好酸球性副鼻腔炎患者の前頭陥凹においてIL-5とIL-6が上昇している

広島大学(Hiroshima University)博士(医学)Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Sciencedoctora

Development of ballast water treatment technology by mechanochemical cavitations

In order to solve environmental problems caused by ballast water, which is a serious problem worldwide, ballast water purification using cavitation was investigated. Previously, only the collapse pressure of cavitation was used for the treatment of planktons. In this study, however, processing by cavitation containing a chemical and the mechanical processing of cavitation were applied. A Venturi nozzle and an ejector nozzle were used to inject sodium hypochlorite. It was found that the ejector nozzle had higher processing performance than the Venturi nozzle, and was effective for high flow rates of ballast water. It was clarified that high plankton extinction ratios could be obtained using mechanochemical cavitation provided by ejector nozzles.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/84238/1/CAV2009-final37.pd

Comparison of Nasal Nitric Oxide Levels between the Inferior Turbinate Surface the Middle Meatus in Patients with Symptomatic Allergic Rhinitis

ABSTRACTBackground: Because of the anatomical complexity and the high output of the human nose, it has been unclear whether nasal nitric oxide (NO) serves as a reliable marker of allergic rhinitis (AR). We examined whether nasal NO levels in the inferior turbinate (IT) surface and the middle meatus (MM) differ in symptomatic AR patients.Methods: We measured fractional exhaled NO (FeNO) and nasal NO in normal subjects (n = 50) and AR patients with mild symptoms (n = 16) or moderate or severe symptoms (n = 27). Nasal NO measurements were obtained using an electrochemical analyzer connected to a catheter and an air-suction pump (flow rate 50 mL/ sec).Results: Compared to the normal subjects, the AR patients showed significantly higher nasal FeNO and nasal NO levels in the IT area. No significant difference in the MM area was observed among the three groups. The MM area showed higher NO levels than the IT area in all three groups. The ratio of nasal NO levels of the MM area to the IT area (MM/IT ratio) was significantly lower in the AR groups. The moderate/severe AR patients showed significantly higher nasal NO in the IT area (104.4 vs. 66.2 ppb) and lower MM/IT ratios than those in the mild AR patients. The analysis of nasal brushing cells revealed significantly higher eosinophil cationic protein and nitrotyrosine levels in the AR groups.Conclusions: Nasal NO assessment in the IT area directly reflects persistent eosinophilic inflammation and may be a valid marker to estimate the severity of AR

均一乾燥モデルに基づく乾燥速度式に関する研究

各種の食品乾燥装置を設計し,制御化などを行なっていくためには,簡単な乾燥モデルに基づいた乾燥速度式を設定し,それに含まれる速度パラメータを求めていくことが必要である。 既報7)において,殻状乾燥モデルに基づく乾燥速度式の設定について報告してきた。本報は,均一乾燥モデルに基づく乾燥速度式を設定する研究を行ない,寒天,にんじんならびに炊飯米を例として速度パラメータを算出して,両乾燥モデルの適用性について検討したものである。 均一乾燥モデルに基づく乾燥速度式として,乾燥表面積を簡単な近似式で仮定して表わした場合と,それが未消失含水量のべき乗で関係づけられるとした場合とを仮定した。両者の計算結果はよく似た結果になり,乾燥装置の設計などに対しては簡単なだけ後者が有用と考えられた。乾燥速度は,寒天とにんじんでは,未消失含水量のほぼ0.5乗に,炊飯米ではほぼ1.0乗に比例する結果が得られ,乾燥速度式におけ未消失含水量のべき乗値は試料により著しく異なる結果になることが分った。 既報の殻状乾燥モデルと本報に示した均一乾燥モデルによる計算結果を比較した結果,寒天およびにんじんでは大変よく似た結果が得られた。乾燥機構が明確でなく,よく似た結果が得られる場合には,取り扱いが簡単となる後者が有用と考えられる。In order to design and automatically control various drying apparatuses, it is required to determine the simple approximated drying-rate equations and to obtain the rate parameters for the equations. In a previous paper, we studied the drying-rate equations based on the drying-shell models. In the present paper, we postulated the drying-rate equations based on the uniform drying models, and calculated the rate parameters in the drying-rate equations of agar gel, carrot and cooked rice. We studied the drying-rate equations which are postulated by the consideration of the drying-surface area S and by assuming that S may be correlated to the exponent of undisappeared water content (w-we). From the comparison of the calculated results, we concluded that S might be correlated to the exponent of (w-we), and that the order of the drying-rate equations which are postulated by assuming that S might be correlated to (w-we), is 0.5-1.0 for the used samples. The calculated results of agar gel and carrot for the uniform drying model were similar to those for the drying-shell model described in a previous paper. For much results, former model is better than the latter one as the former is less intricated

殻状吸水モデルに基づくクッキング速度式に関する研究

大量連続の炊飯装置など各種食品のクッキング装置を設計し,制御化などを行なっていくためには,クッキング速度式を設定し,それに含まれている速度パラメータを求めていくことが必要である。 一般に食品のクッキング現象は複雑で,厳密な意味でのクッキング速度式を得ることは困難である。しかし,例えば炊飯などのように,クッキング現象を殻状吸水現象などによって近似的に置きかえができるような場合には,概括的にはなるがクッキング速度式を設定することが可能である。 本研究は,当面する炊飯装置設計などに対応するために,殻状吸水モデルに基づいたクッキング速度式を設定する研究を行ない,米飯などの実験データを例として,シミュレーションを行なった結果を示した。 (1) クッキング速度が,水の吸水殻状部拡散律速と水と固体食品との反応律速とによって支配されるものと考えて,クッキング速度式を球,長い円柱および薄い平板形について設定した。 (2) クッキング速度式に含まれる速度パラメータを求めるための非線形最小二乗法を使用した電子計算機プログラムを作成した。また,この計算のパラメータ初期値を求めるために,何れか一つの律速を仮定して,速度パラメータを陽関数的に求める積分式を誘導した。 (3) 米,うどんおよびきしめんを,近似的に殻状吸水モデルが適用できる球,長い円柱および薄い平板形の食品例として考えて,速度パラメータの算出例を示した。理論的により意味のある速度パラメータを得て検討していくためには,未吸水核の消失現象を仔細に研究する実験などを行なっていくことが必要である。 本研究で示したクッキング速度式は,吸水殻と未吸水核が現われる食品に適用できる。速度パラメータの意味が究明されない限り半理論式的なものであるが,当面する各種のクッキング装置の設計などに対しては簡単な取り扱いをしており有用なものである。In order to design and to control automatically various cooking apparatuses, it is necessary to determine the cooking-rate equations and to obtain the rate parameters for the equations. In this study, we postulated the cooking-rate equations based on the water-soaking-shell models, and reported on the calculation methods of the rate parameters using a non-linear least square method. The rate parameters in the cooking-rate equations of rice, udon and kishimen (round and flat noodles of wheat flour, respectively) were determined at 92.5 °C, assuming the sphere, the long-cylinder and the infinite-slab. The lengths of udon and kishimen increased by the cooking, then the calculated values of these rate parameters did not give the exact theoretical values. The rate parameters in this paper are semi-theoretical or merely experimental ones, but may be adopted with satisfaction for the design of various cooking apparatuses

A first-in-human study of 11C-MTP38, a novel PET ligand for phosphodiesterase 7

PURPOSE: Phosphodiesterase 7 (PDE7) is an enzyme that selectively hydrolyses cyclic adenosine monophosphate, and its dysfunction is implicated in neuropsychiatric diseases. However, in vivo visualization of PDE7 in human brains has hitherto not been possible. Using the novel PET ligand 11C-MTP38, which we recently developed, we aimed to image and quantify PDE7 in living human brains. METHODS: Seven healthy males underwent a 90-min PET scan after injection of 11C-MTP38. We performed arterial blood sampling and metabolite analysis of plasma in six subjects to obtain a metabolite-corrected input function. Regional total distribution volumes (VTs) were estimated using compartment models, and Logan plot and Ichise multilinear analysis (MA1). We further quantified the specific radioligand binding using the original multilinear reference tissue model (MRTMO) and standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) method with the cerebellar cortex as reference. RESULTS: PET images with 11C-MTP38 showed relatively high retentions in several brain regions, including in the striatum, globus pallidus, and thalamus, as well as fast washout from the cerebellar cortex, in agreement with the known distribution of PDE7. VT values were robustly estimated by two-tissue compartment model analysis (mean VT = 4.2 for the pallidum), Logan plot, and MA1, all in excellent agreement with each other, suggesting the reversibility of 11C-MTP38 binding. Furthermore, there were good agreements between binding values estimated by indirect method and those estimated by both MRTMO and SUVR, indicating that these methods could be useful for reliable quantification of PDE7. Because MRTMO and SUVR do not require arterial blood sampling, they are the most practical for the clinical use of 11C-MTP38-PET. CONCLUSION: We have provided the first demonstration of PET visualization of PDE7 in human brains. 11C-MTP38 is a promising novel PET ligand for the quantitative investigation of central PDE7

Positron emission tomography assessments of phosphodiesterase 10A in patients with schizophrenia

[Background and hypothesis] Phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is a highly expressed enzyme in the basal ganglia, where cortical glutamatergic and midbrain dopaminergic inputs are integrated. Therapeutic PDE10A inhibition effects on schizophrenia have been reported previously, but the status of this molecule in the living patients with schizophrenia remains elusive. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the central PDE10A status in patients with schizophrenia and examine its relationship with psychopathology, cognition, and corticostriatal glutamate levels. [Study design] This study included 27 patients with schizophrenia, with 5 antipsychotic-free cases, and 27 healthy controls. Positron emission tomography with [18F]MNI-659, a specific PDE10A radioligand, was employed to quantify PDE10A availability by measuring non-displaceable binding potential (BPND) of the ligand in the limbic, executive, and sensorimotor striatal functional subregions, and in the pallidum. BPND estimates were compared between patients and controls while controlling for age and gender. BPND correlations were examined with behavioral and clinical measures, along with regional glutamate levels quantified by the magnetic resonance spectroscopy. [Study results] Multivariate analysis of covariance demonstrated a significant main effect of diagnosis on BPND (p = .03). A posthoc test showed a trend-level higher sensorimotor striatal BPND in patients, although it did not survive multiple comparison corrections. BPND in controls in this subregion was significantly and negatively correlated with the Tower of London scores, a cognitive subtest. Striatal or dorsolateral prefrontal glutamate levels did not correlate significantly with BPND in either group. [Conclusions] The results suggest altered striatal PDE10A availability and associated local neural dysfunctions in patients with schizophrenia

Novel prospective umbrella-type lung cancer registry study for clarifying clinical practice patterns: CS-Lung-003 study protocol

Introduction Conventional cancer registries are suitable for simple surveillance of cancer patients, including disease frequency and distribution, demographics, and prognosis; however, the collected data are inadequate to clarify comprehensively diverse clinical questions in daily practice. Methods We constructed an umbrella‐type lung cancer patient registry (CS‐Lung‐003) integrating multiple related prospective observational studies (linked studies) that reflect clinical questions about lung cancer treatment. The primary endpoint of this registry is to clarify daily clinical practice patterns in lung cancer treatment; a key inclusion criterion is pathologically diagnosed lung cancer. Under this registry, indispensable clinical items are detected in advance across all active linked studies and gathered prospectively and systematically to avoid excessive or insufficient data collection. Researchers are to input information mutually, irrespective of the relevance to each researcher's own study. Linked studies under the umbrella of the CS‐Lung‐003 registry will be updated annually with newly raised clinical questions; some linked studies will be newly created, while others will be deleted after the completion of the analysis. Enrollment began in July 2017. Discussion We successfully launched the umbrella‐type CS‐Lung‐003 registry. Under this single registry, researchers collaborate on patient registration and data provision for their own and other studies. Thus, the registry will produce results for multiple domains of study, providing answers to questions about lung cancer treatment raised by other researchers. Through such analysis of each linked study, this registry will contribute to the comprehensive elucidation of actual daily practice patterns in lung cancer treatment. Key points CS‐Lung‐003 registry directly integrates multiple linked studies created under the umbrella of this cancer registry to solve various clinical questions regarding daily practice patterns of lung cancer treatment