Preparation and In Vitro Release Property of PLA Microspheres Enclosing Antitumor Agent

Recently, many antitumor agents developed. Irinotecan hycrochloride (CPT) has a great side effect even though it is well effective against the cancer. Drug delivery system (DDS) medicine indicates that the release rate of medicine is constant for a long time. Therefore, in order to materialize the general idea of DDS, we applied microencapsulation technique to prepare biodegradable polymer microspheres (MS) enclosing antitumor drug having no side effect. Polylactide microparticles enclosing antitumor agent were prepared by solvent evaporation method under various operation conditions. The effects of operation parameter on release rate of drug and morphology of microparticles were studied

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Laser-Induced Transfer of Noble Metal Nanodots with Femtosecond Laser-Interference Processing

Noble metal nanodots have been applied to plasmonic devices, catalysts, and highly sensitive detection in bioinstruments. We have been studying the fabrications of them through a laser-induced dot transfer (LIDT) technique, a type of laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT), in which nanodots several hundred nm in diameter are produced via a solid–liquid–solid (SLS) mechanism. In the previous study, an interference laser processing technique was applied to LIDT, and aligned Au nanodots were successfully deposited onto an acceptor substrate in a single shot of femtosecond laser irradiation. In the present experiment, Pt thin film was applied to this technique, and the deposited nanodots were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and compared with the Au nanodots. A typical nanodot had a roundness fr=0.98 and circularity fcirc=0.90. Compared to the previous experiment using Au thin film, the size distribution was more diffuse, and it was difficult to see the periodic alignment of the nanodots in the parameter range of this experiment. This method is promising as a method for producing large quantities of Pt particles with diameters of several hundred nm

Laser-Induced Transfer of Noble Metal Nanodots with Femtosecond Laser-Interference Processing

Noble metal nanodots have been applied to plasmonic devices, catalysts, and highly sensitive detection in bioinstruments. We have been studying the fabrications of them through a laser-induced dot transfer (LIDT) technique, a type of laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT), in which nanodots several hundred nm in diameter are produced via a solid–liquid–solid (SLS) mechanism. In the previous study, an interference laser processing technique was applied to LIDT, and aligned Au nanodots were successfully deposited onto an acceptor substrate in a single shot of femtosecond laser irradiation. In the present experiment, Pt thin film was applied to this technique, and the deposited nanodots were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and compared with the Au nanodots. A typical nanodot had a roundness fr=0.98 and circularity fcirc=0.90. Compared to the previous experiment using Au thin film, the size distribution was more diffuse, and it was difficult to see the periodic alignment of the nanodots in the parameter range of this experiment. This method is promising as a method for producing large quantities of Pt particles with diameters of several hundred nm

Local Melting of Gold Thin Films by Femtosecond Laser-Interference Processing to Generate Nanoparticles on a Source Target

Shape- and size-controlled metallic nanoparticles are very important due to their wide applicability. Such particles have been fabricated by chemosynthesis, chemical-vapor deposition, and laser processing. Pulsed-laser deposition and laser-induced dot transfer use ejections of molten layers and solid-liquid-solid processes to fabricate nanoparticles with a radius of some tens to hundreds of nm. In these processes, the nanoparticles are collected on an acceptor substrate. In the present experiment, we used laser-interference processing of gold thin films, which deposited nanoparticles directly on the source thin film with a yield ratio. A typical nanoparticle had roundness fr=0.99 and circularity fcirc=0.869, and the radius was controllable between 69 and 188 nm. The smallest radius was 82 nm on average, and the smallest standard deviation was 3 nm. The simplicity, high yield, and ideal features of the nanoparticles produced by this method will broaden the range of applications of nanoparticles in fields such as plasmonics

Changes in Cognitive Functions in the Elderly Living in Temporary Housing after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

On March 11, 2011, Japan experienced an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 and subsequent enormous tsunamis. This disaster destroyed many coastal cities and caused nearly 20,000 casualties. In the aftermath of the disaster, many tsunami survivors who lost their homes were forced to live in small temporary apartments. Although all tsunami survivors were at risk of deteriorating health, the elderly people were particularly at a great risk with regard to not only their physical health but also their mental health. In the present study, we performed a longitudinal cohort study to investigate and analyze health conditions and cognitive functions at 28, 32, and 42 months after the disaster in the elderly people who were forced to reside in temporary apartments in Kesennuma, a city severely damaged by the tsunamis. The ratio of people considered to be cognitively impaired significantly increased during the research period. On the other hand, the mean scores of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-6 and Athens Insomnia Scale improved based on the comparison between the data at 24 and 42 months. The multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that frequency of "out-of-home activities" and "walking duration" were independently associated with an increase in the ratio of people with cognitive impairment. We concluded that the elderly people living in temporary apartments were at a high risk of cognitive impairment and "out-of-home activities" and "walking" could possibly maintain the stability of cognitive functions