CRYSTAL GROWTH OF A HECTORITE-LIKE LAYERED SILICATE ON MONODISPERSE SPHERICAL SILICA PARTICLES WITH DIFFERENT DIAMETERS

Fine crystals of hectorite-like layered silicate formed using hydrothermal reactions on monodisperse spherical silica particles with diameters of 0.2, 0.6 and 1.0 μm. The reactions were performed in a colloidal spherical silica suspension with lithium and magnesium ions under alkaline conditions at 373 K in a rotating Teflon-lined autoclave at the LiF:MgCl_2:SiO_2 molar ratio of 0.21:0.8:8.0. The grain size distributions were quite uniform irrespective of the silica size in the initial mixtures, as a result of the high rate of heterogeneous nucleation reaction than that of the homogeneous nucleation. The amount of a cationic surfactant that was intercalated tended to be large when the grain size of the silica spheres was small, while the negative layer charge of the hectorite-like silicate was same extent.ArticleClay Science. 19(2): 45-51 (2015)journal articl

Crystal architectures of a layered silicate on monodisperse spherical silica particles cause the topochemical expansion of the core-shell particles

Anisotropic structural changes in an expandable layered silicate (directed towards the c-axis) occurring on isotropic and monodisperse microspheres were detected by measurable increases in the grain size. The hierarchical changes were observed through pursing the sophisticated growth of expandable layered silicate crystals on monodisperse spherical silica particles with diameters of 1.0 mu m; the core-shell hybrids with a quite uniform grain size were successfully produced using a rotating Teflon-lined autoclave by reacting spherical silica particles in a colloidal suspension with lithium and magnesium ions under alkaline conditions at 373 K. The size distribution of the core-shell particles tended to be uniform when the amount of lithium ions in the initial mixture decreased. The intercalation of dioctadecyldimethylammonium ions into the small crystals through cation-exchange reactions expanded the interlayer space, topochemically increasing the grain size without any change occurring in the shapes of the core-shell particles. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.ArticleMICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS. 215:168-174 (2015)journal articl

Srv2/CAP is required for polarized actin cable assembly and patch internalization during clathrin-mediated endocytosis

The dynamic assembly and disassembly of actin filaments is essential for the formation and transport of vesicles during endocytosis. In yeast, two types of actin structures, namely cortical patches and cytoplasmic cables, play a direct role in endocytosis, but how their interaction is regulated remains unclear. Here, we show that Srv2/CAP, an evolutionarily conserved actin regulator, is required for efficient endocytosis owing to its role in the formation of the actin patches that aid initial vesicle invagination and of the actin cables that these move along. Deletion of the SRV2 gene resulted in the appearance of aberrant fragmented actin cables that frequently moved past actin patches, the sites of endocytosis. We find that the C-terminal CARP domain of Srv2p is vitally important for the proper assembly of actin patches and cables; we also demonstrate that the N-terminal helical folded domain of Srv2 is required for its localization to actin patches, specifically to the ADP-actin rich region through an interaction with cofilin. These results demonstrate the in vivo roles of Srv2p in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton during clathrin-mediated endocytosi

The novel latex agglutination turbidimetric immunoassay system for simultaneous measurements of calprotectin and hemoglobin in feces

Background/Aims Fecal calprotectin (Fcal) as well as the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) are useful biomarkers for detecting activity and mucosal healing in inflammatory bowel diseases. Here, we report the performance of simultaneous measurements of Fcal and FIT for ulcerative colitis (UC) patients using the newly-developed latex agglutination turbidimetric immunoassay (LATIA) system. Methods Fcal and hemoglobin were measured by the LATIA system in 152 UC patients who underwent colonoscopy. Fcal was also quantified with a conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Fecal markers were evaluated in conjunction with the mucosal status of UC, which was assessed via the Mayo endoscopic subscore (MES) classification. Results The LATIA system could quantify calprotectin and hemoglobin simultaneously with the same fecal samples within 10 minutes. The values of the Fcal-LATIA closely correlated with those of the Fcal-ELISA (Spearman rank correlation coefficient, r=0.84; P Conclusions The performance of the novel Fcal-LATIA was equivalent to that of the conventional Fcal assay. Simultaneous measurements with FITs would promote the clinical relevance of fecal biomarkers in UC

Prompt Resolution of Hypoglycemia by Hepatic Transarterial Embolization for Malignant Insulinoma with Multiple Liver Metastases

A 45-year-old female who presented with loss of consciousness and a cold sweat was found to have a pancreatic tumor and multiple liver metastases. Laboratory studies showed marked hypoglycemia and inappropriately elevated serum insulin, C-peptide, and serum tumor markers. Fine needle aspiration revealed Grade 3 small-cell type primary pancreatic neuroendocrine carcinoma. Consequently, the diagnosis of malignant insulinoma was made. Transarterial embolization (TAE) for hepatic metastases resulted in the reduction of tumor volume and prompt resolution of hypoglycemic attacks, whereas diazoxide and systemic chemotherapy had been ineffective for controlling blood glucose levels, and octreotide was unavailable due to the allergic effect. This case report highlights the potential usefulness of TAE for malignant insulinomas in the management of hypoglycemia

Metachronous Neoplasia and Local Recurrence after Colorectal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection

Several reports discussed colonoscopic surveillance after polypectomy and endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for colorectal polyps, but only a few reports focused on prognostic analyses, and none involved metachronous neoplasia after colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). We conducted the present study to assess the risk of adenoma recurrence requiring endoscopic treatment, and to establish appropriate post-ESD colonoscopic surveillance. We enrolled 116 patients who had undergone colorectal ESD at Okayama University Hospital between February 2008 and July 2014 and had been followed-up >12 months. We retrospectively analyzed clinicopathological features of 101 lesions from 101 patients. Metachronous adenomas were detected in 21 cases (20.8%). We divided the patients into 2 groups according to the occurrence of metachronous adenomas. Our comparison of clinicopathological characteristics between these groups showed that in the metachronous adenomas group the number of synchronous adenomas at index colonoscopy was high and the rate of laterally spreading tumor-nongranular (LST-NG) was higher. A multivariate analysis indicated that the number of synchronous adenomas was significantly associated with metachronous adenomas (HR: 2.54, 95%CI: 1.04-6.52, p<0.05). The colonoscopic surveillance planning after colorectal ESD should be more meticulous for patients with more synchronous adenomas

Crystal architectures of a layered silicate on monodisperse spherical silica particles cause the topochemical expansion of the core-shell particles

Anisotropic structural changes in an expandable layered silicate (directed towards the c-axis) occurring on isotropic and monodisperse microspheres were detected by measurable increases in the grain size. The hierarchical changes were observed through pursing the sophisticated growth of expandable layered silicate crystals on monodisperse spherical silica particles with diameters of 1.0 mu m; the core-shell hybrids with a quite uniform grain size were successfully produced using a rotating Teflon-lined autoclave by reacting spherical silica particles in a colloidal suspension with lithium and magnesium ions under alkaline conditions at 373 K. The size distribution of the core-shell particles tended to be uniform when the amount of lithium ions in the initial mixture decreased. The intercalation of dioctadecyldimethylammonium ions into the small crystals through cation-exchange reactions expanded the interlayer space, topochemically increasing the grain size without any change occurring in the shapes of the core-shell particles. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.ArticleMICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS. 215:168-174 (2015)journal articl

アルコール臨床のサポートグループに関わるスタッフの経験

本研究は、アルコール臨床におけるサポートグループに関するスタッフの経験を、半構造化面接法によるインタビュー調査を通して明らかにすることを目的としている。アルコール依存症患者を主たる対象としたサポートグループに、スタッフとして参加経験のある看護師１名が調査対象者であった。現象学的分析の結果、調査対象者のサポートグループにまつわる経験が叙述された。参加メンバー、スタッフ、ファシリテーターが分け隔てなく参加する場にサポートグループがなっており、メンバーにとってはもちろんスタッフにとっても貴重な場と感じられていた。スタッフとして感情が揺さぶられるときも、サポートグループという場を守るために感情をコントロールすることができていた。回復を続けるアルコール依存症患者に出会うことのできるサポートグループは、スタッフにとって回復の希望につながる場となっていることが示唆された。The purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of staff involved in a support group for alcoholism care using semi-structured interviews. One nurse who had served as a staff member of an alcoholism support group was recruited as the sole participant in this study. Interview data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach. The participant\u27s experiences of the support group were described and considered as follows. This particular support group was organized such that members, staff, and facilitators participated without distinction. For the participant, it was a place where they could interact with patients from the same line of sight. In fact, the participant felt that the support group helped promote one\u27s growth, enabling one to interact with others on the same level. Staff often experienced unstable emotions, and the participant felt that such emotions should be controlled in order to protect the integrity of the support group. For the participant, the support group was a place where they could encounter people with alcoholism who showed continual recovery, which was inspiring. The support group seemed a place to recover hope

The effect of duration of illness and antipsychotics on subcortical volumes in schizophrenia: Analysis of 778 subjects

BackgroundThe effect of duration of illness and antipsychotic medication on the volumes of subcortical structures in schizophrenia is inconsistent among previous reports. We implemented a large sample analysis utilizing clinical data from 11 institutions in a previous meta-analysis.MethodsImaging and clinical data of 778 schizophrenia subjects were taken from a prospective meta-analysis conducted by the COCORO consortium in Japan. The effect of duration of illness and daily dose and type of antipsychotics were assessed using the linear mixed effect model where the volumes of subcortical structures computed by FreeSurfer were used as a dependent variable and age, sex, duration of illness, daily dose of antipsychotics and intracranial volume were used as independent variables, and the type of protocol was incorporated as a random effect for intercept. The statistical significance of fixed-effect of dependent variable was assessed.ResultsDaily dose of antipsychotics was positively associated with left globus pallidus volume and negatively associated with right hippocampus. It was also positively associated with laterality index of globus pallidus. Duration of illness was positively associated with bilateral globus pallidus volumes. Type of antipsychotics did not have any effect on the subcortical volumes.DiscussionA large sample size, uniform data collection methodology and robust statistical analysis are strengths of the current study. This result suggests that we need special attention to discuss about relationship between subcortical regional brain volumes and pathophysiology of schizophrenia because regional brain volumes may be affected by antipsychotic medication