Effect Of Mirthful Laughter On Vascular Function

In contrast to the well-established scientific evidence linking negative emotional states (e.g., depression, anxiety, or anger) to increased risk for cardiovascular disease, much less is known about the association between positive emotional states (e.g., laughter, happiness) and cardiovascular health. We determined the effects of mirthful laughter, elicited by watching comic movies, on endothelial function and central artery compliance. Seventeen apparently healthy adults (23 to 42 years of age) watched 30 minutes of a comedy or a documentary (control) on separate days (crossover design). Heart rate and blood pressure increased significantly while watching the comedy, whereas no such changes were seen while watching the documentary. Ischemia-induced brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (by B-mode ultrasound imaging) increased significantly after watching the comedy (17%) and decreased with watching the documentary (-15%). Carotid arterial compliance (by simultaneous application of ultrasound imaging and applanation tonometry) increased (10%) significantly immediately after watching the comedy and returned to baseline 24 hours after the watching, whereas it did not change significantly throughout the documentary condition. Comedy-induced changes in arterial compliance were significantly associated with baseline flow-mediated dilation (r = 0.63). These results suggest that mirthful laughter elicited by comic movies induces beneficial impact on vascular function. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (Am J Cardiol 2010;106:856-859)Kinesiology and Health Educatio

For Utilization of Christian Churches in Cappadocia as Cultural Resource

This paper considers the way of utilizing the rock-cut churches in Cappadocia as cultural resource. Though Cappadocia is a region of high importance where stylisticdevelopment of Byzantine art can be observed, it has hardly received treatment as much as its value. Cappadocian churches have been suffered not only from severe climaticconditions but also from vandalism, and they are still on the verge of disappearance. This paper introduces some of the activities that the author has worked on with the local guidesin the field and proposes the concept of the virtual reality museum to utilize the rock-cut churches as cultural resource

Integral Effects of Systemic Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibition on Carotid Arterial Compliance

Decreased arterial compliance (increased arterial stiffness) is associated with cardiovascular events. Nitric oxide regulates vascular tone, which can influence arterial compliance. We previously investigated the effects of systemic nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition on arterial compliance under the systemic α-adrenergic receptor blocking. In the present study, we investigated the effect of systemic NOS inhibition alone on central arterial compliance (via carotid arterial ultrasound imaging and applanation tonometry). Eighteen apparently healthy young adults (26±1 years) underwent intravenous infusions of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) or placebo (saline) on separate days. In the placebo control condition, no significant changes were observed in mean arterial pressure, cross-sectional compliance, and β-stiffness index. Mean arterial pressure increased significantly (84±2 vs. 96±3 mmHg) after the administration of L-NMMA, whereas there were no significant changes in cross-sectional compliance (0.11±0.01 vs. 0.12±0.01 mm2/mmHg), β-stiffness index (6.44±0.37 vs. 5.51±0.41 unit), or isobaric arterial compliance. Theses results in young healthy adults are not consistent with the idea that carotid arterial compliance is modulated by nitric oxide. Grant Support: This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (18300215, 18650186), JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowships for Research Abroad, and NIH grant AG20966

Charge order with unusual star-of-David lattice in monolayer NbTe2

Interplay between fermiology and electron correlation is crucial for realizing exotic quantum phases. Transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) 1T-TaS2 has sparked a tremendous attention owing to its unique Mott-insulating phase coexisting with the charge-density wave (CDW). However, how the fermiology and electron correlation are associated with such properties has yet to be claried. Here we demonstrate that monolayer 1T-NbTe2 is a new class of two-dimensional TMD which has the star-of-David lattice similarly to bulk TaS2 and isostructural monolayer NbSe2, but exhibits a metallic ground state with an unusual lattice periodicity root19xroot19 characterized by the sparsely occupied star-of-David lattice. By using angle-resolved photoemission and scanning-tunneling spectroscopies in combination with first-principles band-structure calculations, we found that the hidden Fermi-surface nesting and associated CDW formation are a primary cause to realize this unique correlated metallic state with no signature of Mott gap. The present result points to a vital role of underlying fermiology to characterize the Mott phase of TMDs.Comment: To be published in Physical Review

Visible fluorescence induced by the metal semiconductor transition in composites of carbon nanotubes with noble metal nanoparticles

We show that single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) bundles emit visible fluorescence in the presence of noble metal nanoparticles and nanorods in the solid state. Conductivity measurements with metallic nanotubes, isolated from pristine SWNTs, show that they become semiconducting in the presence of the metal nanoparticles. Nanoparticle binding increases the defects in the nanotube structures which is evident in the Raman spectra. The metal-semiconductor transition removes the nonradiative decay channels of the excited states enabling visible fluorescence. Nanotube structures are imaged using this emission with resolution below the classical limits

Quadrupolar effect and rattling motion in heavy fermion superconductor PrOs_4Sb_{12}

The elastic properties of a filled skutterudite PrOs_4Sb_{12} with a heavy Fermion superconductivity at T_C=1.85 K have been investigated. The elastic softening of (C_{11}-C_{12})/2 and C_{44} with lowering temperature down to T_C indicates that the quadrupolar fluctuation due to the CEF state plays a role for the Cooper paring in superconducting phase of PrOs_4Sb_{12}. A Debye-type dispersion in the elastic constants around 30 K revealed a thermally activated Gamma_{23} rattling due to the off-center Pr-atom motion obeying tau=tau_{0}exp(E/k_{B}T) with an attempt time tau_0=8.8*10^{-11} sec and an activation energy E=168 K. It is remarkable that the charge fluctuation of the off-center motion with Gamma_{23} symmetry may mix with the quadrupolar fluctuation and enhance the elastic softening of (C_{11}-C_{12})/2 just above T_C.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published to Phys. Rev.

Different prognostic outcomes in two cases of FDG-PET/CT-Positive and -negative cardiac angiosarcoma

Cardiac angiosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor with a poor prognosis, characterized by the high uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). This case report presents two cases of cardiac angiosarcoma with a marked difference in FDG uptake and prognosis.Case Summary:Case 1: A 40-year-old male presented with syncope. Ultrasound echocardiography demonstrated a cardiac tumor with a high uptake of 18F-FDG (maximum standardized uptake value=9.2). The patient underwent heart catheterization and tumor biopsy. The pathological result was high-grade angiosarcoma, and the MIB-1(Ki-67) proliferation index was approximately 20%. Systemic chemotherapy was administered; however, the patient died 2 years and 5 months after disease onset.Case 2: A 65-year-old female had a right atrial tumor incidentally diagnosed during routine ultrasound echocardiography. The tumor exhibited a low uptake of 18F-FDG (maximum standardized uptake value=1.8). Open heart surgery was performed, and the tumor was completely resected. Histological analysis revealed low-grade angiosarcoma, and the MIB-1(Ki-67) proliferation index was less than 5%. The patient was followed-up and had not relapsed 2 years after surgery.Conclusion: 18F-FDG uptake may reflect pathological tumor grade and prognosis in cardiac angiosarcoma