An efficient method for calculating kinetic parameters in a dual-input single-compartment model

Quantitative measurement of hepatic perfusion has the potential to provide important information in the assessment and management of various liver diseases. The utility of hepatic perfusion characterization relies on the resolution of each component of its dual blood supply, i.e. the hepatic artery and portal vein. In this study, a linear equation was derived by integrating the differential equation describing the kinetic behaviour of contrast agent (CA) in a dual-input single-compartment model, from which the kinetic parameters can be easily obtained using the linear least-squares method. The usefulness of this method was investigated using computer simulations, in comparison with the non-linear least-squares (NLSQ) method. This method calculated the kinetic parameters faster than the NLSQ method by a factor of approximately 10, with almost the same accuracy as the NLSQ method. This method will be useful for analysing the kinetic behaviour of CA in the unique liver environment, especially by generating the functional images of kinetic parameters.

Acute and subacute toxicity studies of Aegle marmelos Corr., an Indian medicinal plant

This study was designed to elucidate the toxicity of the widely used plant Aegle marmelos in rats. We have taken total alcoholic, total aqueous, whole aqueous and methanolic extracts isolated from the leaves of A. marmelos and studied their toxic effects. Acute, subacute and LD(50) values were determined in experimental rats. The dead animals were obtained from primary screening studies, LD(50) value determination experiments and acute studies subjected to postmortem studies. The external appearance of the dead animals, the appearance of the viscera, heart, lungs, stomach, intestine, liver, kidney, spleen and brain were carefully noted and any apparent and significant features or differences from the norm were recorded. Following the chronic administration of A. marmelos for 14 days, the vital organs such as heart, liver, kidney, testis, spleen and brain were carefully evaluated by histopathological studies and any apparent and significant changes or differences from the norm were studied. From the acute administration of A. marmelos, the LD(50) values were determined using graphical method. The hearts stopped in systolic stand-still in the acute experiments. There were no remarkable changes noticed in the histopathological studies after 50 mg/kg body wt of the extracts of A. marmelos when administered intraperitoneally for 14 days successively. Pathologically, neither gross abnormalities nor histopathological changes were observed. After calculation of LD(50) values using graphical methods, we found a broad therapeutic window and a high therapeutic index value for A. marmelos extracts. Intraperitoneal administration of the extracts of the leaves of A. marmelos at doses of 50, 70, 90 and 100 mg/kg body wt for 14 consecutive days to male and female Wistar rats did not induce any short-term toxicity. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the extracts of the leaves of A. marmelos have a high margin of drug safety.

Strategy for localized stenosis caused by Kawasaki disease: midterm results of percutaneous transluminal coronary balloon angioplasty in two infants

We report the midterm results of percutaneous transluminal coronary balloon angioplasty (PCBA) for localized stenosis (LS) caused by Kawasaki disease (KD). Two 2-year-olds, a girl and a boy, underwent PCBA for severe LS of the left anterior descending artery caused by KD. After 4 years, there was no ischemia and no significant restenosis in the target vessels. PCBA provided a good result for early appearing LS caused by KD in two small infants. The 5-years-old boy was the youngest patient to undergo percutaneous transluminal coronary rotablator. Although the postprocedure result was very effective, 1 year later asymptomatic occlusion occurred.

N2-carboxyethyl-2′-deoxyguanosine, a DNA glycation marker, in kidneys and aortas of diabetic and uremic patients

Advanced glycation end product (AGE)-mediated modification of proteins is enhanced both in the kidneys and aortas of diabetic and uremic patients. However, AGE modification of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has not yet been reported in these patients. We performed immunohistochemistry of kidneys and aortas using a monoclonal antibody against N(2)-carboxyethyl-2'-deoxyguanosine (CEdG), a marker of AGE-linked DNA. A total of 20 kidneys and 20 aortas were obtained by autopsy. The kidney samples consisted of two groups: nondiabetic nonkidney disease (control) and diabetic nephropathy. The aorta samples consisted of four groups: nondiabetic nonkidney disease (control), diabetes, hemodialysis, and diabetic hemodialysis. In the kidneys CEdG was detected predominantly in the nuclei of epithelial cells, mesangial cells, and endothelial cells of the glomeruli, parietal epithelial cells, and tubular cells. The number of CEdG-positive cells in the glomeruli was significantly increased in diabetic nephropathy compared with control. In the aortic walls, CEdG was detected predominantly in the nuclei of macrophages and myofibroblasts. The number of CEdG-positive cells in the aorta was significantly increased in hemodialysis patients and diabetic hemodialysis patients compared with control. The highest number of CEdG-positive cells in the aorta was observed in diabetic hemodialysis patients. In conclusion, AGE-mediated modification of DNA is enhanced in the kidney of diabetic nephropathy and the aorta of uremic atherosclerosis, and may induce a loss of genetic integrity in these diseases.

The wide distribution of endornaviruses, large double-stranded RNA replicons with plasmid-like properties

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) recently accepted Endornavirus as a new genus of plant dsRNA virus. We have determined the partial nucleotide sequences of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase regions from the large dsRNAs (about 14 kbp) isolated from barley (Hordeum vulgare), kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), melon (Cucumis melo), bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), Malabar spinach (Basella alba), seagrass (Zostera marina), and the fungus Helicobasidium mompa. Phylogenetic analyses of these seven dsRNAs indicate that these dsRNAs are new members of the genus Endornavirus that are widely distributed over the plant and fungal kingdoms.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by esophagectomy for initially resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus with multiple lymph node metastasis

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) was expected to improve surgical curability and prognosis for advanced esophageal cancer. However, the clinical efficacy of neoadjuvant CRT followed by esophagectomy with three-field lymphadenectomy (3FL) for initially resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remains unclear. Since 1998, we have defined the status of metastases to five or more nodes, or nodal metastases present in all three fields as multiple lymph node metastasis, which was previously shown to be associated with poor prognosis. Between 1998 and 2002, 83 patients with initially resectable esophageal SCC were prospectively allocated into two groups, according to the clinical status of nodal metastasis. Nineteen patients clinically accompanied by multiple lymph node metastasis initially underwent neoadjuvant CRT followed by curative esophagectomy with 3FL (CRT group). The other 64 patients clinically without multiple lymph node metastasis immediately received curative esophagectomy with 3FL (control group). Although the overall morbidity rate was significantly higher in the CRT group, no in-hospital death occurred in either group. Patients without pathologic multiple lymph node metastasis in the CRT group showed a significantly better disease-free survival rate than either patients pathologically with multiple lymph node metastasis in the control group or those in the CRT group. However, the differences in the overall survival rate among the groups were not significant. Thus, the significant survival benefit by neoadjuvant CRT in addition to esophagectomy with 3FL was not confirmed, although it may have been advantageous, without increase in mortality, to at least some patients who responded well to neoadjuvant CRT. Therefore, neoadjuvant CRT can be an initial treatment of choice for resectable esophageal SCC clinically with multiple lymph node metastasis. The prediction of response to CRT and the development of alternative treatment for hematogenous recurrence could achieve a further survival benefit of this trimodality treatment.

Clinical characteristics and the prognosis of rhabdomyosarcoma - a report from the Study Group for Pediatric Solid Malignant Tumors in the Kyushu Area, Japan

AIM

There have been no nationwide group studies for patients with rhabdomyosarcoma in Japan. This study aims to assess the actual state of treatments and their outcome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

From 1982 to 1996, 79 rhabdomyosarcomas were registered by the Study Group for Pediatric Solid Malignant Tumors in the Kyushu Area. The prognostic factors and treatments were assessed based on the 5-year survival rate. The staging was done according to the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS) Clinical Grouping Classification.

RESULTS

The 5-year survival rate for all patients was 39.1 %. The survival rates for each factor were as follows, according to 1) group; 77.8 % for Group I, 51.9 % for Group II, 33.7 % for Group III, and 20.2 % for Group IV; 2) primary site: 56.3 % for the head and neck, 43.8 % for the parameningeal region, 12.5 % for the extremity, 58.3 % for the genitourinary region, and 30.5 % for the others; 3) histology: 35.8 % for the embryonal type, 36.8 % for the alveolar type.

CONCLUSIONS

Altogether, the outcome of this study was poor. To improve outcomes, a new nationwide group study for rhabdomyosarcoma, which we belong to, has just started in Japan.

Development of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for human cardiac myosin light chain I

We have developed a new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the determination of cardiac myosin light chain I (MLI) in human serum. The detection range of ELISA was between 1 and 50 ng/ml, and serial dilutions of human serum showed good linearity. The recovery of different concentrations of cardiac MLI ranged from 87.5% to 100.0%. The intra-assay (n=5) and inter-assay (n=5) showed good results (C.V.<10%). The cross-reactivity with skeletal-myosin light chain (ML) was rather high, but was negligible with other myosin light chains. The concentrations of cardiac MLI in human serum determined by ELISA were similar to those determined by immunoradiometric assay (IRMA). The total assay time and sample volume required for ELISA were approx. 2 h and 25 microl, respectively, while those for IRMA are approx. 24 h and 100 microl. Our novel ELISA method therefore has significant advantages for clinical analysis.

High-energy proton generation and suppression of transverse proton divergence by localized electrons in a laser-foil interaction

A suppression of a transverse divergence of high-energy protons generated by an interaction of a laser with a thin slab foil is investigated in this paper by 2.5-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. When an intense (approximately 10(24) W/m(2)) short-pulse (a few ten femtoseconds) laser illuminates a thin foil target of a hydrogen, foil electrons are accelerated and compressed longitudinally by a laser light pressure and fast electron bunches are produced in the thin foil target. The fast electron bunches pass through the foil target, and a strong magnetic field is produced near the opposite side of the foil target. Because the strong magnetic field confines the electrons, a localization of the electrons is observed at the opposite side of a laser illumination surface. The local electron bunch produces not only a longitudinal electric field, but also a transverse electric field, which is directed toward the laser axis. Protons are accelerated and extracted from the foil, and the proton bunch divergence is successfully suppressed by the transverse electric field.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, -dibenzofurans, and biphenyls in domestic animal food stuff and their fat

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDFs) and dioxin-like coplanar PCBs and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin equivalents (TEQs) were measured in domestic animal related samples such as feed ingredient, mixed feed and animal fat from Japan. The mean concentration of total PCDDs, PCDFs and coplanar PCBs in fish oil was 17000pg g-1 lipid wt, which 9- to 30-fold greater than that from other animal originated ingredients. Mixed feed for chicken and chicken fat contained greater total PCDDs, PCDFs, coplanar PCBs concentrations (190 and 2100pg g-1 lipid wt) compared to those for pig (120 and 320pg g-1 lipid wt). WHO-TEQs were ranged 0.39-13, 0.15-0.22 and 0.73-2.8pg g-1 lipid wt for ingredients, mixed feeds and animal fats, respectively. Greater biomagnification factor was noticed for congeners 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF and 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDF in chicken and pig fat. Biomagnification factors for both mono- and non-ortho coplanar PCBs were greater in chicken fat compared to those in pig fat.

COAL SEAM GAS EXPLORATION, DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCES IN AUSTRALIA: A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

A total of 2,223 PJ of proved plus probable gas reserves has been identified in coal seam gas fields and pilot production areas in Australia. The production of coal seam gas is rapidly growing, reaching about 40 PJ per year in 2003. A total of more than 108 PJ will be supplied annually by the end of 2007 under existing contracts, representing about 9% of Australia’s projected total primary consumption of natural gas. About two thirds of Queensland’s natural gas consumption will be met by coal seam gas by the end of 2007. Further expansion of the coal seam gas industry depends largely on the medium-term production performance of the pioneering production projects now in operation.The long-term production performance of a coal seam gas well is not well understood. Analogues of conventional natural gas have often been applied to the estimation process of coal seam gas reserves without proper consideration of the fundamental differences in trapping mechanisms and production techniques. Definitions of petroleum reserves recommended by various organisations are not always applicable to coal seam gas, and the inconsistent application of reserves definitions may have resulted in inconsistencies in reserves reporting in Australia.

Mechanisms of the contractile effect of the alcoholic extract of Aegle marmelos Corr. on isolated guinea pig ileum and tracheal chain

In the present work, the effect of the alcoholic extract of the leaves of Aegle marmelos Corr. on guinea pig isolated ileum and tracheal chain was investigated, as this plant is used traditionally to treat asthma and related afflictions. These effects were investigated using the isolated organ bath method. 1 mg/ml and 2mg/ml doses of the alcoholic extract of this plant produced a positive relaxant effect in isolated guinea pig ileum and tracheal chain, respectively. In addition, they antagonized the contractions, which are produced by histamine. Because the alcoholic extracts elicited the antagonistic effect against histamine and also relaxed the histamine-induced contractions, it can be concluded that relaxations induced by A. marmelos in both guinea pig ileum and tracheal chain were due to the depression of H1-receptors. Since we observed a complete relaxation of the guinea pig ileum and tracheal chain produced by the extract, we investigated its antagonistic effect against histamine. These results were due to the presence of one or more anti-histaminic constituents present in the alcoholic extract of this plant, therefore supporting to the traditional use of A. marmelos in asthmatic complaints.

Metformin Ameliorates Treatment of Obese Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Mental Retardation; its Effects on Eating Behavior and Serum Leptin Levels

The metabolic effects of a biguanide, metformin, on glycemic control and eating behavior were investigated in 16 type 2 diabetic subjects with mental retardation who were habitual overeaters and had difficulty in controlling their appetites. The subjects (n = 16) received metformin (750 mg/day) for 6 months and body weight, body mass index (BMI) were measured monthly. They had repetitive metabolic and hormonal studies. Their eating behavior was analyzed by questionnaires given by their guardians before and after treatment. Metformin treatment significantly reduced their body weights (p < 0.01), body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.01), the levels of HbA1c (p < 0.001), fasting blood glucose (FBG) (p < 0.05), serum insulin (p < 0.05), C-peptide (p < 0.01), triglyceride (p < 0.01), and total cholesterol (p < 0.05). Insulin resistance index (FBG (mg/dl) x serum insulin levels ( micro U/ml) x 1/405) was significantly reduced after 1-month treatment. The serum leptin levels were significantly decreased after 4 month's treatment and thereafter (p < 0.05). Analysis of the questionnaires before and after treatment showed that the daily intake of regular and additional foods significantly decreased after treatment (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively) with improvements of eating behavior. We conclude that metformin may have beneficial effects not only to control glycemia but also to correct eating behavior in obese type 2 diabetic patients with the difficulty in controlling their appetites. The improvement was related to the reduction of insulin resistance and serum leptin levels.

Electron bunch trapping and compression by an intense focused pulse laser

A focused short-pulse laser of TEM (1,0)+TEM (0,1) mode has two intensity peaks in the radial direction, so that the transverse ponderomotive force may trap electrons between the two peaks. At the same time the longitudinal ponderomotive force may accelerate electrons at the head of the laser pulse, when the laser is focused. When the electrons move to the laser tail, the laser may diverge and the electron deceleration becomes relatively weak. Our numerical analyses demonstrate that electrons are trapped well by the laser potential well, and that at the same time the acceleration by the longitudinal ponderomotive force induces the electron bunch compression. This trapping and compression mechanism is unique: the electron bunch can be compressed to the scale of the laser pulse length.