Relation between ventriculoarterial coupling and myocardial energetics in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

AbstractObjectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate left ventricular contractility, arterial loading conditions and the way their interaction affects myocardial energetics.Background. Ventriculoarterial coupling, defined as the ratio of effective arterial elastance to left ventricular end-systolic elastance, is known to reflect the mechanoenergetic performance of the heart. However, relations between the coupling and efficiencies of energy transfer from oxygen consumption to hydraulic energy have not been fully investigated in failing hearts.Methods. Pressure-volume data were measured in 23 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy by using a conductance catheter, and myocardial oxygen consumption was obtained simultaneously in 16 patients by a double-thermistor coronary sinus catheter. End-systolic elastance was determined by transient inferior cava occlusion.Results. Data are reported as mean value ± SE. Ventriculoarterial coupling at baseline was 3.14 ± 0.28. It decreased from 3.12 ± 0.43 to 1.86 ± 0.15 (p < 0.05) for the group receiving dobutamine infusion and from 3.16 ± 0.45 to 1.78 ± 0.22 (p < 0.01) for the group receiving the oral phosphodiesterase inhibitor MS-857. The ratio of pressure-volume area to myocardial oxygen consumption had a positive correlation with ventriculoarterial coupling. The ratio of external work to pressure-volume area had a hyperbolic correlation with the coupling. The mechanical efficiency defined as the ratio of external work to myocardial oxygen consumption remained within a narrow range (16.4 ± 1.2%).Conclusions. The degree of ventriculoarterial coupling is far from optimal and the cardiovascular performance is severely depressed mechanically and energetically in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. Although inotropic agents improve the coupling, they have a minimal effect on mechanical efficiency

Disclosure of cancer and doctor's view of pharmacist : Investigation of doctor's view in University Hospital, The University of Tokushima School of Medicine

In the present study, we investigated the consensus in the truth telling of cancer and teaching about medication by pharmacists by using a questionnaire among 24 physicians in the Third Department of Internal Medicine, the University of Tokushima School of Medicine. At the same time, the data was compared to the previous investigation in 1995. The Physicians' opinion in the truth telling of cancer have changed in these seceral years, that is summarized as positive in truth telling. In 1995, 40% of the physicians were against to tell the truth with pharmacists, but in the present study, most physicians wanted to tell the truth with pharmacists. As for the teaching about medication by pharmacists, most physicians supported pharmacists to teach about medication, even to the patients who do not know the truth about their own cancer. These results suggest that it is necessary for the pharmacists to positively relate to the cacer patients through the truth telling and the teaching about medication

Radiation control in LHD and radiation shielding capability of the torus hall during first campaign of deuterium experiment

The activities carried out to obtain public consent for deuterium experiments in LHD, which began in 2017, are reviewed in this paper. In addition, the upgrades and the safety management of LHD for deuterium experiments, including neutron yield measurement system, exhaust detritiation system, institutional regulation for radiation control, and other issues, are briefly presented.During the first campaign of the deuterium experiments in LHD, the shielding of gamma-ray and neutron by the concrete wall of the LHD torus hall was evaluated. Also, the confinement of radioactive isotopes in air inside the torus hall was investigated. No increase of radiation dose was measured outside the torus hall, although the high radiation dose field inside the torus hall was found during deuterium experiments. Therefore, almost all gamma-rays and neutrons were shielded by the concrete wall of the torus hall due to its sufficient thickness of 2 m. The radioactive isotopes in air as well as in other components were well confined in the torus hall. In particular, the pressure control inside the torus hall being lower than outside the torus hall effectively prevented the radioactive isotopes in air from diffusing to the unprescribed area

HIF2α-Sp1 interaction mediates a deacetylation-dependent FVII-gene activation under hypoxic conditions in ovarian cancer cells

Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF)-1α and HIF2α are major transcription factors required for adaptive responses to hypoxia. HIFs form a complex with aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) to bind to the regulatory regions of target genes. The acetylation of histones by histone acetyltransferases (HATs) is one of the epigenetic marks associated with active chromatin. Indeed, HIFs recruit p300 HAT to hypoxia response elements (HREs) within gene regulatory regions. Here, we report an unusual HIF-mediated transcriptional activation in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC). While characterizing coagulation factor VII (FVII) gene induction during hypoxic conditions, we observed that the interaction of HIF2α with Sp1, but not with ARNT, could induce transcription of FVII in a HRE-independent manner. Unexpectedly, this gene activation is associated with histone deacetylation. We found that a class II HDAC, HDAC4, is recruited with HIF2α to the FVII promoter as a co-activator, while p300 HAT negatively regulated this process. Furthermore, this mechanism can be synergistically enhanced via a deacetylation-dependent pathway when cells are simultaneously exposed to hypoxic and serum-free conditions. These results suggest the presence of a stress-responsive transcription mediated by the HIF2α/Sp1/HDAC4 network and explain how CCC shed their procoagulant activity under hypoxia

How do nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies affect strigolactone production and exudation?

Plants exude strigolactones (SLs) to attract symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere. Previous studies have demonstrated that phosphorus (P) deficiency, but not nitrogen (N) deficiency, significantly promotes SL exudation in red clover, while in sorghum not only P deficiency but also N deficiency enhances SL exudation. There are differences between plant species in SL exudation under P- and N-deficient conditions, which may possibly be related to differences between legumes and non-legumes. To investigate this possibility in detail, the effects of N and P deficiencies on SL exudation were examined in Fabaceae (alfalfa and Chinese milk vetch), Asteraceae (marigold and lettuce), Solanaceae (tomato), and Poaceae (wheat) plants. In alfalfa as expected, and unexpectedly in tomato, only P deficiency promoted SL exudation. In contrast, in Chinese milk vetch, a leguminous plant, and in the other non-leguminous plants examined, N deficiency as well as P deficiency enhanced SL exudation. Distinct reductions in shoot P levels were observed in plants grown under N deficiency, except for tomato, in which shoot P level was increased by N starvation, suggesting that the P status of the shoot regulates SL exudation. There seems to be a correlation between shoot P levels and SL exudation across the species/families investigated

Integrated radiation monitoring and interlock system for the LHD deuterium experiments

The Large Helical Device (LHD) successfully started the deuterium experiment in March 2017, in which further plasma performance improvement is envisaged to provide a firm basis for the helical reactor design. Some major upgrades of facilities have been made for safe and productive deuterium experiments. For radiation safety, the tritium removal system, the integrated radiation monitoring system, and the access control system have been newly installed. Each system has new interlock signals that will prevent any unsafe plasma operation or plant condition. Major interlock extensions have been implemented as a part of the integrated radiation monitoring system, which also has an inter-connection to the LHD central operation and control system. The radiation monitoring system RMSAFE (Radiation Monitoring System Applicable to Fusion Experiments) is already operating for monitoring γ(X)-rays in LHD. Some neutron measurements have been additionally applied for the deuterium experiments. The LHD data acquisition system LABCOM can acquire and process 24 h every day continuous data streams. Since γ(X)-ray and neutron measurements require higher availability, the sensors, controllers, data acquisition computers, network connections, and visualization servers have been designed to be duplicated or multiplexed for redundancy. The radiation monitoring displays in the LHD control room have been carefully designed to have excellent visual recognition, and to make users immediately aware of several alerts regarding the dose limits. The radiation safety web pages have been also upgraded to always show both dose rates of γ(X)-rays and neutrons in real time

On the origin and evolution of the asteroid Ryugu: A comprehensive geochemical perspective

Presented here are the observations and interpretations from a comprehensive analysis of 16 representative particles returned from the C-type asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 mission. On average Ryugu particles consist of 50% phyllosilicate matrix, 41% porosity and 9% minor phases, including organic matter. The abundances of 70 elements from the particles are in close agreement with those of CI chondrites. Bulk Ryugu particles show higher δ18O, Δ17O, and ε54Cr values than CI chondrites. As such, Ryugu sampled the most primitive and least-thermally processed protosolar nebula reservoirs. Such a finding is consistent with multi-scale H-C-N isotopic compositions that are compatible with an origin for Ryugu organic matter within both the protosolar nebula and the interstellar medium. The analytical data obtained here, suggests that complex soluble organic matter formed during aqueous alteration on the Ryugu progenitor planetesimal (several 10’s of km), <2.6 Myr after CAI formation. Subsequently, the Ryugu progenitor planetesimal was fragmented and evolved into the current asteroid Ryugu through sublimation