Pseudoelastic Behavior and Aging Effect in Thermoelastic In-Tl Martensite

In this paper, the authors report the interesting stress-strain results and an aging behavior found in single crystals of In-21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 at. % Tl alloys. The stress-strain curves can be classified into three groups according to their shapes. In a high temperature region above martensitic temperature, Mₛ, while at a considerably low temperature region, superelastic loops are obtained. While at an intermediate temperature below Mₛ, the residual strain remains after removal of the applied stress, and this strain returns to zero when the specimen is heated up to above the reverse transformation temperature. That is the so-called shape memory effect. The twin boundaries migrated by the external stress were stabilized by strain aging under stress, and the activation energy for the aging process was found to be O.51±O.O3eV. The strain rate dependence of pseudo-elastic behavior is observed in the martensite phase and is explained by the dynamic aging between the moving twin boundaries and Tlatoms

Site-specific DNA oxidation by a dinuclear copper complex containing a photoisomerizable azobenzene ligand

A dinuclear copper complex possessing an azobenzene backbone (Cu^[II]_[2]1) was synthesized and its affinity towards DNA was investigated and found to be dependent on the trans–cis isomeric forms. Upon exposure to UV light at 365 nm the trans form of the complex (Cu^[II]_[2]trans-1) underwent photoisomerization into the cis-isomer (Cu^[II]_[2]cis-1), which reverted to the original trans-form on exposure to visible light at 420 nm. Both thetrans and cis isomers exhibited moderate DNA cleavage activity toward plasmid duplex DNA in the presence of a reducing agent 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) suggesting that the Cu^[I] species could activate molecular oxygen to form a reactive oxygen species in situ. Interestingly, the isomeric copper complexes showed different site-specificities in the oxidation of an oligodeoxynucleotide having single-strand–double-helix junctions in the sequence. The trans isomer Cu^[I]_[2]trans-1 induced oxidation at the consecutive deoxyguanosine site (GG) near the junction; on the other hand, such site-specificity was not observed in the case of Cu^[I]_[2]cis-1

PICO-LON Project for WIMPs search

Highly segmented inorganic crystal has been shown to have good performance for dark matter search. The energy resolution of ultra thin and large area NaI(Tl) scintillator has been developed. The estimated sensitivity for spin-dependent excitation of 127I was discussed. The recent status of low background measurement at Oto Cosmo Observatory is reportedComment: 3 pages, 1 figure, Proceedings of TAUP200

Clinical Impact of Down-Regulated Plasma miR-92a Levels in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Background: We undertook a study to evaluate the clinical relevance of miR-92a in plasma obtained from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients, because the miR-17-92 polycistronic miRNA cluster plays a crucial role in lymphomagenesis and affects neo-angiogenesis. Methodology/Principal Findings: Plasma miR-92a values in NHL were extremely low (,5%), compared with healthy subjects (P,.0001), irrespective of lymphoma sub-type. The very low plasma level of miR-92a increased in the complete response (CR) phase but did not reach the normal range, and the plasma level was lower again in the relapse phase. Patients in CR or CR unconfirmed with a plasma miR-92a level of less than the cut-off level showed a significantly high relapse rate compared with patients with normalized plasma miR-92a level. Conclusions/Significance: The current results therefore indicate that the plasma miR-92a value could be a novel biomarke

High levels of soluble C5b-9 complex in dialysis fluid may predict poor prognosis in peritonitis in peritoneal dialysis patients

Background We searched for indicators to predict the prognosis of infectious peritonitis by measuring levels of complement proteins and activation products in peritoneal dialysis (PD) fluid (PDF) of patients at early stages of peritonitis. We retrospectively analyzed the relationship between the levels of sC5b-9, C3 and C4 in PDF and the subsequent clinical prognosis. Methods We measured levels of sC5b-9, C3 and C4 in PDF on days 1, 2 and 5 post-onset of peritonitis in 104 episodes of infectious peritonitis in PD patients from 2008 and retrospectively compared levels with clinical outcomes. Further analysis for the presence of causative microorganisms or to demonstrate bacterial culture negative peritonitis was performed and correlated with change of levels of sC5b-9 in PDF. Results When PD patients with peritonitis were divided into groups that either failed to recover from peritonitis and were finally withdrawn from PD (group 1; n = 25) or recovered (group 2; n = 79), levels of sC5b-9, C3 and C4 in PDF were significantly higher in group 1 patients compared to those in group 2 on day5. Analysis of microorganisms showed significantly higher sC5b-9 levels in PDF of peritonitis cases caused by culture negative peritonitis in group 1 compared with group 2 when we analyzed for individual microorganisms. Of note, on day5, the sC5b-9 levels in PDF were similarly high in peritonitis caused by fungi or other organisms. Conclusion Our results suggested that levels of complement markers in PDF, especially sC5b-9, have potential as surrogate markers to predict prognosis of PD-related peritonitis

Usage Survey of Personal Underfloor Air Outlet System and Thermal Environment Acceptability

This study was aimed to clarify the usage of a personal air-conditioning system and to describe the characteristics of actual worker acceptance of the thermal environment. The results showed that the usage rate of the personal air-conditioning system was 90% and that most workers were satisfied with the system’s effect. Only a few workers reported that the environment was unacceptable despite the use of the system, and they expressed this even when the temperature and humidity were within a comfortable range. It was suggested that the complaints resulted from factors such as the individual thermal histories and changes in their metabolic rate upon returning to the office after performing outdoor activities

Intensity Ratio of Kβ/Kα in Selected Elements from Mg to Cu, and the Chemical Effects of Cr Kα1,2 Diagram Lines and Cr Kβ/Kα Intensity Ratio in Cr Compounds

Y. Ito acknowledges the financial support for the measurements of a part of the data by the REXDAB Collaboration that was initiated within the International Fundamental Parameter Initiative. This research was supported in part by FCT (Portugal) under research center grants UID/FIS/04559/2020 (LIBPhys). This work was also supported by the National Science Centre, Poland under grant number 2017/25/B/ST2/00901 and grant number 2021/05/X/ST2/01664, and by the Slovenian Research Agency (P1-0112). A. Kahoul and A. Hamidani acknowledge the support of the DGRSDT, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Algeria, and of Mohamed El Bachir El Ibrahimi University, under project (PRFU) No. B00L02UN340120220001. Paul Indelicato is a member of the Allianz Program of the Helmholtz Association, contract n° EMMI HA-216 “Extremes of Density and Temperature: Cosmic Matter in the Laboratory”. P.I. acknowledge support from the PESSOA Hubert Curien Program 2022, Number 47863UE. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.(Formula presented.) X-ray lines from photon excitation were measured in selected elements from Mg to Cu using a high-resolution double-crystal X-ray spectrometer with a proportional counter, and the (Formula presented.) intensity ratio for each element was obtained, after correcting for self-absorption, detection efficiency, and crystal reflectance. This intensity ratio increases rapidly from Mg to Ca but, in the (Formula presented.) elements region, the increase becomes slower. This is related to the intensity of the (Formula presented.) line involving valence electrons. The slow increase of this ratio in the (Formula presented.) elements region is thought to be due to the correlation between (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) electrons. Moreover, the chemical shifts, FWHM, asymmetry indices, and (Formula presented.) intensity ratios of the Cr compounds, due to different valences, were also investigated using the same double-crystal X-ray spectrometer. The chemical effects were clearly observed, and the (Formula presented.) intensity ratio was found to be compound-dependent for Cr.publishersversionpublishe

Risk stratification for the prognosis of patients with chemoresistant urothelial cancer treated with pembrolizumab

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat urothelial carcinoma (UC) is increasing rapidly without clear guidance for validated risk stratification. This multicenter retrospective study collected clinicopathological information on 463 patients, and 11 predefined variables were analyzed to develop a multivariate model predicting overall survival (OS). The model was validated using an independent dataset of 292 patients. Patient characteristics and outcomes were well balanced between the discovery and validation cohorts, which had median OS times of 10.2 and 12.5 mo, respectively. The final validated multivariate model was defined by risk scores based on the hazard ratios (HRs) of independent prognostic factors including performance status, site of metastasis, hemoglobin levels, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. The median OS times (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) for the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups (discovery cohort) were not yet reached (NYR) (NYR–19.1), 6.8 mo (5.8-8.9), and 2.3 mo (1.2-2.6), respectively. The HRs (95% CI) for OS in the low- and intermediate-risk groups vs the high-risk group were 0.07 (0.04-0.11) and 0.23 (0.15-0.37), respectively. The objective response rates for in the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups were 48.3%, 28.8%, and 10.5%, respectively. These differential outcomes were well reproduced in the validation cohort and in patients who received pembrolizumab after perioperative or first-line chemotherapy (N = 584). In conclusion, the present study developed and validated a simple prognostic model predicting the oncological outcomes of pembrolizumab-treated patients with chemoresistant UC. The model provides useful information for external validation, patient counseling, and clinical trial design

The Incidence and Clinical Implication of Sputum with Positive Acid-Fast Bacilli Smear But Negative in Mycobacterial Culture in a Tertiary Referral Hospital in South Korea

Although it is not rare to find sputum that is positive acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear but subsequent culture fails to isolate mycobacteria in clinical practice, the incidence and clinical implication of those sputa from new patients has not been clearly elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and clinical implication of sputum with positive AFB smear but negative in mycobacterial culture. All sputa that were positive AFB smear requested during diagnostic work up for new patients visiting Seoul National University Hospital from 1 January 2005 through 31 December 2006 were included. Sputa producing a positive AFB smear but negative mycobacterial culture were classified into one of four categories: laboratory failure to isolate mycobacteria, false positive AFB smear, pathogen may show a positive AFB smear other than mycobacteria, and indeterminate results. Out of 447 sputa with a positive AFB smear, 29 (6.5%) failed to culture any organism. Among these 29 sputa, 18 were caused by laboratory failure to isolate mycobacteria, six were false positive smears, and five indeterminate. Although most sputum with a positive AFB smear but negative culture could be classified as a laboratory failure, clinicians should consider the possibility of false positive AFB smear

Expression of chemokine receptors on peripheral blood lymphocytes in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The role of different chemokine receptors in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been extensively investigated; however, little is known about the difference in the role of chemokine receptors between the pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and MS. Therefore, we examined the expression of chemokine receptors on peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) in MS and NMO.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used flow cytometry to analyse lymphocyte subsets in 12 patients with relapsing NMO, 24 with relapsing-remitting MS during relapse, 3 with NMO and 5 with MS during remission.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared with healthy controls (HC), the percentage of lymphocytes in white blood cells was significantly lower in NMO and MS patients. The percentage of T cells expressing CD4⁺CD25⁺and CD4⁺CD45RO⁺was higher, while that of CD4⁺CC chemokine receptor (CCR)3⁺(T helper 2, Th2) was significantly lower in MS patients than in HC. The ratios of CD4⁺CXC chemokine receptors (CXCR)3⁺/CD4⁺CCR3⁺(Th1/Th2) and CD8⁺CXCR3⁺/CD8⁺CCR4⁺(T cytotoxic 1, Tc1/Tc2) were higher in MS patients than in HC. The percentage of CD8⁺CXCR3⁺T cell (Tc1) and CD4⁺CXCR3⁺T cell (Th1) decreased significantly during remission in MS patients (<it>P <</it>0.05). No significant differences were identified in the expression of the chemokine receptors on PBL in NMO patients compared with MS patients and HC.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Th1 dominance of chemokine receptors on blood T cells and the correlation between CXCR3⁺T cell (Th1 and Tc1) and disease activity in MS patients were confirmed by analysing chemokines receptors on PBL. In contrast, deviation in the Th1/Th2 balance was not observed in NMO patients.</p