Uniform And Large Area Deposition Of Diamond-Like Carbon Using Rf Source Ion Beam

We have designed and constructed a large area ion beam apparatus to deposit DLC films onto 1000 cm2 surfaces with various geometries. The use of an efficient RF excited ion gun (13.56 MHz, 1 kW power, 50-3000 eV ion energy) with a diameter of 20 cm, enables us to generate various hydrocarbon ions with high ion beam currents, varying ionic species and less maintenance. The use of a four axis (Χ-ϒ-Θϒ-ΘZ) substrate scanner with computer control can produce uniform DLC films on large areas and curved surfaces. The effects of RF power, ion energy, gaseous composition, and total pressure on the properties of DLC have been systematically investigated.

In situ Monitoring of the Effects of Gas Mixtures on Ion Beam Depositions of Diamond-Like Carbon Films

A quadrupole mass spectrometer and a total ion-current measuring device have been utilized to monitor the ion compositions of gas mixtures of CH4/H2 and CH4/H2/O2 during the deposition for quality control and process optimization. An ultra high vacuum system using a 20 cm diameter RF excited (13.56 MIfz) ion gun and a four-axis substrate scanner has been developed for deposition of diamond-like carbon films for electrical, optical, and tribological applications. At a constant RF power of 179W, the mass spectra of gas mixture CH4/H2 (1:2.5) showed the most abundant ion is CH3+. Addition of O2 to the ion source has been found to affect the adhesion, deposition rate, and physical and chemical properties of the DLC films. By use of a mass spectrometer with and without the electron beam, the degree of ionization of CH4 was calculated to be about 10%. As the concentration of O2 was increased, all hydrocarbon ions decreased and H3O+ increased, resulting in a decrease in the film growth rate and an increase in etching of Si and glass substrates. In general, the optical bandgap, adsorption coefficients and refractive index decreased as oxygen concentration increased. Raman spectra showed the G-peak position shifted toward the graphitic peak with narrow peak width as oxygen concentration increased. At ultra high vacuum, the coefficient of friction increased with increased adhesion on substrates as oxygen was increased.

Angiotensin II receptor blockade with valsartan decreases plasma osteopontin levels in patients with essential hypertension

Osteopontin (OPN) has recently emerged as a key factor in both vascular remodelling and development of atherosclerosis. It has been reported that OPN is regulated by the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of angiotensin II receptor blockade with valsartan on plasma OPN levels in patients with essential hypertension (EHT). Forty-six patients (mean age, 64±11 years) with EHT were randomly assigned to treatment with amlodipine or valsartan. There were no significant differences in baseline clinical characteristics between the two groups. Blood sampling and blood pressure evaluation were performed before and after 24 weeks of treatment. After 24 weeks, both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were decreased significantly and by the same degree in each treatment group. However, valsartan but not amlodipine decreased plasma OPN levels (baseline and 24-week data-valsartan: 614±224 ng ml(-1), 472±268 ng ml(-1), P=0.006; amlodipine: 680±151 ng ml(-1), 687±234 ng ml(-1), P>0.999). A positive correlation between the reduction in OPN and the log natural (ln) C-reactive protein (CRP) was seen in the valsartan-treated group. Stepwise regression analysis showed that treatment with valsartan and the reduction of ln CRP were associated with the reduction in OPN levels, and this association was independent of the reduction in SBP or aldosterone levels (valsartan: β=0.332, P=0.026; ln CRP reduction: β=0.366, P=0.015). These results suggest that suppression of the RAAS and inflammation may decrease plasma OPN levels.

Myoglobin subfractions: abnormality in duchenne type of progressive muscular dystrophy

Human metmyoglobin was separated electrophoretically into four subfractions: Mb(1), Mb(2), Mb(3), and Mb(4), which divide into at least two biochemically independent groups: Mb(1) and Mb(2), and Mb(3), and Mb(4). In normal subjects, Mb(1) constituted the predominant component; Mb(2), Mb(3), and Mb(4) were the minor components in this descending order. In the Duchenne type of progressive muscular dystrophy, on the contrary, a remarkable decrease in Mb(1) and a concomitant increase in Mb(3) were observed. This unique abnormality in the relative distribution of myoglobin subfractions was recognized only in the Duchenne type and not in other types of progressive muscular dystrophy or in other myopathies.

Novel and recurrent TRPV4 mutations and their association with distinct phenotypes within the TRPV4 dysplasia family

BACKGROUND

Mutations in TRPV4, a gene that encodes a Ca(2+) permeable non-selective cation channel, have recently been found in a spectrum of skeletal dysplasias that includes brachyolmia, spondylometaphyseal dysplasia, Kozlowski type (SMDK) and metatropic dysplasia (MD). Only a total of seven missense mutations were detected, however. The full spectrum of TRPV4 mutations and their phenotypes remained unclear.

OBJECTIVES AND METHODS

To examine TRPV4 mutation spectrum and phenotype-genotype association, we searched for TRPV4 mutations by PCR-direct sequencing from genomic DNA in 22 MD and 20 SMDK probands.

RESULTS

TRPV4 mutations were found in all but one MD subject. In total, 19 different heterozygous mutations were identified in 41 subjects; two were recurrent and 17 were novel. In MD, a recurrent P799L mutation was identified in nine subjects, as well as 10 novel mutations including F471del, the first deletion mutation of TRPV4. In SMDK, a recurrent R594H mutation was identified in 12 subjects and seven novel mutations. An association between the position of mutations and the disease phenotype was also observed. Thus, P799 in exon 15 is a hot codon for MD mutations, as four different amino acid substitutions have been observed at this codon; while R594 in exon 11 is a hotspot for SMDK mutations.

CONCLUSION

The TRPV4 mutation spectrum in MD and SMDK, which showed genotype-phenotype correlation and potential functional significance of mutations that are non-randomly distributed over the gene, was presented in this study. The results would help diagnostic laboratories establish efficient screening strategies for genetic diagnosis of the TRPV4 dysplasia family diseases.

Transient receptor potential A1 mediates gastric distention-induced visceral pain in rats

BACKGROUND

Transient receptor potential (TRP)A1, a member of the TRP family of ion channels, has been proposed to function in diverse sensory processes, including thermosensation and pain. However, TRPA1 has not been directly implicated in stomach mechanosensation, and its contribution to acute visceral pain from this organ is unknown. Here, we investigated the expression of TRPA1 in primary sensory afferents and its involvement in visceral hypersensitivity in rats.

METHODS

We examined TRPA1 expression in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG), nodose ganglion (NG), and stomach of rats by using immunohistochemistry. Electromyographic responses to gastric distention (GD) were recorded from the acromiotrapezius muscle in TRPA1 knockdown rats and in control rats.

RESULTS

TRPA1 was predominantly expressed with sensory neuropeptides in DRG and NG neurons, and in nerve fibres in the rat stomach. Gastric distention induced the activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in DRG and NG neurons 2 min after stimulation, and most of the phosphorylated-ERK1/2-labelled DRG neurons were TRPA1-positive neurons. Intrathecal injection of TRPA1 antisense attenuated the visceromotor response, and suppressed ERK1/2 activation in the DRG, but not NG, neurons produced by GD. Furthermore, intrathecal and intraperitoneal injections of the TRPA1 inhibitor HC-03003 suppressed the response to noxious GD.

CONCLUSIONS

The activation of TRPA1 in DRG neurons by noxious GD may be involved in acute visceral pain. Our findings point to the potential blockade of TRPA1 in primary afferents as a new therapeutic target for the reduction of visceral hypersensitivity.

Bronchial arteriovenous malformation with large aneurysm, resected by video-assisted thoracic surgery

Bronchial arteriovenous malformation with a large aneurysm appearing as a mass shadow in the right hilum on chest imaging was successfully extirpated thoracoscopically without any lung resection. Preoperative angiography showed tortuous, enlarged right bronchial arteries with an aneurysm connecting to the pulmonary artery, which could not be totally embolized via the transcatheter approach because of the length of the abnormal bronchial artery and possibility of embolotherapy-induced pulmonary infarction. Histological examination revealed defects of the media and internal elastic lamina of the resected bronchial arteries and aneurysm. The patient was free of hemoptysis and other airway symptoms 4 years after surgery.

Primary chylopericardium with pulmonary lymphedema

Primary chylopericardium is an uncommon entity, and its association with pulmonary lymphedema has been rarely reported.We describe a case of primary chylopericardium with pulmonary lymphedema developing into hypoxemia. The pulmonary lesions were histologically diagnosed as pulmonary lymphangiectasis and lymphedema on lung biopsies. Lymphedema seems to suggest the existence of chylous reflux with pulmonary lymphangiectasis. The patient underwent pericardial fenestration and resection of the thoracic duct. After the operation, the chylous accumulation in the pericardial cavity had disappeared,and hypoxemia improved following the disappearance of the pulmonary lesions.

Prognostic impact of intratumoral vessel invasion in completely resected pathologic stage I non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

Intratumoral vessel invasion of non-small cell lung cancer is a readily available tumor-related factor that provides direct evidence of microscopic tumor invasion. We assessed the prognostic influence of intratumoral vessel invasion and its ability to provide a differential prediction of prognosis for completely resected pathologic stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

METHODS

We analyzed 258 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent complete resection between January of 1996 and December of 2005 and were diagnosed with pathologic stage I disease. In addition to the conventional staging factors, intratumoral vessel invasion in the primary lesion was histologically evaluated by both hematoxylin-eosin and elastic staining. We examined the significance of intratumoral vessel invasion in prognosis and compared the outcomes between patients with and without this factor with stage IA and IB disease, respectively.

RESULTS

Intratumoral vessel invasion was found in 124 patients (48%). Five-year survival of patients with or without intratumoral vessel invasion was 74% and 93%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, intratumoral vessel invasion and pleural invasion were shown to be independent prognostic factors. Subgroup analyses suggested that patients with pathologic-stage IA with intratumoral vessel invasion and patients with pathologic-stage IB with both intratumoral vessel and pleural invasion had significantly worse prognosis than patients with the same pathologic stage without these factors.

CONCLUSION

The current study indicated that intratumoral vessel invasion and pleural invasion are independent prognostic factors. Intratumoral vessel invasion status can complement the size-dependent TNM staging system in pathologic stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

Solitary fibrous tumor associated with non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia

A 79-year-old man presented with abnormal fluttering movements of his extremities early in the morning. Fasting hypoglycemia was believed to be the cause of the movements. A computed tomographic scan showed a large mass in the left inferior hemithorax. Non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia was suspected, and the mass was resected while the patient was under glucose supplementation therapy. The plasma glucose level became stable shortly after tumor excision. The resected tumor was diagnosed as a solitary fibrous tumor producing insulin-like growth factor II. In the follow-up examination approximately 2 years after the surgery, no recurrence of the tumor was observed, and the plasma glucose level was stable.

Retrospective study of patients with pathologic N1-stage II non-small cell lung cancer

The population of patients with N1-stage II disease is small among non-small cell lung cancer patients and there have been relatively few studies regarding prognostic factors for the disease. We retrospectively evaluated the clinicopathological features of the disease to identify prognostic factors. The clinical records of 85 patients with N1-stage II non-small cell lung cancer who underwent lobectomy or pneumonectomy with systematic lymph node dissection or sampling were retrospectively reviewed. The study population comprised 64 men and 21 women, among whom 49 had adenocarcinoma, six had squamous cell carcinoma and two had large cell carcinoma. The prognosis was significantly better for p0 vs. p2-3 disease (P=0.029), pneumonectomy vs. lobectomy (P=0.027) and direct extension vs. metastasis to N1 lymph nodes (P=0.015). On the other hand, there was no significant difference in survival regarding the number or level of the involved lymph node stations. A multivariate analysis for prognostic factors revealed that status of lymph node involvement as well as gender and pleural factor was a significant independent prognostic factor (P=0.026). Our results have revealed that direct extension to N1 lymph nodes is an independent favorable prognostic factor as opposed to metastasis for surgically-treated patients with N1-stage II disease.

A novel DISC1-interacting partner DISC1-Binding Zinc-finger protein: implication in the modulation of DISC1-dependent neurite outgrowth

Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) is a gene disrupted by a (1;11) (q42.1;q14.3) translocation that segregates with major psychiatric disorders in a Scottish family. To investigate how DISC1 confers susceptibility to psychiatric disorders, we previously identified fasciculation and elongation protein zeta-1 and Kendrin as DISC1-interacting molecules in a yeast two-hybrid screen of a human brain complementary DNA library. Here, we have further identified a novel DISC1-interacting protein, termed DISC1-Binding Zinc-finger protein (DBZ), which has a predicted C(2)H(2)-type zinc-finger motif and coiled-coil domains. DBZ was co-immunoprecipitated with DISC1 in lysates of PC12 cells and rat brain tissue. The domain of DISC1 interacting with DBZ was close to the translocation breakpoint in the DISC1 gene. DBZ messenger RNA (mRNA) was expressed in human brains, but not in peripheral tissues. In situ hybridization revealed high expression of DBZ mRNA in the hippocampus, olfactory tubercle, cerebral cortex and striatum in rats. Because this pattern of localization was similar to that of the pituitary adenylate cyclase (PAC(1)) receptor for pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), which has recently been implicated in neuropsychological functions, we examined whether DISC1/DBZ interaction was involved in the PACAP signaling pathway. PACAP upregulated DISC1 expression and markedly reduced the association between DISC1 and DBZ in PC12 cells. A DISC1-binding domain of DBZ reduced the neurite length in PC12 cells after PACAP stimulation and in primary cultured hippocampal neurons. The present results provide some new molecular insights into the mechanisms of neuronal development and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Clinical relevance of intraoperative pleural lavage cytology in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Intraoperative pleural lavage cytology for patients with lung cancer has been reported to be useful in detecting subclinical pleural dissemination. However, this procedure is not necessary for the staging of lung cancer in the current TNM staging system.

METHODS

Clinical records of 1025 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent surgery were retrospectively reviewed and evaluated for the clinical relevance of intraoperative pleural lavage cytology.

RESULTS

Specimens of 37 patients (3.6%) were positive for pleural lavage cytology (PLC). Patients were categorized into three groups: positive PLC group, 27 patients with positive PLC without malignant pleural effusion or pleural dissemination; pleural dissemination (PD) group, 21 patients with malignant pleural effusion or PD; negative PLC group, 977 patients with negative PLC or negative PLC without PD. The positive PLC group had a significantly higher ratio of adenocarcinomas than the negative PLC group (p = 0.014). There was a significant difference in distribution of pleural factors between the positive and negative PLC groups (p < 0.001). Survival in the positive PLC group was significantly worse than in the negative PLC group (p = 0.007), especially in pathologic stage I (p = 0.001), but significantly better than in the PD group (p = 0.038). PLC status was found to be a significant independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study demonstrates the clinical relevance of intraoperative PLC in early stage non-small cell lung cancer. The result of intraoperative PLC should be involved in the staging system of lung cancer.

Functional reduction in mu-opioidergic system in the spinal cord under a neuropathic pain-like state following chronic ethanol consumption in the rat

Chronic ethanol consumption produces a painful peripheral neuropathy. The aim of this study was then to investigate the mechanism underlying the neuropathic pain-like state induced by chronic ethanol treatment in rats. Mechanical hyperalgesia was clearly observed during ethanol consumption and even after ethanol withdrawal, and it lasted for, at least, 14 weeks. At 24 days after ethanol withdrawal, antinociception of morphine was significantly suppressed and the increased guanosine-5'-o-(3-thio) triphosphate ([(35)S]GTPgammaS) binding to membranes of the spinal cord induced by the selective mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist, [D-Ala(2),N-MePhe(4),Gly(5)-ol]enkephalin (DAMGO), was significantly decreased under the ethanol-dependent neuropathic pain-like state, whereas the increased [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding to membranes of the spinal cord induced by either the selective delta-opioid receptor (DOR) agonist or kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) agonist was not changed under the ethanol-dependent neuropathic pain-like state. Furthermore, total-MOR immunoreactivity was not changed in the spinal cord of ethanol-fed rats. Under these conditions, immunoblotting showed a robust increase in phosphorylated-cPKC immunoreactivity (p-cPKC-IR) in the spinal cord from chronic ethanol fed-rats, whereas phosphorylated-protein kinase A (PKA), dynamin II and G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) were not affected in the spinal cord of ethanol-fed rats. These findings suggest that the dysfunction of MOR, but not DOR and KOR, linked to cPKC activation in the spinal cord may be, at least in part, involved in the reduced sensitivity to antinociception induced by morphine under the ethanol-dependent neuropathic pain-like state.