Visualization of pulsatile CSF motion around membrane-like structures with both 4D velocity mapping and time-SLIP technique

Purpose: We compared the depiction of pulsatile CSF motion obtained by 4-dimensional phase-contrast velocity mapping (4D-VM) with that by time-spatial labeling inversion pulse (time-SLIP) technique in the presence of membrane structures. Materials and Methods: We compared the 2 techniques using a flow phantom comprising tubes with and without a thin rubber membrane and applied the techniques to 6 healthy volunteers and 2 patients to analyze CSF dynamics surrounding thin membrane structures, such as the Liliequist membrane (LM), or the wall of an arachnoid cyst. Results: Phantom images exhibited propagation of the flow and pressure gradient beyond the membrane in the tube. In contrast, fluid labeled by the time-SLIP technique showed little displacement from the blockage of spin travelling by the membrane. A similar phenomenon was observed around the LM in healthy volunteers and the arachnoid cyst wall in a patient. Conclusion: Four-dimensional phase-contrast velocity mapping permitted visualization of the propagation of CSF pulsation through the intracranial membranous structures. This suggests that 4D-VM and the time-SLIP technique provide different information on flow and that both techniques are useful for classifying the pathophysiological status of CSF and elucidating the propagation pathway of CSF pulsation in the cranium

Antioxidant and renoprotective activity of chitosan in nephrectomized rats.

The effect of chitosan on oxidative stress and chronic renal failure was investigated using 5/6 nephrectomized rats. The ingestion of chitosan over a 4-week period resulted in a significant decrease in total body weight, glucose, serum creatinine and indoxyl sulfate levels (P=0.0011, P=0.0006, P=0.0012, and P=0.0005, respectively), compared with the non-treated nephrectomized group. The ingestion of chitosan also resulted in a lowered ratio of oxidized to reduced albumin (P=0.003) and an increase in biological antioxidant potential (P=0.023). Interestingly, the oxidized albumin ratio was correlated with serum indoxyl sulfate levels in vivo. These results suggest that the ingestion of chitosan results in a significant reduction in the levels of pro-oxidants, such as uremic toxins, in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby inhibiting the subsequent development of oxidative stress in the systemic circulation.The effect of chitosan on oxidative stress and chronic renal failure was investigated using 5/6 nephrectomized rats. The ingestion of chitosan over a 4-week period resulted in a significant decrease in total body weight, glucose, serum creatinine and indoxyl sulfate levels (P=0.0011, P=0.0006, P=0.0012, and P=0.0005, respectively), compared with the non-treated nephrectomized group. The ingestion of chitosan also resulted in a lowered ratio of oxidized to reduced albumin (P=0.003) and an increase in biological antioxidant potential (P=0.023). Interestingly, the oxidized albumin ratio was correlated with serum indoxyl sulfate levels in vivo. These results suggest that the ingestion of chitosan results in a significant reduction in the levels of pro-oxidants, such as uremic toxins, in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby inhibiting the subsequent development of oxidative stress in the systemic circulation

Risk-adjusted therapy for pediatric non-T cell ALL improves outcomes for standard risk patients: results of JACLS ALL-02

This study was a second multicenter trial on childhood ALL by the Japan Childhood Leukemia Study Group (JACLS) to improve outcomes in non-T ALL. Between April 2002 and March 2008, 1138 children with non-T ALL were enrolled in the JACLS ALL-02 trial. Patients were stratified into three groups using age, white blood cell count, unfavorable genetic abnormalities, and treatment response: standard risk (SR), high risk (HR), and extremely high risk (ER). Prophylactic cranial radiation therapy (PCRT) was abolished except for CNS leukemia. Four-year event-free survival (4yr-EFS) and 4-year overall survival (4yr-OS) rates for all patients were 85.4% ± 1.1% and 91.2% ± 0.9%, respectively. Risk-adjusted therapy resulted in 4yr-EFS rates of 90.4% ± 1.4% for SR, 84.9% ± 1.6% for HR, and 66.5% ± 4.0% for ER. Based on NCI risk classification, 4yr-EFS rates were 88.2% in NCI-SR and 76.4% in NCI-HR patients, respectively. Compared to previous trial ALL-97, 4yr-EFS of NCI-SR patients was significantly improved (88.2% vs 81.2%, log rank p = 0.0004). The 4-year cumulative incidence of isolated (0.9%) and total (1.5%) CNS relapse were significantly lower than those reported previously. In conclusion, improved EFS in NCI-SR patients and abolish of PCRT was achieved in ALL-02

New descriptions of lattice SU(N) Yang-Mills theory towards quark confinement

We give new descriptions of lattice SU(N) Yang-Mills theory in terms of new lattice variables. The validity of such descriptions has already been demonstrated in the SU(2) Yang-Mills theory by our previous works from the viewpoint of defining and extracting topological degrees of freedom such as gauge-invariant magnetic monopoles and vortices which play the dominant role in quark confinement. In particular, we have found that the SU(3) lattice Yang-Mills theory has two possible options, maximal and minimal: The existence of the minimal option has been overlooked so far, while the maximal option reproduces the conventional SU(3) Cho-Faddeev-Niemi-Shabanov decomposition in the naive continuum limit. The new description gives an important framework for understanding the mechanism of quark confinement based on the dual superconductivity.Comment: Cover+18 pages, 1 figure; version to appear in Phys. Lett.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients on Home Oxygen Therapy with Telemonitoring

Home oxygen therapy (HOT) is an important treatment for patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Recently, telemonitoring of HOT has been become available. In the present study, we examined whether telemonitoring of HOT could improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Twelve patients receiving HOT participated in this study. The oxygen flow rates, use of the oxygen concentrator, and the values of percutaneous arterial oxygen saturation measured by each patient with a pulse oximeter were checked using a telemonitoring system for a period of one month. Interventions based on the results obtained were carried out in order to optimize oxygen use in this patient cohort. We evaluated the results of the SF-36 questionnaire before the initiation of telemonitoring and at 3 months after completion of the study. We identified significant improvements in SF-36 sub-scores after completion of this intervention. We conclude that telemonitoring may be a useful method to improve HRQOL