Electrolyte-carbohydrate beverage prevents water loss in the early stage of high altitude training

To prevent water loss in the early stage of high altitude training, we focused on the effect of electrolyte-carbohydrate beverage (EC). Subjects were 16 male university students who belonged to a ski club. They had ski training at an altitude of 1,800m. The water (WT) group drank only water, and the EC group drank only an electrolytecarbohydrate beverage. They arrived at the training site in the late afternoon. The study started at 7 pm on the day of arrival and continued until noon of the 4th day. In the first 12 hours, 1 L of beverages were given. On the second and third days, 2.5 L of beverages were given. All subjects ate the same meals. Each morning while in fasting condition, subjects were weighed and blood was withdrawn for various parameters (hemoglobin, hematocrit, sodium, potassium and aldosterone). Urine was collected at 12 hour intervals for a total 60 hours (5 times). The urine volume, gravity, sodium and potassium concentrations were measured. Peripheral oxygen saturation and heart rate were measured during sleep with a pulse oximeter. Liquid intakes in both groups were similar, hence the electrolytes intake was higher in the EC group than in the WT group. The total urine volume was lower in the EC group than in the WT group, respectively (p 0.05). Plasma volume decreased in the WT group and increased in the EC group but a significant difference was not observed in the final value. Aldosterone concentration tended to be less in the EC group than in the WT group. Electrolyte-carbohydrate beverage in the early stage of high altitude training may be effective in decreasing urinary output and preventing loss of blood plasma volume

Fabrication of a ring groove on tube-inner surface by ironing from outer surface using displacement control of tube bottom end

This paper presents a improving method in a press forming for transferring convex shapes of an inner plug projection onto the tube-inner surface by applying outer-die ironing from the tube-outer surface. The previous study found that the concave shape was not perfectly formed and some “Non-filled-area” appeared around the upper and lower parts of the plug projection. This study tried to verify the effect of applying the reaction force on the tube-end surface by the finite element analysis (FEA) and experiment. The FEA showed the suitable amount of the reaction force and the optimum timing for reducing the force. The analytical results were verified by the experiment and the “Non-filled-area” was successfully reduced by the proposed method

Prediction models for differentiating benign from malignant liver lesions based on multiparametric dual-energy non-contrast CT

The version of record of this article, first published in European Radiology, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-024-11024-8.Objectives: To create prediction models (PMs) for distinguishing between benign and malignant liver lesions using quantitative data from dual-energy CT (DECT) without contrast agents. Materials and methods: This retrospective study included patients with liver lesions who underwent DECT, including non-contrast-enhanced scans. Benign lesions included hepatic hemangioma, whereas malignant lesions included hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic liver cancer, and intrahepatic cholangiocellular carcinoma. Patients were divided into derivation and validation groups. In the derivation group, two radiologists calculated ten multiparametric data using univariate and multivariate logistic regression to generate PMs. In the validation group, two additional radiologists measured the parameters to assess the diagnostic performance of PMs. Results: The study included 121 consecutive patients (mean age 67.4 ± 13.8 years, 80 males), with 97 in the derivation group (25 benign and 72 malignant) and 24 in the validation group (7 benign and 17 malignant). Oversampling increased the benign lesion sample to 75, equalizing the malignant group for building PMs. All parameters were statistically significant in univariate analysis (all p < 0.05), leading to the creation of five PMs in multivariate analysis. The area under the curve for the five PMs of two observers was as follows: PM1 (slope K, blood) = 0.76, 0.74; PM2 (slope K, fat) = 0.55, 0.51; PM3 (effective-Z difference, blood) = 0.75, 0.72; PM4 (slope K, blood, fat) = 0.82, 0.78; and PM5 (slope K, effective-Z difference, blood) = 0.90, 0.87. PM5 yielded the best diagnostic performance. Conclusion: Multiparametric non-contrast-enhanced DECT is a highly effective method for distinguishing between liver lesions. Clinical relevance statement: The utilization of non-contrast-enhanced DECT is extremely useful for distinguishing between benign and malignant liver lesions. This approach enables physicians to plan better treatment strategies, alleviating concerns associated with contrast allergy, contrast-induced nephropathy, radiation exposure, and excessive medical expenses

動物モデルにおける骨髄間質細胞シートの乱軸型皮弁の延長効果

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow stromal cells can be applied therapeutically to enhance angiogenesis; however, the use of bone marrow stromal cell suspensions reduces efficiency because of low-level attachment. The authors hypothesized that bone marrow stromal cell sheets would facilitate cell fixation, thus enhancing angiogenesis. The authors investigated flap survival area and enhancement of angiogenic factors in a rat random-pattern skin flap model after application of bone marrow stromal cell sheets. METHODS: Bone marrow stromal cell sheets (prepared from 7-week-old rat femurs) were cultured under four different hypoxic conditions. Sheets with the highest angiogenic potential, determined by an in vitro pilot study, were injected into subcutaneous layers of the rat dorsum (bone marrow stromal cell sheet group). A control group (phosphate-buffered saline only) was included. On day 2 after injection, caudally based random-pattern skin flaps (12 × 3 cm) were elevated. On day 7 after elevation, surviving skin flap areas were measured. Skin samples were harvested from each flap and gene expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Skin flap survival area (71.6 ± 2.3 percent versus 51.5 ± 3.3 percent) and levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor were significantly higher in the bone marrow stromal cell sheet group than in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Implantation of bone marrow stromal cell sheets increased the survival area of random-pattern skin flaps. Expression of angiogenic factors may have contributed to the increased flap survival.博士（医学）・甲第658号・平成28年11月24日Copyright © 2015 American Society of Plastic SurgeonsThe definitive version is available at " http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000001679

水中トレッドミルを用いた水中歩行・走行の生理学的応答

The aim of this study was to clarify the physiological characteristics of the underwater treadmill at varied treadmill speeds to compare to the land treadmill with the focus especially on the middle-aged people. Seven healthy middle-aged volunteers and ten regularly trained athletes participated in this study as the subjects. The treadmill speeds were set at six speeds ranging from 2 km・h^ to 12 km・h^. The water depth was around waist-high and water temperature was kept around 29℃ throughout the experiments. VO_2 did not significantly differ between the underwater treadmill trails to the land trails for middle-aged volunteers while regularly trained athletes showed significantly greater VO_2 in water (4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 km・h^). In water, middle-aged volunteers showed VO_2 at their highest treadmill speed was about 93% of the land VO_ and regularly trained athletes\u27 VO_2 was about 86% of the land VO_. Underwater running using the underwater treadmill thus promises to be one of the new types of fitness or training program for both middle-aged people and regularly trained athletes. In water, the relation-ship between HR and % VO_ showed no significant difference from the land treadmill trails both in middle-aged volunteers and regularly trained athletes. Therefore, at waist-high immersion, the effects of hydrostatic force of water may be negligible so the relationship between HR and VO_2 of the land locomotion may be applied to underwater locomotion

Photon-counting CT: technical features and clinical impact on abdominal imaging

The version of record of this article, first published in Abdominal Radiology, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-024-04414-5.Photon-counting CT has a completely different detector mechanism than conventional energy-integrating CT. In the photon-counting detector, X-rays are directly converted into electrons and received as electrical signals. Photon-counting CT provides virtual monochromatic images with a high contrast-to-noise ratio for abdominal CT imaging and may improve the ability to visualize small or low-contrast lesions. In addition, photon-counting CT may offer the possibility of reducing radiation dose. This review provides an overview of the actual clinical operation of photon-counting CT and its diagnostic utility in abdominal imaging. We also describe the clinical implications of photon-counting CT including imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma, liver metastases, hepatic steatosis, pancreatic cancer, intraductal mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas, and thrombus

EFFECTS OF WHOLE-BODY VIBRATION TRAINING ON BONE-FREE LEAN BODY MASS AND MUSCLE STRENGTH IN YOUNG ADULTS

Resistance training with whole-body vibration (WBV) is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to conventional resistance training or as supplementary training. Despite its growing popularity, the specific effects of WBV training on muscle morphology, strength, and endurance are not well understood, particularly in young adults. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of WBV training on bone-free lean body mass (BFLBM), and maximal muscle strength and endurance in healthy, untrained, young individuals. Eighteen healthy men and women (21-39 years) were randomly assigned to either a body-weight exercise with WBV (VT) group or a control exercise group without WBV (CON). Participants performed eight exercises per 40- min session on a vibration platform (VT group, frequency = 30-40 Hz; amplitude = 2 mm) twice weekly for 12 weeks. Anthropometry, total and regional BFLBM (trunks, legs, and arms) measured by dual- energy X-ray absorptiometry, and muscle strength and endurance measured by maximal isometric lumbar extension strength, maximal isokinetic knee extension and flexion strength, and the number of sit- ups performed were recorded and compared. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA revealed no significant changes between the groups in any of the measured variables. We conclude that 12 weeks of body weight vibration exercise compared to body weight exercise alone does not provide meaningful changes to BFLBM or muscle performance in healthy young adults

Sliding-friction-dependent stress at the graphene/LiNbO3 interface around the critical temperature of the stress-free state

The graphene/LiNbO3 structure exists in an interfacial stress-free state at the temperature at which the graphene was transferred onto the LiNbO3 substrate surface. Coupling of a surface acoustic wave with this structure revealed drastic changes in the properties of the propagating elastic wave around the critical temperature of the stress-free state. Three states, namely, tensile stress, stress-free, and compressive stress, were successively observed at the surface of the LiNbO3 substrate as the temperature was increased through the critical point. The interfacial stress increased prior to the occurrence of sliding friction and approached a constant value when the frictional force exceeded the van der Waals interaction between the graphene and LiNbO3. Consequently, the interfacial stress exhibited a step-like temperature dependence around the critical temperature of the stress-free state. The results obtained in this study indicate that the temperature used to prepare graphene layers on a substrate is a crucial parameter owing to the instability of the electrical and mechanical properties of the graphene/substrate in the vicinity of this temperature. Therefore, in the fabrication of graphene-based electronic devices, room temperature should be avoided during the preparation of the graphene layers on the substrate