Phosphodiesterase 3 inhibition and cough in elderly asthmatics

AIMS: Cough is a common symptom of bronchial asthma, a chronic inflammatory airway disease. Recently, the therapeutic effects of selective phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors have been focused on bronchial asthma. This study was designed to investigate the clinical effect of PDE 3 inhibition on cough reflex sensitivity in elderly patients with bronchial asthma. METHODS: Effects of cilostazol, a PDE 3 inhibitor, on cough response to inhaled capsaicin were examined in 11 patients over 70 years with stable asthma in a randomized, placebo-controlled cross over study. Capsaicin cough threshold, defined as the lowest concentration of capsaicin eliciting five or more coughs, was measured as an index of airway cough reflex sensitivity. RESULTS: The cough threshold was significantly (p < 0.05) increased after two-week treatment with cilostazol (100 mg twice a day orally) compared with placebo [48.8 (GSEM 1.4) vs. 29.2 (GSEM 1.3) μM]. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that PDE 3 inhibition may be a novel therapeutic option for elderly patients with asthma, especially for their cough symptoms

In vivoモルモットにおいてα1H受容体拮抗薬でなくα1L受容体拮抗薬はアレルギー性気管支収縮反応を抑制する

取得学位 : 博士（医学）, 学位授与番号 : 医博乙第1574号, 学位授与年月日 : 平成15年3月5日, 学位授与大学 : 金沢大

眼球注視点運動の解析を応用した送用画像の効果的学習方法に関する研究

金沢大学医学部附属病院(目的)胸部画像の読影時における眼球注視点の軌跡を解析し,そのモダリティーによる違いと効果的な読影方法を研究する。(方法)今回はFuji computed radiography(以下FCR)とエネルギー差分法軟部画像(energy subtraction 以下ES)につき比較検討した。それぞれ40例の胸部写真(正常例20例,結節例20例)を13人の読影者が読影した。知覚時間(読影開始から注視点が結節に到達したと考えられるまでの時間)および認識時間(読影者が結節の有無を決定するまでの時間)を測定した。FCRとES両画像でtrue positiveであった場合の停留点軌跡をナック社製アイマークレコーダーを用いて解析し読影者が結節を知覚するまでの軌跡について検討した。(結果)13人全員で知覚時間はFCRよりもESの方が短かった。認識時間は1人をのぞいた12人でFCRよりもESの方が短かった。停留点軌跡では境界明瞭濃度の高い結節では両画像に差はなかったが,境界不明瞭な淡い結節ではESの方が短い傾向にあった.(考察)結節影の検出にはfocal探索とglobal探索が行われていると考えられている。FCRでは骨陰影と結節影との鑑別のためfocal探索の頻度がESに比べ多いと考えられる。このため知覚,認識時間共にESの方が短くなったものと思われた。注視点解析においてもFCRでは肋軟骨の石灰化,肋骨の重なりなどに注視しfocal探索を行いながら結節にたどり着く場合が多く,ESよりも長い軌跡を描くものと思われた。ESで肺野辺縁部の肋骨陰影の残存に長く注視する場合が多く見られ画質不良のES画像はかえって読影時間を長くしfalse positiveの原因となるものと考えられた。(結論)肺野結節影の検出においてFCRよりもESの方が知覚,認識時間ともに短く有効であった。境界不明瞭な淡い結節ではESの方がより短い停留点軌跡での指摘が可能であった。ESを用いた肺野結節影の検出には画質を考慮しての読影が必要と思われた。研究課題/領域番号:07770727, 研究期間(年度):1995出典：研究課題「眼球注視点運動の解析を応用した送用画像の効果的学習方法に関する研究」課題番号07770727（KAKEN：科学研究費助成事業データベース（国立情報学研究所）） （https://kaken.nii.ac.jp/ja/grant/KAKENHI-PROJECT-07770727/）を加工して作

Transmission electron microscopy observation of the half-Heusler compound Ti0.5(Zr0.5Hf0.5)0.5NiSn0.998Sb0.002

The high-performance thermoelectric compound Ti0.5(Zr0.5Hf0.5)0.5NiSn0.998Sb0.002 with half-Heusler lattice was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Each half-Heusler peak in the XRD pattern was accompanied by a bump at the high-angle side. Granular domains, a few nanometers in size, were observed in a bright-field TEM image. Fourier transformation and inverse Fourier transformation of the high-resolution TEM image revealed that the granular structure consists of half-Heusler domains with ordering and with disordering between second nearest neighbor atoms

肺野結節影に対する胸部X線写真の診断能に関する基礎的および臨床的研究: フィルム/スクリーン法,Computed radiography,X線エネルギー差分法軟部画像での比較

取得学位 : 博士（医学）, 学位授与番号 : 医博甲第1019号,学位授与年月日：平成4年3月25日,学位授与年：199

Low sulfur isotopic signatures (δ^<34>S) of macrozoobenthos from a brackish lagoon: contribution of microbially reduced sulfides

Stable sulfur isotope ratios (δ^S) of infaunal bivalves (Macoma contabulata, Nuttallia olivacea, and Ruditapes philippinarum) and polychaetes (Hediste spp.; consisted of H. atoka and H. diadroma) collected from two stations in the Gamo Lagoon (Japan) were determined to assess trophic pathways in highly reductive, estuarine soft-bottom habitats. The stations were characterized by distinctive sediment characteristics (Station A, sandy sediment with low sulfide content; Station B, muddy and sulfide-rich sediment). Soft tissues of the consumers exhibited much more depleted δ^S values (+3.2 to +12.1‰) than those of dissolved sulfate in the water column (+20.6 to +20.8‰). The value for each species was 1.6 to 5.3‰ lower at Station B than at Station A. These results suggest the assimilation of sulfides in the sediment (δ^S; -23.2 to -22.7‰) via microbial trophic pathways. In this lagoon, benthic microalgae and/or other microbes in the sediment are the most probable ^S-depleted food source for the consumers. Interspecies variations in δ^S values are explained by the different dietary contribution of the ^S-depleted diets versus ^S-enriched phytoplankton and are closely related to different feeding habits (i.e., surface-deposit feeding, facultative suspension feeding, and obligatory suspension feeding).論文Articl

Prostaglandin I2 enhances cough reflex sensitivity to capsaicin in the asthmatic airway

金沢大学大学院医学系研究科機能再生学Inflammatory mediators are involved in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation, but the role of prostaglandin I2 (PGI2) remains obscure. This study was designed to investigate the role of PGI2 in cough reflex sensitivity of the asthmatic airway, which is characterized by chronic eosinophilic airway inflammation. The effect of beraprost, a chemically and biologically stable analogue of PGI2, on cough response to inhaled capsaicin was examined in 21 patients with stable asthma in a randomized, placebo-controlled cross over study. Capsaicin cough threshold, defined as the lowest concentration of capsaicin eliciting five or more coughs, was measured as an index of airway cough reflex sensitivity. The cough threshold was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased after two weeks of treatment with beraprost [17.8 (GSEM 1.20) μM] compared with placebo [30.3 (GSEM 1.21) μM]. PGI2 increases cough reflex sensitivity of the asthmatic airway, suggesting that inhibition of PGI2 may be a novel therapeutic option for patients with asthma, especially cough predominant asthma