Improvement of Production Rate of YBCO Coated Conductors Fabricated by TFA-MOD Method

AbstractThe metal-organic deposition (MOD) method using trifluoroacetate (TFA) salts is considered to be an effective method for inexpensively fabricating YBa2Cu3O7-y (YBCO) coated conductors with high critical current density property. The long-length TFA-MOD YBCO coated conductors have been fabricated by multi-turn reel-to-reel system. Increasing the thickness per single coating in the multi-turn reel-to-reel system is a cost-effective technique for fabrication of the precursor films in the calcination process since it reduces the number of coatings and shortens the processing time. In this work, we have developed a new starting solution consisting of non-fluorine salts of yttrium propionate and copper 2-ethylhexanoate with focusing on increasing the thickness per single coating for a high-rate fabrication of the YBCO coated conductors by the TFA-MOD method. The critical thickness per single coating of the precursor film fabricated from the new starting solution was improved to 0.44μm/coat. Furthermore, the addition of diacetoneacrylamide in the new starting solution increased the critical thickness per single coating to 0.79μm/coat. High critical current of 791 A/cm-width with high critical current density of 2.7 MA/cm2 was obtained using the new starting solution with diacetoneacrylamide at the thickness per single coating of 0.49μm/coat

Percutaneous Transcatheter Ballon Valvuloplasty of a Stenosed Bioprosthetic Tricuspid Valve

Article信州医学雑誌 67(5): 289-292(2019)journal articl

PET/CT shows subjective pain in shoulder joints to be associated with uptake of 18F-FDG

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the capability of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in the screening of musculoskeletal inflammation and injury of the shoulder region. Materials and methods: The study included 122 participants (69 men and 53 women) who complained of shoulder pain at rest and 122 age-matched and sex-matched controls who did not experience pain at rest. Standardized uptake values (SUVs) were calculated for both the left and right shoulders and compared using a four-point visual analog scale of subjective shoulder pain. Correlations between SUVs and uric acid and C-reactive proteins were also evaluated. Results: SUVs for shoulder joints with rest and/or motion pain were significantly higher than those for pain-free shoulder joints. SUVs associated with mild and severe pain at rest were significantly higher than those associated with absence of pain at rest, and SUVs associated with moderate and severe pain on motion were significantly higher than those associated with absence of motion pain. Furthermore, SUVs were significantly correlated with uric acid in men (β=0.21, P=0.02) and in all participants (β=0.22, P<0.001). Conclusion: 18F-FDG-PET/CT may be useful for the screening of musculoskeletal inflammation and injury of the shoulder region. As shoulder pain is common, especially among elderly individuals, we should carefully consider the necessity of further examination when identifying the uptake of 18F-FDG in shoulder joints

Identification of major rice allergen and their clinical significance in children

PurposeRecently, an increase in the number of patients sensitized to rice allergen with or without clinical symptoms has been reported. This study was designed to determine the major allergens in rice and their clinical significance.MethodsTwenty-four children (15 boys and 9 girls; mean age, 16.3 months) with allergic disease, who were sensitized to rice antigen (by UniCAP) in the Pediatric Allergy Respiratory Center at Soonchunhyang University Hospital, were enrolled in this study. The allergenicity of various types of rice (raw, cooked, and heat-treated, simulated gastric fluid [SGF], and simulated intestinal fluid [SIF]) was investigated using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoglobulin E (IgE) immunoblots. The patients' medical records, including laboratory data and allergy symptoms after ingestion of rice were reviewed.ResultsPatients were sensitized to an average of 13.5 food antigens and their mean total IgE was 6,888.7 kU/L. In SDS-PAGE, more than 16 protein bands were observed in the raw rice, whereas only 14-16 kDa and 31-35 kDa protein bands were observed in cooked rice. The common SDS-PAGE protein bands observed in SGF-, SIF-, and heat-treated rice were 9, 14, and 31 kDa. In a heated-rice IgE immunoblot, protein bands of 9, 14, and 31-33 kDa were found in 27.8%, 38.9%, and 38.9% of all sera, respectively, and in 50%, 50%, and 75%, of ser a from the 4 symptomatic patients, respectively.ConclusionThe 9-, 14-, and 31-kDa protein bands appeared to be the major allergens responsible for rice allergy symptoms

Van Gogh and Frizzled Act Redundantly in the Drosophila Sensory Organ Precursor Cell to Orient Its Asymmetric Division

Drosophila sensory organ precursor cells (SOPs) divide asymmetrically along the anterior-posterior (a-p) body axis to generate two different daughter cells. Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) regulates the a-p orientation of the SOP division. The localization of the PCP proteins Van Gogh (Vang) and Frizzled (Fz) define anterior and posterior apical membrane domains prior to SOP division. Here, we investigate the relative contributions of Vang, Fz and Dishevelled (Dsh), a membrane-associated protein acting downstream of Fz, in orienting SOP polarity. Genetic and live imaging analyses suggest that Dsh restricts the localization of a centrosome-attracting activity to the anterior cortex and that Vang is a target of Dsh in this process. Using a clone border assay, we provide evidence that the Vang and fz genes act redundantly in SOPs to orient its polarity axis in response to extrinsic local PCP cues. Additionally, we find that the activity of Vang is dispensable for the non-autonomous polarizing activity of fz. These observations indicate that both Vang and Fz act as cues for downstream effectors orienting the planar polarity axis of dividing SOPs

Required muscle mass for preventing lifestyle-related diseases in Japanese women

Research articl

Misfolded proinsulin in the endoplasmic reticulum during development of beta cell failure in diabetes

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is broadly distributed throughout the cytoplasm of pancreatic beta cells, and this is where all proinsulin is initially made. Healthy beta cells can synthesize 6000 proinsulin molecules per second. Ordinarily, nascent proinsulin entering the ER rapidly folds via the formation of three evolutionarily conserved disulfide bonds (B7–A7, B19–A20, and A6–A11). A modest amount of proinsulin misfolding, including both intramolecular disulfide mispairing and intermolecular disulfide‐linked protein complexes, is a natural by‐product of proinsulin biosynthesis, as is the case for many proteins. The steady‐state level of misfolded proinsulin—a potential ER stressor—is linked to (1) production rate, (2) ER environment, (3) presence or absence of naturally occurring (mutational) defects in proinsulin, and (4) clearance of misfolded proinsulin molecules. Accumulation of misfolded proinsulin beyond a certain threshold begins to interfere with the normal intracellular transport of bystander proinsulin, leading to diminished insulin production and hyperglycemia, as well as exacerbating ER stress. This is most obvious in mutant INS gene–induced Diabetes of Youth (MIDY; an autosomal dominant disease) but also likely to occur in type 2 diabetes owing to dysregulation in proinsulin synthesis, ER folding environment, or clearance.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143748/1/nyas13531.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143748/2/nyas13531_am.pd

One-Step Detection of the 2009 Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) Virus by the RT-SmartAmp Assay and Its Clinical Validation

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>In 2009, a pandemic (pdm) influenza A(H1N1) virus infection quickly circulated globally resulting in about 18,000 deaths around the world. In Japan, infected patients accounted for 16% of the total population. The possibility of human-to-human transmission of highly pathogenic novel influenza viruses is becoming a fear for human health and society.</p> <h3>Methodology</h3><p>To address the clinical need for rapid diagnosis, we have developed a new method, the “RT-SmartAmp assay”, to rapidly detect the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus from patient swab samples. The RT-SmartAmp assay comprises both reverse transcriptase (RT) and isothermal DNA amplification reactions in one step, where RNA extraction and PCR reaction are not required. We used an exciton-controlled hybridization-sensitive fluorescent primer to specifically detect the HA segment of the 2009 pdm influenza A(H1N1) virus within 40 minutes without cross-reacting with the seasonal A(H1N1), A(H3N2), or B-type (Victoria) viruses.</p> <h3>Results and Conclusions</h3><p>We evaluated the RT-SmartAmp method in clinical research carried out in Japan during a pandemic period of October 2009 to January 2010. A total of 255 swab samples were collected from outpatients with influenza-like illness at three hospitals and eleven clinics located in the Tokyo and Chiba areas in Japan. The 2009 pdm influenza A(H1N1) virus was detected by the RT-SmartAmp assay, and the detection results were subsequently compared with data of current influenza diagnostic tests (lateral flow immuno-chromatographic tests) and viral genome sequence analysis. In conclusion, by the RT-SmartAmp assay we could detect the 2009 pdm influenza A(H1N1) virus in patients' swab samples even in early stages after the initial onset of influenza symptoms. Thus, the RT-SmartAmp assay is considered to provide a simple and practical tool to rapidly detect the 2009 pdm influenza A(H1N1) virus.</p> </div

Biosynthesis, structure, and folding of the insulin precursor protein

Insulin synthesis in pancreatic β-cells is initiated as preproinsulin. Prevailing glucose concentrations, which oscillate pre- and postprandially, exert major dynamic variation in preproinsulin biosynthesis. Accompanying upregulated translation of the insulin precursor includes elements of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) translocation apparatus linked to successful orientation of the signal peptide, translocation and signal peptide cleavage of preproinsulin-all of which are necessary to initiate the pathway of proper proinsulin folding. Evolutionary pressures on the primary structure of proinsulin itself have preserved the efficiency of folding ("foldability"), and remarkably, these evolutionary pressures are distinct from those protecting the ultimate biological activity of insulin. Proinsulin foldability is manifest in the ER, in which the local environment is designed to assist in the overall load of proinsulin folding and to favour its disulphide bond formation (while limiting misfolding), all of which is closely tuned to ER stress response pathways that have complex (beneficial, as well as potentially damaging) effects on pancreatic β-cells. Proinsulin misfolding may occur as a consequence of exuberant proinsulin biosynthetic load in the ER, proinsulin coding sequence mutations, or genetic predispositions that lead to an altered ER folding environment. Proinsulin misfolding is a phenotype that is very much linked to deficient insulin production and diabetes, as is seen in a variety of contexts: rodent models bearing proinsulin-misfolding mutants, human patients with Mutant INS-gene-induced Diabetes of Youth (MIDY), animal models and human patients bearing mutations in critical ER resident proteins, and, quite possibly, in more common variety type 2 diabetes

Soy isoflavones and their relationship with microflora: beneficial effects on human health in equol producers

The bioavailability of soy isoflavones depends on the composition of the microflora for each subject. Bacteria act on different isoflavones with increased or reduced absorption and cause biotransformation of these compounds into metabolites with higher biological activity. S-equol is the most important metabolite and only 25–65 % of the population have the microflora that produces this compound. The presence of equol-producing bacteria in soy product consumers means that the consumption of such products for prolonged periods leads to lower cardiovascular risk, reduced incidence of prostate and breast cancer, and greater relief from symptoms related to the menopause such as hot flushes and osteoporosis