Dislocation density measurement in artificial polycrystalline ice by X-ray diffraction

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OM] Polar Meteorology and Glaciology, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor) , National Institute of Polar Researc

A Chinese Herbal Medicine, Tokishakuyakusan, Reduces the Worsening of Impairments and Independence after Stroke: A 1-Year Randomized, Controlled Trial

In post-stroke patients, the recurrence of stroke and progression of impairments lead to a bedridden state and dementia. As for their treatments, only anti-hypertension and anti-coagulation therapies to prevent the recurrence of stroke are available. In Asia, post-stroke patients with impairments are often treated with herbal medicine. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of tokishakuyakusan (TS) in improving the impairment and independence in post-stroke patients. Thirty-one post-stroke patients (mean age = 81.4 years) were recruited and enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to the TS group (n = 16) or non-treatment (control) group (n = 15) and treated for 12 months. Impairments were assessed using the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS). Independence was evaluated using the functional independence measure (FIM). For each outcome measure, mean change was calculated every 3 months. The results were that impairments according to SIAS did not significantly change in the TS group. In contrast, SIAS significantly worsened in the control group. There was a significant difference between the two groups. In each term of SIAS, affected lower extremity scores, abdominal muscle strength, function of visuospatial perception, and so forth. in the TS group were better than those in the control group. Independence according to FIM did not change significantly in the TS group. In contrast, FIM significantly worsened in the control group. There was also a significant difference between the two groups. In conclusion, TS was considered to suppress the impairments of lower limbs and to exert a favorable effect on cerebral function for post-stroke patients

Fecal microbiota transplantation prevents Candida albicans from colonizing the gastrointestinal tract

Gut microbes symbiotically colonize the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, interacting with each other and their host to maintain GI tract homeostasis. Recent reports have shown that gut microbes help protect the gut from colonization by pathogenic microbes. Here, we report that commensal microbes prevent colonization of the GI tract by the pathogenic fungus, Candida albicans. Wild‐type specific pathogen‐free (SPF) mice are resistant to C. albicans colonization of the GI tract. However, administering certain antibiotics to SPF mice enables C. albicans colonization. Quantitative kinetics of commensal bacteria are inversely correlated with the number of C. albicans in the gut. Here, we provide further evidence that transplantation of fecal microbiota is effective in preventing Candida colonization of the GI tract. These data demonstrate the importance of commensal bacteria as a barrier for the GI tract surface and highlight the potential clinical applications of commensal bacteria in preventing pathogenic fungal infections.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149500/1/mim12680_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149500/2/mim12680.pd

Location, morphology and size distribution of solid particles in an ice core retrieved from NEEM, Greenland

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Ordinary sessions: [OM] Polar Meteorology and Glaciology, Thu. 5 Dec. / 2F Auditorium , National Institute of Polar Researc

Analysis of Degradation in Graphene-based Spin Valves

The degradation mechanisms of multilayer graphene spin valves are investigated. The spin injection signals in graphene spin valves have been reported to be linearly dependent on the drain bias voltage, which indicates that the spin polarization of injected spins in graphene is robust against the bias voltage. We present that the disappearance of this robustness is due to two different degradation mechanisms of the spin valves. Our findings indicate that the disappearance of the robustness is due to degradation rather than an intrinsic characteristic of graphene. Thus, the robustness can be greatly enhanced if degradation can be prevented.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures (To appear in Applied Physics Express

氷床コア中の溶存イオン成分の連続融解分析装置の開発 ‐南極みずほコアの分析テスト‐

第6回極域科学シンポジウム[OM] 極域気水圏11月16日（月）　国立極地研究所１階交流アトリウ

Encapsulated Papillary Thyroid Tumor with Delicate Nuclear Changes and a Mutation as a Possible Novel Subtype of Borderline Tumor

Although papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC)–type nuclear changes are the most reliable morphological feature in the diagnosis of PTC, the nuclear assessment used to identify these changes is highly subjective. Here, we report a noninvasive encapsulated thyroid tumor with a papillary growth pattern measuring 23 mm at its largest diameter with a nuclear score of 2 in a 26-year-old man. After undergoing left lobectomy, the patient was diagnosed with an encapsulated PTC. However, a second opinion consultation suggested an alternative diagnosis of follicular adenoma with papillary hyperplasia. When providing a third opinion, we identified a low MIB-1 labeling index and a heterozygous point mutation in the KRAS gene but not the BRAF gene. We speculated that this case is an example of a novel borderline tumor with a papillary structure. Introduction of the new terminology “noninvasive encapsulated papillary RAS-like thyroid tumor (NEPRAS)” without the word “cancer” might relieve the psychological burden of patients in a way similar to the phrase “noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP).

氷床コアフィルン試料の連続融解装置の開発

第6回極域科学シンポジウム[OM] 極域気水圏11月16日（月）　国立極地研究所１階交流アトリウ

Smooth sectioning of biological samples by FIB-TOF-SIMS

Spheroids, which are three-dimensionally cultured cells that resemble actual living organisms, have been attracting attention. FIB-TOF-SIMS (Focused Ion Beam Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry) is capable of simultaneous mass imaging of multiple elements without the need for labeling. FIB-TOF-SIMS is expected to process the spheroid and image the cross-sectional components. However, FIB processing of spheroids larger than 100μm often results in uneven cross sections due to the so-called curtain effect. The unevenness of the cross-section affects the sputtering and hinders component imaging. In this experiment, we considered the processing of spheroids by FIB from multiple directions to suppress the curtain effect. The curtain effect was evaluated by comparing the processing from one direction and from multiple directions