Seroprevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 in Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya measured using different Western blot criteria

Background: Endemic foci of HTLV-1 carriers have been found in the world, however, the origin of HTLV-1 in humans is still unclear. Since a distinct type of virus strain was isolated from the Solomon Islands, detailed surveys on HTLV-1 prevalence in New Guinea are important to shed light on its history of dissemination. Objecti6e: To clarify the seroprevalence of HTLV-1 in different regions of New Guinea Island. Study design: Sera from 1221 individuals (649 males, 454 females and 118 unknown) in New Guinea Island were studied for the presence of antibodies to HTLV-1 by a particle agglutination and the Western blot (WB) tests. Two different sets of criteria, proposed by WHO and Kiyokawa et al., were employed to interpret the WB test. Since the latter seemed to lack adequate specificity, the WHO criteria was used for the evaluation of the seroprevalence throughout the study. Results: Seroprevalence of HTLV-1 differed by the WB criteria. By the more stringent criteria, HTLV-1 carriers were found in Madang, Chimbu and one hinterland province, Enga, in Papua New Guinea. An overall seroprevalence rate in different regions ranged from 0 to 14.6%. No seropositive individuals were found in Irian Jaya. Conclusions: To avoid overestimating the seropositivity rates, the WHO criteria would be more appropriate to employ for WB test by using the samples obtained from tropical and:or malaria endemic areas. This study is the first to show HTLV-1 infected individuals in the hinterland of New Guinea Island

Lasing oscillation in a three-dimensional photonic crystal nanocavity with a complete bandgap

We demonstrate lasing oscillation in a three-dimensional photonic crystal nanocavity. The laser is realized by coupling a cavity mode, which is localized in a complete photonic bandgap and exhibits the highest quality factor of ~38,500, with high-quality semiconductor quantum dots. We show a systematic change in the laser characteristics, including the threshold and the spontaneous emission coupling factor by controlling the crystal size, which consequently changes the strength of photon confinement in the third dimension. This opens up many interesting possibilities for realizing future ultimate light sources and three-dimensional integrated photonic circuits and for more fundamental studies of physics in the field of cavity quantum electrodynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Impact of surgical adhesion barrier on significant adhesion during a repeat cesarean section

　Background: Post-cesarean adhesions are associated with delayed infant delivery and infertility. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the effects of hyaluronic acid- carboxymethylcellulose (HA/CMC) membranes on postoperative adhesion during cesarean section.　Methods: Sixty-seven patients were divided into the surgical adhesion barrier used (n = 28) and not-used group (n = 39). We compared the severity of adhesion at the repeat cesarean section, as well the following variables: operation and incision delivery time, blood loss, and postoperative infection between both groups. The severity of adhesion was analyzed using the Zühike’s adhesion score between the abdominal wall and uterine corpus, and the Steinleitner’s uterine adhesion score.　Results: We found that the Zühike’s adhesion score between the abdominal wall and corpus of the uterus in the surgical adhesion barrier used group was significantly lower than that of the not-used group (0.46 ± 0.2 and 1.0 ± 0.2, respectively) (p = 0.04). The Steinleitner’s uterine adhesion score of the surgical adhesion barrier used group was lower than that of the not-used group (0.5 ± 0.3 and 1.3 ± 0.3, respectively), but not significantly (p = 0.07).　Discussion: We concluded that the surgical adhesion barrier was effective in preventing postoperative adhesion formation during cesarean sections. However, further investigations are necessary to reveal the usefulness of the surgical adhesion barrier during cesarean section, including its cost-effectiveness

Organ accumulation and carcinogenicity of highly dispersed multi-walled carbon nanotubes administered intravenously in transgenic rasH2 mice

Purpose: Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been known to enter the circulatory system via the lungs from inhalation exposure; however, its carcinogenicity and subsequent accumulation in other organs have not been adequately reported in the literature. Moreover, the safety of MWCNTs as a biomaterial has remained a matter of debate, particularly when the material enters the circulatory system. To address these problems, we used carcinogenic rasH2 transgenic mice to intravenously administer highly dispersed MWCNTs and to evaluate their carcinogenicity and accumulation in the organs. Methods: Two types of MWCNTs (thin-and thick-MWCNTs) were intravenously administered at a high dose (approximately 0.7 mg per kg body weight) and low dose (approximately 0.07 mg per kg body weight). Results: MWCNTs showed pancreatic accumulation in 3.2% of mice administered with MWCNTs, but there was no accumulation in other organs. In addition, there was no significant difference in the incidence of tumor among the four MWCNTs-administered groups compared to the vehicle group without MWCNTs administration. Blood tests revealed elevated levels in mean red blood cell volume and mean red blood cell hemoglobin level for the MWCNTs-administered group, in addition to an increase in eotaxin. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the use of current technology to sufficiently disperse MWCNTs resulted in minimal organ accumulation with no evidence of carcinogenicity.ArticleINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NANOMEDICINE. 14:6465-6480 (2019)journal articl

Effects of forced swimming stress on rat brain function

Chronic stress has been reported to be an essential factor for depression. In this study, the effect of forced swimming stress on neurotransmitters and cellular signaling pathway contributing to brain functions was investigated using the forced swimming test (FST) in order to understanding of mechanisms to regulate stress signals in brain. Antidepressant drug, imipramine, significantly reduced the immobility time of male rats in the FST by 85% at a dose of 15mg/kg for 2 weeks. This result indicated that the swimming stress caused a depressed state in the rats without administration of imipramine. Swimming stress significantly lowered the serotonergic ratio and also markedly enhanced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in the hypothalamus region compared to the rats without FST. These phenomena maybe included in key mechanisms of the development of depression

スチームコンベクションオーブン調理と真空調理による水溶性ビタミンの調理損失の比較：かぼちゃおよび大根の煮物について

The purpose of this study is to compare and study water-soluble vitamin losses before and after cooking pumpkin and Japanese radish (daikon) with a steam convection oven (SC cooking) and a vacuum-packed pouch (V-P P cooking). Pumpkin was cut into 2.5 cm cubes and daikon into 2.0 cm cubes. For SC cooking, pumpkin was heated for 15 minutes and daikon for 60 minutes with liquid seasoning. For V-P P cooking, pumpkin and daikon were vacuum-packed with liquid seasoning and heated under the same conditions as SC cooking. For pumpkin, percentages of niacin, folic acid and pantothenic acid in uncooked samples, as well as those cooked by SC cooking and V-P P cooking were compared. For daikon, percentages of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C, niacin, folic acid and pantothenic acid in uncooked samples, as well as those cooked by SC cooking and V-P P cooking were compared. Setting the percentages of vitamins remained in uncooked samples as 100 %, those in SC and V-P P cooked samples of pumpkin were calculated as follows: niacin 93.1 %, 85.4 %; folic acid 84.0 %, 74.4 %; and pantothenic acid 97.9 %, 89.1 %, respectively. Percentages of vitamins in SCand V-P P cooked samples of daikon were as follows: vitamin B1 97.4 %, 94.0 %; vitamin B2 not detected, not detected; vitamin B6 66.6 %, 65.2 %; vitamin C 43.3 %, 52.2 %; niacin 80.0 %, 66.7 %; folic acid 37.7 %, 37.7 %; and pantothenic acid 72.0 %, 65.4 %, respectively.These results indicated that vitamin losses measured in this study were attributable to the cooking process, suggesting that the degree of vitamin losses due to the cooking process varied according to the characteristics of vitamins and cooking methods.論

Iron–platinum–arsenide superconductors Ca₁₀(Pt_nAs₈)(Fe_2−xPt_xAs₂)₅

An overview of the crystal structures and physical properties of the recently discovered iron-platinum-arsenide superconductors, Ca-10(PtnAs8)(Fe2-xPtxAs2)(5) (n = 3 and 4), which have a superconducting transition temperature up to 38K, is provided. The crystal structure consists of superconducting Fe2As2 layers alternating with platinum-arsenic layers, PtnAs8. The upper critical field H-c2, hydrostatic pressure dependence of superconducting transition temperature T-c, and normal-state magnetic susceptibility are reported

Functional differences in seasonally absorbed nitrogen in a winter-green perennial herb

Nitrogen (N) uptake in response to its availability and effective N-use are important for determining plant fitness, as N is a major limiting resource and its availability changes both seasonally and annually. Storage organs such as bulbs are considered an adaptive trait with respect to plant N-use strategies. It is well known that N is remobilized from storage organs to satisfy the high demand for new growth that is not completely satisfied by external uptake alone. However, little is known about how this N absorbed during different seasons contributes to plant performance. By manipulating seasonal N availability in potted Lycoris radiata var. radiata (Amaryllidaceae), a winter-green perennial, we found that the N absorbed during different seasons had different effects on leaf growth and leaf N concentrations, effectively increasing the growth and survival of the plants. N absorbed during the summer (leafless period; N was thus stored in the bulb) enhanced plant growth by increasing leaf growth. Compared with the plants supplied with N during autumn (leaf flush period), the leafy plants also showed greater growth per unit leaf area despite the lower area-based photosynthetic capacity of the latter. By contrast, N absorbed during the autumn increased the leaf N concentration and thus the photosynthetic capacity, which was considered to enhance survival and growth of the plant during winter by reducing the potentially fatal risk caused by the absorption of photons under low temperature. Our findings have important implications for estimating plant responses to environmental changes. We predict that changes in seasonal N availability impact the performance of plants, even that of perennials that have large storage organs, via an altered relative investment of N into differen