Oral lichenoid drug reaction with autoantibodies in peripheral blood: Case report

AbstractA 51-year-old man complained of oral roughness and pain. At the age of 49 years, he was admitted for 8 months for bipolar emotional disorder. Oral administration of lithium carbonate was started. Extensive, hemorrhagic, erythema-mixed white lace-like patches were noted on the lip, buccal mucosae, and lingual margins. On biopsy, all lesions were consistent with oral lichen planus. A drug lymphocyte stimulation test showed a positive reaction to lithium carbonate. Blood examination revealed marked increases in the peripheral blood levels of antinuclear antibodies. To relieve the symptoms, the systemic administration of prednisolone was performed while continuing the lithium carbonate

Design and optimization of a wideband impact mode piezoelectric power generator

This paper proposes a new design of an impact mode piezoelectric power generator that is able to operate in a wide frequency bandwidth by using a round piezoelectric ceramic as the energy converter. The evaluation results show that the output of the power generator can be optimized by implementing a so-called indirect impact configuration. To realize this type of configuration, a shim plate is placed between the piezoelectric ceramic and the hitting structure. At a certain base excitation frequency, the output efficiency of this configuration increases to about 4.3 times that of the direct impact configuration. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the designated power generator is able to generate electric energy up to approximately 1.57 mJ within 120 s from the vibration of a moving vehicle

Spatiotemporal analysis of the UPR transition induced by methylmercury in the mouse brain

Methylmercury (MeHg), an environmental toxicant, induces neuronal cell death and injures a specific area of the brain. MeHg-mediated neurotoxicity is believed to be caused by oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress but the mechanism by which those stresses lead to neuronal loss is unclear. Here, by utilizing the ER stress-activated indicator (ERAI) system, we investigated the signaling alterations in the unfolded protein response (UPR) prior to neuronal apoptosis in the mouse brain. In ERAI transgenic mice exposed to MeHg (25 mg/kg, S.C.), the ERAI signal, which indicates activation of the cytoprotective pathway of the UPR, was detected in the brain. Interestingly, detailed ex vivo analysis showed that the ERAI signal was localized predominantly in neurons. Time course analysis of MeHg exposure (30 ppm in drinking water) showed that whereas the ERAI signal was gradually attenuated at the late phase after increasing at the early phase, activation of the apoptotic pathway of the UPR was enhanced in proportion to the exposure time. These results suggest that MeHg induces not only ER stress but also neuronal cell death via a UPR shift. UPR modulation could be a therapeutic target for treating neuropathy caused by electrophiles similar to MeHg

Redox-regulating sirtuins in aging, caloric restriction, and exercise.

The consequence of decreased nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)) levels as a result of oxidative challenge is altered activity of sirtuins, which, in turn, brings about a wide range of modifications in mammalian cellular metabolism. Sirtuins, especially SIRT1, deacetylate important transcription factors such as p53, forkhead homeobox type O proteins, nuclear factor κB, or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (which controls the transcription of pro- and antioxidant enzymes, by which the cellular redox state is affected). The role of SIRT1 in DNA repair is enigmatic, because it activates Ku70 to cope with double-strand breaks, but deacetylation of apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 and probably of 8-oxoguanine-DNA glycosylase 1 decreases the activity of these DNA repair enzymes. The protein-stabilizing effects of the NAD+-dependent lysine deacetylases are readily related to housekeeping and redox regulation. The role of sirtuins in caloric restriction (CR)-related longevity in yeast is currently under debate. However, in mammals, it seems certain that sirtuins are involved in many cellular processes that mediate longevity and disease prevention via the effects of CR through the vascular, neuronal, and muscular systems. Regular physical exercise-mediated health promotion also involves sirtuin-regulated pathways including the antioxidant-, macromolecular damage repair-, energy-, mitochondrial function-, and neuronal plasticity-associated pathways. This review critically evaluates these findings and points out the age-associated role of sirtuins

Study of the effect of mechanical impact parameters on an impact-mode piezoelectric ceramic power generator

This paper presents an analytical and experimental study on the effect of mechanical impact parameters on impact-mode piezoelectric ceramic power generators. The parameters are the velocity and mass. The method of analysis is based on a weight drop experiment. The results show that the peak of the instantaneous output voltage is proportional to the impact velocity, and for the output power, it is in a straight line relationship with the same parameter. For the same velocity of impact, the advantage of using heavy objects is clear because its momentum and the impact force are higher. However, an adjustment in the velocity of impact is found to be more effective for higher instantaneous output power than the mass. This finding is supported by the output power that is generated by a 4-g steel ball with a momentum of 4.34 gm/s, which is almost 300% higher than that of an 8-g steel ball for the same momentum. The frequency responses of a vibration-based impact-mode piezoelectric ceramic power generator also support the same conclusion

The Effect of the Parameters of a Vibration-Based Impact Mode Piezoelectric Power Generator

This study reports the effects of the parameters of a vibration-based impactmode piezoelectric power generator. First, an evaluation of the effects of the impact parameters, the mass, and the impact velocity is presented. It is found that the output voltage of the piezoelectric device in impactmode is directly proportional to the velocity,whereas the output power is equal to a quadratic function of the same variable. For the same impact momentum, the effect of the velocity in generating a higher peak output is dominant compared with the mass. Second, the vibration-based impact mode piezoelectric power generator is discussed. The experimental results show that a wider operating frequency bandwidth of the output power can be achieved with the preloading configuration. However, regardingmagnitude, due to the high velocity of impact, the configurationwith a gap between the tip and the piezoelectric device produces a higher output

Case Report Severe Bradycardia Possibly due to a Local Anesthetic Oral Mucosal Injection during General Anesthesia

Local anesthesia may induce systemic complications leading to parasympathetic activity leading to bradycardia and hypotension. We report a case of a 50-year-old man undergoing dental surgery under general anesthesia who experienced severe bradycardia and hypotension after local anesthesia infiltration. Concerns regarding the utilization of a relatively large lumen injection needle for local anesthesia during general anesthesia are discussed

Shape Effect of Piezoelectric Energy Harvester on Vibration Power Generation

Vibration energy harvesting is widely recognized as the useful technology for saving energy. The piezoelectric energy harvesting device is one of energy harvester and is used to operate certain types of MEMS devices. Various factors influence the energy regeneration efficiency of the lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric (PZT) devices in converting the mechanical vibration energy to the electrical energy. This paper presents the analytical and experimental evaluation of energy regeneration efficiency of PZT devices through impedance matching method and drop-weight experiments to different shape of PZT devices. The results show that the impedance matching method has increased the energy regeneration efficiency while triangular shape of PZT device produce a stable efficiency in the energy regeneration. Besides that, it becomes clear that the power, energy and subsequently efficiency of the triangular plate are higher than those of the rectangular plate under the condition of the matching impedance and the same PZT area

Visualization of walking speed variation-induced synchronized dynamic changes in lower limb joint angles and activity of trunk and lower limb muscles with a newly developed gait analysis system

Purpose:To evaluate a newly developed system for dynamic analysis of gait kinematics and muscle activity.Methods:We recruited 10 healthy men into this study. Analyses of three-dimensional motion and wireless surface electromyogram (EMG) were integrated to achieve synchronous measurement. The participants walked continuously for 10 min under two conditions: comfortable and quick pace. Outcome measures were joint angles of the lower limbs determined from reflective markers and myoelectric activity of trunk and lower limbs determined from EMG sensors, comparing comfortable and quick gait pace.Results:Lower limb joint angle was significantly greater at the quick pace (maximum flexion of the hip joint: 4.1°, maximum extension of hip joint: 2.3°, and maximum flexion of the knee joint while standing: 7.4°). The period of maximum flexion of the ankle joint during a walking cycle was 2.5% longer at a quick pace. EMG amplitudes of all trunk muscles significantly increased during the period of support by two legs (cervical paraspinal: 55.1%, latissimus dorsi: 31.3%, and erector spinae: 32.6%). EMG amplitudes of quadriceps, femoral biceps, and tibialis anterior increased significantly by 223%, 60.9%, and 67.4%, respectively, between the periods of heel contact and loading response. EMG amplitude of the gastrocnemius significantly increased by 102% during the heel-off period.Conclusion:Our gait analysis synchronizing three-dimensional motion and wireless surface EMG successfully visualized dynamic changes in lower limb joint angles and activity of trunk and lower limb muscles induced by various walking speeds