Preventive Effects of Salacia reticulata on Obesity and Metabolic Disorders in TSOD Mice

The extracts of Salacia reticulata (Salacia extract), a plant that has been used for the treatment of early diabetes, rheumatism and gonorrhea in Ayurveda, have been shown to have an anti-obesity effect and suppress hyperglycemia. In this study, the effects of Salacia extract on various symptoms of metabolic disorder were investigated and compared using these TSOD mice and non-obese TSNO mice. Body weight, food intake, plasma biochemistry, visceral and subcutaneous fat (X-ray and CT), glucose tolerance, blood pressure and pain tolerance were measured, and histopathological examination of the liver was carried out. A significant dose-dependent decline in the gain in body weight, accumulation of visceral and subcutaneous fat and an improvement of abnormal glucose tolerance, hypertension and peripheral neuropathy were noticed in TSOD mice. In addition, hepatocellular swelling, fatty degeneration of hepatocytes, inflammatory cell infiltration and single-cell necrosis were observed on histopathological examination of the liver in TSOD mice. Salacia extract markedly improved these symptoms upon treatment. Based on the above results, it is concluded that Salacia extract has remarkable potential to prevent obesity and associated metabolic disorders including the development of metabolic syndrome

Microscopic Aspects of Multipole Properties of Filled Skutterudites

We discuss low-temperature multipole states of Nd-based filled skutterudites by analyzing a multiorbital Anderson model with the use of a numerical renormalization group method. In order to determine the multipole state, we take a procedure to maximize the multipole susceptibility matrix. Then, it is found that the dominant multipole state is characterized by the mixture of 4u magnetic and 5u octupole moments. The secondary state is specified by 2u octupole. When we further take into account the coupling between $f$ electrons in degenerate $\Gamma_{67}^{-}$ ($e_{\rm u}$) orbitals and dynamical Jahn-Teller phonons with $E_{\rm g}$ symmetry, quadrupole fluctuations become significant at low temperatures in the mixed multipole state with 4u magnetic and 5u octupole moments. Finally, we briefly discuss possible relevance of the present results to actual Nd-based filled skutterudite compounds.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Magnetism (ICM2006

Pulmonary blood flow evaluation using a dynamic flat-panel detector: Feasibility study with pulmonary diseases

金沢大学医薬保健研究域保健学系Purpose: Pulmonary ventilation and circulation dynamics are reflected on fluoroscopic images as changes in X-ray translucency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of non-contrast functional imaging using a dynamic flat-panel detector (FPD). Methods: Dynamic chest radiographs of 20 subjects (abnormal, n = 12; normal, n = 8) were obtained using the FPD system. Image analysis was performed to get qualitative perfusion mapping image; first, focal pixel value was defined. Second, lung area was determined and pulmonary hilar areas were eliminated. Third, one cardiac cycle was determined in each of the cases. Finally, total changes in pixel values during one cardiac cycle were calculated and their distributions were visualized with mapping on the original image. They were compared with the findings of lung perfusion scintigraphy. Results: In all normal controls, the total changes in pixel value in one cardiac cycle decreased from the hilar region to the peripheral region of the lung with left-right symmetric distribution. In contrast, in many abnormal cases, pulmonary blood flow disorder was indicated as a reduction of changes in pixel values on a mapping image. The findings of mapping image coincided with those of lung perfusion scintigraphy. Conclusions: Dynamic chest radiography using an FPD system with computer analysis is expected to be a new type of functional imaging, which provides pulmonary blood flow distribution additionally. © CARS 2009

Development of pulmonary blood flow evaluation method with a dynamic flat-panel detector: quantitative correlation analysis with findings on perfusion scan

金沢大学医薬保健研究域保健学系Pulmonary blood flow is reflected in dynamic chest radiographs as changes in X-ray translucency, i.e., pixel values. Thus, decreased blood flow should be observed as a reduction of the variation of X-ray translucency. We performed the present study to investigate the feasibility of pulmonary blood flow evaluation with a dynamic flat-panel detector (FPD). Sequential chest radiographs of 14 subjects were obtained with a dynamic FPD system. The changes in pixel value in each local area were measured and mapped on the original image by use of a gray scale in which small and large changes were shown in white and black, respectively. The resulting images were compared to the findings in perfusion scans. The cross-correlation coefficients of the changes in pixel value and radioactivity counts in each local area were also computed. In all patients, pulmonary blood flow disorder was indicated as a reduction of changes in pixel values on the mapping image, and a correlation was observed between the distribution of changes in pixel value and those in radioactivity counts (0.7 ≤ r, 3 cases; 0.4 ≤ r < 0.7, 7 cases; 0.2 ≤ r < 0.4, 4 cases). The results indicated that the distribution of changes in pixel value could provide a relative measure related to pulmonary blood flow. The present method is potentially useful for evaluating pulmonary blood flow as an additional examination in conventional chest radiography. © 2009 Japanese Society of Radiological Technology and Japan Society of Medical Physics

バム強震観測点周辺の建築物被害

The post-earthquake investigations of the Bam, Iran earthquake of Dec. 26, 2003 were conducted by the Joint Reconnaissance Team of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Japan Association for Earthquake Engineering (JAEE), the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) and the Japan Society for Civil Engineers (JSCE) in collaboration with the International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (IIEES) from Feb. 23 2004 to Mar. 4 2004. This paper reports the results of a damage evaluation of buildings around the Bam Seismological Observatory operated by the Building and Housing Research Center (BHRC). The results show that many residential houses in the investigated area were seismically vulnerable structures such as adobe and simple masonry structures. Poor construction quality was also found in some of the investigated buildings designed according to the current Iranian seismic code. Moreover, a good correlation between wall area ratio and damage levels was observed. Therefore, wall area ratio may be applicable for evaluating seismic capacity and screening retrofit candidates

Indian Monsoonal Variations During the Past 80 Kyr Recorded in NGHP-02 Hole 19B, Western Bay of Bengal: Implications From Chemical and Mineral Properties

金沢大学理工研究域地球社会基盤学系Detailed reconstruction of Indian summer monsoons is necessary to better understand the late Quaternary climate history of the Bay of Bengal and Indian peninsula. We established a chronostratigraphy for a sediment core from Hole 19B in the western Bay of Bengal, extending to approximately 80 kyr BP and examined major and trace element compositions and clay mineral components of the sediments. Higher δ 18 O values, lower TiO 2 contents, and weaker weathering in the sediment source area during marine isotope stages (MIS) 2 and 4 compared to MIS 1, 3, and 5 are explained by increased Indian summer monsoonal precipitation and river discharge around the western Bay of Bengal. Clay mineral and chemical components indicate a felsic sediment source, suggesting the Precambrian gneissic complex of the eastern Indian peninsula as the dominant sediment source at this site since 80 kyr. Trace element ratios (Cr/Th, Th/Sc, Th/Co, La/Cr, and Eu/Eu*) indicate increased sediment contributions from mafic rocks during MIS 2 and 4. We interpret these results as reflecting the changing influences of the eastern and western branches of the Indian summer monsoon and a greater decrease in rainfall in the eastern and northeastern parts of the Indian peninsula than in the western part during MIS 2 and 4. © 2018. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved

Overlap of Physical, Cognitive, and Social Frailty Affects Ikigai in Community-Dwelling Japanese Older Adults

This study aimed to investigate whether the overlap of physical, cognitive, and social frailty affects Ikigai in community-dwelling Japanese older adults. Participants were 116 community-dwelling older adult Japanese men and women. Associations of physical, cognitive, and social frailty with falls, daily living assessment, and Ikigai were analyzed by group comparisons and multivariate analyses. Physical, cognitive, and social frailty were associated with the risk of falls and Ikigai. An increase in the number of frailty category overlaps was associated with an increased risk of falls and decrease in Ikigai. Multivariate analyses adjusted for confounding factors showed that physical and cognitive frailty were related to Ikigai. In conclusion Two or more overlapping numbers of physical, cognitive, and social frailty had adverse effects on Ikigai in community-dwelling Japanese older adults