Heat transfer and solidification processes of alloy melt with undercooling—Part II: Solidification model

The solidification process of undercooled alloy melts has been clarified experimentally in Part I of this paper. In the present paper, using the experimental evidence, a solidification model linking macroscopic heat transfer and microscopic solidification is presented. The model reflects the microscopic solidification phenomena occurring until the thermodynamically unstable field shifts to equilibrium, consisting of three fundamental processes: (first stage) free growth, (second stage) crystal expansion with relaxation, and (third stage) equilibrium solidification. Based on this model, a numerical simulation is carried out for the temperature change, interface movement, and solute concentration distribution during the solidification of an undercooled Bi-Sn melt. Theoretical predictions of the temperature changes involving the recalescence, terminal time of the relaxation process, and microsegregation for the solidified texture agree quantitatively with experimental observations. © 2005 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Heat transfer and solidification processes of alloy melt with undercooling—Part I: Experimental results

The solidification process of Pb-Sn and Bi-Sn alloy melts is discussed to obtain a basic understanding of the essential phenomena of solidification with undercooling. First, from macroscopic observations, it is shown that the solidification process consists of the following three stages: (1) free growth with recalescence dissipation of thermal undercooling, (2) expansion of crystals with the relaxation of constitutional undercooling or with the recovering process of interrupted quasi-steady heat conduction, and (3) equilibrium solidification. The specific features of free growth under non-uniform undercooling are also shown by comparison with the Lipton, Glicksman, and Kurz model. Next, from microscopic observations, the distribution of the solute concentration and the change of crystal morphology in the solidified materials were investigated quantitatively using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Finally, the solidification path during the above three fundamental processes is dynamically represented on phase diagrams. © 2005 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Muscle contraction increases carnitine uptake via translocation of OCTN2

Since carnitine plays an important role in fat oxidation, influx of carnitine could be crucial for muscle metabolism. OCTN2 (SLC22A5), a sodium-dependent solute carrier, is assumed to transport carnitine into skeletal muscle cells. Acute regulation of OCTN2 activity in rat hindlimb muscles was investigated in response to electrically induced contractile activity. The tissue uptake clearance (CL uptake) of l-[ 3H]carnitine during muscle contraction was examined in vivo using integration plot analysis. The CL uptake of [ 14C]iodoantipyrine (IAP) was also determined as an index of tissue blood flow. To test the hypothesis that increased carnitine uptake involves the translocation of OCTN2, contraction-induced alteration in the subcellular localization of OCTN2 was examined. The CL uptake of l-[ 3H]carnitine in the contracting muscles increased 1.4-1.7-fold as compared to that in the contralateral resting muscles (p<0.05). The CL uptake of [ 14C]IAP was much higher than that of l-[ 3H]carnitine, but no association between the increase in carnitine uptake and blood flow was obtained. Co-immunostaining of OCTN2 and dystrophin (a muscle plasma membrane marker) showed an increase in OCTN2 signal in the plasma membrane after muscle contraction. Western blotting showed that the level of sarcolemmal OCTN2 was greater in contracting muscles than in resting muscles (p<0.05). The present study showed that muscle contraction facilitated carnitine uptake in skeletal muscles, possibly via the contraction-induced translocation of its specific transporter OCTN2 to the plasma membrane. © 2012 Elsevier In

The Japanese Clinical Practice Guideline for acute kidney injury 2016

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a syndrome which has a broad range of etiologic factors depending on different clinical settings. Because AKI has significant impacts on prognosis in any clinical settings, early detection and intervention are necessary to improve the outcomes of AKI patients. This clinical guideline for AKI was developed by a multidisciplinary approach with nephrology, intensive care medicine, blood purification, and pediatrics. Of note, clinical practice for AKI management which was widely performed in Japan was also evaluated with comprehensive literature search

Nationwide multicentre kidney biopsy study of Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系Background. The clinical and pathologic manifestations of nephropathy due to type 2 diabetes are diverse, but large-scale pathologic studies with long-termobservations are limited. Methods. Kidney biopsies and clinical data of 600 patients with type 2 diabetes were collected retrospectively from 13 centres across Japan. Thirteen pathologic findings (nine glomerular lesions, two interstitial lesions and two vascular lesions) were clearly defined and scored. Results. During the observation period, there were 304 composite kidney events [dialysis, doubling of creatinine or reduction of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) by half], 31 instances of chronic kidney disease (CKD) G5D, 76 cardiovascular events and 73 deaths. The mean observation period was 72.4 months. The distribution of CKD heat map categories for the 600 patients was 103 green or yellow, 149 orange and 348 red. Even in the cases in the green and yellow category, diffuse lesions (81.6%), polar vasculosis (42.6%) and subendothelial space widening (35.1%) were commonly detected. Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that the presence of nodular lesions [hazard ratio (HR) 21.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.3-84.6], exudative lesions (HR 5.1, 95% CI 1.3-20.3) and mesangiolysis (HR 7.6, 95% CI 2.0-28.8) in cases in the green and yellow category were associated with significantly great impact on composite kidney events after adjustment for clinical risk factors. Conclusions. This nationwide study on kidney biopsy of 600 cases with type 2 diabetes revealed that pathologic findings (presence of nodular lesions, exudative lesions and mesangiolysis) were strong predictors of kidney events in low-risk patients. © The Author 2017.Embargo Period 12 month