Reconnection of Stable/Unstable Manifolds of the Harper Map

The Harper map is one of the simplest chaotic systems exhibiting reconnection of invariant manifolds. The method of asymptotics beyond all orders (ABAO) is used to construct stable/unstable manifolds of the Harper map. When the parameter changes to the reconnection threshold, the stable/unstable manifolds are shown to acquire new oscillatory portion corresponding to the heteroclinic tangle after the reconnection.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figure

Fixation of an Anatomically Designed Cementless Stem in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Purpose. The Anatomic Fiber Metal plus stem (Zimmer) is one of the anatomically designed cementless stems to achieve stable fixation by metaphyseal fit. We studied outcomes of cementless total hip arthroplasty using this stem and possible effects of metaphyseal fit on outcomes. Methods. The cementless total hip arthroplasty using this stem was performed for 155 hips. One hundred and thirty-seven hips of 122 patients were followed for 5 to 16 (mean, 9.7) years and entered into the study. The metaphyseal fit was defined as good or poor in an anteroposterior radiograph after surgery. We studied the fixation of the stem and bone reaction on an anteroposterior radiograph at the final followup. Results. Twelve hips had revision, six acetabular components and six acetabular liners. No stem was revised. The biological fixation of the stem was bone ingrown fixation for 136 hips and unstable for one. The metaphyseal fit was good for 83 hips and poor for 54 hips. There were no differences for stem fixation and bone reaction between the two groups. Conclusions. The fixation of the stem was stable at a mean followup of 9.7 years independently from metaphyseal fit

Treatment with gefitinib after erlotinib-induced liver injury: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Gefitinib and erlotinib have minor differences in their chemical structures, and thus it remains unclear whether the hepatotoxicity induced by one compound is affected by the other. The case of a patient who developed erlotinib-induced liver injury and was then treated with gefitinib without hepatic toxicity or disease progression is presented. CASE PRESENTATION: A 31-year-old Japanese woman, who never smoked and who was diagnosed as having lung adenocarcinoma with carcinomatous meningitis, was treated with erlotinib. She developed erlotinib-induced liver injury after four weeks of treatment. The treatment was stopped right away, but the symptoms of meningitis re-appeared immediately. Gefitinib treatment was started and continued without recurrence of drug-induced liver injury. CONCLUSION: Gefitinib appears to be a potential treatment option after erlotinib-induced liver injury

The variation in transparency of amniotic membrane used in ocular surface regeneration

Background/aims: Scant consideration has been given to the variation in structure of the human amniotic membrane (AM) at source or to the significance such differences might have on its clinical transparency. Therefore, we applied our experience of quantifying corneal transparency to AM. Methods: Following elective caesarean, AM from areas of the fetal sac distal and proximal (ie, adjacent) to the placenta was compared with freeze-dried AM. The transmission of light through the AM samples was quantified spectrophotometrically; also, tissue thickness was measured by light microscopy and refractive index by refractometry. Results: Freeze-dried and freeze-thawed AM samples distal and proximal to the placenta differed significantly in thickness, percentage transmission of visible light and refractive index. The thinnest tissue (freeze-dried AM) had the highest transmission spectra. The thickest tissue (freeze-thawed AM proximal to the placenta) had the highest refractive index. Using the direct summation of fields method to predict transparency from an equivalent thickness of corneal tissue, AM was found to be up to 85% as transparent as human cornea. Conclusion: When preparing AM for ocular surface reconstruction within the visual field, consideration should be given to its original location from within the fetal sac and its method of preservation, as either can influence corneal transparency

Efficacy and safety of amrubicin hydrochloride for treatment of relapsed small cell lung cancer

Long-term survival is quite uncommon in refractory small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients, with less than 25% of patients with limited-stage disease and 1%–2% of patients with extensive-stage disease remaining alive at five years. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated the promising efficacy of amrubicin for patients with relapsed SCLC. This review presents the results of clinical studies showing the efficacy and safety of amrubicin for the treatment of relapsed SCLC. Amrubicin is a synthetic anthracycline agent with a similar structure to doxorubicin, in which the hydroxyl group at position 9 in amrubicin is replaced by an amino group to enhance efficacy. It is converted to an active metabolite, amrubicinol, which is 5–54 times more active than amrubicin. Amrubicin and amrubicinol are inhibitors of DNA topoisomerase II, exerting their cytotoxic effects by stabilizing a topoisomerase II-mediated cleavable complex. The toxicity of amrubicin is similar to that of doxorubicin, although amrubicin shows almost no cardiotoxicity. In the relevant trials, amrubicin was administered intravenously at a dose of 35–40 mg/m2 on days 1–3 every three weeks. The response rate was 34%–52% and median survival times were 8.1–12.0 months. Common hematologic toxicities included neutropenia, leucopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and febrile neutropenia. Nonhematologic adverse events included Grade 3–4 anorexia, asthenia, hyponatremia, and nausea. The results of the studies which demonstrated the efficacy of monotherapy for relapsed SCLC involved mainly Japanese patients. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct more clinical studies in non-Japanese patients to confirm the efficacy of amrubicin

Comparison on Evaporation Heat Transfer between R32/R1234yf and R32/R1234ze(E) Flowing in Horizontal Microfin Tubes

Refrigerant mixtures R32/R1234yf and R32/R1234ze(E) are considered to be the low GWP alternatives of R32 and R410A for air conditioners. However, according to the recent reports, the severe heat transfer degradation is encountered during the evaporation process. This implies that much larger heat exchangers are required to maintain the COP and cooling/heating capacity with R32/R1234yf and R32/R1234ze(E). Therefore, the effects of mixture component and composition on the heat transfer degradation is experimentally investigated in this paper. Heat transfer coefficient of those two mixtures and their components (i.e., R32, R1234yf and R1234ze(E) alone) are experimentally quantified with horizontally set copper microfin tubes of 6.00 mm in outer diameter having 48, 58, and 64 fins of 0.26 mm in height and 19 ° in helical angle. The evaporation test was conducted at an average saturation temperature of 10 °C, a heat flux of 10 kW m-2, and mass fluxes from 150 to 400 kg m-2s-1. The heat transfer is degraded most at the composition where the temperature glide and concentration difference between vapor and liquid phases are maximized. This suggest that the relevance of the heat transfer degradation and mass transfer resistance caused by the concentration boundary layer and the additional sensible heat transfer. Although the heat transfer coefficients of R1234yf and R1234ze(E) alone are comparable, the magnitude of heat transfer degradation is obviously severer for R32/R1234ze(E) than that for R R32/R1234yf. This can be explained with the larger concentration difference and the temperature glide of R32/R1234ze(E) that those of R32/R1234yf. With increasing mass flux and number of fins, the heat transfer degradation is mitigated somewhat. It appears to be that mixing of concentration boundary layer contributes to recover the evaporation heat transfer. For the real possibility to use R32/R1234yf and R32/R1234ze(E) in air conditioners, the heat transfer recovery or enhancement could be the key technology

神経誘導因子Netrin-1は軟骨形成や骨形成においてBMPまたはNogginにより調節される

This is the first report describing neurogenic factor of Netrin-1 related to chondrogenesis or osteogenesis in a human cells. Netrin is a morphogenetic factor that induces a growth cone of an axial filament of the nervous system. However, the roles of Netrin in chondrogenesis or osteogenesis are not yet understood. We analyzed the relationship between Netrin and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in chondrogenesis or osteogenesis, using a human chondrocyte-like cell line (USAC), which also retains multi-potency to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes. Netrin-1 mRNA was decreased in USAC cells, though the expression was increased during osteogenic differentiation at the stage when osteocalcin mRNA were increased by BMP-2. Furthermore, inhibition of Netrin-1 gene increased Cbfa1 mRNA expression, and decreased Sox9 mRNA expression. We also found that Netrin-1was strongly expressed in immature chondrocytes of cartilage-like tissues that were formed in an exo vivo experiment with diffusion chambers. The se findings indicate that Netrin-1 and BMP-2 regulates in the stage dependent process of mesenchymal cell differentiation to chondrocytes or osteoblasts.骨芽細胞または脂肪細胞への分化多能を保持するヒト軟骨細胞様細胞系(USAC)を用い、軟骨形成または骨形成におけるNetrinと骨形成蛋白質-2(BMP-2)との関係を調べた。Netrin-1 mRNAはUSAC細胞中では減少するが、オステオカルシンmRNA濃度がBMPによって上昇する際の骨芽細胞分化時にNetrin-1 mRNAの発現が増加した。Netrin-1遺伝子を阻害すると、Cbfal mRNA発現は増加しSox9 mRNA発現は減少した。またNetrin-1は軟骨様組織の未成熟軟骨細胞において強く発現した。Netrin-1とBMP-2が、間葉細胞の軟骨細胞または骨芽細胞へ分化プロセスを制御すると考えた