Assessment of Growth Disturbance in Japanese Children with IBD

In Japan, there is as yet no report on growth retardation in children with IBD. We therefore investigated the cause of growth retardation in Japanese children with IBD. We investigated the height, body weight, serum levels of albumin, IGF-I, CRP, and cytokines, and the amount of corticosteroid administered in children with Crohn's disease (CD, n = 15) and ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 18). Our results suggest that growth retardation is already present before the initial visit in children with CD, and chronic inflammation may be responsible this growth disturbance. Moreover, the amount of PSL used may contribute to growth retardation by decreasing the serum levels of IGF-I in children with IBD

Dependence of alkyl-substituent length for bulk heterojunction solar cells utilizing 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octaalkylphthalocyanine

Tetsuro Hori, Yasuo Miyake, Tetsuya Masuda, Takeshi Hayashi, Kaoru Fukumura, Hiroyuki Yoshida, Akihiko Fujii, Masanori Ozaki, and Yo Shimizu "Dependence of alkyl-substituent length for bulk heterojunction solar cells utilizing 1,4,8,11,15,18,22,25-octaalkylphthalocyanine," Journal of Photonics for Energy 2(1), 021004 (2 March 2012). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JPE.2.02100

Low-temperature Magnetic Fluctuations Investigated by 125^{125}Te-NMR on the Uranium-based Superconductor UTe2_{2}

To investigate the static and dynamic magnetic properties on the uranium-based superconductor UTe$_{2}$, we measured the NMR Knight shift $K$ and the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate $1/T_{1}$ in $H \parallel a$ by $^{125}$Te-NMR on a $^{125}$Te-enriched single-crystal sample. $1/T_1T$ in $H \parallel a$ is much smaller than $1/T_1T$ in $H \parallel b$ and $c$, and magnetic fluctuations along each axis are derived from the $1/T_1T$ measured in $H$ parallel to all three crystalline axes. The magnetic fluctuations are almost identical at two Te sites and isotropic at high temperatures, but become anisotropic below 40 K, where heavy-fermion state is formed. The character of magnetic fluctuations in UTe$_2$ is discussed with the comparison to its static susceptibility and the results on other U-based superconductors. It is considered that the magnetic fluctuations probed with the NMR measurements are determined by the magnetic properties inside the two-leg ladder formed by U atoms, which are dominated by the $q_a$ = 0 ferromagnetic fluctuations.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures

125Te-NMR Study on a Single Crystal of Heavy Fermion Superconductor UTe2

We report 125Te-NMR studies on a newly discovered heavy fermion superconductor UTe2. Using a single crystal, we have measured the 125Te-NMR Knight shift K and spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1 for fields along the three orthorhombic crystal axes. The data confirm a moderate Ising anisotropy for both the static (K) and dynamical susceptibilities (1/T1) in the paramagnetic state above about 20 K. Around 20 K, however, we have observed a sudden loss of NMR spin-echo signal due to sudden enhancement of the NMR spin-spin relaxation rate 1/T2, when the field is applied along the easy axis of magnetization (=a axis). This behavior suggests the development of longitudinal magnetic fluctuations along the a axis at very low frequencies below 20 K.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Large Reduction in the aa-axis Knight Shift on UTe2_2 with TcT_{\rm c} = 2.1 K

Spin susceptibility in the superconducting (SC) state was measured in the higher-quality sample of uranium-based superconductor UTe$_2$ by using Knight-shift measurements for a magnetic field $H$ along all three crystalline axes. In the higher-quality sample, the SC transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ is about 2.1 K, and the residual electronic term in the specific heat is almost zero. The NMR linewidth becomes narrower and is almost half of that in the previous sample with $T_{\rm c} \sim 1.6$ K when $H \parallel a$ and $c$. Although the Knight-shift behavior was not so different from the previous results for $H \parallel b$, and $c$, a large reduction in Knight shift along the $a$ axis was observed, in contrast with the previous $a$-axis Knight shift result. We discuss the origin of the difference between the previous and present results, and the possible SC state derived from the present results.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, including supplemental material

A prospective cohort study of soy product intake and stomach cancer death

The relationship between intake of soy products and death from stomach cancer was examined in a community-based prospective study of Japanese men and women in Takayama, Japan. Over 7 years of follow-up, 121 deaths from stomach cancer (81 men and 40 women) occurred among 30 304 (13 880 men and 16 424 women) participants who were at least 35 years of age. Diet including the intake of soy products and isoflavones was assessed by a validated semiquantitative food–frequency questionnaire at the beginning of the study. In men, the highest compared to the lowest tertile of total soy product intake was significantly inversely associated with death from stomach cancer after controlling for covariates (hazard ratios=0.50; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 0.26-0.93, P for trend=0.03). Decreased hazard ratios for the highest compared to the lowest tertiles of total soy product intake (hazard ratios=0.49; 95% CI 0.22–1.13) was observed in women, although this association was of marginal significance. These data suggest that soy intake may reduce the risk of death from stomach cancer