Electrocatalytic activity of electrodeposited cobalt oxide films to produce oxygen gas from water

An electrocatalytic cobalt oxide film for water oxidation was prepared on an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated substrate by anodic electrodeposition. Atomic force microscopy measurements revealed that numerous particles with a diameter of 100-250 nm were uniformly dispersed on the ITO substrate and the particle size increased when prepared at higher temperature. Cyclic voltammograms of the Co oxide-coated ITO electrodes were measured in alkaline and neutral aqueous solutions to examine their redox characteristics and ability to catalyze water oxidation. When Co oxide was electrodeposited from solutions kept at 10, 25 and 50 °C, the amount of electroactive Co oxide per unit area (Γea) was 1.06 × 10-8, 1.72 × 10-8, and 2.31 × 10-8 mol cm-2, respectively. The increase in Γea accompanied the increase in particle size observed with rising deposition temperature. Quantitative analyses of O2 gas produced by water electrolysis were carried out under potentiostatic conditions using these Co oxide-modified electrodes and a bare ITO electrode for comparison. For the Co oxide-coated electrode prepared at 10 °C, the amount of O2 evolved by electrolysis for 2 h at 1.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl was 1.3 × 10-5 mol cm-2 in alkaline electrolyte solution and 1.52 × 10-5 mol cm-2 in neutral electrolyte solution containing phosphate ions. In addition, when the Co oxide-coated electrode treated at 450 °C was used, the amount of O2 evolved by the electrolysis increased to 2.58 × 10-5 mol cm-2 in the neutral electrolyte solution containing phosphate ions, resulting from a stable catalytic current

Nuclear medicine practice in Japan: a report of the seventh nationwide survey in 2012

Objective The Subcommittee on the Survey of Nuclear Medical Practice in Japan has performed a nationwide survey of nuclear medicine practice every 5 years since 1982 to survey contemporary nuclear medicine practice and its changes over the years. Methods The subcommittee sent questionnaires, including the number and category of examinations as well as the kind and dose of the radiopharmaceuticals during the 30 days of June 2012, to all the nuclear medicine institutes. The total numbers for the year 2012 were then estimated. Results A total of 1,167 institutes responded to the survey, including the 14 in vitro assay institutes and 266 PET centers. The recovery rate was 92 %. The number of gamma cameras installed was 1,425 in total, with 9 % decrease in 5 years. Dual-head cameras and hybrid SPECT/CT scanners accounted for 84 and 10.5 %, respectively. The number of single-photon tracer studies in 2012 was 1.15 million which means decrease in 19 % in 5 years and 29 % in 10 years. All but cerebral perfusion study and sentinel lymphoscintigraphy have decreased. Bone scintigraphy was a leading examination (38.7 %), followed by cardiac studies (29.4 %) and cerebral perfusion study (18.5 %) in order. SPECT studies showed an increase from 42.3 to 47.2 %. PET centers have also increased from 212 to 295, as compared to the last survey. The 135 PET centers have installed one or two in-house cyclotrons. PET studies showed 25.5 % increase in 5 years, with oncology accounting for 96.3 %. 18F-FDG accounted for 98.2 % (505,990 examinations). PET examinations using 11C-methionine have been increasing, with 3,352 examinations in 2012. The number of new PET studies using 11C-PIB PET was 695. 131I-radioiodine targeted therapies showed an increase, including 3,644 patients (53.6 %) for thyroid cancer and 4,889 patients (17.9 %) for hyperthyroidism. Out-patient thyroid bed ablation therapy with 30 mCi of 131I accounted for 21.0 % of cancer patients. The number of admission rooms decreased from 158 to 135 in 5 years. In vitro radioassays have been declining continuously since 1992, with the number of studies of 9.0 million in 2012. Conclusions Single-photon examinations showed a continuous tendency toward a decline in the survey. In contrast, the number of hybrid SPECT/CT scanner examinations has increased. PET/CT study in the oncology field and radionuclide targeted therapy have steadily increased. © 2014 The Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine

Ablation of the N-type calcium channel ameliorates diabetic nephropathy with improved glycemic control and reduced blood pressure

Pharmacological blockade of the N-and L-type calcium channel lessens renal injury in kidney disease patients. The significance of specific blockade of α1 subunit of N-type calcium channel, Cav2.2, in diabetic nephropathy, however, remains to be clarified. To examine functional roles, we mated Cav2.2-/- mice with db/db (diabetic) mice on the C57BLKS background. Cav2.2 was localized in glomeruli including podocytes and in distal tubular cells. Diabetic Cav2.2-/- mice significantly reduced urinary albumin excretion, glomerular hyperfiltration, blood glucose levels, histological deterioration and systolic blood pressure (SBP) with decreased urinary catecholamine compared to diabetic Cav2.2+/+ mice. Interestingly, diabetic heterozygous Cav2.2+/- mice also decreased albuminuria, although they exhibited comparable systolic blood pressure, sympathetic nerve activity and creatinine clearance to diabetic Cav2.2+/+ mice. Consistently, diabetic mice with cilnidipine, an N-/L-type calcium channel blocker, showed a reduction in albuminuria and improvement of glomerular changes compared to diabetic mice with nitrendipine. In cultured podocytes, depolarization-dependent calcium responses were decreased by Ω-conotoxin, a Cav2.2-specific inhibitor. Furthermore, reduction of nephrin by transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in podocytes was abolished with Ω-conotoxin, cilnidipine or mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor. In conclusion, Cav2.2 inhibition exerts renoprotective effects against the progression of diabetic nephropathy, partly by protecting podocytes.</p

A case of three supernumerary teeth in the maxillary incisor region

We treated a male elementary School student with 3 supernumerary teeth in the maxillary incisor region detected by radiographic examination.1. The patient underwent radiography for detailed evaluation at dental clinic, was found to have 3 supernumerary teeth in the maxillary incisor region, and was referred to our department.2. There was nothing of note regarding the patient’s history of systemic disorders.3. The patient was aged 7 years and 11 months at the time of the first examination,when the Hellman dental developmental stage was IIC.4. The maxillary right deciduous central incisor was present, and the maxillary left central incisor had already erupted. 5. Three–dimensional examination by radiography and three–dimensional examination using cone–beam CT showed 3 supernumerary teeth and prolonged retention of the maxillary right deciduous central incisor, and ectopia and eruption disorder of the maxillary right central incisor were confirmed.6. At the age of 8 years and 2 months, the maxillary right deciduous central incisor, the maxillary right deciduous lateral incisor and supernumerary teeth were extracted under general anesthesia.7. The postoperative course has been uneventful, but we have decided to continue periodic management because of ectopia of the maxillary right central incisor

Nationwide surveillance of bacterial respiratory pathogens conducted by the surveillance committee of Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and the Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2010: General view of the pathogens\u27 antibacterial susceptibility

The nationwide surveillance on antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial respiratory pathogens from patients in Japan, was conducted by Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases and Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2010.The isolates were collected from clinical specimens obtained from well-diagnosed adult patients with respiratory tract infections during the period from January and April 2010 by three societies. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted at the central reference laboratory according to the method recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institutes using maximum 45 antibacterial agents.Susceptibility testing was evaluable with 954 strains (206 Staphylococcus aureus, 189 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 4 Streptococcus pyogenes, 182 Haemophilus influenzae, 74 Moraxella catarrhalis, 139 Klebsiella pneumoniae and 160 Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Ratio of methicillin-resistant S.aureus was as high as 50.5%, and those of penicillin-intermediate and -resistant S.pneumoniae were 1.1% and 0.0%, respectively. Among H.influenzae, 17.6% of them were found to be β-lactamase-non-producing ampicillin (ABPC)-intermediately resistant, 33.5% to be β-lactamase-non-producing ABPC-resistant and 11.0% to be β-lactamase-producing ABPC-resistant strains. Extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing K.pneumoniae and multi-drug resistant P.aeruginosa with metallo β-lactamase were 2.9% and 0.6%, respectively.Continuous national surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility of respiratory pathogens is crucial in order to monitor changing patterns of susceptibility and to be able to update treatment recommendations on a regular basis