies possibly affect neutrophils by evoking CD69 signaling, which may further affect joint-composing cells in RA. However, the effect of the CD69 signaling in neutrophils remains largely unclear. To elucidate the issue, we tried to identify proteins affected by the crosslinking of CD69 on neutrophils using a proteomic approach. Specifically, CD69 on granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-activated neutrophils was crosslinked by anti-CD69 monoclonal antibodies, and then intracellular proteins were detected using 2-dimensional electrophoresis and further identified by mass spectrometry and subsequent protein database searching. As a result, we successfully identified multiple proteins that increased their production by the CD69 signaling. Among the proteins, we focused on one of the up-regulated proteins, S100A9 calcium binding protein (S100A9), and investigated proteome changes brought by a recombinant S100A9 in a human synovial sarcoma cell line (SW982), a human chondrosarcoma cell line (OUMS-27), and a human T leukemia cell line (Jurkat). This revealed that the recombinant S100A9 altered proteomes of SW982 and OUMS-27, and to a lesser extent, that of the Jurkat cells. Further, S100A9 induced IL-1beta production from neutrophils and the SW982 cells. These data suggest that unidentified natural ligands for CD69 and/or the anti-CD69 autoantibodies possibly affect joint-composing cell types through the increased production of S100A9 in neutrophils, providing a new insight into functions of CD69 on neutrophils in RA.

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a systemic inflammatory disease, in which autoimmunity to cartilage-related components is thought to be involved in its pathogenesis. However, the autoimmune profile in RP has not been studied fully. We therefore investigated autoantibodies/autoantigens in RP comprehensively, by 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE), subsequent western blotting (WB) and mass spectrometry, using cell-extracted proteins as the antigen source. As a result, we detected 15 autoantigens on 2DE-WB, and further identified five of them. On average, one RP serum recognized approximately 8 out of the 15 autoantigens. Frequencies of the autoantibodies to the 5 identified antigens of tubulin alpha ubiquitous/6, vimentin, alpha enolase, calreticulin, and colligin-1/-2 were 91%, 46%, 36%, 82%, and 36%, respectively. ELISA using recombinant proteins for them revealed that frequencies of the autoantibodies to tubulin alpha ubiquitous, vimentin, alpha enolase, calreticulin, and colligin-1 were 36%, 64%, 46%, 27%, and 18%, respectively. Our data demonstrated that the autoimmune reaction was not restricted to cartilage-related components, rather a variety of autoimmune responses occurred in patients with RP, which may be involved in the pathophysiology of RP. In addition, the proteomic approach using cell-extracted proteins would be a powerful way to investigate autoantigens.

Using Cu/Al diffusion couples initially composed of pure Cu and Al, the reactive diffusion in the binary Cu–Al system was experimentally examined in a previous study. The diffusion couple was isothermally annealed in the temperature range of T ¼ 973{1073 K. Due to annealing, compound layers of the � , � and " phases are formed between the Cu-rich solid (� ) phase and the Al-rich liquid (L) phase, and the L=" interface migrates towards the " phase. At each annealing time, the migration distance of the L=" interface is much greater than the total thickness of the compound layers. Furthermore, there exists the parabolic relationship between the migration distance and the annealing time. This means that the migration of the interface is controlled by the volume diffusion in the L phase. The mathematical model for the interface migration controlled by volume diffusion was used in order to analyze quantitatively the migration rate of the interface. Through the analysis, the interdiffusion coefficient D of the L phase was evaluated to be 1:24 � 10 � 9 , 2:91 � 10 � 9 and 3:62 � 10 � 9 m 2 /s at T ¼ 973, 1023 and 1073 K, respectively. Expressing the temperature dependence of D as D ¼ D0 expð� Q=RTÞ, values of D0 ¼ 1:42 � 10 � 4 m 2 /s and Q ¼ 93:5 kJ/mol were obtained by the least-squares method. According to the analysis, the interdiffusion coefficient is much greater for the L phase than for the solid phases. Consequently, the L=" interface migrates towards the " phase, and the migration rate of the interface is much greater than the overall growth rate of the compound layers. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.47.2480]

The reaction at narrow holes method (RANH method) has been proposed for fabricating fiber reinforced metal (FRM), such as an intermetallic compound fiber / metal matrix composite. This study clarifies a microstructure at a fiber / metal matrix interface of FRM fabricated by using a combination of pure-copper and pure-aluminum in the RANH method. Pure-aluminum fiber was inserted into a narrow hole drilled in the copper matrix. The assembly comprising the pure-aluminum fiber and the pure-copper matrix was heated to a temperature greater than eutectic temperature of the copper-aluminum binary alloy. A molten aluminum reacted with copper to form an annular reacted region consisting of g1 intermetallic compound in a single phase near the edge of the narrow hole. The g1 intermetallic compound has very high hardness on the order of 800-900 HV. The annular reacted region may have a high tensile strength and may work as a reinforcing metal fiber in FRM.

Aqueous dispersions of fullerene C70-filled carbon nanotubes (C70@SWNTs or peapods) and empty single-walled carbon nanotubes (empty SWNTs) were prepared with the aid of trimethyl-(2-oxo-2-pyrene-1-yl-ethyl)-ammonium bromide (1), which is a carbon nanotube solubilizer. This is the first report describing the preparation and characterization of the transparent dispersion/dissolution of the peapods. The UV-vis-near-IR spectra of C70@SWNTs-1 and empty SWNTs-1 were almost identical. We found by means of transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy that the empty SWNTs and C70-peapods form helical nanostructures in the shapes of rings, irregular rings, lassos, handcuffs, catenanes, pseudorotaxanes, and figure-eight structures. The mechanism of the superstructure formation has been discussed in relation to the unique characteristics of stiff polymer chains with the aid of an off-lattice Monte Carlo simulation.

Obesity is one of most important risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA). In this studys, we examined the importance of a rapid and considerable increase in body weight in OSA using a weight changing index (WCI). We investigated 39 patients (35 males and 4 females) that were referred to our hospital complaining of snoring and sleeping disturbance, and we employed body mass index (BMI) to evaluate obesity. The BMI was estimated as body weight divided by height to the second power: BMI (kg/m2)=body weight/(height * height). WCI was estimated as the previous BMI around the time the patients noticed sleeping disturbance, minus the present BMI. We evaluated degrees of OSA using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) as measured by polysomnography. We found a significant correlation between AHI and BMI, confirming that obesity greatly influences OSA. In younger subjects, the correlation between OSA and increases in WCI was more prominent than that in older subjects, whereas the BMI values did not differ significantly with age. Since WCI appeared to reflect the accumulation of visceral fat, we suggest that visceral-fat obesity most strongly influences OSA. The increasing prevalence of obesity is likely to produce social problems associated with a higher incidence of OSA. It is therefore important to develop suitable methods for the detection and treatment of OSA.

We report a patient with severe laryngeal tuberculosis (LTB) involving thyroid cartilage and combined with whole-bone metastasis. A 57-year-old male had presented only with hoarseness. Radiological findings were indicative of suspected metastasis from a malignant tumor. However, tuberculosis was considered by histopathological findings, and so sputum samples were tested for acid-fast bacilli and purified protein derivatives of tuberculin in order to detect the presence of LTB. A polymerase chain reaction confirmed the diagnosis. Anti-tuberculous medications were effective in resolving the hoarseness, and the removal of the mass in the right wing of thyroid cartilage was confirmed by computed tomography (CT).