Chemical Absorption of Gas into Liquid Film on Rotating Drum

With a rotating drum type gas-liquid contactor of known area, the effects of gas rate and the rotational speed of the drum on the thickness of liquid film were observed and the rate of gas absorption accompanied by a chemical reaction in the liquid phase was measured using either one of the catalysts, mannitol, Cu⁺⁺ and Co⁺⁺⁺. The analytical solution was presented for the simultaneous unsteady state absorption and (m+l)-st order reaction (m-th order with reactant A and 1st order with reactant B respectively). Experimental results were compared with theories and the five states of rate controlling were verified which had formerly been derived analytically. The five states correspond to the case where mass transfer are controlled by the resistances of ; (1) chemical reaction in the liquid, (2) both chemical reaction and diffusion in the liquid, (3) diffusion of the dissolved gas in the liquid film, (4) both diffusion and chemical reaction in the liquid film and (5) diffusion of the reactant from the liquid bulk. The rate constant of the accompanied reaction was also determined

Kinetics of Heterogeneous Liquid Phase Reaction : Simultaneous Mass Transfer and Chemical Reaction

The solution of the over-all rate of reaction for a steady state mass transfer accompanied by a (l+ｫ)-th order irreversible reaction was derived by applying an approximate concentration distribution model for the heterogeneous liquid phase reaction which might proceed in a diffusion film and homogeneous mixed bulk liquid of finite volume. The numerically calculated diagrams showing the functional relation between the over-all rate of reaction and the reaction conditions such as the resistances to diffusion and chemical reaction, liquid volume and the inter facial contact area, etc. were presented. The authors made clear the conditions for the five states of over-all reaction rate which were different in comparative magnitude in the resistances to diffusion and chemical reaction, and interpreted the various types of rate controlling step by comparing the reaction conditions and the concentration distribution of reactants both in diffusion film and bulk liquid

Goblet Cell Hyperplasia and Muscular Layer Thickening in the Small Intestine of a Cynomolgus Monkey

We report here the interesting case of a 5-year-old male cynomolgus monkey with goblet cell hyperplasia and thickening of the muscular layer throughout the small intestine without exhibiting any clinical symptoms. Necropsy examination showed diffuse thickening of the intestinal wall from the jejunum to the ileum, with an appearance likened to a rubber tube. Histopathologically, marked thickening was observed in both the mucosal and muscular layers in the jejunum and ileum, and slight thickening was observed in the duodenum. Goblet cell hyperplasia with extension of the circular folds and villi was prominently observed. The mucosal surface was covered with a thick mucus layer containing desquamated mucosal epithelial cells, and both the inner and outer muscular layers were markedly thickened due to smooth muscle hypertrophy. Neither macroscopic nor histopathological examination identified any causative factors, such as infection, enteritis and intestinal stenosis, or obstruction that may have caused development of this lesion. Given these observations, this case may simply be considered of spontaneous goblet cell hyperplasia and muscular layer thickening in the small intestine of a cynomolgus monkey

Establishment of patient-derived organoids and a characterization-based drug discovery platform for treatment of pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal tumors. The aim of this study is to provide an effective therapeutic discovery platform for pancreatic cancer by establishing and characterizing patient-derived organoids (PDOs). METHODS: PDOs were established from pancreatic tumor surgical specimens, and the mutations were examined using a panel sequence. Expression of markers was assessed by PCR, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry; tumorigenicity was examined using immunodeficient mice, and drug responses were examined in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: PDOs were established from eight primary and metastatic tumors, and the characteristic mutations and expression of cancer stem cell markers and CA19-9 were confirmed. Tumorigenicity of the PDOs was confirmed in subcutaneous transplantation and in the peritoneal cavity in the case of PDOs derived from disseminated nodules. Gemcitabine-sensitive/resistant PDOs showed consistent responses in vivo. High throughput screening in PDOs identified a compound effective for inhibiting tumor growth of a gemcitabine-resistant PDO xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS: This PDO-based platform captures important aspects of treatment-resistant pancreatic cancer and its metastatic features, suggesting that this study may serve as a tool for the discovery of personalized therapies

Prognostic value of metastin expression in human pancreatic cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>KiSS-1 </it>was identified as a metastasis-suppressing gene in melanoma cells. The <it>KiSS-1 </it>gene product (metastin) was isolated from human placenta as the ligand of GPR54, a G-protein-coupled receptor. The role of metastin and GPR54 in tumor progression is not fully understood.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the clinical significance of metastin and GPR54 expression in pancreatic cancer. We evaluated immunohistochemical expression of metastin and GPR54 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissues obtained from 53 consecutive patients who underwent resection between July 2003 and May 2007 at Kyoto University Hospital. In 23 consecutive patients, the plasma metastin level was measured before surgery by enzyme immunoassay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Strong immunohistochemical expression of metastin was detected in 13 tumors (24.5%), while strong expression of GPR54 was detected in 30 tumors (56.6%). Tumors that were negative for both metastin and GPR54 expression were significantly larger than tumors that were positive for either metastin or GPR54 (p = 0.047). Recurrence was less frequent in patients who had metastin-positive tumors compared with those who had metastin-negative tumors (38.5% versus 70.0%, p = 0.04). Strong expression of metastin and GPR54 was significantly correlated with longer survival (p = 0.02). Metastin expression by pancreatic cancer was an independent prognostic factor for longer survival (hazard ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–4.7; p = 0.03), and the patients with a high plasma metastin level (n = 6) did not die after surgical resection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Strong expression of metastin and GPR54 by pancreatic cancer is associated with longer survival. Metastin expression is an independent prognostic factor for the survival of pancreatic cancer patients. The plasma metastin level could become a noninvasive prognostic factor for the assessment of pancreatic cancer.</p

Disorganization of Semantic Brain Networks in Schizophrenia Revealed by fMRI

OBJECTIVES: Schizophrenia is a mental illness that presents with thought disorders including delusions and disorganized speech. Thought disorders have been regarded as a consequence of the loosening of associations between semantic concepts since the term "schizophrenia" was first coined by Bleuler. However, a mechanistic account of this cardinal disturbance in terms of functional dysconnection has been lacking. To evaluate how aberrant semantic connections are expressed through brain activity, we characterized large-scale network structures of concept representations using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). STUDY DESIGN: We quantified various concept representations in patients' brains from fMRI activity evoked by movie scenes using encoding modeling. We then constructed semantic brain networks by evaluating the similarity of these semantic representations and conducted graph theory-based network analyses. STUDY RESULTS: Neurotypical networks had small-world properties similar to those of natural languages, suggesting small-worldness as a universal property in semantic knowledge networks. Conversely, small-worldness was significantly reduced in networks of schizophrenia patients and was correlated with psychological measures of delusions. Patients' semantic networks were partitioned into more distinct categories and had more random within-category structures than those of controls. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in conceptual representations manifest altered semantic clustering and associative intrusions that underlie thought disorders. This is the first study to provide pathophysiological evidence for the loosening of associations as reflected in randomization of semantic networks in schizophrenia. Our method provides a promising approach for understanding the neural basis of altered or creative inner experiences of individuals with mental illness or exceptional abilities, respectively

Spatially resolved measurement of helium atom emission line spectrum in scrape-off layer of Heliotron J by near-infrared Stokes spectropolarimetry

1視線の観測のみで核融合プラズマ中のヘリウム近赤外輝線の発光分布を推定. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-09-26.For plasma spectroscopy, Stokes spectropolarimetry is used as a method to spatially invert the viewing-chord-integrated spectrum on the basis of the correspondence between the given magnetic field profile along the viewing chord and the Zeeman effect appearing on the spectrum. Its application to fusion-related toroidal plasmas is, however, limited owing to the low spatial resolution as a result of the difficulty in distinguishing between the Zeeman and Doppler effects. To resolve this issue, we increased the relative magnitude of the Zeeman effect by observing a near-infrared emission line on the basis of the greater wavelength dependence of the Zeeman effect than of the Doppler effect. By utilizing the increased Zeeman effect, we are able to invert the measured spectrum with a high spatial resolution by Monte Carlo particle transport simulation and by reproducing the measured spectra with the semiempirical adjustment of the recycling condition at the first walls. The inversion result revealed that when the momentum exchange collisions of atoms are negligible, the velocity distribution of core-fueling atoms is mainly determined by the initial distribution at the time of recycling. The inversion result was compared with that obtained using a two-point emission model used in previous studies. The latter approximately reflects the parameters of atoms near the emissivity peak

Genetic and Phenotypic Landscape of PRPH2-Associated Retinal Dystrophy in Japan

Peripherin-2 (PRPH2) is one of the causative genes of inherited retinal dystrophy. While the gene is relatively common in Caucasians, reports from Asian ethnicities are limited. In the present study, we report 40 Japanese patients from 30 families with PRPH2-associated retinal dystrophy. We identified 17 distinct pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants using next-generation sequencing. Variants p.R142W and p.V200E were relatively common in the cohort. The age of onset was generally in the 40’s; however, some patients had earlier onset (age: 5 years). Visual acuity of the patients ranged from hand motion to 1.5 (Snellen equivalent 20/13). The patients showed variable phenotypes such as retinitis pigmentosa, cone-rod dystrophy, and macular dystrophy. Additionally, intrafamilial phenotypic variability was observed. Choroidal neovascularization was observed in three eyes of two patients with retinitis pigmentosa. The results demonstrate the genotypic and phenotypic variations of the disease in the Asian cohort

Polymorphisms of PTPN11 coding SHP-2 as biomarkers for ulcerative colitis susceptibility in the Japanese population.

OBJECTIVE: To identify genetic determinants of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), we examined an association between polymorphisms of both the programmed cell death 1 gene (PDCD1) and the src homology 2 domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase 2 gene (PTPN11) and susceptibility to IBD. METHODS: Study subjects comprised 114 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), 83 patients with Crohn\u27s disease, and 200 healthy control subjects. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PDCD1 and PTPN11 were detected by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism. Subsequently, haplotypes composed of the two SNPs in PTPN11 were constructed. RESULTS: The frequencies of the Hap 1 haplotype and its homozygous Hap 1/Hap 1 diplotype of PTPN11 were significantly increased in UC patients compared to control subjects (P = 0.011 and P = 0.030, respectively). While no association was found for PDCD1 for UC or CD and none for PTPN11 for CD. CONCLUSION: PTPN11 is a genetic determinant for the pathogenesis of UC, and haplotyping of PTPN11 may be useful as a genetic biomarker to identify high-risk individuals susceptible to UC