Lithiation and Delithiation Properties of Si-based Electrodes Pre-coated with a Surface Film Derived from an Ionic-liquid Electrolyte

Ionic-liquid electrolytes can enhance battery performance and safety but are expensive. To reduce the use of ionic-liquid electrolytes, we investigated the charge/discharge properties of Si-based electrodes in an organic-liquid electrolyte, where the electrode surface was pre-coated with a film derived from an ionic-liquid electrolyte. No improvement in the electrode performance was observed compared to that of a nonmodified Si electrode. Once the modified film was broken down, a stable surface film could not be reformed in the organic-liquid electrolyte

Residual mitral regurgitation after repair for posterior leaflet prolapse- Importance of preoperative anterior leaflet tethering

Background Carpentier's techniques for degenerative posterior mitral leaflet prolapse have been established with excellent long‐term results reported. However, residual mitral regurgitation ( MR ) occasionally occurs even after a straightforward repair, though the involved mechanisms are not fully understood. We sought to identify specific preoperative echocardiographic findings associated with residual MR after a posterior mitral leaflet repair. Methods and Results We retrospectively studied 117 consecutive patients who underwent a primary mitral valve repair for isolated posterior mitral leaflet prolapse including a preoperative 3‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography examination. Twelve had residual MR after the initial repair, of whom 7 required a corrective second pump run, 4 underwent conversion to mitral valve replacement, and 1 developed moderate MR within 1 month. Their preoperative parameters were compared with those of 105 patients who had an uneventful mitral valve repair. There were no hospital deaths. Multivariate analysis identified preoperative anterior mitral leaflet tethering angle as a significant predictor for residual MR (odds ratio, 6.82; 95% confidence interval, 1.8–33.8; P =0.0049). Receiver operator characteristics curve analysis revealed a cut‐off value of 24.3° (area under the curve, 0.77), indicating that anterior mitral leaflet angle predicts residual MR . In multivariate regression analysis, smaller anteroposterior mitral annular diameter ( P &lt;0.001) and lower left ventricular ejection fraction ( P =0.002) were significantly associated with higher anterior mitral leaflet angle, whereas left ventricular and left atrial dimension had no significant correlation. Conclusions Anterior mitral leaflet tethering in cases of posterior mitral leaflet prolapse has an adverse impact on early results following mitral valve repair. The findings of preoperative 3‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography are important for consideration of a careful surgical strategy. </jats:sec

A Polyphase and FFT Realization of Modulation Sub-band Adaptive Filter with Minimum Sampling Rate

A sub-band adaptive filter, in which modulation and demodulation are employed, were proposed. The sampling rate can be minimized, while no aliasing occurs. In this paper, a polyphase and FFT realization of this sub-band adaptive filter is proposed. In the polyphase and FFT realization for the transmultiplexer, the sampling rate reduction is the same as the number of the sub-bands. In the proposed method, however, they are different, so the conventional method cannot be applied. In the new realization, the polyphase filters are divided into a tapped delay line and an FFT part so as to be shared by all the sub-bands. Computational complexity is well reduced compared with the direct realization

Field Projection Device of Atomic Bomb Dome by Augmented Reality

We developed a projection device with Head Mounted Display through which visitors to Atomic Bomb Dome can see the 3D image of what the dome used to be before the dropping of the bomb. This wearable device, based on the technology of augmented reality (AR), enables wearers to have a clear understanding of the effect of the bomb by showing the difference before and after the catastrophe, because the 3D image of Hiroshima prefectural products museum is projected exactly where Atomic Bomb Dome is seen in the wearer's field of view. This development was carried out in the wake of our field interview for foreign visitors. Many hoped that they would learn about Hiroshima prefectural products museum and some suggested that we build its life-size replica just beside the dome. Since building it physically is out of the question, we struck on the idea of building it virtually utilizing AR technology. Technically, our device is composed of a Head Mounted Display available on the market and an original application we programed. The difficulty of the development lay in the way of programing and installing the original software because its built-in installer could install only a few official applications for the hardware and therefore it might not execute any other original applications. Even if it could, controlling built-in hardware devices, a camera in this particular case, was not guaranteed. Through trial and error we found a way to install our software and execute it. Controlling the camera was also successful

The relation between subjective symptom and circulation during orthostatic stress using a tilt table

起立負荷時における気分不良の有無と体循環,脳循環との関係について検討することを目的とし,電動チルト台を用いて起立負荷を行った.対象者は20代の自律神経疾患を有さない健常女性12名とし,起立負荷によって気分不良を示さなかった群を正常群とし,示した群を気分不良群とした.電動tilt tableを0°→ 30°→ 45°→ 60°→ 0°と変化させ,各段階を約3分ずつ保持した.その際,平均動脈血圧(MBP),心拍出量,心拍数,1回拍出量,総末梢血管抵抗,腓腹筋内側頭部のTotal Hb,中大脳動脈の平均血流速度(FV)と末梢血管抵抗(PI)を測定し,気分不良尺度を10段階評価でもって記録した.その結果,正常群は起立負荷に伴いFVは低下を示したが,MBP,PIに著変はなく,気分不良群はMBPの上昇に対してPIは減少し,FVはほぼ変化はみられなかった.一般的にめまいなどの気分不良症状は脳血流量の減少により生じるとされていたが,今回の結果では気分不良には脳血流量の増加による脳細動脈へのストレスなどが考えられた.This study aimed at considering the relation between subjective symptoms and the circulation of healthy women during orthostatic stress using a tilt table. From 12 healthy women in there twenties who don't have autonomic nervous disorders, two groups were formed: 1) a normal group which didn't feel ill during orthostatic stress, and 2) a FI group which feel ill during orthostatic stress. An electric tilt table was changed from 0°→30°→45°→60°→0°, and each stage was held for about 3 minutes. Mean artery blood pressure (MBP), cardiac output, heart rate, stroke volume, total peripheral resistance and total hemoglobin at the part of interior gastrocnemius (Total Hb), flow velocity (FV) and peripheral resistance (PI) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) were measured. The scale of poor feeling was also recorded by10 stage evaluations. Consequently, although the normal group showed an FV fall with orthostatic stress,there were no significant changes in MBP and PI. In the FI group, PI decreased but FV didn't show muchchange with the rise of MBP. According to this result, the stress to the arteriola caused not by a fall but anincrease in the cerebral blood flows etc. seems thus to have been the source of the feeling

Exosomal Wnt7a from a low metastatic subclone promotes lung metastasis of a highly metastatic subclone in the murine 4t1 breast cancer

Background Patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) often have poorer prognosis than those with other subtypes because of its aggressive behaviors. Cancer cells are heterogeneous, and only a few highly metastatic subclones metastasize. Although the majority of subclones may not metastasize, they could contribute by releasing factors that increase the capacity of highly metastatic cells and/or provide a favorable tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we analyzed the interclonal communication in TNBC which leads to efficient cancer progression, particularly lung metastasis, using the polyclonal murine 4T1 BC model. Methods We isolated two 4T1 subclones, LM.4T1 and HM.4T1 cells with a low and a high metastatic potential, respectively, and examined the effects of LM.4T1 cells on the behaviors of HM.4T1 cells using the cell scratch assay, sphere-forming assay, sphere invasion assay, RT-qPCR, and western blotting in vitro. We also examined the contribution of LM.4T1 cells to the lung metastasis of HM.4T1 cells and TME in vivo. To identify a critical factor which may be responsible for the effects by LM.4T1 cells, we analyzed the data obtained from the GEO database. Results Co-injection of LM.4T1 cells significantly augmented lung metastases by HM.4T1 cells. LM.4T1-derived exosomes promoted the migration and invasion of HM.4T1 cells in vitro, and blocking the secretion of exosome abrogated their effects on HM.4T1 cells. Analyses of data obtained from the GEO database suggested that Wnt7a might be a critical factor responsible for the enhancing effects. In fact, a higher level of Wnt7a was detected in LM.4T1 cells, especially in exosomes, than in HM.4T1 cells, and deletion of Wnt7a in LM.4T1 cells significantly decreased the lung metastasis of HM.4T1 cells. Further, treatment with Wnt7a increased the spheroid formation by HM.4T1 cells via activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Finally, infiltration of alpha SMA-positive fibroblasts and angiogenesis was more prominent in tumors of LM.4T1 cells and deletion of Wnt7a in LM.4T1 cells markedly reduced angiogenesis. Conclusions We demonstrated, for the first time, that a low metastatic subclone can enhance lung metastasis of highly metastatic subclone via exosomal Wnt7a and propose Wnt7a as a molecular target to treat TNBC patients

The effect of clonus and muscle spasm on cardiovascular responses in patients with quadriplegia

頚髄損傷者にみられるクローヌスや筋痙攣が循環動態に与える影響について検討することを目的とした.対象者はC7レベルでの男性頚髄損傷者2名(症例1:年齢41歳;身長172 cm;体重55kg;罹病年数;10年)とし,損傷レベル以下での感覚機能,運動機能ともに消失していた(ASIA gradeA).5分間の車椅子安静座位の後,対象者の麻痺域末梢部に求心性の刺激を加えクローヌスや筋痙攣を誘発した.その際,収縮期血圧(BP),1回拍出量(SV),心拍出量(CO),全末梢血管抵抗値(TPR),心拍数(HR),腓腹筋部ヘモグロビン量(TotalHb),心拍変動高周波成分(HF),腓腹筋筋電図を記録した.刺激により腓腹筋の収縮が筋電図により確認された.症例1ではBP, HR, CO, TPR,HF が増加したが,SV は安静時の80%まで減少した.症例2ではBP, SV, CO,HFは増加した.さらにHRは刺激を加えた直後に,いったん安静時の150%まで増加した後,安静時の75%まで減少した.TPRは安静時の60%まで減少した後,安静時の150%まで増加した.また,TotalHbは両症例ともに変化しなかった.したがって,クローヌスや筋痙攣の出現とともに循環動態に変化がもたらされ血圧が上昇することが示され,末梢部の求心性刺激によるクローヌスや筋痙攣は脊髄内に異常興奮を生じ,反射性の交感神経活動により心臓や血管に影響を与えたことが考えられた.The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of clonus and muscle spasm on the cardiovascularresponses of patients with cervical cord injury (CCI). Two males with a lesion at C7 volunteered for thisstudy (Case 1: age 44 years; height 172 cm; weight 55 kg; duration of injury 20 years. Case 2: age 31 years;height 171 cm; weight 50 kg; duration of injury 10 years.). The subjects showed no sensory or motor belowthe level of the lesion (ASIA grade A). Following a rest period of 5 minutes in the wheelchair, peripheralafferent stimulation was performed in subjects. Systolic arterial blood pressure (BP), stroke volume (SV),Cardiac output (CO), Total peripheral resistance (TPR), heart rate (HR), total hemoglobin of calf(TotalHb), high frequency of heart rate variability (HF), and electromyogram (EMG) of gastrocnemiuschanges were measured. In result, following the stimulation, contraction of gastrocnemius wererecognized with EMG. In case 1, BP, HR, CO, TPR and HF increased, whereas SV decreased by about80%.0In case 2, BP, SV, CO and HF increased. Immediately after stimulation, HR increased by about 150-0x1.fcfap+0nd then decreased by about 75%.0 TPR decreased by about 60-0x1.4b3a0b6a4aap-149nd then increased by about 150%.0 TotalHbshowed no change in either subject. These results suggested that clonus and muscle spasm inducedcircular reaction and a marked BP. Peripheral afferent stimulation during Clonus and muscle spasm that isinduced by intraspinal hypersthenia decentralized part of the sympathetic nervous system and influencedheart and blood vessels

A case of primary small cell carcinoma of the liver that was treated with chemotherapy

Primary small cell carcinoma (SSC) of the liver is very rare in Japan and only ten cases have been reported worldwide. We report herein the case of a 77-year-old man with primary SCC of the liver. He had a tumor over 10 cm in diameter which was localized in the right lobe of the liver and had invaded the right diaphragm. In laboratory tests, high serum levels of lactate dehydrase and neuron-specific enolase were observed. A biopsy specimen showed that the tumor cells were similar in cytology to a pulmonary SCC. The patient was first treated with carboplatin and etoposide according to the therapy protocol for pulmonary SCC and then with a regimen using etoposid and cisplatinum, resulting in an unfavorable outcome. We discuss the clinical course and therapy of extra-pulmonary SCC and review the literature of the cases previously reported