The Units of IgM, IgA and IgG Rheumatoid Factors by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay in Human Sera

The measurement of Rheumatoid Factor (RF) has been a valuable tool in diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) for many years. Since Waaler's discovery of the RF, many studies have been carried out. In the recent years studies have been shown that there is no such correlation between the level of the RF titers and disease activity. In this report we have measured the IgM-RF, IgA-RF and IgG-RF by an Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for 144 normal human sera and 50 patients sera. At the same time we have measured the titers of gelatin particle agglutination (RAPA) and the Latex agglutination (RA-test). The value of IgG-RF have been most correlated to the titers of RAPA (r=0.9037). Using this ELISA technic to detect IgM-, IgA- and IgG-RF, have been aviable more clearly the activity and the stage of Rheumatoid disease

Basic Study of Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging at 1.5T

With the aim of sequence optimization in susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI), 2 image acquisition parameters (slice thickness and matrix size) and 2 image processing conditions (number of slices per minimum intensity projection (MIP) and Sliding Window) were investigated using a 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. The subjects were 12 healthy volunteers and the target region for scanning was the whole brain. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects. First, susceptibility-weighted images were acquired with various slice thicknesses from 1mm to 5mm and various matrix sizes from 256x256 to 512x512, and the images were assessed in terms of the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and were also visually evaluated by three radiologists. Then, the number of slices per MIP and the usefulness of the Sliding Window were investigated. In the study of the optimal slice thickness and matrix size, the results of visual evaluation suggested that a slice thickness of 3mm and a matrix size of 448x448 are optimal, while the results of evaluation based on CNR were not significant. As regards the image processing conditions, the results suggested that the number of slices per MIP should be set to a minimum value of 2 and that the use of Sliding Window is effective. The present study provides useful reference data for optimizing SWI sequences.</p

Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Bone Marrow Enhance Neovascularization and Stromal Cell Proliferation in Rat Ischemic Limb in the Early Phase after plantation

Accumulating evidence from animal studies shows that the administration of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from adult bone marrow ameliorates tissue damage after ischemic injury. In the present study we investigated the efficacy of MSC implantation into a hindlimb ischemia model over a short-term period to elucidate the effects conferred within the early phase after treatment. MSCs from rats expressing green fluorescence protein (GFP) were injected into rat ischemic limbs. Laser Doppler perfusion imaging revealed significantly higher blood perfusion recovery in the MSC group than in the control group on days 3 and 7 after the treatment. The capillary / muscle fiber ratio in ischemic muscle was also significantly higher in the MSC group than in the controls in a histological study. In spite of these benefits, we found no evident engraftment of the GFP-positive cells, and instead, the MSC treatment induced a proliferation of resident stromal cells in the perivascular area of the ischemic muscle, some of which produced vascular endothelial growth factor. The present study suggested that MSC therapy promotes neovascularization even in the early phase, both directly through endothelial proliferation and indirectly through activation of the resident stromal cells

Evidence for migration of metamorphosing larvae of Anguilla japonica in the Kuroshio

Two sampling surveys of the R/V Tansei Maru were conducted in the Kuroshio region south of Kyushu Island of Japan and to the south in the western North Pacific, to study the distribution patterns of the larval stages of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica as they approach their recruitment areas in East Asia. Nine fully-grown premetamorphic leptocephali (49.5-58.3mm TL) were collected during November 1996 to the east of Taiwan. During November and December 2000, nine early stage glass eels (51.3-57.0mm TL, pigmentation stage II-IV) that were still in the late metamorphosis stages were collected in the Kuroshio. These findings suggest that metamorphosing Japanese eel leptocephali that recruit to the northern part of their species range migrate in the Kuroshio. They may detrain from the Kuroshio at the pigmentation stage IV-VA and begin their coastal migration

Evolution of the folding ability of proteins through functional selection

An evolutionary process is simulated with a simple spin-glass-like model of proteins to examine the origin of folding ability. At each generation, sequences are randomly mutated and subjected to a simulation of the folding process based on the model. According to the frequency of local configurations at the active sites, sequences are selected and passed to the next generation. After a few hundred generations, a sequence capable of folding globally into a native conformation emerges. Moreover, the selected sequence has a distinct energy minimum and an anisotropic funnel on the energy surface, which are the imperative features for fast folding of proteins. The proposed model reveals that the functional selection on the local configurations leads a sequence to fold globally into a conformation at a faster rate

Effects of Vibrotactile Feedback on Sedentary Behaviors in Adults: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

No effective and easily implemented intervention strategies for reducing sedentary behavior have been established. This pilot trial (UMIN000024372) investigated whether vibrotactile feedback reduces sedentary behavior. Twenty-six adults aged 30&ndash;69 years who were sedentary &ge;8 h/day were randomly assigned to control (n = 13) or vibration (n = 13) groups. Participants wore a monitor 9 h daily for seven-day periods at baseline (week zero), during the intervention (weeks one, three, five, and seven), and after the intervention (week eight). During the eight-week intervention, vibration-group participants were notified by a vibration through the monitor whenever continuous sedentary time reached &ge;30 min; they also received weekly reports of their sedentary patterns. Control-group participants did not receive feedback. The primary outcome was change in total sedentary time. Changes in longer bouts of sedentary time (&ge;35 min) were also assessed. No significant difference was found in the change in total sedentary time (control: &minus;17.5 min/9 h, vibration: &minus;9.1 min/9 h; p = 0.42). Although no significant differences were observed in sedentary time in longer bouts, vibration-group participants exhibited significantly lower sedentary time (&ndash;21.6 min/9 h, p = 0.045). Thus, vibration feedback does not appear to offer any advantages in reducing total sedentary time