Benthic macroinvertebrates in the Nishina Three Lakes and Lake Nojiri, highland lakes in Japan

order to clarifythe current status of the benthic communities in the Nishina Three Lakes (Lakes Aoki, Nakatsuna and Kizaki) and Lake Nojiri, highland lakes located atthefoot of the Japanese Northem Alps in Nagano Prefecture, We collected benthic macroinvertebrates on 1 and 2 August, 2007, Chironomidaeand Oligochaeta were the major CrOinvertebrates at all study sites and the taxonomic composition of Chironomidae was differentamong the sites. Sergentia was collected in Lakes Aoki andKizaki, whereas Chironomus was collected in all the lakes except Lake Aoki. Chaoboridae was collected at the center of the Lakes Nakatsunaand Kizaki but not in Lakes Aoki and Nojiri. The comparison of the densities of benthic maroinvertebrates with the previous studies suggests that the densities of Oligochaeta increased in Lakes Aoki,Kizakiand Nojiri, and Chironomus increasedinLake Nojiriin recent decades.Article信州大学山地水環境教育研究センター研究報告 6: 95-102(2010)departmental bulletin pape

Superstrate CuInSe2-Printed Solar Cells on In2S3/TiO2/FTO/Glass Plates

CuInSe2 powders synthesized by ball milling were printed on In2S3/TiO2/FTO/glass substrates, resulting in superstrate solar cells.  Although particle structure of CuInSe2 in the layer remained after heating at 600 °C under N2 gas, photovoltaic effects were observed; the open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density were 0.45 V and 5.6 mA/cm2, respectively.  The effects of annealing time on the structural, optical and photovoltaic properties of CuInSe2 were studied by scanning electron micrograph (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and UV-Vis reflectance absorption spectroscopy.  The CuInSe2 solar cells were printed in air ambient without vacuum processing and without toxic and explosive chemicals (e.g., hydrazine, H2Se and H2S), which can offer a promising strategy for future research and industrial investigation into cost-effective photovoltaic systems.Key words: Photovoltaic system; Photovoltaic effects; CuInSe2 solar cell

Coastal Land Loss And Hypoxia: The \u27Outwelling\u27 Hypothesis Revisited

It is generally believed that interannual variability in the areal extent of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxia is driven primarily by the magnitude of the Mississippi River freshwater and nutrient fluxes. It has recently been proposed that outwelling of carbon from deteriorating coastal wetlands into the surrounding Gulf of Mexico could be an important mechanism promoting the development of hypoxia. We used a coupled hydrology-hydrodynamics model of the Barataria estuary, a site of massive wetland loss, to calculate the fluxes of nitrogen, chlorophyll a and carbon at the estuary-ocean interface. The hydrology model calculates runoff from rainfall and evaporation data, and then feeds it into the high-resolution (100 m x 100 m grid, 1.3 million elements), two-dimensional depth-integrated hydrodynamic model. Model results show substantial outwelling of total organic carbon (TOC, 110 x 10(6) kg yr(-1)), dissolved organic carbon (DOC, 94.3 x 10(6) kg yr(-1)), particulate organic carbon (POC, 15.7 x 10(6) kg yr(-1)) and chlorophyll a (Chl a, 0.3 x 10(6) kg yr(-1)) from the estuary to the coastal waters and an import of nitrate (N-NO3, 6.9 x 10(6) kg yr(-1)) from the nutrient-rich coastal waters into the estuary. Estuarine fluxes of TOC, DOC, POC, Chl a and N-NO3, account for 2.8%, 2.7%, 3.4%, 7.5% and 1%, respectively, of the annual fluxes carried by the lower Mississippi River. The flux of total nitrogen was not statistically significant. Overall, this study supports the conclusion of the previous modeling study (Das et al 2010 Ecol. Modeling 221 978-85), suggesting that the Barataria estuary supplies a relatively small amount of the carbon consumed in the Gulf\u27s hypoxic zone. Importantly, our results indicate that import of nitrate from the coastal waters and its assimilation within the estuary could account for 38% and 208%, respectively, of the calculated TOC and Chl a exports, demonstrating the pervasive control of the Mississippi River on the productivity of this shelf

Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma in the anterior mediastinum with a rapidly progressive course

A 77-year-old woman with heart failure was admitted to our hospital. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest revealed an anterior mediastinal tumor. CT-guided biopsy revealed a malignant nonepithelial tumor of unknown origin. She was not treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy because of her poor clinical condition. She died 33 days after admission. Following autopsy, we confirmed that the mediastinal tumor had infiltrated the large blood vessels. After final histological examination, undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma was diagnosed. Primary mediastinal sarcomas are very rare; clinicians should be aware of their possibility because some cases may progress rapidly as evidenced in this case

Impact of hemodialysis on local vessel healing and thrombus formation after drug-eluting stent implantation

AbstractBackgroundAlthough hemodialysis (HD) is a suggested risk factor for stent thrombosis, its contribution to local vessel healing after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation is unclear.MethodsA total of 121 patients (152 lesions treated with DES) who underwent 8-month follow-up coronary angiography with optical coherence tomography (OCT) were enrolled, and the findings were compared between patients with and without HD. To match baseline differences, mid-term OCT findings of 42 propensity score-matched lesions (21 non-HD vs. 21 HD) were compared. Effects of HD on the efficacy of antiplatelet therapy were also evaluated by VerifyNow assay (Accumetrics, San Diego, CA, USA).ResultsPatients with HD had a significantly higher rate of thrombus formation than those without (64% vs. 33%, p=0.007), although the baseline parameters and lesion characteristics differed between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that HD was associated with an increased risk of thrombus formation (odds ratio 5.991, 95% confidence interval: 1.972–18.199, p=0.002). Even after propensity-matching for patient background and balancing of angiographic and OCT variables, the risk of thrombus formation remained significantly higher in HD patients. The P2Y12-reaction unit was significantly increased after HD (Pre HD: 211±75 vs. Post HD: 262±59, p=0.01), but patients without HD showed no increase during the same elapsed time (221±88 vs. 212±96, p=0.19).ConclusionsHD is a potential risk factor for subclinical thrombus attachment after DES therapy. Systemic problems, such as residual platelet reactivity, associated with HD as well as local vessel features in HD patients might contribute to the increased incidence of thrombus attachment and subsequent onset of thrombotic event after DES implantation

E-selectin as a prognostic factor of patients hospitalized due to acute inflammatory respiratory diseases

When examining patients with acute inflammatory respiratory diseases, it is difficult to distinguish between infectious pneumonia and interstitial pneumonia and predict patient prognosis at the beginning of treatment. In this study, we assessed whether endothelial selectin (E-selectin) predicts the outcome of patients with acute inflammatory respiratory diseases. We measured E-selectin serum levels in 101 patients who were admitted to our respiratory care unit between January 2013 and December 2013 because of acute inflammatory respiratory diseases that were eventually diagnosed as interstitial pneumonia (n = 38) and lower respiratory tract infection (n = 63). Seven of these patients (n = 101) died. The pneumonia severity score was significantly higher and the oxygen saturation of arterial blood measured by pulse oximeter (SpO2)/fraction of inspiratory oxygen (FiO2) was significantly lower in the deceased patients than in the surviving patients. There were significantly fewer peripheral lymphocytes and significantly higher E-selectin serum levels in the deceased patients than in the surviving patients. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, the E-selectin serum levels and SpO2/FiO2 ratio were independent predictive factors of prognosis. The risk of death during acute respiratory disease was determined using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.871 as calculated from the ES, and the cutoff value was 6453.04 pg/ml, with a sensitivity of 1.00 and a specificity of 0.72 (p = 0.0027). E-selectin may be a useful biomarker for predicting the prognosis of patients with acute inflammatory respiratory diseases

MafB silencing in macrophages does not influence the initiation and growth of lung cancer induced by urethane

An increased number of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) that exhibit the M2 macrophage phenotype is related to poorer prognosis in cancer patients. MafB is a transcription factor regulating the differentiation of macrophages. However, involvement of MafB for the development of TAMs is unknown. This study was designed to investigate the role of MafB in a murine urethane-induced lung cancer model. Urethane was injected intraperitoneally into wild-type and dominant-negative MafB transgenic mice. Twenty-four weeks later, mice were sacrificed and their lungs removed for pathological analysis. The numbers and mean areas of lung cancer were evaluated. In addition, the numbers of Mac-3-positive macrophages were evaluated in each tumor. The numbers and mean areas of lung cancer induced by urethane administration were not significantly different between wild-type and dominant-negative MafB transgenic mice. The numbers of TAMs in lung cancer tissue were not significantly different between the two groups. MafB silencing using dominant-negative MafB did not influence the initiation and growth of lung cancer in mice exposed to urethane. These data suggest that MafB may not be related to the development of TAMs

Effect of Daily Glucose Fluctuation on Coronary Plaque Vulnerability in Patients Pre-Treated With Lipid-Lowering Therapy A Prospective Observational Study

AbstractObjectivesThis study sought to investigate the effect of daily glucose fluctuation on coronary plaque properties in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) pre-treated with lipid-lowering therapy.BackgroundThere is growing evidence that glucose fluctuation, as a residual risk apart from dyslipidemia, is an important factor contributing to the development of CAD.MethodsThis prospective study enrolled 70 consecutive CAD patients who were referred for percutaneous coronary intervention and whose low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was <120 mg/dl under statin treatment or <100 mg/dl without statins. Daily glucose fluctuation was analyzed by measuring the mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE). The plaque properties in the culprit and nonculprit lesions were assessed by virtual histology intravascular ultrasound, and the volume percentage of necrotic core within the plaque (%NC) and the presence of thin-cap fibroatheroma were evaluated.ResultsIn total, 165 lesions were evaluated in 70 patients (40 diabetic and 30 nondiabetic patients). %NC was well correlated with MAGE (r = 0.490, p <0.001). A linear mixed effect model showed that MAGE had the strongest effect on %NC (coefficient β = 0.080 ± 0.020 [standard error], p < 0.001). The generalized linear mixed effect model revealed that MAGE was the only independent predictor of the presence of thin-cap fibroatheroma (odds ratio: 1.037; 95% confidence interval: 1.010 to 1.065; p = 0.007).ConclusionsDaily glucose fluctuation may have an effect on coronary plaque vulnerability in patients with CAD pre-treated with lipid-lowering therapy. Further investigations should address the rationale for the early detection and control of glucose fluctuation in the era of universal statin use for CAD patients