Multiply Twinned Particles at Earlier Stages of Gold Film Formation on Alkalihalide Crystals

Succeeding to previous studies (Ino, 1966 ; Ogawa et al., 1966), the orientations and the structures of thin gold films formed in ultrahigh vacuum by evaporation on to NaCl and KCl have been studied at earlier stages of film formation by electron diffraction and electron microscopy, especially by the dark field technique. The present paper describes some results obtained after the previous reports. Some particles which show rhombic shape in the bright field image and various contrasts in the dark field images have newly been observed. In order to explain such contrasts, the "multiply twinned particle model with a nucleus of (001) orientation" is proposed. Abnormal diffraction spots and image contrasts observed from thin gold films have satisfactorily been explained by using this model in some cases and by using the multiply twinned particle models with a nucleus of (111) orientation in other cases

Formation of Multiply-Twinned Particles on Alkali Halide Crystals by Vacuum Evaporation and Their Structures

During studies on the epitaxy and film growth of metals evaporated onto alkali halide crystals curious particles causing anomalous 111 electron diffraction spots and showing unusual shapes and contrasts on electron micrographs have been found. They have mainly been studied for Au on NaCl. As a result of analysis it has become clear that they have multiply twinned structures and are divided into three kinds, i.e., a pentagonal decahedron particle composed of five distorted tetrahedral twins, an icosahedral particle composed of twenty distorted tetrahedral twins and a rhombic shape particle consisting of five distorted twins. Stability of these multiply-twinned particles that have inherently strained structures is discussed, the total energies of them being calculated and compared with those of a fcc tetrahedron and a fcc Wulff-polyhedron. There is a good agreement in sizes of multiply-twinned particles between calculation and observation. Behavior of the particles during film growth of various metals on NaCl and KCl is described. Finally, the origin of the particles is discussed, most of them being presumed to form by nucleation at the earliest stage of film growth

Epitaxial Growth of Metals on Rocksalt Faces Cleaved in Vacuum. I

The epitaxial growth of Ni, Cu, Ag, Au and Al on NaCl crystals cleaved in vacuum has been studied. When the crystals are cleaved in ordinary high vacuum (10^-10^ mmHg), a considerable lowering of the epitaxial temperatures for the parallel epitaxy takes place for the first four metals, as compared with the case in which the crystals are cleaved in air. The temperature differences due to this lowering are 270℃ for Ni, 250℃ for Cu, 150℃ for Ag, and 120℃ for Au. Al has been found for the first time to form single crystal films with the (111)-plane parallel to the substrate at the substrate temperature of 100℃. When the degree of vacuum is improved to ultrahigh vacuum (10-10 mmHg) , on the other hand, the (001) preferred orientation deteriorates and the (111) preferred orientation appears for Cu, Ag and Au, the latter orientation becoming conspicuous with rising temperature for Au and Ag, while no considerable change arises for Ni and Al with the improvement of the degree of vacuum

Enhanced visualization of the portal vein system in superior mesenteric arterial portography using prostaglandin E1.

The portal vein system was clearly visualized in superior mesenteric arterial portography using prostaglandin E1. Angiographic examination was performed in 68 patients with various liver diseases during the 2 year period from 1980 to 1981. Twenty microgram of prostaglandin E1 was injected into the superior mesenteric artery 30 seconds before injection of 60 ml of contrast medium. The main portal vein was visualized in all of 68 cases. A high rate of success for visualization of the intrahepatic portal vein system by prostaglandin E1 was achieved. The first branches of the intrahepatic portal vein were visualized in 100% of the cases, the second branches in 82%, the third branches in 44%, and the fourth branches in 4% in the right portal vein system. In the left portal vein system, the first branches were visualized in 87%, the second branches in 41%, and the third branches in 3% of the cases. The intrahepatic portal vein system was more clearly visualized in females than in males (P less than 0.05). This procedure is simple, safe and useful for clear visualization of the portal vein system.</p

Versican is induced in infiltrating monocytes in myocardial infarction

Versican, a large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, plays a role in conditions such as wound healing and tissue remodelling. To test the hypothesis that versican expression is transiently upregulated and plays a role in the infarcted heart, we examined its expression in a rat model of myocardial infarction. Northern blot analysis demonstrated increased expression of versican mRNA. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that versican mRNA began to increase as early as 6 h and reached its maximal level 2 days after coronary artery ligation. Versican mRNA then gradually decreased, while the mRNA of decorin, another small proteoglycan, increased thereafter. Versican mRNA was localized in monocytes, as indicated by CD68-positive staining, around the infarct tissue. The induction of versican mRNA was accelerated by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), which was characterized by massive cell infiltration and enhanced inflammatory response. To examine the alteration of versican expression in monocytes/macrophages, we isolated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and stimulated them with granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Stimulation of mononuclear cells with GM-CSF increased the expression of versican mRNA as well as cytokine induction. The production of versican by monocytes in the infarct area represents a novel finding of the expression of an extracellular matrix gene by monocytes in the infarcted heart. We suggest that upregulation of versican in the infarcted myocardium may have a role in the inflammatory reaction, which mediates subsequent chemotaxis in the infarcted heart

Immunohistochemical demonstration of lysozyme in normal, reactive and neoplastic cells of the mononuclear phagocyte system.

Using the peroxidase antiperoxidase (PAP) method, lysozyme (LZM) was shown to exist in normal, reactive and neoplastic cells belonging to the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS), but was not detected in histiocytosis X cells. Immunostaining for cytoplasmic LZM by the PAP method is useful for identification of mononuclear phagocytes and for diagnosis of the diseases in which these cells participate.</p

Peritoneoscopy of the liver after abdominal surgery.

The incidence of intraperitoneal adhesion after abdominal surgery was studied. Peritoneoscopy was performed in 933 patients with liver diseases over the 6 year 5 month period from March 1974 to July 1980. Of the patients, 352 (37.7%) had undergone an abdominal operation, and intraperitoneal adhesion was detected in 205 (58.2%) of these patients. The liver was not observable in 5 out of 61 patients with adhesions after upper abdominal operations. Whereas, the liver was clearly observable in patients with lower abdominal operations in spite of adhesions. Out of the 581 patients without any abdominal operations, 30 patients (5.2%) had adhesions in the abdominal cavity, and 6 of them had extensive adhesions that partially obscured the observation of liver surface. In all patients, peritoneoscopy was performed without complications by avoiding the surgical scar for puncture sites and ensuring a free air lumen before trocar puncture.</p

Moderately differentiated colorectal adenocarcinoma as a lymph node metastatic phenotype: comparison with well differentiated counterparts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The differences between the metastatic property of moderately (Mod) and well (Wel) differentiated colorectal adenocarcinoma remain unclear. Since Mod is unable to form complete acini, therefore an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) can occur in that structure. Herein, we hypothesized that Mod metastasizes more easily than the Wel counterparts.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The medical records of 283 consecutive patients with Mod (n = 71) or Wel (n = 212) who underwent surgery were reviewed between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2003, for actual 5-year overall survival. We examined the differences between the clinicopathological characteristics of the Mod and the Wel groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The lymph node involvement (<it>p </it>< 0.0001), lymphatic permeation, venous permeation, depth of invasion, liver metastasis, and carcinomatous peritonitis were significantly higher in the Mod group in comparison to the Wel group. The independent risk factors by a logistic regression analysis for lymph node involvement were as follows: lymphatic permeation, liver metastasis, and Mod (<it>p </it>= 0.0291, Relative Risk of 1.991: 95% Confidence Interval: 1.073-3.697). A Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed that Mod had a trend towards a poor survival (<it>p </it>= 0.0517).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Mod metastasizes to the lymph nodes more easily in comparison to Wel. Therefore, patients with Mod may be considered the existence of lymph node involvement.</p

Differences in Trocar Positioning within the Vertebral Body Using Two Different Positioning Methods: Effect on Trainee Performance

Purpose. To evaluate the educational effect of the Japanese Society of Interventional Radiology 7th Academic Summer Seminar from a technical perspective. Materials and Methods. Nineteen trainees participated in the seminar. The seminar consisted of vertebroplasty trainings using swine with the single-plane landmark method and with the ISOcenter Puncture (ISOP) method. All trainees were advised by an instructor as they operated the instruments and punctured the vertebra. For each trainee, the accuracy in the final position of the needle tip of the initial puncture in each swine training was evaluated. Results. Error in the final position of the needle tip of ≥5 mm from the target puncture site occurred in the lateral direction in 42% (8/19) of trainees with the landmark method and 5% (1/19) with the ISOP method. No error ≥5 mm occurred in the vertical or anteroposterior directions. In terms of puncture accuracy, error in the lateral direction was significantly lower with the ISOP method than with the landmark method (2.2 ± 1.5 mm versus 5.6 ± 3.2 mm). Conclusion. This seminar was effective training for trocar placement for beginners. The puncture was more accurate with the ISOP method than with the landmark method

Lack of impact of the ALDH2 rs671 variant on breast cancer development in Japanese BRCA1/2‐mutation carriers

The aldehyde degrading function of the ALDH2 enzyme is impaired by Glu504Lys polymorphisms (rs671, termed A allele), which causes alcohol flushing in east Asians, and elevates the risk of esophageal cancer among habitual drinkers. Recent studies suggested that the ALDH2 variant may lead to higher levels of DNA damage caused by endogenously generated aldehydes. This can be a threat to genome stability and/or cell viability in a synthetic manner in DNA repair-defective settings such as Fanconi anemia (FA). FA is an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome caused by defects in any one of so far identified 22 FANC genes including hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. We have previously reported that the progression of FA phenotypes is accelerated with the ALDH2 rs671 genotype. Individuals with HBOC are heterozygously mutated in either BRCA1 or BRCA2, and the cancer-initiating cells in these patients usually undergo loss of the wild-type BRCA1/2 allele, leading to homologous recombination defects. Therefore, we hypothesized that the ALDH2 genotypes may impact breast cancer development in BRCA1/2 mutant carriers. We genotyped ALDH2 in 103 HBOC patients recruited from multiple cancer centers in Japan. However, we were not able to detect any significant differences in clinical stages, histopathological classification, or age at clinical diagnosis across the ALDH2 genotypes. Unlike the effects in hematopoietic cells of FA, our current data suggest that there is no impact of the loss of ALDH2 function in cancer initiation and development in breast epithelium of HBOC patients