Long-Term Ultrasonography Follow-Up of Thyroid Colloid Cysts at the Health Center: A Single-Center Study

Objective. No previous study has employed long-term follow-up ultrasonography (US) examinations for evaluating thyroid colloid cysts (TCCs) in the general population. This study aimed to assess the interval changes of TCCs at the health center by evaluating long-term US follow-up examinations. Methods. For evaluation of the thyroid gland at our health center from 2006 to 2010, 3692 individuals underwent 4 or more thyroid US examinations at an interval of 1 year or 2 years. We assessed the interval changes of TCCs ≥ 5 mm on US follow-up examinations. Results. Of the 3692 subjects, only 115 (3.1%) showed TCCs ≥ 5 mm on one or more thyroid US examinations. The interval changes in TCCs, as shown by the thyroid US examinations performed during the study period, were classified as follows: no interval change (n=60), gradual increase (n=37), gradual decrease (n=6), positive fluctuation (n=10), negative fluctuation (n=0), and disappearance (n=2). No subject reported any relevant symptom pertaining to TCCs. Conclusions. Overall, follow-up US examinations showed various interval changes in TCCs, but a majority of TCCs showed no interval change or a gradual increase in size

Current-Induced Resonant Motion of a Magnetic Vortex Core: Effect of Nonadiabatic Spin Torque

The current-induced resonant excitation of a magnetic vortex core is investigated by means of analytical and micromagnetic calculations. We find that the radius and the phase shift of the resonant motion are not correctly described by the analytical equations because of the dynamic distortion of a vortex core. In contrast, the initial tilting angle of a vortex core is free from the distortion and determined by the nonadiabaticity of the spin torque. It is insensitive to experimentally uncontrollable current-induced in-plane Oersted field. We propose that a time-resolved imaging of the very initial trajectory of a core is essential to experimentally estimate the nonadiabaticity.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Acute Interstitial Pneumonia in Siblings: A Case Report

Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) is a rapidly progressive condition of unknown cause that occurs in a previously healthy individual and produces the histologic findings of diffuse alveolar damage. Since the term AIP was first introduced in 1986, there have been very few case reports of AIP in children. Here we present a case of AIP in a 3-yr-old girl whose other two siblings showed similar radiologic findings. The patient was confirmed to have AIP from autopsy showing histological findings of diffuse alveolar damage and proliferation of fibroblasts. Her 3-yr-old brother was also clinically and radiologically highly suspected as having AIP, and the other asymptomatic 8-yr-old sister was radiologically suspected as having AIP

Inhibitory Effect of Nelumbo nucifera (Gaertn.) on the Development of Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease which has a complex etiology that encompasses immunologic responses. The study was carried out to examine the effect of Nelumbo nucifera (Gaertn.) leaf (NL) on the AD-like skin lesion induced by repeated epicutaneous application of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) on the dorsal skin of NC/Nga mice. Three different doses of NL (5, 25, and 50 mg/mice/day) were administered orally from the day of sensitization with DNCB for 4 weeks. The efficacy of NL was judged by histopathological examination, blood IgE level, measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL), scratching behavior, and skin severity score. NL resulted in the suppression of clinical severity score, TEWL, scratching behavior, and blood IgE level. Histopathologic analyses revealed that thickening of the epidermis and mast cell degranulation was significantly reduced in NL group. These results suggest that NL may be a useful natural resource for the management of AD

Simplified Analytical Method for Optimized Initial Shape Analysis of Self-Anchored Suspension Bridges and Its Verification

A simplified analytical method providing accurate unstrained lengths of all structural elements is proposed to find the optimized initial state of self-anchored suspension bridges under dead loads. For this, equilibrium equations of the main girder and the main cable system are derived and solved by evaluating the self-weights of cable members using unstrained cable lengths and iteratively updating both the horizontal tension component and the vertical profile of the main cable. Furthermore, to demonstrate the validity of the simplified analytical method, the unstrained element length method (ULM) is applied to suspension bridge models based on the unstressed lengths of both cable and frame members calculated from the analytical method. Through numerical examples, it is demonstrated that the proposed analytical method can indeed provide an optimized initial solution by showing that both the simplified method and the nonlinear FE procedure lead to practically identical initial configurations with only localized small bending moment distributions

EUTROPHICATION OF THE MAJOR RESERVOIRS IN KOREA

Trophic state of several major reservoirs in Korea are reviewed. Most of large reservoirs are mesotrophic to eutrophic, suffering bluegreen algal blooms. Recently many reservoirs are being eutrophied at high rate mainly due to the increase of excretion by livestock in watershed and netcage-type fishfarms within the lake basins. The trophic state changes of Lake Soyang, from oligotrophy to eutrophy in recent 10 years, are presented as a case study of rapid eutrophication. Chlorophyll a concentration increased from ca. 3mg/m³ in early 1980s to 15 mg/m³ in 1989. The dominant phytoplankton species in summer are changed from Peridinium to Anabaena since 1986 and the standing crop of Anabaena has been increasing. Secchidisc depth decreased from 5 to 1m. TP increased from 7 to 20 mgP/m³. The rate of hypolimnetic oxygen deficit increased year to year from 0.028 mgO₂/cm²/day in 1986 to 0.094 in 1989. Fishfarms within the lake are the major phosphorus source in Lake Soyang exceeding the total phosphorus loading from the watershed. This high rate of eutrophication is expected to persist in next decade.Article信州大学理学部付属諏訪臨湖実験所報告 7: 21-29(1991)departmental bulletin pape