Measurement of Local Plastic Deformation in Aluminum Alloy by Means of X-ray 3D Imaging Technique

AbstractTo understand the local deformation behavior is very important for improvement of deformability in aluminum alloys which possess poor deformation limit in comparison with steels. However, measurement of local deformation in the interior of metal is not sufficiently carried out. In this study, the development of local plastic strain is measured by means of X-ray 3D imaging technique, i.e. high-resolution synchrotron X-ray microtomography. The marker tracking method, which is based on 3D image processing in volumetric image, is developed for obtaining local strains in 3D. Deformation behaviour is particularly different in individual grains. It was found that grains with different orientations deform maintaining harmony by shear deformation

Preliminary result of the relationship between the breathing frequency and dynamic body acceleration

March 5-6, 2009, Bangkok, ThailandIn this study, the relationship between the breathing frequency and the dynamic body acceleration (DBA) of one hatchery-reared loggerhead turtle Carretta carretta was examined using acceleration data loggers. Two acceleration data loggers (M190L-D2GT, W1000-3MPD3GT, Little Leonard, Japan) were attached on the lower-beak and carapace of a hatchery-reared loggerhead turtle, respectively. Breathing was successfully detected from the angle and depth of the beak-attached data logger and DBA, which has been used as an index of activity levels (Wilson et al., 2006), was calculated from the forward acceleration of the carapace-attached logger. There was a positive correlation between the DBA in the previous dive and the breathing frequency; the relationship was exponential. The result suggests that the number of breaths increased exponentially after a more active dive

Biological Behavior of Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid Including Squamous Cell Carcinoma Components and Prognosis of Patients Who Underwent Locally Curative Surgery

Thyroid carcinoma showing squamous differentiation throughout the entire lesion is diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid (SCCT) in the WHO classification. This entity is a rare disease and shows a dire prognosis; however, squamous differentiation is more frequently detected in only a portion of papillary thyroid carcinoma. In this paper, we present our experience of 10 patients (8 primary lesions and 2 with recurrence in the lymph nodes) with papillary thyroid carcinoma having an SCC component (PTC-SCC). Only 3 of 8 primary lesions (38%) and none of the 2 recurrent nodes were preoperatively diagnosed as or suspected of having SCC components. All 10 patients underwent locally curative surgery. To date, 3 patients have died of carcinoma, and 2 had distant metastasis at diagnosis or had an undifferentiated carcinoma component. The other 7 are currently alive 5 to 43 months after diagnosis. Systemic adjuvant therapy after the detection of recurrence was effective for 2 patients. It is possible that some PTC-SCC patients without distant metastasis who undergo locally curative surgery can survive for a prolonged period and adjuvant therapies can be effective for local and distant recurrences

Effects of substitutions of glycine and asparagine for serine132 on activity and binding of human lipoprotein lipase to very low density lipoproteins

AbstractFor studying the role of Ser132 in the putative catalytic site of human lipoprotein lipase (LPL), mutant LPL cDNAs expressing LPLs with amino acid substitutions of Gly or Asn for Ser132 were obtained by site-directed mutagenesis, and were expressed in COS-1 cells. Considerable amounts of LPL enzyme protein mass were detected in the culture medium of COS-1 cells transfected with wild-type LPL, LPL-Gly132, or LPL-Asn132. LPL-Gly132 hydrolyzed Triton X-100-triolein and tributyrin as effectively as wild-type LPL, whereas LPL-Asn132 showed no activity. LPL-Asn132 bound to very low density lipoproteins as effectively as wild-type LPL

Supplementation of protein-free diet with whey protein hydrolysates prevents skeletal muscle mass loss in rats

AbstractMuscle mass loss is induced by aging, several catabolic diseases, and malnutrition. It is well known that ingestion of whey protein and its hydrolysates (WPH) is effective in stimulating muscle protein synthesis. However, these studies focused on the acute up-regulation of muscle protein synthesis, and few studies have investigated the effect of whey protein and WPH on muscle mass during chronic malnutrition. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of 7 days supplementation of whey protein and WPH on muscle reduction in Wistar rats fed a protein-free (PF) diet. Wistar rats were fed either a standard diet (containing 20% protein) or a PF diet during the experimental period. Those fed a PF diet received a dietary supplement containing an amino acid mixture, whey protein, or WPH for 7 days. The weight of the extensor digitorum longus decreased in rats fed a PF diet supplemented with the amino acid mixture or the whey protein. However, this decrease was partially but significantly suppressed in the group fed the WPH supplement. Additionally, administration of WPH induced a postprandial increase in plasma essential amino acids, branched-chain amino acids, and leucine concentration compared with animals fed the amino acid mixture or the whey protein. These results suggest that 7 days supplementation of the diet with WPH suppressed muscle weight loss in rats fed a PF diet

Haplotypes of PADI4 susceptible to rheumatoid arthritis are also associated with ulcerative colitis in the Japanese population.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn\u27s disease (CD), is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by intractable inflammation specific to the gastrointestinal tract. The precise etiology of IBD remains unknown. Recently, haplotypes of peptidylarginine deiminase type 4 (PADI4) have been identified as the rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-susceptible gene. PADI4 is located at 1p36, which is one of chromosomal loci susceptible for IBD. Then, we examined whether haplotypes and diplotypes of PADI4 are associated with IBD in the Japanese population. We studied haplotypes of PADI4 in 114 patients with UC, 83 patients with CD, and 200 gender-matched healthy controls by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Frequencies and distributions of haplotypes and diplotypes were compared statistically between patients and controls by logistic regression analysis. The frequency of haplotype 1 was significantly decreased in patients with UC, compared to that in controls (P=0.037; odds ratio (OR)=0.702). In contrast, the frequency of haplotype 2 in patients with UC was significantly higher than that in controls (P=0.003; OR=1.722). Moreover, of a total of 114 patients with UC, 15 (13.2%) had a diplotype homozygous for haplotype 2, the frequency being significantly higher than in controls (9/200, 4.5%; P=0.008, OR=3.215). Our results indicate that haplotype 1 of PADI4 is associated with non-susceptibility to UC, whereas haplotype 2 is susceptible to UC. Thus, it is likely that PADI4 is one of genetic determinants of UC in the Japanese population

COLLETOTRICHUM DEMATIUMニ ヨル アガパンサスタンソビョウ:シンショウ

2004年5月茨城県取手市で激しい葉枯症状を呈するアガパンサスを採集した。病葉上には剛毛を有する分生子層が肉眼では多数の小黒粒点として観察でき,培養菌叢はPDA培地上で暗灰色～黒色,分生子は鎌形で大きさ15.0～21.5×2.5～3.7μmであった。これらの形態的特徴から,本菌をColletotrichum dematium (Per. : Fr.) Groveと同定した。接種試験による病原性の確認を行った結果,接種約1週間後に病徴が再現され,病斑部から本菌が再分離された。これらの結果から,本病はC. dematiumによって引き起こされたことが明らかになり,病名としてアガパンサス炭疽病を提言した。In 2004, a new disease was found on African lily (Agapanthus africanus (L.) Hoffmanns.) leaves, in Ibaraki prefecture, Japan. Brown to grayish brown leaf blight lesions were observed on over-wintered leaves. A fungus belonging to the genus Colletotrichum was observed on these lesions. Its acervuli had setae. The colonies were black or dark gray on PDA medium. Conidia were aseptate, hyaline, falcate, and 15.0～21.5×2.5～3.7μm (17.3×3.0μm in average). Appressoria were oval or slightly irregular, dark brown colored and 9.5～18.7×5.2～10.0μm in size. Based upon these morphological characteristics, this fungus was identified as Colletotrichum dematium (Per. : Fr.) Grove. Isolated fungus was pathogenic to the original host plant in artificial inoculation test. This is the first report describing the African lily disease caused by C. dematium in Japan. Therefore, anthracnose of agapanthus (agapanthus tanso-byo) is proposed as a new disease in Japan

Minimum Clinically Important Differences in Oswestry Disability Index Domains and Their Impact on Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery

Study Design Retrospective study. Purpose To calculate the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) for total and individual domains of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and assess score distribution and changes over time in surgically treated adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients. Overview of Literature Despite the common use of ODI for assessing ASD, there are no robust studies defining MCID values for this index. Methods This study included 240 consecutive ASD patients with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up. We calculated MCID values for total and individual ODI domains using all or part of the Scoliosis Research Society-22R questionnaire as anchors. Using current MCID values, we measured the acquisition rates in patients who acquired MCID at follow-up in both total and individual ODI domains. Differences in pathology, age, and locations of the upper and lower instrumented vertebrae were analyzed. Results MCID of the total ODI score was 11%, with an area under the curve of 0.737. Each domain ranged from 0 to 2, with 1 being the most common value. In the pain and standing domains, >60% of the patients acquired MCID, although acquisition rates of the personal care, lifting, sleep, and sexual activity domains were relatively low (20%–35%). Patients with MCID had more radiographic improvement in lumbar lordosis, sagittal vertical axis, and T1 pelvic angle than those without MCID (p<0.05). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe MCID of ODI (11%) after ASD surgery. In the pain and standing domains, most patients acquired MCID although the rates of acquisition of MCID in the personal care, lifting, sleep, and sexual activity domains were low. Spine surgeons should counsel their patients regarding the benefits and setbacks of ASD surgery

Visualization of the radiofrequency lesion after pulmonary vein isolation using delayed enhancement magnetic resonance imaging fused with magnetic resonance angiography

AbstractBackgroundThe radiofrequency (RF) lesions for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation can be visualized by delayed enhancement magnetic resonance imaging (DE-MRI). However, the quality of anatomical information provided by DE-MRI is not adequate due to its spatial resolution. In contrast, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) provides similar information regarding the left atrium (LA) and pulmonary veins (PVs) as computed tomography angiography. We hypothesized that DE-MRI fused with MRA will compensate for the inadequate image quality provided by DE-MRI.MethodsDE-MRI and MRA were performed in 18 patients who underwent AF ablation (age, 60±9 years; LA diameter, 42±6mm). Two observers independently assessed the DE-MRI and DE-MRI fused with MRA for visualization of the RF lesion (score 0–2; where 0: not visualized and 2: excellent in all 14 segments of the circular RF lesion).ResultsDE-MRI fused with MRA was successfully performed in all patients. The image quality score was significantly higher in DE-MRI fused with MRA compared to DE-MRI alone (observer 1: 22 (18, 25) vs 28 (28, 28), p<0.001; observer 2: 24 (23, 25) vs 28 (28, 28), p<0.001).ConclusionsDE-MRI fused with MRA was superior to DE-MRI for visualization of the RF lesion owing to the precise information on LA and PV anatomy provided by DE-MRI