Two cases of pulmonary dirofilariasis

Pulmonary dirofilariasis is almost always asymptomatic. An abnormal nodule was accidentally discovered by a chest x-ray during a medical checkup and detailed examination for other diseases was performed. Case １. A female patient, in her ７０s, was admitted owing to flu-like symptoms and bloody sputum. A chest computed tomography（CT）scan revealed a nodular shadow with １０‐mm ground glass opacity in the right lower lobe. Case２. A female patient, in her ６０s, was admitted due to an abnormal shadow on a chest xray in the left lung during a regular medical checkup. A chest CT scan revealed a nodular shadow with １３‐mm ground glass opacity in the left upper lobe. Lung cancer was suspected in both cases. Thoracoscopy and partial lung resection were performed to confirm the diagnosis. The specimen consisted of granulation tissue and no malignancy was found at operation. Final pathological diagnosis revealed pulmonary dirofilariasis. Pulmonary dirofilariasis can be definitively diagnosed by detecting a worm body. We believe partial lung resection during video-assisted thoracic surgery is a minimally invasive and an effective treatment for this disease

Near Infrared Imaging Survey of Bok Globules: Density Structure

On the basis of near-infrared imaging observations, we derived visual extinction (Av) distribution toward ten Bok globules through measurements of both the color excess (E_{H-K}) and the stellar density at J, H, and Ks (star count). Radial column density profiles for each globule were analyzed with the Bonnor-Ebert sphere model. Using the data of our ten globules and four globules in the literature, we investigated the stability of globules on the basis of xi_max, which characterizes the Bonnor-Ebert sphere as well as the stability of the equilibrium state against the gravitational collapse. We found that more than half of starless globules are located near the critical state (xi_max = 6.5 +/- 2). Thus, we suggest that a nearly critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere characterizes the typical density structure of starless globules. Remaining starless globules show clearly unstable states (xi_max > 10). Since unstable equilibrium states are not long maintained, we expect that these globules are on the way to gravitational collapse or that they are stabilized by non-thermal support. It was also found that all the star-forming globules show unstable solutions of xi_max >10, which is consistent with the fact that they have started gravitational collapse. We investigated the evolution of a collapsing gas sphere whose initial condition is a nearly critical Bonnor-Ebert sphere. We found that the column density profiles of the collapsing sphere mimic those of the static Bonnor-Ebert spheres in unstable equilibrium. The collapsing gas sphere resembles marginally unstable Bonnor-Ebert spheres for a long time. We found that the frequency distribution of xi_max for the observed starless globules is consistent with that from model calculations of the collapsing sphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal. 39 pages in preprint format, including 10 figures. The version with higher resolution figures can be obtained at the following site (http://alma.mtk.nao.ac.jp/~kandori/preprint/

Cell Wall Trapping of Autocrine Peptides for Human G-Protein-Coupled Receptors on the Yeast Cell Surface

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate a wide variety of physiological processes and are important pharmaceutical targets for drug discovery. Here, we describe a unique concept based on yeast cell-surface display technology to selectively track eligible peptides with agonistic activity for human GPCRs (Cell Wall Trapping of Autocrine Peptides (CWTrAP) strategy). In our strategy, individual recombinant yeast cells are able to report autocrine-positive activity for human GPCRs by expressing a candidate peptide fused to an anchoring motif. Following expression and activation, yeast cells trap autocrine peptides onto their cell walls. Because captured peptides are incapable of diffusion, they have no impact on surrounding yeast cells that express the target human GPCR and non-signaling peptides. Therefore, individual yeast cells can assemble the autonomous signaling complex and allow single-cell screening of a yeast population. Our strategy may be applied to identify eligible peptides with agonistic activity for target human GPCRs

Correlations of post-implant regional dosimetric parameters at 24 hours and one month, with clinical results of low-dose-rate brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer

Purpose : To evaluate the correlations of post-implant regional dosimetrics at 24 hours (24 h) and 1 month after implant procedures, with clinical outcomes of low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer. Material and methods : Between January 2008 and December 2014, 130 consecutive patients treated for localized prostate cancer, receiving definitive iodine-125 ( 125 I) brachytherapy treatment were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent post-implant CT imaging for dosimetric analysis at 24 h and 1 month after implantation procedure. Prostate contours were divided into quadrants: anterior-superior (ASQ), posterior-superior (PSQ), anterior-inferior (AIQ), and posterior-inferior (PIQ). Predictive factors and cut-off values of biochemical failure-free survival (BFFS) and toxicities of LDR brachytherapy were analyzed. Results : The median follow-up time was 69.5 months. Seven patients (5.4%) had biochemical failure. The 3-year and 5-year BFFS rates were 96.7% and 93.1%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, prostate-specific antigen and Gleason score were significant prognostic factors for biochemical failure. D 90 (the minimal dose received by 90% of the volume) of PSQ and PIQ at 24 h, and D 90 of PSQ at 1 month were also significant factors. The cut-off values of PSQ D 90 were 145 Gy at 24 h and 160 Gy at 1 month. D 90 of the whole prostate was not significant at 24 h and at 1 month. D 90 of PSQ at 1 month was a significant factor for rectal hemorrhage. Conclusions : Post-implant D 90 of PSQ is significantly associated with BFFS for localized prostate cancer not only at 1 month, but also at 24 hours. D 90 of PSQ at 1 month is also a significant factor for rectal hemorrhage

Structure, optical, and electrical properties of layered oxychalcogenide Sr2ZnCu2(S1−x Se x )2O2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) compounds

Layered oxychalcogenide Sr _2 ZnCu _2 (S _1- _x Se _x ) _2 O _2 compounds were synthesized via a solid-state reaction. Density functional theory calculations indicate different valence band maximum, Sr _2 ZnCu _2 Se _2 O _2 was composed of Cu 3 d –Se 4 p , while Sr _2 ZnCu _2 S _2 O _2 was dominated by the Zn 3 d –O 2 p hybrid orbital. Band gap was decreased as the Se-containing is increasing, from 2.5 eV to 2.2 eV. In contrast, electrical conductivity of the Se-substituted samples considerably increased from 10 ^−3 S cm ^−1 at x = 0 to 10 ^−1 S cm ^−1 at x = 0.25, and was almost the same at x = 1. Based on this feature, Sr _2 ZnCu _2 (S _1- _x Se _x ) _2 O _2 can be applied as a transparent conductor material