4,528 research outputs found
Prevalence and distribution of extrapancreatic lesions complicating autoimmune pancreatitis
The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com.ArticleJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY. 41(12): 1197-1205 (2006)journal articl
Multi-Modes Phonon Softening in Two-Dimensional Electron-Lattice System
Phonon dispersion in a two-dimensional electron-lattice system described by a
two-dimensional square-lattice version of Su-Schrieffer-Heeger's model and
having the half-filled electronic band is studied theoretically at temperatures
higher than the mean field critical temperature of the Peierls transition. When
the temperature is lowered from the higher region down to the critical one,
softening of multi phonon modes which have wave vectors equal to the nesting
vector \vv{Q}=(\pi/a,\pi/a) with the lattice constant or parallel to
\vv{Q} is observed. Although both of the transverse and longitudinal modes
are softened at the critical temperature in the case of the wave vector equal
to \vv{Q}, only the transverse modes are softened for other wave vectors
parallel to \vv{Q}. This behavior is consistent with the Peierls distortions
at lower temperatures.Comment: 10 pages, 5 Figure
Association of Autoimmune Pancreatitis With Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte Antigen 4 Gene Polymorphisms in Japanese Patients
ArticleAMERICAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY. 103(3):588-594 (2008)journal articl
Differentiation of autoimmune pancreatitis from suspected pancreatic cancer by fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography
The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com.ArticleJOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY. 43(2): 144-151 (2008)journal articl
Block of death-receptor apoptosis protects mouse cytomegalovirus from macrophages and is a determinant of virulence in immunodeficient hosts.
The inhibition of death-receptor apoptosis is a conserved viral function. The murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) gene M36 is a sequence and functional homologue of the human cytomegalovirus gene UL36, and it encodes an inhibitor of apoptosis that binds to caspase-8, blocks downstream signaling and thus contributes to viral fitness in macrophages and in vivo. Here we show a direct link between the inability of mutants lacking the M36 gene (ΔM36) to inhibit apoptosis, poor viral growth in macrophage cell cultures and viral in vivo fitness and virulence. ΔM36 grew poorly in RAG1 knockout mice and in RAG/IL-2-receptor common gamma chain double knockout mice (RAGγC(-/-)), but the depletion of macrophages in either mouse strain rescued the growth of ΔM36 to almost wild-type levels. This was consistent with the observation that activated macrophages were sufficient to impair ΔM36 growth in vitro. Namely, spiking fibroblast cell cultures with activated macrophages had a suppressive effect on ΔM36 growth, which could be reverted by z-VAD-fmk, a chemical apoptosis inhibitor. TNFα from activated macrophages synergized with IFNγ in target cells to inhibit ΔM36 growth. Hence, our data show that poor ΔM36 growth in macrophages does not reflect a defect in tropism, but rather a defect in the suppression of antiviral mediators secreted by macrophages. To the best of our knowledge, this shows for the first time an immune evasion mechanism that protects MCMV selectively from the antiviral activity of macrophages, and thus critically contributes to viral pathogenicity in the immunocompromised host devoid of the adaptive immune system
Experts' attitudes towards medical futility: an empirical survey from Japan
BACKGROUND: The current debate about medical futility is mostly driven by theoretical and personal perspectives and there is a lack of empirical data to document experts and public attitudes towards medical futility. METHODS: To examine the attitudes of the Japanese experts in the fields relevant to medical futility a questionnaire survey was conducted among the members of the Japan Association for Bioethics. A total number of 108 questionnaires returned filled in, giving a response rate of 50.9%. Among the respondents 62% were healthcare professionals (HCPs) and 37% were non-healthcare professionals (Non-HCPs). RESULTS: The majority of respondents (67.6 %) believed that a physician's refusal to provide or continue a treatment on the ground of futility judgment could never be morally justified but 22.2% approved such refusal with conditions. In the case of physiologically futile care, three-quarters believed that a physician should inform the patient/family of his futility judgment and it would be the patient who could decide what should be done next, based on his/her value judgment. However more than 10% said that a physician should ask about a patient's value and goals, but the final decision was left to the doctor not the patient. There was no statistically significant difference between HCPs and Non-HCPs (p = 0.676). Of respondents 67.6% believed that practical guidelines set up by the health authority would be helpful in futility judgment. CONCLUSION: The results show that there is no support for the physicians' unilateral decision- making on futile care. This survey highlights medical futility as an emerging issue in Japanese healthcare and emphasizes on the need for public discussion and policy development
Kinematics of classical Cepheids in the Nuclear Stellar Disk
Classical Cepheids are useful tracers of the Galactic young stellar
population because their distances and ages can be determined from their
period-luminosity and period-age relations. In addition, the radial velocities
and chemical abundance of the Cepheids can be derived from spectroscopic
observations, providing further insights into the structure and evolution of
the Galaxy. Here, we report the radial velocities of classical Cepheids near
the Galactic Center, three of which were reported in 2011, the other reported
for the first time. The velocities of these Cepheids suggest that the stars
orbit within the Nuclear Stellar Disk, a group of stars and interstellar matter
occupying a region of 200 pc around the Center, although the three-dimensional
velocities cannot be determined until the proper motions are known. According
to our simulation, these four Cepheids formed within the Nuclear Stellar Disk
like younger stars and stellar clusters therein.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 8 pages, 7 figures, 6 table
Ising Universality in Three Dimensions: A Monte Carlo Study
We investigate three Ising models on the simple cubic lattice by means of
Monte Carlo methods and finite-size scaling. These models are the spin-1/2
Ising model with nearest-neighbor interactions, a spin-1/2 model with
nearest-neighbor and third-neighbor interactions, and a spin-1 model with
nearest-neighbor interactions. The results are in accurate agreement with the
hypothesis of universality. Analysis of the finite-size scaling behavior
reveals corrections beyond those caused by the leading irrelevant scaling
field. We find that the correction-to-scaling amplitudes are strongly dependent
on the introduction of further-neighbor interactions or a third spin state. In
a spin-1 Ising model, these corrections appear to be very small. This is very
helpful for the determination of the universal constants of the Ising model.
The renormalization exponents of the Ising model are determined as y_t = 1.587
(2), y_h = 2.4815 (15) and y_i = -0.82 (6). The universal ratio Q =
^2/ is equal to 0.6233 (4) for periodic systems with cubic symmetry.
The critical point of the nearest-neighbor spin-1/2 model is K_c=0.2216546
(10).Comment: 25 pages, uuencoded compressed PostScript file (to appear in Journal
of Physics A
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