Phase equilibria and interfacial tension of fluids confined in narrow pores

Correlation between phase behaviors of a Lennard-Jones fluid in and outside a pore is examined over wide thermodynamic conditions by grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. A pressure tensor component of the confined fluid, a variable controllable in simulation but usually uncontrollable in experiment, is related with the pressure of a bulk homogeneous system in equilibrium with the confined system. Effects of the pore dimensionality, size, and attractive potential on the correlations between thermodynamic properties of the confined and bulk systems are clarified. A fluid-wall interfacial tension defined as an excess grand potential is evaluated as a function of the pore size. It is found that the tension decreases linearly with the inverse of the pore diameter or width

ヘイケイゴ ジョセイ ニオケル チョウキ ホルモン ホジュウ リョウホウ オヨビ ケイコウ エストロゲン セイザイ ヨリ ケイヒ エストロゲン セイザイ エ ヘンコウ シタ サイノ カクシュ ドウミャク コウカ シヒョウ ト ケッセイ シシツ ニ カンスル リンショウテキ ケンキュウ

長期間のホルモン補充療法(Hormone replacement therapy : HRT)や,経口エストロゲン剤から経皮剤への変更が動脈硬化指標と血清脂質に及ぼす影響について検討した.長期間のHRTを行なっている患者をその投与法により次の3群に分けた.結合型エストロゲン(conjugated equine estrogen : CEE) 0.625mg/日を含むHRT (平均7.0年間)を行なっているCEE 0.625mg群(n=21), CEE 0.3125mg/日を含むHRT (平均6.0年間)を行なっているCEE 0.3125mg群(n=13),およびHRTを受けていないnon-HRT群 (n=19)とした.これらの3群の患者を対象として, hs-CRP, Lp (a),総コレステロール(TC),中性脂肪(TG), HDL-C, LDL-Cを観察開始時から12ヶ月後まで6ヶ月毎に測定した. CEE 0.625mg群の21名中11名では12ヶ月後に経皮エストロゲン剤に変更し,6ヶ月後に上記項目を測定した. CEE 0.625mg群のhs-CRPはCEE 0.3125mg群と無治療群間に比して有意に高かった. CEE 0.625mg群のLP (a)は無治療群に比して有意に低かった. TC/HDL比はCEE 0.3125mg群が無治療群に比して有意に低かった.各群の動脈硬化指標と血清脂質のいずれでも,12ヶ月間の観察期間中に有意な変化は認められなかった.経皮エストロゲン剤に変更後, hs-CRPとLp (a)は有意に低下した.以上の結果より,長期間のCEE 0.3125mg/日投与は心筋梗塞発症と最も高い相関を示すとされるhs-CRPおよびTC/HDL比を改善させることを明らかにした.さらに,経口エストロゲンから経皮エストロゲンへの変更も心筋梗塞発症と相関を示すhs-CRPとLp (a)を低下させることが示された.The purpose of this present study was to investigate the effects of long-term oral hormone replacement therapy and transdermal estrogen replacement therapy on vascular inflammatory markers, plasma lipids and lipoproteins in postmenopausal women who had received long-term HRT for more than 3 years, with a mean of 6.2 years. 53 postmenopausal women were divided into 3 groups by hormone replacement regimens : 21 women having received either 0.625mg daily of conjugated equine estrogen (CEE) or CEE plus 2.5-5mg daily of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) (CEE 0.625mg group), 13 having received either 0.3125mg of CEE or CEE plus 1.25-2.5mg daily of MPA (CEE 0.3125mg group), and 19 having never received HRT (non-HRT group). Serum levels of hs-CRP, Lp (a) lipoprotein, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), HDL-C, LDL-C and the ratio of TC to HDL-C (TC/HDL-C) in the CEE 0.625mg, CEE 0.3125mg and non-HRT groups were determined at the initiation of observation and thereafter every 6 months for 12 months. In 11 out of the 21 women in the CEE 0.625mg group, we changed the hormone replacement regimen from CEE to transdermal estrogen after 12 months of observation (TE group) and determined the above-mentioned serum levels before and 6 months after the administration of transdermal estrogen. The mean basal level of hs-CRP was significantly higher in the CEE 0.625mg group than in the CEE 0.3125mg and non-HRT groups. The mean basal level of Lp (a) was significantly lower in the CEE 0.625mg group than in the non-HRT group. The mean basal level of HDL-C was significantly higher in both the CEE 0.625mg and CEE 0.3125mg groups than in the non-HRT group. The mean basal raitio of TC/HDL-C was significantly lower in the CEE 0.3125mg group than in the non-HRT group. During the 12 months of observation, no significant changes were observed in any of serum lipids, inflammatory markers and lipoproteins in the CEE 0.625mg, CEE 0.3125mg and non-HRT groups. The mean basal levels of hs-CRP and Lp (a) in the TE group were significantly decreased 6 months after the administration of transdermal estrogen. It was concluded from the results that the markers for cardiovascular events could serologically be decreased after the long-term administration of CEE 0.3125mg or transdermal estrogen in comparison with CEE 0.625mg

Anti-Tumor Effect of Murine Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells Genetically Modified to Express B7-1 Combined with Cytokine Secreting Fibroblasts

Recently, many experiments have shown that the expression of the costimulatory molecule B7-1 on tumor cells can induce tumor-specific immunity. These results suggest that tumor cells modified to express costimulatory molecules can be used as a potential tumor vaccine. For this purpose, we transduced B7-1 gene into renal adenocarcinoma cells of spontaneous origin (Renca) in BALB/c mouse using the retroviral vector system. Our results indicated that approximately 60% of cells expressed B7-1 gene product using the retroviral vector system, and that B7-1 transduction did not affect the expression of MHC molecules on tumor cells nor the in vitro growth rate of tumor cells, but only in vivo tumorigenicity. As for the antitumor effect on the remote site, there were no significant differences among parental Renca, Renca lac Z and Renca B7-1 sublines, although tumors grew a little more slowly in the mice injected with Renca B7-1 cells as a vaccine. Even if the growth of tumors was significantly delayed in the mice treated by Renca B7-1 as a vaccine combined with the injection of BALB/c3T3 IL-12 near to the tumor on the same or following day, no significant antitumor effects were observed when the Renca B7-1 cells were injected as a vaccine compared with cytokines near the vaccine site. These results indicated that B7-1 gene transduction can decrease the tumorigenicity of murine renal cell carcinoma cells, but fails to induce sufficient antitumor response when it is used as a tumor vaccine. It is necessary to develop immunogenicity, by such menas as irradiation or a combination of appropriate cytokines, to stimulate effective tumor immunity in a therapeutic setting.This study was supported in part by grants-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan (grant no. 08671816 and no. 10671475)

Gene Therapy for Murine Renal Cell Carcinoma Using Genetically Engineered Tumor Cells to Secrete lnterleukin-12

To determine the possibility of gene therapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) using interleukin- 12 (IL-12), we prepared genetically engineered murine RCC cells (Renca) which secrete IL-12 and evaluated the usefulness of these cells as a tumor vaccine. The IL-12 gene was transduced using MFG retroviral vector. The in vitro characteristics of transfectants―i.e., cell proliferation and expression of surface antigens―were then examined. In vivo tumorigenicity was assessed by subcutaneously injecting each type of cell in syngenic BALB/c mice. For the challenge experiments, the mice rejecting previously injected Renca IL-12 cells were rechallenged with parental cells. To determine the antitumor effect at remote sites, mice were injected with parental cells into the left flank, and then either Renca IL-12 or parental cells were inoculated into the opposite site on day 0 or 1. The transfected cells can secrete 146.7ng/ml/10⁶cells/48 hr of IL-12, as confirmed here by bioassay. The in vitro characteristics of the transfectants were not altered, but in vivo tumorigenicity was significantly reduced. Of the 21 mice that rejected Renca IL-12 cells, 9 failed to develop tumors after the challenge with parental cells. In the mice treated with Renca IL-12 as a vaccine, both number and tumor volume of the mice that developed tumors at remote sites were reduced. IL-12 secreting Renca cells conferred both protective immunity to parental cells and delay of tumor growth at remote sites, indicating that IL-12 secreting Renca cells are a feasible candidate for use in gene therapy of RCC.This study was supported in part by Grants-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan (nos. 07671731, 08671816, and 10671475)

Uterine artery pseudoaneurysm caused by a uterine manipulator

A uterine artery pseudoaneurysm (UAP) can occur after a traumatic event to the uterus, and cause massive bleeding. A uterine manipulator has been widely used for gynecologic laparoscopic surgery as basically an atraumatic instrument. We describe here a woman with a UAP caused by a uterine manipulator. She underwent laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy with a uterine manipulator due to torsion of a left ovarian cyst. Eleven days later, she came to our hospital with massive vaginal bleeding. Transvaginal Color Doppler ultrasound showed an intrauterine cystic mass with swirling blood flow, and three-dimensional arterial imaging from computed tomography revealed a UAP on the left side. Selective uterine artery angiography demonstrated a pseudoaneurysm in the distal portion of the left uterine artery, and embolization was performed successfully. A UAP should be taken into consideration in uterine bleeding after the use of a uterine manipulator