Cupulin Is a Zona Pellucida-Like Domain Protein and Major Component of the Cupula from the Inner Ear

The extracellular membranes of the inner ear are essential constituents to maintain sensory functions, the cupula for sensing torsional movements of the head, the otoconial membrane for sensing linear movements and accelerations like gravity, and the tectorial membrane in the cochlea for hearing. So far a number of structural proteins have been described, but for the gelatinous cupula precise data are missing. Here, we describe for the first time a major proteinogenic component of the cupula structure with an apparent molecular mass of 45 kDa from salmon. Analyses of respective peptides revealed highly conserved amino-acid sequences with identity to zona pellucida-like domain proteins. Immunohistochemistry studies localized the protein in the ampulla of the inner ear from salmon and according to its anatomical appearance we identified this glycoprotein as Cupulin. Future research on structure and function of zona pellucida-like domain proteins will enhance our knowledge of inner ear diseases, like sudden loss of vestibular function and other disturbances

Impact of Baseline ALBI Grade on the Outcomes of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Treated with Lenvatinib: A Multicenter Study

Background: This study investigated the impact of baseline liver function according to the Child–Pugh score and ALBI (albumin-bilirubin) grade on the outcomes of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with lenvatinib. Methods: A total of 82 lenvatinib treated patients were included. The correlations of baseline liver function according to the Child–Pugh score and ALBI grade with treatment outcomes, including objective response rate per mRECIST (modified Response Evaluation Criteria in the Solid Tumor), time to treatment failure, treatment duration, and likelihood of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events, were assessed in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated with lenvatinib. Patients were divided into four groups: (1) Child–Pugh score 5 and ALBI grade 1 (group 1), (2) Child–Pugh score 5 and ALBI grade 2 (group 2), (3) Child–Pugh score 6 (group 3), and (4) Child–Pugh score ≥7 (group 4). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the factors contributing to the objective response rate and likelihood of discontinuation due to adverse events. Results: Among the 82 patients analyzed, group 1 had the highest objective response rate (57.1%) and the lowest likelihood of treatment discontinuation because of adverse events (11.1%) among the four groups (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified ALBI grade 1 and baseline AFP level <200 ng/mL as the significant predictors of a high objective response rate (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01), and confirmed that patients with ALBI grade 1 had the lowest probability of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Patients with Child–Pugh score of 5 and ALBI grade 1 predicted a higher response rate and lower treatment discontinuation due to adverse events by lenvatinib treatment

A Case of Nasal Glial Heterotopia in an Adult

We report a rare case of nasal glial heterotopia in an adult. After the surgery, frontal lobe cerebral hemorrhage developed. A 58-year-old man had unilateral nasal obstruction that progressed for one year. He had been treated for hypertension, chronic heart failure, and cerebral infarction with aspirin and warfarin. A computed tomography scan showed that the tumor occupied the right nasal cavity and the sinuses with small defect in the cribriform plate. The tumor was removed totally with endoscopy. After the operation, the patient developed convulsions and frontal lobe cerebral hemorrhage. The hemorrhage site was located near a defect in the cribriform plate. Nasal glial heterotopia is a rare developmental abnormality, particularly rare in adult. Only few cases were reported. We could not find any report of adult nasal glial heterotopias that developed cerebral hemorrhage as a complication of the surgery

Osteoma of the Pharynx That Developed from the Hyoid Bone

This paper reports on apparently the first case of a pharyngeal osteoma that developed from the hyoid bone. An 84-year-old man’s, presenting symptom was a slight throat pain. Endoscopic examination revealed a huge mass occluding the pharyngeal space. CT scan of the neck showed a large osseous mass adjacent to the hyoid bone. Transoral resection with tracheostomy was performed. Histopathologically, the tumor consisted of mature lamellar bone without a fibrous component. For two years postoperatively, the patient has been free from throat symptoms and signs of recurrence. Osteomas are benign, slow-growing tumors. They rarely develop symptoms or cause functional disturbance. We performed total resection to avoid further functional disturbance as the osteoma was huge. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on an osteoma that occupied the pharyngeal space and developed from the hyoid bone

An Experimental Investigation of Effects of Specimen Size Parameters on Compressive and Tensile Properties in a Closed Cell Al Foam * 1

Effects of specimen size parameters, i.e. the specimen volume and the ratio of cross sectional dimension to cell size, on compressive and tensile properties were investigated in a closed cell Al foam. For compressive tests, the stress in a plateau region decreased with decreasing specimen volume. This is likely because constraint of cell walls at the free surface is reduced with decreasing specimen volume. The scatter of the stress was large for the small volume specimens. The critical ratio of cross sectional dimension to cell size was 4 for negligible scatter of the stress. For tensile tests, the ultimate tensile strength decreased, the elongation to failure increased and the work hardening coefficient decreased with decreasing specimen volume. It is suggested that the reduced constraint of cell walls at the free surface by decreasing specimen volume affects the tensile strength as well as the compressive strength

Measurements of double differential cross sections of secondary heavy charged particles induced by 70 MeV protons for microdosimetry study

Energy-differential cross sections of fragment (heavier than a-particle) production of carbon and aluminum were obtained with a specially designed Bragg curve spectrometer (BCS) and energy-time-of-flight method (E-TOF) for 70 MeV protons at 30-degree laboratory angle. The consistency of these two methods was confirmed by comparing Z=2 results each other. The energy differential cross sections of fragments for Z=3 and m=6, 7 are obtained by BCS and E-TOF, respectively. These results are compared with other experimental data, LA-150 evaluated nuclear data and QMD calculation results. The disagreements between present data and both results of evaluation and calculation show systematic trends

A Bragg curve counter with an active cathode to improve the energy threshold in fragment measurements

We have developed a Bragg curve counter (BCC) equipped with an active cathode to extend the energy acceptance to lower energies than for a conventional BCC to measure differential cross-sections of fragment production reactions induced by tens of MeV protons. The signal from the active cathode providing the timing signal of fragment incidence and the time difference signal between the cathode and anode gives information on the fragment range in the BCC on the basis of electron drift time. Utilization of the range information made possible identification of fragments less than 0.5 MeV/u that is lower than the identification threshold of a conventional BCC technique.After investigations on fundamental properties of a newly constructed BCC using heavy ion beams and alpha-particles, this method was applied successfully to a fragment production measurement for 70MeV proton-induced reactions on carbon. With this technique, the energy threshold of the BCC was improved without introducing an additional detector or energy loss

Extension of energy acceptance of Bragg curve counter at the high-energy end

We have developed an energy-extension method of a Bragg curve counter (BCC) at the high-energy end for the measurements of double-differential cross-sections (DDXs) of fragment productions induced by tens of MeV protons. In this method, we estimate the incident energies of the fragments penetrating a BCC on the basis of the energy loss and atomic number (Z). We applied this method to the DDX measurements of the natC(p, Li) and natC(p, Be) reactions induced by 70MeV protons. The validity of this method has been confirmed by comparing the DDXs of beryllium with theoretical predictions of the PHITS code and the two-body kinematics. This method improves the energy acceptance of the BCC for light fragments twice as wide as that of a conventional method without remodeling of the BCC and any loss of the original advantages