バルテュスの初期作品における人物像と空間表現

関西学院大

Successful pregnancy in renal transplant recipients.

Three cases of successful pregnancies in renal transplant recipients who had undergone transplantation in the Okayama University Medical School Hospital are reported. Two of the women had received an organ from a living relative and one woman received a cadaveric organ graft. These patients, aged 28-37 at the time of the delivery, had received their transplants 2-5 years prior to their conception. The periods of gestation ranged between 35 and 40 weeks. The weight of the babies at birth ranged from 2,380g to 2,500g and the apgar score at 1 min was 8 or 9. None of the infants showed any congenital abnormalities. Lower-segment cesarean section was performed in all of three cases. Serum creatinine levels, an indicator of renal graft function, did not deteriorate during the pregnancy or after delivery. Although further work is needed to solve problems regarding pregnancy in renal transplant recipients, these results encouraged us to meet their hope for a baby.</p

Role of Dlg5/lp-dlg, a Membrane-Associated Guanylate Kinase Family Protein, in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in LLc-PK1 Renal Epithelial Cells

Discs large homolog 5 (Dlg5) is a member of the membrane-associated guanylate kinase adaptor family of proteins, some of which are involved in the regulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Dlg5 has been described as a susceptibility gene for Crohn's disease; however, the physiological function of Dlg5 is unknown. We show here that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-induced EMT suppresses Dlg5 expression in LLc-PK1 cells. Depletion of Dlg5 expression by knockdown promoted the expression of the mesenchymal marker proteins, fibronectin and α-smooth muscle actin, and suppressed the expression of E-cadherin. In addition, activation of JNK and p38, which are stimulated by TGF-β, was enhanced by Dlg5 depletion. Furthermore, inhibition of the TGF-β receptor suppressed the effects of Dlg5 depletion. These observations suggest that Dlg5 is involved in the regulation of TGF-βreceptor-dependent signals and EMT

Influence of Gas Injection Pipe on CO2 Decomposition by CaCl2–CaO Molten Salt and ZrO2 Solid Electrolysis

The electrochemical decomposition of carbon dioxide to form carbon and oxygen gas in CaCl2–CaO molten salt was studied. A water model experiment was carried out to study the influence of the tip shape of the pipe, the pipe diameter and the wettability of the gas injection pipe on the bubble shape in the molten salt. Bubbles were formed with both a horizontal tip and an oblique tip when the wettability of the gas injection pipe was good. The specific surface area of the bubbles when using the oblique tip was smaller than when using the horizontal tip. On the other hand, slug flows appeared when wettability was poor. In a hot model experiment, the current density was measured, and it was found that the CO2 gas concentration decreased. Precipitated carbon was detected from the sample after the experiment. With the same pipe, the decrease of the CO2 gas concentration when using the oblique tip was more remarkable than when using the horizontal tip. It is likely that the form of the CO2 gas in the molten salt was bubble-shaped

<i>In Vitro</i> and <i>In Vivo</i> Evaluation of Titanium Surface Modification for Biological Aging by Electrolytic Reducing Ionic Water

In this study, using electrolytic reducing ionic water (S-100&#174;), a novel surface treatment method safely and easily modifying the surface properties was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Ti-6Al-4V disks were washed and the disks were kept standing on a clean bench for one and four weeks for aging. These disks were immersed in S-100&#174; (S-100 group), immersed in ultra-pure water (Control group), or irradiated with ultraviolet light (UV group), and surface analysis, cell experiment, and animal experiment were performed using these disks. The titanium surface became hydrophilic in the S-100 group and the amount of protein adsorption and cell adhesion rate were improved in vitro. In vivo, new bone formation was noted around the disk. These findings suggested that surface treatment with S-100&#174; adds bioactivity to the biologically aged titanium surface. We are planning to further investigate it and accumulate evidence for clinical application