The Action of Antihistamines on the Lymph Formation and Its Effect on the Action of Some Lymphagogues

Increase of capillary permeability is the chief symptomatic reaction of various pathologic states, especially that of localized inflammation, and this is the characteristic pharmacological properties of histamine at a far smaller concentration than that of any other chemical substances (Lewis, 1927; Crammer and Hele, 1944). There are numerous observations as to the diminishing effect of antihistamines on the flare and wheal caused by histamine and the inhibition by antihistamines of localized accumulation of intravenously injected dyes, such as trypan blue, referable to intradermal injection of histamine (for refs. cf. Loew, 1947; Fe£nberg et al., 1950). As for the inhibition of capillary permeability by antihistamines, some maintain that this action is limited to the case where such permeability has been increased by histamine (Wells, Morris and Dragstedt, 1946; Netter, 1947; Rigdon, 1949), but no single and decisive conclusion can yet be given.</p

Diverse Roles of JNK and MKK Pathways in the Brain

The c-Jun NH2-terminal protein kinase (JNK) plays important roles in a broad range of physiological processes. JNK is controlled by two upstream regulators, mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MKK) 4 and MKK7, which are activated by various MAPKKKs. Studies employing knockout mice have demonstrated that the JNK signaling pathway is involved in diverse phenomena in the brain, regulating brain development and maintenance as well as animal metabolism and behavior. Furthermore, examination of single or combined knockout mice of Jnk1, Jnk2, and Jnk3 has revealed both functional differences and redundancy among JNK1, JNK2, and JNK3. Phenotypic differences between knockouts of MKK4 and MKK7 have also been observed, suggesting that the JNK signaling pathway in the brain has a complex nature and is intricately regulated. This paper summarizes the functional properties of the major JNK signaling components in the developing and adult brain

Results of Hepatectomy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma at the National Cancer Center Hospital

The number of hepatectomies has increased greatly in recent years. Surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the normal liver has not increased. However, the increase in numbers of hepatectomies for HCC associated with liver cirrhosis is remarkable. More than 80% of our hepatectomy cases were cirrhotic and about 80% of these cirrhotic cases had HCCs 5cm or less in diameter. The operative mortality rate has improved in the latter half of this series, from 10.1% (9/89) to 1.5% (5/338), in spite of an increase in cases with poor liver function. This corresponds to a decrease in the mean value of the annual operative blood loss. The survival rates after hepatectomy for all cases (n = 378) were 40.6% ± 6.6 (% ± SE) for 5 year and 22.7% ± 5.3 for 10 year at the end of 1988. A difference of the 5-year survival rate between the patients operated on before 1981 (n = 78, 25.6% ± 4.9) and after 1982 (n = 300, 46.1% ± 4.8) was observed (p<0.05). Because the cancer-free survival rates of the patients operated on in the two periods, before 1981 and after 1982, were almost the same, the recent improvement of the survival rates seems to be due to a prolongation of survival time after recurrence

Structural and diffusional phase transformations in liquid-quenched Mg₈₅Y₉Zn₆ ribbons below the bifurcation temperature

In-situ and simultaneous small- and wide-angle scattering measurements of liquid-quenched Mg₈₅Y₉Zn₆ alloy ribbons were performed to examine phase transition during isothermal annealing at the temperatures below the bifurcation temperature, where long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) structures are not formed yet in the previous work. Even below the temperature, sluggish structural transformation destroying hcp stacking sequence was observed, and development of in-plane and inter plane cluster structures, as imperfect LPSO structure, became noticeable at long time annealing. The characteristic time for structural transformation showed well-defined thermally activated process with Q = 173.6 +/- 14.4 kJ/mol

The effect of trunk muscle stabilization training on body functions

The transversus abdominis forms the deepest layer of abdominal muscles. It covers the trunk and functions as a trunk stabilizer. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of training the transversus abdominis in healthy subjects and patients who underwent hip or knee surgery. There were 22 healthy young subjects and 11 ambulatory patients who underwent hip or knee surgery included in the study. The center of gravity postural sway trajectory length in a standing position, the length and area of the sway of the center of gravity, and quadriceps femoris strength were evaluated as measures of physical function. Healthy subjects and patients underwent trunk stabilization training and regular training（ balance training for healthy subjects and 20 minutes of physical therapy for patients） as a control. After trunk stabilization training, quadriceps femoris strength increased in both groups and the center of gravity postural sway trajectory length decreased among patients. When the order of training was compared, quadriceps femoris strength increased when trunk stabilization training was given before regular training. This is probably because trunk stabilization training increased abdominal pressure and improved trunk stability, thereby also stabilizing the pelvic girdle where many groups of leg muscles have their origins

Internal Knowledge Sharing by Infrastructure Maintenance Engineers in Small and Medium Size Construction Companies in Japan

It is necessary to increase the capability of engineers to carry out maintenance management for keeping infrastructure safe and serviceable. Many regional training programs have been established to develop engineers into “maintenance experts.” While small and medium size construction companies and engineering consultants play an active role in infrastructure maintenance, they have limited human and economic resources for joining the training programs, so the sharing of knowledge acquired from the programs becomes important for improving the capability of the company as a whole. The objective of this research is to investigate how engineers who participated in regional training programs shared their knowledge inside their organization using an online questionnaire survey. It was found that leadership is an important factor for driving knowledge sharing activities, particularly for adapting the knowledge acquired from the training program to the company’s environment. However, the lack of experience serves as a barrier to the deeper transfer of knowledge, such as on-the-job training or seminars, as these methods of knowledge sharing require expert knowledge. For organizations to improve their knowledge sharing practices, it is necessary to consider the type of knowledge to be shared and the appropriate method for sharing, along with the improvement of the leadership for knowledge sharing in the organization