Effects of natto extract on endothelial injury in a rat model

Vascular endothelial damage has been found to be associated with thrombus formation, which is considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A diet of natto leads to a low prevalence of cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of natto extract on vascular endothelia damage with exposure to laser irradiation. Endothelial damage both in vitro and in vivo was induced by irradiation of rose bengal using a DPSS green laser. Cell viability was determined by MTS assay, and the intimal thickening was verified by a histological approach. The antioxidant content of natto extract was determined for the free radical scavenging activity. Endothelial cells were injured in the presence of rose bengal irradiated in a dose-dependent manner. Natto extract exhibits high levels of antioxidant activity compared with purified natto kinase. Apoptosis of laser-injured endothelial cells was significantly reduced in the presence of natto extract. Both the natto extract and natto kinase suppressed intimal thickening in rats with endothelial injury. The present findings suggest that natto extract suppresses vessel thickening as a synergic effect attributed to its antioxidant and anti-apoptosis properties

Investigations of urethral sphincter activity in mice with bladder hyperalgesia before and after drug administration of gabapentin.

PurposeThis study investigated the effect of gabapentin on lower urinary tract dysfunction focusing on urethral activities and cystitis-induced hyperalgesia in a mouse model of painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC). The electromyography (EMG) of external urethral sphincter (EUS) was difficult to obtain, but contained useful information to examine the drug effect in mice.MethodsFemale C57BL/6J mice were intraperitoneally (ip) administration with either saline or 200 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide (CYP) 48 h before experimental evaluation. Cystitis mice were treated with administration of gabapentin (25 or 50 mg/kg, ip). Cystometry and EUS EMG were obtained and analyzed during continuous bladder infusion. The visceral pain-related visceromotor reflex (VMR) was recorded in response to isotonic bladder distension.ResultsCystitis mice showed shorter inter-contraction intervals and increased occurrence of non-voiding contractions during bladder infusion, with increased VMR during isotonic bladder distension, indicating cystitis-induced bladder hyperalgesia. Gabapentin (50 mg/kg) suppressed effects of CYP on cystometry, but not on EUS EMG activity, during bladder infusion. The effect on urodynamic recordings lasted 4 h. VMR was significantly reduced by gabapentin.ConclusionsThe present study showed that CYP-induced cystitis in mice is a model of visceral hyperalgesia affecting detrusor contractions, not urethral activations. The technique of using EUS EMG to evaluate the drug effects on urethral activities is novel and useful for future investigations. Gabapentin can be as a potential treatment for detrusor overactivity and PBS/IC

A Comprehensive Review of Machine Learning Advances on Data Change: A Cross-Field Perspective

Recent artificial intelligence (AI) technologies show remarkable evolution in various academic fields and industries. However, in the real world, dynamic data lead to principal challenges for deploying AI models. An unexpected data change brings about severe performance degradation in AI models. We identify two major related research fields, domain shift and concept drift according to the setting of the data change. Although these two popular research fields aim to solve distribution shift and non-stationary data stream problems, the underlying properties remain similar which also encourages similar technical approaches. In this review, we regroup domain shift and concept drift into a single research problem, namely the data change problem, with a systematic overview of state-of-the-art methods in the two research fields. We propose a three-phase problem categorization scheme to link the key ideas in the two technical fields. We thus provide a novel scope for researchers to explore contemporary technical strategies, learn industrial applications, and identify future directions for addressing data change challenges

Validation of bidimensional measurement in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Our previous study showed a close relationship between computed tomography (CT)-derived bidimensional measurement of primary tumor and retropharyngeal nodes (BDMprn) and gross tumor volume of primary tumor and retropharyngeal nodes (GTVprn) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and better prognosis for NPC patients with smaller BDMprn. In this study, we report the results on of a study to validate the use of BDM in a separate cohort of NPC patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We retrospectively reviewed 103 newly diagnosed NPC cases who were treated with radiotherapy/concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) or CCRT with adjuvant chemotherapy from 2002 to 2009. We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure BDMprn. We calculated overall survival, recurrence-free and distant metastasis-free survival curves and set a BDMprn cut off point to categorize patients into a high- or low-risk group. We then used Cox proportional hazard model to evaluate the prognostic influence of BDMprn after correcting age, gender and chemotherapy status.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After adjusting for age, gender, and chemotherapy status, BDMprn remained an independent prognostic factor for distant metastasis [Hazard ratio (HR) = 1.046; <it>P </it>= 0.042] and overall survival (HR = 1.012; <it>P </it>= 0.012). Patients with BDMprn < 15 cm²had a greater 3-year overall survival rate than those with BDMprn ≧ 15 cm²(92.3% vs. 73.7%; <it>P </it>= 0.009). They also had a greater 3-year distant metastasis-free survival (94% vs.75%; <it>P </it>= 0.034).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The predictive ability of BDMprn was validated in a separate NPC cohort. A BDMprn of 15 cm²can be used to separate NPC patients into high- and low-risk groups and predict survival rates and metastasis potential. It can, therefore, be used as a reference to design clinical trials, predict prognosis, and make treatment decisions.</p

Love Postoperative ECG Shell (I)

Ongoing cutting-edge multidisciplinary research in textile fibers, biomedical sensors, and wireless and mobile telecommunications integrated with telemedicine, aims at developing intelligent biomedical clothing (IBC). This ECG shell design is a functional garment offering, health benefits, improved appearance and increased comfort. The garment is more comfortable because the high adhesive factor of current commercial hydrogel used in ECG monitoring causes patients skin allergies and pruritus from wearing the hydrogel for a long time

Love Postoperative ECG T-shirt (II)

This ECG T-shirt is a functional garment offering, health benefits, improved appearance and increased comfort. The garment is more comfortable because the high adhesive factor of current commercial hydrogel used in ECG monitoring causes patients skin allergies and pruritus from wearing the hydrogel for a long time. Additionally, since the sensors are attached to the lining of this two-layer raglan T-shirt, the exterior is smooth and makes the user tracking device inconspicuous

Design And Fabrication of Condenser Microphone Using Wafer Transfer And Micro-electroplating Technique

A novel fabrication process, which uses wafer transfer and micro-electroplating technique, has been proposed and tested. In this paper, the effects of the diaphragm thickness and stress, the air-gap thickness, and the area ratio of acoustic holes to backplate on the sensitivity of the condenser microphone have been demonstrated since the performance of the microphone depends on these parameters. The microphone diaphragm has been designed with a diameter and thickness of 1.9 mm and 0.6 $\mu$m, respectively, an air-gap thickness of 10 $\mu$m, and a 24% area ratio of acoustic holes to backplate. To obtain a lower initial stress, the material used for the diaphragm is polyimide. The measured sensitivities of the microphone at the bias voltages of 24 V and 12 V are -45.3 and -50.2 dB/Pa (at 1 kHz), respectively. The fabricated microphone shows a flat frequency response extending to 20 kHz.Comment: Submitted on behalf of EDA Publishing Association (http://irevues.inist.fr/handle/2042/16838

Phase-controlled vibrational laser percussion drilling

In this study, a phase-controlled vibration was applied to a laser percussion drilling process to improve the depth of penetration. To investigate the effects of phase-controlled vibration on the depth of penetration, a novel method that controls the phase offset between the accelerating motion and the emission of the laser beam was developed. The method is based on coaxial sensing of the working surface using a photodiode, coupled with microcontroller control of the drilling laser operation. Through real-time optical signal acquisition and analysis of laser machining processes, correlations between the accelerating motion and the emission of the laser beam were simultaneously obtained. All of the processing work was performed in air at standard atmospheric conditions, and gas assist was not used. This study showed that the application of phase-controlled vibration improved the depth of penetration in laser percussion machining and can contribute to the development of precision drilling in the industry