Rubber Hand Illusion under Delayed Visual Feedback

BACKGROUND: Rubber hand illusion (RHI) is a subject's illusion of the self-ownership of a rubber hand that was touched synchronously with their own hand. Although previous studies have confirmed that this illusion disappears when the rubber hand was touched asynchronously with the subject's hand, the minimum temporal discrepancy of these two events for attenuation of RHI has not been examined. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, various temporal discrepancies between visual and tactile stimulations were introduced by using a visual feedback delay experimental setup, and RHI effects in each temporal discrepancy condition were systematically tested. The results showed that subjects felt significantly greater RHI effects with temporal discrepancies of less than 300 ms compared with longer temporal discrepancies. The RHI effects on reaching performance (proprioceptive drift) showed similar conditional differences. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results first demonstrated that a temporal discrepancy of less than 300 ms between visual stimulation of the rubber hand and tactile stimulation to the subject's own hand is preferable to induce strong sensation of RHI. We suggest that the time window of less than 300 ms is critical for multi-sensory integration processes constituting the self-body image

A HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHOD FOR THE ASSAY OF Na^+, K^+-ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATASE INHIBITION

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科分子作用学金沢大学薬学

Nocturnal nondipping of heart rate predicts cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients

Objective: It has not been established whether nocturnal nondipping of heart rate (HR) predicts future cardiovascular disease (CVD). We performed this study to test the hypothesis that nocturnal nondipping of HR predicts the risk of incident CVD independent of nocturnal blood pressure dipping pattern. Methods: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was performed in 457 uncomplicated patients, who were being treated or evaluated for hypertension. They were followed for an average of 72 ± 26 months. Nondipping HR was defined as a night/day HR ratio greater than 0.90. We chose two outcomes for this analysis: CVD events (defined as stroke, myocardial infarction, or sudden cardiac death) and all-cause mortality. Cox regression analyses (stepwise method) were used to estimate hazard ratios and their 95% confidence interval after adjusting for covariates. Results: In univariate analysis, increased sleep HR and nondipping of HR were associated with increased risk of CVD and all-cause mortality, but awake HR was not. In multivariable analyses, HR nondipping status significantly predicted an increased risk of CVD events (hazard ratio, 2.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.22–4.62; P = 0.01), but not for all-cause mortality. Increased 24-h HR was significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–2.51; P = 0.01). Conclusion: The risk of future CVD was shown to be 2.4 times higher in those whose HR does not exhibit the typical nocturnal decline. The relationship was independent of nondipping of SBP and was not dependent on diabetes status or blood pressure level

Night Time Blood Pressure Variability Is a Strong Predictor for Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Background: We aimed this study to test the hypothesis that short-term blood pressure (BP) variability and abnormal patterns of diurnal BP variation, evaluated by ambulatory BP (ABP), predicts risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: ABP monitoring (ABPM) was performed in 300 patients with uncomplicated T2DM without known CVD and without BP medications, who were followed for 54 ± 20 months. The relationships of different measures of BP variability, the presence of abnormal patterns of diurnal BP variation (nondipper, riser, or morning BP surge) and the standard deviations of awake and asleep ABP were determined. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) before and after controlling for various covariates. Results: The mean age was 67.8 ± 9.6 years, 48% were male, 253 (84%) had a diagnosis of hypertension, and the mean of the standard deviations of awake systolic BP/diastolic BP (SBP/DBP) were 18 ± 6/11 ± 4 mm Hg, and those of sleep SBP/DBP were 13 ± 5/9 ± 3 mm Hg. During follow-up, there were 29 cardiovascular events. In multivariable analyses, the standard deviations of sleep SBP (HR = 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01–1.16, P < 0.05) and sleep DBP (HR = 1.13; 1.04–1.23, P < 0.01) were independently associated with incident CVD. Neither the nondipper and riser patterns nor the morning BP surge were associated with incident CVD events independently of clinic and 24-h BP levels. Conclusions: Abnormal diurnal BP variation was not a predictor of CVD in patients with T2DM. Night time BP variability was an independent predictor of future incidence of CVD, suggesting that this measure could reflect pathophysiology of T2DM

Comparison of FDTD and Ray-Tracing Method for Site Attenuation Analysis of Compact Anechoic Chamber

In this paper, the FDTD method and the ray tracing method have been applied to analyze the site attenuation of a compact anechoic chamber in the frequency range from 30 MHz to 200 MHz. For FDTD analysis, half-wave dipole antenna, shortened dipole antenna and EM absorber were modeled by using large-cells, which were larger than the diameter of antenna element and the thickness of EM absorber. For verification, the site attenuation of a compact anechoic chamber was measured and compared with the calculated values through the FDTD method and the ray tracing method. As the results, the calculated values through the FDTD method agreed well with the measured ones within 2 dB and the calculated values through the ray tracing method have larger deviation in the frequency range less than 180 MHz.2004 International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC\u2704/Sendai), June 1-4, 2004, Sendai International Center, Sendai, Japa

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Is a Better Marker Than Clinic Blood Pressure in Predicting Cardiovascular Events in Patients With/Without Type 2 Diabetes

Background - The prognostic significance of ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) has not been established in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods - In order to clarify the impact of ABP on cardiovascular prognosis in patients with or without T2DM, we performed ABP monitoring (ABPM) in 1,268 subjects recruited from nine sites in Japan, who were being evaluated for hypertension. The mean age of the patients was 70.4 ± 9.9 years, and 301 of them had diabetes. The patients were followed up for 50 ± 23 months. We investigated the relation between incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and different measures of ABP, including three categories of awake systolic blood pressure (SBP 150 mm Hg), sleep SBP (135 mm Hg), and dipping trends in nocturnal blood pressure (BP) (dippers, nondippers, and risers). Cox regression models were used in order to control for classic risk factors. Results - Higher awake and sleep SBPs predicted higher incidence of CVD in patients with and without diabetes. In multivariable analyses, elevated SBPs while awake and asleep predicted increased risk of CVD more accurately than clinic BP did, in both groups of patients. The relationships between ABP level and CVD were similar in both groups. In Kaplan–Meier analyses, the incidence of CVD in nondippers was similar to that in dippers, but risers experienced the highest risk of CVD in both groups (P < 0.01). The riser pattern was associated with a ∼150% increase in risk of CVD, in both groups. Conclusions - These findings suggest that ABPM is a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than clinic BP, and that this holds true for patients with or without T2DM

Characterization of mouse switch variant antibodies by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The amino acid sequences of mouse monoclonal antibodies have been characterized completely by mass spectrometry. Antibodies used in the present study were derived from mouse switch variant cell lines that produce four kinds of immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs). The amino acid sequences of these antibodies had not been estimated from the corresponding DNA sequence, so the sequences of IgGs derived from other strains were used as references in this study. Intra- and interchain disulfide bonds of the IgGs were reduced and carboxymethylated and the products were subjected to proteolytic digestion. The existence of N-linked oligosaccharides also was taken into account. The capabilities and limitations of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry and capillary liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry are discussed in the structural characterization of the antibodies. Based on our results, allotypes of the antibodies examined are discussed. This study shows that amino acid sequences of proteins, such as IgG, can be investigated without information about the corresponding DNA sequence if appropriate reference sequences derived from other strains can be used

Preferable Forms of Relaxation for Health Promotion, and the Association between Recreational Activities and Self-perceived Health

Little research has been done on the association between relaxation and health. In the present study, by conducting a nationwide cross-sectional survey, we aimed to obtain scientific data on the preferable forms of relaxation for health promotion, and to clarify the associations between specific recreational activities and self-perceived mental and physical health. We selected 4,000 households by stratified random sampling from across Japan in November 2009 and used the interview method to collect data (number of subjects:2,206). The questionnaire contained items on sleep, recreation status, recreational activities, and self-perceived mental and physical health status. We obtained responses from 1,224 adults (response rate:55.5%). Insufficient rest from sleep, short sleep duration (＜6h/day), ineffective use of free time, and less free time used for activities other than rest showed independent positive associations with poor mental and physical health. The results of the logistic regression analyses showed significantly low adjusted odds ratios with regard to the status of poor mental and physical health for outings/walking among men (0.33 [95% confidence interval;0.16-0.68] and 0.49 [0.26-0.90], respectively), and for community activities among women (0.19 [0.04-0.79] and 0.27 [0.09-0.77], respectively). Relaxation for the promotion of health should include both passive relaxation (rest) and active relaxation (recreation). In addition, ensuring sufficient sleep duration is important for passive relaxation, and engaging in outings/walking for men and community activities for women are important for active relaxation

The Gravitation of the Moon Plays Pivotal Roles in the Occurrence of the Acute Myocardial Infarction

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a social burden. However, being able to predict AMI could lead to prevention. A previous study showed only the relation between the lunar phase and the occurrence of AMI, but the period it takes for the moon to orbit around the earth and the period of the lunar phase differ. This study investigated the effect of the gravitation of the moon on AMI. Data was comprised of 1369 consecutive patients with first AMI at 5 hospitals from October, 1984 to December, 1997. The universal gravitation of the moon was calculated and compared to the earth onset time of AMI. Universal gravitation of the moon was derived by G*m/d2 (G: universal gravitation constant, m: the mass of the moon, d: the distance between the center of the moon and the center of the earth). The relationship between m/d2 and the cases of AMI was determined. There was an increase in cases, when there is a distance of more than 399864 km from the center of the earth to the center of the moon. The gravitation of more than 399864 km was determined to be weaker gravitation. It is confirmed that the number of AMI patients significantly increases at weaker gravitation periods in this multicenter trial. In conclusion, these results suggest that the gravitation of the moon may have an influence on the occurrence of AMI