Development of Low-Friction Ion Gels for Industrial Applications

Friction reduction is imperative for improving the service life and energy efficiency of mechanical systems. Ion gels using ionic liquids (ILs) as swelling agents are expected to be stable gel lubricants owing to the high thermal stability and negligible volatility of ILs; they can maintain their swollen state even under harsh conditions. Therefore, we investigated two types of ion gels: an IL-substituted double-network gel (DN ion S-gel), in which the water in the DN hydrogel is replaced by the IL 3-ethyl-1-methyl-imidazolium ethylsulfate; and a DN ion gel containing N,N-diethyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl)-N-methyl-ammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (DEME-TFSI), where one of the polymer backbones is a network of poly(N,N-diethyl-N-(2-methacryloylethyl)-N-methylammonium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide), an IL-type polymer based on our previous synthetic study of IL polymer technology. The DN ion S-gel and DN ion gel achieved compression strengths of 25 and 30 MPa, respectively, and were thermally stable until 196°C and 335°C (10% weight-loss temperature), respectively. The coefficient of friction remained stable and low (0.02) after repeated measurements under harsh conditions (high temperature or vacuum conditions), affirming the durability of the DN ion gel

Rho and Anillin-dependent Control of mDia2 Localization and Function in Cytokinesis

Diaphanous-related formin, mDia, is an actin nucleation/polymerization factor functioning downstream of the small GTPase Rho. We found that, in addition to the Rho GTPase-mediated activation, the interaction between mDia2 and anillin is required for the localization and function of mDia2 in cytokinesis

The role of astrocytes during repair of cerebral infarction in mdx mice

様々な大きさのジストロフィンアイソフォーム(427kDa, 260kDa, 140kDa, 116kDa, 71-75kDa)が広く体内に存在していることはよく知られている.中枢神経系においては71-75kDaのDp71が著明に多く,毛細血管の内皮の基底膜に接しているアストロサイトの細胞質に局在することが報告されている.しかしながらDp71の機能についてはよくわかっていないことが多い.そこで今回,脳組織におけるDp71の役割を調べるために,コントロールマウス(wild-typeマウス)およびデュシャンヌ型筋ジストロフィーモデル動物であるmdxマウスを用いて実験的脳梗塞を作成し,その治癒過程を形態学的に観察した.また,GFAPおよびDp71に関して生化学的に分析をおこなった.HE染色およびGFAP免疫組織学的染色の結果から,形態学的にはmdxマウスとコントロールマウスの脳に違いは認められなかった.しかしながら,mdxマウスの脳において,Dp71の発現量がコントロールマウスよりも少ないことがわかった.またmdxマウスにおいて,脳梗塞の修復過程におけるアストロサイトの反応がコントロールマウスよりも弱いことがわかった.これらの結果から,mdxマウスの脳において,アストロサイトの機能,アストロサイトの血管新生に関わる機能の障害されていることが示唆された.It is now well known that dystrophin isoforms (427kDa, 260kDa, 140kDa, 116kDa, 71-75kDa) are widely distributed throughout our body. In the central nervous system a considerable amount of Dp71 (71-75kDa) is found in the perivascular cytoplasm of the astrocytes. However, the function of this dystrophin is still unknown. To investigate the role of Dp71 in the brain tissue, cerebral infarction was induced in the control (wide-type) mouse and mdx mouse which is known as an animal model of human muscle dystrophy (Duchenne type), and morphological changes of the infarcted area were observed during repair of the infarction. In addition, biochemical analysis of GFAP and Dp71 was carried out in the brain of the control and mdx mouse. In our present study, there were no differences in brain morphology between mdx and control mouse as revealed in H-E stain and GFAP immunohistochemistry. However, the Dp71 were smaller in quantity in the brain of the mdx mouse than that of the control mouse. The reaction of astrocytes during repair of serebral infarction was distinctly delayed in the mdx mouse compared with that of the control mouse. These findings suggest that the astrocytes in the brain of the mdx mouse are functionally impaired including perivascular cytoplasmic processes with relation to neo-vascularization

Candida-induced histamine release from basophils: relationship to house dust- and anti-IgE-induced secretion

Candida albicans-induced histamine release from basophils was studied in 54 patients with bronchial asthma in comparison with the release caused by house dust and anti-IgE. The release of histamine induced by C. albicans and that induced by house dust were closely related to the serum levels of specific IgE antibodies as expressed by RAST scores. A correlation of C. albicans-induced histamine release with the release caused by anti-IgE was not generally observed. On the other hand, a close correlation was found between house dust- and anti-IgE-induced histamine release. It was suggested from these results that the differences between C. albicans- and house dust-induced histamine release might be due to the different antigenicity of the two allergens.</p

A comparison between hospital follow‐up and collaborative follow‐up in patients with acute heart failure

AIMS: There are no previous studies focusing on collaborative follow-ups between hospitals and clinics for patients discharged after acute heart failure (AHF) in Japan. The purpose of this study was to determine the status of collaboration between hospitals and clinics for patients with AHF in Japan and to compare patient characteristics and clinical outcomes using a large Japanese observational database. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 4056 consecutive patients hospitalized for AHF in the Kyoto Congestive Heart Failure registry, we analysed 2862 patients discharged to go home, who were divided into 1674 patients (58.5%) followed up at hospitals with index hospitalization (hospital follow-up group) and 1188 (41.5%) followed up in a collaborative fashion with clinics or other general hospitals (collaborative follow-up group). The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization within 1 year after discharge. Previous hospitalization for HF and length of hospital stay longer than 15 days were associated with hospital follow-up. Conversely, ≥80 years of age, hypertension, and cognitive dysfunction were associated with collaborative follow-up. The cumulative 1-year incidence of the primary outcome, all cause death, and cardiovascular death were similar between the hospital and collaborative follow-up groups (31.6% vs. 29.6%, P = 0.51, 13.1% vs, 13.9%, P = 0.35, 8.4% vs. 8.2%, P = 0.96). Even after adjusting for confounders, the difference in risk for patients in the hospital follow-up group relative to those in the collaborative follow-up group remained insignificant for the primary outcome, all-cause death, and cardiovascular death (HR: 1.11, 95% CI: 0.97-1.27, P = 0.14, HR: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.91-1.33, P = 0.33, HR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.87-1.05, P = 0.33). The cumulative 1-year incidence of HF hospitalization was higher in the hospital follow-up group than in the collaborative follow-up group (25.5% vs. 21.3%, P = 0.02). The risk of HF hospitalization was higher in the hospital follow-up group than in the collaborative follow-up group (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.01-1.39, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: In patients hospitalized for AHF, 41.5% received collaborative follow-up after discharge. The risk of HF hospitalization was higher in the hospital follow-up group than in the collaborative follow-up, although risk of the primary outcome, all-cause death, and cardiovascular death were similar between groups