An experimental study of reinforced concrete beamcolumn joint with partially high strengthened longitudinal bar

It is necessary to generate the yield position away from the column face to minimize damage to the beam-column joint during a large earthquake in a reinforced concrete building. The same efficacy can be realized using partially high strengthened rebar. The number of longitudinal bars can be calculated for a bending moment smaller than the column face, reducing their number compared to the conventional bar-arrangement method. This paper describes reinforced concrete an interior beam-column subassemblage tests using this rebar as the longitudinal bars of beams and a column. The beam yield hinge was formed at a position apart from the column face, and the damage to the beam-column joint was less than the conventional bar-arrangement method. Additionally, the good performance was obtained if the bending strength of the column was large, even if the shear capacity margin of the beam-column joint was small. The column-beam flexural strength ratio and shear capacity margin at the beam-column joint need to be set with consideration of their relationship

On the Virulence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Strain 1RF Artificially Induced into the Air Sac of Day-Old Chicks

in vivoでの抗菌剤効果の基礎的検討の為に,初生ヒナを用いた一実験感染系を確立する目的で,以下の実験を試みた。 供試菌Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG)1RF株の新鮮液体培養10倍段階希釈の0.4ml/ヒナを,ブロイラー初生ヒナ,雄の右後胸部気嚢内に接種し,4週間観察し,接種菌のvirulenceの程度を調べた。実験群は20羽/群とし,非感染対照を含む6群を設定した。接種菌数は4×10^1-5 CCUの5段階とした。各実験群のヒナについては,臨床症状を観察し,増体量,飼料要求率を調べて,毎週各群5羽ずつを殺して剖検し,MG分離,MG血清凝集素価の推移,肉眼ならびに組織病変等について経時的観察を試みた結果,下記の成績が得られた。 1) 全期間,全実験群において呼吸器症状はみられなかった。しかし,接種菌数の多い群で頸部捻転と脚麻痺を主徴とする死亡ヒナがみられ,これらのヒナの脳病変は病理組織学的検査の結果,脳軟化のそれに一致した。それらヒナの一部の脳からはMGが分離された。 2) 接種菌数の多い群では.ヒナの増体量は少なく飼料要求率は悪かった。 3) 接種菌数の少ない群での死亡率は極めて低く,接種菌数の多い群で14日令まで高く,その後28日令までは死亡ヒナはみられなかった。 4) 気嚢および気管の病変出現率は,MG接種菌数の多い群で高く,また病変の程度も強いものが多かった。なお低率ながら各群のヒナに肝の点状出血や,線維素性肝包膜炎,壊死巣などが,MG接種菌数の多少にかかわらず認められた。 5) MG分離率は,気嚢よりも気管において高く,またMG非接種側気嚢よりもMG接種側気嚢において高かった。 6) MG血清凝集素価は,1週令殺時のヒナ群では低く,2週令時以後の殺ヒナ群で上昇がみられた。MG接種群間では接種菌数の多少にかかわらず凝集素価に大きな差は認められなかった。 7) 供試菌株のAID50は10CCU前後とみられた。 結論として,供試1RF株はM. gallisepticumとしては,ヒナに対し比較的強毒な菌株である事が知られた。In order to establish an experimental system using chicks for the fundamental observation on efficacy in vivo of the antibacterial agents that control the avian respiratory mycoplasmosis, the present experiments were conducted to investigate the virulence of Mycoplasma gallisepticum strain 1RF26) induced artificially into the air sac of day-old chicks. The inocula of 0.4 ml/chick of ten-fold serial dilutions of broth culture of the organisms were artificially induced into the right posterior thoracic air sac of day-old male broiler chicks, and the chicks were observed during 4 weeks. The experimental groups were designed as group of 20 chicks each, 6 groups included a non-infected control and 5 infected groups. The inoculum sizes of the organisms to the chicks ranged from 4×10 to 10^5 CCU* in 5 dilutions of the broth culture. The following results were obtained. 1) Clinical symptoms were observed only death with characteristic findings of limberneck and leg weakness in the chicks inoculated with a large number of the organisms. According to the results of the histopathological examinations, the cerebral lesions appearing in these chicks were similar to those of the encephalomalacia. The inoculated organisms were recovered from the brain of some of those chicks. 2) Low weight gains and high feed conversions were observed in the group of chicks inoculated with a large number of the organisms. 3) The mortality rate was very low in the group of chicks inoculated with a small number of the organisms. In the group of chicks inoculated with a large number of the organisms, the mortality of chicks was comparatively high up to 14 days post inoculation, but no mortality was observed during the 15 to 28 days post inoculation. 4) Incidence and severity of macroscopic lesions in the air sac and the trachea of the chicks inoculated with a large number of the organisms were comparatively high and severe. Under low incidence of the macroscopic lesions including petechiae, fibrinous perihepatitis and necrotic foci etc. in the liver of chicks were observed to be not depending on the inoculum size of the organisms. 5) Recovery ratio of the organisms from the chicks was found to be higher in the trachea than that in the air sac, and furthermore was higher on the inoculated side than on the other side of air sac. 6) Serum agglutinins against M. gallisepticum were observed to be at a low titer in the chicks killed 1 week post inoculation, and increased titers were observed in the chicks killed after 2 weeks post inoculation. No remarkable difference of the serum agglutinin titers depending on inoculum size of the organisms was observed in the chicks. 7) The AID50 of the organisms was estimated as ca. 10 CCU. Consequently, it was proved that the strain 1RF examined is comparatively high virulent against chicks, among the strains of M. gallisepticum.本論文の要旨は，第85 回日本獣医学会(1978 年4月)で口頭発表した

Nuclear Localization of COX-2 in relation to the Expression of Stemness Markers in Urinary Bladder Cancer

Inflammation may activate stem cells via prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production mediated by cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression. We performed an immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of stemness markers (Oct3/4 and CD44v6) and COX-2 in urinary bladder tissues obtained from cystitis and cancer patients with and without Schistosoma haematobium infections. Immunoreactivity to Oct3/4 was significantly higher in S. haematobium-associated cystitis and cancer tissues than in normal tissues. CD44v6 expression was significantly higher in bladder cancer without S. haematobium than in normal tissues. COX-2 was located in the cytoplasmic membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus of the cancer cells. Interestingly, the nuclear localization of COX-2, which was reported to function as a transcription factor, was significantly associated with the upregulation of Oct3/4 and CD44v6 in bladder cancer tissues with and without S. haematobium infection, respectively. COX-2 activation may be involved in inflammation-mediated stem cell proliferation/differentiation in urinary bladder carcinogenesis

Establishment of a patient-derived orthotopic Xenograft (PDOX) model of HER-2-positive cervical cancer expressing the clinical metastatic pattern.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, highly prevalent in the developing world, is often metastatic and treatment resistant with no standard treatment protocol. Our laboratory pioneered the patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) nude mouse model with the technique of surgical orthotopic implantation (SOI). Unlike subcutaneous transplant patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, PDOX models metastasize. Most importantly, the metastasis pattern correlates to the patient. In the present report, we describe the development of a PDOX model of HER-2-positive cervical cancer. Metastasis after SOI in nude mice included peritoneal dissemination, liver metastasis, lung metastasis as well as lymph node metastasis reflecting the metastatic pattern in the donor patient. Metastasis was detected in 4 of 6 nude mice with primary tumors. Primary tumors and metastases in the nude mice had histological structures similar to the original tumor and were stained by an anti-HER-2 antibody in the same pattern as the patient's cancer. The metastatic pattern, histology and HER-2 tumor expression of the patient were thus preserved in the PDOX model. In contrast, subcutaneous transplantation of the patient's cervical tumors resulted in primary growth but not metastasis

Influence of Diabetes Mellitus on Surgical Outcomes in Patients with Cervical Myelopathy: A Prospective, Multicenter Study

[Study Design] Multicenter, prospective study. [Purpose] To investigate the effects of diabetes mellitus (DM) on surgical outcomes in patients with cervical myelopathy. [Overview of Literature] To date, few studies have investigated the influence of postoperative blood glucose or glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels on surgical outcomes. [Methods] The participants were patients who underwent surgery for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. The 61 cases were evaluated preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores and the JOA Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire (JOACMEQ). The study variables included fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels measured preoperatively and at 1 week, 4 weeks, and 1 year postoperatively; the F-wave conduction velocity, latency, rate of occurrence, and M-wave latency in the ulnar and tibial nerves were measured preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively. The patients were divided into a group without diabetes (N group, 42 patients) and a group with diabetes (DM group, 19 patients). We then assessed the associations between the surgical outcomes and each of the study variables. [Results] JOA scores significantly improved in both groups; however, no significant between-group differences were found. There was no significant improvement in the JOACMEQ scores, which assessed cervical function, upper and lower limb function, and bladder function in both groups. We then subdivided the DM group into those with a good control of HbA1c after 1 year (DMG group, 12 patients) and those with HbA1c deterioration after 1 year (DMB group, seven patients), prior to comparing the surgical outcomes. The JOACMEQ scores for upper and lower limb function significantly improved in the DMG group (p<0.01). Compared with the DMB group, there were no significant increases in upper or lower limb function scores in the DMG group. [Conclusions] Poor glycemic control might prevent postoperative functional recovery of the spinal cord

A Study on the Non-perturbative Existence of Yang-Mills Theories with Large Extra Dimensions

Pure lattice SU(2) Yang-Mills theory in five dimensions is considered, where an extra dimension is compactified on a circle. Monte-Carlo simulations indicate that the theory possesses a continuum limit with a non-vanishing string tension if the compactification radius is smaller than a certain value $R_M$ which is $O(1/10)$ of the inverse of the square root of the string tension. We verify non-perturbatively the power-law running of gauge coupling constant. Our method can be applied to the investigation of continuum limits in other higher-dimensional gauge theories.Comment: 42 pages, 20 figures, 2 table

Postoperative Radiographic Early-Onset Adjacent Segment Degeneration after Single-Level L4–L5 Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion in Patients without Preoperative Severe Sagittal Spinal Imbalance

Study Design Retrospective study. Purpose To investigate the relationship between preoperative total spinal sagittal alignment and the early onset of adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) after single-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) in patients with normal sagittal spinal alignment. Overview of Literature Postoperative early-onset ASD is one of the complications after L4–L5 PLIF, a common surgical procedure for lumbar degenerative disease in patents without severe sagittal imbalance. A better understanding of the preoperative characteristics of total spinal sagittal alignment associated with early-onset ASD could help prevent the condition. Methods The study included 70 consecutive patients diagnosed with lumbar degenerative disease who underwent single-level L4–L5 PLIF between 2011 and 2015. They were divided into two groups based on the radiographic progression of L3–L4 degeneration after 1-year follow-up: the ASD and the non-ASD (NASD) group. The following radiographic parameters were preoperatively and postoperatively measured: sagittal vertebral axis (SVA), thoracic kyphosis (TK), lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt, and pelvic incidence (PI). Results Eight of the 70 patients (11%) experienced ASD after PLIF (three males and five females; age, 64.4±7.7 years). The NASD group comprised 20 males and 42 females (age, 67.7±9.3 years). Six patients of the ASD group showed decreased L3–L4 disc height, one had L3–L4 local kyphosis, and one showed both changes. Preoperative SVA, PI, and TK were significantly smaller in the ASD group than in the NASD group (p <0.05). Conclusions A preoperative small SVA and TK with small PI were the characteristic alignments for the risk of early-onset ASD in patients without preoperative severe sagittal spinal imbalance undergoing L4–L5 single-level PLIF