A New Endoscopic Technique for Examination of Esophageal Stenosis: The Funnel-shaped Transparent Cap Technique

We have devised a funnel-shaped transparent cap for the endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of stenosis in the digestive tract. This funnel-shaped cap is made of highly transparent methacrylic resin. A 73-year-old woman with reflux esophagitis (categorized as grade D by the Los Angeles Classification) visited our hospital with the chief complaint of dysphagia. She was examined using an endoscope equipped with a transparent vinyl chloride hood at its tip. Many pieces of food were found to be trapped in the esophagus. These were removed using tripod forceps or aspirated into the hood. The internal diameter of the stenotic segment was as small as 1 or 2 mm, and it was difficult to advance the endoscope past the stenosis. The endoscope was withdrawn, and the attached hood was removed and replaced with a transparent cap. This provided clear visualization of the mucosal surface of the stenotic segment, which could not be examined using any conventional device, permitting the stenosis to be relieved

Color Changes in Electronic Endoscopic Images Caused by Image Compression

In recent years, recording of color still images into magneto–optical video disks has been increasingly used as a method for recording electronic endoscopic images. In this case, image compression is often used to reduce the volume and cost of recording media and also to minimize the time required for image recording and playback. With this in mind, we recorded 8 images into a magneto-optical video disk in 4 image compression modes (no compression, weak compression, moderate compression, and strong compression) using the Joint Photographic Image Coding Experts Group (JPEG) system, which is a widely used and representative method for compressing color still images, in order to determine the relationship between the degree of image compression and the color information in electronic endoscopic images. The acquired images were transferred to an image processor using an offline system. A total of 10 regions of interest (ROls) were selected, and red (R), green (G), and blue (B) images were obtained using different compression modes. From histograms generated for these images, mean densities of R, G, and B in each ROI were measured and analyzed. The results revealed that color changes were greater for B, which had the lowest density, than for R or G as the degree of compression was increased

SHG microscopic observations of polar state in Li-doped KTaO3 under electric field

Incipient ferroelectric KTaO3 with off-center Li impurity of the critical concentration of 2.8 mol% was investigated in order to clarify the dipole glass state under electric field. Using optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscope, we observed a marked history dependence of SHG intensity through zero-field cooling (ZFC), zero-field heating (ZFH), field heating after ZFC (FH/ZFC) and FH after field cooling (FH/FC). These show different paths with respect to temperature: In the ZFC/ZFH process, weak SHG was observed at low temperature, while in the FH/ZFC process, relatively high SHG appears in a limited temperature range below TF depending on the field strength, and in the FC and FH/FC processes, the SHG exhibits ferroelectric-like temperature dependence: it appears at the freezing temperature of 50K, increases with decreasing temperature and has a tendency of saturation. These experimental results strongly suggest that dipole glass state or polar nano-clusters which gradually freezes with decreasing temperature is transformed into semi-macroscopic polar state under the electric field. However at sufficiently low temperature, the freezing is so strong that the electric field cannot enlarge the polar clusters. These experimental results show that the polar nano-cluster model similar to relaxors would be more relevant in KTaO3 doped with the critical concentration of Li. Further experiments on the anisotropy of SHG determine that the average symmetry of the field-induced polar phase is tetragonal 4mm or 4, which is also confirmed by the X-ray diffraction measurement.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

Magnified Examination of Small Colorectal Polyps Using a Prototype Electronic Endoscope

Magnifying electronic endoscopes are frequently used to evaluate the pit patterns of the colorectal mucosa, but such endoscopes suffer from a number of problems. For example, they tend to have long, hard tips and heavy controller sections. In addition, the magnified endoscopic images obtained are often quite coarse due to the small number of pixels in the charge-coupled device (CCD). As a result, at higher magnification ratios, the orientation of the field of view is easily lost. A newly developed prototype colorectal electronic endoscope (Toshiba Corporation, Tokyo) overcomes these problems. The length of the hard tip of the scope and the weight of the controller section are comparable to those of the TCE-3680MH (Toshiba Corporation). High-resolution magnified images can be obtained, because a 410,000-pixel CCD is employed. Two magnification methods are available, optical magnification and electronic zooming, permitting images to be magnified by a factor of up to 90–120 without losing the orientation of the field of view. This newly developed magnifying electronic endoscope was found to be very useful, allowing us to observe the pit patterns of the colorectal mucosa in 82 small colorectal polyps measuring 7 mm or less in diameter

A Woods-Saxon Optical-Model Description of 14N Elastic and Inelastic Scattering from 27Al and 28Si

開始ページ、終了ページ: 冊子体のページ付

Two Prp19-Like U-Box Proteins in the MOS4-Associated Complex Play Redundant Roles in Plant Innate Immunity

Plant Resistance (R) proteins play an integral role in defense against pathogen infection. A unique gain-of-function mutation in the R gene SNC1, snc1, results in constitutive activation of plant immune pathways and enhanced resistance against pathogen infection. We previously found that mutations in MOS4 suppress the autoimmune phenotypes of snc1, and that MOS4 is part of a nuclear complex called the MOS4-Associated Complex (MAC) along with the transcription factor AtCDC5 and the WD-40 protein PRL1. Here we report the immuno-affinity purification of the MAC using HA-tagged MOS4 followed by protein sequence analysis by mass spectrometry. A total of 24 MAC proteins were identified, 19 of which have predicted roles in RNA processing based on their homology to proteins in the Prp19-Complex, an evolutionarily conserved spliceosome-associated complex containing homologs of MOS4, AtCDC5, and PRL1. Among these were two highly similar U-box proteins with homology to the yeast and human E3 ubiquitin ligase Prp19, which we named MAC3A and MAC3B. MAC3B was recently shown to exhibit E3 ligase activity in vitro. Through reverse genetics analysis we show that MAC3A and MAC3B are functionally redundant and are required for basal and R protein–mediated resistance in Arabidopsis. Like mos4-1 and Atcdc5-1, mac3a mac3b suppresses snc1-mediated autoimmunity. MAC3 localizes to the nucleus and interacts with AtCDC5 in planta. Our results suggest that MAC3A and MAC3B are members of the MAC that function redundantly in the regulation of plant innate immunity

Experimental study of pedestrian flow through a bottleneck

In this work the results of a bottleneck experiment with pedestrians are presented in the form of total times, fluxes, specific fluxes, and time gaps. A main aim was to find the dependence of these values from the bottleneck width. The results show a linear decline of the specific flux with increasing width as long as only one person at a time can pass, and a constant value for larger bottleneck widths. Differences between small (one person at a time) and wide bottlenecks (two persons at a time) were also found in the distribution of time gaps.Comment: accepted for publication in J. Stat. Mec

A Natural Framework for Solar and 17 keV Neutrinos

Motivated by recent experimental claims for the existence of a 17 keV neutrino and by the solar neutrino problem, we construct a class of models which contain in their low-energy spectrum a single light sterile neutrino and one or more Nambu-Goldstone bosons. In these models the required pattern of breaking of lepton-number symmetry takes place near the electroweak scale and all mass heirarchies are technically natural. The models are compatible with all cosmological and astrophysical constraints, and can solve the solar neutrino problem via either the MSW effect or vacuum oscillations. The deficit in atmospheric muon neutrinos seen in the Kamiokande and IMB detectors can also be explained in these models.Comment: 23 page

Complement in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis: functional screening and quantitative analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The complement system is vital for innate immunity and is implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases and the mechanism of host defense. Complement deficiencies occasionally cause life-threatening diseases. In hemodialysis (HD) patients, profiles on complement functional activity and deficiency are still obscure. The objectives of the present study were to measure the functional complement activities of the classical pathway (CP), lectin pathway (LP) and alternative pathway (AP) using a novel method and consequently to elucidate the rates of deficiencies among HD patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the present study, 244 HD patients at one dialysis center and 204 healthy controls were enrolled. Functional complement activities were measured simultaneously using the Wielisa^®-kit. The combination of the results of these three pathway activities allows us to speculate which candidate complement is deficient; subsequently, the deficient complement was determined.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All three functional complement activities were significantly higher in the HD patients than in the control group (P < 0.01 for all cases). After identifying candidates in both groups with complement deficiencies using the Wielisa^®-kit, 16 sera (8.8%) with mannose-binding lectin (MBL) deficiency, 1 serum (0.4%) with C4 deficiency, 1 serum (0.4%) with C9 deficiency, and 1 serum (0.4%) with B deficiency were observed in the HD group, and 18 sera (8.8%) with MBL deficiency and 1 serum (0.5%) with B deficiency were observed in the control group. There were no significant differences in the 5-year mortality rate between each complement-deficient group and the complement-sufficient group among the HD patients.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first report that profiles complement deficiencies by simultaneous measurement of functional activities of the three complement pathways in HD patients. Hemodialysis patients frequently suffer from infections or malignancies, but functional complement deficiencies do not confer additional risk of mortality.</p