Axillary lymph-node metabolic activity assessment on 18F-FDG-PET/CT in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with biologic therapies

Objective: Recent studies have provided new insights into the role of lymph nodes (LNs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic activity of the axillary LNs in relation to that of the upper limb joints and the clinical assessment of disease activity in RA patients treated with biologic therapies.Method: ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT) scans were acquired for 64 patients with RA at baseline and after 6 months of biologic therapy, and the patients' clinical status was evaluated. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max), metabolic active volume, and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were used to assess glucose metabolism in the LNs and 12 joints. Clinical evaluations included serum markers and the Disease Activity Score based on 28-joint count-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR).Results: Changes in the SUV_max and TLG for the axillary LNs correlated significantly with those of the ipsilateral wrist joints. There was a positive correlation between the changes in the three metabolic parameters of the axillary LNs and the changes in disease activity after treatment. After 6 months of biologic therapy, all metabolic parameters for the axillary LNs in patients with a DAS28-ESR < 3.2 were significantly lower than those of patients with a DAS28-ESR ≥ 3.2.Conclusion: A relationship between the glucose metabolism of the axillary LNs and the ipsilateral wrist joints was demonstrated by the ¹⁸F-FDG-PET/CT parameters. The metabolic activity and active volume of axillary LNs may reflect the therapeutic response to the biologic treatment of RA.

P5639Risk stratification for mortality using electrocardiographic markers based on 24-hour holter recordings: the JANIES-SHD study

Background

Recent guidelines have stated that reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the gold standard marker for identifying patients at risk for cardiac mortality. Although reduced LVEF identifies patients at an increased risk of cardiac arrest, sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs) occur considerably more often in patients with relatively preserved LVEF. Current guidelines on SCD risk stratification do not adequately cover this general population pool. Several noninvasive electrocardiographic (ECG) risk stratifiers that reflect depolarization abnormality, repolarization abnormality, and autonomic imbalance have been evaluated so far. With current therapeutic advances using new medicines or devices, an LVEF is often preserved in patients with structural heart disease (SHD). However, the usefulness of noninvasive ECG markers for risk stratification in such a patient population has not yet been elucidated.

Purpose

This study aimed to assess clinical indices and ECG markers based on 24-hour Holter ECG recordings for predicting cardiac mortality in patients with SHD who have left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) but relatively preserved LVEF.

Methods

In total, 1,829 patients were enrolled into the Japanese Multicenter Observational Prospective Study (JANIES study). In this study, we analyzed data of 719 patients (569 men, age 64±13 years) with SHD including mainly ischemic heart disease (65.8%). As ECG markers based on 24-hour Holter recordings, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT), ventricular late potentials, and heart rate turbulence (HRT) were assessed. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoint was fatal arrhythmic events.

Results

During a mean follow-up of 21±11 months, all-cause mortality was eventually observed in 39 patients (5.4%). Among those patients, 32 patients (82%) suffered from cardiac causes such as heart failure and arrhythmia. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that after adjustment for age and LVEF, documented NSVT (hazard ratio=2.82, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38–5.76, P=0.005) and abnormal HRT (hazard ratio=2.31, 95% CI: 1.15–4.65, P=0.02) were significantly associated with the primary endpoint. These two ECG markers also had significant predictive values with the secondary endpoint. The combined assessment documented NSVT and abnormal HRT improved predictive accuracy.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that combined assessment of documented NSVT and abnormal HRT based on 24-hour Holter ECG recordings are recommended for predicting future serious events in SHD patients who have relatively preserved LVEF.

Acknowledgement/Funding

Grants-in-Aid (21590909, 24591074, and 15K09103 to T.I.) for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technol

Investigation of the Influence of Swallowing, Coughing and Vocalization on Heart Rate Variability with Respiratory-phase Domain Analysis

Objectives : The objective of our study is to investigate extrinsic influences on heart rate variability using respiratory-phase domain analysis. Swallowing, coughing and vocalization (reading aloud and conversation) are adopted as extrinsic influences.

Methods : In this study, an instantaneous R-R interval (RRI) is sampled at each π/10 rad of the respiratory phase and the data is divided into three subsets: a) respiration with event, b) one respiration after the event, and c) normal respiration. Then the mean waveforms of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) are calculated and compared.

Results and Conclusions : It is found that swallowing induces tachycardia that recovers within one respiration. Coughing also induces tachycardia, but it does not recover within one respiration. Vocalization shortens the mean RRI, but the changing respiratory pattern due to vocalization has no statistically significant influence on the amplitude of RSA. Furthermore, it is found that the proposed method is effective for analyzing extrinsic influences on heart rate variability (HRV).

Phase Competition in the Palmer-Chalker XY Pyrochlore Er_{2}Pt_{2}O_{7}

We report neutron scattering measurements on Er_{2}Pt_{2}O_{7}, a new addition to the XY family of frustrated pyrochlore magnets. Symmetry analysis of our elastic scattering data shows that Er_{2}Pt_{2}O_{7} orders into the k=0, Γ_{7} magnetic structure (the Palmer-Chalker state), at T_{N}=0.38  K. This contrasts with its sister XY pyrochlore antiferromagnets Er_{2}Ti_{2}O_{7} and Er_{2}Ge_{2}O_{7}, both of which order into Γ_{5} magnetic structures at much higher temperatures, T_{N}=1.2 and 1.4 K, respectively. In this temperature range, the magnetic heat capacity of Er_{2}Pt_{2}O_{7} contains a broad anomaly centered at T^{*}=1.5  K. Our inelastic neutron scattering measurements reveal that this broad heat capacity anomaly sets the temperature scale for strong short-range spin fluctuations. Below T_{N}=0.38  K, Er_{2}Pt_{2}O_{7} displays a gapped spin-wave spectrum with an intense, flat band of excitations at lower energy and a weak, diffusive band of excitations at higher energy. The flat band is well described by classical spin-wave calculations, but these calculations also predict sharp dispersive branches at higher energy, a striking discrepancy with the experimental data. This, in concert with the strong suppression of T_{N}, is attributable to enhanced quantum fluctuations due to phase competition between the Γ_{7} and Γ_{5} states that border each other within a classically predicted phase diagram.

Crystallization of high-quality protein crystals using an external electric field

The effect of a 20 kHz external electric field on the quality of tetragonal hen egg white (HEW) lysozyme crystals was investigated using X-ray diffraction rocking-curve measurements. The full width at half-maximum was found to be larger for high-order reflections but smaller for low-order reflections. In particular, it was revealed that a large amount of local strain is accumulated in tetragonal HEW lysozyme crystals grown under an applied field at 20 kHz. Comparison with previous results obtained for crystals grown with an applied field at 1 MHz [Koizumi, Uda, Fujiwara, Tachibana, Kojima & Nozawa (2013).J. Appl. Cryst.46, 25–29] indicated that improvement of the protein crystal quality could be achieved by selection of an appropriate frequency for the applied electric field, which has a significant effect on the growth of the solid.

Micromotors working in water through artificial aerobic metabolism

Most catalytic micro/nanomotors that have been developed so far use hydrogen peroxide as fuel, while some use hydrazine. These fuels are difficult to apply because they can cause skin irritation, and often form and store disruptive bubbles. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel catalytic Pt micromotor that does not produce bubbles, and is driven by the oxidation of stable, non-toxic primary alcohols and aldehydes with dissolved oxygen. This use of organic oxidation mirrors living systems, and lends this new motor essentially the same characteristics, including decreased motility in low oxygen environments and the direct isothermal conversion of chemical energy into mechanical energy. Interestingly, the motility direction is reversed by replacing the reducing fuels with hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, these micromotors not only provide a novel system in nanotechnology, but also help in further revealing the underlining mechanisms of motility of living organisms.

Elastic constants in orthorhombic hen egg-white lysozyme crystals

The ultrasonic sound velocities of cross-linked orthorhombic hen egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) crystals, including a large amount of water in the crystal, were measured using an ultrasonic pulse-echo method. As a result, seven elastic constants of orthorhombic crystals were observed to be C11 = 5.24 GPa, C22 = 4.87 GPa, C12 = 4.02 GPa, C33 = 5.23 GPa, C44 = 0.30 GPa, C55 = 0.40 GPa, and C66 = 0.43 GPa, respectively. However, C13 and C23 could not be observed because the suitable crystal planes could not be cut from bulk crystals. We conclude that the observed elastic constants of the cross-linked crystals are coincident with those of the intrinsic crystals without cross-linking. Moreover, the characteristics of the elastic constants in orthorhombic HEWL crystals are due to the fact that the shear elastic constants, C44, C55, and C66, are softer than in tetragonal crystals. That is, the shear components, C44, C55, and C66, are one half of those of the tetragonal crystals.

Improving adenovirus vector-mediated RNAi efficiency by lacking the expression of virus-associated RNAs

Several studies have reported that short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) was competitively inhibited by the expression of adenovirus (Ad)-encoded small RNAs (VA-RNAs), which are expressed from a replication-incompetent Ad vector, as well as a wild-type Ad; however, it remained to be clarified whether an shRNA-expressing Ad vector-mediated knockdown was inhibited by VA-RNAs transcribed from the same Ad vector genome. In this study, we demonstrated that a lack of VA-RNA expression from the Ad vector leads to an increase in knockdown efficiencies of Ad vector-mediated RNAi. In the cells transduced with a first-generation Ad vector (FG-Ad) expressing shRNA (FG-Ad-shRNA), the copy numbers of shRNA and VA-RNAs incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) was comparable. In contrast, higher amounts of shRNA were found in the RISC when the cells were transduced with an shRNA-expressing helper-dependent Ad (HD-Ad) vector, in which all viral genes, including VA-RNAs, were deleted (HD-Ad-shRNA), compared with FG-Ad-shRNA. HD-Ad vectors expressing shRNA against luciferase and p53 showed 7.4% and 37.3% increases in the knockdown efficiencies compared to the corresponding FG-Ad-shRNA, respectively, following in vitro transduction. Furthermore, higher levels of knockdown efficiencies were also found by the transduction with shRNA-expressing Ad vectors lacking VA-RNA expression (AdΔVR-shRNA) than by transduction with FG-Ad-shRNA. These results indicate that VA-RNAs expressed from an Ad vector inhibit knockdown by the shRNA-expressing Ad vector and that HD-Ad-shRNA and AdΔVR-shRNA are a powerful framework for shRNA-mediated knockdown.

Improvement of crystal quality for tetragonal hen egg white lysozyme crystals under application of an external alternating current electric field

X-ray diffraction rocking-curve measurements were performed on tetragonal hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) crystals grown with and without application of an external alternating current (AC) electric field, and then the crystal quality was assessed by the FWHMs of each rocking-curve profile. The FWHMs for HEWL crystals grown with an external electric field were smaller than those for crystals grown without. In particular, the average FWHM for the 12 12 0 reflection with an external electric field (0.0034°) was significantly smaller than that without (0.0061°). This indicates that the crystal quality of HEWL crystals was improved by application of the external AC electric field. This crystallization technique can be expected to enhance the resolution of protein molecule structure analysis by X-ray diffraction.

Cochlear disorder associated with melanocyte anomaly in mice with a transgenic insertional mutation

We have generated eight lines of transgenic mice containing mouse vasopressin-beta-galactosidase fusion constructs. One of these lines, VGA-9, harbors approximately 50 transgene copies at a single chromosomal site. When bred to transgene homozygosity, mice of this line showed a complete loss of skin pigmentation, microphthalmia, and cochlear abnormalities. The vascular stria of the cochlea was thin and deficient in melanin pigment which is normally produced by presumably neural crest-derived melanocytes. The marginal cells of the stria were thin and lacked basal infoldings. Degeneration of outer hair cells was also observed in homozygous mice, but this alteration may be secondary to the strial abnormalities. In contrast to homozygous VGA-9 mice, heterozygous VGA-9 mice were pigmented and appeared to have no anatomical alterations in either eye or cochlea. Since the integrated transgene provides a marker for cloning an endogenous gene necessary for normal pigmentation and proper development of the inner ear, the transgenic line VGA-9 may become valuable for the study of the molecular genetics of inner ear disorders associated with pigment abnormalities in both mice and humans.

Structural, electronic, optical and vibrational properties of nanoscale carbons and nanowires: a colloquial review

This review addresses the field of nanoscience as viewed through the lens of the scientific career of Peter Eklund, thus with a special focus on nanocarbons and nanowires. Peter brought to his research an intense focus, imagination, tenacity, breadth and ingenuity rarely seen in modern science. His goal was to capture the essential physics of natural phenomena. This attitude also guides our writing: we focus on basic principles, without sacrificing accuracy, while hoping to convey an enthusiasm for the science commensurate with Peter's. The term 'colloquial review' is intended to capture this style of presentation. The diverse phenomena of condensed matter physics involve electrons, phonons and the structures within which excitations reside. The 'nano' regime presents particularly interesting and challenging science. Finite size effects play a key role, exemplified by the discrete electronic and phonon spectra of C(60) and other fullerenes. The beauty of such molecules (as well as nanotubes and graphene) is reflected by the theoretical principles that govern their behavior. As to the challenge, 'nano' requires special care in materials preparation and treatment, since the surface-to-volume ratio is so high; they also often present difficulties of acquiring an experimental signal, since the samples can be quite small. All of the atoms participate in the various phenomena, without any genuinely 'bulk' properties. Peter was a master of overcoming such challenges. The primary activity of Eklund's research was to measure and understand the vibrations of atoms in carbon materials. Raman spectroscopy was very dear to Peter. He published several papers on the theory of phonons (Eklund et al 1995a Carbon 33 959-72, Eklund et al 1995b Thin Solid Films 257 211-32, Eklund et al 1992 J. Phys. Chem. Solids 53 1391-413, Dresselhaus and Eklund 2000 Adv. Phys. 49 705-814) and many more papers on measuring phonons (Pimenta et al 1998b Phys. Rev. B 58 16016-9, Rao et al 1997a Nature 338 257-9, Rao et al 1997b Phys. Rev. B 55 4766-73, Rao et al 1997c Science 275 187-91, Rao et al 1998 Thin Solid Films 331 141-7). His careful sample treatment and detailed Raman analysis contributed greatly to the elucidation of photochemical polymerization of solid C(60) (Rao et al 1993b Science 259 955-7). He developed Raman spectroscopy as a standard tool for gauging the diameter of a single-walled carbon nanotube (Bandow et al 1998 Phys. Rev. Lett. 80 3779-82), distinguishing metallic versus semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes, (Pimenta et al 1998a J. Mater. Res. 13 2396-404) and measuring the number of graphene layers in a peeled flake of graphite (Gupta et al 2006 Nano Lett. 6 2667-73). For these and other ground breaking contributions to carbon science he received the Graffin Lecture award from the American Carbon Society in 2005, and the Japan Carbon Prize in 2008. As a material, graphite has come full circle. The 1970s renaissance in the science of graphite intercalation compounds paved the way for a later explosion in nanocarbon research by illuminating many beautiful fundamental phenomena, subsequently rediscovered in other forms of nanocarbon. In 1985, Smalley, Kroto, Curl, Heath and O'Brien discovered carbon cage molecules called fullerenes in the soot ablated from a rotating graphite target (Kroto et al 1985 Nature 318 162-3). At that time, Peter's research was focused mainly on the oxide-based high-temperature superconductors. He switched to fullerene research soon after the discovery that an electric arc can prepare fullerenes in bulk quantities (Haufler et al 1990 J. Phys. Chem. 94 8634-6). Later fullerene research spawned nanotubes, and nanotubes spawned a newly exploding research effort on single-layer graphene. Graphene has hence evolved from an oversimplified model of graphite (Wallace 1947 Phys. Rev. 71 622-34) to a new member of the nanocarbon family exhibiting extraordinary electronic properties. Eklund's career spans this 35-year odyssey.

Persistence of ferroelectricity in BaTiO3 through the insulator-metal transition

The ferroelectric BaTiO(3) is a band-gap insulator. Itinerant electrons can be introduced in this material by doping, for example, with oxygen vacancies. Above a critical electron concentration of n(c) approximately 1 x 10(20) cm(-3), BaTiO(3-delta) becomes metallic. This immediately raises a question: Does metallic BaTiO(3-delta) still retain ferroelectricity? One may expect itinerant electrons to destroy ferroelectricity as they screen the long-range Coulomb interactions. We followed the phase transitions in BaTiO(3-delta) as a function of n far into metallic phase. Although their stability range decreases with n, the low-symmetry phases in metallic BaTiO(3-delta) are still retained up to an estimated concentration of n* approximately 1.9 x 10(21) cm(-3). Moreover, it appears that the itinerant electrons partially stabilize the ferroelectric phases in metallic BaTiO(3-delta) by screening strong crystal field perturbations caused by oxygen vacancies.

Elastic constants in tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme crystals containing large amount of water

Transverse sound velocity of cross-linked tetragonal hen egg-white (HEW) lysozyme crystals containing large amount of water in the crystal was measured using ultrasonic pulse-echo method. All elastic constants of cross-linked crystals were observed to be C11=C22=5.50 GPa, C12=4.33 GPa, C13=C23=3.94 GPa, C33=5.22 GPa, C44=C55=0.68 GPa, and C66=0.84 GPa, respectively. We found that the elastic constants of the cross-linked crystals are identical to those of the intrinsic ones without cross-linking. Moreover, we found that tetragonal HEW lysozyme crystals that enclose large amount of water show decreased elastic constants (softening). In particular, the shear elastic constants C44=C55 and C66 showed more softening effect comparing with other elastic components.

A novel approach for sentinel lymph node identification using fluorescence imaging and image overlay navigation surgery in patients with breast cancer

624

Background: We reported a novel technique of sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification using fluorescence imaging of indocyanine green injection. Furthermore, to obtain safe and accurate identification of SLN during surgery, we introduce the image overlay navigation surgery and evaluate its efficacy. Methods: This study enrolled 30 patients with a tumor less than 3 cm in diameter. Initially we obtained three-dimensional (3-D) imaging from MD-CT by volume rendering of Osirix (Macintosh, Apple Inc.). It was projected on the patient’ operative field with the clear visualization of LN through the micro projector (Mpro 110, Sumitomo 3M). And then the dye of indocyanine green was injected subdermally in the areola. Subcutaneous lymphatic channels draining from the areola to the axilla were visible by fluorescence imagings (Photodynamic eye: PDE, Hamamatsu Photonics Co.) immediately. Lymphatic flow was reached after LN revealed on 3-D imaging. After incising the axillary skin on the point of LN mapping, SLN was then dissected under the guidance of fluorescence and 3-D imaging with adequate adjustment of sensitivity. Results: Lymphatic channels and SLN were successfully identified by PDE in all patients. And the sites of skin incision were also identical with the LN being demonstrated by 3-D imaging in all patients. The mean number of SLN was 2.8. The adjustment of sensitivity of PDE provide with the reduction of operation time. The image overlay navigation surgery was visually easy to identify the location of SLN from the axillary skin. There were no intra- or postoperative complications associated with SLN identification. Conclusions: This combined navigations of fluorescence and 3-D imagings revealed more easy and effective to detect SLN intraoperatively than fluorescence imaging alone. The operator's demand was satisfied with the introduction of image overlay navigation surgery consisted of augmented reality and mixed reality, and it may be practical in the various surgical fields.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Ectopic (subcutaneous) Paragonimus miyazakii infection in a dog

Ectopic infection with Paragonimus miyazakii was determined to be the cause of a subcutaneous inguinal mass in a 15-month-old, male, boar-hunting dog. On histologic examination, the mass comprised granulomatous panniculitis, intralesional adult trematodes and eggs, and lymphadenitis. Extrapulmonary paragonimosis in animals is rare. This appears to be the first report in a dog of ectopic P. miyazakii infection with mature trematodes and eggs that involved the inguinofemoral lymphocenter and surrounding subcutis.

Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma suppresses mast cell maturation involved in allergic diseases

BACKGROUND

Mast cells play a central role in allergic and inflammatory diseases. Several reports indicated role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) on mast cell function. However, there is no report about the role of PPARgamma on differentiation of mast cells from the progenitors. In this study, we investigated the role of PPARgamma in regulating bone marrow-derived mast cell maturation and the therapeutic implications for mast cell-related diseases such as atopic or contact dermatitis.

METHODS

We used in vitro cell culture system for mast cell differentiation from bone marrow-progenitors using specific ligands and lentiviral-mediated short hairpin RNA of PPARgamma, and in vivo murine dermatitis models.

RESULTS

Activation of PPARgamma inhibited the maturation of bone marrow progenitors into connective tissue-type mast cells (CTMCs) through up-regulation of GATA-4 and GATA-6 resulting in a decrease in expression of histidine decarboxylase and mast cell histamine content. In comparison, the differentiation of bone marrow progenitors into CTMCs was significantly accelerated by the knockdown of PPARgamma expression by lentiviral-mediated short hairpin RNA. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma ligand administration to mice inhibited the maturation of mast cells resulting in attenuation of atopic and contact dermatitis via diminishment of the number of mature mast cells.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that PPARgamma is one of master regulators on mast cell maturation and potentially useful for the therapy in various disorders involving mast cell activation.

Expression and prognostic significance of EFNB2 and EphB4 genes in patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Tyrosine kinases and its receptors play important roles in growth, migration, and invasion of malignant cells. Among those, there are only few reports examining the expression pattern of Eph/ephrin signalling system in oesophageal carcinoma. The prognostic importance of ephrin-B2 ligand (EFNB2) and its receptor EphB4, and its correlation with clinicopathologic characteristics are yet to be delineated in patients with oesophageal carcinoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

EFNB2 gene and EphB4 receptor gene were examined of mRNA specimens in 61 patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. EFNB2 protein was selectively examined using an immunohistochemical analysis.

RESULTS

EFNB2 mRNA expression was detected in 38 (62.3%) and EphB4 expression was found in 44 (72.1%) out of 61 cancer tissues analysed. There was a statistically significant correlation between EFNB2 expression and number of lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), and a trend toward statistical significance for correlation between EFNB2 expression and American Joint Committee on Cancer Classification Stage (P<0.1), indicating that EFNB2 expression was up-regulated by advancement of the disease process. EFNB2 protein was strongly expressed in tumour with high mRNA EFNB2 expression and was weakly expressed in tumour with low mRNA expression in some representative tumours. The 5-year overall survival rate (23%) of patients with positive EFNB2 gene expression was significantly worse than 55% of negative expression (P<0.05). The results of multivariate analysis of prognosticators for survival showed that positive EFNB2 gene expression (P<0.01) and number of lymph node metastasis (P<0.05) were identified as significant factors indicative of a poorer survival.

CONCLUSIONS

EFNB2 gene expression may be a biological marker and a useful prognostic indicator in patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Investigation of the influence of swallowing, coughing and vocalization on heart rate variability with respiratory-phase domain analysis

OBJECTIVES

The objective of our study is to investigate extrinsic influences on heart rate variability using respiratory-phase domain analysis. Swallowing, coughing and vocalization (reading aloud and conversation) are adopted as extrinsic influences.

METHODS

In this study, an instantaneous R-R interval (RRI) is sampled at each pi/10 rad of the respiratory phase and the data is divided into three subsets: a) respiration with event, b) one respiration after the event, and c) normal respiration. Then the mean waveforms of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) are calculated and compared.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

It is found that swallowing induces tachycardia that recovers within one respiration. Coughing also induces tachycardia, but it does not recover within one respiration. Vocalization shortens the mean RRI, but the changing respiratory pattern due to vocalization has no statistically significant influence on the amplitude of RSA. Furthermore, it is found that the proposed method is effective for analyzing extrinsic influences on heart rate variability (HRV).

Observation of all the components of elastic constants using tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme crystals dehydrated at 42% relative humidity

Success in measuring transverse sound velocity allowed us to determine, for the first time, all six elastic constants of a protein crystal. An ultrasonic pulse-echo method was used to perform sound velocity measurements on tetragonal hen egg-white (HEW) lysozyme crystals that were partially dehydrated at 42% relative humidity. The measurements were performed using the (110), (101), and (001) crystallographic faces. Thus, all six elastic constants of the dehydrated tetragonal HEW lysozyme crystals were determined: C11=C22=12.44 GPa, C12=7.03 GPa, C13=C23=8.36 GPa, C33=12.79 GPa, C44=C55=2.97 GPa, and C66=2.63 GPa. In addition, for the hydrated crystals, the longitudinal sound velocities along the [110] direction and the direction normal to the (101) face were measured. From these results, all the components of elastic constants in the hydrated crystals were extrapolated.

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for simultaneous detection of black-pigmented Prevotella species in oral specimens

Prevotella species are a major component of the oral microflora and some have been implicated in various forms of periodontal disease. Despite the importance of understanding the prevalence of these organisms in the oral microflora, no rapid, simultaneous detection system for these species has been reported. This study developed a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for the simultaneous detection of four oral black-pigmented Prevotella species in various oral specimens. This assay will be useful for determining the prevalence of these organisms in the oral ecosystem. Furthermore, this assay system should prove a useful tool for analyzing the role of black-pigmented Prevotella species in the mouth.

A MEK inhibitor (U0126) markedly inhibits direct liver invasion of orthotopically inoculated human gallbladder cancer cells in nude mice

Primary cancer of the gallbladder is not unusual. Most cases of gallbladder cancer are found at an advanced stage, accompanied by the invasion to the liver, metastases to the lymph nodes and distant organs, and peritoneal dissemination. In this study, we first examined the effect of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors on the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in a human gallbladder cancer cell line, NOZ cells in vitro. MEK inhibitors (PD98059 and U0126) inhibited the production of MMP-2, MMP-9 and high MW uPA, and upregulated TIMPs (TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and TIMP-3). Subsequently, we examined the effect of U0126 on invasion and metastasis of orthotopically inoculated NOZ cells in nude mice. Direct liver invasion by cancer cells was detected in all of the mice in the control group, but in only one mouse in the U0126-treated group. Most of the primary tumors in the U0126-treated group expanded to the liver, but did not invade into the liver. Vessel invasion in the liver was evident in 4 out of 5 mice in the control group, but in only one mouse in the U0126-treated group. Lymph node metastases and peritoneal dissemination were recognized in all of the mice in both groups. All 5 mice in the U0126-treated group, and 4 out of 5 mice in the vehicle control group, had metastases in the lungs. The present results suggest that a MEK inhibitor, U0126, prolonged the survival of the mice with NOZ tumor by inhibiting direct liver invasion and vessel invasion of the cancer cells via down-regulation of the matrix degrading ability of the cancer cells.

Melting pattern of diquark condensates in quark matter

Thermal color superconducting phase transitions in high density three-flavor quark matter are investigated in the Ginzburg-Landau approach. The effects of nonzero strange quark mass, electric and color charge neutrality, and direct instantons are considered. Weak coupling calculations show that an interplay between the mass and electric neutrality effects near the critical temperature gives rise to three successive second-order phase transitions as the temperature increases: a modified color-flavor locked (mCFL) phase (ud, ds, and us pairings) --> a d-quark superconducting (dSC) phase (ud and ds pairings) --> an isoscalar pairing phase (ud pairing) --> a normal phase (no pairing). The dSC phase is novel in the sense that while all eight gluons are Meissner screened as in the mCFL phase, three out of nine quark quasiparticles are always gapless.

Quantitative air-plethysmographic venous function and ambulatory venous pressure in patients with primary varicose vein

AIM

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between air-plethysmographic volume parameters under standard exercise loading and foot venous pressure parameters under ideal exercise loading in patients with primary varicose veins.

METHODS

Seventy-one lower limbs in 39 patients with primary varicose veins and 8 lower limbs in 4 healthy controls were examined. The patients included 12 males and 27 females, ranging in age from 36 to 79 years. Eighteen limbs were asymptomatic (class 0) limbs, 28 limbs had symptoms of swelling or heaviness (class 1), and 25 had skin lesions (class 2+3). The patients and controls were examined with duplex scanning, air-plethysmography, and ambulatory foot venous pressure measurement.

RESULTS

The mean ambulatory venous pressure (AVP) was significantly higher in the class 2+3 limbs than in the other classes, but it was not significantly higher in class 1 than in class 0. There were no significant differences between the class 2+3 limbs and class 1 limbs in any of the air-plethysmographic parameters. However, the VFI in the class 0 limbs was significantly different from that in the other 2 groups. Among all parameters examined, the venous filling index (VFI) was the most closely correlated with the AVP. All air-plethysmographic parameters were negatively correlated with the VRT.

CONCLUSIONS

Among non-invasive air-plethysmographic volume parameters, VFI is the most reliable indicator for quantitative evaluation of calf pump function.

Effect of intracrystalline water on longitudinal sound velocity in tetragonal hen-egg-white lysozyme crystals

Longitudinal sound velocity of tetragonal hen-egg-white (HEW) lysozyme crystals was measured during air drying by ultrasonic pulseecho method. The sound velocity increases with exposure to open air and approaches a constant value. The maximum value is approximately 2900 m/s that is about 1.6 times as much as that of original one before drying. In addition, the sound velocity clearly recovers to original one after immersing the dried crystal in solution. Therefore, the sound velocity in tetragonal HEW lysozyme crystals can be reversibly changed due to dehydration and rehydration. These changes in sound velocity are discussed in the light of water-mediated intramolecular and intermolecular interactions in the crystals.