TIME ANALYSIS OF SONKYO MOTION IN PROFESSIONAL SUMO-WRESTLERS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the spend time for sonkyo motion in professional sumo-wrestlers. The sumo tournament which held in September 2007 was videotaped. And using this film, the motion time was measured. Moreover 5 motion phases were defined in matches respectively. Results indicated that Yokoduna (the highest ranker) showed the longest motion time in these wrestlers. It is generous that slow speed motion indicates having room to breathe. This may suggest that Yokoduna has the dignity as the highest in rank. Therefore Yokoduna showed this result. However there is no evidence to clarify that thing. It is necessarily to correct more data of motion time in order to clarify the relationship between motion time and rank in further study

Creation and use of a composite polyurethane-expanded polytetrafluoroethylene graft for hemodialysis access.

The Thoratec (Vectra) polyurethane vascular access graft (TPVA) is among the most recent additions to the list of materials used to construct prosthetic grafts for vascular access during hemodialysis. We give the TPVA very high marks, and recognize the utility of such a graft for use in hemodialysis. However, the strong elasticity of this graft can lead to unexpected complications after suturing. We devised a new surgical method using a TPVA-ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene) composite graft, substituting the anastomosis section of the TPVA with a portion of ePTFE graft material, and have been able to overcome most of the TPVA's potential problems. We herein describe the technique.</p

A double-blind comparative study of the safety and efficacy of caspofungin versus micafungin in the treatment of candidiasis and aspergillosis

The safety and efficacy profile of caspofungin and micafungin in Japanese patients with fungal infections were directly compared in this prospective, randomized, double-blind study. The proportion of patients who developed significant drug-related adverse event(s) (defined as a serious drug-related adverse event or a drug-related adverse event leading to study therapy discontinuation) was compared in 120 patients [caspofungin 50 mg, or 50 mg following a 70-mg loading dose on Day 1 (hereinafter, 70/50 mg) group: 60 patients; micafungin 150 mg: 60 patients]. The overall response rate was primarily evaluated in the per-protocol set (PPS) population. The proportion of patients who developed significant drug-related adverse events was 5.0 % (3/60) in the caspofungin group and 10.0 % (6/60) in the micafungin group [95 % confidence interval (CI) for the difference: -15.9 %, 5.2 %]. The favorable overall response in the PPS population for patients with esophageal candidiasis, invasive candidiasis, and chronic pulmonary aspergillosis including aspergilloma was 100.0 % (6/6), 100.0 % (3/3), and 46.7 % (14/30) in the caspofungin group, and 83.3 % (5/6), 100.0 % (1/1), and 42.4 % (14/33) in the micafungin group, respectively. In Japanese patients with Candida or Aspergillus infections, there was no statistical difference in the safety between caspofungin and micafungin. Consistent with other data on these two agents, the efficacy of caspofungin and micafungin was similar

Nup358, a nucleoporin, functions as a key determinant of the nuclear pore complex structure remodeling during skeletal myogenesis

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the only gateway for molecular trafficking across the nuclear envelope. The NPC is not merely a static nuclear-cytoplasmic transport gate; the functional analysis of nucleoporins has revealed dynamic features of the NPC in various cellular functions, such as mitotic spindle formation and protein modification. However, it is not known whether the NPC undergoes dynamic changes during biological processes such as cell differentiation. In the present study, we evaluate changes in the expression levels of several nucleoporins and show that the amount of Nup358/RanBP2 within individual NPCs increases during muscle differentiation in C2C12 cells. Using atomic force microscopy, we demonstrate structural differences between the cytoplasmic surfaces of myoblast and myotube NPCs and a correlation between the copy number of Nup358 and the NPC structure. Furthermore, small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of Nup358 in myoblasts suppresses myotube formation without affecting cell viability, suggesting that NUP358 plays a role in myogenesis. These findings indicate that the NPC undergoes dynamic remodeling during muscle cell differentiation and that Nup358 is prominently involved in the remodeling process

A 21-Day of Adjunctive Corticosteroid Use May Not Be Necessary for HIV-1-Infected Pneumocystis Pneumonia with Moderate and Severe Disease.

The current guidelines recommend 21-day adjunctive corticosteroid therapy for HIV-1-infected pneumocystis pneumonia patients (HIV-PCP) with moderate-to-severe disease. Whether shorter adjunctive corticosteroid therapy is feasible in such patients is unknown.We conducted a retrospective study to elucidate the proportion of patients with moderate and severe HIV-PCP who required adjunctive corticosteroid therapy for 21 days. The enrollment criteria included HIV-PCP that fulfilled the current criteria for 21-day corticosteroid therapy; PaO2 on room air of <70mmHg or A-aDO2 ≥35 mmHg.The median duration of corticosteroid therapy in the 73 study patients was 13 days (IQR 9-21). Adjunctive corticosteroid therapy was effective and discontinued within 10 and 14 days in 30% and 60% of the patients, respectively. Only 9% of the patients with moderate HIV-PCP (n = 22, A-aDO2 35-45 mmHg) received steroids for >14 days, whereas 35% of the patients with severe HIV-PCP (n = 51, A-aDO2 ≥45 mmHg) required corticosteroid therapy for ≥21 days. Four (13%) of the severe cases died, whereas no patient with moderate disease died. Among patients with severe HIV-PCP, discontinuation of corticosteroid therapy within 14 days correlated significantly with higher baseline CD4 (p = 0.049).Shorter adjunctive corticosteroid therapy was clinically effective and adjunctive corticosteroid could be discontinued within 14 days in 60% of moderate-to-severe HIV-PCP and 90% of moderate cases