Effects of phlebotomy on the growth of ferric nitrilotriacetate-induced renal cell carcinoma.

The ferric nitrilotriacetate-induced carcinogenesis model is unique in that reactive oxygen species-free radicals are involved in the carcinogenic process. But the effects of iron-withdrawal in the progression of renal cell carcinoma are not well understood. We performed repeated phlebotomies on animals that had been administered ferric nitrilotriacetate in the initiation stage of renal cell carcinoma (phlebotomy group), and compared the development of renal tumors with those not receiving repeated phlebotomies (non-phlebotomy group). Ferric nitrilotriacetate-treated male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: a phlebotomy group (21 rats) and a non-phlebotomy group (17 rats). Ten age-adjusted normal rats were also observed as a normal group. Hematocrit was maintained under 25% in the phlebotomy group. Hematocrit levels in the normal group and in the non-phlebotomy group were not significantly different. As a result, the incidence of renal cell carcinoma was not significantly different between phlebotomy and non-phlebotomy animals. However, the total weight of the renal cell carcinoma was significantly heavier in the animals from non-phlebotomy group than in those from the phlebotomy group (23.64 g +/- 18.54 vs. 54.40 g +/- 42.40, P &#60; 0.05). The present study demonstrated that phlebotomy after the administration of ferric nitrilotriacetate did not reduce the incidence of renal cell carcinoma. In addition, we showed that iron withdrawal at the promotion stage of carcinogenesis will retard tumor growth.</p

CSIP - a Novel Photon-Counting Detector Applicable for the SPICA Far-Infrared Instrument

We describe a novel GaAs/AlGaAs double-quantum-well device for the infrared photon detection, called Charge-Sensitive Infrared Phototransistor (CSIP). The principle of CSIP detector is the photo-excitation of an intersubband transition in a QW as an charge integrating gate and the signal amplification by another QW as a channel with very high gain, which provides us with extremely high responsivity (10^4 -- 10^6 A/W). It has been demonstrated that the CSIP designed for the mid-infrared wavelength (14.7 um) has an excellent sensitivity; the noise equivalent power (NEP) of 7x10^-19 W/rHz with the quantum efficiency of ~2%. Advantages of the CSIP against the other highly sensitive detectors are, huge dynamic range of >10^6, low output impedance of 10^3 -- 10^4 Ohms, and relatively high operation temperature (>2K). We discuss possible applications of the CSIP to FIR photon detection covering 35 -- 60 um waveband, which is a gap uncovered with presently available photoconductors.Comment: To appear in Proc. Workshop "The Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology & Astrophysics: Revealing the Origins of Planets and Galaxies". Eds. A.M. Heras, B. Swinyard, K. Isaak, and J.R. Goicoeche

Analysis of calcium carbonate for differentiating between pigments using terahertz spectroscopy

Calcium carbonate that is used as an art pigment exhibits strong absorption at approximately 3 THz. In this study, the authors investigated the relationship between the absorption and the condition of calcium carbonate crystals. By employing terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (0.5–4 THz), they verified that terahertz absorption energy depended on the crystal direction and crystal shape of the powder sample due to large birefringence. Further, the authors observed the difference in the crystal structure (calcite or aragonite) and the presence of impurities in natural calcium carbonate such as shells through terahertz absorbance spectra. The absorbance peak value of calcite at around 3 THz was four times as large as the peak value of aragonite. The absorbance spectral width increased because of the presence of these impurities. From the above observation, this study demonstrated that a certain kind of calcium carbonate crystal could be distinguished by terahertz spectroscopy

Real-time terahertz imaging for art conservation science

A new real-time terahertz imaging system has been developed by using a quantum cascade laser source and a microbolometer focal plane detector array. The application to non-invasive analyses of cultural heritage is demonstrated with an oil paint specimen. The experimental results suggested that the terahertz imaging system can identify materials based on a spectral database with a spatial resolution of about 300 μm. The transmission imaging indicated the difference between natural and artificial ultramarine pigments. Since the size of the system is similar to a common portable infrared camera, it can be used at the place where the object is located, such as museums, and can contribute to conservation activities, such as drying process monitoring. This real-time, small, non-invasive terahertz imaging system can be used in various fundamental research fields and practical industries

Terahertz analysis of an East Asian historical mural painting

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and THz and imaging techniques are expected to have great potential for the non-invasive analysis of artworks. We have applied THz imaging to analyse the historic mural painting of a Lamaism temple by using a transportable time-domain THz imaging system; such an attempt is the first in the world. The reflection image revealed that there are two orange colours in the painting, although they appear the same to the naked eye. THz imaging can also estimate the depth of cracks. The colours were examined by X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, and the results were found to be in good agreement. This work proved that THz imaging can contribute to the non-invasive analysis of cultural heritage