Growth of Adsorbed Additive Layer for Further Friction Reduction

Special Issue:6th European Conference on Tribology (ECOTRIB 2017)Boundary lubrication is one of the most interesting topics in the field of tribology, and a lot of studies have been conducted from the past for understanding the behaviour of boundary lubrication films. General boundary lubrication films are formed by the adsorption of additives mixed into lubricant, and then the tribological performances are drastically improved in many cases. However, there is still room for discussion on the “actual” behaviour of adsorbed additive layer in the tribological condition, that is, under high pressure and/or with external forces. This paper showed the “growing” behaviour of an adsorbed additive layer onto metal surface due to high pressure by means of neutron reflectometry in conjunction with the result obtained through cross‐sectional imaging by frequency‐modulation atomic force microscopy. In addition, the nanotribological study using atomic force microscopy with a colloidal probe showed that the coefficient of friction in the pre‐scratched area was lower than that in the non‐scratched area and that the reduction ratio for lubricant with additive was higher than that for lubricant without additive. This result indicates that growth of the adsorbed additive layer contributed more greatly to a reduction in the coefficient of friction

The Combination of D-dimer and Glasgow Prognostic Score Can Be Useful in Predicting VTE in Patients with Stage IIIC and IVA Ovarian Cancer

Cancer patients have increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) that must be assessed before treatment. This study aimed to determine effective VTE biomarkers in gynecologic cancer (GC). We investigated the correlation between D-dimer levels, Khorana risk score (KRS), Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), and VTE in 1499 GC patients (583 cervical cancer (CC), 621 endometrial cancer (EC), and 295 ovarian cancer (OC) patients) treated at our institution between January 2008 and December 2019. χ2 and Mann–Whitney U-tests were used to determine statistical significance. We used receiver operating characteristic-curve analysis to evaluate the discriminatory ability of each parameter. D-dimer levels were significantly correlated with KRS and GPS in patients with GC. VTE was diagnosed in 11 CC (1.9%), 27 EC (4.3%), and 39 OC patients (13.2%). Optimal D-dimer cut-off values for VTE were 3.1, 3.2, and 3.9 μg/ml in CC, EC and OC patients, respectively. D-dimer could significantly predict VTE in all GC patients. Furthermore, D-dimer combined with GPS was more accurate in predicting VTE than other VTE biomarkers in stage IIIC and IVA OC (AUC: 0.846; p<0.001). This study demonstrates that combined D-dimer and GPS are useful in predicting VTE in patients with OC

Bioorganic synthesis of a recombinant HIV-1 fusion inhibitor, SC35EK, with an N-terminal pyroglutamate capping group.

The bioorganic synthesis of an end-capped anti-HIV peptide from a recombinant protein was investigated. Cyanogen bromide-mediated cleavage of two Met-Gln sites across the target anti-HIV sequence generated an HIV-1 fusion inhibitor (SC35EK) analog bearing an N-terminal pyroglutamate (pGlu) residue and a C-terminal homoserine lactone (Hsl) residue. The end-capped peptide, pGlu-SC35EK-Hsl, had similar bioactivity and biophysical properties to the parent peptide, and an improved resistance to peptidase-mediated degradation was observed compared with the non-end-capped peptide obtained using standard recombinant technology

Mercedian Volume 1 Number 16, August 7, 1942

https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/mercedian/1022/thumbnail.jp

Sputum YKL-40 Levels and Pathophysiology of Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that YKL-40, also called chitinase-3-like-1 protein, is involved in the pathogenesis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Details of sputum YKL-40 in asthma and COPD, however, remain unknown. Objectives: To clarify associations of sputum YKL-40 levels with clinical indices in asthma and COPD. Methods: Thirty-nine patients with asthma, 14 age-matched never-smokers as controls, 45 patients with COPD, and 7 age-matched smokers as controls were recuited for this study. Sputum YKL-40 levels were measured and YKL-40 expression in sputum cells was evaluated by immunocytochemistry. Results: Sputum YKL-40 levels were higher in patients with COPD (346 ± 325 ng/ml) than in their smoker controls (125 ± 122 ng/ml; p < 0.05), but were not significantly different between patients with asthma (117 ± 170 ng/ml) and their controls (94 ± 44 ng/ml; p = 0.15). In patients with asthma only, sputum YKL-40 levels were positively correlated with disease severity (r = 0.34, p = 0.034) and negatively correlated with pre- and postbronchodilator %FEV(1) (r = -0.47 and -0.42, respectively; p < 0.01) and forced mid-expiratory flow (r = -0.48 and -0.46, respectively, p < 0.01). Sputum YKL-40 levels were positively correlated with sputum neutrophil counts in asthma (r = 0.55, p < 0.001) and with neutrophil and macrophage counts in COPD (r = 0.45 and 0.65, respectively, p < 0.01). YKL-40 was expressed in the cytoplasm of sputum neutrophils and macrophages in all groups. Conclusions: Elevated sputum YKL-40 reflects airflow obstruction in asthma whereas the roles of YKL-40 in the proximal airways in COPD remain to be elucidated

Efficacy and safety of olaparib, olaparib plus bevacizumab and niraparib maintenance treatment in Japanese patients with platinum-sensitive advanced ovarian cancer

Objective: To investigate whether maintenance treatment could be safely and effectively performed with olaparib, olaparib plus bevacizumab and niraparib in platinum-sensitive advanced ovarian cancer at multiple institutions in Japan. Methods: We investigated progression-free survival and adverse events in 117 patients with platinum-sensitive advanced ovarian cancer treated with maintenance therapy. Results: The median progression-free survival of 117 patients was 20.1 months. Patients with germline BRCA pathogenic variants had a significantly better prognosis than the other groups (P Conclusion: Maintenance treatment was performed effectively and safely. Renal function deterioration is likely to occur during maintenance treatment, and careful administration is important in platinum-sensitive advanced ovarian cancer

Identification of oxidative stress-regulated genes in rat aortic smooth muscle cells by suppression subtractive hybridization

AbstractA suppression subtractive hybridization technique was used to identify reactive oxygen species (ROS)-regulated genes in rat vascular smooth muscle cells. Three genes out of 89 clones, identified as fibronectin, p105 coactivator and ECA39, showed increased expression after treatment with H2O2. The mRNA expressions of these three genes were induced in a time- and dose-dependent manner, independent of protein kinase C activation. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the p105 coactivator expression was markedly induced in the neointima of balloon-injured rat carotid arteries. These results suggest that ROS may play an important role in the development of atherosclerosis by regulating the gene expressions we identified in this study

Preclinical evaluation of the efficacy of an antibody to human SIRPα for cancer immunotherapy in humanized mouse models

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are abundant in the tumor microenvironment and are considered potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. To examine the antitumor effects of agents targeting human TAMs in vivo, we here established preclinical tumor xenograft models based on immunodeficient mice that express multiple human cytokines and have been reconstituted with a human immune system by transplantation of human CD34$^{+}$ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HIS-MITRG mice). HIS-MITRG mice supported the growth of both human cell line (Raji)- and patient-derived B cell lymphoma as well as the infiltration of human macrophages into their tumors. We examined the potential antitumor action of an antibody to human SIRPα (SE12C3) that inhibits the interaction of CD47 on tumor cells with SIRPα on human macrophages and thereby promotes Fcγ receptor-mediated phagocytosis of the former cells by the latter. Treatment with the combination of rituximab (antibody to human CD20) and SE12C3 inhibited Raji tumor growth in HIS-MITRG mice to a markedly greater extent than did rituximab monotherapy. This enhanced antitumor effect was dependent on human macrophages and attributable to enhanced rituximab-dependent phagocytosis of lymphoma cells by human macrophages. Treatment with rituximab and SE12C3 also induced reprogramming of human TAMs toward a proinflammatory phenotype. Furthermore, the combination treatment essentially prevented the growth of patient-derived diffuse large B cell lymphoma in HIS-MITRG mice. Our findings thus support the study of HIS-MITRG mice as a model for the preclinical evaluation in vivo of potential therapeutics, such as antibodies to human SIRPα, that target human TAMs

小児がん患児の治療開始時のインフォームド・コンセントに同席した看護師が家族に実施している対応

京都府立医科大学大学院保健看護学研究科Department of Nursing for Health Care Science, Graduate School of Nursing for Health Care Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine子どもが小児がんと診断される際の家族の衝撃は大きい。本研究の目的は、小児がん患児の治療開始時のインフォームド・コンセントに同席した看護師が家族にどのような対応をしているのかを明らかにすることである。研究対象者は、小児がん拠点病院の小児科外来に通院する小児がん患児の家族9 名である。インタビューガイドに基づき半構成的面接を行い、質的記述的に分析した。対象者は全員母親であり、平均年齢は34.9 ± 6.1 歳であった。治療開始時のインフォームド・コンセントに同席した看護師が小児がん患児の家族である母親に実施している対応は分析した結果、【医師の説明を一緒に聞いて把握し落ち着くまで見守る】【頑張りに気づき言葉やタッチを用いて癒す】【感情の表出を促し、母親としての思いと希望を支える】【睡眠時間を確保しリフレッシュを促す】【入院生活に対する感じ方を把握し調整する】【家族の状況に応じた付き添いの調整と医療者と話しやすい雰囲気をつくる】が抽出された。　治療開始時の小児がん患児の家族に対して、看護師は医師の説明を一緒に聞くことで家族の複雑な心理状況を把握し、家族の頑張りを承認し言葉やタッチングを用いて癒し、母親のつらい思いを表出させ、希望を支える関わりをしていた。また、家族の健康面に配慮しながら、入院生活や家族の状況に応じた調整や医療者との良好な関係形成への支援を実施していた。以上から、看護師はインフォームド・コンセントに同席し、医師の説明後は家族を見守り、身体面と心理面の安楽を保持し、入院生活と人間関係の調整を行う重要性が示唆された