Pathophysiological roles of microvascular alterations in pulmonary inflammatory diseases: possible implications of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and CXC chemokines

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchial asthma are common respiratory diseases that are caused by chronic inflammation of the airways. Although these diseases are mediated by substantially distinct immunological reactions, especially in mild cases, they both show increased numbers of neutrophils, increased production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and poor responses to corticosteroids, particularly in patients with severe diseases. These immunological alterations may contribute strongly to airway structural changes, commonly referred to as airway remodeling. Microvascular alterations, a component of airway remodeling and caused by chronic inflammation, are observed and appear to be clinically involved in both diseases. It has been well established that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays important roles in the airway microvascular alterations in mild and moderate cases of both diseases, but any role that VEGF might play in severe cases of these diseases remains unclear. Here, we review recent research findings, including our own data, and discuss the possibility that TNF-α and its associated CXC chemokines play roles in microvascular alterations that are even more crucial than those of VEGF in patients with severe COPD or asthma

A Transposition Flap Reconstruction after Resection of a Soft-Tissue Sarcoma in the Buttock

Introduction: Large defects following resection in the gluteal region are challenging. Of note, there are a limited number of fairly morbid options for reconstruction. Case Report: A 65-year-old female presented with complaints of an enlarging mass in the left buttock over the past several months. A high-grade sarcoma was diagnosed based on a biopsy. The final diagnosis was an undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma based on the resected tumor. An 11-cm tumor with surrounding tissues, including the great gluteal muscle, was resected, which resulted in a 17-cm full thickness defect. The defect was reconstructed with a transposition flap elevated from the lateral thorax. A transposition flap can cover large buttock defects without sacrificing other muscles. Conclusion: Moreover, a transposition flap is esthetically acceptable because most of the operative scar is within the buttock area. A transposition flap reconstruction is one of the several options for large defects after soft-tissue sarcoma resection in the buttock

Thoracoabdominal flap reconstruction after resection of superficial soft-tissue sarcomas in the chest wall

The thoracoabdominal flap is a rotation flap, and is well known for reconstruction of defects following resections for breast cancer, but the flap is not well known for reconstructing defects following resections of soft-tissue sarcomas involving the chest wall. Here we present two patients with superficial chest wall sarcomas consisting of a dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans in a 42-year-old man and a recurrent myxofibrosarcoma in a 76-year-old man. The tumors were resected with the surrounding tissue. The defect was reconstructed with a thoracoabdominal flap elevated from the ipsilateral thorax (medially-based flap). Neither case developed necrosis of the flap or reduced shoulder range of motion. The chest wall presents few options for a donor vessel. The thoracoabdominal flap has an axial blood supply and does not require a microsurgical procedure. A thoracoabdominal flap is a suitable reconstruction option for a defect after the resection of a superficial soft-tissue sarcoma in the chest wall

Multifidus muscle retracted and preserved in resection of malignant bone tumor in the sacral ala

Resection of malignant tumors in the posterior pelvis requires multidirectional approaches for the resection and the subsequent spine-pelvic fixation. The multifidus muscle can be scarified during the operation. This is a case report of a 44-year-old male with a secondary chondrosarcoma arising from an osteochondroma in the sacral ala. Recurrence occurred 11 months after the initial operation, and the resected tissue from the recurrence was diagnosed as a chondrosarcoma. In both operations, the multifidus muscle was elevated from its distal attachment to provide an adequate view of the tumor resection and insertion of spine-pelvic instrumentation. An adequate view by elevation of the multifidus muscle is useful for a safe operation. A preserved multifidus muscle covering the instrumentation may reduce the risk of infection. The elevation and preservation of the multifidus muscle is an easy and simple method that contributes to successful resection of a malignant tumor of the pelvis

Preserving the posterior cortex of the sternum during resection of a superficial anterior chest wall sarcoma

Following resection of a sternal tumor, respiratory dysfunction can occur and rigid reconstruction is necessary. An 82-year-old woman noted a mass in the anterior chest wall that was increasing in size. The tumor was located on the left aspect of the sternum at the level of the third rib. A radiation-induced malignant spindle cell tumor was diagnosed because of a history of irradiation for hilar lymph node carcinoma. The tumor was resected with the surrounding tissues of the second-to-fourth ribs and sternum. The posterior sternal cortex was preserved by cutting with a curved chisel under fluoroscopy. The chest wall defect was reconstructed with a 2-mm thick Gore-Tex® sheet and a local transpositional flap. Sternal resection with a chisel under fluoroscopy avoids damage to the internal thoracic artery. Preserving the posterior sternal cortex does not require rigid reconstruction. The procedure is minimally invasive

Antioxidative copper sinter bonding under thermal aging utilizing reduction of cuprous oxide nanoparticles by polyethylene glycol

Durability of sintered Cu joints under thermal aging in the air was investigated for the reduction of Cu₂O using Cu₂O/polyethylene glycol (PEG) mixture. Thermal analysis of the Cu₂O/PEG paste showed that the molecular weight of PEG influences the redox reaction and the subsequent bonding related to the combustion of the reducing organic solvent. Sintered Cu joints using PEG 400 exhibited high joint strength (above 30 MPa) in shear tests, even for the bonding temperature of 280 °C. The sintered Cu joints exhibited slightly increased strength during thermal aging at 250 °C in air, which was also confirmed by the microscale tensile test used for evaluating the fracture behavior of the sintered Cu structure. Microstructural analysis, including the evaluation of the crystal orientation, revealed a small change in the microstructure of sintered joints during aging. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of organic membranes on slightly oxidized sintered Cu grains before thermal aging, and additional oxidation was observed after thermal aging. The progress of sintering during thermal aging in vacuum was different than that in air. It was considered that the formation of a thin Cu₂O layer, controlled by the presence of organic membranes, contributed to the suppression of Cu sintering.The version of record of this article, first published in Journal of Materials Science, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-023-08976-

Cosmic Galaxy-IGM HI Relation at z∼2−3{\it{z}}\sim 2-3 Probed in the COSMOS/UltraVISTA 1.61.6 deg2^2 Field

We present spatial correlations of galaxies and IGM HI in the COSMOS/UltraVISTA 1.62 deg$^2$ field. Our data consist of 13,415 photo-$z$ galaxies at $z\sim2-3$ with $K_s<23.4$ and the Ly$\alpha$ forest absorptions in the background quasar spectra selected from SDSS data with no signature of damped Ly$\alpha$ system contamination. We estimate a galaxy overdensity $\delta_{gal}$ in an impact parameter of 2.5 pMpc, and calculate the Ly$\alpha$ forest fluctuations $\delta_{\langle F\rangle}$ whose negative values correspond to the strong Ly$\alpha$ forest absorptions. We identify weak evidence of an anti-correlation between $\delta_{gal}$ and $\delta_{\langle F\rangle}$ with a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of $-0.39$ suggesting that the galaxy overdensities and the Ly$\alpha$ forest absorptions positively correlate in space at the $\sim90\%$ confidence level. This positive correlation indicates that high-$z$ galaxies exist around an excess of HI gas in the Ly$\alpha$ forest. We find four cosmic volumes, dubbed $A_{obs}$-$D_{obs}$, that have extremely large (small) values of $\delta_{gal} \simeq0.8$ ($-1$) and $\delta_{\langle F\rangle}$ $\simeq0.1$ ($-0.4$), three out of which, $B_{obs}$-$D_{obs}$, significantly depart from the correlation, and weaken the correlation signal. We perform cosmological hydrodynamical simulations, and compare with our observational results. Our simulations reproduce the correlation, agreeing with the observational results. Moreover, our simulations have model counterparts of $A_{obs}$-$D_{obs}$, and suggest that the observations pinpoint, by chance, a galaxy overdensity like a proto-cluster, gas filaments lying on the sightline, a large void, and orthogonal low-density filaments. Our simulations indicate that the significant departures of $B_{obs}$-$D_{obs}$ are produced by the filamentary large-scale structures and the observation sightline effects.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap