I^+ states of ^<26>Mg through the (α, ^3He) reaction at 81MeV

The ^Mg (α, ^3He) ^Mg reaction leading to seven 1^+ states, proposed previously by proton scattering at 201 MeV and by the (α, ^3He) reaction at 50MeV, was measured at E_α=80.9MeV. The cross sections obtained were analyzed within the framework of the exact-finite-range distorted wave Born approximation. The spectroscopic factors for a d_ transfer to 1^+ states were compared with those predicted by sd shell model calculations. Two of the 1^+ states were found to have a simple (d_d_) structure consistent with the shell model picture. Others with too large d_ transfer strength were ascribed owing to a mixture of other nearby states with J^π values other than 1^+ in referring to a recent compilation

Effect of loading weight on bond durability of composite-type resin cement under cyclic impact test (part 2). Loading with light weight of 100-120 g.

The bond durability of composite-type resin cement was evaluated by means of cyclic impact tests using three different loads. In terms of experimental setup, a casting alloy, 12% Au-Pd-Ag, was used as the adherend and bonded to a cast block using a composite-type cement (Bistite II). A shear load--using plungers of three different weights at 100, 110, and 120 g--was dropped from a 3-mm height onto a small piece of the casting alloy until debonding. The cycle numbers that caused debonding were 1756 +/- 680 x 10(4) times for 100 g, 1403 +/- 515 x 10(4) times for 110 g, and 420 +/- 200 x 10(4) times for 120 g, respectively. Therefore, the group loaded with 120 g showed a significantly lower value as compared to the other two groups. On the fracture mode of the cement, it was a bulk fracture regardless of the loading weight employed in this study--the same result obtained in a previous study where heavier weights were employed

A New Navigation System for Minimally Invasive Total Knee Arthroplasty

A computer-assisted navigation system to be used for total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) was reported to improve the accuracy of bone resection and result in precise implant placement, but the concomitant surgical invasion and time consumption are clinical problems. We developed a computed tomography (CT)-based navigation system (NNS) to be used for minimally invasive TKA. It requires only the reference points from a small limited area of the medial femoral condyle and proximal tibia through a skin incision to obtain optical images. Here we evaluated the usefulness and accuracy of the NNS in comparison with the commercially available BrainLAB image-free navigation system (BLS). In a clinical experiment, the registration times obtained with the NNS tended to be shorter than those obtained with the BLS, but not significantly so. The NNS group tended to be in the extended position in the sagittal plane of the distal femur within 3 degrees, and the BLS group showed rather flexed deviation in the sagittal plane of the anterior femur

99mTc generator using molybdenum nanoparticles

The version of record of this article, first published in Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09173-

Suppressive effects of transforming growth factor-beta1 produced by hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines on interferon-gamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) exerts potent immunosuppressive effects. In this study, we investigated the potential role of TGF-beta1 produced by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines in immunosuppression mechanisms. Using the Mv1Lu cell-growth inhibition assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), we detected optimal levels of TGF-beta1 in the culture supernatants conditioned by the HCC cell lines PLC/PRF/5, Hep3B, and HepG2. To determine the biological activity of TGF-beta1 in the supernatants, we examined the effects of the culture supernatants on the production of interferon (IFN)-gamma induced during the culture of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with interleukin (IL)-12. IFN-gamma production of IL-12-stimulated PBMCs in the 1:1 dilution of the acid-activated conditioned medium of PLC/PRF/5, Hep3B, and HepG2 reduced to 14.7 +/- 0.8, 17.3 +/- 9.0, and 35.9 +/- 14.6%, respectively, compared with the value in the culture with control medium (complete culture medium). These results suggest that HCC cells producing TGF-beta1 may reduce the generation or activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer (NK) cells, and thus could enhance their ability to escape immune-mediated surveillance.</p

Therapeutic effects of azathioprine in combination with low-dose prednisolone in patients with intractable autoimmune hepatitis type 1.

This study evaluated the effects of azathioprine in combination with low-dose prednisolone in the management of patients with intractable autoimmune hepatitis. Thirteen patients with intractable autoimmune hepatitis who had an incomplete or arrested response to conventional prednisolone therapy, or who relapsed during prednisolone maintenance therapy were additionally administered 50 or 100 mg/day of azathioprine in combination with prednisolone. This regimen reliably induced complete remission in 12 of 13 patients, and these 12 remained in remission during the follow-up period with maintenance therapy of 50 mg/day of azathioprine in combination with 5 mg/day of prednisolone. The findings of the current study indicate that the azathioprine and low-dose prednisolone combined therapy may offer a satisfactory alternative therapy for patients with intractable autoimmune hepatitis who have an incomplete or arrested response to conventional prednisolone therapy, or who relapse during prednisolone maintenance therapy.</p

Low-lying states of 56 Fe

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